Top Ten Greatest Hits

Today is our 7th anniversary. 7 years? Is that right? I can't believe it's already been 7 years. As I was lying in bed last night trying to fall asleep I thought about some of the defining and most memorable moments in our 8 years together (our wedding anniversary also happens to be the anniversary of our first date, the year before). So without further ado and in no particular order, here are our top ten greatest hits:

1: The few days leading up to our first date. Oh, the anticipation! There was *something* in the air and I just knew he'd be asking me out soon and that it would change the world. In those few days we had snowball fights, 3 hour long chats on the internet, caught the other staring several times and made up lame reasons to "need" to stop by the other's apartment to borrow something or another. I think I had butterflies in my stomach for days.

2: Our first date. We watched movies and ate pizza and since we didn't want the date to end we went on a walk around campus, in the snow. It was freezing but we didn't want to go home because we knew we wouldn't see each other for 2 weeks. Finally, Brent gathered up the nerve to hold my hand and we walked home, shaking from cold with giant grins.

3: Our first kiss. Brent didn't want to kiss me until he was sure we were serious and that he loved me. This, I did not know so I spent the first month of our courtship waiting, not so patiently, for a kiss. It was worth the wait and it was hilarious. We had spent the evening with my roommates and girlfriends watching movies and it was time for him to go home. I walked him outside and shut the door behind me. We stood talking for a minute and then heard my friends inside singing "Kiss the Girl" and I could tell they were taking turns peeking through the peep-hole. We moved a little to be out of sight and then he kissed my cheek (to "test the water" as he says) and then it happened. The shortest, most awkward little peck you've ever seen. And we were both so embarrassed we just said good night and he hurried down the hall as I hurried inside. The next afternoon, as we were sitting on his couch, he told me that he loved me. I was so surprised that I think my response was "me too".

4: The proposal. Most of you have heard the story already. Here's the short version: He had an internship over the summer in Washington DC (my favorite city) so I went to visit him for the 4th of July (my favorite holiday). We walked around and saw sights all day then at the FDR Memorial, in front of a stone waterfall garden, he popped the question. I said yes, we hugged, I cried, we kissed, passers-by smiled. Then moments later, as we rushed down to the waters edge, the fireworks started. And in case you were wondering, fireworks look really cool reflected in a diamond ring.

5: The wedding day. Obviously. So much happened that day and a lot of it I don't remember but I do remember sitting in the temple, holding hands thinking "Yes! This is *it*! What I've been waiting and preparing for my whole life. And boy, am I lucky. How did I score this guy?" My mom said after the ceremony when we were getting ready to walk out of the temple, Brent was sitting at the end of the hall waiting for me to come from the dressing room and as we were walking towards him she saw a look on his face that said more than a thousand words could. She says she could see in his eyes how much he loved me and knew right then that we'd be happy forever.

6: The first year. We had no clue what was going on because we were lost in a haze of newlywed bliss. We both had full time school and 2 jobs each but it didn't matter. We barely saw each other but it was so fun to be playing house for real that we didn't care. Our apartment was tiny and most everything we had was hand-me-down and we were far past "broke". We taught the Sunbeam class (3-4 year olds) at church and would occasionally splurge and go to Wendy's for the dollar menu for date night. It was everything I'd ever dreamed of, only better.

7: The day we found out Brent got the job in LA. We were at Sonic trying to decide what food to order. It had been a long few months with several phone interviews and flying all over the country for job interviews so we had been expecting a call from any one of the companies at any time. The call lasted about 1 minute and I couldn't hear the other end of it, only Brent's half. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on until he hung up and said "I got it. We're moving to LA". I don't think we even ordered food. I think we just went straight home and started calling our families. It was so exciting and scary. Just the 2 of us, in a big, crazy city, far away from family.

8: The time Brent saved me from a bear. Ok, it wasn't a bear it was a drunk lady but still. Back story, I LOVE camping and we used to go every year with my family in California (can't now that we live here but anyway). The problem is I have an irrational fear of bears so I'm super paranoid and make Brent sleep on the side of the tent with the door. (Because bears use the door?) One night, I woke up to Brent yelling in the deepest, scariest man voice you've ever heard, "Who's there?!? What do you want?!?" Then an obviously confused, drunk, and now scared lady apologized and found her way back to her own campsite next door. It was hilarious and also educational because I didn't know Brent had a scary voice. I think it would have actually scared away a bear. His side of the story is that he awoke to scratching on the tent and thought "Oh great, Emily was right, bears do try to get in tents" but then realised that they were looking for a zipper and that it must be human. But, being half asleep, he couldn't control his volume and his thoughts came out loud and threatening. What a good Papa Bear he'll be.

9: The day we found out we were moving to London. I was cooking dinner and Brent walked in the door of our apartment and shoved a packet of papers in my face. He didn't say a word, just stood there waiting for me to read it and react to the news. I'm pretty sure we went from shocked to running around the house like little kids that found out they were going to Disneyland or something.

10: Travels. We adore travelling and have several memorable road trips to see family or as romantic getaways. He's surprised me with trips and I have for him. I emailed Brent and asked if he had anything to add to our list and both things had to do with travelling. We walk, a lot. And not just because we live in Europe. From our first date, we have always taken long walks to talk or to get from point A to B or to take in the scenery, and as Brent says, "they don't even have to be on the beach" Sometimes these walks are planned sometimes they are a result of poor choices and sometimes they are to save money or to avoid crowds. Some of these walks have been like on our honeymoon when we got on the wrong bus to get back to the hotel then the buses stopped so we had to walk 5 miles, on Christmas Eve night, with out a map through downtown Houston. Or our date night walks up and down the hill to Universal City in LA. Or when we walked the cliffs of Dover in the pelting rain. Or when we walked through the hills of Scotland with Cami & Luis for amazing cliffs and ocean views. Or walks with our nieces and nephews along the lake in the mountains where we camp every year. Or the waterfall hike in Wales with Molly & Andy that was twice as long and hard as we planned it to be, but still worth it. We love to see the world and sometimes it's fun and sometimes we have to wait a few months or years to laugh about it.

As I look back at those young kids jumping in with both feet 7 years ago, I don't think they could have imagined all the experiences and stories and tears and laughs and sleepless nights and exhausted sunday naps and doctors appointments and miles and crappy hotel pillows and photos and passport stamps in the following years. I just hope we have just as much fun in the next 7.

Happy anniversary to us!

Soup of the week

This week we had some friends from church over for FHE and dinner. They are very sweet and brought TONS of food even though we told them they didn't need to. So, we had a whole lot of rice left over. I looked online for recipes that included cooked rice and thought about making a rice pudding or something but then found a soup that looked tasty and easy (which came in handy on a night when I had zero time to cook). So here it is:

Italian Chicken and Rice Soup
Difficulty: Easier than Easy!
Time: 30 mins
Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (49.5 oz) can chicken broth
• 1 (26 oz) jar meatless spaghetti sauce
• 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 cups cooked rice
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

1. In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, combine the broth, spaghetti sauce, chicken, parsley and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in rice and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Variations: I did vegetable bullion, turned broth, instead of a can of chicken broth. I used dried parsley and about a 1tsp of thyme instead of 1/2. I also added onions, garlic, mushrooms and zuchinni. I think this is a really good base recipe and you could put any veggies in that you wanted. I just happened to have those things in my fridge so they got put in the pot. Oh, and I left out the sugar. I does not need it.

Results: Super yum! I already had the cooked rice and cubed chicken which made it SO fast to make, and the leftovers were even more delicious. There was a bit too much rice so I'll cut it down to 2 1/2 cups next time. Also, since it covered pretty much all of the food groups, it was an entire meal in a bowl. Nothing needed on the side.

Just because we can...

I just bought tickets for us to see this guy in Wimbledon's annual Panto later this month. Promises to be pretty awesome...in a totally campy, British humor, washed-up actor kind of way.

Thanksgiving

This year we won't be having a big, traditional Thanksgiving meal. At first I was a little bummed because we LOVE Thanksgiving. But, what is replacing our feast this year is much more important and exciting, it's also the #1 item on our "Thankful List". In just a couple of hours we have our first official IVF appointment. It's just the orientation meeting but still, we will learn about the procedure, the drugs I'll have to take, go over the dozens of forms we had to sign and get our official plan of action. It's been a really long road to get here (9 months and countless tests, dr. appointments, consultations and weeks of nervous waiting for funding approval) but it's is oh so fitting that it falls on today because honestly, we are truly grateful for this opportunity. There are a lot of things that are hard about living in a foreign country and being so far away from family and familiar things but we consider it a massive blessing as well. We have so much to be thankful for and today we are most thankful that we are tax paying ex-pats who qualify for treatments from the NHS. My productivity levels this week have been terrible because today's meeting is pretty much all I can think about. Just think, maybe next year our #1 thankful item will be a sweet little baby. Or 2.

Let Me Count The Ways...

Yesterday was Brent's birthday! It was a big one too, he turned 30. In honor of my truly spectacular hubby, I thought it would be fitting to list 30 of the reasons why I think he's so great. This should have been posted yesterday but his German Chocolate cake took longer to make than expected. So here it goes (in no particular order):

-Say the words, caramel, peanut butter or maple and he's all over it.
-He still has a favorite superhero, even at 30.
-He's so smart.
-The few things he doesn't already know, he learns quickly.
-He puts up with my taste in music. I can only think of a handful of times he's asked me to change the station or skip a song.
-He always lets me have first dibs on the window seat when we fly, if I want it.
-He watches girl movies with me without complaining.
-He is dedicated to his church callings.
-He's an eagle scout (one of the items on my future husband list that I didn't think would actually get fulfilled).
-He loves children as much as I do, which is no small feat.
-He is super fun and knows how to just be silly sometimes.
-He is a good driver and can drive any car on any side of the road that he's asked to.
-He gets excited EVERY time he realizes there is ice cream in the freezer.
-He's starting to adopt British lingo and spelling because he uses it so often at work.
-He refuses to wear a scarf because he thinks they should only be for girls.
-He is never shocked or upset when I come home from a "quick trip" to the shops for "one thing" with a bag full of spoils.
-He likes to try new things whether food, activities or travel.
-He loves to travel, pretty much anywhere.
-He plays a musical instrument, or 2.
-His smile.
-He speaks a foreign language.
-He served a mission (the only item on my "future husband" list that was non-negotiable).
-He honors his parents and family.
-His dad is his hero. I think every boy's hero should be his dad.
-He knew someday he would have a wife and kids so he chose a career with that in mind and is diligent and committed to finishing the requirements for that career (read: exams, exams and more exams).
-He has some hobbies and interests that are totally separate from mine which keeps our marriage dynamic and interesting.
-The way he snuggles me when I feel icky, or any other time for that matter.
-His sisters look up to him because he is a fun and caring big brother (albeit a skilled teaser).
-He can grow a full beard in less than a week.
-He likes to do the dishes and vacuum which happen to be my 2 most hated chores.

Happy Birthday to the most amazing and wonderful husband that I could ever have!
I love you!

Soup of the week

That's right folks. It's back! And none too soon, in fact a little late. I've been travelling and/or recovering from travelling non-stop since the end of September so I've barely cooked any meals since then and they've all been quickies or reheating leftovers. I was pretty excited last night to get a chance to cook a real meal and since it's cold now, we had soup. This week, I used a recipe that I got from my mother-in-law.

Creamy Vegetable Soup
skill level: easy peasy
time: 30 mins to 1 hour (depending on how fast you are at chopping vegetables)
yield: 4 quarts (10-12 servings)

1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 medium zucchini, chopped
1 bunch broccoli, chopped
2 quarts chicken broth
2 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 tsp celery seed
1-2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 cups light cream

In large kettle, saute onions in butter until transparent but not brown. Add the sweet potatoes, zucchini and broccoli; saute lightly for 5 minutes or until crisp tender. Stir in broth; simmer for a few minutes. Add potatoes and seasonings; cook another 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in cream and heat through.

Review: Use a really big pot. I used my 5 quart and it was getting hard to stir before I had even put in the cream so I had to break out the monster pot and transfer. I didn't really "chop" the veg, per se. More like cubed or chunked. Since there is no meat in this soup I wanted it to feel more hearty. Also, I forgot to shred the potatoes, they got chunked as well. It made the soup extra chunky but the broth was a bit thin because of it. I'll shred next time. I left out the celery seed because I'm not a fan and I don't have any and I didn't want to clutter up my spice shelf even more with something I'll never use. I also stuck to the low end of the cumin measurement because again, not a big fan, but I actually kind of liked it this time. I added garlic powder because I think most recipes should have garlic in them. I don't know how much, I just dumped 'til it smelled right. Maybe like 1-2 tsp?

We had it with crusty rolls and that was all. It made a ton. We both had huge servings and there was enough left over for 3-4 lunch servings and an entire big tupperware with enough for another whole meal that got put in the freezer. I was expecting Brent to want something else as a side but he didn't even seem to notice that there wasn't any meat so that's a good sign. Big hearty, healthy vegetarian soup. Yum!

The Most Beautiful Woman I Ever Met

Once again, this is mostly taken from Cami's blog...



The most beautiful woman I ever met was my grandmother. By the time I got to know her, she was comfortable-looking, with steely gray hair that never did turn all the way white, big, round kissable cheeks, and twinkling grandma eyes. For most of her life, though, she was arguably the most beautiful woman in the world.

Dorothy Florence Brown was born on April 24th, 1925 in Alpine Utah to parents of Pioneer descent. She spent her early life deeply entrenched in the Great Depression, as her family clung together to survive against all odds. Her father had been a very wealthy sheep herder, but he lost his lands and his sheep when the banks failed, since his brothers had used both as collateral for their big houses in town. It probably wouldn't have worked out well in the end regardless of their financial state, however, because around that time there was also a big frost that killed off all the Spring lambs. He was to spend the rest of his life scratching out a living on the little bit of land they had left in town (which is now where the Elementary School sits), and working for Geneva Steel.Dot was the second of 5 children, smart, beautiful, and quiet. She contracted Rheumatic Fever when she was in the fourth grade and her parents were told she would never make it to adulthood, or if she did, she would be permanently crippled. Her Scottish grandmother made her a homemade back-brace and spent hours doing rudimentary physical therapy with her to rehabilitate her after the fever passed. She miraculously made a full recovery.She spent her childhood years playing in fields, picking berries, caring for the 3 younger children, studying hard in school, and dreaming about the big-wide world beyond the borders of her quiet mountain village.When the War came, she moved away from home (at age 17) and got a job working first in the Arms Factory and then later in the War Offices. She met a young man at a USO dance, and they corresponded regularly. He was stationed in France and Germany, and drove a tank. He was very brave, and very handsome. When the War in Europe ended, he was sent home. He came straight to Salt Lake City to meet up with his sweetheart. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever met, and he was not going to let this one get away.

They eloped to Illinois. Grandma's dad was not exited about the idea of her marrying a strange boy from outside their religion, who lived far away. Grandma was 20 so she didn't need her parents' permission to marry. Grandpa was 20, so he did. He bought her a diamond ring with the money he was payed when he was discharged. They bought a train ticket out east. They were married in August, 1945. They took their honeymoon in Chicago and Flint, Michigan. Grandma told me once that she remembers how the dining car on the train was giving free food to the GI's, so Grandpa would sneak her sandwiches so they didn't have to pay for meals on the trip. She remembers how kind everyone in the hotels were to them, how they would put flowers in their room, etc. Everyone was smitten with the handsome soldier and his beautiful, beautiful bride. She told me the hotel room in Flint was a suite with a marble bathtub and a balcony overlooking a river, and how they took a cruise up the Mississippi from Chicago. When they got back to Thompson, IL, his family threw a party for them. It was not the traditional whole-town affair, because a lot of people were suspicious of this Mormon girl from Utah. She won them over, though, with her sweet nature, quick wit, and dazzling good looks. Grandma and Grandpa were married for 24 years.

She waited for him, pregnant with their first child, as he was re-deployed (serving in California). She waited for him, pregnant again, to finish his college degree on the GI bill. Then she waited for him to finish his Master's degree, pregnant with her third and fourth children. She supported him, cared for him, kept his house clean and lovely, raised his 4 daughters, and got a college degree of her own. She worked in the Relief Society, Primary, DUP, and was the most beautiful woman in town. Their family photos look like advertisements from a catalog. In 1968, they moved to Cairo Egypt so that Grandpa could teach at the American University there. She traveled Europe, visiting France, Italy, Russia, England, and more. She taught English classes. They divorced near the end of 1969.


Grandma moved to Atascadero California and worked for the Ramona School District, as a single mom with 2 girls still at home. She taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. Her principal was a truly dashing older man who drove fast cars and who became totally smitten with the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He courted her, and they married shortly after.

In nearly every photo I have of them, Grandpa is staring adoringly at Grandma, still smitten with her beauty and charm. Grandma worked for 20 years in the Ramona School District. When she retired she moved to Lake of the Pines outside of Auburn California. By this time, her beauty had faded somewhat, but had matured into a face that I rarely saw frowning. Her eyes always, always twinkled. This is the grandma I came to know and love so well. Together she and her sweetie battled cancer when she was diagnosed in the late 80's and again in the late 90's. They fought tirelessly against Alzheimer's when Grandpa was diagnosed in 2002. They clung to each other for strength and support. Shortly before Gil died in October of 2009, she made him promise that he would come back for her. They still had more work to do together.

I didn't know my grandma as well as some of her other grandchildren. I lived in Texas most of my childhood, with my dad and my step-mom. We always visited her, though, on Christmas and the 4th of July, and she always sent me cards, letters, and photos. This summer Grandma was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. She passed away from heart failure on Friday morning. I was in Idaho for my Step-mom's funeral. I will always be grateful that I came to see her one last time, less than 2 weeks before her passing. While I sat next to her in her favorite armchair, she recounted to me several stories I have heard all of my life and several new ones. She reminded me that she has always thought of Cami and I as Snow White and Rose Red and even wanted some of the fairy tale read to her.

I know for certain that she is with her beloved Gil again, and that they are anxiously engaged in good works. The hallmarks of her life were her dedication to family, tradition, culture, and beauty. She radiated class and style, and truly lit up any room she entered. She could spin a story, captivate an audience, and command a crowd. She loved entertaining and would spend hours talking about the old times, impersonating perfectly the old folks from Alpine. She spoke in a sing-song voice, which was frequently punctuated by laughter and actual song. Her eyes always sparkled, like the myriad jewels she always wore. She was laughter, flowers, perfume, music, and glitter. I will miss her greatly. She was my hero, and the most beautiful woman I ever met.

Dorothy Florence Brown Nihart

April 24, 1925 - October 15, 2010

Linda Grace Streeper

A lot of this post is a copy from my sister's blog (with some changed details) since we all know she's better at the words thing than me, especially when emotions are involved because I just turn into a blubbering, snotty mess when I try to express myself and she does is so perfectly.

For most of my life, the last 20 years at least, I have had two moms. When I was 4, my parents divorced. My mom got re-married soon after I turned 5 to my wonderful step-dad Bob. My dad stayed single for a while longer. About a year and a half after the divorce, he married Linda, who brought along with her 7 children from her first husband.
Due to a very complicated and completely unnecessary series of events, I ended up growing up primarily with Dad, Linda, and her kids. I love my mom, so very much. But I also love my step-mom, too. She was easily one of the strongest figures in my childhood.
My mother taught me to appreciate beauty. She taught me the names of all the plants and flowers. She encouraged and nurtured my artistic side. She taught me the value of laughter. She taught me the importance of music, and the importance of kindness. She taught me to value family and tradition.
My step mother taught me most everything else there is to know. She ran a tight ship, and expected nothing but the very best from me and everyone else. She never gave anyone the run-around. She hated falseness, and pretenses, and loved people like her who would tell it just like it was.
She taught me to work hard, and not to make excuses for myself or my failures. She taught me how to be honest. She taught me how to stand up for myself. She taught me how to call someone on their B.S. She taught me to never quit. She taught me how to fight my own battles. She taught me how to cook. She taught me how to keep a house so clean you could eat off the floors. She taught me how to arrange flowers. She taught me how to balance a check book. She taught me how to keep a poker face and how to make "the eye". She taught me how to be in charge and step-up when leadership was needed. She taught me the value of hand-made, and the urgency of adding chocolate chips to everything. She taught me the importance of the little things. She taught me how to plan and save for my future. She taught me how to stay on task. She taught me that when life deals you a crummy hand, sometimes cleaning up will really make you feel better. And if that doesn't work, shopping and ice cream will.
She was by no means perfect, but I honestly believe that she was given some tough breaks in her life and did the very best with what she had. She taught me that, too... how to make do with what you get. She was an example to everyone of how to be a step-mother, including the fact that it's possible to love your step-kids like they're your own. She taught me that sometimes when you love someone enough it's okay to be in the background, as long as you get to stay in the picture somehow.

My dad and my step-mom got divorced a few months before I got married. I never really got to the point where I felt comfortable being close to her again, because for some reason it felt treasonous, but I never stopped loving her or missing her, or silently resenting the fact that we couldn't be close like we were before because despite the legalities of the situation, I will always consider her to be my mom and her children to be my brothers and sisters. It's tricky, and it's complicated, but it makes sense to me so I don't care if it makes sense to anyone else. We kept in touch from a distance (email and christmas cards), but I was never able to attend the family activities I was invited to due to money or once I had had surgery 2 days before. I will always regret that. I will always wish I had tried harder or gone despite the meager balance in our bank account.

Three years ago or so, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a double masectomy and went through multiple rounds of chemo. She was in remission for a while, but then it returned with a vengeance. She died Sunday night in her home, surrounded by her children. She didn't feel any pain. The official cause of death, I believe, was liver failure, although the cancer had spread to so much of her body that in the end, she seemed to be more cancer than healthy tissue.
I received an email from my dad on Sunday afternoon letting us know that the end was near. It was not enough time for me to say goodbye but I like to think that she knew me enough and loved me enough to understand my feelings for her.
I love her so much, and I will miss her so much, but I'm grateful for the plan of salvation. I don't know how my tricky, messed-up family is going to be sorted out in the end, but I know I will see her again, and that families, no matter how complicated, really are forever.

Linda Grace Streeper June 7, 1952-October 11, 2010

3 Peaks Challenge

This Thursday Brent is leaving work early (with 17 other members of his team) and taking a train up to Yorkshire, in the north, for a "team building and fund raising" adventure. They will be climbing the 3 tallest peaks in the Yorkshire Dales to challenge themselves physically, build team unity and raise funds for Zurich Community Trust, which partners with 6 different national charities (Marie Curie Cancer Care, NSPCC-ChildLine, Canine Partners, Calvert Trust, Hope and Homes for Children and the Foundation for Conductive Education).

This is a description of the hike as written by one of Brent's team members "The route takes us over 3 of the tallest peaks in the Yorkshire Dales - Penyghent (694m), Whernside (736m) and Ingleborough (723m) - covering a distance of around 25 miles which we hope to complete in 12 hours. That is a long way, and will feel even longer as this includes an awful lot of up and downs along the route."

Sounds pretty rough to me but Brent is up for it and excited to get some fresh air, exercise and a free day off from work. We've purchased his hiking boots, proper hiking trousers, socks, powerbars and electrolyte drinks. All that's left is to raise a little money. They are currently at 65% of their goal and Brent asked me to post this blog as his way of helping. So, if you are able and wanting, here is the link to support my hubby. I imagine when he gets home on Saturday afternoon he will be more than beat so it will be nice for him to know it was for a good cause and that he helped contribute.

Thanks!

I *need* one of these!

Came across this lil' beauty while I was cruising around prudentbaby.com the other day. I think it just jumped ahead of KitchenAid mixer and new vacuum on my "need" list...

Bias Tape Maker from Jaime Curtis on Vimeo.

Wimbledon

To start off the insane amount of catch-up blogging, we're going with the most recent stuff because it's fresh in our memory and mostly because Brent already wrote it out (nice of him to do the hard work for me, right?). So here it is, our Wimbledon experience with a slideshow of pics at the end. Keep in mind as you're reading that this is something Brent has wanted to do since he was a little boy and walked around all day like a kid at Disneyland for the first time. It was awesome.

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We woke up at 5am, left the house at 5:30, took two buses, and arrived at Wimbledon about 6:30. We found the end of the 'The Queue' as it is officially named at 6:40 and they handed us official numbered queue cards. We were numbers 799 & 800. We sat on our blanket until about 7:10 when they began condensing the line and moving us closer to the gates. We began in one of the car parks and wound our way through the edge of a golf course. We bought some breakfast sandwiches and ate them in line. Then it began to rain about 7:45. There was a bit of tree cover but we had to hide under our blanket to stay dry since we hadn't brought any umbrellas. Luckily it began to clear up after 45 minutes or so and we didn't get too soaked as we worried we might.

At about 8:00 they had gone through from the front handing out wristbands for Centre Court and Courts 1 & 2, the top show courts. We amazingly still had a shot at a choice of any of those. We selected Court 2 because it appeared more interesting for the day. Centre Court and Court 1 had 2 matches each of the Women's singles quarterfinals. But that meant each had a Williams sister and we didn't know the others and weren't too interested. Besides it was £62 and £74 each for 1 or Centre Court and it didn't seem worth it. Had it been Wendesday it would have because it would have been Federer, Murray and the other top men playing. But alas the timing didn't work out. However we both agreed had it been Wednesday we would not have been that close in line arriving at 6:40 and it would not have been likely that Centre Court would be available even if we were 800 in line because the 1st 500 people would surely have taken them all. People were already there queueing/camping over 24 hrs in advance!

So anyway, we chose the £35 Court 2 tickets which seemed a bigger bang for buck and it was. At about 8:45 they began moving us through the metal detector security check and then up to the ticket booths and then up to a holding area just outside the park. At 9:30 they let us in a bit further to where we could get programmes for the day and wander through a few shops until 10:30 when they officially opened and let us go anywhere. We first went to Henman Hill and laid our blanket out to dry and sat for 45 minutes or so taking in the view over Wimbledon and planning our day a bit. So at 11:15 we began making our way over to Court 2. We passed a few of the courts where some boys and girls had begun their matches at 11. It was surreal the first few we saw as we felt so close and that it wasn't real. We made it to Court 2 about 11:45 and at 12 the players came out and warmed up and then it began. We watched mixed doubles first and cheered on a Brazilian and his partner from Taipei but they lost. It was a fun match. In between that match and the next, we walked out and caught a few games of an American boy playing a Brazilian boy. They were probably 16 years old or so but still really good. The Brazilian was ranked so he was beating the American pretty good but it was fun to sit literally on the front row, 10 feet or so from the court. Then we saw men's doubles back in our Court 2 seats (which by the way were assigned, meaning we could come and go all day as we pleased, the other courts 5-19 we could walk by and get seats if they were available but no seats are assigned and so are up for grabs.) and that match was really good because it was the guy that had beat Roddick in singles the day before and his partner against the guy that had lost to Federer in singles the day before and his partner. So they were really really good serving at 100-125 mph and hitting some amazing shots while we sat 15-20 feet away.

After that 2nd match we took a break because the sun was out and really really hot. We had forgotten how intense the sun is this time of year as up here we are closer to it. We got some strawberries and cream (free because we picked up a coupon from our bank that happens to be the sponsor!). Then after wandering in a few other shops we found a bench in the shade of Court 1 and got a Wimbledon Sundae (strawberries & cream and chocolate ice creams with burnt almonds and waffle cone pieces topped with lots of hot fudge) and then Emily laid down and fell asleep for about a half hour or so while I checked scores of other matches.

By this time it was about 17:30 and so went and bought some dinner and ate it near Court 2 where we could see a few of the smaller courts where there was some girls doubles matches going on. Then we went into Court 2 for the final match that started about 18:25. It was the ladies invitational doubles. We watched Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova (both recent former players) take on much older former British players who I had never heard of: Anne Hobbs and Samantha Smith. Of course the younger pair easily one but it lasted about an hour as the older pair fought hard and made a bit of a run at the end but then fell short.

So we left about 7:35pm and caught a bus back to Richmond and then decided to walk home from there. Got home about 9 and were showered and asleep by 10.

An exhausting day but very fun to experience Wimbledon.

Human Again

So it's probably no surprise to you all that I haven't been myself for awhile now (like 6 months?). I'm blaming the ridiculously long and depressing English winter we survived (barely) and we've been hosting visitors and/or travelling since mid-March. Don't worry, I'm not complaining about that last one but it certainly has sapped any energy/motivation I've had to do anything other than pack, clean, wash clothes, repeat. And even though I am still really jet lagged and exhausted from our recent travels, I don't feel like this anymore which is pretty monumental.

Here is the short list of why:
-I was clearing out my inbox (217 emails that needed to be archived, deleted or responded to!) and came across a link to this blog which I totally adore.
-Summer weather, although humid and sticky with no A/C, means lots of sunshine and vitamin D and lots of pretty greenery and scenery here in England.
-This album has been helping me rock out.
-Our apple tree has at least 100 tiny apples growing on it. This will prove to be a much more successful harvest than last year's 2 apples (seriously, there were only 2 last year, and they were growing on the same branch). I have a feeling we will be making a lot of apple themed meals come Sept.
-We just got back from seeing family which filled up our reserves AND we got to hold and play with lots of kiddos while there.
-Speaking of kids, I think things are finally moving on our referral to this place.
-Found out today that our favorite private practice clinic now has facilities for maternity patients should we have good results with the IVF so we won't have to deal with NHS services.
-After who knows how many loads, I finally got all the laundry done. Well, except for the towels.
-We had an awesome BBQ with friends yesterday for my favorite holiday.
-Since we have no travel plans for at least another 2 months I finally have time to sit down and sort through and enjoy the pictures from all of the amazing places we've been in the last 4 months.
-Brent passed exam 7 which means as soon as he files the necessary paperwork, he will be an ACAS (Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society). Finally a milestone in the seemingly endless barrage of exams! 2 more and he'll be done for good.
-And last but certainly not least, I finally feel like blogging again! So keep your eyes out for lots of posts in the next few weeks because we've got quite a long list to cover including but not limited to: Christmas, New Years, Amsterdam, Paris (3 times!), Ireland, Wales, Italy, our trip home, Wimbledon and hopefully just some regular everyday musings stuff.

Happy Surprise-a-versary!

In December, Brent and I celebrated our 6th anniversary (what? how is that possible?) and per our usual tradition, we took our trip a bit early. We're not big anniversary present people, we prefer to take trips and since the big day is only 5 days before Christmas, we usually go the first weekend in Dec. This year we went to Dover and Bruges, Belgium.

On Friday night, we met at the train station and headed down to Dover. We found our B&B, got all checked in and settled then headed out for dinner. The B&B owner suggested and drove us to a nice little Italian restaurant. It was pretty small but had a loft area with more seating. Dinner was yummy and the gelato was fabulous.

On Saturday morning, we woke up extra early and picked up our rental then drove to the Eurotunnel terminal to catch our train to Calais, France then drove an hour to Bruges (3 different countries in the matter of one hour). The train was really interesting. We drove straight onto it and sat in the car for the 35 minutes it took to get through the Chunnel.

This part of our weekend was a total surprise to Brent (payback for last year's surprise trip). He knew we were going to Dover but had no clue about Belgium, until we were on our way to Dover Friday night and I asked him to help me plan the next day and handed him a map of Bruges.

So in Bruges:
-We saw windmills

-Ate waffles & drank hot chocolate
-Enjoyed the architecture

-Drove over the canals

-Went to the chocolate museum and the fry (as in potatoes) museum

-Had more waffles & hot chocolate
-Walked through the Christmas Market

-Went to the Snow and Ice festival which was SO cool. Everything was made of ice, the big structures didn't even have any support materials, it was all ice. Even the slide.

-Went back to the Christmas Market for more waffles & cocoa and dinner and to check out the lights and ice skating and buy some chocolaty souvenirs (man, those Belgians sure know how to do chocolate right!)

-Then we drove back to France, got on our train and headed back to Dover. We were there for about 8 hours and it was totally worth it. It was really beautiful and going at Christmas time to see the lights and market was a really fun.

On Sunday, we went to Canterbury for church but found once we got there, it was stake conference (somewhere else) so we used the extra time to walk around Canterbury. We didn't pay to go in to the cathedral but it was really big and quite ornate just on the outside. The town itself felt very medieval and still had lots of old buildings and character to it.

We went to the Canterbury Tales experience which was funny. It was built in an old church and followed a few of the characters from Chaucer's Tales. It was all animatronics and recorded sound bites. We learned a bit of Canterbury's history as well. After that we went to Tiny Tim's Tea House and had a light lunch. They had someone playing jazz piano as we enjoyed our lunch and hot chocolate. Then we headed back to Dover to spend the rest of the day relaxing in our B&B.

Monday, we went to Dover castle and Secret Wartime Tunnels (used in most of the wars since the Napoleonic Time, and most recently during the cold war).

The castle just went through a major renovation and has been restored to how it would have been back in the 1200's after it was first built.

After the castle, we walked about 15 minutes down the road to the start of the White Cliffs. I have always wanted to see the cliffs of Dover so I was pretty pumped. Unfortunately, it was really windy (which we knew it would be) but also rainy. We made it about 10 minutes down the trail before we decided to turn back and call it a day. The decision was made after Brent slipped in the mud and we were just sick of the stinging rain. We made our way down the hill back to town and had a quick dinner then headed home.

It was a nice weekend getaway and now we've not only been to that area of England, but also Bruges. We are getting short on time here in the UK and may not make it back to see more of Belgium so I'm glad we had such a nice experience there.

Here is a link to more of the pictures.

One year ago today...

...We stepped off the plane into a whole new country and a whole new life. We were sick, tired, disoriented, nervous and a little bit lost. But more importantly we were ready to start this new, exciting journey.

Last night Brent and I were reminiscing on our first few days here and can't believe how much we have changed. We hadn't given that much thought before but as Brent pointed out, we are very different people now, but in a good way (hopefully). We've learned a lot and changed some bad habits and made some new ones and opened our minds a little.

Things we've learned in the last 365 days:
-What bangers & mash, treacle cakes, toad in the hole, pasties, squash, suet, swede; humped toucan, pelican and zebra crossings and WC's all are along with the new meanings to some of our standard terms (pants, vest, wallet, etc).
-English food tastes different. They don't use very many preservatives and no artificial colors or flavors and I haven't seen the words "partially hydrogenated" anywhere. That's not to say everything is healthy here but at least there are less chemicals.
-The difference between London, Kent, Somerset, Liverpool, Yorkshire, and Geordie accents. Not to mention the basics: Irish, Scottish, Australian and South African.
-South Africans are some of the nicest and funniest people we know and most of our friends (church and non) are South African.
-How to properly use words/phrases such as "right then", "sorry", "cheers", "ta", "eat in/take away", "quid", "p"
-How to pronounce odd looking English locations: Twickenham, Isleworth, Islington, Leicester, Leicestershire, High Wycombe, Slough, Weston-Super-Mare and countless others.
-Brent has had to learn lots of new spellings for words for when he writes reports at work.
-"Pudding" does not actually mean a smooth creamy substance eaten with a spoon for dessert or a snack. Depending on who you are talking to pudding could be cake, it could be like a bread pudding type thing or more commonly they could just mean dessert. Except for Yorkshire Pudding which is something completely different eaten with a savoury meal.
-The English typically don't make eye contact or smile at strangers on the street, which has been really hard to get used to. Don't get me wrong, they are pretty friendly once you get to know them but they aren't going to just smile at anybody, let alone look you in the eye if you don't know them. They are very personal people and don't bother with niceties in public. In fact, I once smiled at a woman's baby and she gave me a dirty look like I was going to steal her child or something. Now I hear this whole issue is more of a London thing, and we have had better experiences up north and in the south. But still, it takes some getting used to.
-If the sun is out, so are the people, usually scantily clad and sunburnt. This past summer was pretty warm and sunny and everywhere we went there was at least one man without a shirt on and a girl in a bikini top. And everyone was beet red.
-Once you make friends with them, British people are really funny and quiet at the same time.
-Speaking of quiet, everyone speaks so softly. I have the hardest time at the post office and the bank because they are quiet AND behind glass. I think I'm adjusting though, I don't find myself saying "sorry?" as often anymore. I don't think that means I've quieted down, I just think my ears have adjusted.
-London is a beautiful city, especially at night. Brent loves his walk to the train station and for most of the winter would tell me at least once a week how nice London looks at night with all of the lights and the river.
-Walking everywhere, although a hassle sometimes, isn't so bad. I haven't driven a car in over a year and Brent only drives when we're on vacation. Life without a car is interesting but we have both lost over 20 pounds mostly just because we walk so much.
-Spring in England is pretty much the closest thing I can think of to heaven. Last June when we took our road trip we were in awe the whole time. It's just so gorgeous.
-It's really not as scary as you think to move pick up and move halfway across the world. Thanks to skype and other modern conveniences, it's been a fairly easy adjustment.
-We are no longer apprehensive about travelling to other countries. In fact, it's really fun and we look forward to every chance we get to travel. Our first big trips were to Paris and Egypt and we were pretty nervous but since then we feel pretty confident.
-When we move back to the US, we need to travel more and explore the beauty of our own country. There are people here in England that have barely ever left the UK and that's just sad. It makes us think that we take advantage of our huge country with all of it's diversity. You could travel the US up and down for years and still not see everything.
-2 years is NOT enough time. Not only do we need more time to travel, we need more time to travel! We've only made a very small dent in our list of places to see and that just won't do.
-European PTO is fabulous. 25 days is standard and since we didn't know that last year, we got to carry our extra 5 over and now have 30 days this year. Sadly, we're already running low after the trips we have planned for this summer.
-Last but not least, living in England is exciting and fun and gives us lots of opportunities but for the most part it's just regular life in a different country. We still have our ups and downs and hard times and we're still struggling with exams and getting pregnant and we have church responsibilities and limited funds and even more limited time. It's not a 2 year vacation and it can't be all travel and excitement all the time but it's wonderful and amazing and we love it. We are so grateful that we get to have this experience. Once-in-a-lifetime.

So, Happy Anniversary, England! Thanks for letting us stay awhile.

Soup of the week

**This post has 2 soups, this week's and last.**

This week we had Lentil Soup. I'm trying to come up with a more creative name for it since it's not anything like the mushy, gross stuff I had to eat as a child and that name conjures up all kinds of memories. So I think I'm going to call it Creamed Veggie Lentil. Or something like that.

So here you go:

Creamed Veggie Lentil
Serves: 4-6
Time: 1-2 hours

25g butter
1 TBS veg oil
2 large carrots
2 onions
2 celery sticks, diced
175g or 6oz red lentils (or green lentils)
2 pints of chicken or veggie stock
salt and pepper
5 fl oz milk or cream

4-6 pieces of bacon, optional

Melt butter with oil in large pot, add diced vegetables (and bacon, if using). Cook for 2 minutes, add lentils and cook for 2 minutes. Add stock and bring to simmer. Simmer on low heat for 45-60 minutes until lentils are tender. Season to taste. Liquidize if you prefer. Add milk or cream.

Results: Scrumptious and healthy! I don't like regular lentil soup because I think they have a strange consistency and absorb too much liquid and it just becomes mush. That being said, liquidizing the soup totally fixes that. And the flavor is really nice. The best thing about this recipe though is that you can stick whatever vegetables in it that you want. I didn't have any celery but had some potatoes that needed to get used. I've had a version of it with apples and green lentils. It's really up to you what you stick in. Oh, and I didn't put any cream or milk in at the end, it didn't need it. I doubled the recipe so as to have plenty of leftovers. The lady that gave me the recipe makes quadruple batches at a time then freezes it to have on hand. I'll do that someday when I have a pot big enough.

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Last week's soup:

Chicken Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings
Serves: 4-6
Time: 1-2 hours

1 14oz can chicken broth
1 10oz package frozen mixed veggies
1 cup frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup water
2 tsp snipped fresh (or 1/2 tsp dried) basil, oregano, or dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
2 cups cubed cooked chicken

-In a large saucepan combine broth, frozen veggies, onions, water, herbs, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Bring to boiling.
-Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine milk and flour, stir into veggie mixture. Stir in chicken. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
-Drop dumpling dough from a tablespoon in to 4-8 mounds on top of the bubbling stew. Simmer, covered (do not lift cover), over low heat for 10-12 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into a dumplings comes out clean.

Cornmeal Dumplings
In a bowl stir together 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup cup yellow cornmeal, 1 tsp baking powder, and a dash of black pepper. In a small bowl combine 1 beaten egg, 2 TBS milk, and 2 TBS cooking oil. Add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until just combined.

Results: Yummy and the dumplings were a nice alternative to rolls or bread which we usually have with our soups. Although, I didn't quite stick to the recipe. I didn't cook the chicken before hand, I put several breasts (frozen) straight into the liquid (which I doubled) and herbs/seasoning and sliced fresh onions (rather than the frozen baby ones) and let it simmer and cook for about an hour. Then I broke the chicken up with a fork and dumped some handfuls of frozen veggies in and let that simmer for another 30-45 minutes then put the dumplings in. I bought a bag of veg that had broccoli, carrots, peas, corn and red pepper (we hate the mixed veggies with lima beans...yuck!).

Top Ten Portugal

So, all I'll say is that 2010 is really kicking my butt so far but I think the fog is lifting. And one of the first steps to getting back on track is blogging.

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After our 2 days in Madrid, we flew to Portugal.

While there we went to these cities in our rented car: Braga, Ponte da Barca, Valenca do Minho, Viana do Castelo, Porto, Aveiro, Tomar, Mira de Aire, Sintra, Lisbon. There were 4 or 5 other places/areas we wanted to check out but had to cut for time reasons.

So without further ado, our Top Ten (in no particular order).

1) Cathedrals - Portugal is a deeply religious country and there are cathedrals, chapels, churches, convents, monasteries, sanctuaries, etc all over. Usually we aren't too interested but we read through our travel guide and picked 3 or 4 to see. Each one we saw was unique and had something very cool that made it stand out.
Santuario do Sameiro: We actually found this on on accident because it is just up the hill from one we had been looking for. It had amazing views because it was at the top of a mountain. It had a large square which led to a really long set of steps but from the top it looked like it dropped off the edge of the mountain. It was a little foggy which added to the atmosphere. We didn't go inside, we didn't need to since the outside was plenty awesome. And we showed up just as the bells were chiming the hour, which Brent got on video.

Bom Jesus do Monte: This is the one we had been looking for when we found the first one. This church is one of Portugal's most famous buildings and pilgrims come from all over to worship here. The church itself was pretty cool looking but the reason we went was to see the double stairway leading to the church. It has over 1,000 steps and each landing has a fountain and represent the five wounds of Christ, the five senses, and the 3 virtues. The architecture was amazing and it had some pretty great views as well.

Convento de Cristo: This set of buildings was once the headquarters of the Knights Templar in Portugal. It was built in like 1160 or something. It was really beautiful and it was surreal walking around a place that is essentially the same as it was almost 900 years ago (without all the knights and monks of course). The complex had a small "castle" which wasn't much more that the main gate of the surrounding walls, a church, cloisters, cemeteries, monk's dormitories and a few other surrounding buildings (kitchens, stables, etc). The high altar is located in an eight sided section of the church which has a 16 sided charola inside which basically a small chapel. It was fascinating. I'm not much for religious art but this was pretty incredible. It was really hard to get a good shot without a flash or a tripod. The carvings and sculptures around the exteriors were so ornate and they had some circular stone stairwells that we had fun with. We gave up seeing a castle on an island in a river to go there and I'm glad we did.

2) The Fortress at Valenca do Minho - The town of Valenca do Minho was built up inside of a fortress, and not just any fortress, a double fortress enclosed in two massive linked fortresses overlooking the river that separates Portugal and Spain. Most of it was built in the 1600's by a military architect. The town grew up inside of the walls of the fortaleza and is pretty self sufficient now. There are shops and restaurants and a chapel or 2, houses, businesses and it all has a pretty wicked view. The 2 fortresses are connected by a dry moat and we were there at sunset. Amazing. Plus we could see Spain, which was fun. Oh, and we saw a cat on a leash, one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen.

3) Grutas de Mira de Aire - There are quite a few caves systems in Portugal but we only had time for one so we did a little research and decided on these, which happen to be the largest. It stretches for 2.5 miles but the tours only cover about 750 yards. It was a rainy day and the caves are in the middle of a small town (I kid you not, the entrance is in a neighborhood of houses) pretty far away from any major cities so it was just us and one Spanish guy on the tour. It was great because the guide would let us take our time while he practised his Spanish on the other tourist. Or he'd talk to Brent while Caractacus Potts (my camera) and I had some fun. I don't have enough adjectives to explain these caves. Seriously. Now, I'm all for keeping the beauties of nature in their natural state but the caves had artificial, and sometimes colored lighting, man-made pathways and steps that were made to look like the rocks, fountains and a speaker system which played classical music as we walked along. The entrance to the caves was pretty even with ground level but by the time we got to the end, we had climbed down 110 meters (360 feet). One of the rooms was bigger than I could have ever imagined, especially for a cave. They call them "show caves" because that's what they are, big and sparkly and showy. Not your typical ranger guided trek through what the inside of a mountain looks like (which is also cool). It was an experience. Loved it.

4) Sintra - The town of Sintra is about 30 minutes outside of Lisbon. It is home to several of the past royals summer homes. We went to one of those, called the Palacio Nacional da Pena. It was built sometime in the early 1800's by the same quirky guy that designed the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany (featured in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and one of the items on my "must see before I die" list since I was about 9). It was one crazy castle. Bright colors, interesting and mismatched carvings, and the interior had some pretty strange decor. Many of the rooms were themed and had some really crazy furniture and paintings. No photos were allowed inside but my mental camera was going nuts. There was a painting of a barbershop run by monkeys whose clientele was cats. Weird and awesome. It was really rainy and foggy and we were at the top of a mountain which I'm sure had amazing views that we couldn't see. It was really spooky and cool though.

After the Palacio, we walked about 10 minutes through the rain with our umbrellas, if you could call mine that (I swear it spent more time inside out that not) to the Castelo dos Mouros. It is ruins of a Moorish castle that has been there since like the year 900 or something. It was getting dark and it was really rainy and windy so we were the only ones there. It felt like if we closed our eyes and held really still we'd go back in time to Robin Hood days. It just seemed like at each turret there should have been a soldiers and archers with a giant torch ready to sound the attach or something. We were so soaked and probably shouldn't have risked taking out the camera but we did anyway. By the time we got back to the car, we were soaked to the bone and freezing and the car fogged up the whole way to our hotel for the night. Good times.

5) The Oceanario de Lisboa - While in Lisbon, we decided to do something a little different. We went to the aquarium. We never do that, especially when there is architecture and museums to check out. We are so glad we did. The set up for the Oceanario is really interesting. It's built over the bay and is 2 stories tall. Imagine a square-ish building. Each of the four corners are dedicated to the oceanic zones (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic) and the top floor (entrance level) has exhibits of what kind of life is above water in that zone (penguins, otters, etc) and is even the correct temperature (cold and dry in the arctic, hot and humid in the Indian, etc) and the bottom floor is all about what lives under the water. Am I making any sense? Anyway, now imagine a giant circular column in the middle of the square that goes both levels. That is a MASSIVE 1.8 million gallon tank. Sharks, rays, sunfish, schools of mackerel, you name it, it was probably in there. It. Was. So. Cool. And huge.

6) Driving - We aren't the type to go to one place and stay there our whole vacation. We don't have time to do that. We're only here for 2 years and *need* to see as much as possible every time we go anywhere. This trip was no exception. We got our rental car first thing and hit the road. It was nice to be on the right side of the road for once. Brent had fun driving (the motorways are really nice and open and clean, albeit expensive since they're privatized) and I loved looking out the window at the scenery. Portugal is very hilly and in the north there are lots of grape orchards and rivers. We even drove along the coast for a few hours but it was night so we didn't see a lot. The central part of the country was still hilly but felt very different from the north. It was all very beautiful though. I loved all of the red tile roofs. I also really loved the freedom of having a car. We took a few stops that weren't planned and skipped some that were which wouldn't have been as easy taking trains or buses or if we had been with a tour group. Plus we just enjoy road trips with each other. We're a pretty good team. Brent does all the driving and I try my hardest to keep us well snacked and not lost. I only got us really lost once this trip. That's what you get for following a diesel that *should* know where he was going. He did not.

7) Fun and Unique Lodging - We were in Portugal for 3 nights and each night we were in a different town. We were able to find 3 very interesting hotels.
Castelo de Santa Catarina: A gothic inspired villa in Porto built in the 1920's. In the guidebook it is described as "ostentatious and possibly gaudy" which is so true. The outside is covered in typical Portuguese tiles. The inside is decorated with chandeliers and gilt mirrors, bright and ornate carpets, wallpapers, reproduction furniture but with updated bathrooms (thank heavens). It was really fun. Breakfast was really good too. And it fit very easily into our budget.

Estalagem de Santa Iria: This was our hotel for the night in Tomar. The hotel itself wasn't anything spectacular (very tired and 70's looking decor) but we had a room with a nice balcony overlooking the river on which our hotel's island was. Yes, it was located on a tiny island in the middle of a river. And the island had great views of the Knight's Templar Cathedral up on the hill. We took a walk after we checked in and got some fun pictures of the river and the Christmas lights that lined the roads (most of the towns we went to had Christmas lights up along the major roads) . In the morning we were privy to some really amazing homemade rolls. 3 different kinds. Yum! Brent really enjoyed driving on the tiny bridge to get there.

Residencial Alegria: Our last night was spent in Lisbon and we stayed in a pretty standard pensao, which is a hotel with no frills, just the basics. It was clean and warm though and a nice breakfast in the morning. The appeal was that is was one street off of the main tourist street in Lisbon and was in a cute little square with a tiny park in the middle. It felt like a pretty good taste of city life.

8) Tiles - Portugal is pretty well known for its use of tiles in building. Most buildings, especially in the bigger towns have at least some tiles on the exterior, and many are completely covered. Houses too. I love the tiles. I think are beautiful and it's amazing how many different uses and types there are. I knew, before we even got there that's what I wanted for my souvenir. Some of my favorite tiles were in Porto, Aveiro and Lisbon. We saw some that were hand painted 300+ years ago and some that made up huge murals and some mass produced ones. You name it, we saw it. It took a lot of searching and some frustration but I found 2 sets of 2 tiles for my souvenir. They are new but hand painted in the original style. Brent though, we discovered has expensive taste. We were browsing through and antique tile shop and he decided that he really wanted an original tile. An old one. Unfortunately, those are expensive. We saw one mural (it was huge) that was 24,000Euro. Yikes! We were searching through a pile of tiles from the early 1700's because we figure we might be able to afford *one* of those, if it wasn't too much (tiles with people, especially babies, are considerably more expensive than those with say flowers) and he kept coming back to a half piece of tile with a castle and a river on it. It may just be half a tile but he loves it. I think he may have seen it in the pre-existence. AND since it was only half, it was in our usual souvenir budget. Phew! If we had a couple hundred to spend on souvenirs I think we could have found a nice small mural but we are too cheap for that, hence my choice of a reproduction piece. Maybe someday... Anyway, tiles = good.

9) Sun, glorious sun! - We love England, we don't mind rain and snow can be fun but we had really great weather while we were there (except for the second half of the third day which was rainy). The sun was so warm but the air was nice and cool. It was perfect during the day and got chilly at night but not too bad. I never got hot but my skin got to soak in loads of glorious Vitamin D. The second day, we walked around Porto which is a city on a bay. It's very hilly and has sets of steep steps to get from the main part of the city down to the waterfront where a lot of the housing is. It was so nice to be able to do that in the sun. After Porto, we went to, Aveiro, a town built on canals and we took a boat tour of the canals and bridges. The sun kept us warm over the water and it made everything shiny and pretty. Mmm, sun...

10) Portuguese People and Food - The Portuguese people we came across were so lovely. They were very friendly and helpful and became even more so when they discovered Brent could speak their language. He says he had a hard time but other than a few times where Brazilian words and Portuguese didn't match up or he forgot a word or 2, he took care of us. I felt very safe knowing we could communicate, since a lot of our time was spent in smaller towns and villages where most people didn't speak English. One time we had a bit of a mix up was at the fortress where a woman from a local church/orphanage was selling easter cakes, tiles, wine and "caramels". She asked if we wanted any caramels and Brent confirmed in Portuguese so we went for it. It wasn't until we went to eat one that they were menthol cough drops. Oh well, you always need cough drops on hand. Also that evening we stopped in Viana do Castelo, a beach town, for dinner and to walk around and see the town's Christmas lights. We had a hard time finding a restaurant but finally came across a very authentic cafe. The food the owner offered us was not on the menu and we though we were given a choice between fish or beef so we chose beef but Brent realised about 2 minutes before they bought it to us that we had ordered beef liver. Oops! Oh well. We choked down most of it and considered ourselves covered on the whole iron front for a long while. The rest of the food was really good and they had a really yummy pastry/eggy/custardy cake with chocolate on top. Portugal, as we found, has mastered the dessert and pastry scene. We stopped in many Pastelaria's for pastry treats, both sweet and savory. In Ponte de Barca, we got a chocolate mouse (yes, mouse, not mousse, it was shaped like a mouse) which turned out to be a sort of mince-pie-meets-brownie covered in chocolate. Another night we went to whatever restaurant was closest to our hotel and tried to order from the menu but the waiter (no, he was not a server, we was a waiter, bowtie and all) kept saying they didn't have any. So eventually he suggested something with fish and rice and potatoes and we agreed. It was actually really good. We really loved the breakfasts in our hotels, too. Each morning we were offered rolls, usually fresh and homemade, a selection of meats and cheeses, yogurt, fruit, juice and hot chocolate. They had coffee and tea as usual but they also had cocoa readily available. If you try to ask for that in the UK, they'll say they don't have it because that's dessert. Well, in Portugal, it's perfectly normal to have hot chocolate with breakfast. But man, those rolls...

So there you have it. Congrats if you made it this far. Portugal is probably the most favorite vacation I have ever been on, and by default Madrid gets thrown in there too, because it was the same trip and we did have a lovely time there as well. I would LOVE to go back to Portugal someday and I think that anyone who can, especially if you speak Portuguese, should go.

Here's the online album for a larger selection of our pictures.