All Over the Map

Happy Birthday, Grandma!!!

2012-02-12T20:45:00.009-05:00

Dear Grandma,

I wore this shirt especially for you. Happy Birthday, Grandma!! I miss you and can't wait to see you.

Love, Josie

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2012-01-01T15:59:00.015-05:00

I've become one of those. One of those people who have months and months between their blog posts. Swore it would never happen, but along came Josie and my best-laid plans for the day get thrown out the window. I'm not into New Year's Resolutions, but I do resolute to blog more in the new year. That and the fact that I can't seem to upload pictures to Facebook at the moment and my parents want to see pictures of Josie on Christmas. So...mom and dad, and whoever else would like to see how we celebrated Christmas this year...here you go!

Christmas morning with Josie's big gift. She loves this little kitchen!

We seemed to love ripping the wrapping paper more than seeing what was in the wrapping paper.

Opening gifts from her stocking.

Always has to have a phone in her hand. And we love to try and grab Mommy and Daddy's cell phone if we can get our little hands on it.

With the gift that Josie gave Daddy since they read together every night before bed. And what did Josie give me for Christmas? Since watching the lottery drawing every night at 7:00 pm is the highlight of the day (because of all the bouncing balls) Josie got me some lottery tickets. And yes, I ended up winning $8.00 and a free lottery ticket.

Later in the day we traveled to Grandmom and Grandpop's house where we loved playing with Grandpop's train.

All in all, a great Christmas! Don't let the face fool you...great even when it was clothes in the box instead of toys.

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T15:39:00.008-04:00

Was that a wedding or was that a wedding? Did I get up at 4:00 am, you ask? Oh, please, no....in the age of DVR who in their right mind? My friend Kristi invited me to a "Watch the Royal Wedding at a Decent Hour of the Day" party at 10:30 am today.

Honestly...I haven't been this excited for a while now. Cheesy? Maybe...but seriously, it was so hard not to turn on the tv or get on the internet. I had previously promised not to watch any of it till we were all there together. It was a little like Christmas morning...you can hardly stand it to wait, but there's a little peevish part of you that looks out the window at all the other houses that have already had their celebration and you still have yours to look forward to. Oh, is that just me, then?

Anyhoo...the party was grand. Upon entering the house, we each got a tiara to wear. Our plates were loaded up with little sandwiches, fruit, cheese & crackers, and coffee cake. Juice drunk from goblets...it was like a Girl's Superbowl.

Back and forth chatter about all the hats as people filtered into the church (and just why didn't the wearing of hats catch on in the states?!!), watching all the cars dropping the VIPs at the church, the collective sigh/squeal when we saw the dress, the ceremony, the horse-drawn carriage ride back to the palace, the kiss on the balcony. Just wouldn't have been the same if the men were in the room. This kind of thing needs to be seen with your best girl friends!!

Josie's first royal wedding. I have lots of fun memories watching Diana and Fergie's weddings with my mom and sister. Now I'm watching them with my daughter...life is good. And of course, what post wouldn't be complete without a picture or two of our little "Princess".

Grandpa, Grandma, and Me

2011-04-26T20:23:00.004-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa,

Thanks for coming to see me at Easter! I had so much fun. I miss you already! So does Sox. :)

xoxo

Love, Josie

A Letter to Grandpa

2011-04-14T13:49:00.008-04:00

Dear Grandpa, I'm so excited that you and Grandma are coming here next week to spend Easter with me. Look...I'm wearing the shirt that Grandma gave me from you. It goes well with the dumptruck you sent me. :)

I've learned how to sit up now! Still need to be surrounded by cushions, but I like it.

I'm pointing to the work Mom has lined up for you to do when you come out. We know you like to stay busy when you're here.

Sox and I can't wait for you to come. We're both very excited!! See you next week.

Love, Josie

The Boys Are Back in Town

2011-04-01T14:50:00.007-04:00

Opening Day...Go Phillies!!!

Roses are Red...

2011-03-24T16:17:00.008-04:00

Violets are blue

Grandma and Grandpa...Come see me soon!!!

Shooby, dooby, doo. :)

See, Grandpa, I'm having fun with the toy you sent me.

How Can You Not Love This Face?!

2011-03-07T11:30:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

2011-02-12T14:18:00.014-05:00

Dear Grandma,

I hope you have a very happy birthday today. I miss you and can't wait to see you again. Thank you for your Valentine's Day card. I got it yesterday and got a valentine from Aunt Becky and Uncle Karl, Kyle and Jack today. I loved them. See? I love you very much. Happy Birthday!

Love, Josie

Here's What I've Been Up To the Last Month...

2010-10-24T14:31:00.017-04:00

Josie turned one month this past Friday. Hard to believe...(and yet, not so hard to believe when it's 3:00 or 4:00 am) Love this sweet girl! It's been a month of ups and downs but we're moving forward. Josie's dr. diagnosed her with reflux so the medicine she's on now has definitely helped. Oh...and did I mention the sinus infection? Yes...who knew that a 3 week old can get a sinus infection? I do, now. She's been on an antibiotic since this past Wednesday so praying that she continues to be on the mend. She sounded so stuffy that Phil started calling her Darth Josie. Poor little thing... My time is not my own anymore (and that's an adjustment, let me tell you) so instead of lots of words, how about lots of pictures. I bring you Josie's first month...

At the hospital

Heading home...my first car ride

Love to sleep...

Did not love my first bath...but loved Grandma helping me

Love my daddy

Hanging out in my swing

Me and mommy

See...love to sleep

Love the shirt my Aunt Karen sent me!

Look how cute I am!

Me and Sox

Look what Mom's cousins, Alan and Sue sent me!

One month old on October 22nd!

And because I look so darn cute in my sunglasses...

Josephine Julia Lankford Has Arrived!!

2010-09-25T15:29:00.005-04:00

Josephine, or Josie, as we call her, arrived at 7:34 pm on Wednesday, September 22nd. The labor part...going from 2 cm (which is what I was when we got to the hospital) all the way to 10cm wasn't bad at all (whoever invented epidurals should have a spot somewhere in some Hall of Fame somewhere). That part only took 5 and 1/2 hours. The delivery part...well...that was another thing entirely. All in all, 2 hours of pushing and a little extra help from the doctor for a sweet someone who didn't want to make that last little part of her journey into the world.

I'll spare you the details.

But our little Josie is here, all 8 lbs 5 ozs and 20 inches of her. I'll post some pictures soon...right now, I'm just figuring out how to feed her, what I'm supposed to be doing, and how to talk coherently with a little bit of sleep at night. But she's here and she's all ours!

Oh...and the name in case you're curious. Josephine is a name we both really liked. It's definitely recognizable as a name, but unique enough that she probably won't be the 4th Josephine in her school class. And we liked the name Josie, which is what we'll call her. We're not really that big into the meaning of names but as an added bonus, her name means "God will add". And truly, it was only God who could've added to our little family. Julia is because she was named in honor of my grandma, Vienno Julia Peura.

As I type, I'm remembering my grandma and I'm all choked up again. Oh...these blessed hormones or the lack of them now that I'm not pregnant anymore. Whatever it is...pray for Phil. :) He's truly been amazing through all of this. And he is such a natural with Josie. She loves to just lay in his arms and look up at him. I just love it!

4:30am On the Clock But a Smile on My Face

2010-09-11T17:20:00.005-04:00

Up this morning for the second time around 4:30am for my inevitable couple of trips to the bathroom every night. If I can fall back asleep, I don't mind them. If I can't...well, then, it makes for an extra long day that usually includes a nap the following day. Why the smile on my face this morning as I crawled back into bed?

Because as I lay there willing myself to get back to sleep(which didn't happen, unfortunately), I hear Phil slowly breathing in and out next to me. And I remember that nine years ago this morning, God, without a doubt in my mind, intervened and allowed us these years together. And if that wasn't enough, nine years later, He's decided to add a sweet baby girl to our family.

I am incredibly blessed.

(And for all those waiting...no, nothing new on the baby front yet. The wait continues...)

Want A Peek at the Nursery?

2010-09-01T08:30:00.015-04:00

Well, once again at least a month (or probably now, two months) have gone by without a post. Your wait is over. Have I been too busy? Not really. We finally got the camera battery recharged and bought new camera disc thingys (I'm such a techie) on our woefully unused camera so we're ready when the baby comes. Unused...because no, we don't sit around taking pictures of each other. Ready...because this past Friday we thought the baby might be coming and realized we were not camera ready. But more on that later. First...some pictures of the baby's new digs.

So much fun putting the room and bathroom together! But it's all ready and now that it's September...holy cow, it's September...I feel like she can come anytime. And as said above, we thought that might've been last Friday.

All throughout the morning and early afternoon I just didn't feel like the baby was moving around in her normal patterns. I felt uneasy and wondered if I should call the dr's office. I didn't necessarily want to be labeled with "first-time mom anxiety" along with a gentle eye rolling, but then decided, "Heck...I don't care what they think, I'm going to call." To my surprise, they told me to come to the hospital to get hooked up with some monitors just to check and make sure everything was okay.

Well...two and a half hours later, after they had put in an IV (oh, how that doesn't feel good) for fluids because I was a bit dehydrated, I was shocked to learn that apparently I was having contractions every 2 minutes apart since I had been hooked up. Uh...what? I didn't feel anything. I could see them on the monitor but wasn't feeling it. The dr. checked me (and let me just say here without going into too much detail...that is not a pleasant thing) and said I was 80% effaced and 2 cm.

Again...um, what? I had just gone for my normal dr. appt the day before and was 30% and completely closed. So apparently these contractions were doing something. They said if things progressed after a few more hours they were going to admit me and we were having the baby tonight. Uh...I didn't have my bag with me (at this point, I hadn't even packed a bag yet) and told them so. The cheerful response of my nurse? "Oh that's okay...all we need is your insurance card." So funny.

I called Phil to let him know what was going on and he got there about 6:30. The dr. coming in for the night shift just happened to be my regular dr. and he checked me again after 7:00. Nothing had progressed (except the puzzling regularity of these contractions, which darn it, I still really couldn't feel) so he said to just go on home. The nurse then when into a long discourse about how to time the contractions to know if and when we should come back if we needed to. I didn't want to point out the obvious, but my big question was how could I time them if I really couldn't feel them?

So...all that to say is I think I've been having contractions off and on since Friday night...still not completely sure if that's what it is or if it's just the baby moving, and just playing it by ear, I guess. I have my weekly appt with the dr. tomorrow morning so we'll see if anything has progressed. Is Baby Lankford (still not going to name her Philipina) going to wait until the 23rd to arrive? Bets are on, dates have been picked, (sorry Kristi, but Aug. 30th has come and gone) and Jared...bite your tongue for saying the 28th. We'll let you know! Oh...and for those of you have been wanting a pregnancy picture...here I am at almost 37 weeks.

Are You Kidding Me?

2010-06-30T11:49:00.004-04:00

So I get this email yesterday with the subject line in all caps saying something about a proposed class action settlement. Thinking it was some scam from Nigeria or the like, I was going to just delete it, but I have to admit, I was a bit curious.
Turns out there's some class action settlement against Classmates.com which I think I was on years ago. Who needs that when you got Facebook? Anyway, I have now come to learn that Classmates. com may have violated my privacy rights by sending some emails that may have violated the law. Whoop de do...so some people may know the name of my high school and what year I graduated from. I have till August 17th to respond that I want to be included in the class action suit or let them know that I want to opt out of the settlement so I can "maintain my right to pursue my own claim".
And just what am I entitled to? What huge fortune awaits my response? If I submit a valid claim form, I am entitled to either a cash settlement of $3.00 or a $2.00 credit off a Gold Membership at Classmates.com. Seriously? People are actually going to do this? And some people are going to opt out so they can sue the pants off of Classmates.com?
The lawyers representing the people in this egregious breach of privacy are two guys out of Seattle and LA. You can rest easy, knowing it was stipulated that they will only receive up to 1.3 million dollars for representing the poor public whose rights were so violated.

Has It Been a Month, Already?

2010-06-23T09:34:00.005-04:00

Well...you know what they say about good intentions. A whole month has passed since my last post. Seriously...where is the time going? I picked up Phil at the airport on Saturday and a couple of days ago here's the jist of our conversation:

Me: Do you realize that it's almost the end of June??
Phil: Yep.
Me: Then comes July and August.
Phil: Mmm Hmm.
Me: Then comes September!! She'll be here before we know it!!
Phil: Yep.

You know what they say about women talking a lot more than men, right? A classic case above. But really...she will be here before we know it.
I'm still feeling pretty good. (Although after today and tomorrow with temperatures hovering around 96, we'll see if that's still the case. Whoever invented air conditioners...bless you.) I think you can't miss that I'm pregnant (and just an aside here...who ever invented the word "prego" to say that someone's pregnant? That's a spaghetti sauce, not a dumb word for pregnant. It's like the word, hubby, for husband. But I digress...) but my friends say that people who don't know me, may not think so. Well, just great...so the majority of people in lower Bucks County may just think I'm chubby/fat. Marvelous. But I don't think you can miss it. A picture? Maybe. I feel silly taking a picture of my profile and then posting it. But maybe.
Names? We're still working on that. We've pretty much narrowed the list (which by the way, was my list which Phil promptly nixed most of) to three or so. I think we're going to wait until she's born to see if one "fits" her better than the others. Telling? Nope. We're waiting until she's born for that as well. First, since you already know it's a girl, then there's still some surprise as you wait to hear the name. And second, we're not sure we want to hear all the opinions about what people think about her name. If there's a cute little face attached to the name, you may not be so quick to say, "Ewww...why in the world did you pick that for a name?"
Never fear...our little list doesn't really have names that are what I consider to be, "out there." And looking through a baby name book...there are lots of names that are just "out there". Seriously...are there really little girls out there with names like Bathilda, Greekriana, Lefitray, Melibea, Peata, and Sedofa? Really??
Not much else is going on...just schlepping Phil back and forth to the airport for his trips. Our lease on the flat in London is up at the end of this month so as of July 1st, Phil will no longer be a resident of the UK and will be based back here at good ol' home with trips all through the summer. Planned out, he shouldn't be away more than 7-10 days at a time. Yippee! (Not that he's away...just at the length of the awayness.)
But if stuff does goes on...you'll see it here. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Because Wendy Asked Me To

2010-05-23T16:13:00.006-04:00

My dear old friend, Wendy, included me on a list of Seven Things on her fabulous blog which I highly recommend. (www.partofmystory.blogspot.com) I tweaked it once I sat down and realized my mind was seriously blanking out. So...if it's okay with you, Schwendy...here goes.

Seven Things I Did Last Week When Visiting Mom and Dad in Ohio

1. ate mom's roast...Mmm...
2. played cards with mom (and then texted my sister with score updates thru-out the evening)
3. celebrated my dad's birthday with the fam and ate my dad's favorite cake...mom's Strawberry Torte Cream cake...oh my word.
4. went to some garage sales with mom
5. took some naps and generally lounged for a few days
6. me and mom met my oldest friend, Melissa and her mom for lunch at Panera
7. watched some hockey with dad

Such a good time with mom and dad. Saw my brother and his family as well when they came over for dad's birthday dinner. The older I get, the more I realize the gift God gave me when he put me in this family. Just love them!

I'm Still Alive and She's Kicking

2010-05-06T20:16:00.008-04:00

I never thought I'd be one of those people. Someone who starts a blog, faithfully writes, starts to have months between posts, and then before you know it, it's been a year and a half since the last post. It's not that bad, but had to stop the downward slope. My fans (all three of you) have been clamoring for an update...so here goes.

She's kicking...that's right...we found out last week that we're having a little girl. So exciting!! She'll be the first girl on my side of the family and Grandma Peura has already sent 10 blankets/quilts that she's made. :) She'll be the warmest girl in the Northeast. We've ordered the nursery furniture, cleared out the bedroom that will become the nursery to get ready to paint, picked out the crib bedding, and are throwing around potential names. We're keeping the final name to ourselves until she's born, but for the lady who asked me this week if we're naming her Philipina...no, I can tell you right now that no, we're not.

Phil's still traveling much but getting home when he can. He was home last week when friends of ours from Australia came over to stay with us for the week. What a good time we had showing them the area... New York including a Broadway show (where I might add, that both Phil and I kept falling asleep in the middle of...sorry Phantom...he had jetlag and I'm pulling the pregnancy card), Philly, Lancaster, New Hope, a Phillies game (where I really felt the baby kicking or poking me. Phil said she was just using her finger to comment on how lousy the Phillies were playing the Mets that night...but no, not our sweet girl), eating a cheesteak, Rita's Water Ice, Tastycakes, pretzels, Chickies and Pete's crab fries. The whole experience. And the baby got her first gifts...a stuffed animal mascot of Sydney's rugby team and the tiniest little pair of Ugg boots that you've ever seen.

And just how much is Phil traveling? Just in the month of May he will head to Paris, then London, back home for a week, then Hong Kong, then Tokyo, then Singapore, back to Hong Kong, back to Paris, over to Tunisia, back to Paris, and then back home in early June. Whew!! Pretty soon his passport is going to feel like an encyclopedia with all the extra pages that have had to be added.

How have I been feeling? Actually...I can not complain! This has been a very easy pregnancy so far. I never got sick or felt like getting sick. So far...not much of anything the book says you may experience. Do I look pregnant? Hmm...depends on who you ask. I think I do...I can really only wear maternity jeans/pants now but am still in regular tee shirts. Most people think I don't. One of these days, I keep getting told (really...all the advice started weeks ago...whether wanted or not) one of these days I'm just going to pop out. I'm 20 weeks exactly today so I guess it should start happening soon.

That's it in a nutshell. I shall try and be more regular with my posts. It's just that my life at the moment is not that exciting. Example? Today's schedule...got up, ate a bowl of cereal, checked email, got a shower, finished cleaning out the closet, ate lunch, got the mail, looked at the grocery circulars, a little Facebook, sent out some emails, started to make a dessert for dinner out tomorrow but realized that I bought the wrong box of pudding, emptied the dishwasher, filled the dishwasher, went to the store to buy the right box of pudding, stopped at Peppi's to pick up a personal pizza for dinner, ate dinner, made the dessert for tomorrow night, watched a little Golden Girls reruns, updating the blog. See? Riveting. But I still promise to do better. My fans deserve nothing less.

Back From Europe and Did I Mention...

2010-02-15T11:04:00.003-05:00

No...I did not just get back. I've been back since the 3rd but lots going on here. More on that later. But first, I give you my trip to see Phil. I left on Jan. 28th to fly over to London. Unfortunately, in order to get the upgrade to envoy class with our miles, I had to first fly to Charlotte, NC. A very nice city, I'm sure, but not when it adds several hours to your 7 and1/2 hour flight. Although...I was seated next to a very yappy USAir pilot who was headed home after an overseas flight. I learned so much. Did you know that pilots have a sleeping area up near the cockpit on international flights and they like to wear the most outrageous pajamas they can find? Nope, I didn't either. He's on the lookout for some pink flannel ones with bunnies on them. Nope, I'm not making this up.

Phil arranged for a driver to pick me up and met us outside of our flat. (London-speak for apartment.) I was pretty tired after only sleeping about an hour on the flight so while he went to work, I showered and then went to sleep. The next day I walked over to the London Museum At the Docklands which isn't far from Phil's work. Very interesting! It covered the history of London from the Roman times all the way till today. We had dinner with one of Phil's work colleagues and his wife. Love my fish and chips. Did find out that the Black Pudding that Michael was trying to get me to try (I know...he just doesn't know that I hardly ever try something new) is actually blobs of dried animal blood. I mean really...who eats that stuff? See...that's why I don't like to try new things.

The next morning Phil and I flew over to Paris where Phil had to work at the offices over there. On Friday while Phil worked, (I know...my life is so hard.) I walked over to the Grevin, a wax museum not far from our hotel. I have this thing for wax museums. Back in '06 when Phil and I first went to London for a quick vacation, the top thing on my list was Madame Tussaud's wax museum. I'm not sure why I like them but they fascinate me. This one was much smaller yet still interesting, but had lots of French people that I had no clue who they were. Still...a nice way to spend a few hours.

On Saturday we headed to the airport to pick up Phil's parents. They were coming for a week's vacation, half in Paris and then half in London. We showed them the famous sites of Paris and then we drove over to Disneyland Paris the next morning. My father-in-law is a big fan of Disneyworld so we knew he would enjoy this. And what may I add is worse than sweating up a storm at Disneyworld in the middle of humid June? How about Disneyland Paris in February when you're so cold that you can't stop shaking? We had a day of snow, (standing on Main Street you couldn't see the castle at the end of the road through all the snow.) and another day of cold rain. I would wear three layers under my coat including Phil's sweatshirt with hood and wrap a scarf around my face and neck under the hood. I looked like an Eastern European immigrant from the early 1900's but vanity goes out the window when you're so cold that you can't feel your fingers.

It was a fun trip, even though I couldn't ride most of the rides. And why not?? Well...Phil and I are very excited to announce that we are expecting a baby in September! I know...I'm still a bit stunned. I've been feeling pretty good, yet pretty tired. But not tired enough it would seem to say no to vacation. So...this Sunday we leave for a sunny, warm Caribbean cruise. Phil is so done with gray, rainy London that all he wanted was to go somewhere warm and where the sun was out. I'm hoping the motion of the boat doesn't make me feel sick, but at this point, I'd take the warm anywhere we can get it (as I look outside and see the 15 or so inches of snow still on the ground from last week's storm).

We're leaving from Ft. Lauderdale and then heading to San Juan, St. Maarten, and St. Kitts. Phil's looking forward to some diving. I'm looking forward to a deck chair in the sun with my name on it. I may sleep away this vacation but at least I'll be warm doing it.

Still Here...But Not For Long

2010-01-23T14:13:00.004-05:00

Yeah....I know. The previous post talked about our upcoming Christmas party (and yes, my Christmas tree is still up. Don't judge me.) and here it is the last week in January. My fans have been clamoring for more. (Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Wendy.) It's just been that kind of month.

I thought about what I could write about...my exhausting schedule (but who wants to read about my fascinating tv line up each night)...my exotic foods that I've been eating (peanut butter or chicken salad sandwiches)...my busy social calendar (Bible study on Wed. morning with an occasional trip to Panera everyone once in a while) and realized that nope...can't imagine many people interested in that.

But fear not, another trip is coming soon. I leave Monday (and here's where I add that my previous non-stop trips abroad were taken for granted...nothing like making an overseas trip longer by a nice 3 hour layover in lovely Charlotte, NC) for London to spend some time with Phil. Whoo hoo! I've been on the internet and have my list of museums ready and waiting.

After a few days in London, we'll head over to Paris to spend a couple of days at...wait for it...EuroDisney. Nothing says French culture like Mickey Mouse. Should be fun, but I have to say the thought of walking around a Disney park with a coat on is a strange one. Pictures and blogs galore when I get back. And hopefully none explaining the story of how our wallet or money from our wallet got stolen!

Christmas Party

2009-12-15T09:58:00.008-05:00

Saturday night was our annual Christmas party with our sunday school class. (I was going to write s.s. class because the words sunday school make me feel like I'm 6 again, but s.s. sounds a bit Nazi-ish so we'll stick with the former.) As stated in the previous post, we host everyone at our house for the potlucks to end all potlucks with everyone bringing their signature dish. Terri's ham, Dan with any kind of beef, Kristi's pineapple stuffing, Faith's mac and cheese, Pam's vegetables, Ashley's chocolate dessert, you get the idea. So. Much. Food.

And after eating we gather 'round the family room for the "gift" exchange. The only rule is that it should be no more than $5 so it usually ends up being crap that's lying around your house that you want to get rid of. You have your obligatory scented candles and your stuffed animals, etc. The ones that get the laughs like the fart machine, the Toasty Wrap (a generic snuggie), the garden gnome (which has a long and storied past that I won't go into detail here but his fame spreads far and wide clear down to Florida...hey Aytons!), and of course..."The Head." I've gotta add that the biggest laugh was a few years ago when Ashley pulled out of a gift bag this gigantic rack of deer horns and as she was holding it up and looking it over with a very curious stare, Faith yells out, "Nice rack, Ashley!"

But anyway..."The Head" is this seriously ugly speckled ceramic head that Rob found years ago when cleaning out a deserted building at our church property. (I know...really.) This thing has been passed around for years and nobody wants to pick up a heavy box or gift bag for fear that you've now inherited "The Head".

Well, it was Phil's turn to pick a gift and he got a bit concerned with how heavy it was. But as he tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box out came a sign that stated, "A Wonderful Dinner for Two." The next sign, "Step 1 Use this rub on some beef, chicken, or pork. Slap it on the grill and cook it how you like." Cool...he'd gotten the gift from Dan who is famous in these parts for his homemade bbq sauce and his prowess on the grill. Next sign, "Step 2 Use this BBQ sauce to complete the meal and make it delicious!" All right! Final sign with a tealight candle taped to it, "Step 3 Light the candle, put it under "The Head" and enjoy the romance." Aw man...That's right. Underneath all the tissue paper was "The Head". So now begins the creative thinking in order to disguise it in next year's exchange.

The gift that was fought over the most? Two tickets for a dinner of wings over at Bud and Paula's house to watch an Eagles game with them. And this is quite the experience if you've never been with Bud during an Eagles game. There are pre-game songs, the jumping on the couch for a touchdown dance, the Eagles fight song with arms flapping like wings, and the volume...oh, the volume. You will never see or hear anything like it. And it was a hot item.

Bobby and Emily added a new game this year that was bit like Taboo and then ends in charades. I'll just say that thanks to Kristi, "Herbie the Elf" will now become a tradition that will be passed for years to come.

The party ended a bit before midnight but my "party" is still going on. One more tradition that started years ago? As people leave, some hide the "gifts" that they don't want (ie the crap) in places all over my house so for days I find little treasures everywhere. Darn you, Rob.

Christmas In NYC

2009-12-12T13:47:00.010-05:00

Phil flew home from London on Tuesday night and then hopped on a train early Wed. morning for a couple of days of meetings in New York. We decided I'd take a train up on Friday morning and meet him for a fun day in NYC. (Although the phrase "fun day in NYC" does not usually come out of the mouth of Phil.) He hates NYC. Must've been the 2 hour + commuting each morning and night for a couple of years that jaded him. Go figure...

Regardless, I got on the 9:14 am express train on Friday that got me in to Penn Station around 10:30 am. And the obvious that hit me (literally, actually) as I stood in the taxi line? I picked the coldest day of the year so far to come to NYC. They said it wasn't getting over 30 degrees but the wind chill made it feel like 9. Yep...9 degrees. And I think that was even generous.

I met Phil at the hotel he was staying at near Rockefeller Plaza. After finishing up one more work call, we bundled up (and here I add that yes, I may have looked like a dork with my ski headband covering my ears, but I was willing to sacrifice my fashion-sense for non-frozen ears), and made our way to the big tree in Rockefeller Plaza. It's a big tree. Didn't spend too much time looking at it, though, 'cause as I said before, it felt like 9 degrees outside.

We went into a COSI to warm up and get something hot to drink and a little snack. Mmmm...hot mulled cider and a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. A little taste of heaven. We made it into our seats for the 1:00 pm show of Radio City Music Hall's Rockettes. What a fun show. Loved it.

After the show we went to a late lunch at Del Frisco's for some of the best filet mignon I've had in a while. So good. And the salad, the warm bread, the mashed potatoes, and the strawberry cheesecake...I think you could've rolled me out of there. Our last stop before grabbing a cab to back to Penn Station? Just across the street to Magnolia's Bakery which is well-known for their cupcakes. So with a 6-pack of cupcakes in a carry-out box we made our way back to the train station.

And I'm glad to report that a near-disaster was avoided when I nodded off somewhere before our stop in Trenton and the rustling of the plastic bag alerted me to the fact that our cupcakes were headed to a collision with the floor of the train. The cupcakes were saved and all was fine.

And tonight? We are hosting our annual Christmas party with our Sunday School class. Everyone brings their signature dish and we have the potluck to end all potlucks. Seriously...so much food. And the highlight? The "gift" exchange with a cost limit of $5...or in other words, what crap do you have laying around your house that you'd love to get rid of. Should be a fun night.

Countdown to Thanksgiving

2009-11-19T09:31:00.003-05:00

You got to love Thanksgiving. It hasn't been too commercialized yet. Although, yes, I have seen one or two huge blow-up turkeys sitting on some front lawns. Why, why?? And yes, it does revolve around a serious table of food. Oh the stuffing, the cranberry sauce, the green bean casserole, the pumpkin pie...all the yummy stuff that you usually eat once or twice a year. But it really all comes down to family.

And this year the whole family is heading to Philly for Thanksgiving!! Whoo hoo! It's been two years since we've all been together so I'm so looking forward to this. The first wave hits on Sunday when my sister and her family come in from Georgia. Mom and dad get in on Tuesday. Phil flies home on Wednesday night, and my brother and his family arrive on Thanksgiving Day.
Sox is going to be beside himself with so many free hands to pet him.

The smell of celery and onions sauting in a pan to be used for the stuffing? Check. Just the smell of turkey roasting all day? Check. Mom making her pumpkin and apple pies? Blessed Check. Macy's Day Parade on in the morning? Check. Football the rest of the day? Check. Some serious card playing tournaments? Check. Semi-annual family picture? Check. The guys going to play golf for a day? Check. Christmas gift exchange? Check. Heading down to see the sights in Philly? Check.

Just all being together? Check!

You Got to Love Baseball in November

2009-11-03T10:37:00.007-05:00

The Phillies in the World Series...awesome. Being in the U.S. this year to watch the Phillies in the World Series...fantastic. Getting tickets to game 5...priceless.

Too bad the fan in front got a bit excited waving his towel. Back to New York...

What's With the Bumper Sticker?

2009-10-29T15:51:00.004-04:00

I've never gotten bumper stickers. Why in the world would you want to paste something on the outside of your car? As if your car didn't depreciate enough when you drove it off the car lot, you're going to plaster the back of it with pithy little sayings that tell the world more about you than really should be told?
Yesterday I was driving along the idyllic streets of Langhorne when I started reading the one on the car in front of me. (Here's where I admit they do help pass the time when waiting at a red light.) But this one...did I just read what I thought I read?
No lie...here's what I read, "The reason I'm going so fast is that I really need to get home to poop." Um...what? Who on earth would put that on the back of your car? Did it have a little pile of poop next to the sentence? Yes...yes it did. And the kicker? The little metal thing that holds your license plate in place read, "The Holy Bible is the literal Word of God." Truly.
Do I believe that the Bible is the literal word of God? You bet. Would I put a bumper sticker referring to bowel movements next to said statement of my personal theology? Uh...no. Just wondering what would make someone do that.
Of course not all bumper stickers make me scratch my head. Some are down right funny. And the funniest one I've ever seen? A few years ago I was driving back to work from my lunch break (why yes...I probably was coming back from McDonald's) and I was stopped at a red light behind this huge pickup truck. The kind of truck you usually find on the rural streets of good ol' Ohio...not necessarily the East Coast. Not a slam on Ohio...just stating fact. Anyway, I see proudly displayed the round sticker of the NRA. And right next to it? A sticker for PETA. Yeah...me too. Just didn't go together. I remember thinking how in the world would an NRA member also be a member of PETA?
As I crept slowly closer to the back of the truck, I saw that PETA did not in fact, stand for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. On this particular jacked-up pick-up truck PETA stood for People for the Eating of Tasty Animals. Still makes me laugh, years later.
How about you? What's the funniest bumper sticker you've ever seen?

Girl Talk, Zip Lines, and Mannequin Heads

2009-10-05T17:45:00.006-04:00

Got back yesterday afternoon from a weekend away with the girls at a women's retreat down at Sandy Cove, Maryland. Such a good time! Truly, I haven't laughed that hard in I don't know how long. My Top 5 Moments...

1. The Diana Exhibit in Philadelphia.
On the way down Beth, Kristi, and I stopped at the Constitution Center where a traveling exhibit on Princess Diana had it's opening day. (Why an exhibit on Diana at the Constitution Center, I don't know...) For those of you've who've stuck around since my blogging days in Sydney...yes, this is the same exhibit I saw at a museum down there. Still lovin' the up close and personal with the wedding dress.

2. Girl Talk
Starting in the car on the way down I-95 and continuing for the next two days, I believe most every topic imaginable was covered at some point during the weekend. I'm still laughing at the So You Think You Can Dance Tour story at the Italian place for dinner. Friday night back in the room-me, Beth, Kristi, and Aimee till 1:00 in the am...

3. The Zip Line
Those who know me, know that I don't do heights. I usually stay off of most roller coasters and don't even give ferris wheels a second glance. Lucky me, the girls wanted to do the zip line Saturday afternoon after our morning sessions and lunch. I figured I'd chat away with them while I stayed in line and then before I had to step into the harness, I'd tell them I had decided not to do it (they all knew that I was waffling back and forth). I had even picked out the tree where I would stand in the shade so I could watch all of them. But...peer pressure is a very real and insidious thing. The next thing I knew, I was in the harness, my helmet on, and I was very slowly climbing a 40 foot telephone poll up to the wooden platform. My heart was pounding furiously and I was flat out terrified. Ah...but the girls...the girls were cheering me on. And knowing there was no other way down but to jump into the nothingness (and after I could finally pry my hand off of the metal grip on the telephone poll)...I did it. I wouldn't do it again, but I did it. Yeah for me.

4. The Mannequin Head
Saturday night found me, Beth, Aimee, and Maria in our room watching Terri cut Kristi's hair. Terri has recently begun beauty school and I'm telling you...after three weeks if she can cut hair like that, she's gonna be in high demand once she graduates. She brought in her huge bag from school with all of her equipment...which included three mannquin heads that are used to practice cutting and styling hair. Two women and a man. The man has flowing brown locks with a full mustache and beard. Picture a flannel-graph Jesus from your childhood Sunday School lessons. It began with laying his head on Aimee's pillow and stuffing pillows under the covers while she was out of the room for a minute. It escalated to Kristi running it across the hall and doing the same with Marcy's bed while she was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. We waited in the hallway. The shriek/wail that came out of Marcy's mouth after she turned the corner from the bathroom...priceless. Have you ever laughed so hard for so long that your cheeks just hurt? Do I need to mention that by this time it was getting a little later in the night?

5. Makeovers
Who knew that an eyelash curler is just plain magic for your eyes? The night continued on with some makeovers. We felt like we were 14 again and on one big sleepover.

So much fun. And of course, the sessions were good as well. Convicting stuff. Jesus showing obedience through His suffering. How can I not show mercy to other people when I stop and think about how much mercy has been shown to me? The example of Christ's humility in Philippians 2. Lots to continue to think about. Just love girl's weekends away...

Happy Birthday to My Boo

2009-10-01T10:41:00.009-04:00

*Disclaimer here...Phil is not my boo. I think the phrase "my boo" is the one of the funniest things I've ever heard. (Really...who calls someone their boo?) It makes me laugh out loud when I hear the phrase "my boo" and that's why I wrote it here. Because Phil makes me laugh out loud. Like the time when I told him we just found out at work that we got our annual 2% raise and he replied (in a rather patronizing tone), "Aw...that's great. Now you can supersize your lunch with all that extra money they're paying you." (That's for you too, Joan, since I know that one makes you laugh out loud too.) And not just funny, but just plain fun. So Phil...in honor of your birthday (which now means we are exactly the same age so no more jokes about how I'm a shameless cradle robber...seriously...three months) I give you my

"Oh, The Places I Will Go (Because I'm With Phil) List"

1. Killington, Vermont...where we skied "The Juggernaut"
Did I know "The Juggernaut" was a 10 mile cross-country/slight downhill trek before I agreed to do it? No...no, I did not.

2. The Caribbean
Snorkeling off Cancun (after an, ahem, harrowing ride in the small, orange boat), walking up Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios, parasailing in Grand Cayman (well...you, not me), Atlantis, the cruise ship where you remained calm at the blackjack table while I felt like throwing up on my shoes after what I thought was a 25 cent slot machine was actually a $25 dollar slot machine...but then made your jaw drop after I moved on to a nickel slot with my remaining $2 and won a whopping $250 dollar jackpot!! (and thus ending my night in the casino)

3. Disneyworld, Disneyland, and Tokyo Disney
So. Much. Fun.

4. Hawaii
The cruise around the islands. Driving the mud buggies in Kauai and getting mud uh, everywhere. Watching the sunrise over the Haleakala volcano crater. Touring Pearl Harbor.

5. Sydney, Australia
For a whole year...seriously, who would've thought?

6. The Great Barrier Reef
Me snorkeling and you scuba diving.

7. Chesapeake City, Maryland
Taking the boat with Rob and Faith on an overnight trip in waters that I would never believe could be so rough. So much up-chucking in such a small amount of time. I don't think Faith has been on the boat since...

8. Baltimore, Maryland
Exploring the Inner Harbor for an anniversary away. The aquarium, Ft. McHenry, water taxi rides, etc.

9. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Fireworks on the beach may sound like a romantic thought, but not when they are actual fireworks and instead of heading out over the water they turn 180 degrees and zone in on the beach house next door like a heat-seeking missile and explode in a burst of brilliant color about two feet from the big bay window. We laugh now, but I think that's the first time I almost wet my pants as an adult.

10. Falling Water, somewhere in Western PA
We go to check out the famous house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and who do we see walking along the path next to us after just having toured it? That's right...Tom Hanks and Ron Howard. My first real celebrity sighting...

11. The New York Stock Exchange floor
Yep...put the required jacket on me (because you can't be on the floor of the exchange without wearing one), and you and Mark gave me a personal tour around the floor. The shouting, the little papers flying, the hand signals...so cool.

12. The White House
Of course you knew someone who's brother worked for the National Security Administration and could give us a private tour of the White House. Pictures on the lawn, in the Rose Garden, in the Press Room behind the presidential lecturn...And all while George W. Bush was in office...the icing on the cake!

13. New Zealand
Riding horses up the side of the mountain (gulp) in Hanmer Springs. Archery. The hot springs. Freezing in the blizzard room at the Antarctic Exploration Center. Watching the Phillies beat the Rays at the sports bar in Christchurch last season.

14. Singapore
Eating Spanish tapas along that river that was all lit up with lights. Street luge rides in Sentosa.
The charging monkeys on the well, monkey bars behind that old British fort. The smells, ah the smells.

15. Bin Tam, Indonesia
Watching the dragonboat races. And...oh, yeah...that's all we did because we just wanted to take the ferry to get out of there. :)

16. Paris
Boat ride on the Seine. Fondue with Mark and Janelle. Wallet stolen on the metro. Morning with the police about said wallet. Forget the wallet...remember the crepes. Montmartre. Eiffel Tower. Arc de Triomphe.

17. London
Madame Tussaud's wax museum (spot on with your impersonation of the Dali Lama, I might add). Buckingham Palace. Houses of Parliament. Westminster Abbey. The London Eye. Tour on the red, double-decker bus. 10 Downing Street. The Cabinet War Rooms. The British Museum. The Tower of London. The boat ride down the Thames. Ah...and "Wicked". And "Stomp". and most recently, "Hairspray".

18. Speaking of Musicals...
"Lion King" in Boston. "Phantom of the Opera" and "Les Miserables" in Philly. "Fiddler On the Roof" in New York. (and here's where I forgive you for falling asleep three times during Fiddler. I know it's enough that you were at least there.)

19. Ocean City, New Jersey
Flying the plane over there for lunch and a walk on the boardwalk was a perfect way to say goodbye to the summer. (As long as I kept looking at the horizon and not straight down so I didn't hurl on our way down like I did the last time we did that.)

20. Golf Courses
Me, golf? Right. No...you hit the links and I take my book to read while you're on the links and then once you hop on, I hit the pedal on the cart to whiz us over to the next hole. Does everyone know how fun it is to drive a golf cart?

And that is just one of the reasons why I love you. (Besides all the laughing.) You make me take my nose out of my books and really see what is around me. No matter where we end up. So here's to another year together...Happy Birthday! (my boo) Hee hee...see, it's just such a funny thing to say.

London...Finally

2009-09-28T18:02:00.012-04:00

Sorry about the wait. I know you were on the edge of your seat with baited breath waiting to hear the next installment of my adventures overseas. I know...but indulge me.

I flew overnight (Gotta love trying to sleep while sitting straight up in coach...afraid my trips to Sydney in business class have ruined me forever) and arrived at Heathrow a little after 11:00 the next morning. I made my way to the Heathrow Express train that would take me to Paddington Station where I was to meet up with Phil.

And how did my weekend start out with a bang? I got on the train intending to pay my ticket (19.00 one way!) once I was on the train. The man taking the tickets said he'd be back to collect my money. As we were getting off at Paddington (and still having never given my money to the guy) I noticed him coming back up the aisle. I stopped him and told him I never paid and his response? "Consider it your welcome to London," he said with a wink. Nice...welcome indeed!

After meeting up with Phil, we took a cab back to the apartment to leave my suitcase there. Going on along the banks of the Thames River that weekend was The Mayor's Festival, a gathering of small booths of crafts, food and live music. Sort of interesting but oh, so crowded. And if you know me at all...I hate crowds. We walked for awhile and then Phil thankfully suggested walking up to Leicester Square to the half price ticket booth to see if there were any seats still left for any shows that night.

So where did we find ourselves after a dinner of some good pizza? Sitting at a theater getting ready for the musical "Hairspray" to start! That's right...Phil agreed to see a musical. And what a fabulous show! Ah...the singing, the dancing...And the best quote of the night as we were walking back to the tube station to go home? And I quote Phil here, "That wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be." I can feel him coming over to the dark side...

The next day we woke up and decided to take the tube to the British Museum for the day. It's a free museum that has thousands of well...old stuff. Exhibits on Africa, Ancient Egypt (thought of you, Claire, while looking at all the mummies), Ancient Greece and Rome, Medieval Europe, and the Middle East. Pretty cool. And what can I check off my list as having now seen it? (Well, it wasn't really on my list, but I do vaguely remember hearing about it in school at some point.) I give you...The Rosetta Stone.

A stone with a bunch of writing on it that unlocked the mysteries of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. All in all, a neat museum. Interested in more...check out www.britishmusem.org

Monday morning began with Phil going off to work and me starting out on my day of exploring. And where did I end up? I took the tube to Victoria Station and walked up to fabulous Buckingham Palace. I saw the traveling exhibit of Princess Diana's dresses while at a museum in Sydney so I could not pass the chance to actually get into the palace to have a look around. Apparently every year between the end of July and the end of September the Queen leaves the palace to go...I really have no idea but the fact of the matter was, she isn't there so they open the palace for tours. Free, you ask? Uh...right. 16.50 later and armed with my "free" headset guide, I was off. You can go at your own pace through the 20 rooms they have designated for the tour and did I ever make the most of the opportunity.

Let's just say here that the Queen does not live in a shabby place. I'm telling you...I have never seen anything like it. Absolutely stunning, opulent, over the top, etc. There was also an exhibit of the Queen's dresses from different overseas tours that she has done in the sixty years since naming the countries of the British commonwealth. Not quite like Diana's wedding dress, but definitely a close second. The tour ends in the garden which you walk through until you're escorted out of the back gate. (Of course after you walk through the palace gift shop. Truly...there's a palace gift shop. And yes...I did add another Christmas ornament to my collection of places we've been.) Alas...the garden was the only place you could take pictures. As soon as I can get them from the camera still in London, I'll post.

After my tour of Buckingham Palace, I walked through St. James' Park, took some outside pictures of Churchill's The Cabinet War Rooms Museum (by the way...one of the best museums I've ever been in!), the Prime Minister's house at 10 Downing St. (actually a picture of the huge iron gates and weapons-armed guards that guard his place), Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye ferris wheel. Of course I was hungry after all this walking and tourisming so where did I stop to eat? Of course, McDonald's. Oh yeah...I'm still lovin' it.

And would you believe my luck? The Houses of Parliament were also opened for tours since the members were gone for the summer, so I got in on a tour of that as well. Fantastic! The House of Lords, the gold throne that the Queen sits on when she opens Parliament every year, the House of Commons...all of it, so darn interesting.

Tuesday morning found me saying goodbye to Phil :( at the tube station while he went on to work and I hopped on the tube to find my way back to Paddington Station and then back on the Heathrow Express to get back to the airport. Can we say a little crowded at rush hour? Can we say I was standing up not holding on to any part of the subway because we were so packed in like sardines that I didn't need to hold on to anything because none of us could move? Can we say hurray for fresh breath and deoderant when forced to stand so close to a perfect stranger?

Can we say how awkward it feels to be staring at said perfect stranger when your faces are three inches from each other?

All in all such a great long weekend. And capped off by a seat in business (was less miles than purchasing a seat in coach...whoo hoo) for the flight back home where I could watch The Proposal on my own little tv screen. And an episode of America's Next Top Model. And an episode of Trading Spaces. And an episode of Peter Perfect Design Show. And The Proposal again. And three sets on my ipod. And several chapters in my book And...(it's no flight to Sydney, but 8 hours is still a long to be on a plane...)

Seriously...Who Buys This Stuff? Sky Mall Edition

2009-09-17T13:12:00.008-04:00

I'm back from London. Such a great weekend! I'm holding off a bit on posting about the actual trip because I need to see if Phil can email me the pictures I took (and left on the card in the camera that's still in London) to add to the post. A sneak peak...a musical, some seriously old stuff, a big stone, two fantastic tours, and making my way on the tube. More to follow.

But today...some musings regarding the Sky Mall magazine. I've spent quite a bit of time on planes in the past two years and always pick up a Sky Mall to pass some time. Listed below is my list I call, "Seriously...Who Buys This Stuff?"

1.Truck Antlers
Weatherproof molded plastic antlers that you attach to the front seat side windows. Really...why would anyone do that?

2. The Indoor Dog Restroom
It's a mat and tray system that lets your dog pee on the mat which allows liquid to drain into the tray below it. Who wants to pick up a 2 feet square tray and carry it over to your toilet to empty? It holds up to two gallons. Uh...eew.

3. The World's Largest Crossword Puzzle
It holds the Guiness World's Record for it's size. It's 7 feet by 7 feet and has 28,000 clues for over 91,000 squares. I'm all for a good crossword now and then, but that's ridiculous. Who clears wall space to hang a 7 ft by 7 ft crossword puzzle?

4. The Talking Timepiece
It's a watch with a "pleasant female voice" that with the push of one button repeats the current time. Maybe I'm not getting it, but can't you just look down and see the time on the watch? Although "you can supplant the female voice with a built-in rooster call". Interesting...

5. The Voice Activated R2D2
It's an actual little robot (a bit over a foot tall) that moves around from room to room. It even "dances while playing the famed cantina music". What every household in America truly needs for a mere $170.00.

6. The Hidden Litter Box
Made to look like a clay pot that holds an artifical plant. You can turn the hole that the cat walks through to face the back of your living room. I think if your cat's litter box is in your living room, there are more serious issues at hand here.

7. Your Passenger Seat Office
A workstation that straps to your car's passenger seat and "provides a non-slip writing surface, hanging file section and space for your laptop and printer." The picture shows a lady with one hand typing on her laptop, the other grabbing a file folder out of the hanging file section, and her cell phone tucked under her cheek while looking at the page coming out of her printer. Again...call me crazy but aren't you actually supposed to be driving when you're behind the wheel of your car?

8. Peanut Butter Maker
"Fill the hopper with your favorite nuts and grind them into smooth or chunky butter." I got to say the picture of carmel-colored goo flowing into the vat below is quite nasty looking.

and finally...my personal favorites...

9. Decorative statues for your backyard garden
"Treebeard Ent with Mystical Orb"- a two foot tall sculpted tree complete with eyes, nose and mouth with limbs holding out a white ball
"Basho the Sumo Wrestler"- also comes with 27" diameter piece of glass to use for a lovely table for your next garden party
"The Dragon of Falkenberg Castle Moat"- 2 foot long dragon complete with scales, wings and a treacherous tail. "Your neighbors will steer clear when they see this intricately sculpted dragon"...yeah, no kidding...you have a dragon statue in your backyard.
"Bigfoot, the Garden Yeti"- with his characteristically huge feet, "you will have your neighbors doing a double-take as they admire your creative home or garden style!" I don't think that's why your neighbors are doing the double-take. You have a statue of Bigfoot in your back yard.

So there you have it. London to soon follow.

Back to London

2009-09-11T10:30:00.005-04:00

I'm flying back to London tonight to see Phil for a couple of days. (And yes, I'm sure everything will be fine and good, but I'm not so sure I'd have picked this particular day to fly if I had been aware of the exact date when I booked it.) To be honest, I'm more concerned whether or not someone is going to be sitting right next to me or not on this overnight flight. My dramamine is packed (alright, no...I haven't quite packed yet but it's coming) in order to knock me out as soon as possible, but I have no grand illusions of hours of restful sleep sitting upright in coach. So hopefully the seat next to me is empty and I can stretch out a bit.

No big plans for the weekend yet, but I did note with excitement on the internet yesterday that at the Royal Air Force Museum in North London they're putting on a Battle of Britain Weekend with lots of cool stuff going on. Will Phil relent (he wasn't wild about the idea when I pitched it over the phone yesterday) and decide to take us there? Will we spend a day at Oxford or Cambridge? Maybe Bath? I'll let you know when I get back.

Oh...and Monday when he's at busy at work? I've got my day planned out. I'm spending the day with the Queen. At least at her residence. They open Buckingham Palace up for tours from the end of July through the end of September so I'm going to hop on the tube and go spend the day touring the palace and gardens. Blogs and lots of pictures to follow when I get back, but to hold you over...from when we were in London four years ago.

On to Versailles

2009-08-24T09:46:00.013-04:00

One of Phil's co-workers along with his wife and little girl picked us up in the morning and drove us out to Versailles. How to know you're in France? The 15 month old was gnawing on a French baguette for breakfast in her car seat. Very cute. My first impressions of Versailles? Very crowded and ridiculously huge, but a beautiful palace. Here's a view from the front.

And of course, what every king needs at his palace...his own chapel. Although it defeats the purpose when you place your seat at the front of the chapel looking out over the pews so that everyone is staring/singing/praying to you when facing front...

The Hall of Mirrors...

Marie Antoinette's bedroom...again, a bit over the top.

We walked around to the gardens after touring the palace. As if being out in the middle of nowhere wasn't enough for Louis the 14th, he had to add 250 acres of gardens. ponds, and even a canal to his palace. And you wonder why there was a revolution?

After having a nice lunch at a little outdoor cafe somewhere in the maze of the gardens, we drove back to Paris and were dropped off at the last place on my list of places to see, Notre Dame.

We took a taxi back to the hotel (metro? no thanks) and had dinner at The Hard Rock Cafe. Where, I might add, that the servers have obviously been trained on how to work at a restaurant where probably most of the people there aren't from France. They were actually friendly, didn't make you feel like you demanded their first born when you politely asked for the check, and generally didn't look at you like you were the scum on the bottom of their shoe.

After a good night's sleep, Phil walked me over to the bus stop on his way to the office and I hopped on the bus that would take me to Charles de Gaulle. And the sweet ending? It was less dividend miles to get a business class ticket home than a coach seat. Nice. Now where else can I go using the 300,000+ miles that Phil has racked up?

Up Close & Personal With the Police in Paris

2009-08-22T10:22:00.015-04:00

Day 2 in Paris started out like every other day. We got up and ready to meet Mark and Janelle at the Eiffel Tower for some serious touristy stuff. We hopped on to the metro and thus began our journey into the abysmal day. I noticed this teen girl in front of me acting funny as I tried to make my way into the metro car. She was moving very slowly and just acting weird. I thought, "Just move in, all ready. People are trying to get on." She shifted over in front of Phil as I grabbed the pole to hang on and turned around to face the door that I had just walked through. As the metro began to move very slowly forward a group of 3 or 4 teen girls (including the weird acting one) suddenly shoved their way through the crowd standing around us and pushed the button to open the door.

As they all jumped off onto the platform I thought (naive me), "Good thing they realized they got on the wrong train before we really got going." I leaned back to Phil and jokingly asked him if he still had his wallet. Not jokingly, and in a voice that can only be described as sheer panic, along with a frantic patting of all his pockets he replied (very loudly), "No...no, I don't." Yes...Phil just got pick-pocketed by a group of teen girls. Who are so good at what they do, I might add, that he didn't even feel the one who snagged his wallet...from his front pocket.

We jumped off the metro at the next stop, and after letting off a bit of steam (there's an electrical box with a nice big dent on the front of it at the Opera stop on the Paris metro, if you're ever inclined to take a look) we made our way to the station attendant who directed us to the nearest police station above ground.

Of course the police station was closed. We were somewhere in Paris with no credit cards, three euros to our name, no metro tickets, and no clue. There was a phone number to call on a plaque outside of the station so Phil called and a policeman said they would send a car our way. When the car arrived, we gave a description of the girls (which, by the way, they described perfectly because apparently small groups of Eastern European teen girls are notorious for pick-pocketing on the metro) although they said we'd never see the wallet again. They drove us to a central station where I proceded to try and tell the policeman what happened for the police report while Phil was on the phone with credit card companies trying to cancel all his cards. What a pain. Even more of a pain when the person whose cards have been stolen has accounts in the US, Australia, and the UK. Lots of calls, lots of headaches. Not to mention the stolen US dollars, British pounds, Swiss francs, Euros, Paris metro tickets, London tube pass, etc...

Hours later, we emerged from the police station, found out we were on the Champs Elysees (not quite how I pictured first seeing the famous street) and given a map to follow to find our way back to the hotel...on foot. And here's where I add that I think in the US, we would've been given a ride back to our hotel seeing as we had no money to get cab or the metro. The French...

After all the drama of the morning we did meet up with Mark and Janelle for lunch and then toured Sacre-Coeur, a church in Montmarte with an amazing view of the city.

We then took the metro (my debit card worked at an ATM so we could take out some euros...whew) to the Arc de Triomphe to look around.

After the Arc, we walked over to Hotel des Invalides. It was originally built as a hospital for veterans returning from war but now houses Napoleon's tomb.

Off to the side was a very pretty garden...

We all had dinner at a little cafe in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and then walked over to the tower to finally see it (at least for Phil and I).

A bit later we stopped at a little restaurant for crepes and coffee and had a great view of the Eiffel Tower all lit up.

We walked back to the Arc de Triomphe and then a bit down a very crowded Champs Elysees before we parted company. Not really feeling like another trip on the metro, we took a cab back to our hotel. After getting to our room, Phil jokingly says to me, "Hey...check your wallet and make sure you still have it." I had left it in my purse which was in my suitcase for safe keeping and all. Yes...you guessed it...a hotel employee with a key card apparently thought it was ok to go into my suitcase and then into my purse and steal all my money but 4 dollars. Seriously?!!??

And the worse part of it? After calling the front desk, then getting the run around the next day, the hotel really didn't think it was that big of an issue to aggressively pursue. Truly. Here it is almost a month later and we still haven't heard a thing from the hotel. So...if you're ever in Paris looking for a nice hotel to stay in, and you want to keep all the money you came with, do not choose the Banke Hotel on Rue de Layfette. Now...on to Versailles.

Paris Day One

2009-08-16T17:16:00.016-04:00

The day started out bright and early with the taxi coming to pick us up at 5:15 am to take us to the train station. As we passed near Westminster Abbey and got an eyeful of Big Ben just could not resist leaning to Phil and saying, "Look kids...Big Ben." A little Nat'l Lampoon's European Vacation humor...but really, it was 5:30 in the morning and I thought myself hilarious. The train took us through the Chunnel and on to Paris. Another taxi took us to our our hotel, Banke Hotel on Rue de Layfette. It's a converted bank building (hence the name) and has quite the domed lobby, along with more black and red than I've seen in one area in a while.

I walked with Phil to his office building so I knew where he was and then armed once again with a trusty street map began to make my way to the Louvre. I knew it was south of where I was and if I hit the Seine River I'd gone too far, so with that nugget of knowledge I began my trek. Yep...I concede I'll never win any awards for map reading (which I blame on never being a Girl Scout) but eventually did find the Louvre. Impressively huge. According to my brochure it houses 35,000 pieces of art in more than 645,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space. Hmm...how much of that can I see in one afternoon?

And what's the yellow-shirted guy pointing at? No idea.

The glass pyramid is indeed the entrance to the Louvre. Got my bag checked, made my way down the escalators, bought my entrance ticket, picked up my museum guide in English, and joined the "herd of cattle" on it's way to the Mona Lisa. Just how many people did I have to go through to get a picture? How many tourists elbowed me in the back and side as they clamored for a picture as well? You make the call.

Yes, that wee, tiny picture is the famous Mona Lisa. Honestly, I expected a bit more. I mean, nice and all but really kind of small.

On to the next "must see" according to my brochure. The Winged Victory of Samothrace. I wasn't aware that I must see it, but who am I to argue with the brochure.

Here it is in all it's glory. On to the Venus de Milo...after fighting another crowd to get up close.

Did I mention more than 645,000 sq. ft of exhibition space at the Louvre? Arts of Islam, Sculptures, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities, The Medieval Louvre, Oriental Antiquities, Arts of Africa, Oceania & the Americas, Prints and Drawings, French Paintings, German, Flemish, and Dutch Paintings, German, Flemish, Belgian, Russian, Swiss, and Scandanavian Paintings, etc. Honestly...after awhile, you've seen one painting and/or sculpture, you've seen them all. I've never claimed to be a huge patron of the arts...

I left the Louvre and impressively, I might add, found my way back to the hotel to wait for Phil to get off of work. Good friends of ours from our Cedarville days happened to be in France celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary so we had arranged to meet up that night for dinner. We found a cozy little place in the Latin quarter with wood-beamed ceilings and stucco walls and started a very good meal with some cheese fondue. Yummy.

We walked over to the Seine River and took a boat ride down the Seine. Just lovely. Talking and laughing with good friends, the Eiffel Tower, along with the entire city all lit up...priceless. On to day two. Have you ever seen Paris while in the backseat of a police car before spending your entire morning at a police station? I can now say that yes...yes, I have. Good times.

One of the best museums in London...

2009-08-08T11:19:00.011-04:00

On Thursday of my stay in Europe, Phil headed off to work and I made my way over to the Canary Wharf stop of the tube. After getting off at the Elephant & Castle stop (how British does that sound?), armed with my trusty street map of London I began my walk to find the Imperial War Museum. I had wanted to see it when Phil and I were in London three years ago, but alas, not enough days to squeeze in one more museum.

After a few stops and starts, a couple of "just where am I?" moments, after ducking in to a bus station when the sky opened up and began to pour (seriously...you'd think I'd be carrying the umbrella I had stuffed into my suitcase now that we were in London), I finally made it to the museum. The building is on the grounds of a really nice park that used to house a famous insane asylum called Bedlam. (No, I'm not making this up.) They actually used to chain the really crazies and put them on display for people to line up and watch. Truly. The picture below is the front of the museum. I'm sure the gun display wasn't there when it was the insane asylum. (Although that is an interesting thought.) And why are we all milling about out front? More on that in a bit.

And the inside? What a fantastic museum. Four floors to wander around in to my heart's content. Read every single plaque and display? Why yes, I could because Phil wasn't with me. (One of my quirks if I'm at a museum that really interests me. Did he know that before he married me? Probably not.) Covering every war and military action that Britain has been in since WWI, I was in museum heaven.

From planes, rockets, and tanks...

to walking through a London street during the Blitz of WWII as well as a WWI trench...

to a display on the Winter War between Finland and Russia in WWII (just for you, dad)...

to Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, up to the very latest happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even a whole wing dedicated to the "Secret War"- spy stuff with MI5 and MI6. And that wing was where I was when an alarm siren started going off along with an automated voice over the loud speaker asking everyone to quickly make their way to the nearest exit. My first reaction was to wonder if this was part of the exhibit. Do I try to find the nearest exit? Deciding that was the best option, I soon found myself swallowed up in the mass exodus of people making their way down the stairs and out the front doors.

As were shuffling along, I heard people wondering out loud what was going on. Then I heard a female voice directly behind me say, "Oh...it's probably just a bomb." Uh...after turning around to get a good look at the lady behind me (after all, I was just in spy world...had to memorize what she looked like in case I needed to report her to the authorities) as well as wondering where the heck she was from that a bomb was a common occurence, we made our way outside. Turns out it was just a very small kitchen fire in the museum cafe. After the all clear, I made it back upstairs to where I left off and continued on.

All in all, six glorious hours of examining every inch of the museum. I'm sure Phil was glad he had to work. I took the tube back to our apartment and then later met Phil for dinner. We walked to a pub called The Cat and the Canary (again, how British sounding is that?) where I had my perennial British favorite- fish and chips. So good. We went to bed early because the taxi was picking us up at 5:15 am to take us to the train station. It's on to Paris...

Greenwich (That's pronounced Gren-itch), England

2009-08-03T14:28:00.012-04:00

Phil and I flew from Milan to London on Monday night. My first impression of our apartment in London? Very Ikea-ish. Not quite the spectacle of our Sydney place but a close second. It has a teeny balcony (not quite enough room for a chair, but you could stand out there) off of the living room overlooking the Thames River as well as the venue where Michael Jackson would've been doing his 50-event London tour this fall. The apartment's other claim to fame? The washing machine (oddly in the kitchen by the oven) is also the dryer. Yes, you add detergent, put your clothes in, and then after going through the wash cycle it will also dry them. How? No idea, but very intrigued by the whole thing.

Once again Phil walked me around so I could find his office building the next day when I was on my own. A bit confusing. We walked over the suspension bridge, in the lobby of one building, down the escalator, into an underground mall, down another escalator, into the Canary Wharf stop of the tube (English-speak for subway) up another escalator, into another mall (where we stopped for a late dinner at Wagamama- a noodle place. See I'm branching out. I've discovered I like dumplings.), down another escalator, up another escalator, into an office building, round the corner, up another escalator into the lobby of his building. Seriously...did he really believe I'd remember all that for the next day?

But, amazingly enough (has the Amazing Race dream just been re-planted?), I managed the whole route the next day and met him for lunch in the cafeteria of his office's building. And yes, just ham and swiss on the whole grain bread. No, I don't want mayonaise. Nope, no lettuce or mustard. Certainly no on the cucumbers. Just ham and cheese.

After leaving Phil to slave away at work, I hopped on the DLR (which stands for Docklands Light Rail-basically the above ground subway) and headed towards Greenwich. Great little town.

I headed over to the Royal Observatory. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1675 "for the purpose of finding longitude at sea." Here's a view of the Observatory in Greenwich Park (which, for all you Olympic fans (Karen) will be site of all the equestrian events in the 2012 London Olympics.) The little red ball at the top of the tower is the Time-Ball which is one of the world's earliest public time signals. (Yes, I'm copying this from my brochure.) It continues to fall at 13:00 every day.

And let me tell you...that is a serious hike up to the Observatory. A closer look...

And just what is that crowd of people on the other side of the gate? They are all clamoring to get their picture on the Prime Meridian. Yes...I did the same cheesy thing and below is me with one foot in the Western Hemisphere and the other in the Eastern Hemisphere.

What? You don't believe that little line is the Prime Meridian? No, really it is. But you're right...a bit anti-climatic.

The view was great at the top of the hill. See the cluster of buildings on the right? That's where Phil was right at that moment slaving away at work. Stinks to be him.

The building right in front is the Old Royal Naval College which I toured as soon as I headed back down the hill. And after that, I took in the National Maritime Museum, a short walk away. Pretty good.

After getting back on the DLR, I met Phil for dinner at an Argentinian beef place called Gaucho. Mmm...beef. Then it was to bed (because yes, another late dinner) because I had places to go in the morning. Tomorrow...London.

On To Milan

2009-08-01T18:45:00.012-04:00

Phil and I took the train from Venice back to Milan on Sunday night. We got to the hotel courtesy of our female cab driver. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it just struck me odd that our driver was a woman. We threw our stuff in the room and headed out to walk around a bit. A few blocks from our hotel was this giant cathedral called Duomo. Apparently it's pretty popular and everyone knows about it, but me, knowing nothing about Milan had no clue it existed. At any rate...here's the entire area, known as Piazza Duomo.

The building just to the left of the church is called the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele...otherwise known as a shopping mall. Definitely fits the bigger name. We headed back to the hotel because Phil had to get up early to head in to the office. Oh yeah...the reason why we were in Italy to begin with.

The next morning after breakfast (and let me just say here that you can always pick out the American businessman at an overseas hotel breakfast buffet by the massive piling of food on his plate compared to the locals) I walked with Phil over to his office so I knew where he was. I headed back to Duomo to take a tour inside. No pictures allowed inside but here's a few from the outside so you can see just how massive this cathedral is.

I walked around for a bit but then went back to the hotel and took the elevator up to the roof to go out to the Garden Terrace. Took some pictures and then settled down to read for a bit. (One book down...four left to read.)

At the top of every hour (yes, I was up there for a few hours) the bells in the basilica tower on the right would start to ring. (And yes, I did picture the wedding scene in The Sound of Music. What is it with Europe that makes me think of that movie?)

I explored the city a little more than stopped at good ol' McDonald's for lunch. For those who've been following our adventures since our time in Australia will remember that I don't like to try new foods and have made it a personal goal to eat at a McDonald's in as many countries that I can. (Not really a social experiment or anything, I just like their cheeseburgers.) The McDonald's was in that fancy building next to Duomo, and if you thought that outside was ornate, take a look at the ceiling.

We had dinner with a work associate of Phil's and his wife at this very nice restaurant. The longer I've stayed in Europe, the more I'm realizing that over here, nobody eats dinner at around 6:00 or so like in the States. They eat later and take much longer than I'm used to. We sat down at 8:30 pm and were finishing up at 11:30 pm. Seriously. And the restaurant was still pretty full. And the lost in translation moment? At the beginning of the meal when the waiter asked us, "Gas or still?" Uh...are you asking if I want gas with my meal, because I can tell you right now that I would prefer not to have any of that, thank you. Turns out he meant sparkling water or still water. Oh...good to know.

The next morning Phil again left for work while I, armed with two street maps, was determined to find the bus stop associated with the big, red Milan sightseeing bus. You know the ones that take you all around the city and you can hop on and hop off at any stop and do the tourist thing to your heart's content? Well...I have truly nailed the lid on the coffin of my dream to compete in The Amazing Race. Even armed with 2 maps, I wandered that city for a good hour trying to find the stupid bus stop. Alas...no tourist bus for me. So I gave up and went shopping instead. Then back to the roof top of the hotel to read some more before Phil came back and we headed to the airport to fly to London. Tomorrow...London.

First Time in Venice? Me too.

2009-07-31T11:20:00.010-04:00

I'm back from my 10 day, 3 country trip following Phil around as he worked at different offices around Europe. My thoughts on his schedule? Couldn't do it for too long. Ever had this fuzzy feeling as you're walking around somewhere asking yourself, "What day is it? Where am I again? What time is it?" Seriously in a fog some times, but thoroughly enjoyed the trip...until Paris but that will be blogged about soon.

My first stop was from Philly to Milan. Yes, I know the title says Venice, but I flew into Milan, met Phil at the airport (after a rather unsettlingly 20 minutes wondering where he was and realizing that my U.S. cell does not work overseas), and then we hopped on the train for a 2 and a half hour ride to Venice.

But first...as we were on the way, I got my first glimpse of the Swiss Alps. Beautiful. And the strains of "Climb Every Mountain" from The Sound of Music was swirling through my head. Corny, yes, but true. Now...my impressions of Venice, Italy. Along with some pictures.

1. Okay...I knew there were canals in Venice, but I really had no idea that the entire city is actually an island off of the coast of Italy and the entire city is canals. Truly. No cars...you either walk or take a water taxi. And yes, the stone bridges that span these canals are glorious (until you have to heft your suitcase over each blessed step.)

2. I can honestly say I've now slept in a hotel room with fabric walls, a chandelier hanging down, and one of the lowest beds I've ever been on. Yes, that cutout in the wall leads to the bathroom. The hotel was a 16th century palazzo (according to the brochure in the lobby.)

3. Pizza and spaghetti are good in Italy. As well as lemon granita (sort of like a slushy).

4. When you take a tour of a Murano glass factory (of which Italy is known for, apparently) it doesn't matter how many times you tell your guide that you are not interested in purchasing a $20,000 statue, gaudy chandelier, or stemware set, they will still try to convince you that you cannot go on in life without one. Or two. (By the way, this guy was incredible at making blown glass.)

5. Venice can put on some good fireworks. We happened to be there for "Festa Del Redentore". The Festival of the Redeemer. It dates back to 1577 and it celebrates the city's deliverance from a terrible plague and the construction of Palladio's "Redentore" Church. Only complaint? The fireworks don't start until 11:30 pm. Fine unless you've just recently flown over and are still trying to get used to the time difference.

6. The tiny alleyway streets of Venice can be very confusing. Even more confusing at 1:30 am while trying to find your way back to your hotel after a firework show and all the stores are closed and just look like big metal garage doors. Lost in Venice? Not as romantic as it might sound.

7. Lung cancer has to be the number one killer in Italy as everyone smokes and doesn't mind blowing their smoke in your face.

8. Between speedos, capri pants, red/yellow/pink pants, and bright green/purple/silver shoes...the men of Italy do not dress like any American men that I know.

9. A gondola ride would be cool if one wanted to fork over 100 euros for a 4o minute ride. Still pretty to watch, though.

10. Public toilets are called WC (for water closet). At the airport you have to pay one euro to use them. In Venice up to 1.50 euros. And there only open from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm, so if you have to go after that, well...you're on your own.

Tomorrow...Milan.

In Case of My Demise?!

2009-07-16T20:13:00.007-04:00

The traveling has begun. Well...it begins tomorrow. The tickets are bought and my bags are packed. Well...that's not true. It's only 8:14 pm the night before I leave so, of course, my bags aren't packed yet. I always wait till the last minute to pack. Don't know why except that I always do that. Call it one of my quirks.

The fridge is cleaned out, the garbage is bagged and ready to go out, the ipod is at this very moment being charged, and the selection of books to read on the plane are laid out. Yes, books with an (s) at the end. I'm a fast reader and the thought that I might go through a book or two and still have flying time left (after all, there's the flight out and the flight back) does something to me. Sort of like an anxious panic. The thought of nothing to do but stare at the back of the seat in front of me for hours on end because I've read everything I've brought with me (as well as every magazine in the seat pocket in front of me. including the duty free one.) makes my breathing increase and my hands get a bit shaky. Again, call it one of my quirks.

Speaking of my trip...did I tell you about my conversation over the phone with the USAir dividend miles agent when booking the trip? She asked for a contact number to enter into the system. Not thinking quite clearly, I gave her our home number. She replied (and these are her exact words), " We already have that number in our system. We need an emergency number to contact in case of your demise during the trip."

Seriously??! My demise? If I'm getting into a plane, especially when flying over an ocean, I don't want to think about my demise. I don't want anyone talking about my demise. Sheesh. I promptly felt it was my duty to tell the agent that perhaps they should come up with another word than demise when talking about emergency numbers for their customers. She stopped, thought for a second, and totally agreed that it should be changed in the manual. Great. But honestly...should there ever really have been any question about that?

So from here, I fly to Milan, meet Phil (whoo hoo), hop on the train to Venice, spend the weekend there, take the train back to Milan, spend a couple of days there, fly from Milan to London, spend a couple of days there, take a train to Paris, spend a couple of days there, and then fly back home. All in 10 days. Not sure how much access I'll have to the internet, but if I can, I'll blog about the trip en route. If not, I'll catch you up when I get back. With hopefully, lots of pictures. So...au revoir for now. (I don't know any Italian and besides bonjour, that's about the extent of my French.) (Why yes, I did have Mr. Farrell for French in high school.) Yep...should be an interesting trip.

In Case You Were Wondering

2009-07-08T14:16:00.005-04:00

For the record...Sandra-4, Bats-0. I've (and when I say I, it goes without saying that it means Gregg got rid of the first two, I threw out the third one, and Rob & Jared tossed the latest one out of the house...I must give credit where credit is due. And here's where I comment that a true friend will get a bat out of your house for you. They don't make Hallmark cards for the occasion, but they are still true friends.) not seen any bats for awhile now. Of course the living room is still closed off with towels shoved at the bottom of the French doors. However, we had a guy come out yesterday morning to begin the process of becoming bat-free.

Nope...we still can't get them out till the end of July but they can at least go around the rooftop of the house and seal any cracks between the stone and trim that are more than a 1/2 inch. (Did you know that's all it takes for a bat to squeeze himself into your living space? I now know more about bats than I ever cared to. Need some info on what guanine is? Give me a call.) They'll come back in a few weeks to install a kind of one-way door thingy (official bat lingo) where we think they're getting in, wait a week for all of them to leave, and then seal that entry-way off, and then hopefully all the drama will be done. Oh...and guanine is bat poo if you were wondering.

Bats notwithstanding, it's been busy here. Along with Phil coming home for the weekend of June 20th, we had old friends from college come up from DC as well. Lots of fun with the Bolha's as we explored historic Philadelphia. Phil flew back to London for a bit and then flew back home this past 4th of July weekend where we had some other old friends from college, the Mazelin's, visit as well. Another fun weekend in Philly! My parents are coming out as well this week, so the fun continues.

Sox is wild with excitement. Actually (and those of you who know him well would be perplexed at that last statement) he's just laying on the floor right now catching his early afternoon nap, which followed his late morning nap, and will soon segway into his late afternoon nap.

I, on the other hand, am armed with a handful of travel books from the library to begin the meticulous planning of my trip to Europe a week from Friday. My traveling has begun. I fly out from Philly to meet Phil in Milan, Italy for a long weekend. We then fly to London for several days and then take the train through the Chunnel (such a funny word) to Paris for another long weekend. 10 days in all. We'll explore on the weekends but Phil has to work at the company's various offices in each city on the weekdays. Am I a bit nervous about touring on my own while Phil's working? Hmm...a bit, but I figure if I can live through the fish spa incident in Singapore then I should be fine for just about anything.

What to see, what to see. Especially in Milan. Don't know a thing that's there. Good lasagna, perhaps? A friend from church began to gush once they heard where I was headed. "Think of all that high fashion?!" Uh...a good sale at Ann Taylor Loft is about as "high fashion" as I get. But fear not, blogging friends, you will certainly get a front row seat to any and all adventures while roaming around.

Put This in the Only Men Should Do Column

2009-06-27T15:38:00.006-04:00

There are just some things that men should always do. And this, my friends, goes to the top of the list. Chasing a bat flying around the inside of your house armed with a tennis racket. But first...a little background.

We live in a restored old (and by old, I mean 1730's or so) farmhouse that was totally gutted, rebuilt, and added on to. About three years ago, we got up close and personal with some small bats that had made their way into the house. The bat guy who came to "remove the bats in an ethically and completely harmless way" (yeah...whatever...I say kill 'em, just get them out of my house) said that they had apparently lived in one of the fireplace chimneys for years and made a colony there. Hmm...nice story...again, just get them out of my house. Special vents, foam spray, etc. etc. and a boatload of money later, we were bat-free.

Until last week. There I was sitting on the couch watching Sweet Home Alabama when a little dark thing flew over my head around the vaulted ceiling and back upstairs. I now know that when I'm totally freaked out and try to scream, nothing but a little squeak comes out. I warily made my way to the second floor...nothing...continued to the third floor and found it circling a ceiling fan in one of the bedrooms. I quickly slammed the door, and then thought to myself, "What the heck do I do now?"

After heading back downstairs to the family room I began to pace and tried to think. All rational thought had left. And what do you know...here comes bat number two swooping down into the family room to attach itself upside down to the stone wall that is the whole side of the family room. Seriously freaked out now. So what's a girl to do?

I called our friends, Gregg and Ashley who live just down the road and pleaded with Gregg to come over and get them for me. Yes...I'm a wimp. Both Gregg and Ashley (who was only two days out from delivering their baby boy...yes...she's not a wimp) came over. Gregg armed with two racquetball rackets and some serious kung fu moves, managed to thwack both of them, stun them senseless for a few minutes, and shove them out the door. Yes, he's Ashley's husband, but at that moment, he was my hero. And just where was my hero, Phil, during all of this? Overseas in London for the time being. Grrr....dumb work.

Fast forward to last night. I came home from a night out to be un-pleasantly surprised by yet another bat flying around my family room. That's it, I thought to myself, I've got to man-up. So armed with a tennis racket, (my good ol' Andre Agassi racket from high school days) I managed some sweet kung fu moves of my own and hit that bat so hard he skidded and bounced a couple of times across the wood floor. That felt real good. I sandwiched him between my racket and a pad of paper and threw him out the door.

The living room (which I think is their port of entry into my house) now has both French doors closed with towels stuffed around the bottoms of the doors. Called some animal pest removal companies this morning...would you believe that one guy said this time of year is when female bats create "maternity colonies" and it's against the law to remove them until the end of July because they are considered endangered? Seriously, what?! Any bat that gets into my house is going to face me and my tennis racket and will be truly endangered...against the law or not. There's got to be someone out there who will get rid of these things....I'll keep you posted.

Twenty Years Ago Today...

2009-06-18T09:44:00.010-04:00

I promised an explanation of my friend, Schwendy's nickname. To do that...we need to go way back. Twenty years ago today, I stepped off a pontoon boat and stepped on to Word of Life Island to spend the summer waitressing in their STC (Student Training Corp) program. I was a day later than everyone else who had arrived due to my cousin's wedding in New York, but headed up Cardiac Hill, past The White House and over to my home for the summer...Chatterbox.

Sorry for the lousy pictures. I'm not a tech geek and just took pictures of old pictures. I arrived in all my soon-to-be 15 year old glory...big bangs, pegged jeans, and all. Don't you just love the garbage bag aka curtain covering the window?

My best friend, Melissa was already there and soon I met Wendy, Coby, Karen, and April and together, that summer we quickly became known collectively on the Island as the Chatterbox Chicks. As it turned out, all six of us had the job of waitressing. Do you know how hard it is for 6 fifteen and sixteen year olds to get ready by 6:00 am every morning in a bathroom with one shower, one toilet, and two sinks?

We waitressed, we hung out together at the beach, we shared secrets, we sang, we danced, we laughed (so hard), we cried, we endlessly talked, we did everything together and we had one of the most memorable summers of my life. And Schwendy's nickname? At the time Wendy became known as Wendy Woman...then Wendy Kline-Dog...which some time over the years became Schwendy....which if the situations fits, is shortened to Schwen.

Some of my favorite memories of that summer...

1. Buying all six of those Cleveland Browns jerseys in Glens Falls and wearing them all over the place for our Island fashion shoot.

2. The pizza party followed by sleeping out in the dining hall (on the tables...not so comfortable) after the program guys chased all the bats out with brooms. Yep...really.

3. STC Beach parties

4. The night we risked leg and limb to hike to the CIT lean-to camp out only to find campers there so we roughed it by sleeping on the tennis courts.

5. Not having enough sleeping bags for our camp outs so we borrowed some from the guys in Alpine Lodge making sure that we sufficiently sprayed them with lots of perfume before giving them back. We were so fifteen.

6. Finding fabulous dresses on our day off trips to Glens Falls and dressing up for our hot dates at the STC Banquet at the end of the summer and wowing all the STC'ers with our rendition of The Family Feud- Waitress Style.

7. Fields of wild flowers and other fun topics of conversation which became universally known as Chatterbox Chicks Chats...

8. Ripping up bed sheets to create "grass skirts" to put on for the Island laua.

9. Going out on the Food Service pontoon boat on the 4th of July to see the fireworks over Schroon Lake and eating Bill's incredible Baked Alaska.

10. Having Greg Lewis convert us to Uncle Benism and vowing to only eat converted rice.

11. Our songs: When the moon hits your eye...Born to be wild...Wild Thing...I went to the Snak Shak and who did I see...If you want my...Son de Mais, Son de Mais, we eat it everyday, it tastes like corn and hay...etc

12. All the waitresses camping out one night on the beach and getting hosed with freezing water by the lifeguard and boat guys with the fire hose in the middle of the night.

13. Ho Goldie, my dog.

14. The time Bill Schake made his chef hat look like the pope's hat and we crossed out the word pope to make poop and referred to him as Poop Schake for weeks. Yes...we were still fifteen.

15. All the waitresses, dishpit, and Greg Lewis going over to the Inn to work their STC banquet and then while all dressed up, we grabbed hands and did the "Nestea Plunge" off of the Inn dock into Schroon Lake. That was a cold boat ride back to the island.

So, here's to Melissa (Mulder) Austerman, Coby (Emmil) Mercaldo, April Pescatello, me, Karen Polomski, and Wendy (Kline) Bergland...The Word of Life Island Chatterbox Chicks of 1989.

The Chick-Fil-A Incident

2009-06-13T11:45:00.006-04:00

Fans of the blog have been clamoring to know more details about the Chick-Fil-A incident mentioned in the previous post. (Okay...it was just one faithful reader.) So Schwendy, (and that nickname is also a long story which I will elaborate on later this week) this is for you. Happy Birthday! Really...her birthday is today.
So Phil and I were at a local mall getting something to eat at the food court. When at a food court in a mall, usually you'll find me at the Chick-Fil-A counter. There's just something about those waffle fries and nobody, I mean nobody makes a better chicken sandwich. But I digress...
Phil headed over to either pizza place or the chinese place. I can't remember and it actually doesn't make much of a difference but I want to keep my reputation in tact for making a short story long.
As I was standing in line I began to feel really warm. My stomach also began to feel like eating wasn't such a good idea. Things started to blacken a bit so when I reached the counter I leaned over on it to keep myself standing. Now at this point, Phil later related to me that he had turned around to see where I was and saw me slump over to the side and keep going until I hit the floor landing flat on my back.
Now of course, he lost 10 years of his life watching the whole incident. The love of his life, the absolute center of his everything lying motionless on the cold, hard floor of the food court. (A flair for the dramatic...hmm, perhaps.)
And how does a crash test dummy enter into the picture, one might ask? Well, it just so happens that it was some kind of Safety Week being held at the mall. There were dozens of display booths lining the center of the mall. And lucky me, one that housed a couple of guys dressed up as crash test dummies just happened to be parked next to the food court.
So I came to, after a few minutes, with Phil, two guys dressed like crash test dummies, and a police officer (who happened to be manning the next booth over) all looming over me reminiscent of a scene from a movie. And yes, one feels a bit disorientated when waking up from fainting. Even more disorientated when staring into the face of a crash test dummy peering over you while hearing someone off in the distance saying, "You want ketchup or mayonaise with that?"
So there you have it...the Chick-Fil-A incident. All ended well, I'm happy to report. Never did find out why I took the dive. Just hungry and hot, I suppose. Which is why to this day, even if in the middle of winter, I never wear a turtleneck and sweater together while at the mall.

Anyone Ever Need a Vacation after a Vacation?

2009-06-08T20:06:00.007-04:00

Our week of Lankford family fun at Disney World is over. It was hot but not as bad as the trip four years ago. That was Disney-in-the-middle-of-July brutal. That was my-shirt-is-dripping- wet-with-sweat-by-9:30-in-the-morning brutal. Yes, there were also crowds but one still had personal space when walking around the parks. (And anyone who knows me well, knows that I have to have me some personal space.)

Some of the most memorable moments?

Scoring the room with the king size bed even while staying at the Pop Century resort.
Spending time with all 13 members of the Lankford fam. (Although trying to keep a group of that size together while walking around the parks has its challenges.)
Phil and I surprising dad with a 7 hour back stage tour of 3 of the parks on Wednesday. I can now say that I've been in the underground "cast member" tunnels underneath the Magic Kingdom. Oh...and I also saw Snow White putting on her makeup with her wig sitting next to her on the makeup table. Interesting picture.
Tower of Terror, Aerosmith's Rockin' Rollercoaster, and Mt. Everest.
Phil, our brother-in-law Matt, and nephews, Zach & Josh in several pictures around the parks wearing many different hats and or wigs.
This close to passing out at Cinderella's Castle as we waited for our table reservations for dinner...truly. Must've been the heat and hunger. Almost was an exact repeat of the "Chick-Fil-A Incident" of several years back. There I did pass out at the counter and woke up flat on my back on the floor with a crash-test dummy guy staring down at me. Long story...
In the van one night on the way back to the hotel, our 4 year old niece, Alexandra says, "Daddy...turn down that music. It's making my head angry." And then later, "Hey...is that Coldplay?"
That same 4 year old niece walking around the parks in 2 inch platform sandals in order to make sure that she is tall enough to ride the rides. Her mom, Dianne, is a smart one!
Meeting my sister and her family at Epcot for the day on Thursday because they happened to be in Florida for the week on vacation the same time we were down there. Rode lots of Mission Space that day just for you, Jake and Sammy! Fun day!
Winning 210 tickets in the arcade playing the "Deal or No Deal" game (That's right. I was in the arcade.) and trading in my tickets to buy temporary tattoos and enough cherry-flavored Fun Dip to get all the nieces and nephews sugared up for their plane ride home. Did I mention that Phil and I were on a different plane home...

Fun week but now things are back to normal. Or as normal as they get around here.

It Really Isn't Free

2009-05-25T13:57:00.000-04:00

I must confess I did something last night that I don't normally do. I turned on the PBS station to watch a program. Now...nothing against PBS, I remember watching me some Lawrence Welk whenever my grandparents came into town and stayed with us. (Okay...at the time, I hated that we had to watch Lawrence Welk when we could've been watching our usual lineup-The Muppets followed by Sha-Na-Na, but I digress...)

They were showing the annual Memorial Day Concert live near the steps of the Capitol building down in Washington. There's just something about patriotic music especially around either Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, or the 4th of July that just stirs something inside. A focus this year was not only soldiers who have died but those that have come back injured. Some injured a whole lot.

I don't know...maybe because we spent last year in Australia where the last Monday in May and July 4th were just other days on a calendar and where I saw a flag with the Southern Cross on it much more regularly than the Stars and Stripes, it's just made me more aware, I guess, of how much I love this country. Now I know we weren't anywhere near a third world or war-torn country. Life is pretty darn good down in Australia. But being away did make me appreciate so much more what I have here. I admit to getting teary-eyed the first time coming back to the U.S., flying into San Francisco, seeing an American flag at the airport, and hearing the guy in customs saying, "Welcome Home."

Because yes, it is home. Why would anyone want to leave it? And that's what struck me last night as I listened to the symphony playing a medley of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard anthems. (And by the way...any other former Collegians out there who can still sing along to each one courtesy of our patriotic rallys on WOL Island every week during the summer? Good times!)

It struck me that there have been many, many men and women over the years who have done just that. Left the good ol' USA (many voluntarily!) to live and fight somewhere else so I can go out on my deck with a glass of ice cold Diet Coke without thinking in the least that it might not be safe to do that. I don't have to listen for strange sounds, peer closely for any snipers on nearby roof tops, worry that an rpg is going to come whizzing into my backyard. I have an unending supply of Diet Coke, my fridge is filled with food, and I have a very soft bed to sleep in every night.

Perhaps you have to eat MRE's that don't taste like home cooking. Maybe your bottled water is just luke warm. Instead of a bed you sleep on a creaky cot or worse yet...just dig a little hole in the ground to stretch out in. So for that...thank you. Freedom...my freedom, really isn't free. Many have paid for it, and some have paid very dearly for it. Thank you. Thank you so much.

May we never, ever forget.

And the Trips Begin...

2009-05-16T21:53:00.000-04:00

Over to London? Not quite yet. This one was back to Tipp City, Ohio to visit the folks for Mother's Day. Ah...good ol' Tipp. Every time I go back, it feels like stepping into a bit of a time warp. Not that it looks like a time warp (although some may beg to differ) but it's just weird to drive around the town I grew up in and see the changes (or in the case of Tipp...how it hasn't changed). Always a good time. Since there aren't really very many "sights to see" in Tipp, (no, really) I thought I'd describe to you the "sights to see" in the Philly airport as I waited for my flight. Can you see them?
There's the I'm Way Too Cool to Take Off My Sunglasses guy. But buddy...you just walked off of a plane. You.Were.Never.Outside.To.Begin.With. Why the sunglasses? Is your future really that bright?
There's the woman I named Bitsy. She's wearing a white polo, white sandals and sky blue bermudas with a lime green sweater, yes...you guessed it...slung and tied over her shoulders. She looks like she's heading to the courts for her tennis lesson with Lars, her buff tennis coach. (couldn't resist, Karen! hee hee)
The How Are Those Shoes Even Remotely Comfortable lady. Not only were they at least 4 inches high. They were purple, orange, yellow, and red. Yes, all four colors on one shoe in a sort of cheetah pattern. As she hobbled (truly) over to the special services counter I was tempted to ask her if the obvious pain that she was in was worth the look. A look that not many of us could pull off, I might add.
How about the Yep...I'm Headed Back to Dayton guy. Low-hanging jeans with the outline of a can of snuff imprinted on the back left pocket, a red short-sleeve plaid shirt, trucker's cap, and mustache that looks like Earl Hickey...enough said.
The I Love Hot Moms tee shirt guy. Uh...eewww.
The Scared of Swine Flu woman. Literally had a full scarf wrapped around her mouth. Looked a little ninja-ish, actually.
The Feels a Bit Breezy Back Here lady. Note to all...if your jeans are low-rides, your shirt better be long enough to cover all that should be covered. If you are not crouched under my sink fixing a leak, I should not see plumber's crack. Hmm...never mind. Even if you are crouched under my sink, I shouldn't have to see that.
And finally...I saw the tallest pilot that I've ever seen in my life. And he happened to be one of the guys who flew me to Dayton. I swear I would've only come up to a little higher than his elbow. He unfolded himself from the cockpit and stood up. (After we parked at the gate, of course.) Well...at least as high as he could. Literally, the tops of his shoulders reached the top of the inside of the plane. He had to totally bend his head all the way down so that his chin hit his chest in order to stand up.
There you have it. The sights to see at the Philly airport. Now that I'm back home, the sights to see here are good, too. Phil finished up in Sydney, came home Tuesday morning (whoo hoo), and has been spending the last few days trying to figure out where he is and what time zone it actually is compared to what time zone his body thinks it is. A feeling I don't miss having!