Trip reports, ramblings, photos and videos from our life in Europe. Please feel free to send comments and keep me updated with your emails!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Things that make you go.....



...Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Friday, January 23, 2009

The Artist Inside

I've always wanted to take a painting class of some sort to see if any talent at all resides in my hands. So, I enrolled in a beginner's water-based painting class here in Richmond. We are working with watercolors and basically anything that can be cleaned off with water instead of spirits.

I've never tried to paint and I really didn't know what my drawing abilities were. I used to get figurines around my parents' house and draw them. I thought they always turned out pretty well, so I think there may be at least a little mediocre artist inside of me. Yesterday was my second class and our objects of the day were continental breakfast items...French Press, croissant, newspaper, fruit bowl, etc. There were many items on the table, so I would only pick 3 or 4 to draw for each exercise.

As I began an exercise in which we had 5 minutes to draw using a viewfinder, this thought crossed my mind and I laughed out loud a little: Never try to draw a banana if you are a beginner drawer. Especially when the entire class will be critiquing the drawing at the end of class. Needless to say, I flipped the page and began a new drawing, sans banana.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

You Learn Something New Everyday

Having been here for almost 2 years now, I thought I had already learned most of the everyday life differences separating the US from the UK...things like vocabulary, driving, food, etc. Well today was a random new thing. We receive our bank statements on paper about 5x7 size. It's got 2 small holes on the top left side and 2 small holes on the top right side. I'm thinking there must be a special binder for this type of hole-punched paper. I bought one when we first arrived and it didn't fit the holes on the paper, so I've been forced to manually punch holes in the paper that actually fit the binder. Imagine my happiness when the binder finally filled up and I could buy a new one that actually fit! I made my way to the office supply store and perused the binder section with no luck. I asked the salesguy for help when I thought I must be overlooking it. Indeed, nothing fit the paper. I asked if they had regular 3-ring binders because all the ones on display were only 2-ring.He gave me that smirk that I have received so often over here and said, "Three ring binders are an American thing. Europe uses 2-ring binders." And before you ask, yes, even the notebook paper only has 2 holes in it.

The even bigger question is why would our bank, a bank that is based here in Europe, use hole-punched paper that doesn't fit a standard binder, or any binder, for that matter? I guess the same reason they send our PIN number through the mail with a giant logo of the bank on the front of the envelope...with our account number printed next to the PIN number. Smart.

I'm Back...

Well, it seems I've gotten myself into trouble from a number of readers for having not updated my blog. For this, I apologize. I want you to know that I am truly appreciative of your interest in our lives over here and I will try to catch up and keep up the best I can.

First, the Christmas trip! Of course, it went by way too fast! I arrived on a Tuesday evening and was picked up at the Austin airport by my best friend, Amber. I missed my original Houston-Austin connecting flight because my London flight was delayed and arrived late. Not to worry, though, there was another flight only one hour later and I didn't have to wait long at all. I made my first Sonic run in a year that night, eating a hot fudge sundae before I even had my dinner. It tasted very good and was the perfect appetizer for my chicken finger basket with tater tots. Keep in mind, the Brits don't do hot fudge, they do toffee, and they certainly don't do tater tots, only chips...which are really fries. I don't know how I keep it all straight! The next few days were filled with Christmas shopping, present wrapping, TexMex eating, and friend hugging. Edgar arrived on Friday night, only to head out again Monday morning to spend Christmas week with his family in Colombia. I was very sad to be separated during this time, but I am so happy he got to spend a fun, relaxing week with his whole family in Cali as well as Bogota. I spent Christmas at Shaila and Bill's house with my parents, Brody, and Uncle Wayne. You can imagine the fun we had with a 4 year old in the house! I think when Santa is in the area, there's nothing you can't get a 4 year old to do!

New Year's Eve was a blast. My parents opened their house to several of our friends, and we had so much fun catching up, hanging out and playing the Rockband we got for Christmas from Mom and Dad. James, Amber and Cade drove in to celebrate with us and we all toasted 2009 together, reflected on the past year, and smiled at the promise of the New Year. New Year's Day holds a special tradition for one side of my family. We all (about 25 of us) gather at my great Aunt's house in Elm Mott. We've been doing this for as long as I can remember...probably around 30 years now. The big order of the day is Chinese Christmas. It's like playing chess. There is much strategizing between families, couples, and/or siblings. Somehow, after the 3-hour battle, we all usually wind up with something we like.

Unfortunately, my fun came to a screeching halt on January 2. I was beginning to feel sick on New Year's Day, but thought it was probably just the usual allergies I get when I visit the area. However, I woke up the next morning with a very high fever that stuck around for the following 3 days. It seems that everyone either had this virus or had been struck with it sometime in the past 2 months. It is so sad, but I spent the remainder of my time laying in bed or on the couch willing myself to get better and strong enough to fly home. I don't get sick very often, and this one really knocked me out. I did feel well enough the last two days to do some shopping and finally eat that steak I had been dreaming about. The good news is that I was well enough to fly home. Mom, Dad, Shaila, and Brody accompanied me to Austin, and after many tearful hugs and goodbyes, I began my journey back to London.

I am now a week and a half post-Texas. The jetlag is gone, suitcases put away, and walking shoes back on. It's a little cold at night when the sun goes down, but, so far, the days are pleasantly crisp and cool. I look forward to keeping you updated on this, our final year, in London. There will be plenty of Tourist Days with Charlie, globetrotting (around Europe at least), and general shenanigans to report on. Thanks for reading!