well well well, if it isn't crash bandicoot.

I have no excuse for letting time get out of control and not blogging more. After all, I am mostly a part-time worker, but who wants to sit around and blog on a day off? I'd much rather waste my time on facebook and spend countless hours on pinterest. Ha! True story, mostly. I really need to allocate more time to blogging, as it is mostly like an online journal that's always fun to look back on. I always wait so long to the point that I have to start writing lists of all the things I want to blog about! It's like an essay you have too many ideas for and you're dreading sitting down to write it out perfectly. So many of my ideas aren't even the usual catching-everyone-up on the fun things we've done since my last post, which I'm sure people already know about thanks to facebook! I'll quit with the rambling and try my best not to make this post too long. So here goes....

Since my last update, we've had Amand's super quick weekend visit, a just-as-quick trip to France with the parents, mine and Cat's 68 mile charity bike ride, we've booked a short trip to Venice for the end of May (so soon now!) and Peter and I celebrated our one year anniversary! Aside from those events, I've been wanting to write about my move to England; the positives and negatives that I've faced these past 9 months.

First we had Amand's visit. His work sent him to Galway, Ireland, for a few weeks and he planned a quick weekend trip to come see us. Of course the weather had been getting really nice--sunny and warm, but when he came, it turned to the usual, if not worse, English weather we all know and don't love. (Can you tell I am bitter?!) Peter and I drove up to London to fetch Amand and....funnily enough, we saw Dave as they exited their terminal!! We were supposed to meet Dave the weekend before, but apparently he couldn't change his flights and as I found out that day, they kept him an extra week! It was great to see him and he was finally able to meet Peter! After leaving the airport, we drove into central London (well, we parked in the 02 stadium) and tubed into central London for an entire day of sightseeing. I honestly think I could sightsee London like a tourist all day, every day. I love it! We showed him everything--I won't list it all because if you can think it, we probably saw it. The weather cleared up and we were left with a gorgeous view of Big Ben and House of Parliament at sunset. We also went into a wonderful little gem of a restaurant in Covent Garden for lunch, which had the most incredible meals on the menu. If you know me, then you know I can get really grouchy when I'm hungry, and we waited a little too long to start looking for lunch, but it was all worth it in the end when we found this place (after already leaving one place that only served pies...)!

Alrighty, next on the list was our quick day trip to France. Peter's parents will find any excuse to book a Eurotunnel ticket, even if it's because they're running low on wine and want to venture over to France for the day for more. This was the first time that Cat didn't come with us, so although she was missed, we took full advantage of the extra room in the car and thoroughly enjoyed our day, it was like a double date with the in-laws! It was so special! We did the usual stop for gas and a quick breakfast, coffee and croissant usually, and then drove straight to Vimy Ridge. Peter kept going on and on about wanting to show me the trenches and how much I'd love them, but to be honest, I typically don't have much interest in war or history, so I was a little skeptical but didn't want to shoot him down (ha, no pun intended!). When we got there, we took a little tour of the underground tunnel, then the trenches, and I actually loved it probably the most! That might be my problem with war and history...the fact that you usually only hear about it and I'm more of a tactical-visual learner, so being there in person was really amazing. The trenches between Germany and Canada/Europe were literally only about 25 yards away from each other- absolutely crazy! After our educational tour, we drove into a sweet little town (I can't remember what it's called..) for lunch and a gorgeous little walk. It is so nice that we're so close to France that we can just nip in a quick day trip and still make it home at the end of the day. On this same trip, Peter and I stocked up on a case of wine (6 bottles which usually last us a while), and once we were back at his parents, they ordered us an Indian takeaway! They sure do take excellent care of us. I am so lucky and so appreciative. My time here wouldn't be the same without them! 

 Next on the list of events is mine and Cat's 68 mile Big Bike Ride! Cat recently got into taking spin class at her gym and was inspired enough to get a new bike! I mentioned that if she got one soon enough, we could sign up for the 68 mile ride together! She was certainly up for it, so we did! We both managed to do really well, considering we've never done one before and both really seemed to enjoy it! It was the perfect weather, with gorgeous scenery of South East Kent's countryside in spring, and we finished in 7 hours! We made a few friends along the way who we had a very similar pace to, and that helped incredibly. It's definitely inspired me to get out on my bike more!

Next is our one year anniversary! I can't believe how quickly that year went! So much has happened in the past year! As a little present to ourselves, and to celebrate getting out of Peter's overdraft, we looked into flights to Venice, and because Easyjet was having a 30% off deal for Leap Year, we booked our flights that day for May 20-23 (full days on the 20th and 23)! YAY! Believe it or not, it's going to be our first flight together!! We can't wait. It's been on our minds and topics of many conversations since the day we booked it. We also managed to find this adorable little apartment where we'll be staying: click here to view!

So on the day of our anniversary, peter and I took the day off. It ended up raining, so we slept in and headed into town for a little coffee date. I took my laptop with us, so we decided to look through our wedding pictures :-) We hadn't really looked through them together since the wedding! For presents, all I wanted was a nice dinner that night; whether we went out, or cooked something nice together, didn't matter. Eventually, we decided on The Ancient Raj (previously mentioned as the best indian in Canterbury!). For Peter's present, since we're still kind of on a tight budget, I let him blow up one of his favorite pictures from Bruges and buy a new frame for it. It's now a lovely addition displayed in our hallway :-) Our dinner was booked for 7pm, and when we got there, the waiter sat us down at our table which had two "Happy Anniversary" balloons on it!! I forgot to mention, the night before our anniversary, Peter's parents gave us a card with a £40 voucher to spend at The Ancient Raj!! So our delicious meal was on them!! :-) We had enough to get dessert, and after, the owner came out to congratulate us and gave us a free liqueur! During our dinner we reflected on everything we've gone through in the past year. All the changes we've made, ways we've grown, and discussed our future goals. It was the perfect excuse to reflect and plan out our new goals. All I can say, is that I am so happy to have found him. We are so connected in every way. I can't wait for us to go through life together!

I think this post has become long enough, so I'm going to do a pro/con list next time, including my thoughts on Spring! Until then, cheerio!

Listening to: Paolo Nutini, obsessively!

Watching: Homeland, Britain's The Apprentice, and Britain's Got Talent

Nibbling on: Girl Scout Cookies

Missing: Toilet seat covers & Flip flops (however, this list is endless)

Biggest Challenge: Weather

Coming up: Venice!

Valentine's Day

Peter and I were kind of off to a rough start this year with saving money. With Mir coming just before Christmas, then Christmas, Kirsten's visit and spending New Years in London, Peter's birthday on January 5th, then my birthday on January 20th, Peter's car service (including a new clutch for a whopping £780!)....we didn't even have to discuss a Valentine's Day budget. Luckily though, we were both on the same page, as usual, and only spent £9 on each other!

This sweet little basket was waiting for me on Valentine's Day morning. He knows me so well. Berries, grapes, chocolate, my favorite chips, a picture of us, and daffodils!

Since we don't have any vases small enough, I used an idea I saw on pinterest not so long ago, and decorated an old sauce jar. I simply cut out some scrapbook paper, taped it together, and wrapped a little bow around it. Cute huh?! 

My presents to him were a little silly, I thought. I found a new razor with two blades on sale for only £4.99!! So I got him that, and also a new black fountain pen for work. On top of those, I also registered a new email address for him, and starting January 17, I wrote him a love email (almost) everyday until Valentine's Day. That was fun, and I'm pretty certain he like that idea :-) I also, just because I had the day off, decorated our house with cute scrapbook paper flag banners (another pinterest idea) hanging around the windows, TV, and into our kitchen, and I ironed a weeks worth of his work shirts, since he absolutely dreads doing that. All in all, it was the sweetest Valentine's Day I've ever had! Plus, we got a fantastic dinner deal from Marks and Spencers, for only £20! Here's what we had....Breaded crab cakes for starters, a peppercorn rump steak with gastropub chips (fries), and peas, and for dessert we had a raspberry vanilla panna cotta. Plus, it came with champagne and a box of chocolates. Perfect! Much better than going out and spending a fortune--and it's always fun being in the kitchen with him!

By the way, how cute was the Valentine's Google Doodle?! Here it is, in case you missed it!

Just before Valentine's Day, we got hit with some major snow. It was actually really nice since we didn't get any in December or January--it was cold enough to have snowed though! It was my first ever, actual snow day. Work was called off for me on Sunday, so Peter and I went out for a walk. It was stunning! The entire time I kept thinking to myself that my struggle with winter was so worth it just to see this snowfall! I think we ended up walking and taking pictures for about 3 hours that day :-)

I forgot to mention our birthdays! Peter's parents made it a family tradition to make a three course dinner of your choice on your birthday! So for Peter's, we went over and had Pâté, a meat fondue and bread and butter pudding! yum! We also went out with Kerry, Heather, and JP to an Indian Restaurant called Ancient Raj , Peter and I had been here on one of our monthly dates and LOVED it! For my birthday, we finally booked our wine tasting in Brighton. Actually, I tried to get it sooner, but the only date they had open was my birthday, so we took it! That turned out to be freezing cold, but still lots of fun and absolutely delicious! I'm not sure what I was expecting when we drove in....lush green vines? No...it's winter, so the vines were completely dead. Anyway, we got a tour, tasting, lunch, and a complimentary bottle. Then, we used our vouchers for free admission into the Royal Pavilion which included scones and tea! We love that place and will be heading back in summertime when the weather is nicer. Then it was off to Pete's parents for our dinner, and Andrew was also here for three weeks, so he got to experience the birthday fun, and even helped Cat make the dessert--a fruit tart! For starters we had a baby spinach salad with strawberries, walnuts, and bleu cheese. I love these kinds of salads, but they don't really have them here, so it was new for them and I'm pretty sure they all enjoyed it! Then we had steak with dauphinoise potatoes and cauliflower cheese. A few days after, we had my dinner with friends, and I chose the Duke William pub--their food is delicious and it's so cozy! Peter's mom took Miranda and I there for lunch one day, and I had to find any excuse to go back! 

Next on the agenda is Amand's visit on March 3rd! He's in Ireland on a work trip for the next 4 weeks, so he's stopping by for a quick visit! Can't wait!

'Til next time...

Films in 2011

As I have previously blogged, I mentioned hubby Reynolds' love for film. Well, up until fairly recently, I haven't really had an appreciation for good film: the acting, directing, score, etc. My taste in movies are the cheesy, mostly sappy, romantic-comedy ones that all the girls love. The guilty pleasure ones. You know what I'm talking about. Anyway, hubby Reynolds has since shown me what a good movie really is. I am still a little hesitant when he wants to show me a movie, because I always assume it's a guy movie, but they're always so good. Here is my list of movies that I've watched since being in England,  since August 1st! They are all great, but I'll bold my favorites.

Shallow Grave

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

The Help

Water for Elephants

Senna

The Sting

It's a Beautiful Life

Closer

Deathproof

Collateral

The kids are alright

Gone baby gone

True Grit

The Graduate

Dumbo
Tangled
French Connection

Zodiac

Man on Fire

War Horse

The Descendants

Se7en

Pulp Fiction

Fight Club

American Beauty

The Lovely Bones

Julie & Julia

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

BUCK

Into the Wild

Poltergeist

Life in a day (free on youtube!)

I also really got into Gavin and Stacey and watched all three seasons in about two days!

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string..."

These are a few of my favorite SCENES:

Shower the people you love with love

I know I haven't blogged in a while...four months to be exact, but who's counting?! Without even being sure that anyone reads my blog, I have been meaning to update it for a while, but I haven't quite known where to start. Funnily enough, I created the darn thing so that my family and friends could keep up to date with everything that's happening here in the good old UK.

I guess I'll start with saying, when I first got here in August, Cat helped me join the NHS bank for temporary work and I accepted a position in her building as an HR Assistant at the end of September. Since I haven't really (ever?) had a routine schedule with work, I had to start getting used to having a bed time again (11:30pm) and waking up early again (between 6:30-6:45am). My new routine was to take the 7:40 bus into Canterbury and walk up to work to start at 9:00 and end at 5:00. For a few weeks it was really hard for me to be tucked away in an office without enough work to keep me from checking the clock every five minutes. After a while though, I started looking forward to my walk up the hill each morning and having a laid back day spent mostly researching. The job ended mid-December, as it was temporary, but has just re-opened for me as part time with a slight pay increase, too! After spending a few months in there, I realize now that Human Resources is actually quite an interesting department to be in, and I look forward to heading back!

The next exciting event on our agenda this fall was carving our pumpkins for Halloween! Since Halloween isn't really celebrated much over here, it shouldn't be to much surprise that Peter had never carved a pumpkin before--or, you may actually be just as surprised as I was. He is such a fun and festive boy too, I knew he'd love it! The day we made plans to pick them up, we emailed each other at work discussing the faces we were going to carve, he even had a few ideas printed out! Here are the little beauts:

Next was our trip to London to see JOSHUA RADIN in concert! It's a funny story how this came about, but basically, if you know Peter and I, then you'll know we listened to Joshua Radin's first album non stop when we first met. I think we had him in the car for two weeks straight! He means a lot to us. So obviously I was desperate to see him, but because I hadn't quite gotten a paycheck yet, Peter didn't think it was the best idea. That night, I had a dream that I got a £20 tip at the golf club (tickets were £17 each), but Peter still wouldn't let us go see him! I woke up and told him about my dream, and being the sweet softie he is, finally gave in. We both took the day off and spent the day wandering around London. We stopped in the Science museum, saw the PARENT TRAP House, had a wonderful cup of tea while people watching in a cute cafe, walked through Kensington Gardens until we spotten Pan the Man, had a very below average dinner at KFC (sticking to our tight budget!) and spent our last achy hours worshiping our beloved JR. That was one special day I won't ever forget :-)

Our next days off together were over Thanksgiving. Since it's definitely one holiday I'm a little sad to miss, Peter took that Thursday and Friday off so we could cook and have a few friends over. Last year I was in the UK for Thanksgiving too, but only cooked for two extra boys. It was the first time I'd ever roasted a chicken, and that's what I did instead of attempting a turkey. This year though, I wanted to stick to tradition, so I cooked up 3 big turkey breasts for the 6 of us. I kind of wanted to go all out, since now I had money to contribute to ingredients, and a few days off to perfect my recipes. I spent a few weeks looking at different recipes and videos and narrowing our menu down. Here's what we had; all from scratch :-) 

Herb roasted turkey breast, roasted asparagus, mashed sweet potatoes with a kick (cayenne and cinnamon), potato casserole, stuffing, honey lemon carrots, cranberry sauce and bread rolls.

For dessert I made a chocolate pecan pie, along with a traditional pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream. All in all, I think I spent about 8-10 hours preparing, baking and cooking--no exaggeration--the longest I've ever been in the kitchen. But the hard work definitely paid off! By the way, that was the best potato casserole I've ever tried! Click HERE for the recipe!

After Thanksgiving comes...Christmas!! The weather hasn't been anywhere near as cold and snowy as last years, but I think the gloomy weather was the reason for my home sickness starting to creep up. And I think due to the change in...pretty much everything. It's not that I'm unhappy or don't appreciate what I have here, but the end of November and early December made me really start to miss my own family. It's natural isn't it? Especially because I can't just hop on a plane and fly to SD like its no big deal! Peter could see this and decided to make up a plan with Miranda. I knew nothing about this. So mid-December Peter had his work dinner and while we were having drinks his boss leaned over and asked if he was still willing to teach her husband how to golf the next morning? Peter then asked me if I minded, and of course I didn't. So the next morning Peter woke up pretty early to "teach" golf, but I was cozy and warm in bed so I wouldn't have known otherwise. After a few hours and telling me that he was "hitting it so far now!" Peter got back. Only a few minutes after he got home, the door bell rang, but not just once, so I was a little suspicious...He asked me to open the door because he had to go to the bathroom, conveniently, so when I did, no one was there at first, and then a few seconds later, MIRANDA popped out from around the corner!  But before Peter got home, I had taken a short nap, so I actually thought I was still dreaming. I could not believe Miranda was here! I freaked out a few more minutes, shed a few happy tears and could hardly contain my excitement. It was exactly what I needed. Luckily I wasn't working, so I had time to show her around Canterbury and we took the train up to London one of the days. My work invited her to our dinner party (which was one of our favorite nights!), and on her last night we all went to dinner and then ice skating after. Best surprise e v e r! 

Sadly, we had to say "see ya later" to her on Christmas Eve. We spent Christmas and Boxing day at Peter's parents house with JP, as his parents were in Thailand over Christmas. Christmas morning was the perfect day. After a visit to see the grandparents, we went back to their house, with mimosas in hand and opened our presents. My best gifts were: tickets to see Wicked in London on January 6th, a Snow White Macbook decal from Dad, Mir and R, and an herb garden from Peter's parents! 

On December 28th, my friend Kirsten flew in from San Fran! She spent a week in England and I absolutely loved seeing her! We spent a day taking advantage of the after Christmas sales in Canterbury, and then took the train up to London where we were staying for New Years Eve weekend! Our hotel was perfectly placed on the Thames near Shakespeare's globe theater and just a 15 minute walk to Tower Bridge, St. Pauls, and Embankment. I was actually amazed at the view when we walked over the Millennium Bridge--stunning! Peter and JP took the train up after they finished work and met us at the hotel. We spent the weekend exploring the Tower of London (saw the crowned jewels), had a nice lunch, stopped in Whitechapel to see Dan and Vida's flat--FINALLY we saw each other now that we're both living in the same country and only about an hour away! Then around 7pm we started our walk to Embankment to get a spot for the fireworks. Peter and JP quickly found a Tesco's and stocked up on drinks, then we sat down on Westminster Bridge and anxiously waited til midnight! Watch the show HERE!!! I will never forget these fireworks and the immense feeling of appreciation when I watched them. I will admit that I'm moved to tears very easily and quite often, but I'd never experienced anything quite like this. What a beautiful ending to 2011. I feel incredibly loved and blessed!

 Cheers to the New Year! I can't wait to see what 2012 holds for us!