Finished... finally

Now that I have it out of my system, it's time to move on. A couple of things I've learned from reading this series:
1. I will ALWAYS try to keep up with what my kids are reading. I was surprised that there are parents who are letting their tween daughters read this stuff. Maybe surprised is the wrong word... disappointed maybe? I know how wrapped up I get when I'm reading books -- I tune out EVERYTHING and completely immerse myself in the book, ask my hubby -- so it made me a little uncomfortable reading, uh, certain parts. No incredibly graphic details, but I would say it's at least PG-13 material. I felt like I was eavesdropping on someone's very personal moments.
2. I will try to discuss said material with my kids. I know, I know, it's uncomfortable stuff, but I realize that, if I were a teenager, this kind of novel would just add to my warped perception of what love and marriage should look like. It's kind of like a modern day, twisted fairy tale where everyone lives happily ever after, no one (except a few of the bad guys) dies, and the "princess" (Bella) gets everything she thought she wanted, plus a few bonuses. I kept waiting for her to suffer, and she did (to a certain extent), but nothing long-lasting. Not like Harry Potter, where the main character suffers much, losing many of his loved ones, but decides to take the right, rather than the easy path. By Book 7 of HP, I was very impressed with Harry. Not so with Bella.

I'm moving on to JA's Persuasion (the only Austen book I haven't read yet), then perhaps Les Miserables. I need to purge my mind with some classics.

If anyone is in the mood for vampire stories, read Dracula or The Historian. Much better literature.

Time in the UK

So, this week has been nice. Despite the fact that hubby is still in recovery mode from the broken leg, we've managed to do a couple of fun things while I'm here. On Thursday I went to St. Paul's Cathedral in London for their annual Thanksgiving Service. Thousands of the American ex-pats (as well as some locals) show up for this beautiful service every year. The pastors from the local American church congregations, as well as the Abassador himself, put together an amazing service, complete with all our favorite hymns and ending with "America the Beautiful" (I get a little teary-eyed just thinking about it; that song is really one of my favorites!). Sorry there aren't any pictures from the service, but none were allowed.

Outside Saint Paul's Cathedreal

Inside the church. Isn't it amazing?

Then, on Friday, we left London to have a fabulous belated Thanksgiving out in the English countryside! That's right all you Jane Austen fans, we were out in the middle of nowhere, spending time with extended family and their friends. Everyone was so kind and hospitable during our stay in England! Here are a few pictures from our time there:

Our first night out together. Yummy Japanese food!

The house out in Suffolk

Inside "The Barn" -- an old pig barn that was converted into... this. Wow.

A view of the backyard. This is a wheat field, but as you can see, it's past harvest time. Oh, and in the distance, there's a tiny little church. Very Austenesque, don't you think?

That's all I have for now. I'll post pictures of our time in Edinburgh when I return to the States. My tummy is rumbling and ready for some food! Cheers!

Unexpected trip to London

Well, I made it. It was a lot of last-minute planning and such, but I DID make it to the UK to help hubby. It was very fortunate, actaully, that I got a flight out on Monday, since he was released from the hospital on Tuesday and made it to my cousin's house right before I did. So, now he's got someone to help him around the house and administer his pills. I think I missed my calling in life. I was talking to my dad (who is a VERY experienced nurse) about some surgical procedures and tachycardia, when I stopped in mid-sentence and said, "Dad, can you believe I understood almost everything you just said?" To which he just smiled at me. So maybe I should've gone with my original plan to become a nurse. Oh well. Maybe in the future, if we move back to the States.

Anyway, I have not done any sightseeing yet. I spent about an hour or so getting from the airport (Heathrow is WAY west outside of London, and I had to get to East London where my cousin is), so I spent my afternoon traveling around on buses and the tube, minding my gaps and such. Today is rainy and cloudy, so it looks like an exciting day to sit indoors and read...

Yeah, I know, it's embarassing. I should blame my little sister for this, as she's the one who brought the book home. Or perhaps the airports and even the FAA, who requires me to sit around with nothing to do for hours on end. I need something to keep me entertained, and this is probably the best (or perhaps worst?) escapist fiction available. I've been teased thoroughly by my hubby over the past 12 hours, and I'm horrified to find my taste in books is so low, because I actually LIKE IT. Yeah, bring on the humiliation, I like books written for 13 year-old girls.

Lost Maples

Last weekend my best friend and I decided to go to Lost Maples since the foliage was at its peak. So, we packed up our families (me and my two kids, her, her husband, and THEIR two kids, plus her mom and aunt) and headed north on a pleasant Saturday afternoon. We thought that, since it was later in the day on a Saturday, not as many people would be arriving. Boy, were we wrong! After driving for about two hours, it took us another hour to get in the park, purchase day passes and park so we could go hiking. It was worth it, however; the leaves were gorgeous!

In the parking lot

The boys on the trail

One of prettiest trees in the park

Gorgeous leaves; they are the perfect shade

Jacob hurrying to catch up after a long hike

Feeling Meme-ish

So, my friend Dawn posted a meme a couple of days ago, and I thought I'd follow suit. I'm not a NaPoBloMo person -- to be honest, I'm lucky if I post once a week -- but I thought this one was fun, so here we go:
1. What is your occupation right now?
Overseas worker... and mom.

2. What color are your socks right now?
Various shades of purple and silver. Argyle print.

3. What are you listening to right now?
Cowboys game

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Homemade enchiladas, with semi-homemade rice and salad.

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
I learned to drive on one!

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My friend Nicholle

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Well, Dawn didn't send it to me, but she was the inspiration. So, yes, I do like her :-)

8. How old are you today?
28

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
I have to pick one?

10. What is your favorite drink?
Unsweetened ice tea, or fresh-made juice.

11.. Have you ever dyed your hair?
I tried once to go a sort of strawberry blond, but didn't seem to like it that much.

12. Favorite food?
Homemade enchiladas :-)

13. What is the last movie you watched?
The Notebook

14. Favorite day of the year?
Um... Fourth of July? It's so much more fun celebrating it when you live overseas.

15. How do you vent anger?
Ideally, punching an inanimate object, like a pillow or even a punching bag. Maybe one of those stupid clowns that fall over and come back up?... Yeah, that would work.

16. What was your favorite toy as a child?
My Little Ponies. What'll today's adventure be?

17. What is your favorite season?
Spring. A wonderful treat after a cold winter.

18. Cherries or Blueberries?
Yes.

19. Who is the most likely to respond?
Probably no one b/c I'm not sending this out to anyone.

20. Who is least likely to respond?
(silence)

21. Living arrangements?
Three bedroom flat with A/C. Second floor. No carpets. Cement tiles. Big kitchen that looks like it stepped right out of the 80s.

22. When was the last time you cried?
Watching "The Notebook."

23. What is on the floor of your closet?
Here or in Nazareth? Um, here, I have shoes and my brother's sound equipment. There, just shoes. There isn't room for anything else.

24. Who is the friend you have had the longest with whom you are still in contact?
Probably Erin. We've known each other since middle school but really didn't become friends until my freshman year. And our kids are pretty much the same ages, so we have fun hanging out when I'm in town!

25. What did you do last night?
Watched "The Lakehouse." Didn't cry, believe it or not.

26. What are you most afraid of?
I'll have to agree w/ Dawn here and say losing a dear family member (especially my husband or kids)

27. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburger
Cheese. Lots of cheese.

28. Favorite dog breed?
Retriever.

29. Favorite day of the week?
Saturday

30. How many states have you lived in?
Three -- plus a couple of countries outside the U.S. Wait, maybe I should include Colorado. I've lived there a couple of months at a time over the past 10 years. So, that would make four?

31. Diamonds or pearls?
Well, I can't really afford either, but I do like my diamond on my engagement ring. My hubby, he did well when he picked it out.

32. What is your favorite flower?
Tiger Lily, or maybe some sort of amaryllis. Such beautiful blooms.

Denver: Part Two

One of the things I love most about Denver is the parks. They are EVERYWHERE, but the best one by far is Washington Park, just south of downtown. It's huge, and everyone takes their dogs for walks around the lake, their children to the play area, and their picnics to the picnic grounds.

The weather in Colorado was wonderful the whole time we were there, so we took full advantage of that fact and went a couple of times a week to various parks around the city. Here are a few pictures from our excursions:

Pictures from Denver

So, I'm going to post these pics little by little, as I have taken about 200 in the past few weeks (I know Dawn's laughing at me right now, she probably takes 200 pictures in a DAY). Here are some highlights of our trip to Denver with the abuelos:

We (brothers, parents and I) went camping the first weekend we were in Colorado. Golden Canyon State park is a gorgeous little place about 30 minutes outside of Denver, and we had so much fun sleeping in a cabin, playing lots of Settlers of Catan (my brothers and dad completely dominated me in that game), and hiking. Didn't get to tour the Coors brewery; they closed before we got there. Bummer!


Lovely view from our hike in Golden. Doesn't the day just look perfect?


We made a trip down to Colorado Springs to meet a friend of mine who is also an overseas worker. Our kids had fun playing at Whit's End at Focus On The Family. Four kids (four and under) with only two parents made for a bit of chaos, but we all had a blast catching up and playing with the babies.


One of my dear friends from high school lives just outside of Vail, so we rented a car and drove up to see her. It was so good to catch up; I saw her last year while we were in town, but we were at lunch with EVERYONE around, so it was a little difficult to have more than surface-y conversation. She is a wonderfully strong person whose been through a lot these past few years, and it was so good to see her again.


The drive on the way home from Vail. I had to pull over on the side of the road to get this picture. It looks like someone took a paintbrush and lit up the sky.


I'm thinking I'll have to post Denver: Part Two tomorrow, as I'm only about halfway through my pictures. Stay tuned!