a thousand days in europe

One Month Later...

Well Happy Valentine's Day everyone! It's been exactly one month since I've posted... it was the eve of my departure for the states. Feels like yesterday really. So, here's what I've done since arriving in America:
-Slept 13 nights in a double bed with my 70 pound golden retriever
-Reconnected with 9 old friends
-Sat 10 feet away from Jude Law, chatted with Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) and squinted through an orange tinted window at Cesar Milan (Dog Whisperer)... all while in NYC with my Mum.
-Strolled through my cousin's new house... fabulously renovated by her handy fiance and father-in-law to be
-Bought 5 scratch tickets with Nan. No winners.
-Reinvested capital gains and dividends and/or gave cash on bonds for clients
-Almost had one cold sore
-Joined a gym as Mrs. Anna Buchanan
-Kept up religiously with LOST, 24, American Idol, and Biggest Loser. (I love DVR)
-Done 1 load of laundry
-Held my nephew
-Taken ZERO pictures
-Got a great manicure (OPI "Linkin Park After Dark". Try it.)
-Consumed 6 cans of Mt Dew... one every morning at work
-Seen my husband's digital face once :(
-Rented "The Other Boleyn Girl"

That's all I can think of right now. I'm having a great time here in Virginia, but miss my friends in the UK terribly. Stay tuned for stories about my upcoming weekend in the mountains and my next weekend in Albuquerque with Kate & John and Emily & Asher!!!! I cannot wait!

A bientôt…

On the Road Again...

Macy and I are off to pursue adventures back in the USA. We're almost all packed up and ready to head west across the Atlantic to a little old town called Hamilton, Massachusetts. Macy has made long term arrangements to stay with my parents until Matt and I officially PCS to our next stateside assignment. She will get to enjoy many feet of snow, lots of walks to the park, and constant company throughout the day provided by Nana.
In preparation for her caged trip, I set up her enormous crate in the guest room so she could inspect it for a few days before being subjected to imprisonment. Every once and awhile, when she wasn't looking, I would toss a treat in the crate as a nice surprise for her. Eventually she would walk by and smell something worth checking out. After sucking down the meaty treat, she would stand there waiting for the next treat to possibly fall out of the corners and replace the one she just consumed. She would sniff the whole crate looking and waiting patiently. I couldn't help but laugh... I have a very sweet, but sometimes sadly optimistic dog. I now refer to her crate as her "magic treat box."

I, on the other hand, am only staying in Boston for a couple weeks before flying further south to Reston, Virginia where I will set up camp at my sister's house. Anna and Matt have generously agreed to house me and employ me for 3 months! I'll be working part-time and traveling to see friends and family on the weekends. Tim, Liz, and Ian live only 40 minutes away in DC so I'm hoping to see them quite a bit as well.
So, Macy's journey starts tomorrow and I'll be right behind her on Friday. If you think of us, say a prayer for our temporary life changes... and if you are in the states (near the east coast), I'd love to see you! Cheers...

2009

So here's a list of things I'm looking forward to this year. During this time of transition for us, I'm trying to keep a positive outlook on the next few months and beyond...

1.) A 4 day trip to New York City with my Mom! She has a business trip and I'm going along to hang out, eat, shop, and tour with her.
2.) Living with Anna again! I'll spend at least 3 months in Virginia with my sister and her husband working and spending quality time with them.
3.) Babysitting my nephew Ian! Since Matt and I live so far away we haven't been able to spend much time Ian, so seeing him regularly will be the best.
4.) Asher's 1st birthday in May... possibly the highlight of my year.
5.) A happy reunion with Matt
6.) Our post-reunion trip to either Kenya or possibly cruisin' it with the Watsons.
7.) Moving back to the good 'ole U.S.A.!
8.) The completion of my MBA degree. Wow. That is a crazy thought.

The Rest of '08

So, I was super lame and didn't post at all during December. Good thing my blogging license doesn't get revoked for bad manners. So here's a run down of things I planned to blog about...

1.) Thanksgiving! Matt and I had an awesome time at the Emily and Ryan's house for a delicious feast. It was a gathering of our really close friends, the Van Yperens, Lohses, Watsons, and of course Mike. We ate at ton, had good discussion, then the girls crushed the guys in Cranium.
 

2.) Bolar Christmas Party! Early in December the squadron planned a beautiful party at St. Catherine's College in Cambridge. I had a great time getting dressed up and dancing the night away with Matt. (picture to be posted at a later time... ehem, Maureen! Haha)

3.) Christmas in Germany! We decided early on that we wouldn't go home for the holidays this year so Matt and I could spend some good quality time together before life changes for awhile. We had never been to Edelweiss Resort & Lodge (a military only resort in Garmisch) so we put our names in for the lottery -the only fair way to deal with the huge amount of reservation requests- and were lucky enough to be picked! The best part was that Ryan and Emily had decided to go Garmisch as well and they invited 3 sets of parents and 2 siblings + one fiancee (congrats Michael and Jennifer!). So not only did we get to ski and see Germany, but we got to spend some good time with our pseudofamily as well. We toured Munich, Nuremberg, and local Garmisch. I've posted the photo album "Christmas in Germany '08" that includes all our pictures.

4.) Our 5th Anniversary! Matt and I celebrated our 5th anniversary on December 28th. I can't believe how fast 5 years has gone by, I have loved every minute of the journey God has brought us through and I am looking forward to the next 5 years as our journey takes us through many more changes and new chapters in our story. Also, Matt bought me a third ring to wear as an anniversary band in my set of fancy wedding related rings! It's beautiful. He's the best.

5.) New Year's Eve 2008/2009! Oh man... 2009. Thats totally nuts. I remember 1999 like it was yesterday, how could that be 10 years ago? My sister was starting college at Gordon, I was in the 10th grade getting my driver's permit, and Chandler and Monica just started dating on Friends. Where does the time go? Well, I'm ready for a new year actually. In my next blog post I'll write about all the fun things to look forward to in '09. Happy New Year everyone! Here's a pic of us ringing in the new year :)

St. Andrews, Scotland

As mentioned in my last post, Matt, Macy and I drove up to Scotland for a long weekend to relax and celebrate Matt's 29th birthday. We had a fabulous time. The drive up took us about 7 hours... Macy did a great job sleeping in the rather small backseat of the Corolla while Matt and I played 20 questions and listened to Coldplay.
Ryan ans Emily recommended the perfect B&B for us- The Bramley House. It is run by a very friendly couple, Heather and Gordon, and it's located in Strathkiness (a village right on the outskirts of St. Andrews). They gave us plenty of space for Macy and even let her out to play with their own dogs while we were out to dinner. If you're in the area, I definitely recommend the B&B. Oh! And Heather's daughter lives on Martha's Vineyard! ...We had plenty to talk about.
Anyway, during the 3 days we were there, we walked the Old Course with Macy (open to dogs on Sundays!), drove to the fishing village of Pittenweem, explored the old part of the city, ate a some great restaurants, and enjoyed many delicious pints and drams.
We LOVED the town and the whole area. Anywhere on the coast feels like home to me. Not to mention we walked past the Finance building of the university... it over looks the North Sea! I'm trying to convince Matt that I might need a third degree one day.
I'm so glad we took the time to see St. Andrews. Despite the damp and windy weather, we had a great family mini-vacation. Happy Birthday, Matt! (I posted the photo album there to the right).

Title.

So I considered posting about our new president-elect, but ultimately decided against it. I think we've all been inundated with politics over the past few weeks... and lets face it, I have nothing new or unique to add to the millions of words that have already been written. I will say this though, if President-Elect Obama wants to be "my president too" I hope that he does more to protect Life, Faith, and Family than he did while he was in the Senate. For a great little blurb about the out come of the election (one that shares my sentiment), visit The Moving Vans.
On a lighter note, Matt, Macy and I are driving up to Scotland for a long weekend to relax and celebrate Matt's 29th birthday. We'll be spending our time in and around St. Andrews... which is currently 6 degrees (about 40 F). Burrr!! I'm looking forward to enjoying a few hot toddies!

Halloween Costume '08

...sent from the camera on my mobile. I was a kangaroo and Asher was my joey. :)

1:05:39

On Monday I ran the Tufts Health Plan 10k For Women in Boston. It's the oldest and largest 10k for women in the entire country. There were 7,000 runners all varied in size, shape, color, and age. I was proud to be there among such great women.
The course started at the Boston Commons, went across the Longfellow bridge, down Memorial Drive, back across the Mass Ave. bridge, up Commonwealth Ave and Boylston, and ended on Charles St. in between the Gardens and the Commons. Despite the wind on the Charles, it was a beautiful run. My mom and Dad came out to support me and we enjoyed a fun afternoon in the city. 1:05 was my goal for the 6.2 miles and I just about hit it right on the button. Another one of my 2008 goals can be crossed off!

Italy with Mom (Part 2)

Mom and I had an incredible time in the stunning city of Venice. We were there for 3 days and hit all the major spots. We saw St. Marks Square, Rialto Bridge, the island of Murano, Harry's Bar, and so many gelato shops. The weather held off for us and we were able to walk for hours and take in the salty Venecian air.
With that said, the prices were outrageously through the roof, the food was bad, and the "locals" didn't converse in Italian with me very much. Despite those few flaws, I loved Venice... and experiencing it all with Mom was the best part!
*My pictures from the Venice portion of our trip to Italy are in an album to the right*

Kudos to the Catholic Church

My brother-in-law sent this to me and Matt and I found it worth sharing as well. Over the past 6 months I've been extremely impressed with the leadership of the Catholic church and its boldness in standing for the preservation of moral values in America. This video clip is part of a nationwide call for Catholics (and all Christians) across the country to be involved in the upcoming elections and to remember what matters the most...

*I'm having trouble embedding the file... to watch the video visit www.catholicvote.com