We arrived home yesterday afternoon--tired, happy to have gone on vacation but happier at that moment to be standing in our living room. We've brought with us a lovely head cold/sinus thing I picked up in Dublin and generously shared with Paul. Thankfully, he didn't start feeling bad until Tuesday evening when we were waiting for the flight from Atlanta to Houston. At least he gets to feel bad at home and not while traisping through castles and churches and the picturesque English countryside.
Thankfully, we have no plans for the long weekend--just relax, recoup, finish up laundry, wade through pictures and treasures. A full recap and pictures to follow when my head is less cloudy.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
it's like Intermission but this is actually the entertaining part
We are off. The whole list didn't get completed but the vast majority of it did, including a small break-down on my part. I was fine until we dropped the cat off at my in-laws' house and Paul asked how many shirts they would pack for a 12-day trip. FIL said three, aunt said five, uncle rambled on for a bit about nothing in particular never answering the question, and I think MIL said eight. Paul suggested that perhaps the dozen I had laid out for myself and the ten for him didn't all need to go in the suitcases (I wasn't planning on it but that was my breakdown moment). And I'll just have to come home to a scrungy house.
We're going to Houston on Thursday and then on to London Heathrow on Friday. My biggest hope is that my luggage has the same plans. I've checked and rechecked all my lists and bags. Although if I hend up with just my wallet and my passport, I should be OK. I understand that even as bad as English teeth are joked about being, toothbrushes are available for purchase in the UK.
And in honor of this little jaunt across the pond, a favorite scene ("Don't mention the war!") from Fawlty Towers for your viewing pleasure:
We'll be back in the Land of Enchantment on July 2. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures and stories to tell.
We're going to Houston on Thursday and then on to London Heathrow on Friday. My biggest hope is that my luggage has the same plans. I've checked and rechecked all my lists and bags. Although if I hend up with just my wallet and my passport, I should be OK. I understand that even as bad as English teeth are joked about being, toothbrushes are available for purchase in the UK.
And in honor of this little jaunt across the pond, a favorite scene ("Don't mention the war!") from Fawlty Towers for your viewing pleasure:
We'll be back in the Land of Enchantment on July 2. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures and stories to tell.
Monday, June 16, 2008
To Do
1. laundry!
2. call bank, credit card company
3. call neighbor about watering, packages while gone
3a. find spare house key for neighbor (gave to in-laws?)
4. Put hold on mail 6/19 - 7/2
5. cat to in-laws' house 6/18
6. check in online with Southwest on 6/18 at 12:20
7. transfer money to checking account
8. clean house (well, it was a good thought. . .)
9. return library books
10. JLA meeting, Tuesday 6:00
11. call JLA transfer
12. charge iPod, phone, camera batteries
13. Target for stuff needed for trip (toothpaste!)
14. pack
15. don't totally freak out before Friday**
**Not panicking; I will, however, get stressed and lose it at least once (usually directed at Paul because he's handy) in glorious fashion while preparing for a trip. Then I'm fine.
2. call bank, credit card company
3. call neighbor about watering, packages while gone
3a. find spare house key for neighbor (gave to in-laws?)
4. Put hold on mail 6/19 - 7/2
5. cat to in-laws' house 6/18
6. check in online with Southwest on 6/18 at 12:20
7. transfer money to checking account
8. clean house (well, it was a good thought. . .)
9. return library books
10. JLA meeting, Tuesday 6:00
11. call JLA transfer
12. charge iPod, phone, camera batteries
13. Target for stuff needed for trip (toothpaste!)
14. pack
15. don't totally freak out before Friday**
**Not panicking; I will, however, get stressed and lose it at least once (usually directed at Paul because he's handy) in glorious fashion while preparing for a trip. Then I'm fine.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Weekend
Saturday morning was the first official meeting for the 2008-09 Junior League Board, a half-day get-to-know-you get-together/meeting/retreat. I will be serving as the Placement Chair this year--overseeing members to make certain everyone meets the various requirements and meeting new transfers and assigning them to committees. I vacillate between thinking this is going to be super fantastic and wondering how the heck I got myself into this. I like the president but she's not the easiest person in the world to befriend. And it's not as if I'm wanting to be her best friend. I merely would like to have a non-awkward conversation with her. I've now been on a committee and the board with her and that non-awkward conversation has yet to happen (although we're getting closer). The mix of the other 14 women on the Board is interesting--from very gregarious to very reserved. This year will either be fantastic or it is going to suck rocks. I'll let you know in May.
Nattily attired, we headed out for the wedding yesterday afternoon. The wedding started at 5:30--Paul, who was still a wee bit reluctant about going since we didn't know anyone, wanted to leave as late as possible. We didn't leave until 4:15 to drive to Santa Fe which takes a good hour even going the 75 mph speed limit. Yeah, that might have been cutting it a bit close as we slipped in just before the grandmothers were seated. Surprisingly, someone else slunk in after us just ahead of the mothers. The wedding itself was lovely--flowers, music, dresses, etc. The priest performing the ceremony did such a nice job with it too. I don't know if he was a local clergy or a family friend but it seemed to be a personalized to them, with enough humor to keep it light but a reverence befitting the occasion. (Then again, he could do the exact same service for all couples and how many of would actually know).
After the ceremony, everyone walked from the church to the reception site following a mariachi band which also played during the cocktail hour where we tried to not look COMPLETELY anti-social. Thankfully, some family members took pity on the poor couple standing by themselves and chatted with us about the weather for a while. We were seated next to the only other people from ABQ at the wedding as well as some college friends. The man from ABQ is the same age as Paul's brother and attended the same middle school as Paul and Alan. During the reception, rather than the (in my opinion, highly annoying) glass-clinking to get the bride and groom to kiss, each table had to sing a song with the word "Love" in it. Our table opted for "You Lost that Loving Feeling" (Paul gamely went up with the rest of us but did a "Pips" routine with another man from the table rather than actually sing). Dinner was good, cake was good, introduced ourselves to the bride's and groom's fathers (mothers were out dancing), chatted with bride and groom and then headed towards home. We got caught in traffic coming from the monster truck rally at the casino between Santa Fe and ABQ so Paul started calling me "Darlene" the rest of the way home because he thought it sounded like the name of someone coming from a monster truck rally (no offense to anyone named Darlene who abhors monster trucks and all that nonsense).
This morning, we joined my in-laws at church for the make-your-own omelet bar at the church before services. It is also my father-in-law's birthday today so he got the combo birthday/Father's Day gift--a copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys which he thought looked quite interesting and entertaining. I hope he does enjoy it. It's become one of my favorites to flip through in the library.
When we got home from church, rather than doing things I need to be doing in anticipation of our upcoming trip, we spent the better part of the afternoon periodically checking on this little guy in our backyard:
It's a wee bunny rabbit who spent time munching on the day lilies, hanging out in the shade of one of the planters, and napping in the sun on the little sliver of rocks next to our patio.
It's not totally visible in this picture but Hippity-Hop was taking a nice little nap here with his back legs are kicked out behind him. After a bit, he rested his head on his front paws and napped there for about an hour or so before heading off to parts unknown.
Laundry can wait. Wee bunnies are only wee for short time.
Nattily attired, we headed out for the wedding yesterday afternoon. The wedding started at 5:30--Paul, who was still a wee bit reluctant about going since we didn't know anyone, wanted to leave as late as possible. We didn't leave until 4:15 to drive to Santa Fe which takes a good hour even going the 75 mph speed limit. Yeah, that might have been cutting it a bit close as we slipped in just before the grandmothers were seated. Surprisingly, someone else slunk in after us just ahead of the mothers. The wedding itself was lovely--flowers, music, dresses, etc. The priest performing the ceremony did such a nice job with it too. I don't know if he was a local clergy or a family friend but it seemed to be a personalized to them, with enough humor to keep it light but a reverence befitting the occasion. (Then again, he could do the exact same service for all couples and how many of would actually know).
After the ceremony, everyone walked from the church to the reception site following a mariachi band which also played during the cocktail hour where we tried to not look COMPLETELY anti-social. Thankfully, some family members took pity on the poor couple standing by themselves and chatted with us about the weather for a while. We were seated next to the only other people from ABQ at the wedding as well as some college friends. The man from ABQ is the same age as Paul's brother and attended the same middle school as Paul and Alan. During the reception, rather than the (in my opinion, highly annoying) glass-clinking to get the bride and groom to kiss, each table had to sing a song with the word "Love" in it. Our table opted for "You Lost that Loving Feeling" (Paul gamely went up with the rest of us but did a "Pips" routine with another man from the table rather than actually sing). Dinner was good, cake was good, introduced ourselves to the bride's and groom's fathers (mothers were out dancing), chatted with bride and groom and then headed towards home. We got caught in traffic coming from the monster truck rally at the casino between Santa Fe and ABQ so Paul started calling me "Darlene" the rest of the way home because he thought it sounded like the name of someone coming from a monster truck rally (no offense to anyone named Darlene who abhors monster trucks and all that nonsense).
This morning, we joined my in-laws at church for the make-your-own omelet bar at the church before services. It is also my father-in-law's birthday today so he got the combo birthday/Father's Day gift--a copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys which he thought looked quite interesting and entertaining. I hope he does enjoy it. It's become one of my favorites to flip through in the library.
When we got home from church, rather than doing things I need to be doing in anticipation of our upcoming trip, we spent the better part of the afternoon periodically checking on this little guy in our backyard:
It's a wee bunny rabbit who spent time munching on the day lilies, hanging out in the shade of one of the planters, and napping in the sun on the little sliver of rocks next to our patio.
It's not totally visible in this picture but Hippity-Hop was taking a nice little nap here with his back legs are kicked out behind him. After a bit, he rested his head on his front paws and napped there for about an hour or so before heading off to parts unknown.
Laundry can wait. Wee bunnies are only wee for short time.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Because if left to my own devices, I would have handled it with much less finesse
Our new neighbors/friends are getting married this upcoming Saturday. While we do seem to enjoy each other's company, I hadn't entertained the possibility of a wedding invitation as we've only known them since December. We gave them a little wedding gift (cookbook and candleholders) a few weeks ago when we saw them for dinner but that's just because we like them not because we were gunning for a slice of wedding cake.
Last week, we had a voicemail from Alison telling us that it was probably a tacky and totally informal but would we like to come to their wedding? Since we don't have plans for Saturday evening, we agreed that sure, we'd love to go. When I spoke with her to let her know, she said that she'd bring down an invitation with all the information over the weekend. As in the weekend that ended three days ago.
I remember the last week before the wedding and I'm sure theirs is compounded because while they live here, all their family and friends are coming into town (the wedding is in Santa Fe) so there is all that to coordinate as well. But when we hadn't seen an invitation as of yesterday, Paul and I were starting to get concerned that maybe we weren't really invited. Or that maybe they'd figured out that they didn't have room and didn't know how to tell us. Do we just show up in Santa Fe at the allotted time and hope they were serious? We'll only know the bride and groom at this fete so it's going to be a little awkward to begin with--just coming in and saying "Hey, y'all!" seems like it could be even more awkward. I didn't want to NOT show up since I'd managed to blather on about how touched we were to receive the invitation and how Paul is looking forward to cake and and and (I never know when to shut up when leaving a message). We thought that maybe we could just go to the ceremony and then cut out for a pizza but how many people would see us at the ceremony and then not at the reception and wonder who the two crazies were. But if we weren't supposed to be at the reception, it could be strange. When do we call? Should we call? Does it seem pushy to call? So this whole thing was throwing us for a loop as to how to behave. It had potential disaster written all over it.
Last night at dinner with Paul's parents, we raised this social question and my mother-in-law, bless her, was quick with the correct way to handle it. Call to confirm the time. Brilliant! THIS is why I need grown-ups in my life. Prior to this suggestion, I was just planning to blather on and on in the message as I've done in this post about how I didn't know if we were really invited and how we totally understand if they had changed their minds and wedding cake normally isn't that good to begin with no offense or anything.
Taking my MIL's advice, I left a nice concise message this afternoon--Hi, we were just needing to confirm the wedding time because we inadvertently deleted your earlier message with the information. (OK, not really but she doesn't need to know that.) I've got Summer School this afternoon but I'll be home around 6:00 (in case she wants to bring down the invitation) or you can leave a message on the home phone or my cell (she knows the numbers and I was so concise I didn't even leave these). I hope everything is going well and that no one is having trouble getting to town. Talk to you later! Bye!
But I have absolutely NO IDEA what we'll do if she doesn't call back. Full-blown panic and a poll of everyone I know as to what to do will probably occur.
Oh, and should we take a bigger, better gift now that (most likely) we'll be going to the ceremony/reception and having a meal? GAH! Yet another reason why Paul and I do better as quasi-hermits. . .
Update at 8:30: Promptly at 6:00, an invitation was delivered to our door. Alison was waiting for her mom to get into town with extra envelopes before she brought it down (she had mentioned last week that she didn't have any envelopes left I'll buy that reason). And we've decided against another wedding gift because we gave them our push mower that we used about a half-dozen times when we had real grass and has been sitting in our garage for the past five years since because I didn't know what else to do with it. We won't use it again as long as we live here so it was nice to be able to pass it along.
Last week, we had a voicemail from Alison telling us that it was probably a tacky and totally informal but would we like to come to their wedding? Since we don't have plans for Saturday evening, we agreed that sure, we'd love to go. When I spoke with her to let her know, she said that she'd bring down an invitation with all the information over the weekend. As in the weekend that ended three days ago.
I remember the last week before the wedding and I'm sure theirs is compounded because while they live here, all their family and friends are coming into town (the wedding is in Santa Fe) so there is all that to coordinate as well. But when we hadn't seen an invitation as of yesterday, Paul and I were starting to get concerned that maybe we weren't really invited. Or that maybe they'd figured out that they didn't have room and didn't know how to tell us. Do we just show up in Santa Fe at the allotted time and hope they were serious? We'll only know the bride and groom at this fete so it's going to be a little awkward to begin with--just coming in and saying "Hey, y'all!" seems like it could be even more awkward. I didn't want to NOT show up since I'd managed to blather on about how touched we were to receive the invitation and how Paul is looking forward to cake and and and (I never know when to shut up when leaving a message). We thought that maybe we could just go to the ceremony and then cut out for a pizza but how many people would see us at the ceremony and then not at the reception and wonder who the two crazies were. But if we weren't supposed to be at the reception, it could be strange. When do we call? Should we call? Does it seem pushy to call? So this whole thing was throwing us for a loop as to how to behave. It had potential disaster written all over it.
Last night at dinner with Paul's parents, we raised this social question and my mother-in-law, bless her, was quick with the correct way to handle it. Call to confirm the time. Brilliant! THIS is why I need grown-ups in my life. Prior to this suggestion, I was just planning to blather on and on in the message as I've done in this post about how I didn't know if we were really invited and how we totally understand if they had changed their minds and wedding cake normally isn't that good to begin with no offense or anything.
Taking my MIL's advice, I left a nice concise message this afternoon--Hi, we were just needing to confirm the wedding time because we inadvertently deleted your earlier message with the information. (OK, not really but she doesn't need to know that.) I've got Summer School this afternoon but I'll be home around 6:00 (in case she wants to bring down the invitation) or you can leave a message on the home phone or my cell (she knows the numbers and I was so concise I didn't even leave these). I hope everything is going well and that no one is having trouble getting to town. Talk to you later! Bye!
But I have absolutely NO IDEA what we'll do if she doesn't call back. Full-blown panic and a poll of everyone I know as to what to do will probably occur.
Oh, and should we take a bigger, better gift now that (most likely) we'll be going to the ceremony/reception and having a meal? GAH! Yet another reason why Paul and I do better as quasi-hermits. . .
Update at 8:30: Promptly at 6:00, an invitation was delivered to our door. Alison was waiting for her mom to get into town with extra envelopes before she brought it down (she had mentioned last week that she didn't have any envelopes left I'll buy that reason). And we've decided against another wedding gift because we gave them our push mower that we used about a half-dozen times when we had real grass and has been sitting in our garage for the past five years since because I didn't know what else to do with it. We won't use it again as long as we live here so it was nice to be able to pass it along.
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