Happy Day to my Favorite Couple

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!!

I hope you are having a great day! You have been a wonderful couple to grow up watching!

As you Wish....Birthday Wish.

Things have been very good, lab-work could be better and I am a bit spent with rowing activities but I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

What is helping me through this and the fact that I am being taken away for my birthday this weekend. I am sooo excited and happy to be seeing some of the UK and to be spending some nice time with my um.....new friend MG. ;)

MG is so sweet and a few days ago he said he wanted to take me away for my birthday. I was shocked and thought...oh there must me something happening that will prevent me from doing this…...but no. I said, "Oh well, um let's see ....actually I can't think of a reason why I can't and I really want to do this! I am sooo excited!"

So he said "Ok pick a place and I will get a car and take you there"....for those of you at home...this is a huge thing and you know why (hint....I am not driving for once in my life) :)

He brought me a map of UK and said, “Ok pick a place and we will go.”.....this was the nicest thing ever, I didn't know what to do. At first I was really ambitious picking far away places and he always smiled at every suggestion saying, "what ever you would like...we will go."

Ahhh just saying this and the gesture makes me sooo happy....this is my closest moment to the Princess Bride "As you wish."-moment ...what most girls dream of.

I looked at him and said, “you know if we don't get to go and things come up, I wouldn't even care because I am just so happy right now and it is fun thinking of places to go.” MG looked and said..."that is nice of you to say...but don't you worry we are going to go". MG is a do-er not a talk-er. I like this!

I picked my place somewhere I have never been and that is not too far away so we can have some nice time out of the car. I wanted sea/ocean, a castle, old buildings, open market, good restaurants, cute shops, and a holiday feeling.....and this place should deliver all.

He said that we are going to be spontaneous and hotel-shop when we get there and whatever hotel I like we will stay there.....I am so excited.

It will be a wonderful way to bring in my new year!

Proud Sunday--Charles Darwin Style

I am soooo proud of my wonderful Ladies Crew for Winning their Division of this Sunday's Sprints! Fancy dressed as Charles Darwin racing in the HMS Beagle. (Fancy dressed in UK = Costumes)

Winning their four races...
Race#1 against Vikings
Race#2 against Oompah lomppahs
Race#3 against Men's Crew..yes they were not in costume....we actually beat a men's crew
Race#4 against Playboy Bunnies

Darwin Survival of Fittest!!
I am a proud Captain/Mum! Now as I am mostly coaching and not rowing...it is harder to be on the bank and nervous for your girls. But they were calm, strong and funny and we won!!!!! wooohoooo

Great Moments.....
1. That my ladies had billions of great costume ideas and voted for the team favorite.
2. Nice shopping trip with one of my girls and doing arts and crafts=costume design. (I seem to have a real knack for making Fancy-dress costumes for team races)...luck was on our side as we needed white beards during Santa season.
3. Me being more nervous as a coach then any race I have ever personally rowed in.
4. The girls making cute sad faces which shifted me into also making a costume for myself as their coach.... "Oh Reb...you are not gonna be in costume"...sad face sad face.....Me: "Oh of course I am girls."
5. Being the coach riding along town/river bank on bike as Charles Darwin.....you don't feel silly when you are in the boat with all other 8 people.....but when you are on your own on the river.....little silly.
6. Making sure everyone new we were DARWIN and NOT AMISH or some other old dude (in top hat and white beard)....making this costume led me to read up on Charles Darwin in case I was quizzed by people....leading me to make a sign the HMS Beagle sign for our boat (this was the ship Darwin was on during his explorations).
7. Picking exactly the RIGHT key things for the girls to focus on for each race and having them listen and then watching that race unfold and them executing the plan perfectly and calmly and WINNING!
8. Looking at my rowers....and laughing as they are A) were choking on there beards or B) blinded as the beards flipped up over there eyes. I just keep yelling/laughing "KEEP ROWING!!! JUST KEEP ROWING!!!"

Ahhhh good times good times!!!

1 month left for Mom's arrival

In a month from now....My mom will have landed here to visit me and have Christmas together!!!

YEAHHHHHHHH

I am sooo excited!!!
I can't wait to pick out a little tree for my room!


I am not sure what I will do for New Years yet!
I have an invite to be with mes amies in France (which to be fair was made to me in like June....and it would be sooo wonderful)
I have an invite to be with....um...my friend in Berlin ;) YEAHHHHHH
I have invites for London.
.....hmmmm
I am leaning toward the first offer in France. Although Berlin is starting to um....seem like a ....um nice time. ;)

Murder She Wrote.....On sick days

I have been home sick the last two days trying to feel better and stop coughing up my lungs.

I went to the doctor and they simply confirmed I was sick and for me to take Vitamin C and drink lots of fluids. Different system here......I hate taking Antibiotic due to feeling queasy but this one time I would love to have them.

I decided to stay in bed and really rest so that I can stop feeling so run down and get better. This allows me to see daytime TV here on the 5 channels I get. A funny surprise was finding Murder She Wrote. It is kind of nice seeing all of the shots of Maine and the crazy characters and of course Angela L. You have to love Mrs. Fletcher… is a wonder this woman had time to keep writing her books as she was forever solving murders. There is something nice about watching this show.....something home-y. If only I could turn the channel and see Northern Exposure episodes...that would make my Sick Days complete.

Seeing the Catalogue before buying..

Laundry: Episode

I am still feeling sickly and coughing my lungs out…so I decided today would be the day I sleep lots, do laundry and clean house. In the process hopefully eradicating any bad germs and vibes. When I do laundry I DO LAUNDRY….like 8 loads worth. At college we have 3 machines and two HUGE dryers. I usually just take two machines up leaving the other one free and then using a timer have a factory like system.

Today I realized I could not wait any longer and put on some jogging pants and my grey Patriots hooded sweatshirt with my Bed-Head Hair thrown wildly in a pony tail ….oh yeah I am looking good. I put my loads in and then as my timers told me it was time to take them out and put more in…I head back to the laundry room.

I walk into the room….and OH NO. New um….errrr um….friend is in there. AHHHH He is waiting for whoever is taking the machines….(Me) to put his clothes in. We look at each other and smile and are all awkward. I am usually so put together but around this new um….errrr…um friend, I get really goofy and fall apart.
We say a big hello and I say speaking a mile a minute (which is not a good thing when speaking to a non-native English speaker....who doesn't speak Nervous Americian Freak) “Oh HI I am the girl that is taking these two machines…hee hee.” “I am done so you can take this one if you like…..”
New..um friend: “Um Thank you Reb, Are you sure you are done?” (As he looks at the new bag of laundry I brought in with me.)
Me: “errrr umm Yup, well you can take this…I am not ready to do this laundry yet.”

(WHAT THE HELL….am I doing??? Not ready?? I have 500 loads to do!! Why did I give this guy my machines???? How much more ready can I be? WHAT is wrong with me?)

Then I quickly flounder around and realize I have to use the dryer farthest away for my two done loads. I am the worst at clean clothes ----to -----dryer transport. Stuff always falls or is hanging down.

Me: “OK let me just get my clothes out of here!”

I open the washers ----- one has my reds/pinks/purples and the other blacks …..and I look in and think OH my god ….he is about to see my whole collection of undies and bras. OH GOD. I was down to my last pair hence….bringing me to do laundry today so the WHOLE catalogue is here on display. It is at this moment I realize that …I don’t really have plain neutral color undergarments…..they are loud and colourful and lacy with bows and patterns. DAMN you Victoria Secret Semi-Annual Sale!!

I quickly start taking things out and running and shoving them in the dryer as we are trying to still chat to each other.

I start to think that I am in the clear and that wasn’t so bad ….until he goes to put his things in the washer and sees I have left something. I go over and look and we just look at each other and smile. Opps I left my leopard print bra (that I bought as a total joke…but is surprisingly comfortable). Hee hee

Ha ha….Fun….now I never want to go back to the laundry……I guess the good news is we still have our plans for tomorrow….unless he cancels.

Knowing the Plan--Good Thing

Things are good...
Ups and downs...not enough hours in the day. I have to many things to juggle but ...I am very happy. Even though I am sick and keep loosing my voice and coughing my head of....I am happy.

For the past couple of months I have had these big plans looming over me. ....I will move to work in a lab in the south of France for a couple of months. But nothing completely concrete. Plans were for first week in November....then that pasted and I was living the last few days/week with the thought that I might have to pack up and fly there in a few days.

But luckily both sides have meet and we agree I will go for the beginning of the New Year after the holidays. I am sooo happy about this.
List.....
1. I was not ready.
2. There are people here that really need me to be here.
3. It is silly to go somewhere for a couple of months worth of work....right before holiday season.
4. I can start projects here that been on hold not knowing if I was leaving in the next day.
5. The other side is not ready yet either.
6. My mom is coming over for the holidays...MY FIRST VISITOR!!!! Now I know where I will be!
7. I want to hang around here in my new great room.
8. I have a new um....a um....friend and ....He is happy that I am here now for a bit so we can play get to know you. I love these pre-stages of sweetness...and do we like each other or really Like-Like Like each other. Hee hee! The most adorable emails ever..(in school I never got to be a girl that passed notes with a boy....passing emails is cooler!) This man is so sweet he needs to be in my life in some form or another!!!
9. I feel better (as in my stomach and sanity) that I know what the plans are....instead living in limbo.
10. Because I will be here...and maybe people will surprise me and themselves and come on over sooner than later!