I just saw this on the telly

I laughed so hard when I saw this! I hope it makes you smile.

Yikes!

This is a photo was taken when I was at seminary in California 2006 (or 7), the last time I went mountain biking (before last week, of course). Today at work I signed up for a few training courses and I have come to the conclusion that this job is going to kick me in the butt! I'll be biking this week three times and most likely in the cold rain! YAY! And my mountain biking instructor award, I have heard, is a tough weekend of pain and suffering. My climbing wall award requires me to visit 3 walls at least 15 times before the course and then another 30 times before being qualified. That includes a variety of lead climbs. I haven't been this active in FOREVER!! I think this job is my New Year's resolution. Soon enough I'll just see the pounds fall away....RIGHT!

Any ideas?

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So I'm going to Amsterdam next weekend to meet up with Victor and I'm just wondering if anyone out there has some good ideas. I went there once back in 2000 but all I can remember were the big things like the Anne Frank House, the Van Gough Museum and the great pancake restaurant we went for every meal. But what about some obscure things? Any have any ideas?

A historic moment is passing me by...well, sort of. In this age of technology I have the opportunity to record Barack Obama's inauguration as President of the United States and view it hours after it happens. But I have to say that there is something inside of me that wishes I were back home to be with people who understand what this means to me. Our first African American President, even at such a young age, it brings tears to my eyes. And for the first time in my electing history, I voted for my registered party because I believe that this will bring about something new. Better? Equal? Brilliant? Worse(not so much)? No, yes, all of the above: something new.

And I will happily tell my children that I was part of history.

Brilliant

Maybe I've blogged about him before, but Griffin House is so fantastic I think everyone should be his fan. This video is just perfect for this song and his personality. There are a few more on YouTube that you should also take a look at when you've got the time to waste. Now all he needs to do is come to England and I will be over the moon!

The New Forest

Today I spent three hour mountain biking around the New Forest. Now, I don't technically work for any forest department but our centre is in the 144 square acres of the historic New Forest. It's full of so many interesting things from the wild horses that roam around the forest to the old WWII air field where planes would take off to bomb Germany. I take this moment to send you to their tourism page if you are so interested. Check it out!

The New Forest

Finally Victor finds Facebook!

Yes ladies and gents, Victor is on Facebook. It only took him forever but he finally caved. So last night we went through all the bits and bobs of how Facebook becomes the crack you have always wanted to be addicted to. Oh it was a joyous time and I could hardly believe that anyone could be so clueless about one of the most popular cultural phenomenon to happen this millennium.

Other than that it's been work, work, work! Mostly it's going over all the risk assessments but we did get to play with bows and arrows yesterday. I hit the inner yellow ring once (out of seven tries!) Tomorrow it's mountain biking. Maybe I'll try and bring the camera.

I don't know how well this photo will turn out but it is from last Friday at work. Frost, frost, frost!!! And today it was rain, rain, rain!! I just love this weather.

So the job is going well but it's still at the talk, talk, talk stage. But tomorrow we're doing some staff training on low ropes and then on Thursday we get to go mountain biking.

Rough life.

Maybe some of you are up on what's happening in the world of communication but I just learned about Skype. So any of you using Skype? Because now we can chat and look at each other. Sweet.

It took a while

but I finished the book this afternoon. It was great! I recommend that you read it now. So step away from the computer and read!!

My late night

I've been really proud of my self recently because I have been going to bed at very early hours and getting tons of sleep:) However, I am posting this at 12:16am. Not cool.

I just started reading A Thousand Splendid Suns this morning and I'm already half way through. When will I learn that I shouldn't read so fast because then I can enjoy a book for a longer period of time? Well, I won't start now because this book is so good I can't put it down.

The Spinsters...as Vic likes to call them

Here are photos from the Christmas party with the Spinsters. As you can see we are a rowdy group. Now that I have a job, I won't get to spin with them on Wednesday mornings anymore. That really does make me a little sad.
Eating it up! We had a pretty good spread for the amount of people we had. It's just so hard to drag us away from the wheels....
This is Jo and she is just a riot! She tells some of the greatest stories. I don't know exactly where she's from but her accent is sort of rough and when she starts telling her stories it just cracks me up!I bought the same type of wheel Jean has and it's wonderful. She's sort of the leader of the group when it comes to learning. She wasn't there the first day I showed up but right away everyone said I needed to start learning from Jean. Pippa lives at the end of my street and she lent me my first wheel. It was great to learn on! She also has helped me with planning trips to France since she goes there a lot. YAY!!Pell, I'm sure, is telling us all a great story of some importance...not true, actually she's telling us trivia about Star Wars. She's from Scotland and we've sort of bonded over the fact that we're both foreigners. Plus, she teaching me all about what not to say. This is the wheel of another Jean and I just love how she put little sheep stickers around the bottom.

I've had so much fun with these ladies and I think that at times I provide them with some amusement. And when my job is over next year I can return to them...the Portchester Spinners have been a group for, I think, 30 years. They're not going anywhere any time soon.

The Kinder Egg Issue

Yes it's the chocking hazard! But seriously, we'll give our kids lead painted toys from China but not Kinder eggs? If parents would take the responsibility of teaching their kids not to eat the toy in the middle then this might not be a problem. After living in England for just four months I have learned that the USA is WAY too over protective. It's like we live under the false notion that NOTHING CAN GO WRONG EVER!! And when or if something goes wrong everyone has the right to sue the pants of whoever they like.

Now don't get me wrong, I do believe that if someone does something wrong then we all have the right to sue the pants off of them. But if you are dumb enough to put hot coffee between your legs while you drive, burn yourself and then blame McDonald's for your injury then you are STUPID!! You should not win your case. However, we live in a society where that person DID win their case which opened up the door to the ridiculous.

ARUGH!!

NO WAY!

So I've been obsessed with Doctor Who recently and BBC has been playing all the reruns from series four which I record and then watch for hours. Now that all the shows have been watched, I just realized that the Doctor isn't on quite as often as every day...BOOOOO!!!

This new season is the last for David Tennant (love him!) and the new Doctor will be Matt Smith (don't know him). BUT the saddest news for me is that Donna's days with the Doctor are over! Of course, everyone in the UK already knew that but I just watched that episode the other day and it was SAD! She is totally my favorite Doctor Girl! She was so normal and really funny and she didn't totally fall in love with the Doctor (like the other two).

And now I have to wait until EASTER for the next episode! How will I survive? Not sure:)

Ok, so it's been a while...

but seriously, I've been busy! We got back into town on Thursday and I just needed a few days to chillax before posting to the blog. Christmas in Sweden was a fantastic trip! I totally love Vic's brother's family (aka the Swedes). We had such a great time with them and the kids are so fun to be around. It's funny because they are the same age and genders of my niece and nephew back in Ohio and they are SO similar. It's a little scary.

And since I took a buttload (can't believe that's not in the dictionary) of photos, I'm only going to post my top four. To see the rest you need to check out my albums on facebook. And if you're not on facebook then what is your problem?

Sledding was AWESOME!! The Swedes live literally next to a ski hill. Since it was closed until January, we had free reign over the whole hill. This photo is of Calvin and me at the TOP! It was a very scary ride down the hill in which I did a lot of screaming. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I went to IKEA!! While it was not the original store it was the Northern most...well, that's a claim I can't support technically but it is just below the Arctic Circle and I know there isn't one in Russia so that would leave Fairbanks, Alaska.... And the funny part about this photo is that my grandma's name is Rhea and rea in Svenska means "sale"...they are pronounced the same.
Christmas Eve was an interesting event to witness. Santa comes and you get to open ALL your presents that night. And even though I don't speak Svenska, I did think that he translated to be a very funny man. And the classic angel on the top of the tree. How precious is this kid, seriously.


So that was my top four photos from the trip. I just loved being there and after ten days I was ready to go home, too. On our way back to England I began to think about how this place is becoming my home. I longed for my own couch, kitchen and bed and when I thought of those things, I thought of England. In church on Sunday I looked around and felt that this was really my home. It's only been four months! However, we still have some more boxes to unpack...BOO!!

The weird about being in Sweden this Christmas is that from about the age of 16+ I've spent most of my Christmas Eve's with my good friends the Hedlunds. Ok that's not the weird part. The weird part is that they come from Swedish descent and all those Swedish themed Christmases sort of prepared me for this epic event. I was sort of like an adopted daughter (or at least the Italian exchange student) to the Hedlunds and I felt that I was totally returning to something that was part of my own family history. As if I was a Hedlund going back to the mother land. I should have called them on Christmas Eve...what was I thinking!

And yes, I said I would only post four photos but I just had to add this last one. If you know anything about Kinder Eggs you will appriciate this one....unless you live in the United States.Kinder Eggs: Illegal in all 50 States.
Total bummer.