Anna and Lucas

This week we are taking advantage of my Autumn half-term to visit some very important people. Lenny and I are in Annapolis this week with Hedi, Bruce, Ted, Susan.... and the twins! This is my first trip out to meet the twins, but they are already 7 months old! It is so amazing to see them meeting their world on a daily basis. The way they stare at colors and lights. I can just imagine them saying, 'Wow! That's cool! Where did that come from?!' We all are trying to discover the next best thing... what will it be? a loud kissing sound? a song? a clap or dance? I have tried them all! But, when that little laugh comes out.... to quote Visa... priceless! I love the little laugh. I love it so much that I crack up myself when I hear it! I will admit, the little smile will also keep me going... but the little joy giggle is my real baby crack. That is what I come back for time and time again. :)

We have had a wonderful time so far. This trip we are staying with Ted and Susan to get the most baby time possible. Lenny and I are doing a diaper competition. (yes, strange... but if you caught it... that means Lenny is changing diapers and I support anything that encourages him practicing that skill!) He has not heard the story yet, but at the moment I am the big winner for the worst diaper award. When I win the award, my thank you speech will be for..... Anna! Lenny has been adorable (um, I mean handsome... or studly!) helping out and is putting all his baby skills to good use. He does a great job calming the kids down and in typical Lenny fashion, he can bust a move and put an instant smile on the babies faces!

When I first came to meet the Bromberg family, we went for dinner at the family favorite restaurant Timbuktu. I was thrilled to be with the Anna and Lucas for their first dinner there too!

A huge thank you to all the Brombergs (especially Ted and Susan) for their hospitality while we are visiting. We miss you so much!

Signs

Every country has some unique signs. I try to be watchful for interesting signs here. I have seen a few that I love... but this one is hands down my favorite.Yep~ this is the old people warning sign! It is usually placed on the side of the road outside an elderly home or place where 'the old folks' will be crossing the road. The first time I saw this sign, I thought it must be a joke! I did a full double take. Now, I see it all over. I still have a chuckle. But, who am I to laugh at the elderly sign? After all, I come from a state with this sign...

Reading

I find that I read much more living in London. I have several neglected pastimes and reading is typically one of them; but lately, I have been a bit of a book worm. I can think of two reasons that I am reading more: 1) I have more time on buses/trains...and waiting for buses or trains! It is really great to have a book tucked away in your purse for daily travel. 2) We don't have Tivo here~ not that we couldn't have it, but if I don't have programs saved and 'waiting' for me to watch, I tend to not want to watch as much television.

In the past few months, I have read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, William Gibson's classic SciFi novel Neuromancer, The entire Twilight Saga (Twilight, The New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn); the His Dark Materials book trilogy by Philip Pullman (Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass); The Host another novel by Stephanie Meyer and now I am starting Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol. Lenny has been so wonderful and listened to me retelling most of these stories with incredible passion. He is very kind to indulge me ~ bless him.

I hope this new trend in my lifestyle will continue even when I am not waiting at a bus stop!

Le Creuset eat your heart out!

One of our constant struggles has to do with possessions. We moved to England in suitcases and got a furnished apartment. As we come across something that we need/want we ask ourselves... is this something that we want to get a cheap version of (which we will get rid of when we move back) or is it something that we want to bring to the states. For nearly a year, I have been thinking of buying a casserole pot (a la Le Creuset) and I finally did.... from Ikea! It is wonderful~just look at it! I spent two days cooking up a storm and freezing several meals for Lenny and I to eat during September~ the first month back at school is always a difficult one. We had an amazing Red Wine Chicken over mashed potatoes the other night. I look forward to the other meals that are waiting in our little freezer and my next evening cooking up a storm. Isn't this just an adorable pot??

35

This week I turned 35. It was much easier than I thought it would be. Not that I thought it would be hard, but didn't feel like celebrating while I was so far away from my friends back home. In the midst of my despair, a wonderful thing happened... I realized I am surrounded with friends from here!

Lenny and I decided to have a Margarita/Mexican themed party for our birthdays. We went all out. It was a blast! I was cooking for three days. We had 7 layer dip, Mexican fudge, homemade Pico de Gallo, chicken or beef tacos, enchiladas and coleslaw. In the middle of the party, everyone went outside and we did a pinata! Dessert included carmelitas, brownies, and ice cream. Overall, it was a ton of work... but SO much fun! I felt so surrounded with friendship and joy, it was a brilliant evening. I feel blessed to have met such wonderful people to celebrate with, thank you. Would I do it all again ~ yes! But.....probably not for another 4 years when Lenny turns 35!