31 July 2006

Owww!

I was just having a wonderful time. We had played a six-a-side game of cricket under cloud and sun. I had put on a bit of sun creme and didn't think that it'd be a problem. We ran around, we hit the ball, we attempted to bowl (well...some did well...I attempted). It was a blast. And then we sat outside to watch the men play and eat some food.

Two of the players went to Sainsbury's to get food. We were having a picnic on the lawn (a lovely one at that). Hoummus, spreads, brie, fruit, crisps...so much food. And then the sun. I had spent quite a bit of time outside and didn't think anything of it.

Around 2:30pm, R. picked me up to go look at carpets for our extra bedroom. And that's when I began to feel it. A prickly sort of feeling. And itch on my arm. Heat around my knee. I came out of the first carpet store, looked down, and then saw what I had done to my poor body. I was sunburned.

What a horror. I ALWAYS put on sun creme. I usually use 30+. What was I thinking to not put it on my legs or arms? The pain.

Sleeping last night was tough. I had to put my sheet inbetween my legs as the skin on skin sensation was awful. Rubbing was torture.

Woke up to continued pain. Less on my arms which have turned more golden then red. But my legs...so sad. And the worst - the front of my legs are all that are red....the back are just a light shade of tan. Which means I just look ridiculous. Sigh. Perhaps Johnson's Holiday Skin will help!

So to everyone - don't forget your sun creme! Even in England. Not only do I have pain now...but fear of future skin cancer and aging...it's just not worth it!

29 July 2006

And now a bit more...

I have promised R. that I will not become a Bridezilla. And it's most likely that I won't. But I don't think he ever expected that I'd become so organized about everything. He didn't see how I organize things before...so he's in a bit of shock as to how 'fast' everything is moving. He also doesn't realize what needs to be done for a wedding. Bet he's regretting us not eloping!

We have now booked our place for the ceremony and reception (same place). I'm quite happy about it, as it's a nice place and the woman who is the event planner is a family friend (our next door neighbor's daughter-in-law). She's young enough to get into all of this and seems to be enjoying the fact that we're going to be doing something a bit 'different'.

I have also booked a photographer and have a DJ in mind for the music. And I've sent away for a sample of a wedding invite. I know...moving fast. But I'm impatient to have it all organized and done. Since I have all this extra time in the summer, it'll be easier to do this now as opposed to later. I know I'll have to do some stuff in the future...

I hope I don't become one of those boring people who can only talk about the wedding. A bit is fine...but I know I could become a touch obsessed. So feel free to let me know if it's getting a bit much. Then again, using this forum to talk about the excitement I'm feeling is probably better than doing it to my friends!!!

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A little addition just an hour or so later...

R. & I were planning on paying for this wedding ourselves. I thought maybe my parents might offer to pay for flowers or something like that. But in a HUGE move on their part, my two divorced parents pulled together and are giving us $10,000 toward our wedding. This will cover, if not everything, then a HUGE part of it. I am entirely overwhelmed. I even began to cry. And I'm not a cryer. This is amazing. I'm beyond words.

27 July 2006

Planning, planning and more planning

Oh, the joys of planning a wedding. Now, I'm not one who wants in any way to become a Bridezilla. It's the marriage that is most important to me. But once you start planning an actual wedding and reception - particularly if it's a bit different - then it starts to be a lot of work!

So here's the scoop...

We came up with a budget. It's modest but doable for a nice wedding.

We have probably found a place in Pennsylvania for us to have the wedding. We're leaning toward Easter weekend, which may mean that a few people won't be able or want to come, but it works more for us (vacation time-wise).

Roy had a little freakout about the fact that no one from his family may be at his one and only wedding. But he still thinks it's a good idea to get married in the States.

I have put together a potential ceremony that blends our Christian and Hindu backgrounds. I'll post it eventually after I've finished it up.

I also think I found a photographer...she's seems new to it in a way, but I like the style on her website...which she's updating. I think we'd get on...and that she's take the more casual style that I like. I hate posed stuff...

But there is still lots to do and I tend to be VERY impatient about it all. Tonight will be the final decision making about the venue so that I can get an email out to the wedding coordinator there.
Doing this all overseas is hard work - thank goodness for the help I'm getting from my step-mom, dad and sis-in-law!

26 July 2006

Better

After such a disasterous Sunday & Monday, I figured I had to make up for it, if only to myself. So I've been doing some good work yesterday and so far today (it's around noon). And I'm quite pleased. For someone who is on summer break, I've done some mighty fine work.

Yesterday, I finished painting the ceiling and walls of the second bedroom. And it looks good. We decided on a lovely blue...cululous blue. It does have that sky blue sorta feel. Very calming. I also ordered furniture for it - a futon, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a bedside table. Plus, we'll be ripping up the rug tonight so I can pain the floorboards and then we'll replace it with something nice and new. It's going to look great. And it'll be a nice extra room for guests or if one of us wants to relax away from the other - do a bit of reading, take the laptop to do work, etc.

Today, before noon, I cleaned the master bathroom and the second bathroom - and that involved in one of them, scrapping paint off of the tub (never allow paint excess to dry - it's a bitch to clean!). In addition, I have started on making some peach ice lollies (ice pops)...with fresh peach, vanilla and some sugar...we'll see how they turn out! I just need to finish cooking it all, mix it and then put it in the moulds.

So - not bad for the day. I'll do a bit of prep work for dinner this afternoon and look at a few wedding ideas (we're figuring out where,when and appox who tonight!). Woo hoo!

25 July 2006

Idiocy

Once you hit a certain age, drunkness just comes across as so wrong. It also means that your recovery time is HUGE. And really, you should just know better. But no...not me...I wasn't so bright. And I paid a huge price of being completely unable to do anything yesterday.

On Sunday, I played cricket. We didn't do so well and it was bloody hot. But at least it was sunny. And so R & I decided that we'd have a picnic afterwards at the cricket grounds and watch the men who were playing after us. So we headed off to the shops and got ourselves some cheese, bread and wine. So that was the beginning...and it would have been fine if we stopped there. But no, we ended up hanging out with friends after the picnic and, this is where we became stupid, played a drinking game.

At 37, I should not be playing a drinking game. My body can't handle it (which is actually a good thing). And I definitely am a light-weight when it comes to drinking. So you can imagine that it didn't take long for me to get sloppy. And that is very embarrassing to be that drunk in front of friends. And I'll have to see some of them tonight at cricket training. Awful. But I deserve it. Cause, again, I should know better. Sigh.

22 July 2006

Being The Wifey

I still have about one month of vacation left. It is the beauty of working in academia. But it seems as though I'm going to be busy 'doing' the entire time. I started off by painting our extra bedroom...still in the process - it needs another coat on the walls and I have to paint all the detail stuff (windows, door, etc). We're buying a new rug and the furniture for it (it was an office before I moved in). After everything is done there...I'll be painting our bedroom (hopefully the furniture will arrive within a week or two or we won't have anywhere to sleep). Lots to do...lots to do.

Today I found ants in the kitchen. Ick. I have to buy some spray and an ant trap tomorrow - just didn't have it in me to trek to the shops. But I did clean the entire kitchen and put all the food away (as far & high as I could). I also fixed the caulking around the window and the back of the sink, just in case that's how they're getting in. But I don't think it totally worked. So I'll get the spray.

And due to all of this...the flat looks a mess. And as I'm the only one who is home all day long...guess who's going to have to clean it up. Sigh. While I love being on vacation and all...it does mean that I become the 'housewife' as R. calls me. Then again, I do look forward to work when I get done with summer break.

21 July 2006

I finally went to the gym. Yes, I know, I had three weeks of vacation so I do have that excuse...but truthfully, I haven't been doing the gym thing too much before leaving for the States. I did that whole walking thing outside to get ready for the marathon walk...but nothing after that. I have been LAZY!

And to help me continue going to the gym...R. has joined as well. Woohoo! We went last night. I did 30 minutes of cardio (R did his own and sat next to me on a bike for a few minutes - he was trying out a few things). Then we did a bit of weight lifting for our legs and had a good stretch. I'm not someone who has to do everything with their significant other, but it's so much more fun to have someone to workout with...and will keep me honest. I need to do the gym as I've gained quite a bit of weight...after looking at the holiday pics, I could really see it in my face and tummy! So gyming and healthy eating it is! (We had salad and smoked salmon last night with strawberries for desert)

And I've finally downloaded the nicests of our holiday pics - feel free to browse...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ukyankee/sets/72157594205344166/

20 July 2006




The View

The first full day in New Mexico was gorgeous. After all that rain, it was amazing to have 30+C (90+F) weather will lots of sun. I was sooo happy to have to put on my sunscreen! We had to drop off the rental car at the airport and then my mom drove R & me to Sandia Mountain. In the winter, you can ski at Sandia...but in the summer, there's a tramway that takes you to the top. According to them, it's the world's longest tram. And it's cool!

The woman who was running the tram gave us all sorts of history and info on the mountain. (She's the one who said something about Tim Allen and the movie...which we promptly forgot.) And the view was amazing.

We got to the top, got off and then went on one of the nature trails. They do a great job - lots of fun info for kids but also interesting enough for adults too. We learned that the rocks near the top were actually at the bottom of an ocean at one time (wow!). We saw lovely birds and smelled yummy pine. It was just gorgeous - the pictures I took just don't give it justice. If you get a chance, you should definitely check it out!

19 July 2006

Yo! Get off the set!

I saw Tim Allen. Yes, that Tim Allen.

My mom asked R and me if we'd like to go to this funky little town in New Mexico, just north of Sante Fe. It sounded as if it was a cool artist town. So, we decided to go...particularly as my mom told me that there was a great jewelry store! (I don't wear a ton but love it anyway).

We took off around 10:30am and drove to Madred. Very nice backroads through the mountains. Once we got there, we parked and walked straight to the jewelry store. This rough looking guy drove right by me on a motorcycle and then drove by again. Thought it was odd...but then again, we were in a funky sort of town. To our dismay, the store was closed. Sigh. We then continued to walk on. Hmmm...a chili festival was going on? The storefronts said one thing but the stores were something else? What was going on? And then we remembered...they were doing some filming here. And that same guy drove by me...it was TIME ALLEN. How cool. Unfortunately I did not have my camera up and ready as we were then politely asked to move away from the 'set'. So we ended up having lunch in the local pub/restaurant (very yummy Bison burgers).

So that's it. My brush with 'fame'. Not such a great deal...but it was still an unexpected thing, which makes it much more fun in my memory!

18 July 2006

And now the stories can commence. I promise that there will be a few over the next few days. And they'll probably get better and better as my brain clears more and more.

I'll start with the trip from Denver to Albuquerque. I don't know why, but I had allowed R to convince me that we ought to drive between these two cities. The drive is supposed to take between 6 to 8 hours, depending on a variety of factors. You'll get to see what these factors are...

We took off around noon from the Denver International Airport. We were renting a lovely full sized car - an Impala to be precise. And it had a huge boot (trunk), which fit ALL of our luggage, which had grown to include 2 large suitcases, a large duffle, a carryon suitcase, a small backpack and my purse. Impressive, eh?

We began to drive through the plains and mountains of Colorado on Route 25. It's a lovely road to drive on. You pass by all sorts of cities and towns from Colorado Springs (home of radical right and 'family' movement) to Pueblo (aka Home of Heroes) to Trinidad (sex change capital of the US). We wanted to make it to Albuquerque by 8pm, so we just kept driving on...but I did take some lovely pictures! Here's one...



We passed through Raton pass, which is a curvy road through the moutains at the edge of Colorado and New Mexico. It was just after this that we had quite a scare. We were heading toward a storm (not a shock after all the rain which had fallen during our trip)...but it was a different storm. We heard a thump. Then another. And then a large number of sharp thumps. It was hailing. And not that small hail you usually get. The hail was huge - about the same size as a nickle or large marble. It was scary. R. was driving and he did an amazing job. We pulled over as the road got more and more slippery...we couldn't see more than a few feet in front of us. Most people had pulled over as well. And then, ten minutes later, it stopped. Clear skies for as far as we could see. So off we went.

We continued driving until we hit Las Vegas, NM. It's not even close to as fun a place as the one in Nevada. In fact, it was downright blah. But we were very hungry (no lunch after a big breakfast) and needed some petrol. So the town did it's job. R had his first taste of Wendy's. At least it wasn't Burger King!

And then off we went and made it to Albuquerque by around 7:00pm...we made great time. And were we ready to get some sleep!

(here's a link to some pics in Denver...more pics to come: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ukyankee/sets/72157594202020754/)

17 July 2006

The Ring

Feeling a bit odd this morning. Slept quite a bit...but not a really good night sleep - woke up a few times and then went back to sleep. Will be trying to get to gym today to start off the losing weight program...as well as trying to eat healthy!

I decided to try to take a picture of my new engagement ring and post it...but I can't seem to get the detail right...so I went online to try to find a pic that is similar...and here it is: The diamond looks a touch larger here. I have a .40 carat diamond. It's small but perfectly formed (it's a 'Hearts on Fire' diamond...supposed to be the 'world's best diamond'. It's the best diamond we could find that size so it's a beauty to look at. R. calls me his sparkly girl & I can't stop looking at it. The ring is tension set (exactly same look as pic) so there isn't any diamond sticking up - it's great for someone who is active! I love it! I never wanted a big diamond and was even looking at anniversary bands as a possibility (simple is good in my book). Friends who had a bigger diamond weren't all that impressed, but I don't care...it is perfect for me and even if I had a ton more money to spare for such a trivial thing, I wouldn't have wanted anything different!

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Just a little note of happiness...the seamonkeys did not die while we were away and not taking care of them for the 3 weeks. In fact, I can see a bunch of little baby seamonkeys in there. Woohoo...I'm not a bad seamonkey owner!

16 July 2006

Home

I have arrived back in London. After 3 weeks of blissful (mostly) holiday, I'm back. And tired due to some serious flying. We left Albuquerque at 12:30ish pm on Saturday and arrived in London at 9:30ish am this morning. The bags are still unpacked and probably will remain so until tomorrow when I start doing laundry. And we're barely moving. Very, very tired. So I'm going to refrain from telling my last stories, other than to say...I still love my new ring. It's so sparkly. Hee!

08 July 2006

More Movement

How odd to be back on a computer. It's a rare thing when I go even 24 hours without accessing my email or anything else. But it's been so very nice to not even have the option. To disconnect from anything electronic was wonderful! But I'm back...at least for a day or so...probably after this I'll be on only one more time until I arrive back in London (next Saturday).

We've had a blast so far. Spent a few days in Boston with friends and ate & drank like there was no tomorrow. And then took a flight to BWI...which was only 20 minutes from Gibson Island. We spent one lovely 4th of July there at my cousin's house on the Island. It is definitely a unique place...feels sorta 1950s in a way - skinny moms who don't work, men who come to the island for a weekend but work during the week, kids who can run amok without worrying about being abducted. It's a VERY wealthy community. As someone who is not, it was a facinating glimpse into this world.

We then drove the next day to Alexandria, VA where my cousin has a house. We did a bit of touring around Alexandria, watched one of the Cup games and then ate seafood in Old Town. I love Old Town! It brings back some wonderful memories of going out with friends there. Unfortunately we couldn't all get together. Sigh. The next night we went out with R's uncle, who he hadn't seen in almost 30 years. We met him and his white American girlfriend...and had fun. We got turned away from a bar for not having our passports (no id) so went out for Chinese in Chinatown. Yum. Slept a bit that night (not much due to creepy old house noises) and then went on a flight to Denver.

My best friend, J., of 30 years lives there with her guy and we had another friend, N., coming out to visit. We went to downtown Denver to a wine bar (quite nice) and for dinner at Tamayo..it's a funky mexican style restaurant. We left a sleepy bunch and didn't wake up this morning until around 10am. We're now planning on heading to Boulder for the day...and more stories will come soon!

I'm so happy I've done this vacation. I feel so good about it and feel so much closer to R. We've learned a lot about how we deal with things and haven't killed each other. I guess that's a good sign!

03 July 2006

The Boston Experience

Continued the Boston tourist existence. R has never seen the place so we walked all over the older parts of Boston from the Boston Garden/Common to Back Bay to Faneuil Hall. It was a LOT of walking. And it was nice to see the old sights. I do miss Boston.

We ended back at M's place for a well deserved break. Boy was it hot outside yesterday! We waited until our appetite had returned after a HUGE brunch and started our journey to the North End in search of pastry and pasta...we definitely found both! The food fest has not stopped yet!

Today's mission is to go to the aquarium, followed by a walk around Harvard Square. Hoping to run into a few old friends. Then off for some Indian in the Square. It'll be our last time in Boston as we'll be heading off tomorrow for the DC area. Won't get to a computer for a while is my guess...so should have plenty of stories for a future post!

02 July 2006

More

I think I'm still full from last night's meal. I mean big belly full.

We arrived in Boston yesterday around 4pm...tried to find a bar that was showing the England game along the way but failed, so we were running a bit late. But got the rental car to the place on time after a crazy search for the road...forgot to print out a map & had to use friends to direct us. Still, we made it.

My friend, M., lives with her fiance in the South End. Great place - a big loft like space with an airy feel. We're spending nights on the pullout couch. We watched the end of the France game and then went on a walk to the Pru Center and that sort of area. Lovely shopping through we restrained ourselves! We then went for a drink at what had been our hangout and off to a lobster dinner. Oh, my, God! Baked stuffed lobster is amazing. Utterly unhealthy in the end, but so very yummy. We needed to walk back just to feel better!

So for the next two days we'll be walking and continuing the eating fest (North End tonight)!

01 July 2006

Way too early

It's about 6:30am here. I wish I could have slept in a bit longer. But R is having a 'snotty night'. He has issues with his nose and also gets allergies...so with the combo, ends of snoring and snorting some evenings. Last night was one. Oy!

We went to R's first ball game last night. It was only a minor league match but was a lot of fun. The Red Baron's (Philly team) beat the Pawtuket Red Sox (Boston team) by quite a bit. We exposed R to fried dough (aka funnel cake). And then there were fireworks after the game. Yup - lots of Americana just for his enjoyment. The expressions on his face were priceless.

If you are heading to the Crossings Outlet Center...just note that they may be lacking in bargains. We pretty much cleared them out. It was a shopping extravaganza like I've never had before. Yes, even R. survived FIVE hours of shopping...and never once complained. He cooks, he gets along with my family and he can shop with me...yup, he's a keeper!

And photos have been taken of all sorts of events, but as of now, we can't post them due to computer & camera issues. But I promise you will see them all as soon as I get back to London!

Off to Boston in a few hours...more to come...