Interesting things about Scotland

Driving on the left.

The centerpiece of every table.

Passing on country roads. (Go, go Gadget retractable side mirror!)

No explanation necessary.

London

This is crap. Where are the pictures? Kevin!? Do you have something to do with this?

Scotland

London

The update you've all been waiting for...

So much has happened this summer that I've been hanging on by my toenails! Here's the update in abbreviated form:

Early July:

Ryan, my Little Bro from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, came to visit me all the way from Georgetown, TX! The last time I saw him was just after my college graduation 2 years ago when we said goodbye because I was moving back to Chicago. When we started our mentorship, Ryan was a wee little 8 year old in the second grade, and I was amazed when I saw him last month that he is 13 and now several inches taller than I am! We had a great time exploring the city--Millenium Park, the Hancock building, Lincoln Park zoo, Shedd Aquarium, riding the El, taking the bus, you name it! I got in touch with the extent of my "whiteness," and my favorite quote from the weekend was when I tried to imitate the "gangsta strut" while we were downtown that comes to Ryan so naturally. Ryan's response when I asked how I was doing: "Girl, you look handicapped."

Mid-July:

New apartment yet again! Luckily the weather stayed cool enough for the move, though my friends and family were starting to mumble on their 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th trip up to the third floor with no AC lugging my stuff. One of them commented that I have so much stuff I don't even need to get married! The apartment is coming together nicely, albeit slowly. There are good things and bad things.. We have tons of sunshine (and heat), and the landlords leave bags of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden on our doorstep. On the other hand, when I started suspecting that our next door neighbors run a crack house I half-jokingly told my friend about it. He asked if there was always somebody sitting on the front stoop and my jaw dropped to the floor! I thought the kid was just waiting for his ride to school everyday when I leave for work. I've been instructed to listen for whistling and birdcalls to further prove the point. I'll send an update. I'm not posting pictures of the new apartment this time because I don't want anyone to make fun of my David Hasselhoff pictures again.

Late-July:

Vacation to Scotland! Finally a reprieve from the craziness of summer at work... The Scottish countryside was so green and the skies such a soothing gray that all I wanted to do was curl up on a porch swing with a cup of tea and a book. One of the days I got to do just that, and the rest we spent on a good balance of city and country, architecture and nature, active and resting. Highlights included: witnessing the Highland games where we saw large men in kilts tossing tree trunks end over end, a tour of the early 20th century Hill House designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh (Scottish equivalent of Frank Lloyd Wright), touring the grounds and gardens of the Balmoral Estate where the royal family has holiday, and taking cream tea with scones, jam, and clotted cream (only good the first time, the second time the clotted cream turned me off for the next 10 years). More pictures on the post below...

Early-August

Back to work, God save us all. I'm stuck dealing with complicated HR issues regarding employees who either just don't show up to work, or lie about their sick time. Unfortunately the strain on the team is huge and the icing on the cake is when parents get upset with management for the fact that their children keep having substitute teachers. It's when I want to say, in Dad's words, "Up your nose with a rubber hose." Probably wouldn't get me high marks for customer service.

I can't believe summer is almost over and I haven't even filled up my beach quota. I'm going to start wearing my bathingsuit underneath my work clothes so that I'm prepared in a moment's notice to head over to the lake. I have to have SOMETHING to offset those sub-zero temperatures that I know are coming all too soon.

Until next time, ladies and gentlemen...

Happy 6-0 Dad!

That's right, today is the BIG day. Dad is turning 60 today! This picture was taken by Mom in Crail, Scotland. Mom and Dad got up early to walk on the beach and she got a really great one. Mom, Dad, Caity and I went out for lunch yesterday because Caity had to work today and we were at Jen and Kevin's for the weekend. I'm making a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting as he requested. So happy birthday Dad, you don't look 60 don't worry!!





As some of you may have already heard, we said a very hard goodbye to Ivy on Sunday. She was the best puppy we could've asked for and she will be sorely missed, but we're glad that she's somewhere without pain and is hopefully reunited with the cats, the rabbits, the guinea pig, and the bird. I found this picture of her from our first winter in Illinois, she loved the snow and couldn't get enough of rolling around in it and eat the snowflakes that fell on her face.

Blueberries

We went picking today. It was cloudy and drizzly but we decided to chance it. I wasn't sure how far along in the season they were and I didn't want to miss them. Don't worry, Mom, there were lots of green ones. I think the cool weather is slowing them down. Elinore had so much fun picking. She had a cute little bucket tied around her waist, but I don't think a single one went in it. They all went straight into her mouth. We got caught in a 15 minute shower, so I asked Elinore if she wanted to go home or if she wanted to keep picking. She decided to keep picking, so we picked in the rain. There is nothing like a freshly picked, rain covered blueberry. They are so yummy. Now I am brainstorming my baking options...

Just a Quick Note

Last weekend Mike came for a visit and we have a wonderful time. It was very busy while he was here, I wanted him to be able to see as much as possible on his trip so we were able to make it to Parliament and Westminster Abbey (he did that one Thursday while I was in class), we saw the show Stomp, St. James's Park/Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, the Natural History Museum, Regent's Park and the London Zoo, and we walked by the Globe and St. Paul's Cathedral. I'm pretty sure he had a great trip, it was so great to see him and someone from home, although it made me realize how much I miss home and how ready I am to be with family and friends from home again.

I went to Leeds Castle and Canterbury this weekend. I love Leeds Castle, I want to live there and what did I love most about it? The grounds. They are BEAUTIFUL! We didn't get to spend very much time at each place because it takes a good 2 hours to get to Canterbury and then another 30 to get to Leeds Castle and then 2 hours to get back to London. The Cathedral at Canterbury was all I got to see but it was really impressive and fortunately we had nice weather. I am so beyond excited for Mom, Dad and Caity to come visit. I've been feeling pretty ready to come home lately so it will be nice to see you guys and get to show you around. By the way, we are going to see Harry Potter either Saturday or Sunday night, unless you all have already seen it. I've posted my pictures from Leeds Castle and Canterbury in my web album and I can't wait to see you guys!!!

BREMEN

I love Germany, even though I had no idea what people were saying to me other than hello and goodbye, it was an amazing trip. And we almost didn't make it. Our flight left London Stansted at 12:30, however, we had to take a 30 min tube ride to the train station where we needed to catch the Stansted express to Stansted airport, another 45 mins. I wanted to leave at 8:30 and though I was ready, Whitney wasn't until 9:30 and everything that could've gone wrong did. That morning 2 car bombs were defused in Picadilly Circus and someone had thrown his/herself in front of the tube at Liverpool Street station...the station we needed to change to the Stansted express at. So having left an hour late, we couldn't stop at the station we needed and had no idea where to go, so I asked a nice man in a suit where the station was and he basically walked us on the train. By the time we arrived at Stansted airport, we had to sprint to the check-in counter...there was 5 mins before check-in closed, fortunately we weren't checking any baggage but of course we picked the SLOWEST security line and ended up having to cut the que after waiting in line for 20 mins, leaving 10 mins to get to our gate. They were calling our names over the PA system as last call, but we made our flight. It felt like Chile to Peru all over again.

When we arrived in Germany we took the wrong tram and had to call the hostel for directions but when we got there it was amazing. It was basically a hotel, although it was listed as a hostel and we had our own bathroom and 2 single beds. It was set a little outside of the city, which was nice because it was quiet, minus the guy in the room next door with a loud cough. Unfortunately we were so exhausted from traveling and having gotten too little sleep the night before that we went to bed around 7. The next day was spent wandering around Bremen the most beautiful and cute city ever. Our hotel had provided some pamphlets on things to do and places to see and we had just decided to wing it on our trip. The only thing we really wanted to do was go to the Beck's Brewery, however there weren't any trams to it and we had to have reservations. So we went to Bottcherplatz a really cute little alley and Schnoor which had all the classic German architecture and was just adorable. We also walked along the River Weser where there was a street market and biergarten and a naval choir singing. Whitney and I stopped to take some video and pictures and I kept thinking how much Dad would love it.

The public transportation system in Germany is absolutely amazing and I can't believe other cities haven't adopted it. The tram is so efficient, the only cars I really saw were the buses, I'm sending a letter to congress that they need to follow the German example. Whitney and I spent a good portion of our first evening attempting to find some schnitzel and spatzle before realizing that those dishes are Bavarian and are probably typical of the south where as the north is more of seafood and other dishes we'd never heard of. But they did have brats, so we got some brats (I'd never had one before) and they were fantastic. Our next day was spent at the Ethnological museum, yes Whitney is as much a nerd as I am and we were going to walk around the city some more but we had our luggage with us, check-out was at 11, so we decided at 2:30 to just go to the airport early and read unfortunately our flight that was supposed to leave at 7:20 was postponed until 10:30, arriving in London at 10:20 where we caught one of the last trains from Stansted to Liverpool Street. We then raced to catch the last tube to Edware Road, still a good ways from South Kensington so we had to catch the bus. I think I'm cursed not only with flights being delayed, but also with buses. The 2 times I have taken night buses someone has vomited on it, I was so disgusted, I'm never taking a bus again. We finally got back to Ambassador house at 12:30 am and were so happy to be back in merry old London, but so glad we made it to Germany because it was a wonderful vacation and I got everyone a little something! I have all my pictures up on my Picassa web album so check it out.

Things in London are wonderful although a little sad, a bunch of friends recently left after session B so we're all feeling a little down. I've been getting a little homesick and a bit tired of going to classes, especially since they don't count for anything, but I'm forcing myself to stay productive. Whitney and I have made a list of things to we still would like to do and are slowly crossing them off. I know I won't get around to doing everything so I see that as incentive to come back and do it another time. London is really starting to feel like a second home and the people here are becoming like a second family, it's really nice. HOWEVER, I miss you all so much and I can't wait till I can see you! I'll do my best to keep you updated on all the goings on! Mike's is flying in tomorrow and spending a few days in London with me so it should be oodles of fun! I'm sending lots of love and keep checking my web albums for updates!

Elinore has been really into stickers lately

Can you tell?

Ravinia 2007

Last night commenced my Ravinia 2007 experience. On the north shore of Chicago there is a park built especially for holding marvelous concerts. The season runs from the end of May through mid-September, and they have incredible artists performing nearly every day. Actual tickets in seats under the pavilion are pricey depending on the performer, but there is a phenomenon called "Lawn tickets" that are generally about $10-15 no matter what. The performances go on rain or shine so the lawn can sometimes be a gamble, but for those willing to take the risk there are few things superior! The Chicago North Shore folk picnic in style, and among the crowd full spreads of champagne flutes and candelabras are not uncommon.

Last night was Latin Jazz night and Pink Martini (an eclectic little group that does world music fusions in a 1930s Havana big band style, that I thought no one had ever heard of!) was headlining. Lynn, Lili and I crammed ourselves and our canvas bags into a packed train and headed out to the park. 40 minutes later we arrived to stake out our patch of grass and set up our meager picnic. The evening was BEAUTIFUL, and when Pink Martini finally came on stage (after 2 opening bands) I thought I would die from the perfection that was the evening. China Forbes's voice was so rich and swirly that you could practically bite into it, and accompanied by Pink Martini's 12 piece orchestra it was all I could do not to lie back and be transported immediately to heaven.

I called Jennifer, who introduced me to the group about 6 years ago, twice to hold up the phone so she could get a whiff of the musical aroma that floated out over the lawn. Intoxicated by the music and the flickering of the fireflies people would spontaneously stand up and dance right where they were. No pomp. No circumstance. Just the pure joy of being carried by the music.

Curls in Houston

More about the wedding later, but look how curly my hair was!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEH

It's official everyone!!! Whitney and I are going to Germany! There was a change of plans, instead of Fuessen, we're going to Bremen the last stop on the German Fairytale Route. We bought the tickets and booked our hostel yesterday!!!! It seems silly for me to be so excited about booking this, but I've never done it before and I feel very proud of myself for having done the research and finding the best deal, etc. Thanks for rubbing off on me Mom. We are going June 29-July 1 and our hostel even provides breakfast, just thought I would spread the good news!

The first picture is of Whitney and me with the Irishman.

The second picture is the creepy frenchman basically falling on me...look at my clenched fist and gritted teeth. The other guy is the bartender Christian.







This one is of my disgusted face and the creepy frenchman...look at the sleezeball look in his eyes.

This picture is of the Russian, no that's not her father.

I'm considering changing my major to international communications. Just kidding. Whitney and I have found a new favorite place to go, it's called Giraffe and every time you get a smoothie or ask you get a plastic giraffe stirer. We've been collecting them and have no acquired 17 Giraffes and 5 helium balloons. Tonight may have been the best night I have spent in London. I feel I should explain my international communications comment, it began last week on Thursday night...

Liz, Kim, Whitney and I decided to go visit a Brazilian-Australian bartender, Christian, we had befriended and while we were there, about 30 mins before closing, a 50 year old Russian man who sells Vodka and was named Igor, brought over 4 coronas for us, then stayed to talk/attempt to seduce Whitney. Not long afterwards, Christian brought over the cook for the pub, a frenchman named Dean. The pub closed and we (the 4 of us girls) decided to go to another place called Archangel a few doors down, needless to say the United Nations followed us and Christian later followed. We were then introduced to an Irishman named Bernard or Ben for short. After about 20 mins the Russian got the hint that he was old enough to be our father and was not going to be sweet talking any of us, so too did the Irishman realize he was too old for us and none of us were interested. Unfortunately, the Frenchman was not so quick on the uptake and failed to accept that we were not feeling his creepiness, the pictures should suffice in explaining the disgust/creeper nature that was Dean. Christian, being the only one our age and not creepy at all was the one we all felt the most comfortable talking to, but after a little while we decided to head home. We joke that we were attacked by the UN minus those native to this land and the Germans. I should mention, as it was a source of much laughter today/tonight, we saw the creepy frenchman in the park today and proceeded to look the other way and play possum...it worked.

Tonight, Whitney and I made new connections with a Polish guy named David, an Englishman
(hooray!!) named Damen and a Zimbabwean named Michael. They were really getting a kick out of how silly Whitney and I were being. First of all, David talked us into buying a kind of friend beans covered in a spicy ginger, soy sauce but when they arrived with an empty bowl, we were confused on how to eat them. We both grabbed our fork and started chewing on one before thinking, are we supposed to eat the outer shell? No, in fact you were not, we asked Damen and Michael to assist us in learning how to properly eat these bean things and they got a good laugh out of our ignorance, as did we. A few minutes later, Whitney managed to get the sauce in her eye which brought on new waves of laughter. We were then talked into trying one the most delicious dessert called a banana waffle. It's a waffle with 2 slices of banana (they tasted like bananas foster) and vanilla ice cream covered in chocolate and caramel sauce. By this time we already had 4 plastic giraffes, but insisted we needed more when our dessert arrived. Then we each had every color but one, so we got the completion of the 4 colors, however, we didn't stop there. We then obscunded (Michael made up the word) 5 balloons and free teas but having been there for nearly 4 hours and the fact that they were starting to close up, we decided we really should get our check. I think they may have been avoiding giving us the check so they could see what silly thing we were going to do next. They agreed to sing to Whitney on Monday for her birthday and I have to say, I think burned off the dessert I ate laughing.

For my class, History of London, we take field trips every Wednesday and Thursay, wed being the walking day and thurs is the Museum of London day. We walked around Parliament and Westminster today and then I walked through St. James Park briefly because my friends Josh, Joshua and I wanted to see the horse guards, but they were in the changing of the guard ceremony. By the time we got there, there ceremony was over and we missed the horse guards completely. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and running some errands.

On a more exciting note, Whitney and I are going to Fuessen, Germany between sessions B and C. We found a flight for under $150 roundtrip and although we haven't booked it yet, Mom gave me the go-ahead to start planning and I found what seems like a pretty decent hostel in Fuessen that includes free linen, towels and breakfast. The most expensive thing is probably going to be transportation but I definitely think it will be worth it. Fuessen is called the King's Nook and is where some of the fantasy castles are found, it's at the end of the Romantic road in Bavaria and just looks AMAZING!!! Tomorrow is going to be a funfilled day I'm going to the Museum of London for class, the National Gallery and the Royal Mews (stables) with Whitney and then research/planning out this trip and going to Whitney's mom's house in Richmond to see if she can help us out at all with the planning. This weekend I'm going to Cambridge for the day along with several other trips throughout like: seeing the Lion King, Stonehenge day trip, party boat, Jack the Ripper walking tour, Midsummer Night's Dream in Regeant's Park and the London Eye. I guess I better get started working on my German...Guten Nacht!!

Washtenaw

It's official. Colleen and I will be moving in July from our great little apartment on Eastwood to make room for a friend of Colleen's who will move in with us. We, therefore needed to upgrade to a 3 bedroom apartment. We found a nice one on a street named Washtenaw just a few blocks away that I think we'll be happy in. It is again nice and spacious, but will be much sunnier than Eastwood has been! It is a 3-flat rather than a courtyard building, so the owners actually live on the first and second floor and we will be on the third.

The current tenants are in the process of moving out, so the apartment is a bit disorganized, but you can still get the idea of what it's like.

Washtenaw

And, finally, my favorite part... the owners love to garden and the small backyard has been transformed into a mini oasis. She has rows of vegetables, flowers, a trelis, a picnic table, and a small patch of grass. Imagine the peace of coming down in the morning for breakfast with the birds singing overhead...

Here are some more pictures from Williamsburg. You can read more about it on our blog. Elinore was the receiver of many many compliments, and she looked adorable in her little bumble bee dress (thanks, mom). We loved going in all of the little shops - the carpenter, the blacksmith, the milliner (dressmaker),... It makes me long for the kind of culture where craftmanship is honored, respected, and expected. Where you labor over something from start to finish and take pride in the finished product.

Thought this tree was worthy of a photo. I should add it to my tree collection.