catching up

Well, it's been a long time. In some ways, it feels like not much has happened in the past two months, and in other ways a lot has happened. I guess I just either never got around to writing about it, or just wasn't feeling like talking. A bit of both, I suppose.

My mom's health has taken a turn for the worse over the summer, and that's been scary and upsetting, a big reason why I've been a bit quiet. Right now she's doing well though, and all we can hope is that the dr's keep her that way for as long as possible.

As for me, work's the same, outside of work is much the same, but I'm working on changing my eating habits, just to be healthier and feel better. It's been surprisingly easy to stick to. I'm not saying that I'm not eating any more sweets or junk food, but having those in moderation when I really want them, and otherwise focusing on the healthy foods and snacks that I like is my new goal. I can already see a difference in how I feel, and although I've hardly lost weight yet, I feel like I look a little thinner, and my clothes seem to be fitting a bit looser. Today I'm even taking a huge step and trying out a ladies gym that's right down the street. I think it'll be convenient and easy enough to stick to a goal of going at least three times a week. So we'll see how that goes.

The weather is definitely very Autumn-like now, chillier and raining often. I have to say, I miss all of my favorite things from this season that I was used to in America... pumpkin-flavored goodies (although rumor has it that Starbucks is making pumpkin lattes in the UK now, so I'll have to check that out) the leaves changing, especially around the Brandywine Creek State Park, apple cider, American football (although we do get a few games here on Sky each week) and especially Thanksgiving. Summer has always been my favorite time of year, but this really reminds me how each season always has something special about it.

One thing to get excited about, starting a week from this Saturday I have a 9-day holiday from work, and Adam and I are off to Dublin the following Monday for three days :) it's been over six years now since we've been, since the beginning of our relationship, and I'm looking forward to revisiting it and seeing if it's like I remember :) should be fun times!

not quite the ending I was hoping for

So, here it is our last day off before we're back to work tomorrow, and it's just my luck that I seem to have caught a little summer cold. Thought it was a hayfever attack from sitting outside amongst all the flowers yesterday, when surely the pollen count must be up right now, but since it's continued on to this morning, along with a dodgy stomach, I think it must be a bit more than just allergies. So here it is, a beautiful sunny day, our last day of freedom, and I don't know how much enjoyment I'll get out of it, unless I suddenly start feeling better as the day goes on. I mean, I'm glad I'm not working today while I'm feeling like this, but still, it feels like such a waste of a day. Stupid cold.

I'm just sad to see our holiday time come to an end. A week ago this time I was sat drinking my coffee and reading in front of a lovely sea view. Time always goes so fast when you're having fun. And last summer I had all that time up until the end of July, where my time was my own so I always had time with Adam. Now we don't have many days off together, and we haven't had nearly as much sunshine this year as we did last. I wish it was just easier for us to have days out together. I wish I felt better today so I could enjoy this one.

*sigh*

it's always sunny in Scarborough

Four days can really go fast when you're having fun. Just back from Scarborough, which I'm happy to say was a lot sunnier than we expected, and hardly rained on us at all. Lots of walking around, playing by the sea, good food, good drinks, good laughs, and of course good photos, which really tells the story best, sooo...

the view from our window

from our daytrip to Whitby

Whitby Abbey

The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of De-feet

So, I've made it to my holiday time, which has actually gone from 9 days to 11 days off in a row, no complaints from me :) well, my only complaint has been that my feet are hurting again, to the point where they let me go home an hour early last night. I was hoping that I just have to get used to my new shoes, which should be comfy enough, but then I've figured out that the problem is with the way I'm standing, putting my weight on the balls of my feet instead of my heels, which is apparently wrong. But I think I've always done that, as anytime I've ever had sore feet it's always been the balls of my feet and not my heels. So I don't really know how to correct that problem, but I don't see being able to carry on with the level of pain that I'm having.

Anyways, for now I can put my feet up and enjoy the next week and a half. The weather doesn't seem like it's going to give us many reasons to spend a lot of time outside, but for better or worse, we're off to Scarborough on Sunday for four days. Today I've got some time to myself while Adam works till mid-afternoon. Right now I'm trying to decide if I feel like popping to the shops for a wander around. Guess we'll see what I feel like doing after I have a little brunch and coffee. Can't make decisions without coffee, LOL ;) and especially if it keeps raining, I might just feel more like staying in with my Kindle. I'm halfway through A Dance with Dragons, and I don't know what I'll do with my obsession once I finish, and have who knows how long of a wait till we see Book 6. Guess I'll try to get into another story in the meantime.

New favorite quote: 'A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies'- George R.R. Martin

My Song of Ice and Fire Soundtrack

 Adam introduced me to uwall.tv tonight. Working on my own playlist, to reflect my mood as I'm reading the Song of Ice and Fire series. Don't have many songs yet, but it's a work in progress :)

My Song of Ice and Fire Soundtrack:

more randomness

Hello world, just thought I'd pop in with a few random thoughts for today :)

- I've started reading the Song of Ice and Fire series, by George R.R. Martin. I've resisted for awhile, thinking how long the books are and that they'd be slow-going at times and I'd be struggling through it, but I'm so into the tv show that I can't wait for season 3 to start next year to see what happens next. I'm nearly finished with the first book now, and I'm really enjoying it, I read pretty much every spare moment I get. It's just like watching the first series all over again. I'm really excited to catch up to the end of the second book, and then get on to the third which will be the start of the story that I don't know yet. By the time the next season of Game of Thrones starts, I'll already know the whole story :)

- I'm becoming addicted to avocados. Not on their own, just in sandwiches. Always nice to find something healthy that you love.

- After all that sunshine we had just a couple of weeks ago, it's pouring rain on us now. I want my sunshine and warm weather back :(

- I've actually got a Saturday off next week, that is if nothing changes on the schedule in the next week *knock on wood* and I'm really excited for that, not because I have any plans, but just because I'm so fed up with weekends and bank holidays meaning that I'm only having to work even harder and not get a break. It would be one thing if I had random weekend days off now and then. So this gives me hope :)

- Five weeks from now I start my 9-day holiday :) Guess we'd better sort out soon if we're going anywhere... all depends on money, really.

- And I'm playing Skyrim again. I actually made a new character, so I could go back and start the story again and try new things. And of course, going along with my Game of Thrones obsession, my new character is Daenerys Targaryen. Since she is the Dragonborn, and all. It's fun to be running around in the game again and seeing what random things happen :)

Party's over it seems...

Well, we had absolutely beautiful weather for over a week, so I suppose that's the best we could've hoped for. But after nine days of temps in the high 60's- mid 70's and hardly a cloud in the sky, last night the rain finally came, and today will be rainy and cooler again. Oh well, it was nice to enjoy the sunshine while we had it, and hopefully it'll come back again at times over the next few months. You never know.

Nothing else exciting going on here really. Still been in a cooking mood. Last night I threw together a lovely pasta with bolognaise sauce, tuna, prawns and mussels. I got the idea from Adam a few weeks ago, when he decided to use tuna in spaghetti instead of the usual mince that we do. It was nice, but I thought I could improve on it a little. And wow, yeah, that was my idea of heaven, a nice plate of seafood pasta. The other day I made a strawberry-banana pie, but not from scratch, just bought a ready-made crust and made up some strawberry gelatin-like pudding mix, with banana slices. Not bad though.

So, tomorrow begins a new month. No plans for June, but it's our last chance to sort out if we're going to go anywhere in July for our time off work. Some ideas have been tossed out, taking the train to Devon, flying to Jersey, flying to Mallorca. Guess we'll see, it all depends on money, really, as does everything in life.

You smell what I'm cookin'?

Well, we're finally starting to see signs of spring again here in sunny Leeds :) it's getting warmer, and hopefully we'll be seeing a bit more sunshine. Adam and I have a day off on Wed., so maybe we'll get out and enjoy the day, if we're lucky enough for the weather to cooperate. Last year we had quite a few random outings when the weather was nice, and it would be nice to have a chance to do that again.

So, I've been trying to do a bit more creative cooking lately, try some new things. Last week I had a hankering for pad Thai, like the dish that Adam had at the Thai place we went to for our anniversary. I didn't use proper rice noodles though, as I wanted bigger ones, so I subbed some tagliatelle instead, which worked out nicely. Some pad Thai sauce (thought the store-bought sauce was easier than getting all the ingredients to make my own)onto the egg-fried and seasoned noodles, and a stir-fry mix of bean sprouts and some other veg, and some prawns, and it really turned out perfect. Definitely one to try again often.

So, tonight's culinary adventures are taking us into the world of casseroles. Chicken parm casserole, to be specific. Found a recipe on Pinterest, and it gave me an idea to base mine on. I never follow recipes exactly, I just use them as a guide, changing ingredients and sometimes cooking methods as well to suit my preferences. I diced the chicken breasts (about 550g) and coated them in egg and breadcrumbs, seasoned with garlic and basil and parmesan. Threw on mushrooms and onions. When it's ready to go in the oven, I'll add a jar of pasta sauce, cook for 30 min. on 175 C, then take it out to add the mozzarella and cook for maybe another 30 min. or so. Since my recipe uses a smaller portion than the original recipe called for, it may need less time, we'll see how it turns out. Hopefully it'll be awesome.

when a song comes on and it just makes you smile...

'You are the one to grow old with. To live, to laugh and to lie with. You are, you are, you are.'

*smiles*

Love you Adam, even when you're being a cheeky sod ;) you're still completely and utterly perfect for me in every way <3

ramblings

So, this is my first attempt at blogging on my phone. I'd best try to keep this short as I've already lost all that I typed a few minutes ago. Technology: can't live with it, can't live without it. I could live without predictive text though. If I have any odd words out of place here, that'll be why.

One thing I want to do is resolve to cook from scratch more, as much as I have time to, that is. It's fun, it's creative, and I can choose my own preferred ingredients. Although maybe I should wait till I've tried the potato cake mix I made today before I decide this, haha :)

I've had some other stuff on my mind lately as well, nothing I've been eager to talk about, and still don't really want to get into. I just... well, it's just that it's not going away, so I guess I feel that I need to put it out there just a little, tentatively, abstractly. It's just that there's no solution, so what do you do with an issue that you want to change, but can't? All I keep coming up with is to try and leave it alone, or find acceptance. I don't know... maybe I'll feel more ready to talk about it more later.

London adventures

Well, two days went as fast as I knew they would, but we managed to pack a few adventures into our brief stay. A few highlights before I start posting photos and whining about going back to work tomorrow:

-Stopping at Bagel Nash at the train station before we were on our way. New Yorker bagels are guaranteed to start my day in a super-fantastic mood :)

-Random wander through Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden, and the rain let up for us during that time :)

-A margarita that far exceeded my expectations, and made me wonder why I ever stopped drinking tequila for so long, haha :)

- Finally going in the Tower of London. There's so much history there, and seeing a place that's nearly 1000 years old and the settings of some of the historical fiction stories I've read was totally fascinating.

- Cheese popcorn. I know that sounds like such a small thing, but I can never find cheese popcorn here, and I didn't realize how much I missed it.

- Going on another random wander around the city, and ending up at the Borough street market in Southwark. I just adore street markets. And baklava, which I also hadn't had in ages, and had to buy some from a market vendor.

- Time spent with Adam. Which is the reason why I'm going to post my photos now and then get off the computer.

Ok now for the best part: photos :)

First anniversary!

Well, we've come to our first wedding anniversary, already! Time just goes so fast, it's hard to believe it's been a whole year since that beautiful day in Gretna Green. The weather's not so beautiful today unfortunately, and it looks like it's going to stay like this for our London getaway this weekend, but oh well, we'll make the most of it as always. Today we're just having a quiet day, Adam's making some brunch for us now, and tonight we're going to finally try that Thai restaurant down the street from us. Tomorrow morning we're off to London, which I've really been looking forward to. It'll be a quick trip since we're back on Sunday, but we'll have lots of fun I'm sure, and I'll try to take as many photos as possible. Hopefully I'll have a few stories to tell in a few days :)

And most of all, I hope this was just the first of many, many more happy years with my wonderful, gorgeous, silly, geeky (and I mean that as a very high compliment ;) ) sexy husband :) Love you Adam, thank you for the best year of my life so far <3

In My Life

 In My Life- The Beatles

There are places I'll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All this places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life, I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life, I love you more
In my life-- I love you more

Trip Down Memory Lane

So the other night, Adam and I went looking through old photos, all the ones I had brought with me when I moved, which were mostly from our trips, and a few from when I was growing up. Then he got out his old journal that he'd started right before we first met, and of course I wanted to read it, haha :) he let me see a little of it, bits from when I'd first come over and after I'd gone home. Mostly about how happy he was, and then about how much he missed me and loves me. Made me feel so good :) and it's had me remembering those times, how I was going through all the same feelings, hoping it would all work out. It just makes me even more grateful that we're here today. I think we'd met at just the right time in our lives. I feel like if I'd been younger and still going through all the personal changes and self-discovery that I had to get though first, I'd have messed things up too much. I certainly wouldn't say that I'm perfect now, but I know myself in a way that I never did ten years ago. And it's good to know myself :) and now here I am, here we are, with our first anniversary coming up next week. Funny how that really feels "grown up" to me, being able to say that we've been married a year :) Wow...

So, I have permission to read the rest of the journal now. I don't know if I want to read all of it, but I guess I'm curious enough that I'll read at least parts of it. I know that there were times back then when it wasn't easy, some times were tough and confusing, and it may be sad to think of that part of it again. But it was a long time ago, and look at how much things have changed. And it's still nice to remember the happy times and how things all started :) either way, it's always there now to look back on :)
 

Whod've thunk it??

Ok, I know the weatherman has been saying for the past week that we could get snow, but honestly I didn't believe one bit that we'd get anything here. Maybe a flurry or two at the most, but nothing that would stick to the ground. I mean, this time last week we were all out in t-shirts enjoying the sunshine! But guess what we woke up to today...

I guess anything really is possible when it comes to the weather in England...

Out like a lamb

Well, I guess it's been awhile since I had much to say. Life's fallen into it's routine and there hasn't been much variance from that in the past weeks to speak of. The weather is finally picking up, we're in the middle of a sunny spell with temps well in the 60's, and today and tomorrow I'll get to enjoy it since I'm off work. I've had more time off lately, since we've all had our hours cut back a little since it's not been busy and we have a good amount of staff right now. Then last week I caught a cold which hung on for a few days, and each day I left work early since I wasn't feeling well. This was just after having three days off, and now I have another two off as soon as I start feeling better again, so all and all I feel like I've hardly worked this past week. But anyways, now I've shaken off this cold, we're heading into Springtime, it's beautiful weather right now, and I'm feeling sunny and bright myself, and ready to enjoy this time. Here we are, already about to head into April, and this time next month Adam and I will be celebrating our anniversary weekend in London. I can't believe it's nearly been a year already...

rainy day ramblings

Well, aside from my birthday, I suppose there hasn't been much of anything new going on... still working, and enjoying free time when I have it, although my days off always seem to go by too fast, without enough time to do everything that I'd like. Really, I don't know how some people can get bored when they have a weekend or time off from work. I could always find about 101 things I enjoy doing at any time, and happily pass the day while doing them.

Anyways, my birthday was good. Adam got me a new mp3 player I'd been wanting, and the family came round, got a nice bit of birthday money from everyone, and then a fondue pot and chocolates from Simon and Lisa when we all went out on Saturday night. Had a bit too much wine though I think, since I had a headache all day yesterday, but it was a good night out. Friday I went shopping and found a new top and a really great pair of shoes. It's not often I find a pair of shoes that are comfy enough, look awesome, and even come in a half-size, so that in itself made it a successful shopping trip. I still have more birthday money I can spend, but I think that'll wait for a day when it's not raining and I feel like being out and about. With my luck, there doesn't seem to be many days like that coinciding with my days off from work, but we'll see, I'm sure it'll happen sooner or later. And if not, it's more spending money for when we go to London in April, which I'm really looking forward to.

Well, I think I'm going to go spend the rest of this rainy afternoon curled up with my Kindle, and then soaking in a hot bath, and nibbling on some of my chocolates that I still have from Valentines Day and my birthday. Definitely a good day to be able to stay indoors, and plenty here to keep me occupied for the rest of the day :)

new things

My new discovery this week has been the website called Pinterest. What it is, is when you sign up, you install a "pin it" button onto your browser, which lets you pin any photos you find online onto your pinterest boards, to share pictures of things you like with other friends or people with similar interests. And of course, I have millions of things I like, so I could really spend all day online posting pins, hehe :) it's so much fun! Not that I needed another website to become addicted to, but I just couldn't resist it anymore ;)

Well, I've been back to work this past week after my time off. Some people are leaving, so I guess that will mean some new people will be joining us soon, maybe. Hopefully things will take a more positive turn.

Other things that have taken my free time have been updating the music on my Windows Media Player, and putting some songs on my phone to listen to. I'd prefer to have an MP3 player so that I'm not draining my phone's battery and spare memory too much more, but my birthday is next week so you never know. I've also started watching the first season of Lost Girl on the SyFy channel with Adam. I thought it was a bit cheesy at first, but it's growing on me, and I've started looking forward to watching an episode or two on most evenings before bed. Other than that, it's been a bit of the usual... reading, playing Skyrim, keeping up with our laundry pile, which I'm convinced is refilling itself automatically every time I've finished putting a washing on. Which reminds me, I'd better go put a washing on pretty soon...

I'll close this with some words of wisdom from Mr. Albert Einstein:  “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” In other words, we all have things that we're good at, but if you judge someone by the things they aren't good at, you're overlooking the best of that person. Be good to each other, and remember that we're all human, and deserve kindness.

SuperBowl Champions, again! :D

Wow, what a game last night! My boys always take it down to the wire and leave me a nervous wreck in the last few minutes, LOL, but we did it, we're the SuperBowl champions again! Didn't that take us all back to four years ago, the last few minutes were uncannily like the way they won then too, the Giants down by just a few points in the last minutes of the game, pulling off that last touchdown, and then that last push from the defense to hold off Brady and his gang for one more drive before it's all over. I must say, these two teams are amazingly well-matched, and I think they could play each other on any given Sunday, with any result. But the Giants got the big result when we needed it last night, and now there's much to celebrate! What an amazing feeling it was to see them do it again! Hats off to the Patriots for playing an amazing game and making us give it our all to win this one. Maybe we'll meet again for a third time in a future SuperBowl... but for now, enjoy the victory, Big Blue and all the Giants fans out there, this moment is ours! :D

exploring my inner fashionista

Ok, I know no one could mistake me for a fashionista, and I'm not usually into some "girly" things like shopping all the time and owning loads of shoes and handbags. But now and then, I do get that bug to want to go out and try to find some nice things for myself. But the problem is, I'm totally picky. It has to be the right color, the right print, the right style, look at least semi-flattering on my chubbyish figure, and also be a good enough bargain, as I refuse to spend loads of money for a new outfit.

Looking in my wardrobe makes it obvious that it could use a bit of an overhaul. Most of my time is spent either at work, where I wear my grubby uniform, or lounging around the house, where a pullover top and pj pants will do just fine, or even just running out to do some errands, where I can trade said pj pants for a pair of jeans and be on my way. But for times when Adam and I go to the pub, or go for a night out somewhere, sometimes I struggle with finding something smart to wear. Even something smart-casual to wear can be a challenge on some occasions. Again, the struggle comes in that when I have to choose comfort or fashion, I want to lean towards comfort. If I put on something that won't be warm enough, I'll be cold and miserable while we're out. Or if I put on shoes that may be even slightly impractical, my feet will be uncomfortable. But then when I dress down and go for comfort, I end up feeling scruffy next to other girls who have on super-shoes and cool outfits. It is nice now and then to dress well and feel good about yourself. I just like to be able to find a happy medium, where I can look nice and still be comfortable enough.

So with all these factors, it can make it hard for me to find much when I go shopping. Yesterday I was wandering around Asda, and noticed a lot of cute styles. But the patterns on the tops tended to be either flowery or really bold, loud patterns, which really aren't me. What happened to solid colors, or subtle patterns? And then the few things I did try on looked nicer on the racks than they did when I put them on. Shame too, because for those prices I could've picked quite a few things if they had suited me well enough.

I think part of what's gotten me in the shopping mood is reading chick-lit again. Too much talk of shopping, nights out, fabulous clothes, shoes and handbags. It just brings out my inner girly-side, I guess, haha. But I do have some time off work this week, and a bit of money I can afford to spend, so I think one or two more trips planned out to the shops are in order. Hopefully this time they'll be more successful, and I'll actually find a few things that fit all my criteria.