Royal Wedding Party

Well, now that it's all over, I'm amazed that I was able to be in England for the royal wedding today. We celebrated with some friends from church, four bachelors who live in a tiny (to this American) flat, who texted our invite saying:

Dear Sir/Madam: You are cordially invited to watch the royal wedding at [insert address here] on a big screen and in state of the art stereophonic sound. Doors will open at 9:38. Just like Prince William we will provide Kate-a-ring during the service. However, our catering will be limited to bacon rolls because we will be having a massive BBQ and buffet after the service in our open air rear patio. Please do be bringing meat and/or suitable buffet items as you come. Good weather is guaranteed. Patriotic dress is optional. Please do let us know if you are able to attend for catering and logistical purposes. 

They were such excellent hosts! About 15 of us crammed into their living room and crowded around the TV. There were banners, flags, balloons, and all the rest of it. 

Could you believe this dress? How stunning was she? My favorite part was the veil and tiara as she walked in. I thought she just looked so lovely!

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Here we are in the living room.

The boys made this sign for the kitchen door.

And here's Goody, fanning the charcoal flames with a hairdryer. You gotta do what you gotta do.

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This is my favorite picture right now. Prince William's goddaughter was probably wedding-ed out by this time, and the noise from the crowds was not helping. Hilarious! 

As the news reporters were polling people in the crowds for their thoughts on the day, words that kept coming up (aside from the usual "lovely," "fantastic," and "gorgeous") were: "understated" and "well-organised." So typical!

Easter Afternoon

Somehow, in my excitement over the new blog design, I neglected to tell you the sad news about my Easter dress. I was ready for church before Nathan and was standing around in front of our bedroom window. The glorious sunshine was streaming in while he finished getting his tie situated.

"Do you like my new Easter dress?" I asked coyly. "Don't I look pretty?"

"Uh, I can see right through it."

I spun around to face the mirror in the sunlight, and I gasped! No lining + sunny Easter day = tragedy.

"And it's kinda short," he said.

Double tragedy.

I changed into another charity shop dress, one I bought when we first arrived, and it worked out fine. I was just sad I couldn't wear my recent find, especially since I was bragging about it to y'all.

Anyway, after church and our really nice lunch with friends, we picked up our friends Adam and Ashley and went to a bonfire...

Side note: I was just thinking, we have a lot of married couple friends who share the same first initial like us - Nathan and Nicole.

Adam and Ashley

Ben and Blaire

Justin and Julie

Luke and Laura

Pete and Paulette

Steve and Sarah

Am I forgetting anyone? 

And yes, I thought of them in alphabetical order, because I'm neurotic like that.

Bonfire time!

It started out pretty pitifully (health and safety, you see), but it got better as the night went on and we ended up with a proper, wonderful, roaring bonfire.

Here are some awesome ladies!

Sam decided that the best way to get his fallen trees chopped up was to have a contest between all the men to see who could saw a piece of wood the fastest. The winner got a huge chocolate egg. I knew immediately that I was going home with that prize. Nathan is, of course, a former "tree guy."

Sam is on the left, using his phone as a timer, enveloped in smoke. Nathan, of course, is DOMINATING the competition with his lumberjack skillz. I was cheering him on in very un-English style, much like my own mother cheered for my father any time we had diving competitions in our swimming pool with company over.

I was on my hands and knees with my camera, screaming, "COME ON BABE! YOU CAN DO IT! WIN ME THAT EGG!!!"

Mission accomplished.

Swoon.

Then, the girls put some mysterious items in the ash heaps. They weren't s'mores (Alas, there are no graham crackers in England.). The were... bananas?

Yes, bananas.

Warmed bananas with chocolate on the inside. I'm told they sometimes have marshmallows planted in there as well.

Here's my food model, Ashley. She's usually posing with food on this blog, which is purely accidental. 

Thanks, girl! The treats were really nice! I think they could have used a few marshmallows, but overall I was pleased. 

I told Jen, "When I go back to America, I'm going to introduce these, and everyone will think I'm a cultured, culinary genius." Actually, I may have given away the whole recipe just now. 

Not so genius.

Easter Morning

Our Easter could not have been more wonderful!

We started out by celebrating the new life of Micah, born to our friends Dave and Mindy. Then we sang some great songs and heard a fantastic message from our pastor.

After church we went to Dave and Mindy's with some more friends and ate some barbecued pork, potato salad, chips and salsa, and other such wonderful American things.

Dave's mom was in town visiting her first grandchild. Isn't he sweet?

We hung out in the back yard, enjoying the sunshine and food and wonderful friends. It was awesome!

I hope you enjoy the new design. I am just messing around with some new ideas. If anyone can tell me how to change the color of the post titles and all of the links on the right, I'd be much obliged. I'm driving myself crazy trying to fix it (I've been all over the "advanced" section of the blogger template designer), and it's way past my bed time!

Update: Thanks, Barbie! Now, does anyone know how to get rid of the red strip on the bottom of the page? :)

Date Night 2011

Last night Nathan and I had Date Night 2011, brought to you by Ben and Blaire, who generously left some date night money under my pillow when they left. Yes, that's Date Night 2011. We hadn't had a proper date since November 2010 when we spent my whole day's pay at the Spice Lounge on some overpriced Indian food. Actually, I'm not sure that last night qualified as date night either, but we started out with good intentions.

We planned on going to see our friend Sarah sing Handel's Messiah (Nathan may be a wee bit obsessed with it) in Gateshead, but we got our times mixed up and missed it. Then we decided to get some Indian food. 

After we got down the driveway, I said to Nathan, "So, when are you going to give me another driving lesson?"

Screeeeech! 

"Right now."

"Uh, okay." Deep breaths. We all know what happened the first time I got behind the wheel, which also happens to be what happened the second time behind the wheel. We changed sides, and I immediately went to grab my seatbelt over my left shoulder. It wasn't there. It was over my right shoulder. Off to a flying start... 

Driving a manual doesn't bother me. Driving a quirky older car doesn't bother me. Driving what seems to be right into oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road bothers me. Luckily, it was after business hours on a bank holiday (Easter Monday) and hardly anyone was out, but there was still plenty of daylight left. Perfect! 

Nathan was so patient and didn't try to give me tons of advice like the last couple of nightmares experiences. He just answered my questions, like "What lane should I be in?" and "Which stoplight is mine?" and "Should I turn here?" I caught myself holding my breath several times, but I was able to make it to Gilesgate (only 2 miles away) through several of Durham's most wicked roundabouts without hyperventilating and crying hysterically. Success!

I jumped out of the car and said, "I did it! Take my picture!"

It turns out that Gilesgate Tandoori was takeout only. There were no seats inside, except for two couches where you sit and wait for your order. I wish I had gotten pictures, but there were other people there and I was embarrassed.

So, we got our food, and then I drove home without incident. We enjoyed every little morsel in front of the computer watching Top Gear reruns on iPlayer. Good times.

Today, in an uncharacteristic act of bravery, I decided to go up to the big Tesco in Gilesgate to do some grocery shopping. Since I had driven the exact route last night, I thought there wouldn't be a better time. And guess what? I went to the big Tesco and wandered around the aisles and took my time. I did it all by myself! This is huge on two levels: 1) I haven't been there alone before, and Nathan and I drive each other crazy in the grocery store, and 2) I haven't driven alone in England before, and I DID IT!

Yay, me!

The Praying Kind

If you're the praying kind, now's the time to get to work.


I just e-mailed another job application. As opposed to other times (when I've submitted applications hoping I would be rejected because the school is awful but I just need a job), I'm really hopeful about getting this one. Some English friends generously looked over my application, covering letter, and CV, and they gave me some really helpful feedback that should hopefully make a difference. I'll keep the details of the position under wraps for now, but I will say that it's teaching English at a good school. The closing date is tomorrow, and they will hold interviews next week.


Please pray that I would trust God's goodness and love for me, whether I get the job or not.


Nathan and I had a fabulous Easter with church family and friends, and I will be sharing pictures soon.


Meanwhile, feast your eyes on the goodness of Pinterest and Food Gawker. I now have two more time sucks in addition to Facebook, Etsy, and the blogging world. Faaantastic.

I miss avocado.

Food Gawker

Nathan's dream bookcase/staircase

Pinterest

Tasty

Food Gawker

My life motto lately

Pinterest

Properly Congratulated

, 

Dear Abby, in keeping with my PG rating on this blog, this is what I meant by "properly congratulated": a warm roasted chicken, melted white cheddar cheese, and German salami croissant sandwich with Duke's mayonnaise and English mustard; pear; plum; grapes; carrots; snap peas; red bell pepper; celery; and hummus. It's not quite Grandma Lavelle's cooking, but he was stoked.

Thanks Friends

I am so grateful to each one of you who has reached out to me after reading my guest post on The Graduate Wife. Your comments on this blog and that one, Facebook messages, and e-mails have made me feel so loved and cared for. Thank you. I wish I had the time and emotional energy to each of you a thoughtful and specific response, but for now the mass "you're awesome" will have to do.


I feel that the 1,000 word limit I was given for the guest post was just that - limiting. What I mean to say is that I wanted to share more about what God has been teaching me through this process, but I had to keep it short. Maybe that's for another guest post (*wink wink, Mandy*). 


Unfortunately, and maybe these are just my insecurities creeping up, it felt a little "Debbie Downer" when I was re-reading it... and re-reading it... and re-reading it. I didn't want people - especially my dear family and friends - to think that I was at best whiny and at worst clinically depressed. After I pressed the "send" button, I immediately felt writers' remorse and shared my concerns with Mandy and M.C., who oversee the blog. However, they wanted the post as-is, reassuring me and saying that it was honest and would be helpful. 


I guess most graduate wives, and indeed anyone who's made a serious life transition, can say, "We've all been there." There's something that makes me feel a little more solid and a little less jelly-like on the inside when someone can give words to my enigmatic thoughts and emotions, and I pray that I was able to do that for someone else.

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In other news, Nathan just submitted a little 5,000 (out of 30,000) word writing sample which will (after the powers-that-be put an official stamp on it) upgrade him to the PhD program. The bibliography is 10 pages longer than the sample. My man is thorough. Anyway, he's celebrating this accomplishment by doing some dishes while I write this post, so I'd better get going and see to it that he's properly congratulated.

Identity Theft

It's with mixed emotions that I'm referring you to a guest post I wrote for the recently launched blog, The Graduate Wife. I must warn you, what I wrote is in a very different tone than posts on this blog, which tend to be of the more lighthearted nature. While it's heavier than what I'm used to sharing, I hope it's an encouragement to you.

www.thegraduatewife.wordpress.com

Enjoy!

Oh, and here's a wedding countdown poster for you...

Flowers and Gypsies

Crook Hall and Gardens is open again! I went next door after church for a little walk through the gardens and marveled over all the spring flowers. It was a gorgeous day, and I loved feeling the sun on my face and being in such beautiful surroundings.

In stark contrast to peace and tranquility, the gypsies are in town. Here in England, the PC name for their culture is "travelling communities." Whatever. The gypsies set up a carnival in the field across the river from our house. We'll be hearing county fair-like noises, including but not limited to fake screams and techno music on the loud speakers, and seeing extra trash in the river for about two weeks. 

Here's the carnival view from the cathedral garden. Boo.

And here's what's new in the gardens...

Strange Gummies in the Lakes

After four days at the all boys Catholic high school an hour's journey away by car, train, bus, and a short walk (in that order), I was really looking forward to our second trip to the Lake District in just as many weeks. This time we went with our dear friends and Bible study leaders, Sam and Jen. 

We stopped for gas (ahem... popped in for some petrol) and got some snacks for our day away. Sam came back with a bag of gummies. I've seen them everywhere, but I've never bought one. There were all kinds of random shapes and flavors in the one bag.

Displayed on my ginormous thigh are: a gummy fried egg, a gummy bear, a gummy cola bottle, a gummy gold ring, a gummy cream heart, and a gummy ruby ring. 

Here's the bag it all came in. You'll see what else Sam bought a few pictures down. Blech.

We started our picturesque journey on a stone path...

...in the rain.

But it was still awesome! You can see a waterfall behind Jen's left arm. We climbed to the top of that little cloud covered mountain. 

I thought the stone bridge was cool too.

Sam, the most awesome geography teacher in the world is on top of this rock talking about glaciers and striations and other such things that are beyond my mental capacity.

He pulled out another gas station snack. Fried chicken in a bag.

He only allowed me to take a picture of it after I ate one. It wasn't too bad, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Nathan was really excited about Sam's around-the-neck waterproof map holder. He held it up in every picture.

Cool tree

Beautiful landscapes

The said waterproof map holder and Nathan and waterfalls

A stone wall shaped like an upside down heart with a scorpion tail

I wished it wasn't raining and was about 30 degrees warmer. I would have loved to have gone for a swim.

During lunch, Nathan was trying to keep dry by hiding in the cleft of the rock, but it wasn't really working.

A lady walked past us and said, "I simply must take a picture of the four of you. You just look so pitiful." So, we smiled in this picture.

And looked glum in this one. Jen's face is my favorite.

On the way down, Nathan was trying to pet this sheep, but it kept running away. He's pretending to pet it here, albeit from a distance.

Despite the weather, it really was absolutely gorgeous, and I'm so glad we did it. After our walk/hike/mountain climb, we warmed up with some gingerbread and tea at a darling restaurant called Lucy's. It was so, so delish.

Thanks for an amazing day, Sam and Jen!