Look who else is excited about the Cubbies!

My sis, her dog Gracie, and Aubree!

33 things to do before turning 34.

Loved this idea when I saw it. Why not aim for something more when you're already an over-achiever, eh? Some of these goals are little and easily reached while others have been looming over me for years! Fortunately, I've gotten a jump start on some of them since I started this list a couple of months ago.

1. Visit Portland. (We're going today, in fact!)
2. Make homemade cupcakes.
3. Fly a kite.
4. Create a MyPublisher album of our recent England trip.
5. Continue to work on getting in better shape.
6. Plan a trip to Italy with our mothers.
7. Get back into speaking Italian.
8. Take a jewelry class.
9. Keep improving my photography.
10. Make a decision about getting a dog.
11. Reconnect with an old friend.
12. Write more postcards.
13. Establish a regular webcam routine with more people.
14. Finish our wedding scrapbook.
15. Enjoy New Year's in the mountains.
16. Play tennis.
17. Finish decorating our house.
18. Paraglide (but only after much consideration and research).
19. Organize my photo archive (film and digital).
20. Spend more time playing with our kitties.
21. Hire someone to pour a new driveway.
22. Watch soccer on a more regular basis.
23. Buy a bottle of dessert wine.
24. Read Bill Clinton's new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World.
25. Update our blog with photos of our Seattle home.
26. Create a photo album of my sister's wedding.
27. Host a game night.
28. Learn how to make Yorkshire pudding.
29. Gather photos and mementos to begin childhood scrapbooks for each of us.
30. Ski more than last year.
31. Visit Diablo Lake.
32. Find a place for everything in our craft & music room.
33. Update the Maida Vale website.

So, that's pretty much the whole next year planned out. =) And since I'm 33 as of today, when could there possibly be a better time to get going on it?

The playoffs.

Guess who's going to the playoffs? Woot woot!

England recaps are starting...

They're heeeeere. I'll just keeping updating this post as the different topics start popping up over on our travel blog. =)

Sunday: London 1 / London 2
Monday: The Cotswolds: An overview.
Tuesday: The Cotswolds: Walking.
Wednesday: The Cotswolds: In between walks. / Gardens and more gardens.
Thursday: London 3: Revisiting Maida Vale
Friday: London 4: Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea! / Censored!
Saturday: All of the photos!

Waiting for years.

Before I could even get out of bed yesterday morning, S delivered some music news that made me giddy. My favorite sensitive Scots, Travis, are coming to the west coast. I saw them 10 years ago with Neil in London. So, I've literally been waiting years for this show. Just two hours til the tickets go on sale...

Edited: We totally scored 2nd row seats for Seattle, plus GA tix for Portland the following night. Bring on the autumn of rock!

China.

Survivor starts tonight! Weee. I'm so ready for fall TV.

Back (and not without observations).

We are back and taking the day to recover from jet lag, do laundry, pet the kitties, and run some errands. It's good stuff.

As you can imagine, I have loads of photos to sort through. Once finished, I plan to post a day-by-day recap on our travel blog. We were a bit more out of touch than I had imagined. Honestly, I think that was a good thing in a way. For now, here are some general observations we made:

• The smoking ban actually appears to be working over there. Of course, that didn't stop us from getting a pack of super smooth Silk Cuts to accompany a pint round the pub.
• Words like "butcher" and "porridge" are still commonly used in day-to-day vocabulary.
• One doesn't have to sell fish to be a "monger". In England, you can be an iron monger or even a coffee monger.
• Brits don't go to sporting events with the sole intention of eating junk food and drinking beer. In fact, they couldn't even if they wanted to. At the Chelsea match we attended on Saturday, there were no vendors strolling the aisles and beer had to be consumed within a designated area near the toilets.
• Old English cask ales are making quite a comeback. They are warm and flavorful and probably what a tourist would stereotypically imagine a European beer to be like. At the same time, there are several new "extra cold" beers available on tap.
• There are still some towns in England where a pub is the only place to get a bite of food.
• Calling a taxi in a remote part of the country requires advance planning. Otherwise, a cab driver might respond to a call by saying he can't come for several hours because of a previous engagement such as a doctor's appointment.
• Meat and potatoes are still the basis of most English meals. We ate the following combinations during our stay: chicken and chips, chicken and roast potatoes, pork and potatoes, steak and chips, and steak & ale pie with chips.
• It is perfectly okay to eat a big hunk of cheese, bread, and a small salad for a meal. It's yummy, too.
• Potato chips (crisps) are more delicious when they taste like meat. See The Real McCoy's (the "overtly male-targeted crisp brand") in Thai Sweet Chicken, Oriental Ribs, or Flame-grilled Steak for proof.
• London is more diverse than ever. To mix with true locals, a trip to the countryside is practically mandatory.
• The four or five basic TV stations still suck.
• The weather really is just like that of Seattle.

The final countdown.

And thank goodness for that. My stress levels are off-the-chart.

Anyhow, after tomorrow, we will be in my favorite city in the world! It's been seven years since either of us have been to London and I'm sure things have changed. I know we certainly have.

So, our travel blog is fired up and ready to go. We'll be writing over there when we have the opportunity. Please check in on us. We might never come back otherwise... =)

{ Travelling Light }

Chelsea.

We scored tickets late last night to see a live Chelsea match while we're in England. I'm so pumped to feel that kind of energy surrounding us. It's going to be good...

{And, oh yeah... 3 days til we leave!}

Going up the mountain.

We revisited Mt. Rainier yesterday. Man, is she a beaut! This year, we went (along with our friend Jon) to the Sunrise area of the mountain. Although most of the wildflowers had died off, there were still some pretty awesome walks to be had.

The most exciting moment of the day came while we were eating lunch, though. A little ground squirrel jumped right up into my lap! He then proceeded to make himself comfortable, picking up bits of bread and carrots right from our table. What a little jerk! Nah, he was adorable, so we just sat and watched him.

Also a highlight--busting out the black bar glasses for some strange photos...

After the service.

Immediately following last Friday's service, Heather planned a wonderful and fitting tribute to Dave. With 20 family members and friends in tow, we went to the Bierstube in Terre Haute for a family style meal and giant beers. Visiting with relatives we haven't seen in years, and good friends who came out to support the family, we had such a good time. It was just what we needed...

{View the full photo album}