Long Awaited Post

Finally! I am posting pictures of our new place. The sun came out in-between rainclouds last and attempted snow-showers last Sunday and I jumped at the opportunity.

A close up of the front of the house - our "flower" box made out of brick.

The tree & storage shed in the backyard.



Looking from the backyard to the back of the house. Kitchen & dining room windows downstairs and bathroom & office windows upstairs.

Full view of the front of the house & driveway. 3 windows are living room & windows upstairs are our bedroom and the guest room. I love the green color with the brick.


Front porch and entryway. I really like the 3 windows together in the living room - one of my favorites.

New Addiction

Chris and I both love Settlers of Catan. For those that do not know what I am talking about it is a really fun board game where you are basically settling the island of Catan. You build settlements, roads, and cities with resource cards you draw when the dice roll the number corresponding to your place on the board. And it's really fun!

However, I will be the first to confess I am not that good at it. I always seem to lack resource cards because I have a knack for picking spots where the numbers do not get rolled - even if it's a common one like six or eight.

Well I have found something to help me practice. The online world of Catan. Be careful, it's addicting. But you can practice online with people from all over the globe. Sometimes it can be difficult because you have people who haven't played much or randomly step away from the computer and never come back! (I had that happen last week and the other girl and I had to kick the guy out and get a sub player).

But it's great because it allows you to practice when you can't always find the time to play with friends or your spouse. The only downside I have found is that people aren't really into trading that much so it can be hard to get what you need until you have enough to trade with the bank. It's still great practice though.

So beware, you Settlers of Catan out there, next time I play against you I just might win!

A New Year, A New Goal

Chris and I recently joined a gym. In the past I had resisted joining a gym for a few reasons.
1. We didn't have the extra money in our budget to spend on a gym.
2. Why exercise in a gym when you can go outside? And your apartment complex has a pool? (however this only worked for me if the weather was pleasant)
3. I don't particularly enjoy working out in front of other people who are much more in shape then I am. I always feel like they really know what they're doing and I don't!

But a couple weeks ago, a new Gold's Gym opened up in Richland and one of the guys came into work to see if anyone was interested in signing up. I signed up for an appointment and we met with him the next week.

We'd been talking a lot about joining a gym to help us stay fit in the winter (and for me to still use in the summer when Chris is working). So we decided to sign up since we got a good deal through a corporate discount - and due to the fact that the gym isn't actually built yet! It's just a satellite facility until August 1st when the larger facility is done. But for now we have ellipticals, treadmills, and weights to choose from and we will look forward to the pool & classes next year.

So we did! We joined the gym. And we're hoping to make this a new year for both of us. Get in shape, lose some extra pounds and just feel better. So I thought that for some extra motivation I would share our goals with all of you so you can hold us accountable. And maybe find some motivation to make your own change this year!

S-N-O-W.

It's been warmer here the past few days. Although I know it will probably get colder before spring comes. Even though I would rather be warm and have spring & summer temperatures I do think snow is beautiful.

Such as in these examples: photos taken when we were visiting our friends Dusty & Erin on New Years. It was gorgeous weather and the snow sparkled. But you had to wear 12 layers to stay warm!







Thanks Dusty & Erin for a great time in the SNOW!

London Day 2

Our second day in London we headed straight to the Tower of London. It was about a 45 minute tube ride. It was so cold and windy that day. It started off foggy but cleared up after we left the Tower. However it was still COLD!




The Tower of London was really neat. To see this fortress in the middle of a modern city was just amazing. Right after we walked in the gate we saw one of the Beefeaters giving a tour so we joined it. It was so interesting and fun. The Beefeaters are actually called Yeomen Warders and they are the ceremonial guardians of the Tower. They actually live at the tower as well.

After the tour we went inside the Jewel House where all the crown jewels are housed. No pictures were allowed unfortunately. First we saw some videos that described various uses of the jewels and crowns. Then we walked through some THICK doors - probably 2 feet - into a vault sort of room. All of the crowns used over the years are located in the middle of two moving walkways so you just get on and "ride" past them. We also saw a lot of dinnerware used for royal ceremonies. These royals know how to throw a party!

We visited the White Tower and saw a huge collection of armor plus we saw the ravens. One of the Yeoman Warders acts as the Raven-master. It is a legend that if the ravens ever leave the White Tower it will crumble and fall along with the monarchy. So they have naturally clipped the ravens wings!! And once when a German actually killed 4 of the ravens they purchased an extra to act as a 'backup' and live in another place then together with the other 6. Amusing..

After eating lunch in one of the restaurants at the tower we headed back to the tube to go to St. Paul's Cathedral. It was amazing! We actually went inside - although it was close to closing - and were able to hear their choir and orchestra practicing for the Messiah concert that night. Double amazing!

I had wanted to go to the British Museum but we weren't sure we would make it on time. After riding the tube to the nearest stop and wandering around - because the signs weren't very helpful - we finally found it and arrived about an hour before closing. It's free and has artifacts from all over the world. We saw the Rosetta Stone right away and then just wandered around until they closed.

Finally we headed to Trafalger Square. Although we were there at night it was still beautiful. I loved the huge lions especially. They also had fountains that were lit up with different colors. So pretty and it was neat to see the lights of the city. We ate at a nearby restaurant and I finally had the traditional fish & chips. It was one big piece of fish but it was pretty good.

We had a wonderful time in London. I wish we could have stayed longer - there was so much to see but overall we checked everything off of our list

London Day 1

If I could sum up our visit to London using just one photo is would be this one:


Surreal is all I can say - to see Big Ben & Parliament in person. Being from the US and always seeing these places on TV and in movies and then being able to see them in person was just awesome. Beautiful too.

We had a great time in London. I have to be honest and say I was a little nervous about going there - just Chris and I. Our tour guides were back in Germany and now we were on our own. But we did it! Our hotel was out at Heathrow which is a good 20-30 minutes into London. First we had to ride a bus from our hotel to the airport. From there we caught the Tube (the underground train) to the city. Then we navigated various stops until we could get close to where we wanted to be. We saw the inside of many tunnels! The underground was easy to navigate too which was so good. They announced every stop, told you how service was and announced any changes in stops or routes. So that made it very easy to figure out how to get around.

Our first day we stopped at Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. For December there were quite a few people there and we found it hard to see some of the ceremony. But it was worth it. After that was over we decided to head to the Royal Mews (stables) just down the street. I really wanted to see the horses and was disappointed to see only 2!!! But we did see all of the royal carriages including the gold coach used for coronations. It was very ornate.


After the mews we headed down towards the Thames to see Big Ben, Parliament and ride the London Eye. It was so neat to turn a corner and see Big Ben down the street! And of course we had to stop at the red telephone booths. I got the feeling these were placed just for tourists!

We enjoyed the view of the river and then rode the London Eye. I did not enjoy it nearly as much as Chris did but the views were incredible. I just did not like the feeling of being so high up surrounded by nothing but windows! I need a little more security.

By the time we left the London Eye it was nearly 4pm and starting to get dark. We walked back across the river and headed for Westminster Abbey. I was really looking forward to this. We decided that instead of paying to tour the abbey we would wait until 5pm and attend an Evensong service (which is free). We got a few wary glances as I'm sure some people did not believe we were there for the service but there were other tourists there as well. That service was amazing! To be sitting right next to the choir boys singing inside that church was unbelievable and beautiful. It was a great experience and I wish I could share with you the mental images from that time.

Finally we caught the underground to Harrods! WOW! What a place. We probably only saw 1/4 of the place and had a hard enough time figuring out how to get around. It is layed out in a bunch of squares each with a different theme (perfume, fruits & veggies, candy, purses, etc.) But they should really hand out maps at the door. We ate dinner there (hey why not? They had a pizza kitchen) and then caught the train back to our hotel, exhausted and ready for Day 2.

A 30 Second Update

Wow, I just noticed that I have not blogged since right after Christmas! Where is my New Year spirit? Well it's hung up in working, unpacking, decorating, and wanting to shop for new things to fill our new living space!

So here's a 30 second update. Most all of my blog posts include posting pictures so I guess I should fill you in on life as well!

We had a wonderful Christmas - opened presents with both sets of parents (a first) and it was really fun! Plus my grandma was there too. It was really a fun day and we were excited to open up many gift cards to use in purchasing things we need for our duplex.

New Years weekend was spent in Spokane with our good friends Dusty & Erin. We had such a great time. There was tons of snow and we go to go snowmobiling for the first time! SO FUN! I wasn't brave enough to go very fast but maybe next time...

In between I've been working and Chris has been unpacking! We are so glad to be in our duplex and have the extra space. It has taken a bit of adjustment being in an older house. Not nearly enough grounded electrical outlets, baseboard heating, creaky floors & cupboards but it definitely has a lot of character. Our goal is to get pictures up on the wall this weekend so I can take some pictures and give you a mini tour on the blog.

I also want to get the last of our vacation pictures up from London. Oh and then there's Christmas & New Years too! Sounds like I have a lot of blog posts to prepare.....