New Videos and a Visit from Aaron

Thanks to school deadlines, a broken video camera, and 6 weeks without Internet, the Month-in-a-Minute effort hasn't seen much progress in 2009. However, I finally got the camera working again and there are now 6 - count them, 6 - new videos added to the M-i-a-M page. In keeping with tradition, they're all longer than 1 minute. Also, none of them were actually filmed during the Month that they're named after. Oh well - the goal was to get 12 videos done, one for each month of our year here, so - close enough. If any of these seem a bit random, it's because we lost various bits and pieces of video. Hope you like them!

Here's a short list:
January - Christmas in Germany, plus a bit in London
February - Paris: the Pompidou art center, climbing the Eiffel Tower
March - Cambridge: Ben is really out of it in this one
April - Camden Cruise: A little boat ride through Camden
May - Amsterdam: How many times can you count my use of the word 'typical'?
June - Globe Theatre: our backstage tour at night


And, much more recently, Aaron came to visit us last week! We had a great time seeing the sites, attending lots of shows, and eating lots of Wagamama. Aaron also experienced the "full English breakfast" and lived to tell about it. Thanks for coming to see us, Aaron!

I say, does anyone have a coin?

Before the show, which was fabulous - Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart were hilarious.

A picnic at the lovely Greenwich.

Aaron on both sides of the Prime Meridian.

Eating takeaway Wagamama at Piccadilly Circus. Yum...

Standing in a Soho doorway...

From Soho down to Brighton, Aaron must have played 'em all.

Taking a ride on a groovy 70s Tube train.

We finished off the week by seeing Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall. Sweet!

U Guessed It...

Well, it wasn't an easy decision, as W&M was very much the academic favorite, but due to financial reality (pesky thing, isn't it?) and the likelihood of having to stay in the Virginia area for many years for work, the U emerged as the best overall choice.

We'll be glad to be around family and friends again. And Ben wants his basement back.

We'll be arriving in August. See you then!

Decisions, decisions

Life is full of them, isn't it? Well, after much thought, meditation, and a little bit of the magic 8-ball, we have finally decided which law school Ben will be attending this fall.

Which do you think it will be? Make your prediction/recommendation by picking one school from the poll on the left. For a few of you that we've already told by phone - no cheating!

Here's a brief description of the 5 choices:

Indiana-Bloomington: In a lovely suburb, good reputation
Tulane: In fabulous New Orleans, an excellent international law program
Suffolk: In Boston, well-known in the east coast
U of U: In good old Salt Lake, much cheaper but still a great school
William & Mary: In colonial Virginia, highly regarded academically

So, which will it be? I'll let you know in 48 hours (or maybe a bit longer, if our Internet access keeps giving us trouble!)

Coming Soon to a Blog near you!

We've almost got our Internet connection problem fixed, so hopefully, look for some new posts soon. (This one is coming to you from the lovely Chiswick public library).

100 Days

We only have 100 days left in London! It's hard to believe. But since we had to buy our plane tickets last week (we wanted to make sure to get the "good" seats and a flight landing that gave us time to head to Cafe Rio upon touchdown in Salt Lake), the countdown to August 4th is officially on. We've had lots of fun and great experiences, and one major one coming up, of course.

But now we need to make sure that we've done everything on our London "to do" list. So those of you who have been here, thought of coming here, or know cool things to do here, we need your suggestions. Leave a comment suggesting what we need to make sure we do before we leave this sceptered isle. Who knows when or if we will return...

PS And for those of you counting down to the baby, the fly home date is just 21 days later: 79 days left before the baby is due!

PPS Internet still down... :( This post is brought to you by the free wifi at the Science Museum, just across from the Hyde Park Ward.

Internet down!

These past few months in London have been made much easier by the fact that we have had internet access in our flat. However... since a rainstorm last week, our connection has been down and we haven't been able to fix it! It makes you realize how much you use it to keep in touch with people, and in our cases track down everything from bus schedules to articles to help with our dissertations. Hopefully it will be back up and running by next week, but if you hear less from us in the meantime, at least you'll know why.

PS The weather in London has been lovely this week!
PPS Heather is officially into the 3rd trimester!
PPSS Maybe by the next post Ben will have decided which law school he's attending!

La Dolce Vita

Only 1 day after Lisa & Dallas returned home, we welcomed our next visitors: Adrien, her sister Marianne, and her roommate Sariah. Here they are arriving on the Eurostar from Paris (Adrien, we're excited to see you, too!):

We went with them to all the major sights...

...and saw Oliver! and The Lion King with them. Oliver was fun, with Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) playing one of the lead parts. Adrien & co. kindly bought our Lion King tickets. Thanks, guys! Here's a photo of the Drury Lane Theatre, where we saw Oliver:

And, of course, when you have at least 4 people, you have to try "the picture"

We are particularly pleased that we got a red bus in the background, seeing as there were no white VW bugs around.

After a few days of Britishness, Marianne flew back home and the rest of us flew to Rome. Ben's wanted to see Rome for a long time, so it was a wonderful opportunity for us. We explored all the ancient Roman sites, like the Pantheon:

(That photo took a lot of attempts to get right!). We also visited the Colosseum:

(That's Adrien & Sariah on the opposite side from us.) The Colosseum is impressively huge. It seated from 50,000 to 70,000 people (for comparison the Delta Center seats 20,000) and had a retractable roof made of canvas-like material. That way the Romans could watch their blood sports and mayhem without getting rained on or sunburned. How nice.

Next to the Colosseum is the ruins of the Roman Forum - the downtown business/political center of ancient Rome. It was amazing to wander around these crumbling shells and imagine people in togas going about their daily routines. This is a photo of the circular Temple of the Vestal Virgins:

An "eternal flame" was kept going inside this temple by a selected group of girls. The belief was that as long as the flame burned, Rome would stand. Looks like one of the Virgins must have fell asleep on her shift...

The other great reason to visit Italy is, of course, the food! We enjoyed some great pasta:

And lots, and lots, and lots of gelato. Mmmmmmm.......

We had to leave Rome eventually, although Ben didn't want to leave the Pantheon:

Adrien & Sariah flew home, and we were off to Siena. It's a beautiful hilltop town with some amazing views. We stayed at a convent-turned-hotel, run by the sisters of St. Catherine. From a bridge on the other side of town, you can see our room:

Siena is a really well-preserved medieval city. The main square of the town (il campo) is fronted by a unique city hall with a huge clock tower:

Everyone hangs out here. It feels like a beach without the ocean. We had a great time enjoying the sun, the crowds, and even ran into some LDS missionaries on their way to a service project. And there was more fresh pasta and tasty gelato to be had. Our favorite restaurant: La Taverna di San Giuseppe. Amazing.

After a few days in Siena, we finished up with a few days in Orvieto, another hilltop town, but smaller, and even more dramatically perched on steep cliffsides. These little Italian towns have extremely narrow streets, so you get a lot of vehicles like this one (Ben's favorite):

The weather was perfect, and we spent our time enjoying the atmosphere and looking at all of the hand-made ceramics that Orvieto is famous for. At the entrance to the city is a ruined fortress with some great views of the surrounding countryside:

Whew! It was a great trip. Italy can be intense, but we found time to just relax and enjoy "the sweet life" with the locals, strolling around eating gelato in the evenings.

P.S. Heather adds: It was so great to see Adrien & Co.! I hope they all had a great time. I know I did. In fact, the first time I went to Italy in 2000 I was totally hooked. I was amazed that it "looked just like it was supposed to". There is touristy, tacky Italy, but past that is fabulous Italy, just right for a spring vacation!

Out of town

We are going with friends to Italy,
so it will be a couple of weeks until the next post!

Presents and Presence

So much has happened this month. The two latest things are that Ben and I both had our (shock! gasp!) 30th birthdays, and then my sister Lisa and bro-in-law Dallas came to visit. Hence presents and presence! As an added bonus, there is a story about my sister Sharla and the delivery that came on the wrong day.

Nice people such as Ben's mom & aunt sent us cards in the mail and emails with birthday wishes. Thanks! My family decided to use Lisa as a way around the expensive postal system. Here are some of the things they sent. Not pictured: Reese's peanut butter eggs and other treats (eaten!).

Ben is smiling because the diaper bag gift is so cute and has Winnie the Pooh on it. But what he just said to me was, "Why do people with babies always have to carry around bags with so much stuff?" I guess we'll learn soon enough.

Not attractive, but I had to show the cupcakes. On my actual birthday we went to see a show. I couldn't not have a "birthday cake", so I snuck these high class bakery cupcakes into the theatre.

On Ben's birthday Lisa and Dallas took us to eat at the Criterion restaurant - thanks! Then we went next door to catch a show, The 39 Steps, at the Criterion Theatre. 15 pound student discount seats - nice. The show was so funny and the theatre lovely. I think what really made Ben's night was when we were sitting in the cute 100-year-old theatre and I turned to Ben and said, "You could make a room like this in your house." After the show we set to mastering the self-portrait. Result shown above.

It was so fun to have Lisa and Dallas here! They were great houseguests. Here is a picture of us outside of the rebuilt Shakespeare's Globe right after our tour. Ben works there (note the nametag) and he got us in for free. The weather was gorgeous all week long. When they left, they filled the space in their bags from our presents with chocolate to take home.
Good thinking...

Sharla tried to get this Edible Arrangements delivered on my birthday, but there was some miscommunication. It ended up being delivered just before Ben's birthday. It also happened to get here on the day that Lisa and Dallas took a day trip to Paris... with my house keys. This is the story of the wackiness that followed that day. It's long but funny, and mostly dialogue. Oh, and yes the balloon says Happy Mother's Day. M's Day in the UK is in March.

Our door locks with a key on both sides, so you need one to get in and out. We have two sets and I gave mine to Lisa and Dallas while they were here. They went to Paris that Wednesday. Can you see where this is going?

When Ben left for school, he locked the door behind him (of course). 10 minutes later I realized, (first) "I can't lock the door behind me because I don't have the keys!" Then... "Wait! The dead bolt needs a key for both sides! I can't get out!" I called Ben 12 times, but he didn't pick up the phone - it doesn't work on the tube (subway).

I had accepted my home-bound fate and was ok with it. I had lots of studying to do. However, about 45 minutes later, who should knock on the door but the delivery man from Edible Arrangements. After two weeks they finally get here, and it's the day that I am locked in the house like Rapunzel. I go to the door and say hello through it, but don't open it. The following conversation ensues. (remember he has a British accent)

"Delivery."
"Oh, thank you. I, um, can't open the door."
Silence.
"See, my husband took the only set of keys with him and now the door is locked and I can't get out."
"I can't quite hear you." He leans down and opens the mail slot to look in at me and listen better. I lean down to make eye contact and we have a conversation through the mail slot.
"What was that?"
"See, my sister is here for the week, and I lent her my keys, but she's in Paris and my husband took the other set, and when he left he forgot that I couldn't get out."
Pause. "Couldn't he come home then?"
"He is coming home, but right now he's in the city and won't be home until about 6 PM." (It's 10:45).
"Well, you see I've got this delivery for you... it's like this fruit thing. I don't want to leave it on the porch that long."
"Right."
"Do you have a window?"
"Um, only the ones upstairs. The ones in the front are to the other flat." That would have been too easy.
"Are you alright in there?"
"I'm fine. Just kind of embarrassed." I'm talking to a complete stranger through a mail slot, after all.
"You're sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, thanks."
"Do you have a garden (backyard)?"
"Yes, but the wall is really high, like 9 feet."
"I'll just go around and check it out then?"
"Ok." It will probably still be 9 feet tall, but go ahead.
He leaves to see that indeed the back wall is 9 feet tall and there is no gate in. While he's gone I go to the window upstairs and look for something Rapunzel-esque to lower down.
"Miss?"
"Hi - I'm up here." Now talking down at him from the second storey window a la Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah in Roxanne.
He looks up at me. "That wall is too high."
"Right."
"See, I have to make this delivery. I have one more to do in North London and then I have to go back to Birmingham, so..."
"Um, I have these scarves. Do you think you could tie them around it and send it up here?"
Incredulous look. "Um, well, see there's these skewers and this note what says..." "(reads my sister's birthday note to me). I just think it wouldn't work - it would ruin the whole thing. No, I don't think this is going to work."
"What about these?" I send the elastic resistance exercise bands I ordered on ebay out the window. I have hooked 3 of them together. He looks at me like I'm crazy, but to humor me he ties one around the middle of the arrangement.
"This won't work." He unties them. "Are you sure you're ok?" He thinks some overprotective man has locked me in my house. The biggest story in Britain right now is about this guy from Austria who kept his daughter locked in their basement for years. "What about if I check with one of your neighbors?"
"I think they're all at work."
"Do you have a ladder then? That would make this easier."
"No. Sorry."
"Um, I'll just check with the neighbors..."
"Ok. Thanks."
Neighborly man named Ralph comes out of his flat and looks at the fruit basket and then up at me leaning out of the window. "Are you alright up there?" Everyone thinks I am trapped.
"Yes, I'm fine. Would you mind keeping that until my husband gets back?"

I have to explain again about my sister going to Paris and why I am locked in the house. Everyone looks very suspicious. Ralph agrees to hang on to the gift, and if he has to leave, he'll put it on the porch. Delivery man gives me one more strange look and then says goodbye. Ralph goes back to his flat. I laugh hysterically for a good 10 minutes. Ben calls about an hour later and I tell him what happened. I remain locked in the flat until he gets home at 6 PM. :) Then we eat chocolate covered strawberries for dinner. Yum!

An imperfect science?

We went to the ultrasound on Tuesday and everything looks normal and healthy. When we asked about the sex, we were told by the rather laid back tech that they can never be too sure on these things. However, she did give us her opinion and put a note in the medical record. I have composed a poem for the occasion to tell you what she noted. Ahem...

All of you
Patient
People who are
Excited to know:
A girl or a boy?
Really, we're not 100%
Sure ourselves. But...

For the time being, the
Educational guess
Makes it seem
As though our
Lives will be blessed
Ever so much by... what you read down the line.

Ok, not my best poem ever, but I was constrained by what letters each line had to start with (hint, hint). We were, of course, excited, and we let our families know by having flowers of the traditionally accepted shade sent to them. Have fun figuring it out!

PS I keep messing with the blog colors, but don't have a very good eye for color, so it might look funny for awhile.