Smile.

8th Month Photographs

2011-12-31T09:48:00.000-05:00

The girl is crawling! Now I get why most Moms have that frazzled look on their faces most of the time. Her little fingers are quite skilled at picking up the smallest crumbs of dirt, little strings and other things mommy does not want in her mouth.

About 1 week after she started moving, she figured out how to pull herself up. Things are progressing too fast! I thought these milestones would be slower in coming to give Mom time to cope.

London is full of smiles and laughter! She is always trying to catch the eye of people passing by so that she can wave to them and flash them a shy smile. All the old ladies love her! I have never in my life talked to so many strangers.

Just in time for Christmas, her two front teeth popped out. (Why does that stupid song keep running through my head?) So now she is up to eating two meals a day with us.

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-25T10:52:00.000-05:00

Jesse wanted London to experience a Christmas food tradition he had growing up, so he made her a German pancake on Christmas morning. It came out so beautiful and yummy.

Then there were more presents waiting to be unwrapped under the tree from Mommy and Daddy.

We went to church that morning so that London could know that we were really celebrating Jesus's birth and not her. After the service, we headed over to the Simpsons for a huge family gathering and gift exchange with all the cousins, aunts and uncles.

In the evening, we celebrated with more amazing food: twice baked potatoes, grilled parmesan asparagus, and beef tenderloin with Gorgonzola sauce. So yum! (My mouth is watering now as I type)

We had a wonderful holiday with all our family!
Merry Christmas and a great New Year to all!

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-24T16:30:00.000-05:00

This Christmas had a whole new energy and excitement as we introduced our daughter to all our family traditions.

Master Chef Jesse fries up the world famous Wyzga perogies for our Christmas Eve celebration. We had spent the previous day making the farmers cheese and bacon sauerkraut perogies from scratch.

The Wyzga family is all smiles before the perogie binge begins. (Somehow Rose ate the most this year)

Now London can claim Polish heritage...

It didn't take London long to catch on to what little packages under the tree mean.

London opens her gift of Tegu blocks from Chad and Tarrah.

London's favorite Christmas present

Best Present Ever!!

Tobbles from Brandon & Charity

Christmas Tree Day

2011-12-01T13:51:00.000-05:00

Christmas season couldn't come soon enough, so we headed out to Pine Valley Farm with the Wyzgas the day after Thanksgiving.

London loved exploring all the trees in her new all terrain stroller!

Jesse commented that this year we had to make "adult Christmas cookies" instead of our usual frosted sugar cookies. So he picked out an intense double chocolate cookie with white chocolate chips recipe and I chose to make coconut snowballs for the after party.

We tried to get her to put the ornaments on the tree. Mostly, they just ended up in her mouth.

Of course, we were committed to our tree, even though this little grinch tried to take our ornaments down 24/7

Her favorite catch was the little fireman jinglebell to the right.

Pictures from the 7th Month

2011-11-30T15:40:00.000-05:00

London and Daddy love storytime before bed. She can even turn the pages now.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T20:18:00.000-05:00

We are so lucky to live near both of London's Grandparents. However, this has made holidays quite stressful as we bounce from house to house trying to hold down two Thanksgiving Dinners. So with sad hearts, we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving with only one family this year. Here we are at the Wyzga's house minus Brandon and Charity who have also decided to only to celebrate with one family each year.

Next year will be the Simpson's turn to have us for the whole day.

The food was excellent. I made my stuffing recipe that I reserve only for Thanksgiving dinner and Jesse pitched in with his garlic mashed potatoes. Chad even helped out and made sweet potato crunch. Dad gave the turkey a good rub down with bourbon and herbs and Mom took care of the rest of the meal. Butler's Orchard made the pecan pie.

London was jealous of my very colorful plate, so Jesse let her try some new dishes with prohibited ingredients like butter and salt heavily added. Apparently, it tastes much better than her rice cereal.

There was no question to what we were both most thankful for:

Our baby London

6 Month Photo Recap

2011-10-31T20:54:00.000-04:00

Favorite song this month: "I Like To Move It" from Madagascar

Favorite phrase these days: "hi dada" or "dadadadadadada"

Favorite toy: Any tag. If there is a tag on it, she will find it.

New moves: London just started exploring the world by scooting backwards

First Snowfall!

First Halloween. We didn't even go out. The kitty outfit was just an excuse for Mommy to take more pictures of her baby.

Sarah + Jason

2011-10-23T20:40:00.000-04:00

Sarah chose a late October wedding, (outdoors!). So it could have gone very, very badly.

Rain? Freezing weather, possibly even snow! It didn't matter. Sarah was going to have her dream Autumn wedding.

She got really lucky! There was not a cloud in sight, and in the sun it was almost warm.

Her choice of the Chesepeak Bay Foundation was perfect for her. It is said to be "one of the world's most energy efficient buildings" and has extraordinary views overlooking the bay.

The ceremony went without a hitch and even included a Filipino wedding cord ritual. Sarah did an amazing job planning her own wedding and chose to do even the little details like arranging her own bouquet the night before the wedding!

Bridesmaids: Lisa, Kate, Mary, Caitlin, Me, and Bekah

Since this was Sarah and Jason's wedding, the food choices were excellent. Does pumpkin ravioli and peach pie for the wedding cake make your mouth water?

To see more photos, check out Peter Bang's Blog: http://www.peterbangsblog.com/chesapeake-bay-wedding-sarah-jason/
The photos on this blog ate courtesy of Steve Wyzga

Last girl "going to the Chapel"

2011-10-22T21:50:00.000-04:00

Now it was Sarah's turn to tie the knot! (Bottom left corner)

She had waited quite long enough for that ring on her finger, including a year long separation while Jason fought in Afganistan. After that, why drag out the wedding planning? So the wedding preparations began in a flurry to meet the wedding date only two months away!

Most of her bridesmaides lived all across the country, so it was up to her Mom, sister Mary, and I to pull off the couples bridal shower. It was a good thing Kate flew in from Minnesota to help since little Claire decided to arrive as Mary iced the cupcakes the day before the party. The best part of the event was the food. We had an amazing spread of Asian dishes paired with Dogfishead Pumpkin Ale (Sarah's favorite).

Last night on the town in DC

The bachlorette was a small affair as there were two newborns among the bridesmaids. The original plan was to camping, but with the arrival of the babies, we decided dinner at Cava Mezze and a backyard bonfire would have to suffice.

THE rehearsal dinner.

Brandon and Charity Tie the Knot

2011-10-01T10:11:00.000-04:00

Brandon and Charity decided to get married. Of course, this was a Sommerville wedding and so they decided to host the event in good old West Virginia on a farm they had been refurbishing.

The setting was perfect. There were mountains in the distance covered with autumn folliage, the weather had turned crispy and many of the relatives had made it in despite the very harrowing mountain roads. The only problem was the clouds rolling in.

By the time the wedding started, it was truly raining. Jesse and London stayed dry in the farmhouse while the rest of us headed up the hill in raincoats and umbrellas to watch the ceremony.

The ceremony was probably the best and shortest I have ever been to!

Photo: Elise Benjamin

To Brandon, it was the best wedding ever.

Photo: Elise Benjamin

Camping with Baby

2011-09-18T12:32:00.000-04:00

Jesse was determined. Even though we now had a 5 month old baby, we were going on our annual Wyzga/Simpson camping trip in the Shenandoah. Last year, temperatures had plummeted into freezing, so we decided to skip the autumn leaf display in hopes of warmer weather.

All of September it had been in the 80's/90's until the weekend of our getaway. We arrived to find it already 60 degrees with rain looming in the forecast. London did great! It was quite the task to set up everything for camping and at the same time keep the baby warm and from eating anything poisonous.

We ment to capture our whole event on film, but as it turned out, all my "camping" pics were just pictures of London! The first day, the rain held off for us to take a short hike and enjoy roasting marshmellows. The next day, however, the raindrops started to fall on Chad who decided it would be better to sleep under the stars (clouds) than to bother setting up a tent for himself.

As we pondered waiting out the rain in the car, I noticed London's hands becoming red and puffy. It was the first sign of anything wrong with our baby and I started to panic inside. Did she touch something? Was she going to start having trouble breathing? We sped off to the camp ground store to find benadryl only to discover that they only sold adult pills and that we had no reception to call the pediatrician. In fear of anaphalatic shock, we drove 30 minutes to the nearest town to find a pharmacy.

By the time we found children's Benadryl, the pediatrician advised us not to give it and that it was probably her vascular system overreacting from the temperature changes. After that event, we decided just to go home. Maybe we'll try the cabins next year...

And it was good...

2011-09-02T20:01:00.022-04:00

I have been anxiously waiting for London to turn old enough to experience food. She has no idea what amazing taste experiences are before her! There are so many textures, flavors and colors to try!

She fits right into this family. We started with plain, bland rice cereal and she was going crazy for it! Simmer down girl! There are so many better choices to throw a fit for!

We made our first attempt at filming our daughter...

This one is a little more entertaining...

Week 20, 21, 22, & 23

2011-09-01T17:07:00.000-04:00

Week 20

Check out the new sitting skills!

Week 21

Her grabby hands are becoming stronger allowing her to play with more toys.

Week 22

London loves singing. Neither of us can really hold a tune but our attempts elicit a smile every time.

Week 23

Beanieball's favorite toy these days is her feet. She is even flexible enough to suck on her little toes.

(If you haven't noticed, she loves sitting in daddy's blue chair!)

Caitlin+Kris=Marriage

2011-08-20T16:43:00.000-04:00

We have all been friends since third grade, but it was in high school that the four of us decided to be forever friends. Six years ago, I was the first to be married. The following year, Jose stole Bekah away to California. Now it was Caitlin's turn.

She found Kris. Or should I say that Bekah and Jose found Kris for Caitlin?

They met in California where Kris was studying in seminary. After trying out a long-distance skype romance, Caitlin took a travelling nurse job and moved out to California to see if Kris was the one.

He was. So the wedding planning began. The pre-wedding events were perfectly styled to Caitlin's taste. We had the bridal shower at a tea house and the bachelorette in Ocean City.

Caitlin always warned us that we would be wearing purple for her wedding. So although we dreaded that fact over the years, it made for perfect Caitin wedding pictures.

The sad part is that now both Bekah and Caitlin live far, far away in California. Good thing everyone is getting together again in just 2 months for ANOTHER wedding!

All photos by Kristin Hoover

Workin' Mom

2011-08-15T22:07:00.000-04:00

Fabulous News!

I have landed a wonderful job at my local community hospital: Montgomery General. I am working 1-2 days a week at their outpatient infusion center.

This job is so perfect in so many ways! NO nights, NO weekends, scheduled ONE day/week, and they have such an amazingly supportive and tight-knit group of nurses working there. London has a chance to spend time with her grandmas or her cousins and KK and I have the chance to take a break from my Mommy duties. We love the new arrangement!

Photo:http://www.montgomerygeneral.org/documents/MONTG63231_InfusionBro_REV-LR.pdf

Week 16, 17, 18, & 19

2011-08-11T18:28:00.000-04:00

Week 16

New skill: passings things from one hand to the other.

Week 17

London is rolling! She decided to start rolling from her back to her stomach first unlike most babies.

Week 18

This girl is becoming quite opinionated with her demanding coos. Her preferred position is standing these days. She has found her toes and will grab at them and loves to spend time just gazing at them. We caught her in the act of dismantling her swaddling during nap time to get to her little feet. Those look like guilty eyes to me.

Week 19

Tasting! London still thrusts everything out of her mouth, so we haven't started introducing food. In the meantime, I love letting her try whatever we are eating just to experience the taste!

Loads of Birthday Fun!

2011-07-15T21:07:00.000-04:00

My hubby loves celebrating birthday week! He does extra chores, makes sure I have fun events planned like hiking (which I think he secretly dislikes, but comes just because I enjoy it so much!), and stocks the freezer with plenty of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream.

This year during birthday week we discovered a local brew pub in Frederick called Barley and Hops. My favorite ended up being the guest ale on tap: Table for Two- Belgian Style Table Ale made with Honey.

The big event was a wine tour planned and chauffeured by the Jesse!

We added three new vineyards to our list of visited Virginian wineries: Doukenie, Sunset Hills, and Willowcroft.

At our favorite winery of the day, Willowcroft, we broke out the cheese and snacks for a picnic. The tour ended with a stop at the Leesburg Costco for some discounted vino!

Thanks goes out to the Wyzgas and Simpsons for making special birthday dinners for me! (Some of my favorite foods that were served: Moby Dicks kubideh, orzzo, Brusters ice cream, and dirt cake!!)

15 Weeks Old!

2011-07-14T14:00:00.002-04:00

Who Me?

Meeting Great Grandpa and Grandma LaFleur from Massachusetts!

Four Generations

14 Weeks Old

2011-07-11T20:39:00.001-04:00

Little Smooshie loves standing! Want to stop her little whinny cries? Just give her a little support, and she will give you a big smile. Lately, she has been strong enough to stand on her own for a few seconds until she topples.

We get big smiles whenever we stop whatever we are doing to give her a little attention.

13 Weeks Old

2011-07-10T18:42:00.001-04:00

El Bandito

Rainforest

2011-07-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

We made a last minute attempt to visit Mt. Rainier, but each path we took ended in a closed road. The car ride was redeemed by the amazing treck we took at yet another dead end at the base of the mountain.

Washington's forests are classified as rainforests thanks to the massive amounts of rainfall they receive. Because the climate is colder than say the Amazon, a better label would be temperate rainforest.

The result is a moss covered world so very different from the forest walks we take in Maryland.

Visit to Bainbridge Island

2011-07-08T13:49:00.000-04:00

We couldn't leave Washington state without a visit to my Aunt Michelle (Rose's Dad's Sister) who lives out on Bainbridge Island! Despite the fact that it was moving weekend for her, she happily agreed to meet up with us at a cute little pizza shop named the Treehouse Cafe. Of course, nothing goes better with artisan pizza than a pint of local brew. I was quite taken with Mac and Jacks African Amber!

Michelle's friend knitted this beautiful blanket just for London! She appears to be quite smitten with it!

A visit to Bainbridge Island means that London also experienced her first ferry ride. I think those wide eyes are asking Mom why she is so near the railing just to get some ocean in a photo that didn't turn out.

We had amazing views of Mt rainier and Seattle from the boat thanks to another sunny day!

Snoqualmie Falls

2011-07-07T17:58:00.001-04:00

Devon & KK joined us to see this magnificent 268 ft waterfall only 30 min away from where were stayed in Washington. The drive there alone was worth the trip. We had beautiful views of the mountains framed by blue skies- a rarity in this part of the country.

Yes, this post was supposed to be about the falls, but the trip was made so much better when we found the Attic at Salish lodge. Their amazing food and local beer was served overlooking the rushing waters below. We were very impressed with Manny's Pale Ale from Georgetown brewing company, a Seattle microbrewery. (If you go, order the fries-So Yum!)

The Simpsons Descend on Pike's Market

2011-07-06T15:32:00.001-04:00

A must visit on every Seattle travel site is a stop at Pike's Market, so we made sure to make time for it! I checked out the comments on this blog to see what should not be missed and planned our walk though from there. The World's Greatest Mac & Cheese from Beechers did not fail to impress and the cinnamon doughnuts from the doughnut cart were incredible! Once the first bag was gone, Jesse and I both agreed that we should have bought another dozen to consume immediately!

We loved the beer at the Pike Brewing Company. Jesse preferred the Pike Tandem Double Ale, while my favorite was the Pike Dry Wit. Once again, London is sampling the brews with us!

Photo courtesy of Kristine Kauflin

The Simpsons clogged up the side walk for a while with their impromptu tourist party as we munched on our lunch from Beechers and tried to get pictures though the throngs of people attempting to pass by.

Travelling to Washington

2011-07-04T19:50:00.002-04:00

Chuck and Arlene Simpson, Jesse's Grandparents, had reached 60 years of marriage! Such a momentous occasion had to be celebrated. So most of the Maryland Simpson family prepared to travel across the country to join relatives in Washington.
Jesse and I were nervous about travelling with an infant. We had down tricks like packing a pair of socks in your carry on so that our sandal clad feet could avoid contact with nasty airport floors during security screens, but we had no clue about where to check in strollers or how to get baby through security.

There was no need for all the worry! In fact, we decided that the airport was much better travelled though with a stroller to hang all our baggage on. London did great flying and even had a seat to herself for one leg of our journey.
We had veteran parent travellers Devon and KK to tip us off on how to check the stroller and make it through a flight even with toddlers....Benadryl!
Ok, not really, but this picture really makes us laugh (and cry) as we look forward to that extent of exhaustion while travelling.

Here is the whole group who came to celebrate

Jeff and Robin, Jesse's Aunt and Uncle, were incredible! They welcomed us into their home and took care of all the preparations for the weekend. Even though the main event was Saturday, there were parties every day.

Photo courtesy of Kristine Kauflin

Magicians entertained, Jeff broke out some favorites from his wine cellar for a blind tasting, tours of downtown Seattle were organized, and there was lots and lots of good food!

The sun shone for the anniversary event. All were blessed hearing about the marriage of two faithful people through so many years.

3 Months Have Gone By...

2011-07-02T21:50:00.001-04:00

12 Weeks Old

More and more London has been looking around taking in her surroundings. If you catch her eye, she will throw you a smile and then pretend to be bashful.

She loves to blow spit bubbles and then then make spitting noises. It makes us laugh every time!

Bluemont

2011-06-19T22:47:00.000-04:00

We introduced London to mommy's favorite place to relax- a vineyard.

The Bluemont vineyard sits high upon a hill providing tasters an amazing view to compliment the vino.

11 weeks old

Baby Week #10

2011-06-14T22:10:00.001-04:00

Check out baby's new skills! She is now picking up any item close to her little grabby hands so that she can attempt to get it into her mouth.

Mostly this just means grabbing her own bib and nearly strangling and smothering herself as she tries to eat it.

We caught her laughing on camera! Our favorite times are spent hovering over her as she prattles on and on with smiles and laughs in between.

London is quite the chunker. At her two month check-up she weighed in at 14 pounds placing her in the 98th percentile for weight!

Journey to Bavaria

2011-06-13T21:13:00.000-04:00

With baby in tow, Barvaria was a bit far for us, so we settled for Biergarten Haus down in DC. Chris and Kiara introduced us to this gem when Jesse was pining for the beers of Germany.

This bar has a great selection of German beer goodness on draft served in liter steins!

Sarah & Jason joined us as we dared to bring along our baby. We decided that a true European pub wouldn't look down on an infant joining in on the festivities.

(warming up baby's "beer")

We were relieved that London decided to be a model baby leaving us to have a great night out!

More good times ahead!

Water Baby

2011-06-06T22:09:00.000-04:00

Jesse & I both equate summer with swim team, so we are starting our girl early. Or we tried to anyway. After driving around to four stores looking for some swimwear for London, I realized that all the cute mini swimsuits start at 12 months.

So here is our cutie ready for some swimming in a onsie and a huge hand-me-down sun hat. Despite the style flop, she did great!

OK, she tolerated it.

But Jesse and I loved introducing our baby to the pool!

London and daddy practice floating in the pool.

Mexican Roots

2011-06-03T14:03:00.001-04:00

9 Weeks Old (Before)

After a whirlwind courtship, my Grandfather whisked my Grandma away from Mexico and brought her to New England to live. As a result, not many Hispanic traditions survived as my Grandmother struggled to fit into a very Caucasian town. My mother and I barely speak any Spanish, but we both had our ears pierced as infants. I had cute little ruby earrings at four days old. Jesse wanted to avoid having London's baby ears pierced by a teenager at the mall, so we waited until our Pediatrician would do them at two months old.

(After)

Sadly, gold balls were the only option. Once her ears heal, I think we are going to go with her birthstone: Aquamarine

Latest Pics

2011-05-26T12:38:00.001-04:00

8 Weeks Old

Jesse and I love picking fresh strawberries at Butlers Orchard every year, so we were excited to introduce our baby to another one of our traditions. They made the most amazing Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble for Memorial Day!

Baby News: London is almost sleeping though the night these days! About every other night she will go from 10:30pm-5:30am. Mommy loves these nights!

Smiles

2011-05-24T18:42:00.000-04:00

London is starting to smile and coo for mommy and daddy. Capturing it on film has been quite the challenge. Here are a few of our favorites.

Week 5, 6, and 7!

2011-05-23T19:32:00.001-04:00

Life is already flying by! Here are a few pics of London from the past 3 weeks:

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Fuzzi Bunz!

2011-05-11T19:27:00.000-04:00

My Mom used cloth diapers. But that is NOT why I decided to use them for our little bean. I was quite young, but I can still remember the smell that would waft forth from that yellow diaper pail. (Ugh, thinking about it now!). No, John and Sherry from Young House Love and a little excited nudge from my eco-conscious friend, Sarah, convinced me to at least give this new generation of cloth diapering a try. We have been part time up until now. Thanks to the gifts of many friends we developed a stash of Bum Genius and Fuzzibunz one size diapers, but only enough to last us 24 hours. Just today, I got in a batch of 6 more so that we can go full time. I am surprised how excited I am every time I wrap up her little bum in the very cute diapers. I love that her sensitive skin is not being exposed to excess chemicals and that we are saving money by this investment. We'll see how things go, but so far, with the food choices and the cloth diapering, we are turning out to be shockingly like our hippy parents!

London is excited too!

1st Mother's Day

2011-05-09T21:29:00.000-04:00

It made me laugh inside to hear people wish me a happy mother's day. Me, a mother?

Engraved in my mind was the assumption that if you were a mother, you must be old, worn out, and done with days of fun. Well, I guess that is me now. My little baby is proof that motherhood has struck. My Hubby wanted to make sure that I was able to enjoy my first Mother's Day holiday, so we all took a trip to the outlets. It was great to be with my family, enjoy the beautiful weather, and get out and do something besides nursing and surfing the internet. The activities continued all weekend. Saturday evening we met my family on Sugaloaf mountain for a sunset picnic and Sunday, we joined the Simpson family for a cookout at Sarah & Nate's new home. We are so blessed to be so close to our mothers. They continue to shower us and our new baby with so much love even though we are now a family of our own!

4 Weeks Old

2011-05-01T21:31:00.000-04:00

We laugh every day watching all of London's faces

"You bore me" face

Jesse is claiming this as her first smile.

Daddy likes to cuddle with his baby after a long day of work.

Babka Baby

2011-04-24T15:01:00.000-04:00

We decided to be adventurous with our new baby. The Wyzga family was gathering in New Jersey from all over the country for Easter so we decided to go as well. London did so well on the long car ride and Mom and Dad made the trip easy by driving us and getting us a hotel room. Thanks Mom and Dad!

This year she slept most of the time in Mimi's arms, but we cannot wait to teach London how to make Polish Easter Bread.

London made my Grandpa Wyzga a Great Grandpa for the first time. He loved holding a baby in his arms again and it was so precious to watch him sing her lullabys.

We were relieved that London decided to be a perfect angel as people claimed next in line to hold the new baby. The weekend ended up being a wonderful experience with delicious food to accompany it!

Out traditional Polish spread of three different preparation of kielbasa, ambrosia, noodle pudding, babka, potato salad and decorated Easter eggs with wine of course.

3 Weeks Old but Fitting Into 3 Month Onesies

2011-04-21T20:06:00.000-04:00

Tummy Time!

This is what happens when daddy watches the baby.

Milk Drunk

2 Weeks Old

2011-04-15T19:29:00.000-04:00

1st Week of Life

2011-04-13T08:25:00.000-04:00

Our posts filled with photos of exotic travels are currently on hiatus as we revel in taking loads of photos of our new baby. I do hope the theory that you can give your child a seizure from taking too many photos is untrue...

Here are our favorite pictures from her first week of life

At the Hospital

2011-04-09T22:04:00.000-04:00

Just Arrived

Dad could not have been happier to meet his little girl.

We kept the family in suspense for months about our name ideas. Once we met her, it didn't take long to decide on her name- London Adelié Simpson.

Kathy, Jesse's Mom, arrived just in time to be there for the birth of her 10th grandchild.

Scott, Jesse's Dad stopped by in the evening to welcome the first Simpson girl into the family.

Rose's mom, Yvonne, gave London a bottle after her blood sugar continued to be low despite her first feed. Fortunately, her blood sugar went up and we could continue breastfeeding.

Steve, Rose's dad, meets his first grandchild.

We were so excited that London's Godmother, Sarah, was able to come visit.

Day 2 - Her sleep was a trick. The demander soon awoke to demand more food!

Ready to go home

Janell sent me this perfect onesie from England for her going home outfit.

Daddy and London are all set for the car ride home.

More Than Most Care to Know...

2011-04-07T21:13:00.000-04:00

My due date came and passed, and more days passed, but our baby bean was showing no signs of wanting to leave her comfy lifestyle. Jesse and I waited impatiently, taking any suggestions for bringing on labor-taking walks, scrubbing floors, anything. At the news of my pregnancy, I had switched to midwifery care and we had taken Bradley classes for weeks to prepare to bring our child into the world as naturally as possible. However, I knew that if I needed pitocin, I would need an epidural. 13 days passed, and the plan for a natural labor looked bleak. Time was up, so we headed to Shady Grove hospital for our scheduled induction. The plan was to start Cervidil overnight so that by the morning my body would be ready for pitocin. At 10:30 pm we started the Cervidil, and side effects kicked in soon after that. Cervidil is just supposed to "ripen" the cervix, but of course, my body responded to the drug with the "uncommon" response of strong, persistent contractions beginning around midnight. For hours contraction were every minute to 1.5 minutes apart but attached to the monitor, my bradley positions and methods of relaxation were limited. By 4:30am, I had only progressed from 1cm to 3cm dilated. About this time, I was definitely questioning why I had waited at all and a c-section was looking quite nice. Jesse was there the whole time supporting me and encouraging me through each wave of pain, but I caved and accepted Nubain, to take the edge off the pain. I just remember asking Jesse, "Why isn't it working?" I think it just made me feel heavy and dizzy.

5:30 arrived and the Cervidil fell out with the breaking of my waters. My Mom arrived to help out to help out and give Jesse a break for the long day ahead of us. Knowing that Pitocin was on the way, I asked for the epidural. I knew that I could not take 6 or more hours like the previous 6. The anesthesiologist was setting up his medication when the midwife announced that I was now at 8cm and 100% effaced meaning that I could start pushing if I could hold out a little while longer. By 7am, the only way to relieve the pain was to bear down. The midwife noticed I was pushing and encouraged me to get out of bed to try squatting to bring be baby down. We tried that for a few minutes, and I could feel the baby's head burning to come out.

Jesse came in surprised to find us ready to have the baby. Back in bed, I felt my body unable to push at each contraction, when suddenly a wave would wash over me. It took over my body forcing the baby out. The pain was overwhelming, I must have been yelling, but the head emerged and the body rushed out after it. I stared down at the bloody baby, in shock how large she was all curled up and that I had done it. I had birthed a baby! Overwhelmed we cuddled while the cord finished pulsing. It was 7:27am. The birth had taken only about 8 hours.

Made in England

2011-03-31T08:27:00.000-04:00

Announcing the birth of our daughter

London Adelié Simpson

Born the 31st of March 2011 at 7:27 am

Weighing in at 9.8 ounces and measuring 22 inches long

Planting with baby in mind

2011-03-19T18:21:00.002-04:00

With the knowledge that we would soon be bringing a little human in this world, I began to evaluate what kind of life we would introduce her to.

After this documentary: And these two books:

I began a radical food overhaul, but I knew that I would need to start with manageable baby steps or else this healthy food kick would be just like a new year's diet (over in a month).

So, My goals for 2011 were:

When shopping for produce, buy at least the "Dirty Dozen" organic
50% of milk we consume to be from pastured grass fed cows
75% of the meat we eat to be organic, grass fed, and with no antibiotics or hormones
Buy free roaming chicken eggs from the farm down the road
Start a garden
Start composting

I was doing pretty well with my list except for the garden part. To tell the truth, I have been avoiding it. Here is what my normal garden routine usually results in:

But today, I am forgetting the past, and trying once more. With the baby due at any minute, I am keeping it simple-container gardening!

(Who wants to walk down the deck stairs to water every day?)

So now I have some lettuce, herbs, strawberries and soon to come-peppers. We shall see if my black thumb curses my poor little plants...

Breech Baby Experience

2011-03-10T18:43:00.001-05:00

Take and ironing board and prop it up on your sofa and then lie down on it...

What!? Yes, at 36 weeks our stubborn baby was still breech. This, along with ideas like shining a flash light on my belly to attract the baby to the light seemed absurd, but it was better than scheduling a c-section or forcibly turning my baby around from the outside which can be incredibly painful. One week later, I found out that the external version was not even an option for me. My the baby's life support, the placenta, was positioned up front and could detach in the process!

We appeared to have run out of options when my Bradley instructor mentioned that Dr. Mariella Young, a chiropractor in the area, has helped turn many Breech babies through a method called the Webster technique. I was sceptical, but also desperate. Then the receptionist at her practice mentioned that her success rate was 95%!! How could I loose out? My insurance was even willing to pay the bills!

Two sessions later, I went to see the c-section Dr, instead of my midwives to ask him the millions of questions I had since I had not been preparing to give birth this way. Before we could even start talking, he felt my baby, and claimed she was head down! What! I told him to make double sure, so we took a sonogram and yes, the bean's head was in the right place!

We are so excited to carry on with our plan to have a natural birth and thank God every day she stays going the right direction.

Little Bean is Coming...

2011-03-07T19:24:00.001-05:00

I would like to say that at almost 39 weeks, I am completely prepared for the arrival of our little bean, but I am secretly hoping she does not decide to come early-there is more to be done!

There are signs on every level that the bugger will soon be taking over our lives. It is really helpful to see these cute baby items so that when I bring my baby home, I am not in complete shock that 9 months of growing larger and larger = a live baby.

Bottles in our kitchen cabinets

Upstairs, the baby room closet is already stuffed with little person items.

In the basement, cute little cloth diapers and baby clothes are getting their pre-wash.

Even my car has the car seat jammed in there. (Don't worry, all you experienced moms, it is not installed that way. I am waiting for my professional installation appointment).

She arrives any day now!

Baby Shower!

2011-02-05T22:09:00.001-05:00

Baby Shower Time!

My Mom, Sarah, and Lisa put on a great shower with yummy food, and adorable decorations!

I know it was hard, but everyone tried to keep the pink to a minimum!

My grandparents surprised me by driving 12 hours to be there for the big event. I was so blessed by this expression of care for me and excitement over the arrival of our baby.

My mother-in-law had been busy creating her masterpieces just for us! Not only did she create this amazing diaper cake, but she also sewed really cute burp cloths and a baby quilt

Sarah invented the perfect game- Baby March Madness in honor the March due date.

Guests fill out their baby name brackets and win points for correctly guessing our favorite names. We have kept so quite these past 8 months keeping our list of potential names top secret!

I was so overwhelmed by everyone who came and all the presents they brought for our little baby! We are so well supplied with what we need for the baby thanks to so many friends!

Winter Wonderland Only 3 Hours Away

2011-01-12T21:42:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I joined the Wyzgas for a brief trip up to Deep Creek MD.

We stayed in an amazing log cabin mansion right next to Ski slopes, great trails, and lots of snow! I had been missing the snow, so my favorite memory was the trek we took to Swallow Falls through pine groves and down to this amazing, half frozen waterfall.

If Jesse had been there, it would have been perfect.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T21:33:00.000-05:00

When it comes to Christmas traditions, I am one to throw a very grown up tantrum if anyone suggests changing things up. But things are changing for us. Next year, there will be a little baby, my brothers are bringing new women around, and at the Simpsons, the number of little kids practically doubles each year. So this year it was extra important to keep the old traditions around

The shoes went under the tree for St. Nick to fill with goodies on December 6th. Jesse found a six pack of beers from around the world in his shoes!

The Wyzgas held perrogi making day followed by the Christmas Eve service. The batch Jesse and I were in charge of turned out stellar!

Christmas Eve was spent at the Wyzgas where we stuffed ourselves with perogies and exchanged gifts.

(I have to interrupt with a comment about these awesome stuffed animals that Chad and Tarrah bought for bean. They are adorable stuffed microbes-Ecoli, Ulcer, amoeba, and a mono microbe from Sarah!)

Christmas Day started out great with a light snowfall! It almost never snows for Christmas here. We spent the day at the Simpsons with a delicious gorgonzola beef tenderloin dinner and another round of presents for all. We loved spending Christmas with our families and enjoyed every minute.

Annual Christmas Super Date

2010-12-18T19:09:00.087-05:00

27 weeks

Jesse and I typically head north to Gettysburg for our annual super date, but this year we decided to change things up and drove south to the National Harbor to check out their Christmas festivities. It was our first time visiting this part of Maryland and we were impressed by the Christmas fevor.

Check out the decor in the Gaylord! These light banners hung over the Christmas town set up in the atrium.
It was SOOO cold outside, so this indoor village was perfect! They even had fake snow falling every hour.

My favorite part was the fountain show. The water and light displays were choreographed to Christmas carols. We tried to capture it on the clip below.

Christmas Tree Day

2010-12-02T12:00:00.000-05:00

As soon as Thanksgiving was over, we were ready to dive into the Christmas fun! Despite illness, Jesse trekked out into the freezing winds to find our Christmas tree. We almost gave up, when we spotted our the perfect one for us.

We had so much fun remembering our travels from last year as we placed the new ornaments we have collected abroad next to ones from our local adventures.

Bean is 25 weeks in this photo

"Pretty paper, pretty ribbons of blue

Wrap your presents to you darling from you"

Italian Supper Club

2010-12-01T15:08:00.002-05:00

My sister in law, Kristine, came up with a brilliant idea-a supper club.
What better way is there to dive into new culinary skills than to do so with the support of a friend and with hungry men ready to try our new endeavors?

On the top of my list was home-made pasta. One of my favourite things about the food in Italy was the the fresh pasta. The whole dish was transformed.

After some scouting, we tracked down a pasta roller (Thanks Kandi!). And watched Gaida's demonstration at least ten times in fear of our pasta dough falling apart. We were so excited to find out that it came out perfect the first time!!

Our Menu:

Pasta

Alfredo with Peas and Prosciutto

Marinera Sauce

Breadsticks

Salad

Tiramisu

Da Vinci Chianti

It is a...

2010-11-09T18:03:00.005-05:00

GIRL!!!!

This is the picture we were given. See, no pee pee where the arrow is. We did have them triple check.
No one warned us that your first ultrasound can be an entirely unnerving and disturbing experience. Our female Nazi technician begrudgingly announced different organs spotted as she whizzed across my belly with her wand. In the darkened room a little skeleton face kept flashing on the screen. I expected to be excited and filled with motherly love from the image of my little baby, but no.

Here is the cutest image I have. Her little blurry skeletal face is on the left looking at you.

Luckily, we returned 3 weeks later for the 21 week ultrasound and the Doctor was amazing. He explained everything that he was looking at why it was important. For now, our little bean is looking good.

Pumpkin Day!

2010-10-25T21:16:00.002-04:00

Rose and I made our annual autumn trip to Butler's Orchard for pumpkin day!

We had too many pumpkins to chose from this year. We ended up grabbing up a pumpkin each and one for our little baby on the way.

Rose brought back the classic pumpkin design, while I went radical.

Annual Camping Returns

2010-10-16T19:53:00.021-04:00

We missed camping so much that the trip was planned before we even flew home from England!

Shenandoah National Park here we come!

Rose invited the family to join us. We went hiking on a beautiful autumn afternoon.

The leaves were spectacular! We love the leaves!

Don't be fooled by the smile. Pregnant Rose almost didn't make it back from the 6 miles hike.

Obligatory manly sawing picture must be included. The men had wood chopping contests to determine who was the strongest! Sadly, they were all losers as the wood proved to be the winner.

The coldness descended upon us and we only spent one frosty night camping. Hopefully we will be able to stay two nights next year.

September Dark Days

2010-09-30T15:42:00.019-04:00

It would seem that life ended after our year in England, but no, things have just changed. Jesse was able to slide right back into his 2nd grade teaching job and I slid right onto the couch and hardly moved for about 2 months. Finding a nursing job wasn't as easy as I had anticipated. With little bean around, handling Chemotherapy was no longer an option. The nursing shortage has dried up leaving managers the option to only accept nurses with previous experience in their particular speciality. I took it hard. No job left me hours to sink beneath pregnancy sickness and into pre-partum depression.
We had other surprises too. Like no health insurance upon returning to America! However, the good things is that all these anxieties, of sickness, unemployment, and lack of information about my new baby led me to God. And he was there to give me peace. At week 16, I was finally able to hear my baby's heartbeat and found myself crying with joy to hear that the baby was alive and well. The wait made it extra special.
(This picture mostly just shows the chubs, but I thought it was time to take a tummy picture on the day I made it to the 2nd trimester.)

We Have Exciting News!

2010-09-12T13:41:00.000-04:00

Summarizing Thoughts

2010-08-30T19:02:00.002-04:00

We have been home for a month now and are slipping back into the patterns of our old life. The normalacy is hypnotic. It teases us into believing that the past year was only a dream and our life abroad an elaborate fantasy. So we look back at all our pictures and remember "the good times" as we will refer to them from now on.

Place we would want to live: Bavaria, Germany

Best Food: Rose - Normandy, France

Jesse - Tuscany, Italy (Cheese and Salami)

Worst Food: England

Wine to die for: Tuscany, Italy

Wine to drive for: Sainsbury. 3 Australian Reds for $15

Tastiest Beer: Bavaria, Germany (served in 1 liter steins)

Most scenic: Bertchesgarten, German Alps

Suckiest Beer: Northern, Germany (only served in half pints)

Best Accommodation: Normandy, France Manor B&B

Worst Accommodation: Birmingham, England (is dried blood in your bathtub normal for a 3 star in England?)

Friendliest People - Rose: Paris, France (SHOCKER) Jesse: Bavaria, Germany

Unfriendliest People: Spain (ALL of them)

Place you might die if you visit: Omonia District, Athens Greece

Most Romantic: Santorini, Greece

Worst Drivers: Toss up between Rome, Italy and Crete, Greece

Nicest Subway System: Athens, Greece

Dirtiest Subway System: Paris, France

Best Christmas Market: Koln, Germany

Airport you want to be stranded in: Heathrow Terminal 5 (Honorable mention for the Sausage and Egg sandwich in Terminal 3)

Airport most likely to catch an communicable disease: Fiumicino, Rome Italy

Place we would want to live: Bavaria, Germany (Beer, brats and Christmas, how can you not want to live there?)

Otter Brewery

2010-08-13T10:00:00.004-04:00

My last great English adventure took me to the Otter Brewery!

The day we broke up from school, I was invited to a guys night out by a fellow teacher. I traveled the Devon countryside through hill and dale with Toby and his merry men. We began the night at the local pub and then loaded onto the mini-bus to the Otter Brewery. I know what you're thinking, a mini-bus is a given.

The tour walked us through the brewing process and educated us on all the different types of beer we were about to consume. Funny how you forget most of what you learned after a few pints.

We had our choice of ale, amber and bitter. They were all delicious!

After dinner we traveled to Mary's pub. Mary is 92 years old and runs a pub from her house. (See living room in background.) We all crammed into her tiny sitting room and managed to offend her straight away. She refused to serve us after one of the merry men, a brown toothed gentleman, questioned the beer selection on tap. The group turned on the scoundrel and ousted him from the dwelling. Eventually she began to warm up to us and the ale was flowing again.

The merry men enjoying a pint outside Mary's pub. The scoundrel can be seen hiding in the back center of the picture.

Toby and I had a great night on out with the boys! Cheers to all the friends I had good times with in England!

Cricket

2010-08-12T11:51:00.000-04:00

One of my most meaningful experiences during my year long teacher exchange was coaching the Blackbrook Cricket team. We played well all season and earned a spot in the championship.

Confidently we approached our first game, but subsequently lost to the eventual runners up in the tournament.

Bowling for the wickets is the goal of the game. Our second game was very close but we were just edged out in the end.

My team was ready for the third game and responded with some excellent fielding.

Blackbrook boys up to bat. We ended up winning the last game and finishing 6th in the tournament.

After the tournament, my team presented me with a Somerset Cricket bat and hat. They were the best group of boys and I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to coach them! Go Blackbrook!

The Donkey Sanctuary

2010-07-23T14:27:00.000-04:00

My year 2 class took an exciting field trip to the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, UK.

Hundreds of donkeys are given refuge at the sanctuary. My favorites were the blind donkeys that had to wear padded helmets.

My students loved brushing and petting the donkeys.

This Spanish donkey was a big hit with the children.

Mr. Simpson's Class

Stratford-Upon-Avon

2010-07-13T16:32:00.000-04:00

Rose and I could not spend a whole year in England and not visit the home of the world's greatest writer!

Shakespeare's complete works were preserved in this 17th century book compiled by actors who preformed in his plays. A purchase price of one pound in 1620, it is now a priceless piece of literary history.

Shakespeare's birth place in Stratford-Upon-Avon has seen over 25 million visitors! We joined the prestigious guest list that has included Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Charles Dickens, John Keats, and Walter Scott, to name just a few.

Shakespeare's back garden

Shakespeare's daughter married a wealthy doctor and lived in Hall's Croft briefly before Shakespeare's death in 1616. This was Jesse's favorite garden.

Rose's favourite house was the cottage where Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway was raised. The house dates back to the 1400's!! Not bad for a wattle and daub model.

Rose's favorite stop in Stratford was at The Oppo restaurant. She loved the 16th century atmosphere and excellent priced eats.

Edinburgh

2010-07-08T17:28:00.000-04:00

The Fulbright reunion continued in Edinburgh, Scotland. With all the events and parties planned, it was easy to push behind thoughts of leaving, and that this was our last big trip before returning to the expected cycle of life in Maryland.

Our Edinburgh digs.

Edinburgh is one of Rose's favorite cities to walk through. Bagpipes can be heard in in the cobblestone street and the castle is reflected in almost every building, creating the illusion of a clean medieval city.

The Fulbright ladies hit town and the good times flowed with the wine. It was so much fun to hear all of the funny UK teaching stories and commiserate with those who knew our experience well. "Alright?"

We rarely eat seafood so the big hit was watching Jesse try his first mussel and oyster. Thumbs up for the mussels, but oysters taste like slimy boogers.

Scotch and Kilts, I cannot think of a better foundation for a country. A request for a quick picture turned into Jesse sharing vintage single malt Scotch whiskey with a stranger on the the street. 25 year old Scotch is delicious! Sláinte

The 12th century Lewis Chessmen were on display at the Royal Museum of Scotland. This is my favorite piece from the collection.

Stirling Castle

2010-07-05T16:40:00.001-04:00

Our last Fulbright adventure took place in majestic Scotland! We joined our fellow ex-pats for the 4th of July weekend to celebrate and reflect on a great year abroad.

Our first stop, Stirling Castle dates back to the 1300's and is most famous for it's roll in the Scottish struggle for independence from England.

Jesse is always a sucker for a good cannon picture. (See previous Jesse cannon pictures)

The Great Hall of Stirling Castle

Robert the Bruce, Hero King or Evil Genius?

American Fulbright Teachers

The William Wallace Monument towers above the Stirling Bridge. This is the famous site of the Wallace led Scottish victory over the English. King Edward's knights attempted to cross the bridge they were trapped in a bottle neck, and the Scottish slaughtered them three abreast.

Wallace Monument

Wallace truly swung a huge sword, an impressive 5 feet 6 inches long!

Over 240 steps led us to the crest of the tower where the wind threatened to carry us over. The next stop on our journey was the city of Edinburgh.

Who says British Food Tastes Bad?

2010-06-29T18:05:00.000-04:00

There as been no rain in 3 weeks. Yes, early summer must be the perfect time to be on this wet wet island. Sunny and 24 degrees(75 Fahrenheit). So how have we been keeping busy?

We made new friends: Andy and Jemima who introduced us to this restaurant-Jack in the Green. http://www.jackinthegreen.uk.com/

This remote pub gives English food a new reputation. Their commitment to local food sources and excellent cullinary skills makes the 30 minute trip to Exeter worth it!
Tonight, they introduced us to the champion of curry houses here in Somerset- The Spice Gallery http://www.spicegallery.co.uk/.

Along with pub food, the other mainstay in almost every British town is a curry house which serves Indian food catered to the English palate.

We have been breaking out our little grill on loan from our neighbors and trying all kind of new dishes with our English friends:

Vern, a friend who has just started his own line-caught Trout business, guided us through grilling a whole trout and carving the beautiful fish. http://www.streamfarm.co.uk/produce/streamfed-trout/. I have now tried pulled pork from scratch, grilled courgett-sound exotic right? (AKA:Zuchinni), Cous cous, stuffed mushrooms, strawberry/rhubarb crumble, blueberry and peach cobbler, and other new menu items that have not turned out so well.

Apparently, every fun thing we have done involves friends and food. Oh, but Jesse would also include the 100+ hours of world cup watching to the summer fun list. Fun, except for the day America played so poorly and lost to Ghana.

Tintagel

2010-06-21T14:11:00.000-04:00

Rose and I finally decided to explore the beautiful Cornwall coast that we had heard so much about.

We enjoyed the most picturesque cliff side picnic overlooking the legendary ruins of King Arthur's castle.

The castle keep and entrance are all that remain today, but it is not hard to imagine Merlin and King Arthur plotting to rescue the princess Guinevere from the rogue Lancelot.

The Old Tintagel post office building dates back to the 14th century!

The whirling swirling crashing of the blue-green waves stopped us in our tracks. It was hard not to be mesmerized by them. Some Merlin magic to be sure.

Rose was bursting with happiness to be out of the house and on such a great weekend adventure in the most beautiful weather! So happy.

Farm Day

2010-06-17T12:48:00.000-04:00

We are surrounded by farms here in Cotford St. Luke, bringing the smell, but also an abundance of local produce and meat.

Last Sunday on National Farm Day our Caregroup headed to Spring Farm to picnic and to see the animals.

This cutie was born just last week. This moment was my highlight. I can't say I have ever held a lamb before.

Jesse liked the birds of prey. We often see one on our way to our village and always slow up the traffic to see where he flies. The caretaker was allowing visitors to call the bird to their fist, but we missed our chance. What a bummer!

World Cup Face-Off

2010-06-13T14:56:00.000-04:00

The pressure was on! Here in Somerset, England every household was dutifully cheering for England to crush their American colony in the first round match and we were rooting for the USA!

Our neighbors pulled out all their England regalia while we made-do with some face paint and team colors for the pre-game BBQ. The Fosters represent with their grilling.

The rivalry was intense with gasps and cheers throughout the game! Especially around a certain goal which was replayed to the shame of England at least 20 times. Lucky for all involved, it was a tie game and there was no awkward ending to our very fun World Cup night.

Jesse is committed to watching all 64 games for the last month of our exchange.

GO U-S-A!

Short trip back to Maryland

2010-06-12T06:37:00.001-04:00

BA nearly derailed our flight home with their strikes, but after nine months abroad, we stepped off the plane into the suffocating humidity of our home town. It was surreal to be back home surrounded by familiar landmarks, yet living out of suitcase back in our parent's house.

Our families were estatic to have us around. We caught up with all the celebrations we missed. Here we are celebrating Chad's 21st birthday two months late.

I was siked to find Bekah from San Diego in town. Caitlin and I made the trip up to Baltimore to catch up. Why do my friends manage to match?

For two months before we left England for home, Jesse worked on a list of things to accomplish in his short week here. A sampling: Eat Chipotle, golf with the boys, enjoy a cinnamon dolche frapachino, UFC fight at Hardtimes, Simpson Memorial day BBQ. Working on limited sleep, he accomplished all but one on his wish list.

The week ended with Ryan and Melissa's wedding at Strong Mansion.

They narrowly missed the storms which cleared only an hour before the outdoor ceremony began.
http://www.imkristensblog.com/2010/06/ryan-and-melissa-stronghold-mansion.html

Congratts to you both!!

We returned home glad to have two more months to spend in England before returning to our normal life.

First BBQ of the Year

2010-05-26T16:12:00.000-04:00

Jesse and The Nige dusted off the grill for the first BBQ of the year. Nige did most of the grilling while Jesse provided his less then helpful insights.

We were so excited to be invited for the family BBQ! We really love the Foster family and will miss them so much when we have to go home.

Jake and Reese definitely went back for seconds so the food must have been good!

Well done grill masters!

Pari

2010-05-17T15:18:00.000-04:00

We loved our very short stopover in Paris during our Christmas travels and vowed to return before we left.

We were out of bank holidays, and so we decided to dash down on Saturday only to return on Sunday.

Romantic Eiffel Tower kisses!

We waited for dark to fall for two hours on top of the tower and we were well rewarded!

Until it began to rain and two lifts shut down. Fed up tourists pushed and shoved their way to gain an inch closer to the lift doors.

After and hour of being suffocated in the crowds we made it off the Eiffel Tower, crushing the romantic memory.

The next day started well with pain au chocolate croissants and short lines into this fabulous collection.

The Lourve was a must see for Jesse!

Jesse loves the lions!

Lion from Assyria.

Rose's favorite sculpture.

Jesse's favorite painting.

We arrived early to the airport to hear the shocking news that our travel nightmares were happening again. The ash cloud had grounded flights again. We had the same inane lines, but this time we knew what to do. Hire a car and head to Calais. We ran into another British couple not willing to wait around for the planes to fly and agreed to split the car rental. Their dad even drove two hours out of his way to bring us to where our car was parked once we were back on British soil!

With Spring Comes...

2010-05-11T08:45:00.001-04:00

"Barbies"-BBQ's, most often done in disposable aluminum trays especially at the beach

40 degree weather so don't forget your "jumper" (sweater or sweatshirt)

"Rambling on the public footpaths"- vaguely signed walks through farmer fields

"Car boot sales"-Yard sales

Rounders, cricket, and netball practice

Clotted cream ice cream with "squirty cream"- that is whip cream.

Camping-almost always in the rain

"Lie-ins"-Sleeping in

"Sunning in the garden"-Laying out in the back yard

"Going on holiday"- Taking a vacation

"Summer puddings"- Summer desserts

"Bank holidays"-National holidays

HaHa! And there are so many more...I wish I could think of them all

Stranded!

2010-04-27T06:30:00.001-04:00

Photo from: News.Sky.com

Day 1: Thursday April 15th: Ash cloud envelops the UK. No worries, it will blow over soon. We stay positive as they hand our luggage back to us at our stopover in Athens. We land a free stay in the posh Sofitel Airport Hotel and check-in to find that we get free dinner. Extra Bonus!

Day 2: Friday April 16th: Jesse stands in line for 2 hours with sweaty, smelly, pushy Greeks to find out that the earliest flight back to London takes off from Athens in 8 days! Jesse comes back and sleeps most of the day away in depression. On the bright side, we still have three free meals a day and a nice comfortable hotel room. Jesse thinks we may lose it at any moment and insists that one of us stay in the room at all times.

Day 3: Saturday April 17th: Rose and I stand on the corner waiting for a bus that never comes to take us to the beach. We decide to head back into central Athens to go shopping, Rose for clothes and Jesse for Mythos Lager. We spend the evening glued to the TV watching the same report that UK airspace is closed again. We cut down our line standing time from 3 hours to 1 hour by going at 11:30pm to try to get on standby for the earliest flight out.

Day 4: Sunday April 18th: After breakfast we are stunned to hear that we need to vacate our hotel room because Aegean is no longer paying for any more meals or lodging. We stand in line for over 3 hours to find out that Aegean is no longer responsible for us and it is OK that we are getting kicked out of our hotel room because the other airlines are doing it too. Funny thing is that when we head back to the hotel to get our stuff, the other airlines are still housing and feeding their customers. We are refugees now. Jesse makes friends with the bouncer at the buffet and he lets us in for dinner. We eat like kings! Then we head over to sleep in the airport. We are not so kindly kicked out lounge where we are resting and head back to the hotel to wait for our standby flight to Rome.

Day 5: Monday April 19th: By the grace of God, we make the standby flight to Rome! We arrive to complete chaos at the airport. People have been living there for days and territories are fiercely defended. There are no rental cars in the whole of Rome so we board a bus to find a hostel. During the bus ride the heavens open up and intense hail begins to pelt the bus. An angry African women tells the bus drive to wait it out and he kindly ushers her off the bus. I don't think she made it. We find a dingy hostel and pray for a rental car.

Day 6 Tuesday April 20th: This morning finds us back at the Rome airport, dirtiest airport ever, in line to rent a car. Standing in line for 2 hours pays off and we finally have the keys to our car! Praise the Lord! Now we just have to drive 1100 miles to Calais, France. Our journey takes us through Italy, Switzerland, and into France. After driving 12 straight hours, we pull over at a rest stop and try to grab some sleep in the car.

Day 7 Wednesday April 21st: We awake at 4am freezing. Two hours later we are on the road again with our sights set on making it the ferry in Calais. By 1pm we have made it to the overcrowded port. Rental cars are strewn all over the port. 3 hours later we are relieved to be sailing toward the cliffs of Dover after paying three times the price to cross the channel. We are used to waiting now. It takes an hour for the bus to deliver us to the train station. 4 hours and three trains later, we arrive in Taunton at 2230. We look like the refugees we had become, but we have our friend Russell to pick us up to bring us home and neighbours to run outside to give us hugs and food as we pull up to our home!!

The Isle of Crete

2010-04-24T05:35:00.000-04:00

We took a high speed ferry from Santorini to Crete for the last leg of our journey.

Cretians introduced a new style of driving to us. Their main travel lane, is the breakdown lane.

We drove along the beautiful coast from Heraklion to Chaina, the old Venetian harbor.

Here we wandered from shop to Gelato stand enjoying the same 75 degree weather we had for most of our vacation.

Crete is know for it's olive oil, so we made sure to pick up a high end bottle, and a beautiful wine stand made of olive wood.

We loved this open air restaurant in a restored soap factory in the old Jewish Quarter.

Jesse stuck with his favorite Greece food, Souvlaki, while I ventured to try the Mousaka, which was delicious!

Jesse read in his guide book that occasionally, restaurants may offer you the classic Greek after dinner drink, Raki, on the house. He was excited to finally be offered his first bottle.

News reports, of a volcanic eruption in Iceland were merely background noise as we packed for our journey home. Our vacation was a success, we were relaxed and happy with a nice spring tan as we boarded our Aegean flight for London, but we were ready to return to normal UK life. We both agreed that this was one of our best trips!

Sanorini

2010-04-23T15:11:00.000-04:00

After the bustle of Athens, we fell in love with the Greek Island of Santorini.

We booked the perfect suite overlooking the Aegean Sea.

This stop was all about relaxation, and enjoying the Greek Island honeymoon environment instead of rushing from site to site in our jam-packed travel itinerary.

Jesse and I enjoyed just walking around the island. The architecture we had seen in pictures was even more brilliant up close.

Mythos lager was a perfect way to prepare for the sunset. It quickly became an everyday occurrence.

Other tourists would try to come on to our picture perfect balcony to watch the sunset.

The view from our room during sunset.

We rented a decrepit old car to see the rest of the island.

The Greek islands have a unique, mysterious quality that allows their vineyards to survive hundreds of years where, most wineries replant their vines every 30-40 years. Unlike most grape vines, the vine is nurtured into a basket on the ground to protect the plant from the arid, windy climate.

This is my favorite island view taken in Oia.

The beautiful blue church tops are the landmark feature of Santorini.

This was Jesse's favorite view of the island. We ducked down about ten alleys to find what Jesse calls "the classic picture of Santorini"

The view of the island from the Oia cliff top was amazing! We were sad to move on.

Athens

2010-04-18T15:08:00.000-04:00

Greece was the one country I wanted to make sure that I visited before leaving England. With one long vacation left on our England exchange, I made sure to tack it on to Jesse's plan to see Italy.

I am so glad that I can now say that I have see the Acropolis with my own eyes! I grew up enamoured by historic sites and was very excited to visit the 2500 year old ruins of the Parthenon.

The new Acropolis Museum gave us a vivid picture of what this shell of a temple used to look like. The exhibit displays the recovered statues and reliefs that used to decorate the Parthenon. Unfortunately, some of the friezes, metopes, and the pediments are represented by plaster casts since the originals are currently being held in other museums around the world. The Greek government has requested to have them returned but the British Museum has refused to return the national treasures to Greece.

The Erechtheum was my favorite until I read that the Caryatids holding up the roof were remakes with the originals in the museum. What a disappointment!

The Temple of Hephaestus is right next to the ancient Agora of Athens where Paul argued with the Greeks in Acts 17:16-34.

The Temple of Zeus has not withstood the test of time. So much for false gods!

The statue remains of the Roman Emperor Hadrian.

We loved the souvlaki with tzatziki from Thanasis so much that we went there twice! It reminded us of our favorite restaurant back home, Moby Dicks, but better!

We had been looking forward to Greek cuisine and were eager to try local delicacies.

The Vatican

2010-04-16T15:47:00.000-04:00

Lines were short for our pre-summer visit to the Vatican. We just missed the Pope's Easter blessing, but it seems we missed the masses as well.

St. Peter's Square is one of my favorite places to visit and now I was able to show Jesse the beautiful design.

The longest line was to see St. Peter's Basillica.

It houses Michelangelo's masterpiece: La Pieta

The alter with Bernini's baldacchino is said to be the largest piece of bronze in the world.

The Gallery of Maps in the Vatican Museum was painted from 1580-1583 by Ignazio Danti and is spectacular!

The School of Athens fresco by Raphael was Jesse's second favorite painting.

Jesse's favorite was of course the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo! The guards in the room kept yelling, "No Photo!" That didn't stop Jesse or the myriads of others from taking pictures. At least Jesse didn't use his flash.

Rome

2010-04-14T16:59:00.011-04:00

Our journey through Italy would not be complete without a stopover in Rome. This was Rose's second trip to the ancient city, but for me it was an excited first!

The Colosseum never fails to impress! We were so grateful for a beautiful sunny day to go explore.

Standing on the mezzanine, it was not hard to imagine the gladiatorial battles that took place here 2000 years ago.

The Arch of Constantine

I really enjoyed walking through the Roman Forum and seeing the ancient monuments. The Temple of Saturn was a stand out for me.

We stopped for some Gelato at the Trevi Fountain!

Sadly, like the rest of Europe currently, the Pantheon was undergoing refurbishment and was closed with scaffolding covering half of it. I think that the fountain hides it quite well.

Pizza everyday for me was a must! This pizza has the typical Roman paper thin crust.

In case you notice a theme developing, one of my goals in traveling through Europe is to taste the beer where ever I go. Rome was no exception.

Siena

2010-04-13T04:16:00.001-04:00

We spent Jesse's 31st birthday visiting the historic Tuscan hill town of Siena.

The medieval cityscape of Siena is dominated by the Torre del Mangia.

Siena's sloping Piazza Del Campo. Here we tried the renown Tuscan cooking. Jesse ordered the wild boar on homemade pasta, while I went with a rabbit ragout pasta. After tasting each others plates we decided to trade. Jesse loved the rabbit!

After lunch we grabbed some delicious Tiramisu Gelato near the tower.

The Cathedral of Siena was constructed using beautifully unique green marble.

Tuscany

2010-04-11T12:00:00.002-04:00

After a brief and un-photographed stop in rainy Florence, we travelled to our favorite destination of our trip, Tuscany.

Our rental car gave us reign to explore the hills, small towns and valleys of this beautiful countryside. Jesse and I prefer the quite, private, relaxed feel of the country over city destinations. Not to mention, wine tasting in one of the world's richest wine regions.

We found this perfect combination in Follonico, a new Bed and Breakfast that has been immaculately designed to reflect the classic Tuscan farm house.

Our room gave us three panoramic views of the vineyards and the nearby medieval city of Montepulciano.

Our gracious hosts, Fabio and Suzanne, exceeded the bounds of hospitality by providing us with vintage salami, toasted crostini, and sweet cake for Jesse's birthday.

This was Rose's favorite home away from home.

Wine,cheese, olive oil, salami and a pear. The perfect picnic in Tuscany on a sunny afternoon.

Jesse and I toured the local wineries, sampling and learning about the history of wine in Montepulciano. The Icario winery was Jesse's favorite.

Jesse holding an Italian salami.

Five Year Anniversary Trip

2010-04-10T14:38:00.000-04:00

We are starting to feel our time here abroad is coming rapidly to a close. With a seventeen day Easter break, we decided to fit Italy and Greece in one long trip. To pardon the expense of such a long and elaborate trip, we are calling it an early five year anniversary excursion.

Our first destination was Venice. It was Jesse's first time here in this beautiful unique city. We had the perfect weather to start our trip. 70 degrees and sunny.

We took a gamble and went with the dish of the day served out in the square to Italians sipping wine. The calamari and chardonnay for ten euros was a good choice.

Jesse's crack research as the "food and fun" coordinator found us the best pizza in all of Venice. We waited around for close to an hour to be first in line for this local delicacy. Jesse loved it so much that he went back for another piece!

St. Mark's Church in San Marco Piazza, Venice.

The ceiling mosaic is made up of a thousands of individual gold, bronze, and colored stones.

Venetian Soldier

Venice is famous for its hand blown glass makers. We watched a professional render an impeccable model of a seal in less than ten minutes. These scary bugs were so life like, we just had to capture them.

Kauflin's Visit

2010-04-06T15:47:00.000-04:00

Rose and I were so excited that Devon, Kristine, and Korey traveled over to England to come see us. We met up with them in London and enjoyed a rainy day seeing the sights.

Janelle, Brad and Chase joined us in our exploration of the city. Everywhere we went, Korey was enamored with the water.

It appears that I was more excited for Devon to try English ale than he was. He warmed up to it and we enjoyed a pub sprint when he came to stay with us in Taunton.

While I worked, Rose took the fam out to Stonehenge. They were all shocked as they came over a hill to find it sitting right next to the road.

It was a quite blustery tour of the ancient stones but at least it wasn't raining.

They continued on to Salisbury Cathedral where the Kauflin's visited their first cathedral and got to see a copy of the Magna Carta. They also went to a pub that has been around since the late 1400's. I was so jealous of them!

Korey and I both enjoyed resting on a bench outside the Roman Baths. I had so much fun hanging with the little guy!

Janell, KK, and Rose in front of the crescent in Bath. The next day we all went to the Sovereign Grace Church in Bristol. Devon served the church by leading worship. His picture was even featured on their website during the week leading up to his heralded arrival. Albeit, it was a goofy looking picture.

Cheese is by far my favorite food. I found a fellow Cheesemonger in Korey. He also enjoyed English ale, playing football, and watching a BBC documentary on Yellowstone National Park. He quickly is becoming my favorite nephew.

Korey loved playing with Paddington Bear while he stayed with us. So much so that I gave him Paddington to take back home. We were so blessed that the Kauflins came over to England to spend time with us! Thanks guys!

The Troubles

2010-04-04T16:18:00.000-04:00

Belfast

2010-03-23T16:15:00.000-04:00

Queen's University in Belfast.

Right next door is Molly's Yard, a local brew-pub, where we found a delicious, rich, dark lager.

The Crown Liquor Saloon is a Victorian gin palace and one of Belfast's best-known pubs.

All men are required to buy two beers upon entering. No complaints from me.

The Crown features unique closed door booths called snugs that use an antique bell system to alert staff when your glass has gone dry. Jesse and Jess, a Canadian exchange teacher, invaded an occupied snug in order to have have an authentic Crown experience.

The Crown was packed with Friday faithfuls. In the background, you can make out the intricate ceiling design and gas lamps that are still used to light the Crown. It was one of the highlights of the trip.

After throwing back a few pints, we strolled down to Belfast city hall to take in the sunset.

The Coast of Northern Ireland

2010-03-19T06:37:00.101-04:00

Northern Ireland is home to what some people claim is the 8th wonder of the world. The Giant's Causeway is a series of hexagonal lava stone columns that line the coast. This natural phenomenon was amazing to see close up! There is an entirely scientific reason for these 40,000 Basalt columns, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giants_causeway, but the legend is so much more fun!

Legend has it that the Irish Giant, Finn McCool, built the causeway so that he could walk across the channel to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner. When Finn realized that Benandonner was a much larger giant, he quickly ran back to Ireland. To protect Finn, his wife disguised him as a baby.

When Benandonner came after him, he saw the size of the 'infant', and assumed the father must be gigantic. Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the causeway as he left in case he was followed by Finn.

For Jesse and I this was the highlight of our trip to Northern Ireland.

On the way to the Giant's Causeway, we passed this mountain where the face of a man can just barely be made out. This sleeping giant is said to have inspired Swift in his tale of the Voyage to Brobdingnag in Gulliver's Travels, and even older stories like the tale of Finn.

The bus took us up the coastal route passing quaint seaside towns, mountains, lots of baby lambs, and these beautiful castle ruins.

The castle was abandoned when part of the castle slid into the sea after a violent storm.

Fulbright Belfast Conference

2010-03-18T07:45:00.001-04:00

Jesse's Fulbright scholarship not only allows him to work in a foreign school for a whole year, but they also arrange conferences throughout the UK, so that the teachers can experience and learn from schools in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. This past weekend, Belfast played host to Fulbright.

Jesse toured and worked in a local primary (elementary) school for a day. Belfast is a port entry for the UK creating a wonderfully diverse school population. There were kids from Asia, the Sudan, Africa, etc, all in one class.

This became our favorite cafe for the next three days. Pancakes are hard to find in our town, so I went overboard and ordered them every morning. Jesse preferred the fresh croissants with melted ham and cheese.

The weekend also provideded us with a chance to connect with other teachers and spouses on exchange. We had great fun with this group from Canada and Austrailia. They, like us, are all in the UK to teach this year.

In addition to the teaching exposure, the Council arranged for us to have a bus tour, a trip to the coast, and a Ceilidh. After dinner, the Gaelic folk music started and they tried to teach us to dance.

Dublin for a Day

2010-03-15T07:10:00.001-04:00

Our stint in Dublin was short- we flew in Saturday morning, just to head back Sunday in time to get ready for the school week. Contrary to the possible misconception from Jesse's post, we did more than enjoy fresh Guinness...

When you find yourself in Dublin, stop into the Queen of Tarts for the perfect Apple Crumble Tart, followed by the oven Roast Chicken on Focaccia Bread accompanied by their soup of the day. (Yes, I put the dessert first). http://www.queenoftarts.ie/samplemenus.html.

The Porterhouse is a must stop on your Pub Crawl through the Temple Bar Area. Top Marks goes to their Temple Brau Lager: http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/beers.html

In the evening, finish your walking tour of Dublin's historical sights with an orchestra at the Christ Church Cathedral dating back to 1038!

Jesse's Guinness Story

2010-03-07T12:41:00.000-05:00

No visit to Ireland would be complete without a visit to the Guinness Factory in Dublin. Arthur Guinness began producing beer here over 250 years ago!

Our journey began at the St. James Gate Brewery. Rose jokingly called it "Guinness Street" because "Guinness" was plastered on every building in a two block radius.

The old Guinness Brewery has been converted into the Guinness Storehouse museum. It incorporates elements from the old brewing factory to explain the history of its production.

The Guinness bottle collection.

We ended the tour on a trippy note and headed off to a local pub to tip back a Guinness.

We heard that the best place in town to have a Guinness was Davy Byrne's Pub. This historic Dublin landmark was made famous in James Joyce's novel Ulysses. If anyone has read the book, you know that afterwards you deserve to have a Guinness or two.

The creamy head of a Guinness is the result of it being mixed with nitrogen when being poured. I had to let it settle for a minute.

Well worth the wait. A perfect pint of Guinness.

Ahhh delicious!!

Afterwards I asked the bar tender if I could buy my glass and he told me no. He said I could take it as a gift.

MC Invades Europe!!

2010-03-06T10:06:00.000-05:00

MC came up large and traveled across the pond to spend a week with me in Europe! The bromance could not have come at a better time. I was lonely for home and needed to see one of my boys.

We had a blast visiting local pubs and Mike quickly became a fan of English ale.

We definitely sampled cheese for like 30 minutes before we chose our huge wheel.

Mike tried to sample the wine but it didn't go over that well.

Collins is always popular. Mu wouldn't stop calling him!

Proost de bluggen!

Our time together was....

London with the Girls

2010-03-05T05:04:00.002-05:00

Jesse parted ways in Malaga leaving the girls to tour London. The Paris' adopted us into their family for the weekend. They live in Kew Garden, only a 20 minute Tube ride into central London.

I have never before felt so cared for, and I was an absolute stranger. Mrs Paris cooked up amazing breakfasts for us every morning. She drove for hours to take us to and from airports, took us around London, and treated us to their favorite places to eat. I know what it looks like to show hospitality now.

Absolut Icebar London

The best drink-Absolut North: Absolut Kurant, Strawberry Liqueur, Tropical Fruit Juice, Guava syrup, & Lemon Juice

Windsor Castle

The Queen was in residence the day we visited, so the whole time we kept peering over to the Queen's private quarters hoping that for some reason she would want to look out her window.

We visited the Victoria and Albert Museum, toured the Cabinet War Rooms, attended evensong at Westminster Abbey, and checked out the classic attractions for Caitlin.

While Caitlin and Mrs. Paris poshed it up at a high tea, Sarah and I decided that Harrods what much more to our liking. We sampled some espresso shots at the Nescafe, had amazing cookies in the bakery, and we were even treated to music as the Italian chef nearby broke out into an operetta.

The Paris' had previously lived in China so they took it upon themselves to treat us to some REAL Chinese food. How can I order take out again? I will always remember those Peking Duck rolls covered in plum sauce followed by Green Tea.

And Caitlin found a boyfriend in Convent Garden-who sells CDs.

Thanks Sarah and Caitlin for taking the time and spending all the money to come and visit. It means so much to me. I miss you already!

The Andalusian Coast

2010-03-04T10:37:00.000-05:00

Sarah and I convinced Caitlin to pick Spain from all the possible European desinations with images of the Andalusian coast.

The image above is one of her pictures.

The weather predicted monsoon like rains to fall the day we travelled to Nerja. The bus arrived in time to embrace the coast the way it was meant to be seen.

It was such a relief to leave coats and umbrellas behind and put on our sandals for a couple hours

We all loved our day on the beach. We drank tinto de verano, caught up on our reading, and tried to relax instead of tour.

If you ever go, make sure that you stop by the beautiful Balcón de Europa

In Malaga we stayed at our favorite hotel of the trip: Hotel Lola. We took it easy going shopping and eating tapas till we were sick of them. We climbed up this beautiful hill to the Castillo de Gilbralfaro, checked out the cathedral, and enjoyed a late dinner under umbrellas as the rain returned.

We left Spain as high alert reports began to come in of major flooding in southern Spain. We didn't plan on the crazy weather or that it would be THAT cold, but we all enjoyed just hanging out together. Sarah, one day we will go back to Madrid just for you!

Seville, Spain

2010-02-28T15:20:00.001-05:00

Seville was my vote.

The description of a old Moorish town turned Christian, the flamenco culture and high chance of sun drew me.

However, it poured rain for most of the time.

The Moors designed this town with defence in mind. Many of the cobblestone streets remain only the breadth a horse wide so that any invading army could be easily stopped.

We all loved the colorful Spanish/Moorish architecture.

At the Alcazar: Seville's royal palace

The cathedral was originally a mosque. I have never seen such a blend of styles in one cathedral.

Jesse could be found at the Cervecaria International when a break was needed from travelling with three girls.

The bar tender had a good laugh when Jesse showed the last name of Simpson on his passport upon ordering a Duff Beer.

The owner is truely an artist and collector. Over 250 international beers are served here many in their own unique glasses.

This region is known for their Iberica ham pictured below at the Rinconcillo, the oldest bar in Seville dating back to the 1670.

A patron at the Cervecia International later ran into us here. In broken Spanish he welcomed us to his country and told us that we picked the best places to eat and drink. Props to the food planners: Jesse and Sarah!!

What makes you think we are tourists?

Our cultural experience: A flamenco show