A Random Game of Tag

Raise your hand if you think summertime takes a long time to get here but once it arrives it moves like a speeding locomotive...winter arrives and it hovers. Why is that?

Moving on...you know it just wouldn't be Wednesday without a little bit of random so here you go...

1. People in the south like to talk about the weather almost as much as people in England like to talk about the weather. We won't mention how often I talk about the weather. Hey-it's Wednesday people.

2. It is so humid here that talking about the weather is completely understandable....you know its bad when you step outside at 7 am and your sunglasses immediately fog up.

3. I wish we could grow crepe myrtle in our little corner of the Northeast...they are so beautiful all across the south...even the tiniest shopping center has a patch of them blooming in all their pink, white, or lilac glory.

4. My mom is turning 80 next week and I'm hosting a family party to celebrate. Does anyone else have trouble thinking of their mother as the age she actually is? In my mind when I think of my mom she is about 40 years old. She will always be that age in my head.

5. My girls have tried on a lot of clothes in the past two days and every single thing looks positively adorable on them. How is 00 petite even a real size?

6. I think red ripe watermelon is one of the best things ever created. It satisfies my sweet tooth yet its not chocolate. Plus, it is packed with anti-oxidants and has blah blah blah lots of other health benefits (you can read more about that here if you like). I eat a ridiculous amount of watermelon in the summertime.

7. I believe I've mentioned a time or ten that I'm hanging out with my girls this week which doesn't leave a lot of time for the ole blog. Last weekend Mary over at Life in a Small Town tagged me in a game of blog tag. I figured today was the perfect day to play along...the next five questions are part of the tag and they are for sure random so it works for me. Thanks Mary!

1. (aka 8.) What’s your staple meal (ie. what meal do you cook most often when you can’t be bothered to be adventurous)?

In the summertime it's all about the vegetables...a plate of tomatoes usually with fresh mozzarella and home grown basil, squash fixed some way and of course some sweet Jersey corn and we're good to go...hubs will throw something on the grill...does that count as my staple meal?

In the winter it's definitely a pot of soup/chili/stew or spaghetti and meatballs...comfort food.

2. (aka 9.)- What do you want to be when you grow up?

I fear I am grown up.
Just in case though...an author...a grandmother...a million things.

3. (aka 10.)- What book are you reading at the moment (if any)?

I am always reading at least one book. I have a couple going now but just finished The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister and I liked it a lot. Her writing is lovely plus its set in a cooking school which speaks to me.

4. (aka 11.) How do you relax?

Reading is probably my number 1 way to relax and if there's a beach involved so much the better. I guess I'd also say cooking...I know some people find that really stressful but I love to cook. Then there's blogging, working crossword puzzles, sudoku, napping on my sun room couch...I'm not really a person who has trouble relaxing.

5. (aka 12.) What color are the interior walls of your home?

bold-navy blue, gold, and a warm red downstairs with mostly warm neutrals upstairs although our bedroom is a sagey green which I love. I'm not a pastel person when it comes to paint color. Or life.

"Monday Monday...so good to me...

Monday Monday...it was all I hoped it would be." Remember that song by the Mamas and the Papas? Well it was a good one and it seems appropriate.

I'm spending a few days with my girlies and here's how I spent Monday....

shopping with daughter2

much conversation

more shopping with daughter2

more conversation

get in and out of car no less than ten times

it's hot

and steamy

but we don't care

we talk so much we forget it's 99 degrees

and 100% humidity

lunch at Paneras

more talking

so much talking the woman at the table beside us gives up working on her laptop to get a better listen...I fully expect her to weigh in on a conversation we are having about a boy

she doesn't...but I know she wants to

apparently we haven't had enough shopping so...

more shopping

it's still hot

and steamy

we need to cool off

pit stop at Rita's Italian ice...even the fat free and sugar free are yummy

back to daughter1's apartment

book flights for girlies to spend next weekend at home in NJ

yay!

their mema is celebrating her 80th birthday and needs all her girlies there

daughter1 arrives home from work

big smile because daughter1 has a job

leave daughter2 on the couch to recover from shopping

and all mom's questions

take daughter1 to supermarket to restock her frig

no need to fill her gas tank today since that was on Sunday's list

two girls=two cars=always on E when they know mom is coming to town

I don't mind

much

feel impressed at daughter1's cooking skills

and her interest in trying her hand in the kitchen

unload groceries

sweat

a lot

spend time watching boys swim in the pool outside the living room windows

discuss said boys

walk over to pool and say hello to boyfriends

as a mom of daughters and not sons I enjoy watching boys be boys

leave boys in pool and go to dinner with daughters

we never run out of things to talk about

hurry home so as not to miss a minute of The Bachelorette

do happy dance because we get to compare thoughts on all the drama/insanity/totally real true love in person instead of via text message like we normally do on Monday nights

Justin Justin Justin...tsk tsk tsk

Istanbul=pretty...hubs will be sorry he missed this one since he was in Istanbul just last week

to my knowledge he did not do any olive oil wrestling while there

we laugh

and cringe

a lot

we move on to bigger and better? drama

NJ Housewives

oh dear

boyfriends stayed in their own apts.

for some reason they did not want to join in the reality programme fest

I'm pretty sure sports are all the reality programing they can handle

I usually stay at my sister's house when I'm in town but I spent last night at daughter1's apt.

daughter1 has the day off on Tuesday

you know what that means

more shopping

and still more talking

Monday was a good day.

Tuesdays are good too.

Really, any day spent with daughters is a good day.

Weekend happiness...courtesy of The Palmetto State

Weekends go by so fast, don't they? We woke up early Saturday like everyday because apparently when you hit mid-life your body clock really kicks in and says, "Hey, you're getting older...best not waste time sleeping." What is up with that??? On the bright side, the humidity is not 800% at 7 am so we took the MG out for a ride and then decided to stop for breakfast. Of course this meant by 10 am it kinda felt like the day was half over...next thing you know we'll be eating dinner at 4.

Saturday afternoon I went to a bridal shower and while I was out hubs met friends to watch the US-Ghana football match which of course we won't discuss. And we for sure will not be discussing the England-Germany match and Fifa referees. Back to the shower....it was lovely...a luncheon held in a nearby winery (who knew there were so many wineries in North Jersey??) and it was a surprise for the bride which is always fun. Her bridesmaids will be wearing navy blue in the wedding so the bridesmaids all wore blue dresses to the shower and the bride's mom brought a white dress for her to wear which made for really cute shower pictures.

You know, I'm thinking of starting a new tradition. I think when you hit the 25 year married mark someone should throw you a shower. Because there is nothing like a bridal shower with its shiny new blenders and thick soft towels to make you realize just how worn out things become after many years of married life...hmmm....there's an analogy in there somewhere and I didn't even mention the bridesmaids and their tiny waists and perfect skin. Anyway, don't you think it would be great to get new linens and cookware and counter top appliances right about now?

Of course my favorite day of the weekend was Sunday. Because at 10:25 am on Sunday morning I was greeted by this...

Need I say more?

P.S.

Thanks for all the sweet comments on my previous post. I feel like I must add that I truly was not having myself a grand ole pity party. Here's the thing...I like to put my thoughts and feelings into words sometimes and a blog is a good place to do that. Believe me when I say I never lose sight of the many blessings I've been given and I certainly don't want to sound ungrateful.

I guess what I was trying to say is that this too is a season of life to be lived. Some bloggers write about how tiring their infants and young children are, the tediousness and exhaustion of those days that feel like they will never end. Others write about their tweens and teens and dealing with back talk and sloppy bedrooms and demanding adolescents. And I write about this season...a suddenly empty nest combined with a transatlantic move and some raging hormones all of which occasionally combine to form an emotional cyclone. I wasn't complaining...just observing. Sometimes intent is hard to pin point in the blogosphere.

Anyway, it's Friday evening and you know what that means...dinner out. House rules say I never cook on Friday. Hubs likes it that way so we're heading out shortly to welcome the weekend. Hope yours is grand!

Is she ever going to shut up about that?

Mmm....probably not. We've been back in the states for just over a year now. Some days it feels like we left England yesterday and some days it feels as if that life never happened. It's been a year filled with figuring out a life that is different than the one I left behind. Moving was not something new for us... we've moved a lot. And we've left behind people and places we loved every single time. But this time a whole way of living was left behind too and that, I think, has been the challenge.

I know with every move I make I need to give myself a year in order for a place to feel like home. To find doctors and dentists and the all important hair stylist. To learn the roads, the supermarkets, the shopping....to find the fun. It's probably because we have moved a lot that we tend to get out and see and do whatever there is to see and do wherever we are... life is meant to be grabbed and savored and lived. We think we'll be in this house for the next several years but we've been surprised by opportunity in the past so Carpe Diem it is.

Besides the obvious, this move has been different than previous moves in a couple of big ways, the first one being no kids living at home. When you move with school aged children, like it or not, you have to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and get on with it. They need to get up and out the door in the morning. They need lunches made, dinners cooked, rides to ballet, the ball field, to have play dates and friends over. They connect with people and consequently you connect with people who are in a similar place in the parenting spectrum. Suddenly I have days to fill and very little of anything that is required. I could stay in my pjs all day every day. I could lay on the couch and watch tv all day every day. Did I mention that this move also coincided with the hormones going berserk?

Now, rest assured I don't stay in my pjs all day. And I don't lay on the couch and watch tv all day either. Some days I want to but hey, don't we all? The thing is I'm not a lay around kind of girl. I'm a person who needs to be doing. I know that some of the things I've felt this year I would have felt anyway. My kids would be off at school whether I was here or there. My big birthday would be rolling around regardless of where I was living and that's a good thing, right? And I'm pretty sure hormones are a worldwide phenomenon.

I mentally make lists of the good and the not so good. The things I loved there that aren't here and the things here that I missed there. I definitely fall into the glass half full camp in life and even though this post may make you question that I do stay focused on the good these days...for instance-

I can get in my car inside my garage without sucking in my stomach and standing sideways.

I can swing the car door all the way open without hitting another car/stone wall/person/hedge.

I never have to pull onto the verge on a two lane road in order for another car to pass while I fervently pray we don't lock side mirrors.

I can pull my car into and out of a parking space without doing a twenty five point turn.

But the roads are not charming. And I get honked at for not hitting 0-60 in .7 seconds when a traffic light changes. And people are not courteous when you are trying to pull into traffic...in fact they quite often pretend they don't see you.

I can get in my car and be at the mall in 15 minutes. Or Target. Or the library, bank, post office, supermarket. Anywhere. And when I'm there I can buy just about anything I want. And I can go any time of day or night...the shoppes don't close at 5 PM. And there are banks open seven days a week.

I have to get in my car to get anywhere. No more walking into town. Do I really need the bank to be open seven days a week?

I love my house. I love the way it sits on the lot, the colors, the ginormous closets and lots of them, my central vac, reading in my sun room, my own sink in the master bath and hubs own sink way way way over on the other side of the master bath...the counters and cabinets underneath the sinks with lots of drawers and cabinets to hold all my 'stuff', space for the pool table...oh and did I mention the closets???

Renting means when something breaks you call the landlord and say, "something is broken" and they get it fixed. And they pay for it too.

It's beautiful here. I love the woods behind our house...

I love to look out my kitchen window and see deer and fox and chipmunks and birds of every type and color and even the occasional bear.

I love the changing seasons. The autumn was so pretty here it sometimes took my breath away. And snow piled high and dripping from the trees like icing on a wedding cake...just gorgeous.

There is nothing like a big beautiful English garden.

So much happened in that English garden.

Birds hung out, fish were observed, flowers bloomed...

Bees were stalked...

croquet was played...guitars were strummed

Countless Frisbees were thrown and countless soccer balls were kicked by countless teenagers every. single. week.

Meals were eaten, newspapers were read, and naps were taken on warm sunny days.

There were no mosquitos to bother us and daylight in summertime lasted til forever.

I think of our English garden and I think of that quote by Thomas Fuller that says,

"Many things grow in a garden that were never sown there."

So very very true.

I could go and on. And on and on. Our house here feels like our house. It's comfy. It feels good to walk inside after you've been away. The town and roads have become familiar. We love the nearby big city. We've had friends for dinner. We work in the yard and have flowers blooming in pots on the deck. We do feel at home here now.

Except when we don't.

And perhaps that is part of the legacy of ex pat living...you throw your whole self into wherever you may be. You open your heart big and wide to new people, new places, new customs, new scenery, new experiences. And when you leave it a tiny little piece of you remains in that place. In this new old country, new town, new home you are almost completely yourself and at home. Except for that tiny little piece. Most days it goes unnoticed. What you do grow to realize is that while you lived away a subtle shift occurred in the way you see life and the world and most of all yourself. And after a while you realize the shift was not temporary. And you're okay with that.

Just the usual

And by 'the usual' I mean it's Wednesday and once again time for summer's version of the Random Dozen...

1. It is foggy up here this morning. I'm sure it will burn off because its supposed to be 9,000 degrees today with equal humidity. Lovely. And what would the weekly random be without an update on the weather?

2. Hubs and I attempted to synchronize our calendars last night. I thought my head might explode.

3. Seriously. His travel schedule for the next three months is ridiculous and we're trying to squeeze some life in around it but did I mention I thought my head might explode? And why do we live so far from our kids?

4. You'll be happy to hear I won at Bunco yesterday. Most losses. I love a game where even losing is competitive.

5. I'm going to a bridal shower for a friend's daughter this weekend. I love weddings and we have two on the calendar in the next few months, one being a destination wedding that I know will be a lot of fun. The save the date card was a mock up of an airline ticket...very cute!

6. I may have booked myself on a flight to see my favorite people next week. Sometimes mothers just need face time with their daughters daughters just need face time with their mothers.

7. I have to tackle yet another tax organizer today. Yuck. We complete online organizers for the accountants and they figure it all out and send us the tax 'book' to autograph when they're done. Our UK organizer is due next week. The UK tax year runs April -April. We moved one year ago in June. You'd best not get me started on the subject of taxes.

8. Jake and Vienna broke up. Are you shocked? They were last season's 'true love match' on The Bachelor. And how about Kasey being left on the glacier in Iceland in this week's episode of The Bachelorette? I mean he definitely was getting beyond scary and needed to be sent home but yowza! that was harsh. And who besides me now thinks they need a trip to Iceland?

9. We grilled fish last night. Well hubs grilled it. Only he says it's not real grilling if I put the food in foil packets which is one way I like to grill fish. He says a girl scout could do that (No offense girl scouts! We were girl scouts here too!) and its only real grilling if you can see the food. What is it about men and bbq's? And did I mention he was a little stressed out last night? See #2. And #3. Anyway, I love fish 'grilled' this way-it's moist, delicious and best of all....no messy pan! I found the recipe here but have added it below to make it easy for you. Here you go-

1 lb cod fillets (I've used other mild white fish...whatever looks good-Tilapia, Flounder, etc)

1 medium onion sliced (you can add other veg too if you like-zucchini, red peppers, etc)

2 Tbsp. butter ( I used slightly less)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp. paprika

• Cut heavy aluminum foil into two large squares. Place equal portions of fish on each piece of foil.
• Melt butter, then stir in lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Pour mixture over fish, sprinkle with paprika and top with onion slices.
• Fold foil around the fish and seal very tightly.
• Grill 5-7 minutes per side. Fish flakes easily when its done.

10. I came within millimeters of hitting a brand new baby deer on my way home from the gym on Monday. He wobbled right out of the woods in front of my car. Fortunately I was paying attention and managed to stop because that would have totally ruined my day. He was adorable. We had three humongous turkeys stroll thru the back yard yesterday. Remember that scene in Snow White where she's in a clearing in the woods and the animals come out of every corner and sing and dance around her? Well, essentially that's our back yard. Winter is over and the critters are back.

11. Do you ever click on the free downloads on itunes? I like this one...it kind of reminds me of Shania Twain...apparently they used it on Grey's Anatomy this season...it's catchy-

12. I'm going to see my girls next week. Did I already say that?

Not just a 'bunch of rocks'

Yesterday was the summer solstice, or the longest day of the year. Naturally it would fall on a Monday. When I hear the words summer solstice I think of Stonehenge. We lived just over an hour from the site and we visited with every set of house guests often.

Sorry 'bout the photo quality but I scanned them from my scrapbook.

The first time we went out to Stonehenge it was just the four of us. Our kids had been 'warned' by their classmates that this is a place they would be sooooo tired of seeing by the time they left England but at the time it was still new to us. As we drove out into the beautiful English countryside they asked what exactly we would be seeing to which my hubs replied, "It's a big bunch of rocks." Yeah, we didn't exactly know what we were going to see either. They said, 'We're driving an hour to see some rocks in a field?" Oh you can just imagine how excited teenage girls were to hear this. Plus it was gray and windy. In fact, every time we went to Stonehenge, which, did I tell you was ALOT, it was gray and windy. And sometimes drizzly too. And actually 'big bunch of rocks' pretty well describes it.

I'm not sure what we were expecting but essentially you are rolling along thru the beautiful English countryside and suddenly you see a 'big bunch of rocks' sitting in a field. There they are...just plunked right down in the middle of the lush green grass and the sheep and not a lot else. We parked in the car park and got headsets and you might not think there is a lot to be said about a 'big bunch of rocks' but its actually pretty interesting/mysterious/not boring.

There are many theories as to the how and why these rocks are set in a very purposeful pattern in this particular location but they know for certain it was associated with burial grounds. And it is pretty much agreed that the alignment of the stones marks the summer solstice which is what brings literally thousands to Stonehenge on the longest day of the year. Modern day druids, pagans and party people turn up every year to view the sunrise here on summer solstice. Did you know there were still people who call themselves druids?

Course, in my mind the best thing about Stonehenge is that it is only a short drive from one of my favorite towns in all of England...Bath-

The town of Bath is beautiful and old and filled with so much to see and do and wonderful little shops and restaurants...

The Abbey is spectacular and the Roman Baths are amazing. If you're a Jane Austen fan you can do a walking tour and see the houses where she lived and the settings for some of her books.

The baths are very cool...they are underground and the first spring was discovered here sometime back in the 800's BC. That's old.

And let me just add that when you travel around Europe you definitely realize that those Romans were an industrial lot. There is hardly a city around without Roman ruins of some kind. As I was reading the signs telling you not to touch the water (for your own safety) hubs informed me they were hot. And daughter 1 chimed in with 'really hot'. There are rule followers in this world and there are rule breakers. We have both in our family.

Course if you visit Bath you must have lunch or tea in The Pump Room. I miss English tea. And lots of things. However, I'm off to play Bunco this morning and that's fun too. Did you know Bunco originated in England as something called the 8 dice cloth parlor game?

Hey, this blog is nothing if not educational.