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I had a hardcore craving for a good American meal

That little piece of meat is steak...

Man, it tasted so good

I think I need to get more protein into my diet because it was the most satisfying meal I've had in forever

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Chocolate for my Fudge

An international mix

Baker's Sweet Chocolate squares (from America)

Milk Chocolate Chips (from England)

Dark Chocolate Drops (from Belgium via France)

A Package From America

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”
From The Four Loves By C.S. Lewis

So this morning I opened my door and found a student's most favorite thing: A package! (Okay, really, don't we all just love getting packages? I've actually considered ordering more things on-line just for the thrill of getting the chance to tear through the tape to discover what's inside) Often the greatest part of a package is not knowing what's inside. But I knew what was in this box and that only increased my excitement.

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How are you today?

Springtime in Paris

'"And remember, also," added the Princess of Sweet Rhyme, "that many places you would like to see are just off the map and many things you want to know are just out of sight or a little beyond your reach. But someday you'll reach them all, for what you learn today, for no reason at all, will help you discover all the wonderful secrets of tomorrow.”
From The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

After months of planning Caitlin and I were finally going on our crazy two week vacation. First stop: Paris.

With neither of us able to use our phones (without selling our first born to pay the bill) we had arranged to meet outside her baggage claim. Easier said than done. Apparently Charles de Gaulle Airport is known for causing maze-like confusion in travelers - a fact which we were unaware of until I tried to find my way from my gate to hers. I had to ask two different people where to go. I'd like to say that we did a classic airport meeting, complete with slow motion running, but in reality I didn't see her until I was almost upon her.

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Caitlin & I discovered this wonderful pastry shop where they serve the most amazing cream puff pastry

It is a must visit if you are in Paris

Check out their website by clicking HERE

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So for months I've unsuccessfully been trying to capture Coventry's City Centre

It has not worked. I've given up trying to make it look attractive or interesting.

So here'e what I got: this used to be a street, now it's not, and they thought it'd be a good idea to have a glass roof-like thing that really just makes the space under it colder. It's the effort that counts?

I'll give them some credit, though: the Boots is on the left and the Waterstone's is on the right, what more does a girl need?

Adventures in Shopping

“With the exception of dessert, food is food.”
From Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich

One of the most disconcerting experiences that I've had since moving to England is shopping. Of course I knew that it'd be different than the US. I was prepared for not having good peanut butter. I wasn't, however, prepared for the other items that would be missing or different.

Surviving My First English Blizzard

“Something about me has always liked the drama and inconvenience of bad weather. The worse the better, really.”
From Let it Snow By John Green

I have been asked (by ignorant people, I'll admit) if we have snow all year round in Minnesota. While Minnesota isn't known for our hot summers (honestly, there are many days that the high is over 100F/38C plus humidity!) we aren't in the arctic circle. However, we proudly survive every winter where the average snowfall is 55.9 inches (142 cm), with a record of 98.6 inches (250 cm) the winter of 1983-4; we all still talk about the "Halloween Blizzard of '91" where we had 21 inches (53 cm) of snow in a 24 hour period and many still went trick 'o treating; we recognize that it could snow as early as September and the white stuff can stay as late as May (for more fun MN weather facts visit the University of Minnesota Cilmate site by clicking HERE).

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Allison & I took a little trip up to Birmingham's German Christmas Market

She bought presents, I bought yummy treats, we both had a good time.

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Ordered my Thanksgiving turkey today!

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Beautiful yarn makes beautiful Christmas presents...

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Allison & I went shopping in Birmingham at the

Bullring Shopping Centre...strange looking, right?
(Mom, I thought you'd enjoy this building, strangest mall I've ever seen!)

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Weekly Shopping

(I splurged and got cinnamon...wild woman!)