oh, Pacman

Try the PacMan game - it really works. It is just a bit tricky to get the page not to scroll with the down key...

Another week down - 2 left

Thanksgiving was a week ago last night - and it really was just a night of Thanksgiving. It was weird, considering in America you get the Friday off (to shop if you are crazy) and the the whole weekend to recover from the food, the shopping, the family, etc. My life just quietly resumed on Friday with work. No big deal. I was jealous as I thought of all of you sitting relaxing. And I felt stressed because the Christmas shopping season began and I had no idea what I was getting people. Christmas is less than 4 weeks away. I had a few bits and bobs that I have picked up over the last few months of stuff to bring home - but I plan to do most of my shopping in 1 crazy week when I am home. I also have some other things that week - the GRE, a haircut, probably a mani-pedi(mmm), eyebrow wax (because it has been too long), lunches with friends... not to mention trying to remind my dog that I'm his person. I hope he hasn't forgotten me in the 4 months since I last saw him. I am so excited. The time I am home will be busy - but a good kind of busy. Good food, good friends & family. :)

Thanksgiving in the UK

This week work has been a little nuts. It is Finance Development Week. All of the Finance people at Intel in Europe are in town for a week of training and conferencing. So I have been in a lot of classes all week - meeting new people, learning "new" skills. ;) One being how to build a "safe & stylish" egg carrier (to protect the egg from an 8 foot drop) with very limited supplies and time. My team actually won - it was fun. But the real highlight of the week was today - it's Thanksgiving - NOT a holiday in the UK. In fact the Brits don't really know much about Thanksgiving. A few months ago when we were planning some evening group activities - my holiday traditions came up. Everyone was excited for a chance at an American Thanksgiving meal (and experience) - and I jumped at the chance. I mentioned in my blog - I am sure. I was quite nervous about being able to get all of the needed food.

Well, along the way I found everything. Dinner got bumped from 6:30 back to 8pm because of some time conflicts - so I'd have a little more time to pull things together, but Thanksgiving dinner seemed so late to eat at 8. And it was a little. Now it is 11:30, and my stomach is still so full that I can't imagine sleeping (although the turkey has made me sleepy-ish).

So - the planning/preparing. Gemma (my boss) was willing to host at her fantastic house (she has a movie room that some of my colleagues want to move into permanently - with a projector and a wall size "screen"). Gemma also volunteered her husband, Graham, to make the Turkey, Gravy & Mashed Potatoes. The rest of the group was bringing chips/dip, rolls, and drinks - lots of drinks. That left me pies (2 pumpkin, 1 pecan), stuffing, green bean casserole, candied yams and cranberry/orange relish. I made the pies last night at April's (she decided to do a small Thanksgiving too - so we shared the effort). We also made the yams and green beans. I made the stuffing after work today.

I got a frantic call from April mid-day saying that she found a bowl of once-melted butter in the microwave this morning. It was supposed to be in the pecan pie! Oops. She tasted her pie, and said that it seemed fine. We had already substituted the UK's golden syrup for the unavailable corn syrup - so the consistency is just a little "looser" than a standard pecan pie. (Which incidentally, I learned to pronounce tonight as PEAcun - the proper English way). People had no idea what I was saying when they heard pehCAHN or pehCAN. Just one more funny miss.

So, I got to Gemma's at 6ish (after a quick Skype session with my family as they are visiting gma and gpa in San Jose, CA). The turkey was out of the oven and gorgeous. And huge. It was a 16-18 pounder. There were 12 of us. I think there is a lot left. I didn't need to put anything in the over till 7, so we spend some time watching American football, in the lounge or kitchen. First a recorded game from a few weeks ago (Giants vs. Cowboys) - then we realized that the Lions vs. Packers game was on live. I was asked loads of football questions - finding myself thinking WAY back to when I really followed football (now I am basically a post season fan). We also watched a bit of the Friends Season 1 Thanksgiving episode. Good times.

Everyone was interested in what dishes I was cooking. When I came to the sweet potatoes, they were shocked when I mentioned that I would top with marshmallows and broil just before serving. It seemed like a train-wreck to them - a disaster, but one they had to watch. We'll filled plates in the kitchen and then sat down to a beautifully set table (including British Christmas Crackers for fun - my first). Gemma's daughter (4-year-old Bethany) hand wrote place cards in cursive - shockingly good.

Before eating I had everyone say something/s they were thankful for. Some were skeptical, but I actually think it leant to the warm feeling of the evening. Then the food. I drank about 8oz. of Diet Coke in my wineglass - and probably a gallon of water through the evening. My first cola in almost 3 weeks. I'll probably keep abstaining until Christmastime. After a quick "cheers" to everyone, we all dug in. Silence ensued. A good sign for the food. I think that everyone was pleased with all of it. Everyone was open to trying new things - even when they couldn't recognize it - "the red stuff" (cran/orange relish) was relished. :) Everyone kept saying that they were surprised how much they like the yams. The stuffing - although very very different from British stuffing (much lighter) was a hit. I just made super basic stuffing with bread cubes, butter, onions, celery, dried cranberries, sage and time - it was good.

We took a brief break from the food to pull the crackers. We all got a crown, a bad joke and a prize. My crown was orange, my joke said: "What do you get when you cross a skeleton and a detective? Answer: "Sherlock Bones," and my prize was a yo-yo that is 1" in diameter. A good. We took a few pictures.

Then it was pie time. Everyone tried the pumpkin - except me, I had a tiny piece of pumpkin and another tiny piece of PEAcun. People had the choice of cream, whipped cream or ice cream. All good. :) I think everyone loved the pumpkin pie. There are still pieces of both pies left - and I've been requested to bring them into the office tomorrow - which I will - since I cannot possible (and should never) eat 12 pieces of pie on my own. I am glad that everyone enjoyed it all. I did.

I came home and briefly spoke with April about how it all went well - then I called California again - everyone was just getting ready to sit down to dinner (at a much more reasonable 2:45pm). It was great to see everyone and feel a part of their holiday too. I think that if I hadn't had such a great Thanksgiving given to me by my co-workers, I would have been sad about missing out on what everyone back home was doing. Instead, I somehow feel closer to home having baked pies and eaten turkey here. I am still super excited for my trip to the US in a few weeks, but happier in general. :)

I hope you had an equally special Thanksgiving.

Here is the team. Men L-R: Ian, Ben, Jon, Dave & Ilia. Women L-R: Katya, Tracy, Krina, Denu, Gemma and me.

The Cold is Colder - and Tea

Nearly 10 days since my last post - I must be in a bit of a funk. And truthfully, I probably am. Maybe it's because 13 days ago I stopped drinking Diet Pepsi - or Diet Coke - or really any cola. I still drink some store brand flavored fizzy water - but I am trying to slow down some. Really, I don't plan on being off Diet Pepsi for good - because we all need some Diet Pepsi. But I thought I needed to step back from it for a while until I could reintroduce a reasonable amount back in. Probably when I am home for Christmas I'll give in. But my days of buying 2-liters (packs of 8 of them) at Costco are over...it just means when I do start drinking Diet Pepsi again, it will just cost more. Even drinking 1/2 as much, it will cost more. I'll have to cut back to less than 1/2. Really, it has been easier than I thought (after the first 2 days).

Also contributing to the funk is the weather. It is COLD. And the cold is just somehow colder here. The high today was like 45 degrees, and I couldn't get warm all day. I think it has to do with wetness - it just chills to the bone. And I think the brick houses retain moist cold more too - plus without central heat it is brrrrr. Tonight I came home and kept my big boiled wool thigh-length coat on (which I just remembered that I had here earlier this week - what a happy rediscovery). Then I ran upstairs to get socks - big socks that go over my knees. They helped some. Then I turned on my radiator and positioned a chair right in front of it. I think the chair (where I spend most evenings) is messing my back up even more. My toes are going numb (at first I thought from the cold - but no). I never have the pins and needles - just straight to completely numb. It happens when I sit, and when I lie down. I am trying to decide if I am going to find a chiropractor here, or go to mine at home at Christmas. Probably I should sort it out here, since I am not quite half way through my experience here. A chiropractor for my back and more socks - or something. All of my friends have told me to buy a hot water bottle for nights - it just takes so long to warm up in bed. Then, once I am warm, I don't want to get out. Add the darkness (in the morning when I leave for work, and in the afternoon when I come home from work) and I don't like going to work much. Surprise surprise.

One happy note - a package from home - with DVDs of American TV. The one sad note were a few political commercials. But getting caught up on Men in Trees and Private Practice was fantastic. They have started Journeyman here - which is a great show. And if you haven't caught Pushing Daisies - it is an hour of quirky goodness.

One final note - tonight I made myself a cup of tea. Stash Licorice (caffeine free) tea from home. It is SO good. And warm. It was a lovely cup of cheer. I am sure the Brits will think I am nuts - drinking herbal tea from America. Oh well.

Next week I am doing Thanksgiving for my co-workers - it should be good. This week I need to write a talk for church on Sunday. 10 minutes on Doctrine & Covenants 8:2-3 (Personal Revelation). If you have any good ideas - send them to me. :)

I miss you. I miss America. I miss central heating (and heated seats in my car). I'll be back in 4 weeks (for just over 2 weeks). I can't wait!!

Remember Remember the 5th of November

“Remember, remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder, treason and plot,
I know of no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.”

Not just a quote from V for Vendetta. It is a holiday in the UK. Fireworks & bonfires (for burning Guy Fawkes) for 4 or 5 days. It has been an experience. I went to some friends' house and almost got hit by a roman candle. Then later in the evening a bottle rocket fell over and was aimed straight for us - we all ran to the side of the house - but it was stopped by one of the base forming (not a good base, obviously) bricks. It was a fun night with British kids. My favorite line was this little nervous 4 year old girl standing next to me. Her dad was setting off the fireworks. Once he was back with the spectators, the dad whispered to the girl to come over by him (he wanted to experience her joy and awe with her). I said "Katie, I think your dad wants you to stand next to him." Her response was "I think he'll be alright" - like her dad was scared and she'd protect him. It made me laugh. So dramatic.

The fireworks were super expensive - I didn't buy any. I am hoping that last night (actually being the 5th) was the last night of the bangs...they started about last Thursday...we'll see tonight if they keep going.

Halloween that was

Trunk or Treat came and went - all in one night. How amazing. I spent a lot of time worrying, and it probably would have gone off pretty much the same regardless of what I did or bought. I have one committee member, and we shanghai'd a key to the chapel to decorate on Tuesday night (after being reminded that Monday was set apart for FHE only - no other callings...). April also came and helped. We ended up closing off half of the chapel and decorating. Here are some pictures:

Doors into the chapel.

Soup & rolls for dinner (not all of the kids were thrilled)
Sweets - cupcakes, cookies, fingers (chocolate covered cookie by Cadbury) and the little pumpkin cake that was the prize of the cakewalk. Oh, there were also mini curly wurly, fudge and chomp in the ghost cups.
Pumpkin Coloring Contest - these are the "finished" ones. I think there was more coloring on the table than on paper. This was one of the activities for the kids as everyone arrived...

My red M&M bean bad was actually pretty hard to toss through the holes in the pumpkin (which I painted with yellow and red sample paint from tesco on Monday). The kids loved it though. They got to stand pretty close and once they got the beanbag through 3 times, they got a candy. Some of the 11 year old boys just tried to destroy the pumpkin with the bean bag. :(

Most of the kids dressed up - and mostly as scary things. Only very recently has the idea of non-scary Halloween costumes started over here. Mostly people are devils, vampires, witches, etc. The other American's came as cowgirl, chicken, Wendy (from Peter Pan) and an elephant. There were a few other animals in the bunch, and 1 or 2 harry potter/wizards. And then a whole contigent of High School Musical characters. I just finally saw this on TV this week (well, just the 2nd half - and I still haven't seen HSM2 - and now I hear a 3rd is coming - it is a craze). Mostly the kids were kids on Halloween. They went around the cars about 6 or 7 times for trick or treating. Then everyone came in for dinner. The paper bowls were woefully incompotent as soup holders - so we doubled up. Then people just started using cups to drink their soup. The rolls (made by me and another american) were loved by all.

The cake walk was kind of a disaster. The music was PERFECT - including a tribute of 'Werewolves in London' that all of the adults got a kick out of. We played the music all night. I even practiced the concept of the cake walk with the kids prior to trick or treating, but it was just too much for them after dinner. We ended up just having 1 round, and then the winner was the dairy intolerant daughter of an inactive American in our ward (she NEVER comes to church things). It was kind of horrific having the mom say to give the cake to someone else because she couldn't eat it, then the girl cryin g(with the saddest eyes). We found another winner (although I am not sure how well that went over with the ward) and gave the sad little girl a cauldron and a pumpkin coctail umbrella (which she loved). All was well again.

Overall, I think the turnout was great, and we finished on time. And cleanup only took about 30 minutes (I had fantastic help). The weirdest thing was that I just couldn't tell how it went. I don't tihnk that I engage with British kids like I do with American kids. I don't know why. It is harder. Plus, feedback just doesn't come in the same way. I did get some nice comments and emails this week, so that made all the effort worth it.

On Saturday we had another activity - to clean the chapel. Mostly that went well too. People are definitely seeing me as part of the ward - so I guess it is a good calling to coordinate activities. Now I just have 6 weeks to plan (and delegate) the Christmas Party. I won't be there, I'll be at home in Oregon. :)

Oh, Here are more pictures of my costume. I bought a shirt at ASDA for 2.50 and was going to do fabulous things to it with Ribbon and Yarn. You can see how far I got. I also had a "yoke" kind of link across the back in pink ribbon. It's okay, it turned out. People knew what I was. A tired Cowgirl. :) Any more time spent would have been wasted. Now, if I want to do it again, I still have the ribbon and the shirt - and if I had a sewing maching, it would go super fast - so maybe next year, when I am back home with my sewing maching. :)

Bowood - the conclusion of Rebecca's trip

Bowood is a stately home near Calne - about 40 or so minutes from my house. The house is still lived in by the 9th Marquess of Lansdowne. The front half of the house is open and has some very interesting displays about the last few generations of Shelborne's (the family's last name). The grounds are stunning, and we had a lovely couple of hours. I especially liked the tilted pillars in the manicured garden, a display all about a visit of the King and Queen, and walking to a hidden waterfall. Rebecca made me come help her explore a very very black cave - it was actually a pretty short passageway, but it was so so black. The folly (the greek temple) is really just the pillars. Bowood would be a perfect picnic spot. There is also a "soft play" area and a big kids only playground. It seems that all of the stately homes have them - so lots of kids go with there parents and don't even go to the house. I guess it is a good strategy to pay for the upkeep of the old home.

Look at the gorgeous pictures.

After Bowood we took the long way home and drove to Stonehenge so Trebs could see it. It is very different from Avebury, and very cool.

That night we went up to April's and played UNO and Five Crowns with some ladies from my ward - April, Gresha and Theresa. I think a fun time was had by all.

Thursday night we had kebabs in pita from Sammy's - a takeaway kebab place that April recommended. It is on the complete opposite side of Swindon from my house. oh well. The pitas were huge, but really yummy. So I guess I don't have to go all the way to Taza in London next time I want kebab. After kebabs we went and saw Stardust with a few friends. Great movie - highly recommended.

Rebecca stayed up late packing and watching The Greatest Moments special for Vicar of Dibley. Good times. On Friday we drove to the airport and said goodbye - 30 hours later she was home.

I had a few days to plan for Halloween. I'll post a Trunk or Treat synopsis soon - I am still just catching my breath. My car got serviced today. I spent over 500 pounds. Ouch. 2 new tires (spelled tyres here), a new cam belt, a new headlight bulb, oil change, and 2 hours of very expensive labor. Ouch. Maybe I'll cut back on driving so I don't have to service it again before I go - although it would be way way less.

I am off to walk with Gresha and April - more walking. I walked from the garage to work and back today because of my car - plus a walk to Town Center at lunch. It is good - now I just need to break up with food again. You all know the drill.

Happy Birthday to dad today!!