Snow Day!!

Last Thursday night, we got a pleasant suprise...4-5 inches of snow!!  It was crazy!! Sam and I were laughing so hard because when we first moved here, people were always saying "it rains everyday" which isn't true, "we never have thunderstorms" which happened the first week we arrived, and "it NEVER snows here"....haha, ya right!  :)  So because of the snow, the base closed down and everyone got a snow day on Friday.  Sam and I spend the day walking around the neighborhood and built a snowman and snow-woman.  I wanted to make a snowbaby but sam said that we couldn't do that just yet.  ;)  Here are some pics of how pretty everything looked with all the snow.

Thursday night...down comes all the snow!

(I was so excited!!)

Out our front window the next morning

Our backyard..the tree in the middle is collapsing 

because of the weight of the snow

Sam and Bello

Bello was excited because he'd never see snow before,

being from Del Rio and all  :)

Me and my baby Tommy

He was curious about what all this white stuff was...

And the making of snow-people begins

The finished product...

bad idea to put them in the planter though,

they got all dirty, oh well

Our lovely but ghetto snow gear...

but hey, we didn't think we were moving to where

we'd see snow

Our neighborhood

A park downtown Cambridge

My friends pic, but I thought it was so pretty

As I was uploading our snow pictures, I realized that I forgot to post these.  They are from Veterans day.  Sam was suppose to do a fly over this American Cemetery here in Cambridge, but due to weather conditions, it didn't work out.  But Sam and I thought we'd go out there for the service anyways.  The cemetery was absolutely beautiful.  We were very impressed.  The colors of the trees took my breath away.  Mom, I know you'll enjoy these.  :)

I can hardly believe that Christmas is just 3 days away!  Time is flying by!  Sam and I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year!  (especially since I was a slacker this year and totally forgot to send out Christmas cards...sorry!)

Been way too long...

So has it really been since the beginning of October since my last post?!  Holy moly...sorry guys!  Not much has been going on here.  Halloween was interesting here.  I was sure that we would get some trick or treaters at our house, especially since we live in a sub-division, but no one came.  Sad...I'm pretty sure the Brits celebrate Halloween, all the stores had decor and there are lots of "fancy" shops (aka costume stores).  So who knows.  But since no one showed up, we headed out to a big squadron haunted house halloween party.  Sam and some of the other guys dressed up as Tetris pieces and I was the nerdy girl gamer.  We won best costume!!

It was super foggy out...kinda perfect for the party though.

(Sam is the red Tetris piece)

We had a wonderful thanksgiving with some friends here at our house.  We actually ended up celebrating it early, since alot of our friends were going on trips over the 4-day weekend.  But it worked out really nice.  We had tons of food and even deep fried a turkey for the first time...so yummy!  Sam and I liked it so much, we bought another turkey on actual Thanksgiving day and deep fried it.  Haha.  Plus, that way we had lots of left overs for delicious turkey sandwiches.  :)  

We opted to stay home for the 4-day weekend.  It was so nice to just relax and hang out with each other, especially since Sam works so much during the week.  Some days, I feel like we hardly see each other.  

I have been so stinkin excited for Christmas and decorating the house (keep in mind the Brits have had their Christmas decorations up since the end of October, so I was feeling behind) that I made Sam let us get our tree the day after Thanksgiving.  I wanted it earlier but he wouldn't have it.  ;)  So friday, when all of the US was out enjoying black friday shopping (which I won't get to experience for 3 years...sad) we decorated our tree and listened to lots of christmas music.  Oh but that reminds me of a funny story.  The weekend before Thanksgiving, Sam and I were making dinner, talking about what we should do for the big 4-day weekend coming up and he said "whatever we do, I am not getting up early friday to hit up all the sales".  And I reminded him that we do live in England and since they don't celebrate Thanksgiving, there won't be "Black Friday" here.  Haha...he seemed to relieved.  But I made sure to tell him that since I was missing out on all the fun for the next 3 years, we would be going once we got back to the states.  :)

Other than decorating for Christmas, we just hung out with some friends that were in town for the weekend, saw a movie and went out to dinner.  It was a nice chillaxin time.

I can't hardly believe that its already December.  Time is just flying by!  We've been hearing some rumors about our squadron being deployed in the next couple of months and that has me worried.  The guys are usually only gone for a couple of weeks (which if they have to go, I'm thankful thats its not for months at a time) but it'll be hard to be left here all alone.  So please keep us in your prayers.  If sam has to go, please pray for his safety and that I won't be to sad and that I can keep busy when he's gone.  I hope everyone is doing well and having a wonderful holiday season!  We love you guys!

My fam's visit

So I know its been a long time since my last post, but my parents were in town for the last 2 weeks and we were just having too much fun to take anytime to post.  :)  

My parents arrived on a Sunday and so after we picked them up at the airport, we headed down to see Stonehenge (which none of us had ever seen before and it was the one thing my dad really wanted to see).  To be honest, I didn't really expect much but it was actually pretty cool.  As you drive there, you are out in the middle of farm land with nothing around and then you drive over this crest and then out in the middle of a random field are these big stones.  It was kinda weird.  So we parked and then got to walk around but they only let you get so close.   Here's some pics:

Stonehenge

Ahh, he's so strong  :)

They are finally here, after 2 days of travel!!

Stonehenge close up  ;)

Stonehenge

Each day that they were here, we tried to do something fun.  We went and tour/shopped and punted in Cambridge.  Here's some pics:

Getting ready for punting...

My mum and dad  :)

A beautiful bridge that we saw while punting

The river Cam

The Mathematical Bridge: 

built without any nails so each beam supports another beam

So pretty

Mom's favorite part of punting...

The ivy was absolutely breath-taking

Two of my favorite people :)

We went to a town called Bury St. Edmunds and saw an Abbey and cathedral.  We also of course went shopping.  :)  We then had lunch at a cute little tea house and then walked around the market.  Here's some pics:

Abbey's Cathedral

A really old cemetery

Cathedral again and some of the Abbey's ruins

In the Abbey's gardens

Abbey's ruins

Peek-a-boo

My mummy

more ruins...

some cool houses? maybe, within the Abbey gardens

Then another day we went up to another town call Ely and saw a huge cathedral.  This was also the day the sickness began...with me.  :(  But I was a trooper and didn't want mom and dad to lose a day of sight seeing, so we went to Ely anyways.  Fever, smever.  :)

The Ely Cathedral, pretty amazing

About to go inside...

breath-taking

The highest ceiling in the Cathedral, 

it was hard to capture with my camera

But I guess going out and being sick isn't the best idea because then everyone else began to get sick.  And so for a couple of days we just hung out at the house and rested up.  We went out to a few local stores and the grocery store so that mom and dad could experience that.  But really we just chilled at home.

Then on the first weekend of their visit, the four of us got on a train and headed up to Edinburgh Scotland.  Here are a few pics:

Some weird looking cathedral...looked like it was covered in soot

Entrance to the Edinburgh Castle: the ticket line

If you look carefully, you can see me in the front of all those people,

and yes I cut.  But only because we bought our tickets from our tour bus driver

so that we wouldn't have to wait in this enormous line, but he didn't give us a map

of the castle and I wanted one and refused to wait in line for a stinkin map.  :)

 

Entrance to the Edinburgh Castle

so excited to see the castle!

One of the many views from the top of the castle

Don't worry, I'll get the bad guys!

But this is really heavy...

My new part time job...guard the castle

Inside one of the rooms of the castle was a museum

and sam found this pic of a soldier named something Robertson,

so of course we had to take a pic

Ahh aren't we a cute couple?!

I just couldn't resist

A church within the castle gates

view from the top

another view...

boys and their toys...

Don't try this at home kids...

that weird looking cathedral again..

beautiful Scotland

on the look out

my photographer moment

The executioner of the castle

and his first victim...a spy!

embracing being a tourist

not sure what building this is, but it was cool looking

the green rolling hills of Scotland

so pretty..

Our tour guide

so green and pretty and a beautiful day too!

The Scottish Parliament

Each Parliament member has a "thinking pod" in their office

Mummy and me

Edinburgh

Yes we are that dorky

A church in downtown Edinburgh

The "Royal Mile"

which is basically a big tourist trap

Niddry Street: where our little apartment was

And who would have known but Robertson Close 

was right next to Niddry Street

It wouldn't be Scotland without a bagpipe player

Edinburgh Castle

The last weekend they were here, we hopped on another train and headed to London.  By this time, Dad, Sam and I were all feeling much better but Mom was still pretty sick.  So the first night we were in London we walked all around and say Parliment, Westminster Abbey, Eye of London, etc.  Then we got ready and headed out for the most delicious dinner ever at Gaucho Grill, who makes the BEST steaks ever!  And then it was show time...we went to see Mama Mia!  It was spectacular!  Mom and I really liked it!  The boys, well, I think they enjoyed it but it wasn't their first choice.  :)  The second day Mom still wasn't feeling too good so she stayed in the hotel room for the day.  So dad, sam and I went out exploring.  We went to Buckingham Palace and watch the changing of the guard and then headed over to Madame Tussauds: Wax Museum.  We didn't take too many pics since Sam and I had already been to London but here are a few:

Off the train and ready to conquer London

Art Museum...which we didn't get to go to.  We ran out of time :(

British Museum

(dad was really excited to go here)

so excited to go see some real mummy's in the museum!

and to my total surprise, sam bought me an early christmas present!

Yea right!

Ahh but ain't she a beaut?!

Buckingham Palace

So many people were there to watch the changing of the guard

waiting in the redicously long line at Madame Tussauds...

and this was only the beginning.  Once you get inside the line 

goes on and on for another 45 minute wait.

Its Julia Roberts and me!

having breakfast at Tiffanys :)

Dad and Alfred Hitchcock

Sam and Muhammad Ali

The Queen of England, who actually looked real

Dad giving some pointers to Tiger Woods

Jammin with Bob Marley

Just me and Marilyn Monroe

So that pretty much sums up the visit with my fam.  We had a great time.  I miss them already!  I can't wait til their next visit.  Which was when again, dad and mom??  :)