Lazy, but productive Sundays!

November 7, 2010

Woke up at 3 to turn off The Holiday that I fell asleep to last night and checked internet to see if Darrick had gotten back to me about getting online when he got home from work, but there was no response, so I just went back to bed and got up at 10. And then my day started and can be summed up in the following list: Shower, laundry, vacuum, write blogs, post blogs, play around on picnik.com, discover that Ann and Duane want to go to Ireland with us, eat waffles for lunch, eat Mac and Cheese and a plum for dinner, watch How I Met Your Mother, have Never Been Kissed playing in the background, write two professional logs for homework, write Darrick a postcard and Thanksgiving letter and watch an episode of Grey's. Yep that was my entire day.

Good night all!

Chinese Chop stix!

November 6, 2010

Woke up and got ready to go and get some lunch at the tavern of Duane's choice. As we were driving to get off base, we drove by Ann's car and discovered that a pair of her underwear was sitting on the ground and had been out there all night. We then stopped to take a picture in front of the super secret giant balls on base and then drove into Aynho. Arriving at the hotel bar that we were going to eat at, we discovered that they didn't serve lunch for another twenty minutes, so we went and walked around. We found these old stocks that they used in the 18th century and then found this old wooden gate that was opened next to a stone wall with a little wheelbarrow next to it. Deciding it was the perfect place to take pictures, we goofed around and took some senior photos and couple pictures, which was a ton of fun,

Continuing on, I had the bright idea to try and take some jumping pictures with the leaves in the air. We probably tried to get a good picture for a good half hour before we finally gave up, but got some really adorable fall pictures. 

Went back to the bar and saw a wedding party leaving for the wedding, which was so cute. The bride was beautiful, her father so cute and the car all bedazzled. Had the most amazing club sandwich and fries that had the perfect potato to crispness ratio. Yummy!

We then decided we'd go in to Milton Keynes later to see a movie, but that we needed a power nap first. Remembering that the commissary isn't open on Sundays and Mondays though, Duane took a nap and us girls went to the grocery store. Got to talk to Darrick for a little bit before we headed out to Milton Keynes. 

In typical fashion for the weekend, we got to the theater only to discover that the movies they had shown on their website were not actually playing. We then popped over to the mall, but the shop that has the pjs and slippers I want was again closed. Ended up going to eat dinner at Wagamama's where they tried to teach me how to use chop sticks. I just suck.

Then we drove to the park where there was a firework display, but wound up getting there just as it was ending. 

Got home and talked to my mom for a few hours on Skype until my internet totally cut out for the night. LAME. Now I'm going to watch The Holiday and probably pass out in 15 minutes.

Things I learned today:

1. "White rice" and "Little Horhouse" (an actual town in England) make good porn names.

2. Tiny towns called Aynho have perfect scenery and props for amazing fall photographs!

3. Hotel bars in Aynho make the best club sandwiches and fries with the perfect combination of potatoe and crispness!

4. When eating noodles, just bend over and put it in your mouth. - Advice from Duane and I that we didn't realize sounded dirty until after we said it. Haha!!!

5. I cant use chop stix. Still.

A series of unfortunate events!

November 5, 2010

The morning went pretty quick. Ashley and I talked during nap time and she's totally willing to let us use her place for our going away party in December and I mentioned that we were thinking of making it an ugly Christmas sweater party and I guess they do a naughty Santa party each year, so we're just going to combine the parties. Sweet!

On my lunch break, I went and checked the mail to see if my box had showed up from my mom. It hasn't. Then I went to the ATM to pull out some pounds and dollars. It gave me the pounds, but no dollars, so I was freaking out and had to go back and get internet, so that I could check and make sure that they didn't charge me and just not give me the money. Luckily they didn't. Erin and I decided to spoil ourselves on our break by buying milkshakes since it has been such a hellacious week. 

Went back to work and had an absolutely terrible afternoon. Willie bit me and when I was changing more poopie diapers after I'd already done all of the 2 hour diaper changes, Latoya called down and said, "Ummm, Hillary. Can you make sure the kids stop running" in her typical bitchy tone. Annoyed that I was changing diapers by myself and already asking the kids to stop running, I bitchily replied, "I'm trying, but I'm also trying to change diapers by myself." I have an idea. Why don't you stop staring at the cameras for a second to walk the ten steps to my classroom and get the kids to stop running since my hands are obviously tied. 

After work, Erin and I rushed home and got ready, but Duane and Ann ended up being an hour and a half late. Jumping in the car, we went to Bicester North train station to discover that the trains weren't running, so we'd have to take the buses. From experience, Erin and I know that would take us probably three hours to get to London, so we decided to drive to Oxford's train station. Once we got there, we tried to follow signs to long-term parking, but couldn't find the elusive parking garage. Ended up finding another, but when we saw that it was between 22 and 29 pounds to park it overnight, we decided it was too expensive. It was already getting late and it was expensive, so we opted to just cut our losses, pay for our hostel since we'd already booked it and just stay in Oxford.

Then the fun began. Deciding that we'd look up pubs in the GPS, each of us picked a pub to go to. I went first and tried to find the funniest sounding pub, so I ended up picking "The Bear and Rugged Staff" in Cumnor. Arriving, we realized it was more of a 4-star restaurant, so we all ordered half a pint of beer and then split a really delicious thai pizza. When we were leaving, we discovered that the bar was attached to the restaurant and we just didn't know it. Whoops. 

Next it was Erin's turn and she picked The Eagle and Child, which was the bar that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein used to go to to write. They had their favorite booth there where they would sit and talk and write. Bought a Snake Bite for Erin and I and this really nice English girl showed us where the straws were because, if we drank them without one, it would dye our lips red. Nice call. Found a table in the back of the pub where we sat around having hilarious conversations and getting made fun of by the really annoying group of teenagers behind us. Then again, we did pull out oil sheets to take away the shine from our faces, so we kind of deserved it. ha ha

Then it was Ann's turn to pick our third location. She is notorious for picking places that don't exist or are closed, but we decided she'd break the streak. Her first pick, Turf Taven, we couldn't find. Then she picked the The Lamb and Flag, which was literally across the street from The Eagle and Child, so we knew it existed. However, as we pulled up, they closed their curtains. Deciding third time would be the charm, she picked the White Forest, but, when we parked, we ended up going into Youngs, which was not the bar she had picked, so, in essence, her bad luck streak continues.

Heading into Youngs, which was absolutely packed, we went down to the bathroom, which was quite possibly the most foul smelling place I have ever had to pee in. Erin got a pretty good Tribute beer, but, when I went to order the same thing, I was informed that her beer was the last one. So, the bartender gave me his second choice, which I was not a fan of. Stood around and talked for awhile and then, randomly, a bartender came around shouting that we had two minutes to get out, which made us think the cops were coming or something, but, no, it was just because they were closing. Annoyed that we still had half a beer left and no warning, we just stole the pint glasses and walked out. ha ha

Then we decided we were out of time for Duane to pick his spot, so we drove around, looking for a place to buy beer, but nowhere was still serving. Bummer. Did stop in a gas station to pee, which had birds chirping in the bathroom. Totally weird. Bought some chips and a candy bar for dinner and came home. Duane and Ann went to bed and Erin and I stayed up and talked to the boys for a little bit. Taking a few minutes longer than normal to respond, I ended up crashing for 45 minutes on Darrick who had already left by the time I woke up. Whoops! Now it's time for Erin and I to cuddle up on my twin bed because Ann and Duane are sharing hers. Good times.

Funny quotations from the night:

1. "You didn't blow up parliament!" - a song I made up and sang repeatedly on the drive to Oxford.

2. "The power of the vag." - the name of our theory for how women get whatever they want.

3. A Snake Bite is half beer, half cider and a splash of red liquor. Pretty good.

Things I learned today:

1. Gas station stores close, but they have walk-up windows where you can still buy stuff. Kind of strange.

2. College town bars are only open until midnight! Lame.

3. Oxford train station is HUGE.

4. Erin likes to talk in British accents when she gets tipsy in a car! LOL

The British love Black Eyed Peas!

November 4, 2010

On the walk to work this morning, Erin and I saw an old British guy dancing in his car to Black Eyed Peas, which totally made us bust out laughing. Then, walking a little further, we saw an old British man running across base, which made us laugh again. Must've been God's way of knowing we needed a little laughter before work.

Relatively boring morning rotating among the rooms. Spent two hours in the baby room, so it was kind of peaceful. My afternoon also was not terrible because Willie got picked up early, which made the afternoon so much nicer. It's amazing how one kid can seriously change the entire dynamic of your classroom.

Came home and talked to Darrick while I did laundry. Packed for tomorrow and wrote Darrick the most adolescent letter I could possibly come up with, which was complete with bright heart stickers, different colors of ink, the worst love poem I could possibly muster (something about how his eyes shine like tinfoil at midnight, his touch feels like Poprocks on my tongue and his love makes blind people see) and so forth. Talked a little bit more even though internet kept cutting out and now it's time for bed. Good night all!

Two-year-old Terrors!!!!

November 3, 2010

LeNell came and helped me for the hour I'm in the yellow room in the morning and, at the end of the hour, she came up and gave me a hug and said, "I'm sorry." I guess she finally realized how hellacious that room is. Went in the baby room with Tristan who cried for the entire half hour and then went to the preschool room where I was playing musical chairs with the kids, but Jan kept coming in, telling me what to do. I think she could tell I was annoyed because she apologized and said she was just coming in when it looked like I needed help. Well, why do you come and help me with the preschoolers who actually listen instead of helping me in the toddler room?

On my break, I e-mailed Darrick and started to look up things for Ireland.

Went back to work and, while I was changing a diaper, I realized that Jacob might have pink eye. Luckily, Yana came in and noticed it too, so I asked her if she could buzz up front and let them know. When Jo came in to check on Jacob, Johnny was playing at the sink and fell backwards, hitting his head. Trying to apply ice to his head, Willie and Alex, terrors that they are, began throwing toys across the room, so I ended up having Sara hold the ice to Johnny's head while I stopped Alex and Willie. It was seriously the most stressful half hour ever. 

Came home and talked to Darrick for fifteen minutes most of which was spent trying to get back on the internet. Erin and I did book everything for Ireland though and all for under 400 dollars. Super stoked! Now it's time for bed. 

Things I learned today:

1. If you stay three nights at the hostel we picked in Cork, Ireland, you get a free day tour. Sweet!!!!

The floodgates have opened...

November 2, 2010

Had a relatively easy morning with the exception of Willie and Jacob opening the door when we were in the mini-gym and running down the hallway. It was seriously ridiculous because I came out in the hallway to yell at them to come back, Erin opened her door to tell them to come back and Jeanette, who works at the front desk, was just looking at me while she talked to her fucking husband on her cell phone DURING work. Get off your ass and come help me. Seriously. Thank God Yana came back early from her lunch, so she brought Willie back to me, but I was seriously pissed off. 

On my lunch break, I e-mailed Darrick and FINALLY got my letter that he sent like 3 weeks ago. 

Had a decent afternoon. Tried to just keep them as busy as possible. Came home and discovered that I can't talk to Darrick for long on Thursday, which kind of just made my bad week even worse because I don't have that to look forward to. Started crying for the second night in a row. I've just hit my wall here and it's time for me to go home. But, bless Erin, she brought me a cookie, a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, a caramel and a thing of tissues on a plate with a Cherry Pepsi to cheer me up. She's the best. 

Spent the evening editing photos and watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother before I went to bed. 

Things I learned today:

1. Mail can get lost for three weeks at a time!

Nightmares.

November 1, 2010

Had a really uneventful day today. Didn't have to yell at kids and they really weren't that terrible today. All of my kids were gone by 4:45 except Alex, so was pretty low key. I could use more days like these!

Came home, talked to Darrick for a little bit, which was not a good talk at all because I was in a bad mood and he was stressed out and we're not getting to talk more than 15 minutes a night this week because of the time change. Photoedited pictures for a little bit, watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy and cried for awhile. Now it's time for bed. Good night all.

Dreams I had last night: (My dreams are always way more vivid when I'm abroad for some reason.)

Erin and I went camping with my family and we decided that we were going to go on a walk. We wound up in the middle of the woods and decided that we were lost, so we stopped at the lone house in the woods (amazing idea, right?) to see if we could borrow the phone. The guy was a short, middle-aged man with no hair. He was very gracious and let us come inside, but, before we knew it, he'd knocked both of us unconscious. When I woke up, he had Erin and I tied down to a hospital bed with all of these random tubes stuck in our arms. We asked what was going on and he told us that he was trying to tenderize us, so that he could eat us. Laying in bed, I tried to formulate a plan and decided that my best option was to simply ask to go to the bathroom. He let me up and I did my thing, but, when I was walking back to the room, he dragged me down the hallway adjacent to the room where Erin was still strapped to the bed. (Warning: This is where it gets REALLY weird and I'm NOT making this up!) I am standing so my back is to him and he's behind me when he bites into the back of my shoulder, which, when I look at it, looks like chicken when it's been cooked. I freak out and try to run away, but he rips off my arm and then I jolted myself awake.

Girl's day of shopping!

October 31, 2010

Woke up at 5:30 this morning and have no idea why. I was sound asleep and then, all of a sudden, I was wide awake. Got on internet and got to talk to Darrick for a few hours via e-mail, which was a nice surprise since we didn't get to talk much this weekend. Wasn't very productive all day because I got up late and there was the whole time change thing, which puts me 7 hours difference between me and Oregon, which screws up our talk times. 

Ann picked us up and we went shopping in Milton Keynes where there is a HUGE mall. Ate lunch at Burger King and I bought two scarves, a hat and a pair of cheap flip flops to wear around. Came home and went Trick-or-Treating with Yana for all of about ten minutes. Connor's mom was with them and she asked if we were at the party last night. We replied, "Yes" and then she was like, "So, where do you guys work?" Umm.. We work at the CDC with your son. WOW.

Went over to Yana's after and had some homemade chicken noodle soup and watched some of The Holiday (Yana's favorite movie that Erin and I have now watched 20 times all the way through and Yana hasn't - haha) and the tail end of The Devil Wears Prada.

Came home, ate while we watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother, e-mailed Darrick, made a video of Erin and I dancing and then captioned photographs. Now it's time for some glorious shut eye. Good night!

Things I learned today:

1. The longer fruit stays on the trees in the fall is an indication of a more severe winter... Looks like England is in for a severe winter! 

19th century cemeteries!

October 30, 2010

Slept in and went to the commissary to do some grocery shopping and then decided that we wanted beer for our Halloween celebration, so we walked over to the shopette and bought some beer. Came home, ate lunch and then decided to go on a walk into Croughton, so that we could see the town a little more intimately than just a drive through. Got caught in a 5 minute downpour and then began the trecherous walk there since there is no lip on the road and English people drive really fast, we stuck to the grass.

Got to Croughton and just looked around. Erin found a little path that had an open gate. It looked inviting enough, so we walked down, not really knowing what we'd find. Turns out it was a 19th century cemetery with the newest gravestones from the 1920's. So surreal that we found this on Halloween weekend.

Walked back home and started to get ready for the festivities. Yana and Camilla surprise us by stopping by, but then they left to go and pick up Alicja and just never came back. Luckily, Yailin came over and, deciding everyone had bailed as usual, we went over to Yailin's house where we had some dinner (she makes REALLY good pasta) and then we all got ready to go to the Halloween party across the street. The party ended up having everyone we possibly knew there - Jack, Zafar, Blayne, Connor's mom (daycare kid), Stacia, Juan, Alan (who did my CAC card and told me I looked like a "sheet" the first time I met him), Ashley and her husband. Didn't really drink much since Erin was drinking, but had a great time catching up with friends and watching everyone else get plastered out of their mind.

Came home and Erin was ridiculously drunk. She was having a one-sided conversation in the shower and started singing a long that went like this: "My face isn't washed and my boobies aren't covered." ha ha So glad I was sober to listen to it. 

Anyway, it is now time for bed, so good night!

Things I learned today:

1. Miracle Whip is still disgusting!

2. Tuna from a packet isn't bad and there is no mess from the can!

3. Sometimes the things that are unplanned are the best things. :)