Exploring Offscript

It is amazing to me how much you miss when you navigate new areas by following directions.

Friday I set off on foot to explore the area and get a better sense of what it would feel like to live close by and I was amazed at the neighborhoods and green space tucked away off of the beaten path.

I found a wooded trail off Marlborough Road that immediately enveloped me in nature only steps from a heavily traveled area. Following this path let to different neighborhoods and eventually to a large open park area called Lakeside. I found this park to be an ideal cut through to Old Town that took me by a beautiful old church and cemetery, a lake, several crisscrossing bike paths and lots of birds and beautiful blooming gardens.

As a bonus for my wanderings, I found a flat for let and the agent happened to pull up while I was walking by and offered to show me through. It gave me a completely different perspective to the kinds of properties we viewed Thursday. This one was unfurnished which may, in fact, end up being a good option. Next step...check into furniture!

I had big plans for Friday afternoon but, after a quick trip to The Cooperative Food store, I started browsing the internet for housing and was asleep for 3 hours! At least I was rested for the night (but that actually consisted of another super long walk all over Old Town with Mike). Tomorrow we will have to take a break from the house hunting...

First Impressions

Day 2 in the UK and here comes the rain everyone was talking about! On the plus side, EVERYTHING is blooming here. Beautiful gardens and parks are full of tulips, blooming cherry trees and other colorful things that I cannot identify. The rolling countryside, or Downs as they seem to be referred to locally, are blanketed in yellow flowers that apparently are grape seed used to make oil. I'm so glad we got here when we did. A few weeks later and we would likely have missed that bit of color.

The house hunting today was a mixed bag. There is not too much available for a relatively short lease that is furnished. We found a couple of possibilities but I am inclined to hold out for some options in Cirencester. If we opt to stay in Swindon, we found a charming home in the Old Town area and another home that is a short walk to work for Mike and just around the corner from a beautiful area to walk, ride bikes and even play golf. Stay tuned on that...

Another development today is that we changed hotels and Mike can now easily walk to work. That should make the one car situation easier for the time being. We're off to dinner now - STARVING! Until tomorrow...

Cheers from the UK

Well, it is a new year since the last time I posted and definitely a new adventure. We have just arrived in Swindon, Wiltshire, UK for a 6 month Intel assignment and have spent the last 24 hours learning to navigate and get connected.

Kudos to Mike for getting us around Swindon last night; without a map, in rush hour traffic, while driving on the 'wrong' side of the road. I didn't appreciate that feat until I had to drop him at work this morning and do the driving myself. Swindon boasts the largest roundabout in England with one main circle surrounded by five smaller ones. You could seriously get lost (and dizzy) in there.

After a short time I felt confident enough to go touring the countryside to visit nearby towns that might make a good home base. Upon the recommendation of one of Mike's new colleagues, I headed to Cirencester today and had a ball. It is a charming, historic town in the Cotswolds. I roamed the narrow streets for a couple of hours poking my head into the many unique shops, grabbing a snack at Marks & Spencer & walking on the wide open green space behind the beautiful church in the center of town. We'll see how the house hunting goes tomorrow, but Cirencester is DEFINITELY on the short list.

Today's outing also led to the successful acquisition of a UK mobile phone and (after lots of frustration over an ISP outage) an internet connection to post this blog and connect with my family. Before I knew what hit me it was time to get back in the car and go get Mike again. I only actually got in the wrong side of the car once. It was embarrassing to hop in and realize there was no steering wheel in front of me - did I just admit that?!

We decided to wander through Old Town Swindon and look for an interesting place to eat dinner and we stumbled upon a place called Los Gatos Spanish Tapas Bar & Grill. This is clearly a town favorite and we were lucky enough to be there before 7pm, as every table was reserved after that. We are already planning a return trip on Tuesday to try the many items on the menu we haven't yet tasted and listen to the live music. Tonight we relaxed with a bottle of red wine (Mike would know the name - I just know it did the trick). The owner suggested several of the house favorites including pork meatballs, roasted beets with an amazing sauce, a shrimp dish, chorizo, an egg dish with salmon and asparagus, and a house specialty that tasted something like ham and potatoes.

All in all, the first 24 hours in England was a success. I believe 6 months will go by very fast so we will have to make the most of every minute. We would love to have visitors so give us a shout if you are interested.

Blast from the Past

This summer I discovered just how enduring old friendships can be.

For starters, I was able to spend the afternoon with 3 women that I have know since grade school. We all live in different cities and haven't all been together in probably 20 years. We ate lunch at the Chicago Botanic Gardens and then visited a tree planted in memory of Jensen's mom. It was great to catch up on everyone's life - family, friends, jobs, adventures.

Next stop, cocktail hour and light supper with an extended group of high school friends hosted by Nancy Kindig Dankle at her (very gracious) parent's house. That brought back memories! Maybe I am blind to the telltale signs of time, but everyone looked EXACTLY the same - how can that be? We had so much fun laughing and telling stories that we decided we had to regroup the following month at Charlie Trotter's restaurant to celebrate the success of one of our very own.

Charlie (or Chuck as we knew him) was an amazing host and treated us to the most unique culinary experience I have ever known. We were especially happy that he was able to take time out from the kitchen to join us for awhile - it was fun exchanging old stories and learning a bit about what makes Charlie Trotter's such a well-respected restaurant. I think we all know that Charlie was always passionate about life so it makes sense that his passion would translate to excellence.

Another piece of the evening not to be forgotten was the before and after party at Sara's house. Sara is another one of those long lost grade school friends and it was amazing to see her, meet some of her family (including Harold, the beautiful white bird) and tour her fabulous home! I hope we don't go another 20 years before doing this again!

There is wisdom in the saying, "Make new friends but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold."

New York City Revealed

Despite two previous visits to Manhattan, I don't feel like I had a sense of the city until our recent trip to visit Amy.

Of course, I always love to go to the theater and this time was no exception. Mike and I saw Billy Elliott for our anniversary and the whole family went to Hair. Both were very good and I have to say Hair was a bit eye popping - maybe I would have been better suited to Mary Poppins =).

Friday morning Megan arrived after her flight was delayed overnight in Dallas. Amy metall of us for lunch in the plaza outside of 30 Rock and Megan got a quick tour of her office at Fitzpatrick before Amy went back to work and Megan, Mike and I boarded a double-decker bus to get the lay of the land. Although touristy, this really was a quick and easy way to take in the beautiful sunshine, see a lot of Manhattan and learn some of the history of the city and the buildings.

Saturday was action packed. Mike and I started it off early by wandering through Soho, Greenwich Village, Union Square and Gramercy Park. We enjoyed the street fairs, shops and a fabulous brunch at an outdoor cafe before meeting up with the girls for a family bike ride through Central Park and along the Hudson River. Once again, we found the perfect outdoor cafe overlooking the river to eat a late lunch that would tide us over until a 9:30 dinner reservation. To top off this amazing day Amy made reservations at Stanton Social club on the Lower East Side and it was SO MUCH FUN! I loved having the family together and bringing along Katie, Kat and Nicki. We sampled about 9 or 10 interesting dishes and finished off the evening with milkshake shots. This place was trendy and hip - Mike and I were quite possibly the oldest people in the place!

I'm not exactly sure what happened in the wee hours but I have heard stories that there was a trip to Coyote Ugly to dance on the bar and another night that ended with the sunrise. The girls did their sisterly bonding but hopefully most weekends in New York allow for some sleep!

Sunday we walked across the Brookly Bridge before heading to the airport. How did that go by so quickly? I miss the family time already...

One Perfect Day

I just have to capture this one perfect day and savor it.

Clearly I love being able to get where I am going on my bicycle on a beautiful day. On this particular day Mike and I woke up early, saw the sun shining and decided to ride our bikes to 'the Pebble Beach of the Midwest' for golf along Lake Michigan.

Given my limited abilities on the golf course, I was thrilled that this full length course was only 9 holes or I just might be there all day. But surprisingly, I started to get a little rhythm going (emphasize the word little). We walked the course and had a fabulous time!

After golf it was back on the bikes for a quick ride to North Avenue beach for lunch on the top deck of the outdoor grill overlooking the beach - fabulous weather, summertime music, great company, spectacular view. It was the perfect perch for people watching!

We spent a few hours in the afternoon catching up with emails and taking care of business before heading off to the Chicago Yacht Club for an evening aboard the Slap Shot! Shout out to Stevie and Scott for inviting us to join them on their beautiful sailboat for an evening spent cruising along the Chicago shoreline complete with happy hour, dinner and even dessert!

What a day...

Cherish These...

What I Value -

• My faith. That which is bigger than all else and sustains me through every challenge, joy, heartache and fear.
• My family. No matter what comes along in life, my family is at the center of it. Agree or disagree there is no doubt endless love. As a parent I feel such pride in the amazing people my daughters have turned out to be. As a wife I am constantly amazed by the countless ways my husband stands by me, loves me. As a daughter I can see that you never outgrow the need for your parents love and support. I am so lucky to have that - always!
• My friends. We keep each others council, share each others joys and concerns and PLAY. Never stop making time to laugh and play!
• New Experiences. Getting outdoors and finding the beauty in the world.
• To be continued...