Not ALL of our Christmas Day was quiet...

The cause of my joyous and high-pitched squealing on Christmas Day.

Dear Neighbors,

I know we don't talk much (it's because you're painfully shy) but I just wanted to say Merry Christmas and sorry for the 10 minutes of extreme noise the other day. My awesome sister is coming to visit and if you knew her you'd understand the fuss.

Girl was stylin' from the early days!

The shades have changed, but she's still got it.

Did I mention she can pretty much fly?

I'd also like to apologize in advance for the jumping up and down and squealing that will undoubtably ensue when she arrives next Sunday morning. Don't worry--we'll make it up to you by being out of the apartment most days having adventures.

There will probably be some frolicking, too. We like to frolic.

While I'm apologizing I might as well apologize for the late-night juggling. Yes, my husband does have some rather unique and noisy hobbies, but in his defense he drops the balls a lot less frequently now than he did a few months ago.

Maybe it would help if he used tennis balls again, instead of lacrosse balls...

Also, keep in mind that we have yet to be the cause of the ear-splitting fire alarm evacuations. That's right, I'm talking to you, Mr. "I can't make toast without burning the bread and forcing the entire building to evacuate into the snow at night." All in all, we're not a bad deal.

Happy New Year, neighbors!

Caitlin

Christmas Recap

You know you're a grown up when your favorite Christmas gift is a kitchen appliance. That's right--I got a blender for Christmas and I'm gosh darn proud of it! I loved making smoothies back in the States and had been telling Will how much I missed those fruity concoctions and lo and behold the wonderful man bought me a blender. Now that's love, folks. It's currently 12:34 on Monday, I've already had two blueberry/pomogranate/yogurt blends, and I'm not slowing down anytime soon. In fact, I've already trekked into town to purchase more fruit. It's a party in the Brian apartment!

Aside from the general excitement over the blender, we had a very casual, very relaxed Christmas. This being our first Christmas alone as a couple we decided to review our mutual family holiday traditions and pick and choose those we liked best. Good news Mom, the Christmas breakfast pancakes made the cut! Will, being the understanding man that he is, decided to uphold a very famous Hess family Christmas tradition by getting sick. Poor fella has been under the weather for several days prior to Christmas and is still not feeling 100% like his usual self. So we lounged in our pjs, watched West Wing episodes and movies, opened boxes from our families, stuffed our faces with delicious Christmas-y food (Bob, your Cajun stuffed potatoes are a MUST at Christmas!), talked to family members on skype, and enjoyed our low-key, snuggly Christmas.

Of course, we missed each one of you but I have to admit--there was something pretty special about our first Christmas with just the two of us. Who knows, it may also be our last!

Brief Update

Dear Blog Friends,

I am sorry for leaving you hanging. It's not you--it's me. It's me and it's us and it's our new super-duper busy social life. That's right. We have friends!!

We have girlfriends

We have man friends

We have friends that have welcomed us like family

We have friends with lovely Irish accents

We have friends with crisp British accents

We have suddenly become social butterflies. And because of our new friends I think it would be safe to say that we are happily adjusting. And who doesn't love a happy adjustment?

More later. . .

Caitlin

This is What Fun Looks Like...

...When it is 29 degrees Fahrenheit outside and your head and chest are more congested than Beltway 8 at rush hour.

That's right, folks. My goal for this post is to categorically destroy any fantastical notions you have of our glamorous life in Oxford. Because for the past week our life has consisted of these four basic routines:

1. Caitlin blowing her nose

2. Caitlin coughing

3. Caitlin blowing her nose again

4. Will taking care of absolutely everything else like the wonderful husband/nurse he is

The cold of all colds is still with me, although slightly weaker today than some days earlier, and I'm now considering naming it like meteorologists name hurricanes. As it is the first epic cold of my life here in Oxford I'm thinking I should start at the beginning of the alphabet--Amelia. Lest you be confused by the personification of this malady, allow me to be clear: Amelia and I are not friends. Amelia has given me sleepless nights, a nose that would make Rudolph feel less self-conscious and an addiction to that yummy tasting decongestant they sell at the drug store. I even went to the doctor to see if they could help but apparently nasty colds (even named ones) are meant to be suffered through here in England and I was turned away without any pharmaceutical aid. I suppose that if I was of the mindset of Calvin's dad I would thank Amelia for all the good she is doing to me...

With Amelia working a number on my immune system and with temperatures hovering below freezing I was forced into hibernation. Until church today I had only ventured outside to change a load of laundry and to return/pick up some library books. The couch and my bum have become very well acquainted. So when Will announced that No Shave November was over I did what any other people-starved, decongestant-high, super-bored couch potato would do. I grabbed my camera.

The beard in all it's glory...

Can't you see the delirium (or is it a touch of fever?) in my eyes? This is the most excitement I've had all week!

Attacking the beard with scissors first. Let the devolution begin.

Every time I see a goatee I think 90s Major League Baseball...

Major League Creeper.

The finished product! What a chin! What a jaw! What a face!

I just love smooth cheek kisses. Hope he doesn't catch anything.

So there you have it--the highlight of my week! I promise that once my head fully clears we'll have more exciting things to post about. Until then, I'm going to gaze adoringly at my hubby's clean shaven face and try to kill off Amelia with high doses of Vitamin C.

Because I Can

Readers! I have just realized that I completely forgot to post my list of things-I-am-thankful-for-here-in-Oxford! And even though it is December and Thanksgiving was last week, I'm going to post it now. Can I do this extremely belated post? See title. Oh yes I can.

1. Modern Technology.

Merciful heavens where would I be without modern technology? I'll tell you where--stuck on a freezing cold island thousands of miles away from family and dear friends, relying on pigeons or ponies or something like that to hear news from my beloved homeland. Why yes, I am the dramatic first born child, however did you know? Even though I am married to a man who would gladly give up such modern luxuries as cell phones, laptops and modern medicine and move to the seclusion of an Amish community I must say that we both have loved how easy it is to keep in touch with you wonderful people.

Chatting with the parents on iChat!

These people have a 24 hour online web cam. We stand in front of it and wave like idiots seemingly to nobody. Later, we get excited emails from relatives and requests to "do it again!" and comments such as "man you guys looked awkward!" (thanks, Pete).

2. Starbucks.

Good news, my coffee-addict friends. Starbucks is in Oxford! Yes, their drinks are even more ridiculously overpriced here when you figure the dollar to pound ratio, however, their wifi got us through the first week here. And for that I am eternally thankful. I am also eternally thankful for their grande caramel macchiato, despite Will's attempt to wean me of them by sneaking the Starbucks nutrition pamphlet into my latest read.

This place could probably be considered our first home in Oxford.

Like I said, eternally grateful...

3. The Clarendon Foundation.

This seems to be an appropriate time to remind you all of how wickedly smart my hubby is. :) Because he's brilliant. And I am ever so thankful to the Clarendon Foundation for recognizing said brilliance and paying for Will to come to Oxford and for supporting us financially for the next three years. If Mr. Clarendon were still around I'd hug him... assuming that there ever was a Mr. Clarendon. Mrs. Clarendon? Who knows. Will says I could just google it but I fear it would break my "flow."

The Clarendon Foundation, along with paying for England, has a mall named after them. So they give us money and then I can go shopping!

4. Mr. Smarty Pants Himself.

He's smart and handsome and runs out to the drug store early in the freezing cold morning to buy me all of the items on my "no-I-can-cure-myself-of-this-cold-without-modern-medicine-just-buy-me-Vitamin-C-and-Cat's-Claw-Tea" list (and it's working, thankyouverymuch!). I have been incredibly blessed in marrying my best friend (and in my humble and unbiased opinion, probably the best guy ever) and this adventure, though challenging at times, makes me appreciate him all the more. I mean, how can you not love this face?

Wait...maybe not this face...

THIS is the face!

5. Overseas Business Trips.

That's right--I support the decision to outsource American labor to other countries! Especially when it brings my Daddy to Oxford. :) Dad's visit was such fun and I can't wait for the next one. Especially if he brings me Mom. Hint hint.

I have a whole list of new adventures for us next time you come, Pops. But on one condition...

BRING MOM! That's right, Ted, I have demands.

I have many more things that I am thankful for; however, I have run out of pictures that match my thanks. So for now, the thankfulness (and this post) ends here.

The Monday Blues / Our Super Fun Weekend

Does anyone else have the Monday Blues? I wouldn't describe mine as navy blue, or even a lovely turqouise. Just a nice, muted, baby-boy blue. I blame my Monday Blues on my awesome weekend, which I shall now recap for you, my devoted readers.

If you'll allow me I will start with Thursday, which, while not a usual part of the traditional weekend, really kicked off the fun for us. Even though we had already been invited to a large Thanksgiving get-together taking place this past Saturday we just couldn't let the day pass us by without some sort of celebration. As you know from my previous post, our neighbors joined us for a small Thanksgiving dinner, but the fun began much earlier in the day. My wonderful parents sent us two boxes filled with home goodies and it felt like Christmas! The great thing about boxes is that they also make excellent toys:

Friday saw the OFFICIAL start of the Christmas season in Oxford! Will and I braved the cold (and I debuted my long underwear!) to join the crowd in city centre for the lighting ceremony. As a Christmas connoisseur I must be perfectly honest--the lighting ceremony was rather unimpressive. Pretty sure Baylor's Christmas tree is bigger and prettier than the shabby looking spruce that drew most of the attention Friday night. But Jamie Oliver (the Naked Chef, anyone?) was there to flip the switch (although we didn't actually see him. I got tired of being pushed around by the hoards and voted we retreat ever so slightly away from the main stage) and along with the wimpy tree some other very pretty street lights came on. Armed with a ridiculous amount of hot chocolate and marshmallows we then checked out the Lantern Parade. Luckily for you all, I took a video. Please pardon the antlers that periodically interrupt the view.

I love window shopping at Christmas time

Saturday was Thanksgiving dinner at the Followwill home. For those of you who haven't heard of the Followwills, they are a lovely American couple that took us to their home for lunch our first Sunday in Oxford. They had invited a large crew over to celebrate this American holiday and we had such a great time playing games, making new friends (some of them with amazing Irish accents!) and celebrating the Lord's goodness to us.

Before the feast.

Beautiful table filled with beautiful people.

Our thanksgiving turkeys!

Sunday was another super cold day which had us in town for church in the morning and back in town for the symphony at night! Will was given ridiculously cheap tickets through the Clarendon Foundation and so we experienced live music in the Sheldonian Theatre for the very first time. I forgot to bring my camera (I blame the ridiculous cold. It's all I can think about these days) so Google images has once again saved the day:

We returned home from the symphony to a Skype "double date" with the wonderful Chris and Megan Stevens. My cup runneth over. :)

And now it's Monday, and Monday has brought me loads of laundry, dirty dishes, messy apartment and the early signs of a chest cold. Monday, you are such a let down! Oh well, counting down until next weekend...

Thanksgiving Eve

Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the flat

Not a creature was stirring, not even a rat...

...And I'm going to end that gem of a poem right there. You're welcome. :)

I have been the Scrooge of Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. As a kid I was always underwhelmed by Thanksgiving. Considering the perks associated with all the other national holidays what did Thanksgiving really have to offer me? Halloween had costumes and candy, Easter had egg hunts and candy, and Christmas with its presents, lights...and candy in my stocking (noticing a theme yet?). Thanksgiving had orange foods, dead birds, boring football (ok, it was boring at the time), and no presents. Not to mention all the messy dishes the huge meal left. And pilgrims? Really? Thanksgiving was lame.

In college Thanksgiving became a little more agreeable--mainly because it signified that Christmas break was almost here! I forced my roommates to let me put up Christmas decorations before we went home for Thanksgiving break so that we could enjoy them that much longer. I considered the last Friday of November to be a larger cause of celebration because I was FINALLY allowed to pull out all the Christmas decorations (usually around 8 am in the morning, Thanksgiving dishes still in the sink and on the counters. Sorry, Mom!).

It's interesting what living in a foreign country will do to you.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day and I couldn't be more excited or nostalgic. Will and I are hosting a small Thanksgiving dinner at our place and our American neighbors, Josh and Erin, and their two kiddos, Jackson and Ella, are helping us celebrate. Erin and I have planned Thanksgiving crafts for the kids, I'll be spending most of tomorrow whipping up some Thanksgiving treats, and I have spent a large portion of time today perusing the internet looking for a Thanksgiving playlist to set the mood. All of a sudden it feels so important and so home-y and so wonderful to have this holiday. And I have so very much to be thankful for.

For the beauty of the earth,

For the beauty of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies,

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

The Seven Week Itch

Warning: This post is comprised of 99.9% estrogen. Proceed with caution.

Readers, I've got the Itch.

No, Mom, not the Baby Itch. Geez.

The Seven Week Decorating Itch. The Seven-Weeks-in-a-new-home-and-nothing-has-been-done-to-truly-personalize-it Itch. This is a powerful itch, my friends, and I'm doing all that I can to resist scratching this itch until I have some means of employment.

In the meantime I have (somewhat) satiated my desires to overhaul this dorm-apartment-thing by looking at decorating websites. I know it doesn't make any sense, but somehow it helps. Promise! In some strange way, marthastewart.com and younghouselove.com (just to name drop) have soothed my soul while filling me with ideas for that futuristic date and time when I can release my inner (though definitely wimpier) Martha and transform this place. Indulge me, if you will, in some digital drooling as we gaze upon these fantastic palates and decor ideas.

I could read for hours here, preferably with a doggie stretched out on the floor in that sun spot. Man I need a dog...

Aren't you just soothed by the tranquil turquoise?

This one I may really have to try. Good eye, Martha, good eye.

Another DIY photo idea. Love the original matting.

So yummy. I want to eat it with a spoon.

I have found that I love birds and bird pictures. And to top it all off, Martha glued dried beans to her bird frames! Preschool art project meets posh decor. Love it.

How to go about convincing the landlord that I should be allowed to put up some wooden beams... that is the question.

So there you have it. Quite possibly the most girlie post that you will see on this blog for quite some time. This has been a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. We now return to your regular blogging. :)

Man Plans...

And God laughs. Or so the Yiddish proverb goes. I do not want to speculate on what tickles the Trinity, but I will say that we planned... and then it all fell apart. Our lovely plans to visit this lovely place definitely did not happen. And I blame Willis. :)

Blenheim Palace. Or so I've been told.

Ok, not blame blame him. Poor guy can't help it that his gums decided to revolt against all his maltreatment! On his birthday this Thursday he essentially had sugar (in the form of my delicious peanut butter pie!), meat, and bourbon for dinner. This might have been fine, except for the fact that he forgot to brush his teeth before going to bed. The next day he complained of his gums hurting him but, of course, he tried to tough it out. The following night we went on a double date with our neighbors, Erin and Josh, to a local Indian restaurant as part of Will's birthday celebrations. Being the extraordinarily silly man that he is, Will felt compelled to order the spiciest item on the menu. He then woke up Saturday morning in some serious pain. After a medical consultation via Skype with our very own Rachel Walley (bless her!), it was decided that his mouth (more specifically, his swollen gum line) had met it's match.

Talk about family love. Will showing Rachel his gums with the help of his Kindle night light.

Poor guy spent Saturday and Sunday mostly mute, ingesting only soft bland foods (cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, yogurt, etc) and miming his needs to me. Being the wonderfully sensitive wife that I am, I had a pretty good chuckle... and then made him some mac and cheese. :)

As a result of this affliction we (and by "we" I mean "I"--Will isn't up to talking just yet) have made some new life resolutions:

1. When we have children we will live within a 45 minute drive from The Rachel Walley.

2. Will will never again tempt the pepper gods (or the Indian chefs) by asking them to make his food "as hot as possible." At least not when his mouth is already hurting from something else.

3. Should Will ever have to lose a physical ability, it should not be his ability to speak (assuming we have the choice). I'm terrible at charades.