Andy & Mandy Take On the World

The summer is breezing by!

2009-06-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

We are in full swing this summer. We've had a great spring and summer is already almost done! Right now we're in the thick of it. We've just purchased a small home to plant some roots. In about three weeks, after Andy and his Dad fix it up a bit, we'll move in. I'm hoping to post some pictures of that soon. Also, our theater company is busy with gigs and all the various things that go into a performance. We're loving it. Life is good. The pace is quick and the stakes are high right now, but we're so glad to be right where we are!
Here's a few random pictures of our life over the past several months...

Burning the prairie at Andy's parent's farm. They are doing a prairie restoration and need to burn it every once and a while...

At one of our theater company meetings, the firs thing on the agenda was for everyone to sample the beers that Andy and I have been brewing...

Me in the shop with my father-in-law. Buildin' stuff.

Our beloved Black Dirt Theater.

My 1-year-old nephew, Keenan. He's an eating machine!

Andy's sister and brother-in-law on her birthday ( I won't say how old she is)

Andy on our 1928 fire engine with his neice and nephew.

Memorial Day camping trip with the family. This is along beautiful river bluffs in Red Wing, MN

At the circus!

Long over due...

2009-02-04T21:10:00.001-08:00

Well, life has been a wonderful combination of busy, fun, and full of change! I'm so happy for a quiet moment to try and catch up with life.
So where did I leave off...
Winter has been wonderful so far (although I"ve been feeling quite cold lately and wishing spring would come soon). It started when Andy's sister got married in November. It was a small wedding at their home with a few family members and friends. I had the wonderful honor of being there photographer (something I'm just starting to get interested in and hope that I can do more of in the future). It was a beautiful evening and a very meaningful celebration.
Christmas came and went very quickly, but we were happy to have several excuses to eat delicious meals, drink too much wine, and laugh late into the night at several family and friend gatherings during the season.
The new year brought a new and amazing job opportunity. Andy's sister owns a hair salon in a beautiful renovated historic home. To make a long story short, I have helped her to open a spa to complement the salon. I am working as a massage therapist there and it has been a great experience in the short time that we have been open. All I can say is that this job was an answer to prayers in several different ways and it feels good to feel like you are right where you belong doing exactly what you should be doing.
Andy was very busy in January because he was asked to be a part of an exciting theater project and performed just last weekend. He played the part of the Lieutenant in a lovely play called "The Gypsy and The General." He really enjoyed reconnecting with old friends through the project, including one of his classmates (Ryan U.) from LISPA. Right now, Andy is in Duluth directing a show for the Duluth Playhouse that will be performed at the end of March.
Our family went through a major changes just last week when we grieved the death of my maternal grandmother. She was the last of that generation in our family. She was an amazing woman who inspired and cared for many during her lifetime. I can't even express how much she will be missed.
So, that is the list of recent events. I have included some photos of winter on the farm as well as several from the wedding. I was so worried about experiencing a Minnesota winter after getting used the winters on London. Although it can be painfully cold some days (sometimes as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit when you include something called "wind chill factor"), but I can actually say that I have enjoyed the winter. On a very regular basis, I am witness to so many beautiful things in the world around me. Some examples...one day there was a frozen mist in the air and it created the illusion of two rainbows shining on either side of the sun. One day I woke up and absolutely everything was covered in a thick white frost, sparkly and bright. And as I experienced many times in my childhood, we had some wonderful heavy snows and at night it is gorgeous because the street lights are a kind of orange color that fills the sky as it reflects on the snow. And one of the coolest things has been driving with the lights off because the moon is so bright that when it reflects off of the snow, it's almost like daylight. (Just a disclaimer, I don't usually drive with my lights off, but I did get a little crazy and try it for about 30 seconds) I wish I could show you pictures of all these breathtaking moments, but maybe it is better to just imagine them.
We are feeling at home, our life is full of good things and sweet people. We send our love out to all those sweet people and hope you are each well.
Peace, Mandy

The salon and spa where I work

winter on the farm

Christmas images

wedding pics

Life on the Farm

2008-10-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

Just a brief note to say that life is good in Minnesota. Here's a few highlights, more will be coming.
Hope you are all happy and healthy where you are!
Peace, Mandy

A few things we've been doing to stay busy:
Beer making, an antique car show, and a recent wedding of a dear friend

Some pics of our family, we are so glad to be reunited with them:

Life on the farm. We get great sunrises, sunsets and harvest moons out here where the sky is big. We are living with Andy's parents and they have lent us their camper to stay in until the weather gets cold.

Top Ten

2008-09-15T09:03:00.001-07:00

Top Ten from our recent travels...
(In no particular order)

10.Notre Dame
We had a great time when our friend, Phil, went up the 350+ steps to the top towers of Notre Dame. It is one of the most spectacular structures I have ever been in.

9. Hanging out on the river in Paris with Abby and Brian. We loved how relaxed the city was on these warm, quiet nights. The best part was when someone showed up with an upright piano and a small drum kit and a crowd over over 100 gathered to sing along with this impromptu outdoor piano bar.

8. Playing with fire in Prague. There's only one place in the world where you can have a proper flaming glass of absinth, so we went for it!

7. Parks!

This is in the Kew Gardens in London. These lilypads are literally 2 feet wide!

We had a little too much fun on the merry-go-round at this park in Glasgow.

6. Ashley.
She's our good friend from MN who showed us around Liverpool and Manchester. It was the first stop on the journey, what a great way to start!

5. Climbing down a mountain in the Swiss Alps

4. Time with friends
Manu and the little daughter of our hosts in Swizterland

Soren and Andy with the hats they traded

3. The monuments in Berlin

This one goes deeper into the ground as you walk into it, so the blocks get taller and taller.

This includes the Jewish Museum in Berlin. We thought this museum was great because they had a couple of rooms that were like installments. This one was amazing. You got to walk all around this room that had these iron faces on them. The room wasn' very big, but the ceiling went up at least 3 stories, so the sound of these clanking iron pieces was so loud and melodic.

2. The East Side Gallery in Berlin. The Berlin Wall was an amazing thing to see, espicially this portion of it where artists have made it into their canvas.

1. Home Sweet Home, our lovely Thames River in London on our last night. There are no words and no pictures to express how much I miss that life, those people, and that place. What a gift the past two years have been. I have faith that what comes next can only be better!

More to Come

2008-09-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Just a very quick update. I will post more stories and pictures soon. In a nutshell, we had a wonderful time traveling in August. My twin sister, Abby, and her boyfriend Brian joined us for part of the trip when we went to Paris, Prague and Berlin. Then Andy and I met up with Soren and Manuella in their hometown in Switzerland. We are so grateful for that time of travel, it was inspiring and renewing in so many ways.
Now we're back in Minnesota and slowly adjusting to life here on the farm. We live with Andy's parents and Andy has been spending the past few weeks doing carpentry with his dad. I have a new job doing massage therapy with in a chiropractic clinic and I'm loving it. It feels strange to be back and I often feel like any moment now we'll pack up our bags and go back to our little flat in London and I'll go back to my job in Knightsbridge. It's bittersweet. I think once we're in a good daily routine, it will feel more like home. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying each day. Each day I observe something in nature that I never noticed before (like for instance, the sky seems so big out here with the fields and rolling hills), each day I reconnect with an old friend that I havent't talked with, and each day Andy and I talk about how to make our dreams a reality. We just celebrated our 4th anniversary yesterday. It was so nice to celebrate the past 4 years and just be content knowing that right now in this very moment, we are in a very good place.
I hope that all of you are in a good place, wherever you are.
Peace, Mandy

One chapter closes...

2008-08-17T02:40:00.000-07:00

Just a short blog to let you all know that our time in London is coming to a close. It has been a wonderful 2 years and this transition is bittersweet for us as we have made some really great friends here. But, we're ready for the next adventure that is awaiting us in MN. We get home on August 19 and we hope to catch-up with everyone soon.
We'll post some pictures of our recent travels soon, so keep posted.
Peace, Mandy

Oh the places you'll go...

2008-06-11T14:21:00.001-07:00

Adam and Shawna on their last night here

Hello Everyone!
This has been a great spring so far. We've had numerous visitors stay with us, Andy finished his 3rd term, we've seen some great sights, and we've recently gone to some great concerts. We are planning to come home in mid-August, so we're taking in as much as we can before it's too late. It might be a while until we post another blog since the next month will be busy with Andy's final project and graduation, followed by some European travel before we head home. We don't have very solid plans once we do finally get home, but we are excited for all the possibilities that lie ahead of us.
I hope that each of you are well.
See you soon!
Mandy

I love my new tripod for my camera. I've been having a great time playing with light and shutter speed.

We've been playing 'tourist' a lot with our recent guests, but it's been great because there's so much to enjoy about London, especially all the views on the River Thames.

Classic tourist shot :)

Andy surprised me with tickets to see the Wailin Jennys. Here's the opening act. The combination of the music and the small venue made me feel like I was back home again.

Me and my friend Manuella took a day to see Greenwich, it was our first taste of summer.

Shawna, Adam, Andy and I discovered this great flower market in eastern London. I had never seen peonies this color before. Everything was gorgeous there.

This is the late night/early morning celebration after some of Andy's performances with his classmates. Only the strong survived, but we had a great time (note the hour on the clock).

Several people have recommended the London walking tours to us, so we took a night with friends and went on the "Jack the Ripper" walk. Educational and entertaining, my favorite combination.

The Swell Season in concert at the Barbican Arts Centre

Beth, Kevin, and Andy at the British Museum

A small taste of the amazing rose garden in Hyde Park that is just a block from where I work

Fun with Photography

2008-05-05T02:16:00.001-07:00

Well, we're doing well here in London. Especially lately as the weather has been warming up. Andy's been really busy with school, it's the last term of classes. Next term will just be rehearsals and public performances. Our time here is coming swiftly to an end. It is bittersweet because we have been feeling more and more at home here. But, in the meantime, we're trying to enjoy every moment of it.
I know it's a bit random, but here's just a few photos of things happening in our life. ...

I've been playing around with some of the toys on the photo editing program we have. These are just some of the things we see every day. Although, they don't normally look this cool.

Here's a mask that Andy made using a mold of his face. When our friends from H-town visited, Patti helped to put a plaster cast on his face so that he would have this exact model to build masks off of.

Andy and some of his friends were asked to do one of their pieces from school at a performance night in Hackney. It was great to see what's happening in the theater community outside of school.

Some friends of ours that came over to "jam." We all get together once and a while to play guitar, piano, and sing whatever random pop songs we can think of. Purple Rain is a the top of the list so far.

Andy's parents with their host (Priscilla) for the three months they were here. We had a farewell dinner together before they left.

Hope all of you are well and we'll see you soon!
Peace,
Mandy

Spring Travels

2008-03-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!
Well, today marks the day of the beginning of "normal life." I have just returned from a short visit to Minnesota and Andy is just starting his third term at school. March has been a great month. We had a wonderful trip to Rome with Andy's parents, I started a new job that I love, and it was great for me to visit with my family over Easter. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures from my trip to the US, but for now, I'll give some highlights of our time in Rome....

Piazza Navona

Views from St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. One of the pictures includes Maggie's cousin who is working in Rome.

Here's a beautiful view from Maggie and Dave's side trip to Assisi. There are endless amounts of great pictures from that trip, but here's one of my favorites.

A doorway to a flat in the Jewish Ghetto.

Trevi Fountain

A piece from the Vatican Museum. We saw some amazing artwork and architecture there. Unfortunately, you cannot take pictures of the Sistine Chapel. But it is breathtaking, believe me.

The Pantheon

One of our most memorable moments at the Papal Visit. The Pope gave a message and a blessing to 9,000 people from all over the world.

Catch-up

2008-02-18T00:48:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been busy around here. As you can see from the lack of blogging. Since the last one, we've celebrated Christmas, New Year's, my Birthday, and we've spent a lot of time with Andy's parents as they are here for 3 months. It's been great to show them what our experience here is like. Spring is on it's way now and the daffodils are starting to bloom. Andy's just finishing his second term (two left only!). We're looking forward to taking a trip with his parents to Italy during his break. We also have some friends from MN visiting over Easter, so we're excited about that, too. The International Mime Festival was held in London this year, so we've been able to see several amazing physical theater performances this winter. Other than that, same old, same old. Our time here is passing very quickly and we're already laying plans for our return.
I've attached pictures of the New Year's fireworks that we saw from St. Jame's Park, some pictures of Andy and I with our niece and nephew (the flat versions, of course). And I've attached some photos of masks that we both used while working on a theater project with one of our friends who recently graduated from LISPA. It was great to play around and I spent a great deal of time putting music to the action, good practice for when we come home and start creating shows.

Hope you are all happy and healthy!
Peace,
Mandy

Beautiful Barcelona

2007-12-04T06:55:00.000-08:00

Well, November was another busy month. Abby came for a visit for two weeks. It was great to be able to spend Thanksgiving with her. We went to a friend's house and celebrated with a group of people from the school. Then, Abby and I went to Barcelona for just a few days. I was hoping for sun, rest, green grass, and to see beautiful things. My prayer was more than answered on that trip. We both loved the Gaudi architecture that is found throughout the city. The parks were great, especially Park Guell. Loved the beautiful churches as well. And don't get me started on the tapas. Mmmmm....

Language Lesson #3

2007-11-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!
Well, it's been a very busy fall. No pictures to show now, but hopefully soon. Andy had a wonderful expeirence in New York with the theatre project he was working on. I had a great time visiting with my sister Martha and her husband Dan in Septemember. Thanks to Dan's hady-dandy guidebook, we found some really great restaruants and pubs that I have since been back to. It was great to catch-up with them. It made me even more homesick when they left. But, enter James! One of the new students at Andy's school came and stayed with me a week soon after Martha and Dan left. He's a fellow Iron Ranger! We had a great week, I loved showing him the ropes in the same way that some of our friends did when we first arrived. Finally Andy came home, and after a few days his mom came for a visit as well. It was wonderful to spend time with her (and to have some good MN home-cookin'). We're looking forward to when she and Dave come back this winter.
So, with all of these visitors, I've been thinking of more language lesson ideas....

The Brits vs. The Yanks
Signage:
Give Way = Yeild
Way Out = Exit
Mind the Gap = Look out for that crack!
Miscellaneous:
torch = flash light
pram = stroller
trolley = cart
biscuit = cookie (but it sure sounds healthier when you say biscuit)
innit = isn't it

That's all I can think of for now, but more to come soon! Hope you are all well.

Peace,
Mandy

summer memories

2007-10-04T02:23:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Well, our summer went by very quickly. The weather was unusually cold and rainy here, so it never really felt like summer arrived. But, it's gone now. Luckily, we were able to find some sunshine on our travels and the fall weather has been pretty mild so far.
Here's some pictures of what we've been up to (in random order). You'll see photos of Andy on his trip to Denmark where he took a workshop on clowning. It was taught by the director of the school we toured in California when he was first applying for grad programs. Also, our friend John came for a visit (the picture of the guy that looks like a hippie, yeh, that's the one). We had a great time reconnecting with him and introducing him to all of our favorite pubs and cask ales. Then the next photos are from our two days in Bath. We occasionaly try to get out of the city, just to get some fresh air and solitude. Plus we had an excuse, it was our third anniversary. Bath was a beautiful city and it had such a relaxed feeling to it. just what we needed. We got a great deal on a really fancy hotel (bathrobes, country club, hiking trails, and more!). We skipped a lot of the tourist attractions just to spend more time relaxing there.
There's also a photo of our "picture wall" of some artwork sent by our neice and nephew (more are welcome from all of our neices and nephews). And, there's a photo of a decked out vespa. There's a few retirees in our neighborhood who ride around on vespas like this one. It's like a club, you'd have to see it to get the full experience, but here's a taste.
Hope all is well back home. We just realized that one full year has passed since we left. One more to go!
More posts and pictures to come of Andy's adveture in NY and my time with Martha and Dan while they visited, so stay tuned.
Peace,
Mandy

Postcard from Italy

2007-08-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Well, we didn't have much time to write postcards since it was such a quick trip, but hopefully this blog will be a suitable replacement.
We had a wonderful time. We started out near Ancona, which is the area where the bride grew up. We spent four days there and the bride and groom organized social events for each day, so we had a great time hanging out with friends (old and new). Both the wedding ceremony and the reception were wonderful. We stayed with one of the brides friends, Serena, and got to know her and her boyfriend a little. It was a struggle at first because very few people in this particular area speak English, but our trusty phrase-book carried us through. It was Andy's first time in a non-English-speaking country, a very exciting experience for him.
Our friend Arnaldo then drove us up to his home in Venice. What a strange and beautiful place! We loved the atmosphere: no cars, the sound of water at night, beautiful homes with some much detail in the architecture, and some of the best food we have ever eaten in our entire lives. Arnaldo and his parents were so kind in welcoming us into their home and taking care of us.
So, back to life in London, we are happy to be home and in the comforts of routine. It's been a very cold summer, so we were glad to get away, but it is finally warming up a bit here.
Hope all of you are well.
Peace, Mandy

One Down One to Go!!!

2007-07-26T02:41:00.000-07:00

Hello there everyone,

Well my first year is done and man what a great experience it was. To celebrate Mandy and I are packing up and going to Italy for a week. (I am sure picture will be coming soon) I am still processing all I learned this year. I am looking forward to this summer to relax and let it all soak in.

Here are some pictures for you,
I think it is from bottom to top.

First is Jeff: we went on a brewery tour at Fullers Brewery, and had a great time. I highly recommend it to you if you are in the neighbor hood. It was 6 pounds each and at the end of the tour you get to have a quarter pint of every beer they make, and a full pint of your favorite. Which adds up to about 4.5 pints, or nine cans of beer, plus it's English beer so it packs a little punch. So after wards we decided to go back to ours and have some dinner and a beer or two, and Mandy gave Jeff a hair cut. It was a very fun night, but for some reason the next day I was very thirsty for water.

Second is Mandy: This is her massage room at her new salon in Islington, which is a part of London. It has been great for me to see Mandy thrive in massage. It really suits who she is. After many months of working Aveda retail the salon is open and Mandy's spirit is really blossoming. Even tough we came over here for me to go to school it is so exciting to see all the ways Mandy is growing and changing too.

E's B-day: A group of us went and celebrated our friend Elisabeth's birthday in Hyde park. E is a Lispa student and wonderfully kind person. We had a really nice afternoon.

Next is my good friend Soren: Soren was on kitchen cleaning duty when we moved to our new flat. He is from Switzerland, the country where OCD is encouraged, so he is very thorough when it comes to, well everything. It was a good move two of our friends let us use them and their cars and we had it done in no time. It is amazing the amount of stuff you can collect in 10 months. We are still settling into our new flat Soren and I painted the living room the other day and now that I am done with school I have been working my way through the boxes in the closet. Mandy and I love our new place. It is in a very vibrant part of London and it is about 30 min from anywhere. Oh and the best part is the water pressure is incredible!!!!

Rague and Poker night: My friend Arnaldo is from Venice and all year he has been bragging about how great his pasta is. (I think it's an Italian thing, cause I alway brag about my Jello) So one night I had a couple of guys over to play Texas Hold'em and he cooked up some Rague y Penne. It was really good. Arnaldo is who we are staying with in Venice. He have a boat and is going to take us around the canals which is very exciting! It is nice of him to do all this after I took all his money that night.

Next is a picture of my extremely attractive wife... that one speaks for it self.

After that is people rehearsing the 20 movements at school. The 20 Movements are the last thing we did at school this year. Basically it is 20 different mimed movements that help the actor work on physical control and stage presence. They are to actors what singing scales would be to a singer. Some of the movements are: climbing the wall, turning the stick, ice skating, rowing, etc..... So threw out the year we learn the movements and for our final critique you have to link the movements together and perform them for the teachers and all the other students, and afterwards (like every time we perform) the teachers tell you what didn't work. I went on the last day so Mandy could come watch and really learned a ton watching everyone else that week while I was working on my own and thinking about where I was and what I wanted to do. I really enjoyed the exercise.

The last three are of the graduation party for the second years. Each person was asked to bring a dish from their home country, so the kitchen table was full of great food from around the world. My good friend Ryan and I made 3 kinds of Jello: Lemon and orange with carrots and cellory, blackcurrant Jello shoots, and raspberry jello with grapes and blueberries. We all hung out ate and had one of the most touching graduations I have ever seen. It was a beautiful day.

Well I am going to sign off there, I have to tie up some loose ends and head down the road. I hope you are all doing well. I miss you very much.

Peace.

Andy

Schedule FYI

2007-06-25T13:07:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!
Hope all is well. We've been pretty busy around here, especiall Andy as he wraps up his final project for school. The weather has been pretty cold and wet lately, but we're already looking forward to summer.
For those of you thinking of making a trip over, I thought it would be good to inform you of our scheudule. I will be around all summer, I have a pretty steady work schedule. Andy has been blessed with two wonderful opportunties this summer/fall. He will be attending a week long workshop in Denmark around mid-August. Also, he will be going to New York to divise a show and perform around the end of September, beginning of October.
Peace, Mandy

New Job!

2007-06-10T03:35:00.001-07:00

Halleluia! After a year-long process, I have finally started my new job. My first week was fun, but it was a bit unusual. We still had to prepare the spa rooms, so I spent most of my days shopping around central London and buying all the necessities. My bosses are long-time partners Mike and Wendy. Wendy and I had a great time shopping together a couple of times and she made sure that we took much deserved dinner breaks to taste the local fair. I felt so spoiled, it was great! So far, my co-workers and the clientelle seem really nice. Also, I work right next to a park, so I get to eat my lunch with my bare feet on the grass, the sun on my face, and the wind at my back.
Other news...I took a Reiki class. It is called an atunement, and there are three levels (first, second, and master - but you can also become a teacher after that). Reiki is really hard for me to describe, especially since I am still learning about it, but it is about using the energy around us to bring healing to the body. I have to practice on myself for 21 days, then I can practice on others. It has been the most peaceful part of my day and I am loving it so far.
Andy is doing well as his school year is wrapping up. They finish at the end of July, but they are already working on final projects and doing some of their weekly routines for the last time. This term, they have been working on stage combat, so he has been learning some marial arts. He is looking ahead for the summer and considering a 3 week trip to New York to devise and perform in a show with some recent graduates of his school.
Lastly, we're getting ready to move. Through a friend of a friend, we came across a really wonderful flat that is just a couple of miles away from my job. My one hour commute will be closer to 20 minutes now.
Sorry there's no pictures, I'll try to post some soon.
Hope you are healthy and happy!
Peace, Mandy

Nieces, Nephews, and a whole bunch of Minnesota Fun!

2007-05-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

We're back in London after a lovely trip back home to MN for a week and a half. It was wonderful! A whirlwind tour of the twin cities, our hometowns, and of course, Tobies Bakery in Hinkley. I think the pictures speak for themselves, we had a great time visiting with our family and friends. I especially loved playing with our nieces and nephews. We had a couple of gathering in which we could reconnect with friends, but we were so busy visiting, we neglected to take any photos.
It was a bittersweet time because we loved being home, but it reminded us of how hard it is to be far from family and friends. At the same time, the flights seemed to quick that we felt like MN isn't actually that far from the UK. On the otherhand, we were both happy to be back in London and after a restful weekend, we got back into our regular, comfortable routines. I'm a creature of habit and was glad to come back to our current "home."
We had a great weekend recently. There was a big social event at our church on Sunday and I was even asked to sing with the worship band that morning. On Friday, we went salsa dancing with some friends from Peurto Rico. It feels good to know that even though we're far from MN, we have some great friends and support here in London.
Hope all is well for each of you wherever your home is.
Peace, Mandy

Visit Home

2007-04-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody!
Just an FYI that we will be travelling back home for a short visit. We'll be in the Cities and up north between April 30th and May 10th. Hope we can reconnect with many of you.
Peace, Mandy
P.S. The picture is if my sister's dog, who I miss and can't wait to see :)

Adventures Gallore!

2007-03-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

Well, this past month has been full of adventures. On our recent trip to Yorkshire, we discovered how wonderful it is to get out of the city once and a while. It is such a fast pace here, it was good for us to get away from that and we hope to plan little trips like that more often. But, on the other hand, our time here is short and London is a wonderful place to have new experiences. So, here's a sampling of all the places we've been lately....
This first picture above is of China Town (which is really only about a block here, but it is a great place for dumplings and red bean pastries. The Chinese New Year was not that long ago, so there's more lanterns and decorations than normal.

We also learned about another holiday called Purim. One of Andy's fellow students is from Israel and she is Jewish. We celebrated Chanuka with her in December and recently we celebrated Purim with her and a whole bunch of people from her job. They rented out a room in a club and had dancing a food late into the night. She told us that the holiday involves an elaborate story with all different characters and that traditionally people dress up as the characters. But, now they mostly just get dressed up, kind of like Halloween. We didn't really pack any costumes when we moved here, so we decided to dress up as tourists. It was a great time!

This is a picture of our friends Kat and Michael who did an act in a Cabaret that we went to. Cabarets seem to be quite popular here. They ususally include some music acts, comedy acts, and some dancing. Kat and Michael did this great comedy act where they pretend to do a knife throwing routine with imaginary knives. OK, it doesn't sound funny on paper, but it was really entertaining. The whole night was fun and lots of people dressed up in fancy costumes. They had a hip-hop contest and Andy did a little rap and tied with another woman for a prize of Bavarian sausages. We left the Cabaret with Michael and then went to a club where our friend Imagen was celebrating her 30th birthday. It was a fun night, but a long one. It took over an hour to get to the second place and then almost 2 hours to get home (only buses run past midnight, and cabs are too expensive). We had a similar adventure with Michael recently when we went swing dancing with him. Costumes and long bus rides were the theme that night as well.

Here's us on the bus. Friday and Saturday nights on public transportation is interesting because it is legal to drink in public here. So, whether on a bus or a train, there are usually people just sitting and talking and laughing with a beer in hand. It took a little getting used to it, but it's normal to us now, and from time to time we participate.

In our effort to get a break from the city, we've found a new place called Hampstead Heath. It's this great park that is huge and it's got a really nice neighborhood around it that feels a bit like Stillwater.

The Brighton Pier is what I imagine Coney Island to be like. It's a city that is about a one hour train ride east of the city just on the coast. We went out there and had a nice day walking on the boardwalk, eating lots of fried food, and trying out the games and rides on the pier. It was fun, although it was really windy and cold by the beach. We might go back in the summertime.

So, there you have it. From our pictures, you might think we're running around a lot, but this has all happened over the course of a month. To be honest, we haven't done much at all lately because both of us have been sick. First me just after our Yorkshire trip and now Andy has been in bed all week. We learned an important language lesson, did you know that "conjunctivitis" is really pink eye? How do we know, you ask...we just do. Andy's got is now, and I'm trying desperately to avoid getting it. But, it has been good for us to slow down a little and have time together.

Hope all is well for each of you back home. We'll be back for a visit soon at the end of May and we're counting down the days. I will leave you with one more photo. This is one of a small little alleyway near where I work. Someone has put some poetry on the wall there, here's just one little part of it. Life IS all around you.

Yorkshire, how we love thee!

2007-02-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

Here's some pictures from our weekend in Yorkshire county. We stayed at a huge house where our friend, Sophie, grew up. It's in the cute little town of Ilkley. 11 of us from the school went up north in Sophie's van and then a few of us went home on a train. We had a great time hiking around the moors, playing pub games, and eating Annabelle's yummy food (Sophie's mom).
Hope all is well in your corners of the world.
Peace,
Mandy

Tagged

2007-02-26T15:52:00.000-08:00

We've just been tagged by my friend Jenn who lives in Memphis. I don't know how entertaining my answers will be, but let's see...

A- Available or married? Married for 2.5 years
B- Best Friend? It's a tie between my twin and my husband, together, they are my super-friends!
C- Cake or Pie? Both, please. I like fruit and vanilla and sometimes chocolate
D- Drink of Choice? Most days water, but the English have been getting me hooked on tea
E- Essential Item? My blue barret, won't leave home without it
F- Favorite Color? Purple
G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Either, as long as they are the sour kind
H- Hometown? Born in Eveleth, but will always have a place in my heart for Hastings, MN
I- Indulgence? Dancing, every girl's gotta do it every once and a while
J- January or February? January, my birthday is that month
K- Kids & names? none yet, but I could only marry Andy if I agreed our first girl would be named Claire
L- Life is incomplete without? God, family, friends, and balance
M- Marriage Date? September 10, 2004
N- Number of Siblings? 3, all women, all older
O- Oranges or apples? do clementines count?
P- Phobias/Fears? snorkeling/scuba diving, I know it sounds silly, but I just can't help but freak out...still a little bit of fear of bicycling after our accident, and if you want me to be really honest, I am afraid that people might not like me, but that's just a part of life, so I'm learning to accept that
Q- Favorite Quote? "If you want peace, work for justice." - Pope john Paul II
R- Reason to Smile? Lots of little things each day...somedays it's Andy's ridiculously loud laugh
S- Season? I'm longing for summer now, but I do always love the fall
T- Tag three people! my three sisters (for some reason, I had the urge to type that one fast)
U- Unknown fact about me: I want to become a Reiki Master (or a world-touring musician, but I think the reiki thing might actually happen)
W- Worst habit? forgetfulness
Y- Your favorite food? fresh picked strawberrieds, Grandma Sylvia's lasagna, Thai coconut curry with rice, and vanilla bean ice cream
Z- Zodiac? Capricorn

Language Lesson #2

2007-02-05T00:17:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Just a little update before the language lesson...It SNOWED! We were so happy to wake up one morning to everything covered in white. I know many of you are probably sick of the snow in Minnesota, but we miss it somedays. We live near a school, so here's some photos of the cute little kids playing and slipping and sliding all over the place. The report said it was 2 inches of snow, but it was all melted by noon.
The other pictures are of our friends Alissa and Abby when they came for a quick weekend visit to see some of their old hang-out places from when they spent a semester here. They went to school in the same neighborhood as we live, so they told us about some great restaurants in our area. Also, there are some pictures of some friends from our job at the opera house. Two of the women we work with play guitar, so we spent a whole Sunday just playing and eating, and playing some more. It was a lot of fun.

So, you ready for another language lesson?
Here's a few more things I've been picking up....
courgette = zuccini
aubergine = eggplant
tomato = tomato (but you have to put an accent on the "ah" sound)
innit = aint it (this is a slang term that's used quite alot by young people)
bloke = a guy
mad = crazy

OK, so that's all I can think of right now, I'll find some more words and phrases for next time.

Hope all is well for you!

Peace and Blessings,
Mandy

You Come And Visit Us Now

2007-01-13T16:08:00.000-08:00

I love how international this city is. On any given bus or tube, I regularly hear at least 3 different languages being spoken. Just last night we got together with friends that were from Italy, Spain, and France. We're both trying to learn more Spanish since we know so many Spanish-speakers here.
We've learned a lot about the English language from other immigrants here. For example, some of our friends from the Middle East and India have this wonderful ability to use language to do Jedi-like mind tricks. For example, if you say "It's hot in here." They will reply, "Yes, but you like hot, hot is good." And in your mind, you are now thinking, "Yeah, maybe." Then they ask, "What, you want to be cold?! Of course not, hot is good. You like hot." You can't argue with that kind of logic, so now you decide that you like hot. It's great! So....you come and visit us now. What? You want to just stay at home and be bored? Of course not. Visiting us is good. You come. You will like it.
All joking aside, I do admire all the inspiring people that I have met from all over the world. Most of them speak 2 or 3 languages and have worked hard to get here build a life. It's strange to consider myself as an immigrant. Over the past few months, we've had to fill out a lot of paperwork and go through all the complex motions for simple things like a bank account or health insurance, or even having to apply for a number that would allow us to pay taxes here. I really feel like an outsider (especially with an accent different from everyone else's) in many ways, but so is everyone else. So, I guess we're in it together.
Anywho, I thought it would be good to post some of Andy's breaks from school. If you are interested in visiting, you can at any time, but you'll most likely have a tour guide if you come when he has a break.
He's off on these dates: Feb. 24 - March 11, April 28 - May 13 (and we'll be back home for part of that time), and then summer vacation is from July 21 - late October. His school will have performances on June 12 - 15.
Well, that's it for now. Life is progressing as usual. Andy is glad to be back in the swing of things at school. I'm plugging away at my job and I just found out that I'll be at my current location a month longer than expected, so I need prayers for patience. I've also posted some pictures from our recent adventures over the holidays and with my family. Enjoy.
Hope you are all in good spirits and good health.

Peace,
Mandy

Happy January 4th!

2007-01-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm a little late with Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Hope all was well over the holiday season for each of you. (:
So, life has been good here in London. Andy's school finished it's first term a couple of weeks before Christmas. I got to finally see him perform. Afterwards, the school threw a party for everyone at a club on the East side of town. It was so much fun to go dancing with all my new friends. In the weeks just before Christmas, the two of us spent a lot of time working and getting ready for Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, my Mom and Dad and my sister, Abby, came to visit! They stayed for 9 days, and it was so wonderful having them here. Some highlights of the their visit....
- Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols at Westminster Abbey
- Presents and things from back home (our favorites were the mac'n'cheese, toothpaste, and sox)
- Seeing Larry David (creator of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm) in our tour group at the Globe Theater
- Going to a "proper pub" with our friend Michael
- Minced pies and mulled wine (followed by drunken karoke and much laughter)
- Dancing to swing and rockabilly music at a club with Abby
- Seeing the most amazing fireworks display on New Year's Eve
- Going to visit our cousins that we've been reunited with- I love their family!
- Spending time with family, however tired, cramped for space, hungry, or cranky we were, it was still wonderful
Well, now everyone is back in the swing of things, which is just how I like it. The whole city felt different since many things were closed more than usual. In fact, there is no public transportation on Christmas Day, so the whole city just shuts down. It was so quiet, it was great!
Now that my family is gone, I'm once again reminded of how much I miss everyone. Hope all is well, and please keep in touch!
Peace, Mandy

Language Lesson #1

2006-12-09T13:58:00.000-08:00

I've decided to share a little about what I've learned here when it comes to language. So, if anyone happens to visit, just practice these phrases and translations....and don't be surprised if I masacre the spelling.
bathroom = loo or toilet (no one says restroom either)
sour cream = creme frache
that's awesome! = brilliant!
right away = straight away
six thirty = half six (can be applied to other times as well)
would you like a pop? = fancy a cup of tea?
chips = crips
fries = chips
crisps = ?
unreliable, strange, kooky = dodgey
TJ Maxx = TK Maxx
Starbucks = Starbucks
Just keep practicing, there will be more to come in Lesson #2.
-Mandy (:

Work, life, and related things...

2006-12-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of some of my friends here in London. The picture below of the fountain was also taken in the same area: Trafalgar Square. It's this great place in Central London where there are several museums and monuments all together. The night the three of us went out, we visited the National Portrait Gallery. Many of the museums here are free, which is great for people like us who are trying to live off the American Dollar (which doesn't have much worth here, unfortunately).
The good news is that we're finally earning pounds. And pence (that's the UK version of cents). I've been at my job about three weeks now and it continues to go well. My co-workers are nice and all the customers are nice as well. I am only there temporarily, but still they have all welcomed me and been so helpful in teaching me the ropes. I think it's a perfect transition to my permanent location because now I can see how one of the best salons in London is run and I can learn how they do it. Most days I switch between retail and massage therpy. I'm learning a lot about myself and that my true gifts are best used in massage therapy, but it is good to learn about retail and appreciate that I don't have to do it forever. One pro: I work in Central London and I'm close to lots of cool shops, cafes, etc. One con: with the hour commute each day, it makes for an 11 hour day and I'm completely wiped out at the end. Another pro: I have an ipod to get me through the bus ride/tube ride.
As we approach the Christmas season, Andy and I have been thinking about our winter routines that we have done over the past few years. Most of them revolved around our jobs with young people, concerts, events, etc. There are days when I really miss our life in Minnesota because I feel so distant from all of our friends there. Something about 3,000 miles and an ocean has really made me appreciate the friendships and support that I had back home.
We're so excited for Christmas because part of my family is coming to visit. There's just two weeks to go before they're here and I'm counting down each day!
Oh, and I almost forgot - I got to see Prince Charles and Camilla! Andy and I worked at the Royal Variety show which is a big charity event with different entertainment acts. I also got to see some bands like "Sugababes," :Take That, and James Morrison. In the back stage areas I'm sure that I passed lots of famous people, but I don't know any of the British stars so I was completely ignorant. All in all, it was an adventurous night and it was the first time in my life that I've ever had a back stage pass for anything (even if it was for the purpose of serving drinks).
More pictures and stories to come....Hope all of you are well and blessed.
Peace,
Mandy

PS The dog is my sister's. He's not here in London, but he's cute, so he deserves to be seen and adored. And I miss him. So there.

2006-12-03T05:25:00.000-08:00

Good morning world,

It is hard to believe that it is December already, but it certainly is. Two more weeks of class and I will be all done for the term. School has been great!!!! I really feel that this is exactly where I am supposed to be in the world right now. I have been having a blast making friends from around the world. Mandy and I are starting to get invitations for summer vacations in France, Italy, Denmark, and many more. Right now in school we are working on “The Neutral Mask” (if you scroll down to an earlier post there is a picture of it). It has been a real challenge for all of us to work with this mask because it is so neutral that all your bad habits and little acting tricks show up immediately and they don’t work at all. So we are in the process of forgetting the way we used to approach things and trying to find a completely honest and engaged way of moving forward.

But enough about that mombo jumbo. Mandy has started her job (see above picture) and it seems to be going pretty well. The commute makes for a long day, but I think that once we get into the routine of it all it will be manageable. We found a church that we really connect to which is really exciting. They are called St. Barnabus, and the best part is they have Sunday night services.

Mandy and I went to the V&A museum for their Hanukka celebration. It was pretty cool we saw a shadow puppet show that needed a little work on the script but was all together interesting to watch. On the way back home we walked past the natural history museum, they are having a holiday village where there are shops, and food. We had roast chestnut (which are quite tasty) and one of the best sausages I have had in my life. They also have an ice-skating rink which I found to be rather comical. It has been in the mid 50’s the past couple of weeks so they cool the ice from underneath. Whenever someone would fall, which was pretty regularly, his or her pants would get soaked from the layer of water on top of the ice. For an out side ice rink in the middle of a city they sure couldn’t have found a more beautiful place to put it though.

Well that is about all I know these days. I am so thankful to be living out this dream. We come across little challenges, but Mandy and I are a pretty tough team. I miss you all, and deeply wish you were here with us.

Have a great December.

Peace.

Andy

Giving Thanks

2006-11-25T17:01:00.000-08:00

We have so much to be thankful for. We went to a great Thanksgiving party at a friend's flat on Thursday night. About 15 of us piled into her small flat and shared a pot-luck style buffet of yummy food. Some faithful Amercians provided turkey, while some of the international students brought dishes from their respective countries. As a joke (and because they're all theater students), all the Americans did a short improvised play about the history of Thankgiving. We strayed pretty far from the true story by the end of it.
On Friday, we had just a few friends to our house for turkey. The best thing about hosting a turkey dinner is that you get to keep all the leftovers, so we knew we just had to have our own gathering. Good food and good company, who could ask for more? Although, we both missed our families on Thursday, it just didn't feel like Thanksgiving without them.
I started my new job this week and it went very well. There is a lot to learn, but they are pacing me so that I'm not overwhelmed. This week was mostly retail, but I start doing massage therapy next week. In the first few days I got very pampered because I had to learn all of the services by receiving them. So, I've had a couple chair massages, a make-over, a hand massage, and some aromatherapy. I love this job!
Peace,
Mandy

One Day at a Time

2006-11-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!
Well, each day is a gift here. Andy's class schedule allows him to have differrent classes/instructors each day, so there's tons of variety in his life. Wednesdays seem to be the hardest on his body as they do acrobatics for several hours on that day. Mondays are somewhat exciting and difficult because it is the day that each small group presents the projects they worked on the previous week. He also has a "Space Lab" class on Saturdays which so far have involved a field trip around Centra London and on another day they used charcoal to draw different spacial concepts. Every once and a while he'll come home and teach me an exercise or game that they learned that day.
Just recently I had some spare time (as I am still waiting to start my new job) so I wandered around the city. I spent some time in St. Margaret's Church which is near Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. I also walked around the Picadilly and Covent Garden areas which are known for all their shops. My new favorite place in that area is a small bakery in China Town where you can get the most wonderful sweet red bean or lotus pastries. I'm hooked. I also found a great restaurant near my house with my friend Xan. We tried looking for a pub to hang out in, but they were all busy and noisy. We came across this great little cafe called "Babes and Burgers." The name is somewhat decieving. It was small and full of candlelight and we were seated in a booth right next to a classical guitarist who was just playing acoustically in a corner for the 6 or so customers there that night. They do have burgers, but they also have a lot of great healthy gourmet food that we proceeded to split as we are both on tight budgets.
Hmmm...other adventures...we both have seen a few interesting plays lately, we've been taking advantage of all the student discounts. Most of them are put on by smaller theater companies, the one we went to last night was in a pub and reminded me a lot of the Acadia cafe in Minneapolis.
I'm really surprising myself lately with my ability to stay up late. For the past three Saturday nights, we haven't gotten to bed until 3:00 or sometimes later. There have been some fun parties with Andy's classmates and we keep finding ourselves with guitars in hand and singing late into the night. We're excited to maybe have some friends over for a Thankgiving meal sometime this week. I really love hosting, especially for a small group of friends that like good food and laughter.
Andy is at a friends house today having "tea." Which does involve tea, but it also could include sandwiches, cakes, biscuits, and chocolate, along with much conversation. I love some of these British traditions!
I've included some pictures of the sights around town. One of them is of crosses with poppies on them. Here in London, they celebrated their Memorial Day two weekends ago and the lawn in front of Westminster Abbey was covered with these crosses with names or prayers written on them. There were thousands and thousands, it was amazing.
Hope all is well with each of you. Happy Thanksgiving this Thursday, we'll be missing you all.
Peace, Mandy

Internet, Yeah!

2006-11-14T17:12:00.000-08:00

It may not be exciting news to all of you, but we're so happy to announce that we now have internet access at our home. We just got it tonight, and it's after 1:00 AM, so I'm hooked already. Hopefully this means we can keep in touch a little better and add more updates. We're on skype, so anyone and everyone is welcome to call or video-chat.
See you soon (on the internet, that is)!
-Mandy

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

2006-11-08T07:42:00.000-08:00

“Remember, remember the fifth of November.” That is a phrase sometimes used here to describe the day that Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the parliament building but his plan was thwarted and he was executed. It is a very patriotic holiday here and resembled the 4th of July back home, except it was a lot colder (although I have some moral objections to the effigies they burn of Guy Fawkes and sometimes of the pope because it dates back to a time when the conflict was between Protestants and Catholics). We joined some of our friends at Ravenscourt Park on Saturday for the festivities and witnessed #1 the largest bonfire I have ever seen in my life (the tops of the flames reached about 100 feet (no joke), and #2 the most impressive fireworks display I have ever seen in my life (although it was a close second to Eveleth). They really love fireworks here, but nobody has a yard, so teenagers set them off in the streets (kind of scary). In fact, we hear fireworks on most weekends, not just this special occasion. London is a huge city, but we never worry about the loud bangs being gunshots, nobody carries guns here. So, along with the noise of all the buses and cars, we’re learning to tune out the sound of random fireworks.
Later that night we went to a house warming party. It was great and after most of the guests left, we pulled out the guitar and ukelele and sang songs until 4:00 AM! It was amazing because one of our new friends from India was singing these beautiful Hindi chants along with us.
We continue our spiritual quest here in London. On Sunday we tried out the Hillsong Church that meets in the Dominion Theatre. It was a lot like The Upper Room in Minneapolis. Then on Monday, we went to a meditation class. I think I’ve been tainted by church work because now I’m hyper-aware to all that goes into a worship service and it is more of a formula than an experience. But, I know that we will find a community somewhere.
Good news – I have a job offer for full-time massage starting in January. Still thinking about what to do and how to do it, but at least I’m moving forward on finding employment. In the meantime, we still like our jobs at the opera and I had a second interview tomorrow for a really great company that does homeopathic/organic products and services.
We are enjoying the company of a houseguest right now. One of the students from LISPA is still looking for a flat, so she’s crashing on our couch for a little while. Kat is from Denmark and we’ve had some great talks with her and we’re glad for the chance to get to know her well.
We pray that all of you are well and blessed.
-Mandy

Good News All Around

2006-10-30T12:42:00.000-08:00

We've had a great few days here. This weekend we hung out with some friends from school that have a 3-year-old son. We went to the Diwali celebration at the V&A Museum. Diwali is a Hindu religious holiday, so at the museum we enjoyed some great Indian music, workshops, and storytelling. Then, we spent the beautiful autumn afternoon at Hyde Park where they have a children's playground that is build like a pirate ship.
Yesterday we had a great time at a social gathering for all the LISPA students. One of our good friends who is a second-year student has set us both up with a part time job serving beverages during intermission at the opera. It will help a lot since my job hunt has proven to be a slower process than anyone could ever imagine. Plus, we'll be working side by side with our friends and hopefully getting some sneak peaks at the opera!
Andy had his first day of school today and it went very well. He really connects with his instructors and fellow students. It's going to be a great 2+ years.
Well that's the good news, hope you are all doing well back home.
-Mandy

Welcome to our Flat!

2006-10-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, that’s right, we call it a flat. Ironically, the building is very old and most of the floors are not actually flat.
We’ve been here a few weeks now and are beginning to feel settled in. I continue to have job interviews, and Andy starts school on Friday. We’ve been anxious to get into a routine. Luckily, we’ve connected with some other students and have had opportunities to be social and enjoy what London has got to offer.
So back to our flat. Every week we add a little bit to it. It is “furnished,” but there are very few items in the kitchen, at least not enough for me to do any kind of serious cooking. It is a one bedroom apartment on the third floor. The living room/kitchen/dining room overlooks a busy street, but the bedroom is in the back and tends to be nice and quiet at night. We’re waiting to get some income before we purchase any decorations, but we have been slowly buying little things to make it more of a home. It has really made me aware of how dependent I am on material items. Tomorrow I’m meeting with a friend to go to the “Pound Stretcher” store to see if I can find a few more kitchen tools I’m looking for.
We were very excited last weekend to have some friends over for a small party. It forced us to clean all the things we were procrastinating on.
We’re excited to have people come visit and stay with us (the invite is open, just let us know if you’d like to come). We have enough room for some air mattresses and we have a short, but very comfortable couch. One catch, the water temperature is very temperamental, so be prepared for baths.

Mandy

Hey everyone. I feel it important that I explain the top two pictures. THis is what happens when you mix a computer that has cool camera effect, MULTIPLE pints... I mean MULTIPLE, and a group of narcasisticly creative theater folk. I hope you enjoy. I am more than willing to e-mail you the other 358 pictures, just let me know.

Andy

by the way, it feels really good to have found a group that I have so much in common with. Aren't we pretty!!!!!!!!!

Waiting for the interweb.

2006-10-13T06:53:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

Mandy and I are waiting to get the entire interweb delivered to our new flat, this may take several weeks, so we are relying on the Internet store across the the road. Sorry if it takes us a little while to get back to you.

We are doing very well, but we have adopted a new life philosophy:

WE'POE.

to translate means, we are don't have much money, or "we are poor"

Mandy is still looking for work, but with our new We'poe way of living I know all will work out fine.

Hope you are all well.

Peace.

Andy

PS I am currently working on learning more fun songs on the guitar, so I can become a street performer to help us out of the We'poe lifestyle. Any suggestions you have for songs is greatly appreciated.

We Love Cornwall!

2006-10-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

So we’re on the train back to London and it’s about 11:30 PM. We’ve just spent a wonderful weekend on the Lizard Peninsula, which is the most southern point in the UK. My cousin Jim started the whole thing by planning a trip to England and thus convincing our relatives in Cornwall to pull together a family gathering, We all met in the Constantine Social Hall on Sunday afternoon. It was great to meet everyone. Luckily, there was a basic outline of a family tree so that we all were able to understand how we are distantly related. Andy and I spent the weekend with one of the cousins that owns a B&B, Joan Hill. She was a wonderful host and took us all over the place on a tour of places related to the Bennett’s history. I can’t wait to go home and show my Grandma Annie all the pictures of the familiar faces and places.
Andy said Cornwall reminded him a lot of Ireland. The shore was beautiful and we spent most of the morning climbing around the rocks and taking pictures. We lucked out with great weather. What a refreshing break from the fast paced, crowded world of London.
We’re anxious to get “home” for the first time. Finally our flat is ready and we will get into it for the first time after midnight tonight. More details to come as we settle into it. We plan to spend most of tomorrow shopping for basic cleaning supplies and food. It will be so great to actually unpack our bags and begin to make it our own. We will also spend some time tomorrow with Cousin Jim before he flies out. We’re meeting some more relatives, Bruce and Marcia.
Cheers!

Planes, Trains, and Mini-Cabs

2006-10-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling that many of our first blog entries will be all about the subtle cultural differences we are observing on a daily basis. Today’s theme: transportation.
The tubes are great in many ways. Mostly clean, mostly fast, not terribly expensive considering the other more expensive options here. There are a lot of buses available, too. But, in just the past day, I have spent over 8 hours on some form of public transportation and have traveled a minimal distance.
The first trip was across town to the South East part of London for a job interview. It went very well and luckily the actual job is very close to our flat. There’s 2.5 hours.
Andy and I have had plans to go to Cornwall for a family gathering of some distant cousins this weekend. We left the house at 4:15 and it is currently 9:00 PM. We are still in transport (heading back to London) because the train took 3 times as long as normal and we missed our flight. We get to do the route all over again tomorrow.
I don’t mean to sound pessimistic. We are just learning the ropes here and some days are more challenging than others in ways that we don’t expect. The British seem to be very polite, so we were graciously given a full refund for our train tickets and hope that this time tomorrow we will be in the Newquay airport meeting our hosts. They have made such an effort to make it possible for us to come; we are very excited to see them.
God has definitely blessed us. Our new Landlords have opened their home to us last night and now again tonight. They have two daughters near to our age and they have all been so kind and taught us so much about London life.
Live and learn, learn and live. The airline that we are using to get to Cornwall also offers flights all over Europe (usually to lesser known destinations, but hopefully close to the better known ones). If you book far enough in advance, you can get flights for only $4.00! They charge a $50 tax, but still. We are considering a trip to Rome, Andy has a cousin there.
Well, enough for now, our stop will be coming up soon.
Hope all is well.
Peace, Mandy

P.S. In Africa, I would find myself thinking and dreaming in French. It’s only been a week, but I’m really getting sucked into the accent here and all of their quirky phrases. It’s brilliant!

I'm sorry I only speak american.

2006-10-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

Here are some pictures,
Parliament
Tower bridge (I was amazed at how big it really is)
And my new dream car (the mini copper looks like an SUV compared to some of their cars)

All is well we are moving right along with all we need to take care of.
I don't have an accent yet, but I have found myself saying, "Oh bugger"
I sometimes feel like I am loosing my hearing, having to ask people to repeat themselves all the time. We are amassed at just how international of a city London is; we have met people from just about all around the world.

We are excited to go to Cornwall this weekend for Mandy's family reunion. We have been in contact with a couple of her cousins and they seem like very nice, and really fun people.

The free Skype video conferencing as been very helpful in keeping the home sickness at bay, but for me it is really starting to sink in that I won't be home for quite a while.

I highly recommend you all sign up with skype. It's free to get, and free to call other computers with skype, and they have video conferencing for free too.

OOPpss sorry I turned into a skype commercial there for a second.

When we get back I am looking forward to getting settled in out apartment, and getting set on a consistent schedule, I am realizing more and more how much that is a need of mine.

Oh, last night we had a pint with MR. Jeremiah Fairbanks that was quit lovely, he seems to be doing really well, and he always has such a great energy and approach to life. I hoping we spend more time hanging out. (even though he is a hippie)

THE FOLLOWING PART IS TO BE READ WITH AN EXTREEME ENGLISH ACENT

Well that's about that then, I think I'll quit this note while I'm ahead, flick on the telle, and see if “Flog It” is on bbc2.
Cheers,
Lord Andrew

One quick translation:
Flog It, the show, is not what it sounds like. It is actualy a show like The Antique Road Show where people take and antiques and attempt to "Flog it" by selling it at auction to make money.

I miss you all.

Peace.

Temporary Tourists

2006-10-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hello All!
Well, we are allowing ourselvesa little bit of tourism. We are eager to move into our new flat and become regular, run-og-the-mill Londoners But until then, we are soaking in some of the sights.
Today we spent the afternoon on a bus tour of the city. It was good to see where the museums, parks, shops, and monuments are. I recognized some of them from my trip with Karalyn back in 2002. We stopped to look around at Trafalger Square and later at Harrod's Department Store. Yesterday, we had a great time wandering around the Portabella Market (the one in the movie, "Notting Hill") which is just blocks away from our flat.
We are so happy to have finally found place to live. We will move in on Monday. It is being leased to us from a wonderful couple originally from Bangladesh. They told us to consider them to be our UK Indian parents while we're here.
Hope all is well back home (:
Love, Mandy

tally ho

2006-09-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

So, we're alive and well in London. Our plane came in around 9:00 am Thursday morning. We were exhausted because we just couldn't seem to sleep on the plane no matter how hard we tried. Once we got to the train station, we had a bit of a scare as the train doors closed with Andy on the inside and me on the outside next to our 4 larges and heaviest bags. I guess the damsel in distress situation works here, too. Once I shared my story with the train workers, I was on the next train and two workers took my bags to the luggage rack. Some of the other patrons helped me get the bags off, then another worker helped me page Andy, loaded my luggage, and waited with me until we were reunited. It seemed a little more scary since we each had no phone, and only I had the address to our hotel.
So far, we've managed to stick together well. We've spent the past few days running all over the city and getting the hang of the of underground. Yesterday, we visited Andy's school and met some of the staff, they were very nice. We also found this great little flat that we might rent. Still looking, but none seem to compare. Today, we dropped off my resume (or CV as they call it here) at two salons.
We've walked more and slept more in the past few days than in the past month. Both feel great. We've been lost a total of 23 times. The streets here have no rhyme or reason. They often change names and none of them actually go east-west or north-south. It is a tangled mess, but between our maps and Andy's "homing-pigeon" instincts, we've always found our way eventually.
Hope everyone is well, you are all missed.(:
Love, Mandy

45 hours and counting

2006-09-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

Our flight is coming up soon! The good-byes have been hard, so I've been pretending that they aren't real. Denial is working so far, but I have a feeling it will catch up to me soon. We have had a lot of late nights of packing and long days of tying up loose ends. Aparently, moving to another country causes some aspects of life to be more complicated than before.
Thanks to all of you who have wished us well on our journey. We have really enjoyed reconnecting with you (which is ironic since our plan is to geographically disconnect).
Peace,
Mandy

Hello world.

2006-09-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hello world this is Mandy and Andy. We are here to take you on, and now all our friends and family will be here to witnes it. So get ready, your ass is ours.