To all the sheep...

Dear Sheep and any other animals that contributed to my new and lovely wool coat,

I want to thank you for sacrificing your specialized skin cells. It may indeed be a cold winter for you, if you aren't part of some lonely hunters sheep stew, in which case it will be quite warm for you in that bubbling pot hanging over the open fire. In any case, I offer my gratitude for your tolerating some one's cold grip on your bare little sheep legs as they buzzed all your warmness away. They have made a fine wool coat, which I purchased at 50% off, of your skin cells which go quite nicely with my purple and pink scarves-which I am grateful for as well. You see little sheep-your wool kept me warm today thus my cup of gratitude runneth over.

I salute sheep and your furry friends as well. Your devotion to my warmth has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. May you wander the prairie's of Ireland happy as a little bunny rabbit. May you be granted a life full of specialized skin cell growth and removal. A life service, my little friend, will be a full life indeed.

Sincerely,

Your newest fan

The Day After...

My new love is still archery!

...a little while later in Sherwood Forest

It's way cooler in person...but it's bluer and bluer by the minute. It's crazy awesome and I think my arm will fall off...but it's worth it.

Bows, arrows and talking rabbits?

Once upon a time, in a forest made of foam and concrete a young maiden, okay a maiden stumbled upon a spry young lad who was leaning against a stump talking to a little rabbit and whittling a tree limb. She thought to herself, how odd to find a talking rabbit but asked the spry young lad why he was whittling the tree limb. He responded by telling the maiden he was making a bow and some arrows so that he could hunt a squirrel for himself and his rabbit friend for lunch. A bow and arrows, how interesting she thought and went on her merry way. After a fortnight, the maiden came across the spry young lad who proudly-yet humbly-showed her how, with a little time and a good knife you can turn a tree limb into a beautifully functional bow and some arrows. As anyone would have been, she was greatly impressed with such fine workmanship and skill. After much conversation about the bow, the young lad offered to show her how to use one...of course in case she ran into the Big Bad Wolf while skipping through the forest. With a bow and some arrows in hand, she commenced her lesson. After being laughed at , deservedly so, by the spry young lad for her lack of skill at hitting the target, she noticed her arm and how colorful it had become. Though in obvious discomfort she forged on with excitement coursing through her for this new acquired skill. She thought to herself, how enjoyable and fun....and maybe just maybe one day with a little practice she too could hit the target with the arrow-or at least get closer to it. The end.

The face of obvious discomfort...

Colorful arm, part 1 (about 1 1/2 later)

Colorful arm, part 2

See Papa John, I didn't even tell anyone that it's your fault I will never be able to bend my arm again. :)

oh and ps, archery is the coolest. It's great fun, great exercise and the stress that you release when letting those arrows fly across the room-priceless. I LOVED it and can't wait to do it again.

Happy Halloween!!!

Hillbillies are hot! You know you love a gurl wifout teefs. This was the BEST Halloween at work-EVER! Every one did such a fantasmo job with their costumes and decorations. And yes, apparently you can drink at work. LOL

Don't mind the undies...this was part of our decorations for Halloween. It was our trailer. We had a clothes line with a bunch of undies, socks, bras and stuff. Then we strung up tinsel and Christmas Lights down the rest of our "hall". We had shower curtains for cubbie doors and some great hick photos. It was a blast.

This is our team. Starting from the bottom - Liz, Tiffany, Stephanie, Me, Tobs, Jeremy and Becca. We looked so great. Here we are standing on our "front porch". We had stalks of corn, bails of hay, green plastic grass carpet, an old TV, an eight-track player, moonshine bottles, banjo and a ton of other cool front porch hillbilly accessories.

Hotel DL

So, there were a couple of places that I stayed and out of all of them, the Marriott in the UK was my most favorite. Here they are in order...

Vienna

Uh...see the headboards. Totally gross. Though they were toddler height beds...they were comfy.

The brown thing on the wall-looks like a vacuum was the blow dryer.

The toilet stunk so bad...at first I thought I smelled bad...but then I figured it out...that it was the toilet. And I would have rather used sand paper...I went and bought my own toilet paper.

Marriott-UK

Most comfortable bed in the WORLD. I LOVED IT.

Best bath tub I've ever used. I could lay out-without anything bent and float. SO SO SO relaxing.

London Hotel

Bed wasn't too bad at all...the floors were uneven and I feared that at any moment I'd step right into the ceiling of the room below me. LOL.

In Portugal, I stayed at an old land lady's house. I took pictures but accidentally erased them. Oops.

In Dubai, I stayed at my father and his wife's house-sorry no photos.

Paris

The bathroom and toilet room seemed really nice...until I realized they were like prefab rooms...like the material port-o-johns are made from. After that...ever time I went into the rooms it felt a little like camping. Bath tub sucked but it was a GREAT shower.

Home again

I arrived at the Paris airport around 7:30 for a flight that was to leave around 10:20. I got in the first line (15-20 minute wait), to then be directed to the second line. When I finally got up to the lady checking passports-I was like 4th in line and waited around 30 minutes-she was asking tons of questions-what were you here for, how long were you here, what do you have with you, etc. I was waiting for-do you like boys or girls, do you ever plan on having children or getting married? Did you pee this morning before leaving the hotel? I think she should have used one of those heat lamps and shined it directly into my eyes during the questioning. LOL. After her, I got 2 stickers on my luggage and one on my passport-bright orange ones. Then she directed me into line number 3. This line was the line for my boarding pass. I got up to the gentleman-who was quite nice compared with the others I had encountered. He asked me the same questions but he took my luggage and gave me a boarding pass. THEN...I walked to passport control and security. The line I was in was the green line-and it was HUGE and they were only using one security processing place. UH, HELLO. Any ways, 30 minutes or so later it was finally my turn. I walked through...and once again I got patted down. Seriously, I was getting so used to it...I wish I had someone at home to pat me down for "security reasons." Then I was done...or so I thought...but I was then selected for a random security screening and had to derobe...just kidding. I was selected for a random security screening and had to open my bags and they and myself got swabbed. Finally...I was free to go to my gate. I got to the gate about 10 minutes prior to boarding-it was harder to get out of Paris than it was to get into Paris. Got on the plane and sat by a lawyer guy that apparently thought fat people had cooties and that we were contagious. I thought it was funny how uncomfortable he was. It was a nice flight-food was good, I had a window, slept well, etc. Sadly though-knowing what was just 7 rows ahead of me in first class-ruined my economy experience. LOL.

So, I'm home. I'm happy to be back...it's time to come home but I really did enjoy my journey. Such an amazing blessing from God.

Don't be jealous...Paris

So, I landed in Paris-safe and sound. OH-I did forget to mention that I got patted down again leaving Dubai. This time...the lady got a little to close with her hands. Is that something I should talk to the Bishop about? LOL. I got off the plane, through customs and was at the luggage carousel about 30 minutes before anyone else. Finally my luggage showed up and I was on the hunt for the free shuttle to my hotel. After taking directions from the information booth to go to 2A-to which he pointed to the left-I walked all the way to 2F and that's when it hit me that the information guy was an idiot. He should have pointed right. I ended up having to call the hotel to find out where to go, twice. Finally found where to pick up the shuttle. It finally arrived and off I went to my hotel room. It was lovely there-modern looking. Again, like all other European hotels the toilet was separate from the bath/shower area. Now, don't get jealous but below are the photos of what I got to see in Paris...

S0, I was smart in getting a hotel about 5 minutes from the airport...but it was far away from the city...so I didn't get to see anything in Paris. I did however have a trumpet player that played his/her trumpet until around 9:30 at night-right above or below me. He/she was actually really good. I paid to have the hotels breakfast buffet...12.60 Euros. Which is about $22. When I went down to eat breakfast-anticipating some eggs, bacon, croissants, etc...but I found eight refrigerated cubes filled with things such as stewed apples & strawberries with granola (good), rice pudding with pineapple & coconut (good) and some odd things which I didn't dare try. They were all in little plastic cups-it sorta felt like elementary school. Totally worth $22. :(

Dubai, hotter than...

I grew up in a humid location, North Carolina. It could be 100 degrees outside with 100% humidity-parts of your body that you didn't know could sweat would. It was hot...until I went to Dubai. If you take the hottest day in NC and multiply that by like a gazillion...then you'll know how hot and humid Dubai is. It takes the breath right out of you. I've never been more grateful for AC in my entire life. After a nice breakfast and a nap, we went to this restaurant on the river and ate Arabic food. OH, it was delicious. Though it was hot outside there was a bit of a breeze from the river which helped it feel a little cooler. Walked around a bit and then went back to the house. I finally went to bed and feel asleep. It was lovely...sleeping. You know that feeling in the middle of the night where your bladder is too full...and you gotta pee soooo bad? I got that feeling around 3-3:30 am...but then another feeling crept up from the depth of my stomach and shortly after that...a ton of other things crept up from my stomach. I spent the next 3 hours puking my brains out. (No worries-I have no photos of this). OH, I was the worst time of my life. I have never felt that horrible in my life. We finally were able to get out and drive around a bit. There is a lot of construction going on in Dubai causing a lot of air pollution (sand in the air) so it's really smoggy-looking.

Went to the Mall of Emirates...um...it's so big that you could probably fit all the malls in Utah inside it with plenty of room for more.

Pictures of the water fountain/show outside the Mall of Emirates.

Had some ice cream-tasted good, felt bad in the stomach but worth the sacrifice. The mall has a ski dome in it...yes, snow skiing in the dessert. Awesome.

I saw the hotel that looks like a sail from a sail boat, and the hotel that looks like a wave. I saw the tallest building in the world and we ate dinner at a lovely Italian Restaurant in the most expensive mall in Dubai.

My photo of the hotel-however-due to all the construction issue mentioned above I couldn't get a great photo-so what I saw is below (photo from wikipedia.com).

It was a lovely time. Here's a quick photo of my new little sister.

Well, my time in Dubai came to a close on Sunday. I had to be at the airport at 7ish. I was blessed to have the chance to fly first class again. I didn't think first class could get any better than what I first experienced but was I WRONG! This time...first class was like these little private capsules/cabins. AMAZING. There were doors that you could close for privacy. The seats were bigger-and like with the other one they could give you a massage. The space was bigger-there was a little desk with a writing pad & pen. There was a little vanity with soaps and lotions. There was a basket filled with goodies-Pringles, candy bars, mints, dried mangos, etc. I had an amazing breakfast-croissants, fresh fruit, and fresh orange juice. Lunch was just as wonderful too. I had these little medallions of steak, scallops and a little baby quiche. I had a fresh salad, fresh basket of bread and steak with these amazing potatoes. I could have had more...but can you eat more after all that? I watched Definitely, Maybe-but I was so relaxed that I missed the ending. I watched-Step Up 2, The Streets and The Last Boleyn Girl. Sadly, the plane landed just at the ending of this movie...so I have no idea how it ends...DON'T TELL ME!

October 2nd-the Greatest day on Earth!

My stay in Portugal came to an end on October 2nd, the greatest day on earth! I left Dona's house around 9:30 (Thursday) to travel by car to the train station, to travel by train for an hour to the metro station, to travel by metro for 30 minutes to the airport. While at the metro, I missed to trains to to the airport because I couldn't figure out what side to be on...once on the right side I was like...DUH. The airport was just lovely. I was patted down and wanded by the lady security guard...my sandals had metal latches on them. Celebrate good times, come on! Rushed to my gate...starving and thirsty...to only find that our plane was going to be an hour late. So, I bought a bottle of juice and Lays potato chips from the vending machine guy...it was around 6 Euros...which is like $12. Finally got on a plane to fly to Paris...the pilot was a woman. I say that because it's cool...my first woman pilot. She did well. I figured my way through the CDG (Paris) airport to the Emirates check in desk to find out I had to wait until 1 hour before the plane left to check in (stand-by tickets). So, I bought myself a Snickers bar, Evian water and a French Cosmo.

The Snickers bar was a bit bigger than ours...but in two pieces. Loved it. I sung "Happy Birthday" to myself-aloud-but people started staring and security started walking towards me, so I stopped. I found that the women's toilets in the Paris Airport do not have toilet seats...and I got to pee right next to a nun. Seriously, can a birthday get better than that? You probably think not...but...OH YES IT CAN! I was finally able to check in with the airlines and I got a First class seat. HELLO! It was so lovely...I got slippers, a real pillow, a real blanket, a seat from heaven, all the movies I could watch (I watched Maid of Honor and What Happens in Vegas), hot towels-3 times, fresh juice in a real glass-not in those plastic paper cups. AND...they waited on you hand and foot. For dinner...I had grilled prawns on a lemongrass stick, eggplant ravioli, fresh bread...now...if you keep in mind that they laid a table cloth out, gave you fresh butter, salt & pepper grinders and cold silverware...it was like a million times greater than economy seats. I haven't even started talking about the seat.... it laid back almost like a bed...so lovely. I was happy to arrive in Dubai...but sad to leave first class. OH, Happy Birthday!

My day of travel finally ended at 6:30 am (Friday) Dubai time. Ahhh, the opportunity of a lifetime.

Finally, a day alone!

Finally, a day alone. A day where I can go where I want to, pretend to speak only English, eat where I want, etc. etc. etc. So, let's start with McDonald's. It was a glorious day in McDonald's. Had me a hamburger with too much mayo-just like home. A sundae that was too sweet-just like home and then the most glorious group of people walked in. It was a German water polo team. AHHHHHHHHHHHH...I thought I had died and gone to a heaven made especially for me. They were all tall, and gorgeous and did I mention the best looking people I'd seen since I left the mirror (LOL). OH, it was wonderful. They were all trying to speak English, which I found entertaining and they ate like they'd never eaten before. But...I sat there and just watched, of course out of the corner of my eye. I did catch a couple of Portuguese teenage girls go ga ga over them. It was cute. Perhaps that's why the sundae was so sweet. Hmmmm.


So, on my day alone, I went into Porto. I wanted to see some things from when I was on mission. The train station, below, is the same but they use different, better trains now. They're quicker and more comfortable. This is Sao Bento-the tiles are still there from before. It's much busier than I remember it being.

Below is a picture I took looking up from the Ribeiro. The Ribeiro is a strip of shops and cafes right along the river. It stinks down there...because of the river, but it's quaint and enjoyable.

This bridge was built by the same guy that built the Eiffel Tower. It connects Porto and Gaia. This photo is looking from Porto to the Gaia side. I walked across it, the bottom part. On the top, you can walk across it but the metro runs across it now. (I walked across the top when I was on my mission and I was freaked out.) Then I sat over on the Gaia side for a while by the wine boats. Can you get drunk by breathing in the wine? Then I visited the Sandman-but only saw the museum. It was about $24 to take the tour.

After I walked across the bridge back to the Porto side, I took this thing back to the top of the street. For two reasons, one I didn't want to climb the stairs and two because it looked fun-and it was. This young couple kept making out in front of me...that part wasn't fun. Well, it was as fun as the nipple incident.

Well, this was my last trip in Portugal, besides the one I'll take tomorrow to the train station. Ate Logo, Portugal. It was a pleasure to visit again.