8 things about me

Here is the draft I started ages ago. And in the mean time (just today) I have been tagged by another friend, Anita. Hers is a bit different (7 facts) but I will kill 2 birds with one stone. :)

I will not tag anyone just as in my other facts about me thing. If you want to participate (PLEASE DO!) let me know...

I have been tagged by my friend Erin at Prairie Road for a meme. I have been blogging for 2 years and this is my first tag! YAY! Problem is, I don't really know very many people to tag myself. Oh, well.


So here are the rules:


The Rules: “Each person posts the rules before their list, then they list 8 things about themselves. At the end of the post, that person tags and links to 8 other people and then visits those peoples’ sites and comments letting them know that they have been tagged, and to come read the post, so they know what they have to do.”



1) I am currently an America expat, meaning I am from American, but living in another country. In just a little over a week, though, we will be moving back to my husband's hometown in Indiana. (See how long ago I wrote this!)



2) I cannot swim, though I love to be around water. I like to water ski, too. :)



3) We have not had a TV as long as we have been married. After we moved here I think my mom felt bad that I might get sad and lonely, so she started sending us DVDs, which we watch on our computer.



4) I have had a huge fear of walking over bridges over water (or even driving over them) but since we visited San Fran and walked the Golden Gate Bridge the fear is not so crippling.



5) I love to take photos, but I am sad because I think I lost my eye the first time we crossed that pond.



6) My brother has Down's Syndrome and I am really looking forward to seeing him again next week (after over a year!)

(here is where I left off, so these have been just completed today)



7) I still have my tonsils, I have never broken a bone in my body, and have never been admitted to the hospital.


8) I am now the proud mother of 2 mini rex bunnies. Yes, they are my babies. And Ceilidh and Lady Grey are almost fully litter trained. YEAH!

Hanging out

I thought we made a nice picture.

I was invited to go along with my mom to hang out with one of her friends. Mrs. Guffey and Shaun have been friends of the family for, gosh, about 15 years now? Stevie and Shaun have been best buddies since they attended the same school when they were little.

Mrs. Guffey and my mom have similar personalities and they have a very calming effect on me. It was nice to hang out today.

Four things about me...

My friend Erin at Prairie Road sent me this email. I thought I would post on my blog rather than sending it as an email. I am not going to tag anyone because I read so few blogs and many of you with blogs have already done this. But if you would like to participate (whether you are on Blogger, My Space, Facebook, whatever) please let me know!

Hmmm...she tagged me quite a while bag for something else, which I started and saved as a draft. I will have to dig that up..

Things you may not have known about me.....

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. Lake County Prosecutor's Office
2. nanny (started with one beautiful girl of 15mos and finished with 3 gorgeous girls, the 15-month-old being 8!)
3. Social Services Caseworker
4. Starbucks Barista, then Supervisor

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:

1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2. Anne of Green Gables set
3. Sound of Music
4. Fiddler on the Roof

C) Four places I have lived:

1. Hobart, IN
2. Chicago, IL (several different moves)
3. Edinburgh, Scotland (2 different places)
4. Lowell, IN

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:

We have never had a TV, my while we lived in Edinburgh my mom would send us DVDs of shows. These were some I liked:
1. Dr. G
2. The Dog Whisperer
3. Survivorman
4. umm...can't think of anything else

E) Four places I have been on vacation :

1. camping in the Adirondacks in New York
2. San Fransisco, CA
3. Ireland
4. various lovely spots in Scotland

F) Websites I visit daily:

1. the blogs listed on my sidebar (except Brett's because he never updates his)
2. americanexpats.com (but really not as much anymore)
3. I'm really not online as much anymore, so I will visit various other sites off and on
4.


G) Four of my favorite foods

1. DILL PICKLES!!! (which I could not indulge in while in Scotland)
2. tex-mex
3. Chicago-style pizza
4. dessert!

H) Four places I would like to be right now

1. somewhere in Scotland
2. somewhere scenic
3. somewhere else
4. Chicago

Introducing...

Ceilidh and Lady Grey!

We finally picked up a couple of rabbits. I have been eager to have them. They are both mini rexes. We decided to get two so they can keep eachother company. Not like they don't get enough lovin' from us!

Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) in Scotland is a social gathering. We went to a couple of ceilidh dances and had a blast! Lady Grey is my favourite tea and I thought it an appropriate name for a gray bunny (actually she is considered blue). Lady Jane Grey was also queen of England for 9 short days. She was forced to the throne at the young age of 15, but the true heir (Mary) gathered the support of her people and took the throne for herself. Just a brief history lesson. :)

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was Stevie's birthday. He is 24! We went over early to hang out with the family and open presents. Then 2 of Stevie's best friends came over for cake and ice cream. We made an attempt at some fireworks, but the rain was not cooperating.

A lazy walk to Leith

I am on a roll! I have finally gotten to so pictures I took in Edinburgh. These were taken on one of the few gorgeous summer days we had about a week and a half before we left. I took a walk along the river to Leith and picked Josh up from work.

I am going to post the pictures on Beannachd Leibh, simply because I like how they look better against a black background. :) And of course I will have more photos on flickr.

Michigan

These pictures are all out of order and I don't feel like arranging them.

Paddleboating on the canal at Aunt Sue's

Grandpa. The sun was in the way.

Aunt Sue and mom

Out for dinner

Mom brought fireworks to let off at Aunt Sue's

Of course, Josh had to use his torch (flashlight) to light the way.

Me and Stevie

My grandma loves flowers and birds. It is so nice to walk in their back yard and look at all the flowers or sit at the kitchen table and watch all the birds flitting from one feeder to the next.

The gang

My mom managed to pick this duck up several times, luring her with a piece of bread. Every time the duck got more and more skeptical.

Watching the boys in the water...

...these boys. Josh managed to get Stevie to sit in the water. He even laid down in the water and walked out to chest deep water. Only for his brother!

Do ya think we're related?

This is my cousin Nicci and I. Last week we went to Michigan with my parents to visit family. It was good to see them after 2 years. I am working on the pictures now, so hopefully I will post about our trip soon.

Oh, my friend Steph posted a pictures of she and I visiting my family in Michigan. WAY back when. Oh, my!

FINITO!!!

Finally! After 3 years!

Bad customer service: not only in the UK

Wilco is our local grocery store. It is about a mile down the road so I usually just walk if I am not already out. I bring my own bags, a backpack (rucksack) and a shoulder bag, just as I did in Scotland. I just hate that I have to walk along the main highway through town, there are no trees, and no sidewalks on the side of the road that the store is on. And it is HOT right now (still).

So yesterday I did some shopping in preparation for our Labor Day barbecue. Let me just say, people look at you funny if you are drivable age and you are walking. Anyways, I walked into the store and was greeted by a smiling man who looked to be the manager (he was wearing a tie). I lazily did my shopping and proceeded to the check-out.

As the lady started bagging my groceries (they do that automatically here. And they have to stand, they don't get chairs) I told her, "I don't need any bags. I will just put them in my own." They lady says, "You'll whaaaat?" So I repeated myself, as I am taking the things out of my cart, and point to my backpack. She screws up her face at me and says in a very snotty tone, "How did you get in with that backpack?!" I stare in amazement at her and say, "Uh...I didn't know it was a problem..." She says, "You're NOT supposed to bring a bag in here. You have to check it at customer service. THERE ARE SIGNS!!"

I proceed with the transaction wide-eyed. I just put everything in my cart as I am too disoriented to pack my bags right now. I finish the transaction and before I walk away I say in a very calm manner, "The way you handled that was incredibly rude. You could have said that a bit more politely. I have just moved here and was not aware of the rules." As I walked away I hear, "oooh kaaaay"

I proceeded to the customer service desk, where a lady is slowly counting several piles of money. She is facing a wall, but should be able to see me in the corner of her eye. I clear my throat several times, shuffle things, move around. She pays no attention. After about five minutes I say, "Sorry. I just have a question. I have cold things that need to get home." She slowly walks over to me and acts a bit miffed that I have disturbed her (here at CUSTOMER SERVICE!). So I ask her, "How would I go about making a comment about service I have recieved? Is there an e-mail?" She pulls out one of their sales papers and shows me where to write.

As I am walking out, the same manager-looking guy tells me to have a nice day and looks at my cart. While I am packing up my bags in the entry-way he pops his head out and says, "Oh! I was wondering why they let you through without bagging your things." Then he tells me that he things it is great what I am doing and that they are always trying to think of ways to get people to bring their own bags. I tell him that I spent the last 2 years in the UK and most stores don't even offer bags, or you have to buy them (which was a bit untrue, as the stores in the cities do provide bags, but offer other incentives if you bring your own), so I was used to bringing my own. We had a wee conversation about the cost of groceries there and such, then I went on my way.

I plan to send an e-mail about my experience. I am confident the manager would appreciate the feedback.

Happy Labor Day

More on my other blog and on flickr