Tuesday, July 24, 2012

My Guys

I was literally jumping out of my skin last Wednesday night. I couldn’t sleep. I jammed Thursday morning full of meetings and conference calls to keep my mind focused until the plane touched down. I love the iPhone Delta app- I knew the flight was running early and if my Fast Track pass did its work, the boys would hopefully clear customs quickly too. They did.

I knew the boys would be really blonde and tan. I was ready for haircuts and new clothes to make them look different. I expected them to be tired from the flight.  I did not expect them to look so much older! In just under 4 weeks, Graham is talking in full sentences and Greyson has this new ‘maturity’ for lack of a better word and an even bigger vocabulary which was already pretty great (though I’m not a huge fan of “come on!” in response to…well, just about everything). 

Kids in WI2

I was a little worried they’d forget what I looked like and very worried that they would be standoffish, treat me badly or worse, ignore me. Thank God none of this happened. They were all smiles, ready to tell me about their adventures and show me their wares. I’m absolutely ecstatic that they had that time with our families back home, that the weather was unbelievable and they were, for the most part, healthy, happy and well behaved.  I’m just sorry I didn’t get to enjoy any of it with them this time ‘round.  Next year is already being planned with even longer time for the boys and some time for me too.  Knock on wood, the plane rides to and from London were low on drama and high on quiet aside from a few squirmy Graham moments and Greyson’s motion sickness (happens at least once per trip). Graham got a high-five from a fellow passenger and Mike got complements from adoring women (also happens at least once per trip) and a few requisite “you are very brave” comments.

The sun has come out in London just in time for the Olympics so the barbecue is on every night, the baseball equipment is spread across the back garden and the the boys are back on their bikes. We leave for Italy on Thursday where it’s to be even sunnier and hotter so the bright blonde hair and tans will remain a bit longer.

  • Greyson: “Are we best friends Graham?”
  • Graham: “Yeah, best fwends!”

Boys

boys 2

I’m now enjoying a few new pairs of shoes (thank you, Mike…and Nordstrom), Kashi cereal for at least a few weeks and Hershey’s syrup! There are just some things that cannot be substituted.  THANK YOU to our amazing families for making the boys’ summer vacation one they will remember!

Bertottos and Van Zeelands…you’re next! 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

White Coffee, please

We fell in love with coffee in Seattle.  I started drinking it for the first time in Milwaukee in 2006 after Greyson was born and what I loved about it then, and still do, is the ritual of it. I love a cup early in the morning before the day starts, the smell of it and the temperature, but I didn't truly start appreciating great coffee until we moved to Seattle. Seattle knows coffee. Not just because Starbucks was born there. If you've spent any time in and around the city you know that it's appreciated as much for Starbucks as it is for the eccentric mom and pop shops, the one-man espresso stands and the aficionados who can tell the difference in blends, origins and bitterness by sight.  I'm not one of those but I do love a great cup of coffee with cream just like my parents drank when I was growing up.

What's my point? This is a challenge in London. Most places serve weak, watered down versions and the beans available in stores are average. Even a cappuccino from a great breakfast cafe is bland. I have found a few good cups of coffee in the area though (there is a Starbucks if I'm craving it, though it's a only a treat due to location and prices) and in fact this once Keurig-hating girl now owns a UK version by Bosch called "Tassimo" and the single-serve coffee is actually really good.  The challenge now is finding cream!  You can't get "half and half" here.  I can buy "single cream" or "pouring cream" which are similar but they come in little sour-cream-like plastic tubs and expire 2 days after they're purchased.  I can buy mini plastic cartons of whole or part-skim milk but the flavour isn't right.  Powdered Coffeemate is available- eww.

So, I shared this dilemma with a German colleague and she kindly sent me 3 little glass bottles of this:

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Jackpot. It's perfect. I don't know what it is but the flavour is perfect and they don't even have to be refrigerated until they're opened (I would have been geeked out by this concept a few months ago- all dairy should be refrigerated right- but I've gotten over that). Problem is, I'm about to run out and it’s not available here either so unless I take a trip to Germany once/month I either ask my colleague to be my dealer or I continue my search.  For kicks, I popped the text from the bottle into Google translate.  "Creamy Dream".  I'm glad I waited to do that until after I tried it.  Creamy dreams conjure images of a different sort and I wouldn't put it in my coffee.

So, if you've got any ideas, I'm listening. A great cup of coffee is a wonderful treat for me and having been on my own these past weeks, the most enjoyable part of the day before the silence sets in.  The boys will be home in 2 days.  If half and half could survive a 12 hour journey, I would add it to the list of groceries that are coming with them.  The good news is we'll be in Italy in 9 days and I know I can count on a great cup of coffee from there. It was, after all, the "true" birthplace of Starbucks.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Bonjour and Bonsoir

I had meetings in Paris earlier this week so I decided to leave a day early to take advantage of the city and sights on Sunday. I intended to spend my day in the museums but circumstances had other plans.  On the first Sunday of each month, every national museum in Paris is free of charge. This is probably a really great thing for a lot of people but for someone like me*, it means a change of plans. So, I took the Metro from my hotel to the Louvre and walked around the grand entrance (the very famous triangular structure in the centre of the grounds) and then hopped on an Open Tour bus which offers 3 different tour lines and the ability to get on an off at your leisure.

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Paris is a beautiful city- no surprise there- but I have my favourite spots so I rode the bus to Notre Dame and along the Seine and then hopped off in Trocadero and had lunch outside and read a book then walked to the Eiffel Tower (the queues to go up the tower were outrageous!) and soaked up the sun for a bit.  I grabbed another bus and rode some more and then jumped off near Place de la Concorde and shopped the little stalls selling art and trinkets. I’m framing some of my favourite scenes for the kitchen. 5 Euro for 3 prints but I regret not buying a watercolour from a nice toothless man who I think may have painted it himself.

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I probably walked 5 miles (in flip flops) so after 9 hours of walking and riding, I sat on a cafe sidewalk with a glass of Bordeaux and the Tour de France on TV. I finished the day with a colleague and his boyfriend and a traditional 4 hour French meal that began with charcuterie, Foie gras and escargot and ended with profiteroles and creme brulee.  We had canard (duck) as a main course, of course.

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It was a beautiful day in Paris. I just wish Mike had been there to share it with me. 13 days and counting until the boys come back to London. Work is keeping my mind occupied or I would be going mad with missing them. The Olympic torch is coming through our little town in a few days so I might take a break for that. The sun is shining in Wisconsin (I know it’s flat-out hot). I’m thankful the sun was plentiful in Paris; in London it’s a bit elusive.

Happy 4th of July weekend!

*Someone like me = zero patience. Seriously. Zero.