American Faux Pas

So yesterday I sent an email to the ladies of our Bible study about the details of our meeting. I explained that our Bible study leader was serving "tea" at 7:15pm, with the study (on the book of Esther) beginning at 7:45pm. What I should've remembered was that "tea" means the drink (if it's 11am or 3pm) and it means dinner when referred to after 6pm! So you can imagine my embarrassment when my English friends left a bit hungry after our study! Ohhhh no!

Happy 57th Birthday Dad!

Happy (belated) Birthday Dad!! Hope you had a memorable, fun, and delightful day on Wednesday!

I was able to call my dad...and it sounds like he's a Happy Camper with the Packers doing so well!! :)

Love you Dad!

A Birthday Journey to Cardiff (Wales)!

AJ surprised me for my birthday by setting up a little adventure to Cardiff last weekend! It was a delightful day visiting the capitol of Wales. We happened to be there at the same hour that the Welsh team faced France in the Rugby World Cup. The city was buzzing with spirit and excitement! AJ arranged for us to see the Cardiff Castle and St. Fagen's Historical Area. The original foundation of the Castle was built around the time of Christ and the St. Fagen's mansion was built in 1580. To us Americans that is so very old!! Here are some photos of our time in Wales. You may notice the consistent overcast skies in all of the photos...don't be jealous our beloved Colorado friends!!

AJ took this beautiful photo of the Cardiff Castle from the gardens behind the Castle. The leaves are just beginning to turn here. We're told that most leaves fall by the end of November! Wahoo!

AJ and I atop the tower of the Keep. It was an amazing view of the Castle gardens.

A view from the gate of the Keep, overlooking the grounds of the Castle.

A photo of the Keep, located in the center of the Castle grounds.

Here's a photo of the St. Fagen's mansion, built in 1580 on the ruins of an old Norman fort. The mansion was passed along through the centuries and even stood empty for 150 years. The interior was updated in the early 1800's, however many pieces of original furniture from the early 1700's was on display. It's difficult to comprehend that America was still in her early years at that time!

Behind St. Fagen's was an old English farming settlement.

A tunnel of grape vines in the gardens of St. Fagen's.

Here is a beautiful piece of art in the gardens made of trimmed bushes.

A small view of the gardens of St. Fagen's.

Another view of the gardens.

While walking through the gardens of the Castle, AJ and I were surprised to see this interesting character! It actually scared me at first! :)

Our Friends: The Swales Family!

Hello Everyone! I couldn't resist sharing some fun photos of our friends Jon & Sarah Swales and their two adorable children Rebecca & Benjamin! They adopted us the moment we arrived here...and have blessed us so much! We enjoy "Swales Cinema" on Saturday evenings where we've watched Amazing Grace and The Mission on their projector screen and often have great discussions and share lots of laughs! Here are a couple of photos of their family!

Jon & Sarah in their home!

Here's little Rebecca in her princess outfit! Whenever she sees me at the College, she often greets me with a big ol' hug!!

Here's little Benjamin after eating dinner!! Ohh my! He's already showing talent in the art of painting! Ha.Ha.

AJ at his finest!

A View of Bristol

AJ and I spent a couple of hours exploring downtown Bristol last weekend. What we found was quite a treasure!...a tower built in 1497 in honor of explorer John Cabot. Wow, what a view!

Here's AJ and I at the very top...boy it was kind of scary up there!

Here's the plaque outside the tower.

A view from the first observation deck.

A lovely view from the top deck.

Denmark is THAT way! Neat!

That way to the United States!!

A Passion for Sports!

I'm so excited!! Last night I joined a running club...a true, crazy bunch of running enthusiasts who love running just as much (or more!) than I do! They meet Monday and Wednesday nights either for long runs or speed work-outs and there are competitions almost weekly, between half marathons, 5k's and 10k's, and cross country races. I think AJ would like to join in, too...as long as it doesn't interfere with his fly-fishing meetings! We noticed that there is a 1/2 marathon in Cardiff (Wales) next month, which is only 45 minutes away by train. We'll have to look into it!

Also, AJ has joined the Trinity College football (a.k.a. soccer) and rugby enthusiasts on Wednesday afternoons. A group of guys get together to play nearby the college, which is super fun to watch. I asked folks if AJ was qualified to play by simply watching the Rugby World Cup these past 2 weeks. AJ must have learned something along the way...he scored a "try" (our version of a touchdown)!

Have blessed day everyone!

P.S. It's my 30th Birthday today!! Wahoo!