it's a hard knock life

Tabitha what would I do without you? Obviously I wouldn't stay up-to-date on my blogging. haha. It's been almost 2 months since my last post and since you were kind (or mean) enough to leave a comment and let me know I have finally gotten myself into gear.

I think Vienna was my favorite part of the whole trip! This is where things started to slow down a bit. We were on power tours of Paris and Warsaw since we didn't have much time there but we had several days in Vienna so we were able to slow our pace down and relax a bit. The city is beautiful, I understood the public transportation system (which is way more than I can say about Paris), and the Christmas markets were open...just a few reasons why I enjoyed my time in Vienna.

Last Saturday we went to an SK Rapid Wien soccer game. It was so much fun...way more exciting than any soccer game I've ever been to here!

Vienna was the last stop on our trip and we were not ready to come back home. We had a great time and I can't wait to travel overseas again!

We had a lot of fun in Warsaw! It was snowing when our plane landed and was really cold the whole time we were there. The snow was beautiful though and we just layered a lot to stay warm. I got to try some traditional Polish food during our stay but we mostly ate out at American restaurants. Yes, I actually went all the way to Poland and then ate at McDonald's and KFC both of which are places I don't even like to eat at when I'm home in Oklahoma. The Polish food I tried was delicious and the McD's and KFC...well, those two weren't my ideas. Here are a few pictures we took in Warsaw...

Old Towne

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

We took a lot more pictures than this but I'm having trouble uploading any more of them to blogger. We had a lot of fun site seeing and visiting with the people at the church. They were kind enough to prepare a turkey dinner for us on Sunday in honor of our Thanksgiving holiday.

We also bought some souvenirs (some of which we had to ship home). Going to the post office in Warsaw was an adventure in and of itself. Nobody there spoke English so we had some trouble purchasing things like bubble wrap. I'm hoping our packages make it to their destination...but there's really no way to know if we even filled out the forms correctly. So, Mom & Laura...if your Christmas presents don't make it to you that's probably why.

Well, it's been an exciting trip so far! The fun started in Oklahoma City...we saw Barry Switzer at the airport and BJ Novak was on our flight to Atlanta. Okay so I didn't walk up to him and ask if that's who he was but he looked way to much like him for it to be a coincidence. I couldn't stop watching him in the airport because he was sitting at our gate. I wanted to take a picture of him from where I was sitting but that may have come across as a little weird and creepy. haha. But how often do you see celebrities in the OKC airport?

As you can imagine, I already have lots of stories to share about the things we've done and seen in Europe so far. But I don't have a ton of time to sit and write them down right now (the trip is only half over so I have more exciting things to do than sit on the internet) so I will just share a few pictures with you.

Moulin Rouge

(They were doing some kind of renovation on it so we couldn't get a great picture)

We walked all over Paris the first day we were there. Seriously, we walked from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower. As if we weren't tired enough by that time, we walked up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower too. We actually thought we bought tickets to take the elevator thing to the top. But once we got inside the gate we realized that we had just purchased tickets to walk up. I can't believe you have to pay to walk up the stairs!! They should have paid us to do that since we had to do all the work...haha. We took a ton of pictures and saw as much as we could in the time we were there.

We still have a lot more walking to do around Warsaw & Vienna.

Is there such thing as an umbrella engineer? Or have there been studies done on how to make umbrellas in order to most effectively keep the user dry? How about a study on the best materials to use in making an umbrella?

I’m not a collector of umbrellas nor have I ever spent much time thinking about them or analyzing the way they are made. However, I will have to admit that my umbrella was on my mind this morning. It was pouring outside on my way to work today and my windshield wipers were moving at warp speed. When I pulled into the parking lot at work I gathered my things and grabbed my umbrella before getting out of the car. It was raining so hard that I knew I would get wet but I wanted to make an effort to keep my hair dry. As I stepped out of the car there was a huge boom of thunder and flash of lighting. I knew the lightning was close and the umbrella I was holding in my hand had a metal pole. So I had to quickly decide whether I wanted to be soaked by the time I got inside my office or risk getting struck by lightning. I risked it!! I managed to make it inside without being struck by lightning although I was still soaked…all except for my hair which made me happy. One of my coworkers was not as lucky as me. Her umbrella flipped inside out in the wind and she ended up getting wet…hair and all.

So I got to thinking…why do they make umbrellas out of metal? I mean, there’s a good chance that when it’s raining outside it’s also storming. Why not make the umbrella out of plastic or wood? When there’s lighting the last thing you want to have in your hand is something metal, right? Also, is there some material that would stand up to the wind better? Or at least something that wouldn’t be permanently bent or broken if the wind flipped it inside out? Perhaps someone else has already pondered all of this and come up with a solution. In that case, I am way behind the times and unnecessarily exposing myself to the risk of being struck by lightning by carrying around a metal umbrella.

October has been a CRAZY month. But it's about to come to an end...which means it's almost time for Halloween. This past weekend was our 3rd annual Halloween girls night (we haven't come up with a better name for it yet). My favorite part of this particular girls night is carving pumpkins. I like to get my hands dirty!

Here is a look at our masterpieces. Mine is the one in the middle that looks like a witch in a Marilyn Monroe pose. That's talent! Well...talent combined with a good pattern and carving kit. haha.

November is going to bring about several changes for me. First, I'm switching to a new job at work. I will still work in accounting for the same company...just in a different area. This is something I've been wanting for awhile now so I'm pretty excited.

Second, I'm moving. I'll just be a mile or two away from where I am now so it's not a huge move. But moving day is coming up on Nov 1st. If anyone enjoys loading and unloading moving trucks let me know. haha.

Third, I'm going to Europe for the very first time!!! This is the part of November I'm looking forward to the most. I'm sure I will have tons of pictures and stories by the time I get back. I'm so excited about the trip that I've almost forgotten how terrified I am of flying.

I think November is going to be the highlight of 2008 for me. I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween and then finishes out the last few months of the year in style!

Does anyone else feel like life has just been busy and insane lately? Maybe it's just me. haha. I'm ready for a vacation and a short break from reality. In fact, I have one of those coming up in only a month and a half that I'm really looking forward to!!

Anyway, I heard this song for the first time a few weeks ago and it's quickly becoming one of my favorites. This afternoon it came on the radio as I was driving. I was in the midst of a stressful day and it seemed to be just what I needed to hear. So since I have nothing blogworthy to write about right now I thought I'd share these lyrics with you.

Hope Now by Addison Road

If everything comes down to love
Then just what am I afraid of?
When I call out your name
Something inside awakes in my soul
How quickly I forget I'm yours

I'm not my own
I've been carried by you
All my life

Chorus:
Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

When my life is like a storm
Rising waters all I want is the shore
You say I'll be ok
And make it through the rain
You are my shelter from the storm

I'm not my own
I've been carried by you
All my life

Chorus:

You've become my heart's desire
And I will sing your praises higher
Cause your love sets me free
Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free