Sorry Mom

So there hasn't been much going on lately which is the reason for the limited blog entries.

Over the past weekend we moved out of our lovely three bedroom apartment into a tiny little studio apartment. Even though we hardly bought a thing this year we are burtsing at the seams here. I suppose I should say, it is "cozy."

Outside of that not much to report. Adam is in London today for a job interview and I spent the afternoon at school watching the children prepare for a Harvest assembly. Another thing that seems to be important here but isn't really emphasized at home.

Having a house husband

On Sunday we took the dogs out for a punt. Jackson was of course thrilled when he saw the boats and got right into position to "captain the ship." Zena and and Jackson loved the ride, until of course we hit a bank and Jackson fell in the water. He was so cute he looked a bit shocked but once we got him back on the boat he hopped right back into position, shook off and began captaining again. Zena however, was a bit more upset as she got wet when Jackson was being pulled back into the boat.

So, as of yesterday Adam is an unemployed house husband. So far neither of us seem to be really enjoying that part but he has been hard at work in his job search. Hopefully something will happen soon. In the meantime I will take the help with the laundry : )

Bittersweet

So starting today I can tell people my husband WENT to Oxford. Yesterday was the end of term ceremony to mark the completion of his program. Although he didn't officially graduate, he has completed his MBA. Graduation can be done through his college at any point in the future.

Friday after his last exam Adam went on a boat cruise around Oxford with several other students. We than had dinner with friends, a get together in Albert Einstein's dorm room at Christ Church college and finally he went to celebrate the engagement of a fellow classmate at a local club.

Saturday afternoon was the end of year ceremony, lucky for us no Latin (the actual graduation will be).

Saturday evening was the end of year ceremony. It was a great day and I think we are both still a bit shocked that it is actually over. Some of our friends are moving away as soon as today.

Tricia asked me to blog about my trip to Lisbon Portugal which I just returned from last night. Tricia was supposed to go but was not able to get out of work so I went with a friend from school. We met up with four other classmates who were already there, one of which is a Lisbon native.

We went to a number of restaurants including tourist traps and a communist restaurant with traditional Portuguese food. While this was interesting it was not a great place for a vegetarian as the Portuguese love meat. For example, one traditional dish consists of a raw steak served along side a very hot stone slab. Patrons use this slab to cook the meat to their liking right at the table.

We toured all of the monuments and sights including churches, a monastery and the worlds second largest aquarium. This aquarium was built around a central glass tank that stood two and a half stories tall. We also did a number of random things including lying on a bed of nails, which actually was not that uncomfortable.

We also learned how hard the Portuguese party. It is common for dinner not to start until about 10 pm. After that many people go out to the bars, which close at 2 am. During our first night out, a Thursday, I assumed everyone went home as they had to work the next day. I couldn't have been more wrong. Many go out to clubs, which do not open until 2 am, and literally dance until the sun comes up. After all of this they get to work by 9am. I can confirm that after leaving the party at 5am it was still going strong.

Our final full day was spent on the beach learning to surf. I can attest that it is much more difficult than it looks but I was still able to stand up on the board twice.

The streets of Lisbon

The monastery

Looking over downtown Lisbon toward the ocean

Sunset on the beach after a day of surfing

Back to school

Well today the students returned to school so, I am back to working. This year I am working with a new year group and I will only be in two classes rather than the four I was in last year. I am really looking forward to that change as I think it will be better for building relationships with the children.
Meanwhile... Adam is in sunny, warm Portugal. He left yesterday and has already enjoyed some time on the beach. I am sure there will be photos to come.

Done and done !!

This week Adam finished two major tasks. He completed his summer internship on Wednesday and this afternoon he completed ( with the help of a few) the SBS class of 2009 yearbook. What a week, I am sure he is exhausted.

Roller Coasters

Well after an uneventful week of vacation, yesterday we went to Alton Towers. We were assured that it was the best amusement park around so we took the 2 and a half hour drive to see for ourselves.
We had a good time and rode a few different roller coasters. One called Air has you facing forward on your stomach for most of the ride and then flips you on your back. Another called Oblivion drops you straight down into a dark hole.... I honestly looked at the ride and thought it looked scary.
My favorite part about the park is that the park surrounds yet another English castle. The park had a pond, lots of grass, trees and walking paths all throughout as well. It was such a pretty walk to get throughout the park.

This is us on Oblivion. We are in the front row on the right.

{Mom these aren't our videos but I grabbed them from YouTube for you to see.
The second one you might want to start at 30 seconds in. }

AIR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3mdChXl14Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjid05TSfWE
OBLIVION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-EA0l9JUsc