tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50438045403409078442024-03-16T11:52:54.306-07:00a kitchen table for twoApril @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.comBlogger255125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-3170975021649370632014-07-26T15:36:00.001-07:002014-07-26T15:36:14.739-07:00Making an exitWhile it has been amazing and fun updating this blog, Eric and I are starting something new at a different bloggy address. Want to check it out? Head over to our new blog, <a href="http://anurbanacre.blogspot.com/">An Urban Acre</a>, and take a read. Follow once again, if you want! =) The new blog will be all about DIY, travel, motherhood, and whole bunch of other things... I've explained it all in our first post over there. Thanks for your faithfulness in reading this blog, and I hope to see you at our new home. <br />
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Love,<br />
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AprilApril @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-63186975766455137852014-06-14T08:56:00.001-07:002014-06-14T08:56:21.017-07:00SA day 7: cars, naps, and beefThis morning was the last morning before three more Arizonans arrived to join our happy little party, so we took the day to relax. When we rented our car, we noticed that the stereo was a little... odd. It would turn on, and turn down, but you couldn't turn it off, nor could you change the station. We discovered this morning that when we tried to push a button the whole face plate went "klunk" onto the floor. Note that it was not designed to be a removable face plate. I think I saw the transmission when it came off. So, we decided to return the car in case they would charge it to us. We simply had to breakfast at Woolies, since it was on the way. This Wooolworths cafe has won awards for its design and innovation, but somehow they can't turn on the heat. Oh, Africa. I ordered scones...<br />
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Woolie's seriously has the best scones with jam and cream. After returning the car, we headed home and I started to write out a few blog posts in advance and promptly fell asleep. I spent the afternoon napping (yay!), and Eric went out for a run (overachiever!). After waking up, I discovered that the family had had a busy day, and so I offered to make dinner... A traditional South African dinner. But first I had to hit up Pinterest to figure out what that was... I think I got myself in over my head. I settled on making boerewors, a beef sausage with veggies. Traditionally it is cooked on the brai, but I chose to sautee it. I think it turned out ok!<br />
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I also made a take on the french ham and cheese using a baguette, prosciutto, emmental swiss cheese, and fig jam. YUMMM. After dinner, we headed to bed early as the arrival of our friends was early in the morning and we knew the next few days were going to be crazy-town! </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Sorry for the lack of photos today, somehow naps just aren't photo-worthy)</span></div>
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Tune in tomorrow to hear about how we fought an army of seatbelts in the pouring rain (we lost), High Tea at the Victoria and Albert Hotel, and our lamb burger in Stellenbosch. </div>
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<br />April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-71074447908285456502014-06-09T09:02:00.001-07:002014-06-09T09:02:29.910-07:00SA day 6: ultra marathons, french food, and the internets <div class="MsoNormal">
Today dawned as rainy as the previous evening, so our plans
to try to make it to Table Mountain (only open when it’s sunny), were thwarted
yet again. However, we did head out to
breakfast today at a place called Mugg and Bean. They have the most enormous muffins! We each had one and could eat only half. I greatly appreciate that baked goods here
are far less sugary are much more like bread here than in the states. While
there we watched the local sporting events on TV… Ultra Marathons. Welcome to Africa my friends! Not that I thought I was some kind of bad
you-know-what runner before, but I was further humbled to watch two South
Africans easily finish first and second in a DOUBLE marathon at nearly exactly
the time it took me to run ONE. And then
die. That, my friends, is genetics, oh and training.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Following breakfast we decided to drive to a little French
settlement called Franschoek that specializes in (you guessed it) WINE! Eric loves this trip. We drove an hour or so through the rain to
get there. You’ll have to excuse the
photos, as we couldn’t really pull over to get out of the car, but at one point
we were driving right up to a ridge, and it looked as if we would drive off of
the end of the world right into a cloud (Like The Gods Must Be Crazy, but with
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Upon our arrival the weather was dismal, so we chose to eat
at a delightful restaurant wth aan even more delightful view, Roca at Dieu Donna. The menu is what I
would describe as Frrench South African fusion, like springbok risotto, and
duck flavored with local spices.<br />
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Eric and I shared a meat and tapas platter...<br />
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I
ordered the besk chicken of my life: Boursin stuffed de-boned chicken on a bed
of wild mushroom risotto with sautéed fresh vegetables.<br />
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A few of my table mates ordered the prime rib. AN ENTIRE KILOGRAM OF PRIME RIB. Not good with conversions? That’s 2.2 lbs of STEAK! And they both finished it. #mancard #winning</div>
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After our delicious dinner, those of us who did not eat our
weight in meat had room for dessert, and lucky thing we did. The crème brulee was espresso flavored (I
think it’s in my DNA), and it was the best crème brulee I’ve ever had in my
life. It was gone in roughly 37
seconds. Not really, but it was close to
that.</div>
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Not only was the food amazing, but the location and views
were equally stunning! </div>
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No making fun of my preggo belly! Only 12 weeks to go!<o:p></o:p></div>
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We tried to take our party brandy tasting, but the tasting
room was closed. Just as well, since we
opted to take a different scenic route home.
This was the first night that we haven’t had an organized dinner
(everyone was still stuffed from our lunch), so the boys took it as an
opportunity to tackle the problem of the internet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Brief aside: This
place is amazing. It is cosmopolitan,
modern, and forward thinking. But… this
is still AFRICA. Laws, infrastructure, social norms… these are just a few of
the things that we Americans take for granted that are not so reliable
here. Laws are enforced… kind of. Infrastructure is there… in a way. And
society is still trying to figure itself out after the collapse of the
apartheid in the 70s. Our internet
situation is a fantastic example of that.
When we arrived, our hosts had just picked up a router for their wifi
(yay!). Upon plugging it in, there was
still no service (boo). So a new router
was purchased, a different kind (yay!), still no signal (boo). We discovered
you have to pre-pay for data, so we bought some (yay!), but our speeds were roughly
around .01MPS (double boo). This left
them with one real option – buy a giant antenna, and attach it to the
house. Oh yeah, and it needed to be
gale-force wind proof. In a matter of
two days this was done (yay!). We had
internet – glorious fast internet for all of… ten minutes (boo). Realizing that
fast internet shot the usage through the roof, our hosts will now be paying an
exorbitant amount (by American standards) to have enough data to run their
business. <o:p></o:p></div>
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All this to say that this is still a strange place,
Africa. And while I think of this
continent as the most ancient of them all (I know that makes ZERO sense, but
I’m the math teacher, OK? Not science or history), in so many ways the nations
here are just babies, trying to raise themselves without many of the tools they
need. So many people want to swoop in
and “fix” the problems here, be it social or economic. But the fact is, like most things, these
issue are vast, and complex and they involve a lot more actual humans than the
statistics suggest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That entire aside is to explain to you why I am 4 days
behind on this blog, but am now ultra-grateful, yet again, to have been born
into the family and nation that I was.
We have our problems, but all the way from Africa, I’m going to give a big
old, “God bless the USA!”</div>
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Tune in tomorrow to hear about our breakfast at Woolworths, and how I cooked boerewors (beef sausage stuff) for South Africans and they even ate it. </div>
April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-54595547549330948882014-06-08T09:35:00.000-07:002014-06-08T09:35:55.644-07:00SA day 5: laundry, decorating, and pudding<div class="MsoNormal">
This morning we breakfasted at home – I tried my first rusk!
It’s sort of like a biscuit but denser and with all the water sucked out. The
idea is that you dip it in your tea or coffee to soften it up. They are pretty good, as long as you don’t
try the muesli flavor – raisins should keep themselves out of baked goods.
Period.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our friends are just getting settled in their new home and
the furniture situation was kind of a hodgepodge. </div>
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Just kidding, it was nowhere near that bad, but the layout
lacked any real direction or functionality and the walls all lacked
pictures. We spent the morning shoving
furniture and rugs about, and deciding where all of the pictures should hang. It looks so much more like a home. I'd post a photo, but let's be honest - would YOU want me to post a photo of YOUR living room on the interwebs if we stayed with you? Didn't think so.</div>
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After a long morning of that and laundry (yee-haw!), we
decided everyone needed out of the house, so we set off to the nature reserve
down the street for tea. Between the
time we left the house and the time we arrived at the nature reserve (roughly
2.78 minutes), the weather had gone from partly cloudy to completely ridiculous
with gale force winds. We ducked into
the little café for our tea (or a “tall decaf cappuccino” in my case. Also can anyone name that movie?) and scones.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuMPm86YcStLyKQB9bq5zzEMOCZup5NcPnC4NAo_ZhDaD1Hs5nKwxKPW6JCiCusXFZF-C2Vk_dBjMjgVpcn_RPyx51fYMYUqxslX0OKg3KOeL6fVsF9UX_b5NoXZTUdiuaeRlGWsiS0Zd/s1600/IMG_3848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuMPm86YcStLyKQB9bq5zzEMOCZup5NcPnC4NAo_ZhDaD1Hs5nKwxKPW6JCiCusXFZF-C2Vk_dBjMjgVpcn_RPyx51fYMYUqxslX0OKg3KOeL6fVsF9UX_b5NoXZTUdiuaeRlGWsiS0Zd/s1600/IMG_3848.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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After seeing that the weather was getting no better and much
worse, we decided to go out for a little stroll in the park before the rain
came in earnest. We saw some lovely
flowers…<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPjyh0F3Uf_jCMcOPmcWrATzFNJCm7ZHiB-_MFIZaXJSgEjVekN8jnXKrD7uY9Z8H4-xiO5-IvCyaJgYL65dUqCbzGjE3zdYoEoe2AMcBqa0LfDijh8Sq4BWf5lcet008ZK1Y3ofhOFW7/s1600/IMG_2234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPjyh0F3Uf_jCMcOPmcWrATzFNJCm7ZHiB-_MFIZaXJSgEjVekN8jnXKrD7uY9Z8H4-xiO5-IvCyaJgYL65dUqCbzGjE3zdYoEoe2AMcBqa0LfDijh8Sq4BWf5lcet008ZK1Y3ofhOFW7/s1600/IMG_2234.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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And snapped a few family moments as well<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjru_GyK1qpvrO3X6HEghYZ3vySoYpJmliPywY0AjPoxkyTnWPzO6QozdtQB8Vk9MSjr-F60X5eVGQPQgj9C-Ksh85NM1v9UZL5qclOG4T2rhRFmpR3WEqOALXIYPpwpP5Bx1iEKwFrqVeh/s1600/IMG_2247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjru_GyK1qpvrO3X6HEghYZ3vySoYpJmliPywY0AjPoxkyTnWPzO6QozdtQB8Vk9MSjr-F60X5eVGQPQgj9C-Ksh85NM1v9UZL5qclOG4T2rhRFmpR3WEqOALXIYPpwpP5Bx1iEKwFrqVeh/s1600/IMG_2247.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is the view we saw as we drove away – gorgeous!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_pTurh6CKcCEcTogbfAqECtV7AGRTowcrfPPf8u4itNMwulwAJICUxDadwkkMsKaemQDtdc3FJSeGxi8iPEJwP03PK_aAN81k30Zy6oxp-wU8f2VXOs_XOIqXZq3vlxQptB7Zux3lcsB/s1600/IMG_3863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_pTurh6CKcCEcTogbfAqECtV7AGRTowcrfPPf8u4itNMwulwAJICUxDadwkkMsKaemQDtdc3FJSeGxi8iPEJwP03PK_aAN81k30Zy6oxp-wU8f2VXOs_XOIqXZq3vlxQptB7Zux3lcsB/s1600/IMG_3863.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Just as we arrived home, the rain began to pour down, and it
rained steadily for the rest of the evening.
There’s nothing quite like lying down and listening to the rain,
especially when it’s a little chilly. *sigh*<o:p></o:p></div>
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Good thing we were all ready for our barbeque! FYI
barbeques, both the event and the object are called Brai here. Odd.
And equally as odd is that everyone here has one… inside. Yep.
Just like a living room, family room, or kitchen, homes here have a
“brai room.” Rain? Wind? Pitch black outside? No problem.
I think these South Africans are on to something here. We threw a few <s>shrimp</s>
steaks on the <s>barbie</s> brai, and one of our hosts made some cheese and
onion toasted sandwiches with some kind of chutney (don’t knock it ‘till you
try it!). So we all settled down to our BBQ dinner as the rain and wind howled
away. </div>
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There was even a bit of sticky toffee pudding for dessert!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyhoYYiKNVAoY_fysuG_qqVuhlmNQ9fpSJfJhyVP0dJEtQkm7bsgdMvkK0ZeUlUpwcm2mrJ9kiB3E1QnnpydvR8EMm7o5RkhjCw0prmjp0XdrpmLK496zEVF4VUJao9Ss7g1-91ToQTmY/s1600/sticky-toffee-pudding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyhoYYiKNVAoY_fysuG_qqVuhlmNQ9fpSJfJhyVP0dJEtQkm7bsgdMvkK0ZeUlUpwcm2mrJ9kiB3E1QnnpydvR8EMm7o5RkhjCw0prmjp0XdrpmLK496zEVF4VUJao9Ss7g1-91ToQTmY/s1600/sticky-toffee-pudding.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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The resulting food coma sent me over the edge and straight
to bed! Tune in tomorrow to hear about
how we drove into a cloud, visited “little France,” and how I had the best
crème brulee (and worst heartburn – thanks baby boy!), of my life. Good night for now!<o:p></o:p></div>
April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-85253207729149523302014-06-02T13:11:00.000-07:002014-06-02T13:11:31.008-07:00SA day 4: goats, goat cheese, and steak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This morning we slept in until 10AM – glorious
vacation! We even skipped breakfast o
that we could be extra hungry for lunch.
We headed out on our drive to Fair View, a vineyard with cheese tasting
and a restaurant, basically heaven. On the way we discovered that our radio was not working but that we had an aux in cable! Hooray for all of the music we have on our phones! Oh wait... everything is in the cloud... And we have no data. So, we were stuck listening to my marathon playlist. We now know all the words (sounds?) to Gangham Style and also most Pitbull songs. #forthewin. Aaaaaanyway, Fair
View is famous for their goats (and goat cheese! Yum!), and when you drive up
to park your car, you are next to the goat enclosure. And like every good goat enclosure there is a
goat tower with a goat ladder.
Obviously. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNmhyphenhyphenEPT313y6R4PV-3hoR4vvo5K6ZhJZsIo413xh8Xmg1-KM3ICuWMU1Uc5favudhlJIjps2U71BZV0A8ADOYjVUGicSx97qzkltRtXCtbHRT-KrUrm4T_Tg3fRRhuakK5qyWd5ZCcq7e/s1600/IMG_2167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNmhyphenhyphenEPT313y6R4PV-3hoR4vvo5K6ZhJZsIo413xh8Xmg1-KM3ICuWMU1Uc5favudhlJIjps2U71BZV0A8ADOYjVUGicSx97qzkltRtXCtbHRT-KrUrm4T_Tg3fRRhuakK5qyWd5ZCcq7e/s1600/IMG_2167.JPG" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(If I were a goat, I would live in this tower, or maybe France - it's a toss up)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtbn0-v7yUDO7t_FBfIJPAXwDw2ASLt2JTnwy7_0R-GL7VA0TLkquVUHE377vjQrB14p2AfHp5uQElcTpnPwqSZVq-4uln3xJQZCTZDSKyjSmE9bgfCkICouWamCbdT-oYMJvXBOG7YO9/s1600/IMG_3806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtbn0-v7yUDO7t_FBfIJPAXwDw2ASLt2JTnwy7_0R-GL7VA0TLkquVUHE377vjQrB14p2AfHp5uQElcTpnPwqSZVq-4uln3xJQZCTZDSKyjSmE9bgfCkICouWamCbdT-oYMJvXBOG7YO9/s1600/IMG_3806.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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I'm actually seriously impressed at their ability to climb their little goat stairs. But I guess if there are two hay filled goat apartments at stake, I would brave the ladder even if my feet were cloven. And sometimes when life gives you the opportunity, you need to take a selfie with goats in a tower.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZK15Z52l9fbwgu6MwAZ0Nzof6oqAvcZzJ_RIjHYGgLVT7tgWG950VHbTxlitszsuSKFHD_0zrkFu-qVMv2xzJgWYaU3x-QI52LSoBnvu5tVw0no6UBNBwLGDKUVsTNI179ve-a75Upzp/s1600/IMG_3818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZK15Z52l9fbwgu6MwAZ0Nzof6oqAvcZzJ_RIjHYGgLVT7tgWG950VHbTxlitszsuSKFHD_0zrkFu-qVMv2xzJgWYaU3x-QI52LSoBnvu5tVw0no6UBNBwLGDKUVsTNI179ve-a75Upzp/s1600/IMG_3818.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our party did a tasting of 6 wines and 6 cheeses for a grand
total of $2.50/person. Did I mention we
are never coming home? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3gn_GNQ0_aWzEFfC_GJt1q2R1vA2pKTXIT590uu65hHT4QzgTHLV1bYYLfy64tNzZ8-a5t7U-Aiex-XEq5syHNdtmtfDI_1LAIFgJtnUkUyZH0Ypt3t4ZN2ZofcjTtEl7bvL9EVLJhF4/s1600/IMG_3804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3gn_GNQ0_aWzEFfC_GJt1q2R1vA2pKTXIT590uu65hHT4QzgTHLV1bYYLfy64tNzZ8-a5t7U-Aiex-XEq5syHNdtmtfDI_1LAIFgJtnUkUyZH0Ypt3t4ZN2ZofcjTtEl7bvL9EVLJhF4/s1600/IMG_3804.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Our tasting
coordinator even let us taste a 2001 Shiraz that is quite famous throughout the
country and not on the menu. It turns
out there was only ONE BOTTLE left, and we snapped it right up. Their next vintage is the 2012, so we feel
pretty much like we won the wine lotto.
It’ll be quite enjoyable post baby.
I also think Eric is particularly enjoying this trip, as he ends up
handling my share of the tasting due to the fact that I am takin’ care of our
little boy. Good thing vineyards are pretty!<o:p></o:p></div>
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After tasting some wine, we headed over to the other side of
the room to taste their CHEESE. We even got to taste this…</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWAM6W2iJhkOqWsJQnEc4nmwoMxFa42j0TdmcBYOT_EVQLG_VBMwwLERrGWwjKIsi0_h4pPJ27ZrHw4LROB0MMrzIazS2Wt9nw5CE8PUxgy_yzwtTZ-R4SkaCHIYc_q4OxIOWunSA5HSn/s1600/IMG_2164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWAM6W2iJhkOqWsJQnEc4nmwoMxFa42j0TdmcBYOT_EVQLG_VBMwwLERrGWwjKIsi0_h4pPJ27ZrHw4LROB0MMrzIazS2Wt9nw5CE8PUxgy_yzwtTZ-R4SkaCHIYc_q4OxIOWunSA5HSn/s1600/IMG_2164.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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I declined. I'm not sure who Donald is, but his poor goats...</div>
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They did have a France-worthy bread selection...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZhyIJBvQ24UD_PPEpC3m9t9UQslbCODz7cyqoeaPNLy04KfH_01iJ3YgjKHaLt3VwwlFgBMSSYV7a-UFmD7RJurQ24eGe_pJD3FmgcNsgZakV4tHZuSaqZXodhwmu3Rq0D4Kfq6hZaKo/s1600/IMG_3803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZhyIJBvQ24UD_PPEpC3m9t9UQslbCODz7cyqoeaPNLy04KfH_01iJ3YgjKHaLt3VwwlFgBMSSYV7a-UFmD7RJurQ24eGe_pJD3FmgcNsgZakV4tHZuSaqZXodhwmu3Rq0D4Kfq6hZaKo/s1600/IMG_3803.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Cheese, bread, and wine, my three favorite food groups!</div>
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After a delightful lunch (pasta in a cream sauce with
zucchini and chunks of salami – Mmmmm!), we took a nice drive to the university
town of Stellenbosch. Such a nice little
town and great for walking. We had a bit
of gelato, and I realized that I ALWAYS order coffee flavored gelato, and when
I don’t I am always disappointed. And
inevitably Eric and I will order the same thing unless we confer beforehand. Awwwwww! (Ok, you can go vomit now). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivu1HntlcmZrTHzMtJCye-u9hgouIgV3Wnu-QRMGlwTObbLwIGoYNUZVcy72dFWVCRIJL0r20C8MEdGSJoZFPo3p2abwKvHR7erQSuAATNTWWWTqeE1z3wpU7AXiVrmtHrUHL7yzOPIcC8/s1600/IMG_2170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivu1HntlcmZrTHzMtJCye-u9hgouIgV3Wnu-QRMGlwTObbLwIGoYNUZVcy72dFWVCRIJL0r20C8MEdGSJoZFPo3p2abwKvHR7erQSuAATNTWWWTqeE1z3wpU7AXiVrmtHrUHL7yzOPIcC8/s1600/IMG_2170.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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(<span style="font-size: x-small;">We asked the lady behind the counter how to say the name of the flavor in the front left of this picture. She shrugged and said, "I don't know, do I look Italian to you?" Um, well, not exactly...)</span></div>
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My gelato: Espresso and Biscotti flavored!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HI7JA1JV393_oF_kqjxGVS5g7_M0SpMzzQaJ2bcYe-mjKYdA3voc9bJyorZDjtOjVlzQoW3-_HReF2xh7OTQ63TyoYAFB3g4Oaz05pXlnPpVRSNWKL0t9IOHPFU1ni0if2jR88bcwkK8/s1600/ice+cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HI7JA1JV393_oF_kqjxGVS5g7_M0SpMzzQaJ2bcYe-mjKYdA3voc9bJyorZDjtOjVlzQoW3-_HReF2xh7OTQ63TyoYAFB3g4Oaz05pXlnPpVRSNWKL0t9IOHPFU1ni0if2jR88bcwkK8/s1600/ice+cream.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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While we were walking around we saw this sign...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVNrBQ7pG409pB-RpOSrfODIgxptncUtWNlZJlfbQBsx5BxHAlz30qoB94xsk8ynzhWO13qwfcrpKxOnlgYDWQIBUv9FKlpAcrWcT2mayJQSNND_rVG4MDTK4ZwyFYvRq1gg21-FzQZ4p/s1600/IMG_2169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVNrBQ7pG409pB-RpOSrfODIgxptncUtWNlZJlfbQBsx5BxHAlz30qoB94xsk8ynzhWO13qwfcrpKxOnlgYDWQIBUv9FKlpAcrWcT2mayJQSNND_rVG4MDTK4ZwyFYvRq1gg21-FzQZ4p/s1600/IMG_2169.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Apparently Stellenbosch is for steak lovers, alert Ron Burgundy. Also I feel awkward about eating the steak from the national animal. Poor springboks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some beautiful flowers for sale. </div>
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Selling for $0.75/each. I LOVE South Africa.<br />
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And as we drove home, I snapped this shot of our
neighborhood – check out those mountains!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1xSffoI61sRHgmoRlg0FsWhx8jyryXCglh_dgTDFBc-s8Esqc2rGt2tVk-YaNIQsXEG0X9m7vPCjHgFrUlpJXxGIWwK-IxPFwfIxOPH0FmPL5S0Ji3rINAZfZrpXW0ExFd0-RZo7tGoq/s1600/IMG_3825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1xSffoI61sRHgmoRlg0FsWhx8jyryXCglh_dgTDFBc-s8Esqc2rGt2tVk-YaNIQsXEG0X9m7vPCjHgFrUlpJXxGIWwK-IxPFwfIxOPH0FmPL5S0Ji3rINAZfZrpXW0ExFd0-RZo7tGoq/s1600/IMG_3825.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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After putting our friend’s toddler down for the night, the
adults headed out to Bosa restaurant in Sommerset West (the town where we are
staying), and ordered dinner. It was
difficult for me to conceive of a Bosa that does not serve exclusively
doughnuts, but I did order a delicious pizza that had avocado on top. And let me just say that the avocados I buy
at Fry’s are superior to any I’ve seen here.
Arizona and Mexican food for the win (at least today). Eric also got a
delicious treat in the form of a very cheap glass of what is normally
outrageously expensive Scotch. The
verdict is that although he loved it, we are still too cheap to buy a bottle of
Johnnie Walker Blue. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Tune in tomorrow to hear about laundry (Yay! I won’t really
tell you about the laundry I did, but it did eat up a significant chunk of my
morning. Womp womp.), decorating the
house (yay for real), the windiest tea I’ve ever had, and how we
barbequed. Indoors.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Goodnight for now!<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-12775585956284582542014-06-01T11:50:00.000-07:002014-06-01T11:50:02.484-07:00SA day 3: rain, more rain, and pudding<div class="MsoNormal">
Yesterday evening, we all decided (while half asleep) that
we should rent an additional car that Eric and I could drive. There is the small fact that they drive on
the wrong side of the road here, and that the cheapest cars have manual
transmissions. The manual transmission isn’t an issue, as we drive a manual at
home, however absolutely everything, including the location of the gears is
flipped. And unless you’ve done it, you have no idea how unnerving it is to
turn left on a red light. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2y1t_f3PNX65ABychJjP4cs5tYmjB1YEG00GD6AgZuDmRKyl7WSbOLfPrMjWRZAD3XbaNGevvx0bAuoZ0kQdm5MjFOHaImABmAM_Gcg8AqkIT3glzgAETQ-BCsJq9YCh66cqTo3dAUthA/s1600/IMG_2144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2y1t_f3PNX65ABychJjP4cs5tYmjB1YEG00GD6AgZuDmRKyl7WSbOLfPrMjWRZAD3XbaNGevvx0bAuoZ0kQdm5MjFOHaImABmAM_Gcg8AqkIT3glzgAETQ-BCsJq9YCh66cqTo3dAUthA/s1600/IMG_2144.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(here we all are packed into one car!)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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This morning, Eric headed out to rent our very own VW Polo
(like a VW golf, but smaller… lots smaller).
Eric wouldn’t allow me to ride with him in the car until he <s>finished
hitting pedestrians </s>more practiced, so I got to ride around with our hosts
and tour guides. Our first stop was
Table Mountain, which was closed because of the rain. Our second stop was a vineyard, which was
closed because of the rain. Our third
stop was the beach, which was closed because of the rain (noticing a trend
here?). The sun finally came out long
enough for us to lunch on the patio at a place called Michelle’s where I had a
croquet monsieur, which reminded me of France.
And at their shop, I saw this…</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9diU1jve3J0Ct9b_NXIFE2Nmd6_P0bt_qaWYhQ_fq6zJMClBtigjnW-0lsKSLCC8QnoOxu2ikwWeagiwQ_Yxa_NfFAvb_84f1IWJL_oPooGE7eV3Kma05eDGVusXc42jI8_wEhShFpf_/s1600/IMG_3800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9diU1jve3J0Ct9b_NXIFE2Nmd6_P0bt_qaWYhQ_fq6zJMClBtigjnW-0lsKSLCC8QnoOxu2ikwWeagiwQ_Yxa_NfFAvb_84f1IWJL_oPooGE7eV3Kma05eDGVusXc42jI8_wEhShFpf_/s1600/IMG_3800.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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…Which is not quite what I expected of a margarita. Things
are definitely different in South Africa.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Afterward, we tried to go to Kirstenbosch Gardens. This is what it should look like<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaV5LnFUCHKO67gEjfTlEDL13GDDOqh1nJcd_t2zJGLRPpJzhMaPxbO9Av9MAFItvww_enei3NpLaiajSK7U-XVeElODcOi9Mv0qBaIA4aV0CprIVGaNDbyurlxQo-SUoa0t6WXcdmO5m/s1600/Kirstenbosch_-_View_from_the_Botanical_Gardens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaV5LnFUCHKO67gEjfTlEDL13GDDOqh1nJcd_t2zJGLRPpJzhMaPxbO9Av9MAFItvww_enei3NpLaiajSK7U-XVeElODcOi9Mv0qBaIA4aV0CprIVGaNDbyurlxQo-SUoa0t6WXcdmO5m/s1600/Kirstenbosch_-_View_from_the_Botanical_Gardens.jpg" height="274" width="640" /></a></div>
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And this is what it looked like instead<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KaGVSVYNfcLhqB3Ze-atGmRFEq5m4VPdgj_O431Fo77jyrK6TqBtx1EMw7Wea9QipUnOnIG5-alUMKCCAykj8uxhW9XmrWu8ZqmHU7r82xqBo8hTNCijLLfoxzucX-Dq1swBLlichhZH/s1600/rainstorm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KaGVSVYNfcLhqB3Ze-atGmRFEq5m4VPdgj_O431Fo77jyrK6TqBtx1EMw7Wea9QipUnOnIG5-alUMKCCAykj8uxhW9XmrWu8ZqmHU7r82xqBo8hTNCijLLfoxzucX-Dq1swBLlichhZH/s1600/rainstorm.jpg" height="382" width="640" /></a></div>
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Womp womp. We briefly visited the Waterfront shopping area,
before heading home to whip up a curry for dinner. Afterward we indulged in a south African
dessert, Malva Pudding, which is a sort of sponge baked pudding with a caramel
cream and butter sauce on top…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hhMV__-iKQ3d0XISp6gTLi6tFfuThWpvT6mao0heed64dPiJREtc5_K2SrAnLLQTHGqO8GKWBmp5UxcADvbdY9iePj9npCC5YgbjbjwiycoftMWm_3i1fvvYhJRDZvvznF-m85SKZzZP/s1600/Malva+Pudding.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hhMV__-iKQ3d0XISp6gTLi6tFfuThWpvT6mao0heed64dPiJREtc5_K2SrAnLLQTHGqO8GKWBmp5UxcADvbdY9iePj9npCC5YgbjbjwiycoftMWm_3i1fvvYhJRDZvvznF-m85SKZzZP/s1600/Malva+Pudding.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Verk lekker is what one of our hosts family members calls
it. It’s Afrikaans for “to die for,” and
they are right. The closest thing I’ve
had to it in America is like a sticky toffee pudding. Mmmmmmmmm…. Post dessert we headed right off
for bed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Apologies for the lack of photos today, the weather was
dismal but the company was delightful and one of those definitely comes across
better via blog. Tomorrow I shall make
up for it, though. Tune in to hear about
how we are now cheese experts (as if I wasn’t before!), how we scored the VERY
LAST bottle of a 2001 Shiraz that was voted the best red wine in South Africa,
how Eric and I now know every word to Gangham Style and are fluent in Korean
(not really, but it feels that way), and how I am incapable of ordering
anything but coffee flavored gelato. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Goodnight for now!<o:p></o:p></div>
April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-45830660866865546652014-05-31T05:44:00.000-07:002014-05-31T05:44:13.958-07:00SA day 2: chocolate and wine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">After falling asleep on Tuesday evening, I was awakened
(which is saying something considering the length of time it had been since my
last sleep) by the wind and the rain outside the house. Being from AZ, I find it hard to
conceptualize rain that lasts more than 30 minutes, but it proceeded to storm
all night and into the morning. I’m sure
the locals were less than thrilled, but this desert rat was delighted. </span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We decided to breakfast at the café at Woolworth’s which was
delicious and I regret not taking a photo.
I had scones with jam and cream, which I’ve not had since our days of
High Tea in the Queen’s Room on the Queen Elizabeth, so it was a nice
treat. Eric had something with a poached
egg which became one of our main conversation topics. I’m not sure how many of you out there have
serious opinions on eggs (I seriously do not like them and that’s the extent of
my opinion on the matter), but we were trying to decide how to properly poach
an egg, and why in the world one would poach an egg hard in lieu of just
boiling the thing? If you have thoughts
on this I would love to know because my life is just really interesting and I
need to know things about eggs. Also, is it more advantageous to use the
egg-poaching-tool-thingy as opposed to just a spoon, or is it just a ploy by
William Sonoma to get us to buy something?
I apologize for the intensity of this topic, my thoughts are deep, what
can I say? ;) <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Following breakfast we headed out on the wine route (like
Route 66, but better, for obvious reasons), and my compadres enjoyed a tasting
by the fire at Warwick Vineyards. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDngscA4kl5aVO_rpws4TvGITlB1BRjqvTM4EKPhl7pdZOt5tI8RTvttFl1YCV2mPEc6C5NrAHv5WiBBwNDPDLtj1pwrjv21RHVXWr_yENKT8noTg9U8k8IykpUXX8ILXZ9Gs_U1eMLih4/s1600/IMG_3795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDngscA4kl5aVO_rpws4TvGITlB1BRjqvTM4EKPhl7pdZOt5tI8RTvttFl1YCV2mPEc6C5NrAHv5WiBBwNDPDLtj1pwrjv21RHVXWr_yENKT8noTg9U8k8IykpUXX8ILXZ9Gs_U1eMLih4/s1600/IMG_3795.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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The day continued to be on and off blustery and rainy which
I found to be increasingly delightful.
Who knew clouds could cover one place so long? Capetown and its
surrounding so far is like a mix of places… sort of like Ireland meets San
Fransisco meets Southern California.
There are hilly green pastures that are covered in fog, and everything
grows like weeds. In Capetown you have a
garden automatically, you either cultivate it on purpose or just let it
happen. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We drove through the fog and fields for a bit before
stopping at the Spice Route, a small conglomeration of uniquely local artisanal
shops and a vineyard. This place is
pretty awesome in that everything is grown and cultivated on site (the grapes
for the wine are hand picked!), and you can taste everything from cured meats
to wine to chocolate (also known as heaven on earth). The chartucerie supplied some spicy sausage
for our dinner…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1dN0GnZD8EGhlGIfnruU1umzO9yoFO39aq2kQi270BbryaHUrUQ6hHevJYch1ddMwRK3rd2EOpXRYchyphenhyphenMFQCKXmiMv_4NpSCiNxRhN8rAFLPw_A8RqVI-wxMYgbmEMXqudOcIONMYGA1/s1600/IMG_3797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1dN0GnZD8EGhlGIfnruU1umzO9yoFO39aq2kQi270BbryaHUrUQ6hHevJYch1ddMwRK3rd2EOpXRYchyphenhyphenMFQCKXmiMv_4NpSCiNxRhN8rAFLPw_A8RqVI-wxMYgbmEMXqudOcIONMYGA1/s1600/IMG_3797.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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And we lunched with this beautiful view overlooking the
hillside.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPgheyZDiDc1h4OA9XZ7ySAM-EDwTlN_asJrdoQspVqYj4i9INFiyryHsizig1Em19Tn-v0bLC7i3egRBD57CDwM6gUbqZBnX8dK7dyp5w0B1O-J_21xfnCFR4b8Bc5OAGdYcR3TetLkR/s1600/spice+route.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPgheyZDiDc1h4OA9XZ7ySAM-EDwTlN_asJrdoQspVqYj4i9INFiyryHsizig1Em19Tn-v0bLC7i3egRBD57CDwM6gUbqZBnX8dK7dyp5w0B1O-J_21xfnCFR4b8Bc5OAGdYcR3TetLkR/s1600/spice+route.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p> </o:p>The flowers that grow here are unreal!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEian72mhgl0NiqS7IPaaHEjFxnwzoNgjcUzKf3co02yQ_aOW7-gcurpsDYzkVJWuy4nC9NmN5579kcduB9MWvEdIR07cNnZQ4q_tFhAUku-legyEdUy-GRNnCxhrte-qaHr5d5xj7Pl56Yf/s1600/IMG_2196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEian72mhgl0NiqS7IPaaHEjFxnwzoNgjcUzKf3co02yQ_aOW7-gcurpsDYzkVJWuy4nC9NmN5579kcduB9MWvEdIR07cNnZQ4q_tFhAUku-legyEdUy-GRNnCxhrte-qaHr5d5xj7Pl56Yf/s1600/IMG_2196.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Afterward, we indulged in a chocolate tasting. There should be chocolate tasting in every
city in America – we should pass a law (call your local representative). We
learned all about how the beans are grown, harvested, dried, roasted and then
made into chocolate, and we got to sample varieties made from beans grown in Madagascar
and Uganda to Bolivia and Chile.
YUM. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKynYbrxNMTl24UI7g8-Fb0YCpyoyXIxK2h6RRJD2Ip7R3Kb407vE3iemBcQp6-eWxkkt5FSUE0WN_urrKJfAMftUfGvPp5K31ZRLTZBNZnfymUb8pl8r_eIbfYl5Eq9SMRz1kpOhWbrV/s1600/DV-Chocolates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKynYbrxNMTl24UI7g8-Fb0YCpyoyXIxK2h6RRJD2Ip7R3Kb407vE3iemBcQp6-eWxkkt5FSUE0WN_urrKJfAMftUfGvPp5K31ZRLTZBNZnfymUb8pl8r_eIbfYl5Eq9SMRz1kpOhWbrV/s1600/DV-Chocolates.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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They also serve this little
cup of drinking chocolate which has the magical power to turn any crap day into
a delightful one, or at least it tastes like it could. In other news, whoever
does their branding is brilliant because their packaging just makes you want to
buy the stuff. They had these posters
hanging in their tasting room and I adore them!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURAh4iSlx_GjLW8d2sXrqSUxQaIiuPCfwaAge2KQ75TURMvpyQx3Aekk7r_2ud_WMgF963AwfgTEH1eqj8LTCZ1VB4fkup1Lt-sUlpZQ5sbAiv3WCCyZlUPDtahKEBstddacA_47wgwC6/s1600/IMG_3799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURAh4iSlx_GjLW8d2sXrqSUxQaIiuPCfwaAge2KQ75TURMvpyQx3Aekk7r_2ud_WMgF963AwfgTEH1eqj8LTCZ1VB4fkup1Lt-sUlpZQ5sbAiv3WCCyZlUPDtahKEBstddacA_47wgwC6/s1600/IMG_3799.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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We asked if they were sold as prints, and told that they
were not. But the shop owner suggested
we take a high-res photo of them and have them blown up, because that would be
cheaper – I love this country. I’m out of wall space in my house, but I’m going
to have to make some because I need to see those prints every day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our chocolate tasting cost a grand total of $2.50, which
brings me to another point. Food and
experiences are FANTASTICALLY CHEAP in South Africa. We have had two gourmet meals thus far and
each has run us only about $12/person.
Wine tastings are unbelievable as well. Eric bought a basic tasting of 7
wines today for a grand total of $4.
Inexpensive wine and cheap chocolate – I’m ready to move! We hear from our hosts that clothing and home
supplies are substantially more expensive than the USA, so I guess that’s one
reason to stay state-side. Fuel is also
more expensive. In fact, we have yet to
visit a place whose gas/petrol is less expensive than America, yet we always
seem to be complaining about gas prices, why is that? <o:p></o:p></div>
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I must say that everywhere we have traveled, I find myself
frustrated with the food scene in America. In both South Africa and Europe we have been
able to eat out at nice restaurants with quality, real ingredients, and pay
relatively low prices for it. Why can
America not do the same? It can’t be
because sourcing the product is easier because France is not really
agricultural, and shipping anything to Capetown costs roughly your entire bank
account and first-born child. It can’t
be because the value of the currency is lower because EVERYTHING ELSE in France
was extraordinarily more expensive when compared with the dollar. I don’t think I’m saying anything new here
when I say that the food system in America is jacked up, but I guess I don’t
understand why we too can’t make a decent crayfish risotto with truffle oil and
only charge $10. First world problems…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Upon returning home...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(this is the backyard of the home where we are staying with friends)</span></div>
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...we took a little time to rest (and
blog!), before whipping up soup with sausage for dinner! We felt substantially more rested tonight,
but still were ready to hop into bed pretty soon after dinner. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Tune in tomorrow to hear about how the rain ruined
everything and nothing all at once, how we learned to drive a manual
transmission on the wrong side of the road, and why Malfa pudding should come
to the USA. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Gooodnight for now! <o:p></o:p></div>
April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-68884239181192873382014-05-29T13:34:00.001-07:002014-05-29T13:34:55.213-07:00Coming to Africa - the southern bit, that is.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings from South Africa! I haven’t updated this blog in
ages – not since we were last abroad, in Paris!
I’ve told family and friends to check here for updates on our travels,
so if we haven’t chatted for a while here’s a brief re-cap of our life: Eric is
still working in construction tech at Sundt, I finished my last year as a
teacher, and we are expecting a baby boy in the fall. I think that about sums it all up =) Oh yeah,
and we’re in Africa on vacation. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are now on our second full day in Capetown, but let’s
re-cap our travel days, shall we? First
off, there are two main ways of getting to South Africa by plane: Phoenix –
London – Capetown, or Phoenix – Atlanta – Johannesburg – Capetown. We chose the route with fewer stops, but both
flights are LONG. I’m not sure how I
didn’t think about the fact that the longest travel time we have done
previously is 15 hours, and that this would be more than double that: 36 hours
from door to door. We had a fancy plan
to help us sleep on the planes and then be in great shape when we arrived at
10AM Tuesday morning and of course that <s>worked out perfectly</s> went to
crap. We had a few little adventures
worth recounting on our way over. First off, flying pregnant is awesome and
also it sucks. It’s awesome in the fact
that we were given SO many privileges: we got to pre-board, ensuring that our
bags were immediately above our seats (one of our flights was oversold and many
people had to gate check their luggage), the stewards and stewardesses treat
you like a queen, you get free treats, etc.
It sucks because… you’re pregnant. But in all honesty, the discomfort wasn’t too
intense until the end of each flight. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We found that flying British Airways was a nice experience –
nicer than Southwest (go figure), but not nearly as nice as Air Canada, our
reigning fave. Again, I cannot recommend
strongly enough that you choose the veggie options when you order your airplane
food. The meat is often poorly cooked and nearly unrecognizable (Is this
chicken? Beef? Raccoon?), but spinach and cheese ravioli is always yum. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We also managed to pack in carry a carry on again – go
us! I think we’ve finally mastered the
technique. As long as you have access to
laundry, we bring 3 bottoms and 4/5 tops each as well as a sweater, jacket,
scarf, hat and 2/3 pairs of shoes.
Everything has to go together, and nothing can be high maintenance (dry
clean only, handwash, etc.). Add some
unmentionables, toiletries, and an umbrella and you’re pretty much set! For me it helped that right now I can only
wear maternity clothing anyway, so that helped to narrow my choices
substantially (every cloud has a silver lining). Once we are home I’d like to do a post
outlining exactly what I packed and why, but since that’s pretty boring, I’ll
save it for later.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our first flight was largely uneventful, apart from the
Finnish woman sitting next to Eric who found it extremely amusing that Eric’s
reading light was on her armrest (it wasn’t), and she proceeded to toggle it on
and off several times while giggling to herself (weirdo) as Eric tried
unsuccessfully to sleep. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Once we arrived at Heathrow, we had intended to head into
Windsor via taxi to explore the city. We
decided we were too tired to do that, so we opted to catch a little shut eye on
the ultra-comfortable benches, like so…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGpdnx-DdVJgcHds66-gV2NAVqkd8O8aOJ7ERbg8KZRf7rQf-AhpseTPmZR3UIMcEOYSD7-s5IbxxxnCvmqf_u0pc3mnmzFRezm-skjtLDzPVuX755xHBCEBTrFVLsgHWJlR0NND4Li3Z/s1600/IMG_3794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGpdnx-DdVJgcHds66-gV2NAVqkd8O8aOJ7ERbg8KZRf7rQf-AhpseTPmZR3UIMcEOYSD7-s5IbxxxnCvmqf_u0pc3mnmzFRezm-skjtLDzPVuX755xHBCEBTrFVLsgHWJlR0NND4Li3Z/s1600/IMG_3794.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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When we travel, I have a strategy (Me? Strategy? Who would
have thought… ;)) for packing my personal item… I try to pack my personal item
as a purse, usually a medium sized black or brown one, with another smaller
purse inside the other. I pack my wallet
(emptied of everything but essentials, my passport (in a cute holder!),<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvC7eXumk7onwmpp-uQIK_toiz3uvw92XFYlFVbzJjdckVkcCyFvMb6aU8Dazw5c1CtU-lGtWghgvrUM4XnofjOHXfY8uFVigj3E06JHtjXrtVxlqeYEiqTQ_YXC3iQVuwrPpJr9XahyRC/s1600/IMG_3778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvC7eXumk7onwmpp-uQIK_toiz3uvw92XFYlFVbzJjdckVkcCyFvMb6aU8Dazw5c1CtU-lGtWghgvrUM4XnofjOHXfY8uFVigj3E06JHtjXrtVxlqeYEiqTQ_YXC3iQVuwrPpJr9XahyRC/s1600/IMG_3778.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Playing cards, a small book (I have yet to convert to an
e-reader, I like to turn pages), lotion (after passing through security), an
empty water bottle, my phone and charger, earbuds, earplugs, and a sleepy
mask. The last two are VERY helpful if
you find it difficult to sleep sitting up. Or if your want to take advantage of
the posh benches (insert sarcasm font here) at Heathrow airport. <o:p></o:p></div>
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**If you are traveling through Heathrow and have a long-ish
layover, here’s a helpful hint. They
don’t post your gate until 90 minutes before your flight, forcing you to hang
out in their “mall” area in Terminal 5.
If you have time, head to Gate 55C (via the inter-terminal
transit). The C gates are usually dead,
and there is a huge Starbucks there with multiple couches and pillows. I was full of nap-regret upon seeing these
and figured I’d help out a future traveler.
It’s OK, you’re welcome.**<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anyone else out there travel through Heathrow
regularly? Maybe it’s just me, but my
experiences there have all been dismal. Security
lines are long and more inefficient than any other airport I’ve been through
(save El Paso because… El Paso.), and something odd happens to me every time
(like being accosted by transients, or accidentally smacked in the head by
large Croatian women – that’s a good story), and this time was no
exception. After our 8 hour layover, we
finally get to the gate for boarding and are told that our plane cannot
approach the jetway (are they arguing or something?), so we will be shuttled to
the plane. Serously – this is one of the
best known and biggest airports in the world, and we are walking across the
tarmac in the rain to a city bus? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQe72YjP4ryX3YDue8zUyWf4eA3IoyJ7T2PwoVwrejZowc8MLPJ_8Uxw25tDyfCyXvBTwh2yc6kFk0BQ3C17k6QyvJ_bKeSjSv06PfKhOzc8DscCM88h3e0GyI9iAmlSkbh2RXYl8J0_1/s1600/IMG_3784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQe72YjP4ryX3YDue8zUyWf4eA3IoyJ7T2PwoVwrejZowc8MLPJ_8Uxw25tDyfCyXvBTwh2yc6kFk0BQ3C17k6QyvJ_bKeSjSv06PfKhOzc8DscCM88h3e0GyI9iAmlSkbh2RXYl8J0_1/s1600/IMG_3784.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(This is the view from our bus. We had to stop for a plane because this isn't a road, it's a runway - odd!)</span></div>
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Allllllrighty
then. Once on board, we were delighted to learn that the plane was only half
full, suh-weet! This is like a happy
accident where you paid for coach and got upgraded to first class, because
everyone just spreads out to take up his or her own row so that you can lie
flat or watch two episodes of Pawn Stars at once. Winning. This was our longest
flight at 11:50, and we didn’t sleep much despite the extra space. Failing. We
had a bit of an odd experience when about 2 hours into the flight they started
paging any passengers that might happen to be a GP. No Bueno. I’m not sure what the procedure is
for sick people on planes but thankfully it wasn’t an emergency landing because
I’m doubtful that quality medical care could be easily found in any of the small
African cities over which we were flying.
This continued throughout the flight and upon landing they brought the
paramedics aboard. Prayers to whoever
that was, and thanks to God that it wasn’t us – how scary! When we had to go
back to our assigned seats for landing, we discovered we were sitting next to a
mom and daughter who were coming to SA to do long term missions – cool! Upon descent to the runway, she did say,
“Wow, it looks like we’re landing in the Lion King,” so there might need to be
some cultural sensitivity training there, but at least she was excited. ;) <o:p></o:p></div>
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After landing, our
friends Dustin and Hallie who are living in SA for a time with their son,
Graeme, drove us back to their home just outside Capetown in a village called
Sommerset West. The house have
approximately 27 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms (just kidding… kind of). They use it to house short term mission teams
when they come over from churches that partner with their ministry (check out
Orchard Africa!), and then in our winter (South African summer), the home will
be used as an income producing B&B – brilliant idea. <o:p></o:p></div>
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When we travel across multiple time zones we find it best to
make ourselves overly tired on our first day so that we sleep well and are all
ready for our second day. This meant that
when we arrived in Capetown, we were needing to go and do something active so
that we didn’t <s>fall asleep standing up while drooling on ourselves</s> have
to take a nap. We headed out to the second oldest wine estate in South Africa, Veregelegen, for lunch, sightseeing and wine
tasting. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQaOTtLbH4_tqXaqTUmql7etBP9rdCGcduQweSA-L90vmx6ck4cndx4a3Lzsaapai_9ywea9qm6cNoAjPYz6cXKaPKgg8I1BVvWMjWITO96E1PLzjE1Sq96glY72G6QSCA16DfLLgulnE/s1600/IMG_2128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQaOTtLbH4_tqXaqTUmql7etBP9rdCGcduQweSA-L90vmx6ck4cndx4a3Lzsaapai_9ywea9qm6cNoAjPYz6cXKaPKgg8I1BVvWMjWITO96E1PLzjE1Sq96glY72G6QSCA16DfLLgulnE/s1600/IMG_2128.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(The oldest camphor trees in SA - planted over 300 years ago!) </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Saw this Gemsbok just running around - it's like living in the zoo!)</span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Eric's meal - delicious fillet of beef and sauteed veggies)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(My meal - cold roast beef with caramelized onions and sun-dried tomatoes and marscapone on french bread)</span></div>
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This was followed by a trip to Woolworth’s Grocery, which I
would describe as the more European offspring of a Trader Joe’s and a Sprouts,
with a killer café and a mean cappuccino.
We picked up dinner ingredients and coffee (decaf, sadly). And after a
monumental battle against sleeping on the ride home (I may have lost), we
whipped up an easy dinner, and FINALLY collapsed into bed approximately 50
hours after our previous night’s sleep.
At least having a baby won’t be THAT bad in terms of sleep-loss ;)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tune in tomorrow to hear about poached eggs, driving on the
wrong side of the road, rain (that water that falls from the sky in places that
aren’t Phoenix), chocolate tasting, and how we might just decide to live here
forever (not really… but maybe).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Goodnight for now! <o:p></o:p></div>
April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-41153536509565874922013-06-22T12:16:00.002-07:002013-06-22T12:16:55.572-07:00Paris day 5: The Orsay and seriously good food... again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Bonjour from Paris day five! Seriously, how has it been 5 days already? We are more than halfway done with our first Paris stay and I still feel like we just got here! It was a bit hard to sleep last night owing to the fact that it was trash pick up day and apparently in Paris it's mandatory to take the trash to the bin in the shared courtyard between midnight and 2AM and then you MUST slam the lid. No exceptions. We needed a pick me up so we stopped on our way to the Orsay to grab some coffee.</div>
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You can't really get a cup of brewed "coffee" here. It's all espresso, but I'm not complaining. I don't think I'm even going to drink another cup of coffee ever again - I'm so enjoying sipping my solo from my demitasse cup and saucer. C'est magnifique! And, in another edition of "News That Shocks No One," I ordered a goat cheese crepe and it was fab. This country is seriously feeding my cheese addiction. Afterward, we headed out to the Orsay, which for those of you who don't know (this group included me until the start of our audio guide), it picks up where the Louvre leaves off in terms of the historical timeline. It shows art only from the 18th and 19th centuries and it's almost entirely French art, but hey, it's their country.</div>
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The building used to be a train station, and was slated for demolition until the public demanded it be used as a gallery (presumably by setting up a strike - a little poking fun at the French here). You can still see the vestiges of the station in the photo below. The long gallery used to be filled with platforms and commuters, now it's filled with statues and oil paintings. Good trade off. Check out the original station clock in the main gallery...</div>
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The views from the top floors are incredible. This is really the geographic center of Paris, and you can see everything. Below is the hill on which the Montmarte neighborhood is situated. The white-domed church you see in the distance is called Sacre Coeur. The blog will take you there on Sunday. =)<br />
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And out the windows on the other side you have a fantastic view of the Eiffel. If only they served dinners under 35 euro in their restaurant - alas, they don't.</div>
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And while I have a moment, let me again sing the praises of the Museum Pass. See the line below? Yeah, that snakes into the street, and down the block. And you can't see that they have a Disneyland-style (though not nearly as efficiently run) rope line to wind through before they get to ANOTHER line for tickets. All in all, the wait was into the 3 hour window. Guess how long we waited? Four minutes - I timed it (the things I do for you blog readers ;)). Yeah! Museum Pass for the win!<br />
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The clocks on the exterior of the building are see-through and make a superb silhouette. </div>
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So... Some of these photos are less than great, owing to the fact that photo-taking wasn't allowed and every attempt made me feel like I was Jason Bourne (not really, but I can dream). I absolutely promise you that I do not remember any titles of the art or their associated artists, so let's just get that out of the way, ok? Ok. Eric and I both loved this painting of a famous Chemist whose name escapes me. check out the detail in all his little beakers and pipettes! (<- That is a seriously fun word to say. I highly recommend you saying it 5 times fast when you're having a bad day. It promises to induce giggling.)</div>
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So, I have sad news for you. Despite the fact that The Orsay holds the largest impressionist collection in the world, you're not going to see any. *cue sad music* The photo-police to museum attendee ratio was basically 137 to one in those rooms, so no-can-do with the Monets and Manets. But it's ok because I took this picture of a Lobster for you instead.</div>
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You're welcome. I did manage to slyly grab a shot of a Cezanne (I think?) who was of the Pointilist School (think bajillions of tiny dots), so there's that...</div>
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In all seriousness, he only used four colors to make "The Circus," and it looks incredible. Color me impressed.<br />
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The "Far East" room was the shocker for the day. We expected to be wowed by the impressionists, but we didn't see these guys coming. We both fell in love with the North African scene of camels crossing Algeria (don't ask how Algeria counts as Far East because I don't have an answer). <br />
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And this elephant bathing scene totally captured us. I think these were so unexpected and refreshing amidst all the sun-dappled Parisian parks and seascapes of the impressionists that they really spoke to us.<br />
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There was also a whole room of vases that were REDICULOUS. Seriously they were basically 12 feet tall and had gold sculptures coming out of the top. This is not a fantastic picture (picture me, dodging museum workers like Jason Bourne), but it really looked like Wedgewood china. It wasn't, but it looked amazingly similar. <br />
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I was probably unreasonably giddy to see the painting below of Don Quixote. I stared at this painting on the cover of my book while I read it in high school. And if you've ever read that thing from cover to cover, you know it look me a LONG time. It's bigger than the bible. Anybody else recognize this one from the cover??<br />
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Ok, so this one is waaaaaaaay far from the painting, but I LOVE this piece that shows the ballerina dancing (I think it's by Degas?). There was a museum worker right there, so it was an extra special super-covert op situation. Mission: successful.</div>
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Even the Coke-a-Cola polar bear made an appearance...<br />
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We even got a little slice of home in the furniture gallery (where I seriously could have spent DAYS, I tell you!) where we saw this chair by Frank Lloyd Wright. Ugly chair, but nice to see the word "Phoenix" in print.</div>
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So, sorry again about the lack of photos of the good stuff, but after I look the photo of the chemist, I'm fairly certain the museum put a tail on us - no, really. For the last 3 hours of the day, every time I turned around the same lady was right there. Sneaky? Not so much. Effective? Definitely.<br />
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Afterwards we headed home for dinner. We stayed at the museum for 6 hours!! We took a two hour lunch break (look how French we are!), but our combined time at the museum was 6:30. Woah! We have discovered that we providentially chose the best cheap apartment in Paris. We have eaten out for every meal with the exception of our picnic, and we've eaten all over the city. And our three best meals have been less than a 2 minute walk from our flat which is quite literally surrounded by amazing restaurants. Tonight was no exception because I could see our door from our table at the restaurant. I have been really trying to expand my palette (I tried eggs three times, mom! Still hate 'em, but I tried!), so tonight I ordered lamb (yuck), with scalloped potatoes (double yuck). Yes, I know. Judge me, judge away. <br />
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This gorgeousness is what arrived at my table (sorry it's sideways, I'm tired so just tilt your head). Every single bite was PHENOMENAL. Seriously! The lamb was falling off the bone - it was fork tender and sooooo flavorful! The scalloped potatoes were done to perfection and you could tell they had used really good cheese (always a god place to start). All of this plus bread and wine for (drum roll) 16 euro. In dollars that's about $20. Best lamb of my life, amazing potatoes, wine, and all for $20, tip included. What are we doing WRONG in America?! Seriously, someone work on that while I'm gone. Your mission is incredible lamb and an equally amazing side dish for under $20. Go. Seriously though, this was just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill street café. Wowzers. Love me some French food. That's all I have for today, sorry there aren't any pics of us, but picture black ops had so sacrifice something and it was our faces. Which is a little sad because we both looked very Parisian today and I was proud of us. No worries though, we packed in a carry on so we'll repeat those outfits... many, many many times.</div>
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Check back here tomorrow (Hopefully! Blogging ops are getting less frequent.) to hear about meeting Mona and Venus, and how we got in touch with Eric's Polish roots. Au revoir for now! </div>
April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-28666824519154134662013-06-20T14:35:00.004-07:002013-06-20T14:35:33.278-07:00Paris day 4: not actually in ParisWe were in Versailles instead! We learned our lesson from the day before, and we purchased tickets for the RER/metro to Versailles, which is ten miles from Paris and pretty isolated. If you tried to go ten miles from the center of Phoenix you'd probably still have to pay a parking meter. I love Europe. <br />
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As we were leaving the apartment this morning it began to sprinkle. No big deal. We turned the corner on the main street. Hmmm, this is more like substantial rain - should I dig out my umbrella? Three seconds later, "I thought God promised never to flood the world again!!" It was a wet morning. I had a substantial fashion dilemma when packing (men, feel free to tune out here). I knew the weather had been wet, and honestly, I had to ask our British roommates how to dress for the wet weather because beyond out and out rain boots, I really had no idea. In the end I rationalized bringing two sets of sandals and not "rain shoes." Reason number 1: rubberized rain shoes aren't my jam, fashion-wise. Reason 2: I packed for three weeks in a carry on and it was TIGHT. Seriously, the zipper was holding on by a prayer. I didn't have room for rain shoes and figured I'd trash a pair of sandals (the gladiator kind that have straps all over everywhere so they stay on), and that even if my feet were cold and dirty, they'd dry quickly. My theory got a serious test today. And... SUCCESS! I recommend this method for anyone packing light to someplace rainy in the summer. While the leather on your sandals will be a strange ombre color, they dry SO quickly, and despite what Mother Goose may have told you, no one ever died from wet feet. Poor Eric's tennis shoes were soaking until 4PM, when it started raining again, womp womp.<br />
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Aaaaaand we're back to regularly scheduled non-footwear programming. The rain abated (SAT word alert!) upon our arrival to Versailles and this was the view we were met with...<br />
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Wowzer! Look at all of that gold! This is only part of the chateau, I wasn't ever able to get the whole thing in one shot. You know you're house is BIG when it can't fit in a camera angle. I'm resisting the urge to give you a history lesson on the chateau, mostly because that's a throw back to Mr. Bergez's 8th grade history class and I can't remember where my socks are, much less any interesting details. however, I can tell you it was built by Louis XIV and expanded by the two Louis that followed. It cost roughly 50% of France's GDP that year to build the first phase (and they wondered why the peasants were mad???), and it was a pretty brilliant political move by the monarch to keep the aristocracy that was troubling so many other European kings under his thumb by forcing them to party constantly at his country house. The property is 8 miles long and 3 miles wide, most f which are the gardens which are spectacular. Versailles was home to thee three Louis, each successor less adept at controlling the country than the previous, until Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were finally captured by peasants and made a foot shorter at the top. Then Napoleon took over and lived here as emperor. Bad luck for peasants everywhere. There's your mini-history lesson, even though I said I wouldn't. Look what you made me do.<br />
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This is the ceiling in the chapel where Louis XIV would worship God and the aristocracy would worship Louis. No, really. Louis was the only one facing the golden altar. The nobles had their backs to the altar and were to worship Louis. Weird that his empire went down in flames? Not so much.<br />
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I think our queen size bed could fit comfortably in this fireplace. HUGE!<br />
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Hall of Mirrors! Apparently, mirrors were a luxury of the time, and having a whole hall of them said to your guests, "I am King, hear me and my pocketbook roar. Now stare at yourself and don't get in the way of me running the country." But in all seriousness, it was sobering to be in a room where so much has happened. Wars were ended here, and depending on how you feel about The Treaty of Versailles, some would say that wars were begun here. </div>
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Each of the arched mirrors has a window opposite it to match. They reflect the expansive grounds.<br />
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The coronation of Napoleon (original hangs in the Louvre). And in typical Napoleon style, he doesn't need a pope to give him a crown, he does it himself, thankyouverymuch.<br />
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Some cute guy on the front porch of the chateau. ;)<br />
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Just one eeenie-weenie section of the garden. Louis was proud of his ability to grow oranges in a climate where no one else could. Each of his 1000 orange trees was potted in a silver planter, and when the weather turned dicey, they were wheeled into a giant nursery. Then, they were wheeled out every afternoon for his enjoyment. Sheesh!<br />
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Me and my hero sandals!</div>
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This looks straight out the eight miles of parks and lakes on the grounds. The lake you see is one mile long in and of itself and you can rent little rowboats and paddle around. I think a marathon should be run here. I'd sign up. Who wants to come cheer me on?? ;) Sadly, many of the fountains were under construction, but the rest of the grounds were so spectacular we didn't feel like we missed out.<br />
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If you can see that gold spiky business on the left, you'll see that they have added modern art to the neo-classical statues already present. No bueno. Given, modern art isn't my thing, but seriously, it obstructs the views and makes ZERO sense. *Steps down off soap box*<br />
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The main and smallest wing of the chateau from 3/4 mile away. See? Huge.<br />
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This is one of the less formal (yes, you read that right) bedrooms in one of the later additions to the chateau. The railing is to keep the courtiers who are invited to watch you get up, dress, pray, eat, use the facilities (no lie!) and pretty much everything else, at a safe distance. Um, no thanks.<br />
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A table gifted to the royal family. It's carved from one solid hunk of wood ladies and gents. Wow.<br />
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I tried to sneak into the unopened rooms and Eric caught me! Just kidding... maybe.<br />
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At the end of some war (it was a long day people, my details are fuzzy), the losing side gave France this present of a baptismal font carved from Serbian (? Maybe Slovokian? Started with an "S") malachite. Isn't that crazy looking? There were about 15 malachite pieces in the room, another of which you can see in the background.<br />
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Most of the lawns are neatly manicured. We even saw someone trimming topiaries with a wooden guide, ah perfectionism. But the parts near Marie Antoinette's private farm were my favorite, I think. They're more wild and mysterious. What can I say? I prefer meandering (English) gardens to manicured (French) ones. <br />
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The farm still functions and local school children manage the plots. They even grow grapes for pressing into wine as you can see above. Well, actually there were no grapes, but the vines were there so you get the idea.</div>
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And about an hour after we took this photo we were back in Paris. Just as we were arriving home, we got caught in another downpour and dodged into a café for dinner to avoid the torrential rain. One bely full of Risotto, and another full of Cote de Boeuf later we headed home and collapsed. Again. This seems to be a theme! </div>
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Tomorrow you'll hear about how I'll never drink another cup of coffee again (maybe), how we almost got booted from a major museum (not really, but my guilty conscience was working overtime!). But, au revoir for now!</div>
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April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-56546529595826250642013-06-19T12:20:00.004-07:002013-06-19T12:20:42.456-07:00Paris Day 3: The life of the fabulous, and why bike shares ruined our feet.On our Tuesday in Paris, we did manage to get out of bed at a decent hour and set about our scheduled activities. We decided to purchase a museum pass because we are giant museum nerds, and it's quite the bang for your buck in terms of money and time. With a pass, we get unlimited entrances to almost every museum in Paris (except the dome climb at Sacre Cour, the Eiffel Tower, and a few other small museums) for six days! *insert angels singing here* Plus, just like the Eiffel Tower, we get to skip to the fronts of the lines. Boom! We grabbed some coffee and a croissant (yum!) on our way to our first stop: The Pantheon. Here, we toured the former church, seeing its art...<br />
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(One of my favorites of Joan of Arc)</div>
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...and its sculptures...</div>
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(A plaster of a scene from the French Revolution. Can you hear the people sing?)</div>
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...and the crypt!</div>
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(Isn't it the sweetest thing that Louis Braille is the only one whose name is stained from people touching it? I thought it was very moving.)</div>
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The crypt was truly the most interesting part of the museum whose other claim to fame, Focault's Pendulum (and my MAIN REASON for wanting to go), was not on display. Boo! The tomb is home to many famous Frenchmen including Voltaire, Rousseau, Marie Curie and many other I've forgotten already. Plus, the space is just really neat - it reminded me of an old monastery with it's stone walls, and low vaulted ceilings. Apparently it also has a wonderful dome that you can climb, but it was closed for renovations. Sad. We purchased our museum passes at the Pantheon, so for the next 6 days of blogging you're going to see a lot of priceless art. You're welcome. ;) </div>
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This is me in front of the Pantheon. Do you like how my eyes are open? Me too ;)</div>
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We decided to head off to the museum that we missed the day prior ( because we were ZZzzzzz....), the Jaquemart Andre. This is a lesser known museum, but it was seriously worth what turned out to be a 5 mile walk to get there. Oh, and on the way we walked through a street market, which was a nice mix of amazing food and touristy kitch. Balance is everything, right? I thought I might die of happiness when I saw this...</div>
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Too bad I'd just had a croissant, somehow olives didn't seem to jive with that, but on any other day...<br />
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We also happened to walk past the residence of the French President Francois Hollande. We saw someone doing photo ops on the steps, but no one can be sure who it was. But maybe it was the French pres? Not that I would know what he looks like. I'm just proud of myself for knowing his name. Thanks, NPR!<br />
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We also passed a few flower shops - how lovely are these? Lavender is coming into bloom!</div>
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OK, back to our impending museum visit... The Jaquemart-Andre Museum is basically a throwback to 1800's French opulence with some amazing art thrown in. The building was the home of Nellie Jaquemart and (insert obviously unmemorable husband's name here) Andre. The couple never had any children, but they definitely had the nicest home on the block. Some of the features include paintings that they eventually requested by the Louvre, frescos from Venetian villas (disassembled and brought back to France - how?!), and walls that sank into the floor so they could throw parties for guests numbering in the thousands. Basically once a month everyone in Paris who wasn't in the cast of Les Miserables would be driven here in their coach for a party. They were visited by royalty many times and their home is incredible.<br />
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This wall with the giant marble fireplace would simply sink into the parquet wood floor when parties were given, adjoining the two rooms. Seriously impressive.<br />
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I can't even remember the name of this painting's subject, but I think it might have been my favorite painting in the whole house. Perhaps because she looks so dreamy and angelic? Also her dress is blue and green, and those are the two best colors ever. Her canvas is about 3 feet long and 4 feet high and there were about 7 of these on this wall in the...... BATHROOM. One of them. Seriously, these people were loaded.<br />
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How do you like the tapestry? If you were Nellie Jaquemart on one of your semi-annual two-month stints in Italy, and you fell in love with it, you simply wrote a check and purchased it. Oh, you don't have the right size wall to hang it on? Simply have the whole bottom floor of the house torn up, reworked and build a new wall to fit the tapestry. That's obviously the best choice. ;)</div>
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It was an incredible home and I wish I had more pictures to do it justice - guess you'll have to wait for the slide show. ;) It was also really nice to hear a story about a French couple in this time period who really loved one another and remained faithful. Since adultery was accepted, even in fashion (what?!) at this time, every museum that chronicles someone's life reads like a script from General Hospital. This love story was refreshing, much more "Home Improvement," than, "The Bachelor."</div>
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At this point, we have walked about 6 miles and our feet were threatening their own French Revolution. We had spotted several spots around town where you can bike share and return it at another station. We knew we had one about 50m from our front door, and we saw one right in front of the museum. Score! We would ride bikes home and try not to be killed by traffic - much better than walking. So, we leave the museum and head over to the kiosk which is all automated. We choose bikes, we choose a security code, we create a 4 digit code, we jump through 3 consecutive hoops of fire, (one of these never happened, your guess which), and when we go to pay.... REJECTED. Try again with a different card (more hoops of fire). DOUBLE REJECTED (locals now sniggering nearby, enjoying our helplessness on their smoke break). Turns out they only take AMEX. Gah! I KNEW we should have gone for that Costco AmEx ages ago! The savings on fuel and taquitos alone would have been worth it, but this cut deep. We thought about our options:</div>
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1. Get a taxi. Except that it's rush hour and traffic is a nightmare. If we're going to shell out 70euro it's going to be for lobster, not a car ride.</div>
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2. Metro. At this point we hadn't yet tried the metro (remedied that the next day), and didn't fancy being assaulted by gypsies while unable to run on our destroyed feet. In other words, we were too tired and chicken to try something new. **Notice here that this was a perfectly reasonable option. It is now clear that foot pain has begun to inhibit our brain function**</div>
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3. Bus. We check the maps at the nearby stop and discover that it takes us in the right direction, but only about halfway, plus it probably costs a fortune (no, it doesn't). We decided yet again that this is more work than it's worth. **Note the increased inhibition of brain functionality. A bus costs around 1.5e, and who cares if you only go halfway, it's half you don't have to walk!**</div>
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4. Hoof it, the obvious choice. **The WORST choice. Brain function levels reaching an all-time low**</div>
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So, we walk, and walk and walk some more. And when we got tired we kept walking. All in all, when we returned to the room and literally collapsed into chairs, we had walked 13 miles that day, not including the time we spent standing in museums. I'd like to say we at least felt proud of ourselves for going so far, but as soon as we grabbed some pizza (brain food!), we realized how DUMB we had been not to take the bus or the metro. For real. Needless to say, we slept pretty well. </div>
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Tomorrow you'll hear about the best rain shoes ever (Sarcastic or not? You'll have to wait and see!), why all the French kings are named Louis (Nope, not really. But wouldn't that be fun if I did know?), and how we learned to ride a train and took one all the way to Versailles. 100 life points to us! Au revoir for now! </div>
<br />April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-13562218255015134262013-06-18T13:39:00.000-07:002013-06-18T13:39:39.338-07:00Paris Day 2: Oversleeping and the Eiffel Tower (and too much walking)Our second morning in Paris dawned... Well, I couldn't actually tell you because we went to bed at 9 the night before and didn't wake up until NOON! What?! Are we in high school again? We had booked tickets for the Eiffel tower at 5:30, so we spend the <strike>morning</strike> afternoon walking around the gardens near the Seine River, including the Louvre gardens...<br />
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<span id="goog_1902710231"></span><span id="goog_1902710232">A courtyard within the Louvre. The stripes were making me dizzy!</span><br />
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This was after I shed the three other layers I had been wearing. Paris weather can change on a dime (two hours after this picture it was pouring rain!), and the museums are ALWAYS cold, particularly the crypts. <br />
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First sight of the Eiffel! The haze is the cloudy weather moving in, not the pollution, surprisingly. Can you tell our usual vacation spot is southern Cali? ;)</div>
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We decided that with 4 or so hours to kill that we didn't have enough time for a museum, and we wanted to save those for the days we had already booked passes (more on this later, it involves being cheap and cutting in line, get excited.). So we walked to the Champs Elysees instead. We id a little shopping, and checked out the Arc de Triumph. Sadly, it's hard to get a picture at any major monument without a bus in the background. They advertise tours everywhere, "See Paris for 25euro!" And they mean exactly what they say, you will "see" all of Paris yet experience none of it. <br />
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Afterward, we cut down across the Seine to the Rue Cler neighborhood (highly recommended by Rick Steves). This is me barely containing myself walking into a shop full of CHEESE! Glory! Hallelujah! We grabbed some chevre (goats cheese, did you even have to guess?), a baguette, and a few apples from the grocer and headed off to our picnic on the Eiffel Tower lawn... as it started to rain. *womp womp* But were we deterred? Not a bit! We sat on the grass on plastic bags underneath our umbrellas and we picnicked anyway! And this was our (rainy) view...<br />
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In case you are planning your own trip to Paris, let me just tell you. Book your Eiffel Tower tickets online and in advance. See all those people lined up behind me like they're at Disneyland? Yeah they waited 4 hours to ride the elevator to the top. See that empty set of ropes? That was the line we waited in. Yeah! And go all the way to the top. Totally worth the extra 2e that it costs.<br />
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They were hard at work adding banquet and conference rooms to the first level of the tower. Can you imagine throwing a party there? "Yes, please come to my party. In France. ON THE EIFFEL TOWER." That would earn you roughly 134,083,778,239 life points.<br />
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View of where we picnicked, and Montparnasse Tower, sticking out like a sore thumb...<br />
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Nice face, eh? Have I mentioned I'm not entirely comfortable with heights? My feet were fear-cramping the whole time.<br />
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Made it to the tippy top! See the white-knuckled death grip on the railing? I'm trying to remain calm and rational... trying.<br />
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280 meters in the air! Did you know Eiffel used to live in an apartment atop the tower? And he climbed the STAIRS to get there? No wonder he lived so long, holy cardio!<br />
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Yep, we climbed that thing! afterwards we felt like a nice dinner close to home... Except we were now 5 miles from home. Oops! Being as we didn't want our first metro experience/gypsy encounter to be at night, we decided to hoof it. WRONG CHOICE. We were incredibly tired and had ridiculously sore feet when we finally collapsed into a café for dinner down the street from our flat. Total walking distance for the day: 11.5 miles! We ended up just pointing at the menu and ate what we were given, which was, of course, fabulous. Proof:<br />
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This turned out to be a sampling of cheeses, meats, and pickled veg from a particular region. And, surprise! That one that looks like meatloaf? That's pate. Checked that one off my "to try this in France" list! And do you know what? I didn't hate it =)<br />
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We have had the most wonderful encounters with the French people so far. And the only rude people we have met? Wait for it...... AMERICANS. Yep, no wonder they don't like us. If you begin every conversation with a hearty, "Bonjour!" and attempt your best (even if butchered) French, you will meet nothing but pleasantness from the French people. And be sure to overuse "Merci!" =) <br />
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That about wraps it up for day two in Paris. Tomorrow you'll hear about how we ended up having room in our schedule and got to see an extra museum (yay!), and how we were foiled by a bike share program and yet AGAIN ended up walking over ten miles. But That's for later, right now I need to go thank my feet for still being attached to my body. Au revoir for now!<br />
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April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-71921119597361202472013-06-17T15:37:00.002-07:002013-06-17T15:37:44.821-07:00Paris: Day 1!Bonjour!<br />
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It's actually the tail end of day two for us here, but day one was 32 hours long, so thanks in advance for understanding why I didn't blog. ;) It took us 15 hours or so to get from Phoenix to France, and we flew United (boo!) from PHX to Washington DC, and then DC to Monreal. Air Canada was responsible to for flight to Paris, and WOW, what wonderful airline! The seats were comfy, and the food was recognizable!<br />
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Arriving at CGD (Charles DeGaulle Airport), I forgot what it feels like to not be able to communicate with anyone. Every interaction is stressful and draining. We had a long list of things to do at the airport (bad idea!!!!): buy a miro SIM card for my phone, print our train tickets for our trip to Avignon in in days, but our museum passes, and find our bus. Oh yeah, and we HAD TO BE at our rental apartment in 2.5 hours because the owner was meeting us there at that time and we had no way to communicate our lateness, should it occur. Long story short, we cut everything except finding our bus. And after a 45 minute bus ride and a 40 minute walk, we arrived to our flat. And it's AWESOME! Check out pictures <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/986750">HERE</a>. Considering two-star hotels cost around $150/night in this part of the city (We are in the Les Halles neighborhood, if you know anything about the geography of Paris)., we got this place for a screamin' deal at $80/night! Suh-weet!<br />
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Eric and I have found that the best way to beat jet lag is to try (usually unsuccessfully) to sleep on the plane ride over, and then stay awake until a decent bed time in the city in which you arrive. For uss, that meant that we were ready to go to bed t noon, when we arrived the the apartment, but that w had another 9 hous to kill before we could reasonably go to bed (dang!). The worst enemies of jet-lag are sunlight and activity, so, off we went!! <br />
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Our first adventure was to the Catacombs (for future reference, I don't speak a lick of French, so all spellings are my best guess, sorry!), a large set of limestone mines that were turned into mass graves when the french decided the cemeteries were too crowded. They dug everyone up and stashed the bones in these "toumbs." The bone piles were almost as tall as me and in some places as deep as 10-12 feet! They used the femurs and skulls to fashion "attractive(??)" walls and dumped the rest of the bones behind them. This sight is not covered by the museum pass (boo!), but we got in at the student price which extends to people ages 26 and under (just squeaked in!). We waited in line for about 1.5 hours (museum passes allow you to skip lines, hurrah!), and the walk was about 2k. SO MANY BONES!<br />
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The tunnels were almost completely dark, and this is our camera's best attempt (pretty good for a pint and shoot, eh you photo buffs?), so sorry for the blur!<br />
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This dude was our favorite - he still had his jaw (mandibular? It's been a while since I had anatomy...).<br />
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We also walked by the Notre Dame, and attempted our first of many "selfies." Which leads me to a remark about unanticipated problems traveling as two... There's no one to take pictures of you together! Most people you ask to take your picture don't even consider the Rule of Thirds, and they usually cut off your feet. :-/ I guess there are worse problems to have ;)<br />
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We got munchy and snagged our first (of many, I'm sure) baguette. SO good! We ate the whole thing. As a small aside, I am going to need a personal trainer when we get home. In a 32 hour day I managed to eat 6 meals - woah!<br />
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After the Catecombes, we were feeling a bit like death warmed over, so we decided to visist the Luxembourg Gardens. And do you know what? Americans take parks for GRANTED. I'm pretty sure everyone in Paris was in one park or another yesterday. Any why not? The weather was perfect, and the gardens are amazing as you can see... <br />
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Wow. Must remember to go to my local parks more often... When it's not 115 ;) We had about 2 hours left before we could collapse into bed, so we dined at a Parisian cafe, and happened to meet the sweetest Frenchman whose name I could barely pronounce, much less spell. He told us all about where to go and what to see!<br />
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We both ordered things we could not understand and I ended up with a delicious cut of veal and Eric got a duck confit, or something similar, yum! Hooray for trying new food!<br />
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Our restaurant was right in front of the Sorbonne - so cool!<br />
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We then headed home after traveling for 15 hours, and walking 7.5 miles. Yowza! We ended up sleeping for 15 hours!! Oops =) Day one in Paris was a total success. Every Parisian we met was lovely, and besides the airport stress, we had a delightful time. Tomorrow you'll hear about our adventures in oversleeping (by 4 hours!), how we accidentally walked 11 miles (my feet HURT), our 3 hour tour of the Eiffel Tower, and another delicious dinner where we had no idea what we were ordering, but ended up pleasantly surprised. <br />
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Au revoir for now! (<- I hope I spelled that correctly!)<br />
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<span id="goog_1306821237"></span><span id="goog_1306821238"></span><br />April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-7697085462691699072013-06-06T15:37:00.000-07:002013-06-06T15:37:22.076-07:00I'm not dead! I'm.... Parisian?Hi there! <br />
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So, I know I've been gone for about a million years, and I'm sorry about that (not really?). After accepting my dream teaching job at a new school 2 years ago, taking up marathon-running, and just generally spending more time with my hubs (<- best choice ever!), I lost the time and energy for blogging. I can't promise I'll be any kind of regular blogger like I once was, buuuuut, now I have a reason to be blogging again...<br />
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We are going on the trip of a lifetime to.... FRANCE! <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<- how many of you were wishing/hoping this would be a pregnancy announcement? Haha sorry to disappoint #notreally)</span><br />
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Cue the thoughts of people wearing berets and the sounds of La Vie En Rose drifting through the air as we sip espresso in a cafe...<br />
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<a href="http://www.stylemepretty.com/living/gallery/picture/1038136/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">{source} </span></a></div>
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<a href="http://media-cache-ec3.pinimg.com/originals/a9/a7/01/a9a7013e11626705ab1e6843bb1ccf17.jpg"><span style="font-size: x-small;">{source}</span> </a></div>
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<a href="http://media-cache-ak2.pinimg.com/originals/95/c1/08/95c108745c10bb581fa0e2d98346b83a.jpg"><span style="font-size: x-small;">{source}</span></a></div>
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Truthfully, Eric and I have not been on more than a weekend trip by ourselves since.... OUR HONEYMOON. While I love traveling with family and friends, this is needed. Big time. Starting next Saturday, we're going to be spending three weeks traveling in and around the whole country (while our sweet friends house and puppy sit) and spending a bit of time with friends who are abroad. We're so excited, and I thought I'd use this here blog to post our pictures and stories as we go. So, come along with us on a a once in a lifetime trip, and don't forget your beret! </div>
April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-1201919193038647822012-06-26T12:28:00.001-07:002012-06-26T12:28:53.914-07:00Baby Subway Art featureHi all! <br />
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Sweet Cristy of <a href="http://www.prettymyparty.com/new-baby-subway-art/">Pretty My Party</a>, is featuring my <a href="http://akitchentablefortwo.blogspot.com/2011/09/baby-project.html">Baby Subway Art</a> on her blog today! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SYYrbNwOx-RI1CMvgbtTSO5DLVeMvRne-z356uiZ5n-Thr3LRPjSUgUma_5Va6gNj4K2rn81zRE6OQDCNjBPP_BEEAqRcoFethuK1l9WivyUO9J5HawtJRAKmv9tGrW3ojYvrX-7pEWy/s1600/baby+announcement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SYYrbNwOx-RI1CMvgbtTSO5DLVeMvRne-z356uiZ5n-Thr3LRPjSUgUma_5Va6gNj4K2rn81zRE6OQDCNjBPP_BEEAqRcoFethuK1l9WivyUO9J5HawtJRAKmv9tGrW3ojYvrX-7pEWy/s640/baby+announcement.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Thanks so much for the love, Cristy! Go <a href="http://www.prettymyparty.com/new-baby-subway-art/">{HERE}</a> to check it out and while you're there, browse her adorable blog and show her some love. You may just end up adding another daily read to your list =) Have a wonderful Tuesday, everyone!April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-27095385392779307942012-06-19T20:41:00.000-07:002012-06-19T20:41:34.335-07:00Date Night OutfitThis weekend, Eric and I needed a little "us" time. So, we got all dressed up and went out to Mill Avenue (the downtown of our city). Here's what I wore...<br />
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/date_night/set?id=51044517"><span style="font-size: x-small;">{click here to head to Polyvore where there are prices and sources}</span></a></div>
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You can't beat an evening with your best friend and food from our favorite place (if you're local, make sure to check out Canteen on Mill Ave - have the fried fish tacos, you won't regret it!!). Check out the atmosphere...<br />
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Perfect for a Friday night out. I hope all of your had a great weekend!April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-74882892682132664992012-06-15T17:15:00.001-07:002012-06-15T17:15:59.712-07:00Back with a closet storyWowza! It's been a loooong time! I've wanted to get back to blogging for so long, but for some reason I had myself thinking that if I couldn't commit to blogging every day, I shouldn't jump back in. I don't know who made that rule (my silly brain), but I'm going to break it. =) I don't think I can blog every day, but I've missed all of you and my brain need someplace to dump all my craziness! So, here's a list of a few of the things I've done since I've talked with you last...<br />
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<ul>
<li>finished losing 35 lbs and slowly started purchasing a new wardrobe, woop woop!</li>
<li>hosted about 12 different parties - can you say exhausted??</li>
<li>finished school for the year - holla!</li>
<li>helped our sweet roommate move back home to northern California (miss you, Tovah!)</li>
<li>celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary</li>
<li>taken a few long weekend trips</li>
<li>and..... ran a marathon. Yep.</li>
</ul>
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Not many household projects happened during this time, but I REALLY want to share more about my race with you guys - if for no other reason than it will help me organize my thoughts about it. It was an unexpectedly moving experience and I was so so excited just to finish. =)</div>
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Buuuut, since I can't stay still for long... We are turning our extra bedroom closet into... a desk!</div>
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I realize this looks a little janky, but this is just a mock up of the dimensions. The plans are to use our two new file cabinets as the bases for a custom table top similar to the one John and Sherry over at YoungHouseLove did <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/09/attack-of-the-13-foot-counter/">here</a>. The ironing board and shelving are just for us to get an idea of the depth and spacing...</div>
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I think those cabinets need a coat of white paint, and some cute stenciling on the front, don't you??</div>
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It should be big enough to allow us to work side by side as soon as we ditch the doors for curtains. We're hoping to have a result a little like this, just bigger...<br />
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<a href="http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2010/08/august-featured-space-bedroom_30.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">{source}</span></a></div>
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We have a looong way to go. But here's my list of things that need to happen (as far as I know)...<br />
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<ul>
<li>prime/paint file cabinets</li>
<li>stencil(?) or contact paper(?) the drawer fronts of the cabinets</li>
<li>build wooden desk top</li>
<li>stain & seal desk top</li>
<li>wallpaper or paint the back wall</li>
<li>remove closet doors</li>
<li>run electrical wiring down the back of the wall for new outlets (handyman hubby to the rescue!)</li>
<li>purchase lighting for back wall (thinking wall-mounted as opposed to desk top)</li>
<li>organize the inside of the filing cabinets (eeek!)</li>
<li>decide on shelving</li>
<li>purchase/move some existing bookends to the shelf for book storage</li>
<li>install expansion rod for curtains</li>
<li>buy/install curtains </li>
<li>purchase chairs</li>
<li>set up inbox/outbox system for the desk top to eliminate the "paper monster"</li>
</ul>
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WHEW! That's a lot to do, but we've got time, and we'll go slowly and take lots of breaks (it's the summer after all, and what's sumer without vacations??) We also ave to be careful not to do anything that would make it difficult to turn this back into a functioning closet, as this home will eventually be a rental property. </div>
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Anyone out there have a closet desk? I'd love your tips/pointers if you do! Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for reading again after my hiatus =)</div>
</div>April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-67794491008329446882012-03-12T22:06:00.001-07:002012-03-12T22:06:30.165-07:00life...is crazy! I WISH I had time to be blogging, but I really just don't. I hope you'll forgive me for my absence, it's not that I don't love each of you =) I'm finally on spring break, but my amazing hubby's birthday is tomorrow - so time has been short. Hopefully I'll be back super soon, but for now I'm enjoying reading your blogs (for those who have one), and heaping up the projects to post about. Have a happy Monday, friends!April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-54505198498230199532012-02-21T05:00:00.000-07:002012-02-21T05:00:11.843-07:00Long weekend happenings...Here's where we were this weekend...<br />
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We took a little time out to go skiing! Side note - I took a seminar this weekend to learn how to use the DSLR camera I have the pleasure of safeguarding (being yearbook teacher has its perks!!), and all of the pics in this post were shot in manual mode, and I haven't edited them one tiny bit. Heck yes!! <br />
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The conditions were VERY snowy (and cold - it was in the high teens with wind chill - a bit much for a heat-loving lizard like me), which caused Eric to wear his driving game face the whole way off of the "rim" (otherwise known as the Colorado Plateau, for you Geography pros). <br />
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I guess I would wear my driving game face, too!<br />
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We had the pleasure of spending a little time the night before with my dad...<br />
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And mom...<br />
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At their time share in Kohl's Ranch (my aunt and uncle came too, but I wasn't sure they wanted their pictures broadcast about the internets... My parents however, have to love me regardless). I'm pretty extra pleased about these pics. They were taken inside at night (in VERY low light), and using my class notes, I was able to "manual mode" the <i><b>crap</b></i> out of these shots. Booyah. See how the last one even incorporates my new knowledge of "depth of field?" I'm pretty pleased. <br />
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Did you have yesterday off? What did y'all do with your long weekend? Did you, like me, become exponentially less frightened of the extreme confusion that can be caused by a DSLR camera? Do tell, and have a happy Tuesday, friends!April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-88889669641166422562012-02-14T05:00:00.000-07:002012-02-14T05:00:11.442-07:00Last week's blogging break brought to you by...The BUSIEST week ever. Sorry guys, this past week was cuh-razy! Something had to give, so I took a wee break. The good news is, that I now have some projects and actual things to share - yay! But first off this week, a little celebration...<br />
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I reached my goal weight!!! Yah-to-the-hoo! There's a bit of a story behind it, and it involves me being either very ridiculous, or very out of touch...<br />
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I had been trying to reach a BMI of 20.4, for my 5'3" height, that meant 115 pounds. Starting at 143(*shame!!!*), it felt completely impossible, until last week when I was right at 123, and feeling AMAZING. I'm serious here, I'm running several miles a day without tiring, eating healthy, losing inches and generally living healthy - it's fabulous, and I'm so glad that I've had the time to dedicate to this. However...<br />
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After over 10+ days of busting my chops, eating healthy and trying my darndest - I wasn't losing anything. This brings me to Sunday, when a friend of mine was talking about her height. She mentioned she was 5'3" and I didn't know how that could be, since I'm 5'3" and taller than her. People, I've thought I was 5'3" for YEARS. So, after her encouragement, I went home and had Eric measure me. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I am 5'5"</span></div>
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This may not seem like a big deal, but I felt like doing the happy dance (which is awkward and not attractive). Of course I can't lose any more weight!! How excited was I to find that I'm already at my goal BMI?! Pretty friggin excited, for sure. And also a little silly - how in the world did I spend the last few years thinking I was 2 inches shorter than I was?? Geesh. Can you grow into your twenties???<br />
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So, now I enter the world of those trying to maintain their healthy weight. Which, honestly is almost harder than losing. Living by grace instead of by strict rules is so much more difficult. Why is it so easy to be regimented and so hard for me to give myself a little leeway? I hope I can do a good job - I don't want to lose the great fitness I've built up. <br />
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Thanks so much to all of you for reading these wordy posts, and encouraging me. I couldn't have made this 22 pounds in 48 days journey without every single last word of encouragement. You are all invited to Tempe to go running with me. =) Join me back here tomorrow to see my OH-MY-GOODNESS-I-SERIOUSLY-CANNOT-BELIEVE-MY-LUCK Goodwill find! Have a happy Tuesday, friends!!<br />
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**Almost forgot today is Valentine's day!! Eric and I don't put too much stock in this day, but we spend the evening together all the same. Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day/Single's Awareness Day/Stuff Your Face Full of Chocolate Day!!**</div>April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-88361524382955200832012-02-03T05:00:00.000-07:002012-02-03T05:00:10.154-07:00It's that time again...This week was AMAZING. I'm finally starting to feel like I'm making real progress here. Thank you so much to everyone who was so encouraging last week, I'm getting so close and I need every "atta girl" I can get!! So, here goes...<br />
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Weight as of this morning: 124.9 RIGHT?!?! Yeehaw!!<br />
Weight loss from last week: 5.5 lbs <br />
Pounds lost so far: 17.6<br />
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Ohmygoodnessgracious! I can't believe I'm within 10lbs of my goal. Within 35 days of starting. Not to mention that last night I ran 4.5 miles just for the fun of it. I wasn't even tired afterwards. I didn't know that was even POSSIBLE. I think I am truly getting in shape for the first time in my life. I'm seriously NEVER giving this up. That being said, I can't wait to have a plate of chicken fingers when this is all over (and then spend the next 4 days working off the 2 lbs I'm sure I'll gain from it, ha!). Thanks for your encouragement, and for going on this journey with me. <br />
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I certainly hope I don't gain it back. I feel like I'm making lasting changes, and changes that are sustainable for our lifestyle. This is is big one for me. If you know you can't keep up a work out reginmen, then don't start. That's probably terrible health advice, but find something that works with your life and do that. Otherwise it won't last and you'll feel like a failure. I know I'm loving the routine I've fallen into. Maybe I've done so well that hubby will let me have a new pair of these since my others but the dust....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlELa7IF4rwfXrxGhIQ0MMUUJjJJMQ-i6Zxxy3JwYSyYt1o9PuNLtG_PkqaLluMp2CZKggIxXInMFeEOPDbYx4qISdafveIvQl3_koxMLufiySkXHSHWRYcvZFo92eHCH_VCRf9sFLjW46/s1600/nike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlELa7IF4rwfXrxGhIQ0MMUUJjJJMQ-i6Zxxy3JwYSyYt1o9PuNLtG_PkqaLluMp2CZKggIxXInMFeEOPDbYx4qISdafveIvQl3_koxMLufiySkXHSHWRYcvZFo92eHCH_VCRf9sFLjW46/s400/nike.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Aren't they cool-looking??? I love the soles - they look like they're the perfect amount of smooshy =) Speaking of which, a<span style="text-align: center;">nother good little thing about all this? I'm going to need some new clothes! My pants don't fit AT ALL - thank god for super-strength belts =) It's wierd for me, but I'm actually enjoying this working out business. I'm so thankful for all the support I have, and that includes you all. Thanks to each and every one of you, my bloggy friends, your support is amazing! </span><span style="text-align: center;">I hope you all are enjoying your day - have a happy and active Friday, friends!</span><br />April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-83288025256295860522012-02-01T05:00:00.000-07:002012-02-01T05:00:06.651-07:00Go the extra mile......because it's never that crowded anyway =) You don't get a "for reals" blog post today because Eric and I had a unique opportunity last night to help out a friend in a way we've never done before, and shan't be sharing on the old blog (even an over-sharer like myself has limits, ha!). However, I will tell you that it does the soul good to give... and also to receive. Friendship is a give and take, sometimes you're the giver, sometimes the recipient, but friendship is always worth it. Take a little time today (maybe the time you'd spend reading here), and say "thanks" and "I love you" to a dear friend who deserves it. Happy Wednesday, my friends!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ji04mVZBhV1fykXhD07QVqcTlqL3kZs8ecwHy-N6uthilLLq5mPTIo2Td6IK8CShxIt5ZapIRMicAr2iCuATguI2oGC9J-Z34vdXAl0ZGKBURN54Yj7VjbiTxUJpdXdxK1qgSF687eDQ/s1600/pooh+bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ji04mVZBhV1fykXhD07QVqcTlqL3kZs8ecwHy-N6uthilLLq5mPTIo2Td6IK8CShxIt5ZapIRMicAr2iCuATguI2oGC9J-Z34vdXAl0ZGKBURN54Yj7VjbiTxUJpdXdxK1qgSF687eDQ/s400/pooh+bear.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-82458442344029737472012-01-31T05:00:00.000-07:002012-01-31T05:00:14.184-07:00Quick Closet FixTime for my mini closet organization project. I don't wear a lot of jewelry, but I've seemed to collect quite a bit over the years, and I think I do a pretty good job of rotating it all around so that everything gets worn somewhat often. That being said, it usually ends up like this in a pile in my closet...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgV-CfUNqIrEZ_1Ch3Qf0nRkmT4jsRM3RMXgCYTWzJBCvoAF2kZS0PZj-2Q6g1fIsWhZBLQiEufyHZaZox3id-keo6Lmc-DfQUmozPPvXrGO8aUN514SIOKY_lv42Tq6Jek0642vb5vOH/s1600/IMG_2215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgV-CfUNqIrEZ_1Ch3Qf0nRkmT4jsRM3RMXgCYTWzJBCvoAF2kZS0PZj-2Q6g1fIsWhZBLQiEufyHZaZox3id-keo6Lmc-DfQUmozPPvXrGO8aUN514SIOKY_lv42Tq6Jek0642vb5vOH/s640/IMG_2215.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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No bueno. I also may or may not have found my nice gold chain like this...<br />
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On the floor. Whoops. Time for a solution. Enter an empty wall of un-utilized space near our closet entrance...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdnuk9lERh0XSYMb0G8zsbO9CWwFQWkUl1dKfcgixACBvCglh3BmywooPD6nZoI_yuvFdh_P-_vmZflPJRr3jxePzDZ0a1ujPqmOq8ACGxjrStuSdBQQ5tNt5_iPLxJbcTg56P5Nz1FxF/s1600/IMG_2210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdnuk9lERh0XSYMb0G8zsbO9CWwFQWkUl1dKfcgixACBvCglh3BmywooPD6nZoI_yuvFdh_P-_vmZflPJRr3jxePzDZ0a1ujPqmOq8ACGxjrStuSdBQQ5tNt5_iPLxJbcTg56P5Nz1FxF/s400/IMG_2210.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*yes, those are my shoes stuffed unceremoniously into a generic shoe rack. I'm more Liz Lemmon that Carrie Bradshaw, sorry!*</span></div>
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And these AMAZING feats of engineering. Seriously, the man who invented command hooks should be worshipped.<br />
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Plop a few on the dresser...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRfE09SfRMeVQz0Q7nkUZpHaMkQdReOuA96Gb0iNp2D44HaeivHzpBDiYDCKP52o468li4pn6WfFqXOsvGzQvrI2U2l9r5u9LYFYRm8jTaVTse_sBa2XtII1Jkgy4QClwpU3vqCVoppwL/s1600/IMG_2217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRfE09SfRMeVQz0Q7nkUZpHaMkQdReOuA96Gb0iNp2D44HaeivHzpBDiYDCKP52o468li4pn6WfFqXOsvGzQvrI2U2l9r5u9LYFYRm8jTaVTse_sBa2XtII1Jkgy4QClwpU3vqCVoppwL/s640/IMG_2217.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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And a few more on the wall...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxmo3kLu0NpWLPdNphTrljyBzZdxNsLd3aAwmiMesnnYs39tHmUxCwpr6wBmPaxJ260PqJZeZWn5TwoUfkjF57kqnrBiqko8zn5Wwlds5C1mqwChr5_kc4STAFIAJySXz-wg-5ohoF5F0/s1600/IMG_2221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxmo3kLu0NpWLPdNphTrljyBzZdxNsLd3aAwmiMesnnYs39tHmUxCwpr6wBmPaxJ260PqJZeZWn5TwoUfkjF57kqnrBiqko8zn5Wwlds5C1mqwChr5_kc4STAFIAJySXz-wg-5ohoF5F0/s640/IMG_2221.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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And presto! No more mess!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHFzWO4T9dpOCSLUR7DVPZsKquMtS_317zPWaGf5DVpO2OUTgk1LXu4VGUxp3dPbNl28B3XXlzUhn90V0UkUlkYV3LhRmTVTmv9A8SXzHgLdqb32m9uZTQRKmBGRmqY4bDpFXX0ec-Gk4/s1600/IMG_2228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHFzWO4T9dpOCSLUR7DVPZsKquMtS_317zPWaGf5DVpO2OUTgk1LXu4VGUxp3dPbNl28B3XXlzUhn90V0UkUlkYV3LhRmTVTmv9A8SXzHgLdqb32m9uZTQRKmBGRmqY4bDpFXX0ec-Gk4/s640/IMG_2228.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's awfully difficult to get a good shot off in a closet... at night. Annoying. I decided to go with the command hooks instead of something cuter (stenciled wall and knobs from anthro, anyone???), to see if I can actually stick to my "hang it up right away - no really, right now!" system. If I can, then I'll have earned a nicer makeover. Wish me luck! <br />
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In other news, can you BELIEVE that today is the LAST day in January?! Where has the time gone?? The year is 1/12 over! Sheesh. Valentine's day is upon us, and after that... Easter! Wowie. Anyway, regardless of the date, I hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday, friends!<br />
<br />April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-69045807961734035382012-01-30T05:00:00.000-07:002012-01-30T05:00:00.301-07:00WeekendI had intended this weekend to contain a little DIY project, but I was so busy trying to spend my extra time exercising that I totally forgot! <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<- nerd alert!!)</span> I did do a lot of running up and down this butte, though...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOmcIpn2aGRfcPUS60R-Q3Pup1dHhBDZ6HbKExuZUXB-qymsdT_giVuzCtoO3llzmVJwFZOrhEKiRjfYCsjyl6mMD9oRvPSSTyW3w3G_4hNjgqszBtoCK1ZKGHMBrcW5EPdTogjig_yIg/s1600/tempe_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOmcIpn2aGRfcPUS60R-Q3Pup1dHhBDZ6HbKExuZUXB-qymsdT_giVuzCtoO3llzmVJwFZOrhEKiRjfYCsjyl6mMD9oRvPSSTyW3w3G_4hNjgqszBtoCK1ZKGHMBrcW5EPdTogjig_yIg/s640/tempe_3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I also did a lot of running around the lake in the foreground. Good thing the views are great and the weather was SPECTACULAR...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9pSVcH2g-ysoDu2xatQUi_nLsBDIpCIaNvqMOwGI6QFIFZvqBgwq2Ot7FMDB55y2tLXLKbCxWTvqq8wdz_qQalHNl7Q-QGyhQZlMBE5XxbWSA1-uW-zkectO8zQ7GeT30zDOKRhFkblu/s1600/tempe-town-lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9pSVcH2g-ysoDu2xatQUi_nLsBDIpCIaNvqMOwGI6QFIFZvqBgwq2Ot7FMDB55y2tLXLKbCxWTvqq8wdz_qQalHNl7Q-QGyhQZlMBE5XxbWSA1-uW-zkectO8zQ7GeT30zDOKRhFkblu/s640/tempe-town-lake.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A rock on this pathway took a giant piece out of my tennis shoe - new ones are in order (boo!). I guess I should learn to run without tripping before I invest in new ones, though ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2RlqLYrLzZYy1jVlYGa-wDmqtCR5S2Y41XLCsSdyaUMLj0inlO3hILPuf3MNiZYMZWC0ftGuGRBopzDFxBL0ScE6WpYnPj8wfzBjKOOTlb5zz4PZnqC8gN1slbe4AczPYKr7MkTDYPkQ/s1600/tempe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2RlqLYrLzZYy1jVlYGa-wDmqtCR5S2Y41XLCsSdyaUMLj0inlO3hILPuf3MNiZYMZWC0ftGuGRBopzDFxBL0ScE6WpYnPj8wfzBjKOOTlb5zz4PZnqC8gN1slbe4AczPYKr7MkTDYPkQ/s640/tempe.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At least the view from the top is great. Have I mentioned that we love living in Tempe? I hope you all had fantastic weekends, and if all goes well, I'll have a DIY project to show you tomorrow <span style="font-size: x-small;">(after I run this darned mountain another 5 times)</span>. Happy Monday, friends!!April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043804540340907844.post-80395351330299593712012-01-27T05:00:00.000-07:002012-01-27T05:00:08.459-07:00Scale time...Time for my weekly fitbit update! <div>
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Weight as of this morning: 130.4 <span style="font-size: x-small;">**However, I weighed myself at the gym the other day on the super legit doctors scale (the kind you can calibrate) and weighed 129.5. Granted weight fluctuates throughout the day... It was just encouraging to see the number start with a 1-2, instead of a 1-3. =)** </span></div>
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Weight loss from last week: 1.8 lbs</div>
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Pound lost so far: 12.1</div>
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Date by which I should arrive at 115: March 19</div>
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Things are going well, right???</div>
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...But, I'm beginning to feel just a bit tired of spending my entire day working toward a calorie goal. However, losing so much per week is helping my attitude. And speaking of which... Since I don't update this stuff on my blog every day, what you don't know is that I spend about 5 of the 7 days in the week at the EXACT SAME WEIGHT. Busting my chops does NOTHING. Then, all of a sudden, I drop 1.5 lbs. While those days are awesome, it's a little hard on the other 5 or 6 days every week. I guess this is how it's going to go from now on out, so I'll get used to it, if I have to. =) Anyone else have a similar experience???</div>
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I've cut my calories as much as I feel is healthy. I promised myself I wouldn't be hungry, I'd just change what I ate. Without getting too specific (I'll be keeping my calorie counts to myself =)), I make sure I have at least a 1400-1500 calorie deficit per day. If I push much harder I won't be able to sustain this long term, so I'll have to stay at this pace. If you've been through this before, please show me some solidarity! Tell me it's all worth it!</div>
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I am, however, feeling the positive effects of getting in shape - today I ran 5 miles (I was going to say "without breaking a sweat," but that would be a lie) without feeling like death. I actually did it at 5AM and felt awesome after. This has become my new motto...</div>
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As for now, it's Friday, which means I have more time to bust my hump running, climbing mountains, and rowing. At least the weather is nice. =) Have a happy and healthy Friday, friends!</div>April @ An Urban Acrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826149226907071160noreply@blogger.com2