the reading continues

I have recently completed 2 more Jodi Picoult books: Plain Truth and Mercy. They were both good and I enjoyed reading them. I think I am just continually impressed with how Picoult writes and how much work and effort goes into each book, all to create fiction.

Plain Truth is based around an Amish community and I found it quite fascinating to learn a little bit more about the Amish life. Lifetime has made a movie of this book as well, I just downloaded it and was pretty disappointed. The book, obviously, was much more thorough and thoughtful.

Mercy was a decent book but probably my least favourite of the ones I have read to date. I took my time reading it, which proved to me that I wasn't that into it. But the story was interesting and I am glad I read it.

I have now moved onto Picoult's Nineteen Minutes. I am just 2 chapters in and am already quite intrigued. We'll see how it goes.

Any of you read any good books lately? My sister-in-law has recommended the Twilight Series, but I don't know anything about it. Has anyone heard of it? I may have to check it out as my next read.

I've been tagged

So I usually wouldn't do this, but Grace tagged me and I have a few minutes to kill. Here are 10 things you probably don't know about me (but maybe you do!):

1. White chocolate is my favourite kind of chocolate.
2. I was in the school choir from 6th-12th grade (middle and high school) and I had a solo in 8th grade ('I Can Fly' by R. Kelley).
3. All through middle school I wore big, black, baggy clothes with skater shoes. Then promptly went 'preppy' as a freshmen.
4. I have officially lived in 3 different countries.
5. When I was young I wanted to be an actress when I grew up.
6. It only takes me 10 minutes to blow dry my hair.
7. I got a tattoo when I was 16.
8. It's been a life long dream of mine to go work in an orphanage in Africa(or with kids there in some capacity).
9. Derek and I are going on a cruise with my sister and bro-in-law to the Canary Islands in October (4 months!).
10. I predicted (based on nothing) that Spain would win Euro 2008...and they did!

Now I think I am supposed to tag other people, so considered yourself tagged:
Tim and/or Jen
Trudy
Lara

The sun is out!

If you know me, you know that I love the sun and everything that has to do with it. I love the warmth, the chance of getting a tan and the opportunity to wear tank tops, shorts and/or flip flops. A day that I can wear flip flops is a very good day.

This weekend, we actually had 2 of those days. Yesterday we were out all day with some good friends. We went where the sun took us, from the Saturday market to the park to a pub with outdoor seating and eventually back to Dave & Sarah's for a BBQ in their yard. I wore a tank top and flip flops...it was a good day.

Today was not quite as eventful but the sun was certainly shining. I took myself on a long walk along the water of Leith walkway. Just me, my iPod and the sun shining down on me. I wore shorts and flip flops...it was a good day.

I have come to learn that we can't expect a proper summer in Scotland, so these days are like gold. I only hope that they continue and we can continue to soak up the sun!

the good reads continue

Just finished reading Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult. I was gripped the entire time. Not sure if everyone would enjoy this book in particular as it deals with such things as sexual assault and witchcraft, but I was enthralled and it just proved to me that I have found an author I truly enjoy. Her writing amazes me and I can only imagine the research she must have to do in order to write about certain things the way she does.

Next up: Plain Truth

Stay tuned...

New author

On our trip home to Oregon in April, I nabbed a book off my sisters shelf to put in my queue of books to read. I knew nothing about it, but I thought I would give it a try. I just finished reading 'My Sister's Keeper' by Jodi Picoult and I was very impressed. I love her writing and it didn't take me very long to become engrossed in the plot. She has tonnes of other books she has written and I have now begun a new one and hope to eventually get through them all. I am excited to have found a new author!

The blogging continues...and new shoes!

Per Shannon's request, I am going to try and keep Katie's Brown Blog going... Do a little more 'day to day' blogging and such. Hopefully I still have one or two readers out there who will appreciate :) Let me know if you are still on board.

I am very excited about my new shoes. I saw them in store yesterday and could not get them out of my head. I woke up this morning thinking 'I have to have them!' So I went out today and bought them. They are Crocs brand and the style name is 'Alice'. I figure they will be a great 'everyday shoe'.

Here is a picture, except mine are black. I am so excited to take them out!

My family

When we were home in Oregon last month, it was the first time in a while that ALL my family was together. So my dad decided to take advantage of the opportunity and have some family photos done.

Thought some of you out there might enjoy seeing them. If you have any questions of who anyone is, just let me know!

Here is my fam:

FAMILY

Question about grocery shopping

If you read this blog, take a sec to answer this/these questions...

How often do you grocery shop?
And how is your grocery shopping done?
by this I mean...do you go 1 big shop to the next big shop? do you do 1 big shop with a few small shops in between? etc.

When we lived in Vancouver we did all our main grocery shopping at the beloved Real Canadian Superstore (aka Stupidstore). We would shop once a month at Stupidstore and then go weekly to the Dunbar Produce store to get our produce for the week. And occasionally some stops into Stongs to get milk, eggs, etc. But for the most part we would go each month and stock up! We found it was betetr on the budget to do it this way as well.

When we moved here to Edinburgh we assumed we would do something similar but had a couple problems with that. 1)the fridges are smaller here and 2)the freshness doesn't last as long on food here. So we have been doing our big shop (actually we have our groceries delivered) twice a month. Even still we are havung trouble with the freshness on things lasting 2 weeks. Which means more quick stops in at the small grocery store. I mentioned to Derek yesterday about the possibility of getting groceries delivered once a week and while it would be really nice to do this it would also be a hassle, not to mention then having to pay 4 delivery fees each month.

Anyway, there is lots to think about but in the meantime I thought I would ask you, just out of curiosity, what your grocery routine is?

After typing 'grocery' so many times I realize what a strange word it is....

Metro

The Metro is a free newspaper distributed throughout the UK Monday-Friday. Metro offers the most up to date news, sports, gossip and more. It has become my daily routine to read this paper on the bus on my way to work. Every morning I walk from my house about 10-15 minutes to catch the bus. On my walk to the bus I pass by a wee booth that is set up on the corner of Princes Street and Queensferry Road, where a guy sits and hands out the Metro newspaper. In stride I walk past the booth, grab the paper, say 'cheers' or 'thanks' and continue on my way.

Lately I have started to wonder if this guy realizes that I walk by at the same time every single day. Does he anticipate that I will be stopping by or am I a just another passerby? I also can't help but think what a boring job he has. He sits in a rinky dink little booth with no heat, no electricity and his sole purpose is to give this paper to as many people as he can. I wonder for how many hours does he sit there and I really wonder if it is the same guy every day. I think I have deduced that there are 2 guys who do this job 5 days a week, or maybe they work half a day each...hmmm. This week, the city has been doing work on and, I think, replacing the sidewalk where the Metro guy usually sits in his cozy hut. Therefore he has had to stand out on the corner with his big stack of papers and pass them out. I can't help but feel bad for him. Although, for all I know he could be making some £30,000 a year just to hand out free papers.

The Metro has truly become part of my every day life. I start many sentences with 'I read in the Metro...' and feel proud when I know news before Derek has read it online. My friend, Trudy, is an avid reader of Metro and it brings about good conversation. It is interesting to read about the latest trend or the latest statistic on Global Warming, drinking while pregnant, or Harry Potter.

I heart Oregon

My friend, Jess, got me this shirt for Christmas and I absolutely adore it. Now I can represent Oregon in Scotland! The outline of the state is made up of little hearts, and the wee heart in the middle is where my hometown, Bend, is located.

Motivated

Before I begin this blog post I have to tell you that I am currently sitting at work and looking out the window where amazingly beautiful snow is falling from the sky. I just ran outside so I could feel it hit my face. It's gorgeous!

Anyway...

Christmas and New Years has come and gone, my much anticipated 2 week break from work is over and I am now back to normal life. I guess it's good to have routine and to stay motivated in that way, but breaks or vacations never seem long enough and even though I had several days with nothing to do, I didn't seem to accomplish all that I wanted to. Having no plan or no schedule makes me (makes us humans?) lazy.

Last night as I anticipated coming back to work I laid wide awake, for what seemed like hours, unable to fall into a deep slumber. I thought back over the break and my lack of motivation to get anything done and started to think about how on earth people stay disciplined and motivated to do things. Then I wondered how much 'self-motivation' plays into it all or if it more comes from outside pressure/encouragement/obligation. Would I actually be able to get up at 6.30am if I didn't HAVE to go to work? Think of professional athletes, would they be where they are, as fit as they are and as good as they are all alone? Or is it really thanks to their coaches and trainers?

I often think that if I didn't have to work and could spend my days exactly how I wanted to, that I would be happy and in shape and have the time to do everything and anything I wanted. I wonder how true this is. Would I actually get up early and go jogging? eat healthier? volunteer at a children's hospital? make cards? spend time making fancy dinners before Derek gets home? teach myself a foreign language? I would like to think so but the reality of it is that it probably wouldn't happen. Some days, yes, but not every day as I would like it to. That is unless I had someone there with me, pushing me to get up and go running with them, sitting with me and learning that foreign language together. Then, even if I didn't feel like it, I would still do those things. I think that is the key. Though I would love to be more 'self-motivated', I wonder how much it actually plays into my (our?) life.

Something to think about at least. Maybe thinking these thoughts will encourage me to get up off my bum and do more! We'll see...

It's been a while

Honestly I forget I have this blog sometimes and wonder what could I possibly say that I couldn't just say on our other blog? Probably not much, but I guess it is nice to be able to come back to this once in a while and do my own thing. So here I am. Things have been going well here and I often forget that we are actually living in Scotland because it just feels so normal to be here. Then I hear people talk and quickly remember how far from home we really are.

Derek and I are very much into a daily routine more than we ever have been before. It makes me laugh but truly I love it. Derek wakes up first in the morning and gets in the shower, when he is out of the shower I get up and take my shower. We go about our morning getting ready for the day (breakfast, coffee, packing a lunch, putting dishes away, getting dressed, etc) and then Derek takes off to walk to school and shortly after I leave to catch the bus to work. I am usually home by 5.00pm each day and try to get dinner started shortly after getting in. Derek comes home at 6.00pm and I like to try and have dinner ready by that time. We eat dinner together and Derek cleans up while I relax and watch TV or something. Then we either hang out and watch a movie or Derek will do school work and I will do my own thing. Lately we've been in bed around 10.00 or 11.00pm only to wake up and do it all over again. Simple, but it works for us.

I have to take minute to brag on my husband. He is so sweet and has just been so good to me. The other night he brought me flower and then made me dinner complete with wine. The next night he spoiled me with a foot rub after a long day of walking around town. He takes such good care of me and I feel like one lucky wife!

Work is going fairly well. Better and better it seems. I was having a hard time with it at first because I felt that the days were long (not enough to do) and I wasn't feeling challenged and was so cold that my fingers would go numb. But things are picking up and we got a space heater for me and I finally got my uniform as well. Which I think will help me feel more like part of the team. My work is picking up as I learn new things and figure out stuff I can do in the 'off' time of day. Hopefully things continue to pick up and get better and better. I have my one month review on Friday which will be a good opportunity to voice any concerns I am having with the job. I am praying for strength and clarity for that meeting, I think it should go well.

I am happy that we have been making friends fairly quickly and I am even starting a new 'girls group' with myself and 3 other girls here that I have met. Being a part of my Spouses group back in Vancouver was such a vital part of my life and I wanted to have something like that here. I know how important it is to have a group of girlfriends that you can just be yourself with and open up to. We have our first 'meeting' this Thursday and I am very much looking forward to getting to know these girls better.

I guess that is all I will share for now. I will try and keep this thing better updated as things arise (and once we have 'real' internet at home - one day).

It was only a matter of time

Well we made it to Scotland, the big wait is over, the adrenaline from travel and all things being new is starting to fade and life is becoming normal and routine all too quickly. It was only a matter of time until reality set in and feelings of loneliness and sadness began to hit. I think it came with Derek starting school as I no longer have him by my side to keep me company and distracted every day. At first, I kept myself busy setting up our new home and doing little things to get settled, but now as the house is feeling more comfortable and Derek is off at class most days and I don't have internet at home to keep caught up with my friends back home, the feelings are hitting harder than ever. I feel like I could break down any moment of any day. I miss home, I miss Vancouver, I miss my friends and my family and I long for the community we had when we lived in Canada. We really had something special and I miss that. Of course we all must move on but I just really appreciate that time in my life and the comfort and security that it brought me. Amazing memories that will always be with me and friendships that will never fade. I know that we will make friends here and it is only a mater of time until that happens, but I wonder if we will ever truly have what we had at Regent. I am obviously feeling rather nostalgic at the moment in my state of sadness, but that's alright. Point being is that I miss you all and hope to have some visitors soon (hint, hint). As we were moving out of Vancouver I found an old journal that I had started just as we moved there and began to read the only 2-3 pages I wrote in and I read that I was feeling the exact same sad and lonely feelings in the initial stages of living there. It kind of made me laugh to look back as I couldn't imagine that I had ever felt that way while living there. But I do know that it took until around December to start to find a real community and to discover what I really needed and desired for myself in a new place. So now the cycle starts over again in a new city, a new country.

What a depressing blog, sorry about that. Here is fun memory from Vancouver, the early days.

such a whirlwind

I am sitting on the floor at my friends Jess & Jeff's house in Chicago. The time is 11:44pm but my computer clock still says 9:44pm, it is 2 hours ahead here. My mind is in a fog as so much has happened the past few days. We have said goodbye to our family who were more emotional than I thought they would be and I can't help but feel guilty. We are in Chicago with our friends which we have been waiting for and which means that in a few days we will be in our new home in Scotland. It is pretty unbelievable. Looking back on all the goodbyes that we have literally been saying for about 5 weeks now, is all a blur. I know it will catch up and I can already start to feel my emotions getting stronger and I am not quite sure what to do with that at this point. We spent the evening reminiscing with the Reimers about time in Vancouver and all our amazing friends and I am aching for us all to be back together again. This time is exciting and I cannot wait to arrive in our new home and get settled, but it is also hard to leave behind the life that you have known.

But for now we will enjoy our stay in Chicago with Jess, Jeff & Charlie (he is so big you guys!).

new coat

Here is my new jacket! I love it. It is a basic black Marmot with a hood.





I'm ready for Scotland!

Lots

It's been a long time since I have written on this blog. You all probably already know that Derek and I started a new blog that will and does show the process of us leaving Vancouver, moving and then (soon) our life in Scotland. In case you don't know, that blog is: www.beingthebrowns.wordpress.com Check it out :)
I have been debating whether or not to keep posting on this blog or not. Any input? I go back and forth.
Since my last post, we have packed up our lives, sold most of our worldly possessions, left Vancouver and have spent the last 2 weeks visiting friends and family in Oregon. Leaving Vancouver was hard, harder than I thought it would be, but necessary in order to move on with life and proceed to the next big adventure. I miss my friends, I wish I were with them or could just go hang out with them. I hope they miss me too.
However, the past couple weeks in Oregon have been fantastic, there are details and pics on the other blog from a "brown" perspective, but I will give it to you from a "katie" perspective here. I was so excited for August to arrive because it would mean an entire month of no work, no commitments, mooching off my parents, etc. All good things. This has very well been the case but I have found myself so much busier than I imagined I would be. I pictured lazy days with nothing to do but lay in the sun and watch movies in the evenings. Turns out that when you are moving to a far away land, everyone wants some of your time, or as much time as you will give them. It has been great but exhausting for sure. It has been a difficult balance as I sometimes have to choose between friends and family and all I want to do is make everyone happy. I cannot complain though at all. I have been out to several (free) meals with my mom, drank lots of coffee at Backporch, spent a great 4 days in Eugene with my sister and seen 4 movies (Bourne, No Reservations, Ratatouille, Hairspray), I recommend them all. Yesterday I did get my dream and I laid by the pool for several hours with my friend Kari. It was amazing and I am happy to announce that I am not burned! Gotta love the SPF.
Amidst all this fun, Derek and I have been trying to get everything in order so that we can actually move to Scotland and wisely. Our visa applications are off and we hope to soon hear that we qualify and will be granted our Visas. We have also been trying to figure out how to do banking as we will need to have access (somehow) to a US dollar account, then get a UK account once we get there and we are also still juggling a Canadian bank account. It's complicated, but we're working it out. Lots of little details to figure out when moving to another country. But no worries, cause we have done it once before!
Today I am getting a very belated birthday gift from my parents in the form of a jacket from REI. I am very excited to go shopping this afternoon! Maybe I will have to post a picture of me in it :)

good times and sad times

What a weekend! It began Friday evening when we hung out with our dear friends Grace & Josh. We went out to a new pub, we had fun conversation, we played games and gifts were exchanged. This was good and sad times. Sad because as our friends were leaving for a 2 week long vacation, it was our last time to hang out while we all still resided in Vancouver. And though we know we will see them again (and their soon-to-be baby), we are not sure when this will be. We had such a blast hanging out with them and reminiscing about good times. They made us an amazing gift, a movie consisting of loads of pictures of our time in Vancouver as well as funny and sentimental words to us and for us. It was the greatest gift and I cannot wait to show you all. The time came to say our goodbyes at the end of the evening and though it still has not hit me, I know it was sad and hard and will only be more so as we make our departure from Vancouver.
However, more good times happened later that evening. I went with some of my girl friends to a Harry Potter release party! The 7th and final book was due to come out at midnight and we set out to wait in line and party with the Harry fans until midnight to get our book. The so-called party was pretty lame, but it was fun to go and be there and get the book when the clock struck 12:00. This was good and sad times. Sad because it is the final Harry Potter book and I can no longer look forward to the next release and though they are still making the movies, those are nothing in comparison to the books.
Saturday morning I rose excited to set out early to help my friend, Katie, set up for another friend, Ansley's, baby shower! I arrived around 9:30am (for the party was set to start at 11am) and we got to work preparing food and decor. About 10am we received a phone call from Chad, Ansley's husband, and stated that Ansley had indeed gone into labour! Katie and I were shocked, stunned beyond belief and laughing at the irony of it all. Chad and Ansley still wanted us to have the party, so we did and with each arriving guest got to tell them the news! We played the shower games , ate the food and even (secretly) showed each other the presents we had each brought. It was sad that Ansley could not be there for her own shower but it was perfect timing for the baby to be brought into the world.
Sunday evening Deanna, Shannon and I went to the hospital to help welcome Charles D Raith III into the world. He is precious and perfect and I could not be happier for the new little family.

Last hang out with Cramer's & HP realease party

Ansley's baby shower

Blockhead + friends = fun!

Last night our good friends Tim & Jen invited us over for some good eats and hang out time. The Simpson's also joined in on the fun and we had an overall great evening. It was the last time we will see Tim & Jen in Vancouver(as they are going out of town this week and we leave before they get back), which is very sad but fun to look forward to some potential visits from them in Edinburgh and with them in Belfast. The Cairn's introduced us to the great game of Blockhead last time we had dinner with them so naturally we had to show the Simps what it was all about. Turned out we were all pretty good and I think we may have played a record breaking game of something like 35+ blocks. Good times were had by all.

Take me out to the ball game!

Saturday night Derek and I, along with our home group, went to "The Nat" for a Vancouver Canadians baseball game! Derek looooves baseball so the mention of going to any type of game (little league, minor league, major league) and he is there! And of course any excuse to get outside and be with close friends is a must for the Browns. We were so excited to hear that the Canadians were playing none other than the Eugene Emeralds. Of course we went and cheered for the Emeralds. Lucas and Shannon cheered with us (support the team from the good ole U.S. of A) so out of the 3,000 or so fans that were there...4 of us cheered for the opposing team. It was great though and I think we all had some scratchy voices the next day. However, after 11 innings and lots of stadium food the Vancouver Canadians won 4 to 3. Even still, we can't deny what a great time we had!

Eugene Emeralds vs. Vancouver Canadians

Fill 'er up

Gas (or petrol) prices in Vancouver are ridiculous. Granted, not as bad as other places in the world but ridiculous when coming from the states. Since moving to Vancouver nearly 3 years ago, we have not once filled our gas tank all the way up. We would fill it whenever we took a trip to the states but around town we would just put in $20 or $30 and be on our merry way. But last night as we went to put some gas in the car we decided that we have to do it once and we filled it up! At $1.10 a litre, which comes to about $4.00 a gallon (for you Americans), our gas tank is full with Canadian gasoline for the first time and most likely the last. It was hard to see those dollars continue to rise...and rise...but we had to do it just once! Soon we will head back to Oregon and sell our car and won't have to fill up a gas tank for years to come.