A Texas Wedding

We spent last weekend and a few days before in Texas for Matt's brother wedding. After an early start and a not exactly short flight we made it to Houston. That's when all the fun started! Oh rental cars, how I hate you!! We made it out of the airport in the end and drove north to Mount Enterprise, TX. A quick stop for lunch in Lufkin with oysters, crawfish and alligator po'boys (a sandwich for those not accustomed to southern food) was a great welcome back to Texas! We spent a couple of days at Matt's parents house, hanging out, going for a run (it was 74F) exploring the woods and we got to spend an evening with Matt's old high school friend.

Friday we got up early and headed back to Bryan/College Station (where I got my PhD). I got to go visit my old office and see lots of friends and catch up on what was new. Of course I noticed the nice new coat of paint ADRAD had gotten (ADRAD is the radar that is on the roof of my old building). The rest of the day consisted of refining my decorating skills by preparing the rehearsal dinner restaurant, attending the wedding rehearsal, eating a delicious dinner and a little bit of party time in downtown Bryan.

Saturday was the wedding day, so after breakfast and lunch Matt put his tux on and headed out to the wedding location - Royalty Pecan Farms just outside of Bryan, for the pre-wedding pictures. I headed out a little later and took my seat. After the 70 something F temperatures Friday it had cooled down on Saturday (only in the 50s and 60s) so there were definitely some chilly people. I was glad I had bought a wrap to wear as the ceremony was outside.

The men



The ladies (and my new best friend Amelia)



The wedding itself was really nice, and the food was delicious - especially all the pecans, although I was a little disappointed I missed the red velvet layer of wedding cake! Congratulations to Paul and Kati!!

 



Familia



The bride and groom (and cake, yum)



Post-wedding was spent at the downtown Bryan wine bar and revolutions with friends and family and it was a really nice night and a lot of fun. Sunday I finally got my La Bodega lunch (I miss good Mexican food) and some time with a few of my water polo ladies. Monday was up early and back to the airport. A long day got longer when the flight from Newark to Albany was cancelled, but we made it on the last flight of the day 3 hours later.

All in all, a great trip and a really lovely wedding. Thank you to everyone involved and it was fantastic to meet all of Matt's extended family. I even have a new best friend :-)

England Part III: Warwick Castle and Stratford-Upon-Avon

So our final day in England was spent at Warwick Castle (about a 45 minute drive from Worcester). You can't go to England without going to a castle right! I had been there before, but probably not for 20 years. It was a little colder and rained on and off but it was nice enough to be able to be outside and not too miserable.

We got to walk around all the different sections of the castle - the original castle was built in the 11th century and various sections have been added on since. Everything from knights in shining armour to Victorian dinner parties.

That helmet was way heavier than it looked!

You can walk along the battlements and to the top of a couple of the towers and you got a great view of the castle grounds and the surrounding country.

View of the castle



View from the tower - despite the rain it was busy

 We missed most of the birds of prey show as it was our time to go into the dungeons. I hate having people jump out at me in the dark so I was a little on edge but it was fun down there. Luckily (or not) neither of us got picked on to be part of any of the show! The birds were kept in the falconry when they weren't in the show which was part of the castle grounds that far fewer people went to.



A little bit of America in Warwickshire



The castle from the other side of the river


Once we were done at the castle, my parents came to pick us up with the dogs and we went to Stratford-Upon Avon (just down the road). We were planning on taking the dogs for a nice walk by the river but the rain had got worse by then so it ended up being a quick circuit around the town, past the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre and back to the car. Unfortunately one of the dogs had a bad tummy and had a rather messy accident in the street which was both hilarious and hugely embarrassing!



Mr Shakespeare and the theatre in the background



Christmas in Stratford-Upon-Avon

 That evening we had a delicious dinner at home along with games with the family before the early flight home in the morning. Luckily there was no one next to us on the flight to Newark and Matt was able to get on the same flight as me from Newark to Albany so everything worked out quite nicely. It was a great Christmas and trip home. I think everyone had a great time. Off to Texas in the morning so more updates soon.

England Part II: Worcester

Day trip number two (does it really count as a day trip when it's less than 5 miles away) was to the city center of Worcester. Lunch in the pub followed by a stroll through town to Worcester cathedral. I don't even know how many times I've been there for various school trips and Christmas services but it was nice to enjoy it without having to do school work, play violin or do a reading!



Cathedral view

The cathedral was all set up from the Christmas services and was quite busy with visitors. I took tons of pictures and these are just a selection - hopefully they do it some justice. When you live somewhere for a long time and places like this are just "normal" you forget just how beautiful it is (and you appreciate real history a lot more after living in the US where historic downtown was built it 1906 or something).



Stained glass window

 

View of the nave

 

Tomb of King John. Aka the real one depicted in Robin Hood.

After the Cathedral we walked back along the River Severn to see all the swans and head back to the high street. Just as we got to the bus station to go home my parents let us know they were walking the dogs at the racecourse (horses not dogs), which is just a little further along the river, so we strolled that way. This is where Matt had encounter two with the stinging nettles (intentionally), still not that bad apparently!



Worcester cathedral from the river



England Part I: Christmas and Malvern Hills

Matt and I went to England over Christmas. I left a few days before him which were spent being lazy at home and walking the dogs. Exactly what a vacation is for!! Matt flew in on Christmas eve and after a quick lunch we travelled down to my Granny's house in Basingstoke for a pub dinner for my uncle's 50th birthday - and it was delicious!! Christmas was fun, lots of food and great presents from everyone - I think everyone liked what I got them too.

The doggies guarding all the gifts



Mmm Christmas pud soaked in brandy and set on fire



Haha, twins! Matt and Ewan

After spending Christmas day and boxing day at my Granny's with lots more food we went back up to Worcester and went for a walk up the Worcester Beacon, part of the Malvern Hills. Seeing as the 27th was a holiday and fairly warm (at least compared to last year) the hills were full of people. I've never seen so many people up there!! It was a little windy but there were great views of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and even into Wales. 

Matt and Ruby headed to the summit



Matt and the countryside



Sheep!

Perhaps the funniest moment was Matt "trying out" stinging nettles for the first time! They stung but some we found later in the week stung a lot more. It was a fun family outing that definitely wouldn't have been possible if there had been as much snow as last year.

I'll add more pictures and info from the trip soon. So many pictures!

2011 in short

Travelling over Christmas meant no blogging... but I will update soon with pictures from my trip home. Meanwhile, a brief summary of 2011 is due. I was planning on doing this on new years day but the year started off with a nasty cold and I've done a lot of sleeping. Anyhow, in summary:

2011 Firsts:

1) (and last) PhD!!
2) second, and third PhD papers published (here, here, and here)
2) "real" full time job
3) time in Illinois, Indiana, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Vermont
4) apartment with Matt
5) car loan
6) student loan payments

2011 Lasts:

1) class ever (meteorological oceanography)!
2) graduation
3) game of water polo (probably at least)

I could probably come up with some more if I thought a little harder but I'd say 2011 was a pretty successful year and hopefully 2012 will be just as good. I don't really have any official resolutions for 2012, but I would like to do a half marathon this year so hold me to it!!