It's probably best said with pictures....

So a lot has happened, here it goes....

About the middle of July we moved from just outside of Dublin to smack dab in the middle of central London.

Click on the map to enlarge

We were here for a blissful 4 days before we packed the one suitcase we each had again and headed back to the good ol' USA. This is actually where the fun starts.

We headed back to the Seattle area where both our las familias lives. (I'm not sure if that sentence actually works, but it sounds good at 3 in the morning).

Here's the rough layout, and then I'll go into detail:

Phase one: Slaved (happily-wouldn't have had it any other way) for Sharisse and Craig's wedding which was less then a month away.

Phase Two: Monterey, California for the beach house!

Intermission: Weekend trip to Seattle for the wedding

Phase Three: Bromley Family Reunion- back to California

Intermission: At home in Seattle with las familas for a few days

Phase Four: Island Park, Idaho for Sifuentes Family Reunion.

Followed by the long flight back to London.

Steven's family has a tradition when it comes to vacations- it's called working. I'll let Steven tell you the story some other time, but in short, with just a few weeks to the wedding left, a new DIY patio was put in his parents house. Thankfully they had great weather during the rototilling of the grass, the leveling of the ground, and the laying the stone patio down. The outcome was pretty amazing, all the guys did a great job and it looked fantastic- plus Steven ended up with a pretty nice tan. And yes, Steven was pretty excited about the tan.

We also had a great time at my family's house. We were able to get back into the groove of playing board games. My youngest brother Christian would have us playing board game marathons if he could get away with it. :) He's pretty awesome like that.

After that, we headed down to California with my family. We met up with my sisters and their families and had an amazing time at the beach in Monterey. I seriously love that place. We played a lot at the beach, but we also went the Monterey Aquarium. I've never been to a cooler aquarium in my life. I may have been the oldest of the 4 that I was with- I probably acted the most excited though. (Note- I didn't take a single picture the whole trip since we didn't have a camera. So most of these are borrowed from family and other places).

Chloe, Christian and myself. 

Chloe, my niece, was pretty funny. She wanted to go out into the water, but she was too cold. Her solution: get aunty Heather to carry her into the waves so I can get wet while she stays dry. Christian is a fish sometimes- like most boys, he will swim until you tell him he has to get out. Even then- the possibility of staying in the water may be negotiable. 

Then came the wedding. Back to Seattle it was. The great thing about weddings, most people are able to come. So all of Steven's siblings were able to be there. The wedding was beautiful and we all had a lot of fun celebrating with Sharisse and Craig.

Then we came back to California for the reunion on my side of the family. We had a great time! It was all family topped by games, a swimming pool, a day at the ranch. One of my favorite nights was when we played Minute to Win it games. That was a hoot! My favorite was the Elephant Walk and the Whip Cream catching game.

L-R: Parker with Lucy, Tiffany with Sam, Sharon, Josh, Me with Maddie
Steven. Bottom Row: Brooklynn with Katie, Jackson, Christian

Bromley Reunion 2011

Best husband ever!

The Elephant Walk

After a very successful reunion, we headed back to Seattle. We had a few days of "down time." We went to the Seafair hydroplane races. I had never really been to one before and I really enjoyed it. The whole atmosphere of the races was super relaxed and I loved all the different activities going on around. Fair food is never really amazing, it's usually greasy and generally on the "okay" side of life. It's all about the experience of being there though. Plus we were able to watch the Blue Angels! So I give the event a 10/10.

Blue Angels at Seafair

We really were not ready to take this picture, but we spent a lot of time on
this floor playing this game: Settlers of Zarahemla. It's a version of
The Settlers of Catan. 

 I ended up with a random infection on my chin called cellulities. Basically it was infected and the lower left side of my face was very swollen. A few times to the ER around midnight and a boatload of antibiotics and it was down in time for Steven's family reunion.  The people at the hospital were amazing! Really. It was pretty funny to see their different reactions.

I walk in with a very swollen face, clearly not doing good. At this point, I'm feeling like my problem is very visible- to the point that you can't really miss it.  Nurse during trip #1: While staring at my chin, "what can we do for you tonight". Me: "Um, my face is swelling up and it really hurts, see..." as I point to my chin.  Result: 2 bottles of anti-biotics and pain killers.

Visit #2. Different Nurse as we walk in: "Wow, you're face is not looking so good." Normally, at any other point, I might be offended. However, I'm just really glad at this point, I don't have to do much explaining. Result: hour long IV of anti-biotics.

Visit #3: Different Nurse: "You're back?! It's not looking so hot. I'll grab the doctor."  Result: Area started to take care of it self out later the next day.

I have to say, through it all, I have an amazing husband. He was the best at taking care of me!

Then it was off to Island Park, Idaho for Steven's side reunion. Steven's sister's husband's parents (got that), have a cabin in the area. It was a great time. We went on 4 wheelers a million times, went to the lake, had fires, smores and played more Minute to Win it games. Yellowstone National Park was great! I liked the Buffalo everywhere. Although, they were sometimes a little too comfortable getting close.

On the 4 wheelers

At Yellowstone with the Buffalo.

While Steven's been gone, I've been trying to take the opportunity to get to know London a little better. Today, I went out for what should have been a couple of hours and snapped some pictures. I had a lot of fun and it was a beautiful day! I was glad I went because I was able to see a different side of London. On the opposite side of the Thames River (sounds like Tim's), is a whole different world. It's less hustle and bustle and more wharf meets the boardwalk life there. Knowing it's so close, just made the transition a lot easier. (My transition as suburbia girl transplanted into the heart of metropolitan lifestyle has not been 100% easy). Here are the picts, I hope you enjoy them.

 We hope everyone is doing great and will keep you up to date on our happenings here :)

Steven does some pretty sweet things too....

So I was reflecting on our blog and noticed a few things, namely I haven't really posted much on Steven.  Now I have his pictures, so I thought I would put a few things down about what he's been up to.  Steven always says that a picture is worth a 1000 words, so I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

The DFB recently did a demonstration for the Road Traffic Association not too long ago. You can see Steven below in the driver's seat. 

Steven and the Dublin Fire Brigade at the Tara Street Station

I know the picture doesn't fit, but it wasn't very clear as a smaller pict. 

Some of the guys at the station

Steven & Peter 

You may wonder what type of party would the Military History MA program throw at the end of the year..... they go paintballing! They all wanted to be on Steven's team...

Here are some pictures from the Mitchell's end of the year weekend. 

A big thank you to Trina Vargo and Jennie LaMont for all that they did for us this year!

At the ring ceremony at the Farmleigh House
L-R: Stephen, Kyle, Ibrahim, Joey, Minister Ruairí Quinn, Deirdre, Ryan, Youngjun, Steven & Fagen

At the Ring Ceremony with Stephen and Katie

Receiving his Mitchell Ring

This pict proves he doesn't actually mind small dogs...

So you may have heard.... The President recently came to visit and the Irish love him. Roughly 80,000,000 people in the world can claim Irish ancestry, but they are convinced that there is no one as Irish as Barack Obama. You can even buy a shirt that says so.

The Embassy offered up tickets to go see him speak in Dublin in front of the Central Bank. So Steven and Stephen went to go listen to him because Stephen D is a huge fan. Minus the waiting around, they had a great time. Stephen D was able to shake the President's hand and get a pep talk from Mrs. Obama.

His visit changed the atmosphere of the country. 

You have to understand that shortly before his arrival, the Queen of England had come to visit. It was the first royal visit in 100 years. Everyone we talked to had mixed feelings about it. Some were furious and said it was salt in the wound, some were indifferent but upset that it was costing loads in security fees, and a select few seemed actually happy about her coming. Dublin was transformed into a city of florescent yellow Gardi and people walking on pins and needles. Security was everywhere and most people seemed to avoid Dublin the best they could. The threat was real mind you- a bomb was actually found on a bus across the street from our house headed into Dublin- and we are out here in the country. 

So, when the President came to town and people overtook the streets of Dublin to see him and put American flags up everywhere, it was a completely different place. A positive and relaxed one at that. 

Next on the list was Príosún Cill Mhaighneann (Kilmainham Gaol/Kilmainham Jail). Our friend Rosemary from church gives tours here and was kind enough to give us a tour. The gaol was built in the late 1700's and was used through the mid 1900's. Many of Ireland's own patriots were imprisoned and executed here- most notably during Ireland's fight for independence from Britain. 

Could have been on Prison Break.....

Locked up...

In case you wanted to see what Irish looks like next to English.

It's a small world.... Steven was wearing a football shirt from the Naval Academy. A couple that was in the tour as well recognized it. Turns out Steven went to school with their nephew at NAPS....

Cake bites, the lollipop lady and other happenings....

So I've been experimenting with new recipes lately- in a good way. Not the kind that get you on a show because your cooking is so bad that your family is desperate to get you help (see reality show: Worst Cooks in America).

Here's my latest creation:

Chocolate Cake Bites. I learned how to make them from a 4 minute clip on youtube- and several other online articles. They turned out great (excluding the colored frosting, I should have used colored chocolate).

They were originally for a dinner party last night, but I ran out of time. I don't know if it was a great substitute for bringing chocolate, but we did bring an appetizer out of the Biggest Loser cookbook.


I've been on this treat kick for the last week or so. People love to talk about food and so I've been telling a few friends about my adventures in this place we call the kitchen. I was talking to Vanessa who said that our other friend Heather was also a lollipop lady. This is was my vision of what a lollipop lady does:

I thought, "How cool is that?! I could be the next Willy Wonka."  So when I was talking on the phone to Heather yesterday, I asked her to teach me how to make lollipops and other candies. Heather had no idea what I was referring to. It took a few minutes, but we figured it out. There was a bit of confusion between American English and Irish English. This is a lollipop lady here in Ireland:

The other half of this house has been keeping himself busy as well. He's in the full swing of getting his papers finished up. The Trinity library in Dublin has become his local hotspot of choice. He left with the other scholars a few hours ago to kick of the Mitchell Scholar's graduation weekend. Their first pit stop will be Limerick tonight and the weekend will end on Monday with the ring ceremony at Farmleigh.  I'm so proud of him for all of his hard work this year!

A reason to celebrate....

Today was Teresa's last exam of her Bachelor's degree. She's excited and we are excited for her. Clearly this is cause for celebration. The get together with everyone is on Thursday, but why put off celebrating today? 

So for the creative lady, I made a creative dessert: Colorburst cupcakes! (Okay- It was a win/win. I've been wanting to make them). 

I found these on a website my friend Crystal sent me: http://www.ourbestbites.com/. Creative cooking for those of us who haven't quite mastered the Martha Stewart or domestic goddess status yet. 

They didn't turn out exactly as I hoped because of the colors. Maynooth lacks a variety of food coloring. So I was working with the colors of red and green. The obstacle was to make sure they didn't look like Christmas or tie dye. I ended up with the colors peach, red, green, light green, and white/plain. 

I think she will love them! Thankfully she appreciates effort over perfection. 

Congrats Teresa!

Generational Gap- Sleepless in Seattle or Grey's Anatomy?

I recently joined Curves- and I love it. The people who work there are really nice (even if they are paid to be nice) but the people who work out there are also really friendly.

When I meet someone, as soon as I start talking, it's clear that I'm not from these parts. So one of the most common questions that I get is, "Where are you from?" I have a crafted answer for this.

See, if I say Washington State, most people still think it's Washington DC. So I keep it simple, "I'm from Seattle- up in the Pacific Northwest." There are two responses. And both are pretty predictable depending on the age group that you are talking to.

If the person that you are talking to is about 30 years old +, the answer is:
"Oh I love Seattle! I saw Sleepless in Seattle with your man Tom Hanks"

If the person you are talking to is under 30 years old, the answer is:
"Oh it looks amazing. That's Grey's Anatomy right with your man Patrick Dempsy?!"

*Note: the phrase "your man" is a very Irish phrase. The relation of that person to you can be very close to you or incredibly vague. This man can be an acquaintance, close friend, tour guide, actor from a show set in your hometown, etc. I've never actually heard it used in terms of a female relation, only for the relationships of men to you.

In other news, we had a great day to day. This past week was Youngjun's birthday (another one of the George Mitchell Scholars). We invited him and the other guys out for a lunch and pie (he didn't want cake). Teresa and I make chicken and beef shiska bobs, rice, and the pretty princess strawberries minus the food coloring and sprinkles. It was after all a birthday get together for a guy. They turned out pretty good I think. Then Betty Crocker and teamed up and I made up my first peach pie. It actually turned out really good. I was nervous because it would have really stunk for it to not have turned out. Its not like a cake that you can scrape a bit off and make sure it tastes good prior to frosting it. There was a fail safe involved- I was serving it to guys who think everything I cook is amazing even if I don't agree. They make me feel like a real chef sometimes.

Have you ever had those moments where you do something that takes a lot of work and then you get told that you do a really good job at it? It makes you feel like you want to do it again. Then you realize that, "yes, I am good at this, but this is a lot of work!" Who gets more out of it? You, who get's that warm and fuzzy feeling OR them, who get to benefit?  In this case, I do feel like it's a win/win situation. So I'll probably keep cooking for them.

My ode to apartment living

We have had good fortune in living in a great apartment for the area we live in. We feel really blessed to have ended up in a nice place after an email exchange, a couple of photos and then crossing our fingers and signing a lease before we ever arrived in the country. It has (mostly) everything we need- even a drying line in the backyard, between two trees, to help make up for the single unit washer/kinda pathetic dryer we have. How many apartments in the States come with that amazing amenity, right?! (For some context, we are located on the bottom floor).

With that said- this place is not without its, shall we say, quirks.

Quirk #1: 
I know for a fact we have neighbors to the right of us. Even though I have never actually seen them, I know this for two reasons.
A) The dad sings Karaoke EVERY day like his life depends on it. Also, in order to optimize his air intake, or something, he opens every window and door to their apartment while doing said action. He's also not biased in his song choices either. He can sing them in some asian language as well as English. It also appears that his favorites include the best of the 1980's. (Think Patrick Swayze, Olivia Newton John, Michael Jackson, & Madonna).  And everyone thinks the parties are at the dorms- they don't know what they are missing out on.
B) The second reason I know we have neighbors there is because their little girl almost ran me over with her bike.

Quirk #2:
I have become protective of my drying line. That's right- laugh all you like. But it's happened.
Technically we are not supposed to have it. But everyone has one, so like most rules around here, the rule is not enforced. I clean the drying line, I make sure it's up tight, etc.
So when new neighbors moved in on the other side, they started using it to put up their laundry. Really, I'm fine sharing it. Especially since there really isn't room for them to put another one up.
There has really only been a couple of times where we have needed to put up laundry at the same time. Here's where my beef really is. When you pull your laundry down- take the clothes line pins with you. Otherwise, I have to pull their pins down, then re-pin them to the edge of the line, which is hopefully space I don't need. I've already asked one of the girls and she was great about it. But I'm pretty sure I will have to ask the others as we go along. Cross your fingers for me. It's NBD, but I feel like I'm not exactly making friends with the new kids on the block either.

Quirk #3: 
It's more of an international community here. Overall, I give it an A+. Here are some different things that stand out about it though....
A) We play "What's that smell"-If you leave your door or window open about dinner time, for better or worse, you will always get a whiff of different foods being cooked. (You also get the smoke unfortunately).

B) I assume a lot. It's a habit unfortunately. For instance, two buildings away is the grocery store. There is a man named Asheem that works there and also lives in our apartments. We have become "hello, how's it going" friends with him. He looks middle eastern to me- so I thought he was from the Middle East (I knew he had moved to Ireland from somewhere else). The other day, we see him outside the store, he smiles, waves and tells us how happy he is Osama Bin Landen is dead. After he leaves, I was telling Steven how I was wondering what Asheem's reaction would be. Steven looked at me and was like, "you know he's French right?"

C) You can't always communicate with people- because their English may not be so good. There's a nice  family at the end who are always out in the back. I'm pretty sure their Polish. Their son speaks English well enough, but I don't think the Dad, Mom, Grandpa, or uncle understand a word I say. We live by the "smile and wave" way of communication. Steven and I have tried to stop and have a short conversation, but it doesn't really make any sense to them it seems like. So it's smile, wave, and a short hello to which they always respond with a head nod and a smile.

Quirk #4:
Last one for now... Do you ever get that feeling that someone is looking in your window? Well, that actually happens to us.
We live on the bottom floor, which is convenient. However, it's the 4th door from the end so a lot of people pass it to go to the gate (the back door is so much easier than the front door).  When people walk past the doors, they feel the need to look in to everyones apartments. I feel like we're in a "Eye Spy" book.
Also, the little girl who used to live next door (she wasn't more than 4 years old) sometimes confused our door with her door when she was done playing. So if it wasn't locked, she sometimes came in.

I'm know we're not the only ones with good stories. We would love to hear yours! We hope that you are all doing well.

I think I need a party....

Because I really want to make these.....

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp powdered sugar
1-2 drops of red food coloring
12 strawberries, tops and bottoms slightly trimmed

Directions:
Combine cream cheese, vanilla, sugar, food coloring in a bowl. About 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
Scoop out the top of each strawberry (with a melon scooper)
Fill a ziplock bag with cream cheese and snip off the corner. Squeeze air out of the bag and seal shut.
Pipe the cream cheese filling from the bag in the strawberry. Swirl to finish off.
Serve immediately.

*If you beat me to making them, let me know how they are!

In other news.....

Today I have my Irish oral and written exams. Cross your fingers and say a little prayer for me. We'll see how much I've actually learned. :)