This morning I slept in longer than I have in awhile... 10:30, and I was still tired all day. I stayed the night at Kelsey's again, so when I woke up I biked back to the house to have a bowl of cereal... as I was eating I decided I needed to go run ASAP or I wouldn't be in the mood later on. So I called Kelsey to see if she wanted to go with me, and she did, so I ran by her place and we started running.
After a mile, Kelsey back tracked so that she would get 2 miles in. I continued running and got 4 miles in, although my body was NOT in the mood to be running today.
As soon as I was back, I changed into my bathing suit and laid out in the backyard. It was beautiful today... mostly sunny and in the 70's. Tomorrow will be another great day to lay out... sunny and 77!
After laying out a couple hours, I grabbed an apple and watched some tv. Then I took the car and picked My up at 4 from the train station. When we got back I had another bowl of cereal, and then we biked down to the field so My could work on her pitching with Kelsey and I caught. Then we had practice from 6-8 with the team. We had them do 4 rounds of hitting today, which they enjoyed.
After biking back to the house, we ate tacos outside. Micke made homemade guacamole dip and it was SO good!
Micke gave me a USB stick that has 6 different movies on it, so after showering I checked to see what movies were on it, and I just got done watching Source Code. I really enjoyed the movie.
Now I am about to read my kindle and head on to sleep. Hope everyone's weekend was great!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Day 68
After having a bowl of cereal this morning I went back to sleep for an hour :) I'm getting pretty good at that. I was really tired, though. Once I woke back up, I had a cup of hot tea, and watched some tv for awhile. Then Kelsey and I biked to my place so she could look at some of my shirts for her to wear. Once she left, I asked Karin if I could take her card and go buy some groceries from the store, so she made me a list, and I biked there.... biking back with 3 very heavy grocery bags was not fun. I walked into the house dripping sweat and Karin said "You didn't take the car!?" haha
I had some more cereal for lunch and watched Britain's Next Top Model for awhile... I could barely understand their accents. I started to get bored, so I decided that I would go rollerblade for my exercise. The last time I had rollerblades on I was 10 years old and ended up in the emergency room with stitches and one side of my face skinned off, so I was anxious to see how it would go.
There were several moments where I thought I was about to have a mouth full of concrete, but other than that I just flailed around for an hour making a fool of myself and laughing. I'm sure people who passed me thought I was insane or feared for my safety. It was also a great butt workout... it might have been because I was tensed and hunched over the entire time hahaha. But I ended up rollerblading a little over 7.5 miles on rollerblades that were 3 sizes too small... I have a blister on the back of my heel and a blister on the side of my leg? I guess I had them too tight... my big toes are also kind of bruised and sore, so I think I'll hold off on rollerblading again for awhile :)
After showering, I watched tv and then Kelsey came over and we just watched more tv. After awhile, I went upstairs and decided to make some macaroni noodles for dinner and melt some cheese on them. After I was finished, I biked to Kelsey's and we watched a movie, made some popcorn and drizzled peanut butter and cocoa on it, and started to watch another movie, but we both got sidetracked skyping with our families.
Now I am about to get in bed and read for awhile. Hope everyone is having an great weekend :)
I had some more cereal for lunch and watched Britain's Next Top Model for awhile... I could barely understand their accents. I started to get bored, so I decided that I would go rollerblade for my exercise. The last time I had rollerblades on I was 10 years old and ended up in the emergency room with stitches and one side of my face skinned off, so I was anxious to see how it would go.
There were several moments where I thought I was about to have a mouth full of concrete, but other than that I just flailed around for an hour making a fool of myself and laughing. I'm sure people who passed me thought I was insane or feared for my safety. It was also a great butt workout... it might have been because I was tensed and hunched over the entire time hahaha. But I ended up rollerblading a little over 7.5 miles on rollerblades that were 3 sizes too small... I have a blister on the back of my heel and a blister on the side of my leg? I guess I had them too tight... my big toes are also kind of bruised and sore, so I think I'll hold off on rollerblading again for awhile :)
After showering, I watched tv and then Kelsey came over and we just watched more tv. After awhile, I went upstairs and decided to make some macaroni noodles for dinner and melt some cheese on them. After I was finished, I biked to Kelsey's and we watched a movie, made some popcorn and drizzled peanut butter and cocoa on it, and started to watch another movie, but we both got sidetracked skyping with our families.
Now I am about to get in bed and read for awhile. Hope everyone is having an great weekend :)
Friday, July 29, 2011
Day 67
This morning I set my alarm so I could have some cereal before running down to the softball field. I had to catch for one of the girls on the team who was pitching, so I decided I would just run there and then run back afterwards since it's a little over a mile to get there.
Once I got back, I watched some TV for awhile, read, had some lunch, then I biked to the grocery store with Kelsey so she could buy some groceries for herself this weekend.
After that, we biked back to her place to watch TV for awhile... then we biked to my place to change clothes so we could go blueberry picking in the woods with Karin. We were out in the woods for a good 2 hours before going back home. Once home, we showered to get the blue stains off our skin, and then we ate crawfish for dinner.
After we ate, Kelsey and I biked back to her place where we've just been hanging out. Our plans of Margaritas, Movies, & Munchies didn't pan out... but we did find some ice cream in the freezer to satisfy our late night chocolate craving.
No plans so far for the weekend, so I won't have anything exciting to post about.
That's all for now :) goodnight!
Once I got back, I watched some TV for awhile, read, had some lunch, then I biked to the grocery store with Kelsey so she could buy some groceries for herself this weekend.
After that, we biked back to her place to watch TV for awhile... then we biked to my place to change clothes so we could go blueberry picking in the woods with Karin. We were out in the woods for a good 2 hours before going back home. Once home, we showered to get the blue stains off our skin, and then we ate crawfish for dinner.
After we ate, Kelsey and I biked back to her place where we've just been hanging out. Our plans of Margaritas, Movies, & Munchies didn't pan out... but we did find some ice cream in the freezer to satisfy our late night chocolate craving.
No plans so far for the weekend, so I won't have anything exciting to post about.
That's all for now :) goodnight!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Day 66
This morning after waking up and having a bowl of cereal, I went back to bed for an hour and a half. Then I basically laid around all day reading my kindle... I did get in an hour cardio workout on the track path about 1.5 miles from the house.
After I got back from that I had a small lunch with a bowl of fresh picked blueberries that were delicious! Then I biked over to Kelsey so we could make a practice plan for tonight's practice, which was from 6-8.
After biking back from practice, I showered, had a bowl of cereal and a bowl of blueberries for dinner, made a cup of hot tea, and now I'm back to doing nothing :)
I think I'll probably be spending the weekend over at Kelsey's since Ingrid and Micke won't be home... we are planning a HUGE party! (JK Ingrid ;) ) haha... we'll probably watch lots of movies and be boring.
Tomorrow we are meeting one of the girls down at the softball field at 10 am for her to practice pitching, then I am going blueberry picking in the woods with Karin around 5 pm, and then we are having crawfish for dinner!
It's good to be back with the sun and warmth here in Sweden as opposed to the dreary, chilly, overcast days in the UK.
After I got back from that I had a small lunch with a bowl of fresh picked blueberries that were delicious! Then I biked over to Kelsey so we could make a practice plan for tonight's practice, which was from 6-8.
After biking back from practice, I showered, had a bowl of cereal and a bowl of blueberries for dinner, made a cup of hot tea, and now I'm back to doing nothing :)
I think I'll probably be spending the weekend over at Kelsey's since Ingrid and Micke won't be home... we are planning a HUGE party! (JK Ingrid ;) ) haha... we'll probably watch lots of movies and be boring.
Tomorrow we are meeting one of the girls down at the softball field at 10 am for her to practice pitching, then I am going blueberry picking in the woods with Karin around 5 pm, and then we are having crawfish for dinner!
It's good to be back with the sun and warmth here in Sweden as opposed to the dreary, chilly, overcast days in the UK.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Day 65, Home sweet Sweden
This morning we had a small breakfast in the hotel, packed our bags, grabbed a taxi, and headed to the Natural History Museum. Jeanne sat at an outside cafe with our bags while Kelsey and I went in. It opened at 10 am, and Jeanne wanted us to leave for the airport at 11:30, so we only got an hour at the most to look around... DEFINITELY not enough time. You need a good 4 hours to spare to look at everything in there.
So, we got to the airport at 12 and our flight wasn't until 4:30!!! So Jeanne bought us a small lunch, and then Kelsey and I went through security and had to sit for 3 hours waiting for the board to show us our gate number. Right around 3:45 it told us our gate #, so we grabbed a frappucino from Starbucks and headed to our gate and boarded right away.
The flight wasn't bad, and Karin and Ingrid both picked us up. Once we got back I made a salad, had some cashews, and now I'm relaxing with a nice mug of hot tea :)
I had a great trip, I'm in the process of uploading my 400 pictures at the moment, but I'm definitely glad to be back in Sweden. Now I have a good week to relax, and then Greg will be here and we'll head to ROME, ITALY! I'm so excited :)
Check out my photos in awhile.. I'll probably have about 5 different albums.
So, we got to the airport at 12 and our flight wasn't until 4:30!!! So Jeanne bought us a small lunch, and then Kelsey and I went through security and had to sit for 3 hours waiting for the board to show us our gate number. Right around 3:45 it told us our gate #, so we grabbed a frappucino from Starbucks and headed to our gate and boarded right away.
The flight wasn't bad, and Karin and Ingrid both picked us up. Once we got back I made a salad, had some cashews, and now I'm relaxing with a nice mug of hot tea :)
I had a great trip, I'm in the process of uploading my 400 pictures at the moment, but I'm definitely glad to be back in Sweden. Now I have a good week to relax, and then Greg will be here and we'll head to ROME, ITALY! I'm so excited :)
Check out my photos in awhile.. I'll probably have about 5 different albums.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Day 63 & 64
Yesterday I woke up not feeling great, so we had a lazy morning of fresh fruit for bfast and soup and crackers for lunch. Then Kelsey and I went out shopping around Cardiff and got some frozen yogurt from a small stand. We then went to the grocery store and bought stuff so we could cook Flying Jacob (swedish meal) for Jeanne and John.
After a few mishaps in the kitchen, we had dinner ready and they liked it. Then we had to hurry and change and grab a taxi to take us to the Millenium Center for the Grease musical. We thought we were going to be late so we were running, but we made it in time :) The musical was so good! But I haven't seen the movie since I was little and never realized how sexual it is! I was laughing at some of the song lyrics they were singing because I had no idea.
After getting back to the house we all headed to bed. This morning we woke up early and packed our bags and took the 8:55 am train into London. We took a taxi right to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch, and then afterwards checked into our hotel. Once we had all of our bags put away, we took off for London Dungeon and Madame Tussauds.
The London Dungeon took over 90 minutes to go through... but we had a lot of fun. There were a few rides inside that you had to go on... one of them was a free fall drop ride that took your picture, and Kelsey and I ended up buying it because our faces are PRICELESS in them! It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but it was a lot of fun.
After that, we went straight to Madame Tussauds. We took lots of pictures with the wax figures, and they even had a horror tunnel that only took about 5 minutes to walk through but those 5 minutes were scarier than the 100 minutes in the London Dungeon.
By the time we were done with those 2 attractions, it was 7:30 pm. We met back up with Jeanne and we went to Bella Italia for dinner. We shared a garlic and cheese pizza appetizer and then I got a really good pasta. Afterwards, we walked to this gelato/frozen yogurt place called Rendezvous that we saw earlier and ended up having dessert here. I had a scoop of nutella gelato and a scoop of cookies n cream gelato. IT IS SOOOO GOOD! I am going on a strict diet for the next week, and then when Greg gets here and we go to Rome I can be bad again :)
Tomorrow our plans are to go to the Natural History Museum and hopefully catch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Then our plane leaves around 4:30 pm. I think I have about 750 pictures from these 8 days :)
Hope yall have enjoyed my vacation as much as I have :)
After a few mishaps in the kitchen, we had dinner ready and they liked it. Then we had to hurry and change and grab a taxi to take us to the Millenium Center for the Grease musical. We thought we were going to be late so we were running, but we made it in time :) The musical was so good! But I haven't seen the movie since I was little and never realized how sexual it is! I was laughing at some of the song lyrics they were singing because I had no idea.
After getting back to the house we all headed to bed. This morning we woke up early and packed our bags and took the 8:55 am train into London. We took a taxi right to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch, and then afterwards checked into our hotel. Once we had all of our bags put away, we took off for London Dungeon and Madame Tussauds.
The London Dungeon took over 90 minutes to go through... but we had a lot of fun. There were a few rides inside that you had to go on... one of them was a free fall drop ride that took your picture, and Kelsey and I ended up buying it because our faces are PRICELESS in them! It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but it was a lot of fun.
After that, we went straight to Madame Tussauds. We took lots of pictures with the wax figures, and they even had a horror tunnel that only took about 5 minutes to walk through but those 5 minutes were scarier than the 100 minutes in the London Dungeon.
By the time we were done with those 2 attractions, it was 7:30 pm. We met back up with Jeanne and we went to Bella Italia for dinner. We shared a garlic and cheese pizza appetizer and then I got a really good pasta. Afterwards, we walked to this gelato/frozen yogurt place called Rendezvous that we saw earlier and ended up having dessert here. I had a scoop of nutella gelato and a scoop of cookies n cream gelato. IT IS SOOOO GOOD! I am going on a strict diet for the next week, and then when Greg gets here and we go to Rome I can be bad again :)
Tomorrow our plans are to go to the Natural History Museum and hopefully catch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Then our plane leaves around 4:30 pm. I think I have about 750 pictures from these 8 days :)
Hope yall have enjoyed my vacation as much as I have :)
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Day 62, Salisbury + Stonehenge
This morning I woke up at 7 so I could get in a workout before getting ready. We had fresh fruit and coffee for breakfast, and then walked to the train station to catch the 9:15 am train to Salisbury. We ended up catching the train RIGHT before it left. The train ride was a little over 2 hours long. When we got to Salisbury, instead of Kelsey and I hopping right on the tour bus for Stonehenge, the 4 of us (me, Kelsey, Jeanne, and John) walked into the city and found a nice restaurant to have lunch; I ordered the red pepper hummus flat bread wrap with a side salad.
Kelsey and I then left the restaurant and walked back to the train station so we could catch the 1 pm tour bus. We grabbed a Mocha from the train station cafe before so we wouldn't fall asleep. The bus ride was about 25 minutes and the 15 pounds we paid included the tour bus and the admission to Stonehenge; it also included one other place, but we weren't in the mood to get off after walking around Stonehenge. With our tickets we were able to walk straight in and grab an audio set for the audio tour guide. After being at Stonehenge for an hour, we hopped back on the bus and hopped off in the center of Salisbury city. We walked around awhile, went into the Salisbury Cathedral, got a little lost, and then met back up with Jeanne and her husband. By that time it was about 4:45 pm. They were ready to take the 5:30 train back since John has to get up early for work, but Kelsey and I decided to take the last train at 7:30 pm so we could sit down and eat.
We ended up at Cactus Jack's, a mexican restaurant, and we each ordered a margarita around 5:15, waiting for them to open at 6 so we could eat. We were the only customers they had, but the food was so good! We got chips with sour cream and guacamole as an appetizer, and then we each got an order of 3 enchiladas (3 cheese and veggie for me) that came with curly fries (weird, I know) and small salad garnish.
After we paid, we walked around looking for some place that had chocolate cake.. we were in the mood for cake! But, most of the places were closed, so we ended up getting a chocolate brownie from inside the train station right before jumping on our train.
We got back to Cardiff at 9:45 pm, and walked back to the apartment. We are both pretty exhausted. I've never done so much walking in my life!
Luckily, tomorrow will be a relaxed day... sleep in late, exercise if I'm in the mood, shop around Cardiff, Kelsey and I are cooking dinner for them, and then we are going to watch the Grease musical at 7:30 pm at the Millenium Center.
I can't wait to post all my pictures from this trip! Hopefully I'll remember what every building/castle/church is! :)
Kelsey and I then left the restaurant and walked back to the train station so we could catch the 1 pm tour bus. We grabbed a Mocha from the train station cafe before so we wouldn't fall asleep. The bus ride was about 25 minutes and the 15 pounds we paid included the tour bus and the admission to Stonehenge; it also included one other place, but we weren't in the mood to get off after walking around Stonehenge. With our tickets we were able to walk straight in and grab an audio set for the audio tour guide. After being at Stonehenge for an hour, we hopped back on the bus and hopped off in the center of Salisbury city. We walked around awhile, went into the Salisbury Cathedral, got a little lost, and then met back up with Jeanne and her husband. By that time it was about 4:45 pm. They were ready to take the 5:30 train back since John has to get up early for work, but Kelsey and I decided to take the last train at 7:30 pm so we could sit down and eat.
We ended up at Cactus Jack's, a mexican restaurant, and we each ordered a margarita around 5:15, waiting for them to open at 6 so we could eat. We were the only customers they had, but the food was so good! We got chips with sour cream and guacamole as an appetizer, and then we each got an order of 3 enchiladas (3 cheese and veggie for me) that came with curly fries (weird, I know) and small salad garnish.
After we paid, we walked around looking for some place that had chocolate cake.. we were in the mood for cake! But, most of the places were closed, so we ended up getting a chocolate brownie from inside the train station right before jumping on our train.
We got back to Cardiff at 9:45 pm, and walked back to the apartment. We are both pretty exhausted. I've never done so much walking in my life!
Luckily, tomorrow will be a relaxed day... sleep in late, exercise if I'm in the mood, shop around Cardiff, Kelsey and I are cooking dinner for them, and then we are going to watch the Grease musical at 7:30 pm at the Millenium Center.
I can't wait to post all my pictures from this trip! Hopefully I'll remember what every building/castle/church is! :)
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Day 61.. the excitement in Wales continues...
This morning once we woke up, we had fresh fruit and cereal again for breakfast. Then, I decided to get in a 4 mile run before getting ready for the day. Once I was back and showered, the 4 of us headed out to grab subway sandwiches and then flagged down a taxi to take us to the National Living History Museum in St. Fagans.
The "museum" is out in the middle of the country and depicts how Welsch life used to be and it is outside, so you walk around to different parts looking at different manors, houses, churches, etc. When we first got there we found a spot on the grass and ate our subs, then we walked around. After walking around for awhile we stopped in a Tea Room and they had hot tea and scones with jam and "clotted cream", which is basically whip cream, maybe a little fattier.
After seeing everything, we visited the gift shop and then took the bus back. When we got back, Jeannie and her husband went to the grocery store and Kelsey and I went to the oil store to buy something to dip our bread in tonight... we ended up buying 100 ml of a pomegranite balsam vinegar and 100 ml of hazelnut oil. We got to sample any kind we wanted and we chose those 2. The total was about 13 pounds (close to $20), which we split, because we had to buy the glass bottle to put it in. Afterwards, Kelsey and I walked over to Cafe Gelato and got gelato! I got 2 scoops in a cone: chocolate hazelnut and a vanilla with chocolate crushed cone. It was sooo good! We walked to the park to sit on a bench to eat and talk.
We ended up sitting on a bench directly in front of a couple making out on the grass, so naturally I took a couple pictures :) While sitting, we were approached by a homeless man, holding a beer can, with one hand down his pants. He walked up to us and said "can i ask something?" I immediately said "we aren't from here, sorry." And he ended up asking for money, which we both said we didn't have. And then he asked where we were from, and I said the U.S. and he left. A few minutes later, we saw a couple police men walking by and a man pointing in the direction the homeless man went, so we think he was warning the police about him.
Finally we decided we should walk back... and as we were heading on the path out of the park, we passed these younger, skanky looking girls, and not even 1 minute later 2 police women came sprinting our way and a lady running behind them screaming "NOOOOO!!!" So we turned around, and 2 of the girls we had JUST passed were in a fight... one girl was on the ground, the other girl was ripping her hair out and kicking her in the face. The police women tackled the girl pulling the hair and kicking and threw her on the ground and handcuffed her.... in the meantime, Kelsey and I started inching our way closer so I could take a picture :) We heard 2 other girls yelling at the girl handcuffed that she stole her handbag. Then I got another picture of the police women escorting the handcuffed girl and another girl out of the park :) It was great! I told Kelsey we need to go back to that park every evening.
Once we got back, we ate some dinner: salmon, baked potatoes, green beans, and the bread with the vinegar and oil. They loved it! After dinner, we were watching a movie, and then Kelsey and I walked to the store to buy honey to go in our hot tea. It being Saturday night, there are so many people out at the bars and we can watch them from the balcony. It's so cool because they have "stag" parties (bachelor parties) and "hen" parties (bachelorette parties), and the group of girls dress up in a theme and the guys do the same. We've seen like 5 different groups out tonight. Kelsey and I decided that on Monday night after we see the Grease musical, we are going to go to one of the bars, have a drink, and people watch... supposedly monday night is a huge party night here.
Tomorrow we are going to Stonehenge for the day. It's like a 2.5 hour train ride and then we have to take a bus, so we'll probably pack another picnic lunch.
That's all my excitement for today :) Now it's time for hot tea and honey to soothe my cough ;)
The "museum" is out in the middle of the country and depicts how Welsch life used to be and it is outside, so you walk around to different parts looking at different manors, houses, churches, etc. When we first got there we found a spot on the grass and ate our subs, then we walked around. After walking around for awhile we stopped in a Tea Room and they had hot tea and scones with jam and "clotted cream", which is basically whip cream, maybe a little fattier.
After seeing everything, we visited the gift shop and then took the bus back. When we got back, Jeannie and her husband went to the grocery store and Kelsey and I went to the oil store to buy something to dip our bread in tonight... we ended up buying 100 ml of a pomegranite balsam vinegar and 100 ml of hazelnut oil. We got to sample any kind we wanted and we chose those 2. The total was about 13 pounds (close to $20), which we split, because we had to buy the glass bottle to put it in. Afterwards, Kelsey and I walked over to Cafe Gelato and got gelato! I got 2 scoops in a cone: chocolate hazelnut and a vanilla with chocolate crushed cone. It was sooo good! We walked to the park to sit on a bench to eat and talk.
We ended up sitting on a bench directly in front of a couple making out on the grass, so naturally I took a couple pictures :) While sitting, we were approached by a homeless man, holding a beer can, with one hand down his pants. He walked up to us and said "can i ask something?" I immediately said "we aren't from here, sorry." And he ended up asking for money, which we both said we didn't have. And then he asked where we were from, and I said the U.S. and he left. A few minutes later, we saw a couple police men walking by and a man pointing in the direction the homeless man went, so we think he was warning the police about him.
Finally we decided we should walk back... and as we were heading on the path out of the park, we passed these younger, skanky looking girls, and not even 1 minute later 2 police women came sprinting our way and a lady running behind them screaming "NOOOOO!!!" So we turned around, and 2 of the girls we had JUST passed were in a fight... one girl was on the ground, the other girl was ripping her hair out and kicking her in the face. The police women tackled the girl pulling the hair and kicking and threw her on the ground and handcuffed her.... in the meantime, Kelsey and I started inching our way closer so I could take a picture :) We heard 2 other girls yelling at the girl handcuffed that she stole her handbag. Then I got another picture of the police women escorting the handcuffed girl and another girl out of the park :) It was great! I told Kelsey we need to go back to that park every evening.
Once we got back, we ate some dinner: salmon, baked potatoes, green beans, and the bread with the vinegar and oil. They loved it! After dinner, we were watching a movie, and then Kelsey and I walked to the store to buy honey to go in our hot tea. It being Saturday night, there are so many people out at the bars and we can watch them from the balcony. It's so cool because they have "stag" parties (bachelor parties) and "hen" parties (bachelorette parties), and the group of girls dress up in a theme and the guys do the same. We've seen like 5 different groups out tonight. Kelsey and I decided that on Monday night after we see the Grease musical, we are going to go to one of the bars, have a drink, and people watch... supposedly monday night is a huge party night here.
Tomorrow we are going to Stonehenge for the day. It's like a 2.5 hour train ride and then we have to take a bus, so we'll probably pack another picnic lunch.
That's all my excitement for today :) Now it's time for hot tea and honey to soothe my cough ;)
Friday, July 22, 2011
Day 60
We kind of had a lazy start this morning... Kelsey and I were going to wake up between 8 and 9 and go run, but when I woke up a little before 8:30 and saw it was raining, I went back to sleep for a little over an hour. Once we got up, we had cereal and fresh fruit for breakfast, and then we tried to photoshop the picture of the naked runner so it was clearer, but we weren't very successful.
We finally headed out around 11:30, and walked around Cardiff. We walked all the way to the bay area, where we had lunch at Las Iguanas, a spanish/mexican restaurant. It was very good. I got a squash & spinach enchilada with a rum punch, and they had sangrias with their meals. Afterwards, we walked all the way to the Barrage and then back, stopping at the Millenium Center to purchase tickets to Monday night's musical of Grease! On the way out to the bay we walked through the town and found gelato! We were going to stop and get some, but it was too late by the time we were walking back, so we'll wait :) We also spotted a frozen yogurt stand in the middle of their mall area... so Kelsey and I will definitely be attacking that soon. We also went into a new store where they have all sorts of different flavored oils, vinegars, spirits, wines, and liqueors. It was really neat! Tomorrow we are going to buy some flavored oil to dip our dinner bread in :)
When we got back to the apartment, Kelsey and I put our running clothes on and Jeannie and her husband walked with us to the park where we wanted to run. I ran 4.5 miles and was feeling every step of it, especially after having walked over 6 miles today. There were some policemen on the trail and little kids were sitting in the police vans, but I didn't know what was going on.
After we got back to the apartment from running, we showered while Jeannie cooked dinner... we just finished eating chicken baked in italian dressing and cracker crumbs, corn, and broccoli and cheese. It was another delicious meal!
Now I am looking forward to relaxing, reading my kindle, and drinking some hot tea :)
We finally headed out around 11:30, and walked around Cardiff. We walked all the way to the bay area, where we had lunch at Las Iguanas, a spanish/mexican restaurant. It was very good. I got a squash & spinach enchilada with a rum punch, and they had sangrias with their meals. Afterwards, we walked all the way to the Barrage and then back, stopping at the Millenium Center to purchase tickets to Monday night's musical of Grease! On the way out to the bay we walked through the town and found gelato! We were going to stop and get some, but it was too late by the time we were walking back, so we'll wait :) We also spotted a frozen yogurt stand in the middle of their mall area... so Kelsey and I will definitely be attacking that soon. We also went into a new store where they have all sorts of different flavored oils, vinegars, spirits, wines, and liqueors. It was really neat! Tomorrow we are going to buy some flavored oil to dip our dinner bread in :)
When we got back to the apartment, Kelsey and I put our running clothes on and Jeannie and her husband walked with us to the park where we wanted to run. I ran 4.5 miles and was feeling every step of it, especially after having walked over 6 miles today. There were some policemen on the trail and little kids were sitting in the police vans, but I didn't know what was going on.
After we got back to the apartment from running, we showered while Jeannie cooked dinner... we just finished eating chicken baked in italian dressing and cracker crumbs, corn, and broccoli and cheese. It was another delicious meal!
Now I am looking forward to relaxing, reading my kindle, and drinking some hot tea :)
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Day 58 & 59, Full day in London and 1st day in Wales
Yesterday was an exhausting day in London. We ate breakfast in the hotel around 9:15 and then headed out. We mainly walked around the city all day and looked at all of the main attractions... Big Ben (House of Parliament), Tower of London, London Bridge, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Shakespear's Globe, and we went the first night to see Buckingham Palace. We paid the admission to go inside Westminster Abbey and had the audio tour. It was AMAZING inside! There was so much to see inside that you wouldn't expect.
We originally planned to go to Madame Tussauds first thing after breakfast, but by the time we got there (we got lost walking), the line just to buy tickets was over 2 hours long, and then once you had tickets you had to wait in an even longer line to get in. So we are planning on buying tickets online for that and the London Dungeon for Tuesday/Wednesday when we go back.
On Wed, we ate lunch at a small cafe called the Swan right outside of Shakespear's Globe. I ordered a salad with tomatoes and goat cheese. Well, the "salad" was a few tomatoes with goat cheese on top. So that didn't really fill me up... luckily, I had mixed nuts in my purse that I was able to snack on throughout the day.
After Westminster Abbey, we were going to go to the Natural History Museum and then to the Hummingbird Bakery for cupcakes, but we ran out of time because we had to get back to the hotel to get our bags and catch our train at 8:15 pm. We ended up walking to the Hummingbird Bakery, but they had closed an hour earlier :( so we ended up buying sandwiches at the train station, and Kelsey and I bought Starbucks Frappucino's for the train ride.
We got to Cardiff, Wales around 10:15 pm, and had to walk to their apartment. We stayed up awhile drinking tea and having cookies, then we went to bed and the bed has never felt so good!
This morning we woke up, had some toast and fruit for breakfast, and then walked about 30 minutes to the bike rental place where Jeannie rented bikes for Kelsey and I. (Jeannie is paying for EVERYTHING and will not let us pay for anything. She says we are treating her by being here and giving her company so we are not to argue with her). Once we got our bikes, we biked 6+ miles to Castell Coch (an old castle). Right before we got to the castle, we stopped at a little pub called The Lewis Arms and had fried fish n chips.
After touring the castle for about an hour and a half and taking lots of pictures, we began biking back. It began raining on our way back, and then it started POURING! we stopped under some thick trees to try and stay as dry as we could (although I was already drenched). While we were waiting out the rain, Jeannie was turned around talking to us, and about 200 yds ahead of us I saw what looked like a guy who was naked dart across the path into the woods. I interrupted Jeannie and said "i swear I just saw a naked man run across the road up there!" Kelsey and Jeannie were like are you sure? And they started laughing saying how something was in my water at lunch (because they both had a beer). Not even 5 minutes later, the same guy comes around the corner right in front of where we were standing and I yelled "there he is! there he is!" And sure enough, BUTT NAKED in the rain, just jogging with his running shoes on. I wish someone would have taken a picture of my face... my jaw was dropped all the way open and I could not look away, and then I burst out laughing and he sprinted by us. Kelsey tried to get a picture once he ran by but it is really blurry. It was so funny! And about 15 minutes later, Kelsey and I were still laughing about it, and I said "was he even wearing shoes??" HAHAHA.
Anyways, once we returned our bikes and walked back to her apartment, we walked to the grocery store to grab some groceries. When we got back, we showered and put on some dry clothes, and then around 7 we ate dinner... spaghetti, pizza, lasagna, and salad. Just small portions of each. It was very good. Now we are having tea and cookies.
Tomorrow I'm planning on waking up and attempting a run around Cardiff, then we are going to tour the city and have fajitas for dinner. I haven't been able to run the past 2 days, but all the walking and biking I've been doing has been more than sufficient. I AM SO SORE!
I definitely needed the laugh that the naked guy gave me today after all the bad news I've gotten from home this week... my 10 yr old dog, Lexxi, had to be put to sleep on Tuesday :( and I found out last night that one of my family members was found dead. It's been a really rough couple of days to say the least, so if you'll please keep my family in your prayers, that would be greatly appreciated.
I should be able to blog most nights, but I'm still going to wait and post pictures once I have my laptop back.
We originally planned to go to Madame Tussauds first thing after breakfast, but by the time we got there (we got lost walking), the line just to buy tickets was over 2 hours long, and then once you had tickets you had to wait in an even longer line to get in. So we are planning on buying tickets online for that and the London Dungeon for Tuesday/Wednesday when we go back.
On Wed, we ate lunch at a small cafe called the Swan right outside of Shakespear's Globe. I ordered a salad with tomatoes and goat cheese. Well, the "salad" was a few tomatoes with goat cheese on top. So that didn't really fill me up... luckily, I had mixed nuts in my purse that I was able to snack on throughout the day.
After Westminster Abbey, we were going to go to the Natural History Museum and then to the Hummingbird Bakery for cupcakes, but we ran out of time because we had to get back to the hotel to get our bags and catch our train at 8:15 pm. We ended up walking to the Hummingbird Bakery, but they had closed an hour earlier :( so we ended up buying sandwiches at the train station, and Kelsey and I bought Starbucks Frappucino's for the train ride.
We got to Cardiff, Wales around 10:15 pm, and had to walk to their apartment. We stayed up awhile drinking tea and having cookies, then we went to bed and the bed has never felt so good!
This morning we woke up, had some toast and fruit for breakfast, and then walked about 30 minutes to the bike rental place where Jeannie rented bikes for Kelsey and I. (Jeannie is paying for EVERYTHING and will not let us pay for anything. She says we are treating her by being here and giving her company so we are not to argue with her). Once we got our bikes, we biked 6+ miles to Castell Coch (an old castle). Right before we got to the castle, we stopped at a little pub called The Lewis Arms and had fried fish n chips.
After touring the castle for about an hour and a half and taking lots of pictures, we began biking back. It began raining on our way back, and then it started POURING! we stopped under some thick trees to try and stay as dry as we could (although I was already drenched). While we were waiting out the rain, Jeannie was turned around talking to us, and about 200 yds ahead of us I saw what looked like a guy who was naked dart across the path into the woods. I interrupted Jeannie and said "i swear I just saw a naked man run across the road up there!" Kelsey and Jeannie were like are you sure? And they started laughing saying how something was in my water at lunch (because they both had a beer). Not even 5 minutes later, the same guy comes around the corner right in front of where we were standing and I yelled "there he is! there he is!" And sure enough, BUTT NAKED in the rain, just jogging with his running shoes on. I wish someone would have taken a picture of my face... my jaw was dropped all the way open and I could not look away, and then I burst out laughing and he sprinted by us. Kelsey tried to get a picture once he ran by but it is really blurry. It was so funny! And about 15 minutes later, Kelsey and I were still laughing about it, and I said "was he even wearing shoes??" HAHAHA.
Anyways, once we returned our bikes and walked back to her apartment, we walked to the grocery store to grab some groceries. When we got back, we showered and put on some dry clothes, and then around 7 we ate dinner... spaghetti, pizza, lasagna, and salad. Just small portions of each. It was very good. Now we are having tea and cookies.
Tomorrow I'm planning on waking up and attempting a run around Cardiff, then we are going to tour the city and have fajitas for dinner. I haven't been able to run the past 2 days, but all the walking and biking I've been doing has been more than sufficient. I AM SO SORE!
I definitely needed the laugh that the naked guy gave me today after all the bad news I've gotten from home this week... my 10 yr old dog, Lexxi, had to be put to sleep on Tuesday :( and I found out last night that one of my family members was found dead. It's been a really rough couple of days to say the least, so if you'll please keep my family in your prayers, that would be greatly appreciated.
I should be able to blog most nights, but I'm still going to wait and post pictures once I have my laptop back.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Day 56 & 57, Leaving for London & Wales!
I forgot to post a blog yesterday... sorry about that, but the only productive thing I did yesterday was run 5 miles. Other than that, I laid around the house and watched tv, read my kindle, watched a movie while eating dinner, and that's about it!
This morning I set my alarm early so I could get in a run. Then I had breakfast and biked down to the softball field for practice from 10-12. Only 10 people were at practice, but we did a lot of fun, new drills with them. They did a lot of diving today and loved it!
After biking back from the field, I showered and got ready, then I just biked to the store to buy some mixed nuts to have for on the plane tonight, and I also bought a few goodies to add to Jeanne's gift basket, (she's the family friend of Kelsey's that lives in Wales and is doing all of this for us).
I'm not taking my laptop with me, so I will wait to post all my pictures when I get back on the 27th. I don't know if I'll be able to blog on the trip, either, but Jeanne's bringing her laptop so I might be able to use hers to update on things.
I DO know that tonight once we check into the hotel in London, we are going to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe, and then we are going to walk around and see some of the sites that are really pretty lit up at night. Tomorrow we are doing a lot of sight seeing, and also going to Madame Tussauds! We are saving the London Dungeon for the last day in London!
I'm so excited to have this opportunity to explore different places! :)
This morning I set my alarm early so I could get in a run. Then I had breakfast and biked down to the softball field for practice from 10-12. Only 10 people were at practice, but we did a lot of fun, new drills with them. They did a lot of diving today and loved it!
After biking back from the field, I showered and got ready, then I just biked to the store to buy some mixed nuts to have for on the plane tonight, and I also bought a few goodies to add to Jeanne's gift basket, (she's the family friend of Kelsey's that lives in Wales and is doing all of this for us).
I'm not taking my laptop with me, so I will wait to post all my pictures when I get back on the 27th. I don't know if I'll be able to blog on the trip, either, but Jeanne's bringing her laptop so I might be able to use hers to update on things.
I DO know that tonight once we check into the hotel in London, we are going to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe, and then we are going to walk around and see some of the sites that are really pretty lit up at night. Tomorrow we are doing a lot of sight seeing, and also going to Madame Tussauds! We are saving the London Dungeon for the last day in London!
I'm so excited to have this opportunity to explore different places! :)
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Day 55, Games vs. Sundsvall
OMG, today has been SUCH A LONG DAY! We JUST got back in the house (11:10 pm) from leaving at 5:30 am this morning... and I was not able to nap on the 4 hr drive to the games today because I had to drive... and I stayed awake on the trip back to keep Karin company.
But... WE WON BOTH GAMES TODAY! YAY! That means we are in good standing for the semi-finals which are Sept. 10 & 11, I think.
There was a lot of drama during the first game... one of our players ran into the catcher and knocked her down... and she threw a FIT... cussing, tried to charge our player and fight her, cussed some more, and then some more throughout the rest of the game... and I find out she's in her 30's!! come on woman! grow up!! and then the first baseman started slapping My with her glove when the catcher tried to pick her off at first. I couldn't believe the umpire didn't eject the catcher with her attitude.. but he did eject one of their American coaches who was a younger guy... I have no idea what he said to get ejected.
But.... we showed them by winning :) We won the first game 8-2, and the second game 4-1. I played short stop again both games. I had a few plays... I made a high throw on one of the grounders and Kelsey bobbled it, and the "umpire" (he was just some man as the field umpire) called her out, so we ran in the dugout... but their coach argued the call and the home plate ump called her safe so we had to go back out, and the next girl hit another grounder to me and I threw her out. I had a lot of good hits, I can't remember exactly... but I know I had at least 4 or 5 RBIs. I stole home twice on 2 passed balls, and I stole third.
I also forgot to mention from yesterday that I am really embracing the Swedish lifestyle... both yesterday and today in between games I had to find myself a nice private spot in the woods to pee because there were no bathrooms around... however, at the start of the 2nd game someone brought it to my attention that there was in fact a small porto potty out behind the outfield fence.
After the games we drove to the public shower where we all had to shower... once again, embracing the Swedish lifestyle... I attempted to shower alone, however a mom and her 2 little sons decided to come shower with me on the shower right beside me... so, what can ya do? I hurried and finished my shower and got out of there.
Then, as the rest of the team headed back to eat somewhere, Karin, My, Wilma, and I went into downtown Sundsvall to find a place to eat. We ate at O'Leary's Sports Bar. I had the Jack Daniel's glazed salmon with jasmine rice and steamed veggies, and it was sooooo good! After that, we dropped My off at the train station, and the 3 of us headed the 4 hours back home.
Now I am about to go to bed and stay in bed for the whole day tomorrow and do absolutely nothing :)
But... WE WON BOTH GAMES TODAY! YAY! That means we are in good standing for the semi-finals which are Sept. 10 & 11, I think.
There was a lot of drama during the first game... one of our players ran into the catcher and knocked her down... and she threw a FIT... cussing, tried to charge our player and fight her, cussed some more, and then some more throughout the rest of the game... and I find out she's in her 30's!! come on woman! grow up!! and then the first baseman started slapping My with her glove when the catcher tried to pick her off at first. I couldn't believe the umpire didn't eject the catcher with her attitude.. but he did eject one of their American coaches who was a younger guy... I have no idea what he said to get ejected.
But.... we showed them by winning :) We won the first game 8-2, and the second game 4-1. I played short stop again both games. I had a few plays... I made a high throw on one of the grounders and Kelsey bobbled it, and the "umpire" (he was just some man as the field umpire) called her out, so we ran in the dugout... but their coach argued the call and the home plate ump called her safe so we had to go back out, and the next girl hit another grounder to me and I threw her out. I had a lot of good hits, I can't remember exactly... but I know I had at least 4 or 5 RBIs. I stole home twice on 2 passed balls, and I stole third.
I also forgot to mention from yesterday that I am really embracing the Swedish lifestyle... both yesterday and today in between games I had to find myself a nice private spot in the woods to pee because there were no bathrooms around... however, at the start of the 2nd game someone brought it to my attention that there was in fact a small porto potty out behind the outfield fence.
After the games we drove to the public shower where we all had to shower... once again, embracing the Swedish lifestyle... I attempted to shower alone, however a mom and her 2 little sons decided to come shower with me on the shower right beside me... so, what can ya do? I hurried and finished my shower and got out of there.
Then, as the rest of the team headed back to eat somewhere, Karin, My, Wilma, and I went into downtown Sundsvall to find a place to eat. We ate at O'Leary's Sports Bar. I had the Jack Daniel's glazed salmon with jasmine rice and steamed veggies, and it was sooooo good! After that, we dropped My off at the train station, and the 3 of us headed the 4 hours back home.
Now I am about to go to bed and stay in bed for the whole day tomorrow and do absolutely nothing :)
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Day 54, Games vs. Söder
Today we had a double header against Söder, based out of Stockholm. We had to win both games in order to be a shoo-in for the semi-finals, and WE WON both games! YAY!
We run ruled them in both games after the 5th inning... the first game 10-0, and the second game 15-5. I was the winning run in the 2nd game, and right before I scored I hit a line drive into the center fielder's mouth! :( I felt so bad because she was like maybe 15 yrs old and she had a huge, bloody lip! But as I was standing on 2nd waiting for them to clean her up and everything, the umpire behind the plate came up to me and said "you're the winning run.... don't screw it up." HAHAHA. So the girl after me hit a double and I scored, and as he was leaving he walked by me and said "thanks."
I played short shop both games and had a few ground balls hit to me, a pop fly that I caught, a line drive over my head that I jumped and caught, and a diving stop.. couldn't get the girl out on that one because I dove almost in the grass because it got by third base.
My hits weren't all that great today. I had 8 at bats and besides my last line drive hit to the center fielder's face, they were ALL pop-ups. However, one would have been over the fence in a regular field, but I got a triple out of it because it was so far, and a few of the other ones weren't touched before hitting the ground so I think they'll be counted as hits.
The team has improved SO much! I'm so proud of them! Every pop fly that got hit today was caught by our defense and that is saying A LOT! The girl playing 3rd for us even dove on her knees to catch a pop fly! I was so proud :)
Anyways, after biking back home after the game, I skyped with Mom, Dad, Uncle Chris, Khin, and Papa (all at once), showered, and had a snack. Then I dozed off for a little while in my bed, and My came and got me asking if I wanted some dinner, so I had a small portion of mashed potatoes and then made a big salad with 2 boiled eggs cut up in it.
Around 8 My, Kenny (Fanny's boyfriend), and I went to the big grocery store to buy groceries for our games tomorrow and bought pizza stuff for Karin and Micke.... Karin had been having chest pains all day and it got to the point where she couldn't raise her arm, so they finally went to the hospital and had a lot of blood work done, but everything turned out fine.. they said it's something with her muscle.
So I just made my sandwich for lunch in between games tomorrow, packed a bag full of grapes, apples, and cherries, and have my bag of mixed nuts that I bought tonight. We are leaving at 5:30 AM for the games and I have to drive one of the cars!! I am having A LOT of coffee in the morning and taking a lot with me!
So that's all my news for today... I'm going to TRY and get to bed early tonight since I have to wake up in less than 8 hrs as it is already... wish us luck for tomorrow! :)
We run ruled them in both games after the 5th inning... the first game 10-0, and the second game 15-5. I was the winning run in the 2nd game, and right before I scored I hit a line drive into the center fielder's mouth! :( I felt so bad because she was like maybe 15 yrs old and she had a huge, bloody lip! But as I was standing on 2nd waiting for them to clean her up and everything, the umpire behind the plate came up to me and said "you're the winning run.... don't screw it up." HAHAHA. So the girl after me hit a double and I scored, and as he was leaving he walked by me and said "thanks."
I played short shop both games and had a few ground balls hit to me, a pop fly that I caught, a line drive over my head that I jumped and caught, and a diving stop.. couldn't get the girl out on that one because I dove almost in the grass because it got by third base.
My hits weren't all that great today. I had 8 at bats and besides my last line drive hit to the center fielder's face, they were ALL pop-ups. However, one would have been over the fence in a regular field, but I got a triple out of it because it was so far, and a few of the other ones weren't touched before hitting the ground so I think they'll be counted as hits.
The team has improved SO much! I'm so proud of them! Every pop fly that got hit today was caught by our defense and that is saying A LOT! The girl playing 3rd for us even dove on her knees to catch a pop fly! I was so proud :)
Anyways, after biking back home after the game, I skyped with Mom, Dad, Uncle Chris, Khin, and Papa (all at once), showered, and had a snack. Then I dozed off for a little while in my bed, and My came and got me asking if I wanted some dinner, so I had a small portion of mashed potatoes and then made a big salad with 2 boiled eggs cut up in it.
Around 8 My, Kenny (Fanny's boyfriend), and I went to the big grocery store to buy groceries for our games tomorrow and bought pizza stuff for Karin and Micke.... Karin had been having chest pains all day and it got to the point where she couldn't raise her arm, so they finally went to the hospital and had a lot of blood work done, but everything turned out fine.. they said it's something with her muscle.
So I just made my sandwich for lunch in between games tomorrow, packed a bag full of grapes, apples, and cherries, and have my bag of mixed nuts that I bought tonight. We are leaving at 5:30 AM for the games and I have to drive one of the cars!! I am having A LOT of coffee in the morning and taking a lot with me!
So that's all my news for today... I'm going to TRY and get to bed early tonight since I have to wake up in less than 8 hrs as it is already... wish us luck for tomorrow! :)
Friday, July 15, 2011
Day 53
Today was a lazy day for the most part... however I did bike into town and back, and did a 35 minute workout on the elliptical.
It rained most of the day, so that was nice to just relax inside listening to the rain.
I met Kelsey downtown around 12pm... I managed to bike when it wasn't raining. She texted me and told me H & M was having a sale so I checked that store out, but ended up buying some jean shorts that are really popular here in Sweden from a store called Lindex. When I got back to the house is when I did my elliptical workout with a lot of abs and pushups mixed in. Then I showered and had an apple for a late lunch with a salad... I cut up lettuce, red peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, and boiled 2 eggs to chop up in it.
Then I basically sat around the rest of the day, either reading or looking online. At 7 pm I had to drive to the train station to pick up Tove and her 2 friends. When I got back dinner was ready. It was taco night so we had soft tortillas with either ground beef or fajita spiced chicken, salsa, sour cream, queso, shredded cheese, lettuce, cucumbers, corn, tomatoes, peppers, avocado, and chips. After eating, I helped clean up, and then Karin was showing me some London attractions on the internet.
Kelsey came over shortly after to have some cookies with me... then we went downstairs and watched tv and talked for a little over an hour.
Now I am in bed, about to read my book and get some sleep for our 2 games we have tomorrow! If we win both games we are a shoo-in for the semi-finals, so wish us luck! :)
It rained most of the day, so that was nice to just relax inside listening to the rain.
I met Kelsey downtown around 12pm... I managed to bike when it wasn't raining. She texted me and told me H & M was having a sale so I checked that store out, but ended up buying some jean shorts that are really popular here in Sweden from a store called Lindex. When I got back to the house is when I did my elliptical workout with a lot of abs and pushups mixed in. Then I showered and had an apple for a late lunch with a salad... I cut up lettuce, red peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, and boiled 2 eggs to chop up in it.
Then I basically sat around the rest of the day, either reading or looking online. At 7 pm I had to drive to the train station to pick up Tove and her 2 friends. When I got back dinner was ready. It was taco night so we had soft tortillas with either ground beef or fajita spiced chicken, salsa, sour cream, queso, shredded cheese, lettuce, cucumbers, corn, tomatoes, peppers, avocado, and chips. After eating, I helped clean up, and then Karin was showing me some London attractions on the internet.
Kelsey came over shortly after to have some cookies with me... then we went downstairs and watched tv and talked for a little over an hour.
Now I am in bed, about to read my book and get some sleep for our 2 games we have tomorrow! If we win both games we are a shoo-in for the semi-finals, so wish us luck! :)
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Day 52
This morning I woke up around 8:30, only to go back to sleep for another hour. Then I made myself a bowl of cereal and came back into bed with it to eat and read. Karin came and got me around 10:45 to come upstairs and wake Tove up with the rest of the family to sing to her because it's her 15th bday today. After she opened her presents in bed, they were going to have breakfast, but since I already ate I went back into bed and took an hour nap (I was so tired still!)
Once I got up, I went upstairs and Karin asked if I would bake cookies, so we waited for Micke to get home from the store and I started baking homemade chocolate chip cookies with butterscotch chips added in them while Karin made the typical strawberry cake that the Swedes made for birthdays.
Karin's parents and twin sister came for the lunch that we ate around 3. Tove got to pick what she wanted so we ate cold cut meats (turkey breast and roast beef), with bread and butter (or cheese), different fruit: sliced melon, sliced watermelon, sliced pineapple, and grapes, and potato salad.
Everyone loved the cookies, and Helena and her husband Bjorn took a bag full home (I made 92 cookies!.. and yes, I counted them all). While they ate the cake and cookies, I went into the garage and worked out on the elliptical for a little over a half hour and did an ab workout.
Then I relaxed for an hour before biking down to the softball field for practice. Kelsey and I ran it again, but Ingrid's husband and one of the girl's dads helped us out at the end by hitting fly balls and grounders to the infield.
After biking back home, I showered and then grabbed an apple, a big piece of bread with cheese and turkey on it, and 2 more of my cookies for dinner :)
Now I'm just relaxing again and reading my kindle :)
My compiled a list of things Kelsey and I need to do while in London next week... and London Dungeon is one of them, so I googled it and it looks SO FUN! (and insanely scary!) I found a web package deal where you can buy tickets for the London Dungeon, Madame Tussauds (a wax museum), and the London eye for around $73! Kelsey's going to talk to her mom's friend and find out what all she has planned for us, bc we want to jump on that deal for those attractions!
If you haven't heard of the london dungeon, check it out online!
Thanks for stopping by :)
Once I got up, I went upstairs and Karin asked if I would bake cookies, so we waited for Micke to get home from the store and I started baking homemade chocolate chip cookies with butterscotch chips added in them while Karin made the typical strawberry cake that the Swedes made for birthdays.
Karin's parents and twin sister came for the lunch that we ate around 3. Tove got to pick what she wanted so we ate cold cut meats (turkey breast and roast beef), with bread and butter (or cheese), different fruit: sliced melon, sliced watermelon, sliced pineapple, and grapes, and potato salad.
Everyone loved the cookies, and Helena and her husband Bjorn took a bag full home (I made 92 cookies!.. and yes, I counted them all). While they ate the cake and cookies, I went into the garage and worked out on the elliptical for a little over a half hour and did an ab workout.
Then I relaxed for an hour before biking down to the softball field for practice. Kelsey and I ran it again, but Ingrid's husband and one of the girl's dads helped us out at the end by hitting fly balls and grounders to the infield.
After biking back home, I showered and then grabbed an apple, a big piece of bread with cheese and turkey on it, and 2 more of my cookies for dinner :)
Now I'm just relaxing again and reading my kindle :)
My compiled a list of things Kelsey and I need to do while in London next week... and London Dungeon is one of them, so I googled it and it looks SO FUN! (and insanely scary!) I found a web package deal where you can buy tickets for the London Dungeon, Madame Tussauds (a wax museum), and the London eye for around $73! Kelsey's going to talk to her mom's friend and find out what all she has planned for us, bc we want to jump on that deal for those attractions!
If you haven't heard of the london dungeon, check it out online!
Thanks for stopping by :)
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Day 50-51
I apologize for not putting up a post last night... but we left for the boat around 4:30 pm from the campsite, didn't get to the boat til about 5:45 pm, and then had to wait in line to drive the car onto the boat. Then the boat left at 7:10 pm, and that was a 3 hour trip, where I was bored out of my mind. And then we had about a 2 hour drive to the house. So we didn't get in til 12:15 am, and they had disconnected the wireless in the house before we left, so I wasn't able to get on the computer.
Other than the traveling yesterday, we laid out, grilled chicken sandwiches for lunch, packed up the camper and checked out, and then laid out on the beach some more before showering and taking off to the boat.
This morning I tried to sleep in but woke up around 8:30, had some cereal, read a little, and then went for a run into town. I ran to a store that sells cheap stuff because I wanted to buy a bathing suit, but their sizes were really weird and the tops were either a tiny bit too small or WAY too big. So I ran back, stopped at the small grocery store a couple minutes away from the house and bought a couple apples, and then walked the rest of the way to the house.
After I got back, I finished unloading all of my clothes from the camper and did some laundry. Kelsey came over to tell me about our traveling news.... her mom has a good friend that lives in Wales, and she booked us plane tickets for July 19th to fly to London, where she is booking us a hotel for that first night, and then the next night we will take a train to her house in Wales. Then she is booking us another night in a hotel for our last night in London. We will be there 8 days! We are so excited! We are going to make her a small Swedish basket of goodies to thank her for doing this for us! So we biked into town to look around so Kelsey could buy her something...
Then right before 5 pm, we biked down to the softball field because we had the little girls practice. Then at 6 pm, we had our practice, and Kelsey and I had to run it completely because Ingrid is out of town on business.
After practice, we biked back to the house, and I made some noodles for Wilma and myself while My made herself a sandwich. From watching them, I learned I like ketchup in my noodles :) so that's what I had... Wilma had gravy and strawberry jelly in her noodles LOL.
I was finally just able to skype with Greg after not talking to him for 9 days! Now it's time for me to shower and relax! I'm glad that I can take my time in the shower tonight and not worry about only having 3 minutes, haha. I'm still so exhausted from the vacation and I think I might be coming down with a small cold.. but hopefully that will go away soon!
Hope yall enjoyed this blog! Can't wait for my upcoming London and Rome trips! :)))
Other than the traveling yesterday, we laid out, grilled chicken sandwiches for lunch, packed up the camper and checked out, and then laid out on the beach some more before showering and taking off to the boat.
This morning I tried to sleep in but woke up around 8:30, had some cereal, read a little, and then went for a run into town. I ran to a store that sells cheap stuff because I wanted to buy a bathing suit, but their sizes were really weird and the tops were either a tiny bit too small or WAY too big. So I ran back, stopped at the small grocery store a couple minutes away from the house and bought a couple apples, and then walked the rest of the way to the house.
After I got back, I finished unloading all of my clothes from the camper and did some laundry. Kelsey came over to tell me about our traveling news.... her mom has a good friend that lives in Wales, and she booked us plane tickets for July 19th to fly to London, where she is booking us a hotel for that first night, and then the next night we will take a train to her house in Wales. Then she is booking us another night in a hotel for our last night in London. We will be there 8 days! We are so excited! We are going to make her a small Swedish basket of goodies to thank her for doing this for us! So we biked into town to look around so Kelsey could buy her something...
Then right before 5 pm, we biked down to the softball field because we had the little girls practice. Then at 6 pm, we had our practice, and Kelsey and I had to run it completely because Ingrid is out of town on business.
After practice, we biked back to the house, and I made some noodles for Wilma and myself while My made herself a sandwich. From watching them, I learned I like ketchup in my noodles :) so that's what I had... Wilma had gravy and strawberry jelly in her noodles LOL.
I was finally just able to skype with Greg after not talking to him for 9 days! Now it's time for me to shower and relax! I'm glad that I can take my time in the shower tonight and not worry about only having 3 minutes, haha. I'm still so exhausted from the vacation and I think I might be coming down with a small cold.. but hopefully that will go away soon!
Hope yall enjoyed this blog! Can't wait for my upcoming London and Rome trips! :)))
Monday, July 11, 2011
Day 49
This morning we were all able to have a lazy morning, which I went for a 5.5 mile run while everyone else was sleeping.
Then, not sure of what our plans were going to be, I went and showered and got ready for the day, and then sat in a lounge chair and read. At 2:15, we left for Visby to do some shopping and walking around.
I wanted to buy myself something SO BAD and almost bought a pair of jeans, but decided against it... so the only thing I bought myself was a Marabou chocolate bar after dinner.
We ate at a little outside restaurant called Barbeque Garden that Micke had eaten at before. I ordered the half grilled chicken... not realizing it was literally a half of a chicken. But it was really good and it came with a 1/4 of a corn on the cob, a baked potato, piece of bread, and some kind of "grillsalad" which was coleslaw in a way...? After we ate, Karin, Pontus, Micke, Louisa, and I walked around the botanical garden for awhile and then made our way back to the car to go pick up My, Fanny, Wilma, and Tove from having fika with some guys they met.
Once we got back, we all kind of crashed in the camper... it's been raining all day and chilly so there's not much to do. Plus, I started feeling sick in the car ride back, so I'm hoping to sleep well tonight!
Tomorrow is our last day on the beach... hopefully it'll be warm and sunny so we can lay out all day. We have to be checked out of the campsite by 2, but if it's pretty we'll stay on the beach. Our boat leaves at 7:10 pm, not 12 am, thank goodness! so we should be getting back to the house around midnight and not 5 am like i was expecting.
I posted lots of pictures so take a look! :)
Then, not sure of what our plans were going to be, I went and showered and got ready for the day, and then sat in a lounge chair and read. At 2:15, we left for Visby to do some shopping and walking around.
I wanted to buy myself something SO BAD and almost bought a pair of jeans, but decided against it... so the only thing I bought myself was a Marabou chocolate bar after dinner.
We ate at a little outside restaurant called Barbeque Garden that Micke had eaten at before. I ordered the half grilled chicken... not realizing it was literally a half of a chicken. But it was really good and it came with a 1/4 of a corn on the cob, a baked potato, piece of bread, and some kind of "grillsalad" which was coleslaw in a way...? After we ate, Karin, Pontus, Micke, Louisa, and I walked around the botanical garden for awhile and then made our way back to the car to go pick up My, Fanny, Wilma, and Tove from having fika with some guys they met.
Once we got back, we all kind of crashed in the camper... it's been raining all day and chilly so there's not much to do. Plus, I started feeling sick in the car ride back, so I'm hoping to sleep well tonight!
Tomorrow is our last day on the beach... hopefully it'll be warm and sunny so we can lay out all day. We have to be checked out of the campsite by 2, but if it's pretty we'll stay on the beach. Our boat leaves at 7:10 pm, not 12 am, thank goodness! so we should be getting back to the house around midnight and not 5 am like i was expecting.
I posted lots of pictures so take a look! :)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Day 48
This morning I woke up for an early run before getting ready for the water park. We all ate breakfast and left for the park around 10 am.
The water park was a lot smaller than we were expecting... we thought there would be a lot of rollercoasters and water slides, but there was only a baby rollercoaster and a few good water slides. We made the most of it and had a lot of fun though! We packed sandwiches for lunch and met up around 1 to sit and eat, then at 3 we watched the Pippi Longstocking show in front of Pippi's house. I didn't understand the story at all because it was in Swedish, but it was still cute.
After the show ended around 3:30 or so, we went back into the water park area so Louisa could play some more. We ended up leaving around 4:45 to return to the campsite.
Once we were back, I cleaned another bag of carrots so we could have carrots with dip to snack on. Then Karin, Micke, Pontus, Louisa, and I walked over to the "after beach," which I learned they have an "after ski" in the wintertime and it's basically where after you do something you go and have a beer or some other drink. They had a band singing, but we caught the very end of it so we only stayed a few minutes.
When we walked back, I sat in a lounge chair and read for awhile. Then we had dinner around 8:30... cut up boiled potatoes with pepper, fried eggs, salad, and a mixture of leftover meat: hamburger, flank steak, bacon, and cajun turkey filet all cut up into small pieces.
Now I am getting ready to head on to sleep... hopefully I will sleep better than I did last night. We have 2 more full days of vacation... tomorrow's plans are up in the air as of right now; it depends on how the weather is.
Check back tomorrow to see :) goodnight!
The water park was a lot smaller than we were expecting... we thought there would be a lot of rollercoasters and water slides, but there was only a baby rollercoaster and a few good water slides. We made the most of it and had a lot of fun though! We packed sandwiches for lunch and met up around 1 to sit and eat, then at 3 we watched the Pippi Longstocking show in front of Pippi's house. I didn't understand the story at all because it was in Swedish, but it was still cute.
After the show ended around 3:30 or so, we went back into the water park area so Louisa could play some more. We ended up leaving around 4:45 to return to the campsite.
Once we were back, I cleaned another bag of carrots so we could have carrots with dip to snack on. Then Karin, Micke, Pontus, Louisa, and I walked over to the "after beach," which I learned they have an "after ski" in the wintertime and it's basically where after you do something you go and have a beer or some other drink. They had a band singing, but we caught the very end of it so we only stayed a few minutes.
When we walked back, I sat in a lounge chair and read for awhile. Then we had dinner around 8:30... cut up boiled potatoes with pepper, fried eggs, salad, and a mixture of leftover meat: hamburger, flank steak, bacon, and cajun turkey filet all cut up into small pieces.
Now I am getting ready to head on to sleep... hopefully I will sleep better than I did last night. We have 2 more full days of vacation... tomorrow's plans are up in the air as of right now; it depends on how the weather is.
Check back tomorrow to see :) goodnight!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Day 47
Today was the day where we changed campsites. We all woke up a little after 8 and ate some breakfast and then began packing everything into the camper and the van. We left at 10, arriving to the other campsite in Tofta around 11. My and I were in charge of setting up Karin, Micke, and Pontus' huge tent... not something I would really want to do again haha. Once we got everything set up again, we sat down for some lunch.
Around 2:30 we left for Visby, which is supposed to be the prettiest place in Sweden... it was VERY pretty. It's also a huge tourist location and there's a big politic event going on here this weekend so we saw some of that. After walking around Visby for awhile, we ran by the grocery store for dinner food and other groceries.
When we got back, My and I took some carrots to the kitchen building and washed those so we could have carrots and dip for appetizers. Then My and I went back to put the bread in the oven and heat up some potato salad stuff. We had those 2 things, salad, and flank steaks for dinner, which was all very good. After we ate, we went for a walk on the beach to watch the sunset, and then My and I played on the playground with Louisa while Tove, Fanny, and Wilma went back to get a ball so we could play beach volleyball. After awhile of playing, some other girls wanted to play with us so we played with them for awhile, and then I walked back. I'm having a dark chocolate bar at the moment infused with blueberry and almond... SO GOOD! :) I'm treating myself because I wanted to buy ice cream today but never did.
We are going back to Visby on Monday, and I will take a lot of pictures. I forgot my battery in my camera today, so I will have to get pictures from Karin's camera.
Tomorrow while at the waterpark, we will watch a Pippi Longstocking show! Should be fun!
Around 2:30 we left for Visby, which is supposed to be the prettiest place in Sweden... it was VERY pretty. It's also a huge tourist location and there's a big politic event going on here this weekend so we saw some of that. After walking around Visby for awhile, we ran by the grocery store for dinner food and other groceries.
When we got back, My and I took some carrots to the kitchen building and washed those so we could have carrots and dip for appetizers. Then My and I went back to put the bread in the oven and heat up some potato salad stuff. We had those 2 things, salad, and flank steaks for dinner, which was all very good. After we ate, we went for a walk on the beach to watch the sunset, and then My and I played on the playground with Louisa while Tove, Fanny, and Wilma went back to get a ball so we could play beach volleyball. After awhile of playing, some other girls wanted to play with us so we played with them for awhile, and then I walked back. I'm having a dark chocolate bar at the moment infused with blueberry and almond... SO GOOD! :) I'm treating myself because I wanted to buy ice cream today but never did.
We are going back to Visby on Monday, and I will take a lot of pictures. I forgot my battery in my camera today, so I will have to get pictures from Karin's camera.
Tomorrow while at the waterpark, we will watch a Pippi Longstocking show! Should be fun!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Day 46
We spent a FULL day on the beach today! I was out in the sun from 10 am - 5 pm... it was so nice and relaxing.
After breakfast, I did a quick jog/sprint/walk interval around the campsite before heading out to the ocean. I came back around 1:30 bc I was starving, but Micke hadn't started making lunch yet so I had an apple and cashews and read my kindle until lunch was ready around 2:15... we had some kind of pasta and bread.
After lunch, I stayed near the campsite and laid out.. and then walked over to the pool to where Karin, Louisa, and Pontus were.
After everyone was up at the camper around 5:30, My and I walked to the store to get some butter so I could make the cornbread to go with dinner. Micke grilled some cajun turkey filets that were really good, and with it we had my cornbread, salad, potato salad, grilled goat cheese, and grilled tomatoes. They also made some french fries.
After dinner, I walked to the store again with My, Tove, Fanny, Wilma, Pontus, and Louisa so they could buy some candy. When we got back, My and I played badminton for awhile, and then while they went out to swim in the ocean I went for a walk on the beach.
Now I'm back here, going to get in bed shortly. We are waking up around 8 to have breakfast and then pack up the camper and head to our next campsite, where we will unload everything, eat some lunch, and then go walk around the city. Supposedly this city we are going to is the prettiest one in all of Sweden.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
After breakfast, I did a quick jog/sprint/walk interval around the campsite before heading out to the ocean. I came back around 1:30 bc I was starving, but Micke hadn't started making lunch yet so I had an apple and cashews and read my kindle until lunch was ready around 2:15... we had some kind of pasta and bread.
After lunch, I stayed near the campsite and laid out.. and then walked over to the pool to where Karin, Louisa, and Pontus were.
After everyone was up at the camper around 5:30, My and I walked to the store to get some butter so I could make the cornbread to go with dinner. Micke grilled some cajun turkey filets that were really good, and with it we had my cornbread, salad, potato salad, grilled goat cheese, and grilled tomatoes. They also made some french fries.
After dinner, I walked to the store again with My, Tove, Fanny, Wilma, Pontus, and Louisa so they could buy some candy. When we got back, My and I played badminton for awhile, and then while they went out to swim in the ocean I went for a walk on the beach.
Now I'm back here, going to get in bed shortly. We are waking up around 8 to have breakfast and then pack up the camper and head to our next campsite, where we will unload everything, eat some lunch, and then go walk around the city. Supposedly this city we are going to is the prettiest one in all of Sweden.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Day 45
This morning we were all able to sleep in somewhat, until about 9:15, and then we all had breakfast together before putting our bathing suits on and hitting the beach. Today is such a change from yesterday... today it has been sunny and warm, while yesterday was chilly and cloudy. So we took advantage of the weather and stayed on the beach all day, coming up around 1:30 for some lunch.
I came up for good around 3:15 so I could go for a run... which is a bad idea to do around that time because the gnats are AWFUL and I could hardly breathe bc I was keeping my head down as to not breathe in the bugs. After that, I sat around the camper reading for awhile, and then My, Louisa, Wilma, Fanny, and I took some balls and a net to an open area so we could get some practice in.... we threw, did some ground ball drills, hit into the net, and then I hit them ground balls and pop flies.
When we got back, Micke was almost finished grilling the cheeseburgers so we set the table for that and helped cut tomatoes and lettuce for the burgers. After we ate, I showered in the allotted 3 minutes... I used the sink to shave first :) haha.
For some reason Facebook isn't working very well with the wireless here, but Blogger is... I just tried skyping with Greg and that didn't work great either.. I couldn't see him and my picture froze the whole time for him.
Now I'm getting ready to walk down to the beach because that's where the rest of the family is. Tomorrow will be another pretty day on the beach, and then Saturday we will be packing up and heading to a different campsite.
I've tried uploading some pictures today but it's not working out so well! That's all for today :)
I came up for good around 3:15 so I could go for a run... which is a bad idea to do around that time because the gnats are AWFUL and I could hardly breathe bc I was keeping my head down as to not breathe in the bugs. After that, I sat around the camper reading for awhile, and then My, Louisa, Wilma, Fanny, and I took some balls and a net to an open area so we could get some practice in.... we threw, did some ground ball drills, hit into the net, and then I hit them ground balls and pop flies.
When we got back, Micke was almost finished grilling the cheeseburgers so we set the table for that and helped cut tomatoes and lettuce for the burgers. After we ate, I showered in the allotted 3 minutes... I used the sink to shave first :) haha.
For some reason Facebook isn't working very well with the wireless here, but Blogger is... I just tried skyping with Greg and that didn't work great either.. I couldn't see him and my picture froze the whole time for him.
Now I'm getting ready to walk down to the beach because that's where the rest of the family is. Tomorrow will be another pretty day on the beach, and then Saturday we will be packing up and heading to a different campsite.
I've tried uploading some pictures today but it's not working out so well! That's all for today :)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Day 44
This morning the "family run" consisted of Karin and I at 8:15, lol. Soon after we started I went off on my own and did another 4 mile run. We had some cereal when we were done and instead of going to the blue lagoon like we had planned on, we decided on the cave and some big rocks. The weather was pretty chilly today and cloudy, that's why we are waiting for the Blue Lagoon.
The cave was really neat... it was 9 degrees celsius inside, though! After we went through that, we ate the lunch we packed in the van... mine was a poppyseed roll with butter and cheese and lettuce. Then we made our way to the ferry, where you drive your vehicle on it and it's like a 10 minute ferry ride across the sea. Then we went to a few different sites where there were really big rocks, and we climbed all on them and took a lot of pictures. That was a lot of fun too!
As we were leaving, we stopped at a small restaurant at 4:30 bc we were all starving. I got a pasta dish that had noodles, shrimp, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and grated parmesan cheese. We got back to the campsite about an hour ago and we are now waiting to watch the USA vs. Sweden soccer game. We have some snacks for the game since we ate so early.
That's about it for today... check out my album on facebook to look at pictures from today!
The cave was really neat... it was 9 degrees celsius inside, though! After we went through that, we ate the lunch we packed in the van... mine was a poppyseed roll with butter and cheese and lettuce. Then we made our way to the ferry, where you drive your vehicle on it and it's like a 10 minute ferry ride across the sea. Then we went to a few different sites where there were really big rocks, and we climbed all on them and took a lot of pictures. That was a lot of fun too!
As we were leaving, we stopped at a small restaurant at 4:30 bc we were all starving. I got a pasta dish that had noodles, shrimp, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and grated parmesan cheese. We got back to the campsite about an hour ago and we are now waiting to watch the USA vs. Sweden soccer game. We have some snacks for the game since we ate so early.
That's about it for today... check out my album on facebook to look at pictures from today!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Days 42-43, arriving in Gotland
Hey yall.. sorry I couldn't update yesterday, but we left around 7 pm, and boarded the huge boat around 11:45 pm. The boat docked around 2:30-2:45 am, and we got to the campsite about an hour later; however, check in didn't open til 9 am, so we had to park off to the side and Karin, Micke, and Pontuss had to sleep in the van while the rest of us moved into the camper. We slept from about 4 am - 9 am. Then we had breakfast around 11:30, and hit the beach soon after. I came up for good around 4, and went for a run around the island... it was such a pretty view, the only downside was the bugs that kept flying up my nose and in my throat making me want to puke.
I just got the internet working, but it's a weak signal and goes in and out. We are waiting for the rest of the family to get back from the store with stuff to grill out for dinner. The campsite is really nice, and there are bathrooms with showers available... but you have to pay 5 krona for 3 minutes of shower time!! Karin said she is giving each of us 200 krona for ice cream for the week... but I will most likely be skipping the ice cream and using that money on my showers!
Anyways.. the boat ride was pretty interesting. The seats were similar to a plane, but there were multiple rows of 2 seats going really far back. We were at the front of the ship, and I laid down on the ground after about an hour to try and get some sleep.
I'm not sure what our exact plans are for the upcoming days.. but I do know we will be at this campsite for 4 nights, and then moving to another one. And one of the last days is when we are going to Gotland's huge water/amusement park!
I'll try to post pictures along the way... if I'm not able, they will be posted next week when we are back!
I just got the internet working, but it's a weak signal and goes in and out. We are waiting for the rest of the family to get back from the store with stuff to grill out for dinner. The campsite is really nice, and there are bathrooms with showers available... but you have to pay 5 krona for 3 minutes of shower time!! Karin said she is giving each of us 200 krona for ice cream for the week... but I will most likely be skipping the ice cream and using that money on my showers!
Anyways.. the boat ride was pretty interesting. The seats were similar to a plane, but there were multiple rows of 2 seats going really far back. We were at the front of the ship, and I laid down on the ground after about an hour to try and get some sleep.
I'm not sure what our exact plans are for the upcoming days.. but I do know we will be at this campsite for 4 nights, and then moving to another one. And one of the last days is when we are going to Gotland's huge water/amusement park!
I'll try to post pictures along the way... if I'm not able, they will be posted next week when we are back!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Day 41, Games vs. Sundsval
This morning I woke up at 8:30 to get ready for our games, pack my sandwich and apples for in between games, and eat a bowl of cereal. At 9:45, I biked down to the softball field. We started getting the field ready... putting bases in, putting up the fence, etc. We had to wait for the soccer games to finish before we could finish putting up the fence, and because of that our game was about 15 minutes late getting started.
We won our first game against Sundsval 15-2 in the top of the 5th inning. I walked 3 times and had a pop up to center that she dropped. I played shortstop both games and had a couple balls hit to me that I got both out.
We won the 2nd game 13-3 in the bottom of the 6th because I hit a triple that scored the winning run. I also walked that game, struck out but got on because the catcher dropped it, had a line drive to left that she dropped, and grounded out to the short stop.
After the games we had to roll the plastic fence back up and clean the field. Then we biked back to the house, where I showered and had some mixed nuts before biking to Kelsey's to eat dinner with them and her parents that flew in today. We had a very swedish meal called "flying jacob" which is some kind of light cooking cream sauce with chili sauce and seasoning in it, and then you put chicken pieces in it, and at the last minute put banana slices and salted peanuts in it. Then you pour that over white rice. You are also supposed to sprinkle bacon over it, but Kelsey and I didn't do that. We had salad with the meal. I LOVED the meal, and had seconds. The bananas made it have such an interesting taste.
After we ate, Kelsey's parents brought out their suitcase that was filled with presents for the family and they surprised me with my favorite indulgent trail mix and they also brought me chewing gum that I requested! I've already been into the trail mix tonight :)
After staying and talking for awhile with them, I biked back to the house and packed my clothes into the camper for our vacation that we are leaving for tomorrow! So excited! :)) I still have small things to pack but I will finish tomorrow, since we are leaving at 7 pm. I also have to bike into town tomorrow to get some money from the ATM.
At 9 pm, we had a family meeting, which is very loud and interesting with 10 people. We were attempting to discuss the plans for tomorrow and the vacation. My was translating for me until they started yelling. And while the yelling was taking place, I was being stung in the shin by a bee, which i found walking around in my sweatpants still 15 minutes later.
Now I am about to skype with my family and Chloe :)) and then head to sleep! I'm exhausted from the games today! The newspaper came out and interviewed Kelsey and me during warmups and took our picture. The story will be in the newspaper here in a couple days. Hopefully we'll get a copy since we will be out of town.
Hopefully I will be able to update my blog while on vacation.. if not, I will have a couple mass blogs about what's going on on the trip so far.
Hope you enjoyed reading about my day! :)
We won our first game against Sundsval 15-2 in the top of the 5th inning. I walked 3 times and had a pop up to center that she dropped. I played shortstop both games and had a couple balls hit to me that I got both out.
We won the 2nd game 13-3 in the bottom of the 6th because I hit a triple that scored the winning run. I also walked that game, struck out but got on because the catcher dropped it, had a line drive to left that she dropped, and grounded out to the short stop.
After the games we had to roll the plastic fence back up and clean the field. Then we biked back to the house, where I showered and had some mixed nuts before biking to Kelsey's to eat dinner with them and her parents that flew in today. We had a very swedish meal called "flying jacob" which is some kind of light cooking cream sauce with chili sauce and seasoning in it, and then you put chicken pieces in it, and at the last minute put banana slices and salted peanuts in it. Then you pour that over white rice. You are also supposed to sprinkle bacon over it, but Kelsey and I didn't do that. We had salad with the meal. I LOVED the meal, and had seconds. The bananas made it have such an interesting taste.
After we ate, Kelsey's parents brought out their suitcase that was filled with presents for the family and they surprised me with my favorite indulgent trail mix and they also brought me chewing gum that I requested! I've already been into the trail mix tonight :)
After staying and talking for awhile with them, I biked back to the house and packed my clothes into the camper for our vacation that we are leaving for tomorrow! So excited! :)) I still have small things to pack but I will finish tomorrow, since we are leaving at 7 pm. I also have to bike into town tomorrow to get some money from the ATM.
At 9 pm, we had a family meeting, which is very loud and interesting with 10 people. We were attempting to discuss the plans for tomorrow and the vacation. My was translating for me until they started yelling. And while the yelling was taking place, I was being stung in the shin by a bee, which i found walking around in my sweatpants still 15 minutes later.
Now I am about to skype with my family and Chloe :)) and then head to sleep! I'm exhausted from the games today! The newspaper came out and interviewed Kelsey and me during warmups and took our picture. The story will be in the newspaper here in a couple days. Hopefully we'll get a copy since we will be out of town.
Hopefully I will be able to update my blog while on vacation.. if not, I will have a couple mass blogs about what's going on on the trip so far.
Hope you enjoyed reading about my day! :)
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Day 40, Viking Festival
This morning I woke up for a nice 4 mile run before getting ready and biking over to Ingrid's to go to the Viking festival near Stockholm. We got there around 10:45 am, and watched a funny show at 11. We walked around looking at all different tents they had set up for awhile, and then ate lunch there around 12:15. At 1 we watched another little show of fighting. It was a funny/terrible reenactment of the viking fights. After walking around some more and petting the horses and looking at the viking ship, we made our way back home.
We got back around 3, and I had to bike back to the house. I decided to take a nap after I put in some laundry because I've been so exhausted from being so busy lately. When I woke up around 5, Karin, Rey, and I drove to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner and a few things for our vacation.
When we got back home, I helped cut all the vegetables for the salad, and then skyped with my dad. Dinner was ready around 8:30, and we had grilled chicken, grilled salmon, grilled goat cheese, grilled corn, boiled potatoes, salad, and bread. It was so delicious. I love the grilled salmon. We eat it with lime aioli. I tried a sip of Italian wine that they had and didn't care for it. Afterwards, we sat around talking and watched some videos on youtube out on the porch. Then Karin, Louisa, and I skyped with my mom and grandma for a long time.
Now I am about to make my sandwich for in between games tomorrow and get settled into bed!
Don't forget to check out my pictures on facebook from today... I have a couple videos from the vikings, but will have to post those at another time. Goodnight! :)
We got back around 3, and I had to bike back to the house. I decided to take a nap after I put in some laundry because I've been so exhausted from being so busy lately. When I woke up around 5, Karin, Rey, and I drove to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner and a few things for our vacation.
When we got back home, I helped cut all the vegetables for the salad, and then skyped with my dad. Dinner was ready around 8:30, and we had grilled chicken, grilled salmon, grilled goat cheese, grilled corn, boiled potatoes, salad, and bread. It was so delicious. I love the grilled salmon. We eat it with lime aioli. I tried a sip of Italian wine that they had and didn't care for it. Afterwards, we sat around talking and watched some videos on youtube out on the porch. Then Karin, Louisa, and I skyped with my mom and grandma for a long time.
Now I am about to make my sandwich for in between games tomorrow and get settled into bed!
Don't forget to check out my pictures on facebook from today... I have a couple videos from the vikings, but will have to post those at another time. Goodnight! :)
Friday, July 1, 2011
Day 39, Västerås Festival
This morning Kelsey and I held practice for most of the girls at 10 am. The family and I went out of town to a festival, so My, Wilma, and I were going to miss the later practice scheduled for 5:30, so we gave the girls an option for either 10 or 5:30. The practice went really well.. we were able to work on outfield and infield, and then we did a lot of hitting drills and Kelsey pitched live to them so they would be ready for our games on Sunday! We've had 3 weeks off from games, so I'm excited to play again on Sunday.
After biking back to the house from practice, I showered and got ready, and then made myself a sandwich for lunch. We ended up not leaving as early as we thought we would because the weather wasn't that great... but we ended up leaving around 3 for Vasteras. Once we got to Karin's sister, Helena's house, we had some coffee and sat outside for awhile.
Around 5:45, we left for the festival. Gustav and his band were playing at 6:15, so we made our way to the stage and watched them perform a few songs. Afterwards we walked around and we all picked different places to eat for dinner. My, Wilma, and I went to Wayne's Coffee and all got salads. Mine had cous cous, turkey, and cottage cheese in it. After walking around some more, we made our way back to the stage to watch the band perform a few more songs at 8:30.
There was a drunk guy dancing to this one girl singing, and I recorded it... right after the song ended he was escorted out lol. I also saw some really scary looking people... I saw 2 girls that were wearing tank tops and one had scars on her arm, and the other girl had fresh looking cut marks from almost her shoulder all the way down her arm :( sad.
We left the festival around 9:30, drove back to Helena's house so we could all use the restroom, and then I had to drive one of the cars back home. We just got back about 15 minutes ago. Tomorrow there is a viking festival going on somewhere about an hour away, so I will be riding with Ingrid and Kelsey to that. We will be leaving around 9:30 am.
That's all for today :) See you tomorrow!
After biking back to the house from practice, I showered and got ready, and then made myself a sandwich for lunch. We ended up not leaving as early as we thought we would because the weather wasn't that great... but we ended up leaving around 3 for Vasteras. Once we got to Karin's sister, Helena's house, we had some coffee and sat outside for awhile.
Around 5:45, we left for the festival. Gustav and his band were playing at 6:15, so we made our way to the stage and watched them perform a few songs. Afterwards we walked around and we all picked different places to eat for dinner. My, Wilma, and I went to Wayne's Coffee and all got salads. Mine had cous cous, turkey, and cottage cheese in it. After walking around some more, we made our way back to the stage to watch the band perform a few more songs at 8:30.
There was a drunk guy dancing to this one girl singing, and I recorded it... right after the song ended he was escorted out lol. I also saw some really scary looking people... I saw 2 girls that were wearing tank tops and one had scars on her arm, and the other girl had fresh looking cut marks from almost her shoulder all the way down her arm :( sad.
We left the festival around 9:30, drove back to Helena's house so we could all use the restroom, and then I had to drive one of the cars back home. We just got back about 15 minutes ago. Tomorrow there is a viking festival going on somewhere about an hour away, so I will be riding with Ingrid and Kelsey to that. We will be leaving around 9:30 am.
That's all for today :) See you tomorrow!
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