Transitions

As you can see, it has been months since I posted anything on this blog. While I've loved having this space as a place to share my thoughts and adventures over the past few years, I've decided to transition away from this blog and into a new blog and new adventures! The new blog is entitled A Life Together and I've initially set it up as our wedding blog that includes links to information for our guests, but I also want to use it as a place to share all the things Bob and I are doing in our life together. The link to the new blog is here: A Life Together

So goodbye to Notes-From-A-Not-So-International-Life and hello to A Life Together! Wow, look how much my life has changed...

WE'RE ENGAGED!!

It's official - Bob and I are engaged! He proposed Friday night and I said yes, of course. We're very excited!!

LOVE

Life is very, very, very good these days. Stay tuned for some exciting news...

Christmas in Quebec

Mom, Marc and I spent Christmas in Quebec City and had a wonderful time. We left Maine on Christmas morning and drove through the snowy woods to Canada. We were all pretty excited to use our passports at the border and even asked the Canadian border guard to stamp them as he attempted to hand them back to us without doing so. It is my first ever passport stamp that says "December 25" - pretty exciting! We arrived in Quebec City and checked into our adorable hotel. We really lucked out - it was beautiful and we loved it! Marc and I were roomies (Mom snores a lot!) in a huge room in the basement that was just amazing. It had a sitting room/kitchen, which gave us a place for the three of us to hang out, which worked out perfectly.

We spent the majority of our 48 hours in Quebec walking around and just checking out the city. It is a beautiful place and we loved being reminded of Europe. Marc said it felt like Prague (he and I went there on his first visit to Berlin) and I think he was right - it is amazing to me that there is a place that feels so European only a few hours from Mom's house in Maine! It was just what I needed - I've been missing my life in Europe a lot lately and this little taste of a foreign place was perfect.

While we loved Quebec and were so glad to be there, we seemed to have neglected to remember how cold it would be in Canada, and right on the St. Lawrence river nonetheless, in December. It was FREEZING!!!! Luckily we all brought warm clothes (Marc was very pleased that he was the only one of us to bring long underwear and he reminded us of it all weekend), but it was still VERY cold! Marc is a bit of a wimp when it comes to cold, so he spent most of our time outside walking a few steps in front of Mom and I, muttering "Quebec in December - brilliant idea". Luckily he would get over it the minute we mentioned a restaurant or a bar - give him a beer and that boy is happy.

Overall, it was a great trip and so nice to be with Mom and Marc. It was a perfect family vacation and we had such a good time. We're already planning next year, which Marc insists will be to someplace warm!

December

I spent two weekends in a row in December in Boston and it was great to be in the city!

I spent the first weekend with Karen and Rosemary - we saw The Messiah at Symphony Hall, ate at Wagamama (yay!!!), and ate chocolate chip cookies and drank wine while watching movies at Rosemary's house. It was a great time!

The second weekend was my annual Girls Weekend in Boston with Sarah. We usually stay over by Downtown Crossing, but decided to try Copley Square this year. It was great - our hotel was attached to the mall so we did some Christmas shopping and didn't have to venture out into the cold until dinner.

It was nice to be in Boston during the holidays and it reminded me of how much I love cities!

Giving Thanks

Marc hosted Thanksgiving this year and we had a wonderful day together. Lots of yummy food, good family time, and lovin' on Harry, Marc's awesome dog. It couldn't have been better!

It's not a list of 10, but here are the things I'm thankful for this year:

1. Mom and Marc - we've been through a lot in the past year, but our relationships with each other are stronger because of it and I'm so thankful they are the family I'm stuck with!

2. My friends, near and far - you are amazing and I can't imagine my life without you

3. New beginnings - there are some new, exciting things happening that I'm not quite ready to post about yet, but life is pretty good right now

4. A job that, while challenging and stressful, has moments of absolute joy that keep me going


Happy Season of Thanks to you all!!

Favorite Photo Friday

George's Pond, Franklin, Maine. Oh how I miss summer!

Lisa's Birthday

Lisa turned 33 today and we went out last night to celebrate her birthday in style. It was a great night and a lot of fun was had by all! Below are some pictures from the first half of the night, which was dinner at the Red Blazer. Sarah was smart enough to go home after dinner, but the rest of us walked downtown to the Barley House and continued the fun until last call. We don't have any pictures from that part of the evening, but there are lots of stories...

Lisa's Birthday

Happy Birthday Pizza!!

Fall Morning at Camp

Lisa, Victoria and I went up to camp on Saturday to put away everything in the kitchen and get the dining hall closed up for the winter. It was a beautiful morning at camp and we had to take a walk before we left. I love being at camp when it is quiet and no one else is around (I also love it when campers are there, I promise!). And I'm not usually at camp so late in the fall, so it was neat to see what it looks like without a lot of color and with the trees pretty bare.

We headed down to Inspiration Point and attempted a few photos - luckily Victoria has long arms! I hadn't been down to Inspiration Point all summer and I had forgotten how peaceful it is. It was good to be at camp and remember that, even in the midst of all the drama that sometimes surrounds our involvement with Wanakee, the physical place can still bring such peace and happiness.

It's True Love...

Please be patient as I endlessly post about Berlin this weekend. It won't last forever, I promise!

Click on the photo to see some of my favorite Berlin photos

Berlin

Berlin

I have spent the last week or so wishing I could be in Berlin this weekend, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of "Die Mauer". The Germans know how to throw a party and I'm sure this is going to be one to remember. Both the New York Times and MSNBC have had some great articles and picture of Berlin. I particularly liked this article and this very cool collection of pictures that shows what certain parts of Berlin looked like 20 years ago and what they look like now. I know it may seem silly to be in love with a place, but I truly, madly, deeply love Berlin.