Random pictures

A lot of the photo's I take I upload to Facebook.  Most of you will not have access to that website, so here is a selection of recent photographs:

Pepper exhausted after watching us put up the Christmas decorations

As before, click on any picture to enlarge it

 Pepper wearing her Christmas bow.  Taken on Christmas morning.

This must be my stocking!

Vicky's Birthday is coming up soon!

New Tshirt

Wonderful Christmas ornament from Mom last year.  Notice the colour of the ribbon ...

About to devour a 'blooming onion'

Watching the game against Bolton online with my Ryan Taylor mug!

Christmas with my Wife!!

I don't want to talk about last year, I have already covered that in a previous post.

Christmas Eve.


The day I Married Vicky, I gained four!!, neices and nephews.  It was decided that we would go to my Sister in Laws house around 7am and let the kids open their presents from us.  We all went in our pajamas, and of course, I wore my NUFC dressing gown, and black and white Christmas hat.

We ate pancakes, and there was a chocolate Birthday cake for me too!

It was a lot of fun, watching the kids open their presents.  Highlights for me were watching the eldest Nephew open his Zombie console game (Dead Island), he was nearly screaming haha, and I 'helped' the younger boy build his lego Harry Potter train set.  I only put together a couple of pieces, but I SO wanted to build it myself.

At one point he had to take the dog out (they have a pug), and I could have finished building it, but I took a step back.

Afterwards we all watched A Christmas Story (1983).  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085334/

At the end of the movie, the family go out for a Chinese meal, and this is exactly what we all did as well.


The food was like a chinese restaurant back in England, except the 'doggy' bags were the cardboard tubs like I have seen on Roseanne.  I of course finished mine.


Christmas Day!

I didn't set any alarm, but as always, the dog wanted to go outside, so I was up around half six.  Mom woke around the same time and put on some Christmas music.  I went back to bed, but it didn't last long.  Mom decided to wake my Wife and I up by turning on our bedroom light!  Reluctantly we got up.


Vicky and I had initially talked about a 'limit' for spending on each other.  This was ignored by both of us.

I wanted Vicky to open her presents in a certain order, and Mom was very interested in a particular present I had bought her.  One of my Wifes 'big' presents (they were all big and wonderful really) was a Kindle.  Mom was eager to know when I was giving this to Vicky.  Mom was being secretive about it, and I assumed that she had bought her a cover for it.

I was mistaken, and very wrong.  Mom handed me a present from my Wife, and opening them together, I found I had received a Kindle too!  This was a huge shock, I had no idea!

As many of you will know, Vicky is a huge fan of the ship Titanic.  I always try and get her something Titanic related.  This year I bought her Titanic-Monopoly, and yes, one of the pieces is the iceberg!, and a book called, The Other Side of the Night, an account from the other ships involved the the night the ship sank.  I can not take credit for it though.  I found it on her Amazon wish list.

As well as the Kindle, I received an awesome Calvin Klein shirt from Mom, a Christmas ornament with a picture of Me and the dog!

I am sorry to go on about the presents that day, Christmas should not be about what gifts we give or receive. 

But I think we all did very well this year.  Other favourites were more Ringtons teabags and Mars Bars!

Mom bought Vicky and I a joint gift.  Opening it up, it was a stained-glass sun catcher ornament.  All the way from Durham Cathedral!  But Mom had bought this from her recent trip to Chicago.  Amazing.

When Vicky visited me in February this year, we spent the day in Durham, and Loved the Cathedral.

For months I have wanted to buy The Walking Dead tv show and the Harry Potter box set, but I was very good and held off buying them.  Just as well, as I received them both for Christmas.

For breakfast, we ate my suggested english family tradition of bacon sandwiches and Bucks Fizz.  This went down very well!


The afternoon we watched the first Jurassic Park on blu-ray, and then the final Harry Potter film.

I was very pleased that Jurassic Park was just as good as the first time I saw it.  The film is nearly 20 years old, and the computer effects of the dinosaurs still hold up today.


I have pictures from the holidays, but I'll edit these in later, or give them their own post.

Birthday in Virginia

Last Birthday was awful.  Thousands of miles away from my Wife, and knowing Christmas would be the same.

I took the day off work, as a temp worker, naturally I didn't get paid, but I didn't mind.

My Wife and I went to see the new Mission Impossible film.  Using another free!! gift card through her work.  (I think we've only paid twice for the cinema, it's pretty awesome).  There was a lot more humour this time around, but it was a great movie.  Afterwards Vicky took me to a restaurant called the Outback Steakhouse.

http://www.outback.com/menu/pdf/C114.pdf

I have always wanted to try the Blooming Onion.  3,000 gut busting calories of wonderfulness.

CLICK ON THE PHOTOGRAPHs TO ENLARGE

For the main meal, I had an 8oz filet steak.  Another wonderful food in my stomach.

I did really well with presents.  Vicky gave me these two unusual Newcastle ones:

Yes!, that is a genuine Newcastle Brown Ale hand pump!  I also received Mars Bars and more Ringtons tea.  Always welcome (HINT HINT) for future Birthdays / Christmas.  Or anytime really ...

Christmas 2009

Before Christmas 2009 ...

It's quite sad that my favourite Christmas was receiving a big sack of lego.  I think I was 7 or 8.  No particular stand out day with family, it was all about what Santa brought me. 

Two years ago ...

When I met the woman I fell in love with.  Who is now my Wife.

That Christmas, in 2009 was the best one in my life.  I had a wonderful Birthday with my 'girlfriend', and two days later, I spent Christmas day with my 'fiance'.  This year, I get to spend it with my Wife.

Last year was the worst stuck in England, doing Christmas over a webcam.  That morning I phoned my Wife.  To wish her Merry Christmas.  I burst into tears when I heard her voice.


Christmas is not about what Santa brought you, it's about sharing the time with people you Love.

I will still be on the webcam again, but this will be different.  A wonderful reverse of last year.

I Love my Wife dearly, and I get to spend Christmas with her.  When I wake up she'll be there lying next to me, and a doggy will greet me as well.

Life is good, and I am living it.

Christmas decorations!

The main lounge:

Click on the pictures to enlarge

Our own lounge:

Notice the flags either side of the tree ...

In the middle, a custom bauble.  A Christmas present from Mom.  Includes the 'Tiffany' colour bow.

 

Every tree should have a Titanic and Elvis connection

 

Snow on it's way!

The local news is warning of snow coming our way.  Outside it is currently 'spitting' with the white stuff.  Most of today, we've seen a lot of rain, hopefully this will prevent it lying on the ground.

In preparation, we have two snow shovels next to the front door.

TV3Winchester, our local tv channel posted this picture on their facebook page, this is Augusta in West Virginia, about 50 miles west of us.

Keep your fingers crossed our front garden will not look like it did nearly two years ago:

Evening edit - The local tv station got it wrong.  We woke this morning to no snow.  It will come, but just not yet.

Thanksgiving

I am sorry I have not updated this since Thanksgiving.

Traditionally Thanksgiving is on the third Thursday in November, also meant I had two days off work.  Naturally being a 'temp', I didn't get paid for those days, but it was nice to have a 4 day weekend.

Being the English guest, I thought it would be fun to bake the Pumpkin pie.  Here is my effort.  I shared making it with my Wife.

We had a big dinner at my sister in laws.  There were nine of us!

On the Monday night, niece Julia took part in a local School parade around the town of Winchester, several schools and clubs took part, and it was awesome to see Julia at the front of her school.  It started at 7pm, and we were lucky to arrive on time, driving all the way from working in Reston / Herndon.

On Friday, I had two interviews for the job I am temping in.  First was with my boss, who was 25 minutes late, and the second was a telephone interview with a manager from another office.  This chap was 50 minutes late.  Not the best preparation I have had for interviews.

This weekend, we're putting up the Christmas Tree!  There will be two.  I've brought in the large one from the garage, this will go in the main front room, and Vicky and I have our own Christmas Tree.  I am especially looking forward to putting this one up, as Mom bought us a personalised bauble last year.

Last Christmas, Vicky and I were separated of course, and we spent a lot of time with each other over the webcam.  I watched Mom and Vicky set up our Christmas tree, and it sucked.  It was nice to watch, but to not be a part of was awful.