Saying Goodbye To A Friend...

I knew it was coming; it was inevitable. I mean, how does anyone fit a stroller into that trunk? It barely fit my groceries!




Yes, Monday night was a sad evening for me. I had to bid adieu to my car, my buddy, my Sprite. People recognized me by that green Beetle. Even if it wasn't me, people would think of me. It even sparked numerous conversations (even between Cary and myself!)



Sprite, you may be just a car to most, but to me you were my companion as I took long drives to Austin, traffice jams to work, and protected me so well. It was hard to say goodbye to you, but I have dreams that you will fulfill some teenage girl's dream for her first car. You will do great!






Some favorite memories of Sprite:





Begging dad to go with me to the Volkswagen dealership to JUST SEE what the costs are for a Bug...They had 2 on the lot that I could lease: a green one and a white one. I wanted either green or yellow--so guess where I went from there...



Carefully cutting out the Sprite label on the cardboard box and then adhering it to the back of the car.


Driving to Austin, and also to Texas A&M


Showing her off to my family on Thanksgiving (the same week I got her)


The little kids in my life getting all excited when they saw this car--JJ!




...there are so many memories from 9 years. As I remember them, I should record them here!


**Forgot to mention: we got a Black CX90 Volvo SUV. I'm still getting accustomed to the size, and have asked if we can paint it green so I can find it in a parking lot!

London Vacation Day 5

Hey guys! I want to take a moment and apologize for the time its taking to post these vacation days on my blog. I know each and every one of you is looking forward to finding out what the Jarvis/McFaddens were up to on their vacation, and I'm behind.


I think part of the reason I'm so behind is because I take the time to write these while at work, but when I'm at work, trying to write these, I'm bummed because...well, I'm at work, and I'm not still in London!

But enough moping--On to the next day's adventures!


This morning we woke up early for the most time-demanding part of the trip so far. We were going to Windsor Castle, Bath, and Stonehenge!


The process consisted of us hopping on a bus, going to Victoria Bus Station, and then hopping onto another bus, luckily with a quick bathroom break and water-buying spree before then.


We were on a guided tour bus, and the tour guide was telling us a little bit of history of Windsor Castle as we were driving to it. It was only about 1 hour drive. Along with the history, the tour guide (I wish I could remember her name!) asked us to please not bring hot sandwiches, coffees, or ice creams onto the bus because the odors get into the air ducts and the bus doesn't have the clean, fresh scent anymore...


rumble....

Oh no...my first trimester decided to make a very evil appearance this day. One of 2 days to ever get this sick. Yes, my dear friends and readers...I got morning sickness, and I don't mean just queasy, on the bus. Going to see the Queen's palace home...HOW EMBARRASSING!!!

I don't think I ever told my family thank you enough for the way the stepped up and helped me freshen up afterwards. I got really lucky, for my parents had their water bottles in a bag (that didn't have holes in the bottom) and I got that bag. I will not go into further details because it is just not glamorous with detail, but lets just say that I had my heroes that day. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!!!

The good news is, I was able to walk through Windsor Castle afterwards, feeling normal again. And I was fascinated with everything in this castle. The dining hall (80 something tiny chairs to sit in--they didn't look comfortable!), a room with shields on the ceiling, a couple of rooms with so many swords and armor. Cary and I loved to find the 'hidden doors' in the rooms. How much fun would that be!!! There was also a large doll house that was made as a gift, and the details of it is amazing. I wish we could have taken photos, because the memories of it will fade eventually.

After we finished with Windsor Castle, Cary and I walked along the Thames, where we were surrounded by swan and ducks looking for some food. It is so funny how the wildlife have grown accustomed to seeing humans and think they will automatically get food. And I would have contributed, but I had nothing to give!

The next stop for the tour was Bath, where the Roman baths are located. Nicolas Cage also lives in that town. From outside of the town, it is breathtaking to see it and all of the hills and land around. But inside was just as fun.

The Roman baths was a cool place to visit, except on this day it was crowded with school tours and other visitors. No complaints though--the experience was worth it. It is so amazing to see something this old that had been dug up after years buried.

After we finished there, we had 15 minutes to get some food and prepare to jump back on the bus. We found a little sandwich shop where the busses were picking up, so we stepped in. I already knew I wasn't going to eat anything, for fear of another upset tummy, but Cary ended up being the only one getting a sandwich--which was a tandoori-type chicken--he enjoyed it! The rest of us ate crackers on the bus...very satisfying!

Our last stop of the day was Stonehenge. I have a confession to make--between all of the drives to the next destinations, I fell asleep--and it felt good!! But I never heard any of the history of either of these places until I woke up closer to the destination...that was sad.

Stonehenge was interesting, but not as eerie as I thought it would be. It is fascinating to see these huge rocks arranged the way they were, and I know there are so many mysteries surrounding it. To say that I have seen Stonehenge is cool, but after the tiring day, I think it would be the only time I would want to see it.

The 4 of us were planning on visiting these sites one day, and then going to Canterbury and Dover the next day, but mom and dad felt that the tours were really rushed, so we decided not to take the next tour, but just stay in London and explore it more the rest of the week. I wish I saw that option coming; I would have chosen the Canturbury/Dover tour over the other one!

As the bus headed back into London, the tour guide informed us that the Underground (subway) went on strike, which caused a lot of traffic getting back to London. But the bus driver was nice enough to stop in several locations to help ease the travel for the tourists on the tour.

Mom, dad, Cary and I decided to eat Italian for dinner (actually, I was craving it!), so we ate at the Spaghetti House that evening. Mmmm!!! It was satisfying! After that, a walk back to the hotel.

Cary and I wanted dessert, so after we 'ditched' the parents (not really--they chose not to go), we walked down to a pub to check out their desserts. It was just puddings, so we went back to one of the restaurants at the hotel and had ourselves some Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake in a candlelight setting. True English patrons dining there as well. It was a very relaxing, romantic time. Reminds me of our honeymoon eating at the Kendron Inn!

After dinner, we went for a short stroll to Buckingham Palace and saw how everything was lit up at night. We saw the palace (not much lighting surprisingly), the statue in the square (very pretty when lit up), and then the London Eye in the distance with flashing lights. It was truly a fun, unique experience!

London Vacation Day 4

"No photography is allowed in here!" said the barista behind the counter at Starbucks. Yes, as in the wake-me-up every morning, must-get-my-fix coffee chain. The picture? Dad was taking an innocent picture of a basket and sign that suggested to recycle coffee grounds in your plants. Mom thought it was cool that they suggested such thing.


Hmmm...my thoughts? If I were a spy from another coffee shoppe, I wouldn't be carrying a really big Nikon around my neck...maybe more of a spy cam of some sort...


So after our tasty breakfast (I had hot chocolate with a raisin-filled cinnamon roll), we headed out the doors and toward St. James Park. Cary and I led the parents through the back streets, just to be able to say we went on one of our 'walks'.


Before the trip, Cary found a great book called 24 Walks In London. This takes you on a walking tour around the area and points out really cool, eerie, or just plain strange historical things. The street we walked to was part of Walk __, which spoke about Queen Anne.


A statue was made for Queen Anne, but without a plaque of who it was, the citizens of London thought it was a statue for Queen "Bloody" Mary. So they were disgusted with this statue, and threw things at it, breaking parts of it off. The statue was later repaired, a plaque reading "Anne Regina" added to it, and moved to another location. It is said that on a specific anniversary every year, the statue leaves its column and walks up and down the street 3 times before returning back to the column.


After taking a peek at the statue, we continued on into St. James Park. Here we saw a lot of squirrels (Cary just loves squirrels!!!) that came right up to us, looking for food. I tried feeding them wheat crackers, but they turned their picky little noses up at those and ran off. Perhaps it was because a man goes through the park on a regular basis and feeds them things (like nuts I think). I would turn my nose up at wheat crackers, too, if offered chocolate instead (hmmm...that sounds good!).


Cary then led us to Piccadilly Square, which I was excited to see because the last time I was there, it was decorated with Snowflakes for winter and they were advertising the movie Flushed Away. I was hoping that somehow they were advertising another movie, say, like, um....Harry Potter...no luck. So after getting there and seeing part of the square (and having pictures taken with a Charlie Chaplin statue), we made our way to the Natural History Museum.

What a cool place to visit! It was huge, and it had everything you could imagine there: plants, animals (including sea life, mammels, dinosaurs...), bugs...We only saw about half the museum, but I was exhausted after seeing it!

After the museum (which the building looks like a really old cathedral, but it was specifically built for the museum), we went to an outside exhibit--the Butterfly Exhibit. I was being a kid and said that I wanted antennae (they were selling some at the entrance), so my dad bought them. I very happily wore them almost the rest of the day--at times forgetting I had them on.

The butterfly exhibit was really cool though. You walk into this really hot, humid room and there are butterflys EVERYWHERE! We took so many pictures in this room, and Cary not only manages to attract women, but pretty butterflies too! He had at least 3 land on him during the time we were there. And I was running around, trying to blend in (remember I did have the butterfly antennae on my head!) and take pictures of all them. One elusive one kept flying away just as I was pressing down on the button, and other I got at least 5 pictures of...that one was a camera hog! As you got ready to leave, you had to check yourself in a mirror to make sure you had no hitchhikers on you.

The next location in our busy day? We walked to the Prince Albert Hall, the beautiful, round theater building. Cary pointed out to us as we went along that the residential buildings around the theater were all concave, rounded out so that they and the theater fit into the scenery. So much thought went into this area!

After oohing and aweing over those buildings for a little bit of time, we walked our way to Harrods. Cary took us the back roads so we could see the city without all the scary traffic. When we made it to Harrods, we were ready to sit down and relax for a bit. We found Harry Morgan's a little deli in the corner of the food center where we kicked back, ordered some drinks, and just sat in awe of the huge, decorated store.

After relaxing, we did what any great tourists would do in a fancy building: we rode the escalators all the way up, and then back down (there are 7 floors!) We also found both the Princess Di memorial, as well as the statue. A beautiful memorial for a beautiful person.

Harrod's Floor Guide

After Harrod's, we were tired and hungry. So we hopped onto a taxi and rode our way around to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. We managed to get pictures of famous rocker's clothing and instruments, including The Who (one of my favorites!) and the Beatles. After that, a long walk home was needed, and it was beautiful...

Did I mention the weather was in the 60's the entire time we were there??!

London Vacation Day 3

This morning found us waking up with a BOOM...literally. At 6:30 (pretty much on the dot) a loud thunderclap found its way to the hotel, rattling us awake. Cary and I were able to go back to sleep, for just another hour. But my parents were awake!

We decided to give the hotel's breakfast a try for this new morning before wandering the town. This is the biggest, and most likely only, mistake we made the entire trip. And it wasn't a terrible mistake, really, but I think it is the most disappointing for us.

There was a variety of food to choose from: eggs, sausage, Canadian-style bacon, tomatoes, fruit, pastries, juices...(Just juice?--sorry--inside joke...). And most of it tasted good and was filling. The eggs, however, (I believe) was made of a powder substance that was supposed to be passed off as scrambled...Big wrong! And then we got the bill...the jaw-dropping bill. Apparently food cost 5x times more in hotels. It was 40 pounds. For 2 people...That's the equivilent to nearly $80 American dollars!

So after getting through that moment, we looked at our maps and decided to catch the Tube to London Tower for the day. I had seen this castle during the bus tour 2 years ago, but I was really excited to finally get to go in. We decided to go with the tour guide, a Beefeater, or Yeoman...or in my case, the dudes (and at least one dudette) in the black and red uniforms--but not the palace guards). They walk you around on a brief tour of the castle, tell the tales and show you the main area of the castle. After that, they 'set you free' and you can wander around the castle and all around.

One of the first rooms we visited was the Crown Jewels. No photography is allowed. I can understand that, but how sad that I can only express in writing how amazingly sparkly and beautiful they are! All I can remember at this moment was how grand and in awe I was being so close--even though they were behind glass and highly protected!

After visiting that room (which took a very long time to get to with the lines) we visited a museum that spoke about the history of the British Calvary. After that, up to the White Tower, where there is a museum displaying King Henry VIII's armour. It was very interesting to see the different armour for the different sizes that the King was as time went by, but also the changes in his taste.

After gazing at war weapons for a while, we made our way towards the front of the castle to exit when Cary and I found the entrance to the Bloody Tower, also known as the place where prisoners were kept.

The coolest (and saddest) story there is to this tower is that 2 young heirs to the thrown a long, long time ago (forgive me for I know no dates) now haunt this area because their uncle was put in charge after his brother (and the children's father) passed until the eldest was old enough to be king. The uncle was greedy and wanted to be the king, so the kids 'disappeared'...centuries later the remains of 2 young children were found, and are now buried at Innocent's Corner at Westminster Abbey. Part of the tour walks through their bedroom...quite eerie!

After we stepped out of the castle, we decided to grab a bite to eat at the nearest concession stand. All of us except Cary had hot dogs (Yes, CARY decided not to have a hot dog...gasp! Is he feeling ok?!!?!). He had a sandwich instead. And the hotdog? Would have been delicious and satisfying (it was HUGE!) if it wasn't covered in mustard. And when I mean that, I LOVE mustard. But French's. Regular Mustard. That is the norm here in the States. Not the mustard in Europe. Slightly sweetened. Too sweet for a hot dog in my opinion. I had 3 bites, and then the rest went to the pidgeons. I had new best friends that day...

Wow. This post is getting long. Let's see if I can speed it up a bit. Everyone ok? Need a drink or potty break? Good.

After the quick bite to eat, we started walking along the Thames, and before you knew it, we were walking over the Tower Bridge--what a magnificent bridge! (not to be mistaken for the London Bridge). After our 10 minute walk over it, we started walking along the Thames on the other side, stopping to look at the map and our options, and not to mention a bite of Soft Serve ice cream!!!

With a decision made, the 4 of us hopped onto a city bus (after standing at the wrong bus stop for a bit) and rode to the London Eye. We couldn't convince mom to join us on the largest Ferris Wheel, we purchased tickets for 3 and got on right away (no line!). Now, I have an issue with heights, and my rear end was planted firmly to the bench for the majority of the ride, but what a glorious time! The views that you have in this bubble can be breath taking! Cary and dad got tons of pictures...I was happy looking around and people watching the other few people that were in there with us.

The ride only lasted about 30 minutes--it felt as though the Eye wasn't even moving because it went so slow and smooth, and when we got off, we headed for a Movie Museum/Beatles exhibit that was next to it. The really cool thing about this museum is that you could touch the items in the exhibit, and take photos...movie props including (but not limited to) Star Wars, Excalibur, Sherlock Holmes, and...Harry Potter!!! I took lots of pictures of those props!

When we finished the museum, we decided to head towards Parliament. I loved this time because it got us as close as humanly possible with Big Ben. The Clock Tower has been my favorite monument for as long as I can remember. Why? I'm not always the best with keeping time. Maybe nothing more than its grandeur (listen to me with those big words!). But it was fun walking along beside it.

While in the area we also saw Westminster Abbey--another gorgeous building. I think that might be one of my favorites that we visited. The architecture is so...breathtaking. Words can't describe how much I loved its beauty.

We also heard (and got on video!) Big Ben while in the area!!!! After that, we figured out that we were hungry (Ben did tell us it was 6:00 afterall) and we found a small Chinese buffet along our walk home...yummy! I fell asleep that night, sore feet, but really happy. So far, I'm loving London!

Chester Antics

I mentioned recently that we have a really entertaining dog. This morning he continued to prove just how silly he was, even though he didn't know he was doing so.

Let me start off by describing Cary's and my bedroom: the bed takes up most of the room, but to get to Cary's side there is a narrow path, with a cabinet and tv sitting on top of the cabinet.

Chester loves to run under the bed, though we can't really figure out how he manages to squeeze under there with his long legs. But he loves to. But he also loves to go crazy and run wild around the apartment.

This morning was the second morning in a row for him to do the 'crazy dog' for me. He runs around all possible furniture, past me, under the bed, and then back out and does it again. On occassion he ran towards Cary's side with the narrow pathway.

I noticed once that instead of fully going to the other side of the bed, Chester seemed to make a super sharp U-turn and run back out to continue his wild running in the rest of the apartment. We continued to play for a moment more when he decided to run to Cary's side again.

This time I watched closely as he tried to make a turn for Cary's side, but instead he was stopped very quickly and suddenly. Let me put it this way: if we had the same cameras that was used for Time Warp*, we would have seen Chester's long snout become a pug face for a split-second.

Apparently, one of his moments of crazy opened up the glass door to the cabinet, and that glass door rested well on the corner of the bed. Becoming an invisible barrier. That Chester had no idea existed. He just looked at me for a moment, kind of in a confused state, and then ran off...I think he was done with 'Crazy Dog' for the time, but I can't wait for the next episode...

I was laughing to the point of tears, and had to call Cary at work and tell him about his dog.

I hope this story describes well the situation, and you find yourself giggling at this silly mutt. I know I am in a happier mood this morning because of him!

* Time Warp--a great show on Discovery Channel that takes standard and anything-but-normal things, films them with a special camera and slows them down so we can see the physics of what is happening. Ex: a man juggling chain saws, cell phones being thrown in a blender, and my favorite so far: a box of set mousetraps with glass Christmas balls on them...when it is set off, it's awesome!!!

Ramblings From A Pregnant Woman...

Dear Volkswagen,


Remember when you invented and produced the Thing? Back in high school, I thought it was a great car, and found myself envious (and perhaps lacking knowledge) of the couple of students around me that drove one.


With some minor improvements (the seats, door frame, non-convertible option...), I think it could be the next big thing with the classic Volkswagen fans. If you start to remake these vehicles, you could make it sporty and fashionable, perfect for the growing family in the 21st century.


And with the new look, of course you'll have to update the name slightly. May I suggest the Thingy-Mabob?


Sincerely,


Jenn



photo courtesy of http://www.theclassicbeetle.com/

London Vacation Days 1 & 2

Ok...so after LOTS of sleep and stalling, here is the recap of the Jarvis/McFadden trip to London. As in England. Also known as THE city that I have dreamed about going to for as long as I can remember. And I've been there TWICE!!!

Ok. Enough stalling more...

The adventure started for me on Thursday, June 4 when I had the day off of work to get ready. Also known as the day of doctor's appointment (and waiting 45 minutes to see ANYONE), rushing to get laundry done, and then rushing to get home to clean the apartment before the big trip. Not too bad, considering my last day of work before the vacation consisted of a movie watching party (and nothing like How To Succeed In Being Pleasant On The Phone--but The Incredibles!! Yes as in DISNEY! State Farm rocks!)

Anyways. Friday comes along and finds Cary and I literally throwing things into the suitcase. I was trying to convince Cary that the medium suitcase would not fit both of our stuff AND souveniers...until he proved me wrong by packing ANOTHER case inside the other with our clothes in! Leave it to him to make me smile...but this paragraph should have come with a warning to my parents to not read, considering they had fully packed the weekend before! Call me a procrastinator!!!

Cary and I spent lunchtime with his dad, not only for some great company and delicious food (I had a great grilled cheese sandwich!) but also to drop our beloved pooch off. It was hard to leave Chester!!! I am going to be a clingy mom! Around 2:30 mom came and picked Cary and I up and we went back to the house to wait for our ride. Mom's friend and co-worker, Dawn, has a very sweet husband that was willing to pack all of us into his truck and trek us through traffic to the airport.

After getting rid of our baggage and getting through security, we found our way to locate our gate and then eat. But we also found a super cool art thing that was a labyrinth that played a little music as you stepped around. Hard to describe in writing--why oh why didn't I get pictures??!!!

The flight left at 7:00ish, and of course I was nervous. My parents sat directly in front of us on the plane, where we had the 2 window/aisle seats on the left side of the plane. Cary loves to look out the window, so I was happy to let him have the spot. The in-flight movies were not very entertaining (and difficult to hear), but that is ok, because not long after dinner (a very delectible lasagna with cold rolls) I managed to try to fall asleep, and was successful for a lot of the flight (yay anti-nausea/drowsy pills!). When breakfast came around, I enjoyed my croissant. But when I carefully opened my pressure-filled yogurt, it exploded...all over me. My face never felt more soft! :o)

I was so excited when we landed. During the descending, Cary was nice enough to switch seats with me so that I might have a chance to glimpse at the castles as we got closer to the airport. We were successful! We were able to spot Windsor Castle and its small ferris wheel (not to be mistaken for the Eye) on the way in--beautiful!

The airport was chaotic, as is expected. Getting through customs was easy, and locating our luggage great. But then it began the LONG walk to the Underground. Let me tell you this--if you are planning a trip to London, get an Oyster Pass--it works for the Tube and Buses--what a lifesaver! Once we got this, we hopped onto the Tube and made our 30-45 minute trip to the heart of London.

At this point, I was so exhausted, but from warnings from other world travellers (Brenda, Gary, and Cary) I knew we were not smart if we fell asleep once we got into the hotel. Besides...it was 11:30 in the morning in London!!! There is much to explore!!!

We all freshened up and then met (Cary and I had a small room on the 2nd floor, mom and dad had their larger, more beautiful view room on the 4th). When we started walking, we realized we were only 1/2 mile away from Buckingham Palace--what a location!!! We were going to be neighbors with the Queen for a week! After a few pictures at the gates of the palace we walked through a park (Green Park) and made our way up to Hard Rock Cafe. The wait there was 30 minutes, so the 4 of us decided to make our first English meal in a cute, fun pub called the Crown and Rose. Mom, dad, and Cary all tried the Fish n' Chips while I feasted on a burger. Not too bad!

After dinner, we took a stroll through a small (tiny!) part of Hyde park, which featured a beautiful Rose Garden, with so many beautiful, fragrant flowers and a fountain in the middle. While there, a bridal party was having their photos taken...what a beautiful place to have a wedding/photos!

We walked back to the hotel after spending some time soaking in the beauty. The night was called early for obvious reasons, but I was so glad to crawl into bed that evening (with the sun still peaking through the windows). Cary and I woke up again a little later and watched tv for a couple of hours, but sleep found its way to us again, and we woke up for our next day's adventure!

Where's Pintu Part II

Thank you to everyone who voted for their favorite Pintu activity!

The winner (surprise surprise) is the Racecar Bunny. However, I think it was by some kind of mistake in the program (a.k.a, they didn't check the fingerprints of every single voter to make sure there was not a double--or triple-- vote), so I now declare the second place as the new first place, which was....er, uh....

I guess since Pintu was in every single one, that makes him the winner over all!!! Congratulations Pintu! Now after you rest from your trip overseas, be on your mischevious ways again. I'll send Cary after you for more fun in the future!

A Few Select Pictures

**Update** I'll put captions under the photos so you can see what is so great about each building. Now that the whole world (my tiny one that is) has seen these, I'll put the 'tour' on them!

Click on the image to see a larger picture!

Natural History Museum of Science

Stained Glass from the Museum

Do Not Feed the Pelicans!

The Garden Fountain in the center of our hotel

The lobby of our hotel (Crowne Plaza London St. James)

My father, the clown

Pintu reading on the tube

We saw the Queen! (well, you see Prince Phillip really well, but she's next to him!)

Squirrel!

Kensington Palace's Gardens

Pintu has the stuffing going to his head

Beefeater in front of the White Tower

Pintu at the Peter Pan Statue

This Pub had the best broccoli cheese soup!

Mom, Dad, and Cary at some location...

St. Paul's Cathedral

Cool museum to visit!

Dragon statue showing we are entering London

Take the bus tour if you ever go!

Buckingham palace at night

Stonehenge (does it even need an introduction?)

The town of Bath (Nicolas Cage lives here)

The Roman Baths

Windsor Palace

Mom and me in a cab

Princess Diana and Dodi Memorial Statue in Harrods

I love the phone booths!

Queen Anne statue (this statue comes to life once a year!)

Westminster Abbey

Cary and I in the Eye

View of Big Ben from the Eye

The Eye

Tower Bridge

Location of many private beheadings inside London Tower

London Tower

Buckingham Palace's gates

The Arch...of something

The end!

We're Back!

Well, we've been back since Friday evening, but I have been exhausted and just trying to get back into the swing of things.


The trip was wonderful, and it was so exciting to be back in my favorite city, and actually having time to explore. But the best part was being there with 3 people that I love. Cary was a wonderful navigator, and I really hope mom and dad enjoyed their first visit to London.


I would love to recap the entire trip, but I will need some time. Please be patient with me!!!


Until then, here are some pictures from our fun time:

Where's Pintu?

So, Pintu (my stuffed toy bunny from Finland) has been quite busy for a while now. And clever, sneaky Cary has been following him around, trying to prove just how mischevious Pintu is.

While we're away (in Jolly Ol' England!!!!) I figured I will show these pictures again, and put a survey up on the side. Vote for which Pintu pic you like the best--I can't wait to see what the results are!