Hot & Humid

You can only guess where I'm writing this post from...Hot & Humid Houston! While Aberdeen is getting way too much snow, we're not getting enough cool weather. But I don't mind it; sweating more than usual but it's nice to be wearing open toe shoes again! We have been extremely busy since my last blog post. Both of us had to finish some things for work before heading on our extended Holiday in Houston. In celebration, we attended our first CVX CUE Christmas Party the night before our flight, which was loads of fun! The theme this year was Speakeasy so we both dressed up in our somewhat flapper and 20's gangster outfits. The night was filled with lots of drinks, dancing and entertainment! Let's just say we were pretty close to missing our cab to the airport the next morning.

We arrived in Houston a little over a week ago and have been on the go every since. I've been finishing up our Christmas shopping and errands while Gerald had to go to work. We caught up with our families, friends and coworkers this past week and the next days will be family time! Gerald and I plan to cook up a nice meal for the family on Christmas Eve and will probably partake in some more cooking and eating the rest of our stay here. I have yet to go for a run or the gym and have been eating loads of food. You only know what that means! I'm feeling a bit rubbish...oh wells, I'm on vacation!

We wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rugby, Winter Road Trip, Christmas Carols, Mulled Wine and Mince Pies

The past week was full of new experiences! I can’t thank all our new friends enough for the fun memories we’ve had in Scotland so far. Both Gerald and I feel super blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people, even thousands of miles away from home. It’s not the things you have in life but the relationships you build with others that make the biggest impact. We are looking forward to building on these relationships for years to come!

awa happy hour @ albyn bar

Aberdeen has been in below freezing temperatures this past week with lots of snow. Schools have been closed and some people couldn’t even get to work because the country roads were blocked. The snow came early this year, the locals say, so we’re expecting a not so pleasant winter. Gerald and I felt the bitterness of the cold during our first Rugby Game. We went to Pitodrie Stadium to see Scotland vs. Samoa (poor Samoans were freezing their butts off probably). The stadium was packed and we still couldn’t get enough warmth. I guess not everyone has the luxury of having a convertible roof stadium! I’ve since learned that we really need to invest in some nice winter gear; especially if we plan to do outdoorsy stuff during this time of the year. There was a group of old men swigging whiskey from the bottle in front of us and I really wanted to ask for a swig just to warm my insides. The Scots must be immune to the cold because we saw a few guys in Kilt looking just dandy! Gerald and I couldn’t feel our face or toes after the game. Anyhow, I still don’t understand the game of Rugby but I love sports so hopefully I can pick it up in a few months. CVX participates in a touch Rugby league which is similar to flag football so maybe we can try to get into that!

rugby game

Weeks are spent at work mainly and NOT at the Gym! Because of the snow, Gerald and I have made it to the gym ZERO times in the past 2 weeks. Probably not a good thing, considering we will be pigging out in Houston starting this weekend. I must get my head straight with this working out thing, but the cold weather has gotten to me. We are planning to sign up for a ½ marathon and 10K first quarter of next year so we need to get our act together....

This past Saturday we wanted to check out the ski slopes in Scotland so we ventured out with a friend to Glenshee, which is about 1 ½ hours away from Aberdeen. The morning started off with a flat tire, pushing a car that was stuck out of a gas station, switching cars, and finally driving through Scotland’s Winter Wonderland, only to replace another flat tire. It took us longer than we expected to get to Glenshee so by the time we were close to the mountain, it was already late afternoon and the slopes were closing in a couple of hours. We decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to go skiing so just grabbed lunch in Braemer and attempted to visit a distillery, which was closed. Although we didn’t get to do what we originally wanted, the drive was beautiful and it was well worth it. I’ll have to say that I LOVE Scotland’s country side and can’t wait to explore more of it.

drive to glenshee

The snow has since turned to ice but everyone is now getting into the Holiday spirit. We attended a Christmas Carolling Service with a few co-workers at Victoria Park and enjoyed some mulled wine and minced pie over a crackling fireplace. This is what a proper winter should feel like and I might actually miss it when I’m in Houston! Anyhow, Gerald thought mince pies was made out of meat but it’s not; fruit and whiskey is more like it in the traditional kind. I’m a huge fan of mulled wine now and I can’t wait to make some for my Houstonians! We might need to crank up the A/C just to get the full effect ! We have a Company Christmas Party to attend on Friday and then we're off to Houston. CVX has theme parties and this year it's a Speakeasy theme. Most people get into costume so we'll see how that turns out. Our calendars are getting pretty full for our trip home and I’m looking forward to it. We can’t wait to see everyone! Countdown....T-4 days!!!

@ a friends house enjoying mulled wine & mince pies

Let it Snow!

Snow, Snow, Snow! It started snowing here on Wednesday and is forecasted to last the rest of the week with the lows in the upper 20's F and highs in the mid 30's F. We've never lived in a cold place place before so this is a whole new experience for us. I'm really enjoying it, although I know it's going to get old really fast. At least I have a wonderful husband to take care of the car situation for me. Since the snow started, every day after work, Gerald has to scrape the snow/ice from the windshields. While he's doing this, I sit in the car with my heated seats on...I turn his heated seats on too. We've also had to shovel our driveway a view times..eeks. Driving in the snow hasn't been too bad, that's because Gerald's been driving...I felt the car slip a couple of times and almost freaked out, but he has it under control (I think). Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive.

gerald at work

On Thanksgiving morning, the snow was coming down pretty hard and I was worried about driving out to Maryculter House for our dinner with the AWA. It's only 8 miles from Aberdeen, but with the dark, single lane country roads, it might be an adventure. Luckily another member offered to take us, since they're more experienced than us. Anyhow, we got there and back safely and spent our first Thanksgiving away from home. As most of you have seen on my Facebook, we had a White Thanksgiving and it was lovely!

Thanksgiving dinner @ Maryculter House

Friday morning, Gerald and I went to Edinburgh for the day on the train. I was expecting similar weather in Edinburgh but it was actually really nice! Freezing cold, but no snow or rain, just pretty blue skies and sunshine. The train ride there was interesting. We started off seeing loads of snow covered fields and hills and then it gradually changed to green pastures. I wish I could have taken better photos, but my window was really dirty.

heading to Edinburgh

We spent the entire day in Edinburgh shopping and visiting the Christmas markets. I LOVE market food and we had some yummy ones. I tried mulled cherry beer and did not like it; tasted like cough syrup. We did enjoy a nice cold lager, german potatoes and pork steak sandwich. The Germans sure do love their pork! Before heading back home on the train, we grabbed a drink at the Balmoral Bar. This is where Gerald had his fruity cocktail while I enjoyed a nice cold Chimay Blue! We also had a few mini bottles of wine on the train ride home. I love day trips on the train.

german goodies

being silly on the train

Today, we're off to see our first Rugby match with Scotland taking on Samoa. I'm not sure how this is going to work; sitting in the freezing cold for a few hours, but I'm sure it will be fun! I'm definitely bundling up in my snow gear. Maybe a few shots of whiskey wouldn't be too bad either. Enjoy the weekend friends!

waking up to this on a Saturday morning

.

Food is always better with Company

It's Sunday and another week has gone by. Weekdays go by slow and of course, the weekends go by fast! Either way, we have 3 weeks until Houston!! Instead of our typical dinner out on Friday, we spent it at a friend's house, cooking and playing the Wi. And with Gerald taking shots of warm Absolut vodka just for the heck of it..haha. My friend Sevil and I made salmon, crabcakes, cous cous, and spinach salad for dinner. Everything was delicious! Sevil has an 8 year old girl who was born in Houston and 3 year old boy that was born in Aberdeen. The girl enjoys hanging out with me because I'm American. She says she feels comfortable around me...kids, they're quite fun! And they're such quick learners; I taught them a few words in Khmer and Chinese and they said them perfectly! It was fun!

the cooks

the drinkers

chamreapsu

On Saturday we went out to Stonehaven to have lunch with Gerald's supervisor. His supervisor is French and is married to a Scottish woman. I enjoyed spending the day with them and hearing their French and Scottish accents, so lovely! We spent the afternoon eating French raclette, drinking, and playing the Wi. I think it's time for Gerald and me to finally buy a Wi. There are so many fun games and it can entertain guests for hours! The Wi Fit is also great for these cold rainy days. After doing a few exercises on it, I actually got a little sore.

Anyhow, we've been trying to do a bit of shopping here for the Holidays but not having that much luck. On Friday, we're going to take the train to Edinburgh for a day of shopping so hopefully it will be better than Aberdeen.

The cake pops I made last week were sold at the AWA Craft Fair for 1 pound each, with all proceeds going to CLAN. Most people have never heard of cake pops before so I wonder what they thought when they ate it...haha. I also made a batch of Sprinkles Vanilla cupcake and one woman loved it so much, she wanted to order some. I think Sprinkles should open a franchise in Aberdeen. Not just for me, but for the Aberdonians as well. The Scottish love their teas and cakes so I think it would do great! The craft fair was fun and I'm glad I got to participate in it this year.

sweet shop

can't wait to get some real Sprinkles!

Well, that's all I have for now. Congrats to the Longhorns for finally getting a win! I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving on Thursday with the AWA!

4 weeks until Houston!

We've been in Aberdeen for a little over 3 months now and in 4 weeks, we'll be going back to Houston for a visit! With everything that's been going on since we've arrived, I haven't really felt home sick or anything, but now that I know I'll be going home soon, I'm starting to miss it. Mainly just being at home during the holidays with family and friends. Gerald and I usually make some part of Thanksgiving dinner for both sides of the family so we'll be missing out on that this year. To make up for it, we've decided that we'll have Thanksgiving in December.

The American Women's Association will be hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving Day so I'm looking forward to that. Other than that, things here have been pretty chill. Work is going kind of slow for me, but I'm hoping that will change by next year. If not, I might just have to go part time or something...haha. We've been doing lots of dinners and night outs with new friends so it's been nice to finally have people to hang out with. I helped with an American baby shower for a friend here and that was tons of fun. We played the dirtydiaper game and everyone had a blast.

awa happy hour @ dutch mill

lynn & tj's baby shower

Today, I attempted to make Cupcake pops with a friend. Let's just say that candy melts frustrate me sometimes. I can't seem to ever get it to the right consistency. Anyhow, we produced some decent gigantic cupcake pops! They were so big, they couldn't fit into regular size lollipop bags. I had to use bigger treat bags to wrap them....whoops. Either way, Tana and I had fun. I'm going to miss her when she moves to London. Aberdeen is a city where people come and go so I'll just have to expect that. I miss my Cranston girl...hehe. I guess I'll have to make as many friends as possible.

caitlyn's going away @ howies

cupcake pops w/ Tana

We didn't get to watch the Pacquiao fight last night but I heard he did good. From the looks of Margarito's face, it looked like a straight win. I love hearing the after fight interview with Manny. He makes me laugh...haha.

Well, hope everyone is doing well and we'll see you all soon!!

Amsterdam

The joy of living in the UK is that you have somewhat easy access to all the countries in Europe. Gerald and I spent Halloween weekend in Amsterdam. It’s like flying to Vegas for Halloween but only you’re in a different country. And when I say different country, I really mean different country....haha. The main means of transportation in Amsterdam is by bicycle. I saw people with babies strapped across their chest, holding a dog leash, with baskets full of groceries all while on a bike. Maybe not doing it all at one time, but you see what I mean. This will never fly in the States. There were thousands and thousands of bikes all around town; it was an amazing site! Pedestrians do not have the right of way here, bicyclers do! We didn’t want to get caught up in the bicycle frenzy for our first visit so Gerald and I walked pretty much everywhere. The few times we decided to use a Taxi, we got ripped off! Next time we'll definitely be more like the locals and go for a bike ride. Did I mention people ride their bikes to go out at night? Imagine coming home intoxicated on a bicycle. It’s hard enough with a vehicle; I guess the Dutch are very experienced! Okay, enough about the bicycles!

We had 3 full days to explore the city and by the end of day 3, I was exhuasted. We spent Friday night exploring the Red Light District. This was by far the most bizarre experience to me. I won’t go into details; you’ll just have to see it for yourself. Let’s just say sex is very recreational here.

Saturday, we visited the 3 main museums: Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, and the Van Gogh Museum. I especially enjoyed Anne Frank House. Everyone has probably read "The Diary of Anne Frank" as a school kid but to be in the same room that she once sat to write in her diary was pretty touching. I was trying to imagine how she felt and what she did during those times in hiding. And to think she never expressed most of her thoughts to her family; I guess that’s what diaries are for. Otto Frank mentioned that as a parent, and having been close to Anne, a parent will never really know their true child. Even though I don’t have any children, I can totally agree. No matter how close you think you are, you just don’t open up all your feelings to your parents. There’s a part of you that you just want to keep for yourself and it is totally understandable. I left the museum wishing something like this would never happen again in this world.

263

On another note, the Rijksmuseum housed a lot of Rembrandt’s paintings and the Van Gogh Museum gave us a chronological look into Van Gogh’s life. Both Gerald and I didn’t know that Van Gogh killed himself so that was news to us. Overall, the museums were great. If you ever decide to go to Amsterdam, make sure you buy all your museum tickets a head of time to avoid the lines. They weren't too bad, but you can definitely save some time.

rijksmuseum

After a busy day of visiting museums, we still found some energy to go out. It was Halloween night and for the most part, we didn’t see very many people dressed up. I guess we were in the touristy parts of town. We decided to spend time at the Holland Casino instead of going to a bar. A few hours of play and we came out even...actually, down 10 Euros due to the Casino entrance fee. No free drinks, and entrance fee to a Casino; we’re definitely not in Vegas!

Since we had a whole day left and have already pretty much seen most of the city; we decided to book a bus tour to the windmill farms and the fishing villages. Here, we visited a cheese factory and a wooden shoe making factory. The weather was kind of crappy but we got to see a different side of the Netherlands away from the very liberal city centre. It was also nice to have a morning of breathing fresh air, if you know what I mean. With all the ‘Coffee shops’ around town, I wouldn’t be surprised if people got high off of second hand. Again, a totally different country!

wooden shoe shop

I’m really enjoying our travels here and getting to see all the different cultures. Also, meeting new people is always fun. I ran into a guy at our hotel that also worked for Chevron and was from Houston; small world but not really. Somehow, one way or another, we’re all connected.

Today is the 6 week countdown to Houston! I can’t wait to see all my favourite people!

NNLA

I left CVX as NNLA and am once again back in the system as NPIB. I think I like my old CAI better. Anyhow, I started my second week of work today and am already getting into the mix of things. It's great to have coworkers again! The office environment here is a bit different from Houston. Instead of rows of cubicles, we have an open floor plan. I have mixed feelings about this. Sometimes I like to just hide in my cube when I'm feeling unsociable or if I really need to get some work done, but here, you really can't. People walk by your desk at all times of the day; it's somewhat of a distraction. We don't have daily fit breaks; only once a week. Not that I went every day, but it was nice to have the option. Let's see, what else...There are no microwaves or coffee pots in the cafe area. Instead, we have Flavia machines and cheap lunches. I can eat lunch for about 2 pounds a day, which is about $3.00 at the moment. The food is okay. You really can't go wrong with a sandwich or soup so I just stick to those items. It kind of sucks that I can't even bring my lunch if I wish, but I won't complain about cheap food. Being in the UK, we have to walk on the left hand side of the stairwell, so I'm still trying to get use to that. People use words like queries for question, rubbish bin for trash can and pronounce schedule, "shedule." Speaking of trash can, we don't have the convenience of having a trash and recycle bin at each cubicle. Instead, we have to walk to the copy room or cafe to throw anything away. This could be a good thing or bad thing; more exercise for the OCD folks and a work desk full of rubbish for the rest. These are just a few things I've noticed since being in the office. A bit different than Houston, but work processes and tasks are similar so I'm sure I'll be able to pick up where I left off.

Now to the good stuff. Last Friday, the Group had an outing at Sunset Blvd. Amusement Center. Even though I just started, they were nice enough to invite me. This was a great way for me to meet some of the other team members and I had a great time. We started the night off with Dodgems (bumper cars) and a dinner. Then, we worked off our food with 18 holes of miniature golf and some bowling. Must I say, all of this was indoors so we escaped the 30 degrees weather. We had a hat contest during the event as well. I especially liked this one. It definitely looked better on my new coworker than me. Tennents is a local beer here.

Oh yah, there are 2 Filipinos here on assignment from Manila so I've gotten to know them a bit. Too bad they are leaving in a week. Meet Dexter and Mark! We hope to hang out with them at least once before they leave.

A few more days of work and I'll have Friday off! You can't beat the 9/80 schedule. Wait a minute, we actually work 9/75!! Gerald and I are off to Amsterdam for Halloween weekend!

Single Malt

Hi Friends! Wow, it’s been a long week. On top of an eventful weekend, I visited Edinburgh with Rob on Monday, spent our evenings in the Casino Mon and Tues, and Rob returned to the States, first snow in Aberdeen and my first day of work all on Wednesday. I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend, I hope.

3 amigos

Despite the busyness of it all, we’ve been having a great time. As soon as Rob got into town we took him for Fish & Chips at Ashvale (our favourite place for fish & chips) and later visited Dunnottar Castle. Like our first time to the Castle, he was amazed by the beauty of the bright green grass and blue ocean water against the gray/brown stones of what remained of the Castle. To celebrate his arrival, we opened a bottle of whiskey (winefor me) and caught up. Internet is great for chatting and the phone is always nicefor conversations, but there’s nothing like being in the same room and sharing stories with a friend. Brazilian steakhouse, Whiskey Bar, nightclub with house music, pitchers of drink, andgambling is the type of nightlife you can find off Union Street in Aberdeen. Gerald and I have never gone out in Aberdeen so it was fun to see.

the grill - whiskey bar (they drink it neat here)

old school bar

On Sunday morning, when most people should be at Church, we took a drive down to the Whiskey Trail. Of course we had to visit Glenfiddich. Our original plan was to hit up 3 distilleries but with the tour lasting a good amount of time, we were only able to go to 2: Glenfiddich and Strathisla (Chivas Brothers). I don’t drink whisky but learning about the process of how it’s made was interesting. It’s neat because there are only so many whiskey distilleries as opposed to thousands of wineries; same concept but different feel. Tastings aren’t as good in my opinion but I’m sure Rob and Gerald thought otherwise. Our tour guide at Glenfiddich said she never enjoyed whiskey until she learned about all the different taste of each. Now her husband isn’t happy that he has to share, so maybe I will come around.

glenfiddich distillery

Monday, Rob and I took the train to Edinburgh for a day trip. It was my first time visiting the city s well so that was fun. We arrived at the train station at 6:30am, half asleep. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and contains a lot of Scotland’s history. We spent the morning at the Edinburgh Castle grounds and found ourselves in a pub eating Haggis balls and drinking in the afternoon. Rob and I both thought Haggis was great, so I’m not sure what all the fuss was about. Granted we had deep fried ones, but we still made sure to eat just the haggis itself without any batter to make sure we had the real deal. After arriving back from Edinburgh we spent the next 2 evenings at the Casino. Rob says it’s dangerous that we live within walking distance of 3 casinos!

haggis balls

We dropped Rob off at the airport Wednesday morning at 5:00 am and welcomed our first snow! I am once again a Chevron employee (contractor) and it feels good to be back in the office. I’ll have to dedicate another blog post about my new job. So far, everything is great besides having to wake up at a scheduled time.

parking lot of CVX

NandoMama

I know I'm late to the game but I just had my first dose of Nando's and Wagamama this week. I've always heard of the 2 chain restaurants but have never tried it. I probably would never have if it wasn't for my lunch dates. I'm not a big fan of chain ethnic food. I believe in the real deal local stuff but I'd have to admit, these two weren't that bad. When I think of chain restaurants, I think of good ole' American food: Chili's, TGIF, Pappasito's, Pappadeux, and of course fast food. For those of you that don't know, Nando's is a Portuguese restaurant and Wagamama is, I would say, a Japanese type restaurant. I had the Peri-Peri chicken at Nando's and the ginger chicken stir fry udon at Wagamama. Both were quite tasty.

I spent my last week of being a housewife having lunch dates and shopping =) Again, everytime I try to shop here, I come back with nothing. Either I think the prices are too high and I can get the same thing in the States for 1/2 the price or I just can't get myself to start dressing in the UK style. I'll continue to browse and maybe one day I'll come out with a whole new wardrobe.

lunch @ Yorokobi with Tana!

Here in Scotland, the school kids are out for 2 weeks for the annual "Tattie Holiday." Supposedly back in the days, the kids were needed to help with the potato harvest season and didn't go to school. Since most kids weren't in school, they decided to make it a Holiday. I guess it would be like our fall break, if you're lucky enough to get one. The kids here still get their Christmas Holiday and again out for 2 weeks in the Spring. Don't we wish we had that in the States? To take advantage of the holiday, I hung out with a few kids myself; they're so cute!

union square mall with Aleida & Ashan (Gerald's coworker's kids)

On Wednesday, October 20th, I start work with Chevron again! I'm pretty excited! This weekend will be a perfect celebratory weekend for me since my best buddy Rob will be in town. We have good eats, drinks and travel plans. We'll see how much sleep we can add in as well. Have a good weekend everybody!

Cake Pops!

Cupcakes have been a craze for quite a while in the States and now it seems that Cake Pops have come to take it's place. With cake pops, you can do so many things for all sorts of occasions. Bakerella just posted one to celebrate the Diamond Edition Blue Ray DVD release of Beauty and the Beast http://www.bakerella.com/teapop-party/. How cute is this?

Anyhow, I really enjoy baking cupcakes and thought I'd give cake pops a shot. With a few tips from a friend who's super at making cake pops, I semi-succeeded at producing my first batch. Of course, I had some help. A friend and I spent our Friday evening melting candy melts, sticking cake balls, dipping and decorating. It was not a simple task, especially with a tiny freezer but we managed to come out with about 40 cake pops. They're not perfect but they sure do taste good. We made chocolate cake with buttercream icing cake pops and decorated however we pleased. We learned a few things while going through the process so hopefully our next go round will turn out better. Either way, we had a great time and now we have some decent cake pops to share with our friends.

Loch Muick

This past Thursday, I went on a walk/hike with a few of the AWA women to Loch Muick (pronoucned Mick). The 7.75 mile circuit was mainly a walk and not a hike. This is one of the "easier" hikes that the Explorers group does. You could opt to take a harder trail up that has more incline but since this was our first one we took it easy. The walk took about 2 1/2 hours and overall it was nice and fun. The sun didn't come out but I think we still got some nice views. There are lots of trails around Scotland so I hope to get out more and explore!

Loch Muick

Stream flowing into the Loch

Glas-allt Shiel house property built by Queen Victoria

I LOVE Company!

I drove to the airport today (by myself) to drop off our first visitor.  Mickie spent 5 days with us here in Aberdeen and it was great fun. We didn't do much but we sure did eat a lot.  I think I gained a few pounds since she arrived.  We welcomed Mickie to Aberdeen with dinner at Nargile, a Turkish restaurant.  This was the start of a foodie weekend

The next morning, we spent some time at the International Street Market, eating everything in sight; German sausages, Polish pieroge, Aberdonian burger, Dutch pancakes, Churros and Mickie had a whole bag of cotton candy to herself!  I've always loved fair food and while I couldn't get any corndogs or sausage on a stick, this international "food fair" was a treat.  Since Mickie has been away from the States for a few weeks now, we opted to cook a few home cook meals as well. Let's just say we're tired of mac n cheese..hehe.  We had fun conversations and I really enjoyed the company.  We even had Indian food together; something I can never do with Gerald.

Yesterday was Mickie's last night here and she never really gambled before so we took her to Soul Casino.  After 2 hours of play, we all came back even.  It was a good night. We both enjoyed our time with Mickie and are looking forward to our next visitor in a few weeks.

Tomorrow, I shall attempt my first long distance walk/hike.  We are heading to Loch Muick on the Balmoral Estate. Per the organizer's email,  "It's a 7.75 mile circuit around the lake, providing great views of the Munro (mountain > 3000 ft) "Lochnagar." The walk passes by the Glas-allt Shiel house built by Queen Victoria from where there is an optional detour to see some waterfalls. The paths around the loch are good with no ascent. The walk takes approximately 2-3 hours."  Time to put my new hiking boots to use. So excited.

Hook 'em Horns!

Today is the first time Gerald and I have been out of the country for the Texas vs. Oklahoma football game since we first attended UT.  We're sad not to be surrounded by fellow Longhorns cheering on the game but will definitely be routing for our Longhorns from across the pond.  Enjoy the game!