actually, it smells really nice

Unlike the US, there is no need to haul your "bigger than Texas" live (and now dead) Christmas tree to the local tip (let me translate into American for you = "the dump") after the decorations are down and the new year is upon you.  No, just haul your used tree to your local park or green belt and drop it anywhere you like; the city garbage men will then pick it up for recycling.  Seems pretty easy, although I saw UK dads for days dragging their old Christmas trees down the street.  Kinda a hassle but a green one.

While we are on the subject of Christmas trees, in the UK, people traditionally do not put up the Christmas Tree and begin to decorate their homes until about 12 days before Christmas. If you follow this tradition, then the reverse happens by the 6th January, which is 12 days after Christmas.  None of this bad luck leaving the tree up after New Year's Day.

As I was heading to the tube on Friday night, there was a large pile of trees that had been dumped...I smelled them before I saw them.  Comforting in an odd way.

Puh-lease

Each month, I always look forward to receiving my latest copy of Vanity Fair Magazine.  A long hot soak in a nice bubblebath, a cup of Earl Grey tea and my magazine in hand, and I am ready to go.  Which is precisely what happened two nights ago.

As I relaxed in the lavender scented bath, tea mug sitting within easy reach, I excitely removed the latest edition of VF from its protective mailing cover to find....EGADS! 

This month's cover was devoted to none other that the teen heart-throb, Justin Bieber.  Please note the operative word there..."teen" heart-throb. With the demographics of the magazine certainly NOT being girls in the 8-16 age range, why in the world was he the featured article and cover?

Yea, after a cursory flip through the other articles, the mag went in the recycle pile...I'll pass on the Bieb-meister, thanks all the same.

XOXOXO

Happy anniversary, Budman!

The three phases of Christmas

Essentially, we had three phases to the Christmas holidays this year:  Horseshoe Bay, Garland, and Waxahachie.  After the cleanout of my aunt's house in mid December, I anxiously awaited Bud's arrival in Garland from London.  Heathrow airport had other ideas. 

After 3 flight cancellations, due to a total of 4 inches of snow, the Budman arrived in Boston, only to miss his connection to DFW due to the late arrival of the flight attendants.  OK, so the passengers and pilots could make it into Heathrow on time, but the flight attendants were 2 hours late.  Nope, not buying it.  I add insult to injury, Heathrow had the equivalent of lie...one snow plow to shovel snow..yea well...

A late arrival in DFW, sans one suitcase (to  be located the next day), and we were reunited.  Great visits with family and friends included these highlights:

*  Jane B. - thanks for lunch at our fav place....yea, Chili's (can't get that in London).
*  Tex-Mex with my long-standing gal pal, Tracey - I love ya like a sister.
*  Barry and Terry - besides being the friends we can always count on, we got to see you multiple times.  The home remodel project rocks!
*  Judge Joe and school marm, JoBeth - a.k.a. "rocking grandparents" - kudos on both boys AND the new gig.
* Martha and Paul - a great breakfast that morphed into lunch in the "holly free" zone
* Jim and Catherine - my Arlington surrogate parents...I also laugh alot when I see you guys
* John and Jon - dinner AND the ride in the new Bentley - cool!  Both were lovely.
* Mark and Tere, kids, and grandchilds - loved catching up with all your lives
*  Amy - sister...it's been a heck of a year, but Christmas Eve at The Mansion was awesome.  Plus, I loved wearing my Valentino red dress.
*  Bob, Dee, J/P/SB/J - love you guys
*  SB - great new pad!
*  Waxahachie - a sight for sore eyes
*  Loose Leaves - ladies - you are all one of a kind...thanks for ALL showing up for lunch
*  Baylor Bears - you know who you are...it was a cruddy game but the company was FAB
*  Jim and Becky - always a blast  - come see us in 2011!
*  South Carolinians - your new little boys are beautiful...thanks for introducing them to us.
*  Meriam  - thanks for making thr trip to Arp for Peggy
*  M/M - well yea, thanks to Heathrow (your trip), we'll catch you next Christmas
*  Kenlee and her parents - thanks for taking care of our home in Texas
*  Ken and Dietra - you were last in the rotation but certainly not least...we were sorry to miss your New Year's Day running soiree but we ran with you in London simultaneously...in spirit, that is

As we took off from DFW, and I reflected over the past three weeks, I realized I had been given the best gift of all this Christmas...the love of family and friends.

Come on 2011!

Hello, dear old friend.  I am back...strictly blog speaking.  After the ups and downs of 2010, I am ready for a new chapter.  And so, I am ready to embrace the new year and all that it may hold.

Usually I am not a big fan of the new year's resolution as it is often not achieved, let alone remembered by mid-year.  This year, I am making an exception to the rule, having refused to set any resolutions about health, diet, career objectives, etc.

No, this year, the resolution is simple:  2011 will be the year of exploration.... literally and metaphorically.

Can't wait to see where this year takes me.  Be sure to stop by periodically and find out.

xmas card 2010

Shimmering Snowflakes Holiday 5x7 folded card

Shop hundreds of holiday photo cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Christmas vacation has technically begun

True, I technically have one more day of work before the lights go out on 2010 professionally speaking, but mentally, I am already there.

Although we saw alot of shows in 2010, our annual show tally took a big hit given the events of 2010.  So, on Saturday, we hit a double-feature theatre day so to speak with the matinee of WHEN WE ARE MARRIED (a J.B. Priestley play at the Garrick Theatre)

and LEGALLY BLONDE (a fun but goofy musical based on the film of the same name and showing at the newly renovated art-deco Savoy Theatre).



Both show receive a thumbs up from our perspectives and were definitely worth a few laughs, and a nice "feel-good" reaction at the show's conclusion.  The Budman surprised me with a dinner at the newly renovated Savoy Hotel River Grill between shows.  Interestingly, the elderly couple seated next to us at dinner, who were Savoy River Grill regulars pre hotel renovation, told us repeatedly throughout dinner that there "used to be a view of the Thames from the restaurant."  We can confirm there is no longer a view but it was still a lovely restaurant with a great ambience.

I like the way that Christmas Vacation 2010 has kicked off!

why am I not surprised

It has been a little over a weekend after Missy's arrival in London, so we began to worry when day 6 hit and she had eaten nothing...nada....no mas!  How can that be?  This little cat is a porker (in the sweetest sense of the word) so we determined that a trip to the vet was certainly in order.

Of course, I was in Warwick on a business trip when this situation erupted so a concerned Budman took off a bit of time from work to rush Missy to the vet. Good thing we did as she had lost about 200 grams of weight in a week or about 11% of her body weight in 6 days. Not a good situation, not a terribly convenient one either.

After tests, blood work, and a bit of forced syringed feeding, the only thing our vet could really say is "What is it with you two and your menagerie of cats?".  Code for "we can't find a thing wrong with her really". Other possibilities emerged as explanations for the loss of appetite, such as stress from the journey to a new home in the UK, new pet owners, and perhaps even the death of her previous owner.  Whatever the reason, we were charged with trying to find something - anything that she would eat.

Next stop, Sainsbury's where we walked the pet food AND seafood aisles for canned, dry, or moist food that Missy might eat.  We bought one of everything!  And after the taste test that ensued on Sunday, we have found one tin of wet cat food that she will eat.  That's the good news.

The bad news is that Ginger, who is only allowed to a special type of cat food due to HER heath related issues, and who is now blind and deaf, apparently has a nose that still works really well.  She has now been dubbed as "nadar" as the moment Missy's food is put out, "the nose knows" and she takes off in the direction of the other food.

One cat who won't eat, and one cat that only wants the other cat's food.
Yea....'nuff said.

All things royal

Of course the moment that THE wedding was announced, the race to get the first "William and Kate" merchandising out the door was on. We can certainly expect the obligatory plates, mugs, pictures, tea towels, etc. but do I really need a souvenir oyster card with their mugs on the face of the card?

For those who are not in the know, an "oyster card" is a plastic chipped card that allows travelers in London to pay for underground train and bus journeys instantly. And yes, the card is set to get a special makeover to feature an image of the happy couple.



It has been noted on the Transport for London website that locals and tourists will be able to snap up the one-off cards but time is of the essence as they will be produced in a restricted volume. Hurry, hurry!

As for me, I think I will take a pass on this souvenir item. Quite frankly, I have my wedding souvenir already earmarked. You see, the happy couple have picked April 29th, 2011 as their wedding date, and this particular Friday has been declared a national holiday (translation: a day off from work). The preceding weekend is Easter, and in the UK, Good Friday and Easter Monday are both national holidays as well. When I combine the 3 holidays and 4 weekend days, I can take 10 consecutive days off for the price of 3 vacation days. Now that is a souvenir I can get on board with.
And before you say, "Bah Humbug - you live in the country, you should celebrate the day in the city", the Budman and I have already decided we are fleeing the country during this royal spectacle. I can watch the wedding like the rest of the world...on TV.

Apparently this week is already being dubbed as the most unproductive work week of 2011.

Now that is something I can get on board with

Last week, all UK (and for that matter, the US and the rest of world) were all aflutter with the news that Prince William and Kate Middleton were finally engaged.  After 8 years, the dude finally pops the question.  Gotta give it to the gal for hanging in there.

Truthfully, the news sorta "came and went" in our household; I got more emails and calls from friends and family in the US wanting to chat about the royal engagement than anything I read myself or heard on the news.  Happy for them and all, but ....don't millions of people announce their engagement every year to far less fanfare?

Then came the news I could get behind.  Apparently, the UK government, as confirmed by Prime Minister David Cameron, will announce a national holiday....another day off of work for all the UK... to coincide with the wedding. 

I suppose I can put up with what will be the relentness engagement and wedding coverage, such as "Will Kate pick a UK designer to design her wedding dress?" or "What day will the actual wedding be held on?" and "How touching that Prince William gave Kate his mother's engagement ring!"   The real news is another day off!

OK, now we're talking!

Wish I could take credit

After the PC crash yesterday....and a painful 8 hours on the phone with my company's "help" desk (not), I gave up the ghost at 3 am...a total washout on the PC front.  A complete rebuild from scratch was required but had to wait until morning and a trip into central London.

As I ascended the stairs, I heard the beep of the IPhone and saw a post from a long (and usually very funny friend) on yesterday's post...it was exactly the laugh I needed.

H - Glad to hear you're back and I hate to be the one to tell you. While you were asleep, it was Rip Van Winkle that was asleep for a 100 years while Rumplestilskin was converting straw into gold. Now if we could fall asleep for 100 years on a stack of hay and wake up in a pile of gold, THAT would be a story.

And just to lose the report, there was no extra gold laying about my house.

A page out of Rumplestilskin's book

The silence on the blog has been a direct result of lots of active projects/deals at work and the probate of my aunt's estate. 

Following P's memorial service, I "emotionally" slept for what felt like 2-3 entire weeks.  I know I went through the daily and weekly actions and to-do's of home and work, but it felt a little like driving your car home very late at night.  You know what I mean.....You make it home, but can't remember the drive. Upon further reflection, you have no memory of the road, the songs on the radio, let alone the drive home. 

Well, I can equate feeling that same thing to the last few weeks following P's service:  I wrote those thank-you notes, paid those bills, filed legal documents, and spent way too much time on the phone each night to various and sundry people, businesses, and organizations in the US with a "need" to know of her passing.  Still I have little or no memory of any it. 

Yep, one big blur. 

Or perhaps, one "big sleep".  Now it feels like the time is right for closure, to get things finalized and move on.  In other words, wake up out that 7 month slumber.  So, coming up is my 7th trip to the US in as many months....this time with the express view of getting the court to appoint me as executor of P's estate and getting this "show on the road".  So, step 1 is identified. Spoken in true P fashion.

Still, if you have dropped me a note, sent a card or email, or wonder why the silence from my end, just know that it has been my mind (and body's) way of coping. Me and Rumplestilskin have been over there snoozing under the tree.

I just wish I felt as refreshed as he did after his 100 year nap!

Dr. Peggy Sartain

Peggy Ann Sartain passed away on September 22, 2010 at The Summit at Lakeway in Austin, Texas due to complications from a stroke in April. Born on February 4, 1934 in Arp Texas, she was the eldest daughter of Forrest Lee Sartain and Beatrice Inez Smith Sartain. Baptized at the First Baptist Church in Arp, she later spent her teenage years in Kilgore, Texas. During her professional medical career, she resided in Dallas, and retired in 1990 to Horseshoe Bay, Texas.

Peggy attended public schools in Arp as well as Kilgore, Texas, graduating as Salutatorian from Kilgore High School (KHS) in 1951. Peggy was active in many activities in KHS including being a Member of the "Dog House" Committee, Senior Class Treasurer, Flutist in The Kilgore Bulldog Marching Band, and various choir and drama Groups. She recently attended her 55th class reunion.

Peggy attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas from 1951-1955, receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with minors in Chemistry and English in 1955. Peggy's lifelong love and support of Baylor started during this time. While at Baylor, she was a member of the Baylor Student Congress, Student Court, Pre-Med Club, Sophomore Class Treasurer, Memorial House Council, Summer BSU Council, and Rhapsody in White Choir. To this day, Peggy's lifelong Baylor friends were one of her greatest joys.

Upon graduation from Baylor, Peggy attended the University of Texas at Galveston Medical School, graduating with Medical Doctorate (M.D.) in 1959. Her medical training continued at Memorial Hermann Hospital/ Washington D.C. General hospital as she completed her internship in 1960 with a specialty in Pediatrics. Finally, Peggy completed her pediatric hematology residency at Children's Medical Center, part of Parkland Memorial Hospital, in Dallas, Texas in 1961. During her professional medical career, Peggy described herself as a "plain, ordinary, no-frills person" who had a job she adored: working with sick children. Between 1960 - 1989, Peggy was a pediatrician specializing in Oncology and Hematology at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. Her career began in 1960 when she joined the Hematology One Program at Children's Medical Center for a one year internship working in medical research focused on children's blood-related diseases; this resulted in a 29 year career at only one hospital, Children's Medical Center.

A "no-nonsense", plainspoken, and extremely straightforward physician, Peggy's primary focus was to serve as each patient's advocate, in which the needs of her patients were paramount above everything else. Peggy's impact to medicine was not limited to treatment of children and their blood diseases. She also served as an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in which she mentored and taught hundreds of medical students in the pediatric oncology-hematology specialization as well as being a prolific medical researcher and author of many articles and studies in this field, including contributions to the Southwest Medical Journal, the Journal of Pediatrics, The New England Journal of Medicine, Southern Medical Journal to name a few. Additionally, she was selected to participate in two separate US/South Vietnam Pediatric initiatives with the South Vietnam Children's Hospital in the early 1970's, living abroad in Saigon and travelling extensively during this time.

In 1979, Peggy was a founding board member of the Ronald McDonald House in Dallas. Peggy also served as "camp doctor" and founding board member at Camp Esperanza/Camp John Marc for seriously ill children. Known as the "Big Kahuna" to thousands of children patients, colleagues, and co-workers, she was beloved by all. Her honors and accolades were many. Being an incredibly modest individual, it was not uncommon that these honors were never mentioned by Peggy. She was however most proud of the honor bestowed upon her by her alma mater, Baylor University, when in 1990, she was selected as an Outstanding Alumnae of Baylor University. That same year she was also recognized as an Outstanding Baylor Alumnae by the Dallas Baylor Women's Council. Upon her retirement, the Peggy Sartain Library and Conference Room was named in her honor at Children's Medical Center in Dallas.

Upon retirement from her medical practice, Peggy led an very active life in Horseshoe Bay including active participation in the Horseshoe Bay Women's Golf Association, the Horseshoe Bay 19 Hole Club, past President of the Highland Fling Golf Tournament, Trustee of the Church at Horseshoe Bay, past board member of Hill Country Community Theatre, past board member, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Horseshoe Bay Homeowner's Association, Dallas Baylor Women's Council, Life Member of the Baylor Alumni Association, and Baylor University Heritage Club. Her greatest enjoyments were "watching the deer and Texas wildflowers grow", playing golf, being an avid reader and crossword puzzler, watching Dallas Cowboy and Baylor Bear football, and playing Tuesday afternoon bridge with the Horseshoe Bay gals.

Peggy was preceded in death by Forrest Lee Sartain (father), Inez Smith Sartain (mother), Nancy Sartain Robinson (sister), and Larry D. Robinson (brother-in-law).

She is survived by Holly Robinson Young (niece) of London, England, Amy Robinson (niece) of Farmers Branch, Texas, Robert "Buddy" Young (nephew-in-law) of London England, Mary Jane Denson (cousin) of Troup, Texas, Carolyn Peacher (cousin) of Alexandria, Virginia, Bettye Salvans (cousin) of Quinlan, Texas, second and third cousins, many friends and former colleagues, and thousands of former patients.

A memorial service was held at The Church at Horseshoe Bay on Tuesday, September 28, 2010, in Horseshoe Bay Texas, with arrangements by Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home in Marble Falls. Upon cremation, internment will be at Ebenezer Cemetery in Arp, Texas. In lieu of flowers, Peggy's express wishes were to have any donations made in her memory to go to (1)Special Camp for Special Kids-Camp John Marc, (2) The Church at Horseshoe Bay, and (3)the Marble Falls Public Library.

Peggy had a great passion for life, humanity, and a wonderful sense of humor - she will be greatly missed by those who had the pleasure of knowing her.

Please access www.clementswilcoxfuneralhome.comif you would life to see the photos that celebrate her life.

It has been a whirlwind summer and early fall

Given the pace of summer, my work and personal travel schedule, and support for Peggy, well...something had to give in my schedule. And one of those things turned out to be the blog. I have alot to update family and friends on, but the most important one is the passing of my beloved aunt, Peggy.

Many of your knew she had been sick for much of this year, and so, I wanted to take the time to let readers know that she if fact did pass peacefully on September 22nd. She will be missed.

That Good Old Baylor Line...in London

I am LOVING the fact that living in London allows the Budman and I to see friends and family travelling to or through London! I have not seen some of these friends for decades and it is always such a blast to catch up with their lives, meet their children (sometimes for the first time), and see London (and often times, Europe) through their eyes.



Our most recent catch-up included dinner in Leicester Square with the McBrayers and a couple of their kids! Baylor buds for almost 30 years.... Kelly, why were we not wearing Cardinal and Straw? Mike and Buddy, Chamber dudes, still!

Where did the time go?