Reunited And it Feels So Good...

I must say that I feel pretty intimidated as I sit here and write this post. Jill has been commander-in-chief of the Malden family blog since its creation and acquiring permission to contribute has been quite a task. I feel like a columnist whose future is in the hands of an Editor; wish me luck!

Some of you know Ken Fowler but many of our friends since high school do not. Ken and I were best friends all through high school. Just before our junior year his dad got a new job and moved his family out of Paradise. Ken stayed and lived with my family for 2 years so that he could graduate with his friends. We did pretty much everything together although our personalities were very different. He is the smart one, actually the genius one--he is a physicist in Switzerland working with a massive particle collider to make anti-matter and such. Ah what do I know, I'm just the averagely intelligent guy who doesn't really understand what Ken does academically or professionally. The thing that bonded us, and drove my parents crazy, was our deep love for sarcasm and witty insults--mainly aimed at each other.

Anyway, we graduated (he the Valedictorian...which I thought was spelled "valevictorian" until just now...once again he's the genius, not me) and both went off to college where we kinda lost touch for about 5 years. Ken came to my wedding in 2005 and then moved to Switzerland to do his science stuff. Since then we have kept in better touch. In December he got married to a beautiful girl named Rachelle and brought her out to Europe with him. Well, Ken and Rachelle  visited Oxford this weekend and we were able to spend a couple of days with them. Our time together was too short but it was fun. They did the Harry Potter stuff and then we did the C.S. Lewis stuff with them: Went to dinner at the Eagle and Child pub where J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis met for lunch each week, toured C.S. Lewis' home, and wandered through the forest behind his home that inspired Narnia. We had a blast and it was great fun seeing a good friend again.

Here we are, Ken and I at C.S. Lewis' house. We were lucky enough to pass a woman who lives there and she gave us a tour though she was on her way to catch a bus. Thanks lady.

The original 'Wardrobe'

The sitting room where Lewis and his friends would "fug" up the place by shutting the doors and windows and smoking cigarettes, cigars, and pipes until the entire room was filled with smoke. It no longer smells like that but the ceiling has been restored with yellowish paint to simulate nicotine residue...classy.

Hello, Hello Again

Our sojourn in America has at long last come to an end.  We had a wonderful time hanging out with family and friends and enjoying the BEAUTIFUL California weather.  In fact, the transition from sunny mid-60's to wet and gloomy low-40's has been a little difficult.  We're also still trying to adjust to the time change, leading to some pretty bizarre sleeping habits.  Luckily Justin doesn't start school till Tuesday, so hopefully we'll be back to normal by then.  I was a little sad to leave CA, but must admit that it's nice to be back to our own little life too.  We didn't take too many pictures of the trip, but I'll post some from what we did take because...what's a blog post without a few pictures?? 

 

This is what Paradise looked like our first day there.  I like snow around Christmas because I feel it "sets the mood."  I also like that the snow disappeared after Christmas and we were able to enjoy some short-sleeve-shirt weather.

 

The stars of So You Think You Can Dance? better watch out for this duo!

Me and the hubster chillin' at my mom's Christmas party

Many members of my extended family came to visit while we were there, including my Grandma and her husband, Richard.  Aren't they cute?  Thanks to all who visited.  It was fun to see you!

Santa brought the Frazer clan Scene It?, Seinfeld.  Obviously the excitement it generated was pretty heavy.

Baby made out like a bandit this year.  She's not even breathing on her own yet, but her aunts and grandmas are already spoiling her.  I found this particular dress and sweater a few days before Christmas.  I thought it was so cute, but figured I would bring my mom back and show it to her because I was sure she wouldn't be able to resist buying it.  Turns out she hated it.  I know, right??  How could you hate this adorable dress?  Anyway, I was so bummed with her disgust for the dress that I didn't even buy it myself.  I couldn't stop thinking about it though and went back a couple days later to get it, but it was gone.  Dang.  Needless to say, I was SO excited on Christmas morning when I opened a package from Grandma Stacy to Bryn and found the dress inside.  She went back and bought the "ugly" dress.  I LOVE it.  Thanks, Mom!

   

We brought Oxford t-shirts to all the Malden cousins.  Gotta represent!

Did you see that movie Four Christmases?  Well, Justin and I are Three Christmases celebrators since our families all live pretty close together.  We share the yuletide cheer with my mom, Justin's fam, and my dad.  Here's a pic of my dad passing along some of that cheer to the camera. 

I got to see some friends who were in town while I was there.  So fun!

We also got to attend Cody's Eagle Scout Court of Honor while there.  Casey was deemed Cody's mentor which entitled him to a pin, hence the pointing in the picture.  Congratulations, Cody.  We're so proud of you!

Cute pic of 2 bros and a hot mama

Our next big adventure is the baby's arrival in March.  Anyone up for a visit in February to help break up the waiting period??  We would love to have you!

An Early Delivery

Father Christmas must start making his rounds a little earlier than Old St. Nick because two days ago the most hoped for item on my Christmas wish list was delivered to my doorstep.  

A reclining glider chair & footstool to rock my little one in come March...hooray!  It is by far the most comfy piece of furniture we have now.  I have hardly moved from it since Tuesday (of course, having the worst cold of the century has greatly contributed to such a state of stagnancy...ugh).  I love it!!    

And the nomination goes to...

Yesterday my husband made me a lunch for school, drove me to work (in, yes, another rental car) so I didn't have to take the bus, went grocery shopping and remembered to buy all my favorite foods, re-made our bed so my side would have extra cushioning, did the dishes, did the laundry, made me dinner when I got home from work, and offered to massage my feet before I went to bed.  Is there an award for Best Husband EVER!? 'Cause I nominate Justin, hands down.    

Beatlemania

Our last adventure with Cody was a trip to Liverpool.  Liverpool is, of course, home of The Beatles.  It also happens to be recently voted "European Capital of Culture."  There seems to be a ton of stuff to do there, but we just barely scratched the surface.  We went to a Beatles museum where we learned everything there is to know (okay, maybe not everything, but we learned a lot) about the Beatles' story.  They had even recreated places like The Cavern, the little joint where the Beatles first started playing regular gigs, and the Abbey Road recording studio.  It was awesome.

Entering the Yellow Submarine phase of the Beatles' story.  (Pay no attention to the No Photography sign on the right.)

This was an interactive part of the museum.  Cody is playing a Beatles song Tom Hanks-BIG style.

We ate dinner in Liverpool where Cody ordered an American-style Cheeseburger for his last meal in England.  When we got home, he packed up his stuff and left early the next morning.  We really enjoyed having him out here with us for the past couple months.  He's such an awesome guy--the best youngest brother a girl could have.  Love you, Code!

Blessed Day

Last week we received a care package from Mom and Dad Malden.  A couple weeks earlier I had mentioned a craving for Peanut Butter M&M's, of which there are none in the UK.  This is what we received:

We have Peanut Butter M&M's coming out our ears!  We took a couple bags to our Thanksgiving celebration with some American friends and they were a hit.  We're now down to 1 1/4 bags, but that amount is currently dwindling since I'm snacking away on some right now. I'm pretty sure Baby is going to come out quite addicted to these little scrumptulescent candies.  We send a big shout out to Monty and Denise, Hollah!  (P.S. We had also mentioned that we paid almost $6.00 for a bag of fairly stale marshmallows, so we were excited to see a bag of those in the box of goodies as well.)

Tourists

Cody's last week here kicked us into tourist mode.  We visited a couple "touristy" places including Christ's Church Cathedral and Carfax Tower.  Carfax is in the center of the city and from the top of it you can see great views of Oxford.  Christ's Church is very old and very beautiful, but it also happens to be where some classic scenes from Harry Potter were filmed.  I'm not a fanatic Harry Potter fan (I haven't even read the books, but keep that on the down low or else I'll lose all credibility as a primary (a.k.a. elementary) school teacher), but I still like to establish the "Ooh, I've been there!" claim to fame.   

 

Climbing the very narrow staircase to get to the top

Harry Potter fans, do you recognize this room?

This is the staircase where Harry and friends first meet Prof. McGonagall