week 36.

Sunday, September 2nd
It only took us two years, but we have finally discovered the English "boot sales" ("boot" is "car's trunk" in British English), meaning lots of foreigners and lots of second hand stuff... which to me, = fun x 2! I really loved the few photos I took of some of the little booths (no one sells out of their trunks for real) but I couldn't pass up this one that was shot in the little village that we drove through before we got to the sale.  I didn't touch the colors... this is straight out of the camera!

Monday, September 3rd
You know that it's going to be a delicious dinner when french fried onions and a can of a cream of chicken soup are involved! (French fried onions courtesy of American week at Lidl and the cream of mushroom soup... you guessed it... British Boot Sale!)  Mom's Pork Chops are for dinner!

Tuesday, September 3rd
This is my happy hour. (Yes, today. Yes, 5.30).

Wednesday, September 4th
My dear friend Rita, who you may have seen a few weeks back on her photo of the day bachelorette party, is having a music themed wedding!  Both she and her fiancee sing and play music, one for fun and the other professionally.  Knowing how much I love me a themed event, she asked for my help and of course I couldn't say no!  With the help of the Photoshop-savvy Suzy (also a dear friend of mine, hallway mate, and art teacher at APCC), and an idea discovered by a third colleague, Carina, this was the result after a few days of work... 36 tables, each with a different instrument as its name!

Thursday, September 5th
Let's just say that someone's (ahem... KYLE) girlfriend  fits pretty well into the family when she sends anniversary cards. I must say that it takes a special person to send an anniversary card.  Birthday cards... now those are pretty normal to get in the mail, even in this technological age. Christmas cards? Still classic. But anniversary cards? That's a rare bird that sends one of those. A rare and fabulous and beautiful bird, might I add. And I am the lucky one to get sweet mail from sweet Kelly!  And I live across the ocean from her. Now, for those of you who know my family, you know that she fits in well when I mention that she sends cards. REAL cards, people. With stamps. If that doesn't make her the perfect piece of the crazy puzzle of our family, I don't know what does. (That's code for "MARRY her already", in case you missed it!)  Thanks for the mail, Kelly!

Friday, September 6th
As long as I'm on a card kick, I must admit that I enjoy making them as well.  Think I should add them to "Things I should sell one day so I'm not too poor to travel the world"?  I wasn't sure where to go here to get a wedding card, so with the adorable little notepad that my friend Cristi gave me, I made one little sheet into a frame.  Good thing I stuck that burlap in my suitcase before moving to Portugal, eh hubby?  :) (Easy to find here, but expensive!)

Saturday, September 7th
I plan to dedicate an entire blog to my first Portuguese wedding experience (we just had a dinner for our wedding in Portugal since we married in the States), but because it may take me months to get around to that, I will mention a few highlights: Rita was beautiful, Tiago surprised those attending by singing Ave Maria during the ceremony, we had lunch AND dinner, which meant arriving at 11.00 am for hors d'ourves at the brides house with about 1/4 of all those invited, attending the ceremony at 12, heading to more hors d'ourves at the reception site at 2.00 pm, having a 3 course lunch at 4.30 pm, lots of dinner and dancing and photos in between, dinner at 10.30 pm, then lots more dancing and photos after, finally falling into bed at 3.15 am.  Now THAT'S what I call a party! (And the average amount that a couple gives as a present is $200!)  Here we are with the fabulous couple... each looking at our own cameramen, of course! (Don't they look great for already having entertained their guests for 10 hours??)