anniversary.

I'm not sure at which exact moment it occured, but I know that it did.  Somewhere between your cobblestone streets and my 8-lane highways, it happened.

Love.

More specifically, the can't-stop-thinking-about-you, perhaps-I-can't-live-without-you love... quickly turning into a maybe-I-would-even-move-across-an-ocean-for-you love.  That kind.

Was it risky?  Of course.  Complicated?  Love sometimes is.  But was it worth it?  All the ocean-crossing and Skype dating?  The time changes and insanely infrequent visits?  Looking back, one year after our married life together began, I can honestly, sincerely, and gratefully say yes.  Sim, certamente.

Reminiscing on our first anniversary makes me think back over five years time to the things that made me say yes... the things that made me think that I absolutely, positively could not live without you.  As I write this, I'm thinking maybe it was when...

... you told me that, upon receiving my first email, you thought I was a Korean man with a Polish heritage... ("Kim" being Asian and "Salewski", Polish)
... you wore the navy blue and white plaid shirt to the first awards dinner banquet that I coordinated... three buttons undone, Euro style, without a t-shirt underneath...
... you showed off your fabulous dancing skills...
... you dared to kiss me for the first time... knowing that miles and cultures and hearts threatened to steal it's significance...
... you waited silently for a few months when I told you "it would never work"...
... you laid a blanket outside on the grass and claimed that, though there were "almost no stars in Atlanta", sleeping under the open sky was a marvelous feeling...
... you patiently pursued me through phone calls and emails, encouraging me to open just a tiny bit of my heart each day...

 Or was it when I surprised you at the first Power Soccer World Cup in Japan, and your ever so kind eyes begged me to give this a try?

 

 

 
Or when, while there, I planned a romantic walk along Tokyo Bay, and after climbing a wall for the best view, you rescued my iPod that I accidentally dropped on the other side of that really high wall, using a coat hanger, plastic straps from a shipped box, and a bottle of water...

 

Or when...

... after 2 months of dating long distance, you volunteered to come to WI to visit my family when they were unsure of me traveling to Portugal...

... and when you returned the next year, sacrificing another Christmas with your family to begin to get to know mine?

Or when you folded tournament t-shirts instead of watching the World Cup soccer games, clearly out of sheer love... because who would ever choose to fold t-shirts anyway??  Or when you stayed up with me almost all night, taping floors for a Power Soccer tournament you would have to open the doors for only 3 hours later?

Or could it have been when, upon my first trip to Portugal, I decided to surprise you at the airport with a homemade t-shirt that said "I love Portugal"... then realized that the surprise was on me when you showed up with a homemade shirt as well, completely trumping mine with a cartoon caricature of us from another trip??  (Seriously, I think this is when my heart said 'yes'!)

 
Or perhaps it was later that year, when you gave me a mystery novel in English as a birthday gift... but also bought one for yourself in Portuguese, so we could read it together... knowing I would love that idea?

Or when you bent over backwards to arrange that a very special ring be created for me in the US...

Or when you planned a trip to an old Portuguese flour mill, promising that, in the same way flour is the foundation for bread, and bread is the foundation of food in almost every culture, this remarkable love that we share would be a strong foundation for our future...
  

Or when you agreed to get married outside in 95 degree heat.  In a suit. And didn't call me crazy.

Or the first day that I woke up next to you and realized I could snuggle with you every morning... forever...

Or when we donned our wedding garb again on the other side of the ocean and danced to traditional Portuguese music in the middle of a large circle of your dearest friends and family, all while they clapped and spun around us...

 

 Or when we fought over a bathroom trash can... with a lid or without?

Or every night that we went to bed an hour early so we could read for an hour before going to sleep?

Or when you let me paint one wall red?

Or when you made me hot tea in the middle of the night when I couldn't stop coughing?

Or how you consistently adore tolerate when I start new house projects, even though many now cover tabletops and windowsills, still unfinished waiting to be perfected?

Or perhaps it was those times we were traveling and you stopped the car on the side of the road after each and every exclamation of "Ooooooooh!  Can you please pull over so I can shoot a photo of that real quick??"

One year ago today, I was the luckiest girl in the world, being able to call you "husband" for the first time.  I didn't think it would be possible to love you more than I did that day.  But it is.  And I do.  As you reminded me in those early years of dating across an ocean, "I love you more today than I did yesterday, but not as much as I will tomorrow."  And now, looking back on our journey and our first year together, I realize that being in love with you did not arise from a single moment, but in many moments strung together, constantly arriving one after the other, like ocean waves on the shore that we visit so often.  And the best part about those moments that arrive like constantly rolling waves?  From where we stand now, it's impossible to see the opposite shore; these moments will continue to roll in, day after day, year after year.  The opportunities to fall in love again and again will never end.  And for that I am forever grateful.  Thank you for showing me what unconditional love looks like every day.

Happy anniversary, my sweet Love.

lidl.

To be honest, before moving to Portugal, the only food item that I thought I couldn't possibly live without was peanut butter.  Staple of my life, perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and it has protein to boot!  I knew there would be things I would miss, but nothing as much as peanut butter.  Upon arrival, I searched the grocery stores and found that Portugal does, in fact, have American peanut butter... sung to the tune of about $5.75 per small jar... but they have it!  I will, indeed, survive.

What more could I want?  I have peanut butter, pasta, chocolate, Diet Coke (and Pepsi!), ground turkey, fruit… just about the only thing I was missing was Wheat Thins, and I decided I could live without them, so everything was running well grocery-wise.

During our few weeks together preparing for the wedding, Luis and I began to fall in love with Chick-Fil-A’s breakfast burritos...

...and have since invented a few of our own with flour tortillas, eggs, ground beef, and all the fixins, all in the name of saving money, of course!  Before we moved, I would have told you that I could live without flour tortillas (much unlike my Mexican colleagues that I left behind), and if I didn’t eat them for a while, I would be ok.  Shortly after arriving, I proved myself wrong, and craving breakfast burritos for dinner, I headed to the grocery store.  Not surprisingly, they were ridiculously expensive too… about $5.00 for an 8-pack of regular white, flour tortillas.  No high-fives occurred that day as I tried to explain to my Portuguese husband why it was necessary to spend $5.00 on tortillas, which he clearly viewed as only a international luxury in a place like Portugal. So we passed.  I have plenty of other things that I “need” here and I was not about to die on that mountain.

Those who know me well might know of my love for finding a bargain, and specifically my penny pinching skills when it comes to saving money for travel, especially now. I grew up shopping sale racks and discount stores, and I grew to love always being able to buy what I wanted (well… almost) because I could almost always find a slightly cheaper alternative that was affordable. 

What some may not know about me, though, though, is that I have met my match through marriage!  I haven’t known anyone more concerned about saving money than my dear husband Luis Miguel.  We are quite a team when it comes to bargain shopping, especially when there is our version of Aldi (a discount German grocery mini-mart) right across the street from our condo!  Lidl (correctly pronounced “LEED-l”, as explained by one of our German volunteers at the Rehab Center last week) is our go-to place when it comes to any groceries that we need last minute.  (To experience it for yourself, check out the British site in English here!)  Here is a shot of the "little Lidl" from the entrance...

Those who have shopped at Aldi in Wisconsin and Georgia also know that they have a small promo aisle in the middle of the store that has everything from socks to bookshelves to ice cream makers… and Lidl has the same!  We are constantly getting crazy deals on things like shower doors, fun multi-packs of markers, wrapping paper and ribbons, and I even got swim shoes super cheap for our rafting trip we just took down the Mondego river.  We look forward to the treasures we will find each week… and Luis is desperately waiting for that ice cream maker to return!

So… peanut butter… tortillas… ice cream makers… you got it… ALL available at LIDL!  We were absolutely thrilled some time around November when we discovered that Lidl has international food weeks every two months or so, featuring particular foods from specific countries.  We have since experienced Italian week, French week, and, much to my delight, Mexican week!  There, we found an 8-pack of tortillas for 1€59, about $2.25.   

I am not lying when I say that we bought 12 packages… 8 normal, 2 garlic, and 2 tomato!  We froze them and used them regularly, starting a tradition of breakfast burritos for brunch on Saturday morning.  Additionally, Mexican week had corn tortilla chips, which didn’t care to disguise themselves and just looked like regular Doritos (which, when combining a few of our small packages here to equal the quantity of an American-sized bag, would be about $4.50) so we stocked up on those too, in addition to taco sauce and a jar of tomato salsa, which ended up not being as good as from scratch, as I expected.  

They also had some crazy things like prickly pear juice, which I thought only existed in the movies, but I guess not!

Mexican week was then shortly followed by… you guessed it… American week!  They had things like Chips Ahoy style chocolate chip cookies, chips called “Texas Style Chili”...

...pre-made frozen hamburgers, ice cream sundaes, popcorn shrimp, chicken nuggets...

and ranch and honey mustard salad dressings.  The real surprise, though, were super large bottles of what was called “Hamburger Sauce”, which looked and smelled like Thousand Island dressing… not to be confused with the actual smaller bottle of “1000 Islands” dressing.  Along with the hamburger sauce in bottles larger than I’ve ever seen in Europe, was “Ketchup” with the specific flavor Barbeque, complete with the tagline "Made from an American recipe with a typical smoky flavor". This, folks, is the real deal!  And last but not least, a monster bottle of mayonnaise. Available in Portugal on a regular basis in any store you walk into?  Yes.  Available in jumbo size?  No.  

Other “classically American” things were dry pancake mix (in a bottle where you can just add water and shake), and Crunchy Clusters, a granola type of cereal with the German name Knusper-Müesli , complete with a picture of the Canadian flag as well (click on the picture and check out the front of the maple syrup bottle), to represent the authentic maple syrup taste. Go figure. 

 
Of course we couldn’t forget microwave popcorn, which IS available in large chain Portuguese grocery stores, in case you’re wondering, and some unidentifiable chips that were labeled with a nacho cheese flavor.  Awesome.

This is the second time in a year that I have experienced American week, and this one brought with it the treat of all treats… jelly beans!   

 My dear cousin Krista sent me some authentic American jelly beans around Easter this year after I searched store after store to no avail… and now, to find them right outside my front door!  The thrill!  I didn’t think it could get much better than this until I put one in my mouth and found that they weren’t mock Brach’s… they were mock Jelly Bellies!!!  I had no words… but I didn’t need many, because I was so busy chewing!  They had me sold when the very patriotic packaging said “13 Fabulous Flavors”, but then to find that I enjoyed all of them except for one… well, let’s just say I had a little party for myself, finished the bag in two days, and will be going back tonight for more!  (Also of note is that I enjoyed the maple syrup cinnamony granola for breakfast twice this week already, and will be buying more of that as well.)  Here you can really see how giddy I am about my jelly beans... and you can see most of the products in the background too.  Can you find the jumbo bottles of sauce? :)

Lidl carries a few of these American products regularly... usually the cookies (with a ridiculous markup in price), and also peanuts, which we usually only eat while watching soccer.  Check out how much more festive I am watching soccer in Europe! (Note: all Europeans bring their team's scarf to the game, no matter what the weather!)  Força Benfica!  (Also worth knowing is that this photo was taken in fall, before I was aware of "American week" at Lidl, so the super-squinty-eyed smile was brought on by finding that my package of peanuts had the Statue of Liberty on it).

Other notable purchases from Lidl also include my folding shower doors…

(Please note the fabulous 50 cent mirror that I have hanging there on the middle panel, on the slightest, most perfect angle so that I can see the back of my stacked hairstyle in the mirror in the morning when I am trying to dry it with a roundbrush.  Brilliant?  Yes, I think so too).

Also, my favorite set of marker pens, which come in handy various times per week when correcting my Portuguese homework… 

… and this supersweetawesome expandable cookie sheet for our teeny little oven.  See the line near the left side?  It expands with a simple pull. Love it.

I know it’s not really appropriate to end this post without something extremely absurd (as I aim for this in all of my posts), so here you go:

That’s right, it’s a Desperate Housewives BRAND of appliances, available only in the promo aisle of Lidl.  Seriously?  Seriously.  Hair dryers, curling irons, and flat irons.  It is notable that these did not, in fact, show up during American week, but near Christmas time, with other gift-able promotional items like fruit baskets with wine and paint sets for kids.  Are these even available in the States?  Dare I say they marketed these just for Europe??  But if so, why would the title be in English when it’s not in English on our cable menu here?  And completely aside from that, what crazy person would choose to buy this product just because it says Desperate Housewives?  It wasn’t even cheap!!!! I digress.

And there you go.  An entire post about a small discount grocery store near and dear to my heart.  Why this and not, say, photos of some trip we took to a beautiful region of this fine country?  Well, mostly because I shoot so many photos that it takes me forever to decide which ones to use in a blog. Secondly, though, it's because living here isn't as "glamorous" as some people may think, and frankly, this little store is a normal part of our every day lives.  And isn't that was this blog is for, anyway?  Documenting the every day?  Yes, I will get better at posting about our travels.  For the past few days, though, these jelly beans have made me pretty darn content.  And that's worth writing about, right?  Right.  The End.

parabéns.

In Portugal, more common than hearing “Feliz aniversário”, (or in other words, “Happy birthday”), on the day that’s yours and yours alone, you will most likely hear “Parabéns!”, which is, literally, “Congratulations”.  As in… “Congratulations on surviving another year of life!”  “Congratulations on breathing for 525,600 minutes in the past 365 days!”  “Congratulations on……….

When speaking of the birthday of my one true love – the first birthday of his that we shared together, face to face – I should probably say “Parabéns” as well… “Congratulations on surviving almost one entire year living in the same house as me!”  Now, knowing myself better than anyone else, I’d say that’s quite an accomplishment!  I’m so thankful that I married the most patient man in the world, because being married to me gives him lots of opportunities to exercise this great quality!

It is also to be noted that I have moved to a city that has a recurring national holiday on the same day that America celebrates her own birthday... this same day coordinating perfectly with my husband's birthday, which falls on the day after every year.  Perfect for a bit of extra time to do something special.... especially this year, when "Coimbra Day" just happened to give us a 3-day weekend!  I think this aforementioned husband of mine was looking ahead and anticipating the high level of "overboard" that I could potentially rise to when planning a dinner party, picnic, BBQ, or something similar to celebrate the day, and perhaps this was what urged him to suggest a weekend away at a Bed & Breakfast.  At the first thought of not having to cook, I agreed.  Done and done... sign me up!

We arrived at the Casal da Eira Branca and immediately appreciated the warm welcome given to us by the cheerful flowers and charming houses across the street,

...and the even warmer welcome given by the "Dona da casa" (lady of the house), who actually greeted us at our car and shook our hands there.  Yet another moment of my life that felt like I was in a movie... For me, the charm of a personal, heart-felt, face-to-face greeting stands high above a knowledgeable concierge in a 3-piece suit, who greets you with a simple nod from behind a lectern covered with fliers for local restaurants.  This felt real, and there's not much better than that when you just want to get away for a little bit of this...

and a little bit of this...

It certainly was picturesque, with brightly colored accents and hydrangeas to liven the already cheerful location.  Overlooking hills and a bountiful natural landscape, this site offered us exactly what we wanted... a quaint area to rest and rejuvenate!

typical Portuguese cobblestone...

 

  

 

Our room was one of only a few, another perk of vacationing in small village Nowheresville...

... but it definitely was not lacking in the service department!  I tend to judge these "rural tourism" (i.e. Bed & Breakfast) places here, since most take more pride in their picturesque location than the quality of their beds, pillows, showers, etc.  I had almost sworn off rural tourism for good, admitting that I would almost rather have a weekend at home if it meant sleeping on our new memory foam mattress (seriously, go buy one today)... but thankfully, Casal das Eira Branca changed my mind!

Our room was quaint but wonderful...

with all new Ikea furniture and bedding, a personal refridgerator, wardrobe closet, lots of books and magazines in English, and complete with a personalized terrycloth robe for each of us!

 

Additionally, one of the reasons we chose this place was because they had a pool.  Too bad it was too windy to actually swim!  Instead, we lounged on poolside lawn chairs that had personal, adjustable sun protection.... brilliant, eh?

I also busied myself taking photos of the adorable bathrooms designated just for the pool area... check out that amazing mirror and those fun lanterns!

We went out to a restaurant (read: dinky diner) for some typical Portuguese food for dinner... the man of the hour is Portuguese after all!  Here's a shot of him looking handsome watching a soccer game on TV...

and displaying his dinner... just for the blog... 

... and we can't leave out the lovely, hand-painted Portuguese tiles that Portugal is famous for!

In the house where I grew up, it would be a crime if I didn't mention a great deal that I found during our mini-vacay as well... so without further adieu, I would like to introduce the work of Sr. Bordallo Pinheiro!  On our way home, we stopped in Caldas da Rainha, which is known for their pottery stores.  Bordallo pottery is famous in Portugal (and known to be very expensive!), and my dear friend Cristi introduced me, then perhaps caused me to fall in love with some of his stuff! He's famous for many different styles, but I like his solid color pieces best.  You can see that we have a set of round ivory plates that combine perfectly with these great charcoal grey colored platters/chargers we picked up...

Look how well the pieces fit with our super cheap 50 cent grocery store bowls that I score earlier this year too!

Of course we couldn't leave without a few other platters and bowls to match!  Normally, this tiny little store has only one small room with a table in back with discounted pieces due to defects... but we discovered on arrival that they had opened up an entire second floor that was entirely on sale!  These plates, without their tiny defects, were originally 11€50 ($16.50!!) per plate, but we got them for 3€ each!  The bowls and platters were 4€, I think, and overall we got out of there under 45€!  I'm thinking on our way back from the States, maybe we should stop there again and pick up some things to sell on eBay... maybe that's how we will be able to afford to travel the world and see more beautiful architechture like this in Caldas!

We had a fabulous weekend relaxing, and that was just the beginning!  We both worked on Tuesday, the actual birth day, and in fashionable Portuguese tradition, we brought a cake to the rehab center for Luis's Occupational Therapy staff to enjoy.  It's common in Portugal for the person to bring their own cake, treat someone to coffee, etc, to celebrate his/her birthday.  Since our dear American friends were out of the country on the 4th of July (the aforementioned city-wide holiday), we didn't do much to celebrate... but I decided I would add a bit of America's birthday to Luis's... and disguised it inside the cake!

[Interruptive side note]:  When making a flag cake like this one, block out your evenings for the course of a week and freeze each layer (even if frozen cake is kind of gross).  And whatever you do, do not make the cakes from scratch.  It takes an absurdly long time.  And don't think that one little bottle of food coloring is going to do the trick.  You will have to return to the store at 9 pm to buy more, and your blue will still look turquoise.  Not to mention you will fear death by food coloring poisoning.  Your white cake recipe will never look white unless it comes out of a box.  Period.  And it will probably never look as nice as your original inspiration.  Everyone will love it, though, and you will be proud... of yourself AND your country.  Even if every time you serve a piece you have to ask "Do you know which country flag this is?".  Every time.  And you will probably never make it again.  But at least you can say you did it once!  [End interruptive side note].

The O.T. staff and some others serenaded Luis with song, we drank champagne in the middle of the day, and all was well in the world.

We left to enjoy a great view near our secluded dinner restaurant...

Luis surprised me, as I didn't even know that one could access the "back side" of the city, but there are some great parks with even greater romantic spots to walk, sit and chat, and just enjoy each other!

After much weeping (me, not him), I agreed to forgo the idea of having a dinner party with our friends and we instead went to an Italian (!!!!) restaurant a bit outside of the city, nestled in this little forested area.  It was rumored to be one of the most delicious restaurants in this area, and it was our first time.  Good thing we arrived at 7.30 and not 8.00... we sure did beat the crowd! 

There wasn't a soul inside the restaurant at this time of night, as the Portuguese normally eat dinner much later.  We had to wait about 20 minutes for the serving staff to finish their own dinner!  It was worth it though... Feast your eyes on this gnocchi in cream sauce...

It was delicious. Better than delicious.  I have eaten real Italian gnocchi in Italy and it didn't even compare to this!  I forgot to shoot a photo of Luis Miguel's meal, but trust me, delish as well.  Pirates of the Caribbean III concluded our night, an entertaining conclusion to quite a delightful day!

I'm so grateful that you were born, Luis Miguel Coelho Santos Almeida!  Who needs a dinner party when I get to spend every day with you?!?!  Happy birthday once more, Love... and since I'm posting this a bit late, happy 11 months of marriage today as well!

fifth.

Dear Luis Miguel,

You would think that a woman who loves to write as much as I do wouldn't have any trouble with a simple "happy birthday" blog for her sweet husband... but here I am at midnight, on the third draft of this love letter of sorts, searching desperately for the right words to express my undying love.  Perfectionist, I know.

I know you don't need the words, and moreover, you definitely don't need the hype, the cake, the confetti, the banner, or the dinner party... and, funny enough, that's one of the things that this "planner" loves most about you!  (Though it would be fun to have a dinner party to use those nice platters your adorable self picked out this weekend!)  :)  You see, my love, one of the best parts about us being together is the balance that we bring to each other.  Or, in the words of the famous M.C.Harritt, you're the "calm to my crazy".

I see it in your endless optimism, constantly encouraging me to see the sunnier side of things...

I see it in your attentive patience when you care for your clients, and later, when you have become not only their therapist, but their friend and big brother as well...

I see it in your quiet strength as you hold my hand when life get's overwhelming and I just need a good cry...

I see in your incredible sense of balance, being able to stand on one foot on the beach and not fall, even when someone pushes you.

I see it in your servant's heart, always wanting to do the best and be the best for me...


I see it in your quick forgiveness, making sure a grudge never sticks around long...

I see it when you are regularly singing and/or whistling, which is charming and reminds me of my dad and grandpa at the same time...

I see it in your joyful smile, always ready to say something funny when someone needs cheering up...

And lastly, I definitely see it when we attend a themed dinner party... Never did I think I would marry someone who enjoys dressing up as much as I do!


In all these things and easily a thousand more, I realize how true it is that we were created for each other, and how you make my life more fun, more rich, and definitely more joyful!  As Tad Carpenter (a random guy that I don't know) said, "What I love most about my home is who I share it with."  Isso é tão verdade, realmente!

Tu enches meus dias com sol e minhas noites com estrelas, para sempre lembrar-me como a vida realmente é maravilhosa.  Não posso imaginar minha vida sem ti... Amo-te muito, minha coisinha fofa!