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??)

week 35.

Sunday, August 26th
We headed out to another small suburban town tonight to support a friend who had a photo exhibition, and her boyfriend, who had a summer party, both held at his bar. Now, when I say "bar", you probably think dirty, crowded, smoky, and loud, right?  So you probably wouldn't picture it like this, would you?  So so so beautiful... and this is just the back corner!

Monday, August 27th
I don't think this girl on Win It In A Minute really thought through her clothing choices for this special event where she would be on national television.  Even if she didn't know and was just chosen from the audience, wouldn't you at least put on something a little nicer in the rare chance that you might get chosen?  And the host... A suit and Asics tennies?  Really?  I have no more words.

Tuesday, August 28th
While Skyping with my parents and discussing the unusual weather this summer, my mom proceeds to get up, go into the other room, and bring back their digital thermometer that they use in the house.  Just in case you don't remember how a certain temperature feels, you can refer to the handy little man on the screen, because his clothes change appropriately with the temperature!  Apparently in Wisconsin, 73ºF is warm enough to wear a t-shirt and shorts!

Wednesday, August 29th
Read about a great way to freeze fresh herbs from a large bunch so they don't go bad: chop them, put them in an ice cube tray, then freeze them with a little olive oil in each cube!  Brilliant, right?  Can't wait to see how they turn out!

UPDATE: You need to use a lot of oil (which I didn't), covering all the herbs, which may not work well with all recipes (guacamole, for example), which is why I only used a little. (First mistake). You also will need to wash the ice cube tray about 17 times with a scrub brush to get all the oil out. And you probably won't be able to get all of it out. And then you won't want to use it for ice. So don't use one of your nice ice cube trays like I did. (Second mistake). Might try it with water next time, but I fear for it getting a little soggy in the defrosting process. Has anyone else tried this?

Thursday, August 30th
I believe I may have mentioned how blessed we are to be able to eat lunch in our work cafeteria every day. It is convenient, saves us money, and makes our lives easier in general. I can't say I'm in love with the Portuguese cafeteria food every day, though, so it's kind of refreshing in summer to bring our own lunches and plan dinners in such a way that we have leftovers for lunch the next day. There are also very few people at the Center during the month of August, as most take August off as a summer holiday (most workers get 22 - or more - work days of vacation). With so few people there and everyone bringing their own lunch, I thought it would fun to bring a bit of America to APCC, so I suggested that we have a pancake lunch! I found a great from-scratch recipe that I have been making at home, and  last time we were in the States I brought back some maple flavoring for syrup, so it just seemed like a great idea, especially since we have a semi-adapted kitchen in the Occupational Therapy area at APCC! Judging by the empty plates at the end and the number of people that asked me for the recipe, I think we can say it was a hit! I also would suggest drinking sparkling Portuguese green wine with your next pancake lunch at work... delish!

Friday, August 31st
The highlight of checking the mail for Luis is always when the D-Mail catalog comes. It's Portugal's version of the "As Seen On TV" store, and Luis always seems to find some fun new product that he could put to good use. Care to guess what it is this week?

That's right, folks.... it's a full-body painting suit, to avoid dirtying even the tiniest cell of your skin while painting. I'm surprised it didn't also come with a gas mask!

Saturday, September 1st
It's a sad day in the Volunteer Department, as we sent off our 4 European volunteers today!  After 6 months of serving the clients of APCC, we really felt like they became a part of our family.  It's hard to believe 6 months passed that fast, and the office will surely feel quite empty without them! Christian, Adriana, Kata, e Ata... please come visit Portugal again soon! We love you!

week 34.

Sunday, August 19th
We went to see Singin' in the Rain while in London!  The seats were high (since we got a good deal on tickets), and photos were forbidden, but I snuck this one in at the end.  It REALLY RAINED on the stage in the theater... a downpour!  It was truly a fantastic show!

Monday, August 20th
My friend Ang took us to her favorite part of London, which happens to include Neals Yard, which was this bright ray of sunshine nestled within a few "average" streets. Loved it!

Tuesday, August 21st
Now that we're back in Coimbra for a few days before we start work, we decided to take advantage of the local farmer's market in Condeixa, our little suburb. It was super fun to buy fresh and know we are supporting the community, not to mention use the new bag that my grandma sent me (which you may remember from week 28)!

Wednesday, August 22nd
Relishing our stash from the local Camden grocery store close to Ang's house... Thought I would take advantage of a grocery store with things we can't get here in Portugal, including bagels, Craisins, onion powder, ground coriander, yogurt-covered rainsins, Nature Valley granola bars, and also Dove stick deodorant and vanilla creme cookies, both of which we can get here, but they're much more expensive!

Thursday, August 23rd
Nothing like using one of the last few days of vacation to defrost the freezer! There was one time that we accidentally left the door cracked open a bit, making a piece of plastic-wrapped fish defrost a bit and somehow leak fish juice all over, resulting in every package in that general area smelling like fish juice, making sorting through the freezer to find something a very smelly event.  We now have a super clean, organized and labeled freezer, which is delightful! High fives for the handsome hubs who did most of the dirty work!

Friday, August 24th
Last weekday lunch on the balcony... caprese sandwiches, wine, and delicious green Portuguese melon!  We are so blessed!

Saturday, August 25th
Stopped by the farmer's market again yesterday to pick up some fresh flowers... Aren't they gorgeous?

week 33.

Sunday, August 12th
When you didn't shoot a picture of the day, just put up a photo of your husband and a baby kitten that you happen to have on your phone from last week.  It will work just fine, especially if you make it black and white to disguise the poor quality...

Monday, August 13th
Helping a friend with some wedding planning... this venue was pretty decked out!

Tuesday, August 14th
Sometimes you just have to invent dinner. I don't usually invent, at least not when it involves cooking. I really enjoy recipes with exact. measurements. to. follow. But when you're craving mac 'n' cheese and you have none, you need a little something to make your less than fabulous macaroni a bit more interesting.  I recommend adding pesto. I was so happy to find it at our Lidl grocery store after returning from Italy. I had seen it here before, but not at 1€24 for a decent size jar! I made this revolutionary mac 'n' cheese recipe that I discovered on Pinterest (of course) and found it lovely with a spoonful of pesto added to it!

Wednesday, August 15th
We found wild figs growing in a tree close to our neighborhood while we took a walk today.  Who knows if it's legal to pick them when they are ripe?

Thursday, August 18th
Vacation planning!  Love that I have a husband who loves maps and loves organizing travel folders! (Please forgive the awful cell phone photo!)

Friday, August 17th
After 2 years of being country neighbors with my dear friend Ang from high school, we finally found a way to make a visit happen, and we are so glad that we did!  A weekend in London was definitely not enough time to explore, but how could you even want to leave the house with these two adorable faces staring back at you???  Ang started her life in England by marrying Pete, a brilliant and hilarious Englishman, and almost 7 years later they have planted a church and built a beautiful family.  Who would have thought that two best friends from high school would each marry their own European and start new adventures across the sea? If you would have told us that at drama rehearsal in the gymnasium of MLHS 12 years ago, I'm not sure we would have believed you, but here we are!  So grateful for friendships that span the miles, for shared experiences both past and present, and let's be honest... it's gotta be a tried and true friendship when a family of four in a small flat generously rearranges the furniture of a room 3 nights in a row to accomodate overnight guests on the fold out couch!  Looks like there needs to be an entire blog of London photos, but for now, these faces will probably make you smile!

Saturday, August 18th
I couldn't resist!  Thankfully, I have a really patient husband... and thankfully the photo turned out well, because I can't say that he was completely thrilled when for the third time I asked him to take a photo inside a phone booth.... :)

week 32.

Sunday, August 5th
Since I didn't shoot a photo today, I'm highlighting one from yesterday, when we had a really fun dinner with couples from Luis Miguel's soccer team.  I love this group, especially how the couples are always holding hands, showing affection, etc, though most have been married for 10+ years.  They are really fun people, and one of them had a colleague who transformed a type of "garden house" that they own into a small dining room that they use as a "restaurant" of sorts for private parties.  It was so charming and fun, since it was just our group, so the service was just for us, and they had really great homemade food, not to mention it was appetizers, soup, main entree, drinks, and dessert for just 10€!  I took this photo of the traditional, old-fashioned Portuguese pottery design that is so very well known here:  terra cotta ceramic painted with pretty white designs.  And of course, I had to take a photo of the soup, because without soup, it wouldn't be a Portuguese meal!

Monday, August 6th
So thankful that my personal translator decided that he would work today, even when he only had clients at his part time and not at the Rehab Center with me. Thankfully they are only about a mile apart and he could swing by after work to correct my Portuguese on an important document.  :)

Tuesday, August 7th
We went on a long walk just outside of our neighborhood yesterday and discovered lots of blackberry bushes, so we decided to walk the same way today, but with baggies and tupperware containers.  :)  They were pretty hard to reach and the bush was crazy thorny, but we managed to pick about 3 cups of berries!  As blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are super expensive in Portugal, Luis thought it was wise to calculate how much we "made" by picking them off the side of the road.  I think he came up with about 10€, but after already sampling them in some yogurt tonight, all I can think about is how delicious they are going to be in a cobbler tomorrow!

Wednesday, August 8th
What's up, giraffe neck?!?!  That would be mine, not that of my sweet friend Marisa, who sits next to me in choir and kindly invited me for coffee today.  It was great to have some girl-time, something that I crave, but is a bit hard to come by here (as you may imagine, making friends takes quite a bit of time in a foreign culture, let alone really great girlfriends)... but more importantly, it was great to find out about a fabulous second-hand store here in Coimbra, since I have pretty much combed the entire country looking for them and the only one with women's clothes and/or jewelry in Coimbra recently closed, as you may remember from this post.  This store has very little clothing, as they just recently opened, but they also buy used clothes, which is great news!  To top it all off, the owner is fabulous, loves helping people, and has a space in the front of the store to display local artist's work, and told me we could get together to talk about putting some of my photography or handmade jewelry and art there!  So grateful for girlfriends, and for a new second-hand store 2 minutes from my office!

Thursday, August 9th
CAN . NOT . BELIEVE that the Queen of Sunscreen actually got a little burned at the beach today!  I reapplied 2.5 times, and I guess not covering my entire body on that 3rd application and falling asleep with my hand in the sun resulted in this.  Bummer!  I'm in shock. It's been so long since I've had a sunburn that I have become quite a wimp and easily annoyed with the sting and itch.  Never again!  As many of you know, I had a mole that turned into basil cell carcinoma 3 years ago, and I wasn't what one might call a sun-worshipper.  It was something that happened to me as it could pretty much happen to anyone, so I have become a bit of a tyrant about the daily application of sunscreen, and a bit of a nazi when on the beach. But really... who burns their HAND? Yeah. This girl.

Friday, August 10th
Favorite summer meal... mom's chicken pasta salad!

Saturday, August 11th
Happy birthday, Matias!  We love you and wish you a great year!  (Fun cakes like this are becoming quite the rage in Portugal right now!)

two.

Who would have thought that after  731 days -- two years -- of marriage, that one could possibly have writer's block?  Oh, don't get me wrong, I have plenty to say. But how can I organize it? How can I make it concise?  How can I put pen to paper (or fingers to keys?) in order to tell a story when that story has just begun?  Yeah, I don't know either.

But what I can say is that I love being married.  It's hard to describe sometimes, this communion of everything incredibly important and everything so simply mundane, a daily dance that reveals not only the best of you, but the worst of you as well.  

It's not every day that I would find myself quoting a romance novelist on matters of love, but I think Jodi Picoult really penned truth when one of her characters said, "Maybe you expected marriage to be perfect - I guess that's where you and I are different. See, I thought it would be all about making mistakes, but doing it with someone who's there to remind you what you learned along the way.”

Seeing yourself reflected in a marriage relationship is often a more accurate mirror than an actual piece of reflective glass itself.  And sometimes that's painful. Because sometimes we are ugly.  We make mistakes.  But other times... other times the companionship and covenant between us is so sweet that I can't help but think I couldn't possibly love him more.  And then the next day I do.  Nothing will teach you more about forgiveness -- both the asking for and the giving os -- than marriage.  It's a sweet juxtaposition of receiving love and receiving grace that teaches one how to give love and grace as well.

I suppose I could continue, but I think most people come here for the photos, so considering I never posted a wedding blog (would YOU sit in front of your computer uploading photos just days/weeks/months after moving to Europe? Yeah, me neither), here are a few of the actual day in all of it's [sweltering] glory.  If you missed it, be glad you stayed inside your air conditioned house... it was crazy hot!

Our invitation, designed by David Duong, www.pixelslickdesign.com

Programs and American and Portuguese flags to wave at the recessional

Isn't my dad so handsome?

The joining of two cultures: as sand from the ocean's shore in Portugal and red clay from the soil in Georgia are impossible to separate once poured together, so is the bond of two people united in marriage.

Did anyone end up with all these flags after the wedding?  I still have no idea where they went!

He makes me laugh every day... 

Fabulous friends... two of which flew across an ocean to stand next to us on this day!

We chose this historic plantation house as our wedding venue because we were able to
personalize every empty space as if it was our own!

Luis dancing to Portuguese music with this mom

The disco line dance, made famous by my college roommates, has now officially
been danced at each of our 5 weddings. So thankful to have these girls at my side!

I think everyone would agree that the highlight of the night was both of our dad's dancing together. As you can see, they were the center of attention!

My extended family, all the way from up der in da nort'!

The beautiful historic plantation house 

For more photos, visit Rosanna Marie's blog, where our wedding  was documented: Part 1 & Part 2.

Upon our arrival to Portugal just 9 days after the wedding, I met a lot of Luis Miguel's extended family and friends who weren't able to come to the States for our wedding.  We were blessed that even after helping us with the cost of the wedding, Luis's family threw us a fabulous reception for next to nothing!  Everyone contributed by bringing food, wine, and desserts.  Luis's godparents supply a large metropolitan hospital with all the pastries in their cafe, and they operate their business out of an in-home warehouse, which they so kindly donated for our reception.  We draped sheets over the ginormous shelves of flour and sugar and they set up quite a lovely dinner considering it's... well... a warehouse!  It was quite overwhelming, as everyone felt the need to meet me (and touch me a lot while doing so... they're freindly people, those Portuguese), but it was so fun to have a peek at how a Portuguese wedding reception could be! And let's just be honest... not every girl gets to wear her wedding dress a second time! Unfortunately, the day we planned the dinner for ended up being the same day as the wedding of the son of the most well-known wine producer in Pinhel, and it just so happened that ALL FIVE photographers were booked months in advance for his wedding that night!  Bummer.  Thankfully I had brought my own camera and snapped a few photos, then a kind cousin carried it around all night so that we could be included in the photos!  We even managed to sneak outside before the party started ans snap a few that "looked European"! :)

The wedding cake!  And yes, those are huge chunks of shaved white chocolate!

The Portuguese frequently have 3 or 4 desserts at a normal dinner party, so obviously we had like 20!

That's 3 tables of desserts, people.

Lots of Portuguese food!

Dancing with Luis Miguel's parents

This guy played for us and is extremely talented!

One traditional Portuguese dance puts the couple in the middle of the circle while
all the others  walk and dance in a circle around them, clapping and singing...

...and then they all come toward the middle in one big squeeze!

cousins and friends

Really love the doors in Pinhel...

Couldn't resist... it was like a human picture frame!  Wish we would have stood up as well!

I'm all "Does it look European? I need it to look European..."

And then... a little over a year after, we were crazy blessed when we actually got our real European pictures!  Our American friends hosted some American photographers here in Coimbra to do free photo sessions, and they invited us to be a part of it!  Since we had planned our wedding, I had always wanted to get photos in Coimbra with me in my dress and Luis in his suit, so this was an opportunity that I would not let slip away!

This was parked all by itself outside of the train station, and asked Luis if he thought I would get shot if I just jumped on.  He was skeptical, and I glanced at an old man sitting on the stairs, he nodded, seeming to give me his approval.  After asking if it was his and receiving an affirmative response, of course I asked if I could get on.  Aren't you glad I did?

 

Our little corner of the world...

And then a bird pooped on my dress and in my hair, signaling the end of the photo shoot.  Good thing I was in Portugal, because the Portuguese say it's a sign of good luck!

All photos by Kim Lewandowski

This year, we spent the weekend before our anniversary in London visiting my dear friend Ang from high school. What a blessing to still be in touch,  not only for friendship's sake, but also to share experiences: 5 years before I did, Ang married her very own European and moved herself 'cross the sea as well.  And how lovely it was to reminisce, share stories of being foreigners abroad, and just simply be ourselves together. There is nothing like living in another culture to make you realize how valuable the friendships are with people who knew you when you were young and remained friends with until now.  So thankful for this family for hosting us for the weekend and for making our trip so enjoyable!

Pete, Ang, Madeline, and Nate, rocking a PB&J like it's his job...

Their personalities in a nutshell...

Friends for the last 15 years... and as Ang said, we haven't aged a bit!

Since we love the ocean and, well, it's free to enjoy, we decided to spend the afternoon of our anniversary there.  It was the most brilliantly sunny day near our house, but unfortunately the beautiful, white puffy clouds turned low and grey at the shore. We still enjoyed ourselves as we relaxed and read on the sand, though!  

I'm so thankful for you, Luis Miguel Almeida! And just as I mentioned on our anniversary last year, 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 this very shore. 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!