It's beginning to look a lot like...

...fall!

The first week of fall has been warmer than the last week of summer. Even though it is 80 degrees outside, the air somehow feels different than it did in August. Perhaps the air is cleaner because we have had some rain, or maybe it is just my imagination.

On Saturday morning I celebrated the beginning of fall with a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks! It was delicious! We spent the weekend watching football and spending time with old friends. It is always nice to reconnect with people and get caught up on each other's lives.

This morning I went on a "field trip." I took myself to the local farmer's market, and then I just drove around town enjoying the colors of the changing trees. I am getting excited to visit the apple orchard and pumpkin patch, but for now I will enjoy the scenery, smells and especially the sun that has come with these first beautiful days of fall.

I love this time of year!

"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather
And autumn's best of cheer."
~Helen Hunt Jackson

Our (hilarious) niece...

Those of you who have heard any of our "Maleah" stories know there are many to choose from. The most recent was yesterday... I was chatting with Macy online and Matt walked into the room and said, "hey, tell Hannah that if she and Merrick like bluegrass, that they should get the Ricky Skags instrumental album." Maleah was standing there and said, "I think Hannah is allergic to grass."

I've been tagged...

So, I am supposed to list 5 things about me that are unusual and I am guessing that most people don't know. Okay, here it goes...

1. When talking on the phone, I always hold my phone with my left hand. (It is close to physically impossible for me to use my right hand.)
2. When I was a little kid I always had holes in my underwear because I refused to wear anything other than a t-shirt and underwear to play in and would wear them out.
3. I love public speaking, but I hate performing in public.
4. I didn't see a rated "R" movie until I was 15.
5. If the volume level on a television is numerical, I have to have it set on a multiple of five.

So... tag. You are it! If you are reading this, and you have your own blog, it is now your turn.

Must see...

A few years ago I decided that I was watching too much T.V., so I stopped getting involved in new shows. Merrick and I would wait until the good ones were available on DVD and then we would watch them all at once. This worked best for shows like "24," "Alias" and "Lost" that would suck you in like a black hole. Rather than watching one episode each week, we would simply sit and watch all 20+ episodes in a matter of a few days. It was much more satisfying. And in my mind, this feels like I am watching less T.V.

There are a few shows that I do watch on a fairly regular basis. Merrick and I both really enjoy The Amazing Race. For those of you who haven't see this, in my opinion, it is one "reality" show worth watching. The idea of spending a month racing around the world sounds so exciting... we have talked about applying to be on the show, but have yet to actually send in an application. Another show that I watch is The Biggest Loser. I like the idea that there is a program that is trying to change lifestyles and help people lose weight the right way - with a healthy diet and (lots of) exercise. Again, I recommend this to those of you who haven't seen it yet. I also love the variety of crime dramas that are on nightly. You know the ones... shows that you can watch a few times each season, but don't have to follow along with. The plot is wrapped up in one hour, so you can move on with life. One of those I especially enjoy is CSI (the original), and tonight is the season premier. Last season ended abruptly, and tonight will answer many questions.

Now comes the decision making process. There are so many new shows this year - most of which look pretty good. Unfortunately, some of the new shows overlap, therein lies the problem. Last night we watched Kidnapped and I really enjoyed it. In October The Nine premieres and will air at the same time (Wednesdays at 10) so we will have to decide which is better. Other shows that I am looking forward to watching this fall are Heroes, Six Degrees and perhaps Studio 60. So much for not watching a lot of television.

One side note - we have decided that watching football does not count towards our weekly television hours. It is just a requirement for fall, and we feel as if we are doing our duty to society by watching every televised college and NFL game each week.

And they keep coming...

Just this morning I was writing about how many babies have entered our lives this month. Not even 5 hours later I find out that my very good friend, Hannah, is expecting a baby! Yeah! I can't wait to meet the first little Noel baby.

Congratulations Brent and Hannah!

Oh, and by the way, Hannah announced her pregnancy this afternoon on her blog. It was so unexpected - I was shocked and thrilled to read the news!

Babies, babies, everywhere...

It seems that certain animals are born during certain season. For example, bunnies are born in the spring, and penguins hatch during the dead of winter. Based on recent activity, I am starting to believe that September is human baby season. Now, I know that isn't really how it works, but it sure seems that way. Over the course of one week there were 5 babies born into our extended circle of friends. And two days later, my friend Hannah became an aunt again! That brings the count up to six new babies this month! (To see pictures of baby Sydney check out the Coleman's blog or you can look at Hannah's blog to see her adorable niece.)

Needless to say we are thrilled to watch our friend's families grow, and are so glad to finally meet these little miracles that God has created. This is an exciting time for sure. Congratulations again to all you new parents.

Be nice to me...

...I gave blood today.

Now, this is something I do often, and I actually enjoy it. Not so much because they stick me with a needle, or that I answer the same 50 questions every time, or that I wait in line for hours... I go because I am potentially saving lives (well, and for the doughnuts!). Lately my veins have been harder and harder to poke. Not sure what is happening, but when they sense danger, they dive. The last time I gave blood, the lady poked 17 times...today wasn't much better. I don't mean that she actually stuck me with the needle 17 times, but they poke once, then dig around, shove and re-poke inside the skin over and over and over. Today the first man gave up and called over the "pro" who himself inflicted more vein pain than I have ever endured. It was the closest I have ever come to asking them to stop. I would have been more than willing to let them try the other arm, but these guys were determined, and I guess it payed off. I am aching, bruised and battered, but the American Red Cross successfully obtained 1 pint of my blood. I now have 56 days to heal before we try again.

Digging deeper...

Yesterday afternoon Merrick was sharing granola with our niece and nephews. When they had enough, Merrick put the cereal box away. Evidently Brennan wasn't done...he picked up the box and tried to figure out how to help himself to more. He knew the snacks came from inside the box, but every time he reached in, that darn bag was in his way. Needless to say, this was frustrating for him, but amusing for the rest of us.

New kid on the block...

Sydney Reese Coleman was born today! We are so excited to welcome her into the world, and cannot wait to meet this new little creation. Congrats to her parents, Drew and Marisa! We will hopefully be visiting the Coleman family this weekend, and I will try to post some pictures of the new baby soon.

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for." ~unknown author

My feet hurt...

After a summer of wearing flip-flops and running shoes, these last few days of working (and wearing heals) are killing me. All of this before we even get to Friday night dance class. It is a good thing that I really like my job, or I would be miserable...


"The greatest evil is physical pain." ~St. Augustine

Back in the saddle...

After three months of unemployment, I officially am back to work today. I am looking forward to being back on campus, learning a new group of names and faces, and seeing old friends. This week I am teaching three days of science classes. Three days is about perfect for me - keeps me from getting bored, but allows me to still get stuff done at home.

As Merrick gets closer to graduation, and we get closer to moving out of Corvallis, I realize how much I am going to miss subbing at Santiam. I will do my best to cherish the next month of teaching and tutoring because I just don't know how many more days I will be out there. As ready as we are for the next stage in life, we are now realizing that it is going to be hard to say good-bye to Corvallis and the fun three years we have spent here.

Well, off to work. Today is going to be great!


"Any Change, even for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts." ~Arnold Bennett

Auf Wiedersehen...

Today we said good-bye to Austria. The alarm went of at 3 a.m., which gave us more than enough time to pack up and meet our taxi driver in the lobby. We ate a few bowls of cereal to use up the soy milk and hold us over until we could eat a meal in Frankfurt. Our flight left Austria at 6 a.m., but the little Klagenfurt airport didn't even open until 5. With all passengers checked in and screened, we were able to board the airplane and head to Germany.

Security was tighter in Germany since we were heading towards the US. They even put my teddy bear, Gus, through a special test to see if he had any explosive residue on him. I guess he does look a little suspicious. We were pleased to find out that smoking was not allowed in the International terminal, so we sat and enjoyed more tuna in the first smoke-free environment of our trip. (I think the excessive smoking was our biggest complaint of the short vacation - everyone smokes, and you just can't get away from it.)

Our flight from Germany was long. I know there is a reason, but it doesn't seem right that we can fly from Portland to Germany in 10 hours, but from Germany to D.C. takes 8... We landed in Washington D.C. , went through customs, and headed straight to Subway so Merrick could eat. ( I had eaten enough nasty airplane food to hold me over until home.) We had about three hours to kill, so I wandered the terminal and Merrick slept at the gate guarding our bags. It doesn't take long to see all there is to see in the "D" terminal at Dulles International Airport, so I returned to the gate and read my book.

The flight to PDX was also good. Another 5 hours, but it seemed to go quickly. They showed us a few movies, and had a few decent music stations to listen to. My dad was waiting for us when we landed and we were able to grab our bags and head straight home. We spent the night in Portland so we could do our laundry and postpone the next stage of travel until morning. The idea of another hour of sitting in a car just didn't appeal. I didn't sleep in the planes or at the airports, so by the time laundry was done, and I crawled in bead, I had been awake for over thirty hours. Sleep sounded fabulous!

Where in the world is...

...Ljubljana?

This morning we woke up at 5 a.m. and once again walked across the street to the train station. We had a few options of where we wanted to go... Venice, Innsbruck, Berchtesgaden or Ljubljana. We didn't know anything about Ljubljana other than the fact that it is the capital of Slovenia - a country we had never visited. The adventure of the unknown was luring, and we decided to check it out. We bought our tickets, waited a few minutes, and hopped aboard for the 2-hour ride.

This trip, like yesterday, was also through the Alps, only today we headed mostly south. The countryside was beautiful the entire way. We stopped briefly in a small border town where a group of customs guards boarded the train. They came row-by-row asking to see passports and tickets. We didn't get a Slovenia stamp - quite disappointing. It was amazing to see the immediate difference in architecture and notice the lower income level the moment we crossed the border. The signs were all written in Slovenian, a Slovak language, which uses an entirely different alphabet. We didn't have a tour book, map, or any other information about the country. As we continued south we both were wondering what we had gotten ourselves into.

When we arrived in Ljubljana we had no idea where to go, and wanted to get some information about the city. We were able to find a very friendly station employee who escorted us to the information area where we found great books and maps - for free! We gathered all we needed and headed toward the middle of the city. Most of the traveling we have done in our lives has been very planned and organized. The excitement of the unknown was fabulous. As we started walking, we immediately discovered the beauty of this city and knew we had bought the right tickets this morning.

We walked all over... first through the market. There were many booths set up where people were selling fresh produce, flowers, and other local items. It was interesting to see what was being offered, and nice because no one was pushy about us buying anything. Mostly local people were shopping for groceries - the produce was outside, and the meats, cheese, and bread were all inside in a separate and cooler area. We didn't purchase anything right away, but made a mental note to come back to buy snacks later in the day. Everything looked so delicious - especially the various sweet breads.

We headed toward Old Town to continue our exploration. We were surprised to see not only a Nike store, but also a Lush (yes, as in the Lush on NW 23rd in Portland). Both seemed a little out of place amongst the boutiques, cafes and bars along the street. Slovenia joined the European Union in 2004, but hasn't yet started using Euros. We found an ATM and asked the lady in line behind us to help us with the conversion... it was pretty fun withdrawing 10,000 from the machine - granted it was 10,000 Slovenian tolars. Since we weren't in a hurry, and had no where in particular to go, we strolled and enjoyed window shopping and dreaming about the delicious ice cream that was being sold at every cafe.

Once we had our fill of Old Town, we walked up the hill to the castle. At the top we stopped to catch our breath and have a snack. We had bought a bottle of water at a little market in Old Town, and had packed a can of tuna and some pita bread. Merrick opened the tuna over his lap and promptly spilled the tuna juice all over his shorts and down his leg... good thing we had the bottle of water to clean him as quickly as possible. The train on the way home would have been interesting if he reeked of tuna.

The castle, simply called "Ljubljana Castle" has been around for more than 1000 years. It has been refurbished and is completely open to the public. We paid the small fee and were able to climb the high tower to see the amazing views of the city.

After lunch we walked to the end of town were we saw a wall that was built by the Romans during the time when the city was ruled by the Roman Empire. It was still standing, and mostly in tact. In that same area we saw archaeologists digging - we don't know what they found - but it was fun to witness none-the-less.

Throughout the remainder of the day we spent time visiting the capital buildings, crossing famous bridges, and relaxing under the trees in the the many parks.

At 4:00 we boarded the train and headed back to Austria. It was the same scenery on the way home, same drill with customs (only this time we got a stamp!), and in less than two hours we were back in our hotel. What a day!

We did get a call from our friends, Jose and Marcella, who live in Villach, and we were able to meet them for dinner in the plaza. Jose recently graduated from OSU and is now working at Infenion. It was fun to see them again, and we were able to ask questions and get their opinions of the city. By 11 p.m. I was exhausted, and knew we had an early morning plane to catch. I headed to bed - with the alarm set for 3 a.m. Yuck!

The hills are alive...

When Merrick arrived back at the hotel yesterday it was 4 p.m. He said the interview went well, and he enjoyed meeting the people and learning more about the company and the position. We talked for a bit, and the next the thing I knew I looked at the clock which said 10:30... we had both fallen asleep. It was too late to go out for food, and Merrick was still sound asleep, so I just rolled over and tucked myself in for the night. The negative side to falling asleep at 4 p.m. is that your body is ready to wake up at about 3:30 a.m. So, we got up, packed some things, and headed to the train station... why waste time?

We bought tickets to Salzburg. Even though we had both been there, it seemed like an ideal place to spend a day. (I had a bad experience the first time I was there, so I was looking forward to enjoying the city this time around.) The train ride was three hours of absolutely beautiful views. Watching the sun raise in the Alps was breath taking.
There is so much to see and do in Salzburg, and we wanted to get it all in. We started off fast, walking from the station directly to the historic part of town. We walked down Griesgasse, the famous street with wrought-iron signs. Business were just starting to open, so we decided we would come back to witness the hustle and bustle of daily life there. We walked through the Alter Market and watched as the booths were being set up with delicious baked goods and fresh produce. There were also many women putting together fall flower bouquets and wreaths that were beautiful.

In the Motzart Platz we saw two men playing chess on the giant board, watched the horse carriages arriving, and witnessed more vendors setting up for the day.
As we meandered through the streets we ended up at the base of the Hohensalzburg fortress at a gated entrance to a graveyard - the same one that the von Trapp family used for hiding in the Sound of Music. It was beautifully decorated. Rather than putting fresh flowers in a vase on each grave, caretakers had planted entire gardens over the plots and everything was in bloom. Just on the other side of the graveyard were many large churches, and a convent. We passed the large auditorium, known as the Rock Riding School of Festspidlhaus, where the von Trapp family performed right before escaping from the Nazi soldiers. Unfortunately, it was locked, so we didn't get to see the inside.

There were many shops to explore, and we enjoyed darting into hidden alleyways as we wandered through the shopping district. Back on Griesgasse we found the McDonald's. It, like the rest of the shops on the street, was required to have a fancy sign.

When the clouds cleared, and the sun started to peak through, we headed up the hill towards the fortress. We didn't go into the fortress, but walked along the ridge overlooking the city, and explored various ruins. The views from the top were spectacular, even though the highest mountain peaks were hidden in the clouds.

Our stomachs were growling, and our mouths were dry, so we headed back toward the center of town to find spaghetti - what Merrick was craving at the time. When we entered the plaza again we saw a street artist drawing a portrait of a young American women. We stopped to watch and eventually started talking with the family. They asked where we were from, and were shocked when we said Oregon... they were from Yamhill. The weird part is they were the second family we had met that day from Oregon... what a small world. We said goodbye to our new friends, and continued our search for lunch. We ended up finding a great little Italian place with cheap meals and a yummy salad bar. Perfect!

After eating, we headed across town to visit the Mirabell Gardens. It seemed to be a popular lunch spot for many local business people. There were many benches set amongst the trees which offered a nice shaded resting place. We spent time there reading our travel book and planning the next few hours. We had seen most of what we wanted, so decided to head to the Nonnberg Convent, just to wrap up our own personal "Sound of Music" tour.

By 4:00 our feet hurt and we were tired. We sat at a cafe for an hour sipping cold drinks and I enjoyed a piece of warm apple strudel. We decided to eat an early dinner before leaving, and ended up at the Mozart Cafe. Our train left at 6:30, and with tired legs and full stomachs, we both slept most of the way home.

Monday, Monday...

Same breakfast as yesterday, but I am not complaining. I would eat there three times a day if they let me... unfortunately it is only open until 10 a.m.

Merrick's interview was at 9:00 this morning. I took the taxi ride with him to Infenion, about 10 minutes from our hotel. It was fun to see the campus, which is right in the foothills of the Alps. The south end of the city is very open and pretty. The campus was bigger than I imagined.

From there, I walked back toward the hotel... just to get a better idea of the area. The first thing I came to was a gigantic grocery store. I spent about 1/2 hour there going through the store comparing prices to home, reading labels and just browsing. Some stuff is the same as home, and some is so different. I am starting to wish I had spent more time learning conversions. Chicken is 9 Euros per kg, which is how many dollars per pound... oh well, I give up.

As I meandered through the streets I find myself smiling. Trying to imagine living here is nearly impossible, but I am starting to love the area, and am fascinated by the lifestyle. Everything is peaceful and not rushed. I love taking the stairs, walking to the grocery store, and not carrying a cell phone.

So, could we live here - yes! Will we live here - that is still unknown.

A walk to remember...

Merrick is having trouble adjusting to Austrian time. He did not sleep well last night, and was showered and dressed by the time I first opened my eyes. That NEVER happens at home. We walked downstairs and enjoyed a traditional European breakfast buffet (for free!). Merrick has to be careful with what he eats, but there were hard-boiled eggs and some cold-cut turkey he could have. Anything is better than another bowl of cereal.

After breakfast we headed out for the day. We quickly realized that Sundays are very different here than at home. Most business are closed, including grocery stores and many restaurants. The city streets were empty and quiet, except for the ringing church bells announcing the start of Sunday mass.

Not having a destination in mind, we decided to follow the paths along the river to the lake called Ossiachersee. We walked through some quaint neighborhoods and beautiful countryside on our way. In the distance we saw people paragliding over the Landskrom castle. I can't wait to post pictures as my words cannot come close to describing the views.

By the time we got to Ossiachersee we were hungry and thirsty. We had passed plenty of markets, but all were closed for the day. We sat and rested watching people paragliding over the lake, and others kayaking and taking ferries to cross the lake. Knowing there was a restaurant at the castle, we decided to climb the "mountain" to Landskrom. From the top they were doing a bird show with eagles, falcons and vultures circling high above and performing tricks. We didn't pay to go to the show, but watched from below. We did walk by a large cage and were able to see the large Griffon Vultures close up. They weren't exactly attractive, but were fascinating. We learned that they sometimes eat so much that they have trouble flying after a meal - silly birds.


We are learning that most places offer menus in either German or Italian. Merrick's limited Italian vocabulary has come in handy when reading menus. We still don't know exactly what we are getting, but so far haven't had a bad meal. I ordered a salad from this restaurant that was delicious. One thing I need to remember for future is that Europeans LOVE beets on salad - lots of beets! (If you don't know, I really dislike beets). I was hungry, so I ate most of them. It could have been worse. The restaurant was right on the ridge of the castle, and as we ate, we were staring out at the city of Villach and the Alps in the distance. Amazing!

Even after that nice break, the long walk home was not appealing to either of us. We were lucky enough to be standing at a bus stop, trying to figure out the system, when a bus drove by and picked us up. Our hotel is right across the street from the train station and the bus stop, so we knew that all buses will eventually take us home. Very convenient.

Since Merrick didn't sleep well last night, he was ready for a nap. Again, that NEVER happens at home. We got back into our room and he crashed. I turned on the TV, but had no luck. The one English-speaking station, CNN, was showing In the Footsteps of Bin Laden for the third time since we arrived. It wouldn't be so bad, but we watched that special in Corvallis before this trip. I don't need to see it again. I ended up sleeping too...

The Incredible Journey...

Well, we made it. Our flight was long and uneventful. We met a very friendly couple (Jean and Harry) from Grants Pass who were on their way to cruise the Danube. We had some interesting conversations with them during our 10 hours on the plane. Jean saw my George Fox shirt and wanted to know all about Quakers. Harry wanted to talk about his 21 grandchildren and the retired OSU professor they had recently met. I was happy to have the distraction. It definitely helped the time go quicker. We also watched Akeelah and the Bee. I really enjoyed that movie.

In Frankfurt we had a two hour layover. We got our passports stamped when we got there - which is always a highlight of traveling. Since we had gotten little sleep on the plane, and I was a bit hungover from Dramamine, we just went straight to our gait and slept. When it was time to board our next plane, we (all 30 of us) got on a bus and rode out to the tarmac. There we got into the smallest plane I have ever seen in my life. It had propellers - who uses propellers anymore? I was a little nervous about the whole thing, but we made it, and I did not barf! The view from the plane was incredible. We flew at only about 10,000 feet, so it felt like we could almost touch the Alps as we flew over them. They were so beautiful from above.

We landed in Klagenfurt at about 1 p.m., grabbed our bags from one of the two baggage carousels, and again went through "customs" - if you can all it that. They looked at our passports and asked where we came from (hello... I just showed you my USA passport) and then simply pointed to the door. Our taxi driver was waiting outside and took us directly to our hotel. The 30 minute drive went quickly. The small towns and mountains were beautiful - especially with the occasional castle tucked away in the hills.

As we pulled up to the hotel we were glad to see a grocery store right next door. Getting food was first on our short to-do list. We checked in, dropped off our bags, and went to the store where we had our first adventure... buying soymilk in a German-only speaking store. Thankfully, we survived. After a bowl of cereal (with warm soymilk) a shower and nap were next on the list... both were much needed.

We woke up, still tired, but wanting to explore and find dinner. The downtown part of Villach is small, and pedestrian only. We explored for a while, but most establishments were closed. All stores in the town close at 6 p.m. We found a great German restaurant and had a fabulous dinner. After we ate, it was getting dark, and our bodies were ready to sleep.