Well I'm feeling much better we had our Thanksgiving yesterday which was lovely. I'm feeling a lot better than what I was, I wasn't pleased that I was sick especially with a holiday an all. The latest news here is that we are having our first snow storm of winter, our local town has reported about 14 inches of snow. We have about 9 inches right now. Our area is getting snow really early this year, we normally get snow in late December or early January. All classes are canceled tomorrow, so no college, well here is a pic of our winter-wonderland.


Snowed Pine Needles
Originally uploaded by Welsh Girl In Washington.

I think the snow looked so pretty resting on the evergreen trees.

Snow On The Trees
Originally uploaded by Welsh Girl In Washington.

The snow on the trees look so pretty, this picture looks like something out of Narnia.

Well I guess the day couldn't suck as much as it does now! Apparently I'm sick, I have strep thoat, which is BS. Always freaking happens to me on a holiday, apparently everyone thinks I'm that contagious that Thanksgiving has been cancelled for the family. What the hell? I'm not on my death bed people, I can still have fun! So now I've ruined the day for everyone! It even goes as far as my husband not wanting to sleep with me in our own bed, what kinda of s**t is that?

Well for everyone who is celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, have a good one!

Well we did it; we finally bought a new car. Thanks to Clayton's parents. The insurance company said our old car was totaled it wasn't worth the money to repair it considering it was 16yrs old. So Clayton's parents made a generous offer to help us buy a new car. On Thursday we went to the local Honda dealer and bought a Honda CRV it is a 1997 with a hundred thousand miles on it. It's a bit older than we were hoping but it was the only one in our price range.

On Monday we are taking it to Seattle to get it equipped for Clayton as he has a disability, he needs a left footed gas pedal and a stirring knob. After that he'll be able to drive it, I'm looking forward to it.

Here are some pics of the new car, you can see the whole set here.


SIde View
Originally uploaded by Welsh Girl In Washington.

All nicely washed and polished

Back View
Originally uploaded by Welsh Girl In Washington.

I like that we have one of those spare tires at the back, gives us a lot more space.

A lot of stuff has been going on in my very busy lifestyle, so much in fact that I've decided to cut back on some things. For starters I got a job at a local museum downtown, this job is with the work-study program in school. I'll be working 14hrs a week there. With me working my other job at the weekends, this would mean I'd be pretty much on the go 24/7. School Mon-Thurs 9-4 the working Fri-Sat-Sun. After pondering over this for a couple of days I finally decided to put my notice in with my other job. With me being there a year I just feel I've reached all I can with the job, it's time to move on and be challenging with this other job. So I finish that job in about 2wks.

School is going well right now. I went to a meeting about my degree plan the other day, I'll be entering the Graphic Design program next Spring 07. And should be graduating Winter 07. My classes are certainly challenging, but I'm enjoying the Computer Graphic classes. Here is an example of my work that I've been doing, this is taken from a picture I took. I can't believe I'm in my second year of my degree already.


Landscape
Originally uploaded by Welsh Girl In Washington.

Did this in computer art class it was a reproduction of a picture I took here.

I miss catching up with everyone back home, I don't get a chance to call them that often. My sister actually e-mailed me for the first time in ages, as we always seem to catch up online sometime. So I'm gonna try to make a point and blog more, that would maybe help everyone back home get an idea of what's been going on in my life.

On Monday we went to Seattle to get a stamp in my passport a year extension of my Green Card, I haven't received my Notice of Action in the mail yet. So I made an appointment and was in and out within 20mins. Clayton took me too the British shop on the way home and we had Bangers and Mash for lunch. Unfortunately on the way home we had a car accident, the lady made a left turn and didn't see us. Went right on into the passenger side of our car, luckily we were okay, I have a few bruised ribs and a bad back. So I spend Tuesday morning in ER getting X-Rays, I had a couple of days off school to get better. Luckily the lady had insurance so we'll be getting everything fixed soon.

To all housewives/homemakers,

I feel the need to apologize to all of you out there as I've been neglecting the duties of an everyday typical housewife. I just finished a load of dishes which I'm sad to say are about 3 days old. How the heck do you get a sink full of dishes if you've been living off microwave TV dinners the past 3 weeks?? Oops did I just say that!

This morning I searched hi and low for a decent pair of clean underwear, ok, yes I know I'm getting extremely lazy and sad, and yes, I'm doing a load of laundry as I type.

Saturday afternoon I made a mad dashed effort to vacuum the floor 10 minutes before hubby got home. Didn't go quite as plan though as I had to empty the filter 3 times as there was about 4 weeks of cat hair and dust on the floor. Feel free to leave this blog if your getting disturbing images.

However, there is just one housewife duty that I never neglect... the hubby. Instead of spending the evening cleaning I'd just rather spend most of my evenings with him.

Things have been pretty good here, last week Clayton and I went away for a couple of days to a place called Ocean Shores. We stayed at a hotel by the bay and watched the suset which, was nice and romantic. It was nice to get away even if it was just for a couple of days. I also bought a new camera, I had quite a lot of money back from Financial Aid and thought my future would benefit from it, seeming I'm planning on taking some photography classes. So I bought a Canon Digital Rebel XTI 10 Megapixel. I had quite a good deal on it, I also got a camera bag as well.

Tomorrow we go back to college; I'm taking Introduction to Graphic Design, Computer Art and 3D Design. I can't wait to start my Graphic Design classes, it'll be fun. I've had a couple of interviews at the college for my work study program didn't get the first job, so hopefully I'll get the second job.

Today was super busy in work we were under-staffed and I was doing at least 2 other jobs than I was meant to be doing. Ugh and we had an awkward customer at the end of the night, plus I had to stay behind and clean an extra hour. My feet really ache, I just wanted to blog before I get too swamped in college work.

Here's a picture I took when I was away, taken with my new camera.

Worked on a new layout, the photo was taken by me you can see a larger size here.


Big yawn
Originally uploaded by Welsh Girl In Washington.

Caught Liza yawning, this shot was inspired by Fiona.

Another great shot here.

I really don't know if me rambling is that interesting anymore, guess it's nice to keep it open just to show my family and friends what I'm up too. So, what am I up too. Well, my summer English class is over, I just checked and I got an 'A' grade in the class. So that's really good news, my GPA (Grade Point Average) is looking pretty good right now. Fall quarter starts September 18th, I have no idea when I'll have the time to blog then, not that I have the time now. But I have classes pretty much Mon-Thurs, and when I'm not in classes I'll more than likely be working in College, which is part of a work-study program. I'll be getting $12.50 hr, and working up too 12hrs a week. Which isn't bad but when you have 3 classes and your other job on the weekends it doesn't leave much time too yourself.

I haven't been working a lot the past couple of weeks, as the weather has been so great here, it's quiet in Tube Time. So I've decided to finally get started with my scrapbook project. I went to a local scrapbook store near by me and got all the starting supplies, I have a beginner's class this morning, which shall be fun. It feels good to be starting something new; I hope I'll have the time to keep up with it.

This past week has been pretty busy for Clayton and I as Clayton's uncle and friends have gone on Vacation for a couple of weeks. Clayton and I said we'd housesit and Dog sit for the nearby friends, so we've been back and forth doing that every night. I've also been busy babysitting Ben. Remember the young boy I used to baby-sit for before? Well, he's not young anymore he's nearly 3 and I haven't seen him in so long. I won't go into too much detail but finally he's in a warm, caring safe environment now.

Oh I keep forgetting to blog this. Thanks to Stacie & Alex I found a cool site where I can download my UK T.V shows from. I've been downloading Most Haunted and some UK drama shows, there's also Emmerdale and Coronation Street. So for my fellow expat Brits the site is called... UK NOVA.

Other than that life is pretty much the same as usual. I really feel I've outgrown this blog in more ways than one. At the beginning it was interesting to log all my cultural experiences down, but now that I'm settled it's all everyday life stuff. My priories have changed; I'm now focused on getting my degree. I still enjoy the comments everyone leaves. It's nice to know I have a very small number of people that still like to click my link.

An update is long overdue, I'm starting to be one of those boring blog reads that doesn't update anymore. I haven't really felt like blogging all that much recently. Clayton and I have been looking for new jobs as our jobs are currently giving us 10hr weeks, which is not enough for us to live really. I hope things pick up on my job, as I really don't want to start another job. I might be able to get work at College under a work-study program, which will help a lot.

The last week I have been gathering evidence for my I-751 Removing Conditions on my Residency, I finally send it off yesterday. Hopefully it won't be too long to wait for my 10yr Green Card. I can't believe those 2yrs went by so quickly. Thankfully, at least I'll have a break for a while, well until we can afford to file for citizenship.

Last Saturday my mother-in-law took me shopping for some new clothes as a belated Birthday gift. I had 4 nice skirts and 3 tops, I also had some new shoes. I was treated a lot! We had a nice afternoon together which was lovely. I also received a Build-a-Bear gift card, I bought some clothes for my Anniversary bear. I'm saving the rest to buy a new bear.

Yesterday we went out to visit The Lady Washington ship it was neat to see. The ship was used in The Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl. The ship was The Interceptor in the movie. It was really interesting to get pictures of the ship that Johnny Depp was on, even though parts of the ship were movie props. You can view some pics here.

Raccoon In a Tree

Raccoon In a Tree
Originally uploaded by Natalie & Clayton.

This evening I saw my first Raccoon. I heard a rustling sound outside; so Clayton got a flashlight and looked through the window. Turns out, the rustling sound was actually a mamma Raccoon and a baby Raccoon climbing up the tree. Not a great picture, but I'm still impressed I was able to grab a shot.

Well, what can I say.... the last 2 weeks were wonderful! To have all my family here; to share with them my new life in Washington was certainly a positive experience we'll never forget. Here's a run down of the whole trip...

Monday June 26th, Clayton and I headed to the airport to pick them up, Gary my brother-in-law was to drive a car we had hired. The plane landed at least half hour late, which meant after customs they met up with us at least 2 hours later than planned. After getting their baggage we had planned to get the car, but unfortunately there was a huge misunderstanding, which I'd rather not get into. Upon sorting that out we finally got on the road at least 3 and a half hours later, however, we got into a heavy construction area which laid us over for a good 45 minutes. By the time we got everyone to the hotel it was 2 am in the morning.

Tuesday June 27th, was a better day. Everyone adjusted well to the time difference and the first thing we hit was the mall. For lunch we went to a buffet place, which made everyone very stuffed. In the afternoon we headed to our cottage and spend a couple of hours talking, it was nice to be able to show all my family our place. Everyone really liked the cottage, and loved Liza the cat. On the way back to the hotel we stopped off at Silver Lake Park where most of us went paddle boating. That was a great laugh!

Wednesday June 28th, brought some more lovely hot weather, which meant a trip to Mount Baker. Sunny glorious views, and wonderful family company, as well snowball fights what more could you ask for? Hmm well at least Barnaby Bear had a great time! Upon getting back to the hotel it was time for another Mall visit!!

Thursday June 29th, was all about the local places, we headed to Tube Time (where I work). We spend the whole morning running around trying to keep up with Joanna my niece age 6 and Ethan my nephew age 4. All I can say is.... I'm not as young as I used to be, or maybe I'm not as fit as I should be. Eventually everyone got tired out so we headed to the Train Museum, which I think everyone enjoyed. And yes dad I saw you playing with the trains!!

Friday June 30th, we went to Fairhaven, which involved going to the pottery place where Clayton and I went a couple of months back. The kids painted for a while. After that we went to another Country park, but it was so hot (89 degrees) we ended up leaving early.

Saturday July 1st, was yet another mall day. I think total we all spend about $750. Talk about shopaholics huh!

Sunday July 2nd, was a lazy day at the hotel swimming pool. We all worked up a nice tan, and had so much fun swimming. In the evening we had a BBQ at our cottage, which was great. We invited Clayton's parents and everyone enjoyed the family company.

Monday July 3rd, we went to Birch Bay Family Fun; which included Train rides, Go-Karting and Mini Golf. Everyone had a super fun time, we all played mini golf and most of us caught the sun. Although, Emily (my sister) got sunburned pretty bad. Mum & Dad you're both crap at Mini Golf hehe!

Tuesday July 4th, Happy Independence Day! We all went to the bay; to have a lovely picnic and watch the fireworks. What we didn't anticipate was the weather. All I can say was everyone was bloody freezing! It had been so warm the last week, and now it was cold and the chill coming in from the bay reminded me of a winter's night. Anyway we all laughed through the cold and enjoyed the fabulous fireworks that only lasted 20mins.

Wednesday July 5th, we headed to Seattle for the day. Everyone wanted to visit the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, and see the well-preserved mummy of a man which was on the Mummy Road Show. What I found utterly disturbing was when my nephew came up to me and asked me if he could buy a postcard of Sylvester the mummy. Eventually he traded it in for a pig catapult, yeah I know still wired. Lunch was at Red Robin that day. We then headed to Pikes Place Market, which we all got completely lost in, and I mean lost. It took us a good hour to find everyone.

Thursday July 6th, Clayton & Natalie's 2nd year Wedding Anniversary. Everyone took me to the new Build-a-Bear that just opened up in the mall. The kids picked out thier bears, and Clayton and I picked out a special Anniversary Bear, named Annie. We had a special Anniversary dinner at the Olive Garden.

Friday July 7th, we went to Vancouver Canada. This was the first time I had visited Vancouver, I was also a bit anxious due to my green card nearly expiring. But we all went and had a great time. We went on the Sky Train, which took us to all the best tourist spots. We walked along the waterfront, which was a great view of Vancouver. We then all went to IMAX-3D to watch an underwater movie that was narrated by Johnny Depp. We then headed to Gas town, which took us to a steam clock, which was quite cool.

Saturday July 8th, Clayton, my sisters, my brother-in-law and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. This movie was great, so much better than the first. In the evening we went to Clayton's parents for a BBQ.

Sunday July 9th, we headed to Tube Time one last time, the kids had fun playing while we all watched the World Cup. Then to celebrate the result of the World Cup we went to Olive Garden for lunch.

Monday July 10th, was an emotional day for all of us. Sadly the family vacation had to end sometime. After everyone checked out of the hotel, we had lunch back at our cottage before the long journey to the airport and for them- home.

And if you haven't already seen the photos to the right then please click here

The family should fly over to the US more often, maybe it'll help me maintain a better sense of living. The past couple of days I've been in super clean mode, (I promise the place wasn't that messy!) the cottage is now really clean. On Wednesday I went into panic mode. So on an act of total insanity and an impulse shop, I bought some paint and and a wall-border to redecorate my living room. I felt like I was playing a part in Changing Rooms, a re-decorating makeover show that only has a couple of days to finish a project. I have to say I prevailed, and here is the end result..

The paint is Bonjour Beige, with an Americana border.
Americana Living Room
Originally uploaded by Natalie & Clayton.

Well I feel kind of bummed right now. I've been studying for my Drivers ed test for a quite a while now, and I felt confident enough to take it. So today I thought I'd do just that, so I went to the DMV sat there and waited for about an hour. Finally got called up, paid my $20 and went to take the test. Unfortunately I didn't pass. I missed 6, ugh I'm so upset I knew my stuff the ones I missed were basic questions on how long you have to wait to renew your license that type of stuff. I knew my road rules, and signs. Hm I feel pretty stupid right now, as everyone I've spoken too about this said the test is easy. Well I'm going to study all day tomorrow and re-take it Thursday so wish me luck on that.

On a more positive note, I got a B in my Art class. I was pretty pleased about that. I've finished classes for this quarter, although I decided to take an English class in the summer. I start that in a couple of weeks, it's only one class a week so it's not that bad.

My family will be here in less than 2wks, ooh can't wait.

Today is my 23rd Birthday, I've had a great day been really spoiled. I thought the day would turn out pretty crappy; as I had an in class essay for English this morning. But it certainly turned around. First thing this morning my family called and wished me happy-birthday which made my day. Clayton then surprised me with a heart pendant necklace, which is beautiful. I love him so much!

The plan was to go to my English class write a really great in class essay (which I'm not sure I did) then head to the mall for a shopping spree. I kept a few gift cards from JC Penny that we had as gifts Christmas time, so I thought I'd spend them as a treat.

I had some real nice bargains in JC Penny bought a Denim Jacket for $20 down from $48. Also bought a really nice summer skirt for $20 down from $38. I then headed to the Body Shop where I had $10 to spend I bought Cassis Rose Body Mist and Coconut Lip Butter. After that I headed to Payless Shoes and bought some sneakers/trainers for $10.

Clayton then took me out to lunch at Boston Pizza, where I had Chicken and mushroom alfredo, which was yummy.

Heart Necklacce
Originally uploaded by Natalie & Clayton.

Clayton bought me a heart pendant necklace for my birthday. The heart shape stone is a Ruby.

You can see the rest of my Birthday Goodies here including my Birthday bargains.

Yes, we've all done it, left a paper till the last minute to write and spend most of the night revising it. Aah the memories- well that was me last night. Several cups of caffeine from 1pm till 1am, striving to finish my paper that was due first thing in the morning. Don't get me wrong I was well prepared! My first draft was just full of ideas. However, when it came to writing my second draft and coming to a strong thesis point my mind just went blank. A total brain freeze! The paper was on Internet Romance; which I should have been a pro on - seeming I lived through one.

I finally closed my eyes at around 1:20am last night; I awoke like a zombie with just under 5 hours of sleep. Even in my zombie state; I still had the energy to proof read my paper for the 8th time.

The one thing I can say that got me through this hard and trying time was....

"Starbucks-Starbucks is my friend!"

Wow I only have another 3 weeks left in college for this quarter. I finish my English class a week early, which is nice. I'm already picking my classes for the fall; I'll be taking English 101, Introduction to Graphic Design (which I'm really looking forward too) and Introduction to Art. I was thinking of taking some classes this summer, but my family will be here the first two weeks of class so that won't work. Clayton will be graduating with his AA after he takes his last 3 classes in the fall, then he'll be off to the nearby University for his BA.

This last quarter I've found a couple of classmates that I've befriended, which has been really lovely. Funnily enough the one person I've really befriended with isn't really in my age group, but that doesn't matter. I've always made friends with women who were older than me. It's been nice to socialize a little bit.

I've finally uploaded some pictures from my art class you can see some of them here... but here is just a tiny preview..


Tree
Originally uploaded by Natalie & Clayton.

I finally got the hang of drawing trees! This drawing went to hang on the wall in the hallway.


Color - Tree
Originally uploaded by Natalie & Clayton.

Art 112, my landscape color tree. Experimenting with color pastels.


Shadow Portrait
Originally uploaded by Natalie & Clayton.

Personally I feel this drawing is rather scary looking. The object of shadow drawing is to draw the light and dark shadows. I feel I worked well with these portraits.

Even with my busy life I've forgotten to blog about something that means so much to me. May 4th was my second year anniversary of being in the United States. I can't believe it; time has gone by so quick. In August of this year we have to file to remove the conditions of my permanent residency. That will mean I will hopefully be granted my ten year Green Card. After that I should be eligible to apply for citizenship, which I've been seriously thinking of doing the last couple of months. It defiantly will cost a lot for citizenship but it'll all be worth while, and at least I won't have to worry about immigration no more. Just thought I'd let everyone know about the upcoming months of immigration.

It is such a lovely day here today the sun is shinning and it's 80F. I did my homework out side in the sun and got a lovely suntan on my arms. I hope the weather stays warm tomorrow, as Clayton and I are off to Deception Pass for the day. It is Clayton's Birthday on Thursday so we thought seeming we are in school on his birthday we'd celebrate it tomorrow instead. So we're going to take a picnic down and paddle in the ocean - weather permitting of course.

In other news school is going well. I'm having a hard time with my Art recently. We've been working with Ink and I find that very difficult. We are also doing prospective drawing, which I find pretty hard to grasp. In all honesty I'm finding the teacher very dissatisfying; overall in her methods of teaching. At least I only have 4wks until the end of the quarter. I'm also feeling a lot better now. The flu only lasted 2 days which I'm thankful for.

5 more weeks and my whole family will be in the states!

Another week gone since I last posted, no excuses this time. Reason being I just couldn't be bothered to post anything about my boring life. Been studying the drivers Ed book religiously over the last week, hopefully I'll be able to take the test soon. I've been on a mission the last couple of days to find a good deal to rent a mini van for my family to use when they are here. It finally paid off when I got a great deal with Enterprise I also went to a consignment store yesterday and picked up two booster seats for my niece and nephew, I had quite a good deal I'm starting to like consignment stores now.

Speaking of bargains, I went to Goodwill the other day and bought a few nice little finds. The main thing I'm more pleased with was a large scratching post for our cat Liza. It was $3 and about 4ft tall. Liza has been destroying our sofa for the last few months now and we were starting to get desperate. We have bought her many scratching posts before but they were pretty small, so in a last attempt we thought why not see if this one works. We brought it back home and I showed her what it was, to our astonishment she completely took to it. Since then she's been using it everyday to scratch. Speaking of Liza I took a great pic of her the other day sitting on Clayton's chair here's the pic....


Liza the fat cat
Originally uploaded by Natalie & Clayton.

Liza The Big Fluffy Cat
She has such a cute expression on her face.

I'm also sick with the flu, I took the day off school to try and get better. Yesterday I was doing my schoolwork and within an hour I was all achy and sneezing. It started off with a scratchy throat.

After many months of putting aside, I finally picked up my Drivers Ed handbook. Yes you read that right; I'm finally going to learn to drive! The last couple of days I've been reading over the book highlighting things I need to remember. Tonight I took the practice quiz online and got 5 wrong out of 20, it said if I had 4 wrong I'm ready to take the knowledge test. Guess I'm not that far away, but I'm going to study for another couple of weeks first before I take the test. The test is 25 questions and I need to have 20 right. If I pass I get my learners permit for a year in which I can drive with any licensed driver to learn. I was thinking about taking proper lessons with an instructor but it's just to pricey, I'll probably learn with Clayton, his uncle also said he'd teach me.

On Wednesday I called my dad, I wasn't prepared for what he was going to tell me. The latest news: One of my sisters went out and purchased a Playstation 2, just to play the new Tomb Raider Legend game. Ok so your thinking this isn't such a big deal right? Well to our family and me it is. When I was living at home this would be the family event that everyone would participate in. I was surprised when my dad said, "aww we miss you, you're not here to help us with the difficult parts" way to feel loved huh hehe! So out of jealousy I went out on Wednesday afternoon, and exchanged my old playstation 1 in for a Playstation 2 and the new Tomb Raider game. Sadly this will result in me not getting off my arse to do any exercise other than eye hand co-ordination. Hmm I guess this wasn't such a good idea after all.

It's been a while since I last posted, been pretty busy with work and school. School is going really well, I'm getting better with the Art one of my art pieces was put on the wall outside the classroom the other day so I must be getting better. Once I get it back, I'll take a shot of it and post it on Flickr.

In other news we have successfully paid off nearly all of our credit cards. We only had 3 but paid off 2, and a good chunk of the 3rd one. I'd say by the summer we'll be clear of all our debit. It's such a relieve to be able to have all of them paid off, we will be cutting up one because the interest was so high. The other 2 we are keeping and only using in emergencies.

Exactly 2 months from today my family are flying out to the USA, I can't believe it's only 8wks away. Time really goes by quick, I can't wait for them all to be here.

I hope everyone had a great Easter, we had a great day. Easter brunch at the Golf Club was really nice it was a buffet meal, we had fun with all of Clayton's family. After brunch Clayton and I went to the Tulip Fields for the afternoon, it was such a great day weather wise the sun was shining. Last year we went to the Tulip Festival, and they we're all gone; we went to see them too late, here's the post from last year. So this year we decided to go earlier and wow I'm so glad we went, such a difference. Here are some pictures I took on our new Digital Canon Camera we bought the other day....







When we got back we went to Clayton's parents for some dinner, we had smoked salmon that Clayton's dad smoked on the BBQ. The evening was fun, I spend the whole evening looking at Clayton's baby pictures with Clayton's mom. Yeah only now I'm finally looking at those pics hehe.

Oh one random thing, yesterday I upgraded to FlickrPro.

Lilac Purse

Lilac Purse
Originally uploaded by Natalie & Clayton.

My mother in law bought me this purse as a gift. No special reason, she just thought I'd like it.

Alright, I know I said I could learn to draw but this is ridiculous I'm only on my second week and I'm frustrated beyond belief. All my work looks pretty pathetic and what the heck is negative space anyway? We can only hope that things will improve, everyone says it's just like riding a bike; funny thing is I'm also crap at riding the bike (pissing myself laughing.)

Since my last post I have fought with the washer several times, I'm determined it won't get the better of me. I'm out to prove that the washer is destroying my clothes, as the men in my life (whom remain nameless) seem to think it's the cat, until I can prove this fact I can't get a new washer. However I have looked into those 'Mesh Laundry Bags' and will be purchasing them shortly, so thanks for the tip.

Easter is on Sunday, I was hoping to get a large chocolate Easter egg but I guess I'll just have to settle for the mini cream eggs. Not like I need the extra chocolate anyways. On Sunday, Clayton's parents have booked for us all to have Easter brunch at a local Golf club. Normally we would be at their house having Easter dinner, but they have family from Germany over this week. It would be nice to see some of Clayton's distant relatives, as I've only ever met his parents and uncle.

Started my new classes for the quarter. The English class looks ok, but the Art class is a little daunting at the moment. The class sounds pretty hard, especially seeming we will be using charcoal to draw with. Hopefully I'll be ok, and I'll keep you all updated. I had my hair cut and colored yesterday, I had highlights done blonde and red. I think it looks pretty good, and I got it done pretty cheaply seeming I'm a student now, I like being a student in the US the college gives out really good coupons.

I've been having a few problems with my washer/dryer they are both pretty old machines and are also top loaders which are pretty crap anyways. We had them given to us when Clayton moved into the cottage. However lately I've been finding a cluster of pinholes in my clothes, I've had about 8 items of clothing with these pinholes. Clayton's dad has been to our place a couple of times to check the washer/dryer, as he used to be a repair man for them. He has said they were both running ok, but yet I still have these pinholes in my clothes. We thought it might be the cat for a while, but I've never seen her lie on the clothes, and the blankets she does lie on have no pinholes. Today was the last straw I found a top that I had from my mum at Christmas with pinholes, I am really upset that it's destroyed. So we're thinking of getting a new washer/dryer, I'm kind of hoping Clayton's uncle can help us out a bit with paying for them as we can't afford to pay for them both. Although I'm thinking he won't help us if Clayton's dad can't find anything wrong with the machines. I guess we shall see, it's just not fair that my clothes are getting ruined.

Oh guess what I bought today, The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe. I really enjoyed this movie, reminds me of my childhood.

Had a lovely couple of days away, very relaxing. Went back to work today it was a pretty slow morning, however I did get a laugh out of something my co-worker wrote. He did a Slumber party over the weekend, and he wrote the following.... I just had to share, as I found it quite funny.

Ode To The Tube

It is 4:53 in the am. The remaining girls have moved on to their third round of Truth or Dare and I am the only male in the building. I am haunted with the screams of nine-year-old girls, which I have spent the past eight hours of my life frantically attempting to avoid. A mother with no perception of reality continues to tell me they will soon be asleep. But I know. Experience has taught me that the ones still awake are the true fighters. They are the soldiers that were sent from the depths of hell to conquer and destroy me. The demons still conscious are dedicated. But I am ready. My only mission: survival. This is what I've trained for. Armed only with Connect Four, I battle. Who will go first? It's me or them and there is no room for error.

The mother (their only chaperone) has fallen asleep. I am now all alone. Connect Four has frustrated me into a haze that only a hand-held electronic game can cause. Even my three shots of espresso seem helpless to my cause. My attention span begins to crumble and my pillow calls my name. But I will not give in.

As their eyes begin to droop my dream of victory appears to be shifting into reality. But the leader has made a desperate move and requested a refill on soda. Blast! The additional caffeine is sure to buy them the energy they so desperately long for.

If I were to pick I'd say that I was ahead, but at this point it's too close to tell. The battle rages on with their brutal questions, which they are too young to be asking. Their attacks are fierce but my shield of kindness blocks them as if they were nothing more than mosquitoes. I go in for the kill with my sword of patience: a trick question... "What's over there?' My opponents turn their backs and I seize my opportunity by shutting the door. HA! There was nothing there! I have won this battle but what if they come back? Will it work a second time?

Eight o'clock has now come and gone and the first rude thankless parents have already picked up their kids. I am nearly done with my cleaning and the scent of triumph is sweetly laced into the mix of the various other smells that I have grown accustomed to over the past year and a half.

9 am. I'm outta here. I've done it they're gone. I win. Tired and dirty, I will attempt to straggle home and sleep away my anxiety. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. To an outsider this may seem like an accomplishment. But to those who know and understand...... It's just another shift at the Tube.

Thought I'd change the layout, for Spring which I'm finally glad is here. The Lilac reminds me of our Wedding day, I just love Lilac.

I'm done with my classes this quarter I got an A- in both classes, which I'm very pleased about. Today I've had the house to myself Clayton's been in work all day. It has been so nice to just relax, although I should have been doing housework. I talked to my mum on the phone for a little while though. My dad is in hospital at the moment he's having a Hernia operation tomorrow morning, I hope everything goes okay. Clayton was shocked when I told him my dad had to phone to make sure there was a bed available for him, hehe I told him that's the NHS for you.

On Friday night Clayton's parents are taking us out for a meal to celebrate our grades this quarter. I'm so glad things are working out better between me and them. Clayton's mom called the other night, I answered and she responded with 'Hi Natalie it's mom' I feel kind of strange calling her mom, I normally call her by her first name. I also call Clayton's dad by his first name to. They don't seem to have a problem with it, but I'm thinking maybe she'd like for me to start calling her mom now; seeming she brought it up. Hm still feels strange though.

We're both looking forward to our little mini vacation, I know it's only a night away but it's still something.

Was tagged by my sister, who apparently just wants me to update. I'm getting to be such a lazy cow aren't I?

* Four Jobs you have had in your life... *
1. Cashier at a supermarket
2. Cook and waitress in a cafe
3. Worked at a Daycare
4. Receptionist

* Four Movies you could watch over and over...*
1. You've Got Mail
2. City Of Angels
3. Sleepless In Seattle
4. The Scream trilogy

* Four places you have lived... Only ever lived in two places*
1. Wales UK
2. Emigrated to Seattle WA USA

* Four TV Shows you love to watch...*
1. Lost
2. Bones
3. Unsolved Mysteries
4. Sex and The City

* Four places you have been on vacation.*
1. Portland Oregon.
2. Visited mostly all of WA State.
3. Devon in England UK.
4. Um can't think of anywhere else.

* Four websites you visit daily...*
1. Loud Ladies
2. Blog Reads
3. Bellingham Railway Museum
4. Weight Watchers

* Four of your favorite foods..*
1. Chocolate
2. Chocolate
3. Chocolate
4. And more chocolate

* Four places you would rather be right now...*
1. In a nice warm bubble bath
2. In Wales with my family
3. On Vacation
4. In Bed

*Four Bloggers you are tagging....*
1. Stef - Wife of an Army Medic
2. Stacie - Forever Love
3. Lydia's Journal
4. Nikki-Ann

Things are going good here, college is nearly over for this quarter. I'll be done with my classes on Tuesday, which is so nice. I registered for my classes next quarter, I'll be taking English 100 and Art 112. Getting back into school hasn't been all that bad, I've enjoyed my classes and have worked really hard. Seeming I've worked so hard, Clayton has surprised me with a night away at the English B&B I'm so excited I've been wanting to spend a night there for a while, we'll be going on the 27th.

Wow I can't believe it's March already, where has the time gone. It's already been 2mths since we came back from Wales. This week I've been feeling a little homesick. March 1st was Saint Davids Day celebrating our patron Saint, and today we celebrated by going to Seattle for a church service, it was nice to see the Seattle Welsh Choir a Welsh Harpist and to sing the National Anthem. There was a Welsh Tea afterwards and a raffle (which I didn't win) it was nice to celebrate my country's culture even though I'm 6000 miles away. After the service and tea we went for dinner at a local British Shop, 'The British Pantry' I had Steak & Kidney pie with chips, and Clayton had Fish n Chips, kinda ruined our diets for the week though.

It feels so great to still be able to enjoy all things Welsh & all things British!

College Project

I'm just putting this out there to see if I can gather any information, thought this might be a unique idea, maybe it'll help, maybe not. I'm doing a project "On the roles of Jewish Women in the family as well as in the Jewish religion." If you are a Jewish Woman and would like to help me out with my project please comment below and leave your e-mail address. I will then get back to you with some questions about your roles. Or if you feel comfortable just leave me a little message that would be helpful to my project. Thanks to anyone that responds.

Disclaimer: These are my own personal thoughts and feelings, I'm in no way trying to be offensive.

I just felt I had to write as I'm a little annoyed at some American Film producers. Anyone who is British would know of the childhood TV cartoon "The Magic Roundabout" from the BBC. Well last year it was re-made into a movie with some well know British names such as Robbie Williams, Joanna Lumley, Bill Nighy and Tom Baker. Clayton and I watched it while we were at home for Christmas, I really enjoyed it, it was really funny. So one day last week we were watching TV and we saw it was coming over here, I got all excited but it soon turned to disappointment when I realized it had been totally Americanized!! All the characters have been dubbed over with American actors such as, Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon and Daniel Tay. They've even changed the British jokes. They've totally destroyed a brilliant film! The one part I find really insulting is that they've even spelt the dogs name wrong it is spelt 'Dougal' not 'Doogal'. Now I know that's only a minor spelling detail but still if your going to rip off a movie at least spell it correctly. Why can't us Brits get the fame and glory for once, now people won't enjoy the movie for what it really is.

Okay vent over with.

Essay's

Essay
Originally uploaded by Natalie & Clayton.

A life of a college student; most of which is spend ether working or typing essay's all day.

So much stuff has happened over the last couple of weeks, I'm just going to break it down into sections.

Work
I'm now working two jobs, I received a phone call last Monday from from the day care I used to work at 'Kids World' they were wondering if I'd like to come in and sub for them. Sounds like they are really desperate for staff right now. After calling them back I told them they are more than welcome to call on certain days to see if I'm home. This Monday they call "Can you please help us out" and me finding it hard to say no, said yes I'll be in in the afternoon. It was nice to see all my co-workers again, and also the kids I used to work with, which are all talking really well now.

School
Can't believe I only have another 5wks left of this quarter, it's gone quick. I had my mid-term result back for English I had 95% I was so proud of myself. I'm also getting an A on all my quizzes, and pretty much getting a C+ on my essays. I have to register for next quarter soon, I'm going to be taking Art 112 class and English 100.

Valentine's Day
Clayton and I decided to make our own Valentine's gifts this year. We went to a local pottery store and painted our own design, I painted a mug and coaster for Clayton, and Clayton painted a plate for me.

Valentine's evening was really romantic, Clayton made me a candlelit dinner. Pork Roast stuffed with feta cheese, garlic, spinach and apricots. Roast potatoes, mushrooms and peppers. Followed by a heart cheese cake and Roses.

Weight Loss
I started Weight Watchers just about 2wks ago now and I've lost 11lbs in total, although I've probably put some back on now after that cheese cake (which I didn't eat all of, Clayton helped me out. )

Ok tell me this, why do we all get obsessed with something that doesn't even interest us? Is it mainly because everyone else is talking about it? And by making yourself extra interested and knowledgeable on the subject, it won't make you look totally pathetic and sad in front of people.

Take for instance the Superbowl, last week I had no idea what this was all about. But in little over a week I have learned so much about this event it is freighting. The only reason I know so much is because the Seattle Seahawks got through to the final round, and have never played in the Superbowl before. Today they are playing against the Steelers Pittsburgh.

So for someone who doesn't even give a shit about football,
I'm going to say, "Go Seahawks"

Update: And no I didn't watch the match, I tuned in right at the end when the Steelers won.

Today I had a day to myself no work, no school, no husband. It was nice to just have some space and relax, however the day was interrupted by many Telemarketing calls. What is the problem with these companies trying to sell me mortgage loans and credit cards? In the last hour I have received 8 telemarketing calls, it's gotten to the point now where I have disconnected my phone for the rest of the afternoon. But not before I spend 40mins on the phone with my phone company, I've registered with the 'National Do Not Call List' it won't activate for a while. I was offered to pay my phone company $20 a month to stop them calling, I said no way, why should I pay?

I searched on Google to find another way to get rid of these nuisance calls, this is what I came up with...

Get Rid of Telemarketers For Good

1. If they want to loan you money, tell them you just filed for bankruptcy and you could sure use some money.

2. If they start out with, "How are you today?" say, "I'm so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems. My arthritis is acting up, my eyelashes are sore, my dog just died . . . "

3. If they say they're John Doe from XYZ Company, ask them to spell their name. Then ask them to spell the company name. Then ask them where it is located, how long it has been in business, how many people work there, how they got into this line of work, if they are married, how many kids they have, etc. Continue asking them personal questions or questions about their company for as long as necessary.

4. (This works great if you are male) Telemarketer: "Hi, my name is Judy and I'm with XYZ Company. " You: Wait for a second and with a real husky voice ask, "What are you wearing?"

5. Cry out in surprise, "Judy? Is that you? Oh my God! Judy, how have you been?" Hopefully, this will give Judy a few brief moments of terror as she tries to figure out where she could know you from.

6. Say "No" over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one, and keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most fun if you can do it until they hang up.

7. If MCI calls trying to get you to sign up for the Family and Friends Plan, reply, in as sinister a voice as you can, "I don't have any friends, would you be my friend?"

8. If the company cleans rugs, respond: "Can you get out blood? Can you get out goat blood? How about human blood?"

9. After the telemarketer gives his or her spiel, ask him or her to marry you. When they get all flustered, tell them that you can't just give your credit card number to a complete stranger.

10. If the telemarketer is selling raffle tickets, tell him or her that you work for the same company and that employees cannot participate.

11. Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a telemarketer, set the receiver down, scream, "OH MY GOD!" and then hang up.

12. Tell the telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask if he/she will give you their home phone number so you can call him/her back. When the telemarketer explains that telemarketers cannot give out their home numbers say, "I guess you don't want anyone bothering you at home, right?" The telemarketer will agree and you say, "Me either!" and proceed to hang up.

13. Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times.

14. Tell them it is dinner time, but ask if they would please hold. Put them on your speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation. For added effect, clanging of cutlery and dishes is recommended.

15. Tell the telemarketer you are on "home incarceration" and ask if they could bring you some beer.

16. Ask them to fax the information to you, and make up a number.

17. Tell the telemarketer, "Okay, I'll listen to you, but I should probably tell you, I'm not wearing any clothes."

18. Insist that the caller is really your buddy Leon, playing a joke. "Come on, Leon, cut it out! Seriously, Leon, how's your momma?"

19. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up... louder... louder!

20. Tell them to talk very slowly, because you want to write every word down.

I think that sums it up don't you think?

Yet another week since I last posted, I've been neglecting the whole blogging thing for quite some time now. I don't post much anymore, and I don't visit my daily reads as much as I used to. Don't get me wrong I've enjoyed blogging about my long distance relationship, emigrating and culture life here in the States. But I guess I feel I have nothing to say or rather I've out grown this somehow. I still would like to write about my experiences in life, and what I've learnt along the way. I wonder if anyone ever bothers reading, or even enjoys reading it anymore.

So what's been happening since my last post, life as a college student is going well I got a C grade on my paper and my midterms are this week. College isn't that much different from over in the United Kingdom, although the English classes I've been taking have been somewhat of a challenge. Words are spelt differently and sometimes mean different things. I have to take an American and British dictionary with me, as I get confused.

I joined Weight Watchers online the other day, I'm so totally focused in losing weight. So many factors really, but a certain event is getting me even more pumped to lose those pounds. I bet you all want to know, well this summer my family are coming over. They all booked thier flights last week, arriving on the 26th June - 10th July. Even the hotel rooms are all booked.

I can't stop thinking of where we're going to be in 3yrs time, our future looks so exciting and promising. I really need to start focusing more on the present or these 3yrs will drag for us. However the present is just as exciting, as the future.

What more can I say, life is wonderful.

This working toward a better future thing, is hard work. We haven't stopped since we got back from the UK, it's been work, school, work, school & more work. I bet it'll be all worth it in the end though. Speaking of which we finally have a set plan on what we both want to do in life. Clayton's decided he wants to be a Railroad Dispatcher, he's always wanted to pursue this career. When we first met on the internet this was what he told me he wanted to do. So he'll be finishing his 4yr degree and then we'll be moving to Texas for him to go to school and train for the job. If everything works out and he passes the course then he very well could be hired with the company, so then we'll be staying in Texas. By that time hopefully we'll be looking for a house, to settle down. I'm quite excited about the future plans, I'm hoping I'll be able to put up with the heat that Texas has. But it'll be worth it if Clayton's got a good job.

School is going well, I'm enjoying it actually. It's nice to get my brain into gear again, although I'm finding it hard to manage my time between work and school work. It's not to bad right now, I have a couple of essays to complete.

Work is going well, a week last Friday Clayton and I went to the Christmas party that the owners of Tube Time put on for the employees. They actually held it back for me seeming we were away, which was really nice. I had a $15 gift certificate to a music store from my secret Santa. I also won $10 from a game we played at the party didn't get first, second or third though, it was more of a consolation prize. At least everyone left with something. We both really enjoyed the night, it was nice for us both to get out and socialize with everyone. Which we should do more often.

I started College today, I'm taking two English classes to start with. Both of them seemed very good, they are very low in numbers in the classroom one had 4 and the other 8. I missed a little bit as the classes started last week, and seeming we were away and only got back last Wednesday then I was set back just a little. Luckily I've nearly caught up with everything, I have to read "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok it's about two Jewish Friends during World War 2. I feel quite pleased that I'm back in school, at least I know I'm working towards a better future.

I did say I'd update more about our trip, I've been really tired trying to get over the jet lag. Normally I don't suffer from much jet lag, but this time it seemed to affect me a lot more. Well you all know about the girls night out on the party bus, that was a great night. During the time we were there, I got to spend a lot of time with my niece and nephew. They have grown up so much, it's surprising how much you miss in a good year and a half. I also met up with my best friends Catherine and Laura, getting all the news from their end from the last year.

Christmas day was really special with my mum & dad and sisters, got a lot of nice gifts. We had a nice traditional British Roast dinner, with Christmas Crackers and Christmas pudding. Then in the afternoon we went to my Grandparents (mums side) for tea, got to see all my cousin's and Aunt & Uncles. We got home at around 6pm and watched the Christmas special of Doctor Who which was actually better than I expected.

Funny how it's all filmed in Cardiff the Capital of Wales. The day after Boxing day we went down my sister Sarah's for tea and too exchange gifts with everyone. One of the gifts from my mum to everyone was a chocolate Fondue machine. Stupidly enough we got it ready when we were down my sisters, which subsequently resulted in major chocolate fights and really sick stomachs.

After Christmas was all done with my grandad (Dads side) took me and Clayton out for Fish n Chips. Grandad had promised he'd take us out for a while.

Happy New Year Everyone. We got back from the UK yesterday, we had a wonderful time and I'm very sad we had to leave. But I'm happy to say that my family will be coming out in the summer for a couple of weeks, so I don't have to wait long to see them again.

I posted pictures on my Flickr account, you can see them all by clicking on the Flickr Badge on the sidebar.

Seeing my family & friends was the first time in 18mths, it was a very emotional 2wks. When we first got back, everything seemed very small and unusual to me, by the end of the 3rd day everything seemed normal again.

The first Wednesday we were there, I didn't have much time to recover from jet lag as me and my sisters were going out clubbing for the night. We partied in style... In a Double Decker Party Bus. You can just imagine what kind of mischief us four sisters got up too, lets just say we didn't fall into bed until after 3am, and we had really bad hangovers in the morning.
I think I'm going to have to continue this blog entry tomorrow, I'm so tired I'm fading fast. Please come back and visit to read more about our Christmas in the UK.