No Title Needed

I take the Circle line home each night, stopping most nights at High Street Kensington to go the gym, stop by Whole Foods etc. It's a short walk home from there. About 2-3 nights a week, there is a woman sitting near the tube station with her dog, an adorable rottie/pit bull mix who is full of love. I'll call the woman Ann. I usually stop to chat, give her a £ or two. Our conversations always center on her beloved dog, and we talk about Vella too. Ann is usually reading a book, she never asks people for help or money, but always graciously accepts what people offer her. From what I gather, she isn't homeless, but falls in to the 'chaotic life' bucket as we call it in financial services.

I didn't see Ann the past few weeks, but was happy to see her tonight when I exited the tube station. I asked how she was and she said she was fine, getting along. I was petting the dog, when Ann told me that the dog hasn't been herself so she took her to a vet who provides low cost care. The dog has a terrible ear infection, which I saw with my own eyes. I asked why the vet didn't give her medicine for the dog. She said that when she was at the office, she didn't have enough money for the visit/exam + the prescription and was too embarrassed to ask for more help. She is also afraid of the dog being taken from her. She planned to go back as soon as she can scrape together the £36 and she knows how much pain the dog is in right now. I started to say goodbye, but something in my gut told me not to walk away. I asked Ann how much she needed, she said she had nearly £20. We chatted for a few more minutes, and after some tears and promises, I gave Ann the £16. She kept saying, 'You would do that for my dog? You would do that for me?' I have Ann's word that I will see her next week and she will show me the medication, that the dog will be on the mend. She gave me a hug.

There is so much wrong and just plain bad in this world. I saw it every day in NYC, and I see it here in London too. I hope I was able to do some good today. I'll be praying for Ann and her dog tonight, and hoping that I see her next week. Maybe I was taken for a fool, but I like to think that Ann is a good person who will live up to her word.

Time to Get Serious

And make this place more of a home! Case in point:

This table and bedding joined our flat this weekend. All in anticipation of helping out this poor room.

Ibiza

We spent last weekend in Ibiza. The original plan was to spend the weekend with friends who would meet us after spending time in Barcelona with family. Their trip was canceled, but we decided to make the two-hour flight and enjoy.

The tapas were delicious!

The beaches were gorgeous (Note that I had to be careful in choosing a beach shot because like most European beaches, tops are optional in Spain and 90% of the people on the beach were half-naked.)

And we even took in a little history in Ibiza town (not without MORE food of course!).

That concludes our May-July tour! We're staying put for a few weeks and then we're off on a 'proper' holiday in early August.

Where in the World are the Rosedales?

I promise this isn't a travel blog. And we do have jobs, we aren't just gallivanting around Europe. So, where in the world are the Rosedales this weekend? Take a guess! I might just have something for the person who guesses correctly (Megan, you aren't eligible!).

Random Tuesday

Lots of random thoughts on my mind today...

I had my arse handed to me at the gym tonight. I feel old. I'm hungry and I'm keeping a food diary. Accountability sucks.

My kitchen, and maybe the living room too, smells like Newman's Own balsamic dressing. I'm not pointing any fingers, but my husband didn't put the cap back on the dressing last week when he put in the fridge. One shake, and it was all over the kitchen.

I'm reading Rescue Me by Melissa Wareham. If you love dogs, especially those of the rescue kind, this is the book for you!

Vella is booked on a British Airways flight the night of August 10! We miss her so much it's to the point of being ridiculous. Let the spoiling commence the morning of August 11. We're already plotting her first trip to the English countryside. She'll love it.

We had a wonderful weekend in County Clare, Ireland. No plans, nowhere in particular to be, no dinner reservations...not a care in the world. Ireland is stunning and we can't wait to go back this year.

I'm really fed up with our washing machine and refrigerator. We're among the lucky ones too - we have a combo washer/dryer that actually dries clothes (that's a novelty here!) and a reasonably sized refrigerator that would be the envy of many here in London. I have to remind myself to get over it and move on. Life ain't that bad.

Our apartment is in need of some serious decorating. Pictures to come, which will all be 'before' pictures. I have no idea where to start to get to an 'after.'

TGIF

Today is my Birthday, the 10-year anniversary of a Birthday when I was in my 20's. I'm not sharing the number! It hasn't been a good day (it's almost 12pm here in London). I'll spare you the details, but I may need to eat something naughty for lunch. We're heading to the land of shamrocks and leprechauns tonight, so hopefully the weekend will be better than today.

Happy 4th of July! Have a burger, hot dog, and corn on the cob for us.

Rosedale v. Rosedale Challenge

T-minus 5 weeks until our August vacation (that's holiday for you folks here in London). Matt and I have challenged each other to a friendly competition of super shape up by the end of July. I have birthday this week, Matt has a birthday in September, and we have an anniversary in September...and let's just say we're both noticing our age! Remember the line from Steel Magnolias? "Honey, time marches on and eventually you realize it is marchin' across your face." Yes, Truvy, it is!

We're both avid runners and could run circles around most people, and neither of us really need to lose significant pounds, so we're talking about each of us maybe losing in the single digits. Progress will be measured in body fat. Doesn't that sound fun?

We've instituted a no chip (aka french fries) and crisps (aka potato chips) policy for the month of July. We've also stocked the fridge with plenty of food choices. So what's cooking this week?

Note: I should caveat this with the fact that we don't believe in low fat, fat-free, or sugar-free foods unless they occur that way in nature...lucky for us we're in Europe where the idea of fat-free cheese would make some poor soul die of a heart attack.

Monday: Bacon, cheddar, leek quiche + Fresh green salad w/ walnuts and chevre

Tuesday: Broiled chicken + Rice pilau + Steamed veggies

Wednesday: Zucchini and shrimp pasta w/ freshly grate parmigiano reggiano and pine nuts

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: We'll be on a flight, so I'll bring fruit, nuts and other snacks

Wimbledon and Bon Jovi...

I don't think a weekend can get any better than that! A very busy, very hot weekend here in London without much air conditioning, but well worth it.

Wrapping up the week!

We have a new MacBook Pro and I have no idea how to use it! I barely found my way on to internet. Our old home computer was a Dell from when my husband went to B-school seven years ago. You can imagine how slow that thing is by now. But this things is way too fancy for me. Seriously, I just got an ipod this time last year for my birthday...technology isn't my "thing."

We have a busy weekend ahead of us, a little too jam packed for my taste if you ask me. Some fun things planned though, so I'll have something to blog about next week.

Word from Camp Rosedale (aka Matt's Mom) is that Vella is one angry little dog right now. Matt was in NYC last week, so he stayed through the weekend to spend some QT with his family. Vella didn't take too well to Matt leaving and has expressed herself by destroying silk pillows and going #2 in the house. I feel terrible for my MIL and wish we could put her on a flight tonight. I'm sure my MIL will be very happy to put Vella on a one-way flight on August 10!

Anyone else hate Sunday nights?

It's 7:30 here and I'm winding down my day. I need to do some work tonight, which is never a fun way to end the weekend! What did I do today? It was very exciting...

• Ran 6 miles this morning as I officially kicked off my 1/2 marathon training.
• Made a trip to Marks & Spencer for groceries, and managed to plan an entire week's meals from breakfast to dinner (::patting myself on the back::).
• Cleaned. Cleaned. and Cleaned.
• Finished the laundry. I could write a whole post on my little tykes washing machine and how one weeks worth of clothes for two = 6 loads.

Better get back to work and watching the How Clean is Your House marathon. Happy Sunday night and hope your Monday goes quickly!