A-ca-amazing: Straight No Chaser

Despite the title above, this post has nothing to do with alcohol. Straight No Chaser is a US men's a cappella group that sings modern songs with a twist: mash ups, different vocal melodies, lyrics, etc. Think Pitch Perfect live.

Last night, we saw them in concert at Cadogan Hall in London. I've always wanted to see them live and then I stumbled upon their European tour. It was really fun and I love the fact that they use modern songs that everyone knows.

Below was one of their mash-ups: have a listen and drink it in!

Sun, Sand and Swimming in Antigua

Aaron and I don't usually take a lot of "relaxing beach vacations." If we sit in the sun, he just burns (with or without sunscreen) and I walk away with red splotches where I forgot to put sunscreen on which inevitably end up as weird tan lines... example: last year in Hawaii, I forgot to put sunscreen on my feet. For all of 2014, I had permanent tan socks on : )

So the fact that we just did a relaxing beach vacation and came away with no serious burns or odd-looking tans? Pretty impressive.

For six beautiful days, we soaked in the glorious sun of Antigua, swam in the crystal-blue waters, played on the white, sandy beaches, splashed around in the pool and then headed to the swim-up bar for a tropical drink... am I making anyone jealous yet? Sorry for the mid-winter blues, but it was really fun.

We went to an all-inclusive resort with Aaron's family which I had never done before, so we took advantage of the eating, drinking and activities: we went snorkeling; tried stand up paddleboarding; played tennis, pool, ping pong and beach volleyball; sang karaoke to strangers (twice); and even competed in a water balloon toss challenge (which surprisingly, none of the Whams won!).

Did you know Antigua is actually pronounced Antiga (ahh sound at the end with no 'u')? We had no idea until we went!

It's been a really tough day coming back to reality... the chilly London weather and the dreary rain. But I won't hold it against you if you don't feel sorry for us ; )

Until next time, Antigua...

The Magical World of the Real Harry Potter

There's magic in the world of Harry Potter. In the books, the magic comes alive through the pages and reader's imaginations. The movies bring it to life with special effects and a huge team of people who make it all happen.

My friend Brooke and I travelled north to the home of the Warner Brother studios located just outside London to see where the movie magic was made. We walked through sets, saw wigs and masks, heard videos from the cast, and even tried Butterbeer (basically cream soda with whipped vanilla cream on top). The entire self-guided tour took us about 3.5 hours - there is a lot to see and we didn't even stop for most of it. You can ride a broom like Harry or learn how to hold and cast spells with a wand. It's amazing how they created another world, and it also makes you realize just what crazy stuff they can pull off in movies these days. I won't give away all the secrets but for a Harry Potter lover like myself, the tour was worth it and I'm so glad we did it.

Recognize any of your favorite sets or props in the pictures below? If not, then you'll just have to go and see the magic first hand yourself : )

SEAHAWKS!!!

WOW. What a game!

We watched it with other Seattlelites in London and were on the edge of our seats (or standing) the entire time. As a Seahawks fan, it was quite the emotional roller coaster.... and it is now 12:30am, so we must go to bed.

Happy 12th Man Dreams!! Superbowl Re-Pete!

Baby, It's Cold Outside...

But it's even colder inside here!

A few nights ago, we visited the Ice Bar in London with a few of Aaron's coworkers. Inside, the temperature is kept at a chilling -5°C or 23°F... so that the walls and furniture don't melt! Everything is made out of ice - from the bar to the seats and decor.

They give you a fancy parka of some sorts and gloves to wear so you don't completely freeze, and then you head inside for your 40 minute session. Fun fact that we learned from the bartender: most people only last 20 minutes. You get your choice of cocktail in, what else but, an ice glass and then meander around - sipping then shivering, sipping then shivering, repeat.

We stayed for a little longer than 20 minutes before waving the ice flag and heading back outdoors to the "warmth"... ha!

I Love Our Little Flat

When Aaron and I were first looking for a flat in London, we had a lot of different ideas about what we wanted. We had to prioritize what was important given our budget: space, location, furniture, appliances, condition... the list goes on. 

We didn't find everything we were looking for, but I've grown to love our little flat. 

It may not have a dryer or a dishwasher. The closets are too small for all our clothes and the American sized cookware doesn't fit in our oven. The location isn't as close to a tube stop as we would like to be and we don't have an outside area. 

But it's cosy. We love our furniture and it has the world's comfiest beds (we are seriously thinking about shipping it back with us...) Our neighborhood is in the city without the noise and hoards of people. There are nearby parks, restaurants, pubs and shops. We have a room for visitors and a spacious living area and bathroom. 

When we moved into it in November 2013, we thought we'd look for something new after a year. But  now that the year has past, we've decided to stay. We've made it work for us and now it's home : )

Back Across the Pond

Well, it finally happened. After all the flying that we've done in the past year and a half, we have never missed a flight... until Sunday.

On Sunday, we flew from Spokane to Seattle to London. Our first flight was delayed due to snow in Spokane so when we landed at SeaTac at 6:27pm, we took off running through the airport to try to catch our 6:42pm flight. We made great time given that we had to transfer terminals and Aaron even delayed the tram holding it open as I ran in through the closing doors. We arrived at 6:35pm to see the plane still at the gate but find the door closed and an agent telling us we had missed it.

The agent said that he knew our plane was delayed and there was no way we could've made it. They made the decision to close the gate before we'd even gotten off the plane. But I couldn't help but think: all that for nothing?

So we spent one more day in Seattle - and honestly, I'm really glad that we did. Luckily Aaron was able to work out of the Seattle office, I ran a few errands and we got to spend a little more time with some family members including my nephew.

Maybe missing that flight wasn't such a bad thing after all ...this time at least : )