The Christmas Market Goers Guide to Surviving Austria

1. It will be freezing, so wear as much as humanly possible. Bonus points if you dress like dad.

2. Austrian accents are really difficult. Don't attempt to do one in front of natives.

NB - "Spreken de English" is an excellent way to let people know you are a tourist, do not be surprised if this results in snorts/giggles/eye rolling from the locals.

3. Seeing scary masks as decor on a beautiful christmas booth, should be the first sign that something weird will be happening later (see number 10 for further details)

4. Practice your wizardry skills before arrival.

5. Always be looking, she is still out there.

6. Be prepared for long hikes up to the castle, with multiple pauses for photos and flip shots.

7. Food is bigger there. Drinks on the other hand, are smaller (no free refills!). Please take careful note that if you ask for mineral water you will get sparkling water. When you ask the waitress to please rectify this by replacing it with still water, she will go on, excessively, how it is your fault and how you are the idiot: "still water is still water. Mineral water is sparking water" - something everyone should know or apparently already does know.

8. Drinking water from the fountain in the square can be challenging. Practice at home by twisting body awkwardly.

9. To thoroughly enjoy the christmas market, attend once the sun has gone down (roughly 4pm)

10. If you hear bells and see antlers, do not be fooled into thinking Santa is coming. He is not. Instead scary ghouls are on the way to either; hit bad children, or send away the bad spirits of 2009.

The Sunshine State

Many people have been asking if we know where we are moving/doing with our lives?
We are now somewhat excited to announce that we are moving to Florida in January. Kevin will be working with his dad, and I will be once again on the job prowl.
If someone has been dying to drive across the country let me know, I have no desire. And Kevin wasn't impressed when I suggested I would fly out and meet him here.
Hope Kevin wants an annual Disney Pass for christmas!

Great Minds

You know you have been married to long, when this happens:

Trinkets

Before Shelly took a school trip to Paris, she asked me if there was anything I wanted. I told her I wanted anything other than a tacky trinket. So being a smart-aleck 11 year old that she was, she managed to find me the tackiest trinket: a plastic Eiffel Tower, sitting on a plastic globe, with Tweetie Pie hanging from the side.

On my family's latest field adventure (to Prague - which I wasn't invited to. It doesn't matter if I have already been there or not. I still wasn't invited) Shelly and Cori managed to out do themselves:

Not really sure if I should thank them for thinking of me or not.... I do know however, I need to take a trip somewhere and quick! Hope you girls like snow-globes.

*Big Hole In The Ground

This weekend we took a day trip to the Grand Canyon, it was amazing. We hiked the Bright Angel Trail, which was a grueling 9 miles to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (although the bottom-bottom was another 6 miles beyond that, but I like to think I achieved the bottom, so work with me here)

Initial reaction to the Grand Canyon:

"Bottom" of Grand Canyon:

Cool rock formation that made me think of TJ. Maybe you could explain how the Grand Canyon was made for the talent show?

We were hoping for something a bit more exciting to happen here. Unfortunately no one was rammed. Kevin told me if I was the one to be rammed, he would have knocked the mountain goat out. I considered getting rammed just to see him try.

*I may or may not have at one time referred to the Grand Canyon as "the big hole in the ground," and it is quite possible that I will never live that one down.

Cheaters Never Propser

It's November first and we are still wearing shorts and t-shirts:

Taken November 1st (this just doesn't seem right, I should be wearing three layers!)

I feel as though we have cheated winter and having an extended summer. Which is why I am starting to worry about where will we end up moving in January. I'm starting to think that our punishment for cheating winter will be a move to Alaska. However, I'm banking on the fact that Karma doesn't know how good of a cheater I am (see any member of my family for details on this)

We have been taken advantage of the wonderful weather by doing lots of out-doorsy things, such as jet skiing. We went jet skiing when we were down in Florida, which means we were in the same water as alligators.

Kevin was not allowed under any circumstance to throw me off the jet ski. I could have been eaten alive! (I have very sweet blood - they can smell it, you know) The alligators turned out to be too fast to catch on video, but we did find something else....

We plan on taking lots of advantage of the weather before shipping off to Alaska!

Remember The Lions

This past weekend Kevin and I got to go out to Florida to watch Trevor and his fellow lions, of Oviedo High School, lay the smack down on Hagerty (a big rival school.) It also happened to be Trevor's senior night, and my first ever high school football game. So when you add the two together, it made for a very exciting evening! Which will hopefully explain the following videos:

I learnt a valuable lesson from this video: don't be embarrassed to just keep filming. What you miss here is the commentator announcing Kevin as older brother "Keevie" and then the longest most awkward pause: "and wife Nicole." I also missed us all shaking the coaches hands and me proclaiming that: "we are just SO proud"

A few things here: a) the players go from linking arms to holding hands (which made me feel very uncomfortable. Note Trevor was not touching anyone!) and b) that yes I did scream rather loud when the canyon went off....it was so unexpected.