Homemade Energy Bars

I highly recommend! I know all of you organic food lovers are going to try it. I piled in a ton of different dried fruit, and chocolate chips. Much cheaper than powerbars and way easier to eat.

Furry Friday

Hampton thinks we need a bigger bed!!

Check back soon.....we left bright and early this morning for the wedding. Keep an eye out for the guy with the 'I'm down with T-Town' shirt on!

Things I see on the tube 2

So this was pretty scary. Not scary like I was worried about my safety at that exact moment, but scary like this person is a bad bad man. Or at least that was the conclusion I came to. In retrospect probably shouldn't have snapped to covert picture, but felt compelled. So anyway, there are 5 cell phones in this guys hands. He was using all of them while I say across from him. Seriously, whatever you need 5 different phones for cannot be good!!

Race Report 4/16/11 and SMR

Same old same old on the racing, but exciting ride home, or at least adventerous ride home. Couple of pics are far more exciting than the actual story.

Here we are coming down 'The Mile' leading to Buckingham Palace, just thought it was a picture worthy event.

Went on Sunday, I know not normal SMR but it still works, to the Surry Hills. Usually the group is big and fast and I don't really have the time to, or am more focused on not getting dropped to take pictures, but I turned around early and rode home by myself. So this is the kind of stuff I see on a normal ride. Crazy to be 20 or so miles from central London and feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. All farm roads and hedge rows, hardly ever see a car, which is good because roads are barely wide enough for a car and a bike.

Furry Friday!!

Well today was our first day of the wierdest national holiday schedule ever. We have the next two Fridays and Mondays off, all for national holidays, so 3 days of work in the next 11. Score one for England!!

The girls celebrated vacation by eating breakfast and going back to bed. I think they celebrate every day this way, though. Even the flash on the camera didn't seem to phase them.

Dutch Festival, London Marathon, and Movies

Dutch Clogs

There was a Dutch Festival in Traflagar Square this weekend. There was lots of orange, so it felt like an OSU tailgate, with different food.  I met some dutch people and asked them what food I should try, they suggested some fried meat thing in a bun, but I opted for pancakes and fries. They were yummy. I even tried the fries with mayo. Not to bad, but I think I will stay with ketchup. I brought home some small stroopwaffels, but we haven't tried them yet. There was also a cheese station too, but it was so popular I didn't get to it.

Poffertjes - minature pancakes with powdered sugar and chocolate syrup



Tulips

Stoopwaffel

Dutch Fries with Mayo

More Tulips

Dancing Tulips

Double Dutch

Of course I had to bring home some tulips.

We also went to see the London Marathon on Sunday. It was CRAZY. I am rethinking our Royal Wedding adeventure in a few weeks. We have been going to the movies a lot, because we got an unlimited movie card. The past two weekends we have seen, Limitless, Source Code, The Eagle and Scream 4.

London Marathon. I think the flags are more for the Royal Wedding in a few weeks.

Bob was amused by the kids in balls on water.

It was pretty funny watching them fall down

 Hope everyone had  a great weekend. We have several vistors coming for a total of 20 days in May and we will be in OK for a visit in June. We can't wait to see everyone.

Things I see on the tube

This was a bit of a covert picture on the train so you can't really see the funniest part but......She has actual glasses on top of her head and is using a magnifying glass to read the news paper. Someone needs to explain to her how glasses are supposed to work.

Furry Friday

Race report 4/9/11

Its been awhile since I have posted one of these, but it feels like not much has changed. The big story of the day was the fact that the district line had a partial closure, and I had to ride most of the way out to Redbridge. Everything was going great until I happened to see some of the women's team in front of me and decided to follow them out the rest of the way. Soon found out that they had taken three two hours to cover just over half the journey that should have taken about one. About 10 wrong turns, and at one point two full circles of a roundabout, we covered the last 5 or so miles (5 if we would have known the way, we rode 8 to get there) in just under 45 minutes. I had exactly 12 minutes to check in, stash my bag, pin my numbers on and get to the start. Didn't get a chance to eat my pre-race sandwich, and rolled up to the very back of the group just as they blew the whistle. And it was a BIG group.

Racing today wasn't much different than it has been most of the spring. Except for the fact that I did it without arm or leg warmers! Still a bit chilly at around 70 degrees, but the locals were discussing how hot it was. I laughed. Big field of not much really going on. They ran the ladies open race at the same time, so that made about out on the course at the same time. It was madness everytime we lapped the ladies. If one or two guys tried to make a break they would let it go, but as soon as 3 or more went up the road at all the group would shut it down and then just stare at everyone. The last 3 laps or so were pretty amped up and things thinned out quite a bit, but we really came to the finish as a pretty big group. If the race would have been that difficult throughout the result would have been much better, but that just wasn't the case. Ended up of the the big group so not a total failure, but not much to brag about. 24.2 mph 26miles in 1 hr 5 min.

Those legs could use some more sun!!

Radio Silence

So on Sunday I taped no fewer than 13 hours of sports, Formula 1, Paris Roubaix, and the final round of the Masters. I have been trying to catch up to it ever since then. Its been super difficult, and very very boring ever since. (finally caught up today)

I have been completely off the grid tying not to find out anything about what happened. No newspapers, internet, or live TV, couldn't take the risk. People must think I was crazy. I have been walking into rooms and stating my intentions to not know anything, before even saying hello.

Could have really used some sensory deprivation glasses...........

I am super happy with the outcome though. Thought that each even was better than the previous. So happy the dvr didn't make me pick a favorite, but think Kristen might move out if I ever fill up the dvr like that again.

Top Gear

What has become my new favorite show took viewers for a little tour of London last week. If you have BBC America I suggest you add it to your regularly recorded schedule. Anyway, it was not filmed as a documentary of our lives, but ended up with a good bit of London that is near and dear to us. So go check it out, and keep an eye out for the good parts: http://www.topgear.com/uk/video-search?Phrase=bike%20v%20car%20v%20boat&Urn=london-calling 3:18 - Riding down High Street Kensington - I would say half a mile or so from our flat. Any and every shop you could ask for and more food than you could ever eat. 3:35 - Our flat is literally two blocks down the street on the left. We can go to the pub on the left 'The Albion' when you come visit 5:15 - As he makes the left turn under the bridge, he is about a block from my office, just behind him and to the left. And the Fulham Football stadium is about 1/2 mile from house, the opposite direction of High Street Kensington. We watched fireworks on Bonfire Night from the park on the right of it. I came home from work one night not to long ago and they were filming a commercial for some vitamins or something right next door to our flat, if the ever air it I will post it too. Seriously though Top Gear is hilarious, you gotta watch......Enjoy!!!

Furry Friday

I'm hungry

and thirsty.

Paris Day Three!!

Up bright and early this morning, they say that if you get to the Eiffel tower early you beat the rush. In an attempt to cut some time we popped into the store and got breakfast treats to go. Now this is important for later...we didn't ask for a half dozen liege waffles and 8 apple donuts, they just came that way, and we were off. Not alot of tourists out this early...

Made it to the tower about 9:45 which we thought would have been early enough to avoid the rush. but we were wrong. Probably 300 people in line at each of the corners of the tower. The first elevator takes you to the second floor 128 metres up. At this point I was a little weary of going to the top. Kristen made fun of me with some off color comments about my manhood so I sucked it up. I can really only say it was high and amazing. 276 metres from the top.

At the top of this island is the original statue of liberty. Made it back down to the lowest level around noon and Kristen was hungry so she grabbed a sandwich and some frites. Here is where the day kinda took a turn for the worst. Not proud of it but it was kinda a freakshow from this point on. Instead of a sandwich I finished off the donuts and waffles. Kirsten had only had two donuts so that was half a dozen of each for me. Not sure why it happens I think after the first couple I am so ashamed, I try to eat the rest of the evidence. Oh and I finished off her sandwich and frites. Jumped on a tour bus and checked out some of the seedier parts of the city. Kristen wouldn't let me get off the bus and explore the sights.

Our last attraction for the trip was the Champs and the Arc de Triomphe. the champs kinda reminded me of Vegas, except for the hotels. Lots of fancy high end stores, the mega store or two, lots of people and tons of sidewalk cafes.

Not sure how I was still hungry but macaroons looked too good to pass up so we took a break and tried them out. I would personally take an EL Fudge over them but they were still good.

On to the Arc. We had been walking all day and passed on the 284 stairs to the top. But checked it out from the ground. Pretty impressive, and strange to think this is the middle of a roundabout.

My travel tip is to head down the side streets or a block off of the touristy roads to find the best food and best deals. We stumbled across a little Italian place, that rocked my world. As good as I thought french food was for the last two days the Italian food was even better. So salad, pasta, finished Kristen's pizza, my dessert and most of Kristen's dessert.

Kristen was concerned about how much I had eaten, I told her I was eating for two. My stomach was a person of its own, and I named him pickles. Pickles and I weren't feeling too good, but when we walked past the crape stand in the park on the way home I was suduced by the smell. Didn't know where I was going to put it, it was going to be a struggle for sure, I figured it was a Parisian speciality so nutella and a crepe it was for desert #4. Me excited...

Pickles not so excited...

A quick run down of my caloric intake for the day... 6 Waffles 1200 6 Apple Donuts 1400 Half a Cheese sandwich and frites 500 Macaroons 200 Super Italian Salad (and the meat from Kristen's) 400 Pasta Trio 900 Caramel Cream 400 Half of Kristen's Apple tart 200 Nutella Crepe 600 So that is a grand total of........................5,800 calories, and at least 4 deserts. Did I mention that I shame ate most of the candy from yesterday, after we got home last night. No, well yeah that happened. So that is it..... We are heading back to London in the morning, and for me the real world. We have just shy of a thousand pics from the last couple of days. Remind us when we see you next and we can share them all. Parting shots....