things i learned in wales

Last week, I made my second business trip to Wales for an event at our facility located a few miles outside of Cardiff. I enjoyed this trip even more than my first one in November 2013, as I could be more independent both at work and around the city. The event provided an excellent opportunity to spend time with coworkers from all over the world (Mexico, Poland, India, Singapore) that I talk to weekly, but rarely get to meet in-person. Here's a few things I learned during my week in Wales:

• Virgin Atlantic international flights are pretty nice, and a (free!) upgrade to premium economy is even nicer. My seat came with a bit more room, an individual TV screen, free beverages, two hot meals served on real dishes, and a little amenity kit with eye mask, ear plugs, and socks for the overnight flight. I giggled a bit when the flight attendant served our snacks, a little packet of pretzels from a company called Penn State Classic American Snacks (made in the UK... and apparently not affiliated with Dan's alma mater in any way).

• "Lemonade" is what British people call "Sprite." Here's a transcript of my exchange with the flight attendant when I learned this. (Please read the flight attendant's part with a British accent for authenticity.)
  Flight attendant: Can I get you anything to drink?
  Me: A Sprite please?
  Flight attendant: Is a lemonade okay?
  Me (inner monologue): In what universe is that considered a reasonable substitute???
  Me (out loud): Sure.
  Then she handed me a little can that said "R. White's Lemonade" from which I poured 150 mL of sparkling lemon-lime flavored soda. So... Sprite. Which made me wonder: How do you order an actual lemonade in the UK??
• It rains in Wales. A lot. One local gave me this nifty tip for predicting the weather: "If you can see the mountain, it's about to rain. If you can't see the mountain, it's already raining." The downpour started during our drive from Heathrow to Cardiff on Sunday morning and didn't really let up until mid-day Wednesday. We passed the dreary morning exploring a very soggy Cardiff castle. We bumped into a few of our coworkers who had arrived a day earlier and were smart enough to snag a couple of umbrellas from the Poundland (English version of the dollar store). They were unfazed by the limited selection of patterns and proudly carried their new blue and white flowered umbrellas around the city. I think this was my favorite photo from the whole trip.

• Braised faggots are a tasty dish. Especially if you don't find out until after eating them that they're made from liver and heart. I enjoyed mine served with mashed potatoes and mushy peas, though I did feel pretty weird ordering faggots at the canteen. Also, I've said it before and I'll say it again: there is a serious lack of meat pies in the States. Why haven't we embraced the combination of beef and pastry? Yum.
• Dragons are everywhere in Wales! Statues, symbols, signs, posters... everywhere! I particularly liked the big metal dragon perched atop the City Hall building. It's just such a cool symbol. I was particularly excited to find a silver dragon charm for my collection at one of the gifts shops (even though I was actually out for a jog at the time and had to carry it with me the rest of the run).

• When the rain finally stops, Cardiff is absolutely beautiful. I made a few treks through Bute Park, which is a huge green space right in the middle of the city with trails, paved paths, landscaped gardens, and huge open fields. My walk along the flower-lined paths beside the River Taff on sunny Wednesday was much more pleasant than my rainy jog on squishy trails the day before! After my brisk walk, I felt much better about indulging at our work dinner at Madeira, a Portuguese restaurant that served my enormous kebab by hanging it from a ceiling hook over the table.

• When running the Cardiff Bay Trail, allow a few extra minutes for the drawbridge! On Thursday, our last night in town, I decided to tackle the 6 mile trail around the bay plus the mileage to and from the hotel. I made a running buddy on the route, a Cardiff native and father-of-two named Adam who is training for a local half marathon in October. I passed a couple of notable landmarks including Millennium Stadium and the terracotta-colored Pierhead Building, part of the estate of the National Assembly of Wales. The beautiful weather, flat trails, good company, and gorgeous views made it a very enjoyable 10 miles!

• And finally, British game shows are the best. During our vacation to London in 2013, Dan and I discovered "Countdown" which is a strange combination of spelling and "maths" quizzes solved by B-list British comedians. In addition to "Countdown" I also watched "Catch Phrase" (celebrities try to determine the common sayings illustrated by poor-quality computer animations), "Golden Balls" (game itself was dumb but the name made me giggle), and 1970's re-runs of "Bullseye" (my new favorite... a perfect marriage of darts and trivia).

My brain was pretty tired of trying to sound out Welsh (Cymraeg) words on all the signs around Cardiff (Caerdydd) by the end of the week, but I'm already looking forward to my next trip!

bachelorette and bourbon

My friend and former college roommate Julie is getting married in August, and I was excited to be invited to her bachelorette party in Louisville a couple weeks ago. I drove in Friday, and picked up my friend Bethany from the airport on the way to our lodging for the weekend. The girls who helped plan the party found an amazing house for rent on Airbnb, which is a website for people to rent out their homes, apartments, or extra rooms. There were plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms to accommodate almost a dozen girls who all needed to primp for a night on the town, and the location was conveniently close to the popular Highlands area which is packed with bars, restaurants, etc. Also, I highly recommend having a graphic designer as one of your party planners... the invitations were beautiful! We stayed in Friday evening with pizza, drinks, and lots of catching up and college reminiscing. Hopefully we didn't bore Julie's high school friends too much!

Saturday morning, we walked to brunch at El Camino, a nearby Mexican restaurant. I can honestly say it was the first time I've had chips and salsa as an appetizer before pancakes! We showed off our matching sunglasses, which were perfect for such a bright sunny day.

Later in the afternoon, we went to downtown Louisville for the Evan Williams Experience speakeasy tour. A gentlemanly bartender served us samples of various Evan Williams bourbons in a basement bar, while educating us about the history of prohibition and its impact on the city of Louisville. The bartender admitted that he much preferred having a bachelorette party on the tour than his usual group of rowdy bachelor parties! I enjoyed the history part much more than the bourbon (as I'm not a huge fan of liquor in general), but I did buy a bottle from the gift shop as a souvenir for Dan.

After a stop back at the house to freshen up and change clothes, we caught an Uber (see how trendy with are with our Airbnbs and Ubers?) to a restaurant called Feast for a hearty BBQ dinner. We followed dinner with bar hopping to various spots around the city. I particularly liked one bar called "garage", which was an old converted gas station/garage. Very trendy, fun, and smelled amazing due to the big basil plants growing outside!

Saturday morning, we said our goodbyes, and I drove home. I'm excited to see everyone again in a month for the wedding!

a post about running

Running has been taking up so much of my time lately, I decided it deserves its own post. I signed up for a half-marathon in August, and I've been steadily increasing my mileage with the help of a training app on my phone. I hope to get back to my knitting and crafting when I've tackled those 13.1 miles! In the meantime, here is my list of the pros and cons of running:

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CON: It's boring. So boring.

PRO: It gives me a lot of time to think, daydream, and listen to music. I finally downloaded the Overdrive app so I can check out and download audio books from my local library straight to my phone. Now I can exercise my body and my brain at the same time! The app is available for tons of libraries... highly recommend it! I just finished "Death Comes to Pemberley" by P.D. James and have started "Yes, Please" by Amy Poehler.

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CON: You can spend a TON of money on it if you're not careful. Even though old gym shorts and free t-shirts work just fine, it's hard not to covet those adorable coordinated outfits in the windows at lululemon. This is why birthdays are awesome! For my birthday last month, my family sent a package with some cute workout clothes, and Dan gave me a water bottle with a carrying strap and an arm band for my phone. (He also gave me a set of off-sized measuring cups, like 2/3 cup and 3/4 cup, that I've been eyeing for over a year. The 1/8th cup is my favorite... the perfect size for little pancakes!)

PRO: The up-front investment is pretty low... no expensive equipment, gear, or lessons. Only a decent pair of running shoes is needed! I bought a pretty pair of black and teal Mizunos. I like them because their logo is a roadrunner, and I appreciate any excuse to have a bird printed on my clothes.

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CON: I can't shut up about it. I apologize to everyone I've talked to since April. If our conversation lasted longer than 3 minutes, I'm sure I brought up running at some point. In my defense, it's taking up a huge portion of time, so I haven't had much else to discuss.

PRO: I have something to talk about with my friends and coworkers who are also into running!

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CON: It's hard. Sometimes it hurts. I don't like doing it.

PRO: I feel good afterwards. Plus, my stuffed animals are so proud of me! Baby Hulk made this sign for me after my 9 mile run, and the knit bunnies were so excited when I finished 10 miles.

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CON: I've probably gained weight. I get hungry and eat a lot.

PRO: I feel healthier. I eat my favorite buffalo chicken sandwich from Which Wich with no regrets. I felt no guilt indulging in a few drinks last weekend at Howl At The Moon, a dueling piano bar. Dad organized it as a belated Mother's Day gift to mom!

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Just a few more long runs until I reach my goal. I am counting down the hours/miles!