It's Showtime

Hello from the beginning of the two-week inspection we have been training all spring, summer, and fall for. It officially began on Thursday, resulting in a 15-hour day, and an extra training session today (Saturday). We will probably be called in on Sunday too, but don't know what time yet. As frustrating as things have already become, all I have to say is... TWO MORE WEEKS!!! Then we are DONE. So that's what I'm thinking about. :-)
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What have I been doing since I last wrote? Mostly work, but there have been a few fun exceptions. The first weekend in October, Martin and I went back to Nottingham to see one of our favorite bands, Mayday Parade. We drove up there on Saturday afternoon, walked around the city and had dinner before the show, which was awesome. I have a video from one song where the crowd starts jumping and lights start flashing and it looks like an earthquake hit the building... will have to figure out how to cut the video into a smaller file to upload!

We spent Sunday morning and afternoon shopping and exploring one of Nottingham's unique attractions... caves! There is a network of caves under the city that were used for tanning animal skins in medieval times, as well as bomb shelters in WWII. Guess what my favorite part of the tour was? We got to wear hard hats!!! :-D Here is a picture (I think I might have been a little more excited about the hats than Martin was):

The next week, I went out on a school night(!) to see Lifehouse, my favorite band ever, in London. I met my friend Megan at the show, and we had a great time. We were pretty close to the stage, and Megan got Jason Wade's guitar pick when he threw it into the crowd! Here is a picture of us posing with the pick while waiting at a Tube station after the show:

I am planning to create a Concerts photo album on Facebook and upload all of the pics from Mayday Parade and Lifehouse, plus the next show on my list... Goo Goo Dolls in Norwich on Nov 15th! So excited. :-) I will post that link when the album is ready.

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The fact that I cannot wait for the next two weeks to be over goes without saying, but even more so because of all of the exciting things planned in November. The first weekend in Nov is a trip I cannot talk about yet because it is a surprise for my travel buddy, but I can promise you it is going to be an awesome weekend and there will be lots of pictures. It's hard to keep the secret because I am so excited!

The second weekend in Nov is a 4-day thanks to Veteran's Day and a Lakenheath day off on Friday the 12th. Sooo... I am going to Tenerife, in the Canary Islands!!! If you are unfamiliar with Tenerife, here is a quote from Wikitravel: "Tenerife is probably one of the last European paradise isles. It offers lush forests, exotic fauna and flora, deserts, mountains, volcanos, incredibly beautiful coastlines and spectacular beaches." Sounds like the perfect place to unwind after months of stress, doesn't it? SO EXCITED!!!

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And last but not least, the second 4-day weekend in November, courtesy of Thanksgiving, will be spent in... Rome! I feel like I should be pinching myself, but if this is a dream, I'm not sure I want to wake up. It absolutely blows my mind sometimes to think how blessed I am to be living here and having all of these experiences. God is so good... because I have definitely not done anything in my life to deserve any of this. Grace is a beautiful thing.
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Good List:

1. Countdown... 13 days! (Til the final ENDEX, of course)

2. Taylor Swift Fridays. I have established a policy of always listening to Taylor Swift CDs in the car on Fridays, and even the first notes put me in a better mood despite the craziness.

3. Pumpkin carving. Martin and I will be carving jack-o-lanterns this afternoon, and I can't wait to light them up outside my house! (Will have to post a pic later)

4. Arbor Mist Strawberry White Zinfandel.

5. Glee. I am 100% addicted. Only the season finale left to watch from Season 1, then on to downloading/catching up with Season 2!

6. Two legal and working (for the most part) cars.

7. Plants vs Zombies. It is a computer game, and it is amazing... and completely addicting. O:-)

8. People who make me laugh when I am stressed.

9. Soup in a sourdough bread bowl. Panera gets credit for the original, but reproductions turn out pretty well!

10. Sweatpants and slippers when it is rainy and cold outside.