Goodbye 2015 ... It's been a blast!

Happy New Year!

Well, what a year 2015 has been for team Barlow!  I can't believe we have been here in Scottsdale for 9 months already ... 9 months!! Wow! Mr B is well and truly settled in his new job and absolute loves it (that's a relief!), Youngest has settled in well at his new school and just completed his mid term finals, scoring a GPA of 3.8 (4.0 is the most you can score apparently so we are super proud of him!) and most surprisingly of all (well, to me anyway), I seem to be busy with something or other every single week!  Between school PTA events, scrapbooking group, events organised by the tireless Bev at the Newcomers group (many of which seem to involve eating - result!) and of course the regular 'field trips' with my friend John (or Bubble & Fizz as Mr B calls us, can't think why) I barely have time to throw in a wash every so often and make sure there's food in the fridge ... ahem.    

Here at Barlow Towers we were all so excited to see Eldest arrive the day before Christmas Eve, as it was the first time we had seen him since we moved and we have all missed him so much.  We have managed to cram in lots of activities as well as some quality family time, including a trip to the Grand Canyon; watching the Phoenix Suns play basketball (badly, I have to say); fun at Top Golf and of course Shopping! All too soon though his visit will be coming to an end and after seeing in the New Year together he will be heading back to the UK once again. **sniffs**  We are already planning the next visit though, so hopefully it won't be long before he is back again.

Talking of shopping, the weekend before Christmas Mr B announced that he was taking himself off for the day to do his Christmas shopping.  Oh God.  The last time he was let loose on his own to purchase Christmas presents, I ended up with 5 sets of hand cream ... yes, FIVE! (Ever since 'Handcream-gate' I have generally just bought my own presents, wrapped them and left them under the tree with the label "To Me, from Me").  When he came back some 5 hours later, struggling under the weight of a mountain of carrier bags, he announced that he had had a lovely time, stopping for a coffee and then lunch ... it won't surprise you to know that apparently he even made some new friends ... :D   I have admit though that this year he didn't do too bad at all and I loved all of my presents! He even chose some new clobber for both the boys (always a risky business) which went down very well. The boy done good.

Of course no Barlow/Griffin reunion would be complete without Mr B taking his fair share of stick from the boys (well, he usually has only himself to blame for that) ...

As the self confessed 'selfie king', he had been going on for days before about remembering to take his selfie stick to the Canyon so that he could take the perfect shot.  This proved to be great entertainment for the rest of us when after all the fuss about not forgetting to take it and then carrying it round awkwardly in his pocket all along the trail, he finally found the perfect spot, only to discover that he had forgotten to charge it up!   Needless to say, whilst he was definitely not amused, the rest of us were all collapsed in a heap of hysterics!

Ben proving that you can get the perfect shot without a 'stick' ... who knew?!

He has also taken a great deal of ribbing over his 'phrase of the week' ... "I can 100% guarantee it." 

Let me expand ...

On Monday, as we arrived at the Grand Canyon, we were still quite a few miles away from the entrance when the heavy traffic slowed to a snail's pace in both lanes, all the way up to the gate.  **Groan**.  Ben pointed out that the other lane seemed to be moving much faster than ours and suggested we might want to move over.  

"No, no ... this lane will be faster in the end"

20 minutes later when we had hardly moved and the other lane had progressed by at least 50 vehicles, the rest of us were inclined to agree.

"I really think we would be faster in that lane ..."

"No, no ... I can 100% guarantee that this one will be the quickest"

After another 15 minutes and another 50 cars had passed, he finally admitted that maybe we might be right after all and moved over.  As we then speeded straight to the gate we noticed the reason why.  The two lanes became 5 - two from the left, and 3 from the right.  Top tip people: if you are ever queuing at the Canyon entrance, get in the right hand lane.  This of course then led to the next dilemma ... 

"Oh no.  Which lane shall I get into now?!"  Panic began to set in as cars jostled for pole position on the grid ...

Finally, we plumped for lane 3.  Clearly, once past the point of no return, it became evident that lane 2 was the one to be in. **tuts and raises eyes heavenward**

It was well worth the wait though and that amazing view looked even more beautiful with the recent dusting of snow (although it was soooooo cold!)

Beautiful!

.... but cold!

On the drive home, we witnessed one of the most amazing sunsets I think I have ever seen!  It looked like a giant fireball! The photo below does not do it justice at all, but considering it was taken from the passenger seat of the car as we were speeding along the freeway, I was quite pleased with it.

Aliens ...!

Later in the week we made a quick trip to Costco to get a new TV to replace the 'bargain' one that Mr B had ordered in the Black Friday sales and which predictably had arrived damaged.  

"You boys will have to squash up in the back a bit because I'll need to put one of the seats down to fit it in"

Ben looking puzzled remarked 

"You won't need to out the seat down.  That will easily go in there."

"Trust me Ben, it won't fit.  I tried it when I took the other one back and I had to put the back seat down to get it in"

"I'll be able to get it in no problem ..."

Mr B now getting extremely narky ... "Ben ... IT WILL NOT FIT! I can 100% guarantee it.  In fact, I can 200% guarantee it!!"

Arrive at car. Open boot.  Ben deftly lifts TV straight into boot, shuts door and looks at Mr B raising his eyebrows and shaking his head.  Cue hysterical laughter :D

Well, 2015 has been a blast!  Thanks for sharing in this year's Barlow Adventures - I really appreciate your company and I can't wait to see what 2016 brings! 

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New year!

TTFN

Bev X 

Nearly Christmas it is ...!

Have you been struck by Star Wars fever this week?  We all went down with it in our house, as did many other people.  Not sure what the hype has been like in the UK but over here is has been completely over the top in the lead up to the release of the new film, The Force Awakens! 

Not surprisingly, merchandise is everywhere, but also every other advert on TV has somehow managed to shoehorn in a Star Wars reference and even the Arizona Department of Transport has jumped on the bandwagon, with a whole campaign of Star Wars themed road signs ...

and my personal favorite ...!

So after months of anticipation, we finally got to see Episode VII last night and I was a little concerned that after all the hype it would be a bit of an anti-climax.  I needn't have worried.  It exceeded ALL my expectations. It was AWESOME! (one of the few times that this often overused word is actually warranted!).  I will not comment further as don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet, but if you are a Star Wars fan you will not be disappointed. 

Being the month of both Christmas and my birthday, December has always been an exciting time for  me ... although as a child I was always miffed by the whole combined birthday & Christmas present thing (I'm sure anyone else with a December birthday can empathise!).  

"Could I have a bike for my birthday?" 

"Only if you have it for birthday and Christmas..." (whilst my brother and sister, having birthdays nicely spread out in March & October, were both riding around on theirs on their birthdays)

Consequently, dear readers, as I always went for the two presents option, I never did get a bike and is the reason why to this day, riding one remains a skill I never mastered (think the Friends episode with Phoebe! )  Oh, and if Mr B is reading this ... don't even think about it!  That boat has well and truly sailed.

This year though, December's excitement has reached an all time high.  Not only was it my first birthday in Arizona (well, actually it was in California ... more about that in a minute) and it will be our first Christmas in the United States, but best of all, Eldest arrives next week! *jumps up and down with excitement*  It will be the first time we have all seen him since we left the UK at the end of March and next Wednesday cannot come soon enough!

Back to the birthday ... during the summer, I wrote about the hotel Mystery Shop programme that Mr B is lucky enough to be able to participate in (you can read about that here).  Last weekend we went off to 'test' another one of those at the Hotel Del Coronado, on Coronado Island, in San Diego.  The Del is a historic Victorian building, built in 1888 (historic by American standards - I have a grandfather clock older than that, lol), right next to the ocean and I have always wanted to stay there.  Being able to stay when it was all decorated for Christmas (complete with ice rink!) AND on my birthday was a particular treat! 

Hotel Del Coronado

A little chilly for us ...!

Apparently, it was here in 1904 that America experienced the first electrically-lit outdoor Christmas tree which still stands proudly in the grounds today.

 

... although the sign next to it did make me smile ...

'Elf & Safety' gone mad!  *snort*

We found a couple of great restaurants while we were there, both of which I can highly recommend if you are ever visiting.  The first was Miguel's, a Mexican restaurant just opposite the hotel which our friend John had recommended we try.  We sat outside in a lovely little courtyard (under heaters I hasten to add!), all lit with hundreds of twinkly coloured lights and sparkly holiday decorations.  Delightful!

The second was a very small but quaint little French bistro called 'Chez Loma', which we happened upon down a little side street.  It was a converted Victorian house, with a small bar area downstairs and restaurant upstairs (in what I am guessing used to be one of the bedrooms!).  There were no more than 6 or 7 tables, but the service was outstanding and the food and wine was amazing.  A perfect birthday choice and we will definitely go back next time we are visiting. 

Cheers!

We spent my actual birthday visiting the dolphins, whales and sea lions at Sea World, which to be honest seemed to have lost a lot of its previous appeal but whilst the aquatic attractions themselves were less than spectacular, (I think the reindeer in the Christmas village seemed to draw the most attention) we nonetheless had a fun day and even found another 'Christmas flamingo'!

Having lived so close to Brighton in the UK, one of the things I really miss is being able to walk by the sea and breathe in the ocean, so a highlight of the weekend for me was being able to step out of our room right onto the beach and go for an early morning stroll (obviously leaving The Tween to fester in bed!).  Perfect! 

As I write, Mr B is off doing his Christmas shopping ... always a risk to let him out unsupervised ... and then tonight we are off to another holiday party, and then another at our next door neighbor's on Tuesday.  Phew!  At least now that the Tween has broken up from school for a couple of weeks I can looking forward to a few leisurely lie-ins ... bliss! That just leaves enough time for a flurry of last minute shopping, wrapping and baking before the main event ... and then this time next week it will all be over for another year! 

I hope you all have a wonderful time and you make it onto Santa's 'Nice' list!  

Merry Christmas from all at Barlow Towers!

TTFN

Bev x 

Parties and Pedicures ... !

Happy weekend all!

How are the Christmas preparations going?  Got all that shopping done yet?  

Christmas festivities are in full swing here.  As I briefly mentioned at the end of last week's episode, we were on our way to our first US style 'Holiday Party' ... and what a party it was!  After checking the address, twice, we pulled up in front of a HUGE house, with every available wall, gutter, tree and shrub covered in sparkly white lights. Wow!  It reminded me very much of the house in the film Home Alone (minus the precocious kid).  The front door was ajar, and as we gingerly made our way inside it felt as though we had stepped into a (very tasteful) Santa's Grotto.  It was gorgeous!  After navigating our way to the kitchen, past the violinist playing Christmas carols ... nice touch ... and counters bursting with platters of caviar, pate and assorted cheeses, plus a plethora of tiered cake stands laden with gourmet chocolates ... OMG ... we finally found our hosts and their other guests outside.  More sparkling lights were floating on the top of a brilliant blue pool and a waitress was waiting to serve us at a full service bar set up on the patio.  Again ... WOW! As it was an adults only party, we had left Ethan at home happily ensconced on the sofa with a gadget on each arm, a movie on the TV and a large bar of Galaxy (thanks to his Nan on her recent visit), but even so I was still only comfortable with leaving him for a couple of hours during the evening and so we didn't stay too long.   As it turned out, that was plenty of time, as whilst we did meet a few genuinely lovely people, some were .... shall we just say ... 'very Scottsdale' (plus I was terrified that after a few more glasses of wine I would end up stepping backwards into the pool which was terrifyingly close!).  It was certainly another new experience for us and we really enjoyed it.

This week the day of the 'Mothers Tea' also finally dawned (at 11.30am *rolls eyes*).  Even though the number of attendees was less than half of the 80 originally anticipated, only 32 to be exact (bearing out my earlier theory that most sane people would not want to pay $50 for what was essentially tea & cake in a school library), it was actually very nice, (although triangular shaped scones in Chocolate and Blueberry varieties would never cut it at a British tea!).   Miss South Africa did a great job of pulling it all together, despite the objections from the 'old timers' but was forced to concede on the choice of speaker ...  a lady who came to talk about 'urban farming' ... ugh ... but she had offered to do it free of charge, so we were never going to win that one!  I even managed to convince the lady sitting next to me to try hot tea with milk (which amazingly she had never had before!), after which she declared she would be drinking it like that from now on.  Success!

Right ... must make that appointment at the Nail Salon ready for upcoming weekend in San Diego next weekend (I always dread calling as it is run by a scarily bossy Vietnamese woman who has not quite grasped the concept of customer service...)

"I'd like to make an appointment for a pedicure please... with Vivien if she's in this week"

"OK.  When you wanna come?"

"Thursday morning if possible?"

"Wednesday?"

"No, Thursday ..."

"We do Wednesday"

"No sorry, I can't make Wednesday.  Do you have anything Thursday?"

*much sighing and tutting*. "Ok, 9am"

"I could be there by 9.15 but not before unfortunately"

"Better for Vivien 9am"

*well it's not bloody well better for me!*

"Sorry.  I can't get there before 9.15 ... "

*more tutting and sighing* ...

"OK ... what name?"

"Beverley"

"Ha! You already have appointment Friday!"

"Sorry, what? ... no, I don't think I do"

"Yes you have appointment "

"Erm ... no I definitely don't"

"Yes, yes ... Friday 10.30 ... manicure & pedicure ..."

"No, sorry, that's not me"

"Yes, it is ... your name Beverley?"

"Well, yes, but maybe another Beverley?"

"Oh. Same name. Hahaha". 

Extra, Extra! Read all about it!  More than one Beverley found to be living in Phoenix, Arizona ...!

"Ok, manicure ... Thursday 9.15 ..."

"Er... no ... it was just a pedicure ...?"

"No manicure?"

Oh good grief. I give up.

"Fine. I'll have both ..."  *sighs whilst imagining scary Vietnamese woman smiling to herself with smug satisfaction*

Both manicure and pedicure turned out lovely, in case you were wondering - Vivien does a great job - despite Mr B stepping on my toes not once but twice at our dance lesson the very same day (clumsy oaf)! 

As you read this, we are enjoying said weekend away in San Diego to celebrate my birthday - more about that next week - so if you'll excuse me, there's just time for a nightcap in the bar before we turn in (well it would be rude not to wouldnt it?)

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your company as always.

TTFN

Bev X

 

Lights, Camera, Action ...!

 Hi there ... and welcome back!  How's your week been? Got that Christmas tree up yet?

As I believe I have mentioned once or twice, 'the Holiday season' starts early here and decorations begin to appear as early as the day after Halloween (and according to one of my American friends, technically it's only early if they appear BEFORE Halloween... yikes!).  Brightly colored lights are starting to go up on the front of houses, trees, bushes, mail boxes ... in fact, if it doesn't move, you can pretty much guarantee it will be covered in lights ... together with huge inflatable Santas, Snowmen and an assortment of other Christmas characters.  The house at the end of our road even has a Charlie Brown themed display, complete with Snoopy sitting on top of his doghouse (so cute).   Apparently,  you can even employ professionals who will come round and put up christmas lights for you.  They even provide all of the lights.  A snip at around $1,000 I was informed by someone in the know ....!

It certainly makes our solitary reindeer look a bit pathetic, although I 'm really pleased with him, and have to give credit to Mr B for managing to get him assembled with all the bits in the right place.  Ethan and I were scared to look as judging from previous DIY projects, we were quite expecting to see it's head on back to front, it's legs on upside down, or as Ethan so eloquently put it "it's antlers sticking out of it's arse..."!

There is a house near to us with a fabulous display of fairy light palm trees, and another with a gigantic christmas tree on it's roof!  Will try and get photos of those for you over the next couple of weeks.  It is certainly beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... everywhere you go.  Someone should write a song about that ...

Mr B and I are keeping up with our dance lessons - we're nearly as good as Anton and Erin now ... alright that might be a slight exaggeration, picture Frank Spencer and Dawn French and you're probably a lot closer - but we're still having fun so it doesn't really matter.  Periodically the dance studio have what they call a 'Guest Party' where you can bring along a friend (or two) for an hour of fun and dancing and then if they want to they can sign up for a couple of trial lessons for a nominal fee.  One of those was scheduled on Tuesday evening this week, and as one of our neighbours had previously expressed an interest in starting dance lessons with her husband, we said we would take them along, arranging to meet for drinks and dinner beforehand.  I was really looking forward to it ... until we arrived for our regular weekly lesson the day before and our instructor Sarah told us that she wanted us to do a demonstration dance at the party!  WHAT?!  A demonstration dance? ... us? ... After guffawing with laughter for several minutes, I realised that she was actually quite serious.  Oh God.  We agreed on a Cha Cha Cha and spent the lesson practicing a short routine which we would perform the following evening ... gulp.

I spent the next morning Cha-Cha-ing round the kitchen, whilst Mr B practiced in his office at work (whilst on a long conference call apparently ... the image of which still makes me laugh out loud!) and then before we knew it we were flinging ourselves the dance floor like a couple of demented rag dolls (fuelled in no small part by the two large glasses of wine I had thrown down my neck with dinner!).  Thankfully, not only did we survive the experience, but I actually think we did a pretty good job (although that may have been the wine again) and it turned out to be a really fun evening.  I wouldn't count on seeing us on Dancing with the Stars any time soon though! 

On Wednesday, my friend John and I (or as Mr B calls us ... Bubble & Fizz ... rude) met up for another field trip to a store called 'World Market' where I had heard they stocked British sweets .... in particular, chocolate!  It turned out to be a real Aladdin's cave with temptation round every corner and I came away with bags stuffed full of loot in shiny gold and silver wrappers.  The grand prize though ... a Terry's chocolate orange (which counts as one of my 5 a day right?).  It's not Terry's though ... it's mine ... and no, I'm not sharing!  Next week's field trip is to IKEA ... can't wait to see what we manage to haul back from there!

I feel like I need to add the word 'permanently' to that t-shirt ...

Finally, last night we all met up with John again who had treated us all to tickets for Las Nochas de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Gardens - where the paths are lined with thousands of Luminarias, plus lawn displays and Christmas lights.  It was another lovely evening and the lights were really pretty. 

Thousands of lights set into the hillside

Light sculpture exhibits by Bruce Monroe (a Brit!)

Another of Bruce's creations - all made from plastic bottles!

... and another

John and I also tried the signature drink of the evening (obviously) called The Lumi - which was hot chocolate, raspberry vodka & raspberry schnapps, topped with whipped cream .... delicious!! (Sadly Mr B was driving so he couldn't have one and Youngest wasn't old enough ... shame!).  

Raspberry Hot Chocolate ... sooo good!

As we strolled around the gardens, we came across a storytelling session in the Native American village exhibit area, where an Apache tribesman was telling a 'traditional' story to a group of folks all sat in the dark amongst the candlelit Luminaries ... very atmospheric ... hanging on his every word.  I'm not sure what story he was telling them, but as we walked past the only snippets we heard were something about dogs sniffing each other's arses .... tails falling off ... "and that's how dogs still greet other to this day ..."!!!  All four of us were doubled up in hysterics and had to exit the area immediately.

and of course no Southwest event would be complete without the obligatory Mariachi band ...

Tonight we are off to a Gourmet Holiday party - caviar, cheese and chocolate - at the home of another one of my scrapbooking friends, so looking forward to some more festive fun! Can't wait!

I hope you are all starting to get in the festive spirit and I would love to see some of your holiday pictures as your decorations start to go up!

Thanks for dropping by - see you next time!

TTFN

Bev X