#went to ANOTHER Christmas market today and had a nice time

[tracle0]

Snippet Sunday XII

Late one, late one, and an old one! Today we have colour story for you, because I've not had time to write this week. Please enjoy!

The group at the corner were still looking at her. “Alright, love?” One of them called out to her, a broad, smiling man, eyes grey and piercing, accent rounding his letters into a smooth sound, like rolling a metal ball between your fingers. “Lost?”

Her heart jumped, fingers clutching her bag tighter. The brave explorer bolted. Any nerves she had summoned scattered at his words, and she was left staring, wide-eyed and afraid.

 Every part like a predator, he pushed himself away from the wall, stalking closer. His group watched; some stern-faced, some grinning. “You new here?” The man asked her. “Looking for anything in particular?”

“No,” she said. Or maybe squeaked. It sounded quite squeakish, not at all like someone who knew what she was doing. Clearing her throat, she tried again; “No, no, I’m… no, wait, I mean, yes. Yes, I’m looking for a…” A what? A stranger, really, a familiar stranger, but she couldn’t just say that. “A friend,” she decided, hoping it was true. “I’m just looking for a friend.” 

“I can help you look,” the man offered. Something was wrong with his smile - she couldn’t quite put her finger on what, but it made the hair along her spine prickle. “Little thing like you - all sorts could go wrong. We don’t want that, do we?” 

“I’m, no, don’t worry, I can -“

“You’re not from around here, are you?” He prowled closer still. “Can’t be with a cute little accent like that. It’s a big place, darling. We don’t want you getting lost.”

“Really, I’m fine, I should get —“

“Your parents around? Folks nearby?”

She blinked. Somehow, her heart raced faster. “My parents?”

“Loved ones. Anyone with you?” He stretched his smile wider, skimming against concerned but stumbling on the landing. “We don’t want to stray too far from safety, now, do we?” 

Behind him, his friends laughed. Fina stared helplessly as he approached, taking up more and more space above her. Around his iris were tiny flecks of brown - scars of an imperfect pull. He must have trusted someone an awful lot to let them pull from his eyes. 

Or - or they didn’t ask permission, just ripped the pigments straight out. Was that what things were like in the city? Did she belong here at all? Not with him. Not with these people. His kind words were a surface; she could almost taste the ill intent dripping from his tongue. 

[mrsmnsn]

I Got My Love To Keep Me Warm🎄✨❣️

summary: It’s your first time spending the holidays with your boyfriend and his uncle and it’s nothing but the perfect Christmas.

warnings: guys it is only a very fluffy christmas special, i hope you enjoy it. the reader and eddie are dating btw (if that counts:))

wc: 1.8k

Happy Christmas :)

————————————————————————————

You woke up with a freezing foot pressing against your own feet. You squint and hear a giggle from the boy next to you. “I’m going to put my cold hands on your butt Eddie, get off.” You said with a grumpy tone and still waking up.

“No you won’t, cause if you do i’ll put my cold hands on your boobs. I’ll have to take my revenge.” He teases you but still places his hand on your cheek and smile at you like the sweet guy he is. “I’m sorry that i woke you up like that i couldn’t resist-“ You playfully push his hand and his face making him grab you tight into a hug, a way to keep you still. “I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to help me with some chores today, all christmas chores… What do you say?”

You open your eyes but you only see Eddie’s neck since he’s pressing his cheek on your forehead while he hugs you tight. “Christmas chores? Tell me more” Eddie knew you were going to be intrigued, you had that christmas spirit, always excited for ‘the most beautiful time of the year’.

“Well, my uncle is going to a christmas tree farm because, even though we don’t have a lot of money to put up with a big tree, Wayne have a friend from his old days that works in one of those farms and got a nice price on a nice tree.” As Eddie explained you got up on your elbows to listen to his story carefully. “So, while he goes there to pick up our tree, you can come get the ornaments with me so we can decorate later and also go to the grocery store to buy some ingredients for those recipes you wanted to make.”

You’re smiling without even noticing. Now you really woke up and were ready for everything. “That’s great Eds, of course i’ll go with you! You just described a perfect day!” Eddie also was smiling without even noticing now. He loved when you got all excited about the things you truly loved.

So you two got dressed and went on your little Christmas adventure. First you take the ornaments in the self storage Wayne keeps the things that don’t fit in the trailer (he recently got to pay the rent thanks to Eddie’s help and his hard-earned money), and they made the place look bigger. You took the two medium boxes and went to the grocery store that wasn’t that far away. The place was crowded, of course it would be, there were only two days left until Christmas.

“Do we really have to get those ingredients?” Eddie said looking at the big line of people inside the store. It was probably going to take a bit more than thirty minutes.

“We don’t have to, but without them i can’t make those desserts.” You replied a bit annoyed that everyone got the same idea as you. “But come on, it’s gonna be worth it i promise!” You pull Eddie into the store.

————————————————————————————

When you got home, it was already afternoon. Wayne was already outside the trailer with the tree, cutting some twigs that expanded way too much. “Hey you two, what took you so long? Was it too hard to find the boxes?”

“Wayne you’re not gonna believe what happened there!” Eddie got out the van and started to tell the story excitedly. “I mean, we took only ten minutes to find the boxes, the real fun was in the market. The place was crowded, we started to get the missing ingredients when a lady tried to-“

“EDDIE! I told you… I told you not to say anything to your uncle.” You tried to mumble to him and your cheeks got red with embarrassment.

“What happened?” Wayne asked a bit concerned for the discrepancy in your reaction and Eddie’s.

“I’m sorry mr. Munson I- I was just… There was just a bit of a hustle in there because another woman tried to take the last container of cinnamon powder that was already in my hand and that was the most important ingredient in the recipes i wanted to make. So I got a bit carried away and-“

“She put the woman in her place, it was metal!” Eddie interrupted you and you cover your face with your hands.

“Eddie don’t be that dramatic, i was rude, yes, but only you and the lady heard what i said. I tried not to be too scandalous. At least she heard me and went her own way.” You got so stressed, the only thing you wanted to do is go back to your plans on making your christmas chores.

“I probably helped you scare her away. I gave her my bad guy look.” Eddie made that face again and you couldn’t help but fall into laughter. He was happy that he could pull a smile on your face after so much stress.

“That’s a story huh. It’s fine, just be careful with those type of ladies here in town, they not very nice.” He said giving you a small grin. Before Eddie could take you inside he stopped you again. “And hun’, you can quit the whole mr thing, you can call me Wayne, a’ right?” And you just replied with a grin and nod.

After that you just got back to your plans. You called your mom to let her know you were fine. Your family was spending Christmas at your grandparents house and you asked them if this year, you could spend the holidays with your boyfriend and his uncle. Miraculously they said yes. Now you were here, spending your first Christmas with Eddie (and also the first time you spent more than three days together) and you couldn’t be more excited. Everyday was being better than the one before.

————————————————————————————

In the next day, the tree was all pretty and colorful on the little corner of their living room. You spent the day making dinner (a tradition of theirs, a simple dish, mac n’ cheese, which you also offered to make) and the classic desserts, the gingerbread cookies and your cinnamon rolls. Of course, the moment you started to bake, Eddie offered to help. So it’s been like this the whole day, you trying to teach Eddie how to cook. You could only laugh in each five seconds.

“Stop laughing you dork, help me!” Eddie said laughing his ass off too. He was trying his best and, it wasn’t so bad, it was just funny.

“Come on Eds, do it as i said.” You contain yourself and take his hand, helping him mix all the ingredients together. You could feel his heavy sight on you. “You have to concentrate.”

“I’m trying.” He recomposed himself and started to mix again. “You’re not helping though.”

“What? What am i doing?”

“Besides of laughing at my face at every five seconds…” You giggle at him “You’re way to pretty with your hair up like that, wearing my shirt and with flour all over your face.”

“What?” You run your hand on your face and it was actually dirty. Eddie was laughing at you, so you take your time to tell him how pretty he was. You take a bit of flour and throw it at him. He stoped, too stunned to speak and then open a mischievous grin. That meant ‘run’.

Regretting instantly, because Eddie always takes those jokes very seriously, you start running around.

“Wait, Eddie wait! Don’t turn the room into a mess.”

“You started it. It’s just life babe, when you do something, there’s a consequence.” He’s laughing too and you run outside, avoiding the possible big mess inside the trailer. But when you open the door you’re surprised by the cold breeze and the snow falling down.

You just stop to look around and up the sky to feel the snow on your skin. It was really really cold, but it was amazing. You feel Eddie behind you, remember what you were playing before, but his hands were free and were wrapping around your growing cold body. It felt like you just stood there for a second, but maybe you were there for a little longer.

“Isn’t it amazing?” You speak and your chin trembles. Eddie turns you to him so he could embrace you into a warm hug. “You’re so warm. And you’re smelling like gingerbread cookies.”

“I hope that’s a good thing.” He chuckled

“It is. You smell like home.”

After that, You finish all your chores, take a very warm and needed shower and you stay our little christmas together. You three have dinner first and now, voted by Eddie and Wayne, you should come spend every christmas with them because it was the best mac n’ cheese they’ve ever eaten. You talk about things from your year, the ups and downs, your favorite moments, all that while you prepared the goodies to watch a classic christmas movie, something that Eddie came up with. One of his favorite things to do if he was honest, he used to do that on halloween but he brought that tradition to christmas too, to add a bit more to your special night together.

If they ask you, it was a perfect christmas day. You loved every second of it, specially because you got to spend your favorite holiday with your favorite person. By the middle of the movie you were sleeping on Eddie’s lap. When he realized, he felt something inside him, a warm feeling contrasting with the cold weather that he was growing accustomed to more and more and he could never get tired of it. While looking at you, a million thoughts passed through his head but the main thing was, he was sure that he never wanted to let you go. He loved you to much to even think about it.

“What’s on your mind kiddo?” Wayne asked as if he was reading his mind. He was actually, but he was reading his expressions, full of love looking down at your sleeping body.

“Nothing…. Just think i really got lucky. There’s no way i would get her without a bit of luck.” He tried to make a joke up that uncomfortable moment he got caught.

“I think that she’s the one Ed. And I mean it.” Wayne said bringing Eddie’s attention to him. “It’s pretty obvious to anyone who’s out watching you guys as i did the last couple of days. The way she treats you like you just gave the world to her, the way she looks at you like you’re her prince. It’s special Eddie and it doesn’t happen twice. You know it.”

Eddie is stunned. He didn’t disagree with what his uncle said, but to have someone telling him that you’re feeling the same way he is, that it is visible…. it really caught him. He was overwhelmed even. To have his feelings reciprocated in the same intensity.

“I think so too Wayne.” Eddie turned back to look at you. “Shes my girl. Shes the one.”

[wingzie]

The Spirit of Army (In London)

Ten years ago I went to London for my first ever solo trip to attend the MCM Comic Con convention. In a poetic twist of fate, last weekend I went to London for my most recent solo trip. This included seeing the Christmas lights, something which I have always wanted to do. I also saw Benjamin Button at the theatre and attended two BTS events. In between all of this, there were also some very nice surprises!

Due to Storm Darragh, I was very delayed with my arrival into London. Thankfully I made it though and I quickly made my way to The Excel, where my hotel was. This was close to where I stayed in 2014, but thankfully transport links have improved a lot since then and it didn’t take me too long to get there. After dropping off my suitcase, I then made my way to the first BTS event for Taejin. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay long, so I just accepted my freebies and left. I had to leave early to get to the cinema, as a kind friend invited me to watch the Namjoon documentary for a second time with her. This was the first surprise of the trip and I was really happy to be able to watch it a second time. I was also in awe with just how amazing the movie looked and sounded there. It was incredible! We all aww’d or laughed at the same time, it was a lovely feeling whilst watching it together as a group.

After the movie, I walked around and admired the beautiful Christmas lights around London and then made it back to the theatre. The musical was incredible and I am still thinking about it two days later. I didn’t get back to my hotel until quite late and instantly fell asleep. I must have been very tired, because I didn’t wake up until nearly 9am the following morning. I got ready, packed and made my way to the second BTS event, which was Christmas Market themed! 

The person running the event and the other staff were lovely, as always and there was an extra *something* in the air that day. I don’t know if it’s because two members are back home or because it’s near to Christmas, but the vibes during this event were fantastic. I had so many fun conversations with the vendors and also other army at the event. I have mentioned before how some events can feel different, and I will remember this event for a really long time. It really made my heart full as I was walking around and talking to other Army. Plus buying lots of items! I was actually surprised how much Jikookery there was for sale there, but it made me really happy. 

On the way back to the station, another friend reached out to me so that we could meet up and she kindly gave me a book for my collection. We had a lovely chat until it was time for my train to leave. Sadly I stood for the entire train journey home, but it didn’t dampen my happiness. During this entire trip I was very lucky to have various friends check in on me or offer advice of where to go. They may have not been with me physically, but they were there with me in spirit and I am forever grateful for that. 

Ten years have passed since my first solo trip. I have changed in myself and my lifestyle has also changed. A lot has happened in those ten years, good and bad, but I am extremely happy where I am today. To live the way I am whilst enjoying BTS and spending time with my army friends. There is something special about it that I don’t think others would ever understand. There is a certain connection that flows between us and will continue to do so.

[melanieph321]

Dominik Szoboszlai x Black Reader - Not Enough Part 2/6

Part 1

Summary - Reader is excited to meet Dominik's parents but is shocked to find out that they are very prejudiced and do not approve of her.

Enjoy!

You fell in love with Hungary. It was such a beautiful city with such a vibrant culture. Everywhere you went, people seemed to engage in activities that you had never heard of before. Like pottery, for example. It was definitely an odd activity to engage in, especially in the middle of the street. However, the Hungarian's seemed to enjoy it. You even brought home a pott that a lady had worked on for more than an hour. It was decorated with hearts which you thought would be a suiting gift for your boyfriend.

"Honey, I'm home!" You announced. You and Dominik had been staying at a hotel while in Budapest. It was a nice little getaway for you, but for Dominik, it was just another business trip. The Hungarian people were crazy about him. And ahead of the European championship, Dominik and his teamsmates are required to meet with fans and stakeholders of the Hungarian men's football team. This left you to roam the streets of Budapest on your own since Dominik was busy during the day. Nevertheless, there was no better feeling than coming home to the love of your life.

"Wake sleepy head. I got you a present."

"Hmmm?"

You found Dominik sleeping on top of the bed, fully clothed.

"I'm sorry to wake you, baby. Did you have a long day?"

"Yes, now don't just stand there, bring me my gift." Dominik was quick to release the pillow he had been hogging in his arms. He then stretched for you where you stood beside the bed.

"Come here." He muttered. "Bring me my gift."

You chuckled as his grasping hands tugged your shirt. Dominik pulled you down to lay with him in bed, smothering you with tight hugs and kisses.

"Baby, I'm not your gift."

"Yes, you are." He said, snuggling his face into the crook of your neck. "The best gift I've ever gotten."

"No, I actually bought you something from the street market that I visited today."

"You did?"

The kisses seized.

"Yes, would you like to have it?"

"Hell yeah, bring it here!" Dominik was quick to sit up in bed, not minding the way his hair was tousled from the sheets. He watched you slip out of bed and retrieve the gift from your bag. He was like an eager child on Christmas Eve as you brought it to him, wrapped paper, containing the sculptured pot. Dominik ripped it open despite you warning him to be cautious. However, his shoulders rose and fell at the sight of it.

"It's a...mug?"

"No baby, it's a pott."

"A what?"

"A pott, like for decorations."

"Oh, a pott." He nodded, although the dent between his brows gave him away. "What are you supposed to do with it?"

"I dunno, you tell me?" You chuckled. "The lady said it's a tradition for Hungarian's to engage in pottery." You joined Dominik on the bed again, watching as he turned the pott in his hand, regarding it with furrowed brows.

"Well, If it's not for drinking, I don't know what it's for."

"Ha ha." You muttered, unhanding him the decor item. "I thought it was cute, and if you don't like it, I'll just gift it to your parents instead."

"My parents?" Dominik frowned.

"Yeah, when we visit them."

"Right, about that..."

"What?"

You had always dreamt of meeting Dominik's parents. It only seemed natural after the two of you celebrated your three year anniversary. But every time you brought up, Dominik seemed to hesitate and would often change the subject. You thought things would be different arriving to Hungary but even here, when the distance to his family was no longer the issue, Dominik still hesitated to bring you there, insisting that you stay in Budapest where the travel to meet and greet with the Men's team would be less.

"I just don't think that it's a good idea." He said.

"But you always say that."

"I'm sorry, Y/N, but I didn't come here to visit my family. I have a job to do."

"Really, then why do I get a feeling that you don't want ME to meet your parents."

"Y/N." Dominik sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's just... my parents can be a bit... difficult," he said, choosing his words carefully. "They're not very open-minded, and they can be pretty judgmental."

You felt a pang of disappointment and hurt. So Dominik really didn't want to introduce you to his parents. But why? Was he embarrassed of you?

You tried to keep your emotions in check and pressed him for more information. "What do you mean by 'difficult'?" You asked, trying to keep your voice even.

"Well... they have a certain idea of what kind of person they want me to date, and it's not always the most... inclusive," Dominik replied, his voice filled with frustration. "They've made it clear that they don't approve of me dating someone from a different culture, and they've said some pretty hurtful things in the past."

You felt a wave of anger wash over you. "Well, we're not dating Dominik, I'm your girlfriend, of three years to be exact"

"I know, I know." He walk over to you, grabbing your head in his hands. "You're my girlfriend." He smiled, eyes bright in the sun. "And I want you to meet my family, trust me. But you must also trust me when I say that it's not a good idea right now."

How was this true, you thought. How could Dominik's parents be so close-minded. What exactly had Dominik told them about  you? There was only one way to find out. You knew that you had to meet them and confront them to show them that you were a worthy partner for their son.

"I want to meet them," you said, voice firm. "I want to see for myself what kind of people they are, and I want them to see that I'm not just some 'other' person, I'm your girlfriend."

Dominik stared into your eyes, surprised by your determination. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Yes, I'm sure," you replied, your heart racing with anticipation. "I'm ready to meet the parents."

Part 1

[scary-senpai]

So I was working on a little something for @wanpanmas...

What you must understand about me, is that I can never be normal about anything, ever.

Anyway, the prompt was supposed to be hot chocolate.

"What force, what brutality!" "Her power is surely on par with Tatsumaki's." "Thank God she can only manipulate desserts."

From the safety of HA Headquarters, Sitch and Sekinger surveyed the skirmish from every possible angle as it streamed across multiple televisions screens.

High up in the summits, the battle raged on—between the battered, beleagured heroes and the behemoth Swiss Maid that had somehow achieved sentience, and was now intent to wreck havoc across the snow-crested alps of K-City.

With a blood-curdling cry and a shake of her pigtails, the Swiss Miss dug her claws into the earth, ripped up a stretch of topsoil and began to wrap the earth around itself, layer by layer—as if storing a yoga mat, or a fruit rollup of some sort. Tanks, armored cars, entire infantry divisions—all abruptly squished together and immobalized like so much cream filling.

"A Swiss roll attack," Sekinger said. "We should have guessed."

"Metal Bat. Garou. Come in," Sitch spoke frantically into his ear piece. "Are you still there?"

"We're still here." Badd's voice came through, but barely. "We got lucky."

Garou's connection wasn't much better. "How's the backup situation?"

"I'll have to check." Sitch's assistant switched the video feed—bad news, all of it. Every city was beset by its own mascot disaster:

- Q City: Overrun by malevolent Tropicana Oranges. Watchdog Man, trapped in an endless game of fetch.

- A City: Plagued by Coca Cola Polar Bears. Zombieman was rapidly losing limbs.

- In Smelly Lid Prison, the Kool-Aid Man barrelled through wall after wall of reinforced concrete. Most of the prisoners had been freed, but Puri Puri had been buried under several cartloads of rubble.

Sekinger and Sitch looked at each other grimly. Their silence spoke volumes.

"Don't everybody answer at once." Garou's disdain was evident.

"And what about Caped Baldy, huh? What's he up to?"

Sitch cleared his throat. "We don't know. Nobody can reach him."

.......

While the K-City Alps were in shambles, the city below was fine.

Shielded from the fracas by several picturesque mountain ranges, the citizens went about their normal holiday preparations—stringing lights, decorating trees, and exploring the scenic Christmas Market that had popped up in the City Square.

As always, the line for hot chocolate snaked halfway across the block. It wasn't Saitama's idea of a good time, but Genos finally had a day off, and this is what Genos wanted to do with it. So Saitama had tagged along, for support.

Besides, it was nice to see the kid get excited about something other than murder, for once.

Saitama switched his phone to "silent" and mentally prepared himself for another lecture on wave machines.

"Wave mechanics," Genos corrected. "The Hot Chocolate effect is a phenomena of wave mechanics wherein—"

"—face it, Gen. It's a cool idea but that chocolate's never getting out of the swimming pool. It's way too sticky to put in a wave machine.”

"…indeed." Genos deferred to his sensei with a polite nod, and then gently changed the subject to something more accessible.

"Thank you for accompanying me today, Sensei. Are you sure that the Hero Association does not require your presence? They are often short-staffed during the holidays."

"Oh yeah," Saitama said, checking his pager. "I'm getting all these messages about the Swiss Miss. Isn't she supposed to be neutral?"

"Switzerland is a famously neutral entity," Genos confirmed. "Perhaps they refer to the Swiss Guard."

"That would explain why they’re Threat Level God,” Saitama murmured. “Well. I’m sure the Pope can handle it.”

Saitama promptly slipped his phone back into his pocket and went back to thinking about chocolate swimming pools.

[to be continued]

---

Author's note:

Maybe one day I'll write a fic without footnotes, but today is not that day.

The Hot Chocolate Effect

The Swiss Guard

[nei-ning]

Woke up 8:30am, left with mom to nearby city at 9:00am. She stopped to get some fuel before we continued our trip. Billy Idol's Rebel Yell plays in the radio and I love it! :D We arrived to this city a bit before 11am (it takes 1h to drive there).

We first went to piercing shop to show my piercings to the piercer. She was happy to see how well my piercings have healed (earlobes fully, cartilage too even that it's still a bit swollen - this is normal!) so I bought myself little tiny diamond earrings from her and she even changed them for me to my earlobes! :3

Then mom and I visited this BIG cemetery where her father and brother rests. I found 2 huge white feathers there! A good sign :)

Then to store 1: I found myself very nice scented candles with "take 3, pay for 2" offer, feet "mask", feet bath salt, some Christmas gifts and other stuff. After shopping we came to a car, got in, turned power on and again Billy Idol is playing from the radio! :D

Store 2: Found more Christmas gifts - even if only few.

Store 3: I planned on getting only 3 items from this food store BUT they had so good and different offers that I fell for them, ahah! So I bought myself some berry soups, vegetables etc.

Store 4: Biggest food market in the said city (to my knowledge). I bought so.much.food! I spent 87 euros on food AT ONCE! I NEVER buy food so much at once! But they had some sales too which I fell for, ahah! I bought 2 HUGE cauliflowers since they were 1€ / kilo, I bought lots of fruits and vegetables, chicken meats, eggs, butter made of plants etc. and I also found 2 last shirts with discounts! My whole point to this trip WAS to get 2 new shirts since my (acid) back sweat has eat holes to my 3 other shirts! (Yes, I don't have much clothes overall. I like to use the one and the sames as long until you can't wear them anymore since they break... :'D)

Store 5: I bought new flavored waters since they didn't have my favorite water. Bravely I bought 6 bottles of 1,5 liter bottles. Flavor: Pineapple-lime. I DON'T LIKE pineapple juice or anything like that! I like pineapple ONLY from the can and on top of pizza, nothing else. So I was skeptic when I took the first taste test.... and that water... was so freaking YUMMY! So so good! :D Not only that but it has VERY LOW calories and sugar levels so yay! (I did check these two with protein level from most ingredients I bought today)

Store 6: Just fast walking through. Didn't find anything. We drove another 1h to get back home.

And during this whole 11H LONG shopping I saw cars with number 44 on them SO MANY TIMES! I think I broke my record of seeing them during one day! Wherever I looked, there was 44! All the freaking time! But that was really nice and assuring, too :) Now I'm sitting in dark living room, TV on on Olympics while it's thundering outside <3 (just rain and few rumbles then and there - probably the edge of the cloud as always).

I should warm sauna and go to bath since I always feel sick, cold and feverish after these exhausting shopping trips (we didn't even go to this big mall where we usually always go) but I also wouldn't want to go - and I know I will be shivering in bed if I won't go wash myself. Simple shower is just njah...

But overall super nice day <3

[sangria-and-guinness-shenanigans]

Saturday, Dec 28, 2024 | Madrid, Spain

We slept in a bit today and then headed to a pastry shop we passed yesterday to get breakfast. I had one of the best pastries of my LIFE!!! I don’t know what it was called but Anna says it’s similar to something called an elephant’s ear.

From there we stopped at an outdoor Christmas market and then headed to one of my most highly anticipated parts of the trip: drag brunch!! Madrid has a strong gay community (which I learned about in my Smith classes of course) and a good drag scene, so I was really looking forward to this! It was in a GORGEOUS old theater, Teatro Magno. The food was extremely mediocre but the drag was EXCELLENT!!!! It was a whole show with 4 queens, a stage, backup dancers, props and projections and everything! Most of the numbers were in Spanish with a lot of comedy bits and crowd work. Between not being quite fluent in Spanish and being deaf, I picked up about 60% of what they said, but it was mostly physical comedy and glitter so I was very happy!! Partway through the show they brought out the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Spain Season 4, Le Cocó!!! She was incredible, absolutely gorgeous and a great dancer. Overall a fantastic show!!

We walked to another one of my most anticipated stops on the trip, Chueca, Madrid’s gay neighborhood. It’s smaller and less visibly gay than Philly’s gayborhood but it has the best thing a gayborhood can have: a gay bookstore!!!!! Liberia Berkana, the bookstore, was everything I dreamed of and more. They had some popular English titles translated into Spanish and it was fun to see how the titles were different. But even better the store was full of books in Spanish by LGBTQ+ authors and with queer themes—history books, poetry, queer theory, novels, picture books for kids, everything! I asked the very kind older lesbian (I assume) cashier for some recommendations of feminist poetry since books of poetry are smaller to pack on our travels. I’ve already read a few poems in the books she helped me pick out and I love them.

We sat outside in Plaza de Chueca and had some rosé. I learned that in Europe when a server comes to pour your wine, they let the oldest woman in the duo/group taste the wine before pouring it for everyone else. Awkward!!

We walked back to our hostel doing lots of window shopping on the way. The hostel had free dinner (small slices of bread with mayo and cheese and deli ham and tomato, yum……….) so we ate that and then had some quiet time.

The hostel had drinks and social time which was fun, I got to know another girl living in our room (except she’s leaving tomorrow!). A bunch of people from the hostel (Anna included!) went out to the discoteca but I didn’t feel up for it. Turns out, after going to a historically women’s college and then exclusively partying in lesbian bars, I’m not really comfortable around the combo of men and alcohol. Mom and Dad I know you’re reading this, Anna is in good hands with two nice young women who work for the hostel who are going!! Signing off from my cozy bed :)

[pbandjesse]

I have eaten just a little to much pasta this evening. But I am having a really lovely night. It is not the evening I planned but it was still really great.

Not shocking but I didn't sleep amazing. I felt like my head was leaning backwards and it was not comfortable. I also woke up a lot with music stuck in my head and that made it a struggle to fall back asleep. I don't remember James leaving. But the sun woke me up right in my face which annoyed me. But it was time to get up for sure.

I went and turned on the shower first. It seems to take 15 minutes to actually take a hot shower. I hate wasting the water so I am usually still taking a cold shower for the first half of it. But this at least helps.

I made the bed and got my clothes together. I brushed my teeth and the. Finally braved the water.

I washed my hair and by the time I was done that in the water was warm enough for me to shave my legs with my out goosebumps. I am getting real round but I'm going to continue to shave as long as I can reach.

I got out and dry and dressed. I changed my mind on my outfit because it was so cold. It was windy and blustery and cold out. There was also a lot of commotion out there because they were actually writing tickets for being parked on the wrong side today. Dang. Thankfully I had parked on the correct side.

James left of an omelette for breakfast. Which was pretty good. I shared it with sweetp. I was having a nice morning. I didn't have a ton to do, just getting myself ready for the market. I sent some emails, including on to the market to confirm I was coming.

But then like 5 minutes later I get a new email from the market that they were canceling the market because of the wind! And like fair, it would have sucked. But I gave up an events shift to do this market. And I was already anxious about going because of unclear parking instructions.

So I felt really bad about losing out on money. And decided to just reach out to Jesse. That I was free now and if he wanted to go home I could take over. And he was like. Omg yes! And the day was saved.

I was so glad I asked. Today wouldn't be a total wash and I would make some money.

I had some time before I needed to leave then. I was going to stop at awah because they had a Christmas gift for me. But first I made another chai with the concentrate I got. And packed some snacks. Yogurt and crackers and cheese. And left the house around 1245.

I was pretty annoyed when I went outside and found that the chain link fence from the construction on the corner had smashed into the side of our car. Turned out mirror in but thankfully didn't break it or our window. It did scratch the side. And it was so windy that even when I moved it, by the time I had run to the driver side to get in it had smashed into us again!! I tried moving a bucket of stone in front of the fence but it still was sliding and I had to move quickly so I could set up my phone map away from the fence. It was very annoying.

I got to awah at like 1. And spent a few minutes reorganizing the back of the car. All my market stuff had fallen over and there were bears everywhere. The plan was to fix that before I left the house but with the fence I was not going to sit there and fiddle. So in the parking lot was fine.

And then I went inside and it was so nice to talk to Jake and give him some updates and nice moments from my classes. He gave me an Amazon gift card and a T-shirt. Very sweet. And then I was off.

My GPS said I was going to get to the museum at 140. I asked James if they would like me to pick them up some coffee. They said yes that would be great. So a Starbucks stop before the evening.

I got them a white chocolate mocha and I got a strawberry frappe. And was probably really funny looking carrying those and my chai and my water into the musuem. Phil held the door for me so I didn't drop anything.

And it's been a lovely evening. It's a holiday party so pretty chill already, but also it's Zepher for catering and they are the best and make everything super easy on me. I got some hugs from my catering friends. And had a good time running around with Jesse getting the details for the evening.

James went for a little walk and brought me back a piece of pizza from 711. And I did all my tasks to get set up for a good event.

I chatted with Zelle and they said that my fashion is aspirational and I will now be riding that high for a while. Made me feel very cool. And everyone has been really lovely all evening.

I have made a lot of laps. Especially at the begining of the night. Because I knew I was going to end up just chilling at the desk slot. And honestly my fingers are super dry and hurt so I didn't want to go sew this evening. Instead I have been scrolling on my phone, chatting with people, and eating pasta. And it's been fun.

This group is engineering companies of America, and apparently a bunch of them are on the board here so that's cool. Investment in our museum. There has been some drama. Put payment system not working. Someone who was originally organizing this event quit. The numbers being double what was originally planned. But I think overall this has been a lovely event. Everyone seems to be having a very good time. They event had a bottle engraver and putt-putt. It has been fun for me and I'm just watching.

I am getting tired but there's still hours to go. It'll fly by though, it always does. And then tomorrow I'll be back for a few hours to get a chase set up for the holiday party tomorrow. It will be nice to have an activity.

I hope you are all having a good evening. Stay warm. I love you all. Goodnight!!

[crazylittlejester]

HI JES!! I come baring some adventures as it's my last full day in the UK :((

just gonna explain some fun things that I can remember lmao

for example, on saturday I went to a gigantic party for my moms cousins wedding anniversary (the whole reason I even went to the UK in the first place) and it was FUN!!!!!! I dressed up, I got to dance and I got to absolutely raid the photobooth spot, like the amount of photos I took with my family and cousins and whatever were insane... I was genuinely having the time of my life

another small adventure I went on was exploring the christmas market in town!!! it's sooo awesome there, but there are SOOOOO MANY BARS. and such pretty christmas lights, oh my god you would've lost your mind at how bright it was and it was practically pitch black outside by then LMAO they also had a bunch of rides ANDD I got to try a tornado potato!!!! (spoiler, it was fucking delicious)

ANYWAYS as for today, I got to go around more of the town with my mom and we went to visit an art gallery!! it was so awesome, we went to an exhibit about bricks. bricks. (we left to head to a pub with my dad and brother after and they started laughing when I mentioned that to them) oh and, small bonus detail, I got a pair of new shoes!!!!! im so joyus

I hope this isn't too much of a ramble, I'm honestly sad to be going back home since the flight is gonna be so early and I'm gonna be tired and bored 😭😭😭😭

I AM WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST THOUGH!!! I've missed you :((

stay as awesome as ever and make sure to take care of yourself dude!! ily and appreciate you <3 /p

SO SORRY FOR ANSWERING THIS LATE, i hope you last day was fun and that you’ve had time to rest!!!

THAT SOUNDS SO AWESOME!! I’m glad you had fun!! big parties with family must be very cool :)

OOOOOOOOOOH nice!! i have never heard of a tornado potato but im glad it was good >:) lights are always so pretty that mustve been fun to see

ART GALLERY NICE!!! AND SLAY TO THE NEW SHOES THATS AWESOME!!! me and my 5 year old converse held together by a hope a dream and a prayer will die together because they fit so perfect and im scared no other shoe will 😔

its not too much of a ramble at all!! i love hearin’ from ya and I’m so glad you had a fun trip :)

I’VE MISSED YOU TOO ily /p make sure you’re takin’ care of yourself as well :)

[thetarttfuldickhead]

A Jamie-centric pre-OT3 Christmas story told in 25 short chapters.

Masterpost / AO3

16.

“And with that, it’s all over at Vicarage Road! Watford prevails 3-0 over fellow Premier League relegates Richmond, after a nowadays characteristically lacklustre performance from the Greyhounds. Jamie Tartt had Richmond’s best chance early on in the second half, but failed to capitalize on an elegant pass from Richard Montlaur, and Watford took full advantage of of the visitors’ inability to create anything truly dangerous.”

Jamie went through the motions, shaking the hands of the Watford players and hugging and patting his teammates on the back as he made his way off the pitch, but in his mind he was already back at his house, collapsing into bed and not getting up for at least ten hours. Let sleep pull him away from this fucking shitshow of a game, and the fucking shitshow that had been his visit at Keeley’s place yesterday, and the fucking shitshow that would be the upcoming holiday, because after how things had gone with Roy there was no chance in hell he’d be able to make things right with his mum.

Walking past a mirror in the visitors’ dressing room, he automatically took stock of his appearance, and would have recoiled at the sad sight if he hadn’t been too dejected to care even about that.

Jamie Tartt. The ghost of shitshows past, present and future.

“Don’t beat yourself up, boyo,” Colin said as he walked past him, likely assuming that Jamie’s look of defeat was all down to the actual defeat and the missed goal. “Happens to the best of us.”

“Yeah, evidently,” Jamie muttered, but with such a lack of conviction that it earned him a sympathetic smile and another pat on his shoulder rather than a scowl or eyeroll.

“It was very clumsy of you, but we still would have lost even if you had scored, so it doesn’t matter,” Jan Maas added, and Jamie wondered if it would really count as being a prick if he murdered Jan just a little.

“All right, boys, not gonna lie, that was a tough one, but you know—“ Ted with a rousing speech, and normally Jamie would have done his best to pay attention because that’s what the new and improved Jamie did, and because Ted’s speeches, long and confusing as they sometimes were, actually did tend to leave him feeling better.

But today he just couldn’t seem to keep focus on the gaffer’s friendly drawl, no matter how hard he tried, and he soon gave up. Sat down on the floor and let the words turn into background noise, shapless static, until the silence told him it was time to get up, get changed, get out.

The journey home was a silent affair, a far cry from their ride to Winchester the other day. It had started rowdy and only gotten worse as Declan brought out the hot toddy that his wife had made, and Jan brought out the bisschopswijn that he had bought, and Richard declared that both drinks were sinful waste of good wine and brought out four bottles of a very long French name that Jamie couldn’t remember.

Isaac had only let them have one sip of each offering, because “gonna be lots of little kiddies at the market, so we’re going to fucking behave, yeah”, but that had been plenty to warm them, and they’d descened upon the pitoresque market in an abundance of high spirits and good cheer.

Jamie had found his Mummy a nice blanket, and Roy a boxset of novels in an old bookshop that Sam convinced them to go into. (Well, he hadn’t found the set, Tom had, picking it up and asking, “hey, wasn’t this the guy Roy was obsessed with last year? I sat next to him on the ride to the Sheffield game and he was reading this book he just woulnd’t shut up about. Don’t think I’ve ever heard him talk that much before”, but it had been Jamie who quietly snuck back to the store after the others have moved on to the hot chocolate stall and bought the set.)

Fat lot of good that would do him now.

Jamie picked up his phone and started scrolling down his Twitter feed, hoping for something to distract him from the dull ache in his chest. Not a great idea, as it turned out; him fumbling that goal hadn’t exactly gone unnoticed. To make matters worse, City had won their game against Crystal Palace 3-0, and some industrious little twat had put together a stupid fucking video of Jamie scoring for City last season, him missing his shot today, a reaction shot of him as Watford scored, and City’s celebration of their win at Selhurst Park. imagine going from that to this just coz u wanna eat pussy on tv lmao, the caption read.

Jamie traced his thumb over the skyblue figures jumping and hugging each other as Pep walked among them, handing out cuddles and bum pats. De Bruyne had Paddy in a playful headlock, shouting something jubilant in his ear. Champions, well on the way to securing their fourth League title in a row.

That had been Jamie, just half a year ago. Could have been him still, if only—

But if he’d still been at City, he wouldn’t have had Dani leaning against his shoulder and soring gently as they turned onto Nelson Road. There’d have been no trip to Winchester. And – and that was the only thing that fucking mattered in the end, wasn’t it? –  if he’d still been at City, his phone would be blowing up with calls and messages from Dad right about now, and the mere thought of it was enough to turn his stomach.

As if on cue, his phone started buzzing, startling him badly enough that he almost disloged Dani from his shoulder. “Sorry, amigo,” Jamie murmured, receiving a sleepy mumble in response, as he glanced at the screen.  

Keeley, again. She’d tried calling him last night, and sent a couple of messages, but he’d let the call go to voicemail, ignored the voicemail, and the messages too.

It’d been fucking stupid of him to think she really wanted to help him with his brand, he supposed. He should talk to her, probably. Just to… Well. He didn’t know. Something.

Jamie declined the call. The coach came to a halt. He went home.

---

Two hours later, after he had dutifully eaten an nutritionst approved frozen meal and almost dozed off in front of Q&A, Jamie was jolted awake by a loud, insistent banging on his front door.  

He sat, blinking and scowling towards the hall. Had Roy decided to come calling and yell at him some more? Jamie was not in the mood for that. If he just ignored it—

“Jamie! I know you’re in there, I saw your poncy car out front! Not gonna leave me out here in the cold, are you? Jamie!”

Jamie’s stomached dropped.

It wasn’t Roy. It was Dad.

[what-if-nct]

HEYYYYY I THINK I TOLD YOU RECENTLY ABOUT HOW IM GOING TO THE MUSEUM WITH A FRIEND THAT I HAVE FEELINGS FOR AND I DIDNT KNOW IF IT WAS JUST AN OUTING OR A DATE. I STILL DONT KNOW BUT WE WENT OUT TODAY!!! I arrived there a bit early which is good for me because it gives me time to panic beforehand and I also realised the Christmas markets were right next to the museum. The museum was quite nice but not particularly interesting but I was talking a lotttt. I tend to be quite quiet actually but when I’m alone with them I’m constantly talking so I hope they are okay with that. My mercury is in their first house tho and my mercury has conjunctions and trines with lots of their placements. Their sun also conjuncts my moon which is cute. We got matching animal thingys at the museum gift shop. But afterwards, we go to the Christmas markets and it was raining a lot so we both had our big coats on and was sharing an umbrella. Ik that isn’t particularly significant but I liked that I got to be closer to them for a bit under the umbrella. But the umbrella kept breaking and going the wrong way because it was also extremely windy. I think it’s really cute when there’s games at an arcade or fair and one person wins a toy/plushie for the other so I kinda hinted at doing that but they didn’t win :/. I chose to do hook a duck so it was quite easy for me and so I got a hedgehog but I didn’t give it to them. It can be our child tho that I look after. We played darts but I failed miserably and they did alright but didn’t get enough points for a toy jellyfish. Then we searched for churros and were walking around everywhere and it was one of the last stalls where we got them. We were planning on surprising our friend who works in a shop but idk if we came at the right time or not. We waited there and started looking very silly just standing there and so we gave up. We went to different shops and looked around but didn’t buy much stuff. I did buy presents though for the person I have for secret Santa. After shopping we went back to the bus stop and hugging before they got on the bus. As there were a lot of people getting on the bus, it stayed there for ages so they waved a few times whilst i was waiting for my bus. I enjoyed it and they seemed too as well. Later on though some of us were talking on a gc about celebrity crushes. The person I like is the type to just read the stuff on the gc but not say anything really unless directly spoken to and so they were reading all of what we were saying. I put some pictures of Hyde of L’Arc en Ciel on there and pointed out how I loved his hair in one of the pictures. Another friend pointed out of the pictures and said “DAMN ITS GIVING SOMEONE” and it made me realise how he low-key looks like my friend I like in the picture especially with his hairstyle and yeah. I still don’t really know if it was a date or not (pretty sure it was just an outing but I’d like to be believe it was a date) but going to the museum and Christmas market as some of my favourite date ideas so yeah.

Im so happy you had a wonderful time. And it sounds like you had a really great time and I think either a date or just an outing at least you got to hang out with someone you like and go to know them better. I hope you get to spend more time with them and if not have a relationship at least build a really strong friendship.

[the1975attheirverybest]

"Oh nooo :( I’m so sorry baby. How’d your exam go? Hope you’re having an at least tolerable time and looking forwarding do being finished. Please try to sleep and hydrated okay? 🩷🩷 gonna send you lucky thoughts."

that exam went... okay? i think i passed. Today i had another one which went rlly well. the prof gave us a test exam beforehand and in the actual exam today we had the exact same tasks (sometimes he changed the numbers a bit, but u still had to just follow the steps of the calculations). on top of that we were allowed to use the textbook and also write notes into the textbook. so that was nice.

after the exam we all went to the christmas market in town and had some hot wine. the guy poured a rlly big shot into mine. my head is still spinning, but i also downed the drink rlly fast and bc the wine is hot the alcohol effects u even more (especially if u pour around two shots of liquor into the mug). so we were walking around town, kinda drunk at 1pm XD 🦦

YAAAAAYYYY!!!! IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU BABE!!! congrats on doing great on these exams. Honestly sounds like a well deserved drinking afternoon im glad y'all are having fun 💗🥹

[engbergsinfinland]

Sunday greetings!

Hello, everyone! I am going to try to knock out a quick post here, because I have a friend arriving tonight for a few days, and I know things will be busy, and then right after that we go to Helsinki for Fulbright Thanksgiving (and a number of associated events) and from there, we fly to Kuusamo to, potentially, ski! Last we checked, their ski area was only 10% open, so if that has not changed, we may not ski. Anyway, tomorrow night my friend Dani (my friend of 20 years from Albuquerque) and I are going to see Sigur Rós here in Tampere and I am very excited; they will be playing with a full orchestra, so it should be very moving! The last time I saw them was in about 2003 in Detroit, at the Gem theater, which is a theater that was literally moved from one location to another, a few blocks aways, when they built Comerica Park.

I don't have anything exciting to report from today. I stayed in almost all day working on a talk/article called "D. H. Lawrence 'The Border Line' and Ontologies of Endlessness" -- and if that doesn't sound like a stuffy academic title to you, then I don't know what you are looking for ;) I went out before the sun rose this morning, but, don't be too impressed, because that was at 7:50 a.m., but the sun was not up yet. I gave Alex a quick walk -- and then I came inside and drank tea and ate dark chocolate, trying to get my head in the game to try to work on this paper. My other project, which I was working on at the end of last week, is totally, totally different; it is a technical communication pedagogy project with research I am conducting with my colleague here, Maija. It is called "Exploring High-Impact Teaching Practices in Online Finnish Technical and Professional Communication Courses." Do you like that title? A little more straight-forward, yes? It will lead to take-aways that are, in fact, applicable, we hope, across US and Finnish institutions-- and then we can extrapolate some findings to other international contexts, speaking to cultural impacts on what have become known as "high impact practices" for teaching (HIPs). Anyway, after I finished with the chocolate and tea part of my day, I sat at my desk for hours on end. And then, I called it quits at 6 p.m., after sending my paper draft to my colleague here who runs the Space/Environment group. Then, I went on a walk with Cece and Alex -- and it was so nice to go outside!

Cece did not feel well for part of the day and had to sit out the second hour of ice skating this morning. She said she just felt . . . unwell. So, she laid down in the dressing room at the rink, which is always a nice, warm place to be. She spent the rest of the day here at home, reading the third Oz book (since Rowan has almost all of them here), resting.

Yesterday, I did some work on this project during the day and then we went out at 3:30 to a Christmas market that was on Hämeenpuisto, which was where the parade, following Santa, was going to be, culminating in the lighting of the Christmas Tree at Keskustori. There were lots of people watching the parade and then Keskustori (center market) was full, and Rowan decided to take it upon himself to go closer to where the stage was, where there were speeches and singing, and we lost him basically until the end of the event. This is one of his trademarks -- and try as we might, we cannot get him to stop doing this. It is super frustrating. It happens on hiking trails, ski hills, neighborhood walks, and more. Annnyway, we saw the lighting of the tree and by that time, my toes were cold as it was in the mid-20s and we walked home, intersecting paths with Rowan right before we arrived home. Our plan was to drop Alex off and then head to Ikea. But, Eric got a work call right then, and so we stayed home for an hour while he dealt with that issue. Then, off to Ikea we went! We ate there and bought a few odds and ends.

A really fun thing happened on Friday. It was Children's Day at Work, as I mentioned in my last post. Cece and I arrived at the main building (Päätalo -- which means "head" "building") where the opening event was, which was a welcome talk (which we actually missed) and then Cece got a badge. We went from there to my building, and Cece got to see a healthcare robot, which helps people discern what steps they need to take for their diabetes care. I guess this is a technology developed here. Then, we went and joined a tour of the campus, but it just sort of retraced steps we'd already taken. Then, she accompanied me and Eric to our Finnish class. There were only two other students there on Friday (Fridays are usually poorly attended, but people have also been falling off over the last month). Carita knew Cece was coming and she was so nice to her. Cece did a whole lot of FInnish talking and seemed to really enjoy our class. After that, Cece and Eric and I went back to campus and met her friend Lyra and Lyra's dad, Tom, who is a Game Studies researcher, and we all had lunch. Afterwards, Cece got to hang out in Tom's department with Lyra, and they played and colored and read, and I went to a symposium. What a fun day it was! And, in the evening, the kids and Eric and I went to Ratina (the one mall, right next to the other mall), to go to the fabric store, so I could buy fabric for the Christmas dress I am going to make Cece.

Whew! This coming week has so much going on -- I hope I get a chance to write a mid-week update. We'll see! Hope everyone is doing well <3

[pbandjesse]

Today went by very fast. I'm surprised it's so late. It was a pretty nice day though. I got to spend the day with my husband and that was just really nice. Even if I didn't feel incredible. It was a good day.

I slept really late. I slept alright but I slept really deeply. I woke up a few times. I felt a little uncomfy. I set my alarm for 930 but I must have turned it off and woke up a little after 10.

When I woke up James texted me that they couldn't come say good morning yet because Sweetp was sitting on them. That's alright. I pulled myself together and went to take a shower.

Which helped. I just felt like my body was falling apart. The shower at least made me feel normal. I got cleaned up and dressed. James said my new skirt made me look like a teddy bear in the best way. Made me feel nice.

James made me an omelet which was nice sweet of them. We sat together on the couch and discussed the day.

The plan was to go out to hunt valley to go to the garden store and get Christmas ornaments. Then we would go to the goodwill to look for pants for James. Then the grocery store. A very nice day.

It was surprisingly cold out. Brisk. I did not wear a jacket but I probably would have benefited from another layer. And once we got outside I realized I couldn't walk in the shoes k chose. I made it to the car and James would go back upstairs to get me boots instead. Best husband.

We drove out to the garden store and it was a nice drive. The store was pretty busy! The Christmas spirit was there for sure.

We didn't have a huge plan. I just wanted to find an ornament that reminded each other of the other. We went through the whole store. Eventually settling on a nature theme. I really love the food ones but then the bristle animals really spoke to me. The otter made me think about James. And then James picked a squirrel for me! We also found a peapod for Sweetp.

James accidently dropped an ornament and it broke. So we would buy that one too. I will glue it back together. I felt bad that that happened though.

I was having a lot of fun with James though. Looking at the Christmas stuff. The little displays. The trees. It was really sweet.

After we paid we would walk around their outside part where they had the trees and such. They had a huge tree dressed up like a gnome. I don't like gnomes but it was very cool still.

We took some pictures but my camera has been acting weird. But it was fine. I would get a little to cold and let James know so we headed out.

James picked a different goodwill then I expected. But it was actually a good one! James got two new pairs of pants. I found a new pack of corn cob holders. And best of all I found a table! It's a fold down table and it's great. It's a little scratched up but it was cheap and perfect. I'm thrilled. It has a drawer and the parts that keep up the folds are fitted onto the sides in a beautiful way. It is heavy and great. I'm very happy.

We carried the table together to the register. The cashier confused me when he was trying to say I almost had enough on my reward card to get money off but he phrased it so strangely and I had no idea what he was trying to tell me. I am sure he thought I was an idiot but I was truly confused. But we sorted it out and me and James carried the table to the car.

After we loaded the car up we drove down the street to go to Lidil. Which is like Aldi. And it was fun! James found a bunch of interesting seasonal ravioli. I got vanilla cream brioche. We got almost everything off of our list. It was an excellent trip.

Once we were done there James took me to Uber bagel. Which was in the same shopping center. And it was very good. I got a cinnamon sugar bagel with apple cinnamon raisin cream cheese. James got a BLT on an everything bagel. We didn't have to wait long and then we were off.

I had half the bagel in the car while we drove to get gas. And then to the organic market for fake meat products. And finally to the giant to get the final couple items. I didn't feel amazing and my eye wouldn't stop twitching. But i was having fun with my husband.

While we were out Harold our realtor let us know there are a few other offers on the house and they will decide tomorrow. So if we get the house that will be great, but if not the search continues. Its in the universe hands now.

We would get home and bring the table inside. Which was a struggle. But we got it and James went to get the groceries. I was a little woozy. Thankfully my eye stopped twitching. And I started to feel a little better. It helped that it was cozy and warm in here.

I would spend the afternoon cleaning the kitty litter, cleaning the fish tanks, hanging out with sweetp. James would go for a bike ride. I would hang out in bed. Our wedding book came and I was excited to look at it. It looks so good and I'm excited to share it with everyone.

When James got back they would work on bread making and painting their nails. While I had a veggie hot dog for dinner and continued to work on my camp schedule.

I had taken a break after it went to poorly last week. But after two hours I was able to figure it out!! I think I got it! I figured out what couldn't overlap, what could, it was a lot of sorting, I even tried to use chatgbT for the first time. Which did not work but it did encourage me to have a nice camp season. But around 730 I finally typed in the last block. I can't wait to show it to Heather. I will have to make all the specialty schedules still but the groups schedule is there! And I'm thrilled.

I would take a bath after all that computer work. And I feel a lot nicer now. Not amazing. But nicer. I'm cozy in bed again. Ready to sleep.

Tomorrow I have jury duty! I love jury duty. I hope I get to see a case. But more so I hope the day goes smoothly.

I hope you all have a good night. Sleep well and take care of yourself! Goodnight everyone!

[mother-athena]

hihi miss athena

don really have much to says but wanned say hi am bit talkative today well dunno if can call self talkative cause cant speak but know what means

big 🧵 wented to the farmers market wit family today an he got me figs we both really really like figs

oh also have bandaid with princess maxine on it, well not her but another pastel swirl kitty like her

next times when am big 🧵gonna make crowns for princess maxine an princess sylvia and princess camilla and prince magnus and prince charles ans me

been wearing the prince bracelet that was made for big 🧵 cause makes me feel like am little prince

are you having nice day miss athena? also what your favourite movie?

-🧵

Good morning kiddo!

That's alright. Whether you don't have anything or everything to say, I'm just happy to hear from ya.

I'm super jealous that you got to visit the farmers market! I'd been meaning to go for awhile, but I've been busy.. maybe I'll try again this weekend though.

That's a lot of crowns you plan on making. I hope all of them come out looking how you want them to!

My morning is going great so far. I'm taking a small break from work right now to reply to all my kiddos but I love starting my day by answering all of you. 💛 And if I had to choose (which is super hard)... I'd say my favorite movie is A Christmas Story.

[aneyeforlondon]

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Today is “get your behind off my boat” day LOL. We are very sad, however; we are somewhat glad at the same time as this means we are off to London! We wake up and get dressed as we have our bags packed already aside from what we had planned to wear and our makeup, etc. We head down to breakfast and sit by ourselves. We ordered some breakfast and had some very strong coffee. After breakfast, we get back to the room to brush our teeth and get our checked luggage outside with our gray tag. We are the last group to leave the boat. We sit in the lounge with Cindy and Alisa, as Heather and Bridget have left already. We start talking about what our next trip is going to be and decide to go ahead and put a deposit down. We haven’t decided yet, but it’s looking like a Christmas Market cruise. We walk up to Rachels desk and she takes care of securing our deposit for us. She is supposed to go to the airport at the same time as us, however; when the van came to pick us up, she is not able to leave. I was sad I had not been able to say goodbye as she must have gotten hung up by another passenger. We are very well taken care of both on the way to the airport and when we arrive. Ama employees were waiting for us to get there and walked us all the way to security to ensure we got on the right plane. Sherri and I get our luggage checked and head off in search of the BA lounge. We end up walking around for at least 30 minutes in vain and finally think we’ve found the lounge only to find out it was closed for renovation. But lucky for us, a BA employee came out and said the temporary lounge was in a cafe and she is headed there and asks us to follow her. We had actually walked past this cafe and saw the sign but did not read the fine print that indicated this was the BA as well as a couple of other airlines lounge. We get some nice fresh bread, cheese, ham, olives, and some yummy potato salad and some cole slaw. I was so hungry, but this hit the spot! It’s soon for loading the plane, so we make our way to the gate D16, which is our gate and are just in time to load. We are group 1 and board the plane quite quickly. We are served afternoon tea on the plane and I can barely eat, but manage to get down a little bit of sandwich, a scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam and a couple of bites of carrot cake and tea of course! We land at Heathrow without incident as the flight is quite short. Once we get the skywalk connected, which took a minute, and we head down to get our luggage. That too takes a minute, but we make it through security and out to pick up our Heathrow Express tickets. We look at the cost and decide to take the Elizabeth Line instead. It isn’t a straight shot to Paddington, but we finally get there and grab a taxi to the hotel. As it is after 5:00, our room is ready and reception is super nice and have our luggage brought up to our room 449. Our room is nice and we get unpacked and wait for Cindy and Alisa to get here. I can’t remember what we were doing on Sherri’s phone, but we missed the first text from Cindy stating she was on her way, but we do catch the one where she is here. We went down to their room and then let them have a little time to get unpacked and we met in the lobby a little later and walk down to Bunch of Grapes for dinner. We walk all the way to Harvey Nics just to show them how easy it is to get to Harrods and other stores. We get to the pub and someone is sitting at our table which has been reserved. A not very nice man finally gets up and they clean the table and we sit down. We all go to the bar and place our orders for food and drink, my usual fish and chips and Gin and Tonic are all yummy. We come back to the hotel and sit in the bar for a bit, the girls had another drink, but I pass. We came back up to our room and I am so ready to get my jammies on and sleep. Tomorrow we go to the Royal Mews.