« September 2008 | Main | November 2008 »
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Birthday Weekend
And it's Sunday already again. It was definitely a long week at work but Friday was my birthday so that was good. Still had to work but after work we went to our favorite local sports bar TK's where you get free wings on your birthday. So 29 free wings - yumm. :) Had a lot of fun, hanging out with a bunch of friends, eating, laughing & drinking. Can't complain regarding the gifts I got either. Thank you so much everyone! Mike got me Broadway tickets to see "Mary Poppins" for November 23. Yay. Other gifts included a lovely cat calendar, candles, Godiva chocolate, a miniature BMW Mini car (well I guess I did say I wanted a BMW Mini but didn't specify the size) and money.
Yesterday Mike and I went out for a nice dinner, just the two of us, to a restaurant in South Windsor, CT. The Mill on the River was a really lovely restaurant and the food was delicious. We had a trio of German sausages as an appetizer (part of their special Octoberfest menu) and I had Chicken Cordon Bleu for my entree. Also had a glass of Gruener Veltiner (Austrian wine) so definitely a great evening.
Today hasn't been all that eventful so far. Had breakfast at our local diner and then went grocery shopping. I want to try and catch up with my emails and letters if at all possible. Maybe try and get some reading in as well plus we have tons of TV shows recorded that we need to watch. Bought some cheese, pepperoni and crackers we will have later.
Mail Update: Letters are going out on Monday to: Lotte/Denmark, Jessica/DE, Celia/MA and Charles/TN. Received letters from/still owe replies to: Tiffany/OK, Eunice/Malta and Carmen/Malta.
Posted by Hanna at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
It's a small world after all
Can't believe it's only Tuesday. This week is definitely shaping up to be another crazy week. I am short staffed again as I have somebody on vacation. Oh well. On a more positive note the monthly Austrian meet-up I go to in NYC was Monday night so we headed down to the city to go to that. I always enjoy going because you get to meet the most interesting people and it's held at a really neat bar. Plus I like being in NYC. So I was drinking my Magner's cider, talking to a dermatologist from Innsbruck who is in NYC on a research project when another girl walked over to me and started talking to me. That particular girl happened to be Elisabeth, somebody I have known for more than 10 years. Elisabeth and her twin sister Monika are currently in New York interning at the UN. How weird is that ? Well having known them for a long time and knowing their career path it's not all that weird (they had an internship at the Austrian embassy in Washington DC a few years back) but it was still surreal to run into them when I wasn't expecting it at all. It definitely proves that it is a small, small world after all. :)
Mail Update: No letters have gone out since the last update. :( Received letters from/still owe replies to: Tiffany/OK, Jessica/DE, Charles/TN, Celia/MA, Eunice/Malta and Carmen/Malta.
Posted by Hanna at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Baby Shower
So today I went to my first baby shower. (we don't really do those in Austria that way). It's always neat to me to see other countries' customs and see what people do. It was a surprise shower for my friend Sharon who is due in early December. I am glad that it worked out and she was really surprised. Lots of gifts, food, cake and games.
The weekend just flew by. Can't believe that it's already Sunday night again. Yesterday we went into work for a few hours to see how everything was going (we are in the middle of a big project at work at the moment, big route changes etc.) and the rest of the day was spent on catching up with a few things around the house. Also tried to catch up with some online stuff (emails, website design etc.)
Today I went to the baby shower and then managed to write one letter after we got home. Now we are going to watch some shows we have recorded and veg out for the rest of the night.
Not too much else new really. My birthday is coming up rapidly (next week Friday). In honor of my birthday we decided to go away for a weekend (just 1 night) so we will be spending the first weekend of November in Philadelphia.
Mail Update: A letter is going out tomorrow to: Dave/IN. Received letters from/still owe replies to: Charles/TN, Celia/MA, Eunice/Malta and Carmen/Malta.
Posted by Hanna at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Monday, October 13, 2008
Busy Days
Been meaning to update for ages but just haven't gotten around to it. I am at work right now so I won't be able to post any pictures from the last week either but I'll try and do that soon.
We had a really nice time with Nicki and Damien and the days just flew by of course. They spent their days mostly in the city exploring NY (Empire State Building, Times Square, etc.) and in the evening we went out to dinner either here in CT or in NYC. Took them to our favorite pizza place Arturo's in NY. On Saturday we took a day-trip to Rhode Island (Newport) which was really fun. The weather was just perfect. Walked along the Cliff Walk where you have some gorgeous views of the ocean, mansions and coastline. Had a yummy lunch at the Red Parrot.
Sunday they went down to NYC to spend the last 2 nights in the city so we brought them down there. Mike and I wanted to go and see the new Van Gogh exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art but unfortunately it was sold out for the day. So instead we headed to Brooklyn to have dinner at my favorite Austrian restaurant Cafe Steinhof.
Today it's back to work and back to the daily grind. But Nicki decided to come back east in December so it will be great to have her back in just a few months. And Christmas is so amazing in NYC so I am sure she will enjoy that.
Mail Update: Letters went out today to: Alex/Germany and Caroline/Scotland. Received letters from/still owe replies to: Dave/IN and Charles/TN.
Posted by Hanna at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Happy Autumn
It definitely feels like fall now. Today it's been somewhat rainy but for the most part it's been sunny and nice. The air has that clear, crisp feeling to it and you can see some leaves turning colors and others falling to the ground and blowing around. It's definitely fall now. It's still fairly warm during the day but rather cool in the morning and at night. I do love fall so I am content for the time being.
This week has been pretty busy at work. Can't really say why exactly. It was just one of those weeks where the phone wouldn't stop ringing. I am hoping that this coming week will be better but we will see how it goes.
My friend Nicki and her boyfriend Damien are coming from California on Tuesday so I am looking forward to that. It will be great to meet Damien and of course to see Nicki again. I am sure they will have a great time exploring NYC and we are also planning to take a roadtrip out to Rhode Island.
Mail Update: So far letters are going out tomorrow to: Tizz/Holland, Celia/MA, Nicki/CA and Lotte/Denmark. Received letters from/still owe replies to: Alex/Germany and Caroline/Scotland.
Posted by Hanna at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack