Birds...

No Annabelle was not chasing birds again, rather we had one in our house.  It was a rainy, cold day and I had just settled on the couch to catch up on some emails, had slightly cracked the big doors to let some fresh air in, when this little bird came flying in.  It scared the heck out of me, but I quickly realized it was a little bird.  So I jumped up, tried to shoe it out and it was having a difficult time finding itself back into the wild.  I grabbed my camera, took a couple pics and wished Annabelle was awake to experience the bird frenzy.  After I sat back down and processed what had happened I realized two things:  1) the bird had pooped ALL over and 2) the thought of ever getting Annabelle a pet bird, which yes I have mentioned while being over here, is out the door and not an option!

Ola

Yes "Ola" does mean hello in Portuguese, but it is also the name on the flags of these small stand-alone trailers that are parked throughout the city that sell Popsicles and ice-cream.  Once I noticed it on the flags I started to notice it within restaurants and pop-up tents outside some cafes.  I was curious if Ola was the stands name, the ice cream name, or what it was, so did some research.  I discovered that "Ola" is a Portuguese, Dutch and Belgian ice cream brand made by Unilever, the worlds biggest ice cream manufacturer.  They created their "Heartland" branch to increase international brand awareness in 1998 and now have 11 European factories, one of which is in Lisbon.  Heartland branch = heart shaped logo.   Glad I could share :)

We have tried to avoid them at all cost, but seeing that they are scattered throughout our daily walk, it's hard to resist the temptation.

Mommies crying

This past weekend was a hard one for both Andy and I.  We have been over here for one month now and the reality of our new life is definitely sinking in.  While we are both struggling with different aspects of the move, we have many similar feelings and emotions.  We have reached out to ex-pat groups, tried to find American Moms club and done research on getting Annabelle in school, but have found ourselves at a loss.  Sunday afternoon we were discussing our new life and were having a moment.  In the midst of our conversation and shedding some tears, Annabelle looked at me and said, "Mommies crying."  She ran over and said, "Mommy I'll hold you" with her arms wide open.  Her attentiveness and sweet words were just what we needed.

Life as it stands now will be our life as we know it over here.  Will the distance get better?  I'm sure at times, but the pace, culture, routine and loneliness will be present throughout our time here.  We are here as a family and have an opportunity to live in a beautiful part of the world, so are going to do our best to embrace the experience, lonely or not, and will make our arrival back home that more special.

Another (Uneventful) Weekend

We found ourselves both in a slump this weekend and trying to pick up our spirits with little help from the weather and each other.  Friday night we dined at the mall, yes second Friday we have done this, and Saturday night stayed in at home and sat around with stickers on our nose.  Oh how our lives have changed.

Saturday afternoon we headed to the old part of town, which is so beautiful and very historic. They have one of the only non-drivable streets that is lined with stores and restaurants, so thought it would be fun to spend some time walking around and shopping.  Retail Therapy Please!  We weren't ready to eat lunch yet, so Andy ran into the American store to get Annabelle a snack and came out with a bag of Chex Mix and a Dr. Pepper!!!  It tasted ah-mazing!!!

 We dined at a pizza place called "Celeste Pizzeria" and it was pretty poor.  There are a ton of great restaurants down there, but wanted to get in and out someplace, so stumbled upon a strip of restaurants with cute outdoor patios, but did not enjoy the pizza.  Thank goodness the beer was good.

Annabelle behaving so well at lunch like she normally does...sense the sarcasm :)

Saturday night at home...stickers on the nose.  We were all sitting there talking and Andy and I look at each other and are like, yep we need a picture.  Thanks Annabelle!

Sunday we ventured to the supermarket, which is always an unpleasurable experience.  It is very overwhelming in the first place, but to then have Annabelle running around like a kid in a candy shop, makes it even more stressful.  We try to divide and conquer, but we aren't able to spend time really sorting through the aisles and translating what everything is.  I think cooking over here will be more challenging and will result in more pre-made meals and eating out!  Fine by me :)

To the beach

This week was super nice, so Annabelle and I spent quite a bit of time at the beach during the days.  It has been fun to watch her get more comfortable with the sand and water and get over the "dirty" of the sand.  I brought my camera down with us on Wednesday and snapped away.  Here are some of my faves of her splashing around.

I work out...

Most of our mornings are filled with walking to the park, bakery, or somewhere down along the beach walkway. Porto is a very active city and there are always people running and working out along the walkway.  I see some interesting things during my days and captured this one specifically.  I found it quite entertaining and could only think of the LMFAO song, "I'm sexy and I know it."  He had quite the routine.

Week 3

We survived another week and are happy to have another week behind us.  I cannot emphasize how lonely it is being in a place that you don't have people to talk to.  More the small interactions you have whether it be at the store, restaurants, just walking around that I miss.  The only person I have had a repeat conversation with over here is a nice grandma at the park who takes her granddaughter Ines there to play.  She speaks English, so that has been nice communicating with her...two times that is:)  This week the weather was absolutely beautiful, so spent a lot of time down at the beach.  Annabelle has taken quite a liking to the water and sand, so have enjoyed watching her grow to love the beach.  Like mother, like daughter.  The weeks are pretty long just Annabelle and I, but the warm weather definitely helped with the spirits.

This weeks main observations:

- Attire:  While the culture is not super fancy, the idea of lounge clothes really is not present.  At the park the kids will all have on nice clothes, like dresses, khakis and the moms will too be dressed up.  I find it slightly bizarre, but they probably find us really bizarre.

- Everything is a Production:  Because we are on foot during the day to get anything done takes up quite a bit of time.  Annabelle has a horrible rash and we think it's because she is allergic to the diapers we bought over here.  So yesterday, I needed to go to the store to get another brand to try and it was an hour and half ordeal.  It takes 30 minutes to walk to the store and then getting her loaded up and out the door is always a production, so almost 2 hours later we got home with a bag full of groceries and new diapers to try.  Let's hope that is the root of the problem.

- Coffee:  They coffee all day...and LOVE their coffee.  I'm not as exposed to this as Andy is, but they drink their coffee out of these little glasses and drink it strong!!  They wrap up every meal with a coffee and will stop throughout the day to coffee.  I like this concept if it were Starbucks-like coffee, but straight, strong black coffee is not my thing.

- Milk:  Have I mentioned that their milk is not sold in the refrigerated section of the store, rather on normal shelves? Yes we are still drinking it and refrigerate ours before and after we open it.  And the eggs too sit out on the normal shelves.  

- Pantyhose:  All the women wear pantyhose with shorts, skirts, dresses, you name it.  And women of all ages.  I have noticed that their legs always look so smooth and as I've been looking closer, I have realized that they all wear pantyhose.  Don't think I will adapt to this trend, although I'm sure it would help hide my flaws!

- Double Kiss: When you see someone you know or meet someone, you double kiss.  One kiss on each cheek.  You go left, they go right and then swap.  Make sure you get it right or you will have an awkward smooch on the lips.

 Here is a picture of the changing rooms in the supermarket and malls.  They even have really cute painted walls.