Living in America 2015

[rootypig]

New thread. In honour of:

1. allegedly Irish bangers discovered I saw in Trader Joe's today, which made me think of you lot and especially you Want2b, you pork fanatic - I will report back; and

2. taxes bloody argh! do I have to do this? NOW??? My green card was granted in August last year and I didn't earn a bloody penny. What am I supposed to put on a tax return

How else is everyone's American odyssey going?

yours chaotically, as ever,

rooty

I've never tried lamb in a slow cooker but it would probably be lovely, with wine and veggies..

Math my in laws generally do lamb & fish & ham (or anything really) at christmas. It's usually 25+ people so lots of dishes brought and various people who don't eat ham/red meat etc. Thanksgiving the last few years have had homemade turduckens. They're adventurous lot!

Lamb in the slow cooker is yum. I make a sort morrocan lamb in the slow cooker.

Happy belated Easter everyone!

We had a very quiet one... I didn't realize Monday wasn't a holiday here

We had an Easter egg hunt in the garden on Sunday which was nice. I'd bought Cadbury mini eggs to hide and then sneaked a few myself. They are really not the same over here! Tasted like cheap chocolate.

Flip and want2be thanks so much for the schools advice. We found a nice little pre-k so I think I'm going to hold him back this year and send him when he's properly 5. The kids over here are so much more confident and DS is still very shy, so hopefully it will build his confidence more. We are in Monmouth county. Where are you other NJ mumsnetters? Maybe we could have a NJ meetup!

Happy Easter everyone. We were up in Canada for the weekend. Lovely weather and it was great to see family. We have a sick house and annoyingly I paid $400 for DD to stay home this week. She has a mild form of measles so I also have CDC coming around to collect data. So bloody annoyed.

Sounds like everyone else had a fab Easter too. Love my lamb and I got some welsh lamb up in Canada which is now in the freezer.

Dharma - flip and I are in north jersey. I'm in hoboken. This month is tight for a meet up but something in May should work for me.

Glad everyone seemed to have good Easter weekends - at least the random Ceasar Chavez day made it feel like a bank holiday but DC are back at school today so I can unpack and get over a horrid cold.

New Orleans is awesome FYI, so so much to do and see and I want to go back when DD is a little older and can stay up later despite no naps. I Definately tried to hit the ground running and actually should have spent the first few days relaxing more but we got into the swing of it by the end. Although DH is properly getting on my nerves now - dread to think how we'll handle a 3-5month trip when just a week did us in!!

What was Caesar Chavez day ATB? UCLA just ignores lots of holidays, OH was working as usual on Friday and Monday.

I got a leg of lamb from Costco and made Ottolenghi's barbecued lamb, in true SoCal fashion, with roasted aubergines and chermoula and flatbreads. It was yummy and about three hours late. Yes the mini eggs are an affront Dharma, the only bag in history I haven't finished. Fairway market sounds like a wee heaven Flip! honestly, I should set something like it up here, there are so many Brits in LA and Ye Olde whatsit in Santa Monica is daylight robbery.

Tell us more about New Orleans ATB! what was the highlight? there's so much in the US I'd love to see. Don't worry about DH, on a longer trip you'll go off and do your own thing find your groove, never fear

Oh just seen your post Want2, so sorry to hear about DD. What do you do when she's ill, do you stay off with her? get well soon little one

Ooh, LOVE NOLA! We have friends who live there and have visited several times. It's just beautiful, so full of music and life and amazing food. Maybe it's because it has a European feel, perhaps that's why I feel such an affection for the city. Last time I was there my friend and I stalked Brad Pitt's house, like the teenagers we clearly are...ahem. We bumped into Andrew McCarthy at Cafe Du Monde too. Anyway, I digress...if you head to New Orleans, visit City Park for cafe au lair and beignet at Morning Call, tour the amazing sculpture garden and sit under the mighty oak trees. Take a trip out to a plantation too, vair interesting. Sit in the French Quarter and listen to some jazz. Eat fried pickles and po boys! The above ground graveyards are very creepy, but fascinating to see too. Love it there.

We move back to Blighty soon, after a few years in Texas. We've tried to see most things on our US bucket list while we've been here, the only places we haven't managed from the list are Boston, Seattle and Mt Rushmore. Favourite places def California and New Orleans. We've ticked off New York, Washington DC, Florida, Texas Gulf Coast, Austin, San Antonio, Hill Country, San Francisco, Yosemite, Chicago, Colorado, Alabama, Mississippi, New Mexico, Grand Canyon, Oklahoma, Vegas, New Orleans and I'm off to Santa Monica soon for a girls' weekend...whoop! Where else is a must see/do for our final trip as a family this summer?

rooty I am at home with her this week and work from 5 until midnight. It's horrible. Normally I would be able to find someone but it's not so easy as all the schools are out this week. Both DD and I are over this.

Oh gosh Want how hard. I've experimented with evening work after a day of childcare recently and it is awful. I just can't dredge up any enthusiasm for it at all. Hugs. xo

itsvery Yellowstone and Montana are top of my bucket list!

itsvery you have seen a lot of the U.S.! Well done! Can't think of anywhere to suggest apart from Puerto Rico or Canada (British Columbia, Toronto area, Montreal). If you fly to Seattle its a three hour drive up to Vancouver. We fly to buffalo for Toronto and you can fly to Syracuse for Montreal.

want2b love the idea of Puerto Rico, it looks amazing! I think we've managed to pack so much in as we know we're only here for a few years, and DH travels loads so has accumulated bazillions of airmiles. I'd love to go to Vancouver too. To many choices! rooty argh, two more to add to the list..!

What a great idea! We've been here three years and have done some of California, Maui, Louisville and NOLA - we need inspiration because I really want to make the most of our time here too. I want to do the cities, so Portland, Seattle, Boston, Washington (been to NYC and Chicago though would happily go again) but also good spring break trips with the DC - where would y'all pick for a Christmas break?

Also, DH and I have our 10yr wedding anniversary next year and as we were young and poor when we married we never had a honeymoon, so would like to take 7-10days next year to do so. Tropical beach would be nice but some hiking/biking/natural wonder site seeing, off the beaten track, good weather, great food all a must - and prob max 6hour flight from LA. Thinking Costa Rica or Hawaii atm but any other thoughts? (Would time it when my parents are here so we can go childfree!)

Oh yes I cam back to suggest Hawaii to itsvery! (If it's any consolation Yellowstone is Montana so now it's two places to add.) OH loves Hawaii, but then he loves to surf. Its sounds imo how people think CA will be - warm water!!!!

ATB yy Costa Rica, Nicaragua or Belize!

The coast of Maine is lovely, and up into New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

If you like to get away from it all in no uncertain fashion, the UP (Michigan) is the place for you. Northern LP Michigan (Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes, the Old Mission Peninsula) or go to Washington Island Wisconsin, off the tip of Door County (which is lovely and has a lot to offer year round). If you went to Wisconsin in winter you might be able to snag some Packers tickets and experience the joy that is Green Bay on game day.

Oooh, Ha-wee-wee!! I can only dream! Better to do it from here though, than to try and get there from a soggy and sodden northern England-shire I guess...off to plan and plot...thanks friends! And Maine. Agh. Too many places, too little time.....

I would try and do Hawaii for a long weekend, PR for a week as so much to do and then Montana/Yellowstone and Maine on your way back to England!

Stupid question - are Montana and Yellowstone close to/in each other?!

Yellowstone is the national park, it's in Wyoming (mostly) but Montana and Idaho too.

God I'm desperate to go!

Rooty I have an invite to a pork convention in Idaho. Didn't think twice about passing up that plus one! I might consider going next year if there is something interesting to do there.

A pork convention in Idaho??

Yeah I was laughing with DH. My social calendar is so thrilling. Growing up I went to a lot of balls once I turned 15. When I moved to London I went to a lot of events that were is museums and art galleries. Now the highlight of my social calendar is a pork convention. Oh how things have changed!

Idaho is the biggest producer of hogs though. Met a lady at another pork convention who owns the biggest pork farm in Idaho. She was quite amazing in so many ways. I went drinking with her in NYC and she drank everyone under the table. It was impressive.