The Highs and the Lows

Now for a cap off of the weekend highs ....

Life here never ceases to be amusing. Friday evening, after a long day of work, Matt and I enjoyed tapas at Las Tascas on Charlotte Square. If you come to visit us, we will most certainly take you to Las Tapas for a taste of Spain. It has an absolutely delightful and festive atmosphere. We enjoyed jamon, pollo croquettas, paella, and more. Can you tell we love Spain??? Not even two weeks back from Barcelona, and we're beginning to frequent the tapas restaurants!

Saturday I had coffee with my dear friend Trudy who is a real gem. She's a Trinity grad in counseling. We're currently brainstorming how she can open her own practice here while her husband completes his PhD at Edinburgh. She's super-talented and is a definite go-getter! I do hope she can have her dream while she's here!

After a bit of work, we hosted a most interesting dinner party!!! Our friends Josh and Claire came over for dinner, along with Josh's sister from London and his sister's friend. Josh is a fellow PhD student who is running for Parliament next year -- and he should -- it seems so fitting. Claire is a super kind, thoughtful, talented girl. She's a medical doctor and is planning on spending three months in Pakistan this fall doing charity work in obstertrics and gynecology. Wow. Josh's sister is a privacy lawyer in London who recently returned from spending a month doing charity work in India; she shared such amazing stories of her time spent there. Finally, Katherine, Josh's sister's friend, is an America interior designer who is a graduate of Auburn. And get this -- she has a brother living in Nashville. Small world or what?

Sunday was fun, too. We had a blast at a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta. My friend Sophia, host and cook, is a Mexican-American who has the most amazing story. She openly shares this story, one that begins in the ghettos of LA. At age 12, after hearing the testimony of a former gang-member who attended Harvard and went on to receive his PhD, she decided that she was going to get a PhD, too. Wow. Keep an eye out for this girl ... she is well on her way to that PhD!

What amazing people we've been surrounded with .... I simply love doing life with these incredible, inspirational folks.