Spring in the U.S.

Memorial Gardens in Concord, NC

Hi, everyone! Well, the weather here in Concord, North Carolina, is certainly wonderful. It was sunny and 80 degrees F. today (about 27 degrees C. for those of you in Europe)! And it's getting even warmer tomorrow! I have been working in the yard, mainly pulling weeds and pruning my roses and other bushes. My crocuses have already bloomed, my yellow forsythia bush is budding, as are my dogwood and cherry trees.

The photo at right was taken at Memorial Gardens here in Concord. It is an old cemetery owned by First Presbyterian Church, and it is known for its beautiful flowers. I ran into a friend there, Linda, who works part-time tending the beautiful flowers. Just like Rauma, Concord is a small town where you almost always run into someone you know!

THIN chips and queso/bean dip

For all my friends back in Finland, I especially wanted to share with you photos of food from our favorite Mexican restaurant, since I know all of you are tired of hearing how much we miss Mexican food in Europe, especially the special cheese. A few of my friends and I went to El Vallarta last night, and it was soooo good!

I know many of you say we can buy "Mexican" items at the grocery store, but they are just not the same. The chips in Europe are thick -- the chips we prefer are the thin, crispy ones (see the photo). Most importantly, we can't get the Monterey Jack cheese that really make  the Tex-Mex food so good. Sure, this kind of food isn't the best health-wise, but it's very popular here.

Kim, Lynn, Sara and Pam at El Vallarta



Yum!

Speaking of health, as I made the rounds of doctors while home, I found out that I have a severe Vitamin D deficiency. Imagine that! Could it be related to having to stay inside during the dark, dreary winter in Finland? Who knows? Some of my friends -- who spend plenty of time outdoors here in the U.S. -- also told me they have the same problem. Maybe it's related to global warming. All I know is I now have to take a prescription Vitamin D pill once a week.

My friend Lynn and I are going to the Southern Part of Heaven tomorrow, otherwise known as Chapel Hill, home of my alma mater, the University of North Carolina. Then we are heading to Wolfpack territory to vist our sons at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

Another perk of coming home this time of year is that "March Madness" is going on. For those of you in Europe who may be unaware of this awesome event, it is the championship tournament for college basketball. Two of the favorites are my team, UNC, and my husband's team, the University of Kentucky. One of the favorite pasttimes here is participating in "pools," in which you have to pick the winners of all the games during the championship; valuable cash prizes are involved. It's always lots of fun.