Coming Home

It's been almost two full years since I left Budapest.

Two years. 

I never really understood 'time flies' until recently. I've been watching kids I babysat for grow into amazing little people who I can have honest and thought-provoking conversations with. I've watched my five year high school reunion come and go (and have started dreading looking forward to the ten year reunion this year). Then I watched my five year college reunion come and go. I've watched friends get married and my best friend have a sweet little baby boy. 

I've done things, been places, made new friendships, and grown more solid in old ones. I've been having quite an amazing and eventful life. I honestly couldn't feel more blessed in where I'm at and who I've become.

But, it's been two years since I returned home from Budapest, Hungary. And while some days it feels like it was yesterday, some days it feels like it was a lifetime ago. It was an amazing, exciting, and whirlwind period of my life. 

What's most important though, is that I'm not the same girl I was before. Living abroad does that to you. Heck, moving somewhere else across the country does that to you too. It changes how you see things and how you interact with people. It shows you that things aren't exactly the same way here that they are elsewhere. It makes you realized that there is so much amazing out in the world. It's eye-opening and thrilling and scary and wonderful.

Coming home, though? 

That's tough. Because things are not quite as you left them. People have changed in your absence. Your home may have been remodeled a little, habits of friends or family may have changed, and life isn't just how you remembered. Because you have changed too.  

And what I've realized in two years is that coming home is a process. You can't just slip back into your old life and expect it to fit like a favorite pair of jeans. Because you've changed so much. You've grown and developed and become so much more of yourself than you were before. You may look like the old you, but inside you're blooming and changing and evaluating everything you've ever known with fresh eyes.

And this process of coming home doesn't seem to be a process that necessarily gets easier with time. 

When you first get home people want to hear everything and see every picture that you took overseas. They want to be wowed with beautiful stories of fancy castles and delicious dinners. They want to hear about the people you met and where you lived and how is it to live somewhere that's not here? They want to live their lives vicariously through you for just a moment.

And on their terms.

And then there comes a point where those people have heard enough and they want to get back to living in their (and now your) present. They want to talk about the things and the people here. Back to the common experiences and the things that make sense.

And you? You're still not done with the there. And the things going on here and now don't make sense to you any more than your trips make sense to them.  

Because it was a time and a place that changed your life. 

So, whenever you bring it up that place (your other, previous overseas life) in a conversation you may get that eye roll from a friend. Or the slight smile that seems to say 'you don't live there anymore, get over it. And it will manifest itself in many little other ways. 

And at some point it will start to hurt a little. You'll feel slighted that you can't talk about an experience you had that's relevant to a conversation just because it happened while you weren't here. You bottle up your experiences and hold them tight within your heart. And you start to think about how coming home  is the hardest thing you've ever done. Because no one gets it.

But here's the thing: some people do get it. Because they've done that too. They've gone away as someone and come home again as someone new. There are people out there who will listen when you tell your stories, or even ask you for a new one. There are people that you can talk to about how different life is when you make your way back home. You just have to find them.

Because? Some people will never get it. 

You have to have left in order to come back. And until you've done that you will never know or understand how it feels to live your life outside the things you have always known. And until you've left, you will never understand how it feels to come home.

Coming home? 

Yeah, it's hard.

Two years later and it's still hard.

But I wouldn't trade being able to come home for anything in the world.

My Heart Belongs To A City

I'm missing Budapest a lot lately.

Source: evysinspirations.tumblr.com via Courtney on Pinterest

It may not have been a perfect city, but it was my city.

Source: lonelyplanet.com via Courtney on Pinterest

And, Budapest?

I Love You.

Source: allthingseurope.tumblr.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Ps. All these old posts? Nostalgia like woah.

For Auld Lang Syne, My Dear

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It's still snowing in Budapest.

The sidewalks are still ridiculously slippery.

And it's getting colder still.

But - I bought my train ticket to Vienna!

I'll [hopefully] be on the 6AM train and will be there by 9AM!

I'm thinking I'll stay until 6PM and get back to Budapest by 9PM.

That's a nice long day, right?

I'm going to see a DaVinci exhibit and then wander around

eat some amazing food,

buy things at the Christmas Markets,

and enjoy hearing German instead of Hungarian for a day :)

I cannot wait.

Expect an overload of photos sometime soon :)

Day 11: New Years Resolution(s)

Did you know that a good percentage of New Years Resolutions

go unfulfilled after January? (Yeah, I know, most of you do,

'cause you're brilliant like that). But it's why:

- Gyms over-advertise in January

(interesting fact: in NH, gyms have to offer

a month-by-month membership,

so they can't trick you into it in January)

- diet books get put up front in bookstores

- many, many other such things

[credit]

That being said,

New Years resolutions are hard!

Not because I lack commitment,

but, rather, life changes a lot in a year.

How am I to make a decision,

and "force" myself to keep it for

365 days?

Pfft, we're a crazy bunch!

So, my New Years Resolution

is to finish the

100 Pushups Program,

my thesis (on time),

and write more handwritten letters & cards to friends and family.

Those are do-able, right?

I sure hope so...

Quite the HodgePodge

I went fencing tonight! It's the first time I've gone since early October (before all the stuff with my Great Aunt and my trips home) and boy could I tell how long it's been! This girl is out of practice (and shape too, but who's keeping track?!)! I'll write more about this later - as I am exhausted right now! So, I'll leave you with two awesome things:

day three with aly and molly! “the best gift you’ve ever received”

this is an easy one.

the best gift i ever got (and keep getting) is the ability to go home for Christmas.

i’ve realized it even more this year - more and more of my friends are unable to go home to their families at the time of year that we all want to be surrounded by loved ones.

so that’s it - my best gift is my family and friends.

and Wednesday HodgePodge with Joyce

1. If you had known what they knew then, would you have boarded the Mayflower?
Totally - I love adventure, and what a bigger adventure than going somewhere completely unknown to anyone?

2. How far have you traveled on a boat and how do you feel about boats in general?

I’ve traveled around a few lakes on a boat. So, not too far, but I do love them!

3. What traditions have you kept, acquired thru marriage, and/or tossed? If you're single what are some of your family's favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

I love curling up in front of the TV watching the parade with the smells of the dinner cooking floating around me.

4. What time is dinner and how many will be round your table? And what is the one side dish you cannot do without on Thanksgiving day?

Dinner is usually around 2:00. As for the side dish: STUFFING!

This year, with not going home, there were about 15 people around our “table” at our ex-pat party. However, at home my little family ranges from 3-7, depending on the year and where we’re eating dinner!

5. Have you ever used a fire extinguisher? Do tell....

Thank God no!

6. Tell about a situation that caused you dreadful trepidation and feet dragging, only to realize later it was a true blessing.

Coming to Budapest. You can read all about the past two years right here on this blog :) Needless to say, coming has been a life changing experience, even if the changing of life was scary!

7. Baked, sweet, mashed, hash browned or french fried...which one's your favorite

SWEET! :) All the way!

8. Random thought: I wish I was home for Thanksgiving tomorrow.

[link]

Budapest

Just in case you were wondering where I live,

check out Katy Perry's new video Firework.

That's my Budapest!

Not only do I love the video

(which was pretty awesomely made)

but the message of the song is wonderful,

Go Katy Perry!

Turkish Baths

One of the things I really love about Budapest is the Bath culture. It is incredibly relaxing and such an amazing way to pamper yourself.

Last night, this bath culture (which stems from the times when Budapest was under Ottoman control), became even more a favorite experience of mine.

Why? The Rudas Baths, the only bath house which still dates its architecture back to the 16th Century, is open on weekend nights from 10PM to 4AM. And me and a few of my colleagues (&friends!) decided to take the opportunity to spoil ourselves silly.

We began with appetizers at the best Mexican restaurant in the city; enjoying each others company while we waited for the bath house to open. Then we walked in the crisp fall evening air along the Danube and across the Elizabeth Bridge to a very small and uninteresting entrance. However, once we got in and got changed into our suits all that disappeared - it is beautiful.

[credit]

It had one larger pool in the center of this vaulted ceiling which has stained glass circles in it (which must be beautiful during the day when light pours in) and four smaller pools in the corners of the rooms. Each have different thermal waters at different temperatures - the lowest was 28C (which it said recommended no longer than 30 minutes continuous bathing at that temperature) and the hottest was 45C (which it said recommended no longer than 5 minutes continuous bathing at that temperature - ha! it was HOT). There was a sauna, a steam room, a FREEZING pool (that didn't bother to even tell you a temperature other than "COLD!"), and even some rooms with these massuse-like benches so you could go take a nap and a break from the waters.

We only stayed from 10-2 (seriously, after 4 hours in hot bathtub-like water your skin starts to look like it's going to fall off!), but it was the most amazing evening! I think we're already scheming a way to make this at least a monthly occurrence. And we're definitely going next Saturday - it's the Budapest "Night of the Baths" where you pay one entrance to all bath houses, and the Rudas Baths are having Turkish food and Turkish music all night. Sounds like heaven to me!

Seriously, people back in the day really knew how to live and relax! We could take a note or two from them!

Happiness in a Nutshell

• My daddy's been in Budapest since Sunday, which has been amazing. He, unfortunately, had to go home today. However, we had a wonderful time full of thermal baths, fabulous food, a beautiful trip to the Opera, and time to just spend together. I love having my parents come out and visit me and experience the wonders of this awesome world. I just wish they could come more! I love my family.

• The weather this past week has been amazing. With a forecast for rain, dad and I were certain that umbrellas would be a staple of our wardrobe. Mother Nature, thankfully, decided that what we needed was a week full of beautiful autumn days.
• Dad being here has also meant that I got a ton of my favorite foods from home. Hello giant jar of peanut butter, Flipz, Cheeze-Its, Starbucks VIA, and Sleepytime tea! And other awesome things made their way across the pond as well: My LLBean Wellies, a wall decoration of the NYC skyline from Target, and some leg warmers.

• School is back in full swing. I think I'm already tired of writing papers and reading scholarly articles. Can I go back to camp now, please?
• This also means that I am again addicted to coffee. Thanks Coffee guy for making my morning cup look pretty before I devour it.

• Now that it's finally fall, all my favorite TV shows are back on and I need to get caught up with them already! Sheesh, being in Europe apparently means not being able to appropriately keep up with them
• Dear Vampire Diaries, You gave me a heart attack from moment one. Thanks for keeping it real. Love, Courtney // Dear CSI, Don't you dare kill anyone this season. Love, Courtney // Dear Private Practice, I had forgotten you killed off my Dell last season. Thanks for reopening that wound. I'm still mad at you. Love, Courtney // [I'm sure there will be many more...]

• Have I mentioned I love autumn? Now, let's just see how long we can keep winter at bay...

His Holiness The Dalai Lama

His Holiness The Dalai Lama came to give a talk at my university to day. Unfortunately, since we're such a small university the auditorium is tiny. This means only a limited (and that might just be a generous term) number of students got seats.

I was not one of the fortunate.

However, though turned away from hearing him speak I was determined to at least catch a glimpse of him. This man, whose heart is full of love (with no room for anything other than love), is an icon of peace and tolerance. I knew, somehow, that to just see him would bring a, before unknown sense of peace to my heart.

So I found a pretty decent place to wait for him. Not in the main lobby by the auditorium like so many of my colleagues. I waited a little further back in another lobby (we have a lot of them). And that was the best decision I made today. There was no one else really in that place, just me and my thoughts about how simply amazing and influential this man is for the world.

So I waited a while, he was supposed to start talking at 2 and he didn't arrive until 2:30. Not that I'm judging - the security in the city has been crazy for his visit (he spoke a few other places over the weekend too). I mean, there were bomb sniffing dogs at my little university!

And then he showed up. It really was one of those moments that went by in slow-motion, but feels like a blur. Proceeded and followed by a small entourage of brightly dressed monks and some serious looking security guards, His Holiness walked arm and arm with our rector. And then, the magic happened.

He paused for a moment.

Turned and looked at me with a smile.

Giggled softly and waved at me.

And then he carried on with his processional to the auditorium.

This man, when he smiles, he smiles with every fiber of his being. I swear. He made me feel happy and content and at peace - all the way down to my pinky toes. I wanted to run to him, to hug him like a grandfather; just to be enveloped in that happiness forever.

How can one man's smile uplift your soul to such great heights?

Back to The Fencing Salle

So, you may remember that a while back (re: all last semester) the fencing gym I was going to was closed for repairs. You might also remember my lamentations about trying to find the location(s) it was running at while it was being repaired. You might also remember how I pretty much gave up on that once the semester really kicked into gear, and how intensely crazy my bottled up energy was driving me.

Well, that will not be happening this semester! I went fencing last night, and it was amazing.

Okay, amazing because I got to go. Not so amazing because, woah, I am out of shape. Well, out of fencing shape that is. My poor little legs and feet are so blasted sore this morning. And I have a giant gash in my hand where, in the course of 3 bouts (maybe 20 minutes total - of which I won them all! This girl's still got it!) I managed to get a blister and have it start bleeding (mental note, maybe next time remember to pack the glove that doesn't have the hole in the palm). And boy, does that huuuuuuurt!

But in the end, none of that matters - I'm back in training!

I Believe In A Thing Called Love [Heart of Darkness]

I made it back to Budapest; safe, sound, and jet-lagged for the first time of any of my trips here. I blame it on the fact that I actually slept the whole flight from Boston to Zurich (thanks, probably, to Tylenol's 'Simply Sleep' - that stuff is magic). Oh, and then when I finally got to my dorm around 4pm (10am East Coast time) I proceeded to take a 2 hour nap. You can't really blame me though, a 12 hour travel time period (from stepping foot on board to stepping into dorm room, it's more like 17 hours if you count from the moment we left our house!) really takes a lot out of you. And then I went to bed around midnight and got up around noon today. And I'm STILL tired.

What gives? This has never happened to me before!

Maybe it's just that I finally have some down time for myself and my body is taking full advantage of it (or is about to get sick, but cross your fingers that doesn't happen!)

And since I promised you a recap of the weddings I attended this summer, here it is. What is truly amazing about this summer of weddings is that I have known every single one of the brides and grooms. Usually people are friends with one of the people originally (and then, depending on how close you are to them, you get to know and be friends with the other). So it was a pretty special summer, no? Anyway, in true Courtney style, here's a photo re-cap:

Wedding #1 - Ivona & Joe

- I've known Ivona and Joe since my freshman year of college on our fencing team.

Wedding #2 - Hannah & Ben

- I was a bridesmaid :)

- I've known Hannah since 7th grade and Ben since kindergarten (!).

Wedding #3 - Kira & Erik

- I was a bridesmaid :)

- I've known Kira since I started fencing when I was 11 and met Erik at some national tournament when I was 14.

(look who got the most height! ha! I'm 4th from the left!)

Back in the USA

...and seriously lacking football in my life. No, not American football. Soccer football.

It's what I spent my last few weeks of the semester watching with my friends, and about a few hundred of our closest friends-in-football. It was seriously the greatest way to spend an afternoon or an evening. Crowded onto a park, watching a jumbotron broadcasting the games, having a glass of beer or wine (and enjoying the lack of open-container laws), all of it.

Here, let me show you...

Well, I'm back home now. Have been running around trying to get last minute things done:

- shop/pack for camp (CAN'T WAIT)

- pack for wedding #1 (leave tomorrow)

- help best friend prepare for her wedding (wedding #2) - in two weeks

- see parents

- see friends

As previously stated, I can't wait for camp. I know it's going to be a lot of work, that the girls may be tiresome at times, and that it's more than just fun and games. But, I think it's going to be an amazing summer. Can't wait to tell all about it!

Walking Through Buda, Pest, and Obuda

So, last week (my last week of the first year of school!) we took a class entitled "Medieval Heritage of Budapest." Which, on paper sounds really interesting. In reality it was incredibly interesting - as it was a walking tour of the city, with an emphasis on the Medieval aspects of the city you can still see (or not see, in most cases) today. Instead of telling you too much up front, let's have a little photo-tour, shall we?

The Danube is flooding its banks!

Can you see the dock submerged?

St. Matthias Church

Finally almost all clean of the smog and soot.

Yes, this was probably the highlight of my week.

View from Buda Castle

out into the Buda Hills.

Ruins of the Buda Parish Church

View from Buda Castle District

Into the Buda Hills

Street corner in Buda

Remember when I said the Danube was flooding?

Can you see how it's almost up to Parliament?

There's a road that runs below those steps...

See, flood.

And the city center square in Obuda.

I really love the bright colors of this place.

It's really hard for me to believe that I'm leaving here in just over a week (June 23). But it's also nice to know that I'm coming back at the end of the summer as well. Though the winters are cold and grey, the springs are rainy and temperamental, this city still has me in awe.

In Which Courtney Attends Her First Cricket Match

Yep, it's true. I went to a cricket match.

My British friend, James, had been going on about cricket, well, all year. But it recently became some sort of renewed obsession for him, so he found a listing of all cricket in Hungary, and found a pitch with a match being played relatively close to us in Gödöllő, which if you remember, I went to back in the fall.

So, we took the HEV (the above-ground railway/metro thing) out of Budapest. Luckily, I thought to get some sort of directions before we left, because we would have been lost. While Gödöllő is not very large, it's not very small either. So we wandered in the general way of my directions and then James heard the sounds of Cricket and we spelunked our way through some trails and found an old football(soccer) pitch and there was the game.

Cricket is pretty neat. Very very confusing, as there is far too much (British) terminology that I don't understand at all. James tried to explain, but I kept getting it all mixed up. Also, these games go on ALL DAY. And some matches can go for up to FIVE days! No wonder the scores are often like 145-187! And I still have no idea if there are innings or how you actually know when the game is over. And one batter can be up for the whole game if he's good enough, but the bowlers only throw about 8 balls at a time. And I still don't know who all the players are and what they're supposed to do (nor did Wikipedia's image search help me make much sense either! This was the explanation they gave.), or what the rules are to follow. But it was fun to watch, and I'd be interested to go again.

So, there are two batters and a bowler

and the wicket(s) is(are) behind the batter(s).

And the wicket(s)/batter(s)/bowler is in the center of the field.

And the rest of the 'fielding' team is around them.

The Bowler (not pictured) tries to hit the top off the wicket.

The batter tries to hit the ball, and then runs to the other wicket

while the batter at the other wicket runs to this wicket.

Something like that?

After an hour or so of trying to figure out the blasted game, we decided we needed ice cream and dessert (it was hot out!). So, we went back to the dessert place Laura and I got our sugar high from last time, and it did not disappoint. Then we went back to hang out in the gardens at the palace, eat some langos, and just relax. The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming, and in general it was a really nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Hungarian National Gallop

What a day!

Last night we went out to a friend's house - way out in the outskirts of the Buda countryside (Budapest, as you may not know, is divided into two areas by the Danube: Buda and Pest; - and, well, technically Obuda as well. Buda has the hills and is more drenched in history and has more of a rolling countryside once you get out of the main tourist/city sections. Pest, on the other hand, has the other major downtown tourist areas, but also runs out into factories, suburb-type areas, and apartment buildings on the outskirts of town left over from the Communist era. It's also divided into 23 districts. So, basically, it's a huge city.). It took us about an hour to get there from our dorm (way out in Pest) to where he lives, but it was worth it.

He lives on the first floor of his parents house (which is technically a 3 level house, that has been made into apartments on each level - with him and his roommate on the first, his parents on the second, and his sister and her family on the third) in this really, really sweet apartment. There were probably about 20 of us there and we had food, wine, and a lot of really good conversation. Everyone is now done with their theses, and therefore a lot more happy and relaxed.

Let me tell you one thing - if you haven't tried Hungarian Palinka, you really, really need to. While it's strong, it's delicious. And it is traditional to Hungary and can only be produced with a certain procedure, fruits, and times to be actually considered palinka.

Then, today we went to the Hungarian National Gallop. I'm just going to type out the except from the handout, because it explains it best:

This is huge! This is really something! It's the National Gallop, they grandest of festivals on the grandest of scales! It's a new Hungarian invention, a monumental reinvention of history and tradition. Just imagine, Heroes' Square, transformed into a racetrack with 6,200 square meters' worth of special, equine-friendly sand. (...)And they're off! Young jockeys, modern-day hussars on horseback, dirt is flying, the crowd is cheering. Again and again, since as many as 250 horses and riders will compete for the 30-million-forint cash prize, a glittering sword, and national glory.

So, they take Heroes' Square, a major tourist attraction and historical monument, and turn it into a racetrack for 4 days. They close down major streets, vendors and food sellers come in. Every region in Hungary is represented by a booth, food, and a horse & rider. It's pretty awesome, as Hungary has an amazing tradition of horsemanship. The Hussars were a huge part of Medieval Hungarian tradition and since then, the horse has been a powerful symbol of the nation. I'd read up on it, if you have the time and inclination, as it really is a remarkable history!

I'm not going to bore you with more talk, I'll just show you the pictures of my day at the 'races':

Heroes' Square like you've never seen it before

Hungarian sausage

Chicken and vegetables

Horse cake for the races :)

The Hungarians love their meats

smoked knuckle

a traditional Hungarian dish

I Can Taste The S'Mores Already!

I’ve been a bad blogger. Really.

Sorry about that.

It’s just that, nothing really interesting has been going on over here. And before you reply with “But Courtney, you live in Budapest!” Let me just plug the fact that the past month has seen most of my friends slaving away over their theses, which are now mostly all turned in. This means little time for doing things with friends. Thank God, they’ve all been neurotic for the past few weeks, and it’s nice to see them all just relax again!

So, while they’ve been slaving away, what have I been up to?

Well, I found out that I got a job for the summer! I’ll be a councilor at a girl scout summer camp for eight weeks! I am beyond excited about this! I cannot wait to be dressed down in t-shirts, shorts, tevas, and bug spray for the summer! Making campfires, roasting s’mores, singing silly and sappy camp songs, eating pb&j’s and other assorted camp foods -and GIRL SCOUT COOKIES all summer long! It’s going to be an amazing summer and I seriously cannot wait for it to get here! The staff is international, which is really cool - and there is even one girl from Hungary! I met her a week or so ago when she was in town for her work visa - and she is awesome! I may go visit her next week where she lives to hang out some more.

Tomorrow I am taking a boat trip that the dorm organized to a town called Visegrád. I’m super excited about this, as I haven’t been there yet and it’s supposed to be a beautiful city. Plus, 3 hours each way on a boat? Awesome! So, I’m sure I’ll have plenty to write tomorrow night!

images: [we[heart]it]

Budapest, Szeretlek

Budapest is the sort of city that seeps into you slowly and gently. It's so sly in its actions that you barely notice it's happening. It's not overtly glamorous - like Rome, London, or Paris. It doesn't scream out to you when you first step off the airplane 'Look at me! Look how wonderful I am! Love me!' It doesn't beat you over the head with its beauty, or for that matter, even its history.

You can even find yourself, in the bleakest days of winter hating the city. You bundle yourself up and put one foot in front of the other, silently willing months to go by in the speed of days. You begin to believe that blue skies are simply a myth told to get you through. And you even find yourself understanding slightly - no matter how grim that understanding might be - why Budapest has one of the highest suicide rates in all of Europe.

Despite this, even in that monotone, bleak world there are some moments that cause you to pause. The first snowfall which covers the city in a layer of white perfection. The way that same snow lands haphazardly on the lions, the eternal guardians of the Chain Bridge, causes you to smile. And when the sun does shine it's as though the heavens opened up just for you to remind you that yes, good things will come.

And then, just when you think you can't take any more, Spring sneaks up on you. The sun starts to shine, the temperature begins to rise. You start pushing its limits, seeing how few layers you can get away with wearing without having to return inside for another sweater or close-toed shoes. You find yourself conjuring up excuses to go outside and sit in the sun, even if only for a few moments before the wind reminds you that it's not quite warm enough yet. And it's that yet that gives you hope.

It's that yet that makes you realize that this city, this city that is still in the process of rebuilding itself from years of repression, has made its way under your skin. You walk through the same streets you walked through in the darkest days of winter noticing beautiful accents on the architecture of old buildings. You realize that most of the time you know how to get where you want to go without stopping to think about it. You stop to sit on a bench along the banks of the Danube to watch the tourists stumble over themselves to get the whole landscape of Buda into a single picture (a near impossible feat).

You realize that this place - this once seemingly grey, smoggy, cold, and bitter place - is a place you've come to love. And that realization, whether it happens the moment you set foot in a city or the moment you leave it, is what ties your heart to a place forever.

Survival & Giveaway Reminder

I survived!

Phew! So glad that's all over!

I'll write more this weekend, hopefully - I'm heading back to the states for April!

So, just let me enjoy these last(ish) days in Budapest for now, and I'll tell you all the tale of these past few weeks!

Oh, and don't forget to enter my giveaway - you've still got a few days, but you know you don't want to miss out! All the cool kids are doing it ;)

Took a stroll in the sun to the

Easter Markets today.

Theses are just some of the pretty, pretty

things which you can get your hands on.

Happy Spring, no?