2005: Sitting ... Crawling ... Walking...Running!
As all frequenters of our website are fully aware, it's been a long time...a year actually...since our last update. We've been so busy living life that there's been no time to document it! Here's the abridged version of 2005, with links to accompanying pictures. (click here for previous updates)
Winter and Spring in London, DC and Dover (see pictures)
Jeffrey used the short days to perfect his sitting and start to move around by slithering commando-style. Unusually heavy snow in London even gave him the chance to make his first snow angel! Cousin Tiffany came in late February for some baby practice en route to her job as an au pair for three young boys near Aix en Provence, France.
We had a fantastic, mostly because we often had a house full of family and friends! Karen's college roommate, Erin, was our first guest of the Spring, and she and Karen celebrated with a decadent afternoon tea (of course). Karen and Jeffrey went back to DC in March to host a baby shower for Aunt Lynda ... and meet the Easter bunny! Back in London, we spent the Easter long weekend at the white cliffs of Dover where Jeffrey saw some 'real' British soldiers at the Dover Castle. Grandpa Greve came in early April to celebrate his birthday and romp around with Jeffrey.
By May, Jeffrey had fully mastered crawling on his hands and knees and crawled all over our place and various nearby playgrounds. Two great friends from business school, Mike and Rachel (also Karen's college roommate) came over for a last hurrah weekend before their own new arrival (Leila Viola was born on the 18th September). In May, Karen took on a new role (President-Elect, to become President in May 2006) with the Junior League of London and went to New Orleans for the Junior League annual conference in mid-May. Like many others, she can hardly believe the devastation that Hurricane Katrina has brought on that vibrant city. In late May, Aunt Cyndi and Eric came for a visit and the Chelsea Flower Show, and Geordie's college roommate Dubi and his wife Alison were here for the weekend, so we had a fun dinner out with family and friends. Finally, Uncle Ron was here for one night and shared loads of pictures of his travels, including some from the cruise he and Aunt Cathi took with Geordie's parents.
Summertime in London, Boston, Restoule and Virginia (see pictures)
Just after Aunt Cyndi and Eric left, Nana and Grandpa Young arrived for a wonderful long weekend on the way back from their Mediterranean cruise, joined for part by Cousin Tiffany. Jeffrey kept taking little steps and cruising, but was really more focussed on perfecting his crawling. The next weekend we went to Boston for Karen's 10 year Harvard college reunion and we celebrated with roommates Rachel (Mike), Becky (Justin), Christine (Luca and daughter Isabella) and Hilary (Stephen). We arrived just after Hilary and Stephen welcomed baby Charlie in to the world, and they bravely hosted brunch at their home in Needham for all the roommates and other friends one week after his arrival. During our Boston weekend, we also caught up with our London friend Christina, Geordie's roommate Joe (Allison and sons Aidan and William, who was born 2 days after we left).
Most importantly, Grandpa Greve flew up to Boston to join us for two days with his fiancée, Judy Tucker. It was wonderful to meet the woman who is making him so very happy. Judy was Karen's dad's high school sweetheart and they met again this winter after not seeing each other for 42 years. She's a reading specialist teacher in Boise, Idaho, with a daughter Karyn (Steve and son Rory). We are all lucky to have her joining the family when they marry next June, when she retires from teaching and moves to Virginia.
In late June, we drove down to Leatherhead, Surrey to celebrate the 40th wedding anniversary of Geordie's cousins Colin and Rachel Hope (Colin is Geordie's mum's first cousin) and met many relatives on the Hope side of the family. (see pictures)
July started with a 1st birthday party for Jeffrey and many of his little toddler friends in Battersea Park. On the 12th, Mommy and Roda took him to the Battersea Zoo to celebrate his real birthday. On Friday the 29th, we flew to Toronto where we met up with Grandpa Greve and Jeffrey's Godparents, Robert and Victoria (Karen's college roommate) to drive to the family cottage in Restoule. On the way, we heard the exciting news that Jeffrey has a new cousin! Andrew Richard Greve (named after his dad and uncle) was born on the 29th in Virginia to Karen's brother Drew and Lynda. That was one more reason to celebrate on a weekend already packed with excitement. On Saturday, we had a joint birthday celebration for Jeffrey, Daddy, Nana and Great Grandpa Bert with many people there to celebrate. The next day Jeffrey became the sixth generation to worship at St. Alban's Anglican Church in Restoule, when he was baptized in a service that also dedicated the church bell to his Great Uncle Brian. It was a very special day, and we were lucky to be surrounded by family and friends for the occasion. We spent the rest of that week in Restoule. The following week we were in Virginia, where we got to meet Jeffrey's cousin Andrew (who is adorable, of course). We also met Judy's daughter, Karyn and her family.
The rest of August was a bit quieter (not hard, you say?), and Karen took the opportunity to jump back into writing her book, Teal Ribbon. On August 19th, Karyn and Steve welcomed a new daughter, Fiona Evelyn. Her arrival was especially meaningful to us as she was born on Karen's mom's birthday (Jeffrey's G.G.). Cousin Tiffany came for a week in August, and babysat Jeffrey so Karen and Geordie got their first weekend alone since he was born. It was wonderful -- but we missed him so much that we came home early Sunday afternoon! By the end of August, Jeffrey was officially walking by himself, although he couldn't stand up from sitting without pulling up on something.
Autumn, the season of Halloween, Thanksgiving and more babies! (see pictures)
In September, our friends Jason and Carrie came to visit from New York and we enjoyed lots of fun and sun -- and Jeffrey showed off by standing up by himself for the first time. Later in September, Geordie went back to Nanaimo, BC for a memorial hockey tournament, no thanks to massive flight troubles that nearly caused him to cancel and did cause his friends, Bob (from MBA) and Frank and Kareem (college roommates) to cancel. Despite that frustration, it was a terrific weekend.
Orson Thomas Young was born on the 1st of October to Geordie's brother Andy and Blanca in California. Geordie keeps calling him 'OT', but we aren't sure how that's an appropriate nickname for a baby who arrived two weeks early. Our friends and Jeffrey's Godparents, Victoria and Robert Christman, welcomed their daughter Sophia just over two weeks later. What joy to have so many new babies in 2005! Jeffrey was Daniel Boone (or Davy Crockett, depending on whether you prefer fact or fiction) for Halloween. He wasn't attacked by a bear, but landed in the A&E anyway after dropping a cast iron pot on his foot -- ouch!
In November, Karen finished the first draft of Teal Ribbon, just under three years after embarking on the project with her mother. Her goal is to start to approach agents and publishers in January -- and it's looking promising! Jeffrey and Karen went to DC for Thanksgiving with her family and were amazed at how much Andrew had grown in just a few months. Jeffrey helped his grandpa rake and took his puppy cousin Simba for walks.
Christmas in London with the Youngs (see pictures)
December brought the Young family to London for Christmas. It was incredible to meet Jeffrey's baby cousin Orson and see the whole family here. On Christmas Eve, Jeffrey started his stage career with a walk-on performance as himself in our church's nativity play. He was spoiled with lots of hugs and walks with his Nana and Grandpa and Aunt Blanca and Uncle Andy, not to mention the heaps of presents. He now joins Uncle Drew and Grandpa Greve as tractor owners.
So, that's 2005 in a nutshell. 2006 promises to be equally busy, but we'll try to get online with an update before its over. Enjoy the photos and thanks for visiting us!
To DC (Thanksgiving) and BC (Christmas)
California, cancer fundraising, and a whole lot more!
Six weeks as a family of three!
2002
Stonehenge and Bath, Thanksgiving weekend
Back from our wedding and honeymoon in Mauritius
Less than four weeks to go . . .
Eight weeks until the big day!
Early London days and Pre-London
To DC (Thanksgiving) and BC (Christmas)
As always, we'll try to keep this part of the site updated to reflect new happenings in our lives (click here for previous updates). Webmaster Karen must warn, however, that updates from now on may be shorter and less frequent -- computer time is hard to come by these days!
Once again, we're writing on a Jeffrey milestone -- It's the 12th January and he's six months old today (see pictures). He's sitting up with only the occasional tumble, standing and taking toddling steps with help, and nowhere near crawling -- his efforts look like a flopping fish and are quite funny to behold. He enjoys three "solid" food meals a day and making himself heard with his giggling and vocalising. Every week, we have Crechendo activity and Monkey Music classes, and a playgroup with 11 little friends and their mommies. It's an amazing little life and we're so lucky to have it.
Jeffrey was a green dragon for Halloween -- the cutest little dragon ever. (we aren't biased!) In November we moved to a mews house, just three blocks from our old flat, but with much more play space and a separate office for mommy and guest room for Grandpas, Nana and other visitors -- Jeffrey is quite the attraction, it seems! (see pictures)
Jeffrey and Karen were in DC for American Thanksgiving (see pictures). Jeffrey got more time with his Grandpa Greve, Aunt Lynda and Uncle Drew, and met some of his 'Greats': Aunt Cyndi and Uncle Eric, Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Teddy and cousin Thad, and Aunt Alyce. He loved walking around Grandpa's farm, and made friends with many puppy cousins. He wasn't too keen on all of the driving after jaunting around London in his pram -- but it was good practice for . . .
Christmas! We all went to Duncan, BC for Christmas (see pictures). Nana and Grandpa Young had a full house, with our London contingent, Jeffrey's Aunt Blanca and Uncle Andy, and his Grandpa Greve. To say that he was spoiled would be putting it mildly -- no question who received the most gifts this year! He was a precious little Christmas elf and helped make the holidays special. Happy news in the Greve family is that he has a cousin on the way -- Drew and Lynda are expecting a baby in late July.
California, cancer fundraising, and a whole lot more!
As of this writing, Jeffrey is three months old, and a whopping 15 pounds, 2 ounces! He managed to double his birth weight in just over 12 weeks. What a hungry munchkin he is! We've been (and are still) so busy, that this update is going to be a quick tour of what's happened, and where to go to see photos.
We spent the first week of September in Santa Cruz and San Francisco, California. The excuse? Our friends Rachel and Mike's wedding, which brought nearly all of Karen's Harvard roommates together to celebrate. Happily, it also brought the entire Young family together for a visit. What an amazing week -- and Jeffrey was a perfect little travel companion. He also had his first swim -- in Daddy's arms. (see pictures)
Back in London, we've been really busy. Karen's first black tie fundraising event, 'Breaking the Silence', raised over £40,000 ($75,000) for silent cancer research at The Institute of Cancer Research. We're thrilled with the success of the event, which was in part a tribute to Karen's mom. Karen's also been really busy with the Junior League of London, heading up their community programmes. (see pictures)
Tragically, our fundraising event also coincided with the final weeks for Geordie's Uncle Brian, who passed away on the 15th of October. Uncle Brian travelled a similar journey with colon cancer to Victoria Greve's with ovarian cancer. He was an inspiration to all of us as he embraced every day with love and appreciation. Our hearts go out to all of the Grawbargers.
Every day as a family of three is so special. Geordie's started back up with a local hockey league as well as keeping in shape by running around Hyde Park with Jeffrey in the baby jogger. We continue to love living in London, and have made the decision to move to a larger home here. We'll be in a little mews house, just four blocks from our current flat. Grandpa Greve was here for a few days in October and helped us choose our new home. Our new address is 10 Ensor Mews, London SW7 3BT. Moving day is the 4th of November -- just to make sure we stay busy! Visit our Around London page for glimpses of our everyday life. (see pictures)
Six weeks as a family of three!
Jeffrey's first six weeks flew by, as they do when days are divided into 3-4 hour cycles of eating, sleeping, playing and nappy changing -- not to mention lots of visitors (see pictures). Nana Young arrived on Jeffrey's two week birthday for a wonderful visit full of pram pushing and lots of cuddling. Aunt Lynda and Uncle Drew Greve came for a day that week before embarking on a cruise around Portugal, Spain, Morocco, France and Italy. What a trip! While they were gallivanting across the seas, Grandpa Greve arrived in time to see Nana Young for a day, and then to take over the task of 'burpling' Jeffrey and keeping the new Mommy company during night feeds. What a dad! Not to mention tons of pram pushing all around Hyde Park and our neighbourhood. Drew and Lynda returned after their adventures, landing in London on Jeffrey's one month birthday and staying for three days. The gardens and parks kept us busy through our visits, as we spent more time in our local garden during Jeffrey's first month than in our previous 2 1/2 years in London!
Mommy and Daddy (Karen and Geordie) are loving parenthood, and continuing to adapt (see pictures). A friend asked what's changed the most in our lives. The answer is EVERYTHING! We're lucky in that Jeffrey really is a wonderful baby. He has his fussy moments (don't we all!), but mostly sleeps at night -- and at this writing has slept through the night four times! -- and is wakeful during the day. He seldom cries, and when he does, a dirty nappy or hungry belly are likely explanations. In fact, in his first six weeks, he went from his 7 1/2 pound birth weight to a whopping 11 1/2 pounds! He's jumped from the 50th percentile in weight and 75th in height to the 75th and 90th, respectively. Hence Karen's trouble making time for the computer, but also our enjoyment of every precious moment!
We leave this week (when he's 7 1/2 weeks old) for California -- nothing like a short hop across an ocean and continent for Jeffrey's first flight! There we'll attend our friends', Rachel and Mike's, wedding in Santa Cruz and spend a week in San Francisco. Our visit promises to be both wonderful and chaotic, as we'll be with Jeffrey's Nana and Grandpa Young, Aunt Blanca and Uncle Andy, Karen's college roommates including Jeffrey's Godmother, Victoria, AND friends from the GSB and Karen's six years in San Francisco. We're tired already . . . and promise to send an update when we return!
We are thrilled to welcome into the world our son, Jeffrey Walker Young. He came right on time on the 12th of July at 12.56am. Daddy Geordie was an amazing labour coach and Mommy Karen was able to avoid pain medications and have a natural childbirth -- despite Jeffrey's last minute reluctance to come out that led to a LONG pushing session!
Jeffrey's already showing his character and resilience. He's came out healthy as can be, measuring 21 inches in length (53 cm) and weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces (3420 grams). He immediately managed to cut himself above his left eye with his flailing fists, but healed overnight.
Baby Jeffrey quickly figured out that eating is his favourite activity and seems to have taken a tip from the Hobbits. A typical day starts in the wee hours of the morning with Breakfast, followed throughout the day by Second Breakfast, Elevenses, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, Supper and, finally, a late night Dessert. All delectably prepared by his Mommy. Yummy!
We've tried to chronicle much of his first week (see pictures). Daddy stayed with Mommy and Jeffrey in hospital, where the midwives took good care of us and helped us learn how to take care of our baby. In hospital, Jeffrey had his first bath and manicure to file down his little nails. And of course, he mastered the art of eating . . . and pooping. He's been a good little sleeper so far too. And he's quite the clothes horse, rotating quickly through all the adorable outfits given to him by friends in North America and here in London at Mommy and Jeffrey's baby showers.
We came home on Wednesday afternoon, with Jeffrey taking his first ever ride in a London Black Cab. Thursday, we had our first foray into our garden, proving that our Bugaboo pram fits in our lift (with 1/2 inch of clearance). On Saturday, Jeffrey had his passport and identity pictures taken for his Canadian passport and citizenship. The rest of the weekend was spent quietly at home before Daddy goes back to work on Monday.
An Emotional Springtime (April 2004)
The event which casts its shadow on everything else is the recent loss of Karen's mom, Vicki Greve, to ovarian cancer on March 16, 2004. Her last days were spent with our family at home in Arlington surrounded by love. The worst lasted only a few days and her last hour was peaceful. We couldn't have imagined how difficult this day would be, but we knew it was coming and are comforted by knowing that she is no longer in pain. We were so lucky to have had our four 'bonus' years, during which she fought her cancer every day with style and grace, and are trying to think about how fully she lived her too brief life.
Many of our friends have asked how they can make contributions in her memory. The two charities we have identified are M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (800.525.5841) and the Arlington Free Clinic (703.979.1400). The former treated her during the last two years of her illness and we attribute their world-class care and research with giving us some of the precious extra time we had with her. The second is a local organization that provides health care to those who fall into the gap between private insurance and Medicaid, and for whom Mom served as a Board member for several years.
Of course, we've gone on just as Mom Greve would have wanted us to, and happy things have been happening as well. Andy and Blanca came to visit us in London at the end of March, during which we enjoyed rugby, afternoon tea and football -- not all together. It was a fabulous visit, and so good to have our bro and sis here.
Mum Young celebrated her 60th birthday on March 31, followed closely by Dad Greve blowing out his 60 (theoretical only, to avoid fire hazard) candles on April 7. Karen went back for her dad's birthday (see pictures from our weekend at Drew's in Mathews), as her final trip to the States before the arrival of our son this July. While there, she celebrated our son's upcoming arrival with a baby shower hosted by her mom's Second Saturday Ladies, and Aunt Cyndi and Lynda. It was a wonderful way to celebrate and remember her mom while looking forward to exciting times ahead.
Just after the double birthdays, we went drove two hours northwest of London to the Cotswolds to enjoy the four day Easter weekend. We visited Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill, and explored the countryside (pictures). As I write this, we were supposed to be in Prague for our last weekend trip before our son joins us. But, it wasn't meant to be. First, the taxi Karen hired almost broke down on the way to Heathrow. Then, British Airways nearly kept her from traveling because she's (just) over 28 weeks and didn't have an official doctor's note. But after those near mishaps, we approached the gate thinking we were all clear. Sadly, it never occurred to us that we'd have to worry about visas. As a holdover from the Cold War, Canadians need to have a valid visa to travel to the Czech Republic. Who knew?
Fortunately, it's absolutely lovely, sunny and 73 in London, while the weather report from Prague comes in at rainy and 40. So, we've just come in from a 2 1/2 hour walk around the London parks and gardens (pictures -- with Karen's 28 week belly prominent!) and are feeling pretty happy about our predicament. Prague isn't going anywhere, but days this beautiful in London, with the trees in bloom, are rare and precious.
That's all for now, except to thank everyone for their overwhelming love and support this spring. We are so blessed to have our friends and family, especially times like now as we face the loss of a beloved life and anticipate the arrival of another.
As always, we'll try to keep this part of the site updated to reflect new happenings in our lives (click here for previous updates). We expect to include many updates in 2004, as we are expecting our first child in mid-July! We couldn't be more excited in anticipation of our growing family.
We spent the holidays at home in London for the second year. Karen's parents came for Christmas week, enjoying Christmas carols at the Royal Albert Hall, touring the National Army Museum and, of course, antiquing.
On the career front, Geordie continues to enjoy trading European interest rate derivatives at Goldman Sachs. Which is especially fortunate, as Karen has stepped off the corporate track to pursue her charity and writing interests.
After a several-month hiatus, Karen is back to work with her mother, co-writing an autobiographical account of their experiences as ovarian cancer patient and daughter. Karen has expanded her work with cancer to include fundraising for The Institute of Cancer Research (UK). She and Geordie hosted their first fundraising event in November 2003 to raise funding and awareness of ovarian cancer and other 'Silent Cancers'. In addition, she is on the Board of Directors for the Junior League of London as Community Research Director, focused on exploring new programs to use art as a medium to help children in need.
Our sunny Spring turned into a sunny Summer, and with it, guest and travel season. Karen spent mid-May in San Francisco for Bain training -- and time with friends and family, finally meeting her 'neph-pup', Andy and Blanca's dog, Indy. She didn't know how much she missed the Bay Area until she was there. Mexican food and sushi were treats to this Londoner. On the way back, she stopped in DC for a 19-hour whirlwind trip to celebrate with college roommates at Tricia and Karen's commitment ceremony. It was a lovely day capped off by dancing to a spectacular all-woman funk band! Karen arrived back in London two minutes before our friend and Geordie's groomsman, Bo, who stayed with us for a day en-route to his holiday in Serbia.
Several days later, Mom Greve arrived -- this time with three of her five Saturday morning ladies breakfast friends, Jean, Nancy and Willie. They walked, shopped and toured, for five days straight, taking a break for tea with Karen.
After the ladies left, we did too. Geordie headed to Scotland with his friend, Stuart, for a long weekend of golfing famous courses. They played Kingsbarns, Carnoustie, Turnberry and the New Course at St. Andrews. Then they won the daily golf lottery and even got to play the Old Course at St. Andrews.
Meanwhile, Karen and Mom went to the Continent. We spent two gastronomically perfect days in Antwerp and Brugges, Belgium with Karen's roommate, Victoria, and her fiancé, Robert. Then, we went to Rambouillet, France for the wedding of Karen's long time French pen pal (now email pal). The hospitality was incredible, with more amazing food, and an festive wedding celebration. It started with the civil ceremony at La Marie, after which we all walked through the streets of the tiny village to the church for the religious ceremony. The reception was held at Le Chateau de Maintenon and it was like a scene from a movie set in the 18th Century. After hours of celebrating with their wonderful friends and our French family, we were the second couple to leave the reception. . . at 2.00am after the cake was served!
Later in June, Karen's college roommate and bridesmaid, Becky, visited for a week full of girl time. On the 21st, Beck left for Belgium to visit Victoria and we took a 'minimoon', to Ravello, a quaint mountain town above the Italian Amalfi Coast for five days (including an excursion to Pompeii) before going to Rome for the wedding of Karen's college roommate, Christine, and her new husband, Luca. Rome was a tourists paradise, especially with the aid of our hosts' recommendations. Their wedding was in a cavernous, ornate church as found only in the center of Catholicism. Most impressive was that the priest, Luca and his brothers conducted the entire ceremony and all toasts at the reception in both Italian and English, catering to guests from both sides of the Atlantic. (pictures)
In July, Karen's Aunt Cyndi and Uncle Eric arrived for a relaxing week's visit in which they set new records for stamina at the Portobello Road Market. Then, we started our North American wedding tour! Karen was 'best woman' at Victoria and Robert's wedding in New Hampshire (pictures) and then went down to DC for a week with her family (pictures) while Geordie returned to London for a week of work.
We met in Toronto a week later for a few days with Geordie's brother and sister-in-law, Andy and Blanca, then drove to the Young's cottage in Restoule, Ontario for a week of playing at the waterfalls and some intense badminton games, while reuniting with the entire Grawbarger clan. The following weekend was Geordie's cousin, Jason's wedding to Dianna -- where the bartenders wished they'd known who the guests would be so they would have chilled more Canadian beer! (pictures) After the weekend, Geordie flew back to London and Karen flew to DC for ten days -- in which she celebrated two anniversaries (Drew and Lynda's and Mom and Dad Greve's) and her mom's birthday.
Anne-Marie (Karen's matron of honor) and J came to visit the last week in August, and Karen visited Kew Gardens with them for the first time. Geordie showed J the local links while Karen and A-M enjoyed tea.
On September 2, Mum and Dad Young came for a five week European visit, mostly spent with us, but also including side-trips to Newcastle, Edinburgh and Paris. We joined them for a weekend in Edinburgh, where we stayed in the 'New City', built a few centuries ago as opposed to the 'Old City' built many hundreds of years ago. (pictures)
Later in September, Karen missed part of the Young's visit when she went to San Francisco and stayed with Becky while attending the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance Annual Conference. On the way back, she swung by DC for another family visit.
We celebrated our first wedding anniversary in October with a golfing weekend to Turnberry, Scotland where we experienced the 'full Monty', a weekend course at the Colin Montgomery golf academy. It was a luxurious, romantic and fun weekend. On Sunday, caddies escorted us on the spectacular British Open golf course where we played in fierce winds, but were grateful for the only sunny day in two weeks. (pictures)
In mid-November, we hosted our first ever fundraising event, a fine wine evening to raise money for The Institute of Cancer Research and build awareness of 'Silent Cancers' (colorectal, kidney, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate -- cancers which have few early side effects and are therefore hard to detect at early stages). It was an enormous success, with nearly 50 attendees and raising over £3,500 ($6,000) for the Institute. It was also amusing for us, as Geordie doesn't enjoy wine, but was wrangled into the event by Karen, who was six-weeks pregnant at the event and not drinking herself!
Our pregnancy news was the highlight of a wonderful autumn and two days after the event (immediately after a riveting England victory in the World Cup rugby final!) we flew to DC for Thanksgiving week to celebrate our news with Karen's family. Mom even took the mother-to-be for a maternity shopping spree, in preparation for the 'bump' (British for pregnant belly).
One month later the Greves came to London for Christmas to wrap up 2003, certainly the best year of our lives so far. (check out the pictures!)
Our sunny Spring turned into a sunny summer, and with it, guest and travel season. Karen spent mid-May in San Francisco for Bain training -- and time with friends and family. She didn't know how much she missed the Bay Area until she was there. Mexican food and sushi were treats to this Londoner. On the way back, she stopped in DC for a 19-hour whirlwind trip to celebrate with my college roommates at Tricia and Karen's commitment ceremony. It was a lovely day capped off by dancing to a spectacular all-woman funk band! Karen arrived back in London two minutes before our friend and Geordie's groomsman, Bo, who stayed with us for a day en-route to his holiday in Serbia.
Several days later, Mom Greve arrived -- this time with three of her five Saturday morning ladies, Jean, Nancy and Willie. They walked, shopped and toured, for five days straight, taking a couple of breaks with Karen.
After the ladies left, we did too. Geordie headed to Scotland with his friend, Stuart, for a long weekend of golfing famous courses. They played Kingsbarns, Carnoustie, Turnberry and the New Course at St. Andrews. Then they won the 'daily golf lottery and even got to play the Old Course at St. Andrews. Geordie's now got the inside scoop on the British Open. Karen was more jealous of the five star hotel where they stayed at St. Andrews than the golf itself.
Meanwhile, Karen and Mom went to the Continent. We spent two gastronomically perfect days in Antwerp and Brugges, Belgium with Karen's roommate, Victoria, and her fiancé, Robert. Then, we went to Rambouillet, France for the wedding of Karen's long time French pen pal (now email pal). The hospitality was incredible, with more amazing food, and an incredible wedding celebration. It started with the civil ceremony at La Marie, after which we all walked through the streets of the tiny village to the church for the religious ceremony. The reception was held at Le Chateau de Maintenon and it was like a scene from a movie set in the 18th Century. After hours of celebrating with their wonderful friends and our French family, we were the second couple to leave the reception. . . at 2.00am after the cake was served.
Our delay in updating this page may reflect our life update more than the words written here! It's been a busy winter and spring for us and our families -- filled with new pursuits and travels.
On the work front, Karen has gone part-time at Bain in order to start a new endeavor with her mom. As many of you know, Mom Greve was diagnosed with advanced stage ovarian cancer in Autumn of 1999. The mother-daughter team is now writing a book about our experiences since her diagnosis, in hopes of raising awareness of ovarian cancer, while enjoying the cathartic exercise of writing together. As an author/advocate, Karen would be remiss not to plug the cause here. One of the gravest issues with ovarian cancer, leading to its having highest mortality rate among women's cancers, is the lack of obvious symptoms or screening tools. As a result, most patients, like our mom, are diagnosed at late stages when the cancer has already spread substantially beyond the ovaries. We hope our story will help other women diagnose it earlier. If any of you are curious for more information, go to www.ovariancancer.org.
One of many benefits of our writing project is even more frequent visits. Karen went back to DC for a long weekend at the end of January, and then again in early March for a combined Bain business trip to NYC and writing visit. Late March brought Mom to London for the second of four exquisite weekends (the sunniest March in London since the 1800s). We made loads of progress on our book, while catching a few rays of sunshine in our communal garden and going to tea with our friend, Cindy Gray.
In late-February, Cindy and her husband, Glenn, were our gracious Canadian hosts at the annual Maple Leaf Ball at Canada House. Geordie was lost for a bit watching 'Hockey Night in Canada' re-runs upstairs, but managed to make it back down in time for Nanaimo bars for dessert (if you don't know what these are, you are truly missing out!)
Speaking of Nanaimo bars, the couple who brought them to our wedding in October has been far from the homeland themselves. Mom and Dad Young recently returned from eight weeks down under in Australia and New Zealand. They kept us posted on their adventures via email and we were grateful to be able to keep in touch across so many miles. Now, they're safely back in Canada, but feeling the cold a bit after the transition from early-Fall in New Zealand.
March also brought our NYC friends, Jason and Carrie, to London for a long and wonderful weekend. Geordie and Jason kept our chess board in frequent use, while Karen and Carrie enjoyed traditional afternoon tea and girl time. Never enough tea for Karen, the last picture below is her at tea again with our friend and fellow-American, Christina after a long walk around Regents Park.
In a week's time, it's back to the US for Karen -- to Houston with her mom for doctor's appointments, and a little book collaboration. Then back home to London for the long Easter weekend.
We'd like to close by celebrating and remembering recent events among our families and friends. Happy birthday to both Mom and Dad Young, Dad Greve and Karen. As an aside, Mom Young and Dad Greve are only a week apart in age! We also wish our friends, Katie and Aaron, a loving and happy future together as they are married on 26th April back East (we wish we could come to celebrate with you). In a sad close, we send our love to the Grawbargers in Restoule after the tragic and premature loss of Geordie's cousin, Jamie. Our thoughts are with you.
Christmas in London (2002)
Scrooge stayed far away this Christmas. We just had a brilliant week -- Mom and Dad Greve came over from Virginia bearing gifts, gifts and more gifts. We kicked off the holiday weekend with carols at St. Martin in the Fields -- beautiful music in the stunning and historic chapel in Trafalgar Square. After carols, we had dinner at our neighborhood pub, The Anglesea Arms -- the boys had fish and chips, while the girls opted for roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Christmas Eve Day found Karen and mom making Christmas Tree coffee cake and putting the multitude of gifts under the tree. We had Christmas Eve dinner at the Savoy Hotel after the children's nativity service at our parish church.
Christmas day, we awoke, not to a clatter, but to brewing coffee, Christmas casserole, cranberry compote and coffee cake -- along with the opening of the gifts. Such joyful fun. We listened to the Queen's somber yet hopeful Christmas address that afternoon after long naps. Then came calls to family in Virginia and British Columbia while the proverbial goose was roasting away. Christmas Dinner was a festive British affair with Christmas Crackers before the roast goose and Christmas pudding after.
Boxing day was quiet and restful -- then Friday and Saturday found us exploring around London -- going to the Geffrye Museum to see what Christmas looked like over the last few hundred years, walking outside Westminster Abbey, and exploring the Natural History and Science Museums. Not to mention a bit of shopping. Now, Mom and Dad are back in Virginia and the new year's about to start -- bringing some exciting changes. More later!
Stonehenge and Bath -- Thanksgiving weekend (2002)
Thanksgiving Thursday found us at the office for a 'normal' day of work. We salvaged the American holiday by a festive dinner for four with friends -- Tami (American) and Pierre (Canadian). Karen and Tami prepared all the traditional fixings, except that we cheated and had roast chicken instead of turkey, and we were shocked to find that Libby's pumpkin pie mix in the UK makes savoury pies, not sweet! Not quite what we had in mind, but a fun evening overall.
This weekend, Geordie took Karen on her 'Thanksgiving consolation trip'. It was quite the cultural / history tour. We started in Stonehenge (circa 3000 BC), then moved on to Bath (circa 50 AD??) and finally through the ancient town of Castle Combe en route back to London. It was a wonderful little getaway. (pictures)
Back from our wedding and honeymoon in Mauritius (2002)
We've been married for one blissful a month, starting with the most special weekend of our lives. We are so appreciative that many of our friends and family were able to join us for our special day. Our memories from the weekend will be with us always . . . a rainy nine holes that ended in a surprising multi-team tie . . . mimosas and Bellini's at the bridesmaids brunch . . . Nanaimo bars and honorary Canadian citizenship followed by hysterical and heartfelt toasts/roasts at the rehearsal dinner . . . cocktails at the Déja Vu Again . . . Karen's final Greve v Greve run with her dad up Mount Post Office . . . the hair and makeup party at the Greve's . . . our ceremony surrounded by our best friends . . . moving readings and Lynda's incredible, better-than-Broadway solo . . . pictures, pictures and more pictures . . . mingling with our wonderful friends and family before and during dinner . . . toasts that brought tears of joy and laughter to our eyes . . . Geordie's unforgettable toast that brought tears to everyone's eyes . . . dancing together to our song . . . dancing with everyone to many other songs . . . the anniversary dance when we saw the longest-married couple dancing like newlyweds . . . laughing and talking with our favorite people until our coach appeared ready to become a pumpkin and we left to start sharing our new memories as husband and wife. (pictures)
Mauritius was extraordinary. (pictures) Now we're back in London and still feeling giddily newly married. Karen's now officially changed her name to Karen Young and is even starting to remember her new name when she introduces herself to clients. Geordie's still working far too hard but finding time for golf on weekends. Such an unforgettably incredible fall.
Home stretch to the wedding (2002)
Our wedding is a week away and we are so excited to be heading back to North America where we will be surrounded by family and friends. Our London friends gave us a little send off the other day -- Geordie got off easy since he was out with a bunch of traders, but Karen had a mini 'hen' (British for Bachelorette) night, complete with a tiara, feather boa and much too much wine. Soon, we'll be on flights home to see everyone for a fun weekend of golf, cocktails, and our wedding and reception. Don't forget to bring your dancing shoes!
We have had such a wonderful year of our engagement and it has been fun to share our happiness with everyone through our website. Next time we write an update, we will be married and back from our Mauritius honeymoon. We promise to find a scanner and share our wedding pictures through this site.
Less than four weeks to go . . . (2002)
. . . and we're just twiddlin' our thumbs here in London wondering what to do with ourselves! Just kidding, very kidding. Both our jobs have been quite busy since all of Europe came back from holiday at the end of August. Plus, there are a few fun wedding details that Geordie's been thinking about night and day. Now, everyone must KNOW that's a little joke. Joking aside, we're really enjoying ourselves. Two weeks ago, we had a huge birthday weekend -- Geordie and Karen's college roommate Victoria turned 30 within two days of each other, which was a grand excuse for a fun weekend.
Now, Geordie's Uncle Brian and Aunt Marcia are here for a few weeks, spending some time visiting family and the rest of it here in London. They've been sightseeing by day, cooking fabulous dinners for us by evening, so we're feeling quite spoiled. Geordie's used to coming home to a home cooked meal, but for Karen, it's quite a treat.
All for now . . . too many other fun things to do to spend precious time at the computer.
Eight weeks until the big day! (2002)
Summer has finally come for more than a few days -- and London is just spectacular. We've been catching up with friends, golfing and enjoying the sunshine. Our driving trip to Wales was wonderful -- we stayed at a gorgeous country house overlooking a river. We spent Saturday afternoon wandering by the river and playing croquet (Karen defied her relative coordination disadvantage and won), followed by peaceful pre-dinner cocktails on the veranda overlooking a field of grazing Hereford cows by the river. It felt hundreds of miles from London, instead of a mere two hour drive away.
In a few days, we're going back to North America for six whirlwind days, including visiting with Karen's parents in Virginia, a bit of wedding planning, our friends Jason and Carrie's wedding in New Jersey, and then a day in DC with all four parents and a dessert party to introduce Geordie to Greve family friends. We're feeling pretty spoiled right about now. Note to Canadian friends: since Karen's home in Arlington, Virginia is only ten minutes from Washington, DC, she tends to use the two interchangeably!
Soon after we get back, we have a big birthday celebration for Geordie and then a quick visit from Karen's college roommate, Victoria (and another big birthday!), and a nice long visit from Geordie's Uncle Brian and Aunt Marcia. As soon as they arrive, we're going to go see Shakespeare's As You Like It in Regent's Park. It doesn't get much more British than that. . . Since we're now writing about the future, we'll stop and give an update when these fun things have already happened.
July in London (2002)
Suddenly, our wedding went from being nearly a year away to being right around the corner. We've had a flurry of activity that promises not to end until November. Geordie's bachelor party over Canada Day weekend was a huge success: he was joined in Duncan by friends from all stages of life, he survived, he recovered in (not much) less than a full week, and he claims that he plans never to drink or party that hard again. Karen has a designated driver for life!
Early July brought our great friend Greg all the way from Denver to see us for a weekend. The mobility of MBAs is a fabulous thing, especially given how scattered we all are. The following weekend, Karen's brother and sister-in-law came to stay. They brought sunshine with them from Virginia that has lasted a full two weeks. This website must get updated on sunny days only -- it was overcast nearly every day from the June 17 update until they arrived mid-July! Karen's mom came toward the end of their visit so we had nearly the entire Greve clan in London -- except for Dad working away at home.
This coming weekend, we're taking our first driving foray into the country. We're off to Wales for a weekend of relaxation at a manor house B&B. We'll be playing golf on Sunday if we can find a course that doesn't require a handicap certificate -- which Geordie could have but doesn't and Karen couldn't dream of. Would they count triple digit handicaps?
Summer has (finally!) come (2002)
Literally, Summer came today, June 17. It may be the first day it's been over 80 degrees here since we arrived this winter. It is absolutely spectacular outside. Our view of the private garden across the way has changed from cherry blossoms to new green leaves to now full trees and summer flowers. The foliage in London continues to amaze us and make us happy (ok, maybe just Karen). This past weekend, we went to a barbecue at one of Geordie's colleague's homes northeast of London and were in a true Romanesque country village. Before the barbecue, while Geordie plugged through the 13.1 miles of a local half-marathon, Karen walked around St. Albans -- taking in the Abbey, old church and cemetery, and walking along curvy cobblestone streets that definitely weren't designed for cars. In May, we ventured on our first trip to the Continent and went to Paris -- only a three hour Eurostar trip away.
We're also managing to visit friends and family back home. We started in April with two weddings in New York -- congratulations Susan and Don and Hilary and Stephen! Then, Karen went back to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee (50 years on the throne for HRH Elizabeth, for the Yanks among you) in early June and had a wonderfully fun and special bridal shower with close friends and family in Arlington. Geordie's headed back in a few weeks to Duncan, BC for Canada Day along, with a large contingent of Americans and Canadians for a Bachelor Weekend. We think Mom and Dad Young are smart to clear out and head to Ontario before the boys arrive!
We've also been lucky enough to have some visits from home. Karen's Mom and Aunt Cyndi were here in May to take in the Chelsea Flower Show -- an absolutely over-the-top gardening experience. Mom and Dad Greve were also here for Easter -- and Drew and Lynda are coming in July, followed closely by Mom Greve. Clearly, Karen's mom is setting a stellar example! Where are the Youngs? Just kidding, we know we'll see you in August, but we miss you and all of our friends too and hope to see everyone in October, if not before.
We couldn't close our little update without mentioning World Cup madness. It absolutely beats anything either of us has ever seen in North America. Our companies absolutely shut down during England games, and business is slow during other matches. It would be impossible not to get into the hype of it all -- especially with both England and the USA making it into the quarter finals. Sadly, we realize that by the time we update this again, someone will have won and we'll look woefully behind the times, but for now, we're just excitedly anticipating England v. Brazil on Friday. It'll be on at 2:30am EST, for any interested North Americans . . . In a little postscript, both England and the USA lost hard-fought quarterfinal matches. But, we're still anticipating the finals!
Early London days (2002)
By the end of March, we were all settled into London. We moved into a lovely flat in South Kensington, near Hyde Park and overlooking one of the many private gardens in London. The best part of our place is that we have a huge kitchen (at least by New York standards) and have been having small dinner parties with new London friends on weekends. Karen's parents were over for Easter weekend and we had a wonderful visit. Hopefully soon we'll start taking advantage of our location to take some weekend trips to the continent -- Paris? Venice? Prague? So many options, it'll be hard to choose.
Our plan was to be in New York for at least two years. We moved in early August and settled in. Unfortunately, it was a difficult and emotional fall for us as for everyone. September 11 was a day that we will never forgot. However, its silver lining was the coming together of our New York friends and the heightened realization that our loved ones are the most important part of our lives.
Life got rosier in October. On an unlikely Monday evening, Geordie proposed and we became engaged (see "Engagement Story" for the full scoop). Then, in November, Goldman Sachs started putting thoughts of London in Geordie's head. He was offered a fantastic opportunity to transfer to London, on a trading desk covering the same products as in New York but more aligned with his professional goals. We had a harrowing December as we waited to see if Karen could transfer with Bain as well. Fortunately, visitors kept us entertained and busy, including Karen's parents for Christmas and Geordie's college roommates for New Year's.
By mid-January, Karen's transfer had come through and we moved out of our New York apartment. Geordie went straight to London to start working in his new office while Karen took a few weeks to spend with family in Virginia -- wedding planning and designing this website!