Playing a little catch up...

So I know I need to play quite a bit of catch up to get everyone updated on what we are up to these days.  Here is a very abridged version of our lives here!

When we got here, Phil and I  started connecting with some amazing people immediately.  The Daves, Tristen, and Nicci were so wonderful to pal around with as we were all getting to know the city and as Phil started school.  They are all from Canada so Phil and I learned more about Canada than we have in our entire lives.  Let me tell you, these Canadians are just the nicest people, eh??

Us (obviously), Dave, Tristen, Dave, Nicci

Speaking of White Coat Ceremonies...I have never been more proud!! What a special day in Phil's life.  I am so glad I got to be there to watch him put that white coat on!  Too bad someone stood right in the aisle blocking my photo shot!  But here is the happy new med student afterwards:

Then we went on a coach tour of Newcastle and the coast with some of Phil's classmates.  We had so much fun!  Here are a few pictures from that.

Saint Mary's Lighthouse - when the tide is up you can get stranded on the little island	It was COLD and raining. Welcome to Europe to us!
The Tynemouth Priory and Castle sits right on the cliff above the water	Ending the day at an "Afternoon Tea" at a nice hotel in town

Another exciting event in our early days in Newcastle was watching our first Newcastle United Football Game (in a pub).  We went to the Lonsdale which is super close to our flat.  When we got there, we could barely find a table.  As the game went on the pub got PACKED!! The whole bar was full and people were even sitting all the way up the stairs to the second level. 

We invited Dave and Nicci to join us. We spent more time learning about Canada and talking about the US than actually watching the game.

The crowded bar area - the giant screen is up to the left

Since I have so much more to tell everyone about, I will end this post here but I promise to write more soon.  Stay tuned!