Hej fra Danmark

We are here in Denmark now, arrived safe and sound about 6 hours ago and am pretty worn out! About the only thing I hate about travel (besides security checkpoints) is the jet lag.

Thankfully our flights were uneventful. The first leg of our flight was 8 hours, then we had a 2.5 hour layover in Copenhagen, then a short 45 minute flight up to Aalborg, where Peter's parents met us and we picked up our rental car.

If you are wondering where we are in Denmark, click here and it will show you a rather good satellite image of where we are.

That is it for now! Peter's mother has arrived back at the house with his sister and her family.

Jeg skriver igen snart!

So long, farewell...

Don't worry, this isn't a permanent good-bye. Just a short note to say I'm outta here until around the first of August, when I will start sharing all of the pictures from our trip to Denmark. It's just between now and Friday I have several things to do in preparation for our trip, along with filling out tons of paperwork for my new job. I need to get that all in before we leave, since I can't start working until my security clearance comes in.

So have fun these next two weeks....

We went to the county fair....

...the birds and the beasts were there...

This weekend was the annual Fauquier County Fair, and since Fauquier County is mostly an agricultural county, the fair revolves around all things related to farms. Tractor pulls, ATV rodeos, best apple pie contest, watermelon seed spitting contest....you name it, it has it.

We went, and we had fun. Especially Emma...she could have stayed all day feeding the animals. Funny thing, while all the parents were shelling out quarters and dollars to buy "food" for the animals, she just started picking grass and feeding them. Gotta love having a kid that can figure out stuff like that on her own. Saved us some money.











She also got to ride her first pony. This was in stark contrast to her experience riding a horse the night before. We had gone to the mall and she rode the carousel there, which made her so dizzy she puked.







And she also got to hold a little baby chick. They were so cute and fuzzy, and I was very tempted at putting one in my tote bag and bringing it home.







But her favorite were the sheep for some reason.







I don't know why, but looking at this particular fellow made me start singing "Do your balls hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow?"






But anywho...in other news...I got a job! After many months of searching I was offered a permanent, full-time position. I start mid-August. I'm very excited. And the best thing? The building I will be working in is literally right across the street from Peter's building. How cool is that??

So, in celebration of my new job and our impending trip to Denmark, I am going to host a giveaway. To win a souvenier from Denmark, all you have to do is leave a comment to this post. Then when we return I'll chooose a winner at random.

Now I'm off to start packing our bags...

Ugliest Mug Shot Ever

Okay, this story is just too good not to share.

Apparently a man was arrested yesterday in New Jersey for deliberately leaving pornographic materials in his car. Apparently they had been getting numerous complaints about him for some time. Among the materials found on display in his car were porn magazines and women's panties.

And a naked Barbie.

Seriously, a naked Barbie? There's very few times I don't have one in the back of my car! I better make sure Emma keeps hers covered at all times.

But anywho... that's not the best part of the story. Click here to see his mugshot, then come back and tell me what you think.

Den Lille Havfrue

(This post is part of a longer post I did on Copenhagen, you can see that one here. But for your sake, I clipped out the important part and am sharing that below.)

As many of you probably already know, Hans Christian Andersen (1805 - 1875) is the author of over 100 beloved childrens stories and fairy tales, such as The Emporer's New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid. His works have been translated into over 150 languages.

There is even a statue in honor of The Little Mermaid sitting in Copenhagen. It just so happens to be the most popular tourist attraction in Denmark and one of the most photographed statues in the world.

Here is what it looked like in 1913, after it was finished:







So, when Peter and I visited Copenhagen back in September of 2003 I was particularly excited to see this world-famous statue. She usually looked like this in all the guidebooks I read....







...but when we got there this is what we saw....







You see, for some reason those crazy Danes like to play practical jokes and the Little Mermaid is often the target. Since the 1950's she has been defaced many times:

• 1961 - September 1
  Bra & knickers were painted on her, and her hair was 'dyed' red
  
  
• 1963 - April 28
  She was covered in red paint
  
  
• 1964 - April 24
  She was decapitated
  
  
• 1976 - July 15
  She was covered in paint
  
  
• 1984 - July 22
  Her right arm was cut off
  
  
• 1990 - August 5
  Another attempt to decapitate her was made
  
  
• 1998 - January 6
  She was decapitated
  
  
• 2003 - September 11
  She was removed from her stone (by dynamite) and pushed into the water

But each time she is lovingly restored and placed back on her rock. However, in 2007 the Danish government admitted that they may have to move her farther out in the harbor to make it difficult for people to reach her.

And I bet you all thought that she was just another Disney cartoon.

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