Full of Thanks

We had such a special Thanksgiving this year in London.  D's parents flew in mid-week (more on their trip next) and on Thursday we headed up to Primrose Hill for a proper Thanksgiving dinner hosted by the O'Neills. 

We missed our family back home, but it was so wonderful getting to spend the day with our great friends and their fabulous parents & siblings.  

While this Thanksgiving I have so much to be thankful for, I'm most thankful for our London friends who have now become our London family.  T, KC, Mare, Mike (& Finn) have truly been a blessing and our time in London wouldn't be the same without them (MH, too!!).

Our first Thanksgiving in London is sure to be one we'll never forget. 

Surprise, I'm Home!

I am so super behind on my posts.  My apologies.

Following my depressing post about missing home, I tried to change my flight to a bit earlier in December so that I could spend more time with my family and friends around Christmas.  It was wayyy too expensive, so on Sunday night (Nov 3), D booked a flight for me to leave Tuesday morning - arriving into JFK in the early afternoon.

The November vs December trip home made more sense:
1. Was cheaper.  2. I had been missing friends and family.  3. My sister's kids were off from school (more QT).
4. One of my closest friends who also recently moved (to Florida) would be in New York City all week visiting her friends.  5. Get to spend a couple days in NYC & see friends.

This trip was going to be a surprise (for most) and I was jumping out of my skin with excitement!!!
I fished around to find out where in New York City SBC would be once I landed, and I made sure to text my family with pictures from "London" at the appropriate UK time. (I needed to throw them off - I couldn't risk them figuring me out.)

I landed in New York with a face that hurt from smiling so hard, I cried in the cab as we passed Central Park (miss this place), and shook with excitement as I knocked carefully on the door to surprise SBC (& MMC)! Yay!
The rest of the night I was with my favorite people, in my favorite place, and on Cloud. Freaking. 9.

The next day I walked around my old neighborhood with friends and visited my work...then I was on my way to New Jersey to surprise my sister and my dad.

My first transcontinental surprise went off without a hitch!!!  I'm pretty sure I blew everyones mind as I showed up at their door or came creeping out of the living room.  Surprises are my ABSOLUTE. FAVORITE.
[Watch below for some pretty great reactions ... not on smartphones]

Despite the nasty stomach bug that decided to infect most of my family on day 5, my time at home was unbelievable.  Filled with such joy and excitement. 

I tried my best to see as many of my friends and family as possible and I think I succeeded ... only missed just a couple of my favorites (sorry guys). 

xx

36 Hours in Amsterdam

When D told me he had a meeting on a Wednesday in Amsterdam, it was so hard for me not to jump all over the opportunity to see a new part of the world.  I had heard so many wonderful things about this canal-filled city dubbed the "Venice of the North," so, I resisted the urge to hold back.  I presented the idea to D and he was in agreement...we'd look for a flight for me.  He managed to find a cheap last minute flight and 24 hours later we were on our way to the Netherlands.

The first night D and I ate at an authentic Dutch restaurant and then walked through the Red Light District.  To say I was disturbed is an understatement.  Sorry, but I just wasn't really into seeing half naked women selling themselves on the street.  Nah.  Not for me.  No thanks.

I spent all day Wednesday exploring the city while D was working hard for us.  I strolled up and down the canals popping into the cute shops, I took a boat ride throughout the city, and the most memorable part of my day was visiting Anne Frank's house.  I waited in line for 45 minutes but it was well worth it.  To see the home that she and her family were hiding in for two years was truly unbelievable.
I stopped for lunch and ate Bitterballen, which is a famous Dutch snack filled with veal ragout.  Great choice.

D finished his meeting early and we headed to a brewery.  After a few local beers and a great dinner, we headed home to bed and we were back in London less than 12 hours later.

Our 36 hours in Amsterdam were superb and I am so blessed to have gotten this opportunity.
Quick trips around Europe are one of the many reasons I am loving living in London.

Beautiful blue skies of Amsterdam

The entrance to Anne Frank's house
263 Prinsengracht

Bitterballen!!

Up up and away...
the sunrise over Amsterdam

Autumn in Paris

As I sit here, drinking out of my 'Paris' Starbucks collector mug, I smile and am reminded of our wonderful time away in one of the most romantic cities in the world.  (Mission accomplished by the inventor of the souvenir mug.)

I have to be honest, when D first booked our weekend trip to Paris, I was excited, but a tad less enthusiastic than usual.  Let me clarify before you jump to the "spoiled" conclusion.  There are a few reasons why I felt this way.

1. We went to Paris on our honeymoon: I was worried that perhaps we romanticized this amazing city and if we went again just the two of us it wouldn't be nearly as magnificent as it was when we were first married. (Understandable, right?) 
2. I went to Paris for the day over the summer and it was exhausting and hot!
(Day trips to Paris are not fun.)
3. We have been wanting to visit new places.
(Can you blame us? We may only be here for a few more months.)

I was wrong.  Paris was just as lovely, if not lovelier in Autumn. (They don't use the term Fall.)  The brisk air, the colored leaves, and the sporadic rain made for a cozy and romantic weekend.  I actually have a deeper appreciation for Paris than ever before and I would happily and excitedly go back any, any time!

We stayed at the Westin (our honeymoon spot), ate French onion soup (duh!), held hands through The Tuileries Garden, posed with the Louvre, stopped for cappuccinos, shopped and ate crepes in Il Saint Louis (my favorite part), bought locks for us and our nieces/nephews (& threw the keys in), and took many, many pictures of the Eiffel Tower (and of ourselves).

Please forgive me for my initial lack of gratitude.  Paris rocks!

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We ended our busy weekend, with our usual Sunday Funday crew, by carving pumpkins!!! We had a really fun time.  Super thankful for these guys.

Just One of Them Days

I sat down today to write about our short trips to Paris and Amsterdam and was overcome with tears.  It's been one of those days.  I'm missing everything and everyone and I am so super homesick.  It has nothing to do with being unhappy in London.  We've been keeping busy, traveling, and getting together with friends.  Despite that, today, I feel emotionally drained.  Wiped out.  Defeated.

I miss my life in America and everything that comes with it.  I wonder when we'll be heading home, although I know it's not helpful to think that way.  I often think that our time here in London, while a once in a lifetime experience, is just a filler until we get back to our 'real lives' in New York.  I try to plan our future, which is also unproductive and unrealistic.  I think I just need to go home for a little bit, see my family, hug them, and recharge my batteries.  Only 49 more days.

Hopefully it's only one of these days.  Tomorrow will be happier.  Tomorrow I'll have dry eyes.

I think I can. I think I can. I think I can

Nice Was Nice!

Still catching up on the events of the last month.  I've been having too much fun with all of my visitors to keep this thing up to date.  A few weeks late, but worth documenting.

While D and I were home this summer, we decided to book a short weekend trip somewhere in Europe.  I've found it helpful to have a little something to look forward to before waving goodbye to our family and friends and heading back to London.  I know, you feel so bad for me ; )

We opted for the South of France and it was exactly how I imagined it.  Beautiful.
I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of the weather in mid-September, but we were blessed with high 70s and sun!  We pulled a typical 'D & V' and parked it on the pebbled beach: swimming frequently, breaking for lunch, and calling it a day right before a romantic dinner.  We are so predictable.

Nice was a nice way to wrap up the summer.
It's amazing how quickly I forget what the warmth and sun feels like.  I hear London is a true pleasure in the fall (sarcasm).  Wish us luck . . . or at the very least, wish us blue skies!

A little collage of our 3 days in Nice!

Busy Bee!

Time is flying!! I cannot believe its October already.  We're only one week away from our 6 month mark.  Hard to believe.

Since arriving back to London on September 1st, I have been crazy busy in an attempt to truly make a life here.  No more putzing around.  I hit the ground running and I haven't stopped.

I updated my resume, wrote a cover letter, and got a job!!  I'm now volunteering Tuesdays and Wednesdays :)
I had lunch, drinks, and/or dinner with FIVE new friends!  We joined a new church and have met so many wonderful people.  We've been to a soccer game (Chelsea vs Fulham) and a football game (Vikings vs Steelers).  We had fun dinners out with great friends.  I went to a James Blunt show with MH.  We've had football BBQs at our flat.  And we have hosted 3 wonderful guests (and quite a few friends who dropped by while here for work).

Life is good.

Moving to London wasn't the easiest transition for us for obvious reasons.  It has surely been an emotional journey with ups and downs.  It has taken a lot of hard work to acclimate to this new city.  But, I can say (with a smile on my face) that I am absolutely loving the life we have made for ourselves here.  So much so, that I'm surely going to miss it whenever it's time for us to leave.

This is not to say that I don't miss our family and friends and New York City.  I do.  In a desperate kind of way.  But, I've made the choice to be happy here despite my longing to be "home."  So far it's working.  Prayers are welcomed.

xx