ONE YEAR!

One year ago today I crossed the Pond and started a new chapter of my life in London. Although a lot has happened since then, I still can't believe how quickly time has flown. I've had to adjust to various differences to life here, some easier than others, but at least now I can honestly say that I know this is where I'm supposed to be now.



I have shared every-day happenings, "London sightseeing", and other adventures / travel in my blog. It's been fun to keep track of everything...even though I've often been months behind, when I know the point of most blogs is to make posts on a more regular basis. So, I'm going to make a "one-year anniversary" resolution to make posts at least each month (then maybe they won't take as long to read)!



To celebrate ONE YEAR, I'm going to list my "Top 12" bits about Life in London:



12. I don't know if I will ever think that TV here is comparable to TV in the States. Thank goodness for "Friends" reruns.

11. I love the chip-and-pin system we have here in our debit cards. When you go to a restaurant, they bring the card reader to you instead of taking your card off somewhere and then bringing it back. I think it's great that it never leaves your sight.

10. I wish I had kept track of how many times people have asked me the following questions: Where are you from?, Why did you move here from AMERICA??, and What has been the biggest difference between living here and Dallas? To answer the last question, This place is CROWDED.

9. Understanding the metric system when cooking and learning how to read the calorie / fat content in packaged foods has been tricky. A lot of recipes have "___ grams of ___" where you have to weigh the ingredients instead of just measuring them in cups / spoons / etc. And some things say "1/8 of this bag" for x amount of calories...why does this have to take mental math to figure out??

8. The hardest thing about living in the UK and having family and friends in the US is the time difference when I want to pick up the phone and talk.

7. Public transport is fabulous, and they have footpaths everywhere, so if you need to walk, it's possible.

6. Watching "Steel Magnolias" on DVD, listening to some country music (sent on CDs sent by my sister), and finding a decent margarita has helped me combat homesickness.

5. It doesn't rain here as much as you think it does, although I've learned that any good Londoner always carries an umbrella. And not every umbrella is created equal.

4. The chocolate here is 100 times better.

3. I didn't know if I'd adapt to the fashion in London, but I think I have (I realise it's okay not to match).

2. I love teatime!

1. London is an AMAZING city. There are still times when I stop and think, "Wow. I live in London." Maybe it will wear off sometime.

"Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown."- Author unknown

July!

JULY THE FOURTH 2009!

My former flatmate, Elizabeth-Anne baked this American flag cake. Yummmm.

The American picnic in Hyde Park (Hyde Park is a theme in this post)

The Peter Pan Statue in Hyde Park

The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park

My friend Sarah in Hyde Park

5th July 2009

Sarah and I at the Waterway restaurant / pub in Little Venice on the Canal

The Canal- gorgeous day!

I think this is the Paddington Bridge

A great little store that Sarah and I had been trying to find all afternoon. I thought it was in Kensal Rise because I remembered the name, Rise, but it's in Kensal Green and the owner said it was named for "Rise and Shine".




13th July 2009

Vicky- my first friend in London to get engaged. I knew it wouldn't take long for me to meet someone before it happened!! Here she is on the phone telling another friend about her news. I took this picture and then gave it to her in an engagement card because I thought she'd want to see how happy she looked.


15th July 2009

I was able to help my friend Sarah (from Australia) celebrate her

birthday at an African restaurant
Siew- she looks hungry ;)

The main course

Trish, Megan, and Sarah

I thought that it was cool to see the liquid splashing out of the glass in this picture!

The bartender

19th July 2009

Race for Life

The bandstand in Hyde Park

One thing I learned from going to the London Marathon, people here really love to wear fancy dress for charity athletic events.

Sarah & me before the "race"

I forgive her for wearing a Sooners t-shirt (at least we're both sporting our home State!)

Not quite sure what this was all about...

I was proud to be a part of this women-only event to raise money for cancer research in the UK .

Later that day...

My new flatmate and I rode an old Routemaster bus from Swiss Cottage to Hyde Park, and I was SO excited. It was my first time to be on one- they're hardly in service anymore. They had to have an attendant in the rear of the bus so that she could check your travelcard / ticket since the old buses don't have the new touch-in systems.

The back-end of the bus, where you can get on / off whenever the bus stops (instead of waiting for an actual bus stop)


21st July 2009

Catching up at The Cow pub with Kimi Hodges, one of my former colleagues in Dallas. She and her boyfriend were in London on holiday, and it was Kimi's first time here.

Cheers, Kimi!

Family comes to London!

Okay, yes.

This is another 4-month-late update. But! I do have some pretty good reasons.

For one, I have been trying to get pictures from my sister / brother-in-law since July for this post, and finally decided to go ahead and just show the ones from my mom's and my camera. Also, I moved house recently and with all that goes with that, time has gotten away from me again. So, this entry has pictures from when my mother, sister, and brother-in-law came to visit...and in the (hopefully) near future, I will include Seth's pictures because he got some great ones with his new camera.

12th June, 2009

This is the Lanesborough Hotel at Hyde Park Corner. As soon as my mother got into London, I took her to afternoon tea.

MY MOM'S IN LONDON!!!! It was so good to see her.

I would HIGHLY recommend the Lanesborough for afternoon tea! It was perfect and the hotel is gorgeous.

Walking through Holland Park

Peacocks in Holland Park

I had to take a picture of this shop window....you wouldn't think they would sell party items to celebrate the national holiday that commemorates when the US gained independence from Britain....but I guess over the years the ex-pat community has created a demand (?)

13th June, 2009

The Trooping of the Colours,

Celebrating the Queen's Birthday

Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall

THE QUEEN!

(Sadly, I had taken another picture on mom's camera that had a better picture of her face, and I accidentally deleted it. Oh well, this one is pretty good!)

In Fulham, enjoying a Pimms

At a BBQ at my friend, Aoife's house. I gave her this t-shirt because she'd like to move to the States and work as a speech therapist.

Louise, Trish, & Aoife

14th June, 2009

Sunday Roast at the White Horse Pub in Parsons Green with my friend, Sarah, who is from Edmond, OK

Hampton Court Palace in Richmond, where Henry VIII once lived

Mom and I happened to find this on the way to the bus stop back into central London

15th June, 2009

Mom inside in a black cab- we had to quickly meet my friend, Rebecca, in West Hampstead to sign the lease for our new flat

Mom took a picture of what would soon be my new street

Steph and Seth arrived!!

Having a picnic in Hyde Park...Seth is busy figuring out his new camera

16th June, 2009

I worked this day while Steph and Mom showed Seth and Steph's friends, Tami & Allen, around London. Then I met them later that evening for the Jack the Ripper walking tour.

This was our tour guide on the Jack the Ripper Walk! It was amazing and he's wonderful!

17th June, 2009

Buckingham Palace

The Union Jack flying meant the Queen was in residence!

The Changing of the Guard

A little picnic in Hyde Park

Kensington Palace

I took Mom and Steph on a tour of Notting Hill. I think Seth, Allen, and Tami were at a pub somewhere.

Portobello Road

Later that evening we all had fish 'n chips at one of my favourite pubs, The Builders Arms, in Chelsea and Rosie joined us.

18th June, 2009

Steph at the Jo Malone counter in Selfridges- my favourite department store in London- probably no coincidence that it was opened by an American 100 years ago ;)

Upper deck of a double-decker bus

Afternoon tea at the Parlour in Fortnam & Mason's

Mom's new favourite saying

19th June, 2009

Edinburgh, Scotland

On the city-sightseeing bus

Arthur's Seat

2oth June, 2009

St. Andrews, Scotland

If we went to Scotland, Seth said we had to go to St. Andrews. And of course if we went to St. Andrews, he had to golf!

21st June, 2009

Flying to Dublin, Ireland

22nd June, 2009

Seth signing his life away at the car hire place in Dublin

Driving on the wrong side of the car / road.

Glad it was Seth and not me having to use the stick shift with his left hand!

Steph was our navigator

Malahide Castle, Malahide Ireland

No, there is not a castle in this picture. Another hazard of not having Seth's pictures with me in London....but this is on the castle grounds. Wasn't it a GORGEOUS day?!?

Somewhere north of Dublin. We thought it was time for a late-afternoon drink!

Irish coffee, of course

Thought we needed a record of the car we (well, Seth) drove around the eastern coast of Ireland

Johnnie Fox's Pub- the highest pub in Dublin

Liked the painting of JFK and Jackie

Johnnie Fox's bar

The symbol of Dublin