An UN-Typical London Day

Pretty much everyone we speak with about living here in London asks us two questions: 1)Does it rain all the time, and 2)How do you see through the fog? I'm not a native Londoner, but I have been here for almost a year and have now experienced all four seasons. This is how I answer those questions.

1)No, it doesn't rain all the time. We do live on an island, so we don't get droughts and tumbleweed blowing over the road, but I've found that I feel like it doesn't rain anymore here than it did in Houston, which is also a tropical location. I decided to put my feelings to the test and did a little google research (that probably doesn't surprise many of you). This is what I found-the normal yearly rainfall total for Houston is about 46 inches...London-23 inches. That's right! Exactly half as much...guess my "feeling" was right!

2)What fog? The whole "fog so thick you can't see your hand in front of your face" thing is a myth. However, this was a very real phenomenon up until the mid-1950's, when "pea-soupers" were a common London occurence. Just imagine millions of people living in close quarters all burning coal at the same time to keep themselves warm. Can you see the smoke? Now combine this with some natural, clean fog and you've got quite a mess! Did you know that "smog" was first coined by a Londoner in 1905 to describe the nasty stuff? Thankfully, in the late 1950's, the Clean Air Act was passed, which greatly reduced the pollution. The numerous coal factories were closed, but in typical English fashion, the buildings MUST NOT be torn down! One of the factories is now the Tate Modern Museum and I think at least one is being considered for condos. It is difficult to do anything with the buildings because the expense of cleaning and converting them into anything functional is outrageous.

So, please, get the rainy-foggy London out of your head! We have beautiful blue skies and sunny, cloud-free weather all the time! Although I do have to say that today it is cold, rainy, AND windy...anything BUT typical. ~V

Tourist Day-London Walk

Each week, Charlie and I aim to do one thing touristy so we won't be those people who, when the movers are packing their things to go back home, say, "I've been here for 2 years and made it to (fill in the blank)." Usually we do a London Walk, but when it's raining, we may do a museum or something indoors. Today was a London Walk and probably the most all encompassing walk we've taken so far. There were very few city highlights missed on this one and we were TIRED and HUNGRY when we concluded in Trafalgar Square. I think that on foot is the absolute best way to see London as today I finally found out how to connect the dots after a year of groundhogging it in the Tube. Things are much closer than one would think!

Catalina has joined the working world, so we are sorely missing one of our Musketeers. But, she was able to meet us for a quick lunch to catch up. It was so good to see her and we are so happy she has found the perfect thing here in London.

The photo above is in St. James Park, a Royal Park, looking down to the Horse Guard Parade (the front building) and the London Eye.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

My friends, Lisa and Brian Lee, have a decorative rock outside their home entrance that says "Bloom where you are planted". In the 12 years following my departure from the parental nest, I have not lived in the same house/apartment for longer than 2 years. Some of this is due to moving around dorms or apartments in college, and some have been from moving around the world-Ohio, Houston, and now London, where, ironically enough, we are on a 2-year assignment. I have come to the conclusion that the rock on Lisa and Brian's doorstep rings true in so many areas.

So many times in life, we put things off because we are waiting for something to happen...graduation, first paycheck, when we get our new house, when we finally settle and plant roots, etc. I am glad I decided long ago to "bloom where I am planted". If not, these last 12 years would have been spent waiting-waiting to move, waiting to settle. It would have been a very temporary way of living that wound up spanning many years. And I would have missed out on some very special experiences that have created some of my best memories.

Deep thoughts aside, this also means making the space in which you live feel like it is your true home even though you know you won't be there for very long. This can mean different things to different people. To me it means having an organized kitchen, a tranquil living space, and a peaceful bedroom. We made quite an adjustment moving from a sprawling 3-bedroom house in Houston to a 2 bedroom flat in London. We went from having a closet we couldn't fill to having no closets at all. Thus, all of our clothes are neatly folded and stacked in various cabinets, including our old TV armoir which now holds all of my clothes stacked according to season and color. We do have two small wardrobes for things that just can't be folded, like coats, jackets, and dresses. These 3 items pretty much took up all of our hanging space, so we purchased a clothes rack for Edgar's work clothes (which of course must always be starched and ironed). The only place to put this open clothes rack was right next to my side of the bed. I don't know about the rest of you, but I do not want the first thing I see when I wake up and the last thing I see before falling asleep to be empty coat hangers and the mass of shirts that need pressing (I HATE ironing!). At first I was blaming my insomnia on jet lag, but now that it has persisted for over a week, I think it must be that I feel like I am living in a closet and the chore I hate the most is constantly staring me in the face. So I have decided to take the rock's advice and "bloom".

First and foremost, I gave up the ironing to a nice little dry cleaners down the road. Do I feel guilty for paying someone to do something I could easily do? No, no, and no. I feel better already!

Second, I decided to pretty up our bedroom. Charlie and I headed to IKEA today for all sorts of fun stuff. I bought a new dresser that I hope will help to shift enough things around that we can actually fit Edgar's work clothes in a wardrobe and get rid of that awful clothes rack. I also bought a beautiful, serene painting, and an orchid. I don't know why, but orchids just make me feel good. Just a single stem in a nice vase.

I still have a few more little projects in mind, but I think this is a good start. After 4 hours of home decor mania, my brain couldn't take anymore. I will head back for round 2 after the dresser is assembled, clothes rearranged, and I can see what I have done.

I encourage you to bloom where you are planted. Whether you are there for the long haul or are waiting to be transplanted, don't live life waiting for that ultimate destination. You might find when you get there that you missed out on alot of beautiful scenery along the way. ~V

Almost There...

I had high hopes of a normal night's sleep last night. After only 3 hours of sleep the previous night and a jaunt through London and the British museum, I felt positive I would be dreaming all night long. I was so tired I couldn't even cook dinner (darn the luck ;)). I literally crawled to bed after taking 2 tylenol PM's to seal the deal. I was in lala land by 9:30pm...only to wake up wide eyed at 2:30am. I guess it was a nice little nap and I tossed and turned until falling back asleep at 5:30am. I did wake up earlier than yesterday (10am), so that's progress. I feel very refreshed today and began the fun task of unpacking and laundry. Hopefully this will be the last night of insomnia.

I am determined to make Spanish my second language this year. There are so many stories and memories I want to be able to share with Edgar's family and I am beginning to feel very limited with my 5 stock verbs and rudimentary "me gusta" and "te gusta". I do know more than I give myself credit for and in a controlled situation I do very well. It's just when you get mom, sister, nephew, 5 friends, 7 cousins, and multiple aunts and uncles conversing together that I tend to get a little lost. So I purchased the Rosetta Stone language learning software and I am very optimistic that it will help me. It is considered the #1 language software and is used by NASA and many large corporations when employees need to learn a new language fast. Perhaps the fact that they are already rocket scientists boosts their learning curves, but I think I can still do it. I would say that I will keep you updated on my progress, but I think the real test will come when either we visit Colombia again, or we host one of his family members...those are always great stories.

Hasta Manana! See...progress already!

Fighting the Jet Lag...Tooth and Nail

After a wonderful, relaxing, and too-short month in Texas with my friends and family, I flew into Gatwick Sunday morning at 9:30am. We had a nice tailwind and, as the pilot put it, we "whistled Dixie across the Atlantic". Coincidentally, my friend Aron was on the same flight making his trek back to Oxford. We were in different sections of a pretty full plane, so we didn't get to sit together and chat. As luck would have it, I got one of the newer planes that had individual high-def touch screen TV's on the back of each seat. There were around 300 movies and 150 sitcoms and different programs to choose from, so the flight went very quickly. In the older planes, there are only around 4 movies and 5 sitcoms from which to choose and they just run on a continual basis. You are not able to stop and start them whenever you want. Between the movies, the giant word search book my Aunt Brenda gave me, and a short nap, I was giving Edgar hugs and kisses before I knew it.

I was very sad to not be able to make it down to Houston to visit all my buddies, but it seemed I had something going on everyday or every other day. Sorry to those of you I missed...I was really looking forward to visiting with everyone. March '09 will be here before we know it and we'll all have a grand time at all the welcome home parties.

This was probably the hardest departure I've made in the 12 years since I left home to spread my wings. My dad and I were able to spend quite a bit of time together since he now lives the life of retirement leisure. We took lots of drives through the country, and he was my shopping buddy on many excursions to stock up on all things American. I was able to spend some good time with my 3 year old nephew, Brody, including a trip to Chuck E. Cheese (they've really improved the pizza since my last visit 15 years ago!). Brody and I had several slumber parties where we got to read books with a flashlight and then make shadow animals on the wall. It just melted my heart for him to tell me he was going to miss me on my final day there. It's hard to believe he will probably be reading a little next time I see him. Thank goodness for Skype and webcams. It's a little easier knowing I can actually see him over this next year. My mom and I had a great time cooking and shopping together and it was so nice to just spend time with my sister.

Now I'm back and the jet lag is out in full force. I did the complete wrong thing on Sunday and actually took a nap when I got home. Monday I slept way too late (let's just say my body woke up on Texas time and I'll let you do the math). Charlie planned a tourist day for the two of us today, forcing me to wake up early. Since I didn't go to sleep until around 5:30am this morning, I'm sure to be very tired tonight. I'm hoping to be back to normal by tomorrow night. I don't do well with the one-hour Spring forward/Fall backward thing, so flip-flopping my entire internal clock is a challenge.

Today's tourist day was the British Museum and The First Emperor's Terracotta Army exhibit. In 1972, a farmer unearthed an entire underground afterlife tomb while digging a well. It started with one terracotta head and over 7000 of these life sized terracotta statues have been found along with an elaborate display surrounding the tomb of China's first emperor. I just got started with all the British history...I guess now I'll have to add Chinese history as well.

I hope all of you are off to a great 2008. I am so happy to have been able to see many friends and family this past month. And I'm sorry if I didn't make it to your neck of the woods. Time flies when you're having fun and my month passed too quickly. Please continue to send me your emails and update me with your lives. Have a great week!

I'm still here!

I haven't posted a blog since leaving London, so thought I would give you the trip highlights so far...

My cousin Stacy married her sweetie, Conley Isom, on December 15th. I was so happy to be able to celebrate with them. Although, I do feel a bit old because I used to help change her diapers...they grow up so fast! Have a beautiful life together, Conley and Stacy. And Conley...welcome to the family!

Christmas was probably one of our best ever. Nothing beats witnessing the magic of the season through the eyes of a 3 year old. My nephew Brody discovered Santa this year, and did we have a blast! Santa even made a personal visit to our home on Christmas Eve while waiting on a broken sleigh to be fixed. Needless to say, it was an unexpected visit, and we were ALL surprised. Brody left Santa a hotdog (he thought Santa may like hotdogs instead of cookies) and a Coca-Cola. Shaila found out about www.northpole.com, and with the magic of technology we could track Santa all over the world. Google Earth pinpointed his exact location and youtube provided video updates. Brody talks to Edgar and I pretty frequently over the computer using Skype and a webcam (in fact, for a while, he thought we lived in my parents' computer monitor). So when Santa was waving on the youtube videos, it didn't take much to convince Brody that Santa was waving specifically at him. One thing I learned on Christmas Eve is that you can get a 3 year old to do pretty much anything you want with the prospect of Santa and toys.

We threw a great retirement party for my Dad on December 29th. We had between 70-80 friends and family with us as we feasted on BBQ, looked at old photos, and reminisced on his 40 year career with the phone company. I tried my best to hold it together during my speech for him, but my emotions came pouring out and I think we all shed a few tears. I am just so extremely, utterly, fantastically happy for him. He grew up on dairies and farms, and helped his family run a feed mill, so this is the first time in his life that he gets to spend his days exactly how he wishes. I don't think he's stopped smiling since his last day on November 30th. We've had so much fun just hanging out in our pajamas until lunch time and we've even hit the gym a few days.

James, Amber and Cade drove up to Gatesville to help us ring in the New Year. My parents got to see how baby-proof their new house is. I would say they did a pretty good job. No one got hurt and nothing was broken. James and Amber drove Edgar back to Austin on January 1st, where he began the long journey back to London.

Currently, I am helping my dad organize two boxes of very old photographs, newspaper clippings, and memories. It is really cool to see a great-great grandmother or a very distant cousin who slightly resembles you and your current family members. We found a stack of postcards and photos taken by my grandfather when he was stationed in England and France during WWII. Edgar and I have now visited the majority of the places in the photos. It's almost surreal to think I have been walking the same ground my grandfather walked over 60 years ago. I am thankful for my grandfather and all the veterans for allowing my walk to be under much better circumstances than theirs'.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. I am still here until December 12th, so if you happen to be in Gatesville, I would love to see you!