Here I am Again!

One post a month doesn't seem too bad, so here I am updating again! Not sure if anyone reads anymore and I have to add links to my friends who still blog - I WILL do that soon I promise!

Our latest news is that last week we went to see Billy Connolly live in Southend. He was wonderful! So funny!! We didn't even know he was touring until someone at work mentioned they were going and we were lucky enough to find www.ticketssoldout.co.uk and purchase the last two tickets!!

We got this mug as a souvenier:



Not too much has really been going on. I'm trying to get organized and get all the Christmas presents for my family so I can give them out when I'm home again for Thanksgiving. Hopefully I can get it all done in time!

Here We Go Again

I'm dusting off this blog again for a little update :) I spent a week with my family at home in July and it was really nice to catch up with everyone! Since then the time has flown by and a lot of good things have happened. My employment contract was extended for another 6 months, and I started to learn how to drive here in the UK. I've had 6 lessons so far and this past Thursday I passed the Theory Test! I got 50 out of 50 questions correct on the multiple choice and 50 out of 75 points on the Hazard Perception (mostly because on the first video clip I clicked too many times and it didn't count any of my responses - oops!)

The other week I also booked a flight to Florida in November for Thanksgiving, I'll only be going for a week again though as that's all the holiday I had left to take off work. Unfortunately Pete can't come with me, but we're planning a trip there for his 30th birthday next year :)

So, all in all, things are progressing nicely here. Though I'm as impatient as ever for everything to fall into place! Oh well, we'll get there eventually!

When it rains, it pours...literally...

So if you're in England you know that we're having record breaking rain and flooding all over the country. Now, I know that brits in general are OBSESSED with the weather, it's all they talk (complain) about. This time last year it was a record breaking heatwave. After months of wishing for the sun, everyone complained that it was way too hot (which is was, sometimes around 100F) in a country with little or no air conditioning it wasn't pretty. This year they predicted much of the same, but due to our friend CLIMATE CHANGE, the small island is being blessed with the opposite.

This morning I woke up to a rather bright day, luckily the rain hasn't been bad here compared to other parts of the country. So with the best of intentions I put a set of sheets in the washing machine. About two hours later, when they finally finished the spin cycle, I went to hang them on the line. The majority of people in the UK line-dry their clothing, since tumble dryers (which are built in to the washers) aren't very practical and use up LOTS of energy (spending loads of £ on the electric bill). So...I walk out in to the garden, the wind is picking up, and to the left of the house is a big black cloud. WONDERFUL. Ironically, to the right the sun is shining. After almost a year here I know the unpredictability of British weather, so I decided to take the safe (more expensive) route and shove them in the dryer.

I think I'm officially becoming British...I just waste a whole blog post on the weather! Ahahaha! Now I'll state that I'm really excited about getting away from the rain and going home to sunny (freaking hot) Florida in less than a month! Woohoo!

You Can Go Home Again...(but you might have to clean the house)

The reality of living in a different country, far from home, can never really be explained to someone. Before you depart from home you know that you'll miss your family and friends, your local area, the familiarity of it all. A few months go by, you start to miss your family, start missing certain foods and ways of doing things. A few more months pass, you start feeling isolated, like a stranger in this foreign land that should feel like your home by now (at least a little). It edges towards the year mark, and suddenly it hits you. You've been living this alternative life for nearly a year, feel a bit lonely, and totally out of touch with what's going on at home. As that mark inches toward for me (it'll be in August), I've decided that contrary to popular belief, you can go home again. So with a week off work at the end of July I'm traveling for about 12 hours each way (with connecting flights, not counting the waiting in airports bit) to go home for a week. Desperation makes you do funny things! I'm excited but realize that I will be well and truly knackered (very tired) by the time I get back!

The Great British Summer...Again?

Yes, it's official, I'm becoming more British every day because all I seem to think about this the weather. Well not really, but it seemed to be the easiest topic to start off this post. Today was an absolutely beautiful day - sunny, probably around 70F, with a bit of a breeze. But this comes after a few weeks of nothing but grey rainy days that opitimized traditional British weather. As I said in my last post, the weather was lovely in April, so many believed that perhaps the country had used up all its summer weather then. But it's back again!

In other news, my contract at work was extended to 6 months, so that my job will probably end when the British summer does (at the end of August). I'm not 100% happy in my job, it's ok but it's not what I ideally want to do forever, so I've been applying for a few jobs and have at least one hopeful response.

Something not weather related, after around 6 months going to Slimming World meetings and following the food optimizing plan, I've lost 20lbs in total! Considering I put on 10lbs after I moved here, I think that's pretty good :) I still have a way to go but it's a start :)