One Year Anniversary

Wiley eating ice cream after our tour of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace last week.

One year ago today, we were collapsing into bed after a long flight to London. Our bags were stacked in a friend's flat. We had either gotten fixings for ham sandwiches/grilled cheeses or we had gotten take away pizza (both dinner fixtures that first week). We might have watched a Friends re-run. Either way we were really tired.

I was posting Bible verses that a friend had made me in the bathroom, in the kitchen, on the dresser. Verses that got me through flat searching and the realization that London was home. Verses that reminded me that He is in London too. It is funny to look back on those first couple of weeks. Part of me would love to go back to those. But only because it would mean that Wil would be home for almost a month and that we would travel and do fun things. It was hard but mostly exciting. Taking turns going to answer e-mails in Starbucks. Skyping with my friends in the Starbucks bathroom (maybe one of the sketchier things I've done). Eating Nutella constantly. (I still think of those first 2 weeks whenever I eat Nutella on toast.) Maybe hard is the wrong word. It was the unknown of what to expect. But the excitement and fun of knowing you are going to be doing it with your best friend and a pretty darn cute (then) 3 year old.

But the majority of me prefers to re-read my blog posts during that first month from the comfort of our second flat. With a new life inside of me. And with the knowledge and if I can say it-satisfaction-that it has been one year. We've lived here, in London, for a year. I never, ever would have thought I would type or say those words. We know where to go to get most things. I have a slight city-side that can get a little cross or maybe we'll say can stand up for myself when I want something done. We'll call it thick skin that I might should not be too proud of. We can navigate the tube and bus systems. We love our church so much. We get asked for directions. I may not have Wil home for almost a month, but you know, after that honeymoon period, the first year living in a foreign country is sometimes more hard than fun. It's nice to be on this side of that.

I'm grateful for this city. In the way it has opened our eyes to the world. In how we have turned to one another and depend upon our little family so.much.more. For how it has made us appreciate our dear family and friends and country too. We've met some amazing people here. I'm not gonna lie, I sometimes get a thrill telling someone I live in London.

And we'll always have London.

When Wil comes back for work. When we bring Wiley (and baby) back and show them where we lived. When we visit the city or send friends here for visits. Maybe when we take a retired trip around Europe. We'll say "remember that time..." and London will again be our city.

So, one year. Cheers! Here's to some more London memories to be made, friendships to be deepened, our faith grown stronger, and our family grown closer.

{Want to look back on our first month?}