How to Stay Warm in London

You could wear this...

or you could wear this...

{what you don't see is the pajama top that he wore all day long. why change just to go out to dinner?}

Want an action shot?

Spotted: Superman walking down street in London.

Christmas: London Style

Instead of tying a nice Carolina grown tree

to the top of my Tahoe for all to see,

Wil found himself holding on the bus,

a spiky Nordic tree, and he didn't even cuss!

Our stockings were hung on our chimney with care,

And we hope Santa delivers to London...a city so fair(??)!

Our tree how it pricks! Our tree how it sheds!

We hope on Christmas our tree won't be dead!

Thanks to Maddie and Kyle, ornaments we did find,

including a picture of them, they are so kind!

And of imported Rotel and Velveeta we did eat,

because this cheese dip cannot be beat!

Then, off to Church we did go,

The story of baby Jesus to be shown.

And Wiley in his cotton balls,

a right jolly ole' sheep.

Would sing with his friends, so loudly they called,

"Glory to God! Glory to God! Glory to God in the Highest!"

Eat your veggies

Maybe I'm getting poster crazy, but I found this gem at the Imperial War Museum for 4.88 GBP! Wouldn't that be fun in a kitchen. It was "produced for the Ministry of Food. The poster was designed to encourage people to eat vegetables which contain Vitamins A, C and K, as well as iron, protein and zinc, all necessary in a healthy balanced diet."

More veggies, please!

Keep Calm and Carry On

How fantastic are these posters? They sell them at the War Museum/Churchill War Rooms here in London but in red. I saw them while blog-hopping at Little Green Notebook who got the picture from Cara. (I don't know either, but I want to make sure they get credit!)

How cute is that? And who doesn't need that reminder during early morning feedings and screaming babies? I know I need that reminder daily with Wiley! And then I clicked on the etsy shop where they are from...sfgirlbybay and they come in beautiful colors! With free shipping worldwide!! And since I am in the market for some sort of wall art...wouldn't this be great in Wiley's room or even in our den...

I'm really liking this navy one. Basic I know. But since I'm not sure where it would go, I think this would work anywhere.

And there are many more! How great would a pink one be in a little girls room?

{click photos to go to the etsy shop! don't forget...free shipping!}

Who else see the leprechaun say yeah!

That's right. Click that title. You're gonna laugh. I couldn't help it. It was too easy.

I know it is Christmas, not St. Patrick's Day. But we were in Ireland this past weekend.

It was beautiful, even if it was raining. And while Ireland appears to be a small island, if you want to drive from east to west, double that driving time because there isn't an I-20 in Ireland. More like narrow winding roads. With sheep crossing randomly. With a red-headed shepherd. I kid you not. (I was this close to getting out to ask to pet a sheep. If only there had been a safe place to pull off the narrow, winding road.)

We met up with Stewart from Wake and the guys played Royal County Down. It was a links course so it looks nothing like what we were used to. It was also freezing. Again, not something we are used to. Wiley and I headed in after hole 5 to warm soup, coffee, and hot chocolate. We camped out in the lounge/dining room for a few hours, and Billy who worked there couldn't have been any nicer. I think Royal County Down is a kinda big deal in the golf world, but the people working there are so down to earth and nice. Maybe it was because noone in their right mind travels to Ireland to play golf in December and we were the only ones there. Either way, if you are going to Ireland, check this place out!

Then we drove forever to Galway. In the dark. It was a long day. Did I mention we flew into Dublin that morning at 7:30 ish. Oh, and we left our flat at 4:30 a.m. Yeah. Coffee. and a lot of it. Sweet Wil was driving too! On the wrong side of the road! I was so proud, and amazingly enough not too scared. I think I get more nervous when he drives at home than when he drove in Ireland.

Galway was good. We drove from there to see the Cliffs of Moher. Beautiful. Freezing. Raining. Windy beyond belief. Stroller almost took off a couple of times.

The drive back was so pretty and along the coast...

we found this pretty castle/ruin. I guess you don't see these along I-20. After another night in Galway and celebrating the Tide's victory (via laptop), we headed to Dublin in the morning. We actually saw sun along the way. It almost blinded us. I started peeling off clothes, hoping to sunbathe through the windows. I'm kidding. But I did feel like an animal coming out of hibernation and seeing the sun again. "Whoa, sun. That is too bright. What? There is a thin cloud in front of you and you are still too bright? Agh. Been in London too long!" Really. It was hazy, winter sun. You would have thought it was reflecting of white beaches on the Gulf with how bright it felt. Regardless, I was so thankful to have a clear, sunny day.

Yeah, pretty sure that was the perfect ending to a whole lot of driving, cold weather, and such. Did you notice that Wiley's head is on his chest? Yep, he had too much Guinness. We had to cut him off. I kid. This was before the tour. You should have seen him after it. I kid again. He was exhausted from riding in the car, I suppose. And those Guinness people. They are serious about their beer. I asked for a pale Guinness. I thought they were going to kill me. I kid again. I asked Wil about that, and he said they might hurt me if I asked them that. I actually didn't mind my pint of Guinness at the end of learning about Brew Masters, yeast, barley, water, and hops. Mmmm. Hops. (And Puck, I thought about you the entire time.)

So that was Ireland. Nice people. Pretty scenery. Thick Beer. Lots of sheep. And no leprechauns. They are all in Crichton, Alabama.

Where da gold at?!

I have the best friends.

Period. End of story.

Simply. The. Best.

{and not just because of what I'm about to show you}

so allow me to blubber on a bit about how fantastic! brilliant! clever! they are.

These gems were waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs today.

Let's back it up so you get the full effect.Yesterday was a really rough day for me. Lonely, yes. Far away from anything familiar, yes. This isn't what I had in mind to be doing after graduation, yes. You name it. It was there in all of its yucky, ickiness.

And then today. Oh, today.

Post- TK Maxx (European TJ Maxx) and Costco run with my neighbor, I come back to open this mysterious package with Laura's return address. Contents read: 2 CDs, 8 Letters. Interesting.

I open it up, along with my Diet Coke. And I'm sorry y'all but the tears just came. If I didn't think I would bore you to death with it all, I would tell you every little thing that was in that package, every little written word, that whether they realized it or not when they wrote these in October, spoke so deeply to my heart that I put my head in my hands and was simply so grateful.

{excerpts}

Jesus I am resting resting in the joy of what thou art, I am finding out the greatness of they loving heart.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Joey: It's all London, baby! Here we go.

Chandler: You got your passport?

Joey:Yeah, in my third drawer in my dresser. You don't want to lose that.

(friends)

Ryan:I don't think you understand jeopardy

Michael: Oh right, sorry. What is, we're fine.

(office)

And so much more. Pictures, seeds, CDs, and the kindest, most comforting words from the most familiar handwritings, signed from my wonderful friends.

Y'all. I am so overwhelmed with your thoughtfulness and kindness. The timing of this amazing gift could not have been any better. It really couldn't have. Thank you Laura for organizing this. Thank you to everyone for taking time to write me, send pictures, updates on life, funny quotes, and just sweet encouragement and love from across the pond. I will read, and re-read these letters over and over again.

[insert cheesy quote about friends that we wrote across our binders in 7th grade]

Y'all mean more to me than you can possibly know. I love you all so much. I am so thankful that I was at Wake Forest because had my life not changed so dramatically, I would never have become so close to all of you. There aren't adequate words to express my feelings and thankfulness for y'all.

other than...

He is so good.

xoxoxo, from across the pond.

rant and rave

Let's talk about London culture for a bit shall we? (I am 1/3 way through my coffee so let's hope I can keep this competent.)

How about we start with customer service. How about we talk about how is does not exist here. Not at all. None. Walk into a store, expect someone to acknowledge your presence, maybe ask how you want to spend the money burning a hole in your pocket (this is hypothetical, obviously)? Don't hold your breath.

Now, I don't want to have a conversation with someone in a store that I don't know (or maybe I do...maybe I am desperate to talk to someone other than a 3 year old...just kidding...sort of), but at least say "Hi, May I help you find anything?" I worked in retail, and we always had to speak to the customer. Half the time we knew the customer outside of the store, but still. It makes them feel comfortable being there.

But yesterday, when I was ready to drop a small, tiny amount on a haircut for the Wild Child, and the woman in the kids store literally.walked.away.mid-conversation. I almost lost it. And I might have let the next person who helped me know it. This store is precious (sort of like Snoozy's minus the fantastic customer service) and in the past I have been helped by nice people, but yesterday...I'm not sure what the deal was.

And I won't even tell you about trying to get internet installed here. You think utilities are a pain at home? You thank your lucky stars when Bubba shows up 2 hours late, smelling of McDonalds and snuff that he is even there and that wonder of all wonders, he fixes your TV, Internet, Phone. While being "mighty nice to ya, ma'am."

But here is something you all might find interesting in light of the recent political trend:

I went to the NHS yesterday. NHS meaning National Health Service. Meaning socialized/government healthcare. Of which we will partake.

First, I was so nervous. I had no idea what to expect. When we signed up, the receptionist was beyond helpful and so nice (there is customer service sometimes!). I made an appointment to see a doctor really for the sole reason of making sure this place seemed safe.

I was able to see a doctor I had heard good things about, but I had to wait a week, which was okay since I wasn't in a hurry. When I got there, you check in, and then when it is your turn a screen beeps and your name scrolls across and says where to go. (I did watch one woman miss her name and when the nurse or doctor had to come out and get her, she pointed rather angrily at the screen. Note to self: listen for beep.) I got my beep, and walked back. We went straight into the doctor's office. Cool. There she is. She doesn't have scales, she looks normal. I check out the room. The paper on the examining table is wrinkled and hasn't been changed. Okay. I'm not getting on it anyway. She pulls out toys for Wiley to play with. Great. So far so good. We start talking, she checks Wiley who has recently developed a cold. Discovers ears, throat are inflammed, and he has a small fever. (I promise I had been checking his fever, and it was non-existent up until then.) "He has a small fever." "Oh, no. What is it?" "38 degrees" [blank stare] "What? What does that mean? In fahrenheit?" "I don't know, normal is 37. We use celsius." "Right. Dorothy we are not in Dr. Bill's office anymore." So, no school today. But I digress.

The thing is, as the doctor herself told me, is that with NHS you are in a hurry. They are packed (didn't seem packed in the waiting room since there were like 5 other people), and you only have 10 minutes to have your say with the doctor. That is a lot of pressure. And then they are talking fast, you are talking fast, you are scribbling notes fast. And then suddenly you are racing out of the door thinking "Oh my goodness, I just took up so much of her time!" Then you realize it was only 10 minutes. And for a second there (more than a second), you think, "I would have liked to have been greeted by a hug from Dr. Bill who wants to know how we've been, what's going on with Wild Child, draws him a train on the tongue depressor, meets you in his office to tell you about your lab results, gives you free samples, sends sweet Bessie in with them, and does not rush you out the door. But alas, we are in another country. Again, I digress.

NHS. We live in a nice area, so I think that the NHS office is then reflective of the area. I can't speak to other places, and honestly we haven't had much happen that requires more than looking at a throat. I have heard that you have to be your own or child's advocate. There are good and bad stories out there. I wish I could say more, but so far we have seen a limited bit of this system.

When we finished, we literally walked out. Didn't pay. Didn't do anything. Bizarre. And that is when I remembered that saying, "You get what you pay for." And I didn't pay anything.

...coming soon: Holiday Decorations (something light and cheery!)