Time is running out...

It's hard to believe we have less than a month left in England. I can't believe how fast time has gone. We have been blessed to meet life long friends, travel more than we could have ever dreamed, and just enjoy this ever changing journey we call life. It won't be long until this stage is over though and we are on to our next adventure... Oh, the uncertainties!

But before that next phase comes I should probably update my oh so loyal followers (that's you Mom) on what we have been up to lately.

We visited the Preston and London Temples. So very lovely. 

 In the rain... typical.

We celebrated our third anniversary! Yay marriage! We never actually managed to get a picture together. Oops... but we did go to a very posh restaurant and ate fabulous indian food. Priorities, right?

We visited the Cotswolds. Never heard of it? Google image it and be jealous. Unbelievably charming and notoriously British.

Side note: Debating chopping off my locks and doing something like this. Any strong opinions out there on the matter?

Also, we had a "heat wave" this last week. It got up in the 90s. It's been great! People here literally don't know what to do with this kind of weather though. SUNSCREEN IS YOUR FRIEND, PEOPLE!

OH! We also hit up Cadbury World. It's a bit of a let down when you are expecting Willy Wonka status. No chocolate rivers or oopma loompas? What kind of chocolate factory is this? But in all seriousness... we loved it because you get loads of free chocolate. 

Finally..........we are going to Italy this week!!! The Cinque Terre region to be exact. We are pretty pumped. We plan to eat a ridiculous amount of pasta and gelato. Also, sun, sun and more sun. 

Another side note that is too good not to share. I somehow managed to convince Austin to go shopping for a swimsuit with me for the aforementioned trip. I went to the fitting rooms to try a few on and we came across this sight.... Awards! Awards all around for these men. Look closely and you see the man in pink even carrying a purse. Just brilliant.

Singing in the shower, broken umbrellas, and chasing dreams

Three random thoughts...

1. My day wasn’t really any different than any other Tuesday. I went to work, went to the gym, came home, made/ate dinner, and took a shower. While showering and shamelessly dancing/singing by my naked self I got this overwhelming feeling of happiness. Complete and utter happiness. I think it’s really hard to just be happy sometimes. To not wish for things or situations that would make me “happier.” Happiness is a choice – it always is, no matter what cards we’re dealt. I was reminded of that today.

2. This is not an uncommon site here...

Yes, that is an umbrella. It was one of those days in which you just have to laugh and let the rain literally drench you. My umbrella had no chance against the hazard that was England weather today. Normally I would be really ticked about that, but I just let it happen. Choosing to be happy.

3. Austin bought his ticket to go back to Ghana for a month in August. I'm not sure what I'll do for a whole month without him. For those that don’t know, he is going over to pilot his start up business. So yes, the idea is to end up in Africa (at least for a while). Most people think we are crazy, and we probably are a little bit. If you would have told me 10 years or even 5 years ago that I would be married to Austin Cornilles and living in England with plans to move to Ghana… I would call you CRAZY. But here we are. I admire the way he lives his life. There are so many reasons to not chase your dreams and he never lets any of them get in the way. Our life together is one adventure that I couldn’t be happier to be on.

Happy Tuesday, world. 

England vs. America

People say not to compare, but I just had to do it. There are so many great things about England, and a few things we miss from the US. I'm a born and bred, hamburger eating, red white and blue American- so there are a few biases there. England is brilliant though, and we've only just begun here.

Let the battle begin!

Chocolate- Maybe it is because we are in Europe, but even the chocolate you buy at the local gas station is better than American chocolate.
Winner: ENGLAND

Cheese- I have no idea why it's better here. It just is.
Winner: ENGLAND

Toilets- This one is weird and probably TMI...apologies in advance. The water level in the toilets here are consistently quite a bit lower than in the states. Which is great for two reasons,
1) they use less water & 2) the diminished splash factor. Need I say more?
Winner: ENGLAND

Customer Service- Hands down, America. We are very conscious about customer service in the States. Sometimes it can even be excessive or annoying, but not here. People just don't care as much. Lose a customer? eh... whatever. Call me spoiled but I am just used to a quality of service at shops, restaurants, etc, that people just don't provide here.
Winner: AMERICA

Public Transportation- Trains, tubes, buses, undergrounds, flying cars, teleportation... okay fine, not the last two. But honestly, you can get anywhere in Europe on public transport. It is amazing and efficient. Don't get we wrong, I miss having a car, but the PT is second to none.
Winner: ENGLAND

Winter- Son of a nutcracker, it is cold here. It's a wet cold and you feel it right down to your bones. Geographically, Americans just have more options for weather conditions. It's a huge country. Go to Arizona or Florida and have a nice warm Christmas. England is an isolated winter island. I'm told it's only going to get worse come January. Eeek.
Winner: AMERICA

Variety/Choices- Since America is a melting pot of different people and backgrounds, we have tons of variety. We can go to the grocery store and have literally 30 different options for everything. You just have less to choose from here. I was beginning to enjoy the simplicity, until I couldn't find root beer.
Winner: AMERICA

Vocabulary- Numerous times since we've been here I have heard mothers asking their young children to behave by using the phrase, "Can you please be sensible?" I didn't even know the word sensible until at least middle school.
Winner: ENGLAND

Time- Every second counts in America. We work from sun up to sun down. No stopping. No breaks. No fun. Too far? The english way of life is much more relaxed. It's lovely.
Winner: ENGLAND

Location- A couple hours to Paris on the tube. Also, a short/cheap flight cheap to anywhere in Europe. England is prime location.
Winner: ENGLAND

Sports- There is no contest. The two sports I miss watching the most are basketball and football. NBA, NFL, College Basketball, College Football. They only thing they have on us is soccer... aka: football. And I can't deny they REALLY have us there, but nothing beats a packed Moda Center in April. Am I right? Rrrrrrrrrrripp Cittyyyyy!
Winner: AMERICA

Side note. Our friends here were nice enough to lend us a mini tree!

Merry Christmas!

How to do London in 1 Day

For my birthday my husband took me to London! We were originally planning on staying a night or two but we didn't want to bother with packing, carrying around luggage, booking a hotel, etc. We decided to make it a day trip.

For all you travelers with a layover in London or some time to kill- this is for you. There are so many amazing things to see, we didn't know if it would be possible to do in a day. I'm here to tell you it's possible.

I'M NO EXPERT! This was just our experience :)

Transportation
We live in Birmingham, so for us it was easy. London is only a few hours away by coach or train. We decided to take the coach, since it's cheaper and we do everything on a budget. We booked the tickets with National Express the week before and went to and from London for under £30 total.

While we were in the city we decided we would use the tube (underground train) to get around the city. We bought an all day pass for £8. You can buy these at any station. You can also use the bus system if preferred. The tube system is just so easy to navigate, as newbies we went with that. Also, even with a pass you will be doing quite a bit of walking. Wear comfortable shoes and bring an umbrella :)

Attractions

(Disclaimer- to see all of what we did in a day we didn't spend a significant amount of time at any one place. This was more of a surface trip rather than a deep dive. If you want more of a deep dive experience pick 2-3 attractions.)

Buckingham Palace (1)

You can pay to go inside and tour but we opted to take cheesy pictures outside and film the guards as they marched.

Westminster Abbey (2)

Absolutely beautiful! Again, you can pay to go inside but we just looked from the outside. We were not disappointed.

Big Ben (3)

It is a beautiful as it looks in the pictures. The detail is incredible.

London Eye (4)

We didn't ride it but boy it is a sight to see. Right on the river.

Trafalgar Square/ National Gallery (5)

The square is beautiful! Amazing statues and fountains. We did go inside the National Gallery and it was a treat! (Also,  FREE!) I wish I had listened a bit better in art history, because I know I didn't appreciate all it had to offer. Rooms and rooms of paintings from centuries passed. A few notables that I actually recognized- paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, and Da Vinci.

Tower of London/Tower Bridge (6)

It was Remembrance Day this past week, so they put 888, 246 ceramic poppy flowers in the moat at the tower to commemorate the fallen of the British military during WW1. If we had more time we wished would have gone inside the tower to view the Crowned Jewels. There we so many people there to see the poppies we didn't get great pictures, or even a good look at the bridge. Next time.

Herrods (7)

This department store is INSANE. I kind of felt like Jenny Humphrey on the Upper East Side. Gossip Girl reference... anyone? Couldn't afford anything in there, but it was worth the visit.

Apollo Victoria Theatre- Wicked (8)

The cherry on top of the cake. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. If you ever have time to go to a show, DO IT. This was my birthday present. Big purchase for the year.

Platform 9 3/4 

(Not shown. North of the map at Kings Cross Station)

Calling all Harry Potter fans! This was a little outside the route, but we just had too. Yep. We were super touristy and did this. Come on though, you can't go to London and NOT do this.

This was my first time to London so I wanted to see everything! Again, if you want a more in depth experience, pick just a few things to see. 

London in 1 day is possible people!!

Best Birthday Ever.

Why you don't go running

Because you don't live in a place like this....

I don't mean to brag, okay fine, yes i do, but this was my morning run. 

England, you have my heart.

Swoon. 

That is all.

Another Rather Large Announcement...

No, we are not having a baby yet. (Sorry, Mom)

BUT we are moving!! After our summer in Ghana- in case you missed it- we are moving to ENGLAND!!!!!

Yes, THAT England! We are beyond excited!

 Austin has been accepted into grad school in Birmingham, which is about 2 hours from London. He starts the program in September. We will literally be packing up our lives, getting on a plane, and MOVING there for the time being.

Now if I could only figure out how to fit everything in a few suitcases...Ahhhh!!