Extension...

If you have not already heard, I believe I will be extending my term here for a further 6 months. This should bring me up through September of 2009. Ironically, this is when my work permit expires. Coincidence??? I think not. There are still some outstanding details so this isn't carved in stone, but it is pretty much a done deal. Hopefully as a part of staying longer, I will be moving a little closer to the city. Not because I really like the busyness and hustle and bustle, but because it will make my commute considerably shorter... We will see how all of the details work out. Hopefully this will give some folks a chance to come visit, or perhaps come again... Although, in this economy travelling is not the first thing on everyone's minds.

Anyway- That's the latest on me. I'll be sure to give an update soon.

Christmas with Sarah

This year for Christmas, my friend Sarah came to visit me. I am so glad she did. Otherwise I would have been a sad sack. :-) We did everything there is to do, and then more. We saw Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tate Modern Museum of Art, The Tower of London, the British Museum, the National Gallery, two West End Shows, Brick Lane, Chinatown, the Portobello Road Market, the Camden Market, Lloyd's of London, Fuzzy's Grub (my favorite breakfast hot spot) and lots of Starbucks and other cafe's. We also went to Oxford one day and did a self-guided tour. It was pretty fun. Don't worry we had plenty of time to goof off and do nothing too. Not to mention the food. We had Thai, Chinese, Nepalese, Indian, Italian, Mediteranean... You name it, we tried it. :-)

This will certainly be a Christmas to remember...

Wish you could have come too...

The Mousetrap

Last weekend, my friend Michelle and I had made plans to see Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap". This play has been running for over 50 years on London's West End... Michelle, a Brit herself, had never been to see it and we've been talking about it since I arrived. We decided that as a Christmas present to one another, we would go together.

Well, we booked our tickets ages ago and decided on the cheap seats. After all, your still seeing the same show and most of the theaters here are small enough that you have a pretty good view from everywhere.

Saturday arrived and we met at the train station. We found our way to the theater and picked up our tickets then went for a coffee before the show started. When we returned to the theater we went in and asked an usher where we needed to go to find our seats. He explained that we needed to go back outside and down two doors to the left. Then he said, "but you girls look as if you've dressed for the occasion... follow me." We did follow him and he took us to two seats in the "dress circle" section of the theater. These seats were AMAZING! Much better than the cheap seats we had purchased. He told us that no one would be sitting there for the show and he would like for us to sit there. So, thanks to the really kind usher, we had a free upgrade. Can you believe that?

The show was fantastic! I can't of course, tell you who the killer was... you will have to come see for yourself. :) Overall, this treat made for a really wonderful day with a friend and a much needed break on the weekend.

I hope that something equally delightful happens to you!

Three blogs in one

Okay, this blog and the two after it all go together... Read this one, then look at the pictures in the next and then read the last one. Then laugh at me and have a good day :)

The outfit

See pictures :) So cute...

Thanksgiving and the day after...

For Thanksgiving this year, I worked... How fun is that? The day was pretty much like any other working day, but to make it special, I decided to have one of my favorite things to eat here in the UK as my Thanksgiving dinner. So, after getting home from work at about 8:30, I walked down to the kebab stand in town center and bought myself a mixed meet kabob and chips. Let me tell you it was just as good as any turkey dinner I have ever had, and it left me feeling just as stuffed... See the picture of my meal... Yummy!

The delight of this meal sent me straight to bed as it was rather late when I finished... In the excitement of it all, I forgot to turn on my alarm clock, only I didn't realize that until this morning...

So, there I was lying in bed, fast asleep when I woke up... a natural, well rested waking up. I actually felt really good, then I looked at the clock... it was 7:00 a.m. To give you a taste of how odd that is, my alarm is set for 5:00 a.m.... So, there I was having slept in two extra hours. Instead of freaking out, which is a normal response from me, I thanked God for the extra sleep and decided to take my time getting ready. After all, even with the delays, I would be able to get to work before 9:00 a.m. Well, little did I know that was only the beginning of my movie comedy morning...

This past weekend, I bought a cute little outfit. A black top, a black and white almost mini-skirt with pleats etc (Super cute!) and a pair of knee high black boots. Now, if you know me, you know that I am no slave to fashion, so having a super cute outfit is not something I normally have... Well, I decided I would wear this new outfit today. Unfortunately I didn't realize that this outfit was a standing still outfit. By that I mean, it is only practical when you are standing still. Try walking or sitting down and you've got yourself a problem...

Anyway, anyway, anyway... This morning I put on my new outfit. The only difference between today and when I had tried it on at the store, is that today I decided to wear some shaping undergarments to make the outfit look nicer on... and indeed, it does look nicer with these things. The problem with all of that being that these shaping undergarments are practically made of lycra meaning that they are pretty slick on the surface. Well, I am dressed and out the door, but on my walk to the train station, I realize that the fabric of the skirt and the lycra of my shapewear are posing a problem... The skirt is actually sliding up my body with every step making it shorter and shorter and shorter. Now, if you know me, you also know that I tend to be rather modest and wearing the skirt at all left me feel a bit like I was going to a tarts and vicars party, but with the additional rise of the skirt I was feeling horrified. Luckily I had on my long pink rain coat today which covered up the progress of my skirt. Had it not been there I would have been giving all drivers on Monument Hill a very embarrasing show this morning. As I first started walking I thought that a tug here and there would leave the skirt in place and me covered, but as I continued walking I realize this was an entirely lost cause... Finally I just plain gave up. I had on my rain coat that was covering all of the important bits and I would just adjust the skirt when I got to the station... So, new plan in hand, I continue to the station... By the time I reached the station, the skirt was practically up to my armpits. Okay, so that is an exageration, but it had certain slid up way too far for comfort. I was left with the predicament of what to do... There was literally no graceful way to pull it down without giving everyone a show, so I remained dignified and just road into London with it riding high. I had to continue this way until I reached work and could sort things out in the restroom.

I think it's a good thing I have a sense of humor. And funnily enough as I was experiencing it, I was practically writing the screen play for the movie in my head. Surely this is the stuff of true comedy... I will do my best to snag a picture of me in this outfit so you can see how cute it is... But perhaps I will be thinking more carefully about when and how to wear it in the future. :-)

Reality Strikes

Yesterday it hit me for the first time. I will not be celebrating the "holidays" at home this year. I am excited to have the adventure of spending these holidays somewhere new and exciting , but naturally my heart will be with my family and friends...

Thursday will be the first of these holidays spent far away. Here in England there is no Thanksgiving and so I will be missing out all together. Perhaps if I am lucky I will find a specialty shop that sells pumpkin pie, but I doubt that I will be lucky enough to celebrate the holiday in that way. I will however be taking the time to make a list of all of the things I am thankful for this year. To be sure, if you are reading this blog... you are on the list.

I am so blessed to have some many people to love, and who love me in return. You are the characters in the story of my life and you have made the plot an adventure. Naturally, I am thankful this year also for being in the UK. This is surely a gift from God and I think has brought some beneficial changes in me.

I want to wish everyone a really Happy Thanksgiving. Watch extra football and eat extra turkey for me. Light up your Christmas trees and begin your celebration.