Proverbs 27:5

In the God's World Translation - "Open criticism is better than unexpressed love."
I read this verse the other night and it was very eye opening to me. Made me think for quite a while. I am not very good at telling the people that I love how much I love and appreciate them. So, if you are reading this blog, chances are it is because you are a person that I love, and for the record, I love you. Remember to express love to the people around you...

Driving Miss Crazy

On March 27th, 2008, I had my first UK driving experience. I drove Don and myself to work. I really can't explain how odd it is to sit on the passenger side and have a steering wheel in front of you. I think the most difficult thing is judging the left side of the car instead of the right. I managed to get us to work in one piece. No one honked at me and I didn't hit any of the cyclist who were riding in my lane. My only faux paus was clipping a curb. Luckily the curbs here are much shorter so it was no biggie. The really difficult thing here is that on many of the streets it is perfectly legal to simply park your car in the road. The lanes here are terribly narrow anyway, so if there is a car parked in your lane you have to play chicken with oncoming traffic. Sounds wonderful don't you think? Anyway... With time I am confident that I will master this new skill. Today, the 28th, I am driving home from work. Hopefully I will have the same success.

Windsor Castle

Today Don and I went to Windsor Castle. Because the Queen is coming tomorrow, several parts of the castle were closed off, but luckily the ticket I bought will get me in for free when I go back. I got to see Queen Mary's Dollhouse. The thing is immaculate, complete with working electric and plumbing. Even tiny silverware in the dinning room... I also got to see the chapel in the castle. It is beautiful. Unfortunately you can't take pictures anywhere so I will have to remeber it all in my head. Here are a few pictures I grabbed on the outside though.

A Trip In to London

Today Don Hodson (a co-worker from the U.S.) and I road the train into London. We actually road the train to Wimbledon, yes, the Wimbledon. We then hopped on the tube and road into the city. Our first stop was Big Ben, then Westminster Abbey. We crossed the Thames River and saw the London Eye, then walked over to Trafalgar square where we went into the National Gallery. It is a free museum and I literally saw original works by Monet, Van Gogh, and Renoir... It was pretty surreal. Then we headed over the St. Paul's Cathedral. Across the street we went to lunch at a Gourmet Burger something... Anyway, I had the Greek Lamb burger, and it was AWESOME!!! I would definitely go back there, or recommend it to others. From there we headed to the Tower of London. This is where they keep the crown jewels. We didn't take the tour to see them, but I will some day. We walked across the Tower Bridge, then came back to good ole Weybridge. It was a pretty amazing day. Lot's of walking, but it was well worth it. Here are some photos.

Cell phones and Tesco

Today the office manager here in England handed me an old cell phone and said I could use it while I was here. I went to the local cell store and bought a SIM card. Apparently it is quite common to do this in the UK. You buy the SIM card and then you use it with prepaid minutes. You can load more minutes on your phone any time you like. It's pretty cool and gives me a way to call someone if I have an emergency.
On the way home from the office today Don and I stopped at Tesco Extra, my new favorite place in England. It is like a Walmart Supercenter. It has way more grocery options that the local grocery store, Waitrose. I was really excited about it. So, when I am feeling homesick, perhaps I can catch a lift to Tesco and wander the aisles. One interesting note about this place is that there is an people mover that goes upstairs only, it isn't an escelator. It is like a moving sidewalk that you would see in an airport, only it goes up one floor. The wheels of the "carriages" or carts are made in such a way that you cart settles into grooves and doesn't roll away. Very intersting. :)

Pictures

Here are some pictures of the new place. My kitchen, bedroom, garden view and living room.

Settling in

Hey all,
I made it to the good ole UK. I am settling into my flat here in Weybridge. It is a really lovely town. I have a really cute little garden view outside my window. As you can imagine I have lots of things to do, but I will post some pictures as soon as I can.