What I Miss About London:

- Beth, Lou & Jen

- Being able to WALK to work and most anywhere

- Good public transportation

- All the great old pubs

- Good beer

- The rich history and authenticity of the city

- Street markets

- Being the one with the “accent”

- Introducing the Brits to new things; pumpkin pie, peanut butter jelly sammies, apples with peanut butter, new phrases...]

- All the NON-chain shops

- Biking around the city [hope to bring this habit home with me]

- Finding a nook and cranny around each corner

- Experiencing something new every day

Home Again, Home Again

My car came promptly Sunday morning and we made our way to Heathrow. I tried to capture a few more photos on the drive - finally saw Harrods : )

Check in was pretty smooth and I grabbed a Full English breakfast in Terminal 4. We loaded onto the plane by 12:30pm. 1pm comes and goes and we are too heavy - cargo has to be removed. 2pm starts approaching and we are being delayed due to excess traffic. Sigh. 3pm approaches and we have a broken instrument so a new part has be brought out and installed. FINALLY close to 4pm we finally take off - 3 hours late!!

The flight was fine - I watched 500 Days of Summer [great], Away We Go [great], The Proposal [predictable and lame] and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [great].

We landed in Atlanta at 8pm. However, I have to get through customs, re-check my bags AND get back through security before my 9:30 connection - ! What the what? So I get through customs very fast and over to baggage claim and thankfully got my bags by 8:35. I found the conveyor belt to drop my bags and get through security pretty well, land at my gate just before 9pm! Right by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin.

The flight to Cincinnati was nothing compared to the overseas flight. Except the two preteens behind me who couldn't stop laughing and giggling the entire time.

It was strange being on a plane with a bunch of Americans. It was considerably loud and boisterous - ! Just an observation!

Landed at CVG at 11:15 and was hugging Tim by 11:30. Again, great luck getting my bags quickly and headed home. It was strange riding in a car! All the leaves are gone and holiday lights are up. We grabbed some Taco Bell for my empty belly.

I nearly kissed my pillow - it felt so luxurious compared to the flat ones in London : ) So I got around 6 hours of sleep, woke up and it was 7am - perfect! Good time to wake up and glad my body has adjusted pretty quickly.

I'm excited to have two days to nest, get back into the swing of things, then have a short 3-day work week.

It will be interesting to see how I feel later this week after living in one of the biggest cities in the world...

2 months of mail!

Time to unpack!

What is Next?

It’s interesting how much you can learn about yourself taking risks and putting yourself out there. I’ve learned a lot and I am so proud of myself for this “experiment.”

End of This Chapter...

I’m emotional.

I’ve only seen Beth & Jen minutes ago and I’m crying.

But obviously I’m excited to come home.

But, I know my friends are coming home over the holiday so I’ll manage. : )

I don't know how to explain my feelings b.c Beth and Jen have been my family since I've moved here. You think you’re homesick but - then you think about your friends here and how amazing they are ......

Mixed Emotions...

Mixed emotions this morning. Step one down - won’t think about Step 2 until tomorrow... [getting to my gate].

And my hair is being dumb today. Look - it has two personalities.

Passport Update 11/28

It’s about 8:30am here - I’m waiting in my flat for my passport to be couriered here around 10am. I was told it would leave Sheffield, England at 5am...

Had a lovely day yesterday - a bit of work in the morning, then out for lunch at the Priory around the corner. I had macaroni & cheese with tomatoes and portobella mushrooms. But of course, it wasn’t the cheesy yellow stuff I know - much fancier with a small bit of creamy white cheese and lots of veggies - yum! Jen and I both had a Bulmer’s pear cider. A lot smoother than apple ciders, nice and crisp.

We decided it was a “Naughty Friday” so a handful of us, including a Design Director, went to another pub where I got a Fruili beer - strawberry beer! It was amazing and almost daquari-like. But a full pint was a bit much - too sweet. Half a pint would have sufficed.

My afternoon was up and down. The courier couldn’t guarantee delivery by 11:30 that night [!] so we finally decided to have them come here to my flat this morning. I guess my mind was somewhat at ease - at least I could enjoy my evening without anticipating the delivery last night.

My sweet coworkers got me a few parting gifts. The studio got me a £15 to a cool design bookstore - so I need to use that today!! My floormates got me an English pencil kit, a build-your-own-black cab kit and a Pantone 186 mug! [You creatives know what that is]

After work we went to Three Kings - our usual place. It was crowded and hot in side and very cold outside - ack! After hanging out there we moved around the corner to The Green, where we could stay inside. It was a lot of fun hanging out with the few workmates I sat with these past weeks.

Beth, Lou, Jen and I had curry for dinner and called it a night at 11:30 - wanted to be rested for today!!

My awesome gifts! Can’t wait to use them at my Cincy desk.

Pear cider

My pals: Adam [looking smirky], Ryan, Brett and Amanda

Thanksgiving with My London Family

Beth’s beautiful spread

Our holiday cocktail: The Nautilus [tequila, lime and cranberry juice with a mint sprig]

The Ohio Three

Wrestling with the potatoes while the bartender looks on.

Salad, roll, mashed taters and gravy, amazing green beans and turkey with cranberry sauce. By far my favorite meal in London.

Finish with the classic pumpkin pie.