Week Thirty-One | TEAM KING TAKES LONDON PART 1

WE HAD OUR FIRST GUESTS THIS PAST WEEKEND! The Kings arrived Saturday and from the moment they got here it was a sightseeing, drinking, eating, laughing and catching-up marathon. Yes, it was just what the doctor ordered! 

James worked hard and long hours all week to ensure that he would be free to entertain over the weekend, and me, I had my first two kickboxing lessons, walked Oliver a few times and got the flat in order for Ryan and Nina. The beginning of the week was uneventful aside from the fact that I almost knocked out my kickboxing instructor with my rendition of a "spinning roundhouse kick" when he simply asked for a left roundhouse kick... (Obviously, sans spin.) Oops! I never said I wasn't a little rusty...

The Kings arrived in Islington Saturday morning around 9:30 AM. We introduced them to our flat, let them freshen up a bit and then we were off to explore London. The Kings are our "foodie friends," so we started off our adventure at Borough Market. We walked around, got some street food and then settled into a local pub to enjoy our first London pint of the day. 

From Borough Market, we leisurely walked up the River Thames, popping in and out of pubs we passed by. I love walking the river, it never gets old. All the buskers and street performers really get me in the London spirit.

After a couple of hours, we eventually ended up at Westminster. It was pretty crowded around Big Ben given that the weather was gorgeous and it was a weekend, but it was so worth it for Ryan and Nina to see some of London's most famous architecture with a backdrop of Carolina blue sky!

At that point, everyone was ready to take it easy for the rest of the night. The Kings didn't sleep on the flight over, so we expected them to crash any minute. We headed back to Islington and stopped into the Pig and Butcher for dinner and drinks.

Once we got back to the flat, it was over. Everyone got into their pajamas and before we knew it, we were saying our goodnights. I was so impressed with the Kings ability to stay awake and *alert* after being awake for over 40 hours... I could never do that! 

Overall, it was a great first day in London for the Kings. As you can see, drinking is an underlying theme of the weekend! We've missed these folks very much and the weekend went by wayyy too fast... Check back later this week for Team King Takes London Part 2!

AT A GLANCE: APRIL 2014

Thanks for the memories, April! xx

Week Thirty

I went all around Notting Hill with my camera last Thursday. The weather was completely grey, but it doesn't take away from how lovely this area is with it's colorful flats and cute shops and restaurants. I don't come over here very often, because there isn't a super convenient way to get here from our flat, but I think I am going to plan a dinner date in this area soon so James can experience too!

Here are some teaser pictures from my Walkabout Notting Hill!

We stayed in most of the week and ate dinners at home, so Saturday was a splurge day. We watched soccer at the pub and then went over to Ali and Paul's flat for one last hurrah before they move into their own, new flat. Super excited for them! 

Recently (like last week), I've been attempting to "diet." And by diet, I mean making up my own rules as I go and breaking them when I feel it absolutely necessary... Realistically, I've just been trying to cut some carbs out of my diet (bread, fried food, etc., NOT wine), but damn, it is REALLY hard to do in this country. 

I've been eating like I'm on holiday the entire time that I've been in London and now it's time to put a stop to it. Also, going to Spain when you're not feeling thaaaaat great about yourself, where the women are naturally beautiful will also do it to you. I've only gained back about 5 pounds since the wedding, but it's all in my face which is the worst place you can get it. Soooooooo, today I am busting my kickboxing gear out and starting a two month training course. Wish me luck!

Get ready London, Team King arrives on Saturday! I can't believe it's here... We are seriously pumped. So much to do, so little time! AHHH!

In other news, I changed my Instagram name to teamstarnes. I've been watching this bodybuilding couple use the hashtag for over a year now and I wanted to stake claim. If I continue with the blog after this year, it will eventually just be 'Team Starnes' obviously since I don't know if we will be in London anymore, but if I don't keep the blog, I'll just change it back to alexandra_starnes. the end. Oh! Oh! And I'm also looking for a good blog template because I'm over mine. Suggestions please! the real end.

Happy Monday! xx

Week Twenty-Nine

I am always a sloth the week after traveling. James hates this about me, but I avoided a tongue lashing because he was very busy last week. No matter how hard I try to keep the flat in order while packing I always manage to destroy it at the last minute. We came back to a flat in disarray and I hate to say it, we are still living in a flat in disarray. (Eye-roll). I swear it's on my to-do list, but I just haven't been able to get motivated. I think I am in Barcelona withdrawal. I've been spoiled by sunny and warm weather and now I have no interest in what London's throwing my way. The weather here in London has been pretty dry, but still chilly. And mama is ready for some serious rays.

Wednesday morning I met up with Kristen and her parents at the West Hampstead train station and we set off to Brighton for the day. It was nice weather, but again, chilly. I think we all wish we had bundled a bit more. Brighton is a sweet, quaint town on the coast about an hour and a half south of London. Easy peasy. I really enjoyed spending time with Kristen and her parents walking in and out of the winding lane streets and down by the pier. Kristen's parents were super sweet. I secretly adopted them for the day, or at least that's the way I played it in my head... It definitely made me miss my parents since it's been over four months since I've gotten to see them in person. Hopefully, that will change pretty soon!

While I was on my little adventure in Brighton, James was on an adventure of his own accompanying his boss on a couple site visits around the UK.  To meet the schedule they hired a private plane. balla shot calla.

Friday, we met up with two of our Charlotte friends for a makeshift London Pub Crawl. We had pints in many of the oldest pubs in London. Luckily, all the oldest pubs are in the City of the London, so we weren't trekking all over Greater London... that would be annoying. It was really good catching up with the Williamses and hopefully we will be able to see them again in the future!

Saturday morning, we got breakfast at the Elk in the Woods and relaxed for most of the day until we met up with a bunch of our friends at Crazy Bear in Fitzrovia. It was pricey, but the sushi was awesome. We might not be heading back anytime soooooon, but it's definitely a nice date-night place. 

Overall it was an enjoyable week for us. I hope everyone had a Happy Easter and ate lots of candy!

Happy Monday! xx