WEEK SEVEN

Week 7 is definitely in the running for one the best weeks so far. I did a decent amount of sightseeing by myself during the week and even more with James over the weekend, so get ready for LOTSS of pictures!

After feeling a bit homesick last week, I knew that I definitely wanted to start reaching out and creating a network for James and myself. I reached out to a friend-of-a-friend who, a year ago had gone through a similar transition to James and I (lived in Charlotte, moved to London). Monday was pretty standard, nothing blogworthy going on there, but I was pleasantly surprised that I woke up to a response email from my new, potential friend asking if I wanted to get together on Tuesday. We exchanged a few emails and confirmed a time and date. SUCCESS!

Kristen and I planned on meeting up at a pub in Chelsea so I headed out a bit early to do some walking around on my own. It's such a nice area. There is a ton of shopping and restaurants and some seriously prime real estate. Chelsea is one of the nicest areas in London. It would be a dream to live in this area, but it is exclusive to London's most wealthy.

ootd :: sloan square :: st. luke's church

Kristen and I met up around 5 at a pub called 'Trafalgar'. The pub was super quaint and comfortable; I didn't take any pictures but here are a couple from the website.

http://www.thetrafalgarchelsea.co.uk/

Obviously, I was super nervous. I haven't been on a first date in a long time so I tried to play it as cool as possible. It was really nice to chit-chat with someone who understood what I was going through and she made me feel so much better about basically reaching out to a perfect stranger for support! 

At the end of the night, Kristen said she had a surprise for me. As we were walking back to the tube, we veered off the path and headed into a store called 'Partridges'. For those of you non-Londoner's, Partridges is an import store with a Dean and Deluca feel and it has American food! I'm talking JIF Peanut Butter, Rotel, Fruit Roll-Ups, Kraft Mac-n-Cheese and so much more! It's seriously expensive, but I will definitely be hitting it up if James and I are desperate for an American treat. What a nice surprise!

Wednesday was low-key. James worked in London and then headed up to Aberdeen for a work event. I hung out around the flat and cooked some Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, which turned out pretty good. (I actually made them again on Sunday, so I think that says something!) Successful meal, check! First night sleeping solo in London, check!

http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/02/buffalo-balls-no-not-really-4.html

As I mentioned in last week's blog, I was planning to check out a woman's club on Thursday. The more and more information I gathered, I had serious doubts that this club would be a good fit for me. 

Here are a few red flags:

#1 They meet at 9:30 AM during the week. (People my age should be working at this time.) 

#2 It's a bit pricey to join. (I have no money.)

#3 Their guest speaker is from a clerk from Parliament (ZZZZZzzzZZZZzz) 

I was skeptical, but being the adventurous woman that I am, I decided to see for myself! As I rounded the corner of Kensington High Street, I immediately knew that my gut was right; lots of gray hair, lots of older women, all headed in the same direction.  I entered the hotel lobby unsure and assessing the situation. I must have looked confused because a very nice lady came over to me and asked me if I was here for the woman's club and proceed to lead me to the sign-up table. SHIT!!! Slightly panicked, I paid the entrance fee and was ushered into a room with tables set up for Bridge, Knitting, Empty Nesters, Bible Study, Walking, etc... To make a long story short, I snuck out a side door and found a service elevator to get me back down to the lobby and never looked back. The ladies were all so nice, but there is no way I could have sat through an entire hour of "What goes on in Parliament". It just wasn't my scene, No harm, no foul!

Since I was already out and about, I decided to take the time and do some sightseeing. I hopped on a bus and took it north until it terminated and then hopped on another bus and rode it until it terminated. I ended up in the middle of Oxford Street at rush hour and had to pack in like sardines with everyone on the tube. Overall, even though the woman's club didn't pan out, I made the most of the day and saw some amazing things.

I woke up Friday feeling rested and decided to tackled the flat that I had let go while James was away. It took 5 hours and but I completely deep cleaned everything; mopped, vacuumed, washed everything, in every room. The place looked and smelt great. I've always struggled with keeping my room/apartment clean but I always feel so good about myself after its done. I try to do a proper clean at least once a week; plus it's not a huge space, so it's doable!

Friday night was also low-key. A 'Five Guys' opened in our neighborhood this week, so James brought home burgers and fries. We love Five Guys so this was super special to us. We just lounged around and watched TV and relaxed.

Saturday morning, James and I were up and out by 10:30. We headed to a local bakery for some coffee and breakfast before heading out for some sightseeing.  James and I were riminiscing about the past year and we realized that Nov. 16th was the day before we got engaged last year. It's amazing how much has changed in a year and we were just shocked at how everything has fallen into place for us. If everything in our lives hadn't happened the way/when it happened, there is no way that we would be in london right now. It still amazes me.

After breakfast, James and I hopped on the #11 bus at Liverpool Bus Station and rode it all the way until it terminated at Fulham Broadway. For those of you who plan on coming over to visit, I would recommend taking this bus as a cheaper option to the London Bus Tours. This bus took us through many of London's historical landmarks like Big Ben, Westminster, St. Paul's, Trafalgar Square and many more. It was fun to be tourists and see this amazing city that we live in.

Once James and I finally got home from our sight seeing adventure, it was a quick snack and then time to get ready for dinner. My new London friend, Kristen, had invited James and I to join her and her boyfriend and another couple for dinner so of course I said yes.  We met them at an organic restaurant called 'The Duke of Cambridge' in Islington and had a wonderful time. The boys all got along and it was nice to have some girl talk at the other side of the table. After dinner, we headed out for drinks at the Slug and Lettuce where Kristen introduced us to 3 other friends who were equally as nice. It was a perfect night, minus an encounter that I had with a huge spider*. It was exactly what I have been craving and I hope that there are many more night like that to come! No pictures from this night. I was too busy having a great time! 

DISCLAIMER! You might have nightmares after hearing what happened to me.

*Apparently a huge spider was making my black skinny jeans his home. I saw the spider on my foot after getting the first pant over my ankle. I freaked out and James had to rip my pants off. I COULDN'T GET MY PANTS OFF! I could only flail. James and I both lost many years off our lives because of this. My body is so sore from trembling so much. I have never been so scared in my ENTIRE LIFE! I THOUGHT YOU PEOPLE TOLD ME THERE WERE NO SPIDERS IN LONDON! Anyways, James eventually found the huge spider and killed it. I'm still very paranoid and jumpy. I HATE YOU DEMON SPIDER!