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| you did good sir, you did good. |
Thank you to all the soldiers who fight everyday to protect our freedom!
A special Happy Veteran's Day shoutout to my dad; a man who has dedicated his entire life to keeping America safe.
I love you dad! xo
WEEK SIX
10 Nov 2013
Alright, so I will just go ahead and tell you... This week... I participated... In a FLASHMOB! It was exhilarating and exciting and challenging and I LOVED IT! Granted, it was not some high production FlashMob that you might see on TV or in a movie but it was still pretty well organized and I would definitely be interested in doing another in the future!
I found this opportunity while surfing the web last Sunday night... James and I were watching Homeland and I was scouring 'TimeOut London' for events going on in London and this was the first thing that I clicked on. I have always wanted to be in a FlashMob, it's definitely bucket-list material; I think this goes way back to the good ol' cheerleading days, so I wasn't going to let this chance pass me by.
I signed up for the FlashMob and James immediately recognized that I was acting weird. He looked at me with a questioned look and I knew that he was wondering what I was getting into. I couldn't keep something like this a secret so I just blurted it out, "I JUST SIGNED UP FOR A FLASHMOB AND MY FIRST PRACTICE IS TOMORROW!" James, being the sensible husband that he is, gave me the "yes, dear, that's great dear" answer, while probably thinking to himself, "this beyyyyotch is craaaazzzaaayyyy.."
I signed up for the FlashMob and James immediately recognized that I was acting weird. He looked at me with a questioned look and I knew that he was wondering what I was getting into. I couldn't keep something like this a secret so I just blurted it out, "I JUST SIGNED UP FOR A FLASHMOB AND MY FIRST PRACTICE IS TOMORROW!" James, being the sensible husband that he is, gave me the "yes, dear, that's great dear" answer, while probably thinking to himself, "this beyyyyotch is craaaazzzaaayyyy.."
My first practice was Monday. I was super nervous so I got all dolled up and I went to Castle to pregame to get some dinner and get in the right mindset to actually go and physically show up and practice for the said FlashMob...
The training session went well. I definitely had a lot of practice to do before Thursday but I was in good spirits. I was so much fun and all the people there were as awkward as I was so I felt right at home!
I had another practice Wednesday night and then we had an hour practice before the actual FlashMob on Thursday. Nerves and excitement were both high and I was just trying not to give the secret away the whole time that I was heading to the location...
I am super disappointed that I can't find the video of the actual performance, but I am going to call the dance studio and find out where I can see it so I can post it to the blog. I'm sure it's hilarious...most of the people involved had no dance experience and had no idea what they were doing. (This includes me y'all, I was kinda a mess!) I had a great time and I am proud that I put myself out there to experience this. I want to make sure that I don't let life pass me by while I'm over here just because I am doing most of it own my own.
I'm loving living in London because I literally have the world at my fingertips, but it's hard because I have to get out there and explore and do things by myself the majority of the week. Back in the States, I looooooved going to the mall BY.MY.SELF, eating meals BY.MY.SELF, going to the movies BY.MY.SELF, spending quality time BY.MY.SELF but since I am by myself more than I am with other people, I'm not as comfortable doing everything on my own... I am (regrettably) a bit lonely. I am determined to not let this feeling render me from experiencing London to the fullest and I plan on putting myself out there to take care of my physical, mental and emotional health.
I think the Flashmob was a step in the right direction of me putting myself out there to mingle and make friends because frankly, I need some (in London)! It's been 6 weeks and I need a person, a tangible person. Facetime and Groupme have been saving me and keeping me up-to-date with Charlotte friends, but I need someone in London to vent and let loose with. I am taking my aunt's advice and checking out a woman's club in Chelsea on Nov. 14th and hopefully I will find someone there that I click with. Fingers crossed!
Overall, I think the consensus is that both James and I were a little homesick this past week. We both miss our friends and family back home, and we both really miss Winston. A couple of times this week I was teetering on edge of going to the local dog shelter, but I could never cheat on Winston like that or at least not let him have a say (or butt sniff) in who we brought into our family... I just miss his sweet cuddles in the morning and giving him 10000 hugs a day. I just flat out miss him. Desperately. I suppress these emotions by surfing Pinterest images of "Mastiffs" and pinning anything that brings a tear to my eye. Sorry if I blow up your Pinterests! I might be an emotional cutter, but hey, it's what gets me through the day.
James and I's weekend was spent in Islington. We went to the Angelic on Friday and relaxed and caught up and then we went out for Italian on Saturday. I had the most amazing butternut squash risotto. It was insane! I can't remember the name of the restaurant but we will definitely be back so I will let you know next time!
As always, Sunday was lazy; just the way we like it! We grabbed pizza, coffee, and groceries and then headed back to the flat for more down time. ManU was playing Arsenal so we decided to head out to the local pub, 'the Arc' to watch the game... Man, that is the way to watch a proper match! With everyone invested in the game, it's just really exciting to watch! And we won!
This upcoming week James will be heading to Aberdeen for work and I plan on heading out for some more exploring. We will be spending Thanksgiving with my Aunt's family in Aberdeen in a few weeks and I am thankful for that. It will definitely come at a perfect time for us.
London is ready for the holidays; Christmas lights, trees and decorations are everywhere and the holiday advertisements are out in full force. I am really excited for the holidays, once we figure out what our plans are for sure, I will let you know!
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| trying to act normal on the tube... trying not to tell a stranger, "i'm going to be in a flashmob today!" |
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| Our flshmob spot in Covent Garden. This is as much proof that I actually participated in said flashmob. |
I think the Flashmob was a step in the right direction of me putting myself out there to mingle and make friends because frankly, I need some (in London)! It's been 6 weeks and I need a person, a tangible person. Facetime and Groupme have been saving me and keeping me up-to-date with Charlotte friends, but I need someone in London to vent and let loose with. I am taking my aunt's advice and checking out a woman's club in Chelsea on Nov. 14th and hopefully I will find someone there that I click with. Fingers crossed!
Overall, I think the consensus is that both James and I were a little homesick this past week. We both miss our friends and family back home, and we both really miss Winston. A couple of times this week I was teetering on edge of going to the local dog shelter, but I could never cheat on Winston like that or at least not let him have a say (or butt sniff) in who we brought into our family... I just miss his sweet cuddles in the morning and giving him 10000 hugs a day. I just flat out miss him. Desperately. I suppress these emotions by surfing Pinterest images of "Mastiffs" and pinning anything that brings a tear to my eye. Sorry if I blow up your Pinterests! I might be an emotional cutter, but hey, it's what gets me through the day.
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| here a few of the images that reminded me of Winston |
As always, Sunday was lazy; just the way we like it! We grabbed pizza, coffee, and groceries and then headed back to the flat for more down time. ManU was playing Arsenal so we decided to head out to the local pub, 'the Arc' to watch the game... Man, that is the way to watch a proper match! With everyone invested in the game, it's just really exciting to watch! And we won!
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| wayyyyy more crowded than it looks |
London is ready for the holidays; Christmas lights, trees and decorations are everywhere and the holiday advertisements are out in full force. I am really excited for the holidays, once we figure out what our plans are for sure, I will let you know!
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| it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas |
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GONE TO CAROLINA IN MY MIND
8 Nov 2013
We are still acquiring different items for the flat. It's been more of a process than I initially thought it would be... I mean, seriously, we just got a microwave last week; who would have thought that two Americans could last without a microwave for 5 weeks, but hey, you adapt!
Along side of my microwave I also got a Crockpot, a mattress topper and a cheapy computer, but right now, I am just going to focus on my friend, the Crockpot. I knew that I had to get a slow cooker while living in London because the weather here just screams out for warm soups, stews, roasts and chili. I don't know if they actually eat "chili" here, but it's definitely a Fall/Winter staple in the Starnes' house, so we'll just throw that in!
When I unpacked the slow cooker, I immediately got a nostalgic feeling and I knew that I wanted to dedicate my first Crockpot meal to our old stomping ground, Good 'ol North Cackalacky! I love Eastern North Carolina Barbecue. I love everything about that hot, tangy, spicy vinegar sauce. I know I am a die-hard North Carolinian because I absolutely hate all other tomato-based barbecues.
I've struggled to make NC BBQ in the past, so I researched a bunch of recipes and then took what I liked from each of them and overall I think it came out pretty accurate...
- http://www.food.com/recipe/eastern-nc-pulled-pork-bbq-in-a-crock-pot-494551
- http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/BBQ_sauces/east_carolina_BBQ_sauce.html
- http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Eastern-North-Carolina-Barbeque-Sauce/Detail.aspx?prop24=RD_RelatedRecipes
- http://savour-fare.com/2009/03/19/carolina-barbecue-pulled-pork/
I'm typically not a huge fan of my own cooking, but I think it turned out great and I will definitely make this again!
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| nom nom |
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NO DAY BUT TODAY
7 Nov 2013
I've been looking forward to Thursday all week. Knocking one off the bucket list with a little liquid courage to make sure I don't chicken out... Fill you in later this week!
xo, A
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| i've got moves you've never seen |
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WEEK FIVE
3 Nov 2013
Okay.. I'm just going to be upfront and say that I consider this to be a "lost week." I have really nothing to say about this week except, ISWEARONCEGREYSANATOMYISOVERIWILLBEMOREPRODUCTIVE. (I started watching old Grey’s episodes on Netflix a couple weeks ago and I've just fallen into an abyss; don’t judge me!)
James and I basically stayed in this weekend. Even though it's exactly what we needed, it's just not that glamorous, so, sorry, there are no pictures. I doooooo actually plan on making this week count so stay tuned… :)
On a different note, I can't believe that it's November! Where did the time go?! I am very excited for the upcoming holidays, I think they are going to prove to be some of the best holidays we have seen thus far! So excited!
xoxo,
A&J
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