Our Last Post from London!
As I write this last post for our blog I have mixed emotions. So sad to being saying goodbye to great friends and a great city. Very excited for our new house and getting my photography business going in Minnesota. Thinking of all the things I will miss most about London and all the things I am excited to have again in the states. We have learned and experienced a lot while living here. We have not regretted our decision to sell our house and move here for two years for one second! My only small regret is that we didn't have a television to learn more about the pop culture but it was also a good thing because I was able to scrapbook, plan trips, write this blog, work on my photography and much more!
It really has been an incredible two years for us. We will miss everyone in London dearly but hope to be back for a visit soon, specifically for the Olympics in 2012 (thanks Tracy for putting us on the guest list for the Longhurst couch!). We also look forward to seeing our American friends stateside again either in Minnesota or we will come to you when you are back! We will keep in touch! Signing off to pack off my computer with tears in my eyes...Chris
P.S. Our new blog capturing all the exciting adventures of the Welsand's Back in Minnesota can be found at http://welsandsinminnesota.blogspot.com/ See you there soon!
More Pictures
Here is a link the latest pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/kristinlanae/2007_08_15/photo?authkey=mEfJcdWePtY#s5099734674387341234
The house is almost complete. One bummer is that a big storm on Monday night hit our area and our house was damaged, the roof, siding, and our garage doors. We will sort it all out when we get home. It could have been worse. Just a few days to go until we can see it in person!
My Surprise Leaving Do...
My friend Tracy schemed with a few others and Jeremy and really surprised me with a leaving do. Tracy and I were going to go to the White Horse pub which has amazingly good Thai food. I was really looking forward to it, but the weather was crap and I was not very motivated to dress up. I had on my new shirt that I bought for Jeremy's do (see August 10) but I thought the white pants would get too dirty walking in the rain to the pub. But, Jeremy being Jeremy, and also knowing I would prefer to be more dressed up at a party for me, was nice and talked me into the trousers and even ironed them for me. He does this all the time, so I didn't think this was odd at all. He is quite concerned about what I wear at times...apparently I am too casual most of the time, go figure, I am at the sand pit or playground 24/7 I wonder why my high heels aren't in the scene more...Anyway I start my walk down the hill to meet Tracy and don't see her so I walk up the street to her house. She is prompt but with 4 kids and a husband just getting home, again not odd that I don't see her. Since it is raining I have my umbrella up and don't see Tracy has the shades down, which she never does, another thing that would have tipped me off. Ahh, finally I see the door and on it a sign that says, "Welcome to 'Good Friends' a Gourmet Vegetarian Restaurant." Okay, something is up. Tracy probably invited a few our friends over for some take-away....I walk in and see someone with a camera from the mirror in Tracy's hallway, it looks a little like Tracy but I have never seen her take pictures with her camera, what is going on? It is my photographer friend Jean...I walk in further and lo and behold there are 14 of my favorite London friends! SURPRISE! And, yes it was! It was a fantastic surprise! What a great night! Everyone brought a vegetarian dish which all were delicious, I ate way too much! The Pimm's was delicious and the desserts were incredible, especially Kate's very naughty apple/chocolaty thing! I was so excited to see everyone and spend a little more time with each person at the party. What a great way to say goodbye to some. I really did meet the nicest group of women in Hampstead! I am very fortunate for the friendships I have made while here...that is what makes leaving the most difficult, the people I have met. A special thank you to Tracy for pulling it all off! And, reminder she has 4 children, 2 sets of twins, one whom was sick that day and with a few other minor crises that day she still managed to pull off the surprise without me finding out or even having a clue, with such ease! She is a super mum! THANK YOU TRACY!
A Summary of our European Experiences
Well our time living abroad is coming to an end quickly. We have had a great time traveling throughout Europe and can hardly believe how fast the past two years has gone! As I am a complete nerd our tallies in Europe include:
- 14 countries visited
- total trips 17 in Europe and 3 to the US
- total miles traveled 44,285 (Jeremy's miles traveld via work were uncountable!)
- 9 castles visited
- 10 celebrity sightings
- 7 ceremonies seen
- 30 churches visited
- 6 currencies used
- 15 various "experiences"
- 14 markets shopped at
- 63 museums visited
- 65 notable sights seen
- 13 palaces toured
- 20 parks/gardens/farms visited
- experienced public transport in 7 countries
- 8 theatres experienced
- 9 guests hosted
We truly have had an incredible experience, met some great people, and really enjoyed ourselves! We look forward to more guests in Minnesota, whether it is local family or friends, or friends we met in London. Our adventures in Minnesota will continue...
The House Continues to Near Completion!
Things are really moving on the house--very exciting. The latest photos can be found at the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/kristinlanae/2007_08_10?authkey=LwHJC2_dvHc
Next week the driveway will be poured, the fireplace finished, front of the house painting finished, landscaping continues, the final touches happening, only 12 days to go until closing!
Leaving Do for Jeremy
Jeremy's going away aka leaving do included some drinks at the pub, dinner, more drinks at the pub and my first and last time meeting his co-workers. The co-workers were a lot of fun! It was so nice to put faces with names and stories (all good of course) that Jeremy has told me about his colleagues. One odd thing about English culture is that spouses and significant others are not typically invited out to social events after hours, including the holiday party. All of my American friends confirmed that they to were not invited to their husband's holiday parties. Work and personal life are just not mixed, well unless you are dating from the work pool...maybe that is why some do that... Anyway, this was a great night out and I even got to splurge and buy a new outfit in under one hour from leaving the flat to getting back, without Sophie mind you...but hey I won't complain that I had to sprint up the high street, throw every outfit on until I had the right European size, thankfully none of the outfits got stuck on and voila success in the end and it didn't break the bank! After meeting Jeremy's colleagues I can see why he has spent so much time at the pub after work with them, they were a great group! And, once we get back to MN there will be minimal pub time as this is just not part of our life in the states.
Less than two weeks to go...
This rollercoaster ride is something! I can't believe how excited I am about moving back to Minnesota and how sad I am about leaving our life in London. This international move thing is not for the weak of heart...
We will be in touch with everyone hopefully this weekend with all of our new contact details, new blog, and my photography website which is up and running. Cheers!
