One of the things the British are known for is their constant talk of the weather. Well, they've had A LOT to talk about lately! Last week England was hit with its biggest snowstorm in 18-years. It "paralyzed" London and the Southeast - no public transportation, shops and businesses closed. Caroline had two snow, days and Chris had one too, so we made the most of it and went "sledging." Our neighbor was kind enough to knock on our door and offer us his "sledge" so we trekked through Claygate to Telegraph Hill and a had a few hours of fun in the snow! The snow was gorgeous and the village was so peacefully perfect. It's one of those days I will not soon forget.
Earlier in January our good pal Steve, who I attended Muskingum with, and with whom Chris has become obnoxiously good friends, visited us from Columbus. We all had a fab time together at Windsor Castle, the Queen's weekend residence, and later in the week Steve, Sadie and I spent a lovely day together in London at the National Portrait Gallery and in Covent Garden for lunch. Steve then ventured up to Norwich, England to see a U.S. based band, and he and Chris also painted London "red" one evening in the hip Camden Town area checking out some live music. Steve was a model houseguest and even did a few short babysitting jobs for me! We are so glad he came to visit.
Later in January, my new friend Jennifer Waxenberg, who I will furthermore refer to as J-Wax, and I did a quick 36-hour girls weekend in Brugge, Belgium. A two-hour ride on the Eurostar landed us in Brussels, where we caught a connection to Brugge - considered to be the "Venice of the North" by european standards. Some retail therapy, a fab dinner, followed by a little dancing was just what the doctor ordered, for these two thirty-something stay at home mamas! Brugge is a gorgeous city, one that was on my backpacking stop nearly 12-years ago, and as luck would have it we stumbled upon the youth hostel I stayed in way back then. I have to say, I much preferred this trip's lodging and dining to that of an unemployed recent college graduate!
So, to our old friend Steve and new friend J-Wax I dedicate this shout-out. Steve-O, thanks for visiting. We hope you enjoyed your experience in the Old Country, and took back some proper pub knowledge with you to Columbus! (Goodness knows you visited enough pubs whilst here...) And J-Wax, my most random friend ever...(we met while both sight-seeing at Canterbury Cathedral) we will miss you and D-Wax fiercely when we are back state-side. But, I take solace in knowing that Ohio and Tennesee are only separated by one United State, and look forward to many Yapp/Waxenberg adventures in our future.
I haven't written about the fact that our time in England has nearly expired, because it still puts a lump in my throat every time I think about leaving. But, we are within three weeks now of coming home. My sadness is in no way a reflection on the home, family and friends we are coming back to in Ohio. We are SO excited to see everyone and resume our midwestern life. My heavy heart is simply caused from falling in love with a community here, and leaving just as we are hitting our stride. For example, we had a "leaving deux" at our house this weekend, and mid-way through the party I walk into the kitchen where Chris has the "men" divided into two teams. One person on each team is blind-folded and partaking in a bourbon .vs. whiskey taste test. This is such a Chris Yapp silly move, but our new friends embraced it! We have been blessed with meeting such fun, honest, live-in-the-moment people, who I hope to have as life-long friends. And, because a big 'ol ocean separates our countries, it makes me a little blue to leave.
To view all photos from our Claygate Leaving Deux go here: http://gallery.me.com/jsyapp#100159
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