My First Blogoversary

Today is my 1st blogoversary! When I started this blog a year ago, I had no idea how much I was going to love going on this journey. As I’ve written before, this blog came along at a time in my life when I needed an outlet and it has been a great catalyst in my life. I’ve also been able to connect with some fantastic people from all around the world. I’m a Georgia girl, who came across the Atlantic and settled in England, and then kept traveling around the world everyday on this magic carpet that we call the blogosphere. I've met some great friends. What a ride! (smile) 

During this past year, I have had lots of fun along with some low points, but in the end, it’s all been great to look back on the highs and lows. And it’s all been great to experience it all alongside my hubby Brit Boy. 

Here are some of the things that I experienced and enjoyed sharing here on my blog during this first year of blogging: 

April 2008 - I got my unlimited leave to remain visa, which allows me to settle here and that was a wonderful step. We celebrated our wedding anniversary and the visa by going to see the play “Speed the Plow” starring Jeff Goldblum. 

June 2008 – We went to Wimbledon... what a thrill that was. We attended the Nelson Mandela birthday concert and we were able to see him speak briefly which was very moving. 

August 2008 – We went to the Madonna concert in Wales. 

September 2008 – We went to the Stevie Wonder concert. He was amazing! Stevie Wonder is Brit Boy’s favorite singer, so my hubby’s grin was a mile wide during the concert (smile) 

October 2008 – I was in the thick of trying to get my absentee ballot in for the election and after many attempts I got it in. This showed me that I have more persistence than I ever imagined. LOL. 

December 2008 – We went to the Simply Red concert. And at the tail end of the month, I had my visit to the US Embassy and it turned out well. On that day, Brit Boy and I got separated twice and found each other again, but I discovered for the first time since I’ve been here that I’m still able to take care of myself. And that was a great turning point for me, since I’ve relied so heavily on my husband since I’ve been here. I loved that day! (smile) 

Since the start of 2009, the big events have slowed down a bit, but it’s still been fun to share my life experiences with all of you my dear readers and commenters who make my day when you come to visit me. So I want to say a big thank you to you all!!!! (smile) This blog wouldn’t be what it is without you all. And thank you to all of my fellow bloggers for welcoming me into this world….what a pleasure!

Monday in London - Part Two

Today is my entry that brings to a close, my story of our time in London at the end of April. When I ended yesterday, I had just received my visa and Brit Boy and I were absolutely thrilled that a few years of hard work had finally yielded such a great result. I now have my visa!!!!! (smile) What a relief. Now I don’t have to go around with this monkey on my back anymore. I am free to think of other things and not think about gathering this or that to add to my evidence for my visa. That is behind me. Now Brit Boy and I can have a summer that we can enjoy, without this in the back of our minds. I don’t feel self-conscious anymore…I have completed this task and it has taught me a lot about tenacity. And it has also made me feel stronger about me and Brit Boy. No one can ever say to me that our bond isn’t strong or true, because we have really WORKED to be together and for us, it just makes it sweeter. We have had some doubters in the past who thought that we were nuts to have a long distance relationship and to try to build this transatlantic life. They questioned the validity of our relationship or were condescending or whispered about us. Well I have learned that it doesn’t matter what they think. We know us. Brit Boy and I knew when we met over five years ago, nearly six years ago now, that this was it. It was like “hello…I see you” when we saw each other. And we have been working towards this point ultimately for years. We have completed this circle and now it is on to the next thing…together. (smile)

So Brit Boy and I walked away from the immigration office and headed back to Kensington. As we rode back into the more central bits of London, I had time to think. I just wanted to have a few moments to be with the fact that I finally had my visa. Sometimes it is good to just be with your thoughts. A lot of times in life, I think a lot of us rush past the moments in our lives and don’t just stay in the moment for a bit. I have been trying to do better with this. As I followed through, a calm came over me. It was a good feeling.

We got back to Kensington and went to our hotel room to unload my big folder full of documentation and to take a breath. We then headed out to celebrate. It was still only about midday so we had London at our feet and plenty of time to play. We decided to go out and soak it all in.

We were hungry since we had left early for the immigration office. So we headed to one of our favorite places to eat. We were kind of broke after paying for the visa, but we figured what the heck, we may as well throw a few more pounds onto the plastic to round things off. (laugh) So we went to have a steak lunch at a place around in the Piccadilly Circus area. The streets were full of locals and tourists and loud and it was glorious!! Usually we are not big fans of crowded places, but we just really wanted to be a part of the wildness of the throngs of people right in the middle of everything. We had gone to this place before back in 2007 for my birthday and the food is superb every time. Brit Boy had soup and I had calamari rings for a starter. Then we both had steak for the main meal. For dessert or pudding as they say here, Brit Boy had the most divine cheesecake and I had lemon sorbet. We also tasted each other’s dessert. We both chose well. Our waitress was so wonderful. She noticed my American accent and asked where I was from and I told her and she said that she was from Romania. I felt this surreal kinship with her, like two people away from home, but enlarging the idea of home for ourselves to include more than one place at this time in our lives. That was a great moment.

After we left the restaurant, we walked around Piccadilly Circus with all the others in this sea of humanity. I have been there before, but I always enjoy it. It is great. Piccadilly Circus reminds me of Times Square in New York…life and activity everywhere. Here is a photo of the Greek god of love, Eros, in Piccadilly Circus.



And also, here is another street scene in Piccadilly Circus. I love the architecture.




Brit Boy and I love going into the huge music store there in Piccadilly Circus. I always find myself moving back and forth to the music as I flip through the Cds on display. It is hilarious. (laugh) I told Brit Boy that they should have a dance floor in there. While we were in there I picked up some collectables. I got a small set of Jimi Hendrix and Linkin Park badge buttons. My musical tastes are all over the place and cover many genres and decades. The badges reminded me of ones I had back in the 80s with my fave idols on them. A bit of nostalgia is always good.

Then we spent the rest of the afternoon walking along two of the most fabulous thoroughfares in London….Oxford Street and Regent Street. Wow…shops, shops, and more shops of every variety. It is retail heaven. (smile) Here is a photo of a bit of Regent Street. I didn’t photograph any storefronts, but here is a photo from that day.



After our extended browsing down Oxford Street, we found our way to the edge of Hyde Park. So we walked over to enjoy a bit of nature. It had been misting rain off and on, but it was fine. We enjoyed a nice long walk along the great park.

Then we headed back to our hotel since it was going towards evening at this point. We took a breather and then headed down to the grocery store to pick up some snacks and food to eat. We went back to the hotel and ate in our room and watched television. It was a great night in.

The next day we headed home. We went back to Paddington Station to wait for our train. We sat for a bit and watched the world go by. I love people watching at Paddington. Then we boarded our train back home. It was a lovely time that Brit Boy and I spent together.

So this draws to a close my experiences over our weekend in London. I can’t wait until we go back again. And that will be happening next month. As I mentioned before, we are going to Wimbledon. I have the ticker at the bottom of this page to remind me everyday how long we have to wait. (smile) Brit Boy and I are psyched about going. I used to watch Wimbledon on television when I was growing up, so it will be a thrill to actually go. I will certainly share that experience here too.

Monday in London - Part One

Well today is my third entry about our time in London from April 26-29. When I last left this story, Brit Boy and I were calling it a day on Sunday night and heading back to the hotel. We watched a bit of television. We watched a good film about Jane Austen. It was an account of her looking back on her life and a marriage proposal that she turned down, etc. It was a nice Sunday thing to watch. After the film, we turned in for the night. We had to get up really early the next day to get to my visa appointment.

So the next morning we got up, got dressed, and headed for the tube station. We had a little while to wait, as we left early to make sure that we made it to my appointment on time. We figured, better to be early, than miss the appointment due to some delay. The weather had been pretty mild the other days, but turned quite cold on Monday morning. We stood around for a while and were frozen and then I suggested that we go huddle together in a phone booth. It was cozy and only our feet were chilly which was an improvement. So we walked over to the town centre and went to have a cup of coffee and to get in out of the cold.

Then we walked back over to the immigration office. They let you in every thirty minutes according to your appointment time. You have to go through security and a metal detector. Then you join the queue and wait to be called to the window to present your documents. So Brit Boy and I waited and then we were called. The lady looked through my documents and stamped my forms and we were then sent to the other floor and paid. Then we went to the waiting area and waited again to be called for my interview.

Now, as I said in a previous entry, I wasn’t really nervous anymore, I just wanted it to be all over with at this point. I had been working towards this point for two years and passed a test and everything, so Brit Boy and I were ready to have this completed. We had one of the first appointments of the day, which was nice and gave us the rest of the day to do what we wanted. There weren’t a lot of people there this time like there were two years before.

So we waited a while and we were eventually called to our interview window. We sat down and I passed all of my documentation into the glass drawer and through to the interviewer. He was a man of few words. He congratulated me on doing so well on my test that I took months ago and that was about all that he said. He didn’t ask me any questions at all and I was fully expecting some questions since last time I had to answer a lot of them. I had to present documents to show that we have been living here as husband and wife and then I had to split them into year one and year two. So my interviewer sorted through the documents and picked out things here and there and then typed into his computer. He was cool and looked like he had come into work after playing a gig the night before. (smile) I loved it that he was so laid back, but the best thing was his appearance. He was wearing khaki pants, and a basic shirt, but his accessories were fab. He wore about eight various friendship-like and beaded bracelets, and a skull ring on each hand. And he had long hair that was sectioned off into three braids that he had tied back. So he was a great surprise and a great person to deal with. (smile) He finished his tapping into the computer and said that he would go and get it approved and he walked to the back. Brit Boy and I were thrilled. So he comes back and says that my application is approved and that we would have to wait a while for them to get my visa ready. He congratulated me and I thanked him. He was wonderful.

Brit Boy and I went to sit back down and we waited for about two hours. Then they called me to retrieve my passport with my new visa inside. Woo Hoo!! I was now all visa-ed up!!

When we got outside, me and Brit Boy hugged and he said, “Now you can stay!!!” It was a great moment. I will never forget the smile on Brit Boy’s face.

Well, I will end it here for today. Tomorrow I will finish up my story of our trip to London. I have a few more photos to share. Until tomorrow…

Saturday in London

Today is Bank Holiday here. It is a day off, sort of like Labor Day is back home. I like days like this. Mondays are usually days that we associate with getting back to the daily grind, so these holidays are a great gift. They give you a longer weekend and then they help you ease into the new week.

Brit Boy and I have been chilling out for the past week and today is our last day of chilling out together for a while. After our trip into London the prior weekend and with my visa stuff and everything, we were quite wiped out. So we have been taking it easy. My quest to get my indefinite visa has taken me three years of hard work, so we figured that we were long overdue for a breather. (smile) So it has been fun to just kick back for once. So thank heaven for bank holidays…an extra day to relax.

We were in London for about three days, give or take a few hours. So I have decided to break the days up into three different posts, so the entry won’t go on and on.

We headed out on our journey, on Saturday morning, the 26th of April. I was a tiny bit nervous that morning, because I knew that I had a big hoop to jump through at the immigration office on the following Monday. But quite miraculously the mail arrived earlier than usual and I got a happy anniversary card from a friend from back home. I have known her since I was eight years old. She is my oldest friend. I was so touched that she had sent me this card and she wrote a note inside. She is always so sweet in the things that she says and she always calms me. The funny thing is that she didn’t say anything about my slight worry over my visa, but she said the right thing to me. The thing that touched me, was her simply saying…“I miss you…and we are friends for life.“ That simple connection with my life back home, coupled with the fact that she cared enough to send me and Brit Boy an anniversary card, just instantly made me calm. I guess that her card helped me remember that who I was back home is that same girl that I am now. So no matter what happened with my visa, things would be fine. I remembered that I had been through much tougher times and made it, so an immigration interview was just another thing. (smile) I was ready. The butterflies left my stomach and didn’t return. I placed her card on the table so I could see it first thing when we walked into the house and we headed out.

We took a taxi into town to catch the train. I love taking the train and so does Brit Boy. He likes it because that means he doesn’t have to drive and I am always glad when he gets a break from that. I don’t drive here yet. That is more red tape for later. (smile) When we go back home to visit though, I always drive…so it works out for us. Anyway, I like the train because you can watch the countryside go by the window and you don’t have to worry about traffic. It is probably my favorite way to travel. I think that it is romantic and you have time to think on the train. To me, it doesn’t feel claustrophobic like a plane, but that is just my take on it.

So we took the train into Paddington Station in London. I love that station. It is a great place for people watching. Everyone is going this way and that, on their way to somewhere. From Paddington, we hopped on The Tube and rode out to where we were staying in Kensington. Kensington is quite lively and it’s a nice place to walk around. There’s lots to do. Here’s a picture of the view out of our hotel room. I liked the church across the rooftops.




After we checked into our hotel, we took a walk around the area and just hung out. Then we went into a shop and bought a few things to eat. We went back to our hotel room and ate and watched a bit of tv. Time flew very quickly and so we got ready for our night out at the theatre. We took The Tube again and went to the Old Vic theatre. The Old Vic is a jewel. It sort of stands there on its own in this neighborhood and is not part of a collection of theatres like you get in the West End. I love that it is an individual. (smile)

When we got inside, we bought a program. We have quite a collection of programs now. Then we walked upstairs and hung out in the bar for a few minutes. It was a warm day, so we stood near an open window. Then we went inside close to showtime. The Old Vic is a medium-ish theatre and I loved that. It felt very intimate. It is not a tiny place, but it was just close enough to really feel connected to what was going on onstage. We went to see the final performance of the run of "Speed-The-Plow" with Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum. It was FABULOUS!!! They were fabulous!!!! Kevin Spacey was like energy on legs and you can see why he is an Oscar winner. And Jeff Goldblum is a tall, lean presence with movements like a cat. He glided around the stage like a schoolboy. I want to be "ageless" as I mature, in the way that I carry myself, just like Jeff does. There is definitely something about doing what you love in life. You can tell they both love what they are doing. They both were amazing and they are just fabulous actors. I like each of these actors separately and together they were like fireworks. The way that they both moved around the stage and used every inch of it, was amazing. The dialogue was rapid-fire and you could tell that they were pros at this. At the end, Kevin Spacey thanked the audience for supporting the play and thanked his co-stars. It was the cool thing about seeing the final performance. It was a great night.

After the show, we took this picture of the theatre to remember it all. What a night.



Then we hopped back onto The Tube and headed back to Kensington. We walked around for a bit and then headed back to the hotel. We were beat after a long day.

Tomorrow, I will share what we saw and did on the Sunday. We covered a lot of ground and I did it all on rather sore feet. (smile)

Back From London

Well Brit Boy and I are back home from our trip to London. It was great and even though it was only three and a half days, it seemed like about a week, in a good way. We were constantly on the go and we squeezed a lot in, so it seemed to go on and on and it was great. (smile) I have lots of news to share in the next few days. I have some pictures too. My few days in London with Brit Boy went from one extreme to another...from seeing two of my favorite actors on stage to the formality of the immigration office. And I have a bit of a tidbit to tell about the immigration office experience that wasn't so formal...namely the guy that interviewed me. He was cool.

So I will leave it here for now. I have to go through my photos and find some to share. And also Brit Boy and I are exhausted, so we are chilling out for a few days. I just wanted to check in, because I really appreciate anyone out there who is taking the time to read my blog.

New Visas and London Too

Right now I am taking a break from packing in order to post a bit about my upcoming trip to London this weekend. Brit Boy and I will be heading out tomorrow morning on our adventure. I will be sharing my experiences in posts next week, along with various photos. I appreciate whomever comes to read my blog. I like sharing my experiences here.

Tomorrow we will be going into London and then hanging out a bit before we go to the theatre in the evening. We are really looking forward to that. Then on Sunday, we are going to lunch with a new friend of mine that lives in London. We've never been to this restaurant, so it should be fun. Then on Monday, hopefully I get my new visa. Wish me luck. (smile) Brit Boy and I are going to get into some sightseeing in while we are there too, so it should be a good time. I always love going to London.

So I will be writing about our fun experiences next week and I will post some pics. Well, I have to get back to packing. Onward to London.

One More Thing

Just one more thing for today. At the bottom of the page, I have added a couple of tickers for a couple of big days in my life which are coming up. I have added one ticker to countdown to the day that I go and get my visa extended, which will be fabulous and a load off my mind. I have been waiting for this day for two years so it is a big milestone for me. And then I have added a countdown to the day when we go to Wimbledon. Brit Boy and I are so excited and can't wait to experience the view of it all at Centre Court. I will definitely be posting pictures of our Wimbledon experience here to share.