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!

A Wonderful Day

Yesterday was truly amazing and will be a memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life. To see all of the massive crowds there on the National Mall sharing this moment together was powerful. What a great day! :-)

Congratulations Mr President!

A Great Moment

I am so overjoyed today! (smile) I am so excited that Senator Barack Obama is now our President-elect. Brit Boy and I stayed up until well after 6am UK time just to soak all of the coverage in. All of yesterday, I was like a lot of people…cautiously optimistic about the outcome. As the electoral votes kept ticking upwards, I got more and more on edge. And then, at the moment when they announced him the winner, I immediately wept and looked over at my mother’s photo on the table right next to me. I thought….what an amazing moment Mom, huh? (smile) I had such a head rush like someone had compressed my head and then let go. There was such a rush of relief like I can’t describe fully. I felt exhilarated along with everyone else and I am so proud of this moment in our history. (smile)

We were watching the coverage from back home online and watching another channel on television too. A powerful moment for me was when Mr. Obama was declared the winner and they were showing the crowds going crazy with excitement on one side of the screen and on the other side they had those who worked during the Civil Rights Movement. It felt like a full circle moment. And it was an amazing moment for all citizens. When I saw the faces in the crowds in Chicago, New York, and all over, with the beautiful variations in skin tones and ages, I felt the true beauty of humanity. It made me cry over and over again. I am so proud of my fellow citizens…we are all Americans standing together from every background! And now we stand once again with the world. I am inspired and I feel like from today on, I can do anything. (smile)

Ballots and Shortages

Not a whole lot has been happening around here lately. I can’t believe it is October already. I walked up to the High Street here in the village today. It was a cloudy day for a bit and then it was really sunny, so it was a nice walk and it was good exercise, which I needed. :-) I went to pick up a couple of things at the grocery store and then bought a lottery scratch off ticket. I won £6. I felt rich! :-) So it was a profitable walk today.

When I got back, I was hoping the postman would have dropped off something for us, but we didn’t get anything. I am excitedly waiting for my absentee ballot to cast my vote in the election back home. I spoke with the election officials in my county back in Georgia last week and they had just mailed it out, so I hope that it comes this week. This will be my first time casting an absentee ballot. I have been registered to vote since I was eighteen and have always done my best to show up at the polls.

Over the last couple of years of living here, my life has been in a bit of an upheaval, as I have been settling in and getting my official papers in order. But now I am finally getting into a groove. These things take time I guess. So I will be casting my first absentee ballot this time around and it just feels great. :-) I hope that my ballot comes tomorrow.

In other news, I was talking to a friend on the phone the other day who is back in Georgia. She was telling me how bad it is there with trying to get gas. I watch the network news from back home pretty regularly and had heard about this, but it was even more vivid to me in hearing my friend’s account. She said that some places were out of gas and some still had a bit of gas. I come from an area that is a quite a few miles outside of Atlanta, and she said that the other day, she saw people coming off of the interstate out our way in droves, trying to get gas. It is bad. People are having to drive far out of their way to get gas for their cars. I commuted to work in Atlanta for years and this is just awful for a commuter town like Atlanta to be out of gas like that. People need to get to work now more than ever. I feel for them so much. It seems that the hurricanes are partly to blame from what I hear on the news.

It is hard to see so much turmoil going on back home with the gas shortages where I come from and all of the destruction of the hurricanes and all of the economic hardship. With the global economy of today, there are tough times here too. I just sincerely hope and pray for better days ahead for all of us.

Early Morning Viewing

Brit Boy and I have been watching the Democratic Convention this week and it has been once again interesting to experience things from back home along with him. I used to watch the conventions before I met him and he says that he saw bits and pieces on the news over the years. So we decided to check each night out together. We would tape it each night and then watched it the next evening.

For me, as an expat, it’s fun to keep up with what is going on back home and for Brit Boy, he is intrigued to know about things where I come from. Also, he is a big fan of the television show, “The West Wing”, so he likes political intrigue.

So for the last night of the convention, we decided to take a nap and then get back up to see the final speeches which were in the wee hours of the morning here. We both thought that it was great to witness Barack Obama accepting the nomination and giving his speech on the anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. It was a full circle moment. And to us, it was a great moment in the history of the United States for all people, just as it was history in Hillary Clinton’s case. For me and Brit Boy, we thought it was just great, whether you were a Democrat or Republican or Independent or of whatever color. It was simply a human moment.
I have no idea what the outcome will be, but it was great to watch the convention with my Brit Boy.