Oh the sights of my lovely city........

Anniversay of Sorts....

So today marks the day that I received my papers to become an official resident of the UK. I remember being so elated at the news that I would soon be heading off to London, and finally living out that little dream I had tucked away so long ago. A year later I am sitting in my London flat still elated at this amazing opportunity that I have been given. My year in London has been so amazing. It has been filled with ups and downs, but mostly ups. I have met the most amazing people in the world. Have made friendships that will last a life time, and through this all I have become a better person. I have had the opportunity to learn so much here not just at LSHTM, but also through my travels. I have seen the world in my time in London, and I am not sure I would have ever been able to otherwise. I feel very fortunate for this opportunity and look forward to many happy returns to London after I say goodbye, because I do not think London and I will ever say goodbye we will only say farewell and until next time because London to me is my second home, and without this opportunity I do not think I would be the person I am today. This experience is mine and mine alone and I am grateful for that, all the missteps and opportunities were all created by me, and I have loved every second of it. So here is to the celebration of the happiest year of my life, and to many more to come, because this is just the beginning of the journey that I call my wonderful life!

Is it LOVE, or the best friend you ever had...

I often find myself thinking of when I will be able to find true love. I have not been very lucky in love as a matter of fact I am probably extra ordinarily unlucky in love. I do not know why, but perhaps that is just the way it goes. However, this year I have discovered love, a very unconventional form of love, the kind of love that you want to hold close to you. No its not the person that I am going to marry, nor a person I am dating, but an amazing person who has opened my heart to the possibilities of finding that love. This person showed me through small actions everyday, that I was special, that I am worth love, and that I can make someone happy. I guess sometimes we just never know where that true love will be nor in what form that love will come in, but sometimes you find this love, and although it may not be what you were looking for it is just what you needed to be able to find the happiness that you deserve and the happiness to make you see that although things may not be the way you want them to be right now that love is just around the corner in the most mysterious of ways.....Thank you for making me feel again, and for opening my heart to the possibilities of life and love all over again, you will forever hold a special place in my heart!

The Lost of An American Icon....RIP Ted Kennedy

An inspiration to many especially to me! "Ted might have gone early. In 1964 he was dragged, critically injured, from the wreckage of a plane crash. Had he died that day, he too would have remained forever young and dashing. No Chappaquiddick, no divorce, no boozy indiscretions. But also no antiapartheid campaign, no Americans with Disabilities Act, no Family and Medical Leave Act. Ted Kennedy survived to the ripe age of 77 and in the process brought the family saga full circle, back to the vital, urgent, messy clutch of the real. Back to America, a land of common people, not of princelings, where even our marble monuments celebrate lives molded from clay."

and this is how I got on the hogworts express....

Harry Potter Fans....

Now y'all take a good look at where I was this weekend...wait for it wait for it...........................................................................










Hogworts Express....

Cafe Kick...

Its not often that I take to my blog to make recommendations, but last night I went to one of the best bars in London, with the best homemade sangria. The sangria to my surprise was made to order so I had no expectations about how good it would be until I had a sip, then I was converted. So if you are looking for a place to go relax, play some table football, and enjoy time with friends, then I recommend that you go over to Farringdon, and visit Cafe Kick...i had a great time!

Loves NYC but London has STOLEN my HEART!

I absolutely love cities. Everything about cities just makes me happy, the sites, the sounds, the culture, the people. There is nothing better then a big city to make you see just how wonderful life can really be. London to be absolutely the most amazing city I have ever lived in. I mean I love NYC don't get me wrong. It is the city that never sleeps, however, London just grows on you, like a broken in pair of jeans. You just can never leave home without them, and nothing makes you feel or look quite right if they are missing, that is how I feel about London. I just love how when you are here, you just feel right at home. No matter if you are here for a week, a month, or a year. It is just absolutely a wonderful city. I know there are many people who come to London, who may not feel the love I feel for this place, but I think if given a chance just about anyone can fall in love. From Big Ben, to the Tower Bridge, to changing of the guard, there are just somethings that if you are not here you just can never experience, the pomp and circumstance knows no limits. I know that London will not be my home forever, but the one thing that I know is that it will always hold a special place in my heart...

Donate for a good cause.....

Hey everyone,

One of my very very very good friends an amazing guy who has made my year in London thus far more then amazing will be cycling across Africa, all for a good cause. Please, Please if you can donate to his cause, this is an amazing undertaking, and he is going at it alone, with his bike, two racks full of supplies, and water. Just wanted to give him a shout out, and hopefully get him some donations. He leaves Sunday, and I wish him all of the best and will miss him tons!
Below is a link to where you can donate, and a link to his blog so you can follow his adventures.

http://www.justgiving.com/stephendorey/ (donate)

http://veloxsolo.blogspot.com/ (blog)

Happy and Thankful!

For all those sweet messages, flowers, cards, phone calls, and coffee breaks....i love love love my absolutely amazing friends....

London, London, and more London

So the year mark is quickly approaching to the day that I set foot onto this lovely country, and city called London. It has been the most amazing experience ever. To be able to live in another country, to see Europe, but most of all to meet the most amazing, smart, and talented individuals on this side of the globe. So there are no complaints. When I first moved here I would watch shows like SATC and think about the times I spent in NYC, I would think about my friends, and I would think about how great and amazing the city is. Well now I feel the same way about London, because it really and truly has become a second home to me. For example last night I was taking a break from crazy dissertation writing and saw Notting Hill, one of my all time favorites, and as I was watching the scenes in that movie I could pinpoint places, and think of experiences that I have had there. I think of my days of shopping at Portebllo Market, and my wild goose chase trying to find the blue door and the garden that Julia Roberts sat in. This city just grows on you, the people grow on you (well as long as they are not pushing you and giving you a black eye) and the way of life grows on you. I think of my time here, and think about when I leave here how sad I will be and how every time I watch a movie or show that highlight London, how I will miss it. How I will miss the life I had here, and how I will miss the friends, I have made, but most of all I will miss the person that I was here, the down-to-earth fly by the seat of my pants girl that I became, the girl that thinks that she can do anything. I hope that the person I have become translates when I go back to the bring you down, tear you up and spit you out city that is NYC or any big city in the U.S., but at the end of the day I have to go home, as much as I love my life here, I love my family more......but until then, I will bask in the life and the place that is London. I will enjoy every second... and I will be grateful for the wonderful opportunities that I have had in life and for this once in a life time experience. So I am over and out to enjoy the sunshine of London, while its still her!