"Hiya" from London!

Well as most of you know, we have made it!  The flight went well.  John slept, I did not.  Just as expected.  We have settled (sort-of) into a 1 bedroom flat in West Hampstead.  We havent unpacked yet, because we hope to move into our more permanent flat in the next few days if we are lucky.  The dogs also arrived yesterday.  Seems like everything went well for them.  They were in good spirits when they arrived and acted just like normal.  Thank goodness!  Pet Relocation is a great company!  Worth every penny!

We are currently in the process of hunting for a flat!  A very tiring process!  We have seen about 15 properties at this point.  We have made an offer on two.  The first one did not go through, as far as we know, because the landlord was somewhat unreachable.  However, the letting agencies tend not to be too honest, so we don't know if they were just trying to get more money or not.  Either way they wouldn't give us a straight answer, so we've decided to walk away.  It was too good to be true anyways because it is literally 2 doors down and would have been the easiest move of all time.  We did, however, find another place that we really like today and have put in an offer.  It seems promising.  The landlord is at least reachable and seems to like American renters. (They told us this by saying "not to kiss your bums, but the landlord likes American renters") Their words, not ours.  So we are hoping for a good call back soon!  This place has two bedrooms with on suite full bathrooms, a FULL SIZE fridge (hard to come by) and a very nice garden out back for the doggies. 

Other than flat hunting, it already feels like this is home for a while.  Doesn't feel like a vacation when you're flat hunting.  We spent a day with the friends we met on our honeymoon from London.  We had a really good time.  We went to a couple "pubs" and they tried to explain the difference between a pub and a bar but we still don't get it.  They love their beer gardens here.  Simply a patio where you can have a pint or two, with heaters when its cold.  Doesn't matter that its 40 degrees out....everyone is still out there!

We have walked to get our groceries and the grocery store was very interesting.  We looked like fish out of water the first time I'm sure.  Mainly because you don't recognize any of the brands and if you want a pound of beef you need to know how much that is in grams.  Good learning experience I suppose.

We also live very close to Hampstead...within walking distance and also our current favorite place...which is where all the famous people live (Tim Burton, Helena Bonham Carter, Ricky Gervais, Hugh Grant, Brad Pitt....to name a few)  I'm on a hunt for Hugh Grant.  I'll keep you posted.

Now before I sign off a list of words that they use instead of our American word:
Living Room = Reception Room
Back Yard = Garden
Stove = Hob
Apartment = Flat
Married Couple = Partners
Weiner Dog = Sausage Dog
Zuchinni = Courgette
Yellow Squash = ?  (Said they've never heard of it)
Couch Decor Pillows = Cushions
Metro = Underground or Tube

More updates soon!  Cheers!

Below is a picture of the beer garden we went to.  This pub (The Flask) is over 300 years old.
Also a picture of the doggies the night they arrived.  So tired! (yes, I have a New Kids on the Block shirt on)

Tomorrow is the Day!

Well, we are finally all packed and just awaiting that time.  10 p.m. tomorrow we board the plane to our new home!  It is very weird to think about and I don't think it has set in for either of us.  Maybe when we get there?  Maybe a month from now...who knows!

Packing was somewhat of a challenge, considering you have to fit your entire life into a few bags.  However, our bags are very large bags as you can see.  When you think that we've packed our whole lives into those bags,  I guess they aren't so big anymore.  We ended up with four duffle bags, 1 smaller bag, and 2 snowboards as checked baggage. We also have 1 carry on roller suitcase a piece.  Somehow we did it.

I'm so glad we got to see most everyone before we left at one point or another.  We will miss all of you terribly while we are gone, but hopefully it will be a chance for most of you to see another part of the world!

My next post will be from London!  Cheers!

Packing for a 2 year "holiday" in London

We have started to pack for our big move across the pond to London!  Only one small problem has presented itself.  How do you pack for two years?  It's not the type of move where you load up a moving truck and take everything you own, which seems quite a bit easier at the moment, but instead we have to pack just enough, but not too much.  Whatever that means.  We plan to take only clothes, pictures, and tolietries.  The hairdryer, curling iron, and straightener are staying behind, right along with their American plugs.  We both have two army sized duffle bags and a carry-on suitcase.  Anything that doesn't fit in those while staying below 75lbs is out of luck.

Another exciting challenge are these white puppies, who will become highly refined British dogs, and their journey across the sea.  We received their crates and set them up right away, complete with two little food and water bowls.  For anyone that knows Levi...let's take a vote:  Will he notice he has food and water or will he be solely concerned with the fact that he doesn't see his mom ANYWHERE?  Poor angels.  We have hired a company to transport them from our doorstep in Virginia to our doorstep in London.  Great service and worth the high price tag...as long as they don't end up in quarantine.  Fingers crossed.

We fly out the night of November 7th and arrive the morning of November 8th.  It will be 5am in the U.S and in our heads when we land, but the city of London will already be up and bustling about.  Yay! We plan to go straight to our temporary flat with all of our luggage and get checked in. Next we will head for John's new office to pick up his cell phone and then on to get my new iphone 4s!  Can't stay off the map long, with a Facebook addiction like mine. From there, we walk.  To where....we do not know, but we figured that will probably be a usual thing for us.  The next day we plan to take the double decker bus tour, just to sightsee and get our bearings.

As for now, we will finish saying our goodbyes to all of our friends and family. This weekend our dearest best friends are throwing us a going away party with a most fitting theme: British Halloween!  Only pictures can explain how genius it will be. Next week I will be flying to Indiana to see my family, while John finishes up at work.  And then...we are off!

Until then!  I mean....Cheers!

Levi and Briggs "testing" out their airline seats.