Mind the Gap

For whatever reason I have really been missing London over the last week. On any given day I think of London or something in Europe at least three times but this last week it has been consuming my mind. There are so many good memories that I have from our crazy days across Europe so I decided to compile a list of my four favorite places to go in London.

(I just looked back over my blog and I saw that I already reminisced about London in one entry but I'm going to do it again because it is my blog and you don't have to read it if you don't want to.)

1. O'Neill's (Wardour Street)- In our first days of coming to London, we discovered that nearly every pub/bar closed at 11:30 because that was when the last tube ran. We were so disappointed until a bartender recommended O'Neill's because it stayed open until 4 am. Oh man if I had a nickle for every Strongbow I had at this place, I would have enough to fly back to London and live for a month. Though it was tricky at first because we didn't know how to use the bus system, O'Neill's provided us some much needed practice. To this day I can read a bus map, no matter how drunk I am. This was the host of some of the best nights out that I've ever had. We met tons of great people from all over the world and this was where I got my first raspberry to the cheek (eww!). 


2. Caffe Forum (Gloucester Road)- We probably hit up this amazing coffee shop at least 4 times a week. They have fabulous pizza for like £3 its thin and delicious. They also have the most amazing chocolate cake and if you ask them really nice they will microwave it and add ice cream to it, just ignore the look that says they think you are crazy. The original draw to this place was the fact that they were open 24 hours and we could come here after a crazy night at O'Neill's. By the end of our trip they not only knew us but they knew how we liked our pizza and how we like ice cream with our cake and had a pretty good idea if we were drunk or not.


3. The Muffin Man (Wright's Lane) You thought I was going to say Drury Lane didn't you? This is one of the most charming places that I visited while I was in London. It is in Kensington and though it doesn't look like much on the outside it is SO CUTE! They have delicious sandwiches, great tea (I hear) and absolutely amazing cupcakes!


4. Eclipse (Old Brompton Road) This was the swankiest bar I've ever been to. They have delicious cocktails that taste more like candy than alcohol, but they give you the feeling of alcohol. This is a great place to go and have one drink, however, we had like 20 between the five of us so things got a little expensive. I would totally recommend this bar for a special occasion!

Some are Gold.

I think back to the decision I made not so long ago to go to a little Christian college over 5 hours away from home. I hardly knew anyone and I was not used to being so far from my family. It was without a doubt the boldest decision I have made in my life (so far) and ironically, one of the most worthwhile.

I think back to the couple of weeks in Birmingham. I was very fortunate to meet someone that I could call a friend within a half-hour of my parents unloading my stuff and heading for home. I think back to those terrifying days of wondering if I was going to have to eat every meal alone, or spend every night in my single dorm room. Those were some dark days. However, it didn't last for long, soon I was going through rush and meeting people that were a lot like me. However, someone came creeping into my life and on day one, I never knew that she was going to change me forever.

Apparently, when Kelley first met me she thought I was weird. Luckily, I make great second impressions and she was willing to change her mind. Isn't that usually how it goes though? It always seems like the people I write off first are always the ones I end up

closest to. I feel like maybe there's a lesson there but I don't care to read too much into it. So anyways, we met through mutual friends, did not hit it off, rushed, joined the same sorority and the rest is history. Okay it's not quite that simple but that is a quick synopsis of our friendship.

Kelley is the first friend I've ever had the nerve to fight with. This is really saying something for someone who rarely is willing to yell and fight. Kelley and I have really had our share of doozies. My favorite is when we booked an airport hotel in Munich thinking it would be in a good location to catch an early flight, but realized that we actually booked it near the wrong airport. Who was to blame was unclear. And there wasn't a whole lot to be done about it besides booking a new flight. However, a good 15 minutes of yelling was necessary, probably just so that I could tell the story now. 

Kelley and I have been all over the world together. Ten countries, in fact. We have traveled over 10 hours on a plane together. Oh Lord, that was rough! Kelley was constantly screaming at me to sit still, stop talking, let her sleep. I followed Kelley around London from about 6 pm to about 6 am while she made me go to "all the best clubs". Then had to try to sober her up enough to get on the tube so we could go greet her family. Yeah good times. We traveled to Italy, just the two of us, walked through the streets of Venice and Rome, lived off pizza and wine, and slept behind the desk of a hotel.

Though I am not with her all the time like I used to be, when she used to sleep on my futon or I would sleep in her roommate's bed without her knowing (sorry Lauren!), I feel like when we get together, it is like nothing has ever changed. We talk nearly everyday, get together about once a month and vent about everything going on in our now-separate lives.

This weekend I am going to Birmingham to see Kelley and I'm sure we are going to have a rockin' time. We have big plans for karaoke, step sing, shopping and maybe, if I'm drunk enough, the Beiber Movie. I cannot wait!!!!!



Oh and it should be noted that I have consistently blogged three days in a row now. That's really impressive.

A Challenge

This past weekend, I have spent countless hours on Facebook. It truly amazes me how much of a time zapper that stupid website is, not that I have any intention of cutting back my facebook time. One of the more recent things that i have seen that I found interesting was this crazy 30 Day Picture Challenge. Now I am usually not one to jump on any bandwagons, especailly when it comes to facebook (i.e. Farmville, event week status, ect.) but I decided this is something that I would really like to do. However, so as not to completely fall into the crowd and clog up everybody's newsfeed, I am choosing to do it on my blog, because quite frankly you don't have to read it.

I am not making any promises about being completely consistent with this everyday deal. I am a little unreliable when it comes to my blogs (this was really brought to my attention when I logged on and saw that the last time I even thought about blogging was the beginning of January) but I do promise to give it my best shot. So here goes nothing...

Natural Science Museum in Cardiff, Wales

Apparently on day one I am supposed to post a picture of myself and ten random facts about myself. Hmmm,,,

1. I want to be a nurse that works with babies (NICU or Labor and Delivery) because I adore babies.
2. I was named after my greatmama Emma and I share my middle name with my mommy.
3. The best five months of my life was when I lived in London with my best friends and traveled all over Europe.
4. I currently live with two of the greatest women I know.
5. I am a very picky eater. I do not like any food that is green and I am very suspicious of all meat.
6. I have been obsessed with the Sims for over half of my life.
7. I love butterflies because I think they are beautiful but also because they are associated with Coldplay concerts.
8. I am addicted to Dr. Pepper. I have to have one everyday by about 2:30 pm or my head goes crazy.
9. I am easily bored and constantly looking for something extraordinary to do.
10. The most important thing about me is that I am a child of God and he has saved my soul more than once.

Okay well day one complete. I will be back tomorrow.

Oh the Memories!

I am so excited for Thanksgiving!!!! Only three more days and I will be home, lounging on my fabric couch (as opposed to my pleather one) with my dog Daisy in my lap and my mom in the chair next to me. I was thinking today about how weird it will be having Thanksgiving dinner because it has been two years since I last sat around the table eating turkey and my mom's fruit salad.

Last year Kelley and I were in Rome. We were having a blast but with it being the end of our semester in London, and our last major trip, we were only eating one meal a day. I can't remember exactly what I ate for Thanksgiving in Europe but I'm pretty sure, it was probably cheese pizza and maybe some red wine. Maybe if I was feeling extravagant, it was something very Italian, like gnocci. It was delicious but not being in Owensboro wrapped up in a sweater, eating turkey and watching football, really contributed to the homesickness that I was already feeling at that point in the semester.

I cannot believe that it has already been over a year since I lived in London. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about all the amazing things I saw and did while I was there. There are days where I miss it so much that I think, that my life may have peaked during that amazing semester. But I also think back to those days where towards the end of the trip where I wanted nothing more than to come back to America, see my family and eat Mexican food. Isn't it funny how no matter where you are, you always wish for something else. I've learned that I am never satisfied.

I miss always having something to do, no matter what time of day or day of the week it is. I miss riding the tube and being able to go anywhere without having to deal with bad drivers. I miss going to O'Neals with the girls, and being known as "those crazy American girls". I miss Cafe Forum and the chocolate cake that they served with ice cream, even though they thought that was crazy. I miss the endless shopping at super cheap places like Primark and H&M. I miss paying $16 for an airplane ticket to a country that I never in a million years thought I'd set foot in, such as Norway. I miss living with Kelley and Lew and Emily and Libby. Sometimes I even miss being forced to go to boring museums. There are so many things that I miss every single day, but what is even sadder, is the thought that if I ever went back, maybe even to live, it would never be the same. I would never be able party every day without a care in the world except for 2 pm class the next day.

I've pretty much decided that no matter where I go in life, I am always going to miss the past. However, instead of being discouraged by this, I feel hopeful. Whenever I think that the best days are behind me, I am blessed with whole new experiences and even better memories. So for now, I am going to focus on getting through the next three days until I get to go home and I will be anxiously waiting for the next great thing to come.