Home, James!

Finally, I have arrived in Jolly Old England! I'm starting to get settled in, but complete assimilation is yet to come!

Day One - Tuesday, Sept. 12
We arrived at Heathrow about a half hour late due to nasty weather in Chicago. Immigration was a breeze, and we soon found ourselves driving on the WRONG side of the road on a bus to Uxbridge. After arriving in Uxbridge we had to haul all our suitcases up the hill about 4 or 5 blocks home. My shoulders have barely recovered.

After settling in a bit, we went grocery shopping at Sainsbury's. Sounds so very, very posh! More later on grocery shopping in Britain.

Day Two - Wednesday, Sept. 13
After sleeping until nearly 1pm, we managed to haul ourselves out of bed in time to take a walk in the park and have dinner at an English pub. Note that English pubs are not like American bars. "Pub" is short for "public house". It is a gathering place for locals to eat dinner, have a pint, and chat. People of all ages are welcome. It's more like a cozy, casual restaurant than a bar.

Day Three - Thursday, Sept. 14
Went to sightsee in Central London. The weather left a bit to be desired, but we stopped by Sherlock Holmes' place in Baker Street, saw the Queens house, visited some ducks and geese in Regents' Park, strolled along the Thames and sniffed the roses in Mary's Rose Garden. Marco wore me out completely. One of these days I'll try and get the pictures posted.

Day Four - Friday, Sept. 15
Braved the mall on my own today. Bought a bathmat (towels on the floor simply are NOT acceptable) and a water filter pitcher (the water leaves a good deal to be desired). Stopped in at a job placement agency to see what I needed to get signed up. In the evening we went to the gym (3 blocks away) to get me signed up. I have my first workout with a trainer tomorrow!

Day Five - Saturday, Sept. 16
Managed to roll out of bed at 10 today. Keep in mind, my body was convinced it was 2am. Today is email and blog day. Except that I am having blog issues, so will get this posted at a later date.

Some time later.... (October 22)
I am finally getting my blog posted. Sorry no pictures. I'll have to work on that later.

The Bride Wore Black

Because I can't do anything like a normal person, I simply chose a dress I loved, rather than the traditional white (blech) or pastel (double blech) colors normally selected by brides. After all, white bridal gowns have only been in vogue for about 100 years or so. Before that, brides wore their nicest dress, whatever the color. I made the right choice of dress for me, and I think the pictures agree!

I was so thrilled with how our wedding went. Everything turned out just as I wanted it... the cakes were particularly fun! All the colors of the flowers and the beautiful silver tea set of Granny's, so perfect! And thanks so much to everyone that helped and everyone that was there. You all helped to make our day so very special!