THE Football World Championship Game

...otherwise know as the Super Bowl.

This year, the Super Bowl coincided with Simon's birthday, and weeks before the Seattle Seahawks even made it into the playoffs, we decided to host a Super Bowl Birthday Extravaganza (cue echo..).

Well, as luck would have it (though really, we all know it was skill!), not only did the Seahawks make it to the Super Bowl, but it was a crushing victory.

Simon was granted a birthday wish that probably any 12 year old birthday boy in Seattle would want-and had a grand time while doing it.  He's seen a Super Bowl before (even if it meant having to stay awake until 3am in London...), but whether you're an expat (of either the local or national sense), or a Seattle native...Sunday was pretty special.  And not just because he looked better in the wig than I did!

Keep Calm and Cheer on Wilson

Showing our 12th Man Pride

Crisis Averted

As incredibly knowledgeable as Simon is about American culture/pop culture/history/politics, I often forget that he is not 'of' this country.  There are subtleties that can be lost on him-and I usually don't recognize this until said subtlety is indeed lost.

Take the below photo.  After 18 months, we finally got around to uploading the first photos from our road trip that started in July 2012.  Anyhoo...after uploading this picture, Simon decided to post the picture on Facebook, and simply comment about where the photo was taken (Faith, NC...yes: Faith), and the occasion (July 4).

July 4th

Hours later, when I was pottering on FB, I noticed this photo was posted on his timeline without any commentary (namely...something about the irony of us posing in front of a Rebel flag on July 4th, it being the wrong flag, oh-look how odd...something.  anything).  And, I had a minor meltdown.  Perhaps I was being a bit too sensitive, but I freaked out realizing that my friends (of many different races) would see this posting of us in front of this flag-and think the worst.  What I observed (mid-meltdown) was that Simon really didn't understand my reaction.  And...this was a learning moment for me.  So, I had to explain the origin of my freak, and ask him to either comment on the photo to provide some context, or untag me.  He gamely did this (phew. crisis averted), but I could tell that there was a bit of surprise (confusion?  something else?) from him in the conversation.

Note to self:  no more pictures in front of Rebel flags....

Aloha, Hey Y'all, and Ainngai

That's 'hello' in Hawaii, the South, and Alaska (Inuit).

I often forget how diverse this country is-which is really sad, when I consider that I drove from North Carolina to Washington State not even 18 months ago.  But...I do.

Simon and I have done a fair amount of travel in the US this year-and explicitly tried to tick off a few states he hasn't been to-Alaska and Hawaii-both of which are fairly convenient to reach from Seattle.  Throw in a trip to the South to go visit family...and we've covered a fair amount of geographic and cultural diversity in this country this year.

I've been to Alaska numerous times, and Hawaii once previously-so I knew what to expect in terms of the topography, people, food, weather...everything. But, I couldn't help but be struck by Simon's reaction as we got stuck into these places this past year (most recently, just last month)-and observe the wonder with which he looks at the US sometimes.  By hopping on a flight for a few hours to go to a different state-it can very much be like travelling to a different country.

Sometimes I think that being married to Simon must be what it's like to have a child-and constantly be forced to look at something thru the the eyes of never seeing or experiencing it before-and I am infinitely thankful for the forcing function.  The list of these firsts hasn't gone down in the past 18 months, only evolved.  I'm sure it will continue to evolve in 2014, and I really look forward to seeing something I've already seen before thru a fresh pair of eyes.

(kicks self for taking US for granted)

Finding My Voice

Simply put, I've not been very active on my blog for the past year-effectively, since I returned to the US.  Which, considering the premise of my blog ('an expat in London'....), makes sense.  I loved writing my blog when I was in London, but since moving back, didn't feel like I had much of a voice any longer-or at least a voice that would be true to the nature of my blog.

However...it's dawned on me over the past several months how different my life is now because I was "an expat in London."  Without stating the obvious, I would have never met Simon, and the hundreds of thousands of moments that have happened in my life with and because of him would never have been.  I've had a true 'Sliding Doors' epiphany.  While it seems like these moments would be less and less after returning to the US, the reality is-they aren't.  The experiences we have had this past year (more on that in the upcoming weeks...), and even just today continue to remind me every day just how different my life is because of my life in London-and because of Simon.  And, I want to capture this sentiment while I remember.

So, I have decided to pick up my blog again.  The first few posts will be more detail on what I alluded to above.  Some posts may be mundane (oh the joys of getting Simon a bank account...).  Some posts will talk about what is truly life altering (his 10-year Green Card application is now a work in process. yikes).

But, at the least, I will try to continue to be true to the original purpose of my blog:  what life is like due to me being an Expat in London.  Admittedly, the blog will now be a bit of a "PS", but I think I still have something to say.  If for no other reason then selfishly, when I am 80-and can barely remember if I took my bran tablets in the morning-I'll have this blog to remind me of these experiences.

So, for those of you that by some miracle continue to stumble upon my blog anew...and if there is anyone still out there who may still have me in your reader...stay tuned-and thanks for stopping by.

Back to the Homeland

After 1 year and (what will be...) 29 days, Simon will return to the mother ship for the first time since departure.

I am incredibly excited for him to be able to go home and see friends and family-and experience the sense of familiar that he will surely feel by being back in London.

I wonder if he's truly prepared however, for what has changed-both in London, and him.  I recall that there was a tipping point for me that made me feel less familiar with the US and more familiar with London-almost a comfort level.  I don't know if this will be the trip for Simon-it is just the first year after all, but it has been a year, so he's probably quite settled in the 'American-ness' of his life already.

This should be interesting.

Happy American Birthday

Happy American Birthday, to my incredible husband. 

One year ago today, you landed in the US, and started a new chapter in your life. I hope you've had as much fun the past year as I have.  It's been a continuous series of firsts, and there are plenty more to be had!

A Season of Firsts

It's safe to say, I now know what it must be like to be the parent of a small child...Since our time back in the US, and presuming it isn't permanent, I am keen to chase as many First Time Experiences as possible-for both Simon & I, though mainly for Simon.

To wit:  This year alone, in no particular order, Simon has:

• Filed his first US tax return
• Attended opening night for the Seattle Mariners (a first for me as well)
• Joined a softball league, and played two games.  Which led to...
• Visiting the emergency room-just this week..Simon fractured a bone in his arm after falling at said Softball game on Sunday.  OK. That one we didn't 'chase.'
• Played a game of kickball.  Only one game, unfortunately-due to the aforementioned arm, he will be playing no more.
• Purchased a house
• Observed just *how many* prescription drug commercials are on TV (it's not legal to do so in the UK)
• Started to  just a *little bit*) enjoy drinking an IPA

...and that's just the big stuff.  We do however, still have a few boxes to tick.  Like:

• Learning how to drive
• ..and with that knowledge, getting a drivers license.  Just in case.
• Visiting Alaska and Hawaii (we'll tick these boxes before the end of the year.  woo!)

What else?   What other first time experiences (parents?  Expats?...) should we be chasing for Simon?

My First Date in London-Update

Five years later...I'd still say that first date was pretty darned good.

Familiar yet Foreign

Back in London for a little over 24 hours.

It's GREAT to be back!  But, it's also a bit strange...I'm staying in a hotel, not my home. I've thusfar interacted with people I didn't know when I lived here (ie new colleagues), and I'm staying & working in a part of town (Camden) that I barely spent half a day in when I lived here.

Oh, and Simon isn't here.  I don't know London without Simon; we met the 4th day after I arrived; on the flip side...Seattle without me now must be a bit odd for Simon.

Everything feels familiar, yet oddly foreign all at the same time.

London Bound!

In less than 48 hours, I will be back in London for 2 weeks for business.

I've had this trip planned for several months now, and was feeling rather mixed emotions about the trip-somewhat because I'd be going solo (and haven't been in London the past 5 years without Simon), and somewhat because business travel (especially when dealing with a red-eye flight and 8 hours of jet lag) is hard.

But, I've started reaching out to friends and setting up dinners and drinks. And dinners and drinks.  And, more drinks...and find that I'm actually quite excited now at the prospect!

Oddly too, I find that there are a few things on the 'shopping list' that I'm keen to pick up while there-that I can't find here in the US.   So, my behavior the previous 5 years when going to and coming from the US with an empty suitcase to stock up on is about to be repeated-but in reverse.

I'm looking forward to walking around again and taking the tube as my primary mode of transport.  The things I used to complain about the most (well, at least the tube..) are now currently part of what I'm looking forward to. 

Oh, and Lebanese food.  Lots and lots of Lebanese food!

Through The Eyes of Others

I think I've mentioned a few of the observations (drivers, portions, etc) Simon has made past few months in the US.

His latest observation-well, flat out surprise, is over the H&R Block TV Adverts that are now playing in full rotation in prime-time.  As someone who has only ever lived in a country where the concept of actively completing a return is reserved only for those who have the most complicated of taxes, it is blowing his mind that everyone-including the most average of households are expected to submit a paper return to the IRS. Hee..

On the flip side of the coin, I've an acquaintance who just landed in London a few days ago for an expat assignment, and I have just seen some of her first Facebook posts about her experiences.  It's bringing back a flood of memories for me, and I can't help but feel a little envious of her new & exciting experience.  

London-life is especially fresh on my mind as I'll be heading there in a few weeks for work-and I'm so
excited (oh, the irony...)-and also a little sad to know that my experience will be temporary (oh, the irony).  I couldn't be happier in Seattle, but I have pangs for London every now and then.

I guess that is what the norm is for me now...

Settled in Seattle

It only took 2.5 months, but I think it's safe to say, we now feel settled in Seattle.  Whew.

I'm really surprised at how long it took-considering we had a place to live, and I'd been thru the process of setting life up here once before-so for example, I knew which mobile provider, cable provider, energy provider...etc..to use.  Plus, we've had the added flexibility of having someone at home during the work week to manage some of the small appointments (Simon starts his new job next week).
It's especially surprising when I reflect back to how long it took to feel settled in London (3 months), and how frustrating and tiring it was dealing with the endless to-do list. It was the exact same feeling here.  This past weekend was literally the first weekend since we arrived in Seattle (August 31st) that I actually felt like I could sit down and relax-and not continue to think about the things that needed to be done...largely, because the list is now done!

Admittedly, it wasn't until 2 weeks ago before our goods from London arrived (we had them packed for shipment in mid-May...don't get me started...), and it wasn't until 10 days ago that the couch & chair that we bought in North Carolina in July arrived (we'd literally been using an air mattress as a 'couch'), and I know that was a large contributor to the feeling.  But even 'stuff' aside, the settling in process has been considerable.

Moving back has been one constant surprise after another.  I guess I should simply add this one to the list too!

Cross Country Trip Pictures

Better late than never, right? Two months and countless nagging requests to Simon after we finished our trip, and all of the photos have now been uploaded and tagged.  Phew.

I was just having a flip thru, because I thought it would be a good idea to post one trip from each state we visited-then I realized that would be difficult for the last half of the trip where we were in 3,4,5...cities per state.  Then I thought I'd post one picture per stop.  And realize that sometimes we didn't take many pictures-and some times we took a hundred (hello, Grand Canyon!).  So...I give up. I'm just going to post the good ones-and try to keep it to under 50 pictures.  Kidding...No, I probably should try to keep it under 50. :)

Feels like this trip was years ago-not months ago.  Especially as I look at the warm climates, sun, tans, and short sleeves that seem to be the constant in each picture.  Sigh.  Oh well. Summer in Seattle is only a mere 9 months away (it rarely gets 'summery' here before July 4...).

Anyhoo, hope y'all  enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I just did.  Blogger isn't being very friendly to the picture upload, so the first pictures are actually the middle of the trip.  When you get to the Gold Cost, OR picture, the photos flip to the first part of the trip starting in Charleston, SC...Sorry for the confusion.  Grr.

Going local in Austin, TX

MEAT-Salt Lick (Austin, TX)

Roswell, NM..in case it isn't obvious

Central square-Santa Fe, NM

Mud bath at Ojo Caliente, NM

Tinkertown -Sandia Park, NM

Albequerque Isotopes

Painted Dessert-Petrified Forrest National Park

The very Grand Canyon

Gazing out over the Grand Canyon 

On the road to Sedona, AZ

Sunset in Sedona, AZ 

Proof that the Monster Chicken lives...

Santa Cruz, CA

How Wine Tasting should be-CA

Chandler Tree-Leggett, CA

Redwood National Forest-Humboldt, CA

Gold Coast, OR

Charleston, SC

Savannah, GA-Birthplace of  Girl Scouts

With old friends (and new) in Hilton Head, SC

Atlanta, GA

Rockin' on the front porch at Jack's house: Lynchburg, TN

Walking in Memphis..Beale Street

I'm going to Graceland!

Stax Recording Studio-Memphis, TN

Lobby of Shack Up Inn-Clarksdale, MS

Back 'yard' at Shack Up Inn

Bonnie C, Simon, Mr. Crawford-Oxford, MS

Cemetary behind Faulkner's 'marriage church'

Walking the tracks in Clarksdale, MS

Nawleans

St Louis Cemetery 1-NOLA

St Louis Cemetery 1-NOLA

Things I Miss About London-Part 2

I can't believe I'm about to say this...

I miss having milk for my tea provided to me in the office.

Yep.  There it is.  I said it.

This Southern American misses having milk for her tea.

Heels!

I mentioned on my blog at some point several years ago that anything greater than a 1-inch heel in London was just a baaad idea. 

Well, times have a-changed being back in the US & driving everywhere (the one upside to driving everywhere...).

In fact, the very wedge shoes I referenced in my blog are currently sitting on my feet at work.

Heels on my feet for the first time in 4.5 years.   It's the small things in life... 

Last Leg of the Trip

Where did the time go?!?!?  I've been back in Seattle for 2 weeks, and it seems like references to our trip-especially the earliest parts-are for a trip that happened years ago, not weeks ago.  Sigh.  I think real life has settled in again.

Before too much more time passes by, I want to get details down for the last leg of the trip.  In some ways, it was my favorite part of the trip, and fortunately, given the proximity of this area to Seattle, comprises the easiest places on the trip to pop back to for a weekend away from Seattle.

Stats since the last update
20 days.  2500 miles.  3 States.  Cities visited: Sedona, AZ; Scottsdale, AZ; Palm Springs, CA; Venice, CA; Santa Barbara, CA: Santa Cruz, CA; San Francisco, CA; Sonoma, CA; Eureka, CA; Gold Beach, OR; Newport, OR; Astoria, OR; Portland, OR.

Highlights...Sedona was a godsend-both the beauty of the scenery, and we stayed in an "AirBNB" type condo that had a kitchen-so, we got to cook!.  All of the Wineries we stopped at along the way were lovely-some better than others...Fess Parker was incredible, and our last winery (sadly, the name currently escapes me), was simple perfection in the setting and experience.  Astoria -and well, any of the Oregon Coast cities-are all hidden gems that I can't wait to return to during weekend trips from Seattle.

Lowlights...really just one...Santa Cruz. The one place on the trip that, hindsight 20/20, I wish we hadn't stayed in.  After booking the hotel, we were unfortunately 'locked in' for 2 days. The town is 'meh', and our hotel was..to be brutally honest (if not a bit kind...) was a shit hole.  Yes, a shit hole.  I've never used that phrase to refer to a hotel before.  Until now.  Santa Cruz is very expensive, but you'd think that for ~$150 a night, you'd get something in which you didn't feel the need to wear socks while walking on the carpet in your room.  Ew.  Oh well..now we know!

So, that's it.  That's the trip-a trip of a lifetime.  All told, we travelled 7700 miles across 13 States and 29 cities.  We started the trip Sunday, July 15 in Charleston, SC, and arrived in Seattle on Friday, August 31.  48 days.  Whew.

It's good to get settled in to Seattle (well, as settled as we can be without our stuff from London yet..), but I could have easily done another 2-3 weeks of the trip.  I start a new job on Monday, but hopefully in another 3-4 years, we'll have the opportunity to take some time off and do the northern route from Seattle to NYC!

I'm sorting thru pictures now.  Once we've been thru-and noted everything-I'll do a pictures post.  Should happen next weekend-it's Simon's task this week to tag the pictures. :)

Things I Miss About London

Two Random things while thinking about it...

1.  Not that this one should be a surprise, but I miss not having to worry about drinking and driving. I miss having public transport as an easy option to get me home after being out in the evening and having more than a couple of drinks.
As a result, I'm keeping myself fairly sober.  Or sadly, am just drinking in the hotels... ;)

2.  I miss English public loos-and the privacy they afforded.  Proper walls that went to the ceiling and to the floor.  Proper doors that didn't have 2 inches of space in-between the door and the wall.
American public toilets...#fail.  I'd never realized how massive the lack of privacy was when you went to use one (even on trips back here..), but the past few weeks, it's all I can notice when I'm in the bathroom.

Sigh.

Movin' On

I suck as a blogger.  It's been at least a month since I last blogged-though I've had a post written for over 2 weeks!  I've been desperately trying to upload photos from my phone to accompany said post, and it's such a struggle to get WiFi, that I'm going to forego photos for now, and simply add the blog post-with pictures to come later.
So, odd thought it may read, imagine I had my act together & actually posted this update ~2 weeks ago...

Hard to believe it’s been a little over 2 weeks since I last updated.  We’ve travelled a fair bit since then-and have hit a fair number of places along the way that we’ve absolutely fallen in love with (more on that later..). 

Stats since the last update:

18 days.  2600 miles.  6 States.  Cities visited: Memphis, TN; Clarksdale, MS; New Orleans, LA; Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, TX; Roswell, Santa Fe, and Albequerque, NM; Flagstaff, AZ (en route to Sedona).

Highlights…there’s almost too many to mention.  I’ll skim here, and detail more below..

Between Nashville, and Memphis, we both really liked Tennessee.  Clarksdale, MS was outstanding-not because of Clarksdale per se, but rather the place we stayed, and the visit we made while there.  NOLA was…NOLA.  It was a first visit for both of us, and it oddly felt like being in Europe, and not- all at the same time.  Great everything.

Austin was good fun-and has made me understand a bit more why Texans are so..’Texan.’

Santa Fe and Flagstaff.  Oh, if only we could retire to either tomorrow.  Much love for both of these places-both Simon & I even went so far as to start looking at real estate websites/booklets!  Oh, and did I mention the Grand Canyon?..

Lowlights…er..does weight gain count? J  We’ve each put on about 10 pounds on the trip thusfar (effectively erasing my weight loss from last year.  Bugger).  But, with eating and driving, driving and eating…I’m somewhat relieved it isn’t more than 10 pounds!  But, it’s something we’re both trying to be better about now..

It’s all in the Details

Memphis was cool.  Though we were barely there for 18 hours, we managed to cram in a lot:  We were able to catch a minor league baseball game, hit Beale Street (pre-game) for some drinks, BBQ and a wander, and had a walk from our hotel over to Graceland (we were staying in the Heartbreak Hotel, which was across the street from Graceland..hee).  At $30-something per ticket, we opted not to do the tour, and instead stood at the wall on the property and took a few photos. J

Clarksdale, MS

A random spot I know, but the place we stayed-The Shack Up Inn-was recommended by my old High School English teacher as a must-stay, so we did.  And it was one of my favorite places we’ve stayed the entire trip.  From Clarksdale, we also popped over to Oxford, MS and visited with my old teacher-who did an outstanding job of showing us around.  He’s been a Faulkner buff for as long as I know, and as Faulkner is from Oxford, there were some fabulous things to see.  Between getting to catch up with Mr. Crawford, and the putter around Oxford, that day was a total highlight for me on the trip. 

New Orleans

There isn’t anything I can say about NOLA that hasn’t already been said before.  Our trip centered around two things:  Cocktails and Cemeteries.  NOLA is known for having many bars/hotels that excel in cocktails-and I can personally verify this.  In addition to the bars/hotels, during our time there, the “Tales of the Cocktail” convention was also going on.  Though it’s primarily an industry event, anyone can buy admission and attend.  So, we did.  And for $45 each, we got to wander around various convention sites for 2 days (coulda done 5 if we would have been there for the duration…) and drink for free-and also attended an interesting presentation on ‘Russian Cocktail History.’  Note to self:  forget Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest.  Perhaps next year we re-visit for the full duration of this event!

The other major activity for us in NOLA was cemetery visits.  I love cemeteries.  Always have (I get it from my mother), and NOLA is certainly known for its cemeteries.  I can’t really describe how much I enjoyed our wanderings-we managed to dig into two really well, and drove by a fair few more.  Similar to the cocktails, cemeteries alone could be a reason to go back to NOLA.  Wow. 

Austin, TX

What a neat little city.  We spent almost as much time at the State Capitol and vicinity as we did anything.  Now I get Texas-er, a bit more...  They had to fight so hard, so long, and so frequently for independence from multiple parties, that it’s no wonder the state has always seemed a bit different from the rest.  Well, that and the sheer size of the state.  But, now I get it.

Oh, and the steaks and BBQ?  Wow.  Just wow.  At the insistence of several friends, we popped out to a place called Salt Lick, where they have an ‘all you can eat’ meat platter, and it was simply divine.  And the BBQ Pit?  Should be considered an 8^th wonder of the world.

Santa Fe, NM

Though we’d already hit a few places along the way we both really liked (both as tourists and as possible living cities), Santa Fe really called our name from a ‘this could be a place we retire to’ perspective.  From the walk-able downtown, to the amazing scenery, friendly people, *relatively* inexpensive housing, and perfect weather, we’re both having serious thoughts about this being one of our retirement locations.  Event to the point of doing a bit of flipping thru the real estate magazines.  From the population we encountered, we’re clearly not the first ones to think of Santa Fe as a retirement location, but I guess the good news is we’d be in good company! J

En route to Albuquerque, we took the Turquoise Trail from Santa Fe, and that was simply stunning.  The highlight of the drive was a stopover to a place called Tinkertown.  My pictures don’t even do the place justice, but if I were a parent, this would be place number one I’d take my child on a trip in the area-the inspiration and creativity were just unbelievable!

Flagstaff, AZ

Similar to Santa Fe in ‘ambiance’, but from a visual perspective, it looks like I’m in Alaska.  Really struggling to wrap my brain around it.  But am in love with the little city nonetheless!  Oh, and it’s only 90 minutes to the Grand Canyon. 

There haven’t been many times I’ve been with Simon that he’s been stunned into silence, but there were definitely a few times on our visit yesterday that words failed him.  It really is an amazing place-and though it wasn’t ‘built’ by the US/Americans, there was an immense sense of pride I felt at being there yesterday, and hearing so many foreign languages, and knowing that these people sought out this place; they gave up visiting other incredible places in the world to come *here.*  Go figure.

All in all, the past week of the trip has felt immensely different from the first part of the trip. I think it’s because the first ~4 weeks were about getting *to* a destination and settling in-and though we are still destination-focused, much of what is calling our attention now are on the drives themselves-the in-between things.  It’s partially due to where we are in the country, but I’d also like to think we’re now finally able to really appreciate the journeys and not just the destinations (thanks, Confucius).

The First Three Weeks

I’m not really even sure where to begin on this post.  There’s the ‘returning to the US’ part of the post, and the ‘road trip’ part of the post-and both parts almost have nothing to do with each other, but at the same time my observations from each part are most definitely intertwined.  Well, when in doubt, be organized. J

Returning to the US

That’s really what the first 2 weeks of ‘The First Three Weeks’ are about; returning home.  Home.  Wherever that really is.  Some part of the US?  London?  I’m not really sure at this moment, but that’s OK.

Our first week was spent quite literally buying a car.  I sold my car when I moved to London 4 years ago, and as you kind of need a car to do a cross country road trip, that was first on our agenda when we arrived.  The original plan was to buy a Manual transmission, but, one spin around the local mall parking lot with Simon behind the wheel (for the first time in close to 17 years…), and it became pretty apparent that we’d be getting an Automatic transmission!  I’ve never felt such stress in a car in my life, as I sat in the passenger seat as Simon jerkily made a few circles around the lot-and it really stressed him out as well.  There’s so much for him to have to get used to now-different side of the road (if just mentally, as he never really drove in the UK), the logic of the road signage-never mind the actual driving of the car.  Whew.  We’ll get there eventually.  And though, the original plan was that Simon would be doing some of the driving on the trip (er, the long, straight stretches of the road…), the reality is that it’s really not a good idea until he gets more comfortable.  So I’ll do all of the driving, and Simon will navigate.  Then, once we get to Seattle, we’ll get Simon some professional driving lessons.

In the due course of the first week of being back in the US, I took Simon to Faith, North Carolina for his first July 4^th celebration.  

This little town of ~300 people will swell to 30k during the week of July 4^th, and one of my dearest friends has grandparents who live there, so I’ve been to the July 4^th celebrations before-and knew it was the only proper experience Simon could have for his 1^st July 4^th.   Faith did not disappoint, and Simon really seemed to love the small-town experience (complete with BBQ sandwich from the fairgrounds).  Good times.

The Rough Life in Myrtle Beach, SC

Week two of the trip was spent with my Dad and his GF in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Myrtle was the summer location of my childhood vacations, and I thought it would be a hoot to go there with Simon & my Dad.  It was good fun, and it was nice to be in an ocean that was as warm as bathwater-even at 10am!  Simon never understood why I had problems getting in chilly water (ocean or pool), until that trip, but now he gets it.

Other than that, most of our first two weeks was taken up with ‘life admin’ from the move-trying to pay final bills, Simon chasing some probate things for his father’s estate, and planning details for the trip.  My father doesn’t have intertwebs, so it seems like we spent a good 10-15 hours over those two weeks in the local Starbucks on their WiFi!

All of the above aside, I would say there has been a bit of the reverse culture shock that so many people said I’d experience when I returned.  Not much, but I think that’s because what we’re doing now isn’t ‘normal life,’ so I anticipate that once we settle in in Seattle, there will be more observations.  Simon has made quite a few (which I hope he will guest blog about in short order), but for me the biggest thing I’ve noticed-and it’s somewhat tied to the ‘haven’t had a car in 4 years’ bit from above:  Must we be on our mobile phones when driving?!?!?  More times than I can count, the near misses on the roads have been from people on their mobiles.  What gives?  Must common sense be legislated?  Sigh.

Road Trip

6 days.  2600 miles.  5 States.  Cities visited thusfar: Charleston, SC; Savannah, GA; Hilton Head, SC; Atlanta, GA; Bridgeport, AL (just so Simon could tick another State off the list…), and we just arrived in Nasheville, TN.

Our lovely room in the 17hundred 90 Inn

Highlights:  Savannah, GA.  I’m supremely embarrassed that I’ve never been to Savannah before, given how close it is to where I spent most of my life, but the two days in Savannah were perfection.  Loved it.  Simon too.  As in, ‘I’d like to retire here’ kind of loved it.  Great everything.   We stayed in this incredible place called the 17hundred90 Inn, and were so happy to be there, I think we walked around with stupid looks on our faces for 2 straight days!

Rockin' on Jack's front porch

Also, cliche though it may seem...we took the Jack Daniels Distillery tour in Lynchburg, TN, and it was incredible!  Great story, great organization, and the information was enough to be educational and entertaining without belabouring the point.  A Plus.

Lowlights:  Navigation.  I’m not patient enough with Simon/the GPS, and need to get better about this, or we’re going to fight every day-and I don’t want to be that way.  As mentioned earlier, Simon doesn’t yet understand the logic of the road signage, so for him to tell me what he sees on GPS (as we’re not able to dashboard mount the thingy…), is frequently misleading/incorrect, and causes immense frustration for me.  Must. Get. More. Patient.

Final Thoughts....Frustrations with my fellow Americans aside, I'm stunned at how quickly I've slipped back into the US.  When we flew out of London, I quite genuinely thought I'd be bawling my eyes out on the air plane at the prospect of leaving London.  Nope.  Instead, it was more like:  "Come on, come on, come on...can't this plane go any faster!"  I'm really not sure where that came from to be honest.  

The Riverwalk in Savannah, GA

Olympic Park in Atlanta, GA

And Similarly for Simon, the stress of the last 2 months in London with his father's death/estate were really taking it's toll.  We were fortunate enough to find a solicitor to take over probate just weeks before we departed, and now that they're in full action mode, there isn't much that Simon has to worry about (er...other than selling the house).  Nevertheless, the move here-and the trip in particular- was the perfect opportunity to 'draw a line' (Simon's words) from that stress.  I think we both still need another week or so to really come down, and then I think we'll be really ready to embrace this new adventure to the fullest.

The Great American Road Trip

One week from today, we fly out of London back to the US.  Though I am leaving behind a city and country I have come to greatly appreciate, and a job that I love, love, love...I can now say I AM SO FREAKIN' EXCITED to leave and start our road trip!!!

It's been a desire of mine for close to a decade to drive across the country, and about this time last year, I mentioned this to Simon when we started talking about 'how' we would make the move.  We initially decided to be practical and find jobs first, but responses from that effort 6 months ago quite literally made it clear that we would have to be Stateside to properly job-seek.  So, we then thought we'd move, land in NC, visit my dad, and take a week or two to quickly get cross country.  Then you get reminded about how about how short life can be (Simon's dad wasn't even 60 when he passed away 7 weeks ago), and we decided-well, really Simon decided (I was always OK with it...) to take a proper amount of time off (2-3 months), and really make this a trip of a lifetime.

So, about this time next week, we land in Charlotte, NC. We'll spend a week with my dad-car shopping-and then go to the beach with him for 4 days.  We'll return, do some laundry, catch up with a few friends, and then on Sunday, July 15 begin what is currently shaping up to be a 6 week drive across the US!  We estimate that we'll arrive in Seattle around August 30, and I.can't.wait.

We'll potter in the South along the coast for over a week, but then once we hit Atlanta, it's on! :)  Nashville, Memphis, Oxford, NOLA, Houston..that's 2 weeks. Two more weeks gets us thru Texas (Houston, Austin, San Antonio), New Mexico (Santa Fe, Albequerque), and Arizona (Grand Canyon, Sedona, Phoenix).  Then we should hit California at San Diego, and begin 2 weeks pottering along the CA Coast.  We'll then spend the last week in Oregon-before finishing off 2 nights at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale (where we got married), then make a last drive to Seattle.

If anyone has any suggested things to see/do/eat/places to stay for under $100 (that hopefully have some "character"), give me a shout-I'd love to know! I'm familiar with everything up to NOLA, and then I've either not been-or it's been soooooo long, that I need a refresher.

Simon is concerned about the heat & humidity of the trip-and up to central CA, it is going to be a challenge for him-er...and a challenge for me. :)  He doesn't deal with heat very well.  So, erm...if anyone has traveled with kids in the heat, I'd love some suggestions as well!  hee hee...

Wish us luck!