A Decent London Update!

Okay, I've put it off long enough!  I've now been in England for the better portion of 3 weeks and have yet to tell of my TWO trips into the big, Olympic hosting, historical city!  So, I've unloaded the pictures onto my computer and can now post a few from our trips!

TRIP ONE

The first trip to London this summer was this past weekend (Saturday July 21).  Dave had a co-worker from the US over for a few weeks and she had never been to London.  She was off to London and we figured we would tag along!  Dave and I had never been to Windsor Castle (the Queen's residence when she's not at Buckingham Palace) in Windsor, England (which is a quick train ride from Paddington Station)!  We were only into London for the day (unfortunately) so we made sure to get an early start (the cab for the train picked us up at 5:15AM) and made the most of our day!  We started at Windsor for the morning...touring parts of the castle (dressing rooms, meeting rooms, dining rooms, state rooms, the church, etc.) and even catching the changing of the guards.  

 

Notice lower right...we packed for the trip!!!

 

My Favorite Window in the WHOLE place!!!

My new favorite place to read...
minus the 1,000s of people
who walk by each day!  :)

"Oh, hey Kate!"

Changing of the guards!  

The beer transportation for the cute
little pub we found!

 We took our time as we strolled through the grounds (although we couldn't get down into the gardens I definitely found my new reading nook (or at least an idea of what I'd like my future back yard to look like!).  Dave and I pack for easy travel, bringing sandwiches, sweets, sours, and salts on our journey so we could a)save money and b)save time.  We ate our lunch on the train back into London.  We maneuvered the underground system quite well, yet again, and made our way to Hyde Park, Green Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, the London Eye, and Tower Bridge!  PHEW!!!  We definitely did our fair share of walking for the day!  For the first time we took a water taxi so we could really see Tower Bridge...with the OLYMPIC RINGS!!!!  We tried to get to our favorite place to take pictures of the bridge but the area was closed for a concert series.  :(  But since I know we will be back in a few shorts week we didn't stress!  

We also made our way over to Trafalgar's Square...but it too was closed off for a concert!  At the time I was really really bummed because we couldn't actually see the Olympic countdown clock...but we could see the para-olympic (SP???) countdown...so at least it was something!  We finally made our way back to Cheltenham around 10PM.  It was a long day...but lots of fun!  I'm really getting excited to know my way around London so well!  I'm really getting a good sense of where I am and how to get to where I want to go next (which as some of you know...doesn't always come easy to me!!).  HA!

TRIP TWO    

Upon returning from our long day in London I received an email from my cousin Jennifer (in CA) asking what I/we were doing either Sunday or Tuesday as her husband Steve was coming to London for a few days for work.  Well, we didn't particularly want to turn right around and go back into London straightaway but I did want to catch up with Steve.  Dave knew he needed to work late a few days this week and Tuesday would be a perfect day for me to head into London and Dave not feel bad about being at work long hours!  So we checked the train schedule and got me all set with a taxi and train!  :)  

I arrived a few hours before Steve would be done with work so I took up some sights I had personally been wanting to see.  I spent a a little over an hour in St. Paul's - which is where Prince Charles and Lady Diana got married.  Just as we walked the walk Duchess Catherine walked on her wedding day, I was able to retrace the steps of Lady Di.  Such a grand entrance!  No offense All Saints in Palatine...but those aisles are definitely something to write home about!  :)  

St. Paul's 

The pedestrian only bridge! 

 

 

With the countdown clock!
It was a little sunny!!!

Then I walked the Millennium Bridge (funny youtube video about the construction of the bridge) and hung out in front of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and made my way to Trafalgar's Square once again!  And guess what!  NO CONCERT this time...I was able to get up close and personal with the Olympic countdown clock!!!  Steve and I met up with no issue and I even got to chat on the phone with two of my favorite kids (Ryan and Sarah - Steve and Jennifer's children!)!!!  So fun!!!  We found a nice little pub for a drink and caught up before we walked towards the theatre district for dinner!  


Speaking of the theatre district - my parents gave us an early Christmas present (yup...Christmas in July for me and Dave!) and gave us tickets to see Les Miserables in London!!!  AHHHHHH!!!!  We will definitely be taking advantage of this gift and booking our tickets soon!!!  Just not sure if we want to try to go during the Olympic festivities or if we want to wait until the crowds clear out a little!!!  


Okay!  I think that's all I've got for now!  I promise not to wait so long between posts next time!!!  


XO

It's Finally Looking Up!

The sun is out!  The sun is out!  The sun is OUT!!!!  Dare I say finally?!?!?!  We've actually been blessed with sun for the past few days (I believe we've now gone 5 in a row without it!).  And it's been getting down right warm outside as well!  Today, on my daily walk to the grocery store, I could feel the warm sun on my back as I walked along the High Street and I found myself taking smaller strides at a slower pace!  YEAH!!!  There is a neighborhood pool just down the road from our flat and I could hear the kids splashing and laughing all afternoon!  It's weird though...they sure don't like to wear much to cover-up when it's nice out!  I feel like there might be an adult swim or something that happens around 2 because the streets get full of half-naked high schoolers with wet hair all riding bikes and laughing.  It's quite cute to see...but they tend to get in my way (enter the upper 20 something being bothered by all these kids making noise!).  HA!  


Although there is some cloud coverage each day...it's such a change to see the blue sky behind the white clouds!  We are crossing our fingers that the rain stays away for the Olympic games (which begin Friday!!!)!  The weather report forecasts rain on Friday...but we'll see!  If we all cross our fingers and say our prayers maybe the weather will surprise the rest of the world!  :)  Regardless of the weather, Dave and I are so much looking forward to the games here in London!!!    

The Lovely Magpie

Okay...so when I was younger my dad wanted my brother and I to continue our education throughout the summer with mini research projects...now he will argue that it was JUST ONE TIME...but for some reason when I think about summer vacations as a youngster I keep coming back to going to the library, looking up things in the encyclopedia, typing things up in (oh gosh, I can't even remember the name of the program...but I can see the font and ready to use pictures in my head clear as day!!!), and "turning them in".  Ha!  It probably was just once...and I think I researched the red-winged back bird...and funny how now when I see one...I always smile!  :)  As much as I give him a hard time for it...I remember that project with fondness!  (And thinking more about it...maybe my research was on the painted lady butterfly (we sent away for the caterpillars and "grew" them into butterflies that we released at Parker Lake!!)!!!)  


And as I sit here, watching the rain for the almost 8th consecutive day, I find myself wanted to do research and track some data!  So...for the brainiac that I am, here are the things I'm currently working on!


-Tracking the weather...thrilling I know...but for the record...it has rained 7 out of the 8 days I have been here (8 out of 8 if we count nighttime rain!)
-Tracking my running...+30 miles since school got out (not where I wanted to be...but I could still break 100 miles before school begins in August!)
-Researching the magpie bird...didn't start out as research...just a simple google search...but I was curious!  


SO, here is what I've found about the little bird the English are so fond of!  (Well, really not fond of at all actually!)  

While I was here last summer Dave began to tell me about the superstition that came with the Magpie...if you see one you must avoid eye-contact with the bird and say something to the effect of "Hello Mr. Magpie, how's your lovely family?" or "Hello Mr. Magpie, where's your lovely wife?".  They are said to be able to predict your future with the number of birds you see at any given time...there is a rhyme that goes along with the birds.  Now, whenever I see a Magpie I repeat the poem to myself to see what they have to say (after, tipping my head to them and asking about their family of course!).


The Magpie Prophecy:
1 for Sorrow; 2 for Joy
3 for a Girl; 4 for a Boy
5 for Silver; 6 for Gold
7 for a Story, never to be told
8 for Friendship; 9 for Love 
10 for a Place in heaven above


And as I read a little more about the little bird I decided to blog the top 20 facts I came up with!  So, here goes!


1. They mate for life
2. However the ladies are a little frisky and it's estimated that 1 in every 15 chicks are not the partner's offspring...oops!
3. The mother birds incubate the eggs
4. Both parents provide food for a month in the nest after the chicks hatch
5. Closely related to the raven/crow/jay family
6. They are attracted to (and collect in their nests!) shiny objects (jewelry, plastic, windshield wipers (although those don't look shiny to me!)!
7. They are highly intelligent birds...they can sense danger nearby 
8. (Hunger Games Shout-Out!) They are like the mockingjoy and can mimic the call of other birds and human sounds
9. Large wingspan (20-24 inches) for their bodies (16-18 inches) but they don't like to fly for long periods of time
10. They are the only non-mammal and one of the few bird species that can recognize itself in a mirror! Oh the vanity!  :)
11. Their lifespan is 8-15 years 
12. Over half of its length is its tail
13. They make dome shaped nests and line the bottom with grass for comfort...what smart thinkers!  
14. They are black and white...the black wings often have a blue or green or purple shine to them
15. The Magpie is an omnivore...eating both plants and smaller animals/insects 
16. A group of Magpies is called a "tiding"
17. Each Magpie as its own identifiable call...how interesting!  
18. They walk with a strut and can hop quickly when hurried
19. They are protected as a migratory non-game bird
20. They are true hoarders...they collect things from garbage to food from other animals and will hide it in their nests


So, dad, as much as I give you grief for it!  Thank you for making me the lifelong learner that I have become!  Never cease learning!!!  :)  

ONE MORE YEAR!!!!

7.13.13

I can't hide my excitement!  ONE YEAR FROM TODAY I GET TO MARRY MY BEST FRIEND!!!!!!!  I can't believe it!  Well I can, I just have to look at my left hand for the proof!  :) HEHE!  We've gotten a great head's start and are well on our way to planning a wonderful party with our friends and family.  Dave is such a wonderful man and I am truly the luckiest!  

      
  

Safe and Sound - in the UK!

CHEERIO!
So as Dave and I were sitting down with our respective MacBooks on our laps it occurred to Dave to check my blog.  And wouldn't you know it...I've been in England a whole 4 days without an update!  Whoops!!!  What the heck was I thinking???  So, here is a little taste of my daily life here in England for the past four days!  (And mind you...it has rained...DAILY...yes...you read that correctly...it has RAINED every day since we got back!)  


7:00 - first wake-up...the gremlin here doesn't do so well with this so she doesn't get up right away.
7:30 - finally get up (Dave is by now almost ready for work) and get to making my lovey man's lunch...yup...I'm suzie homemaker here in England...he gets a nice little sammich, crisps (chips), and fruit every day.  
7:45 - walk 0.6 miles to the bus stop with Dave, say our goodbyes for the day, walk the 0.6 miles home while making a nice little shopping list in my head.
8:00 - watch mindless television for 2 hours (One Tree Hill (episodes shown in order!) & either Glee or Desperate Housewives (again...both shows have episodes shown in order)) while eating breakfast and planning out my day.
Mid-morning - head to the shops for fresh groceries (or check the neighborhood garden to see if anything is up for picking) - we can typically go 2 days on basic groceries with the storage we have - but we do have more dry-storage areas so some things are in less of a demand!  :)
Lunch - typically a sammich or soup
Afternoon - nice little exercise walk (or leisurely stroll in the rain), laundry, possibly a run, shower, reading time
Evening - Dinner with Dave, walk together, sit and relax (AHHHH....YES!!!!!  I am relaxing!!!  SO weird for me, this I realize!)


A few changes since last summer...
-I am trying to keep up with emails as much as I can...without checking them every second of the day!
-We are planning a wedding!  :)  
-It has rained every day (yup...kinda stuck on this one!)
-There is a community garden - Dave and I each picked a potato yesterday and made potatoes for dinner last night - DELICIOUS!!!  Sorry we forgot to take pics...we'll do it again soon and document the event at that point!  :)
-I know my way around the town and am not afraid to take random streets (in the daytime at least!)
-I realize that I don't have to each an entire baguette, by myself, everyday!  HELLO wedding body!  Hehe! 
-The Olympics are almost here and everyone from airport workers to grocers are excited about it!  


Okay...I think that about covers my first few days!  I'll write again when I have a little more to say...or I'm just bored...probably next week sometime!!!

A Dream Come True

I cannot contain my excitement right now!  I just finished the most wonderful day with my parents and my future in-laws!  The ONLY thing that could have made today absolutely perfect would have been if Dave was home and could have joined us in our festivities!  I’ll lay out the day for you with as much excitement as I can share through the Internet!

10:00 Families met at Boulder Ridge Golf Course in Lake in the Hills, IL. Our parents have met a few times before so this wasn’t a first meeting; it was still fun to have everyone together!  Dave’s parents hadn’t seen the venue yet and they fell in love just as quickly as we did!  YEAH!!!   Following some great conversation we traded cars and the ladies headed out to look at wedding dresses while the men headed to Lake Zurich Golf Club for a little afternoon golf! 

12:30 We had SO MUCH FUN at Wedding Belle’s in Barrington!  We met up with a family friend and she took it from there!  I had tried on dresses at another store about a month ago and found 2 dresses that I really liked so I knew the style I was looking for.  The nice things about Wedding Belle’s is that you buy the actual dress you try on.  They have a few styles that they can special order but for the most part they are sample dresses that other stores have sent to them to sell.  So what you see is exactly what you get.  I decided (since I had the time) to try on a variety of dresses even though I had a dream dress in mind.  I tried on poufy Cinderella-ish dresses, mermaid dresses, lacy dresses, beaded dresses, simple dresses, dresses with straps…you name it I basically tried it.  And let me tell you…SO FUN!!!  I narrowed it down to a single dress (the second one I tried on actually) and every other dress was compared to the feeling I had in that one.  None compared (and the feeling I had today did not compare to that of the one I felt in the dress I liked at the other store).  So they have you put the dress you REALLY like back on and then they have you go downstairs and Marsha does your hair and Adele finds the perfect veil.  Oh my gosh!  We were all in tears!!!  Good, happy, loving tears!  I could not believe the look of it all put together!!!  The dress, the hair, the veil, the hairpiece (which my future mother in law offered to pay for!)…such an amazing feeling!  And…DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

I SAID YES TO THE DRESS!!!!!

That is all the detail you get…especially since my fiancé reads this blog!  Sorry honey bunny!  No freebies here!  All I have to say is I love the elegance of the dress and the feeling I had with it all together!  I did not wait to take it off!  And knowing that it’s just chillin’ at my parents house right now is killing me! I just want to wear it all the time!!!  I guess I have to put it out of my mind!!!

2:30 I cancelled the other appointments we had for the day.  Hey!  When you know…you know!  Why waste your time and the time of others!?!? 

3:00 The ladies headed to Lake Zurich to meet up with the gents and we enjoyed a few cocktails and some wonderful conversations!  Following a tour of the clubhouse and some history of the club lessons with Uncle Mark and Dad Fedota the Fedota clan invited the others to come see the church.

6:30  We got to All Saints and walked through a few of the logistics that we already knew.  It is all beginning to feel so incredibly real and it’s still more than a year away!  How crazy it that!  I have the addresses for the Save the Date cards and am hoping to get those out in the next few weeks!  AHHHHH!!!!  This is really happening! 

7:00  Tour of Palatine.  I gave my future in-laws a nice little driving tour (as much as you can direct from the back seat!!!!) of Palatine.  They saw FHS (where I teach & went to HS), Pleasant Hill (my elementary school), the house I grew up in, the condo I currently live in, the general vicinity of Durty Nellies, the apartment I lived in when Dave and I started dating, and a few of the local restaurants that Dave and I enjoy frequenting! 

9:30  Conclusion of dinner at Gianni’s in downtown Palatine and our goodbyes.  I didn’t want today to end but I know it’s just the first of many wonderful days together planning this amazing event for Dave and I! I can’t believe how much of a dream this has been!  Oh my goodness!  I, no WE, are so incredibly lucky to have so many people who love and care about us!

Off to sleep for this chica!  All this excitement really made me tired!!!  PHEW!!!!  I know I will be having such wonderful dreams!!! 

I don't think he knows what he's in for...

Knowing that he wants to be as much of a part inplanning OUR wedding as possible Dave has graciously given up a few days of hisvacation here in the states to wedding planning!  Oh what a man!  I love that he is as into the planning anddetails as he is!  I think at times he’sinto it more than I am!  And I love himmore for that every day…even when I don’t think I want to admit it!  Dave has gone on blind faith decisionsthrough me a few times in the past (I’ve done most of the contract negotiations(something I am not as comfortable with as some may think) and have narrowedthings down like photographers, florists, etc.) but seeing as he is home in theUS for a few weeks we’d both like to do as much in this time together as wecan!  So I’ve started my list of WeddingTo-Do’s (which is tough when we realize that we are still more than a year outbut we have to remember that the next time he’s home we’ll be down to the 6month countdown!)!!

Here is a brief sampling of the tasks on my list(any maybe I’m writing them here so I don’t lose the list!!!)

*Narrow down/select musicians(band, string quartet, jazz ensemble, DJ, etc.)

*Secure hotel (potentialtransportation/shuttle)

*Select the groom/groomsmen tuxes

*Narrow down centerpieces

*Write/submit the announcement tothe paper

*Finalize guest list

*Send out Save the Dates

            *Meet with the pastor 
            *Finda location for rehearsal dinner

            *Engagement photo shoot

            *Beginto form registry list ideas

Boy oh boy! I do know we will be so busy in the next few weeks!  I hope to do as much as we can together inthe short time we have!  I know it willbe a magical evening and just want to have fun celebrating with our family andfriends!  :)  

Ahhhh!!!  I can’t believe how incredibly excited Iam!  Now I just have to get through thenext few weeks!!! XOXO

School's Out for SUMMER!!!!!!!!!

Okay, it is time to officially switch hats!  Let’s take off the teacher hat and put on the floppy sun hat!  YEAH!  SUMMER VACATION!  Well, sort of!  I am just about to finish my last school day for the year!  But where has this year gone!?  When I was growing up my dad would ALWAYS tell me how fast the years will go by when I’m older…and I never really understood what he meant.  I mean, to me, it’s simple…there are 365 days in a year (if it’s not a leap year of course!), and there are 24 hours in a day in which there are 60 minutes per hour.  I always thought my dad to be a very VERY intelligent man…but I just was NOT following his math!  I mean, it’s not like you can literally make time go faster.  Yet now that I’m a grown-up (scary thought I know) his statement could not be truer!  It feels like just yesterday I was leaving for England not knowing what to expect (at all)!  (Note to readers…that was officially a year ago!)  And I can recall picking apples and decorating gingerbread houses so vividly!  Then it was December and the best day of my life (thus far) occurred (we got engaged!)!  And it was being lazy in Florida and skiing in Colorado and a spring break in London followed by a final 9 weeks of school.  WOW!  SO FAST!!!  But yet…it was still 365 days!  SO weird to me!  How does that happen!?!?!?  

I will be returning to London this summer, just not right away!  I will being taking 6 credit hours towards my +30 in the next 3 weeks…I know…I’m crazy!  But I’d like to get as many done as quickly as I can!  I’m taking an ELL (formerly ESL) course, a Safety & Sanitation course, and a course that has something to do with technology (I just can’t remember the name of it!).  Dave will be returning to the US for 2 weeks at the end of June/beginning of July and we are trying to get as much family/friend time in as possible before we leave to head over the pond!  However, our time is quickly filling up between weddings, wedding planning, Brewers games, a favorite holiday (MINE…4^th of July!) and being lazy on the lake.   Upon our return to London we have bunches of things to look forward to: weekend trips with friends (hoping to get to Ireland or Scotland or Wales), spending time together, the celebration of our 1 year wedding countdown and of course our lucky fortune with Olympic tickets!!!  GO TEAM USA!!! 

I know that the summer will pass just as quickly as ever but I am looking forward to some good old fashioned R&R!  Bring it on!!!  (Of course…that means on like 4 days on the calendar that I don’t have something already planned to do!)

And then there were 6...

Bridesmaids that is!!!  Ahhhhh!!!!  I have finally gotten to see all of the lovely ladies in my life to personally ask each one to be a part of our wedding celebrations!  :)  SO EXCITING!!!  Dave and I went back and forth a little on the number of attendants to include but decided on 6 on each side (I won't say who was hoping for 6 more than the other!) and could not be more excited about it!  As Dave hasn't finished asking his gents yet I won't  spill the beans on them...but I will give you all the 411 on my leading ladies!  


Matron of Honor - Karen...she's a cousin on my mom's side and a wonderful role model (even if she did just tear her ACL).


Bridesmaid...Julie...another cousin on my mom's side (she's the mother of 3 LOVELY little ones and shows me what time management really looks like)


Bridesmaid...Liz...a third cousin from my mom's side (it's always been the 4 girls on that side!!!) (she's currently living in Germany...yup...she even looks the part and speaks the part...such a talented woman I wish I saw more often!!!)


Bridesmaid...Kendall...my best (and 1st) friend on Parkplace Drive.  We've been friends for almost 25 years!!!  :)  She knows me inside and out...yet we are about as different as we can be...it's true what they (?) say...opposites attract!  :)


Bridesmaid...Lindsey...a best friend since junior high (we actually were not 100% fond of each other when we first met...but time changes everything!).  She's been with me through thick and thin!  BONUS...I'm doing a reading in her wedding this summer!  :) 


Bridesmaid...Carrie...my best friend from college and fellow Chi Omega!  :)  HOOT HOOT!  I stood up for Carrie a few years ago.  She was the first woman I asked to be in our wedding!  She's full of wonderful ideas and I can't wait to pick her brain! 


I wanted to ask the ladies in a creative way (even though when I tell people this they laugh at me)...I wanted it to be a memorable event for everyone!  So I bought each one a card and wrote a personal letter explaining why she was so influential in my life.  I presented them with the card and flowers (well...most got flowers) and finished each card with a silly little poem:

Roses are Red

Violets are Blue

Would you be a bridesmaid?

Please say "I do"

I am so blessed to be loved by these wonderful women and can not wait to get rolling with all the plans!!!  :)  YEAH!!!!!!!

Save the Dates are ordered!!!!!!

We officially ordered our Save the Date cards and can't wait to see them!  They should be delivered some time next week!  YEAH!!!!  I'm hoping we can spend some quality time Mother's Day weekend addressing them and sending them out!  


Dave and I actually worked together (via a very long skype date) to complete them together!  We found the template online while we were together in March and have been sorting through pictures since then.  We have agreed on four GREAT photos of us from our relationship!  Then Dave surprised me with some AMAZING wording!  He said I could take the credit...but it is all him!  I am so excited to get started with more planning! 


Here are a few things on the agenda:
-Photographer contract
-Address & sent "Save the Dates"
-Dress shopping with the moms
-Videography (???)
-4th of July party (with 1/2 the bridal party!)
-Dave getting to ask the remainder of the guys to join him at the alter 
-Engagement photo shoot
-ENGLAND for the Olympics
-End of summer/school starting = major wedding planning mode!  


YEAH!!!!  


PS. Happy May Day everyone!  :)  XOXOXO