It's been a long time...I never left you!

My dear love bunnies,

Although you feel very neglected...I have NOT forgotten about you.  In fact, I think about you very much EVERY DAY!!!

Let's rewind life a little bit to 4 months ago....that's right I have been tracking EVERYTHING I've done EVERYDAY!!!!  So site back and enjoy the week long snip-it's that'll be coming your way!!

Moving day!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, October 31st 

I woke up with a smile on my face, knowing I would FINALLY move into my own flat!!!  It had been such a long that I had spent searching for a flat, it was almost unreal that this was going to be the day!!!!!!!!

The family I was living with cooked the most amazing meal for me before I left - pumpkin risotto with pine nuts, ham and spinach!!!  They were the sweetest people ever and I don’t know how I got so lucky to live with them and adjust to living in London.  

The dad drove me to my new flat, and helped me fill up the car (literally I nearly filled his car right up) with my suitcases and other items, and drove me the hour and fifteen minutes trip to my new home.  I was actually nervous when I was pulling onto my street because I had no clue what this new chapter in life would bring me.  I have never lived with roommates before, and I hardly knew these girls....what was I DOING?!??!?!  Only time would tell!!

We waited with all of my stuff at the gate outside the flat and 'A' (as I will now be referring to one of my roommates) came rushing around the corner of our block in a hurry to let us in.  Once inside everything seemed different.  There were many things that in the dimness of the darkened sky didn't seem as perfect as when we had first come to view the flat.  The glass on a hanging picture was missing, there were lightened circular spots all over every inch of the carpet, bulbs were burnt out, the ceilings had water damage in the lower ground floor, it was just not what we had noticed at all.  PS - note to self, never just do a surface check when looking at a place...look at EVERY detail!!!  My other flatmate 'V' came to drop off some of her things with her boyfriend and mother, but didn't stay to unpack or spend the night.  

'A' and I got ourselves sorted and went for a little walk around the neighbourhood.  I felt like everything was sketchier then I what I saw before.  The neighbourhood didn't look as nice the people we passed looked weird and slightly homelessish....I couldn't wait to do some exploring in the daylight.  We walked to a grocery store called Tesco, which is a huge chain here in the UK - and I'm sure elsewhere - and bought what would be our first meal in our new flat.  I bought cheddar cheese, cherry tomatoes, salami and we each bought a mini of wine.

 I soon collapsed into bed from sheer exhaustion at an unreasonable hour for a work night...

I was in my own bed, my own flat, I had my own space....the sleep was soundless and filled with happy dreams!!

Monday November 1st  

It took only TWENTY minutes to get to work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I almost want to end my blog post here because it was THAT SIGNIFICANT that it took me such a short time to get to work....but I must go on!!!

After work I headed straight to Peter Jones in Sloane Square - a store that sells may home furnishing type things, but at a reasonable price.  I had to pick up the items of bedding that I purchased a few days prior and I obviously bought a few more things while I was there!!!  I got 2 pillows, a duvet cover, a duvet, a British flag pillow...and lots of hangers  =)  I wanted to be a superhero and take all of the stuff on the tube with me...but I had to give in to taking a cab because it was wayyyyy tooo heavy for me to carry!!

I had a little tumble down the stairs where BOTH of my shoes ended up flying off....and I hurt my knee really bad  =*(  This pic doesn't do it any justice!!

continued to pack and clean until I called it a night.

Tuesday November 2nd

'V' stayed at the flat and had planned for her boyfriend to drop more things off for her.  We walked to a nearby Thai restaurant called Thai Rice (a quick favourite) but stopped off a pub next door for a glass of prosecco while we waited for our table to be ready.  The pub was super cute and we decided we would have to go back!  When we got our table we ordered a beer thing....now I have no clue how to describe this beer thing, but it was this massive tubular tallish holdery thing for beer with a faucet thing at the base to let the beer flow to your glass.  We got a small size but wanted to order it because it looked sooo cool!!  Unfortunately V and her bf weren't getting along, which made it an awkward dinner for us all.  Back at the house A and I chatted for a bit in my room before calling it a night.

Wednesday November 3rd

A night filled with unpacking and organizing doesn't sound like much fun for most, but the therapy session for me lasted until 2am and I LOVED it!!

Thursday November 4th

After work was finished, we went the the local pub - the R&C for a coworker's leaving party.  This coworker came to help support the Human Resources department while we were doing mass hiring and has since moved back to her home country of Italy.  I was exhausted, tired from the long night of unpacking the night before and was on a bus on the way home when I remembered that the some from the family I used to live with had a concert that night at a local hotel called the Metropolitan.  I was soooo happy I had only travelled a few stops!!  I waited in line to get into the concert but they told me I would have to wait  a long time because there were a lot a record labels that took priority over other guests.  So I decided to grab some food from the bar area while I waited.  While I was waiting I saw our rising musician who apologized for my wait.  I left the bar area and waited for another hour before deciding to go home.  They were not letting anyone else in and predicted that they would not for the rest of the event.  I was really sad to have missed out on seeing them play live....and I missed out on seeing the parents from the fam I used to live with too, as they were also at the concert.  I did hear them play and let me tell you...they will be HUGE!!!!

Friday November 5th

As per usual, it was off to the pub for drinks with my coworkers after we had completed work for the day.  We made our way to the Mayfair hotel for drinks for a coworkers bday and it was really cool inside.  We had a table reserved for us and about 20 people showed up.  After hanging out there for a while we made our way to Chinatown for some late night food.  The weather was raining really bad, but we were all in good spirits as there were many new starters and we were all huddled under the few umbrella's that were available amongst our group.  The ordering of food was a little out of control.  There were 9, yes NINE extra plates of food ordered because a few people didn't feel like we would have enough with what was ordered individually.  2 bottles of Moet were also purchased and it was embarrassing to have ordered soo much food and fancy champagne at a sloppy after-hours chinese restaurant in Chinatown.  

I was absolutely exhausted from the week of moving and unpacking I had that I was practically falling asleep at the table.  I was DYING to get out of the restaurant and go curl up in bed, but as Murphy's law would have it, no buses came for a LONG time (about 40 minutes) so I was soaked to my UNDERWEAR.  I took a nice LONG and extra HOT shower when I went home!!!

Saturday November 6th

I had a really nice sleep in.....it was much needed.  My flatmate A was feeling kinda down, so I took her to Portobello Market to cheer her up and we went to breakfast (which is her favourite meal) and did some grocery shopping too!!  The coolest thing EVER happened though, we passed right by Maggie Gyllenhaal who was pushing a stroller through the crowds in Portobello Market!!!  It was sooo crazy and I didn't even enjoy the greatness of what just happened because my German flatmate A had NO CLUE who she was!!!!  Hahahaha

At the breakfast joint, I ordered porridge, bacon and fresh mint tea YUM!  

I bought the CUTEST scarf EVER which I LOVE!!!!

We went to sort out A's phone situation with 3 (a call phone provider here).  We went to Tesco and then lugged ALL of our purchases back home with us.  I was soo tired still that I took a mini nap!!!!!

I work up and got ready to go out for the evening.  The same coworker whom we went out with for her birthday the night before, had a spillover birthday celebration for that evening.  It took me 2 hours to get to the meeting place we said we would go to because there were a million people out that night for Guy Fawkes fireworks night.  We went to an 'off-licence' and then watched the last half of the fireworks just inside the gate.  These were not fireworks like I was used to - which I still think are spectacular - but are NOTHING In comparison to the monstrous fireworks that were going on that evening!!  There were HUGE bonfires that were like 10 stories tall, music BLARING that was in time with all of the fireworks that were going off...it just ROCKED!!!  

We walked a far way through the crowds after the fireworks were done to a pizza place for a super late dinner at Pucci's Pizza.  We had to cross over this bridge and I saw another bridge that looked EXACTLY like the Ambassador Bridge from back home!!  I ordered a pizza with mushrooms and cheese, something simple but classic.  I walked a super long way to the tube station - at least 45 minutes, and I was sooooooo tired.  The night buses were taking forever it just just nuts.  Then to top off my deliriousness I had to walk another 15 minutes home after the bus dropped me off because I still wasn't familiar with all of the places in my neighbourhood and I got off a few stops too early.  I was cold, tired and ready for bed.

Sunday November 7th

I was up bright and early at 7:30am after not being able to sleep anymore.  I ate my first real breakfast in the new flat - eggs, toast and SQUAST!!!!....yummy!!! With fresh ginger tea!!

The plan for the day was to go to IKEA with A and get some stuff for our flat....and we bought LOTS of good stuff!!!!  The busride took us nearly one hour to get there and it is right by Wembley Stadium, which looks amazing!!

We came home with a MILLION bags!!!!!  Right when we got home we washed out EVERYTHING in the kitchen and cleaned and put everything away.  Next stop - Whole Food Market....the new love of my life!!!!  It is the most beautiful and amazing store EVER and I couldn't wait to fill my fridge with all of the yummy goodies I bought there!!!

I made my first real dinner in the flat that night - these amazing chicken, sage and apple sausages I bought from Whole Foods, and a side of potatoes with peppers and mushrooms and then washed it all down with some SQUASH hehehehehe....will never get over that!!!

For the rest of the evening I just chilled and went to bed....what a busy week!!

Now my sweets, I hope you know that I was serious about keeping up to date with everything I've been doing over these past four months....I've missed you and blogging soo much!!!!

Will keep more coming....

xoxox