Last weeks of summer

Random pictures from the past few weeks:

Had to take an entire day off of work to renew my visa. Dealing with the UK Border Agency is complete and utter misery... think TSA, then multiply that hatred times 1 million, and you haven't begun to scratch the surface of how I feel toward UBA. Thankfully, all the paperwork worked out and I'm officially legal here for 1 more year!

2 weeks ago we all got together for Megan's going away party (yes, it's true, all my friends are leaving London :(....!) Pizza East in Shoreditch. Delish!

Loving our food & just the whole night in general!

My new flat is like 5 minutes from this beautiful cemetery. This is my Saturday morning reading bench. It's so tranquil and peaceful and perfect.

That bench is also where I finished my 3.5 month trek through the longest book I've ever read! 1,082 pages of the coolest revenge story that ever was. I highly recommend it, but only if you have a kindle. Carting this 8 lb book around for 3.5 months has given me back problems!

A few weekends ago, the final weekend of the Paralympic games, some friends from work and I went to the Olympic park! It was seriously the coolest day. We didn't have any tickets to any events (just grounds passes), but it didn't matter!

It was a gorgeous day, so we just sat in the park in the grounds and watched the big screen.

Me, Rich and Suz. 

 This statue/monument thing is really cool.

This was just before we left for the night.... all lit up!

Last weekend/week I was in Dublin for our annual US expat technical excellence training. I'm embarrassed to say I only have 1 picture. This was taken from the top of the Guinness Factory - panoramic view of Dublin!

Rush hour at my new tube stop.

The partners in our group took everyone who got promoted to senior manager/director out to a celebration dinner... we went big (Hix steak house). Such a fun night!

Yesterday was one of the last nice days I think we'll have until winter hits... so I went on a walk and ended up at Buckingham palace. Flag flying high - she's home!

Views from St James's Park.

Beautiful!

Parentals and a very hard goodbye

I'm falling a bit behind... but about 2 and a half weeks ago my parents came to visit and help me move into my new one-bedroom flat. The end of August marked the end of Rochelle's and my 2 year secondment at work... so Rochelle has moved back to the US and I've extended here in London for one more year (Dad's worst nightmare come true :)). Here are the pictures of my parents' visit followed by a few from Rochelle's last weekend...

First night - Greek food. Feta fries in honor of Allison!

So happy my parents were here! They hadn't been to London in over a year!

The week was CONSUMED with all things moving. My parents singlehandedly moved all my stuff to my new flat AND helped me deep clean our old flat. Here's dad hard at work in the garden which hadn't been cleaned in, oh, 2 years :/ 

After an entire day of cleaning, we rewarded ourselves with tea and scones with clotted cream. My dad's most favorite food on earth.

Looking like a native.

The morning we handed over the keys we had a photo op in front of our flat :)

Our street. SUCH an amazing 2 years were lived here... so sad about the end of this era.

So, we may have killed our plants.

This is at the Kensington Roof Gardens, which was a stop on a London walk we took through Kensington... so pretty!

This was our walking guide... such a character! Megan is enthralled though.

Me and mom and dad braving the weather during the Kensington walk

Sunday roast at our local pub - Duke of Clarence. LOVE.

You can find us here on many a Sunday afternoon eating and watching sports on "the box" (as the DoC calls it!)

Monday, my parents and I went on another London walk through Westminster. I just love Big Ben... you'd think it would lose its wow factor after 2 years of seeing it almost weekly. But nope.

Mom and Dad right before the walk started

The Abbey on what was such a gloomy morning...

I'm so bummed I didn't get more pictures of mom and dad's visit! We did SO many more things... amazing dinners, afternoons playing cards, seeing the show Matilda etc. It was so much fun having them here and given how horribly I handle change, I literally couldn't have survived the move (physically or emotionally) without them!

The day after my parents flew out, Megan, Rochelle and Hannah came over to christen my new flat... we cooked an amazing dinner!

Yummm

Rochelle's last weekend we did all our favorite London things... neither her nor Megan had seen Phantom so we took in a matinee. Love this show!

Hanging out at my flat again... making banana bread

One last visit to see Bill and AK and baby Carson. Chels is actually making him smile!!!

Love this little guy, and can't believe how much he's grown up over the summer!

Rochelle's 2nd to last night we went to Nightjar in Shoreditch... coolest bar in London.

And one last pic of Chels and me - at Mark's lounge in Soho

While it's going to be hard to adjust to the huge Chels-shaped hole in my London life... I'm confident I'm where God wants me to be, and I'm so looking forward to what one more year here will bring!!