Ocupados

Hi friends! Long time no talk, sorry about that (again, this apology is directed at our most loyal followers, our moms). Things have been fairly busy since they Haywoods left. As I mentioned in our last blog, we found a new place and since the move we've been without internet. In other news since my last post, I GOT A JOB!

It so happens that my job is with Adam's firm. For those who don't know what I do (I know this includes friends and family who've never quite understood), I'm in Business Development meaning I work on client recruitment and retention. The firm's office here is quite large and it's been a very experience thus far. I don't see Adam often as he spends most of his time at clients' offices, but I'm sure we'll be visiting our office cafeteria for some fish & chips together soon enough.

I started working two weeks ago, a whole 36 hours after we moved, and to say I was too exhausted after work to update the blog would be an understatement. Six months off can really take a toll on a girl. Since becoming a working gal again, I've learned to manage and appreciate public transportation (I take the bus) and now find myself using words like "blimey" and "buggar." I'm sure there will be more to come as I dive deeper into British life. Things feel entirely different now that I'm working and with us being in our new place (which we love and will get a separate blog post). I can't believe we're 6 months in and 1/4 the way through the secondment (British term for Adam's rotation/contract here which has an original and initial tenure of 23 months-no concrete thoughts on if we'll extend at this point).

Prior to all of this fun, though, we went to Madrid! To be honest, Madrid wasn't high on our list of places to go. We've been interested in Spain (Barcelona is on our list), but neither of us could think of any monument or famous site to see in Madrid. However, we found very cheap flights from Birmingham and a Hilton requiring minimal hotel points. We'd been looking for cheaper trip options to save funds for moving later in the month so we thought, why not? Also, upon planning I realized Madrid was known for two of my favorite things in life - tapas and sangria. End result - very pleased.

We flew into Madrid on a Thursday afternoon, checked into our hotel and found our way to the metro (subway) fairly quickly. It was pretty easy to navigate (clear to read map, nothing like that of NYC, which I abhor), and very cheap - 2 euros to get all the way into the city, which was about a 30 min ride. We walked down Gran Via (Madrid's shopping central) to Plaza Mayor for some wine and people watching. This area is fairly central and has people milling around constantly - it's like a town square, very cute. We then made our way to La Latina quarter where we browsed some local shops and grabbed dinner. We went with local favorites - I had oxtail and Adam the suckling pig (he won in the food contest that night). Madrid life is LATE. Lunches aren't until 1pm or later and dinners at 9pm. This took some getting used to, but we enjoyed sleeping late in the mornings to compensate.

first Taco Bell we've seen out of the US - no, we didn't try it

Plaza Mayor

Friday morning we had breakfast at the hotel (shout out to Hilton Honors program for the freebies) and made our way into town to the Palace. The Spanish monarchy is still active (their royals are quite young and chic) and this palace is stunning. It's updated and very well maintained. The art and decor are amazing and it's incredible how many rooms you actually get to tour! I say this having been to Buckingham and having been a little disappointed when I was only allowed into approx. 3 rooms. We then made our way to San Miguel Market which was a favorite of mine. It was loaded with locals and tourists and the rows were lined with savory snacks and sweets galore. Oh, and the best sangria I've ever had.  I could've stayed there for hours. We wondered around town a bit more before making our way to El Retiro Park. This is Madrid's version of Central or Hyde Park, etc. There's a large man made lake in the middle where you can rent row boats and listen to local musicians. We sat in a cafe on the edge for a while and enjoyed the weather and the culture. For the evening we made our way to the Literary Quarter which is known for live music and night life. We didn't find a particularly lively music scene, but we did stumble into one of the meat markets to taste some of the fresh pork (pigs legs hang literally everywhere in Madrid) and found a local bar with Spain's futbol match on (Ronaldo and the Real Madrid weren't playing that wknd).

Royal Palace

Royal Palace

El Retiro

Fresh meat

Saturday was our favorite part of the trip. Since we didn't have much we were dying to see in the city, Adam had the idea to train out to a neighboring town for the day. We somewhat randomly selected Avila, which was about an hour out. It was utterly charming. The city is known for being home to Spain's oldest Roman and Gothic architecture and to this day it's surrounded by a gate that you can walk along and enjoy amazing views of the city. The cathedral was massive (biggest I've been to date) and stunning. It's walls consisted mostly of a stone called blood stone. As you can imagine, it's reddish in color, but each stone has several shades and varies so when placed side by side, it's gorgeous.

Enjoying roasted chesnuts in Avila

Avila Wall/Gate

Avila Cathedral

The Spanish are extremely friendly and welcoming. Adam can speak a little Spanish, but even when at a loss for the words, they kindly helped us get what we were looking for.  The culture is also very relaxed. No one seems to be in a hurry to get anywhere or to do anything so it felt like a true vacation/city break for us. Sunday we caught an early flight back and had the day  to recover before commencing packing (and my last week of freedom).  We do a lot of 4 day trips as we've found 3 days is often just the right amount to sight see, building in time for travel.  We also do our best to not have to leave at the crack of dawn and try to get back on a decent hour when returning so we can rest and prep for the week ahead.

As I said, I'll post soon on the new place and new neighborhood. After that, I imagine I'll have plenty to write about as we have a few fun events planned for November. We'll be visiting Budapest, Hungary this week and are so excited! Adam's parents went while here and loved it, so they've given us some travel tips. The weekend after that we'll be getting together with our two sets of American friends and going to Harry Potter studios! Finally, November is when the Christmas Market in Birmingham opens and we can't wait to do some holiday shopping, plus it's a favorite of Brummies as it puts all in the Christmas spirit.

Daylight savings ended last weekend (a week earlier than in the states) so it's getting dark around 5pm.  Britain is known for it's short/dark days in the winter and I've been dreading it's approach with each day that passes. However, we have less than 50 days now till we are back in the states for a visit. Time flies when you're having fun! Till next time... Cheers all!

Moher or Less

Slainte! That's Gaelic for "Cheers!" It feels like we've been going non-stop since we got back from Paris, and to say we're exhausted/somewhat numb today is an understatement, but it's been a great couple of weeks filled with fun sites, adventures, and best of all, time with family.

With a couple of weekends off, we decided to head to one of our wish-listed UK destinations for a day. Much like Oxford, MS, Oxford, England is a beautiful and historic city most famously known for its University. While Faulkner is a boast worthy alumnus, this Oxford boasts the likes of Stephen Hawking, countless olympians, actors and 26 Nobel Prize winners. This modern info graphic surprised me a bit as I expected their website to exhibit some of the similar imagery you see in person in the city, however, it has some pretty cool facts.

We wondered around the city and jumped onto a free walking tour hearing fascinating tidbits about Charles Dodgson's (Lewis Carroll as most know him) days as Vice Chancellor and his inspiration for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. We much enjoyed a stroll down the River Thames and seeing the many crew club houses that lined the river. Our favorite stop, though, was most definitely the Bodleian Library. No, it was not just because scenes from Harry Potter were filmed here or because J.R.R.Tolkien wrote much of his beloved trilogy here. You know those places where you just feel the magic (like Hogwarts)? For some it's a physical building, maybe others a place/view (Adam and I both feel this way at Westminster and when on the open water), and this was one of those places. Maybe it's the scent of the old books, the dim lighting and/or the structure of the building. I think a lot of it is simply the respect held for these works of literature and the tradition the University and its scholars uphold.  It's just a cool place. We finished our day with an Evensong service at Christ Church and headed home. Oxford was just an 1 1/2 drive and we were glad to soak up some of the last days of English countryside and sunshine on the road trip.

The following week was a big one. Adam's parents have been on a European cruise for the last 2 weeks and finished their Euro trip with a visit to see us in Brum. They saw over a dozen cities and got to visit Mont Saint Michel (I'm totally jealous) for their 30th anniversary trip and took Adam and me with them to Dublin for his birthday. Dublin is a quick and cheap flight from Birmingham (so long as you follow Ryanair's stupid rules-I can't digress and get into that without getting angry) so we took a night flight, grabbed dinner and a pint of Guinness at a charming pub, and got some rest before our first day of adventures. We spent the morning walking thru the city with the friendliest of hosts (seriously, the Irish are the nicest ever), stopped in at Christ Church for a service accompanied by the best history lesson from the Priest, Geoffrey, and made our way to Guinness for a tour. After sampling the flagship of dark beers, we hopped in our rental car and drove 3 hours across the country to the other side of the island to see the Cliffs of Moher.

Y'all, I'm in love. Ireland was so beautiful. I wasn't even bothered by the wind and cool weather, and that says a lot. After a tricky drive down the winding roads we checked into our B&B (which was adorable) and drove the quick drive downhill to the Cliffs for sunset. I just can't say enough about this view. That is until I think of the view from the other side which we saw from a boat the next day. This is one of those trips when not having exact plans really paid off. On day two, we took the advice of one of the B&B caretakers and took a 40 minute boat ride from Doolin to Inis Oirr. Once off the boat, we took a horse and carriage ride to see the small island of 297 residents, walked along its stoned walls through old castles and even spent a few minutes on the beach. The sand and smell of saltwater were a priceless remedy for my homesickness. The boat trip back took a different path and took us along the Cliffs - it was partially my seasickness, but the sites were literally breathtaking... worth every minute of nausea. In Dublin we picked up some true wool souvenirs and headed back to the airport. 48 hours was enough, but not at the same time as we're already planning a trip back.

We spent Saturday showing the 'rents around our soon to be new neighborhood and then headed to a ball. Yes, a ball. Adam's firm throws an annual thank you event and we arrived just in time to RSVP for this year's Willy Wonka themed event. While I was disappointed that there weren't fountains of Cadbury chocolate flowing, we had a really good time and felt quite fancy. I've mentioned before that men's clothes fit a bit differently in Britain, and Adam's tux did in a good way. Now we know why James Bond always looks so good.

Sunday, we slept late and walked around Brum as we were experiencing some very nice weather. That evening we introduced Roy and Karen to our favorite British show - The Great British Bake Off - and watched the premier of Downton Abbey. This is where I act like a child and say nah nah nah nah boo boo, I get to watch DA months before you! Karen and Roy flew back Monday and took a big piece of us with them. I can't put into words how nice it was to see family and get to share our new life with them.

As if all of the above wasn't enough, did I mention we found a new place? No biggie, except yes it is! We're very excited to be moving in October to a new home and neighborhood. While we've enjoyed the JQ and this flat, we found a terraced house in Harborne that we feel will truly help us make a home here.  I'll post a revamped Haywood Househunters (as this experience was quite different than the first) and Feels Like Home blog once we move. Here's a sneak peek.

We found some SUPER cheap flights to Madrid so we're heading there in October! I'm thrilled to visit Spain and have been making Adam brush up on his Spanish.  With all that's going on, I know December and our trip back to the U.S. for Christmas will be here in the blink of an eye and we can't wait! Till next time!

Bonjour Y'all

I may have fooled Paris, but I actually took a combined 7 French language classes through high school and college, and not to brag, but I made A's in each (though those complex conjugations were the bane of my existence in the fall of 2006). Sadly, all I have to show for it is a random plethora of nouns and the un-conjugated versions of a few verbs. Alas, I sure acted like a pro when we visited Paris last weekend and only 99.99% of Parisians figured out I was American... and Southern.

We had 3 days to see as much of the massive and spread out city as possible. Because I've been dying to visit Paris for most of my life, I put some thought and planning into our sightseeing, doing my best to ensure we made the most of public transportation and foot travel time while factoring in queues and snacking (the Haywoods like to snack). Our AirBnb rental was lovely and located in District 11/Bastille neighborhood. Almost immediately upon arrival we found the neighborhood bakery, which we visited daily for croissants, pain au chocolate and macaroons.

The Paris subway isn't too tough to navigate, once you get past that it's in French, and it's cheap and fairly clean, with the exception of the poo that I spotted one of the nights. We had a fairly horrific and smelly bus ride into town and thus chose to stay away from those the remainder of the trip. It was early evening by the time we were ready to explore so we decided to take it easy and get some fresh air. We made our way through the Jardin des Plantes, past the Pantheon (I know these sights deserve more than a passing, but remember, efficiency was our game) to Luxembourg Garden. We quickly found somewhere to buy some wine, bread and cheese (French essentials as I understand it) and found a spot close to one of the fountains to begin soaking up the Paris vibe and Vitamin D we've been missing in England. We were immediately enchanted. Sadly, this didn't last long as the gardens close shortly after our arrival, but we quite enjoyed those few minutes.

One thing I did differently when planning this trip was attempt to plan our dining options. Reasons being: 1 - we love food; 2 - this was our first trip to a country where we didn't speak the language, and 3 - this is a severe area of struggle for us when traveling. Adam and I both have bad habits of getting hungry quickly and violently, or hangry as some call it. And when this happens to both of us as the same time, it can be down right dangerous. So, I did some research, found a website that had some promising suggestions and chose restaurants close to corresponding sights. Night one was in a good location and was very charming - your classic French bistro, A La Biche Au Bois. Our steaks weren't anything to write home, or here, about, but it was a decent choice, seeing as they spoke English and we avoided hanger ruining our evening. 

Saturday's plans were not for the faint of heart, or feet.  We caught the train over to the Arc de Triomphe to start our day. This site is massively impressive, and massive. (Note: I won't spend much of this blog post trying to put into words the emotions the sites evoked from each of us - that's for each individual to experience.) We then headed down the Rue de Champs Elysees, past the Grand Palais and through the Jardin des Tuileries. The lunch spot I selected was deserted and just felt weird, so we found a cafe in a courtyard off the Louvre (Le Nemours), which was perfect! Not only did they have delicious crepes (Adam converted me from chocolate to Nutella and banana), but an impromptu string performance started right in front of us! It was like a classy flash mob, or orchestra.  C'est la vie en Paris.

Once in the Louvre, we immediately found the Mona Lisa. As everyone warned me, it was small, and crowded. Who cares?! It's the Mona Lisa, people! However, the rest of the museum is really incredible as well. We could have spent hours there, but limited it to 2 or so. We had towers to climb... literally.

The climbing queue (versus the direct lift) for the Eiffel Tower wasn't so bad, and in spite of my Snapchat rants, neither was the climb. The views at every level are beautiful, and the tower itself is just a cool to look at. Upon descent, I'd planned for us to see Sacre Coeur and gaze upon Paris at dusk/evening from Montmartre, but we were pooped, so grabbed pizza and called it a night. There's always next time, and there WILL be a next time.

Sunday was a day I'd been looking forward to since my middle school field trip to Jackson to see the Versailles exhibit. We caught the long train, waited in the long & hot queue and made our way into the hot and crowded palace - and it was AWESOME! We ate up every minute walking through the rooms, listening to our audio guides and snapping photos like tourists. We took a lunch break on the steps of the garden to snack on some sandwiches (smartly purchased at a convenience store) and plotted our trek through the gardens, which goes on for miles. We saw a fountain show and most of the other buildings on site and after 6 hours, threw up our white flags as our feet were dead and our minds full of awe inspiring buildings, gardens, statues, art and French glory. That place is stunning and was our favorite stop on this trip. Sites seen, we grabbed Chinese and were in by 9pm. I realize we were in Paris and some of you may be thinking "Chinese, seriously," but when you don't have some of your usual comforts from home (US) at home (UK), you sure do crave those eggrolls you see in the shop window (we miss you Mr. Chen's). Also, our aforementioned issue of finding dinner spots helps us relish a simple decision when presented with one.

With just half a day left, we finished our Parisian adventure with some reverence and beauty at St. Chapelle and Notre Dame Cathedrals. St. Chapelle boasts some of the most impressive stained glass I've ever seen and Notre Dame is beautiful from every angle, every corner and every view. We got our last look as we meandered over to the Love Lock bridge where I resisted adding a lock. They've been removing them lately due to the weight they're adding to the bridges and I for one, couldn't be a part of doing any damage to such beautiful architecture. No judgement to those who've done so in the past - it's charming and I don't think anyone realized at the start how many locks would actually be added and the damage it could do.

Paris was all that I expected, and so much more.  I could spend hours gushing, and share many more pictures, speaking of which - here's a link to my Google+ photo album.  The blog isn't the most efficient place to share ALL of the photos, but you can find most from our adventures there!

We have a few other trips planned before our visit home at Christmas (wow, I can't believe I'm already talking about that) and we'll share those as we go.  We spent last Saturday in Oxford and I'll try to get those details on the blog soon! Until then, au revoir (nailed the accent in my head)!

London Calling

Last weekend, we decided to have a weekend out of Brum with our Mississippi friends, Melana and Kyle, who live just outside of London. Melana is an excellent planner and Adam and I were thankfully asked to tag along. Living a short ride away from the city proves helpful as we can pop in when fun events are taking place.  I could find a million reasons to pop back to London weekly, but I'd possibly go as far to argue that how we spent this particular weekend would be a great way to spend 48 hours, if that's all you had, in the city. While we didn't hit some of the major historic sites this trip, we absorbed much of what I feel makes the culture in London so rich.

I took the train in Friday morning and Melana and I started our day at Buckingham Palace. The Palace only opens it's doors for a short couple of months a year, and I'm not sure how people can resist their own curiosity.  While you see much less than you do on a tour of the White House, (note-it's easier to get in to Buckingham, no background check required here), you do have the opportunity to see the rooms used for state dinners and the likes.  To be honest, most of the rooms (more like hallways) felt somewhat dated.  This surprised me a bit for some reason. I guess I assumed that since the palace was still in use that it would have some more modern, yet classical decor.  Regardless, the art is amazing, and the upkeep is impeccable.  The best room was hands down the dining room staged for a state dinner - simply exquisite - and I will continue to have fantasies about being invited to a dinner in said room one day before or after our time here in the UK... the invitation to come from Kate herself, of course.  You aren't allowed to take photos in the palace, but I did snap a few on our tour of the Royal Mews.

Picture the Queen in all her wedding glory riding inside

Cruisin' through the Royal Mews (pun intended)

Royal stags

View from the back of the palace

What does one do to after cruising through royal hallways? Why, high tea of course.  Our next stop was one of the coolest restaurants I've ever stepped foot in.  Sketch boasts six different rooms, each with a different theme, design, and aesthetic.  When given the chance to do some site seeing sans husbands, you naturally choose the all pink room, also known as the Gallery.  We were treated to champagne, mini sandwiches, scones, tarts, pastries galore and tea.

The Gallery @ Sketch

Afternoon Tea @ Sketch

The Gallery @ Sketch

Treats for days

Special toilets @ Sketch

Sufficiently stuffed, we made our way home to rest, refresh and meet the guys.  We had dinner reservations near Bankside and tickets to a midnight showing of As You Like It at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.  As an English major who took not one, but two Shakespeare classes, I hate to admit I wasn't familiar with this particular play (sorry Dr. Griffin).  Ground tickets were sold out, which I was a bit thankful for once we arrived.  While it would have been cool to stand stage front as viewers did back in the day, it rained most of the show and did I mention it was midnight? Excitement and all, the adventures of the day definitely wore on me throughout the play.  Delirium set in sometime around intermission, but nonetheless, it was an extremely cool experience.  I plan to go back, but maybe for a matinee next time. Here's a view from our seats:

Saturday we slept late and saved up our energy to cheer on the England Rugby team at Twickenham stadium that night against France! After a quick run to the stadium to get new tickets (yes, we left ours in Brum), we met the crew at a local pub near St. Margaret's with dozens of fellow rugby fans to do a bit of pre-gaming and dinner.  Our new seats actually ended up being in a much better section than originally planned and with some spare seats around us, so Kyle and Melana were able to join us for the second half.  English sport fans are extremely enthusiastic and a lot of fun to be around.  Rugby is much easier to follow than I anticipated (having already struggled with cricket) and I can see myself getting into the World Cup matches as they approach.  

Twickenham Stadium

Twickenham Stadium

Stadium fan fare

Rugby scrum

England's favorite expats

We slowly made our way back to Brum Sunday afternoon, sufficiently exhausted, yet feeling sufficiently more British.  To be honest, I knew Buckingham was a long shot in regards to a Kate sighting.  However, I did get my hopes up slightly when I heard that Will and Harry often show up to cheer on their rugby team and our seats happened to be just in front of the Royal Box.  Alas, not this time.

Next time on the blog - Paris (finally)! You can find more pictures and frequent updates (including my adventures in British baking) on social media (Instagram & Twitter - @jordanwhaywood; Snapchat - jdubhay).  Also, we love to hear from friends back home! While we had to retire our US phone numbers, we use What's App to text, so message me if you'd like our UK contact info! Cheers mates!

Confessions of a Jobless Expat

You may have seen this blog title in a social media post hashtag or two recently. Back in the states, I led a fairly busy lifestyle - staying busy keeps me sane and tolerable to both those who work with me and those forced to live with me (former roommates and Adam can attest).  I've had a job and been somewhat overcommitted to extracurricular activities since I was 15, so to say this move has been a transition for me is somewhat of an understatement. I went from utilizing 220% of my time to utilizing about 40% of non-sleeping hours performing tasks that aren't exactly first nature to me.

So, I thought I'd share some of the fun activities that take up one's time when you're unemployed, in a foreign country, and transitioning from being a habitually busy person. I'd like to throw in the disclaimer that I do not look down upon any of these activities, or those that choose to fill their days with such and/or enjoy them. I actually really like cleaning, and have come to love cooking. It's just amazing how much of it I find myself doing now that I have more time on my hands. Also, most of these activities look a little different in the UK, and I've had to relearn how to do some things. Consider this blog a guide to some of the daily activities of an expat housewife.

Expectation v. Reality

Trip Planning - When you have such easy access to most of Europe, you have to take advantage of it, right? Well, it's not as easy as saying "Paris this weekend, Barcelona the next," though we wish it was, and sometimes act like it is via social media (sorry for all of the humble brags).  Whether by planes, trains, or automobiles, it takes some thought and research to choose the best way to reach your destination, much less find a place to stay and plan out what you'd like to do with your time.  Many of our trips are only 2-4 days so we want to spend our time wisely.  We're still learning, but I've shared a few sites below that we've utilized and hope these are helpful to any future Euro travelers.

www.skyscanner.net - Like Expedia and friends, this site pools together the best prices from all of the airlines and gives you the best prices and options.  It's quite comprehensive and makes searching significantly easier and faster.

www.eurostar.com - We haven'e used the Eurostar train line yet as it doesn't travel from Brum, but it's famous for it's extremely cheap train rides off the island.  If booked at the right time, you can get from London to Paris for as cheap as 25 pounds.

www.airbnb.com - I've mentioned this on a previous blog and reiterate it's awesomeness.  I'm hopeful I'll have even more good things to say after our trip to Paris at the end of the month.  I was reminded how crazy good the lodging deals are when a friend sent me the link to the home she booked for her trip to Santorini Greece in October - picture luxury resort for the price of a good steak.

www.holidaypirates.com - One of Adam's coworkers sent him the link to this site and we're anxiously sifting through the deals to see which we'll try first.  From what I understand, it finds all of the good deals from flights, lodging and sometimes meals and puts them together for suggested trips for you.  A website that serves as a personal travel agent? Sign me up.

Grocery Shopping - This one's a doozy.  I hated going to Kroger in Jackson even though I knew where most everything was and knew the speedy path to take through the store.  Here, things are all over the place, and go by different names (i.e. - cilantro v. coriander).  It probably doesn't help that I cook out of American v. British cookbooks for the most part, but either way I think I'd still feel the challenge.  My first few trips took over two hours, at least.  It's gotten better, and my planning in this area has improved.  Recently I've taken advantage of the delivery service our local store offers since Adam has been using the car, and I may never go back.  Some days I come home successful, some days I come home feeling the sting of spending 4 pounds on Aunt Jemima (the British maple syrup just wasn't as good, I swear). One plus in this category is that there's a store on every corner - most are the mini-marts and don't carry full selections, but you're rarely ever more than a mile from a full grocery store or two blocks from it's express version which makes running out for coffee or eggs quite convenient.

Cooking - As I said, I've been utilizing my trusted American cookbook, specifically Skinny Taste as it's a trusted simple source for good clean meals.  I'm wary of Pinterest or Google as a source for recipes, unless they come from the Pioneer Woman, but England doesn't have enough butter to make most of her recipes.  We tried Chicken Tikka Massala (via Google) last week, and it turned out decently. I think cooking Indian food is a practiced skill. We may grab a local cookbook soon just for the sake of making the grocery list fully attainable.  I plan to expand my sweets horizon soon as we started watching the highly popular BBC show The Great British Bake Off when the newest series (they call a season of a show a series) premiered last week.  I ordered an accompanying cookbook this week and have high hopes for my first madeira cake.

Cooking also proves a little tricky as we're working with limited kitchen tools.  We didn't ship over the plethora of wonderful wedding gifts we accumulated in those first years of marriage (those are safe in storage), and purchased the bare minimum for our flat.  Most nights it takes a little longer than it probably should, but I quite enjoy having the afternoon to prepare the ingredients and cook dinner at a decent hour. I now can get started between 4-6pm versus 7pm or later (the earliest either of us usually got home back in the states) and not be limited to throwing together easy staples like spaghetti or tacos.

Laundry - If you watched a video on one of my first blogs, you may have seen that it's very common for washers and dryers to be combined and in the kitchen.  Yep, the kitchen.  It's not very big or very powerful. It takes over 3 hours to finish one load, and it rarely comes out dry, much less wrinkle free (see next activity).  We realized quickly there is a reason our laundry hamper is so small - when it's full, you've easily got 3 loads and a full day's work ahead of you.

Ironing (Sheets) - So, apparently this is a thing.  Back home, my sheets came out soft and smooth, so I popped those bad boys on the bed and called it a day.  Maybe it's the quality and/or thread count of our sheets here, but they come out of the dryer ridiculously wrinkled and crisp (as do Adam's jeans).  I find myself hovering over my tiny table ironing board trying to make the sheets look and feel as smooth as possible, but typically give up after a few minutes or sometime around the bottom middle part of the sheets that I assume no guest would over see and that only our feet can feel.

Decorating/Nesting - I miss Home Goods.  We have TKMaxx (TJ's British cousin), but the home section isn't stellar and Brum doesn't boast a ton of smart home stores, at least that I've found.  Ikea does the trick sometimes, and I've had some luck on Joss and Main, but flat decorating is different than decorating your forever home, and it's a balance I just haven't mastered yet of finding decent pieces that don't feel and look cheap.

So, there you have it - an average day in the life. I've also been reading a fair amount and am extremely overly caught up on TV/Netflix. The job hunt is still on.  I spend a large part of most mornings sipping coffee and applying for gigs. More exciting adventures coming soon (including but not limited to Buckingham Palace, our first rugby match and Paris), so stay tuned!

So Posh

Today I'm inspired to write a bit on culture here in Britain, specifically Brum fashion and the social scene.  People watching takes on an all new art form when you move to a new country.  There's so much to take in, and I've been watching for trends, habits and trying to assess what's "cool" or "posh" as I've heard Adam mimic his coworkers.  This research is not to fill a need to fit in (I'm totally secure in my American-ness), but because it fascinates me.

Though my closet is much smaller here and many of my remaining loved pieces are stored away in Fairhope, I've maintained my deep love for fashion, even if my ability to express such has been relegated to how I can accessorize a black sweater.  Somewhat to my surprise, every girl here doesn't try to emulate Duchess Kate.  Weird, right? On the contrary, fashion here is quite eclectic.  It has a natural city vibe - a lot of black,  flats v. heels (practical for commuting/walking - though I'm  not sure I can get on board with the return of the Birkenstock which is happening on both sides of the pond), and mid sized leather bags (also good for working girls).  On the casual side, there are SO many crop tops! I saw these half shirts trying to make a come back in the US, and a somewhat tolerable one on teenage girls with undeveloped figures, but here, they're everywhere! I sometimes describe fashion here to Adam as having a lingering 90's flare.  Not the nasty grunge side, but the laid back casual freedom of expression side.  It's in patterns, faded jeans, and those bloody crop tops.

Here's a chic taste of the trends

While tagging along with Adam for a London trip recently, I went to the featured exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which fittingly happened to be on renowned and iconic British designer Alexander McQueen. It was incredible, and actually affirmed some of the previously mentioned trends I've noticed in British fashion.  McQueen's collections were edgy and a dark and the exhibit beautifully pieced together his work with intense light displays and appropriately accessorized Swarovski crystals.  I've always been a bit surprised that Kate is such a McQueen fan.  I'm sure part of it is her patriotism, but I like to think that it also speaks to the modern edge she brings to the monarchy. Granted, I think he's a favorite of many fashionistas, rightfully so.

A favorite from the exhibition

Speaking of classy and elegant style, I also had a chance to see an Audrey Hepburn exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery.  Seeing her iconic photos blown up and paired with behind the scenes images from her famous films was perfection.  You'd think those photos of her couldn't be any prettier, well they can - no wonder so many people wanted to make her a cover star.

Easy, breezy, beautiful

As for men's fashion, it's a bit more predictable.  Jeans and shirts are tighter and more colorful and hair taller and shinier (I'm talking gel).  As for the more formal work attire, suits are mostly required and sometimes come in pieces of three with an accompanying skinny tie. All in all, clothes for both men and women are more affordable and practical, though not necessarily more comfortable. When in doubt, look to the always chic, always stylish, always British Beckhams.

Seen here coordinating at Wimbledon 2014

As for ways to spend our free time, we stumbled upon two fun scenes in our neighborhood.  The first we've been eying since we moved in - The Jam House.  We'd heard good things and seeing the velvet rope outside only made us even more curious.  On a random Tuesday night we had dinner upstairs and made our way downstairs to hear some very talented singers…. that's right, I said Tuesday night, and just down the street from our flat - Adam's dream scenario.  That Thursday evening we stumbled upon a street festival with MY favorite pastime - food trucks! The delicious food just happened to be accompanied by music from none other than the same artist we heard earlier in the week. I've also visited the dry cleaners, nail and hair salons AND got asked for directions… twice! We're such locals.

June was a warmer month and I felt a taste of home - humidity, my old friend.  July hasn't been quite as hot, this week in particular has been cloudy and cool, so we may delay our beach trip.  It would crush me if I have to wear a sweatshirt in sand, so best not to risk my tender heart just yet.  As for other upcoming adventures, Mom recommended I take the obvious path and go to Buckingham to find Kate, so a fellow expat and I are planning an escapade thru the castle soon now that it's open for it's annual tours. Until next time chums!