August/September
The end of the month and beginning of September was spent in Ohio for what would be our last visit home before moving back. Number one item on Doug’s agenda…OHIO STATE FOOTBALL! The first weekend we were home, we went to Columbus for the Ohio State vs. Miami game. With so many friends who are alums of both schools, a big tailgating party was planned. It was great to see everyone…just like old times! The following weekend, my dad and step-mom came for a visit. Ohio State was playing UCF, so of course, we were back in Columbus for that! While OSU won, UCF made a good game out of it! It was a great week home visiting friends, family, and our beloved Toby!
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October
October was another really exciting month for us. We had two rounds of visitors – Rebecca/Greg and Matt/Paula. We loved showing them around our home away from home! While Rebecca and Greg were here, Doug ran his second ½ marathon at Blenheim Palace. Kate cheered on the other runners yelling, “Good job!” and clapping while we waited for a glimpse of daddy. It was pretty stinkin’ adorable!
Sandwiched in between that was our most amazing family vacation yet to Italy. It really should be a blog post all of its own, so I’ll write about that next in a separate posting.
Kate was an owl for Halloween...
November (also known as Movember!)
In November, my mom came back for her last trip to the UK while we’re here. It allowed us to get away for a weekend to celebrate my 35th birthday (see this Mumford & Sons post) which was much needed! We also celebrated a traditional American Thanksgiving, complete with turkey, brussel sprouts, green beans, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and our new tradition of a chocolate/Heath bar trifle for dessert. The British don’t do pumpkin pies!
December
As December came around, I found myself realizing that this whole expat experience is about to come to an end. With the new baby due at the end of April, Kate and I will be returning home to Ohio in early-mid February. It’s a bittersweet feeling for sure, as I’ve made great friends here, as has Kate, and we’ve had so many incredible travel experiences. At least we can leave here knowing that we made the most of our time and saw as much as we possibly could.
Back in November when Doug and I got away for my birthday weekend, we relished in the Christmas lights that drenched the streets of London and continuously noted how much Kate would love them. With the days so short (it’s completely dark by 4:30PM), we new that we could bring Kate back to see the lights without having to push back her bedtime. We walked down Oxford Street, checked out the events at Hyde Park, and stopped at our favorite Mexican restaurant on this side of the ocean – Wahaca. Oh, how I’m going to miss going to London for the afternoon!
As discussed in a separate blog, Kate and I tagged along on Doug's work trip to Paris. Read here for more details on that awesome, but quick, trip!
We celebrated our last Christmas season in the UK...
Lastly, December saw our last European holiday while living here. After much debate between Portugal, Barcelona, and Mallorca, we settled on Mallorca, Spain. Beaches…check. Mountains…check. Sunshine….check! It met all my requirements! More details in another post!
The end of the month and beginning of September was spent in Ohio for what would be our last visit home before moving back. Number one item on Doug’s agenda…OHIO STATE FOOTBALL! The first weekend we were home, we went to Columbus for the Ohio State vs. Miami game. With so many friends who are alums of both schools, a big tailgating party was planned. It was great to see everyone…just like old times! The following weekend, my dad and step-mom came for a visit. Ohio State was playing UCF, so of course, we were back in Columbus for that! While OSU won, UCF made a good game out of it! It was a great week home visiting friends, family, and our beloved Toby!
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
October
October was another really exciting month for us. We had two rounds of visitors – Rebecca/Greg and Matt/Paula. We loved showing them around our home away from home! While Rebecca and Greg were here, Doug ran his second ½ marathon at Blenheim Palace. Kate cheered on the other runners yelling, “Good job!” and clapping while we waited for a glimpse of daddy. It was pretty stinkin’ adorable!
Sandwiched in between that was our most amazing family vacation yet to Italy. It really should be a blog post all of its own, so I’ll write about that next in a separate posting.
Kate was an owl for Halloween...
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In November, my mom came back for her last trip to the UK while we’re here. It allowed us to get away for a weekend to celebrate my 35th birthday (see this Mumford & Sons post) which was much needed! We also celebrated a traditional American Thanksgiving, complete with turkey, brussel sprouts, green beans, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and our new tradition of a chocolate/Heath bar trifle for dessert. The British don’t do pumpkin pies!
December
As December came around, I found myself realizing that this whole expat experience is about to come to an end. With the new baby due at the end of April, Kate and I will be returning home to Ohio in early-mid February. It’s a bittersweet feeling for sure, as I’ve made great friends here, as has Kate, and we’ve had so many incredible travel experiences. At least we can leave here knowing that we made the most of our time and saw as much as we possibly could.
Back in November when Doug and I got away for my birthday weekend, we relished in the Christmas lights that drenched the streets of London and continuously noted how much Kate would love them. With the days so short (it’s completely dark by 4:30PM), we new that we could bring Kate back to see the lights without having to push back her bedtime. We walked down Oxford Street, checked out the events at Hyde Park, and stopped at our favorite Mexican restaurant on this side of the ocean – Wahaca. Oh, how I’m going to miss going to London for the afternoon!
As discussed in a separate blog, Kate and I tagged along on Doug's work trip to Paris. Read here for more details on that awesome, but quick, trip!
We celebrated our last Christmas season in the UK...
Lastly, December saw our last European holiday while living here. After much debate between Portugal, Barcelona, and Mallorca, we settled on Mallorca, Spain. Beaches…check. Mountains…check. Sunshine….check! It met all my requirements! More details in another post!
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