This one's for the girls

I will admit, I'm a romantic at heart. I believe in love and I believe everyone will find love, providing you want to.

We've all dated some unsuitable guys, or guys who were suitable perhaps, but it just didn't work out. And, we've all dated guys who were jerks, didn't treat us as well as we deserved and often left us broken hearted.

I don't think I have a girlfriend who doesn't fit that description. I fit that description. For four years (off and on - mostly off) dated someone who would never have put me first in his life. And yet, I muddled through anyway thinking at some point, it would change (it didn't).

Now I know how unbelievably lucky I am that it didn't work out. And I know that most of the girls I know who have been there look back and think "yeah, that was definitely for the best".

So don't give up after that broken heart or months (maybe years) of not finding Mr. Right. I'm positive it will happen.

I'm proof.
My beloved Aunt is proof.
Cara is proof.
Tonya is proof.

And there are thousands (millions!) more.

This is dedicated to all my gorgeous single girlfriends.

She's baaaaaaack....

Yes, I'm home. :( :( :(

Why the frownie faces?
Because I didn't want to come home. I wanted to stay with my husband-to-be. I hate leaving him and it sucks that we have to keep doing this for who knows how much longer.

However, it was a good... no, great week.

Friday: I arrive around 10:05AM and am with James by 11:15AM. Heathrow knows how to do passport control and baggage claim (Dulles doesn't but I'll get to that later).
James loads us up in his car and we're off home to Fleet. We have a relaxed day at home and I take a nap.

Saturday: Sleep late and go around to his parents in the afternoon and are there the entire day sitting outside talking. At home James makes us Salmon and bakes potatos while I make us asparagus. Yum! Awesome day.

Sunday: It's into London with his parents for the Chelsea v Manchester United game. It was a fun game and I'm fascinated by the travelling ManU supporters (don't tell James). They have clever songs they sing and I can hear them louder than anyone else in the stadium even though they are clearly the minority.
That night James'dad picks up take-a-way chinese and we have dinner at their home.

Skip forward to Tuesday: We drive up to Liverpool and James patiently walks through The Beatles museum with me. I LOVE it. Afterwards we stop for some hot chocolate at Costa on Albert Dock and we're handed what James refers to as "a bucket of hot chocolate". I agree, it's huge. But, I drink every drop. No one can accuse me of letting chocolate go to waste!

Wednesday: Naked Wednesday... enough said. ;-)

Thursday: We spend a good deal of the day on Oxford St in London shopping and I introduce James to Wagamama (my fave restaurant). I'm not sure he's entirely impressed but again, braves it for me.

And then Friday: A farewell dinner at a nice Italian restaurant with his parents and I get slightly intoxicated. Just slightly.

Saturday: After a bit of car drama, I'm off to the airport. James wasn't able to take me as his Audi won't start and he has to wait for someone to come around to fix it. His buddy Martin picks me up and gets me to Heathrow with time to spare.
Arrive at Dulles safely only to wait in line for ages at passport control then annoyingly wade through hundreds of black suitcases to find my own (which was nowhere near my silver suitcase which I was also traveling with). I'm extremely annoyed at the laziness and patheticness of the international baggage claim process and want to fly immediately back to London.

Sunday: Get up early, then take a nap. Tonya swings by and we're off to a bridal show then Build A Bear for Jade (okay for Jade and Jessica, I make a bride bear).

I miss James.

Speaking of James...

Things James doesn't want you to know:
1. He very lovingly (and with minimal griping) brushes the knots out of my hair when asked to do so.
2. He shed a couple tears when he realized he wouldn't be able to say goodbye to me at the airport.
3. He loves his stuffed dog Barney. It's incredibly sweet.

I got a letter from Senator Webb saying he has sent a request on to USCIS asking them to expedite our Visa application and said that he's asked to be kept up-to-date on the progress.

Mr. Webb, you have my vote when needed.

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

I am going to have a hard time making it through the next 37.5 hours. 16.5 of those hurs spent at work. AAACK! I'm ready to go right now!

There are some great times ahead of me and I'm ready to get started! James and I have been invited to watch Chelsea take on Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. And, even though I don't support either team, I'm really excited about it.

Come tomrorow at 10PM, I will board a British Airways plane and (hopefully) sleep straight to Heathrow Airport. Then I get to see my James again. Happiest day of the year (okay, the happiest day would probably be when he proposed).

I love you baby, and, I'll be there soon!

Happy Labor Day America

What this means to me is that outdoor pools are officially closed. Not that I took much advantage of it. A handful of times this year (including today).

I mainly swim at my gym's indoor pool and to swim laps only. It's my new favorite way of exercising. When winter returns, I'll begin to run again.

And so summer comes to its' end. Fall will so be upon us and for me, it's great news. Fall is, by far, my favorite time of the year.

Fall weather, fall clothes... it's the best.

And I get to spend a week and a half of fall in England with my awesomely awesome James.

Goodbye summer. See you next year.