It's Not Goodbye, It's See You Later...

It is amazing to think that I have been home in Chicago for two weeks now. In some ways, it feels like I just left Reading. But in other ways, it feels like I have been home for so long!

Last date night in London to see Wicked!

My last week in Reading was simply unforgettable. For our last big date together, Ed and I went to London to see the musical Wicked. I honestly think that it was one of the best dates that I have ever been on. We were all dressed up and feeling like a million bucks (or quid! haha) for our special date. We had wonderful wine and dinner at a restaurant near the theater before the show.  We also go to see "Little Ben" which was something not even Ed, the London native, had seen before!

Wine and Dine with my Boyf <3

Our seats at Wicked were incredible, and such a great deal! I had seen the show once before when I was much younger and Ed had never seen it before...But we both absolutely loved it.  We were singing the songs for days! "I'm flying high...Defying gravity!"

We had amazing seats! 

Everything about that night was absolutely perfect.  I had my extremely handsome boyfriend with me and we got to spend some fun, quality time together.  I simply just love being with Ed and that whole night was amazing.

Last night out at the Union!

I had two final exams the week before I left, which I really hope went well because I studied so hard for them.  Once I finished those, I had the rest of the week to just finish up some of my last assignments and relax while everyone else finished their exams. To celebrate the end of exams, we got to go to the Union (my favorite!) one last time and I finally wet to Propaganda at Q Bar like I always promised Steve I would!  It was so much fun to go out with everyone one last time! I think I underestimated how much I would miss going out and dancing pretty much whenever and wherever I wanted. Nights out in Reading were unlike anything here in the US!

Everyone at dinner on my last night

The night before I left, almost everyone from my flat went out to dinner together. I couldn't help but just look around the table at all of the amazing friends that I had made in Reading. Each person there touched my life in their own unique way and I will always remember and miss every single one of them.

The most thoughtful/awesome gift ever :)

All of my flatmates got me one of the most thoughtful gifts that I have ever received.  They gave me a Reading soccer (football :) ) jersey with my name and the number 51 (for our flat number, Windsor 5.1) printed on the back.  I cried like a baby when I opened it and read all of the sweet messages that everyone had written to me.  It was beyond perfect.

Saying goodbye is SO hard </3

Saying goodbye to everyone the next day was one of the hardest things that I have ever done.  It is so difficult to say goodbye to someone when you honestly have no idea when of if you will ever see them again. I really hope that it's not goodbye though, just see you later. :)

I <3 him

I thought saying bye to my friends was hard...saying goodbye to Ed was nearly impossible.  He was so sweet and came to the airport with me to help me get all checked in and stuff (which was no easy task). He came all the way to security with me where we shared a very tearful goodbye (well, at least on my part...but honestly, would you expect any less from me?).  I think I cried even after I boarded the plane and took off. I miss him so much.

Enough people have asked me that I might as well just answer the inevitable question...Yes, we are still going to stay together even though I moved back to the US. We know that it's not going to be easy, but we are going to try really hard to make it work.  He is absolutely amazing and no miles or time apart is going to change that.

Wonderful memories

Even though I am ready to close the book on this chapter of my life, I am ready to start a new chapter and experience the many things that I have to look forward to this summer:
A great internship with one of the top meteorologists in the country
My ever-growing family with the addition of my new baby sister, Audrey
Enjoying time with my family and best friends in the whole world
Great American food
Sunshine, summertime, and happiness

Welcome Home cake!

I will never forget all of the amazing memories and people that my journey to England brought me. I have learned so much about myself and the world around me that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Thank you so much for coming along for the ride of this incredible adventure with me.  I am so incredibly blessed for my supportive family, amazing boyfriend, and loving friends that made this all some of the best times of my entire life.  God has filled my life with more blessings and joy than I could ever deserve and this journey was just a testament to His never ending love.

"Do You Speak Bavarian?"

My best friend Mosey and I in Germany!

Beer, bratwurst, lederhosen, and mountains. Those were the things that I always used to imagine when I thought of Germany.  I know that it may seem a little stereotypical, but all that and more came to life when I took a trip out to Munich, Germany with my best friend, Mosey.

On top of the hill in Olympic park

When Mosey told me that she was going to be traveling around Europe for a few weeks as her graduation present to herself (and from her parents!), I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to have an European adventure with one of my oldest friends.  She told me that we could go anywhere I wanted, and I chose Munich.  I had really wanted to go to Germany during my backpacking trip last month, but wasn't able to make it there before I got sick so I was really thankful that Mosey was up for it!

If you know anything and Mosey and I, you know that we love to talk.  We are both totally different yet have so much in common, so there is always catching up to do when we get together. And since I have been in Europe, it has been much harder to keep in touch. So you can imagine the amount of catching up we had to do the first day we got to Germany.

Just as we were spilling to each other everything that had been going on in our lives over the last few months, our new roommate Dan walked in to our hostel room.  Even after having to listen to us have girl talk for nearly an hour while he settled in, we still managed to impress Dan enough to become really good friends during the time that we were there.  Amazing the amount of cool people that you meet staying in hostels!

This car will be mine someday ;) Sooner Crimson!

Once Mosey and I stopped talking long enough to make a little bit of a plan for the day, we decided to head up to the Olympic Park where the 1974 Olympics were held. (A very historical Olympics I might add!)  But of course, just our luck, it started pouring the minute we came up from the subway.

Olympic Park, Munich

To pass some time until the rain passed, we went and wandered around the BMW showroom where they had all the latest and future models of BMWs (which stands for Bavarian Motor Works, by the way...made in Munich, Bavaria!). I couldn't help but think about my little brother the whole time and how much he would have loved it there...It was a car lover's heaven!

When the rain decided to let up, we got the chance to wander around the Olympic Park and go up on top of the hill there to get views of all of Munich. It was really interesting to see a city like that...nothing built tall, just built out.  It looked like the city went on forever.

As you probably know about Germany: They love their beer. So Mosey and I decided there was no better place to get dinner and a good beer than an authentic Bavarian beer hall.  Little did we know though, venturing a little bit off the beaten path was going to give us an experience like none other.

Mosey and I with our new "friend" at the beer hall!

Between our ridiculously drunk middle aged table mate, to the oompah band playing right behind us, to a kid way too young to be hitting on Mosey...we had a night to remember, that's for sure.  I really can't explain what that beer hall was like, it is just one of those things that you have to experience for yourself to really know what I mean. Indescribable!

The next day, Mosey, Dan and I went on the walking tour provided by our hostel.  Although it was really interesting to see all of the different parts of Munich, I must say that I thought out tour guide was pretty terrible.  I walked away from the tour knowing almost just as much about Munich as I did walking into it.  But if you wanted a tour all about Berlin and some random guy's political beliefs, then I suppose one would like it! Not really my thing though.

Saw this on our walking tour...Can't tell you what it is though haha

I enjoyed our own little tour of Munich much better.  We went out to to English Garden to the standing surfer wave where there were tons of people surfing...In the middle of Munich! It was really crazy to see.  We also went up in the top of on of the churches in the town center to get more views of Munich.  Mosey hates heights so I was really impressed that she made it all the way up there!

The surf wave in the English Garden

That night, we decided to eat some more authentic Bavarian food at a beer house known for having the best wheat beer in town.  Sounds like a good idea, right? It would be if you spoke German and could actually converse with the waitresses and read the menu! Thank goodness we had Dan with us, who was able to help us! As much as I am slightly terrified every time I look at something and it looks like total jibberish, it is actually really fun to try and figure stuff out!

Having real German beers!

One of the big reasons why I wanted to go to Munich was so that I could see the "Disney Castle". About two hours from Munich is Neuschwanstein Castle tucked away in the Bavarian Alps.  It is the castle that all of the Disney castles are actually based off of, and I could definitely see why.  Not only the castle itself but the German countryside and the mountains and waterfalls were seriously the most amazing.  Mosey and I spent the day hiking around the mountain and admiring the castle and landscape.  I would venture to say that this was the most beautiful place that I have ever been.

The "Disney Castle"...Most beautiful place EVER

Our last night in Munich was so nice that we decided to have dinner at a little Italian cafe outside.  We also got a chance to meet up with a friend of mine that I met at Reading named Annika who lives in Germany. Her and her friends were all just hanging out drinking beers in one of the roundabouts in the city.  I was amazed at how many people were out there, but she said there are usually so much more! Munich is such a chill town, it's pretty cool!

Me and Annika!

As much as I didn't want to leave Munich, I knew I had to come back and start study for my exams the next week.  But that wasn't before we had one last wander around town with Dan and a picnic lunch outside. We had plenty of sunshine to enjoy our last day in Munich.

Picnic lunch for our last day in Munich

Overall, I think going to Munich was one of my favorite trips that I have done since being in Europe.  Maybe it was getting to be with one of my best friends, or maybe it was the beautiful scenery, or the immense amount of culture. Whatever it was...It was amazing.

Our God is GREAT!! Look at His work!

A Royal Affair

Every night there was something different in the news, Twitter was blowing up with royal fever, and people were buzzing about it for months. It was one of the most watched events of all time...the wedding of the century. And there I was, in the country at the center of it all...England!

Everyone kept asking me whether or not I was going to go to Westminster and try to fight my way through millions of people to get a glimpse of the happy couple. Although it sounds like a good idea, the second part of that sentence is the real kicker: millions of people.  So instead of camping out on the streets for a couple days to see some cars drive by...I had a front row seat and I couldn't have asked for anything better.

You couldn't escape the Royal Wedding excitement no matter how far away from London that you went.  And just 30 minutes outside the city center, my university was no exception. I woke up that morning and ran down the hall to Ed's room yelling, "Wake up, wake up! It's wedding day!!" (Note to self: Bad idea to yell anything about weddings to your boyfriend, especially in the morning. Kind of freaks them out  a bit haha) I was just so excited and didn't want to miss any of the action. 

Me, Ed, and a few friends (and when I say a few friends, I mean what seemed like nearly half the university) went to the bar in the Union to watch the wedding.  I don't think I had ever seen so many people there! The atmosphere was awesome.  My favorite part was when the queen stepped out of the car and the whole place clapped and cheered.  Where else in the world are you going to get that?! It was seriously so much fun and really, really exciting!

I laughed when I first saw this picture because the similarities are just too funny:

But really, it was quite a fairytale event.  As if I wasn't in love with this place already, it made me love England even more.  The royal family and everything that goes along with it is unlike anything else you could experience in the whole world. And what a wonderful concept: Millions of people gathered together to celebrate the union of two people in love.  For at least just one day, the world was uplifted by the encouragement of hope and love in a royal affair.

A Little Change of Pace

I have been seriously slacking on my blogging lately and I am really sorry for those of you who actually take the time to read it! Even though it was nearly three weeks ago now...I can't forget about the end of my mom's trip to England!

The beach! With Brighton Pier off on the distance!

For the last leg of my mom's journey through the UK, we went down to the southern coast of England to a town called Brighton.  Brighton is said to be like the San Francisco of the UK and I can definitely see why.  Going down there was a totally different atmosphere than anywhere else that I have been in the UK.  Everyone was so happy and carefree, it seemed like a 24/7 vacation.

It was a pebble beach, of course I had to make that again! :)

My mom and I took a much different approach to Brighton than we did for the rest of our trip.  Instead of walking all around and seeing as much as we could, we took our last few days together to just relax and enjoy the sunshine.  Our hotel was right on the beach so it was really nice to just walk out the front door and be right next to the water.

Mom and I outside Brighton Pavilion

Besides all of our relaxing on the beach, eating delicious food, and shopping around town...We did manage to see Brighton Pavilion.  It was a really cool place, but not exactly something you would expect to see in England.  It was Indian style on the outside, and Chinese on the inside.  I guess it goes along with the theme of Brighton being different!

Loving that beach :)

I absolutely loved getting to spend Easter with my mom.  We went to a church that was recommended to me by one of my good friends at Reading and it really was a great service.  I'm glad that I got to have a special Easter with family so it really meant a lot to me.

One of my favorite pictures of my mommy!

I am so incredibly blessed that I have such a wonderful mother who I got to spend over a week traveling around the UK with. We saw nearly the entire United Kingdom traveling all the way from London to Edinburgh to Brighton! I think that she really got a great taste of the UK and can see why I love it so much here. Thank you for everything, Mom! You are the absolute greatest! :)

Luckiest girl ever :)

So although I was disappointed that I didn't get to finish my big European vacation like I had planned, I think I got something much better...Love. Love from my family, love from my friends, love from boyfriend...Love from the people who mean the most to me.  Isn't that what life is all about? I think once you figure that out, everything else just falls into place.  I am one lucky girl to be traveling all around and seeing all these great places, but what makes me really lucky is the amazing people that I have in my life to enjoy it with.

Imagination At Its Finest

We made it to Scotland! And it was beautiful!

Since before I even landed in the United Kingdom, I had always wanted to go to Scotland.  I heard so many great things about Edinburgh and all that it had to offer so it was on the top of my list of places to see.  So when my mom told me that we could go anywhere I wanted, I was not hesitant at all to book the next train to Edinburgh.

The train ride to Edinburgh was amazing.  We traveled through some of the prettiest parts of England including the Lakes District and continued on into the rolling hills of Scotland.  Besides the occasional difficulty of handling my mom's giant suitcase (which she jokingly claimed to have brought the rest of the family in), it was overall a very easy and enjoyable trip.  I must say that I don't think I have ever seen as many sheep in my life as I did on that train ride.

The Royal Mile in Edinburgh

When we got to Edinburgh, we were instantly taken back by the beauty of it all. It was like we stepped off the train and back in time a few hundred years.  There was really no part of that city that seemed to be spoiled by modernity. I took a bit of a shot in the dark with the hotel choice, but it ended up being an awesome hotel right at the foot of the castle.  We really couldn't have asked for anything better.

We spent the rest of our first day in Scotland taking a trip down the Royal Mile to Hollyrood Palace, the official residence of the Queen when she is living in Scotland.  Along the way we passed so many cute shops selling real Scottish wool and cashmere as well as the Scottish Parliament (which might I add has nothing on the Houses of Parliament in London).

Outside the gardens of Hollyrood Palace

Throughout our tour of Hollyrood, I couldn't help but think to myself how it was not the most impressive palace that I had ever seen. Sounds ridiculous, right? I think that's one of those times when you realize you might have become a little bit architecturally spoiled when somehow a royal palace really just doesn't do it for you.  But I really enjoyed it nonetheless, especially the beautiful, colorful gardens and the majestic King Arthur's seat.

King Arthur's Seat...AMAZING!

After a delicious authentic Italian meal and a good night's sleep, we were ready to take on Edinburgh castle the next day.

The National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle

The castle is like the heart and soul of Edinburgh.  It is set up on a mountaintop overlooking the city, so you can pretty much see it from any part of the city. My mom and I had a really awesome time getting a great guided tour around the castle and exploring the many different buildings and museums of this fortress.  It is amazing the amount of history a place like that has.

A foggy view of Edinburgh from Calton Hill

Next stop of the day: Calton Hill! Calton Hill is a big open area on the top of a hill on the other side of the city from the castle.  It is a tribute to the Scottish Enlightenment where new ways of thinking and intelligence is celebrated. There was everything from the old City Observatory to the unfinished National Monument.  Which, was quite a feat to climb up and I am very proud of myself for making it, even if I did need a little boost from Mom.

I made it! On top of the National Monument

There was only one downside to our second day in Edinburgh: THE FOG! It was so dense all day that you could barely see ten feet in front of you, forget the views from the top of the castle or Calton Hill.  My mom and I eventually just started living by the motto, "Well at least we know this view would be pretty!"  Definitely imagination at its finest. I bought a real Scottish wool scarf and some cashmere gloves to try to help with my inadequate cold weather clothes, which helped a lot.

For the rest of the day, my mom and I just walked around and explored the rest of the city.  There was so much to see and take in.  I think we could have just dedicated an entire day to simply walking around and talking.  I love spending time with my mom.  There is not a single other person in the world who knows me like she does, so it is always nice to talk to someone who just gets me.

Just walking down the streets of Edinburgh

We spent our last night in Edinburgh enjoying dinner  and wine at the restaurant on the top floor of our hotel.  We had the best view of the castle and got to watch it light up the sky when it became darker.  It really was a great way to end our time in the wonderful country of Scotland.

Even though we had a canceled train the next morning, nothing got in the way of getting to the next adventure with my mom. I knew we were in for a treat when we headed back to England and down to the beach! Next stop: Brighton, England!

"Where Mother Is"

A little girl, asked where her home was, replied, "where mother is." 

 ~Keith L. Brooks

I have the best mom in the whole world.  I know that may seem like a pretty bold statement, but I really think it's true.  I don't know many people who work as hard as my mom does, yet would drop everything and do anything for her kids. She has taught me so much and still continues to teach me important lessons in life, even if she doesn't realize it.

I love my mommy :)

When my mom found out how sick I was, she decided to fly out to England and be with me.  By the time she got here, I was pretty much fully recovered but a mom always knows when her daughter needs her.  Even though I was better, she knew how disappointed I would be about not getting to continue traveling, and she just wasn't going to let that happen.

Mom's first day in England!

When I was on my way to the airport to pick her up, I had so many butterflies in my stomach.  I honestly couldn't tell you why I did, but I think it may have been a combination of wanting to make sure my mom had a nice time, her and my new boyfriend meeting each other for the first time, or the possibility that maybe I had changed in the four months since she last saw me. But when I ran up to my mom at the arrival gate of Terminal 5 and gave her a huge hug, all of those nerves instantly went away. I  wasn't expecting to shed any tears, but I cried like a little baby.  I guess moms can do that to you.

The beautiful town of Henley-on-Thames

My mom was understandably really tired and jet lagged from her flight, so the first day we spent a nice relaxing day in Ed's hometown of Henley.  We walked around town and Ed gave my mom the grand tour, including one of his favorite sandwich shops for lunch.  Then, Ed and I took our moms out on a boat ride up and down the Thames.  It was so fun to just cruise around the water on such a beautiful English day, especially with our oh-so handsome driver :)

Loving the boat ride...So much fun!

That evening, my mom and I made our way back to Reading for a bit of rest and relaxation before heading out to dinner with Ed and his family. It was really nice to have everyone together and for my mom to meet Ed's lovely family as well as them meeting the person I had been constantly talking about for the past week. 

Ed's mom and my mom!!

My mom, Ed, and I all headed into London the next day with our first stop at one of my favorite places, St. Paul's Cathedral.  I know that I have been there before and I raved about it the first time, but the second time was just as amazing, if not more. And I am really happy that my mom got to visit on of the many cathedrals that I have been telling her all about. 

Top of St. Paul's Cathedral

We then make a quick stop over to Buckingham Palace before heading out to dinner in Covent Garden. The three of us had a great time having some delicious food and wonderful conversation.  I'm really glad that my mom and Ed got to spend so much time together.  Really makes a girl smile to have two important people together in one place! :)

Outside Buckingham Palace

The next morning was a much needed sleep in day.  We wandered around Reading for a bit and I showed my mom a little bit of the university.  We planned trains and hotels for the rest of my mom's time here while we waited for Ed to get finished with a football meeting. 

Big Ben!!

Ed and I finished up the quick "must- see" tour of London with my mom by taking her to see Harrods, Big Ben and Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye.  I loved seeing the look on my mom's face when Big Ben struck 8pm.  It was just one of those times where you know you are doing something right and you get satisfaction in knowing you made someone's day.

Being silly outside Westminster Abbey

My mom couldn't believe that in a week's time, she went from just reading all about these wonderful places to actually being here, a totally different country all the way across the pond.  But little did she know, she would be in TWO countries because the next day...We went to SCOTLAND! But a whole different country deserves a whole post of it's own, still yet to come. :)

Courage

Laying there in the clinic, not quite sure what the doctor's diagnosis meant for the near future, a flood of questions raced through my mind. Was I ever going to get better? Was I going to have to give up on my journey and go home? Was I going to let myself and everyone else down? Was I going to be in this much pain for a long time?

The view of the south of France from the train

It was as if the doctor could see the distress written all over my face and he could read the thoughts going through my head. He placed his hand on my shoulder, looked down at me, and said "Courage. Courage." And although this doctor didn't speak much English, that was one French word that I heard loud and clear. 

You see, ending up in a doctor's office in Switzerland wasn't exactly in my plans for my month long backpacking tour through Europe. When I first arrived in Switzerland, I thought that I was just exhausted from all of traveling I had done over the past two days.  

My one night in Nice

From Barcelona, I traveled 14 hours to Nice, France.  Although I really can't say much about Nice because I literally only spent 13 hours there.  I saw most of the south of France from the train. Really, the only thing that made it all worth it was the amazing hostel that I stayed in that night.  I had the room all to myself, an extremely comfortable bed, top notch security, and a private bathroom.

View of the Swiss Alps from Ed's grandparent's

After my one night in Nice, I left the next morning to meet up with Ed at his grandparent's house in Anzere, Switzerland.  I had so many setbacks along the way including being told that I wasn't going to make it to Switzerland that day, begging and crying to a conductor to let me on a train, and one of my trains breaking down in the middle of no where France.  All of this completely by myself.  I had never been so relieved to see another person as I was when I got off the train and saw Ed waiting for me at the Geneva train station.

The myriad of medicines that I had t take

Little did I know, it wasn't just exhaustion and stress that was making me feel not myself.  That night, I started having the worst pain in my stomach that I had ever felt.  I was getting sick at least once every hour during the night, having both sweats and chills, running a fever, and feeling pain literally all over my body. This went on for three days straight.  I was so weak from not being able to keep food in my stomach that I could barely move.

Ed and his grandparents did all that they could to help me and try to nurse me back to health, but it really was just out of our hands.  We were finally able to find a doctor in town that would see me, only to discover that I had a nasty stomach infection.  The lucky part was that it was bacterial so it could be treated by some antibiotics, a strict diet, and a lot of rest.

I didn't last long without having to rest :(

As you can imagine, this really didn't fit into my plans of going to Italy the next day. As much as I tried to convince myself that I was well enough to travel again, I knew deep down that I wasn't and I probably wouldn't be for awhile. So I made the decision to come back to England and allow myself to fully recover, despite how disappointed that I may feel.

So when it all comes down to it, I really have learned from this experience. Sometimes life doesn't go how you planned it. But those are the times that you have to trust that the Lord's plan is better than anything you could have thought of yourself. Where you are right now is exactly where you are supposed to be. It's not about the places you travel or the things you see, it's about the people you have by your side.

So incredibly blessed to have this boy in my life

I am so incredibly blessed that if this was going to happen, that it happened when it did.  The amount of love and kindness that Ed and his family have shown me is simply incredible to me.  And now that I am back in England, my mom is going to fly out here to spend Easter with me.  So although it seemed really bad at the time, I know that there is a positive side to everything. All you need is courage to find it.