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!