It reminded me of my own love affair, with my amazing now-husband, also British, like Jamie.  The girl from Nebraska met the British boy while blogging, then talking, and then I decided, “I have to meet you”, and flew to Heathrow, and spent the week with him, and my friend Jane, who is my best friend, who I also had not met, but spent many hours emailing with.

It was the scariest, most exciting thing I had ever done.  I was leaving my daughter behind for a whole week, and that was completely unnerving.   I was flying for 12 hours (!) overseas, where I had never been before.   I was meeting a man I was very comfortable with, but understood that stuff happens and things sometimes don’t turn out the way you expect, so I had a Plan B, which was to stay with Jane, if Plan A fell apart.

It didn’t.

I had the most amazing time, after I got over the air sickness.  I remember laying over for a few hours in Chicago.   For some reason, that day in 下边毛最多的女人图片 was the hottest day ever in O’Hare.  Ian called to make sure I was ok and I told him I felt like I was going to pass out in the heat.  “But I’m ok!”

I flew to Heathrow from Chicago.   The sun went down very quickly and then came up again quite quickly.   It was bizarre.  I noticed the cars driving on opposite sides of the streets below.  When I landed, it was still 2am to me, but 8am in London.  The sun was up.   Everyone was awake and the airport was very busy.   I felt sick for a minute, but then noticed “British advertisements” playing over the speakers.

And then I thought, “Oh my God!   I’m actually in LONDON!”   And not only that, but every nationality I could imagine was right there in the airport, waiting to get through Border Control.   I remember one man saying, “I am never going to fly this far again!”.   He said the plane was stuck on the tarmac for an hour because they couldn’t deplane until 8am.  Some rule, I guess.

Anyway, what I didn’t explain to the Border Guard was that Ian and I had rehearsed all typical entry questions and answers.   I had to answer 20 of them.   “What are you here for?”  “Are you travelling alone?”  “Who is picking you up?”  “How are you travelling from the airport?”  “How long are you here?”  “How much money have you brought?”  etc.     I was thinking how horrid it would be if they didn’t let me in, when they stamped my passport.   Hoorah!  I’m in!

I was quite pleased with myself.   The long flight was over and I’m ok!   I got through border control all by myself.  Yay!     So I went to get my luggage, went to the bathroom, and then went to the Arrivals Lounge, where Ian was waiting for me.   It was quite awesome.  I could not stop smiling.   He was exactly the person I thought he would be.   Plus, we were driving on the wrong side of the road and there were so many old buildings (not American “old” but “Really Old”).

We drove through a forest and Ian was explaining about how many deer are in the woods, and then I called Jane to say, “It’s going really well and I’m not dead”.    She was so pleased!  Jane was the one that wrote my “You Can Do This” manifesto before I left for England.   I held it close to me while I travelled, just in case I doubted I could do this.

That week was a whirlwind, really.   Ian cooked nice dinners and we got lost in Campbell Park.   We visited the market, ate odd things, drank wine, met Jane, met Ian’s mom and sister, her son, Hayden, and Bouncer (the boxer).   We did not go to London (that was actually trip 3!).    We just hung out together and had a lot of fun.

A week later, we said goodbye inside the airport and “see you again soon”, and I cried so much that I was practically hysterical.   But that’s just the way I am.

I went far to see what life had to give.  I tried something new and extraordinary, and it was amazing.   So glad I met the love of my life, and he became my husband.

Good luck with your love story, Claire and Jamie.   It can be quite magical.

We’ve been married for 6 years today!

I haven’t ridden a subway system since I went to Chicago on business years ago.   It was all exciting, as we have just buses for mass transit in Omaha, which isn’t very exciting, really.

Once we arrived at Ian’s mother’s and step-father’s house, it was a quick walk to the train station, where deciding which ticket to buy seemed like rocket science.    Luckily, the guy at the ticket counter was able to help us pick.      The machines were just confusing.

The trains to King’s Cross weren’t so bad.  There were usually places to sit, but we liked to sit all together, so sometimes we stood together instead.

After arriving at King’s Cross, we had to find the right line of the subway to take.   The metro line is nice, and air conditioned, but the Circle line was quite crowded and not air conditioned.

You would think getting in a tube carriage PACKED with people would be unsettling, but you can always pack more in!     Everyone just wants to go, packed or not.     It’s a good time for people watching and figuring out where people are going.   Like the girls who are all dressed up with their hair freshly curled and totally not falling apart at all, even in extreme heat and humidity.   I wanted to know how they did that.   I have no idea.

People were riding with their kids who had just been at hospital for tests.   Students from Italy (I know because their backpacks said they were from Italy) where heading somewhere or another.

There were a few times where it was announced, “People sitting in cars blah through blah, this train is not leaving the station.  You must instead go to car blah blah instead.”   Ok then.   Or, “Sorry for the misunderstanding, but this train may be going to Vermont instead of London.  If you don’t wish to go to Vermont, please exit and wait for the next train.”

All-in-all, it was a blast.   I felt metropolitan.   And, like watching a complex movie for the first time, you always learn more the second time around.    Getting the hang of the tube is something you learn about a little at a time.  When I go back, I’ll know more about various lines, and may even learn to use a tube map.

Or we may just let the Londoner (shown above) take care of all that.  

What do you mean, “We don’t want to go to Liverpool?” 

Cheers!

I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what the dress, which had been speculated about endlessly, looked like.    I couldn’t wait to see the groom’s face when he saw the bride or to hear all of the traditional pieces of a royal wedding..  live.

It’s different when you see it later in the media.  Bits are chopped off and transformed into a good media piece.  I wanted a chance to see the whole thing, as it happened, and I was glad to be able to.

Brit came in while the crowd was assembling outside the balcony.  I said, “Look, Brit!   They’re about to kiss on the balcony.  It’s a big deal!  Look at the crowd!”   She was equally impressed.

I was excited for Britain that day, seeing people happy and celebrating together.

We’ll have to fly in for the next one. 

Photos I found taken by someone who was there.

Earlier this week, TLK and her friend got together and made valentine chocolate lollipops.   I’ve never seen candy made before, so it was interesting to watch (and really easy).

Today, they set up booths and sold their items.    The parents were invited.   Upon entering the classroom, we were all handed loads of fake money.    We went around to various tables and asked the kids how much their items were.   Some of them were quite the sales people.   While I was buying a chocolate lollipop, the boy at the next booth said, “I have bookmarks.  I had help making them.  They’re only 3 tickets.”

How could I resist?

I ended up with quite a stash of popcorn, cookies, chocolate lollies, a clay dinosaur and a bookmark.

This was a brilliant plan!  

With their profits, the kids were allowed to go shopping amongst the leftover items for sale.  I’m interested to see what TLK comes home with.

We’re already going through our list of “things we can do next”, which involves a day-long tour of London. Yay!

The thoughts flying through my head:

• Wow, I’m finally here.  7 hours wasn’t that long.
• Look, the sun is coming up (it went down at lightning speed to me, and back up again)
• Hmmm…  look at the traffic… it’s really backwards (to me)
• Look at the old buildings..
• (Big smile)  OMG…  Ian is waiting for me at the airport!  (stares at Heathrow airport… thinks “OMG… again”).
• Hmmm… how long will it take to get through border control?
• Ummmm…   *will* I get through border control?
• Are the questions over yet?
• Yay!  I’m in!     Now, where do I go?
• There’s my luggage (grabs it)
• Wonders what I would have to declare in customs already.   Goes the “no customs to declare” way.
• I’ll just peek through doorway into the arrivals lounge.   Notices handsome man in spiderpig t-shirt looking around.
• (jumping up and down inside… and ever since, really)

This is what happy is.      I recorded every second of my visit to England in my head.. meeting Ian, meeting Gem and Fletch, meeting family, adjusting to different ways of saying things, walks through the park and the market..  but mostly just relaxing and feeling at home.

I’ll be back.  

are here.