Oh Hey There, Friends!

Helllooo! I've certainly missed blogging but lately, I've been having a lot of trouble finding the time to sit down and write a post. Life happens and while I want to keep you all updated with it, sometimes it moves too quickly for me to keep up with.

Before the new year we did a lot of traveling that I still have to tell you about- our day trip to Helsinki, Finland from Tallinn, Estonia in addition to our trip to Lisbon, Portugal. We also had such fun around London during the holidays so I might need to do a recap of that too. You know, in case we just spent our last Christmas in London...sigh...more on that below.

 

We've had a stressful few months really as we've not been sure how long we will be in London. There have been BIG changes at Davis' company, AIG, so we've been holding on for the ride. It's been really hard on him as the company that he loved working for (for 14 years) is changing so much and the people who helped him get where he is now, are no longer with the company. He has (luckily) survived the layoffs so far and truthfully, if he continues to survive (which we've been a little surprised by), there might be a bigger plan for him within the company. We are just trying to be patient and see where the next few months takes us.

Our visas are through April 2017 but without a job, we'd have to leave the UK in 30-60 days, as far as we understand. We don't want to leave one teeny tiny bit. I love it here. More than I ever thought I would. M loves it here and her sweet friendships are one of my favorite parts of our daily life. And then there is figuring out how to get our dog, Hyde, back to the states. He came over on the Queen Mary and that is the plan to get him back but since they book so far in advance, he may be living here in London for a while without us (we have someone he LOVES so don't feel too bad for him).

But for now, we've been looking for a new house closer to M's school for next year (yay- our first choice school!). We could stay where we are now but we'd like to live in a more family friendly part of London, have a bit more space and save some money as this city certainly isn't kind to your wallet.

I am one of those people who needs her coffee first thing in the morning or things get a bit cranky around here. Davis makes my coffee every morning and he had lovingly used a french press and milk frother for many years. However, when he travels I have zero interest in the whole extremely long french press process so I asked Santa for a coffee machine where something beautiful would appear with the touch of a button. This machine is heavenly and makes lattes, espresso, and cappuccinos. I am drinking way more than I need to but my spending at Starbucks, etc. has gone down to zero so I'd say that's a win.

 

We had a few weeks of really cold weather and I started feeling like quite the Eskimo around here. Couldn't leave the house without wearing my huge coat, warm scarf, hat and gloves were an absolute must. While I was pretty chilly, the sun was shining and it was so glorious. London can be pretty gray this time of year so there is something extra special and breathtaking about London when I'm soaking in that vitamin D and don't need an umbrella.

 

I was born and raised in Denver so I grew up watching and going to Broncos games at Mile High Stadium and my family's love of the Broncos goes way back to my 97 year old Grandpa. It was the best watching the game this past weekend as the game was actually on at a time that Davis and I could watch it! Being 5 hours ahead of the East Coast and 8 hours ahead of the West Coast makes it hard to watch a lot of US events. I will however be staying up for the Superbowl (I think it starts here around 10:30pm) and watching it into the early morning hours. M has nursery all day the next day, so I will take her to school and head home for more sleep. Let's go Broncos!

 

 

Any reason to give a little something sweet to friends is my kinda holiday. I snagged these sweet print your own Valentine's to give to M's friends at nursery from Sophie and Lili- she makes the cutest things. Going to pair them with bubbles and for her very besties, I'm going to make them bows of course!

And in the spirit of giving, use code LONDON for free shipping on any order worldwide through Friday, February 5, 2016 (midnight 12 am PST) in my newly opened Etsy shop! Go check it out!

House viewings, a birthday party and yoga are in my weekend plans. Happy weekending.

Brought to you by the lovely ladies behind: A. Liz Adventures, Carolina Charm & Hello! Happiness.

Also linking up today with The Farmer's Wife and September Farm.