Time goes too quickly, it's hard to believe our time in London has really come to an end.  Though it has only been 7 months, it has come to feel like home  It has been an adventure full of so many fun memories and experiences, new friends and relationships.  We are so grateful for our time here.  It has been a dream come true, a blessing we will be ever grateful for.  

We flew out Saturday, November 24th.  We were supposed to leave early morning, routing from London to Paris, then to Salt Lake.  However, as if to send us off with a proper European Labor Union goodbye (very fitting, considering Michelle was In London for an HR rotation), the Air France labor unions were threatening strike.  If there is one thing I've learned working in European HR, it's that you should never trust your fate to the European labor unions - especially the French!  We rebooked our flights for later in the day, routing through Minneapolis instead.  It worked out well, because we had time in the morning for one last "goodbye" walk in Hyde Park before leaving.  It was a beautiful Sunday morning in the park - the leaves were still turning and it just felt like the perfect Autumn day. 

The flight itself was about 12 hours total, plus a two hour layover.  We have just two tips for transcontinental travel:

1. Book business class.  Oh my goodness, it was luxury in the sky.  You can see in the picture above just how much space there was between seats, and the beds reclined to a full 180 degrees!  And to make it even better, they bring by food and fresh baked cookies every couple of hours.  It was fabulous.

2. Always arrange for a wheel chair to meet you at the gate during the layover to take you through customs.  Our travel agent suggested that we get a wheel chair for me, since I was traveling at 33 weeks pregnancy.  With a wheel chair they take you right to the front of the customs line and to the front of the security line.  We got through in just a few minutes, while others were waiting in line for over an hour.  A definite perk of pregnancy - you've got to take them when they come!

 First thing on the agenda once we were home was a quick trip into the mountains. DJ missed these the most while we were away.  This is our beautiful Big Cottonwood Canyon.

 Until we find a home of our own, we'll be staying with Michelle's parents.  They just bought a new house in Cottonwood Heights, complete with two wood burning fire places.  We helped break them in by roasting sausages over the open flame on one of our first nights home.  Oh, it is good to be home!

Winter Wonderland

We've been celebrating Christmas the whole month of November in London.  Our very last Christmas celebration before heading back to the US to celebrate Thanksgiving was Winter Wonderland, a Christmas festival in Hyde Park.  It was chili, but the sky was clear blue and the grass was still bright green.  It didn't quite feel like Christmas, but who are we to pass up a festival full of good food and fun!

 On the east side of the wonderland was a carnival, complete with an enormous ferris wheel, roller coasters, sky high swings, and more.

 Nothing says Christmas like a pirate boat!

The main attraction for us at any carnival is always the food.  True to our norm, we went from booth to booth tasting as much as our stomachs could handle.  This time around we went with the chicken kebabs, cheesy giant pretzel, bratwurst, and chocolate covered Belgian waffle. 

 Santa's Pub...only in Europe!

Birmingham and Other Fun

It was a fun and busy week!  With only a few days left before coming home (as of today, just one week left) we felt like we needed to get as much London/England in as we can before heading back to the US!

 Reagent Street, Oxford Street, and Carnaby Street all had their lights on this past week.  These festive signs posted all the way up Reagent street have the Twelve Days of Christmas, one day on each sign.

 The window displays along Oxford street were so creative!  They had taken all sorts of household items and created different types of animals, a few examples shown above and below.  This is my kind of art, I love it!

 Christmas village window display 

All the shops, even Boots, the local drug store, get into the Christmas spirit.

Thursday Michelle's coworkers surprised her with a going away/you're having a baby party.  Our little guy now officially has his first two outfits and a darling pair of warm, fuzzy winter boots.  What a great team I have!  I have been truly blessed with wonderful friends and colleagues through this experience abroad.  

 Thursday night at the London Symphony Orchistra at the Barbican with Tamsin, Michelle's coworker.  A lovely evening of Berlioz. 

This weekend we went to the Christmas Markets in Birmingham.  There was lots and lots of beer and brats, as well as other German food treats and Christmas goods.  

 We passed on the 1/2 meter brat, but this thick, juicy brat was delicious enough, also leaving room for an ostrich burger, a chocolate filled donut, and a German treat (pictured below) that we don't know the name of, but was definitely the best find of the night.  So much food, if only our stomachs were larger!

 Nutcrackers

 The market itself went of for close to a mile, but this was the center point, near the town hall

 Beautiful English church near the market

 My favorite find at the market was this cute marionette giraffe.  We named him George.  I'm practicing to put on a show for our little one when he comes.

 Santa taking a snooze over the beer garden

 And these are the delicious German treats - wafer cookie, some sort of marshmallow and cream filling, covered in chocolate. Pure goodness!  The flavors below are marzipan and coconut.

 How do I fit my mouth around this goodness?!  Yummy :)

On Sunday, after coming home from Birmingham, we went for a walk in Hyde Park.  It's beautiful there right now (of course, it's always beautiful there).  The leaves are in full Autumnal color, the air is chili but not bitter cold, and the sun is golden.  While we were walking, a little girl, riding her scooter along side her mother, noticed Michelle's bulging belly.  She paused to look, then ran after her mother yelling, "that lady has a baby, mummy!  Mummy, that lady has a baby!"  We walked away with a chuckle.

Cotswolds

Last weekend we visited the Cotswolds.  The Cotswolds is a region of rolling hills in southwest England.  It is full of old English villages, many dating back to the 11th century.  There are homes, bridges, and other structures dating back to that time, still standing, and still inhabited.  If you're looking for the classic English cottages with the traditional thatched roofs, you'll find them here.  It's considered by many to be the most beautiful region in England.  We visited Burford, Bibury, Stow-on-the-wold, and Stratford-upon-Avon.

The town of Burford was granted it's charter as a trade village in the 11th century in this very building.  

 Burford Cathedral, surrounded by a cemetery, as most churches were.  It was beautiful!

 Burford main street.  The store in the center is an Orvis store, wish we had come here with Michelle's parents. 

This row of houses date back to the 13th century.  People still live there.  Certainly charming, but can you imagine the honey-do list on a house this old?!

From the top of the hill, looking down over the villlage.

 This row of cottages is in Bibury.  These date back to the 11th century.  Henry Ford thought these homes were so quaint and appealing, he tried to purchase the whole row and transport them to the US.  He was refused, and here they still stand in their original charm.

 We stopped at this pub, the Swan, for a delicious lunch of fresh trout, right from the trout farm. 

Stow-on-the-wold; the stone foot bridge in the distance is classic Cotswold scenery, so pretty! 

  Stratford-upon-Avon; this is the church where Shakespeare was buried

 Funky cotswold tree

  The home of Ann Hathaway. Shakespeare's daughter

 Where Shakespeare's house used to stand.  It was taken down in the 1800s because the man who lived there got so tired of answering to all the people wanting to come see Shakespeare's original home.  

 Classic Stratford-upon-Avon architecture

Shakespeare's birthplace