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!