Final Dinners/Lunches with Friends

After a few people could not make our Leaving Do, we met up in smaller groups so we could have our proper goodbyes with one another.  One night, I rode the bus into Derby to meet up with 2 other couples (and obviously Jeff) to have a fantastic steak dinner.  This is the first time I have had steak over here, and in the last 3 years... It was really good and I left completely stuffed! It was fun hanging out one last time as a group.  I am extremely appreciative of these people, as they took Jeff and I in and treated us as if we had been friends for a long time.  That was such a great feeling so early on in our journey living over here.

We will miss them all dearly, and hope to meet up with them regularly with trips in the United States or over here in Europe.

Also, I had a Mexican Fiesta at our flat for my American friends in the Better Halves Club.  If you do not remember, we get together 1-2x a month for lunch.  We are able to share stories, give travel tips, and be a person to talk to get advice about living abroad.  Being a part of this group was wonderful, as I came out with a few really close friends.  It also gave me a lot of information, so I could go back and share with Jeff.  I'm not sure we would have known the procedure for getting his driver's license without these wonderful women.  Anyway, I wanted to see the group one last time before flying out.  We normally meet in Derby, but they all graciously came the long hull to see me for a change.  We were able to munch on tacos and other Mexican dishes.  It makes me even more excited to eat about 500 Taco Bell tacos within the week!!

I was also able to give them some of my "extras" or things we were not taking back with us to the states.  It was nice to give them to people who could use them instead of trashing things like cleaning products.  The rest of the stuff they didn't want will make its way to the charity shops  or some other local friends in the next couple of days.  

 

Jo and I

Luela and I 

  The Better Halves Club (minus the photographer, Luela)

On to the next adventure...

Sugar: Apparently the Only Food Group in Brussels

Hope you all had a great Christmas, celebrating with friends and family.  We definitely were sad that we missed seeing and getting together with our loved ones.  We had a small Christmas together and prepped for our exciting trip to Belgium.

We woke up and headed on the road by 6 AM on the 26th.  It took us about 3 hours to get to the south coast to catch the train via the Euro Tunnel.  It was a crazy experience putting your car on a train, knowing you'll be under the English Channel within minutes.  On our way back to England, I videotaped the experiences, as we weren't as quick to think of doing this the first round. Unfortunately, I was unable to put it on this post because the file size was too large. It was a 30 minute ride to France, then another 2 hours (I think, time change has me all confused) to Brussels.  Jeff did a great job adjusting to being back on the "right" side of the road, as France and Belgium are like us, in America.  It was funny to see our driver's side on the right, and most other cars we passed were on the left, like our cars in America.  We had to get a special driving kit to take with us that had a giant GB (Great Britain) magnet to basically let people to know to watch out for us.  The kit also had other safety based tools inside as well, like a breathalyzer. Ha!

 A few facts about the Chunnel before viewing our video:

• 31.4 miles long
• Was finished in 1994
• Drilled through the bedrock at the bottom of the English Channel
• 10 people were killed during its construction
• It is barely profitable and went bankrupt in 1998

Reminder: The video will only work on computers, not mobile devices

We made it to Brussels, checked into the hotel, and hit the streets pretty soon after.  Brussels was a beautiful and fairly large metropolitan city as there were many skyscrapers.  But Brussels also offered the European feel, with many older buildings filled with history.  We didn't really have much of an agenda other than trying all the new beer, chocolates, and our personal favorite...waffles.  They had a couple Christmas Markets set up, which were neat, but so crowded.  We popped into a beautiful church before heading on our way around the city.

We went to a place that made my family, especially my brother-in-law so jealous. Wait for it...Chi-Chi's.  Anyone that knows my family knows we cannot get enough of Mexican food, and growing up we always went there! So, I was a little nervous to eat there as they closed down all of the USA Chi-Chi's because of a Hepatitis outbreak.  There are still many open in China and other European countries.  Definitely wasn't the best food, and no free chips & salsa...but glad we gave it one last go.

We ended our night, walking around the city seeing all of the sights.  The famous Manneken Pis, which is this little fountain of a bronze boy who is peeing into the fountain base.  Not sure how to word this one and still be proper...as the water comes out of, well...you know.  He also has an extensive wardrobe with hundreds of different outfits.  Located around the fountain were all of the famous chocolate shops. We even stopped in for a few to eat later.  Jeff and I also watched a bakery make all of their different goodies, which was fun to see the process.  We ended our night with a street waffle. IT. WAS. AMAZING.  You know we eat a lot when I have a Brussels folder on my computer labeled "Food & Drink".

 Manneken Pis in his little outfit urinating into the fountain

 Even the chocolate shops made their own little statues

Waffles!

The next morning we woke up and headed to this large garden/park.  On the map it looked massive with lots of fountains and garden areas. To our surprise it was a bunch of dead plants, and ill-kept grounds.  We walked through anyway, as the palace was on the opposite side.  We snapped a few photos, and headed to eat breakfast at a cute little cafe nearby.

 You can see how dreary the park looked.

 The palace.  We could not go in, which seemed to be a theme in Brussels.

Mont des Arts

At this point, the crazy weather began as it started to rain and then...SNOW! It was so exciting to see snow, as we had not seen it in a year. Downside, it was freezing cold walking around the city.  We attempted to look for these comic strips on the side of the buildings, but were pretty unsuccessful so we stopped into a pub to have a couple beers to warm up.  We grabbed lunch soon after, and then explored later that night.

 Warming up!

 Town Hall

 Beautiful when lit up. Check out the video below where they created a light show with music.

You'll have to turn your head to the side to view, as I don't know how to change it!

 Steamed milk with a dark chocolate piece of chocolate to mix in to make...Hot Chocolate! 

Sooo good!

 Snow!

 Ice skating.

We woke up the next morning to head to our next destination, although we had some troubles getting out of the parking garage.  For about 20 minutes we thought our car was locked in the garage, as if it was only open on the weekdays.  We ended up learning that 2 out of the 3 garage doors were closed, so we finally made our way into the garage...phew!


On to the next adventure...

The Queen Invited Us Over!

Since Paris we had just been hanging around Nottingham.  I had to do some coursework for my Ball State courses, so Mom and Dad went and explored the city alone.  They stopped by the castle again and then walked around the city centre.  By the time they got back, I was finished with my assignments and we got ready for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Brown's. They have great drinks and food, and we found out that they have amazing desserts as well. We each got something different, and I don't think anyone's choice was a bad one.

Say cheese! Aw come on...even the waiter is.

Saturday morning we woke up and drove down to London.  We started our day riding the underground to get to Oxford Street and Regent Street, two popular streets with lots of shopping.  We popped in a few shops and headed to lunch afterwards.  We walked towards Buckingham Palace where we had scheduled a tour.  Before that we walked in St. James's Park and Hyde Park (The Central Park of London). 

St. James's Park

Hyde Park 

Yet again...Hyde Park 

 The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk

We made it back in time for our no-pictures-allowed tour at Buckingham Palace.  The inside was amazing, and each room is still a functioning room. I especially liked the room filled with all of the childhood toys and memorabilia. The toys not only belonged to Prince Harry and William, but even the Queen when she was younger.  Very impressive toys...even a little camper made for children.  And then we had afternoon tea with the Queen and Princess Kate.  That's when Princess Kate personally told us the news about the 2nd royal baby on the way.  Okay, I joke...but not about the next royal baby! 

Buckingham Palace. 

The only proof that we went inside...the backside of the palace. 

After our hour-long tour, we headed towards the Parliament building where the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) is located and Westminster Abbey is across the street. Once again, we didn't make it in time to visit inside Westminster, but we were able to get a few photographs.  Hopefully one day we will make it there on time! Next we headed towards the River Thames, saw the London Eye, and walked alongside the river.  

Beautifully decorated pub and Westminster Abbey

 Some more shots in front of the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and Parliament 

We grabbed some dinner at Pizza Express and took a load off of our feet.  Our last destination was the Tower Bridge, which is one of my favorite spots in London.  After enjoying out time riverside, we hopped on the underground to head back to our car. 

I think every one of my London posts has this tower in it. Guess you could say I like it?  ha!

We got home around 11:00 PM, and the last few days together were pretty low-key.  As you can tell by my posts, we were on the go a lot, so I planned for our last few days together to be pretty quiet.  Sunday, my mom and I went shopping around Nottingham.  We bought some things for our wardrobes as well as for friends and family at home.  On Monday, we headed to Derby to visit Jeff.  We walked around Derby, stopped in some antique shops, the mall, etc. then Jeff picked us up.  Jeff and my dad played squash  for a few hours while my mom and I had some 1-1 time.  Jeff plays squash with a few local friends a couple times a week, so he was happy to be able to play with my dad as well! 

Later that night we took my parents out for Mexican food, BarBurrito! Our favorite Mexican food over here is similar to Chipotle or Qdoba.  Not many options for that type of cuisine, but great food nonetheless. And better yet, FREE REFILLS! If I haven't mentioned before, when you order soda/pop/coke (whatever you may call it) you pay by the glass and do not get free refills like you do in the states.

Their last full day here we walked around Nottingham one last time, even took them to some areas I've never been in the city before.  That night I made chicken tikka masala for them.  I think they liked it as they had never eaten it before.  Indian food in Indianapolis is pretty scarce, so you can imagine living in a smaller city than Indy...there are zero options. 

Overall, we had a great visit with my parents and according to my mom's Fitbit we walked approximately 90 miles during their 2-week visit. I wish they were able to stay longer or come visit more often.  I woke up on Thursday to a very quiet house with no one to drink coffee with, so they were definitely missed right away. Mom & Dad, thank you so much for coming. We treasured every minute you were here.  We cannot wait to see you again soon! 

Onto the next adventure...

R.O.C.K in the U.S.A

Wow! Wow! Wow! Jeff and I were so blessed to be able to travel back to Indianapolis to visit with lots of family and friends.  Originally we had not planned to make a home trip as we wanted to take advantage of all of our limited time in the UK.  Although, we missed everyone so much, we decided to come home before heading to a wedding in Cincinnati. Now, I try my best in all my posts to give a general "play by play" but it might be hard to summarize every single part of our experience home.

We planned a lot of different dinners, lunches, and coffees with friends and family, but our first stop after getting off the plane was...Taco Bell. Ah, I am pretty sure I demolished not 1, but 3 tacos in less than 5 minutes and they were ahhhh-mazing! We headed to the dry cleaner and randomly stopped by Jeff's grandparents for our first of many family visits. It was such a great feeling to be around people we love so much and miss daily.

My choice: double decker & 3 crunchy tacos. Jeff's choice: 1 spicy chicken burrito and some tortilla chips. Who was craving Taco Bell more? I will never be embarrassed about my ability to demolish Mexican food. 

We took advantage of all the time we had. I was able to get some shopping in with my mom and sister.  It was so nice to be able to shop with my crew again!  The next few days we were able to have a few special dinners with both of our families. We had wonderful home cooked meals.  Our family spoiled us with our favorite foods throughout our time there. We are so lucky to have such special families!

Jeff's mom & sister

My brother-in-law, sister, & nephews

My parents

Jeff's grandparents.  

Sorry Greg, looks like we dropped the ball after the soccer game and lunch....and forgot to take a photo or two! 

It was so much fun to see my nephews in person. We Skype a lot, but it just isn't the same.  My nephews also enjoyed their little London buses and taxis I brought them back, but of course my sister and I got more out of the cute little outfits I bought them.

 Little squirmy things would not sit still. Their shirts say "Keep Calm and Play Footie". 

The shirts came with matching shorts. Too cute. 

But being outside playing water guns, cooking out, and just spending quality time with loved ones was such a special feeling for the both of us.  Jeff was even able to get a round of golf in, and later in the day we were able to see my grandparents.

We were shooting at the "alligators" at this point in our water gun fight. 

Mexican dinner at our favorite hometown place with my grandparents and parents! Yum!

Seeing friends, even if it was just for a short while was wonderful.  I was able to get coffee with a few wonderful friends, dinners, and even spent a whole day just hanging out and catching up.  It is so nice to know that things just go back the way they were before we left. What amazing friends Jeff and I have!

Jeff and I's friends from his hometown

Great friends from work. Glad we squeezed in some sun-time!

So, because I was trying to soak up as much time during all of our friend-dates we had...I was awful at remembering to take pictures. Sorry, my dear friends, for your lack of debuts because of my spacey brain!

We have been following the World Cup to some extent over here.  We were in Indianapolis at the right time, because we were able to watch Team U.S.A. Our favorite street, not far from our house, was shut down and massive TVs were placed there to watch the game. We met up with a friend and watched the game in the middle of the street. It was fantastic to be surrounded by Americans cheering on our home-team! We obviously stick out over here while we watch US sports. Although, Team U.S.A lost, we still felt the huge amount of patriotism when the crowd would chant: I believe that we will win!

I was loving the ability to call it soccer, and not worrying about someone correcting me with "football". 

So packed! I love it!

The last few days before heading to Cincinnati were difficult knowing we would not see many of these people for another year.  Time definitely flies by over here, so we know we will be home before we know it.  We were able to spend time with more friends when we went to Cincinnati for our friends' wedding. Lots of eating, drinking, and sharing stories between the group.  It was also great to be in the United States for the Fourth of July. For our friends' rehearsal dinner, we went out on a riverboat on the Ohio River to watch the fireworks. Saturday was another great day and we enjoyed the wedding festivities so much.

  On the riverboat.

 Great group of friends. 

 Hooray for being in the US for the 4th of July

 Beautiful venue for the wedding and reception in Cincinnati 

 Groomsmen at the wedding. 

Sunday came too quickly.  Jeff and I were dreading the long plane ride and traveling, but surprisingly we had one of the best flights of our life.  We sat by ourselves in a row of 3, had personal TVs, and decent food.  Although we were tired, we loved getting back to see Mackey (who kept waking us up on our first night home because he was purring so loudly) and get back into our routine.  Let's hope this jet lag doesn't last too long.

I think he is glad to have us home. 

A special thanks to all the people who gave up their normal schedule to hang out with us.  We truly enjoyed every minute of our time back in the states.  We wish we were able to come home more often. I'm sure it'll be a blink of an eye and we'll be back bugging you all soon enough! We love each and every one of you!