Everyday is a lifetime without you...

It's been almost 9 weeks since Brandon left for three of his clinical rotations in New York. I was able to see him for the first time last weekend and it was wonderful!! I have missed him so much but I think it made it even worse seeing him and then him leaving again.
When planning for this time Brandon and I agreed that I would stay in Houston to look for a job and he would go to NY without me for three months. I really believed that it would be easy and that we would both be so busy that we wouldn't have time to miss each other so much. Boy was I dead wrong!!!
It has really taken this time apart to realize how much we need each other and how much we really do make each other's lives so much better.
We really haven't spent more than a few weeks apart since we started dating in April 2005. This extended time apart has really made us grow stronger and appreciate those few moments together that we get to talk or see each other through the webcam. But if I could go back and do it again, I wouldn't. I would have gone to NY with Brandon and just waited to get a job once we settled somewhere together.
This whole experience is all about perspective. I appreciate him so much more and want to make every moment count between us because you never know what the future holds. I never really realized how much I could truly love someone and depend on them.
I have always thrived on being an independent person but have learned over the past few years and even months that although independent I still need Brandon in many ways. I have become content and happy in knowing that I have found this person that needs me just as much as I need them.
I miss him so much and I hope that these final 6 weeks will fly by! I hope to be able to go visit him by the end of October but until then I just have to miss him and be content with seeing him through webcam.

So far behind

So it's been about 3 months since I last blogged. So much has happened since then.
At the end of April I decided to make an impromptu trip back to Texas to have a little break from the cold weather in London. I spent about 6 weeks back in Texas before I decided to come back to England.
While in Texas I spent one full week at my sister's house with her and my nephews, two or so weeks in Tyler with Mom and my girlfriends, and two weeks in Houston spending time with my Dad and sisters. It made me even more ready and excited to move back home in July.
Once I made it back to London the weather was finally nice and we were able to walk outside without jackets. Brandon and I decided to spend a few days in Spain since he was off work for one extra week. We went to Costa Blanca for 5 days. It was a nice relaxing vacation from everything and a great way to spend a few romantic days together, just the two of us.

A few weeks after returning from Spain, Mom and Dave came for a visit. While they were here we spent 3 days visiting Germany. We rented a car and spent the time driving the Romantic Road visiting several of the cute little cities along the way. The highlight of the trip was the last stop, Neushwanstein, to see the Cinderella Castle. It was absolutely breathtaking and something I will never forget.

After Mom and Dave left for their two week cruise around the UK and France, we left for Rome, Italy. The trip had it's sweet and sour moments. The history and the city were absolutely unforgettable and something that we both have dreamed about seeing our entire lives. The sour part was the people. For the most part many of the Italians were extremely rude and unwilling to help in any way. Through all that though we still managed to have a great time. We ate some amazing food and saw some amazing history.

Four days after returning from Rome, Jessica and Stefani flew in for a visit. We spent two weeks jumping from city to city. We started our adventure in Dublin, Ireland were we did several tours of the city and the coast. We even did a ghost tour one night that was not scary at all but we managed to make it extremely fun!
The second city on our tour was Venice. We didn't arrive until midnight only to have no clue where our hotel was. We walked around in the rain for about 30 minutes until we decided to stop at a restaurant to have a little dinner and try to figure out where we were. The owner of the restaurant luckily spoke very good English and was willing to cook us a quick meal even though he was getting ready to close for the night. He not only cooked for us but he also called our hotel to get directions and check on our reservation. After realizing that our hotel was another 30 minute walk from where we were he suggested canceling that reservation and allowing him to find us a closer hotel. We were of course extremely grateful and agreed that that was the best option. After finishing our dinner he even walked with us to the hotel across the street where we met the hotel owner who set us up with a great room for the same price as our previous reservation. This whole experience gave me a whole new outlook on the attitudes of Italians. The rest of our trip in Italy was absolutely amazing. Venice is a mesmerizing city with so much romance and beauty. It is a place I will definitely go back to one day. We also were able to take a short train down to Rome to spend two nights touring the city.
After Italy our last destination was Paris. Thankfully we choose this as our last destination because the city is not cheap! We spent the first day doing touristy things such as going to the top of the Eiffel Tower and exploring the Catacombs. That night we took an illuminations tour to see the rest of the city on bus. The second day we went to a few museums and after lunch spent the rest of the day shopping. Some how we got sucked into the excitement and luxury of the city and spent WAY too much money buying designer shoes, dresses, and handbags. Needless to say I don't regret any purchase I made! I love it all! I can't wait to go back and do it all over again.
By the end of our trip we were out of money and out of energy. It was an amazing trip! We made many memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. It was amazing to me that three girls could spend two weeks together and not argue, fight or get on each other's nerves. We had a great time together and I am so glad that we chose to do this trip together. I think we'll make it a tradition to get together and travel every 4 or 5 years.
Today marks 5 days till we move back to Texas. We both are exhausted and have no motivation to pack our entire house to move half way back across the world but the good news is this is our last international move. It is bitter sweet because this is a close to a very adventurous chapter in our lives but it's an opening to chapter were we can spend more time with family and friends as well as move on with the real world. I really look forward to this next chapter, so much will change in the next year and I'm very excited about it.

Paris

My entire life I've dreamed about going to Paris. It has  been a place that I've been mesmerized by since I was little. Well, we I finally got the opportunity to go! Brandon and I thought the best time to go would be our 5 year anniversary in April. We actually thought it would be warmer if we went in the Spring but that definitely was not the case. Even through the cold and rain we had an absolutely amazing and romantic time.
The first day we were there it was beautiful outside, no clouds and just a little bit chilly, so no coat needed. We spent the day just walking around the city, enjoying all the sites and things we could recognize on our own. Seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time was unforgettable. Brandon and I were just in aww of how beautiful and amazing it was. It really felt like we were in a movie. We continued the day just enjoying everything we could see and find on our own.
The next few days were spent doing a bus tour, touring Notre Dame, walking the Siene River, shopping down Champs-Elyeese, touring the Louvre Musee, and biking through Montmartre. There was so much amazing art and architecture to see, it was almost overwhelming. The pastries were to die for! We could not stop ourselves from stopping in a pastry shop everyday and buying two or three to share. We also bought the most amazing bread we've ever had in our lives. It was some kind of praline bread the we purchased from a booth inside Gallaries Lafayette. It's a good thing we walked everywhere or I'm sure we would have put on a few unwanted pounds. :) We did enjoy food other than the pastries, such as escargot, quiche, and some of the best sandwiches ever.

Brandon is such a great person to go on vacations with because he loves taking pictures as much as I do. We had such a blast together. He made our vacation so romantic and so much more enjoyable. The city was truly amazing. Brandon and I have decided this is definitely a place we want to go back to over and over again. Next time I think we'll go during summer to ensure the weather will be warm. It was a great way to celebrate 5 wonderful years together. I can't wait to go back!! Maybe we should make it a tradition to celebrate our anniversary every 5 years in Paris!

Daddy and LuLu visit London!

My Dad and Lura came to visit this past week. The week speed by so quickly but we had a blast! Everyday we were out and about doing or seeing something new and interesting. It was a great for us to be able to experience all this together. I think they both really enjoyed seeing all the history and excitement that London has to offer. It was great for me to get to see this side of London as well. It made me have a refreshed appreciation of this wonderful city! I really look forward to the next few months, including the changing weather, the upcoming wonderful trips, and all our new visitors!
Here are a few pictures from this week.

A stroll through the park near our house on Day 1. Hoping to see more deer! 

Day 2: London Zoo, London Eye, and River Cruise

Day 3: Bus Tour, Lunch at Texas Embassy, and Bowling with Brandon that night.

Day 4: Tour of the Tower of London and the Queen's Crown Jewels, A visit to the scary London Dungeons, and the play Wicked! All Amazing!

 

Day 5: Trip to Windsor to tour the Windsor Palace and then home to finally relax. 

The entire week was great. I had such a fun week and I look forward to more visits from family and friends! Thanks Dad and Lura for coming to visit! Love you guys tons!!

Appreciating my mid-20s

Sometimes I think I forget how wonderful my life really is. I have the most amazing boyfriend in the world, who loves and adores me more everyday. I live in an amazing place with the opportunity to travel and see the world. Any my family back home is happy, healthy, and extremely supportive of my life.

I've had a somewhat difficult time thinking about turning 25. It seems like once you hit mid twenties there's no turning back, your officially an adult with really responsibilities and obligations. Things start changing fast and there are no more excuses for prolonging young adulthood.

I've always been one of those people who didn't really plan their life out, or make decisions about future family goals or major life decisions. I always just thought, when the time is right, I will know and it will happen.

This year has brought on a whole new way of thinking in me and I feel like I'm finally growing up. First of all, I actually know and have a goal about my career and where I want it to take me. I feel like I can finally relax knowing that I am confident about what I want to do the rest of my life. Maybe that's why I went through so much school, because I didn't really know what I wanted to do and hoped I would figure it out along the way. And thanks to a lot of prayer and research and patience I finally do.

Secondly, I'm finally warming up to the idea of getting married. I've always been so afraid of marriage and the possibility of divorce and disappointment. It has nothing to do with the person I'm with but everything to do with the world around me. I just don't think people take marriage seriously anymore and think if they don't like it they can just get out. I never wanted it to be like that for me. I want to be married because I can't imagine my life without that person and I want them to feel the same way. I want to know that my marriage would be able to make it through anything and be confident that even though me nor my partner is perfect, that we can count on each other to love one another regardless of our imperfections.

I think the biggest misconception about marriage and relationships is that they should be effortless and perfect all the time. (Something TV teaches us!) But the truth is NO ONE is perfect! You'll fight, you'll be disappointed, you'll cry, you'll worry, but you will also, make up, be pleasantly surprised, laugh, and be comforted. I feel so lucky that I've found someone who loves me unconditionally and enjoys doing the little things for me and making me happy everyday. He is truly an amazing person with an amazing family. I feel so blessed to call him mine and I truly look forward to the day when I get to wear his last name.

I think the best thing about him is that he makes me HAPPY! I look forward to seeing him walk through that door everyday and I really miss him when he's gone.

Lastly, and this may be a shock to most who know me but I actually want children. I have always said I will never have kids. I just never really thought that I would be a good mother and I really think I would be an even worse pregnant person. I cringe at the thought of giving birth and all the pregnancy stuff that goes along with it. But, I think going through 9 months of an uncomfortable, scary experience will be more than worth it to have a lifetime of unconditional love. This does not mean I want children anytime soon but I am proud to say that I've actually made the decision to hopefully be blessed enough to have them one day.

Looking back on the experiences of my life I feel so blessed and more than lucky to have the family and friends I have. My family is truly amazing and I love them so much. My Mom is crazy and fun and the best at giving advise and my Dad is supportive and loving and has really taught me how to care for others regardless of their differences. They both support and love me in everything I do. They also have been blessed with exceptional partners. I couldn't have asked for a better step-mom and step-dad. Both are great examples of how great a relationship can be with someone you truly love and I thank the Lord everyday that they found happiness.

I think that turning 25 won't be so bad after all. I have an amazing family and wonderful friends. I am extremely lucky to have all that I have and I thank the Lord everyday for blessing me the way he has. I really look forward to the next chapter in my life. It's coming faster with each passing day.

We leave London in July, which will be the end of our travels and living abroad, at least for a while. By then I'll be opening the door to the real world and taking a flying leap in!

Februrary

This month has been full of fun adventures. January ended with a short trip to Bath, England. It was an amazing and beautiful city. We took a train from London that took about two hours. The country side was absolutely breath taking. There were tons of hills, beautiful trees, and grass for miles. Once we got there we walked throughout the city enjoying the amazing architecture and art throughout the streets. We started our site seeing with a tour through Bath Abbey. There was this giant stained glass window and tons of interesting inscriptions surrounding the walls. As we were enjoying the church one of the chaplains approached us and began chatting with us about where we were from, what we were doing in England, and a little history about the Abbey. She was very interesting to chat with and when it was time for her to do her hourly pray over the microphone she said a sweet little pray for us and our travels. It was very thoughtful and really made me miss going to church back home.

After the abbey we made our way to the Roman baths. Our tour through the baths took about two hours. It was so interesting to see all the history and interesting way people bathed back in the first century. The day ended with a trip to the fashion museum and dinner in the city. All in all the day was wonderful. It was a place that I never really thought about going but very glad that I did.

The first weekend in Feb. we decided to take a ski trip to Val

d'Isere, France. We were there for 4 days. The scenery was perfect and the snow was unforgettable. It snowed about 18 inches the weekend we were there, which made the snowboarding that much better. The first day up the mountain, James, Brandon and I decided to start mid mountain on a red that ended in a blue. The majority of the way down the three of us were doing pretty well. Brandon was still having a little trouble controlling his speed but seemed to be catching on quickly. Once about 200 yards from the end of the mountain James decided to go off by himself and finish on the red while Brandon and I went down a catwalk expecting to finish on the blue. Once we rounded the corner and the mountain opened up again Brandon started speeding down the last 100 or so yards. I noticed he was going way too fast to I started screaming "slow down!" "slow down!" but it was too late. He was completely out of control and going way too fast. His board caught the ground from the front and he started cartwheeling, feet over head about 4 times. My first thought was to laugh because it looked so funny. It was one of those things you see once and know if you tried it 1000 more times you could never do it the same way again. Once he finally stopped and hit the ground, I knew he was hurt. I raced down as fast as I could and skid up beside him only to find him moaning in pain. It took about 2 minutes for him to finally tell me what was hurting because he was grabbing his shoulder, neck, and knees. My first thought was that he either twisted his knee or broke his leg. Long story short I helped him sled the rest of the way down with his bottom on his board and spent the rest of the trip in the room. I felt really bad but he insisted that I not let this ruin my trip too. I spent the rest of the day boarding and half of the next. The second day we made our way to town center and did a little shopping and enjoyed a very yummy cup of tea and hot chocolate.

Both nights we went into town and either had drinks or went to dinner. The town was so adorable and quant. I couldn't have asked for a better end to a not so great start of our trip.

Once we made it back to Kingston we went to the ER. An exam and two x-rays later we found out that Brandon sprang his right knee and broke his left shoulder. One week later he's still in a bit of pain but he's actually able to walk without a limp and move his arm enough to get his shirt off and on by himself.

The trip was still a lot of fun but next time I think we will get Brandon some lessons before we take him up the mountain.

Egypt

Brandon and I decided to take a beach vacation after the Christmas holiday instead of spending the money to go home. We arrived in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt on January 3rd. The weather was absolutely perfect, not a cloud in the sky and perfectly warm enough to lay by the beach. The first day there we spent the majority of our day laying out in the little cabanas on the beach. After some time in the sun we went into town to do a little shopping. We spent a few hours in the old market and going through all the shops along the main road. There were some very interesting people. Everyone was trying to convince us to come into their shop. They hound you till you either give in or just walk away. The next day we stayed pool side for the majority of the day and then went on a camel ride through the desert. The camels were very bouncy, it was fun but I definitely would not want to have to ride one for too long. Once we made it to our destination in the desert we relaxed at the camp site while the locals began preparing our dinner. There was a show of dancers, including a belly dancer and men twirling all these interesting props. After dinner we walked into the dark of the desert to do a little star gazing. We say Sirus, Mars, and several different constellations including the Ryan, the milkyway, and several more.

Day 3 started off the same as the rest but around 2pm we went on a four-wheel ride through the desert. It was tons of fun to slip and slide in the sand but it was definitely dusty. By the end of the ride we were completely covered in a layer of sand.

That night we had to prepare for our trip to Cairo. After dinner we took a little nap because we had to be at the bus by 1am. The bus ride was 6 hours there and 6 hours back, which I was not looking forward to. We slept the majority of the way there but about 5am I started feeling car sick and extremely nauseous. We stopped at a rest stop around 5:30 for breakfast and a restroom break. As soon as I got off the bus I ran around looking for the bathroom so I could puke. After paying one pound to get in, the restroom was absolutely disgusting! It looked and smelled like toilets had not been flushed in weeks, it was horrific and only added to my nausea. I decided to go behind the building instead and as soon as I made it out of site I began puking my brains out. Afterwards I felt much better but was dreading getting back on the bus. The driver was horrific, there were several times I thought we might die!

Once back on the bus I began to feel sick again. Luckily it only took about 30 more minutes to get to the Egyptian museum. Once off I thought that I would feel better but it didn't happen. I really was looking forward to seeing all the interesting history in the museum but I just couldn't get over how horrible I felt. There were several hundred people doing the exact same thing we were so we had to do a lot of waiting. We had a guided tour once inside, which was very interesting but quite embarrassing because I could barely stand and he kept pointing me out and asking me if I was listening. At the point that I thought I couldn't stand anymore, we made it up to King Tutenkhamen's tomb and jewels. This was the part I was really looking forward to but right in the middle of the guide explaining the markings of King Tut's thrown, it just hit me! The puke was coming and I was two flights of stairs from the nearest bathroom. I gave Brandon a look, put my face in my sweater and began to run. Brandon took off after me, trying to help me weave my way through all the people without puking on anyone but I just couldn't hold it in my mouth anymore. I fell to the ground and began puking uncontrollably all over everything. Brandon was basically trying to drag me to the bathroom but the puke was going everywhere! The next few minutes were a blur. I made it to the bathroom sink, only to puke more and then next thing I know I'm laying on a bed in a clinic with a doctor asking Brandon a bunch of questions while she prepared some kind of shot. The doctor gave me a shot to help stop the stomach spasms

and several packages of medicine to take throughout the day. It was obvious that this was not motion sickness because it was not going away. For the rest of the day I was in and out of the bathroom puking more and more. Even on the tour bus I was stuck in the bathroom, which by the way was out of order (no way to flush, no paper to clean my face, and no light). All in all it was a horrible day to be sick. The puking didn't stop until almost midnight that night once we made it home. Even though I was very sick it was amazing to be able to see the Great Pyramids, float on the Nile, and see all the interesting history in the Egyptian museum. Brandon was so sweet and helped me anyway he could. I tried so hard not to ruin the day for him as well, so I spent most of the time sleeping on the bus, while he went to all the shops and sites with the rest of the group. He is the best at taking care of me when I'm sick so I was so grateful that he was there.

Day 5 was much better. We were both exhausted from the day before so we spent the entire day lounging by the pool and just trying to recuperate. Thankfully I wasn't feeling sick anymore but it still took me several days to feel normal and want to eat again. Our trip ended with us just spending the rest of our time switching from the pool to the beach and enjoying the warm sun. The day we were scheduled to leave our flight got cancelled so the airline put us up at the Hilton all inclusive for the day. It was a great end to our trip to be able to spend one extra day in the warmth but we were both ready to go home. We made it home safe and sound the following day.

We both had a great trip and enjoyed spending time lounging on the beach in Sharm and getting to see the Pyramids in Cairo. It was a once in a lifetime trip and we are thankful we got to experience it.