Friday Five

Hey, remember me?  I've been a bit MIA recently.  We'll pretend that it's because I have been oh so busy preparing for my move.  Here's a bit of an update on things in my world.

1.  My UK spousal visa arrived safe and sound on September 22nd!  I am now free to move to the UK (which is anything BUT free).  Buying last minute flights is not fun for wallets.  We've decided to fly from my local airport which is a bit more expensive but well worth it for a 10 minute drive and only a 4 hour layover.  When we come back for vacation, however, we may need to take advantage of the cheaper flights between NYC and London.  Good thing I have amazing family members who would love to put us up for a night or two.  ;)  We'll be landing in London on the morning of the 27th so fingers crossed that everything goes according to plan.  I am already too emotional so I can't imagine it's going to get any easier.

2.  My Long Distance Relationship ends for real a week from tomorrow.  CANNOTCONTAINMYEXCITEMENT!  Except for the year that I spent in England getting my master's degree, Matt and I have been long distance since we began dating in 2010.  We've spent more time apart than we have together since we got married.  We weren't even in the same country for our first anniversary!  Fortunately he is arriving the day before the first anniversary of our wedding blessing which is totally almost the same thing...  right?

3.  I have a lot of stuff.  A lot.  I mean, I totally needed to save those skittles wrappers from 5th grade.  I've been sorting through my possessions in preparation for my move which is not the worst thing in the world.  Managed to get rid of an entire bookshelf full of books, albeit the smallest of the three in my room and the only one which was not double stacked.  It's still progress!  I saved a lot of things from my earlier days.  Why in heaven's name did I think I would want to keep a vole skeleton from 7th grade????  I've also had a chance to go through a lot of good memories.  I nearly cried reading some of the cards from my grandfather, though I usually miss him a lot around this time.  Also managed to organize the entire box of photos that was under my bed and get them into albums.  Now that my room is all in order, perhaps I should consider packing.

4.  The Lake Blue Streak football team has actually stepped up and are playing a lot better than they were at the beginning of the season.  Of course, the main attraction is watching my seester in the marching band.  They are currently doing a Disney show in anticipation of their upcoming Florida trip this December/January.  It is fabulous!  I treated my parents to a splendid rendition of Be Our Guest tonight.  They loved it.  Lake plays Central Catholic (my alma mater) the Friday before we fly back to England and I am pumped!

Seriously the most adorable creature ever.
 I shall name him Mojingo.

5.  My husband spoils me.  Not that I'm complaining, of course.  He knows how emotional I am about the move so he's planned a little trip for us this January.  The main attraction:  I AM GOING TO MEET A RED PANDA!!!!!  I am so freaking excited.  The Bristol Zoo has a Red Panda Experience so my husband has booked us in to go see that.  I usually don't care for zoos but am game for anything concerning red pandas.  Think they'll notice if I take one home?  I am quite looking forward to our extended weekend out west because it also means that I'll get to do a bit of genealogy.  My maternal grandfather's ancestors were originally from a couple of small villages just south of Bath so we're going to stop there and explore.  I am so excited to see where they came from.  They were all coal miners who moved north when the Somerset mines closed in the 1870s before immigrating to Salem, Ohio in the 1890s.  The family is actually a tad bit famous because my great-great-grandmother's younger brother, Gerald Lippiatt, was an organizer for the United Mine Workers of America union and was killed by two members of a detective agency.  It was hot stuff back in the day and was one of the triggers for the Ludlow Massacre of 1914.  You could say that I am a bit excited to delve a little deeper into the Lippiatt roots in Camerton and Dunkerton.  Woot woot for ancestors and red pandas!


So, there's an update.  Feel free to stop by to help me pack.   Until next time!