There's no place like home[coming].

I'm sitting at work, smiling maniacally and buzzing like I just drank a lot of coffee. But I haven't had any coffee at all. This, my friends, is what you call a natural high.

 

I'm just so excited to be heading to Texas tomorrow! Why am I going, you ask? Because of this:

 

That's right. I get to go to Baylor Homecoming this year! 

Here's what I'm most excited about:

 

Driving -- I say this all the time, but I can't tell you how much I miss it. A car gives you so much freedom. Plus, where else am I supposed to sing loudly without fear of embarrassment?

 

Christmas -- But it's barely Halloween, you say? Well when you're not going home for the holidays, Christmas comes early for the ones you love. I've been planning, and I'm really excited to make people feel loved and special with an assortment of British goodies.

 

Football -- (American style.) When I was at Baylor, I never missed a home game. I've watched online, but it's been two years since I've actually been to a game. I can't wait.

 

Campus -- Apparently, a lot has changed around my alma mater. Still, I'm sure it will still feel like home. I'm excited to grab a cowboy coffee and walk the Bear Trail like old times.

 

Sunshine -- I've checked the forecast, and it's supposed to get into the mid 80s (that's 30 degrees for all you silly Celsius users). I haven't been that warm since my visit to Italy last June. To give you some perspective, our highs for London are expected to be 50 and below this week. God bless Texas and it's complete lack of regard for fall...even in November.

 

Food -- I've already made a list of all the restaurants that I absolutely must visit. Judging by what I've got down so far, it's possible that I could spend my entire trip eating. But that's a risk I'm willing to take.

 

Target -- I don't even need to buy anything. I just need to go. Don't judge.

 

And of course, friends and family -- To me, that's what Baylor Homecoming is all about. In fact, when my friends and I were interviewed at Baylor a few years ago by some local news crew, that's the answer I gave. That's also the answer Alexis gave, immediately following mine (I think she panicked). So the camera panned across our group as we listed off our favorite things about Homecoming, and it ended up sounding like this: "Football. Pigskin. Friends and family. Friends and...family." It was hilariously awful. I'm pretty sure we never ended up on TV.

 

-------------------------

The point is, I can't wait to get on that plane tomorrow. I absolutely love living in London. It's such a fun city, and I've met some incredible people who mean the world to me.

See what I mean? Lovely, wonderful people.

But there's just something about going home that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. So all you lovely Texas people, get ready. I'm headed your way.
 
And I can't wait to hug you.

  

Countdown to kickoff.

I just clicked onto the Baylor website and saw this: 

I then proceeded to freak out.

That's right, friends! College football kicks off this weekend.

I can't really explain what it is about college football that makes my heart skip a beat. And trust me, I've tried -- especially since moving to London. No one here gets it. No one. This is probably for two main reasons:

1.  It's American football. Not many people follow it. Even fewer understand it. And if you tell anyone you enjoy it, you'll probably hear some form of the phrase, "It's not real football." Except it is, England. And I love it.

2.  There's no such thing as college sports over here. Universities don't really have competitive sports. They might think they do, but really they're about as exciting as watching B team sorority girls slug it out on the intramural field. It's nothing like what we're used to.

(God bless America.)

So that means that while my Facebook and Twitter feeds are buzzing about the games that'll be played this weekend, I'll be holed up in my room, looking up last season's highlights or watching Remember The Titans by myself -- mostly just trying not to bore my housemates with football talk.

It's fine. This isn't my first football season in London.

Last year, I survived almost entirely thanks to ESPN text updates. But it was painful, and I'm not sure it will suffice this year. After all, a girl cannot live on highlights alone. I'm determined to find some website (however shady) that streams the games. Granted, a 6pm kickoff in Texas means I'll be tuning in around midnight, but it's totally worth it.

Especially if it's to watch my Bears.

Happy college football season! May your favorite team win. Unless they're playing against mine.

(Go Baylor.)

  

Wednesday randoms.

This week, I learned an important lesson. The quickest way to NOT hate the rain (even if it hasn't stopped in weeks) is to go outside and play in it.

We saw this ad in the underground. Now, I'm quite familiar with Mexican food, so my first thought was, "Oh no. Those white gloves were a bad decision." Obviously.

This made me laugh a lot.

Speaking of "a lot," my friend recently reminded me of this hilarious blog post on that phrase. Being that I too am a huge grammar snob (I swear, text speak kills my soul), I can so relate.

After 10 months of living abroad, I finally saw my first Baylor shirt in London! After a brief (but enthusiastic, on my part) chat, it was quite obvious that the guy knew nothing about my fair alma mater. But I gave him a smile, a "Go Bears!" and a assured him he'd made an excellent choice before dashing off to catch my train.

Remember when I said I hated those forks with only 3 tines? Well, my friend took it upon herself to make me feel better about the whole situation.

And I found this video really clever. I wonder what my 12-year-old self would have to say to me now...

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Omigod You Guys.

A big congratulations to my favorite newly engaged couple, Shannon and Dakota! I've been waiting for this for a few months now, and by the time this week rolled around, Kim and I were practically counting down the hours.

"They're just like that couple from Titanic! Only no one dies...

I can't even begin to tell you how many engaged and/or recently married friends I have in my life right now. It's crazy. And I'm finding that it's the exact opposite of the culture here. When I mention a friend's recent engagement, I'm typically met with the question, "How old is she?" which is quickly followed by, "How long have they been together?" No one here can believe that I have so many friends married just out of college.

At home, it's super common. We joke at Baylor about "ring by spring," and MRS degrees all the time. And since pretty much the only time relationship statuses are announced to the world is when there's a ring involved, it can be easy to think that you're the only one who's not headed down the aisle any time soon. Which is so not true. It's just that you never see someone posting, "Guys, guess what! I'm single!" on Facebook. So my friends and I have started letting each other know, "Don't worry, I'm still not engaged," every few weeks just to remind one another that we're fine, normal, etc.

But here? It seems like no one even thinks about marriage till they're like 30. Which is totally fine and completely understandable and all that. It's just a bit different where I come from.

Anywho, another shout out and big hug to my sweet sweet friends. You two make an amazing couple, and I'm so excited for you!

Wednesday randoms.

I met a Texan on the Tube this weekend. Even though Tube etiquette necessitates that no one make eye contact, let alone speak to anyone else, I noticed his Texas A&M hat and just had to ask. "I'm sorry, but did you actually go to A&M?" His response: "Well, yes ma'am, I did." Ma'am! I haven't been called ma'am in months. My heart smiled. It made me miss Texas boys.


Other things that made my heart smile this week include:

This video. It's pretty much my life.

This other video. I'm so proud.

This handy dandy website. Super helpful in the kitchen.

This cheddar cheese. I haven't seen yellow cheddar since I moved here. Apparently, it's called "coloured cheddar." Who knew?

This picture.

Skyping with my sweet sweet friend to figure out what we're gonna do when she visits me here soon!

The flowers Hannah and I bought ourselves because it was Friday and, well, why not?



Things that have not made me smile? Well that'd be:

Forms that make me list my address history. Where have I lived in the past 5 years? More like, where haven't I lived in the past 5 years...

Running out of vanilla while I'm trying to make frosting.

Finding a massive run in my new gray tights the first time I wore them..after I'd already left the house.

Not being sure whether the proper spelling is "g-r-A-y" or "g-r-E-y."

Realizing that I'm rapidly approaching the real-life-adult status that requires that I find a full time job.

Not being able to play tennis because of the rain.

The absurdly high price that the university charges for color prints. 40p per page? Seriously? I'm a poor grad student.



But, let's be honest. Even though the things on this second list may be frustrating or inconvenient, they definitely don't outnumber or overwhelm the good stuff. I spend most of my life smiling.

Hope you do too.

Sentimentality.

Today my brother -- my little brother -- graduated from Baylor. Already! I can't even believe it. Part of me is really sad that I couldn't be there, but the rest of me is just super proud. 

My brother's the best guy ever. Seriously.

Not only that, but two of my dearest friends just graduated with masters degrees. How cool is that? Again, super proud.

It all makes me so sentimental, and I find myself asking how it's already been two years since I graduated. Unbelievable. But I'm so so thankful for my four years at Baylor and all the amazing friends I made along the way. Even though I'm now a looooong way from Waco, Texas, it still feels like home -- and I suppose it always will. And that's entirely because of the people I met there. 

So, if you'll forgive my sentimentality, I'll leave you with this. It's okay if you think it's cheesy. I'm sure a lot of people do. But it means a lot to me.

Pass the Ben & Jerry's.

Baylor lost and I'm in mourning. Somebody pass the Ben & Jerry's before I have a meltdown...

This girl could really use some Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz right about now.

Yeah. We lost hard. The highlight of the game, though, was Heslip's lone three to cut the deficit to thirteen (yes, thirteen). My British, formerly-non-basketball-enthusiast-turned-super-fan flatmate and I both completely FREAKED OUT when he hit that shot. So good.

But apart from that, there weren't too many bright spots Baylor this time. Bummer.

At least the women are still in it. 

Go, Lady Bears, go!

 

"Not available in this area."

Eight little words just completely broke my heart: "March Madness is not available in this area."

I love college basketball, so I'm especially fond of March. There's always a game on, and it only gets more exciting as the month rolls on. This year, I've got high hopes for Baylor. The women are still undefeated, and got a 1 seed, while the men are seeded at 3 -- the highest they've ever had. 

So I was thrilled to find out that just $3.99 could get me online access to the tournament. That's like one cup of coffee (I tend to think of prices in terms of coffee...), and since I wouldn't be able to watch it otherwise, I figured it was well worth it. I got all excited. Then, this happened:

Heartbreaking.

I just sat and stared at the screen for a few minutes because I didn't know how to react. 

But that's not the first time it's happened. No, I've seen that message many times since I moved here. For example:

And on and on and on...

I never considered regions when it came to online content. I guess I just assumed that if it was on the Internet, it could be accessed by anyone, anywhere. But I was wrong. 

What a sad, sad realization.

Wednesday randoms.

And here we are. Wednesday again. And mid-March, too! Time flies, doesn't it?

Something you've got to know if you ever spend time here is the letter "x". Why? Because it's a kiss, and people use it alllllll the time. I was familiar with "xoxo," but even then, it's not that common to see at home. Here, it's pretty much included in every message. Text, email, Facebook post...it doesn't matter. For example: "See you tomorrow!xx" There's just so much love going around over here!

Okay, real talk. Deodorant. We all wear it. (I hope...) But I, like most Americans (I assume), am most familiar with the solid kind that twists up from the bottom. And when I say "most familiar," I mean, that's all I've ever used. So imagine my surprise when I went to buy some and saw this:

My choices are limited to the few hiding in the bottom corner...

Yes, spray deodorant is the norm here. Weird.

My friend Kathy was in the country this week doing touristy stuff, so we grabbed dinner the other night. We met at Baylor my freshman year, when she walked up and said, "I see you everywhere. Hi, I'm Kathy." So it was great that the whole seeing each other everywhere also applies when we're living on different continents. It was so good to get to spend time with someone from home. Oh, and another thing about Kathy: she meets celebrities everywhere she goes. And London was no exception. I've lived here for seven months, and haven't seen a single famous person (not that I'm aware of, anyway). She was in the country for like three days, and she somehow managed to meet and get a picture with Zach Braff. How??

It's March Madness time! So exciting! Baylor women are #1 in the nation (undefeated, still!), and the men got a pretty decent seed. I'm pumped! And, yes, I'm definitely forking over the $3.99 to get all the games on demand online. Can't even wait.

Also, a quick shout out to my incredible mom, whose birthday was Monday! She's the best. And to Kim as well, who's 24 today. Happy mid-twenties, soul friend! You don't look a day over 23. 

 

Wednesday randoms.

My Wednesdays start early. Thankfully, they also end early, so I usually have time for a nap. I know. I'm a grandma.

Last week marked 6 months since I moved in. Crazy.

Whenever I'm listening to something like Spotify, and an advert comes on, it's got a British accent. When I was home for Christmas, that wasn't the case. I still find it funny.

Also, the adverts on other web sites are just as British, using words like "mum" and speaking in terms of stones and pounds (the money kind, not the weight kind). Like these:

I finally got one of my marks back from last semester. I'm pretty happy with it. But it's the other one (the one I'm still waiting for, a month and a half later) that I'm mildly terrified about.

I don't wear a lot of makeup. Just your basics. But I realized the other day that the only stuff I wear (at least on a regular basis) is CoverGirl. It's all I've ever really worn. And I still haven't been able to find here. Uh oh.

(Just FYI, CoverGirl isn't paying me to say this or anything. Unfortunately.)

Hannah made us pancakes for tea (dinner) on Shrove Tuesday. So yummy! Also, I've volunteered to join her in giving up Digestives for Lent (I'm not Catholic, just supportive), which will probably be pretty difficult. It's strange how something I didn't know existed 6 months ago can be such a big part of my life now. But I guess that's what happens when you move. So I'm really glad she didn't decide to give up tea...

Oh, and a big congrats to my Baylor Lady Bears! Still undefeated, and now Big 12 champs! Hooray!

Done!

Well this is a first. I've completely finished all of my coursework, and it's not due for another three days. (Not that I'll turn it in before the day it's due, but still...) I'm done. And I'm in a bit of shock. This doesn't usually happen to me. I never (ever) turn anything in late, but I'm hardly ever early. Definitely not this early. 

Plus, classes don't start back up again for me until the end of the month. So I've got like three weeks of no responsibilities to fill. The only problem is that my flatmates won't be done for another week or two.

So I don't really know what to do with myself.

Guess, for now, I'll catch up on some highlights...

(Men v. Tech)

(Women v. Iowa State)

But then, who knows?

Suggestions welcome. Encouraged, even :)
 

Wednesday randoms.

I know I talk about it all the time, but I've got to mention my Bears again this week (sorry/not sorry). We had a great game against Texas over the weekend. We were only up by 3 at half, but finished the game with a 48-24 victory. That win put us at 9-3 overall, and we were 7-0 at home. Plus, we're going to a bowl game. A great way to end the season. Love it.

Aaaaand our quarterback, Robert Griffin III (aka RG3), was selected as a Heisman finalist. Half of my Baylor friends have added "III" to their names on Facebook in support. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed till Saturday, when they announce the winner.

"I plead the third."

Back to randoms:

The weather has continued to be crazy good. It's snowing all over the place back home, but we've had blue skies. Yes, it's cold, but it's totally bearable. And it gives me an excuse to bust out my favorite hats and scarves.

I've pretty much had Christmas music on constantly for the past week. I made a Spotify playlist that I'm in love with (though my flatmates probably hate by now). It includes this, this and this, to name a few.

Something a couple other Americans and I talked about recently was walking. We do it a lot here. But it can get confusing, because we're still not entirely sure what side to stay to. We figure we're supposed to stay left, since that's how they drive. But there are so many international people here that there's really no rhyme or reason. As a result, stairs can get really complicated.

Finally, I continue to be the American representative in my classes. One in particular has been pretty awkward as of late. The last couple of weeks, we've focused on globalization -- American cultural imperialism in particular. As usual, I'm expected to have some insight, but really I just keep feeling the need to apologize since my country is apparently deliberately and systematically destroying other countries' traditions and national identities in everything from food to music. I'm sorry there are McDonalds in the Himalayas, okay? I didn't do it!

Happy Wednesday, friends.

Wednesday randoms.

Is it Wednesday already? Time flies.

Since I've always lived in the States, naturally all the money I have saved for this little London adventure is in dollars. Unfortunately, they don't take dollars here. So every so often I have to make a little trip to the bank and do an exchange, which is seriously the most depressing thing ever. The other day I took in $100 and got back a measly £59.73. Ugh.

I'm in paper-writing mode again. Which means I'm baking again...you know to keep me from actually doing any work.

This made me laugh and feel all sentimental. Is 23 too young to be feeling sentimental?

I got to use my [limited] Arabic skills in class. I got put on the spot and was asked to read " لشعب يريد إسقاط النظام " out loud. Not a big deal, really, but I hadn't even tried to read script in at least 2 years. Plus there were at least 3 people there who actually spoke the language in our class. Oh, and I'm not too fond of the spotlight. I seriously thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest, and I'm sure my face was bright red. (Side note: Why does your body do that to you? It doesn't help at all!)

It gets dark so early here. The sun is down by about 4:30. No fun.

Baylor dominated Texas Tech over the weekend, even though RGIII was injured and sat out the entire second half. And both the women and men's basketball teams are ranked nationally (women are #1, actually). Gotta love my Bears. I'm so proud.

Apparently there was a big strike today. Some girl at uni tried to convince me to skip class and avoid all homework "in support of my teachers" (who, incidentally, were not striking). But I turned her down and ended up doing more work today than I have in over a week.

And I really like this video.

Hope you've enjoyed your November as much as I've enjoyed mine. Bring on December, with plenty of hot cider, scarves and Christmas music.

I love this time of year.

A foggy day in London town.

It's pretty gloomy outside. Thankfully it's Sunday, and I have nowhere to be. I'm just going to stay in, drink tea and watch highlights from the Baylor v. OU game last night.

Like this:

And this:

Can't believe I missed it. Stupid time difference.

Oh well. God bless, and Sic'em Bears!

Wednesday randoms.

Your weekly dose of random:

I found candy corn. Bentalls American food section to the rescue!

All the school kids here wear uniforms. And not just the polos and khakis type uniforms, but proper blazers and ties uniforms. It's adorable.

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday, so when people start listening to Christmas music November 1, it makes me sad. But since they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here, it's just outright depressing. The town centre shopping area was decked out in tinsel and lights at least a week before Halloween. Seriously?! Now I'm even more determined to make my hall (or at least my flatmates) celebrate Thanksgiving with me.

This has got to be one of the least effective ads I've seen in a long time:

Seriously? His mom probably makes him cinnamon rolls every morning.

The kid needs to look a little more emaciated for this to be convincing. He clearly has never gone without breakfast. But he is cute. So there's that.

Hyundai is pronounced "hy-un-dai" here. I did a huge double take the first time I heard that. But then again, they all thought I was crazy to call it "hun-day."

This weekend is Baylor Homecoming. I know that homecomings are typically a high school thing, but they're a big (and magical) deal at Baylor. It seems like everyone comes back, there's a huuuuuge parade with ah-mazing floats, a giant bonfire, Pigskin and of course football. Last year was my first time as an alum, and I'm so sad to miss it. But I've already made plans to skype with my soul friends. I'm super psyched to get to talk to them all at once, even if I'm a little bummed I don't actually get to be there with them.

You really should make these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They're big, fluffy and are basically like fall in your mouth. Best ever.

Aaaaand, the BEST news of all: I get to go home for Christmas! I wasn't planning to, since my brother was going to visit. But then he had to switch to Easter, and I was going to be here by myself. Not anymore! I've got a flight home December 18th. My mom is the best.

Wednesday randoms.

It's Wednesday again. You know what that means...

Wednesday randoms:

I've got my first presentation of grad school tomorrow morning. I've done enough presentations in my life (thanks, PR undergrad degree) that I don't really get nervous about them anymore. Plus, my group is solid. So I'm feeling pretty good about it.

We thought our supermegagiantawesome kitchen couldn't get any better, and then Hannah got us fridge poetry!

She bought the "romance pack."

I just registered for a course called Understanding Britain. It's for international students (like me!), and it looks like fun. It's only 6 weeks long, and there are no exams. But there are field trips. Yay!

I've got another presentation lined up for my other class. Topics were assigned on a first come, first served basis, and Alex and I got our first choice...which just happened to be everyone else's first choice too. Needless to say, we're not very popular in that class.

I made cinnamon rolls over the weekend. You can find the recipe here. You need to make these. And soon. Be warned, though. If you follow it exactly, you'll end up with more cinnamon rolls than you'll be able to handle (sounds impossible, but it's not...trust me). I divided everything by 6 and still got all these and another half a pan:

(This is pre-icing. Too bad the Internet isn't scratch and sniff, right?)

The colder weather is rolling in, but that's okay with me. I love winter clothes.

I stayed up laaaaate the other night to listen to the Baylor game. It was a good game, and the fact that I couldn't see anything made it even more intense. In the end, we lost by one. Boo.

Oh, and our wifi is still out. No good.

Feels like home.

I love Baylor.

I must have said that a hundred times today. Since we're flying out of DFW, I got to spend today in Waco, walking around campus and marveling at how much it's changed in the short year I've been gone. But it still feels like home. I also had the privilege of hanging out with my brother and visiting with a handful of friends.

What a sweet, sweet time. There was so much laughing involved. And so many encouraging words. I seriously have the best friends in the world.

So thanks to Jamin, Lacey, Austin, Alexis, Phil and Adam for making my last full day (and a half) in the States an absolute joy. I'm going to miss you all so, so much.

I'll miss you too, Pat Neff--especially when you're green.

   

It must be love.

There are things I know I'll miss next year. Things like my friends, my family and driving on the right (read: correct) side of the road. But I was recently reminded of something else. A something else that is very near to my heart. College football. And my oh my, what a great reminder it was.

I hope, for your sake, that you didn't miss the Baylor v. TCU game last night. Actually, if you're television-owning American and you're alive, I'm not sure you could have. And for good reason. Not only was it the only game on, it was stellar. A great game. High-energy, high-scoring (albeit often low-defending), and so fun to watch. Plus, Baylor won, and Lord knows I love my Bears.

            (Which is why I don't mind how blatantly one-sided this highlight reel is.)

Did it give me a heart attack? Well, sure. More than once. Did I yell at the television? Until I was hoarse. Was I really, really sad I wasn't in Waco to see it live? Duh.

                                                         (I can get a little excited.)

But I loved every minute of it. (Except for the majority of that ugly, ugly fourth quarter, but whatevs. No harm done, right?)

Afterward, I realized something. There is no football in England. Well, there is, but it's soccer--totally different. Don't get me wrong, I love soccer. I played for years. But there's just something wonderful about college football--the American kind. There really is no substitute. I'm seriously going to miss it.

So I'd like to apologize in advance to my future roommates and soon-to-be friends from the UK for what is sure to be a rough couple of months for all of us.

I will undoubtedly try to talk football with you, despite the fact that you'll probably have neither context nor concern for it. I will most likely be shocked and saddened the first few weekends I turn on the TV and discover it's not on any of the channels. And, consequently, you will certainly find me in my room, door shut, staring at ESPN.com for hours upon end. But the good news, for you, is that this all will be for only a season. It, like so many other wonderful things in life, must eventually come to an end. So if you'll just be patient and put up with my craziness for a few months, I promise that I'll finally be normal again.

At least until college basketball gets underway.