Wednesday randoms.

Well, I’m back in England, where there is significantly less sunshine. Here are a few Wednesday randoms:

 

The highs here have been around 45 (7ish degrees C), and I’ve been wearing tights and scarves for about two months now. But when I got off the plane in Dallas, there was sunshine galore, and at 85 degrees (30ish degrees C) I instantly realized I was wearing too many clothes for Texas.  

 

The UK changes their clocks back a week earlier than the US. And since I was in the US a week after the time changed, I got to fall back twice this year. Which is fine with me – I can use all the extra time/sleep I can get.

 

With the time change, the sun sets earlier these days. Pretty standard, right? Except here, because we’re so far north, that means that by 4:30pm, the sun is gone. It’s really sad having so little daylight.

I missed out on being in the States for the presidential election by one day. Not that I was particularly heartbroken by this (I’d already voted absentee). Watching even an hour of election coverage at the airport was enough to make me want to run away from all things political.

 

You know how we say “what’s-her-name” when we can’t remember a name? Well here, a lot of people just say “thingy.” As in, “I was just talking to thingy.” It’s not my favorite bit of terminology.

 

Great news! I went to Asda the other day in search of tea, and guess what I found. Cocoa. HERSHEY’S cocoa. I haven’t seen it anywhere else in this country, so that made my day.

  

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.

 

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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.

  

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!

Look, y'all!

(Burnt orange. Gross.)

Saw this in the lift today. The university is holding a real live Texas hoe down! If only I'd seen it earlier. I'd have loved to have seen what that looks like to people from England...

Also, there were some girls in the lift when I took that picture. I had to ask them to move out of the shot, and they looked at me like I was craaaazy. Oh well.

Texas Independence Day.

I lived in Texas for four years. It changed me. For one thing, I started saying, "y'all."

Texas was its own country before it was part of the US. And Texas has never forgotten this. Actually, sometimes it seems that Texas still thinks it's its own country. So, today, when my Facebook newsfeed was overwhelmed with things like "Proud to be a Texan," and "God bless Texas," it got me thinking about my home away from home.

The Republic of Texas

Most people -- even outside the States -- have some general ideas about Texas. Cowboy hats, boots, horses, guns...and everything's bigger in Texas, right?

But Texas is hard to define. Because Texas isn't just a place, it's an mindset -- a worldview. And Texans? Well, let's just say they really love their state.

So in honor of Texas Independence Day, here are a few quotes that might help you understand a bit more about the largest of our Lower 48.

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You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas. -Davy Crockett 

There is a growing feeling that perhaps Texas is really another country, a place where the skies, the disasters, the diamonds, the politicians, the women, the fortunes, the football players and the murders are all bigger than anywhere else. -Pete Hamill 

 Sectional football games have the glory and the despair of war, and when a Texas team takes the field against a foreign state, it is an army with banners. -John Steinbeck

Texas is neither southern nor western. Texas is Texas. -Senator William Blakley

Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word...A Texan outside of Texas is a foreigner. -John Steinbeck

If a man’s from Texas, he’ll tell you. If he’s not, why embarrass him by asking? -journalist John Gunther

Don't mess with Texas.

I'm not from Texas, but I got here as fast as I could.

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Bluebonnets - The state flower.

There are a lot of things I miss about Texas. The explosion of wildflowers in the spring (especially those bluebonnets), Baylor, pick up trucks, sweet tea, big backyards, Pine Cove, long open roads, stars, biscuits and gravy, cliff jumping, porch swings, sunsets, yes sirs and yes ma'ams, barbeque, and BlueBell ice cream...just to name a few.

Mostly, I miss the people. I met my absolute best friends in Texas. And there's just a general friendliness about the state. Sure, there's plenty of arrogance and way too much camouflage, but for the most part, the people are lovely. I miss the polite hellos from passersby (people here tend to avoid eye contact altogether), hats tipped in greeting, and smiles all around. And I'm so glad that when I got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, it was the middle of nowhere, Texas. Three different people pulled over to make sure I was okay and help me get back on the road again.

So even though I'm from New Mexico (where Texas isn't exactly a favorite), I don't own a pair of boots, and I'll never ever cheer for the Dallas Cowboys as long as I live, I can proudly say that I love the Lone Star State.

Happy Independence Day, Texas. You were good to me.