Unexpected pleasures....

My original plan after moving to the UK was not to go home for at least a year because I didn't want to throw off the progress I had made with adjusting. However, when my parents asked me to come home for two weeks as a Christmas present, I felt bad saying no and was still worried that I might be upset when I left to go home to the UK.

The UP is that I'm actually looking forward to going back! I still love this part of the US and will always miss it (and family and friends), but it feels less like home and more like the place I used to live.

My original plan after moving to the UK was not to go home for at least a year because I didn't want to throw off the progress I had made with adjusting. However, when my parents asked me to come home for two weeks as a Christmas present, I felt bad saying no and was still worried that I might be upset when I left to go home to the UK.

The UP is that I'm actually looking forward to going back! I still love this part of the US and will always miss it (and family and friends), but it feels less like home and more like the place I used to live.

I hear you, PP. That's my feeling too -- that once I make up my mind I just want to commit 100% and not keep a foot in each place.
But it is nice to touch base and see folks and places and all that. And of course this is a pretty cool place, right! 

My original plan after moving to the UK was not to go home for at least a year because I didn't want to throw off the progress I had made with adjusting. However, when my parents asked me to come home for two weeks as a Christmas present, I felt bad saying no and was still worried that I might be upset when I left to go home to the UK.

The UP is that I'm actually looking forward to going back! I still love this part of the US and will always miss it (and family and friends), but it feels less like home and more like the place I used to live.

Sounds like you're settling in just nicely!!! 

Just had lunch with my former boss -- now friend. We yakked about every-thing! Good therapy.

Just received a phone call from my local Tesco telling me I won the first prize hamper!

Just received a phone call from my local Tesco telling me I won the first prize hamper!

Wow! What did you win?

My furbaby who has been gone longest came home this morning! I've also heard that one of the others has been spotted. Much JOY!

My furbaby who has been gone longest came home this morning! I've also heard that one of the others has been spotted. Much JOY!

Yay! Welcome home, kitties!

Yay! Welcome home, kitties!

..and then, just like that, everyone came home!  In the meantime, the others had wandered off. There are six of them out there, including my uncle's cat who has adopted us. They are still ask fat and happy looking as ever, so it must have been a good adventure. 

What a relief, Tama! If only they could talk ...

I was thinking last night how much fun it would be to hear of their adventures, and what could have been so exciting to keep them ALL away from home for so long. 

Yesterday's UP: One of our regular customers came in and gave all of us $20 each for Christmas. He's a sweet older gentleman, who always has a smile and a fun story to tell, so we all adore him anyway, but this was a nice gift.

I have a couch! And a new mattress! My apartment actually looks like someone lives here...

My parents gave me money for a new couch as a combined Christmas and birthday gift and I had one picked out at Ikea that would come in just under budget when I included tax and delivery. I went yesterday to buy it and there was exactly what I wanted (minus slipcover) in the As-Is section for about 40% off! Sweet. Unfortunately, the back cushions seemed to be from a different couch and probably wouldn't fit in the slipcover correctly. After hemming and hawing about what to do (alter the cushions somehow, try to find correctly fitting covers in the as-is fabric bin in the same color and fabric or maybe even buying a whole extra slipcover just for the two back cushions), I finally asked the attendant if he could authorize a further discount since the cushions were wrong and I'd have to figure something out. He offered to go in the back and try to find the right ones instead. He disappeared for awhile and apparently climbed up somewhere to search for them--and he found them! Generally, I've found the As-Is section attendants at Ikea to be somewhat surly and unhelpful so I was very pleased that he went out of his way to find what I needed. It totally made my day.

With the extra money I saved I was able to buy a new mattress, as well, which I badly needed. I've been sleeping on a pretty crappy one a friend gave me and have been wanting to replace it but haven't been able to spend the money. Together the two ended up being a little bit more than just the couch at full price would have been but definitely worth it in the end.

AND yesterday was much, much less crowded and awful at Ikea than a Saturday typically is. I guess that most people don't do a lot of furniture shopping the weekend before Christmas. Barely had to wait in line at all!

I came home from work to find hubby downsizing, getting rid of stuff and organizing!  (and I didn't ask him to do it!)

Not unexpected, because she's always been a nice kid, but my niece (in law) who's just turned 18 is just so freaking grateful and nice all the time.

So happy with the dress we sent her for xmas, and for thinking of her, she never went through an ungrateful teen stage (I've known her since she was 12/13) and is always polite, really tries at school even though she's not academic, labours over her homework etc.

Also she's way, WAY gorgeous, so could have gone the other way easily, and just isn't, eschewed cheerleading for soccer & football, her friends are nice, she's really accepting of people with alternative lifestyles (her best friend is a lesbian); which isn't always that common in high school.

She's just really sweet, no one I knew at that age was very sweet!

What an amazing young lady! I have so many teenager horror stories (both UK and US) that come to mind from the past few years, it is refreshing to know teens like her still exist.