Well, well... I am moving in two weeks, and soooo excited! But I must admit, my first wave of nauseous anxiety came over me tonight, suddenly, while packing up my stuff to leave my apartment for my mom's house (transitory 2 week period until i leave for UK) and even though I have read this forum before, I thought it would be good for me to read it again now. So, to remind myself of all positive things (in fact, I cant think of any negative things about UK other than ranch dressing not being widely available!

) I am now submitting my list of things I already love about UK and am excited about, besides DH, my stepson, our dog, and my in-laws who have been great to me so far, just to remind me of what I have to look forward to, besides being married to the perfect guy for me:
1. I love our house... its cozy, and its right around the corner from the beach, so I get to smell and hear the north sea everyday...
2. Strong winds off the sea blowing in my hair and filling up my lungs with cold, crisp air... makes me feel alive! I love cold weather!
3. The Geordie language... I am fascinated by the Norman roots and the slang that is used (I always look up the new words to find out their origins), and the way it sounds... very friendly to me, so I think of Geordies as sort of like Texans, in that they have a unique accent (like all parts of UK) but they call everyone "pet" and "love" and "hinny" much like we say "sugar" or "honey" to people here in Texas!
4. British humor (though some I just don't get yet due to pop culture references I am unfamiliar with, but I know it will come with time) but I was a BBC watcher long before I met DH, have always enjoyed the sense of humor in general...
5. Guinness... available everywhere on draught

always been my favorite...
6. Brown sauce... I could almost forget about dipping my fries in ranch... I have already been making that transition here in the states as DH brought two bottles of HP over for me by my desperate request....
7. Local fish and chips that is amazing...
8. Everyone walks their dogs on the beach and no one uses a leash (leader!) and the dogs just play with each other and get along and run free....
9. NHS!!! I haven't even used it yet... but with a chronic condition like psoriasis that requires expensive creams to treat, I know I will be happy to know I don't have to save up to get more medicine... even while I was on insurance, the insurance doesn't cover much of the cost of those meds... still so expensive here in the US!
10. Finally getting to wear coats, jackets, and long-sleeves other than for a few weeks out of the year!
11. More holidays (DH gets 5 weeks per year) and easier to travel to another country to experience a change in scene/other culture... he is already planning a few small trips for us, and I am very excited!

12. Trains... the convenience of public transport... not always having to drive everywhere...
OK, well, I am sure I could think of lots more, and will post on here again once I get moved and see other positive aspects... But I feel much better now that I contemplated that, and less anxious about letting go of the familiar... change is sometimes hard for me, but every time I go through it, I end up a better person for it and I am always glad i did it. So, back to packing!