Pretty Much an Awesome Day

Hello Internet!  I had a pretty great day today.  A few days ago I was talking to one of my American friends who has access to the American Military Base.  She is moving back to Utah on Friday (for good) and I was telling her how much I loved visiting the base in November last year.  She kindly suggested that we should go again before she left and, of course, I was really up for that (how could I say no?). 
Today I got ready and headed out to the base.  I was happy to have the freedom of the car again and happily turned on my MP3 player to show tunes and started on my way.  Oh how I missed the freedom of having a car!  I was just driving and singing (and to be honest acting out the parts as much as possible while driving).  I realized that it was getting a little warm (I had the window only rolled down a little to try to keep my hair from looking like I got struck by lightening) and decided to turn on the vent.  Forgetting that the vent hadn’t been used since February, I turned it on full blast.  Luckily I was driving slow, and luckily I had sunglasses on to protect my eyes from all the bits of leaves and dust FLYING out of the vent.  But, nothing – nothing at all, could protect me from the flying spider that spewed out of the vent.  It hit my arm, I started freaking out, forgetting about the whole “driving” and “eyes on the road” thing and struggled to turn off the vent.  Needless to say I just stayed hot for the rest of the ride – Yuck *shutters*.
After the drama I proceeded to follow Chris’ directions to the letter and promptly got lost – as I was about to enter a motorway headed towards London – I decided to cut through 2 lanes on the roundabout (a giant plus about roundabouts) and go back the way I came.  I went up a side road and called Chris.  He quickly admitted that he wrote down the wrong directions and got onto Google to find where I was, and low and behold I was only about 2 minutes away from the base.  Somehow I had made it there.
Once my friend met me at the entrance and we got my pass we headed to another base to go to lunch and do some shopping.
First we stopped here:

This was heaven.  The only Taco Bell in England are on the American Bases.  It was one of the places I was mourning the loss of when considering my gluten free diet.  I got my yummy meal (and ate the whole thing even though they put tomatoes on it) and also ordered 10 more soft tacos to take home for Chris and save for tomorrow.  They also had American Dr. Pepper (with FREE refills – something they don't have here in England) and I got two cups full of that.  Then we headed out to go shopping. 
It is a strange feeling that someone who hasn't lived out of their own country can never understand.  It is strange to go somewhere in England and have it feel like America – but the second you walk into the main grocery store that is what it is like.  There are American trolleys (carts), American foods, American accents, and American money.  I was in heaven again walking up and down the isles and getting the food that I have been craving (or missing from recipes).  They have everything that a regular grocery store in America would have (meat, dairy, frozen food, etc.).  This was my “loot”:
  
Imagine Handel's Halleluiah Chorus in the background….
The freezer is packed full and notice the Cool Whip and 4, yes 4, packages of Turkey Bacon:

(My gluten free bread that I got for .60p from £1.99 but that is beside the point.)
After spending my money, we went back to the base and decided, since we still had some time to spare, we’d go shopping at Tesco.  We got there and were looking around, my friend didn't think that she needed a trolley so she just carried what she had, but then she decided to get some English chocolate to send back to America and she didn't decide on just 1 package but 20 packages of 4 – meaning a multi-pack of 4 bars in one package – she asked me to carry it and I can only imagine what people were thinking when they saw the chubby girl walking around with all that chocolate – it was quite funny.
Then it we went back to the base (again) and said our goodbyes.  Goodbyes are always hard for me (I nearly cried when we sent a missionary home).  This friend has been so good to me.  She has an amazing personality and you cant help but be happy around her.  She is funny and wise and honest – and I love it!  She knows how much it meant to me to go get some things that reminded me of home and she took me – just days before flying home.  Luckily she is moving to Utah so this isn't the last I’ll hear from her.
It was a good day.  It makes me miss Utah but makes me even more determined to get things in order to move home – I cant wait!! 

One Year Older

Hello Internet.  I hope you all had a very good Halloween. 
As for me, it was my birthday.  Now, I have not had too much good luck with birthdays so needless to say I didn't hold out hope for this one.  I kept joking to Chris that I was just going to sleep until Saturday morning.  He didn't let me - I awoke to a lovely breakfast in bed (made by Chris).  He seemed more excited about me opening my presents than I did.  When I did open them I was pleasantly surprised by a CD that I had really wanted, one CD that I already had (its okay, he didn't know), and a lovely silver heart necklace.  He did very good.  I also got some clothes from my mom back at home.  I got a great phone call from my mom and dad, which topped of the great morning.   I was so glad that they called even though it is hard to be away from home for me, but it gets especially hard on birthdays and holidays.  I just relaxed before we were supposed to go out to dinner - I had a bit of a set back of fleeting depression - but after I read what Chris wrote about me on his blog, there was no way I could be depressed and we got ready and went to Chili's.  This is a special treat because it tends to be kind of expensive and it is in Cambridge - but it was a special day so we went.  It was such good food!!  Then we came home and relaxed.  It was a low-key but absolutely lovely birthday.
The weekend was made even better by my Saturday.  Some Americans that I know had arranged to go to the base and they were kind enough to invite me to go along.  One of the girls is called Jenni.  She has a husband in the military and she was the one with access to the base.  She is such a fun person, not only does she have 6 kids, but, she is on her 3rd book.  She is re-writing all of Jane Austins books for teens.   The other girl is called Natalie and she is in a similar situation as me.  She married an Englishman and moved from California to be here.  She and I have a lot in common and it is very good to have someone who knows how I feel.  We went to the base and we were in HEAVEN!!  We got to eat at Taco Bell, went to a mall type place and got some holiday candles and then we went to the grocery store on base, at this point I thought I'd died and gone to heaven... isles and isles of American food.  If I tried really hard I could almost forget I was in England.  I was surrounded by American accents and using dollars!!   Jenni shared her groceries with us. I got things that I had been craving for a year.  She also was so kind to get me a Yankee Candle with an amazing top for Christmas, as a birthday present.  We shopped and shopped and looked and looked.  Not only was the experience so fun, but I made some great friendships with Jenni and Natalie.  When I was wavering if I should go or not, my wise mother said -- you've been craving friends and Taco Bell, you never know what a blessing this might be.  And she was so right.  Now I have an invite to Bunco on the base every month were I get to meet more Americans, but more importantly friends.
This weekend has been unforgettable.  There are few times, especially as of late, that happiness has been a part of my life.  Chris makes me happy but that is the extent of it.  It just goes to show how the little things mean so much.  I am thankful for Chris for making such an effort this year for my birthday - he knows how difficult its been for me.
I have so many plans for this new year... I like to try to make Birthday Resolutions and I have lots of goals for the coming year - and hopefully most of them will take place in America.  I just have to keep telling myself -- STAY POSITIVE - after all, I may be on the upper end of it, but I am still in my 20's!!