my name is cool

Two weeks from today I will be standing on English soil, pretending I don’t have jet-lag, proudly wearing my Chelsea shirt, and probably well into my 2nd or 3rd pint (it’s 7:30pm there right now, don’t judge).

No, we’re not taking Catie; we love her dearly but we need a break and grown-up vacation.  No, I don’t have a job yet and am instead going to guiltily spend my husband’s money all over the country.  No, we also haven’t painted the house/bought new furniture/anything else house-related yet.  English holiday trumps spending money on the house, end of story.

Two weeks from today I will be taking a vacation from the mundanity that is my life.  I will not worry about finding a job, I won’t have to think about what to feed everyone for the day, picking paint colors won’t even cross my mind.  I may let myself wonder about Catie a couple of times a day but only for a minute, she’ll be fine; she’s staying with my parents and I know they have all kinds of fun planned for her (swimming pool, zoo, trains, tricycles, books, bad food, etc.).  John said that this will be the only vacation we’re going to have for a while, so we should make it a long one and enjoy it, and I plan to do just that.

In fact, the biggest stress in my life lately is planning what to do on holiday.  I freaking LOVE planning trips, and this one is no exception.  I started out with a blank calendar and it’s slowly filling up, thanks mainly to this fantastic guide book for walks in Southeast England.  I’ve got about 6 walks planned so far, ranging from a quick 90 minute one in London to a 6 hour one in the South Downs.  Speaking of London, we’re probably only going to do a day or two there at the most.  John and I have both spent time there before so we’re only going to hit a few highlights:  he’s never been on The London Eye, I want to go to the Victoria & Albert and the Tate, maybe do a bit of shopping (I’m powerless to resist the siren call of Next and M&S).  We’re also taking this book about “Secret London” with us to check out places off the beaten path.

Also on the to-do list:  driving tours.  We’ve decided to rent a car for a couple of weeks and check out some back roads to facilitate some of our walks.  Neither of us have been to Bath before, and our friend Penny highly recommended checking it out so we’re going to drive over for a couple of days before then heading to Cambridge to see Warren.  Since we have the car it’ll make it easier to get to Stonehenge and Woodhenge (and Strawhenge, shout out Eddie Izzard!) on the way to Bath.  Totally out of the way is Marco Pierre White’s restaurant The Yew Tree, but since this will probably be the only chance I’ll ever have to eat there, we’re going.  End of story.  And while we’re on the subject of eating, “Eat at a Michelin star restaurant” will be crossed off of my Bucket List this trip.  I should probably settle on one and make reservations soon.

The highlight of the trip of course will be The Wedding.  Markie, it’s only a month away!  I remember the month before our wedding, finalizing details, paying vendors, taking the GMAT to get into grad school (….just me?  okay).  I’m also looking forward to the night before the wedding:  UK v US in the World Cup opening round.   In theory, I guess I should support the US, but in practice…well, y’all know me.  I’ll be the only American in the bar wearing an England shirt.  Nothing against the US, but “soccer” isn’t exactly their forte and when it comes to the World Cup I’m supporting England first, with Italy as a close second.  Anyway, back to the fabulousness that will be The Wedding.  This will be the second wedding I’ve been to in England, and I’m debating buying a hat for this one.  Hmm.

Still on the to-do list:  Find out when we can invade Ginny’s new house, make a date with Warren’s girlfriend to drag him and John kicking and screaming to see Sex & the City (there will be beers, don’t worry you poor men), check out some lodgings in Bath, and narrow down some restaurant choices.  2pm now which makes it 8 in Brighton and we’ll probably be well into pint 3, maybe 4.  Mark, get your liver ready…be there soon!

And if any of you have suggestions for places to eat/drink/see/sleep, shoot them my way.

who knows.  I’m going for a run in a few hours though.  And by “run” i mean “brisk walk interspersed with some light jogging”.  I’ve been eating relatively healthy so far this week.  I’m not counting calories anymore though.  You can, if you want.  I’ll let you know what I’m having and y’all can count for me.  I’m too lazy.  Today I had a bagel & avocado for brekkie, two chocolate chip cookies for 2nd brekkie, I’m having thai noodles w/ sauteed tofu for lunch, and a kimchi burrito for dinner.  And probably two more cookies for dessert.

catie turns two tomorrow, yikes!  Guess I should buy her something.