Old friends are the best..? :)

So I had the absolute pleasure last weekend of being on the receiving end of a visit by an old and dear friend, Beth.

When I think of Beth in high school, I can only recall smart-alec comments, laughing at schoolwork, giggling at boys and generally just an all-around, feel-good, warm-and-fuzzy feel that makes me smile.

When I heard that she was coming to London and able to make time to come to our local Tup to watch a rugby game in an English-filled pub, I was delighted -- yet still somewhat...apprehensive? curious? I'm not even sure of the word.

That is, the last time I saw Beth, we were probably 26-ish...and that's a total guess. Even after seeing her this past weekend, neither one of us was really able to discern the year...or even thereabout.

I mentioned Beth's impending arrival to my co-workers earlier last week. 'I have a friend coming from NY this weekend. I'm quite excited to see her, yet strangely nervous. I've not seen her in what? A decade and a half? What if it's awkward with creepy pauses or uncomfortable giggles? What if we've nothing to say past "I'm living in London. This is Steve and...um...yeah..."'

It had been years (!) since our last giggle 'round my parents kitchen table many moons ago. I think, at that time, I must've been either nowhere near married or recently divorced and she was just returning for a time from China for some family time.

None of my silly thoughts held true. Beth was still Beth -- and the Beth that I always knew.

It reminded me of a time when Anne, my first year college (er, 'uni', as they say in England) roommate once said years after we'd left UNCC, 'I know that we can pick up the phone and chat and it's as though not a moment has passed.'

Perhaps that's how we know our true friends..? The ones who always can retain the memories of days gone by (and the inevitable drunk/crazy/serious (pick one) laughs/cries/talks (pick one) yet still discuss what's going on in the here and now -- and actually care.

Move to the present -- please, Andi!

I spoke with my parents today. (I mainly bored them with wedding chat, but that's beside the point...) As I mentioned Beth's visit to them, they were genuinely pleased. 'You have very good friends, Andi', said my Dad. They're always quick to ask about what's going on with the peeps they've met through the years, Susie, Trish, Laura, Sophisticat, Stacey, etc...

I absolutely do have good friends. Wow. I'm completely lucky that I've had the chance to see a few of them (Casey, Beth(s), Lori, Heather) here in London. I'm ecstatic to think they'd take the time -- and money -- to see me. I'm so lucky (and yes, I do realise how sappy I'm sounding right now) to have friends that I will consider oh-so-important-to-my-death friends from NC and NY...and I'm so lucky that I've fallen into such a wonderful circle of friends here, in London, many through Steve.

So to any of you who do read this: Do know how often I think of you, whether you're in the post code just a mile or three away, or 3459.34 miles (my NY family and friends) or 4002 miles (my NC friends). Thoughts of you all come randomly and sometimes without reason. Maybe it's that I saw a difficult word to spell or maybe I saw a cool article on interior design or maybe I just had a fleeting thought about Pops in the Park or saw something on the rainforests.

[Disclaimer: I'm engaged to an accountant/left-brained kinda guy. I should probably note that the milage listed above is simply an estimation rather than a precise distance...sigh...Love you, baby...hehe]

Perhaps in getting married in a few months I'm pure sap/sop. Nonetheless, I do realise--as I again did this weekend--that we are oh-so-lucky to find friends...TRUE friends in this world, who get us, laugh with us, and are likely to always understand us.

(And PS - Thanks, Stace, for the smile about Liz and what would've been the coolest vino/Liz movie marathon ev-ah. Godfather, anyone?)

I love it here, but....

As it says on the tin, I love it here in England. I absolutely do. I feel as though I've made a pretty good path thus far.

However...

There are times, whilst few and far between times, in fact, where I wonder about what would happen were I to need to return -- immediately. That is, I can recall a time not too long ago, when I was living in Charlotte and received the awful, awful news that my maternal grandmother ('Omi') had passed.

Unlike now, I knew then that I could drive home. I called the airlines and learned that flights were nearly $1k. Yikes. And this was back in 1999? 2000? It was much more than my then $30k salary would allow. I could drive the lil' Honda del Sol home, I figured. Yes, it would make it. It was about six years old, but not many miles. I could be home in 12 hours if I sped...and didn't get caught.

Now it's completely different. I can't drive home, even if I had a car and could actually drive safely in this county with its left-hand side and roundabouts. Yikes. It's a no. I can only fly back.

Then it moves to cost. Sadly, most things in life move to cost. Sigh.

Then I realise that I'm at the mercy of the airlines. Yeesh. After trying to find cheap[ish?] flights for Yanks to take for our upcoming wedding, I recently learned that such high expense costs can hinder travel.

Steve found last minute flights to NYC for under £350. That'd be fab, but one never knows when one might need to go home. I wonder if, like flights to our wedding, we'd not be able to find much below $1200. And (times two) that's more than we have saved in our everyday disposable income with wedding costs. Which leads it to this...

Should one ditch a wedding that's planned in order to cover costs for family stuffs? It seems an obvious argument, methinks. Family always matters more than a party (which can, invariably, be conducted at another time).

Or...does it...just maybe...possibly?...make sense to save, save, save like crazy now, as my father has always taught us, to have not only three months of living expenses in one's pocket ready to go, but also such unexpected costs (e.g., two flights home to NY).

Ahh, how well my parents have always taught me.

Wedding update -- and Larry the Cat news

Wedding update

Steve and I have been rapidly movin' along on the wedding plans (with muchos gracias to family for their input and help!). Thus far we've:

• Secured the venue and registrar
  
• Created, printed and sent out save-the-date magnets (a newer tradition here in England)
• Created the wedding website
• Bought the dress
• Ordered our wedding cupcakes
• Chosen our photographer
• Picked out the beginning parts for the centrepieces
• Returned our COA (requesting permission to marry from the UK Border Agency -- I'm an immigrant!)
  

We've done some research and are nearing decisions on:

• Steve's 'wedding wear/ware'
  
• Invitations
• Favours
• DJ / music
• Finalising the centrepieces and other flowers
• Honeymoon (Maldives, anyone?)

That said...

What in the world are we forgetting? I keep thinking that there will be this horrific surprise -- and not in a good way -- two days before the day that we've forgotten something uber-major. Sigh. Any thoughts, let me know!

I'm shocked

I've been truly shocked by some of the response that we've already gotten, including the Yank folks who've expressed their hope/intentions to come. How incredibly kind they are; we're absolutely overwhelmed.

I do know that it's the one real opportunity we have for both of our families and friends to meet. And I know how much family and friends mean to both of us. Therefore (by syllogism, methinks?) our wedding day will mean a lot to us...That didn't come out quite right. I know it'll be an important day for us, of course! I just didn't want that to come out in such a selfish-sounding way. (winks)

//End wedding rant

On Saturday, Steve and I wandered down to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Whilst we were considering a friend for Star, I think we'll sadly have to put that thought to rest for awhile. She probably would have loved a doggie or putty brother, though...

I had given Steve pre-warning that I'd start crying at some point during the 'tour' of the animals. I always do, as it breaks my heart to see their sad-and-soulful-yet-still-trusting lil' eyes looking up at me; I just want to take 'em all home. Sigh. Perhaps one day I'll open a place just as good as Tri-County Animal Shelter -- from whence came our lil' StarBar.

Larry the #10 Downing Cat

Onward with the animal talk! For those of you who may not have yet met Larry the cat...

Larry was selected from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to tackle the rodent problem on Downing Street. It seems during a recent televised report, a big ol' rat scurried past Mr. Prime Minister's front door -- yikes!

Following his arrival at his new home, Larry had the opportunity to meet -- and scratch -- the reporter who'd given the story in which the aforementioned rat ran past the camera's lens.

Even with his little scratchy-scratch, Larry has a heckuva fan club. From multiple Facebook pages, to half-page Whiskas adverts in several newspapers, to even a (really funny) Twitter feed, Larry is the new political mascot over here.

Larry is now even giving weekly political video wrap-ups from the head house. Awesome. This would make me want to watch political news.

I'm getting married!

Wow. So it's been too long since I've posted (and yes, mon sweet Premier folks, I'm trying to come back! winks)...

Steve and I are getting married on 19th August and I'm going to be oh-so-bridezilla-ish and start writing again to record all of this.

Proposal

Thus far, since his fab proposal...oh, which must be noted...wait...a few moments back in time, please:
It was his birthday. We went out with his family for dinner and the Tottenham Spurs game. Thankfully, they won and upon returning back to ColliWood, I got the gift: a proposal. (Here I thought he was going to get a pack of crisps...who woulda thunk it? winks). Ah, it was all a girl could've asked for: sweet words, a beautiful ring and the most fabulous of husbands-to-be. Wow. How lucky I am.
Ok, back to now...

Wedding plans

Since then, we've:

• bought the dress (no, he's not seen it), from the most wonderful (!) bridal dress supplier
  
• picked out the cupcakes (thanks to Char's ideas--yes, she's 'Cha' to everyone else but me
• found a photographer (thanks to sixpencewedding and a fabulous ex-pat)
• bought wedding rings from the sweetest jeweler on the planet
• and most importantly, found the perfect venue and a registrar to actually marry us!

Now, with all of that, we're near set-to-go. Wow. This is the happiest I've been in my life...Ever. I get it now; that happiness that everyone always talks about when meeting 'the one'. Who knew?

Crap tv

So now that I'm nearing upon the time where I marry the most wonderful man in the world, I find I get a bit sappy. Kerry-Ann agrees with me on this. They're getting married next week, in fact. When we were out two weeks ago, she mentioned, 'I don't know...I keep getting tear-y on all sorts of things. Greg mentions something sweet or my mom talks about the wedding plans and all of a sudden I start tearing up.'
Yup. I get it. I'm doing the same.
I've learned that when it's the right person, we do get a bit sappy. It took me watching a few crappy episodes of 'Hitched or ditched' to get this.
In this reality show, couples are faced with the wedding of a lifetime, though they have to confront the realities of their relationships first -- whether it's that family/friends don't support them, or there are interracial issues, or...well, whatever may be in the way of it being perfect.
I found myself tearing up over their situations, but moreso, that we don't have any of those situations with which to deal. I'm such a lucky girl.
My family supports us. His family supports us. Our friends have never seen us happier.
I'm truly the luckiest girl in the world.

Next up?

I can only pray that, like the family in 'Hitched or ditched', I get surprised and my family is all there to see this all. I've spent so many tears over it (which my amazing husband-to-be has wiped away). I know that it's my decision to marry far away. I realise that not everyone can be here. I do understand that it's a lot of time and money. I wish I could make it easier on everyone. Sigh. I guess that's what happens when you marry in a different country.
There are so many people in the world that one cares about when something so life-changing occurs. I guess I wish that all of the ones I care about would be here...even if it's far away. Awww...

And...

If any of you Yank folks are going to be here for this (c'mon -- I need a few peeps who tawk like me he-ah!), do know you're welcome to join the wedding festivities. Um...I just need a heads up. (winks)