Roller Coaster

(Written by Beth)
So, as you can tell from our previous blogs, we really love London. Life is amazing here and we know we are lucky to have this opportunity. There is so much culture here and the people are really nice/respectful. It's been really great knowing that people won't stare at us or make comments about our relationship; most of you don't have to deal with this, but it's really shattering emotionally. Things are going well for both of us - JaNae is going to be coaching in the next couple months (as you've read in the last blog) and I'm finally figuring out how to take care of my self! I hate to admit it, but hiring a personal trainer is the best decision I've made recently (or was forced to make - thanks Love). I think I've got it figured out and just need to keep it up!
Last week we 'attended' the Royal Wedding (blog forthcoming) and are going on an 8-day sailing trip to Croatia at the end of this month. And, the 2012 Olympics are coming up next year; just keep your fingers crossed that our ticket application will go through! What an amazing time to live in London - I think we really timed this 'path' well!
I know everyone from back home is tired of hearing how great London is or how much we actually love it here - well....this blog is dedicated to you. No matter how wonderful London is or how good it is for us to be here, there are a few things missing: family and friends! When we moved here, a few people told me that the first 6 months are the hardest; trying to figure out a new country with no support system proves difficult for most people. Luckily, JaNae and I are a strong support system in ourselves so the 6 month (and 12 month) mark came and went with no problem. It seemed like we would never feel the home sickness that everyone talks about. I'm guessing the first year was more like a holiday in our minds because the time was amazing and simply flew by! Now that we are into the 14th month, the sickness has set in.
The only thing we've dwelled (is that a word?) on in the past year is that we gave up our dogs. I'm not sure that terrible feeling will ever go away for us. We knew we would miss out on family and friend gatherings, but we still keep in touch so that hasn't really bothered us (and Jasmine and Jim came to visit, so that helped a lot!). I think that is starting to set in and is maybe at the forefront because we aren't sure when we will have the money to fund another trip home. (I know JaNae calls me her sugar mama, but I'm not really...lol) And, if we do come up with the money, I know we'd like to use it to start a family of our own (at some point). Speaking of that, we are still undecided as to where we would like to raise a kid. It's all do ridiculously complicated! I thought we were lucky because we can literally plan most aspects of having a child, but it's expensive and there are so many decisions to make along with it! DOH! Anyway - I'll cut this off because I could just go on and on and on (and because my boss is probably wondering why I've been typing for so long - oops), but we just have one thing to say:
We love you all and are missing you all more than ever right now. Love to you!!

Coaching Basketball

(This is a post written by Ja'Nae`.) As many of you know, I have accepted a position as a head women's coach of a local basketball academy. I am very excited about this opportunity as this is a dream job. Getting paid a good salary for something that I love. (Luckily I have a sugamama and can trly say that the money is good.) I am in charge of the women's program, but also will expand the academy to different areas of London and add other sports. Having a passion for sports is a a great advantage, but not knowing how things really work in London is a disadvantage. But with the right support system, I really think that this is something that can grow. Currently the program is in West London and we want to expand to north, south, and eastern parts of London. The organization does more than just basketball, but they run a football (soccer) program and have one of the best dance teams in the UK. So, I may have to learn a few moves from their dance team or teach them a few things. You know how we do it in Iowa!!! I attended my first set of basketball games over the weekend. All I can say is that it is quite different than the states. First, there were no signs to let people know where they gym is located. No admission! No concessions, so I couldn't get that hot dog or pretzel that I was craving. The games were to start at 11 am. I walk in and see three spectators in the stands, the scorekeepers, a ref, and a couple coaches. The team that I going to be coaching was playing at 11am, and they were no where to be found. Oh wait, the coach and managers were there shooting around. I thought that maybe the game didn't start until 11:30. 11:10 - 3 players from my team show up and 0 from the team we're playing. Hmmm. What is going on. I thought I would be walking in to a gym with two teams that were warming up properly. 11:15. - Now we have 8 players from the team and the opposing team only has 2. Obviously, there is no sense of time here in London. I knew that it was bad, but not this bad. Especially when it comes to sporting events, one should stick to the schedule. 11:20, at this point I am thinking that the other team has to forfeit since only two of their players have showed up. I see the coach of the opposing team, and he doesn't seem to are that he only has two players. 11:30 - We finally have enough players to start the game. Holy buckets!!! I sat and watched 5 more games of basketball and it was great. By the last one I started to get hungry and tired, but it was a such a close game that I couldn't leave. As I sat through the games, I noticed a few rule differences. The biggest rule difference is the existence of a shot clock. These kids are high school age and the level of play is similar to freshman basketball, with the exception of one team. I couldn't believe they have a shot clock and it's only 24 seconds. I believe they only get 8 seconds to cross half court or else it is a violation. No one sets screens or calls plays all that often. It was a track meet. Don't even get me started on the refs. They are horrible. I don't know how many times I saw a kid travel or get fouled. They were so horrible that two fights broke out! The first fight was a girls game. Player A's team had rebounded the ball and they headed down the court. The player guarding Player A was walking back to play defense (poor attitude), we'll call her Player B. Well Player B came up from behind and tried to get the ball back from Player A, but failed. I guess Player A said something to Player B which made Player B a bit upset and got in Player A's face. Player A kinda stepped up, then stepped back down and maybe said something else. Next thing I see is Player B reaching out to grab Player A's hair and the fists are out. Each threw about 2-3 punches before someone broke it up. This happened during the final seconds of the game. Fight #2. Well, this wasn't really a fight but morelike an outburst by the coach. Yes, I said coach. I am not sure what happened, but a timeout was called and I see the coach trying to rush the bench of the other team. I thought, 'Oh, my!'. The refs and his players tried to calm him down but he started yelling and trying to get his 'posse' to stop holding him back. Then he did something reminded me of how some 3 year olds will act when they are upset. As his friends were holding him, they mostly had him by his jacket, he pulled one of those maneuvers where you simply slide out of the jacket and free yourself. Well, that's what he did. I don't know if I did a very good job describing it, but it really reminded me of a 3 year old. One of the bigger refs took him outside to have a chat with him. I thought for sure that he would be kicked out and not allowed back in. I was wrong. 10 minutes later he comes strutting back in and trying to get the crowd hyped up like he is an all star now. He sits on his bench, but doesn't coach or say much. At this point his team is losing. The game was so very close and unfortunately, his team ended up winning by one point. There were so many emotions that I thought they won the NCAAs. This wasn't a tournament at all. Just a game, but it was so much more to these boys because one of them was crying. I chuckled to myself and left the gym. The best team that I saw was Peckham. The way they play reminded me of East. Very, very athletic with a couple having the potential to play at University (College) in the States. They were very fun to watch, but I can't say the same about playing them. It is only April, and I feel like I have so much to do before the season starts. I found a couple players that I would like to recruit and of course, it is entirely up to them whether or not they want to try out. The team has about 7 players already and two additional girls are intested in playing. If I can have a team of 10 players, I will be happy. It's only the first year and these things take time. Ideally I'd like to have 20 players try out for the team. We'll see.................

It's Been A Long Time. We Shouldn't Have Left You...

(This post was originally written in January and now we are finally posting.) Like my boy, Timbaland says off Aaliyah's song from that movie with Chris (I don't remember his last name but it is NOT Rock) and Jackie Chan - Oh yeah, Rush Hour. Wait a second, wrong black guy and wrong Asian dude!!! The movie with this song is with Jet Li and Aaliyah. (The guy's name is Chris Tucker in case you were wondering.) The song is called 'Try Again.'. So, like I was saying... Like my boy, Timbaland says from the song called 'Try Again'. " It's been a long time. We shouldn'ta (or if you are using proper English like the Queen it's should not have) left you. Left you, without a dope beat to step to. Step to..." If you don't know the song, then I am very disappointed. By the way, RIP Aaliyah. Here's a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEF_-IcnQC4 I am sure that most of you are wondering where we have been and why it's been such a long time since we last blogged. You have questions that you want to ask such as 1) how was the trip back home 2) when are we coming back 3) just how different is London vs Iowa, or the states in general 4) when are we going to start having kids. Your questions may differ, but these are the most common we had while we were back in the states visiting. Question 1) How was our trip back to the states? I am trying this new thing of saying how I feel instead of keeping it all inside. Why? Well, when I keep things bottled up, I tend to blow up on the one person that doesn't deserve it. Which is most of the time my wife-Beth. So with that being said, I am going to let loose. If I offend you, don't be so sensitive. I am purely saying how I feel just as much as you have your right to say what you feel. So here, goes. After a 12 hour flight from London we, or I, thought it would be a good idea to meet up with friends in Omaha at a local bar. Those that were able to make it out, we want to say thank you for coming to see us. There were just too many people that we wanted to see in Omaha and this was the easiest way for us to do it. The funny thing is by the end of the night, I think Jasmine had more friends show up to the bar than we did!!! We stayed up for more than 24 hours starting from the time we woke up in London to when we went to bed in Omaha. We hadn't driven for at least 6 months and once we were in the car from the airport, we realized that we hated driving. Having to drive and pay attention to what others are doing as well as still keep my eye on the road, just isn't worth it. Taking the tube is so much easier. I walk to a tube station, wait for someone to pick me up and they drop me off at my location. Heck, I'd rather take a 15 minute walk instead of a 5 minute drive to the grocery store. Which brings to me to my next point, we as Americans drive everywhere!!! Now, there are those that live in the bigger cities like NY and Chicago who make good use of mass transportation, which is good. Cause I simply could not imagine driving in those cities on a daily basis. But on a nice sunny day, why did I get in my car to drive 5 minutes when I easily could've walked for 15 to 20? Why did I go to the grocery store to buy food for two people that could actually feed a neighbourhood instead of buying just what I needed for the next couple days? I know the answer though, it is because we have giant refrigerators that must be filled all the time with food that consist of perservatives that makes it last longer. Gross!!! The food in London is so fresh that it only lasts a couple days. If not eaten, it goes bad. Even the fruit and veg doesn't last as long as it does back home. I am not declaring that I am be the healthiest person alive, but there are big differences that I have noticed in my life when I travelled. If we do move back to the states, having the healthier lifestyle would be difficult because in the states, the unhealthy is way more convenient and cheaper and it's opposite here. Question 2) When are we ever coming back? Well not for awhile.....We really like it here and we've been able to lead healthier lives than back home. Not having to worry about a car, car insurance, etc is really nice. Walking everywhere has really put things in perspective for me - It's not so bad after all. Plus, having the opportunity to walk in a place such as London offers so many opportunities that would be missed in a car. Question 3) Just how different is it? The food standards are higher. When we first arrived, I was afraid to eat anywhere but McDonalds cause I knew it was going to be consistent no matter where I was. I must tell you....the fries were not nearly as greasy, it actually tasted like a potato and the chicken tasted fresher too. The people respect each other more. People do not discriminate nearly as much because of our differences. I don't know how many times we have told people that our marriage is only legal in 5 states and they (the English and Londoners) just can't believe it. Why is it only legal in 5 states? Everyone deserves the same rights no matter what color, race, or sexual orientation one may be. They are preaching to the choir. There have been multiple times that Beth and I have been to the pub minding our own business, and people will randomly have a chat with us. We will end up spending the entire night hanging out with each other because we got along so well. In the states, that rarely happened to us unless we were getting hit on by a couple of guys. Oh, the guys here do not hit on us. Once we tell them we are lesbian or 'she's my wife' they are respectful and leave us alone or ask about our story. It's not the typical 'oh well you have never been with me and i'll make you straight.' Question 4) when are we going to start having kids? After all our travelling is done and when you create a fund that will help us with the process! It is a bit disappointing that no one really wanted to hear about our experiences in London. There were a few that actually cared but not that much. We were warned prior to our travels that it would be this way, but we didn't really believe it. Now we know. People only want to know: 1) When are you coming back 2)When are you going to start having kids 3) Do you miss home. That's it really. I think it is safe to summarize as this: We LOVE our families, we LOVE our friends, we LOVE who we are better in London than who we were in the States. So if you ask me question 2 again, we aren't coming back!!!!!!!!!!! Unless financially we are no longer able to make it or something happens to our families. :-)

Stonehenge and Roman Baths

We did a one day tour of Stonehenge and the Roman Baths with one of a company that specialises in tours. It was great because they would pick you up from a tube station instead of you having to meet them at their designated location.

Our day started at 7:30 am as we had to leave our flat by 8:20 in order to arrive at our meeting point on time. We arrive to Earl's Court tube station at 8:40 and walk to our meeting spot. Our bus finally arrives at 9am. It is a small charter bus that seats about 55 people with 2 seats on each side. We check in and the tour manager correctly guesses who we are. I thought, "Wow he is pretty good." Well, he only got it because "well, you aren't Brazilian nor do you look Asian. So I think I had a pretty good chance at guessing who you are. Boy am I racist." At that point I wanted to sing "We're all just a little bit racist" from Avenue Q.

Beth and I were able to find seats together and our journey began, so we thought. Our trip manager announces that a couple missed the bus at Victoria (15 minutes on the tube to Earl's Court) and that we were going to wait for them. No big deal, they were to be arriving at any moment. 5 - 10 minutes later, the couple arrives.

We're off to our first destination - Stonehenge. I never was too excited to see Stonehenge because, well, it is a bunch of stones in a circle. But as our tour manager gave us the history or the lack thereof, I began intrigued. Henge refers to circle or hanging, so Stonehenge mankes sense. Each stone weighs about 50 tons and took over 600 men to carry just one. How they were able to do this back in Roman times, I have no idea, but I am not the only one who doesn't know. Apparently, it is a huge mystery as to why the stones were placed where they are today, how they got there, and why the circle formation. One myth suggests that Merlin the Wizard moved the stones, while for others it was giants. Who in the bloody world knows. We spent a good hour just staring at the stones and listening to the audio tour that was provided.

In addition to listening about the stones and how they might've arrived, there are several boroughs placed around the stones and the area. Boroughs are burial sites. You'll see in some of our pictures the smaller looking hills around Stonehenge. Back in the day, people were buried one on top of the other in these boroughs. But you had to be of high rank in order to be buried here. Weird and creepy.

Not only were we treated to the wonderful history of Stonehenge, but also the scenery. The scenery was much like home with green pastures, some corn, sheep, pigs, and cows. We were really surprised to see cows and pigs, but I guess how else are they going to get their milk and bacon? Import it??? The cows looked just like they do in the commercials. Black, white and clean.

We headed to Bath which was about 1.5 hour drive from Stonehenge. Again beautiful scenery. As we made our way closer to Bath, our tour manager gave us a quick history of Bath. All of a sudden we are on top of a hill and can see the city of Bath beneath us against the surrounding hills. It was an absolute sight and wish the shutter speed on my camera was fast enough to catch it.

Never having been to Bath, I didn't really know what to expect. I think I thought it would be more historical than it was. The most historical part of it was the Roman Baths themselves. However, the city is still very beautiful. Many of the streets are for pedestrians only so that makes the experience so much better. Words can't really explain my experience at Bath. So you must check out our photos on our Facebook page.

Can't wait until our next trip!!!

Time Flies....

Where in the world did September go? And of course, the months before that??? We have been here for over 6 months now and it feels like only one. Our first month was spent living in a lovely hostel with a room the size of our current living room. We were sharing bathrooms, showers, and kitchens. Although our hostel room was okay (for Beth, it was just fine but someone in this marriage has to have standards!!), I am a bit apprehensive about staying in another one.

The things we have experienced so far are absolutely lovely. Moving to London has indeed been a bit empowering for me. From having to live in a flat 6 times smaller than my house in Ankeny, giving half my closet away to charity, to finding a new home for our dogs. All of these were very hard for us to do, but I'm sure they would be hard for anyone.

In my job, I assist expats (mostly Americans) in finding a new home to live in London. Many have the impression that they will be able to find something suitable that costs the same as what they currently reside in. Meaning, they believe that since they can live in a nice 2 bedroom flat for 600 in the states, it'll happen in London. Let's not even talk about the exchange rate because many forget about it. Just compare apples to apples for one month- 600 in the states vs 600 in London. 600 in the States will get you a nice 2 bedroom if you live in Iowa or some place similar. In London 600 will get a bedsit. A bedsit is one a room that only has a bed in it because it is soo small. With these you may have to share a kitchen, bathroom, and shower. Obcviously 600 goes a little bit farther in the States. Then there are the clients who are the students. Mom and Dad have travelled with them to find them a flat because the student accomodations are just horrendous ( this truly is the case though). Here's the thing that just bothers me - most of these students are living in flats much better than mine and costs more.

For example, we had two students from New York arrive and their budget was 550 per week, which is over 2000 per month. ( the rent here is based on a weekly basis) . We found some pretty nice flats for them and they were able to move in soon. Well, we had a slight hiccup with the estate agent and the landlord and had to take these two out again. This time around their budget shot up to 650 and they were even more picky than the first time. 650 per week!!!!! They have a really nice two bedroom flat with a porter (doorman) right in the heart of Kensington & Chelsea ( one of the most affluent areas in London). They are only 20 21 years old and their flat is costs almost 3 times as much as mine. On the lighter side of things, I do have a good time taking a look at the photos as we conduct the search for them.

There are the rich kids and the ones who will not give up their dog even if they were living in a bedsit!!!! I think these people are very selfish to be bringing their dog over to London. Here are my reasons - 1) Hardly any space unless inside or out you are lucky enough to afford a flat with a communal garden or a private garden 2) dogs need to be quarantined for up 6 months before you are able to take them home 3) there are hardly any landlords that will accept pets within their building. It was very difficult for us to give away our dogs, but we knew that it was something that needed to be done. Now maybe if we only had one dog and it was 10lbs, we might've risked it. But I will NEVER be caught with a dog that is less than 50lbs. You hear that, Beth, I will NEVER be caught with a dog less than 50lbs. Beth would like to get a smaller dog if we move back to the States. What's the point in even having a dog if they are that small????

Sorry for my little rant on my clients. I just felt like sharing that information with you.

Back to how time is flying....

All of the things that we have done so far are amazing, and we've only just begun. Prior to my having a job, we really had to watch what we were spending. Even still we have to watch, but are able to spend more on weekend trips. Since we've been here, I've been to the Tower of London, the Monument, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Southbank, Trafalgar Square, Tate Modern Museum, St. Paul's, Paris, Brighton Beach, and seen random performances that have taken place at festivals or in the park.

We still have places on our list that we need to hit like Barcelona or Madrid, Dublin, Amsterdam, Greece, Croatia, a wine tour in the South of France, Oxford, Leeds, Windsor Castle, and Scotland. Oh and a tour of Italy - not the one from Olive Garden!!

Just this weekend we were able to hit the Roman Baths in Bath and Stonehenge (my next blog). We've got some pretty nice photos on our facebook page. If you don't have facebook, then you will have to wait until we see you. We'll show you the photos on my Ipad.

To Be.....

Yes - to be us! How wonderful.....we have wonderful family and wonderful friends, and of course, each other. This week is all about being American. Yes - we at Burger King for the first time since leaving the States......no, it was not that good. We are better off without the King! In addition, we got a package from home: Juicy Fruit, Maple Syrup, Ramen Noodles, and Crazy Mix Up Salt!!! Juicy Fruit never tasted so good, but still doesn't last any longer than I remember. And Ramen Noodles taste good any time of day! This week I think Ramen lunches are in order.

In addition, we played tourist on more than one occasion. We went to see Avenue Q and Ghost Stories in the West End theatres. Avenue Q was completely amazing (we got our own box seats) and we would highly recommend it to anyone (at least people who don't easily offend). Ghost Stories, while not what we expected, was clever - we jumped a few times and they did a great job making the play scary; however, we would not want to see it again. If others are interested we recommend buying the cheap tickets; it is the same no matter where you sit!

On Saturday we went to Hampton Court Palace; it was beautiful and (obviously) historic. The grounds are amazing and the inside is like a huge maze; no wonder King Henry VIII could cheat on all his wives, they wouldn't have a clue where he was!!!

Then, on Sunday we went to the Nottinghill Carnival. It was awesome! Really. There were a ton of DJs (driving and located all around), great food, and a TON of people!!! I'm sure Ja'Nae will write more on this as her attention to detail is greater than mine :)

Anyway - for our last post; our mind changes daily. So, you never know (and neither do we) when we will come back to the states! We miss you all though!

To Be or Not To Be (In London) That Is The Question

This is Ja'Nae'....

How do I even start this blog? After 5 months of being in London we are already talking about going back to the States. That is really tough for me to say considering the fact that I really like it here. I love the amount of diversity, being able to travel cheaply across Europe, and I actually like my job (for now). But we are wanting a kid soon and it's not easy raising a kid in London. Childcare is outrageously priced and both of us would have to work to raise a family. Maybe my sister Jasmine would come out here and be our full time nanny! What a gig.

Before we left or even thought about leaving we had a plan that we would start the process of having a family in June (yes, around our original wedding date) and raise a family in our home in Ankeny. We had already had our initial consultation with the fertility clinic and were prepared to start the process in June.

Now the move to London has postponed those plans and the last week we have been talking about the next step in our lives. Beth was up the other nite until 3 am because she couldn't stop thinking about it.

I would be willing to work to stay and raise a kid here. But I know that I miss my home in Ankeny and would like to get another dog. I don't know....

It's a matter of do we stay? Do we go back to Des Moines? If we go back to DM, should we continue to rent out the house and live downtown since that will be as close to London as we'll get in Iowa. Or should we move to some place other than Iowa like California??

What's great about is that we have choices, but which one will we make?