Good Friday..... 4/6/12.......
 As I rode my bike around town today.. I stopped .. took pictures and really enjoyed the sun.  The streets and the river walk were full of people.. with their families, with the friends... with their lovers... alone... reading.. laughing.. talking.. eating... but most of all... taking pictures.  I stopped taking my pictures and watched as each person snapped another moment in time.  All I could think of was... history in the making.  Everyone who knows me ..knows I love to take pictures.. mostly of people.. and I love group shots.  I know how important pictures are.. and I was not sure everyone else did until I saw Audie and Necie enjoying one of their yearly photo albums that I gave them.  They were laughing and enjoying seeing the pictures of Audie mastering his skill of "cotton candy" making.  I kept thinking today... what is this picture going to mean to someone in 1 week.. or 1 month or 10 years from now.  Better yet.. what is it going to mean to our grandkids... will they marvel at what we saw or did?  Will they take the time to enjoy what we enjoyed for that one brief moment in time?  Pictures are Art to me... they capture so many things.. the sight... the time.. the weather... the fashion.. the hair styles.. the types of cars we drive... but most of all .. they capture emotion.  You can read so much into a picture.. if you take the time.  I love looking at pictures of my Mom when she was young... care free... wonder... smiles... soft dark hair.. beautiful fair skin.... a little pep in her step.  Time changes so many things... oh to be young again.. to jump back into those pictures.. to do it all over again... to change things... to make them better... but.. it is a snap shot of time... gone forever... only this minute counts... in this minute... there is time for change.. time to tell someone how you feel ... to make the most of your day.. to forgive a friend or a parent.. or a brother or sister.  Time to make yourself better.. to change the future snap shot of time.......I am blessed to be here.. to experience life away from my comfort zone.. away from the things that I love the most... and to take tons of snap shots... to capture this great time ... history in the making....

Week 1 is behind me now and I am already 1 day into Week 2.... I have experienced so much in just 8 days it is amazing!  Today was by far the best day of sight seeing and I never went very far from the apt.  I just explored the east and north side of downtown today.  Lunch was nice and the day was full of walking and picture taking.  I even helped a few "tourist" take pictures so they could have group shots.  I love group shots!!  I love people being together.. having fun.. laughing.. and enjoying life.  I feel sad that I don't have my friends with me but I know that there is a reason I am here and I will just enjoy the time alone the best I can.  I cried less today than yesterday and that is a good thing.  I have realized that I am okay by myself.. I just choose not to be alone... but .. I can make it.

Some of the things I love about downtown London or Central London as they call it .. is that there a little shops, pubs, and places to eat everywhere... l love the carts that have food sitting out.. not covered in plastic wrap.  I love the pastries.. the mulled wine and the mulled apple cider.. I love the chimes I hear every day.  I love the old buildings that seem to wind into each other.. like they are all melted together to form one but yet they are all individual. I love the streets that are made out of brick and stones.. and the fact that I am right next to the Thames river which is massive and busy.  So with all of the sadness I feel in my heart missing my loved ones.. I do feel happy that I am getting to see things I would have never been able to see without this job oppportunity.  I just am really looking forward to the hugs from my crew and my family and for them to come over here and share this great place with me. 

Bunhill Fields Burial Grounds

On London Bridge...

My first week in London..
    Well I finaly got to take off from Houston on Saturday the 11th of Feb at 8:40 p.m...I had the best send off ever.. thank you Gus, Alyssa, Camille, Larry, Frances, Sarah, Missy, Byron, Allie and Becca from coming to see me off...then arriving in London on Sunday.  I was so thankful to be greeted by Pete.. my driver.. who was a perfect gentleman and helped me from start to finish.. thank you Pete.  I cried all day and most of the night but finally got to sleep ..with help.. around 3 am... only to get up for work just a few hours later.  Work has been awesome.. or as awesome a first week at a new job can go.  I have a great boss - Ron - and nice co-workers.. Richard, Neville, Tracey, Paul, Simon and another Richard.  They all have the most perfect London accents. So.. my first week's experiences are..learning my new job.. learning about the new money.. getting lost.. finding my way back home.. walking a mile to work with tons of busy people.. got to see the St. Paul's Cathedral.... Tower Bridge.. London Bridge..a cool cemetary.. Liverpool Street Train Station...I have been to more meetings in the past week than I have in 10 years.. and I was not nervous at one of them!!!  I talked to the traders at work without being nervous.. met tons of new people at work.. without being nervous and had dinner by myself at a cute little Italian place on a Friday night.. wow.. this is crazy stuff for me.. I also .. missed my family and friends and Elvis more than I ever could have imagined...

Passports and Visas and Problems, Oh My!

The international travel world is jacked up!! They say you cant tell the players without a scorecard, but somebody REALLY needs to create an app to guide the novice traveler through the visa procurement process.