Hi, y’all! I’m Brittany from
Life as the Mrs. Aileen asked me to guest post while she’s jet-setting
in Europe {so jealous!} and I was happy to oblige. I “met” Aileen when Kelly at
Kelly’s Korner did
a link-up, and it’s been so fun getting to know her – and other bloggers – through that process.
Making blog friends is something I just love.
Just a little bit about me: I’m married to my husband of almost three years, Brandon, and we live
in a little suburb of Dallas with our crazy thinks-he-is-a-dog cat, Oliver. We just bought our first
house last September and are always busy making it “home.” I work for a local school district doing
communications, and Brandon is a business development manager for a recruiting firm. I recently
made my blog public after about three years of blogging…what a change! My blog is so random:
recipes, my favorite things, Oliver-isms and of course, my life as a wife.
I have been living vicariously through Aileen and her prepping-for-London posts; it is my favorite
city in the world! I studied abroad in London when I was in college for an entire summer, and
boy, was it the best summer of my life.
Baylor University {my beloved alma mater} hosts a
fabulous study abroad program every summer called “Baylor in Great Britain.” When I heard about
the opportunity, I jumped at the chance – after sweetly talking my parents into it, swearing on
everything I’d take my studies seriously while overseas – and was packed about a month before
our plane was wheels up. {You think I’m kidding…}
But the only problem was, I didn’t have a roommate. When talking to my fellow
sorority sisters
about it, one of them went to high school with one, who also coincidentally went to Baylor, and
promised she wasn’t a crazy psycho. Ha! I met the girl and thought, “Okay, she can be my
roommate. She’s normal. I like her.” Little did I know, we’d get along fabulously and become best
friends – and that she’d be in my wedding three years later. {Shout out to
Laura!}
Anyway, a few months later, we boarded our British Airways flight from Houston to London Gatwick
to Rome {we spent a week in Italy before our time in London} and were off. That summer, we
explored. Baylor’s program made you take one three-hour class, but of course my parents made
me take two three-hour classes {ha!} and while I was frustrated with them at the time, it totally
worked out because I got to graduate from Baylor a semester early. We were up early every day
for the class, and then after lunch had the entire day to explore, eat and do whatever we want. The
only caveat was that we had to be back for class the next morning. {Side note: When I think about
my parents letting me jaunt all over Europe as a 20-year-old, I get so nervous and wonder if I’ll
ever let my kids do that. I think I’ve seen “Taken” one too many times!}
It was a totally different life than the one we live here. We walked everywhere we could and
eventually got to the point where we didn’t even need the map to get from Point A to Point B on the
tube. We wandered High Street Kensington, popping into TopShop, Jigsaw and H&M {there wasn’t
even one in the United States at that point!} and indulging in Wagamama…and of course having
alcohol any time we wanted because the drinking age there was 18! Ha! {Sorry, mom…}
We visited Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and even had a private tour of Westminster Abbey.
We spent our days at the British Museum; saw the Dead Sea Scrolls; ate crepes al fresco; saw
“Wicked” and “Les Miserables”; giggled every time we got on the tube and the lady’s voice said,
“Mind the gap!”; and shopped with every other tourist at Harrod’s and on Portobello Road.
Laura and I left Paddington Station and spent a weekend {following fellow boy students who we
thought were just soooo cute} in Scotland, watching the British Open; spending the night in a
“Harry Potter”-esque attic room; and wondering if we were ever going to get warm with the cold
rain constantly falling.
Our dorm at
Imperial College was right next to Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Palace, Hyde Park
and Knightsbridge. We walked by famous sites and almost took it for granted, I think! We would
buy Ben & Jerry’s ice cream from a local little convenience store and would eat it with wooden
spoons while wandering the streets and planning how we could move to London. {Leaving that city
from London Heathrow was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.}
We wish every single day we could go back, and will even text each other randomly to this day with
funny inside jokes from our trip that only we understand.
If you ever have a chance to visit the beautiful city of London, I’d suggest you do. It’s a city that will
always hold a special place in my heart, and one I can’t wait to travel back to with my husband.
Can’t wait to see your pictures when you get back, Aileen! Hope you’re having a wonderful time!
-Brittany
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