What I miss...

Ya know, I've been thinking (randomly at different times) about things I miss from home in the states... and the list has gotten huge! Haha. There are so many things that I love about being home... so I thought I'd just jot them down here (and, mind you, this won't be a complete list, as I can't call to mind everything I miss) and I hope it doesn't bore you to death. :S

Restaurants I really miss:
PF Changs
Cancun (more than anything! hehe)
Petros (although they've gotten rid of it - man!)
Olive Garden
Accropolis (for its bread and soup and salad especially)
Cracker Barrel
Famous Dave's
and I even miss... Taco Bell! Haha!

There are seriously no restaurants or food like these here in England and I just miss that taste and those experiences :)

On to the stores...
Old Navy (definitely nothing like that here!)
GAP (not the prices, mind you - hehe)
Barnes & Noble (good times, good times - and I hear it's moving into the mall... *sniff*)
Hobby Lobby
Wal-Mart (don't laugh - haha)
Target
Fresh Market (man, I miss that - hehe)
Green Life (only been there once, but man, I loved it, and I'm not even that 'green')

But mostly... I miss my family - truly and wholly. Yes, they've each heard this millions of times over the past 3-4 years, but it hasn't been more true than lately. Yes, I can live my life happily without them living next door - I'm settled in such a happy life with such an incredible husband, making new and wonderful memories and loving every minute of it - but I'd love the chance to see my family more often and to spend time with them. I kind of feel as though I had just gotten to really know my family, deep down, as unique individuals, just when I was to leave... Anyway, the bottom line is... family is an essential part of my life. It is not that I cannot live without them, it is that I don't want to. Instead of simply people I knew from birth and that I had been dependent on, they are each uniquely special to me and I love to be around them. They know me, I know them, and when we meet, it's like we hadn't ever left - that's what family is to me. :) I miss family gatherings in the living room, sometimes each of us on our respective computers and periodically talking, long chats on the couch, walks in the morning, meals together in the living room, British accents and quoting movies, being un-lady-like and pretending to be shocked, pampering a sick one, visiting each other at work, decorating the Christmas tree together with Prancer in the background, pretty much everything. This is not meant to be sappy, it's just a log of things that I miss at home. Definitely, I've built my new home and family here in England with my husband now (and there's no measure for my happiness), but this was my other home and will always have a nice little snug place in my heart. :)

Ahhh... :)

All day, it's been raining constantly - non-stop - and sometimes absolutely down-pouring! It's been completely miserable and I haven't minded being inside all day (even at work) escaping the yucky rain. Even though I had to walk to work and again between jobs and got wet enough to be colder than normal, I have surprisingly kept in a pleasant mood! :) Filip picked me up from my last job and we went home at around 5:45 this evening and it was so nice to see him at the end of the day. We ate together and right now, we're just hanging out together in front of our computers and relaxing after a full day (and a bad one, for him...). We both took nice, hot showers after dinner (I even shaved my legs!) and now we're both very content and happy. :) It feels so good to be clean, especially after a miserable and wet day. We may even go to bed before 10 tonight! :) I love it when we do that - it's really nice. I think I might ask him to play a game or read with me... Good night, world... Until tomorrow!

Autumn season and nostalgic sensations :)

What is it about autumn that makes me all giddy inside? What makes it so special and warm (even though it's getting colder outside) and sensational and purely satisfying?

I was walking home from work one day very recently, shuffling through the massive collection of bright yellow leaves that had fallen, covering the sidewalks, and I couldn't help but smile. I physically felt giddy (you know those little heart palpitations you get when you are anticipating something incredible or when you have done something really fun or creative or satisfying or kind?) and it must have been apparent all over my face. I'm kind of embarrassed to think that someone may have seen me and thought: 'What in the world is wrong with that girl?' But these are some of the things that were going through my head, provoked by the simple sound of shuffled leaves:

The smell and the crackle of nearby bonfires,
plump orange pumpkins on supermarket shelves,
sweaters that smell of the drawer you had them in for half the year,
cool breezes that are starting to get through the little holes in those sweaters,
marshmallows, s'mores and smoky coats,
jumping in a huge pile of leaves and nearly breaking your tail bone,
hayrides and silly games,
buttery acorn squash fresh from the oven and pumpkin dip with ginger snaps,
hot spiced cider on the stove, complete with cinnamon sticks,
Thanksgiving dinners around huge tables full of family,
the Christmas tree going up and holiday decorations and music appearing here and there...

Do these things comfort you and give you an incredibly nice feeling as they do me? I don't know... maybe I am nuts, but I love autumn! I favour it above every season and I wish it back every time it goes. I tend to miss family more than ever at this time... What a joyful time of the year! Thank God for the seasons and their individual beauties! :)

The Tutorial Centre is back (or I am)

Hey, guess what? Even though I am no longer a student at Newbold College, the Humanities Department has appointed me to take on the Tutorial Centre once again as a part-time (4 hours per week) job! For those whom I haven't told or who don't know, the Tutorial Centre is essentially a service for students to come and get help with writing (essays, theses, dissertations, CVs), whether they need proofreading, tips, or answers to writing queries, all free of charge. I have been the student worker there for the past 2 school years and now they have appointed me again. I already have 2 part-time jobs, but this one is very small and will just suit me and my schedule. :) It will give me a total of 40 hours/week, a perfect full-time schedule that I've been wanting! Yay! I posted a few adverts here and there around campus so that students would be aware of its being in action again, and posted a sign-up sheet near the centre. My first day back was this past Friday and I even had a 'client' come see me already! It's proving to be a good start and I really love that job. I get to meet students that I didn't know very well to begin with, get to talk to them about what they're studying, and learn a lot from their studies and papers. I've become more and more interested in the topic/act of editing and I've come to really enjoy it. I'm starting to feel that I can help students that need it, at least to some degree. :) It's quite a satisfying position and I hope it is of some service. Something makes me want to create a 'business card' for further hours... hmmm... :) I don't know, but here's a start. It's funny... I'm seriously following more and more in my sister's footsteps as time goes on, without even realizing it - hehe. :) She is one of the most admirable people I am privileged to know and love. I'm so proud to be her sister! :)

Perusing... an insight...

Perusing... First of all, I really love that word... I can't explain what effect it has on me exactly, but it's a nice word, isn't it? Anyway, moving on to the point (haha - another word: tangent - it's a good one), I must admit that perusing through someone's (a friend's or a family member's, maybe) personal book shelves - with permission, of course - is one of the most satisfying (however simple) activities to me. What made me come to that opinion, I don't even know myself, but one thing is certain: spending some time reading through the titles in a person's library proves to be a great insight into that person's life - their tastes, opinions, even somewhat into their backgrounds, and to me, it is so very interesting! It's fun, satisfying and even relaxing, to some degree. You get to know that person just that much more and it's a nice feeling. Yes, people can read all sorts of books or magazines, either on their own time or that of their professors, but the books that they own is a completely different story altogether. I've read books that I don't even care to re-read or even ponder, but those that I own are ones that mean something to me, that have interested me, whether in the past or currently. A person's book collection is part of his/her identity. How neat is that? I don't know if anyone will read this, but it simply interested me, maybe because I love books and I have always found pleasure in perusing through my mom's or my sister's or my friends' collections, simply because that's part of who they are. And, oddly enough, I guess it's even part of who I am, the fact that I do participate in this simple occupation. I like it :) If you feel like looking through mine and you aren't exactly in the neighbourhood, feel free to check it out on my ReadingSocial wedpage thing. :) In addition to my personal book collection, it includes things like books that I'm interested in reading, those that I am currently reading, most of the books I have read and some reviews on them. I hope you find it insightful :) Anyway, happy reading in the meantime!

The Silverstone Experience!

Yesterday, on the way back from Wales (which was really nice, by the way), my husband Filip took me to experience what he and David (his best friend) had experienced for his 'bachelors' day out', a race car driving experience at the Silverstone race track here in England. We had booked appointments for us to be able to ride in an actual race car and be driven professionally around a race track (3 laps), which is a total of around 4-5 minutes of addrenaline! Wow! I had tried to picture what it would be like before we made it there, but once you're strapped inside that race car, you can't describe the reality of it. :) Filip went first in a Caterham 7 and came back with a huge smile on his face. He said that the second time was just as good, although last time, he had ridden in a Lotus 2-11. The Caterham 7 is an open car, so you can feel the ultimate experience, going at 100 mph, with your helmet pulling at your chin! I helmeted up and went next in the Caterham, but we hadn't even reached the track when the driver informed me of our breakdown. We had broken down and my experience seemed at its end before it even began. We were towed back to the starting point and Filip was laughing. :) I got out of the car, at which point the instructor told me to keep my helmet on, in the off-chance that the driver could find another car for me and for the others waiting after me. They took the Caterham to the garage and Filip and I waited in the cold (and rain, off and on) for my turn, once again. Long story short and a few updates later, we had waited for a whole HOUR when the instructor came back and said that the Caterham was beyond repair at the moment and they were trying to find another car for us to ride in. By that time, my helmet (very tight from the beginning) had succeeded to form a knot and a bruise on my forehead (which is still there as I write this) just by the pressure. Finally, a blue Lotus Exige pulled into the pick-up area and I was excited to learn that this was my new 'hotride'. It was a closed ride, unlike the Caterham, so it evidently wasn't as extreme, but oh boy, did it go fast! The driver (the same driver as before) was glad to be in a heated vehicle now, in which his hands could de-frost, and he went 120 mph on that track! Man, what an experience! He hugged the turns like crazy - it felt like we almost hit the cones all the way around, drifting at every turn. To say the least, it was worth the wait! I highly recommend trying something like this out if you haven't already! You'll love it! Thanks, Fil! :) What a day!