Ruby tries out her new chair

Since Ruby has started pulling herself to sit up lately, we bought her a chair to help her get used to sitting. She seems to like being able to look at things from a different angle.

Settling into things in Texas

(Lesley and Neil - Thanks for the cute Paddington Bear!)

The past few days have been a whirlwind of activity. Within 3 days, we've managed to find a house to rent in Grapevine (while we look for a house to buy next year) and we've bought a Nissan Murano! I haven't driven in three and a half years while we lived in London, so it was an adventure driving home from the dealership!



Ruby seems to be enjoying Texas so far, although it has been quite a challenge for us to look at houses and shop for cars with a baby in tow! We are looking forward to moving into our new home and not living out of suitcases anymore.

Farewell London...Hello Dallas

On January 18^th, 2006 Alex and I arrived in London with only a few pieces of luggage and loads of excitement about living abroad. Neither of us had jobs and we were taking a gamble that one of us would find work so that we could continue our European adventure. Luckily things worked out and we have lived in London for nearly 4 years.

We have had such a fantastic time in London and have made so many good friends. We've gained some excellent work experience. And, while living abroad we have had the opportunity to travel to many places including France, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Italy, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Morrocco, Indonesia, India, China, and Taiwan...and lots of quaint places in England as well.

On September 1st, 2009 Alex, Ruby and I loaded up 20 suitcases, 3 carryons and two 'laptop' bags and flew back to Dallas, Texas. Miraculously, Ruby was a star, and handled the flight over very well. She shocked us by not having any jet lag or strange reaction to the different time zone. She has already settled into Texas time, and the only thing throwing her for a loop are the near 100 degree temperatures and the blazing sunshine!

So far, Ruby has spent time with some of her grandparents (and will spend time with my parents soon!), and she has met her Aunt Kate, Uncle Allen and cousin Alex. Ruby is now caught up on her immunizations for the US and we have introduced her to Super Target. I wonder what she thinks of the Texas accents after hearing the British accent for the first four months of her life.

We are busy trying to buy a car and find a place to live (New address and mobile numbers coming soon).

Reflecting on the last few years and thinking of our upcoming adventures in Dallas, we think we are going to miss and look forward to the following things....

Some things we will miss about living in London...

• Friends
• Energy and buzz of living in and walking around a big, busy city
  
• Great people watching everywhere - especially from the top of the red double-decker bus!
  
• Markets - Borough, Portabello, Spitalfields, Camden
• Pubs - a nice relaxing place to meet friends, hang out, have a pint, enjoy an English breakfast or a Sunday roast (some of our favorites were the Earl Spencer, Trafalgar, and the White Horse)
  
• Sense of history, international flair and great culture - festivals, museums and galleries, monuments, castles, etc
  
• Easy access to European destinations (I will miss the cheap Easy Jet fares...my best deal was a £50 round trip fare from London to Provence, including taxes!)
  
• London Public Transport (well some aspects like going out for the night and not worrying about parking, being able to zone out during the journey)
• Spending time in the parks, picnics, feeding the swans in Kensington Gardens
  
• Great variety of good beer (this was one of Alex's contributions to the list, obviously!)
• Yummy Indian food - we had a great place one block from our flat!

Some things we look forward to in Dallas...

• Spending time with family and friends
  
• Ruby getting to know her grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousin
• A slower pace of life and settling into things
  
• Spicy food, Tex-Mex and BBQ (Chuy's, Mia's, Chipotle, Bakers Ribs, and Fat Macs, here we come!)
  
• Driving (well, some aspects...like night drives and road trips)
• Super Target and 24 hour Wal-Mart - (I know this may sound silly to some people, but I miss the convenience of these stores!)
• Less rain!!!
  
• Watching Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno
• Fishing with my dad (and one day taking Ruby as well!)
  

Video - Ruby tries out new sounds

Ruby is really exploring her voice and all the strange sounds she can make. She started with lots of 'whoo whoos' and now she is trying out high-pitched screeches and grunting/growling type noises. Here is a short video of her talking to me about her day.

Ruby rides the tube

Ruby really enjoys riding on the London Underground. She likes to sit on my lap and stare at all the interesting strangers.

Evening pint at the Earl Spencer

Alex and I enjoyed a pint at the Earl Spencer and fed Ruby her last bottle of the night.

Alex's parents visit London

Alex's mom and dad came to London for a short visit and to meet Ruby.



One day we walked along the South Bank and enjoyed lunch at a pub.



Father and son...



Another day we met them at the White Horse pub in Parsons Green.