Music Festivals

I remember when I was 9 years old going to my first Janet Jackson concert. I went with three friends...and our moms, of course! Over the years, my 9-year-old concert interest faded. I found that I didn't go to concerts often, if at all. Then, last year my friend had her bachelorette party at New Orleans Jazz Fest. I probably would not have gone on my own, as I said, I wasn't all that into hearing music live. But... it was her party and I wanted to celebrate with her.... so Jazz Fest it was. I loved it! I loved all the music choice. I loved the stages all over. I loved the short sets, walking around to explore, and the food!



Recently, Lenny told me that he had tickets for Hard Rock Calling~ a weekend music festival in Hyde Park. I can't explain his surprise when I said, "I'm in!" But, what an amazing weekend! I loved it! We took a blanket, snacks, water, and jumped on the tube to Hyde Park. Within 36 hours we had sunshine, we had rain... and we had: The Pretenders, Seasick Steve, Fleet Foxes, Ben Harper, James Morrison, Neil Yong, Dave Matthews Band, and Bruce Springsteen! Most of the weekend was very comfortable and not too crowded... except for Bruce...there were over 45,000 people there for The Boss! I think you might be able to see us in the photo... look closely... we are by the lower right corner. Amazing is all I can say. Music festivals are definately the way to go!

Beach Blanket Babylon

We had a wonderful visitor in town this past week~ Lenny's friend Matt Schumpart. In honor of Matt's Birthday we got together with Jeff, Natalie (who recently moved out here and settled in Notting Hill) and another friend Naomi. The restaurant, Beach Blanket Babylon, was so much fun! They had amazing decor and wonderful staff. It also was one of the rare evenings in London that we had decent cocktails! I feel like an alcoholic when I say this, but I DO miss a good cocktail!

Sun

Tuesday was the start of a sunny streak. When I lived in California, I didn't even notice a sunny day. I usually noticed if it was raining because I would grab an umbrella or grumble about taking Chula out in the rain. On a daily basis, I took sunny days for granted. Now in London, it is just the opposite; I don't notice if it is overcast or raining. Those days just blend together and I don't really notice them. But... when a sunny day comes... stop the press... EVERYONE notices. We all leave work early and head to a park! Tuesday was one of those days~ Lenny called me to say that everyone was down at Richmond Green for a pint. Even though I had work to do and should have gone straight home, I couldn't. I had to go and soak up some Vitamin D. It was really wonderful to bask in some sunlight and really appreciate it!

Graduates

In the summer of 2008, Lenny and I got married and I moved to London for us to start our married life together.  Lenny got us an adorable "flat" at 8A Marlborough Road in Richmond. The last year has flown by and I know the next year will fly by too, so I would like to save a record of our amazing time here in London.  I would also love to share our fun in this blog with our close family and friends back home in the US.  Here are some of the amazing details of our life journey during 2008-2010. 

Rewind to August, 2008. I had just arrived in London. School was about to start. I was desperately looking for a job. It wasn't enough to teach in a foreign country, or to switch to secondary school, no.... when the opportunity came, I signed on to teach maths (as it is called in the UK) AND science in a public school to kids 11-16. In most of the UK they set classes by ability. My schedule was set before I was hired, so as you can guess I got a mix of classes they were willing to give an unknown long term sub!

Despite my schedule, my year 11 students won my heart this year! They were the only class I saw everyday and there were just a handful of students- maybe 10 on a good day. By the end of the year we had developed a really great bond. It was amazing to watch them go from difficult year 11 students putting on a front because they want to be tough, to caring students who made jokes with me every day, to nervous about taking their exams. As their year came to a close, I got to see my favorite students get all dressed up and go to prom. They were so adorable! Congrats to my year 11 students this year! You not only finished Orleans Park with amazing grace, but you also gave me a wonderful welcome to London!