Roadtripping: North Carolina Mountains

ok ok ok. I told myself when I started a blog that I was going to keep up with it. Life has a way of getting in the way so just a couple weeks later here's what's been going on in the Cleverly abode (or the Odum abode as we're still camped out at my parents house)

We set off bright and early a few Fridays ago following my parents and their gigantic camper to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. We were hesitant to take the long trip as we only had a couple days to spend before having to jet off to Atlanta for our first midwife appointment but we decided when we moved back stateside that we would make the most of living in one of the most beautiful countries in the world so we sucked it up and made the 7 hour drive. 

Believe it or not, it was my first time to the NC mountains, so I was just as excited as M and we weren't disappointed by the views, just by the lack of time we had. We stayed in a campground with my parents camping crew that consisted of 4 other gigantic campers (I think we can call it glamping when the majority of the accommodation has marble counter tops and fireplaces..) We had walks in the woods and M got to experience his first proper Country stores. We ate fried green tomatoes and pulled pork sandwiches and washed it down with Sweet Tea (not M, he hates the stuff)

I took some photos but strangely, when we visited an old church where our friends were married years ago, a church with a long haunted history, my memory card corrupted and we lost them all. Coincidence? It's much more fun to think it wasn't...

Here's a few I snapped with my iPhone..

 

Mountain Man

H x

Farewell London

So, we've officially crossed the Atlantic and unpacked our bags in my parents house where we'll be for the next 4 or 5 weeks before we move on to Atlanta.

I love my hometown, and  I will always have a connection to Savannah that you can only feel with a place you were born and raised but I have a little hole in my heart for London.

I mentioned before that it took me a while to get used to life in the big city, and even had the occasional 'I'm-going-home-I-hate-this-place' moments but once I found my way, I fell in love. I started as the Southern girl who smiled at everyone and always waved at my neighbors, no doubt making more than a few people think I was 'special' and ended as the hardened city slicker who politely avoided eye contact on public transportation and grumpily shouted at tourists who stood on the left side of the escalator.

London is like no other city I've been to, it is bursting with history set along side an ever expanding modern mecca. An ancient Tower, where some of the worlds most powerful rulers lead and some of them died, proudly stands across the river from a building made of glass where the Mayor of London runs the city. You can't walk down a street without hearing 10 different languages and being different is embraced, not ridiculed. Fashion is life in the coolest parts of London, and although I tried my hardest, the fashion scene left me in the dust, but it was still fun to try.

In the 4 years I was there, I never owned a car and only drove once in an ill fated trip down a country road that left Mark clinging to the door handle and screaming like a small and very scared girl. We walked everywhere, and I loved it. 

About a year ago I got the opportunity to work for a London ad agency. A very good friend we met on the beaches of Thailand helped me get my foot in the door and I couldn't be more grateful, it was an amazing experience. I worked on a major fast food brand account and learned so much about the industry, the good the bad and the ugly. We had the super swanky office in the poshest part of London and I met some life long friends. 

Of course, Mark's family lives right outside of the city so we will visit often, but there's nothing like being a Londoner.

London according to my iPhone:

High Tea for my baby shower

 

 

My going away celebration at work

 

Jubilee Oxford Street

 

View from the top of the Gherkin

 

Juls and Mark 

 

Work goodbye gifts

 

One of my favorite people in England

 

Sloane Avenue dahhling

 

Handmade pottery bunting my lovely coworker

 

The Gherkin

 

Julias drum solo in the Soho hotel

 

Mind the Gap

 

Carnaby Street

 

Working hard

 

Jade

 

Creative development at work..

 

Brick Lane curry

Now, I'm off to the beach 

SO So so Sleepy...

Wowzers..I can't believe how incredibly tiring this whole moving countries while 6 months pregnant thing is..

A little update on the past 2 weeks:

Last week M met a potential buyer for his car at our local Underground station. The guy showed up in a suit and tie, looked around the car, kicked the wheels, checked the engine, etc etc. Apparently, he was satisfied with what he saw because he snatched the keys, jumped in the drivers seat, locked the doors, and drove away. He did not pay for the car. We haven't seen the car since. So there's that....

If you see this car...the dude driving it is a filthy THIEF!

We've also been packing up our flat, which we officially finished this week when I polished up the wood floors and all of our belongings boarded a ship to the US of A.

We moved the stuff we can't live without for the next 6 weeks into my in laws house where we are now camped out until we finally leave on  Tuesday (Oct 2nd).

Add a full schedule of leaving do's and goodbye dinners and wrapping up everything at work and you've got one tired/grumpy mama to be.

The countdown to home is winding down with a measly ONE day to go. I think London is sad we're leaving because it's been miserable and rainy all week. Despite the weather, I've been walking around the city soaking in every little detail with a big sad smile on my face because I'm genuinely going to miss this place.

It took me a long time to get settled here and  get used to city life but now it feels like home. This move is the definition of bittersweet.


Anyway, I should probably be doing one of the million things on my to do list..

H x