It was fun being back in the US but also sometimes weird. Here’s why. It was nice sounding like everyone else. I knew that the words, phrases, and structures of my sentences sounded were the accepted vernacular and if I said “pants” no one thinks I mean “underwear.” That might sound silly, because yes we all speak English here, but it was nice really fitting in. It was great to see things that were familiar, even if it was just a highway or a Target. Also the weather was so lovely! Bright blue skies, warm sun, and temperatures read in Fahrenheit. Just kidding, I’m totally getting good with Celsius, but the weather was truly to die for. I loved the changing leaves the sunny weather!

It was weird though to be “home” but  not have working cell phones and have to use an adapter for my hair dryer. I saw a commercial for the new iPhones and the script in the US is almost exactly the same as the UK script, the difference is the actors. It’s weird because, I immediately knew the actors in the UK commercial, but I couldn’t place the American actors. But the weirdest thing was when Ryan and I crossed the street we looked for the cars on the left. THE LEFT. I’m adapting to my environment people! I’m really glad I am adapting, but it was weird to notice it.

The best part of the weekend was getting to see my family and friends. My parents flew down to Raleigh and spent the weekend with us. We also saw a ton of our friends from when we lived in Arlington. I will tell you more about my friends later, as I got some flack for referring them to “friends” and not by name.

We arrived on Thursday after almost getting bumped off of our flight from JFK to Raleigh. It was super stressful but we made it. My parents picked us up and took us to the Angus Barn, a really nice steak house that looks like a cozy country cottage on the inside. I so greatly regret that I didn’t take any pictures because it was a wonderful welcome-back America meal. We had giant steaks, potatoes, greens, and fried apples. We also shared cheesecake, key-lime, pecan, and chocolate chess pies. The steak was so tender and the chocolate chess pie was rich and gooey. Glutinous I know! I highly recommend going there if you want to have a hugely filling American steak dinner.

The next day Ryan had to go do groomsman things, so my parents and I went shopping at Target. I have so missed Target. I love that at Target I can buy everything I need and things I didn’t even know I wanted. I bought nail polish, and Tylenol, and a shower drain cover, and candy and more. Here are some things I didn’t buy, but are examples of why Target and America are awesome – because you can buy anything. In the Halloween section they had skeleton hands salad forks! I also found a HALF GALLON bottle of salsa. A half gallon. That is about the size of my whole fridge. Along with that there was mix for maple bacon cookies (which ordinarily I would buy just to find out about it). Also, who doesn’t want a Ryan Gosling notebook, good for writing out all your hopes and dreams? Best of all, a triple-double pack of Oreos. Ryan was mad I didn’t buy them. So am I. Someone go out and buy them and tell me about them.

My parents and I also walked around by UNC’s campus. We went to the Ackland Art Museum, which was really nice with such an array of stuff. We saw Andy Warhol photos, Greek vases, and Abstract Modernism paintings. I also did a little shopping around the neighborhood. I bought a kitchen towel, which I’m sure will someday be shown here on the blog. And I got an infinity scarf that’s faux-fur on one side and black cable knit on the other. Here’s a selfie of me and the scarf when I was at the JFK airport.

The best thing I did with my parents, was eat some Carolina barbecue. It’s a meal I know won’t be easily replicated here in London. We found the Backyard BBQ Pit. This place is surrounded by large mainstream shopping malls, but it sits there with its unassuming exterior luring eaters in with the amazing smelling smoke billowing out the back. The smoke smells sweet and smokey, and meaty and woody. It was mouth watering. Inside the restaurant is plainly decorated, but the windows are framed with puffy pink curtains and the walls are covered with peoples’ names written in marker. I got the beef brisket, my dad got pulled pork (not pictured), and my mom got the ribs. We all shared and the ribs were the winner, so much so, we went back to buy another round. The meat was so tender and the sauce was rich with a nice tingly spice. It was delightful, and as you can see I spent my time in America eating meat.

Saturday was the wedding! It was so nice to see our friends, Josh, Amanda, Charles, Brad, Haley, Shane, and Molly at Sarah and David’s wedding. You can see them in the photo below (and I know the picture of me and Ryan is goofy, but I sort of like it). But before we go on, let me digress for a second to right a few wrongs. Josh (with the beard) and Shane (top right) were giving me grief about calling them “friends” in past blog posts. Josh used to live across the street from Ryan and me, and he often came over for dinner, so I bet I have called him “friend” in the past. However, I totally gave him credit that time he drove me to the airport when I moved to London. Shane, is more specific and wanted me to say he was there when I made mozzarella sticks. I’ve fixed that blog post, but I’d like the record to show that Shane is also mentioned when I made taco salad and cauliflower gratin.  I know I’m being a bit cheeky about this, but I really appreciate that they read the blog and want to be mentioned. Thank you guys!

The wedding itself was really lovely! It was short and really romantic and personal. The officiant read secret letters the bride and groom had written about why they loved each other. It was very sweet and tender. It was clear they also thought about every detail to make it a beautiful day. From the favors, to the paper products, to the decor – it was all beautiful. My favorite elements were the sequined table cloths and the amazing flower displays. This might not make any sense, but the flowers were like sculptures and flowed like waterfalls. It was beautiful!

I had such a blast catching up with our friends, eating lots of cake, and dancing. When the wedding came to an end we didn’t want the party to stop. We headed over to Goodfellows and promptly realized we’re no longer college kids. It was loud, we sat in a corner booth, and the strobe light was shining in my eyes – but it was still fun. It was comfortable and I felt warm and fuzzy about them all. I was so happy to hang out with people we loved. Hopefully next time we can get them all to London.

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This weekend Ryan was in his friend Tommy’s wedding in Atlanta. We left on Thursday and stayed overnight with our friends who live in North Carolina.  They just moved into a beautiful new house with the most amazing kitchen. (To digress a bit, their kitchen is truly a dream kitchen with a huge fridge, two ovens, and a beautiful gigantic island. I wish I had taken pictures).  Anyway, it was wonderful to see them, their new home, and to catch up. We parted and I was so sad to leave them. I asked Ryan if when we come back if we could be their neighbors (and so I could have an awesome kitchen too).

Ryan and his oldest friends. The groom is second from the right.

Then we drove on to Atlanta for the wedding and spent the weekend with Ryan’s childhood friends and their girlfriends. It was such a blast hanging out, overdosing on sugary soda at the World of Coke, dancing, and spending time together. They are like family, we spend a week with them every summer at the beach, and it doesn’t matter if we do nothing or something we always have a good time.  And again Ryan and I thought, “why don’t we live closer to them? Let’s be their neighbors.” Sigh. All the people we are going to miss when we move.

So Saturday night after the wedding, I went to bed a bit weepy thinking, “tomorrow is the day things change.” Ryan and I drove straight back to Virginia (10 surprisingly non-painful hours), hung out in the apartment for a bit, and then I drove him to the airport. After such a long travel weekend, Ryan flew to London. He probably needed a cookie himself.

I drove home sad and feeling bad that I wasn’t going with him yet. Then I watched Walking Dead  by myself and after that normal apartment noises started to sound scary. I was feeling tired from the travel, blue about moving away from friends, and stressed about all the packing and prep still to be done.

Me and Ryan in bubbles at the World of Coke

But then I woke up this morning with a snow day, which eased my stress because I had time to clean and pack. The best part though was that I got to talk to Ryan. He looked really happy and in good spirits. He showed me around our flat (tiny but very cute). And it all became real – in a great way. The adventure has begun!! It’s real, exciting, wonderful and I had tons of energy to start packing. I know the nerves and worries will come back, but I’m super excited for my flight in a few days.

So you see, cookies were a must. These cookies are really delicious. I adapted this recipe from the one on the back of the Tollhouse chocolate chip bag. I love these cookies because they are the right amount of chewy and firm. In the oven, the cookies spread a bit but still hold a little height which I think makes for a great bite. They are sweet, tasty, and addicting. So what’s going on in your life? Try to find a way to work some cookies into your day.

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt (I did not use table salt)

1 cup of butter (softened)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 brown sugar (I used light)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 12oz package of chocolate chips

Directions:

1. 20-30 minutes before you want to get baking, take the butter out of the fridge and leave it on your counter. Come back to it in 20-30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 375°.

3. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for 2 minutes on medium speed. This is going to make the butter really light and fluffy like whipped cream. You might think this is a long time, but I really like what the fluffy butter does to the cookies.

4. Add in the vanilla and mix until incorporated.

5. Add the eggs, one at a time. Don’t add the second one in, until the first is already mixed in. Beat until both are well mixed.

6. Gradually pour the flour mixture into the butter/egg/sugar mixture. I did this in four batches. Pour a bit, mix until that bit is 70% incorporated, then repeat.

7.  Mix in the chocolate chips.

8. Make balls of dough that are about 1.5-2 tablespoon in size. Drop on a cookie sheet and flatten the top just a bit.

9. Bake for 8-10 minutes (I did 8 minutes). You want the cookies to be golden and just a bit brown. Look how many cookies this recipe makes! It’s almost 4 dozen.

10. Dip in milk and be really happy.

Messy Level: One spoon. Cookies are so easy because you only need two bowls and one cookie sheet.

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