Holidays - pt. 2

With the fairly long list of things that I miss, you need to know that there are just as many things that I love about being in England for the Holidays.  Here are the ones I remember at this moment:


1. Sharing Thanksgiving meal with 40 other people

2. Hearing Brits compliment all of the American food we ate for Thanksgiving.

3. 2 new "brothers"

Iain, Shadow, Me, and Jonah

4. A UK family that loves board games as much as I do

5. Gluten-free & Dairy-free peanut butter cookies (for real, they are SO GOOD)

6. Staying up really late playing games

7. A doggy who likes to play right away when I come downstairs

8. Mince Pie is growing on me.

9. Movie education - watching lots of good British movies with my UK family

MMM!

10. A 3-tiered chocolate birthday cake of wonderfulness.

Birthday Sparklers

Birthday Banner on the stairs

11. Helping the doggles open his presents. (Shadow has many nicknames)

Me and Shadow

12. The amount of wit and sarcasm that oozes from this house

13. An amazing family at home that makes time to Skype me for my Birthday/Christmas.

14. Three amazing friends, Laura (Germany), Juliana (Ecuador), and Marine (France)

15. Colleagues at school who genuinely care about my well being


This list could have countless more, but I don't want to waste my holiday writing this blog.  As I finish typing this music plays in the background, Iain is reading rules for a game called "Fresh Fish" that we are about to play on my last afternoon at the Dykes house.  As difficult as I thought it would be to spend the holidays away from family, I will treasure the time I have had here in this house.  I wouldn't trade this Christmas experience for anything in the world.

I have learned that home can be many places, as long as you love the people around you.  Winchester is becoming more and more like home.

I wanted doggie kisses, but he turned away :(

"Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts. " 

 -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.