Kaitlyn, daily

Can I please just show y'all what Ash's family did for me and Alyson? They are the most caring/loving/thoughtful/fun/welcoming family in the whole of England. Obviously they think I'm alright too, to go to so much effort to give me an amazing Thanksgiving? I mean a home made American flag table cloth?! Who does that?! They even got my mom's recipes from Home. It was picture perfect. I am so thankful for my second family.

walked into the kitchen with my eyes closed, opened them up and saw this!

over the top!

happy boys

a perfect Thanksgiving dinner

excited?

Ash's mom with my mom's pumpkin pie recipe, it was sooo good

spoiled by Ash's sis

the only thing missing was my 3rd bro Aaron :(

THANK YOU CURTIS FAMILY FOR SUCH A MEMORABLE THANKSGIVING.

boozy nights

tis the season baby!
here's a little pic recap of what's been going on this past month ....

we went and saw Britneyyyyy

which was just a little bit exciting

this chick named Tasha came to town ...

and I learned this drink ...

and remembered my waitressing skills

there may have also been a photoshoot ....

and a trip to Bodean's!

whooo I am exhausted.

detoxing til Christmas!

cheers y'all

getting old

all this + the bf and some Sons of Anarchy ...

how could a Friday night possibly get any better?

have I mentioned ...

how much fun I'm having with Alyson in London?! We spent last Sunday frolicking in Battersea Park. A little picnic and playing in the leaves with one of my bestest friends? Perfect way to spend a Fall afternoon!

thai sweet chilli chips, tzatziki & toffee apple cidersssss

fish tail

Al's nail art

dear BF - we need a date here!

B&S

playing

worn out

HAPPY NOVEMBER!

What a nice Tuesday surprise!

Some old school pics posted on my facebook wall and a phone call from my Daddy.

Thanks Pops! Miss you / ILU2M!

mouth watering

Gourmet Burger Kitchen = my new fav restaurant in London.

Cheeseburger with avocado & pineapple?! OMG.

If only I could get a side of ranch in this town!

meltin' my heart

homework time at the Nielsen's

good golly they're cute

friday night on the town

Kaitlyn, daily?!

The intention of this blog was never to be daily like every single day, it was more like what’s happening in my daily(-ish) life. More like weekly. But now it’s not even monthly! And let me tell you, I miss this little blog! I feel like I’m so behind that I don’t even know where to begin! In summary, here's what you've missed ...

Thailand

– best 2 weeks of.my.life. Really, truly could not have been better. Ok I take it back, it could’ve been better if we were there for longer. I’ve never wanted to stay in a place so bad. Ash and I were both totally heartbroken to leave. Being there with him, in a place that he lived for 8 months, and a place that is so dear to my heart as well, was such a great experience. I have a feeling that we’ll have many more trips there in the future.

Back in the real world and back to work – feeling more settled in and understanding the job and getting to know the people better. And for a job, I really like it. It’s usually pretty bizzzzzzzzzy (hence the lack of blogging) but it’s pretty fun and I’m pretty happy here.

Oh and did you know that my BFF Alyson is in London?! Well she is. And I am loving every single second.

So yea, that's the long story shot.

I promise I’m going to try harder to be a better blogger. My daily(ish) posts are coming back.

Pinky promise!

shout out to my mama

''And I appreciate, how you raised me
And all the extra love that you gave me'' - Tupac.

Thank you for a wonderful few weeks together. I love having you visit so much and I can't wait until the next time we're together again. Thank you for always supporting me and for being there for me. I know you always want what's best for me and I am lucky to have you on my side. I don't know what I'd do without you. You have the most kind and generous heart. Thank you for being you Mom. I love you.

hizzair

Y'all know this isn't some style blog, but check out my new do . . .

I learned how to do it from a little video that I saw on pinterest. It was super easy, like 10 minutes max. Instead of having damp hair like suggested, my lazy self did it on my after gym hair. When I took it out it looked like this ...

How crap are my self photo taking skills? I actually had to put my sunnies on because every pic looked crosseyed. Ha embarrassing, but I had to show y'all this new trick.

just what I need, more tv shows ....

I forgot to mention in my last update another reason why my life has been so crazy lately. I've added more shows to my ongoing list.

Shameless and True Blood people!

My boy bff Corey suggested Shameless (the US version) to me and I'm hoooked. It's soooo super good. And I finally jumped on the True Blood wagon, I'm finally starting to realize what all the fuss is about. If you need me this weekend I'll be on my couch, glued to the TV.

what's goin on

I know I said I would try my hardest to not neglect the blog, but it's been a very stressful, crazy, busy week 2 weeks! Here's a bit about what's a been going on here lately ....

THE RIOTS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP-td3C55Yc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNmQBx2WyN0&feature=player_embedded

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14461868

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-1444967

WTF England? This shiz is bananas! On Saturday a man was shot and killed by police officers in an area of London called Tottenham. They haven't released much information on why he was shot but one can assume he was a threat and the police had reason. On Saturday evening there were peaceful protests because of the excessive force used by the police. Understandable. But then all Hell broke lose. Riots in Tottenham. Cars and buildings on fire, smashed windows, looted stores, bricks thrown at police officers! Well apparently every hoodrat in England saw the riots in Tottenham and how little control the police had over the situation and they decided that they should express themselves as well. The riots now have nothing to do with the man that was shot. It's a bunch of idiots with no real cause other than to cause trouble. The majority of the rioters are teenagers and it seems like they're just doing it for kicks and to push the limits - ''F the Police'' attitude. On Monday night neighborhoods all over London were bring rioted. A few miles away from where we live the town center was being burned, someone was shot, and we could hear sirens and helicopters all night. We double locked our doors, kept the news on, and had emergency bags ready to go just in case the violence spread down our busy street. One of the saddest stories to emerge from our part of town was a huge furniture store that was completely burned to the ground. The fire was like something out of a movie and there is nothing left at all of the building that was owned by the same family for 5 generations. Last night was relatively quiet and it seems like the London police have the situation under control but now cities all over England are popping off! Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool are all over the news this morning with similar stories to what we experienced on Monday night. The whole thing is so sad and scary. And pointless, that's the part that makes me mad, they have no cause.

THE NEW JOB

Not much to report on that as I'm still getting settled but so far so good. It's going to take a while to learn all the policies, practices, and systems, and the HR department is allllways busy. It's a big change from my last job but I think I'm going to really enjoy it. Everyone is really friendly and helpful but it's kind of intimidating how good at their job everyone on my team is. I'm sure I'll get there eventually and in the meantime I'm learning a lot and getting a lot of really good experience.

The question everyone keeps asking is - what's it like working with Ash? It's kind of like going to the same college but having different majors. We don't commute together (my hours are 8:30 - 4:30 and his are 7:30 - 4). We see each other for lunch or a coffee when we plan to, but otherwise we don't bump into each other. In a building of over 1000 people I do really feel like a freshman again, but Ash is a cool upperclassman and I've met a lot of people through him. So overall the new job is going well.

THE VISITORS

Mom next week! Mom next week! Mom next week! The riots better calm the F down because they better not be messing up my mama visit. I am so excited for her to come. She's going to stay at The Nielsen's house in Wimbledon and we have big nothings planned. Movies, errands, and dinners together and just hanging out. Her and Ash's mom have lots planned to do while I'm at work during the day so she won't be bored, and I'm just looking forward to her being here sooo much!

Oh yea! Almost forgot to tell y'all about my cousins visiting! My cousins came to visit! Omg did we have fun. Like the most fun ever. Just like old times, pick up right where you left off, kind of fun. We went sightseeing, stayed up late talking, acted silly, and just enjoyed each other's company. Aunt Donna, Uncle Scott, Becca and Tori arrived on Thursday evening, I met them at their hotel after work for a later dinner and spent the night with them. On Friday we did a whirlwind tour of the city and then met Ash after work for dinner and (many many) drinks. Ash fit right in with my family's crazy antics. Playing dress up at the pub, Aunt Donna interviewing random people at the bar, stopping to do squats on the way home - what a fun night :)

When I turned up at their hotel on Saturday for day 2 of sightseeing there was an extra guest. My cousin Brittany!! She decided at the last minute to join the family on their European adventure. Since leaving Buffalo to move to North Carolina, times with my cousins have been few and far between. Then there was the backpacking and now being in London, it's nearly impossible to coordinate our crazy lives. This was the first time in years that all 4 of us were together for a slumber party. To say it made my heart happy is an understatement. I loved having them here sooo much. I loved catching up on the little details of their lives, reminiscing about how weird we were when we were little, and laughing about how different yet how much the same we all are. We made memories that weekend that we'll all never forget!