Excitement

     I have three more days in London. I do not feel like this is the end. It seems like I still have a few weeks to go because I am still experiencing new things. Last night, Lauren and I were invited out for dinner by her mom's college friend who studied abroad in college and now lives in London and in America. We spent time with him on Sunday; he took us to the flower market then made us tea. We were invited to the Oxo Tower on the River Thames. The restaurant was on the top floor of the building, overlooking my favorite building, St. Paul's. We had drinks to start, cosmopolitans all around, and I was in the best mood. We went in for dinner and drank wine from South Africa. I am not a wine drinker, I prefer to sit in my flannel and jeans and drink a nice beer; however, I am a classy girl when I want to be and that wine was perfect. I wish it was like beer or cider in that I could afford to order this when I went out to another restaurant, but that may have been a once in a lifetime occurrence, which I am fine with. I appreciated every second of that dinner. I ordered salmon and had a poached pear for dessert. I couldn't help but look out at the view of St. Paul's while the sun slowly set on the dome, creating an almost glowing effect on the marble. It made me really thank my lucky stars for the opportunities I have.

     I have been trying to make a list in my head of all the things I am excited for when I get home. I am famous for making these lists; it is the only way I can keep things straight. I am excited:

• To see my family. To see Mom, Dad, Marcus, Nan, Aunt Peg, Ryan, but honestly, I am the most excited to see Kate and Mal. Some of my friends here remind me of the two of them and that makes me miss them so much.
• To tell everyone all of my stories and more importantly, give them presents!
• To be barefoot. The first thing I am doing upon arriving home is taking a shower WITHOUT SHOES ON. It has been 15 weeks of showering with flip flops, and I think I forget what it feels like to be barefoot in the shower, or barefoot in general. 
• For the sounds of summer. I do not know why anyone in their right mind would want to study abroad during any other time than Spring. The only thing keeping all of us sane is that we have the SUMMER to go home to. I can't wait for the sounds of lawnmowers, the smell of the barbecue, and the sun shining through my open window. 
• To make more money and similarly, be on the dollar! To be able to see 20 at the register and know it is $20 coming out of my account and not $32. 
• To drive. I have missed it so much and I cant wait to get back in that baby and drive down the open roads. 
• To use my new personality. I feel that I have changed a great deal while here and not only have learned a massive amount about myself, but I have learned a lot about people. I came into my own in London and can't want to carry that over to my normal life.
• To use British lingo without fear of looking like a stupid American. Get ready people, I will be saying cheers, and bloody, and properly, and pound (mostly out of habit), and top up. I am so excited for that. I am going to sound like the coolest girl on the planet with the hippest lingo. 
• To read. Sounds nerdy, but the best thing about summer is that I have nothing else to worry about and have all the time in the world and mental capacity to read. 

There should probably be more reasons why I am excited to come home, but honestly, I am happy that I could come up with that many. I just love london too much and saying goodbye is going to be the hardest thing to do.

"For me, London is and always will be home"