Adios England....Aloha America.

I leave for the states tomorrow morning. While I am really, really excited to get back to "the colonies" (as America is still called by some Brits these days), my farewell to Britain for 2 1/2 months is bittersweet. I'll miss the summer days filled with rain, wind and clouds. I'll miss the "British" way of life...where everything takes a little bit longer, "customer service" is a theory and not a practice, and all of the bad things in life can be swished away with a simple "no worries" statement.

It's not all bad though. We do have sunlight from about 3:15am until 9:30pm during the summer. I can walk into one of 20-something neighborhood pubs close to our house for an authentic ale or a REALLY fresh Guinness. I can fly to continental Europe for less cash than it takes to fill up a gas tank. I can go on a run through our town and pass through Abbey ruins that date back to before the 1100's, a cathedral where barons drew up the magna carta, one of the oldest breweries in England, and a hilltop field with cows grazing. I'm going to miss Bury St Edmunds.

That being said...I have A LOT to look forward to in the states. Apart from the excitement that will come from spending the US Dollar (which is SOOO much more affordable than the British Pound), I will get to catch up with a lot of friends this summer and spend some quality time with the family. Here's whats on the agenda so far:

1. Duck, North Carolina: Beach time for the Campbells and Ritters (and now the Bott's too!)
2. Baltimore, MD: Hanging out with the Bott's
3. BOSTON: Lindsay and Scott's wedding (read: BACHELORETTE party!!!! with my ladies :) )
4. Huntsville, Alabama: Other than time with my folks...not too sure what to be excited about in Alabama yet...
5. Fort Monroe, Virginia: Amanda and Dan's wedding. I get to tell embarrassing stories about my best friend from high school in front of a lot of people...woohoo!
6. Honolulu, Hawaii: Just a business trip...for my Dad. Mom and I will be tanning and sipping on coconut drinks (hers will be virgin of course) all week.
7. Vegas/Grand Canyon?? Not sure yet, but it might happen.
8. Boston (again) : I Couldn't come back to the states and only go to Boston once!!

If you can't tell, I am a little excited. I only wish that I was going to get to hang out with my girls from England this summer :(

So...adios England. And Aloha America!! (at least until September!)