There are incredible things about living in London, but I (dramatically) say that one of the tradeoffs of all this ‘wonderfulness’ is forgoing warm weather in June, July, and August. However, this summer was a whole new world! The sun was out for consecutive days! The temperature was 27-28 degrees (yes, that’s Celsius). London summer was impressive this year, and the next three posts will string together the highlights for each month, and the memories made in LondonSummer2018.
A big welcome to these sweet peas! Tasady-Mae and Andrae Gray Junior (AJ) who turned one month old in June. And a happy day of birth to Zachariah Abiade!
One of the first posts of the LondonForrest blog included my trip to Mighty Memphis, and this June I returned for ‘The Final Countdown’. Nibette, Kwaku, Cole, and Nina were moving to San Diego, and had planned an epic week of events to close out their time in Tennessee. Both sets of grandparents, as well as Bette’s grandmother and siblings also made the journey for five days of celebration!
We had a great time at their leaving do with friends and colleagues sharing stories about how much Nibette and Kwaku would be missed.
Cole turned five, and we partied at the Children’s Museum, complete with a splurge on merry-go-round tickets for everyone.
Nina was baptized in a beautiful, and progressive church. Nibette’s family hosted a small luncheon afterwards, complete with Nina’s outfit change.
In between all this action, we also packed up their house, and took Cole and Nina to their final doctor appointments before signing off in Tennessee.
And it wouldn’t be a complete post, if I didn’t share how well they are getting the hang of the San Diego lifestyle.
At the end of June, we took a trip to NYC to celebrate Adam and Alison’s nuptials. The trip was faster than a New York minute but we filled the time with our dear friends! Corey went straight to see Jelani at Dap’s shop, and I went straight to the park to for a girl car meet up: Addie & Siena, Jill & Emi, Evin & Ellis, Court, and Pregnant P. IT WAS HOT, but so good to snuggle with the newest generation of girl car. We retreated to Jill’s flat with A/C, rose, and ice waters. Then Sayuri and Joe hosted the group for pesto pasta dinner. Luka inspired us with his knowledge of the symbiotic relationship between crabs and marine iguanas, and Alec gave us the giggles with his composer-like hairstyle.
I met Corey on the LES at Las’Lap to see Scott’s rum bar after months of planning and construction. The spot looked great, and what a night for a summer evening in the city. Got to hang out with Mike, Flop, Free and Peyton as well as Caroline, and Jules, who came out after a play. The only downside was the sheer surprise of the hangover the next morning!
I’ve not been that ‘flat’ since… I can’t remember. The trek to Jersey was basically me being cracky and inept entire way. Corey got us to the Freed household, and on the way to Long Island, I slept in the car rather than caught up. Our Airbnb was only a ten minute walk to an empty beach. By the time we arrived, I was more human-like. We took a quick trip to lay out, and then navigated to the Friday night dinner with close friends and family. Adam was made to host a wedding. He’s got a light that makes you feel like you’re the most special guest.
We found a quintessential American diner on Saturday morning and ate huge plates of hashbrowns and omelets. We used the afternoon to layout, and I took the opportunity to take a nap to prep for the party that evening. The wedding was at an incredible vineyard, and we enjoyed the ceremony complete with Adam’s tears of happiness, and Matilda strutting in a flower wreath (their bulldog). The cocktail hour had an incredible spread! We also enjoyed the live band, and it was nice to get some good hangout time with the small group of George school and Conn college friends.
Congrats to Adam and Alison!
Work Updates:
Eula Scott Bynoe is delivering her second top-quality podcast, Battle Tactics for your Sexist Workplace. Everyone needs this in their life. After you listen, I can’t wait to talk about your insights and responses. It’s already across the pond and taking Londontown by storm.
Corey had his first work trip to Stockholm and impressed his new client when he selected Princen as the lunch meeting spot, as it shows he knows the area’s good eats. It also helped he ran into an old colleague at Princen making it seem like such a small world. Corey would also like you to know that he’s mastered his personal settings on Outlook after just a week of learning the new program.
In June, I was wrapping up with my final group of teachers before deciding to apply to the new role as a professional tutor, which puts me into an assessment role with a permanent portfolio of trainees. *Spoiler alert: I got the job 😉 !
Food Updates (is this even a category?!) Sam treated me to a meal at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant on a summer evening, and Aisha & Ismoyla joined us for our first time at Roti King– a Malaysian restaurant that is now on our top eats in London list. We ate it up so quickly that there is no evidence of the roti, noodles, and laksa. The e5 Bakehouse was a treat for lunch, and the bread was divine. Another to add to the list of top eats. Casa do Frango soft-opening meant every dish was half off so I ordered half the menu! But this meal didn’t stick out as anything special. Finally, Ellie brought masa from Cali so we’ve been tinkering with our own tortillas. ( I need to get my priorities straight; my friends to food pictures ratio is sub-par!)
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