2010 started out so much differently than it ended! It's been a whirlwind of a year for the Juleps and I think 2011 will probably be just as exciting! When we started the year, we were living on Grand Cayman Island, hubs working for a bank in their hedge funds department and I working as Senior Administrative Secretary for an insolvency firm.
Though the beaches of Cayman were beautiful, it was often too hot to enjoy them. On the day I took the above photo, it was a scorcher and I got horrifically sunburned while wearing SPF 30 and only being outside for about 1 1/2 hours. Unbearable for me, but it was beautiful and the longer I'm away from it, the more I think even though I didn't like it, it was a good experience!
In March & April, 2010 we headed to Ireland to visit my in-laws in Cork. We were relieved to have cooler weather because it was so hot in Cayman... usually it's the other way around for people isn't it?
We also spent some time in Dublin and friends of ours from London who we met when they lived in Cayman came to spend a few days with us there. It was great fun! Dublin isn't my favorite city, but it's enjoyable for a few days!
Once the decision was made that we would move to London, we gave notice to our companies and started the immigration paperwork. And in July we travelled to Kingston, Jamaica to submit the paperwork. We were there for 3 days and during the World Cup Finals. I wouldn't go back to Kingston if I could help it... It wasn't my cup of tea...
Once I returned home, the re-design of my blog was finished. The header art was done by Lydia & Pugs and the layout & design of the rest of the blog was done by Jessica at Front Porch Studio. I just love how it turned out!
In September, I left my job a couple of weeks before the move so I could pack all our stuff and clean our apartment before we left. There were so many preparations to make and lots of people to say goodbye to. But we were ready to put an end to our island lifestyle and move on to bigger, better things...
But before we left, we hosted our own going away party. It just seemed easier to me to put together a BBQ than to try to arrange something in a bar or restaurant and have to worry about taxis home, etc. Of course it had to be a luau theme! It was a huge success and we had fun with all our Cayman friends!
Then we took the plunge, got on the plane and moved to London. For the past 3 months we've been living in West Kensington. Kensington has been great to us! We really lucked out when we picked out a vacation rental apartment on the internet without seeing it first. This has been the perfect location for getting aquainted with the city!
About 2 weeks after we arrived in London, we headed to Kilkenny, Ireland for a family reunion with the in-laws. It was a fabulous weekend that we'll never forget!
A couple of weeks after that in early November, we attended our very first Bonfire Night in Sandy, England as guests of a friend's family. It was a great weekend and Bonfire Night is super fun!
At the end of November, we visited a friend I met through Twitter & Blogger who lives in Cheltenham, a scenic little town located in The Cotswolds. She and her family were very hospitable and that area of the country is too beautiful to be missed!
In December I decided that it was finally time I started doing some of the things I wanted to do once I returned to city living. So I started taking dance classes at Pineapple Studios in Covent Garden. I only got to take 2 classes before the studio closed for Christmas holidays, but I'll be starting back next week and I can't wait! I'm pudgy and out of shape!
This Christmas was very special for us this year as my mother-in-law came to stay with us! My husband hadn't had Christmas with her for about 10 years and we've been on our own for Christmas for at least 4 years in a row so it was great to have her! With the snow we thought certain that her flight would be cancelled, but lo and behold we got our Christmas miracle when her flight arrived and we had the best time with her here!Looking to 2011 I have big plans for the year ahead! We're moving on Friday so we'll be starting the New Year in a new flat! We're moving to Putney, which is a wonderful area in Southwest London and I couldn't be more excited about our new neighborhood! I'll also be making arrangements to get my residence card, exchange my drivers license for a UK one, furnishing and decorating our new flat and eventually, getting a job when I'm ready. We'd like to travel more this year with all of Europe on our doorstep and we're already looking into a trip at the end of January, but not sure yet. Also in 2011, I'm turning 30... crazy how time flies! I feel like I was turning 25 in a New York City bar on 8th Avenue just yesterday...
Anyway, that's my year in review! I'm happy to have shared this year with all my bloggy buddies and look forward to another great year of blogging! xx
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