Two significant chapters of our London book close for us this week as we get closer to the start of the sequel, "2 Yanks in Dallas" and our repatriation to the USA. It is hard to believe that 2 years ago right now, we were planning our relocation to London and looking forward to what the 2 years ahead might hold. Without a doubt, these 2 years have been an education in life and of the world that far exceeded my first 31 years. We have been ridiculously lucky to have travelled and seen as much as we have. We have also grown so much together because beyond all of the great trips that you have seen pics of and read about, Ann and I have pushed each other to succeed in immersing ourselves and adapting to every new culture, place, and communication divide that we encountered both professionally and personally. It was very hard to be away from family and friends at times, but we did it together, and overcame so many challenges along the way. We will have thousands of pictures and stories to share with whomever wants to look or listen, but for the two of us, we will have the experiences that unfortunately words and photos do little to capture and no one beyond ourselves will understand. That is what makes our move back home hard and special at the same time:)
For the first chapter closing this week, we said goodbye last Sunday to what I believe will be our last visitors to London, Nick and Jen Garlie, our extraordinary friends from the Twin Cities. Every visitor has asked us if we are tired of being tour guides and showing people the same things over and over. In short, I hope that I never have to give another tour again, but for us, it was not about seeing the same sights, it was about seeing our visitors reactions when they saw these things for the first time. That was worth standing on the Westminster Bridge over the River Thames staring back at the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben for the 100th time!!! Nick and Jen were no exception. They were Europe Virgins as well, which makes it even more exciting. They arrived late last Saturday night, so their official tour kicked off on Sunday. After a stop at Ottolenghi for scones, croissants, pastries and coffee, we spent the morning walking through Green Park past Buckingham and then through St. James Park towards Westminster. After crossing the aforementioned Westminster Bridge, we worked our way south to The Imperial War Museum. Ann and I are not huge museum fans, but this place was beyond imagination. We had been waiting to go to coincide with visitors, and this worked perfectly. I will be going back to spend more time there before we leave. After that, we taxied up to Borough Market and had a few apps and a glass of wine. We crossed back over the Thames, walked through Covent Garden and stopped at the Cork and Bottle in Soho for another glass of wine. We had dinner that evening at Zaika, our favourite Indian restaurant, and enjoyed watching the Garlies have their first Indian experience. Ann sadly had to leave early Monday morning for Normandy, France for work, and the three of us were certainly not high on her list as we stayed up until 3:30am laughing and talking far too loudly!!! Nick and Jen spent Monday and Tuesday discovering London and they left early Wednesday morning for 2 days in Paris. Ann returned from her work trip on Thursday night and Nick and Jen returned on Friday evening. That night, we had a fantastic meal at Maggie Jones, which is a little Kensington haunt that serves game and classic English dishes. Saturday, Nick and Jen took the must see guided tour of the Houses of Parliament and Ann and I met them after to continue the London circuit. We ended up back in Borough Market for lunch and then hopped on the Tube and headed west to Notting Hill and Portobello Road. We had so much fun walking Portobello and for our first time too, we found the little bookstore that Hugh Grant owns in the movie "Notting Hill."(pic of Ann and I below is from across the street from the shop). From there, we stopped at Kensington Wine bar where for the first time in my life, I think that I was accused of nursing a drink!!! We had our final dinner together at our favourite Lebanese restaurant around the corner from our flat. Nick and Jen, we had such a blast and are so happy that you all made the trip across the pond to see us. We know that it was hard being away from Eli and Zoe, but we are so grateful that you took the leap and pushed yourselves to see so many things and try so many new cuisines (safe to say that Jen is not a fan of lamb!!!).
The other chapter that closes for me this week is Apple. When we found out that we were in fact coming to London and that I would be leaving Target, I was a slight bit apprehensive about how this might impact my career progression and what position that I would find. I was so fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to work for Apple here in London. It has been such an unbelievable experience for me personally and professionally. The chance to work for the most recognised company in the world in such a global environment and have exposure to our entire European business has been brilliant. I have loved recruiting for our 34 stores in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales and especially managing an agency team of 14 talent sourcers in Warsaw, Poland. That was by far the most fulfilling for me. With sadness and excitement, tomorrow is my last day at Apple. I am sad that there are no ideal opportunities back in Dallas with Apple, but super excited to discover what new challenge lies ahead for me. I have learned so much here and have made some outstanding friends. Most excitingly, and eliciting a great deal of jealousy from the Sr. Director, I am temporarily retired as of tomorrow!!!! I will be taking the lead on our relocation back to the States, serving as an even more dedicated executive assistant to the Duchess of Fondy, assuming more responsibility as house husband, and continuing to travel the world!!!
I suppose that is about it for me from a cool and rainy London. We fly back to the States for 2 weeks next Saturday for Jeff and Jobina's wedding in WI and a week long house hunting trip to Dallas. It has been 14 months since I have set foot on US soil, and I am so stoked. I am going to get to meet my nephew Max for the first time, and I can't wait to see my parents when they fly down to Dallas to spend a weekend with us there.
Cheers
Kevin
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