I'm 'a leavin'....on a jet plane.....

London, here I come!

Saturday is the big day. My first trip over that big pond and I must say I'm a bit nervous about it. I'm mostly anxious about the first day.....will I get on a flight? Can I find an ATM? Will I be able to figure out the Tube? How will I do all by myself in a strange city? I figure if I can get to my hotel and set out, after that I will be just fine.

The whole walking around the city and taking everything in excites me to no end! You might as well stamp "TOURIST" in big, bold letters on my forehead...I really don't intend to hide the fact. I plan on setting a world record on how many pictures one person can take in 5 days (I'm sure some Japanese tourist holds the current record). "Oh look! A London pigeon!" "Oh look! A London tulip!" "Oh look! A London homeless person!" Yes, it really is going to be that bad.

This trip is a true venture outside my comfort zone. All decisions are up to me. No one to bounce ideas off of. And I'll have to talk to strangers...can't send someone to do it for me. And I'll have to work at not getting lonely....it would be nice to be able to turn and say "Isn't this fun?" to someone I'm sharing this with. But I believe that this will be a great learning experience I'm hoping for a confidence boost and that I learn a little something about myself in the process. It takes courage to travel overseas by yourself. I deserve a little pat on the back just for trying!

I will not burn the day away.....

The Sweater - Part II

Just moving right along on the old sweater. I'm almost done with the "body" of it....I'm making it longer than the pattern calls for. I think once I get that done, the rest will go quickly. I work on it when I get bored at work (shhhhh! Don't tell anyone....) and, at this rate, I should have it done by Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, I have been neglecting my hat-making responsibilities...with cold weather around the corner, I should perhaps whip a few of those out.

Anyway, here is the progress thus far:

Are you ready for some football??

There are many reasons that fall is my favorite time of year: I like cool weather.....the leaves are so pretty.....sweaters and jeans make me happy.....I get to sleep with my windows open.....and, finally, football begins! There's not much that beats sitting on the couch on Sunday afternoon watching my team play. My team being the Chiefs (or "Cheeps", as I called them when I was three). The boys in red haven't been to a Super Bowl since 7 months before I was born.....so I'm thinking they're due.

Chiefs fans are faithful fans (you have to be with the statistic above). We have no room or tolerance for the bandwagon fan. You're either in or you're out. And most fans are actually from Kansas City. I'm always a little surprised (but delighted) when I find a fan that has never lived there. Most of us were just born this way.....I think they make you sign a contract before they let you go home from the hospital. (It should be noted that my sister is not a fan. She was born outside of Chicago. Enough said.)

So the Chiefs kick off the season hosting Cincinnati this Sunday. I will show my pride by wearing my appropriate red home jersey this Friday ("Red Friday" for those that don't know). And you can find me at Jonathon's at noon on Sunday.....I'll be the one yelling "GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!"