the power of love.

Queen Victoria has always been my favorite royal. Her story about coming to the throne at the age of eighteen has always been a go-to girl power thought of mine when feeling less than mediocre.

But I just discovered that Queen Vicky is even cooler than I thought.
In fact, she's practically rocking my London world.


She's responsible for emphasizing the role of family in the UK. Her displays of public affection with King Albert and her outings with her children changed the face of the royal family and familial social ques in Britain forever. I also think it's pretty great that she was humble enough to share her work with her husband--something not everyone in power would be willing to do. You know, from my experience of holding power.....joke.

But the best part? Not only did she have his clothes and shaving kit laid out every day after his death, she had every fence in London painted black for his funeral.

To which they are still painted black in memory of her mourning to this day.



....now isn't that romantic?




 

This is completely mental.

I'm in London. Or rather, living in London.
Like.....I'm pretty sure this year couldn't get any better for me?


And what's even better?
I got to make a pre-London voyage to the Netherlands for the new year.
Someone pinch me.....please.
I never thought I'd get the opportunity to see the Dowlings again.

Parting isn't an easy thing..

...unless what you are giving up is for an iPhone.

It's maybe one of the greatest inventions of all times (besides skinny jeans and George Foreman grills).

I.LOVE.MY.IPHONE.....but it came at a price.  And not just the $200 + $100 Verizon cancellation fee.

No, it was a sentimental price of voicemail messages of days long past.

This probably isn't the right and proper forum to be admitting this....but what the heck. Maybe I'm doing a service to everyone by disclosing that I do it too....(Nod with a yes).

No longer will I have the following to resurface every few months for re-saving approval and make me crack a nostalgic smile when trying to check the missed call from my gloomy credit card company:

1. Grandma singing me "Happy Birthday" two years ago.
2. Boyfriend #1 using his "smaushy" voice and telling me he couldn't wait to see me later that day.
3. Boyfriend #2 talking quietly under the covers so his parents wouldn't get mad that he called me so late. (How Taylor Swift is that?)
4. Aunt expressing her love and appreciation for stopping by for the weekend with some friends.
5. Boyfriend #3 awkwardly explaining why his call dropped. (We had just started dating...hence the need to clarify such a tragedy, let's be clear.)
6. Boyfriend #2 making his last call to me for two years before his mission.
7. Boy #4 upset that I left for school without saying goodbye.
8. Boy #5 Asking me out on a lunch date after my mother so nicely left my number on a napkin at the restaurant.

If you count correctly, that's a voicemail saved from every boyfriend. Every boyfriend I've ever had. Every boyfriend I've EVER had over the past four years.

I'm a sentimental creature, okay?

Each marked a tender stage of my adolescence.

.......

But now I'm twenty. Yup, twenty. And with twenty came my iPhone. And with my iPhone came a new, fresh voicemail system. And with this new voicemail system came no more annoying screen icons to get rid of by checking voicemails and pressing four to save. And with no option to press four to save came no way to save those eight voicemails any longer.

So if I'm doing my math correctly (if A=B & B=C, then A=C), with twenty came no way to save those eight voicemails.

Why does twenty have to be so vindictive to me?

Oh, oh. Because twenty begins a new decade: the decade of decisions, which CAN'T involve any wistful, over-saved, boyfriend-filled memories of fun.

But you want to know why I'll be okay?


......because I have my iPhone.


.....and I can probably find an app for that.

Nothing of much worth to say...except that summer is coming to a close and this may be the funniest thing I have ever seen.

Can someone invent the time machine for me--please?

It's the end of my Manhattan stay and I can't believe it. I spent the last eight months anticipating my eventful summer in the city and BAM! Just like that it's passed. Life really does pass by faster as you grow older.

Mom flies in tonight to help me pack up and to hopefully help decelerate/prolong my last forty-eight hours here. (I think our best bet is to just jam-pack ourselves with activities and dessert!) I've missed her SO much. Not to mention, I've always thought this experience would be so much more special if I could spend/share (at least part of it) with the people that mean most to me.

With that said, I couldn't feel any more love and gratitude for the friendships that I made here. I didn't anticipate meeting such great people. (More than that, I would have never guessed that I'd be willing to even give up the golden coast in order to not leave them!) I'm a lucky girl, to say the least. Honestly, it sort of feels like graduation all over again....and we all know how nostalgic and hard that was for me. But I'm learning that that's what life is all about. Chapters and sections. Converging beginnings and endings.

I suppose the most important part in coping with the next transition to my new chapter of life is to remember all that I learned and gained in this. I learned a tremend-stinking-ous ton. About my myself, about people, about community, about education, about business, and about culture. Plus, with the help of the many museums I visited, I now know more about Swarovski crystals, Couture gowns, the American woman, our Founding Fathers, Picasso & Van Gogh, the Japanese culture, ancient Egyptian/Mesopotamian culture, the evolution of weapons and arms, and the Korean Wars, than I ever thought possible. And no, the Museum of (substitute the verb meaning the act of intimate behavior here) was not included in my travels. But you do have to appreciate New York for it--it truly does have a museum or store for everything.

Anyways...here's to saying "bye"....because I refuse to believe in the absoluteness of "GOOD" bye. I'll be back people!


P.S. There's a piece of the Yellow Cardigan in there somewhere.

New York: I love you.

Okay....confession? I think I was destined to be a city girl. 
There, I said it.

All those meals I hated myself for eating super fast...
All those friends that used to get annoyed with my abnormally fast walking pace (especially considering I'm such a munchkin) at the mall...
Never learning to surf..
My tendency to be busy, busy, busy...
Etc, etc.


I now get it. I was born on the wrong coast!




(Let's not talk about the fact that I only have two weeks left.)

The good news? Brooke is coming to visit me tomorrow. I've been planning our itinerary for weeks!

Other good news? I finished the Gossip Girl series....which means Melody now has to watch High School Musical for me.

The icing on my summer cake? I found out this week that after this NY parade, a quick stop in Nashville, and few days in Las Vegas, I AM GOING TO HAWAII! Man, sometimes it all seems too good to be true.

Pneumonia.

No...I don't have it.

Pneumonia. Pneu-monia.

The word annoys me. I read the word and then can't verbally say it aloud because it tends to trick me. (Think Derek Zoolander not being able to turn left) I personally find the pronunciation so misleading.

PNEUAmonia.


Nope, not any better.