Home, Sweet Home! - Los Angeles, CA (Part 1)

     I was still very melancholy about leaving Europe; sad yet happy.  It was six days until my birthday and 13 days until Christmas.  No one except my mom knew I was coming home.  What would it be like?  Would I see my home in the same eyes as when I left? Would my friends have forgotten me? Would they be too busy?  My head was filled with all these thoughts.  Maybe I should have canceled my flight so I wouldn't get stuck at home.  If I did cancel my flight what would I have done? Where would I have gone? Was flying home worth it?  Was I really going to be able to leave home in a month and a half as planned?

    I decided it was better if I just tried to nap the whole way and let all those things go. It really doesn't make sense to worry about things when you know you're not going to actually change your mind. The flight ended up being pretty sweet.  It was December 12th and there was no one on the airplane.  I had three seats all to myself!  

     There was an airplane switch in Las Vegas..... where I really contemplated staying for the night, getting a hotel room and a rental car and driving home the next day (or two days later! :P )  I decided to be a well behaved girl and get on the next airplane instead.  To this day i'm really not sure why!

Well, hello Las Vegas! - Dec 13

       I was so happy to be home!  My mom was waiting for me with a big hug and kiss.. and my car! Yay! Freedom! It was warm, the sun was shinning, I didn't need a parka.  We loaded up my backpack into the car and I GOT TO DRIVE!  Haha!! First time in over four months!  My mom was scared silly!  I glanced over just to see her holding the arm rests like a cat trying to avoid a bath; claws out and everything. Haha!
         

Hello view from mom's porch! - Dec 13

         My mom had pulled out a few items of clothing, my teddy bear (don't hate), my bathrobe, perfume, body washes and now had a "bedroom" for me!

         Wow!!  I had a home.

Pre-decorating the Xmas tree - me, santa, my mom, tank the dog and my brother's feet
Dec 15

         My mom must have been relieved that I was home and in one piece.  My brother seemed happy to see me too.  I was happy I committed that day to tree decorating before I left England. The next few days, few weeks were a blur.  I was every where, all at one time.  This gave me a chance to spend some time with my family.  

         I soon dashed off to this holiday party to start surprising people!  You know,  I do love a surprise!

Alex (ex-coworker), Victor (ex-coworker and great long time friend), me and Walter (a mutual friend an amazing guy)
Victor is so built his chest was popping buttons.  ;)
A holiday party I crashed for two, or technically three, of my employers - Dec 15

         It was an eventful night of seeing many familiar faces!  It was a great feeling.  What feeling?  The feeling of being known, having shared experiences with people and automatically being greeted with a smiling face and a HUGE hug! Their shocked faces were pretty priceless too.  The night was a little climactic but it ended well.  

         I soon woke up in a daze and rushed down the road to meet up with my buddies!

Jeramy and David who integrated Nicoke!  seconds after this photo was taken - Dec 16

         We were off to Joshua Tree for Zack's birthday.  Funny enough, it was my and Jeramy's birthday in two days and Zack's girlfriend, Laura's birthday in three days! Four out of six of us had birthdays.  It was a birthday bonanza!  :D

Sonic with the crew! Notice the lady on skates? ...only in America.

We're almost there! Joshua trees - Dec 15

         We were headed for Joshua Tree, yes.  More specifically we were headed for "Hicksville".  It is a small village of old air streams and campers made into accommodation with activities to keep us busy. 

         Thanks Lilly for the following photos!  :)

Hello Hicksville!

I spy CORN HOLE!

Laura and Lilly!

Zack, David and Jeramy!

Target practice with Laura

Zack's birthday cake!

         It was such a nice time!  There were a few shenanigans that took place that night as you can imagine.  Some one ate the dog treats.  Some one else had a slight fall for no apparent reason.  There was a lot of hugging going on, laughing and smiling.  More than I remember.... I guess that's what photos are for.  :D

         The next day there was a couple football games so the boys wanted to watch it in town.

         We girls went to Palm Springs and had lunch!

Yay! Lilly and me - Dec 16

This is my favorite Mexican restaurants in P.S. - Dec 16
Everything seemed so bright and colorful!

         We soon finished lunch walked around a bit and headed back to Los Angeles.  

         From the gang's house I went straight to meet up with yet more ex co-workers. (I was invited at the holiday party.) This gathering was for Diana's birthday!  Yay Diana!  Happy birthday!  

Diana, Kristy from Paris, Micki from Colorado and me --from Mars - Dec 17

         I hung around with them, chatted and reminisced for a few hours before every one called it a night.  It was lovely to see every them as well as Bridget (not pictured) again!

         From there I was off to one of my closest friend Torrey's!  I went straight to bed.  The next morning I was glad to wake up there on my birthday.  Especially when my favorite breakfast on the planet was on the menu and there was a morning toast! 

Bestie & breakfast! - Dec 18

The essence of Torrey - Dec 18

         Torrey happened to have the day off.  So... what to do?!  Scoop up his friend Tony and... drive around until we found something awesome to do?  Maybe do some christmas shopping at the Glendale Galleria?

We found Santa Claus checking his list on the way - Dec 18

and I scored a new hat!  Thank you Torrey! - Dec 18

         The sun was bigger and brighter.  The clouds had never been so beautiful!  I never saw LA in such a great light. We were rocking out in the car.  Yes.. I was actually singing.  I was happy to be home and overjoyed to be alive!

Random shot of Glendale and the clouds - Dec 18

         What was next?  Drop Tony off and have an Oyster House celebration! It seems all my friends were busy but Torrey was still making my day.  Man, those oysters were good!

Dec 18

         We decided to go back to Torrey's house and invite his friends and my mom.  Of course my mom brought my brother. 

My brother Jacob and me - Dec 18

       
         It was weird... for the first time in my life my brother bought me a birthday and/or present.  It contained quite a few pairs of thermals so I wouldn't be cold on my travels.  Pretty thoughtful.

         One of those pairs of thermals happened to be these:

They were a bit over sized even though they were a medium and literally fit three people! - Dec 18
They were a great laugh!  Thanks Jake!
(Katie, Cole and me)

         That's basically how that night ended.  The whole week was good fun with people I love.  I really enjoyed myself!

         Stay tuned!  This post is to be continued!

Back on the hitchhiking path!

       After our epic night on Jersey island we woke up, had a proper english breakfast.

This was just what I needed that morning!  Yum yum!! 

We packed up our belongings and said good bye to our amazing view!

   It was a warm sunny day in Jersey.  I just couldn't get over how blue the water and sky were.  It was a nice change from the November weather in Roydon.  I was beginning to forget what the sun felt like.   We explored the island for a little bit, had a cup of tea and jetted back to the airport to catch our flight back home. 

    
         I was amped again!  My confusion had subsided and I had a new plan!   I was going to hitchhike up to the highlands, Ireland and back to London to catch my flight December 12th.

        Tuesday night was a bit of a bummer.   As it always is, it was hard to say bye.  I had been hanging with Johnny and Willay for two weeks.

Adventure time?!

         Leaving is always my least favorite part but I know it's part of the gig.  It just means I'm going some where new, get to meet new people and explore new things.

         Wednesday morning came without hesitation.   I had been putting off leaving as much as possible but it was finally the day.

        I packed up Walley and Johnny kindly took me to South Mimms where there was a gas station where people fueled up before heading north.  It was a bittersweet goodbye and until next time.

        I stood outside the convenience store at the gas station asking people for rides.  A lot of people completely ignored me or looked at me as if I was begging.  It was quite cold and raining. I kept faith that someone would take me to Northampton where I was aiming for.  It was only a two hour drive.

       Next thing I know a Polish gentleman in a small commercial truck offered to take me.  He was also heading basically to Northampton! He ran into the convenience store grabbed some things, gassed up and threw my bag into the back.

      

       The ride seemed pretty long considering.  I think it was the weather mostly.  In southern California this weather means you're not leaving the house unless it's an emergency.  :p

       The man was quite sweet.  He had bought extra doughnuts for me at the convenience store.  Despite the fact that we couldn't really communicate; I knew he was an outstanding person.  I didn't exactly know where I was going and I never traveled with a phone.  If I had wifi I had Skype, FB and What'sApp.  He kindly let me use his phone to call my friend and figure out where we could meet.  Eventually I found a McDonalds in Northampton that had wifi.   We decided that would be the meeting spot since my friend lives in the middle of nowhere.

          Next thing I knew my friend showed up!  It had been years since I had seen him and I finally was going to meet his wife and three kids!  That was exciting for me!! 

        Just a short drive and I was at my new home!  It was such a change from the last two or three months.  I was now in a house with a family; and friends at that.

This basically sums that up!

I was spoiled yet again!  They had a spare bedroom with a TV and a bathroom attached.  Let the BBC marathon begin!

       

What a beautiful backyard!!

            The first night they treated me to a dinner at the local pub/restaurant with the whole family.  I'm pretty sure I had salmon, brussels sprouts and mash.   I remember it was beyond fantastic! 

         The original plan was just to stop by for a day or two and make it up to the highlands.  It was later that night or the next day it just started pouring.  Most of western England was hugely flooded, it was still quite cold and I hadn't worked out hosts for the next places yet.  I loved being in a family environment and hanging out with my new lil sis. 

        Before I knew it my plans for leaving changed.  Mum kept saying I was more than welcome to stay and I was really loving it! 

Meet Ellie the lovable yet very naughty Labrador.

       

        The next 10 days or so were filled with savory family dinners, hanging with the sis, walking Ellie, Skyping with friends, chatting with my momma and those BBC marathons I mentioned earlier.  The countryside and the cold made being inside a cozy house so much more inviting. 

         One day while taking the dog walk I discovered this beauty! 

            She and Ellie just loved each other... 

Well,  I kind of loved her too. 

           A week or so passed and it was time to go.  I had found an epic concert in Manchester for 1/3 the cost what it would be in the states and December 12th was coming faster than I could imagine! 

           My friends had friends just down the road that were headed to Manchester the next day for a sporting event.  That would work perfectly!  I would wake up early while the grass was still frozen and catch a ride with them!

Borrrrnnn in the U. K? ...A?

I left off with my hitchhiking journey from Belgium to London, yeah?

        Yeah.  So I jumped off the last bus and there was my new host who I was going to meet in Oslo months before.  We never met there but we did stay in contact.  It was kind of strange because I felt like I knew him even though I never met him.  I was so stoked to see his face!  I imagined him as a fiery, funny, witty and creative kind.  I wasn't too far off...  I don't think.  It was now almost 5 am in the middle of no where and I was beyond exhausted.  I dropped my backpack and crashed out.  He was sweet enough to let me stay in his bed and he took the couch.

Pozole: a mexican soup made with pork,
ancho chilis, hominy topped with onion,
cilantro, lettuce and a side of tortillas.

  

       The next day we chowed down on the soup I had been   racing to England for.  The sweet gesture was beyond delicious and reminded me so much of home.

I also had my first cuppa!  :)

  
       A couple days later he and I went out with some of his friends for a Friday out in London. We ended up at  "Big Chill House" at Kings Cross.  It was a night of dancing, madness and great times over all!  Without elaborating too much here's some evidence:

The blood came out....

       That Sunday we went for carvery which is basically like our Thanksgiving in the states.... except some do it every Sunday.  :p

Meet Johnny, the carvery master and chef genius!

Let's see... there's mash, bangers, yorkshire pudding, peas, roast, turkey, ham, cauliflower, parsnips, carrots, roasted onion, horseradish sauce, gravy, unknown sauce #1... can you spy anything else? 

       Here are some other photos to help you guess what we were up to:

These were  a great idea but with no ice & enough tequila to kill a goat they were better to look at... I'll take the blame. 

Meet Willay..... The neighbor from the next farm....  Can some one please explain what he's doing?

    The next two weeks were a bit of a blur.  I was tired and confused about my next move.  Was I supposed to spend the next 6 months in the UK and work?  Thanksgiving was just around the corner and I was really beginning to miss home.  Living expenses were quite a lot there and it was colder than I was used to.  I didn't have a plan of where to go next or what to do.  I felt lost and empty.  I couldn't go back to the Schengan union (basically the rest of Europe) yet because my visa needed 90 days to renew.   I spent a lot of time in my room contemplating what to do, thus: 

My yarn projects....... 

       I left my first scarf in a car along with my sunglasses while I was hitchhiking.  Rule #1 of hitchhiking: Always make sure you have EVERY THING before you leave the car!

       So, after a few attempts on my first scarf ever I was finally ready to bust the whole thing out.  I think I finished it in three days.  I also finally made something out of my Norwegian 1 kronor coins.  I thought it was going to end up as a necklace but I was wrong.  I left one in Cologne on the bridge with the love locks and made the other four into the creation above.

       I also started going on daily jogs again to get my blood pumping so I could have a good night's sleep instead of staying up with insomnia every night for no plausible reason.

I think this is part of Willay's farm.  I later found out he was literally the next farm over on the other side of the road. 

My hi vis ultra warm running jacket, thermals/running pants from my friend in Norway and snow reflectors from my "momma" in Sweden.  That should make sure I don't get run over at dusk in England's farm land!

It was just gorgeous at night!  - Day 3

       After a week or so of contemplating and Skyping my mom on Thanksgiving, only to find her crying. I booked my ticket home for a month later so I wouldn't miss Christmas with my mother.  December 12th would be the day.  I would also be able to go home, get my wisdom teeth pulled while I still had insurance, spend some time with my friends for my birthday, get my business going, renew my driver's license and reflect on my journey.  That was the thought anyway.

       A few days later I was supposed to move locations and stay with a CouchSurfer in London.  Instead I got invited to go to the country/island of Jersey just off the coast of France for the weekend.  Why wouldn't I go, right??!!  Yah, so we booked the flight and off we went!

Bye bye Southend Airport.......

Heeeelloooo Jersey!!

Steering wheel on the right, of course.

First stop the War Tunnels.

       The island of Jersey was occupied by the Germans from July 1940 to May 8th 1945.  The exhibit was definitely interesting.   It pointed out how strange life must have been on Jersey during this time.  Here a three second run down:

    -  Food shortages.

    -  New strange laws passed every day, each equally ridiculous.

    -  No confronting the Germans even though they were living on the island.

    -  Smuggling food from France with the chance of being caught.

-  Telephone calls were rationed to save electricity.

       After those 5 years of terror the UK finally got their island and their people back.

Johnny's 7 quid parking job kiss on the wall @ Stop #2

Willay, Johnny and..... ? 

........Vin Diesel!    I just loved him in XXX. 

It was just fabulous! Blue waters, not too cold and great company!

I believe this is looking toward France.

My best boy band pose at La Corbiere lighthouse

A fresh seafood joint that must've closed down 5 minutes before we got there.
They were nice enough to made a hot cuppa' to go though.  :)

We tried one more place for seafood.

...and found it!  We were really looking for prepared meals though.  Haha!!

         We combed the streets for 20 minutes trying to find the hotel room. Some thing about the sign "turn and yield" kept throwing us for a loop.  Eventually we dropped all of our stuff off.  I took a "disco nap" in the room since I only had 45 minutes of sleep the night before and we were off!!

        I think Jersey knew the "A team" was out that night! While walking into town there was some punk kid.  All I saw was the cop and his knuckles make contact with the cop. They just threw him into the back of their station wagon, let him settle down and read him his rights.  WELCOME TO JERSEY!!

        We continued down the block, got cash from the ATM and headed to our destination. Long story short it was another successful night on the town.  Everyone had a FANTASTIC time and no one got hurt.

      On the walk home we made friends with two nice Polish boys who worked at a pizza place. 

      The next thing I knew, Johnny and I were swimming like champs in the English Channel.  That was fun..... and that's how the night ended.  One dip in the channel to make the trip epic and we all went back to our rooms and passed out! 

      More to come soon!