Long Live the Queen

Today marks the 60^th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation as the Queen of Great Britain. It also marks the one month anniversary of our migration from the United States to the United Kingdom. I thought I’d mark the occasion by reflecting on just a few of the ways that my life has changed over the course of the past 4 weeks.

1. I drive on the left side of the road.
2. I’ve learned that a few minutes of sunshine is cause to drop everything that you’re doing, grab your pups, and head outside.
3. 2 miles is walking distance and much easier than finding a parking spot.
4. Dog-walking gloves are a normal part of my wardrobe.
5. It’s totally normal for random men to let themselves into my house and garden, so I should always be fully dressed, even when in the shower.
6. ‘There’s no bad weather; only bad gear’ and ‘it’s all about layering’.
7. I am a woman of leisure.
8. 65 degrees in May is considered 'unseasonably warm'.

9. The scenery on our walks and jogs looks like something out of a Harry Potter film.
10. I take Jonathan’s “trousers” to be dry-cleaned, and pay a steep price for that.
11. A pack of sour patch kids costs 7 dollars and is totally worth it.
12. I’ve gone up 4 dress sizes and down 2 shoe sizes.
13. I have to have a license to own a TV.
14. Doing laundry takes all day.

15. I’ve got about 100 amazing hikes within a 60 mile radius of my house.
16. I wear Uggs every single day.
17. It never takes me more than 15 minutes to drive in or out of town.
18. I walk a block to the grocery store when I need a loaf of bread.
19. I eat porridge instead of oatmeal.
20. I usually have to visit at least 2 grocery stores in order to find all of the ingredients I need for a meal.
21. I've got the beach, countryside, and city center all within 3 miles of my house and it's only a 45 minute drive to go snow skiing.

I could easily list a hundred more ways that my life has changed, but I need to go start getting ready for one of those amazing hikes I told you about. Jonathan has the day off for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee so we are taking the dogs hiking with some new friends.