Back!

Sharon and I just returned from our jaunt across the pond to London and Paris! This was our combined birthdays/this year's anniversary/last year's anniversary/Christmas present to each other, one we had been looking forward to for quite some time. Due to the unanticipated expedited schedule for Sharon's residency program and its resulting pinch on our schedules plus the shock of the tornadoes and the utter destruction left in its wake, it definitely felt a bit strange to be taking off for a vacation, but it was definitely a great time for recharging, exploring, and getting in some quality together-time away from the everyday grind.

I won't be able to do justice to our trip in a quick post tonight, but it was a trip jam packed of fun experiences, new things, and great food. London and Paris felt somewhat like a preview for our upcoming lives in a big city atmosphere- though hopefully in New York we'll feel less like tourists and more like locals. We walked EVERYWHERE, and when we weren't walking, we took public transportation (like I said, preparation for NY living). I'm pretty sure we both lost weight over the course of the trip due to all of the walking, even with the good good eating we did over there.

And, for the first time in a while, I visited a city I'd never visited before (Paris). It was an adventure, since I knew little French other than bonjour, je m'appelle Henri, and the suggestive phrase from that popular song from back in the day (two out of three would be useful there, I guess :P). I got a taste of Sharon's Taiwan experience- visiting a country in which your handle of the language is nearly nonexistent and trying to keep up as well as I could.

Paris is a beautiful city- everything was, quite simply, ornate. But I think Sharon and I were in agreement that London- the bustling, always interesting London- was the city that we really enjoyed the most. I couldn't help but compare London living to our next home.

In the next few weeks, I'll try to do more recapping of our trip (with pictures, of course). I think the 52 Project is officially to be on hold while we are running around like crazy preparing for the move next week. But I'll try to get pictures (from the trip and for the 52 project) posted as they trickle out.