Sweet Misery

Greetings, i write to you from my dear mom's sumptuous king-size bed. I haven't left this bed for much at all in the past 24-hours. Yes, my friends, i am sick once again. Got a cough a few days ago that only seems to be getting worse, despite my attempts at self-medication. I refuse to go to the doctor and am hoping it'll just pass, but my resistance is waning. Thanks to some Nyquil, i slept all night and most of today, waking only to eat and check email. Please please PLEASE let me get better soon. I've got much to do before moving to Austin!!

A Moment Alone

*Deeeeep breath* siiiiiiiiiiiiigh... I love moments alone. We rarely have enough of them these days, don't you agree? Mom, Auntie, and Sister are out shopping at the outlets. Bro's at the movie theater, Uncle's golfing, and Dad's off to work (poor Daddy). I've taken advantage of this house by taking a hot shower, swaddling up in my robe, turning on my new warm steam humidifier, and enjoying the peace and quiet. Not that i don't adore having a full house because i really do; i see how happy my Mom is with her oldest sister, and it makes me sad for the day my Auntie has to leave. C'est la vie... n'est-ce pas?

Lovin' It

What a treat this holiday season in the Park family compound has been! After we got over the money crap, and since my Aunt/Uncle from Canada have gotten here, everyday's been oodles of family fun. Christmas was delightful and i got all kinds of goodies from ma soeur and bro, including a vegan cupcake book, darling dishes begging to be used for afternoon tea, gorgeous leopard print towels from Pottery Barn, darling pink moccasin slippers from LL Bean, and much more. I've been on a reading kick and finished The Other Boleyn Girl last night, only to make a trip to Borders to purchase The Boleyn Inheritance. Read both The Kite Runner and A Thousand Spendid Suns in London and highly recommend both. Am also reading The Why Cafe, which is really helping me get back to the whole "Why am i here? What do i want from life?" conversation, which of course i love. Have been indulging in some creative activity RE: my new apartment and spent the other night making design collages with ma soeur (who actually never finished one..surprise surprise). I have a full book full of magazine cutouts and ideas and have another one on the way. Just found a fabulous coach/daybed from West Elm that both Mommy and Sister have approved of, so going to making that purchase soon. Love love LOVE planning new spaces! I still fully intend on painting a hot pink accent wall in the living room and my bedroom a lovely grecian green. Also adding a "library" to the living room, courtesy of IKEA's darling pink lack bookcases. Even more reason to feed my book-buying addiction!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Have no solid plans for New Year's as of right now, but am perfectly content spending it with my family. Really must get a move on 2008 Resolutions, as it's going to be a big year for me and many of my friends. Graduation, the BAR exam, and starting work... ick. Am i really ready to be an adult?? Also need to start planning my BAR trips... definitely taking Mom somewhere for a week. M and i were also discussing Bali or maybe even Mozambique! Ahh the possibilities are endless...

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!

Hello, my darlings!! Just wanted to do a quick Happy Holidays shout-out, it being Christmas Eve and all. The Park house is FULL of family - me, Mom, Dad, Sister, Bro-in-law, Muffin, Puffin, AND our fave Aunt and Uncle from Canada!! Just waiting on Dad to get home so we can pour the wine and open presents!!! I hope you are all warm, safe, happy, and with your loved ones tonight.

xoxo,
C

Stateside

Yes yes i have finally returned to the U.S. of A, and surprise surprise, i already miss London. I miss the sights, the sounds, the streets, and of course, TopShop. That being said, i don't miss the Institution or the lack of good and cheap food, so i guess the grass is always greener on the other side. My trip home went pretty smoothly, except for a slight delay at my Chicago layover. Luckily my crazy whacked out London sleep schedule has translated into a great, solid sleep schedule here in the States. I've been fast asleep by midnight or earlier and up by 8:30, a vast improvement. I'm currently snuggled up in my beautiful pink bedroom upstairs in my parents' home in good ole Rowlett. Truth be told, it's not all sunshine and butterflies 'round here since i just spent a good 10 minutes crying into my pillow a la high school. Yet ANOTHER conversation about money with my parents. Why oh why? I've already had like 3 and i've only been home for 2 days! Argh. It just makes me wonder... will my parents ever see beyond my faults? Anyway, it'll blow over, and i am overreacting, but it's probably because i've missed my family so much that to get such crap from my mother, father, AND my sister about my money-spending habits after being away for 3+ months is tres annoying. Mom's also not happy about my vegetarian experiment, surprise surprise.

SO i'm really glad to be back in the States, but i really really can't wait till i get to Austin. I wish there were some way i could move in earlier... maybe i'll give Matt @ the Triangle a call tomorrow... Or maybe i'll just crash @ Pony's if i feel that i'm going out of my mind. ;-)

Plans for tonight? I don't know... before my crying fit, Bro and i were planning to hit up Best Buy and Target. Ooh he just came in, so here we go! XOXO, will write later.

<3 C

A Pictorial Journey

Being a tourist is EXHAUSTING! Anyway, I've been going nonstop the past few days - highlights include the National Gallery, Tate Modern, Phantom of the Opera, Shakespeare's Globe, and St. Paul's Cathedral. Oh and, of course, one last trip to my beloved TopShop. Love love LOVE this city!

Sheets of Egyptian Cotton

I can't sleep. Again. Last night i was up until about 6:30 a.m., which of course means i slept until 2 p.m. Luckily my productivity was at an all-time high today, and i somehow managed to finish and print off all my papers before 10. Who am i?? Pretty soon i realized i was tired and when it turns out my latest chick lit turned out to be a HUGE flop (Marianne Keys - The Other Side of the Story, blah! but do check out her other book Is Anybody Out There?), i turned out the lights, and snuggled up with my hot water bottle. Then i woke up at 1:45 to use the loo, couldn't fall back asleep, realized poor M was still downstairs in the computer room so made her a thermos of darjeeling tea, packed some biscuits, and headed down there (tea and biscuits - how British!). Poor darling was in desperate need of tea and biscuits... After realizing her productivity level was at an all-time LOW, i dragged her back upstairs to use my laptop, and then at 4 a.m. we both decided to get some sleep (aka she would sleep for 2, maybe 3 hrs). But here it is 5:13 a.m., and i have yet to fall back into slumber. Gah! Maybe my body is just preparing itself for its return to the States?

Soooo many things lately that i've wanted to blog about, but because i was being a good student, i never did. And of course, i can't remember a damn thing now. But i will say that this next week, aka my last week here in Londy, is going to be a whirlwind of sightseeing fun! I have sooo much to do, including but not limited to...

1. Tate Modern
2. Natural History Museum (LOVE me some dinosaurs!!)
3. Seeing the Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House
4. Afternoon tea (yes, again.....)
5. Portobello Market
6. Evensong @ St. Paul's
7. Westminster Abbey
8. Boutique shopping in Hamstead and Chelsea
9. Phantom of the Opera
10. Outdoor ice skating
11. Une autre visit to Harrods to buy pink Wellies!

Oh and i also have to figure out how on earth i'm going to pack and if i need to ship stuff home (likely) and um, all that jazz.

Have been eating TONS of Indian food lately and can't seem to get enough. There are some truly fabulous hole-in-the-wall vegetarian Indian eats just down the street - yum! There's also a cute little cafe/store called Greens 'n Beans, a DRU yoga creation, that serves a very very petit hot lunch buffet full of delicious, wholesome, and amazing vegetarian/vegan food. Think i might hit that one up tomorrow since M and i did Indian tonight...

Ouch, i think i might be experiencing heartburn. Not that i really know what heartburn is, of course, but this is what i imagine it to feel like. Speaking of hearts, Mom's surgery went really well, and i talked to her today. She said the first thing she said when she woke up was, "I'm hungry!" Hmmm i wonder where i get my appetite from... Can't wait to get home in a week and celebrate the holidays with Mommy, Daddy, Jennifer, Chris, Puffin & Muffin!! It's going to be such a full Park family house, i can hardly stand it! And the Thursday apres Christmas, Mom, Sister and I will be relaxing at the Bliss Spa in the W Hotel. 75-minute massage + "Mistle toes" pedicure = HEAVEN for this pedicure-starved student abroad.

xoxo darlings,
C