Once in a Lifetime for a dorky Harry Potter fan!

July 7th, 2011 - The Greatest Day Ever. This momentous Thursday marks the end of a era, the London premiere of the FINAL Harry Potter movie. And how do I remember this date so vividly you might ask? BECAUSE I WAS THERE! 


My boss scored two tickets to this exclusive premiere. It began in Albannach where funny enough, I have been to before when Steph and Paul were visiting! Only all of the tables had been cleared out and they were serving 3, smoking (literally) Harry Potter themed drinks at the bar. Throughout the restaurant there were waitresses with h'orderves, tables with chocolate fountains, and Halloween decorations everywhere. This actually disappointed me because I didn't think that was very authentic... but it was obvious why this venue was chosen, it was at the bottom of Trafalgar Square - the epicenter of the Harry Potter evening and where the longest red carpet in the history of red carpets began - seriously, look it up!

Once on the red carpet, the first person I see? Emma Watson! She's literally 10 feet away from me. If you are not a celeb on the red carpet, they really do their best to usher you right along. This experience made me realise that for as big a Harry Potter fan as I am, I had no idea what these people's real names were! But I can tell you I saw Ginny Weasley, Tonks, Lupin, Snape, the Minister of Magic, JK Rowling, all within the first 30 feet I walked. I also saw non-HP celebs like Damian Lewis (he's in the TV show Life and Band of Brothers).
 
When you round the corner towards Leicester Square, there were pieces of the set for pictures! And then they had Hedwig and Deatheaters! It was AMAZING! 

You keep walking some more (having tons of fans taking MY picture thinking I'm someone famous) and eventually end up at the Leicester Square Odeon! 

We took our seats, and on the screen they were still broadcasting Trafalgar Square interviews. I almost cried as Emma, Rupert and Dan said their thanks to JK Rowling for everything Harry Potter has brought them and how much they are going to miss this "family." Then the screen went dark and Harry Potter  pt 2 began...in 3D! 


It literally picked up right where the other movie left off so I wished I had re-watched the Part 1 before this screening, but it didn't hinder too much. It was awesome!

I asked one of the girls from Warner Bros if the stars stay and watch these movies. She wasn't sure, but after the movie, when I walked down the stairs to check out the balcony on the theater (because lets be honest, I doubt I'll ever be there for a Premiere again) Ron Weasley and Hagrid were RIGHT there! I had on my "tall" heels, but Ron and I were eye to eye! I have this thing where when I'm really excited, I can't speak...at all. The only thing I was able to get out was "can I get my picture taken with you?" He said yes :) 

I also saw Draco Malfoy leave with Emma Watson (who had changed her dress at this point) from the Balcony. And (Spoiler Alert) I saw all the kids as I was leaving that played Harry & Hermoine's kids at the end of the movie. We were then ushered towards some coaches that took us to the After Party!! 

The venue was INSANE! And there was literally something for everyone - satays station, stews, roasted pig, candy stations, it was incredible! This is where you REALLY saw the celebs! I saw all the same ones as earlier, plus George and Fred Weasley, Neveille, Dean, Bill Weasley - seriously everyone! I actually felt kind of old. They all looked like babies in real life! 

I ended up not staying too late at the after party. I think all the excitement drained me, but it was really a once in a lifetime evening. 

I called all my family members on my taxi ride home to recount my star studded evening as they have teased me for years about my Harry Potter obsession. 

I can't believe it's over. I will always have a special place in my heart for Harry Potter. Now all I have to look forward to is going to Howgwarts in Orlando! Which I totally am pumped about visiting :) 

Fourth of July with the Samedis!

For the 4th of July, we went to Cambridge to Celebrate with Bernie and Alison. As a real treat, Bernie took us to the Commissary on the American Base up that way. Why do I love the Commissary? Because it's JUST like shopping in a Safeway in the States! I can buy Velveeta, and Fiber One Cereal and Goya Products and Breyer's ice cream - it's fantastic! One this trip though, we focused on BBQ friendly food. 


Andrew and Bernie were the grill masters for the day while Alison and I made the sides in the Kitchen. This is also the day where I got to experience "Big Fat Gypsy Weddings," a view into one of the most bizarre cultures I have ever seen! They get married SUPER young, as young as 15 or 16 and men "grab" them and drag them to a dark corner to show their interest - so crazy. We watched probably 5 episodes of this show in between pigging out. 

Finally, we ended the night by going out in Cambridge - with the college kiddies :) I had on a strappy Maxi dress and Alison, I top and some jeans. We looked like nuns compared to what every other girl was wearing. Maybe I'm just getting old, but it seriously felt like there was a competition to see who could wear the least! 

Anyways, as usual, it was a great night out with B & A. Love those guys! 

 

High Rollin' at Wimbledon

In July, I was invited by my lovely boss to attend the Men's Semi-Finals at Wimbledon. So I Wimbledon-ified myself and off I went to enjoy Pimm's, Strawberries & Cream, and Rafael Nadal! 

We were a group of 10 including my boss, Kirsty - a fellow PA friend, her boss Gordon & his wife, Laura & Rob from my team, a few fellow Americans, and some Marketing guys.

The package the we were on started with a champagne reception at the Golf Course country club next to Wimbledon, followed by a 4 course lunch. The lunch had salads and steaks and creme brulee... it was insane! 


After lunch, golf carts drove us over to the entrance of Wimbledon. I've never had such fancy treatment! Before we took our seats, we went to the private bar area for people on our package where I tried Pimm's for the first time. I have to admit, it was NOT my favorite. Any alcohol you have to serve with fruit & mint to take the edge off is a little a dodgy in my book. The first sip tastes amazing, but each subsequent sip just gets worse and worse. This is pretty unfortunate as Pimm's is a big thing London is known for. Very popular in the summer. 

We had Centre Court tickets and it was a bright sun shiny day - it was such a perfect experience! We got to see both Matches - Djokovic v. Tsonga and then Murray v. Nadal. 


I was hoping to spot Celebs while we were there, but Kirsty was the only one to see anyone up close - Pippa Middleton! There was clearly a "Celeb Box" but I'm pretty sure they were all British Celebs - I had no clue who they were!

Vale & Rob's Wedding

Apologies to my blog readers. Normal type looks GIGANTIC on my Mac, but on a regular screen so I always choose "small. Well, small is actually REALLY small now that I see it on a normal scree! I will test a larger going forward.. 

Anyway, Andrew and I are slowly building our friend network in London. Our very first friends were Rob and Valentina compliments of Andrew's boss (and Rob's friend) Ryan. We've stayed close with them since the beginning and back in June, Andrew and I were fortunate enough to be invited to Valentina & Rob's wedding in Pescara, Italy! 

We departed on a Thursday evening compliments of the lovely Ryanair. We actually almost didn't get to depart because Andrew got in a teeny tiny fight with one of the Ryanair check-in ladies...

We've had a problem EVERY TIME we've flown Ryanair, but we foolishly thought we had mastered the system. This is exactly what they want you to think because when we got to the gate, there were 4 different check-in ladies - one making you put your bag into the "your bag must fit here" space (that NO airline ever officially makes you try and do) one lady weighing your bag (because more than 10 kilos and they make you check it - pretty sure my laptop alone is 10 kilos!! lol) and two ladies checking in bags for all the people they are screwing over. 

Andrew gets accosted first and his bag is overweight. If his is overweight, mine DEFINITELY was. What Andrew didn't realise at this point is that the mean scale lady had ripped the boarding pass out of his hand when his bag didn't pass the weight test. So we stand to the side and repack my back to make his lighter and mine heavier since we were going to have to check it anyway. We take the bags off the repacking table and Andrew starts freaking out because he can't find his boarding pass (Ryanair charges you 40+ pounds to re-print these). He goes up to the counter where they check the bags in and sees his pass sitting behind the counter so he grabs it. Scale lady sees this and comes at Andrew like a bulldog, screaming that he should never reach over the counter. They exchanged some words, but long story short we made it to Pescara...barely..


Friday, we spent all day on the beach. It was incredible! What a beautiful city. And then that night, we went to Valentina's parents' house for a dinner celebration for out of town guests. The party was held in their back yard and it had the most beautiful views! 


Valentina's friend made signature cocktails for the evening that consisted of Sangria (yum) and Mango-ritas (even Yummier!!). It was such a beautiful evening and it was nice meeting all her friends that travelled from across the world to be part of their special day. We even met some fun Baltimore-ians, Jen and Trent! 


Then Saturday was wedding day:) We spent the morning on the beach again and then on to the Hotel Castello in Abruzzo for the wedding festivities! 


The ceremony was all in Italian, but Vale being Vale had prepared programs so that we could follow along. 

The reception began with drinks by the pool followed by the most elaborate dinner I have ever had! The best part - the dessert room!! There was table after table of gorgeous desserts - tarts, cakes, the works! We danced away until 2 in the morning :)


Finally, Sunday was another day on the beach with Vale and all her friends. It was such a perfect way to end the weekend (and to take a little nap because we were all exhausted!). 


I would go back to Pescara anytime :)

The Bestest Birthday Surprise!!

Andrew and I got back from the Airport pretty late on May 1st. We stopped at our Nando's on the way home. We grabbed the food and finally got home. It was a really long journey. 
 
Just as I sit down to take my first bite, the door bell for our flat rings. I open the door and buzz open the front door, but whoever is there didn't come in. So I walk to open the front door and Jesse, yes my brother from California, is on my doorstep! I couldn't believe it! And he was there for the whole week! 

Darcy, his cute little girlfriend, was with him and it was so so great to have them here! While they were here we rode bikes in Hyde Park, ate at Bodean's, watched some football, went out with my work friends... it was great! 

I totally introduced them to Hamley's on Regent Street as well. I think that's where we spent most of our time playing around. 

It went so fast, having them here. I don't think I've had that nice a birthday in a long, long time. Love you Jess!!

Thai Birthday - Get it?? :)

This year was the perfect storm of British public Holidays thanks to the Will & Kate Wedding. Basically, if you took the 3 days off between Easter Monday and Royal Wedding Friday, you then had a consecutive 14 days off when you added in Good Friday and May Bank Holiday Monday. 14 glorious days!! 

Unfortunately, most companies caught on to this and banned their workforce from doing so – kind of the “if everyone can’t take off no one can take off” mentality. But luckily Andrew and I didn’t have that problem when we, of course, asked for those 3 days off.


Living in England, my skin is the whitest it’s ever been. So for our then newly acquired holiday, we decided to find a lovely sunny excursion to soak in the vitamin D! An excursion, of course, that might include kiteboarding for the big guy.


It’s harder than you think to find guaranteed, stupidly hot weather in a semi-desirable/affordable destination at the end of April. We entertained Egypt (despite the civil unrest we heard it was still a great destination)- however, the weather was on the border of warm/might need a sweater at night, the Maldives – which were insanely pricey, and then Thailand – where airfare was scarce and could require up to 3 stops. In the end, we found our best bet was to go with Thailand, so booked we were – barely 3 weeks from when we were actually due to depart!


Good Friday came, we boarded Finair and off we went to Helsinki to connect and fly to Bangkok. Our newest, long flight survival technique is to pop a sleeping pill or two at the beginning of the flight and then sleep like a baby until you get there! I’m pretty sure I was awake for exactly 10 minutes of the 10 hour flight from Finland to Bangkok and then onto Phuket and that's only because I was trying to watch Disney's Tangled.


Once in Phuket, we stayed on the JW Marriott Resort A)because it’s really nice and B) with our Marriott Points we got a serious amount of Marriott Bucks (pretty much Marriott Cash!) that paid for all our expenses/activities once we were on the resort!


It was SOOOOO hot there that the first day in the sun from 9 – 11 AM, with 50 sunscreen on, we completely fried. I’m talking Lobster red - and I NEVER burn!! So the next few days, we were slathered in 50 spf and in the shade. 

The resort itself was massive! There were 6 different restaurants (Italian, Steakhouse, Thai, Japanese, Deli, and Buffet). I think I had Thai green curry, 3 of the 7 nights we were there. It was all fantastic!

I have also never been to the gym that much in my life. I ran 30 minutes every morning before breakfast. Breakfast was my favourite part of the day though. It was massive – 2 eggs stations, a fruit station with fresh cut fruit, smoothies, and fruit juices; a pancake/crepe/French toast station, a cold cuts and cheese station and then an Asian style breakfast bar with rice and soups. Glorious. I loved it. The very very best part of the resort, and all of Phuket really, were the amazingly nice staff/Thai people. They were so so sweet. 

Besides reading by the pool, the only time we really left the resort was the day we did an all-day boat excursion to the Phi Phi islands! That was one of the nicest things I’ve ever done. We first pulled into Phi Phi Lei where The Beach was filmed (Andrew and I watched this movie later in the trip and were quite disturbed). It is honestly what I picture paradise to look like. The lagoon has turquoise clear water and it’s warm! There are beautiful Thai boats ready to take you around. It was amazing. So after some pictures and some swimming, we were off to Phi Phi Don. This is where we had lunch (and where I’m convinced a got a touch of food poisoning because I wasn't quite right the rest of the time) and then we went for a swim in this secluded cove. I hyperventilate everytime I snorkel, but for some reason was able to dive right in and swim around! I was fearless here. That never happens… 

My final taste of luxury was the couple's Thai massage Andrew and I had at the resort spa. I had never had a thai massage before and my masseuse was half my size. But man, that little Thai lady bent me in ways I didn’t think I could go and I felt like I was floating on a cloud afterwards.

Our final night of vacation we spent in Bangkok at the airport hotel before an early Sunday morning flight. I didn’t want to leave. It was such an amazing, simple place. I would go back in a heartbeat.


My 27th birthday was that Bank Holiday Monday – the day after we got home. While Thailand was the best way to spend a birthday, my bestest birthday present was waiting for me at home :)

Summer Hiatus

I want to send my apologies for those of you who actually read my blog. Long time no post!

I have let life get in the way and I spend my precious few hours each evening completely relaxing before I have to start all over again the next day.. BUT I have done so many amazing things over the summer that I feel like I need to catch up - I've missed writing!

So, stay tuned... Updates to follow shortly on our trip to Thailand, my Wimbledon and Harry Potter 7 pt2 Premiere experiences, my fight with the flu, Steph Delia's wedding and much much more! There will be good times recounted and bad. So prepare for an emotional rollercoaster! Well, not really.. so my posts will be a little bit in the past, but I'll work my way to the present very quickly :) It's time.