Life's a roller coaster...you gotta just ride it

This week has been like a crazy roller coaster ride filled with some amazing highs and some really lame lows.  I've been so happy here and that hasn't changed I guess I just had some reality moments that were not fun and in those moments you realize how much you want your best friends and family around you.  On the flip side of that if I had not had those real life low moments here I would not have gotten to experience the true love and friendship of those I am surrounded with here.  You know you have good friends when you come home one night and burst into tears and they just wrap you up in a hug...no questions asked or explanation needed. Now don't get concerned about me bursting into tears...I've worked through it now and sometimes you just need a good cry.  I know some of you can relate to that.  Now lets

Notting Hill Carnival Parade

get on with some of the fun adventures.  We will begin at the Notting Hill Carnival.  This was, to say the least, a crazy day.  I had a slight idea of what to expect but my expectations were exceeded.  I met up with a couple of my friends at the station here and we walked towards the carnival.  As we got closer and closer it got louder and louder and before we knew it we joined into a huge wave of people with flags waving and whistles blowing.  I felt a little like I had been swallowed up and told the guys not to lose me.  We found the parade and fought into the crowed to watch it start.  It was colors and feathers galore....so

No the police man was not a part of the parade...just lucky

beautiful.  The corner we were standing on was really crazy and packed.  There was a moment where I got a bit panicked when so many people crammed in around me I literally couldn't move.  This was also right at the moment the guys decided we needed to find a new spot and I couldn't follow.  Luckily they noticed and being the gentlemen they are waited for me to throw some elbows and get out.  While I was being smashed by the crowed there was another hysterical moment happening across the way where a police man was being smashed but in a very different way (check out the photo)  It was totally funny...he just started dancing.  Might as well join in...which is also the approach we took.  Once we made it out from under the crowed and the rope we found ourselves in the middle of the street along with the people walking in the parade behind a truck that was pumping out music so loud my chest was vibrating.  It was awesome.  We all just shook our bootys' down the street and had a blast.  I was really wishing I had a feather outfit so I could have really gotten into it plus I think I would look pretty cute in one....next year for sure.  We ducked out of the parade, bought

Butterflies, fairies and feathers everywhere

some beer off the side of the street and settled in to watch a bit.  To give you an idea of how massive this thing is there were supposedly about 1 million people who attended and the parade itself starts at 9 am and goes until 7pm then the after parties start.  We hung out and watched the parade for quite a while just dancing to the steel drums and taking in the dancers and beautiful costumes.  I loved the really lavish costumes that looked like butterflies and fairies.  While these great parts of the parade were going by you were constantly being surrounded by people who were taking the freedom to carry a bottle of alcohol down the street to the extreme.  I don't think I have ever seen so many liqueur bottles being carried and drunk straight out of...I suppose who needs cups when you can carry the bottle.  One guy saddled up next to me and just kept feeding me one liners for a few hours.  My favorite was "I've got two friends, 1 Jack and 2 Daniels."  That basically sums him up.  Kept me entertained for sure.  Like I said this was a great day but we ended up leaving before the end.  We all needed a bit of peace and quite after all the madness so we went back to a quiet place in South Kensington and sipped Sipsmiths Summer Cup

Love finding a new view...Tower Bridge.

(yummy).  The way home on the tube was entertaining also when a really drunk guy sat on a really drunk girl and wouldn't get off.  There was a lot of fighting and yelling.  Her liqueur bottle got smashed out of the tube door and then there was some crying.  Gotta love drunks on the tube.  And so ends the carnival day....moving forward to another sunny day.  I headed out in search of a Fashion Museum.  Across the Tower Bridge where I was struck by a new view of it that I had never experienced.  I love that just by taking a new route I find all sorts of good stuff.  As I wandered through the London Bridge area in search

SouthWark Cathedral

of the museum I kept going in circles and couldn't find it so I just assumed that there was something else I was supposed to find and there was.  I ended up face to face with the oldest gothic church in London which was rebuilt in 1212.  Ya I said rebuilt, the site has been a church since 606.  Wild right?  I wasn't able to go inside but it was quite nice just to marvel at it from the outside and learn about it's history.  Directly below it I noticed a bunch of people sitting and eating what looked like market food and I was right.  Through a cute little archway there was the famous Borough Market.  Inside this market was just about any food you could ever want, truffle mushrooms, specialty honey, and fruits and veggies galore....the list goes on.  I bought myself my first cup of Pimm's and just wandered and took it all in.  It was such a cool find.  I wandered through the streets some more after and found the Clink Prison and a new route over to my favorite spot...the South Bank.  From there I was able to just hop the train home and finish out another day.
So along with all those touristy bits this week has also contained some time with friends....and a lot of growing through some difficult situations.  Like I

Richmond Sunset...pure beauty.

mentioned there has been some low roller coaster moments but now that I am on the other side of them I am glad I put my self out there to go through it.  The full story will be a part of another post but just know that I am good now and I am capable of not letting history repeat it's self.
We have a choice in every one of life's moments on how we handle them and how we let them effect our world.  I am choosing to learn, and grow and be a better person from them....a glass of wine, a good friend and a beautiful sunset helps make that choice just a bit easier.