IT'S THE FINAL BLOG POST!

Da da da da...da da da da da.....da da da da...da da da da da da da....
IT'S THE FINAL BLOG POST!
Soooooooo, I know I've been really bad at updating this blog for the past week or so. This is due to 2 things:
1. Working on my EPIC RESEARCH PAPER. 4,975 words of AWESOME. It was due on Wednesday and consumed my life.
2. Spending every possible moment with my wonderful boyfriend, Oliver, before I leave. By the way, today it's been officially a month since our first date. Awwwww, how bittersweet.
Where do I begin? These 3 months have been absolutely amazing for me in every possible way. I can't believe that I'm already sitting here in Heathrow using the slow WiFi to write this last blog entry. I'm also really proud of myself for keeping this blog up for the entirety of my journey- it's always hard for me to finish what I start. I always have these grand plans for things like this and never finish them because I get too busy or something like that, so I'm glad that I've kept on with this blog. Hopefully it'll serve as a nice memory several years from now.
I honestly can't believe half the things that happened this semester, mainly with Oliver...never in a million years did I think I would get the cute British boyfriend with a wonderful accent that every girl dreams of. I guess good things come to those who wait...I know I'm not that experienced with relationships, but I'd rather have just this one month I've had with Oliver so far than 10 so-so relationships in the US.
Oh, speaking of Oliver and I....we've decided to stay together (if you couldn't tell by the altogether cheery attitude of this post)! On Wednesday we had a long talk about everything, and we decided that we didn't want to end something this great, as long as we make an effort to see each other whenever possible. (Completely unrelated: the PLEASE SEND MIRANDA BACK TO LONDON fund is currently accepting donations. Thank you.) I was THRILLED about this! Also, he got me the CUTEST PRESENT EVER- a PERSONALIZED MUG with our pictures on it and little inside jokes about us on it! I was going to take a picture of it, but I forgot. Meh. Ah well, it's still ADORABLE! I don't know how I ended up with this guy...
Ok, enough gushing. Onto the important stuff! I'll be back in Rochester at midnight tonight! Wow! My plane gets into JFK at 8 (US time) and leaves for Rochester at 10:35. Tomorrow we're getting our Christmas tree! Nice!


For everyone reading this blog (whether you've chosen to officially "follow" it or not...) THANK YOU SO MUCH for keeping up with it! Every time I here someone say "I read your blog!" I get so happy inside. For those who did, thanks for commenting, too!
I can't believe I'm leaving! :(

- Miranda

*insert Oliver's birthday weekend here*

I just had a GREAT weekend celebrating Oliver's 21st birthday! On Saturday, we had an AMAZING Christmas lunch cooked mostly by Tom, one of Oliver's housemates. But first, of course, we had to put up some Christmas decorations!

After making the living room look Christmas-y, we sat down to an epic lunch! We didn't eat until around 2, but it was SO worth it. The food was great- just look at this!

And Oliver got an amazing cake, too!

I didn't take a picture of it, but Rebecca and Alisdair made whipped cream to go with the cake, too! That was sooooooo good! (I guess I was too busy eating it to take a picture, lol.)
We had to leave the lunch midway through the dessert course to meet Oliver's parents for tea at a local cafe! Like dinner with my parents, it in NO WAY resembled the trailer for the movie "Meet the Parents" so that was good! They were also kind enough to give both of us a ride to the restaurant for dinner! Thanks!
I neglected to take any pictures at dinner (I am a shame to the Rycenga part of me) but that was also really nice! I also gave Oliver his present from me at dinner- a really cute hat!
Then it was time for Oliver's PARTY! George made him an epic FLAMING DRINK! This is what it looked like after it was on fire:

Notice the stylish hat Oliver's wearing!
All in all, I had a great weekend :) (It would be even better if the Vikings weren't killing the Bills, though).
- Miranda

Good and bad

I have some good news, and I have some bad news. I'll break the bad news to you guys first.
I'm not going to be secretary of Wandering Minds this year. I'm confident that Becky will do a good job, but I'm still a little upset about it, I guess. I really pour my heart and soul out to that group when I'm at BU, so I'm upset that I can't be on the E-board. Oh well. Life goes on. The other bad news is that I only have 8 days left here. :(
The good news is that tomorrow is Oliver's 21st birthday! I'm so happy! This weekend is going to be great! Tomorrow we're having an early Christmas lunch with everyone in his house and later I'm taking him out to dinner. Then it's time for the PARTY! Yay! :)

I know my entries have been super short as of late- I've just been busy writing papers, etc. Yesterday Stephanie and I went Christmas shopping, which was fun.
Adios!
- Miranda

Happy December!

So yesterday it snowed in London! How epic is that? Hahaha the headlines in the paper said it was a SNOWSTORM and everyone was freaking out, but it really wasn't at all. Yesterday Oliver and I went to Winter Wonderland (carnival at Hyde Park) and had a lot of fun! We basically only went on 1 ride (the funhouse) but it was still a good time! The cold kind of turned us off from doing anything else there, though. After that, I went over to his place and, in loving memory of the late Leslie Nielsen (RIP) we watched The Naked Gun.
Today I had my final for EN 340. I think I did pretty well. Most of today has been kind of bla though because of this cold that I have. I REALLY want to get better by this weekend, but so far it hasn't. Mehhh. I hate colds.
- Miranda

Cold Monday!

So the frigid temperatures from this weekend have sadly continued into today. Come on, this is London, not Rochester! PLEASE WARM UP! Thanks.
So our trip to the Globe didn't get cancelled today, as we *were* able to make it by tube! It was a nice, informative tour, and I learned a lot, but I'm glad that I already went there to see a play because I think I learned more from experiencing the Globe than actually having a tour of it.
Today Oliver and I went out for some quick food at the Union for a little bit. Both of us have work to do, so we couldn't hang out for that long, but it was still nice.
Yeah, sorry for the length of this entry, but nothing else really happened today. I wish the weather would improve.
- Miranda

British Museum (Part 3!)

Hey guys!
So today was reallllllly cold, yet again. Wowwww. Fortunately, Oliver and I planned a nice, inside date today- going to the British museum! It's actually the 3rd time I've been there, and I STILL don't think I've seen everything! The museum is seriously that huge. We did see a lot that I didn't see last time, though, including a whole exhibit on clocks! (Oliver, being an engineer, really liked that one hahaha). I also bought some Christmas presents at the gift shop (but I won't say for who!).
Since a tube strike is starting this evening, I didn't go to his place afterward, but I still have fun. The tube strike is continuing until tomorrow, though, so I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to get to the Globe Theatre tomorrow for my Shakespeare class field trip. I'd love to go again, but I'm kind of hoping that it will be cancelled because I don't want to have to take multiple buses etc. to get there. Plus, I've already been there.
I'm really tired today. Mehhh. Also, the Bills are currently losing, but they just need a field goal to try and tie the game! LET'S GO BUFFALO! 3 IN A ROW BABY!
- Miranda

Hmmm, maybe I should update every TWO days now?

....because clearly updating every day isn't working for me.
Anyway, on Friday I uploaded all of my Christmas music onto my iTunes, which made me really happy! I'm currently listening to my playlist, it's really nice.
Also, on Friday I did a very British thing: watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail with my British boyfriend! If only we were eating fish and chips as we were watching it...hahahaha. It was a really great Friday night.
Today, Oliver and I went to the King's College school Christmas fair! It was REALLY cold but we had a great time! We got some nice French-type lunches (I think mine was called a Racqulette and his was a Tartiflette?) and he bought me a really nice hot chocolate and some FUDGE! Any guy who buys me fudge is tops in my book. After getting out of the freezing cold, we went back to his place for some Chinese food. We watched Planes, Trains, and Automobiles because I feel like I need to see that movie every Thanksgiving break, even if I'm not in America. All in all, another great day :)
Tomorrow we're going to the British Museum (and hopefully getting some Belgian waffles with Nutella at the stand outside the Russell Square tube station....NOMNOMNOMNOMNOM). I'll be sure to tell you guys all about it!
- Miranda