What am I doing in England?

Big Ben

As many of you know, my life changed drastically in 2013 when my oldest daughter decided to attend college in England.

Here's what happened. She was 17 at the time and had never travelled by herself, let alone lived in another country far from her family.

When she applied to and got accepted into a great Occupational Therapy program in England, it was an easy decision for her. She wanted the education and the experience of living abroad.


I couldn't deny her that opportunity, but it was hard to think of her a whole ocean away. We are a tight knit family and she and I have a strong bond; it was very hard to think about letting her go.

Well, what is a mother to do? I told my husband that I would be going to England with our oldest daughter and taking our youngest with me. I gave him two options: figure out a way to do your work from England and come with us, or stay here by yourself.

Of course, I didn't mean that. I would never leave him behind or split up. That was never an option. But I did want to push him into action.And push I did.

He worked it out with his company to work out of their London offices for a short predetermined period of time.

We got over our first hurdle. Now what. We are actually doing this. Panic strikes.

After realizing the magnitude of our decision and a few glasses of wine later, we had a plan.

We rented our house, sold almost all of our things, put the rest in storage and took off for England.

Traditional Double Decker Bus

We've been on a rollercoaster ride ever since. But I wouldn't change it for the world.

Our daughter is incredibly happy at University. Our youngest is homeschooled and we've been all over London exploring museums, parks, and everything in between.

My husband and I are enjoying this adventure which has had an unexpected benefit. We've grown stronger as a couple. Nothing can shake us and I feel blessed and proud of that.

So how long are we here for? Originally we planned on 3 years. Now, it's open ended. We will see where life takes us!

Thanks for sharing this space with us and following us on this adventure!

Platform 9 3/4

Christmas at the South Bank

Stone Henge

Thatched Roof House

Somerset House