Of all the GEP's here, we seem to be the ones who most often are anticipating, hosting or planning for guests. Since we landed, we have hosted 20 people in our flat on Sinclair Road. Considering we've been here for 14 months now, that means in some form or another we have had at least a guest per month. We often talk about how lucky we are that our friends would make the long trip and pay the high costs of a plane ticket just to see us (well, and this amazing city!)

Tomorrow we'll be saying good-bye to Anneliese- fittingly our first guest last December and our last planned guest during our secondment here. It is bittersweet, no longer will our little guest room and extra phone and oyster passes be needed. (well, unless I lose one of my own, which is highly likely). No longer will we have an excuse to go out every night of the week. No longer will we have deliveries of American goods like salsa and make-up (it is expensive here!!).
What it also means for me is that our time here is winding down. We don't touch down in the US until April 23, but with the new year quickly approaching, I feel like we will soon be packing and filling out moving forms and planning leaving "do's".

Highlights of Anneliese's trip include a holiday costume party that also celebrated our friend Andy's 30th birthday (so, named the Dual-Purpose party), a Christmas pantomime show : http://www.stratfordeast.com/shows.php (another England holiday tradition), a trip to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, a viewing of the movie Four Christmases, and pub quiz night. Today we will be spending our last day together by doing a day trip to Marlow- a quaint little town about an hour outside London.

JP is in Barcelona this weekend attempting with some friends to score tix to the Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona tonight. He luckily is enjoying some more mild weather. It is freezing here with weather warnings of sleet and rain- great for walking around outside! That is why there is a pub on every corner here.... ahhh the pubs.

Thanksgiving also has come and gone- and my sister and I successfully cooked for 20 people in a small London flat. It was a super fun day and night- cooking with my sister and then relaxing and watching American football with our friends. I didn't realize how easy a turkey was to cook and now that I have a fancy roasting pan perhaps I'll try to do the wife-ly thing and cook a chicken or something for JP. (although, I secretly think he likes my super special meal of minestrone soup out of the can and a baguette)

This is our last week working before we head to Italy for 10 days to celebrate Christmas and eat loads of pasta and gelato. Everyday this week we have some sort of holiday lunch planned at work that starts at 1pm and includes copious amounts of wine and goes until evening. What a tough life we lead here.

I'll leave you with some pics of Thanksgiving and the dual-purpose party.

Showing off our super sweet sweatshirts, thanks Anneliese!

At the pub, we were quite the spectacle. Stuart wearing the PJ's went as the American dad on Christmas morning. Oggie, well, kind of did the Canadian tux and a holiday tie and hat.

Anneliese made three sweet sweatshirts for our party... JP wore his proudly. Antlers purchased separately.

The gang heading out to the pub after some drinking and beer pong at the flat.

My first turkey going into the oven... yum!