Two weeks home was not enough time, but I'm glad I got at least that. It was nice to see my family and not have to cook for a change.
I got to start my wonderful vacation by spending 4 hours at the Philadelphia airport while it was under construction. Therefore there wasn't a lot of food choices for my first American meal, and the plane food had really filled my stomach. I was only comforted by the fact that soon I would be home and that a box of beef lo mien was waiting for me...that and my family.
One of my main missions of the trip back was food, clearly. Food that didn't require me to cook and that hopefully my parents would be willing to pay for. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! I went to all/most of my favorite restaurants: Bottega, Cantina, Shangrila, The Original Pancake House, Sal's Soul Food Kitchen, Five Guys Burgers and Fries. I got to stuff my face with amazing junk food and just relax.
Besides eating I mostly just hung out with my brother Sam and then with Ally. I was a bit rushed the first couple of days because I only arrived about 5 days before Christmas. Unfortunately that meant I had to enter a mall during peak shopping time. It was a nightmare. There were just too many people in too small a place, and the parking was horrendous. Thankfully I managed to get all my shopping done in one trip.
Christmas itself was quite a geek fest. Basically "Santa" decided to give us a bunch of Doctor Who related gifts. Sam was probably the most decked out. He had a sonic screwdriver, 10's duster, a fez, and a bow tie. The day was made even better by the fact that we got to watch the Doctor Who Christmas special on BBC America. This is the first year we have been able to watch the new episodes when they air so it was quite exciting. It was also great because there was a large Sherlock Holmes presence in the episode and we had just spent the previous two days watching season 1 and 2 of BBC Sherlock. I guess the other elements of Christmas were pretty good but they were a bit over shadowed. It was nice to see my extended family, but this was the first year that one of my aunts was not there and she was definitely missed. I also got to gorge myself on eggnog french toast, which I have decided is the only way to make french toast.
Then it was just a rush of days till the new year. My parents treated me to both The Hobbit and Les Mis, but I definitely enjoyed The Hobbit more. My brothers were extremely occupied by their new video games, but we did play a couple of games of Risk together. Somehow Sam always managed to win. I think it was just because Jack and I were too preoccupied with stopping each other for winning. When I get home I am going to have to demand a rematch because I just can't allow this winning streak to continue.
For the first time I actually did something for New Year's Eve. Last year Ally and I watched the ball drop while knitting on my couch. Clearly we are a force to be reckoned with! This year we branched out a bit and went to our friend Connor's party at his apartment in Tuscaloosa. It was nice to get out of the house. In some ways two weeks wasn't enough, but other times it felt like too much time with the family...no offense to them.
Three days later I sent on my way back to merry ole England.
Besides eating I mostly just hung out with my brother Sam and then with Ally. I was a bit rushed the first couple of days because I only arrived about 5 days before Christmas. Unfortunately that meant I had to enter a mall during peak shopping time. It was a nightmare. There were just too many people in too small a place, and the parking was horrendous. Thankfully I managed to get all my shopping done in one trip.
Christmas itself was quite a geek fest. Basically "Santa" decided to give us a bunch of Doctor Who related gifts. Sam was probably the most decked out. He had a sonic screwdriver, 10's duster, a fez, and a bow tie. The day was made even better by the fact that we got to watch the Doctor Who Christmas special on BBC America. This is the first year we have been able to watch the new episodes when they air so it was quite exciting. It was also great because there was a large Sherlock Holmes presence in the episode and we had just spent the previous two days watching season 1 and 2 of BBC Sherlock. I guess the other elements of Christmas were pretty good but they were a bit over shadowed. It was nice to see my extended family, but this was the first year that one of my aunts was not there and she was definitely missed. I also got to gorge myself on eggnog french toast, which I have decided is the only way to make french toast.
Then it was just a rush of days till the new year. My parents treated me to both The Hobbit and Les Mis, but I definitely enjoyed The Hobbit more. My brothers were extremely occupied by their new video games, but we did play a couple of games of Risk together. Somehow Sam always managed to win. I think it was just because Jack and I were too preoccupied with stopping each other for winning. When I get home I am going to have to demand a rematch because I just can't allow this winning streak to continue.For the first time I actually did something for New Year's Eve. Last year Ally and I watched the ball drop while knitting on my couch. Clearly we are a force to be reckoned with! This year we branched out a bit and went to our friend Connor's party at his apartment in Tuscaloosa. It was nice to get out of the house. In some ways two weeks wasn't enough, but other times it felt like too much time with the family...no offense to them.
Three days later I sent on my way back to merry ole England.
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