sara, that's pretty! And welcome back! The pictures are fantastic, and I'm glad you had such a great trip.

I'm letting my parents recover now.

Wait, you didn't actually snap and beat them with it, did you?

Cash, that would be such an opportunity, if it happens. Well worth looking into, if nothing else. I know my brother *and* the wife and kids really loved living abroad, and still think about doing it again if the right assignment came up.

London, or somewhere else? You'd find it's not that different here (except in some amusing ways. And you can't find pancakes or Kraft macaroni and cheese. Stock up).

It would be East London--but we'd probably look at Kent for living arrangements. He's an actuary and it's a London firm.

Alton Brown has a recipe that approximates Kraft Mac & Cheese so I could do it in a pinch. But I could also get boxes shipped. I once carried three pounds of Oreo cookies on my lap to a friend in London. I know the drill.

A couple of years in Kent would be splendid, and an UnAmerican F2F with second-generation Buffistaness between your kids and Fiona's would be excellent beyond words.

I've had too many boxes of Annie's shells and cheddar--Kraft now has an aftertaste that feels like some weird combination of starchy and metallic and it's not even indulgent fun to eat anymore. Annie's, though--I could seriously eat a family size box of that a week, all by myself (sadly, probably in one sitting) and be perfectly happy.

Prosecco with homemade peach sorbet. It was like a bellini float.

Mmmmmmm. I'm gonna have to try this.

Cash, I'd love to move to England for a job for a few years. But I know everyone's life circumstances and needs are different.

Amy's Frozen Foods includes a 'Macaroni & Soy Cheeze' dish that tastes acceptably correct to my picky picky tastebuds. It's satisfying my comfort food instincts, anyway.

I am a sweaty mess.

sara, if you are still in need of basement shelves, I highly recommend these for ease of assembly and they seem to be strong. [link] They also come in 24" deep, which I am glad I did not get, that would have been too tight in the storage space.

I highly recommend these for ease of assembly and they seem to be strong.

Oh yeah, those are wicked strong. We've had them through three moves and they're still holding up and not warping or anything and that's considering they've been living in garages in Florida.

Breaking news: Todd and Sarah Palin have filed for divorce. Evidently, there's been affairs on both sides. So much for family values....

[link]

All the crap I am buying through this ordeal is really gonna come in handy if we ever do move to a house.

There were no signs of any bugs down in the storage unit, so I am going to get rid of some of the stuff down there: coffee table, bag full of misc crud, 2 winter coats, and after one more trip to the vet - the broken-up pet carrier.

Todd and Sarah Palin have filed for divorce. Evidently, there's been affairs on both sides. So much for family values....

NO WAY!!!!

HA HA HA HA!!!!