Even as I sit down to write this, I feel like my heart’s about to leap out of my chest and do a frantic dance around the British telephone boxes and Union Jacks scattered about my desk.
I’m going to London next month!!!
I just can’t. I just really can’t. I love the US, and I’m extremely blessed to call myself an American. But ever since I was young, I’ve had a heart for the UK. Maybe it’s because I fell in love with British television on PBS when I was a child. Maybe because I read so much British literature growing up and studied it in college. Maybe because my best friend as a kid was from Belfast, and her mother introduced me to the elixir of life that was hot tea with milk and honey before school on those chilly mornings. Maybe because the Brits have a special kind of humor that I connect to in ways I can’t explain. Maybe because at my core, I’m a die-hard Whovian. I don’t know the reason…maybe it’s a little bit of them all. But goodness, a chunk of my heart has always felt firmly lodged across the Pond.
I’ve always wanted to go. First, to Northern Ireland…and I still long to go there. And one day, Lord willing, I will. And then, to London…the city that just calls to me. And now, I’m so thrilled that Doug and I are actually taking the plunge. Call it an early anniversary trip. I call it, “please please please please, let’s do this before I explode into tiny bits” kind of moment. But we’re going next month! It’s a week…and it’s not going to be nearly enough time. I’m trying not to think that way and just be giddy about the time I will have there. I want to savor every single second.
And to put icing on an already unbelievable cake, we’re planning to head over to Cardiff, Wales one day. Why? If you’re a Whovian, you know exactly why!!!! I’m jumping up and down in my seat like a crazy toddler right now! And, I’m praying, if time and money allow, we’ll head up to Oxford as well. Oh, to set my eyes on the “city of dreaming spires” has always been on this literature person’s bucket list.
While in London…and you better believe I’m going to explore every inch of it I can — including everything that isn’t on the touristy map — I’m so completely excited that I get to visit my publisher HarperCollins/HarperVoyagerUK and meet the editors in charge of bringing GREY to life. And, apparently, that have a pretty stunning view from their building near Tower Bridge, which I’m dying to see.
So, I’m sure I will post more later, but I had to get that off my chest before I went insane. I don’t think I’ve ever been more in love with a vacation than I am with this one. And, to get to do this with my best friend….well, it can’t get better than that.