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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Oh Happy Day

When you were a kid did you ever carefully cut the "Proof of Purchase" off cereal boxes, save them up for months and months and then send them off with the promise of redeeming them for some sort of amazing toy?  You'd wait weeks and weeks, checking the mailbox to see if your long awaited prize had arrived. 

Well, for me, that day is here- for two reasons!

First,  I am setting off on a much anticipated ladies-only trip to Provence.  I can't wait to soak up some sun in the south of France and I'm looking forward to telling you all about it when I get back next week.

Photo Credit
And secondly, it's my SITS day!  Hooray!

Months ago I joined this useful site and today is finally my day as the SITS Girls featured blogger.  If you're visiting from The SITS girls, welcome!  I'm so glad you've stopped by to take a look around.  I hope you'll pour yourself a cuppa and and stay for a bit.

I blog mostly about my experience as an American Expat living near London.  Before moving here I was lucky enough to be an expat in Australia.  You can read all about that adventure here.

Sometimes I find myself befuddled by the cultural differences I've experienced.  Like when no one eats birthday cake at the party or when people queue up for hours to have their cars washed (in the rain!),  or, wondering why I need to serve tea to the plumber.

We are on a mission to travel as much as possible while living here, and I write about dragging my kids around Europe, one playground at a time.  You can have a look at some of our trips over in the sidebar.

Thanks again for stopping by.  I love reading your comments and look forward to getting to know you better by visiting your blogs, too.  What a happy day!

72 comments:

  1. Congrats on your SITS day! I am an American expat in the UK too, but living near Glasgow, Scotland. Look forward to following along on your adventure.

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  2. Hi Jenny! I'm Anne, and I'm here from SITS. Great blog. What a wonderful adventure your family is having! Can't wait to explore England/Ireland/Scotland someday myself. Till then, I'll have to live vicariously through you. Cheers!

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  3. Europe, one playground at a time - my you're brave! Have a great weekend in Provence - my you're fortunate! Love to travel and love your blog. Happy SITS day!

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  4. Pink Monkey loves to travel - enjoy your fortunate circumstances!

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  5. Such a beautiful photo! Can't I come with you? ;) Congrats on your SITS Day!

    Lemon Drop Pie

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  6. Happy SITS day! How wonderful that your family gets to experience all of this! With all of your traveling, do you homeschool or do they go to public school?

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  7. Happy SITS day!

    I'm so glad you're the featured blogger...I will be coming back here often. I work in the travel industry (my blog is about my weight loss journey...not travel) but I have always wanted to travel to England/Europe and never have. I look forward to reading about your adventures. Your blog will, no doubt, help me make up my mind about where I want to go when I finally get there. :-)

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  8. Happy SITS day!!!

    What an amazing opportunity! I would LOVE to live and work abroad for a while. We're hoping to plan a trip to London, so I'll definitely be back to check out your site!

    And I can't imagine not having Birthday cake a party! That's the best part!

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  9. What a great opportunity for your children to experience. I am a traveler at heart and hope my little girl will be able to experience cultural diversity our world has to offer. Enjoy your time in Provence, and at this time of the year it was perfect (we were there in May/June). Curious if you have a favorite place in Europe...

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  10. Happy SITS Day! It's my dream to spend a few years living abroad with my family. I'm glad your experience has been such a fun adventure!

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  11. Oh wow!!! How amazing for you. I look forward to reading more!!!!!

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  12. Happy SITS Day!

    So cool that you're near London. We were around there for 3 years since my husband was military.

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  13. Yay for you! SITS day queen. I love your place. Thanks for allowing me on all your adventures :) I haven't been abroad since my honeymoon on 2005. Looking forward to hanging out with you!

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  14. Happy SITS Day! What a great blog -- I lived as an expat (more or less) in Sicily for four years, but I never started blogging until after I was back in the US and had a kiddo. What an amazing adventure to share with your kids! I'll be following along.

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  15. Happy SITS day, Jenny! You have a lovely blog and the colour combination makes it so cheery and summery! Loving my read here ;)

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  16. Provence? Oh, I am awfully jealous :) It feels like it's been ages since we've gone anywhere fun. Happy SITS Day!

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  17. Congratulations on your SITS day. I hope it's a great day for you.

    Your blog is darling! And it looks like you have a lot of fun adventures. Your kids are lucky to have so many opportunities.

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  18. Hi Jenny!

    Happy SITS day :) I lived in England for several years growing up. (RAF Lakenheath in East Anglia). Still have family there, as my mum was British.

    Looking forward to reading more of your blog - enjoy Provence for us :)

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  19. Happy SITS day, Jenny! I loved reading about the tradition of offering anyone and everyone a nice cuppa!

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  20. Happy SITS day! I love that you and your children are having this experience. What a wonderful gift for them. New follower!

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  21. Happy SITS day! Also, I have a friend who is an expat living in Hertfordshire, you should probably be friends with her.

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  22. Happy Sits day!! It sounds like you and your family have very many rich experiences!

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  23. Happy SITS Day!!! I am in love with your blog now. I just have to keep reading and follow you. I'm not sure that I've ever wanted to visit London, but your stories and images are so great that I definitely want to visit now. I think it was the Harry Potter tour post that really won me over though!!! I really want to visit now, maybe I will be able to some day!!! Thanks so much for sharing your experience and opening my eyes to something new to strive for (outside of the US family vacation). It was so refreshing to read your blog today. Can't wait for the next post!!!

    Ashley
    www.supremelydivinelife.blogspot.com

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  24. Congrats on your SITS day! Enjoy the limelight! It sounds like you and your family are sharing some amazing adventures! I love the photo on your banner.

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  25. happy SITS day ~ I so want to do this kind of adventure... so FUN

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  26. Visiting from SITS - congrats! What a wonderful blog - I can't wait to read more!

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  27. Happy SITS day,

    I'm an American who has been living in Scotland since the age of 12. My fiance and I plan to have a few globe-trotting kids! I'll be reading your blog for inspiration. :)

    Lorna

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  28. Happy SITS day. Your kids will be such marvelously alert citizens and have this amazing bank of experiences to draw upon.

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  29. I love your blog! You are living my dream! I <3 the UK!

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  30. Happy SITS day!! Can't wait to read about all your travels in Europe. I dream of going to London someday!!

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  31. Happy SITS Day!
    And so so jealous.. I so want to go all the places you're going. :)

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  32. Happy SITS day, and I hope you enjoy your trip, have always wanted to go to Provence. I am English, and live in the Midlands, although did live in the South East for about 10 years, and often visited London. I have never come across people not eating birthday cake at a birthday party, unless they were on a diet, so that's not a cultural thing. However, I can believe that people will queue for ages to get their car washed when it's raining, probably to get the mud off. I would only offer the plumber (or other workmen) a cup of tea if he was doing a long job lasting at least half a day although some people would offer this if he was there for a shorter time, especially if they were having one themselves). This is done because you would normally offer a guest to your house a drink, as you probably would in the US. If you have had a plumber round and he actually asked for a drink and said that was what was normally done in this country, then he is being a bit cheeky.

    I look forward to following your updates now, as you have an interesting blog.

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  33. Happy SITS day! Sounds like you're living a pretty exciting life. I'm glad to meet you!

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  34. Happy Sits day and I am so glad to have found your blog. I have romantic notions about living abroad and look forward to following your travels and travails...with kids in tow! ~Deirdre

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  35. Coming over from SITS and love your blog :-) Signed up for email updates as I don't want to miss a single post about your ladies trip to Provence! So jealous-I love France and miss my visits so!

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  36. Sun in the south of France? Ooooooh, I'm jealous! Hope it's everything you want it to be plus more :)
    Happy SITS day!
    http://therealmomreview.blogspot.com

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  37. Happy SITS day! I have loved your blog for several months now (mostly,I'm just a lurker :) and I was excited to see you featured. I love your pictures and reading about your adventures.

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  38. Happy SITS Day! Now following!

    Have a great trip! Wish I was there with you!

    Warmest regards,
    Joy
    http://www.PardonMyPoppet.com

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  39. This is lovely! Great pictures! I just scrolled through the whole page to look at them. One of my passions is traveling as well - and I love love love Europe! I blog about health, fitness, food, and travel (and how to have it all at the same time :) ) Looking forward to more of your posts.. and - Happy Sits Day!

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  40. Happy SITS day! I love reading about people who dare to live their dreams. So I know I'm going to enjoy your adventures.

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  41. Happy SITS! Being an expat sounds exciting, I'll have to look around and see how this life began for you!

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  42. Happy SITS day! My hubby used to live in Uxbridge, near London. He showed me all around there and London, 20 years ago, and I am dying to go back. Can't wait to explore your blog more.

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  43. HI Jenny, HAPPY SITS day! i'm excited to read your other post and read about your adventures in the UK with your family. I've always dreamed of visiting London. BTW I'm your new follower. :)
    www.findyoursparkle2.com

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  44. Happy SITS Day! I really love your blog design--it's so bright and happy and open. Just looking at it made me think, "Oh, I want to read this!" And then your posts make me think, "I want to read more of this!"

    The one thing I wish I'd done differently is live overseas. How exciting to read about your adventures!

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  45. Hi! I popped over from SITS to say hi! Lovely blog!!

    Lesley
    byporchlight.blogspot.com

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  46. Happy SITS Day! Enjoyed reading your posts, all the pictures are fabulous and really showcase the places you're visiting. The cultural differences that you come across are interesting and fun to read.

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  47. I'm visiting from SITS & am a new follower - hope you have a lovely holiday! x

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  48. Happy SITS day! I can only imagine the cultural differences one can find when traveling abroad... Can't wait to read a few of your posts!

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  49. What an awesome experience! My family lived in Europe for two and a half years, but I was just a baby, so I don't remember any of the cool places we went. Thanks for sharing your blog! I'm off to explore some more! (BTW, when I was a kid, I saved up tons of Blue Bonnet Margarine labels to send off. I got a Blue Bonnet stuffed animal, that I'm sure cost way more than it was worth! Of course, I thought it was the best thing ever!)

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  50. I am so excited to read your blog! My family is in England and I love going back for visits!

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  51. Happy SITS day! I will read through your adventures and live vicariously!! Excited! Bless, Leslie

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  52. Visiting you from SITS! I love the colors on your blog. Can't wait to read more!

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  53. I have no idea what an expat is but how fun to have lived in Australia and now Europe!

    Congrats on your SITS day and enjoy your girls vacation!!

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  54. 54 comments and counting... hope you find mine among all your new followers. Congrats on being a featured blogger, how exciting. And, how fun for so many new women to enjoy your blog. Enjoy Provence. We WILL talk when you get back. XOXO

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  55. Oh yep, I've been there... and the long awaited toy was usually something so cheap, but you still loved it! haha. :) Happy SITS day!!!

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  56. Happy SITS day and enjoy your girls trip!

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  57. Happy SITS Day to you! I am so happy to meet you and hear about your adventures. My husband and I dream about living overseas, but we're still working toward it. Adding you to my Google reader so I can keep up in the future. Best to you!

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  58. I love your header! Happy SITS Day!

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  59. So nice to meet you! What an exciting life. You make me want to know more about you. Happy SITS day - I hope it's been a great one!

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  60. WOW! What memories you are creating with your family!! We have great friends in Southampton and can't wait to visit the UK again!! Your photos are brilliant :).

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  61. I have not been a faithful SITs girl and was playing catch up blog reading today when I saw those London phone booths behind your family on the SITs page! So glad I did!!
    I'm an expat that has lived all over Europe, currently in Vienna, and I love finding bloggers doing the same!
    We're headed to the US for 6 months, starting in August, and then we are relocating to England, south of London! We are ecstatic! It's one of my favorite places!
    I've always dreamed of getting to Oz, bu not sure if and when that's going to happen.
    I look forward to following your blog and learning more about things like tea for plumbers and non-cake eating guests! =)
    Happy SITs day! And have a fun trip to France!!

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  62. Well done on your SITS day!!! I love your blog - I am also an expat living in the UK (I'm South African now living in Wales) so it's great too see such a wonderful blog like yours.

    Will be back again soon

    Laura x
    www.sidestreetstyle.com

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  63. Oh I'm going to have to look around - yours looks like a great blog! And I'm so jealous of your trip to Provence. We were there about four years ago and it's still one of my favorite vacation spots - absolutely beautiful! Have a fabulous time!

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  64. Love your blog and so glad your SITS Day brought me here! Can't wait to here about the trip to Provence!

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  65. This has been such a great find thanks to SITS and I'm fascinated by your travel experiences. Confession: I drive the Philly bookstores nuts by constantly buying English food mags - Nigella Lawson and Lorraine Pascale are two of my chef inspirations. England is definitely on my bucket list - I'm so glad that I'll be able to see Europe through your fabulous photos!

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  66. hello stopping by from SITS girls, Happy SITS day. I wish I could travel and see all of the wonderful things other countries have to offer but I guess I can do it through your blog. I am a new follower.

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  67. What a cute introduction =) Hope you had a wonderful SITS Day! And now I have to hear about your ventures!

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  68. I love your site and I'm very happy that I found you. This is the way I travel to all the far away and enchanting countries, that are calling my name. I sit at my computer and enjoy the adventures of my blogging friends. It is so much better than travel magazines and touristy books, because they only show us the main attractions and not the real heart of the countries and their people. I am looking forward to following your charming blog and becoming one of your traveling companions. I'm your newest follower, Connie :) Please accept my warm and humble invitation to visit and hopefully to follow me, too.

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  69. It's awesome to be an expat. There are times when you just want to scratch your head haha.. I love your story on the birthday cake =p love the fire engine cake!

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  70. Love, love, the simplicity of your site layout and the PHOTOS!! From a fellow-mom who is trying to travel more with my kids simply around the U.S. AND our home base in New England, way to go SITSTA! How fun to experience your European adventures with your kids. And how lucky to experience Provence with NO KIDS!!! Can't wait to read more.

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  71. Belatedly dropping by from SITS, lovely to find another UK blogger. Hope you have a great trip.

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