Finished!

Well, this is officially the last blog post for Our London Year. We had a great time living in one of the most amazing cities in the world. We experienced grad school, a different culture, the fabulous Hyde Park Ward, the National Health Service (free baby!), dissertation writing, working at the Globe, meeting and working with published & accomplished professors, a winter with only 6 hours of sunlight per day (blah), Jude Law, meeting our beautiful new baby, and playing tour guide to visiting family and friends. London was OUR city - we lived there and knew it well. And we'll be back... one day.

Saying goodbye to Abbey Road

Since getting home there has been a lot of adjusting, but also the comfort of falling back into a familiar routine with our home, neighborhood, and friends and family.

We ripped up our old kitchen floor and put down slate tile as soon as we got home

Ben started law school at the U, Heather is getting used to the stay-at-home mom thing, and Abbey is doing great - she's more than 3 months old now! Our basement, which we finished just hours before we left for London last September, is a fun place to hang out (and a great place for Abbey to take a bath).

Actually, she really does like baths, just not the "drying off" part.

Abbey meeting two of her cousins and Aunt Angela.



Ben & his brother Alex revel in the coolness of Wimbledon tennis balls



We got to see the Stahles before they moved to D.C.,
and sported new haircuts


And see Sharla and Jason get married

We've also been lucky to have lots of baby showers for Abbey from Ben's family, Heather's family, friends, and ward members. Abbey has about 4 times as many clothes as her parents put together. Here is a small sample:

We also finished our final Month-in-a-Minute video - taking Abbey to see her namesake, Abbey Road Studios, and our last walk by the River Thames before leaving London. If you want to watch it, click here: Last Day in London.

Also, a few people have asked, so, if any of you have some time on your hands and are curious, here's a PDF file of our dissertations. Ben's is about Hollywood's relationship with Shakespeare. Heather's is about the role of teachers as substitute parents. If you want to download/read them, click here: Ben's MA Dissertation. Heather's MA Dissertation.

Well, that's it! Thanks for following our life in London. We had a great time sharing it with you. We're grateful that we had the opportunity, and so much support from all of you.

Ben, Heather, and Abbey