Happy note

I'm extremely happy to announce that our family is about to move to its new permanent headquarters in London. The flat is really nice... picture will be posted. Now, it will probably take a while to set up an internet connection, so you might not hear from us soon. But fear not, we'll be back.

Thank you for all your prayers!

Some notes on food

Now, let’s move on to the weekend recap. It started off with some Korean food on Friday night. Yes… just like you read. Korean. I am so proud of my husband willing to try new things every day. They sat us down with more people on a table that had a gas grill in the middle. Nothing on the menu was familiar to us, so we just ordered some suggestions from our waitress. She came back with raw meat and veggies and proceeded to cook them right in from of us. Lettuce and sauces were served on the side so that we could build on own Korean-style fajitas. We did recognize some “seaweed” plate as an appetizer, so we ordered that. What was brought to us were extremely fine sheets of seaweed! I was like eating paper as a starter. I thought they were tasty. Ted thought they were a joke.

Then on Saturday, the sun appeared shining in the streets of London. So, we decided to visit the Borough Market in London Bridge. The market is foodie heaven, offering all kinds of lovingly sourced and created produce.

Later on that day, we had dinner at a Greek place called Bistro 1. The name doesn’t sound too appealing, but the food was tasty! Family, we definitely need to get some gym memberships soon, because we are gaining the wrong “pounds” in London.

Sunday morning we met with beautiful Marilyn and her husband, who invited us to their church. We enjoyed spending some time with them. Thank you Mariela for introducing us to such a great girl!



We walked back from Westminster to our hotel, which is located close to Trafalgar Square, so we got to enjoy one the biggest Chinese New Year’s celebration I’ve ever seen. The sight made us think a lot about our beloved Emma and Samuel back in Denver. They parents dressed them up in Chinese outfits all they long! Happy New Year Sammy boy!

At the end of the day, in order to continue with the celebrations, we decided to finish up with a Chinese dinner at the Shanghai Blues. I wish I could describe the deliciousness of the food. All I can say is that it was “goood” (Bruce Allmighty’ style) Ted was satisfied with the combination of great food, decoration and music. For those who know my husband as an “ambiance seeker,” this place is the place to be.







here are some pictures from the market:

Long story short

We think we’ve finally found what we were looking for on a flat. Even though it only has one bedroom, it is a good size apartment with all the furniture we need. What is the best part of the story? It is situated in a perfect location. Why, then, am I not jumping up and down with excitement??? Well, we don’t have the keys yet. So, I’m saving my tears of joy for when it happens. In the meantime, I am very thankful for no more house-hunting!!!

Speaking of houses, I thought of posting a picture of what it has been our home for the last two weeks:

A collage for all of you

Happy Valentine's day!

Look what flowers can do:



Thank you for the flowers Ted! I love you very much.

This week in words

We wake up in the morning, get dressed, go downstairs to a nice fancy room and get a tray to select some eggs, tomatoes, sausages, bread, fruits, yogurts, etc, etc, etc. People ask us whether we want coffee, or tea, or perhaps hot chocolate. “I don’t know,” we reply, after a week of having tried everything that is on the breakfast menu. We want a home! Yes, enough of this hotel lifestyle. By any means, please don’t think I complain about eating in a different restaurant every night. Here are the selections we ate last week: Tai food, Colombian, Hindu, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Greek. All in one week! We really enjoy having such a variety at our footsteps. However, I am afraid I will soon forget how to cook (as if I ever knew) but really, one can easily get used to this. It would be nice if at the end of this week, we could finally find the perfect flat in the perfect location. Only then, we will be able to come down to Earth and face real life. I’m serious. I haven’t made my bed in more than a week! Please London… show me where our home is. Stop spoiling me… NOW!

This week in pictures

My main task is to find a place for us to live. So, for the last two days, with Oyster Card in hand, I'm off to explore the many picturesque streets of central London. I'll let the images speak for themselves.

Friendly faces of London

Our friend Emilio kindly introduced us to his cousin Richard who lives in London. On Tuesday night, we were invited by Richard to have dinner at his house with friends. We enjoyed delicious food and great company. It was such a fun time. Thank you Richard!










From left to right: Sai, Maria, Dominic, Payal, Richard, Ted, Mustafa, and Danny.

Walk, walk, walk...

I love it! We have to walk everywhere. It’s just like the days when I lived in Quito. Well, public transportation is better, but it is the same feeling of having lots of people around me. Oh, something else is different: prices are three times more expensive… But I shouldn’t complain because I have been treated very nicely. I enjoy being surrounded by human beings instead of driving by myself in Houston. Of course, you need to consider that I have only been here for four days now. Things could change once I have to carry my groceries instead of just putting everything in the car trunk.

Today’s task was to open a bank account. I’ve read several expat-blogs and most of them tell stories of how difficult it is to open a bank account in the UK. I truly think we’ve been surrounded by grace, because contrary of my expectations, our process was quite simple. Now we are the proud owners of three bank accounts: one in pounds, one in dollars, and the other one in euros. I can’t believe it! Now we only need the money ☺

Not so "Super" bowl

On Sunday night, we joined other Americans at a local pub to watch the Bears playing in the Super Bowl. For those who know Ted’s favorite football team and the final score, you will understand today’s post title. The experience was exciting anyway.

Surprise, surprise!

I had forgotten to mention a wonderful surprise we received the morning we arrived in London. Right after we entered our hotel room, there was a knock on the door and... voila! A bottle of red wine (Pinot Noir) courtesy of our beloved Emilio and Yadira Castillo. The note said, "Here is how we're coping with your absence. Enjoy"



Gracias amigos! That was such a sweet start. We look forward to have both of you here soon.

"Mind the gap"

Our first day in London was a total success. The city welcomed us with a sunny day and no rain. Actually, we haven't seen the rain all weekend! I'm afraid I won't be able to write this very often. Anyways, It was a sign of a good start.

Ted was not able to sleep well during the flight. I slept like a baby. Once we arrived to our hotel, we took a little nap to fight the jetlag. Even though I was able to sleep during the flight, I still found time for a little London "siesta."



After our power nap, we walked around our hotel and visited Trafalgar square. We had delicious Thai Food for dinner, and later on we met with Beth and Rino for drinks at a local pub. They are a couple of expats who have been very helpful during our transition to London. We asked them tons of questions which they so kindly responded with lots of good information.




Today, we purchased our "Oyster Cards" which give us unlimited access to the London Tube for one year. Once on the Tube, I finally heard the famous British version of "watch your step" hence, the title of this post. Our first stop? Islington. Outside of the station, we found of couple of guys with dreadlocks who were talking about Seinfield. So we decided to ask them for some advice about the area. They told us we were at the wrong place, so we went back to the train. After one stop, we arrived to the heart of Islington. It was a nice area: lots of shops, cafes, and quaint buildings. We had lunch at a Colombian restaurant called "La Piragua." My order? mini bandeja: Rice, beans, sweet plantains, salad, eggs, and pork. I felt I was at "Mi Pueblito."






Speaking of home, here is a picture of a church we visited this afternoon. It's called Hillsongs London. The main screen had a big welcoming message that said: Welcome Home! Maybe it's a message that every congregation has, but I would like to think it was specially directed to me.

The adventure has begun!

We are finally here! We arrived yesterday after a 8-hour direct flight from Houston. It was 7 in the morning so we were able to see a gorgeous London sunrise. I loved it! We are so happy to be here. Everything is just the way I dreamed it would be... except the internet. We thought "high speed internet" in hotel meant that we would automatically have internet access in our room, but no, it meant we have to pay for every minute we are online. Not cool! That's why we couldn't write to our family and friends the first day. But, never fear amigos, we purchased one month worth of internet so we are set to go. Now life looks much better.

Thank you for your love and prayers. We sure will miss you. However, this corner of the blog is for each one of you who decides to follow our 3-year journey in the U.K. Welcome to our London crib!!!