Day 2: London Trip

After some some much needed rest and a wonderful "free" hot breakfast at our hotel, we were ready to embark on day 2 of our journey. So off we took the tube to Westminster and we were greeted by a big clock at the exit(or "way out" according to the Britts).

Big Ben/Parliament

Across the bridge and on the banks Thames River, you'll catch a glimpse of the London Eye-the world's tallest observation wheel.To avoid the crowds, we arrived at the Westminster Abbey early. We were first in line and were able to enjoy parts of the abbey in relative calm before the mad rush of tourists. A monument to the rich and often bloody and scandalous history of Great Britain, Westminster Abbey rises as one of the most iconic sites in London. Kings to composers to wordsmiths, are buried in the abbey. It has been the scene of 14 royal weddings and no less than 38 coronations.
Downing Street. Looking like an assuming street but barred in iron gates and armed guards it is the location of No. 10. House of the Prime Minister, London's modest version of the White House.
Time for lunch...but of course we had fish and chips at a Pub.

Across the street from the pub was Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery.

We hop back to the tube and headed to Piccadilly Circus----the Times Square of London.After the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly, we opted to go to St. Paul---the spiritual heart of London where people and events are celebrated,mourned and honoured.
We hiked to the top of the dome---530 steps.

And we were rewarded with this spectacular view of the city.

It gets dark early(around 4:30 PM) during winter at London so we saved indoor activities such as musuems for the end of the days. If there's one place where the history of London is sorted out, right from 450,000 BC to the present day, it's the Musuem of London.

To conclude the night, we hang out at an Irish pub called O'nealls. The food was delish and the guys enjoyed their shots of carbombs.

As you can see, we've had quite a busy day. Click here for more pictures and stay tune for our day 3 and day 4 journey.

Back from London & Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It's finally 2007 and we were so fortunate enough to ring in the New Year at the beautiful city of London. I am not one for "resolutions" per say, because they never seem to stick, but I do like setting and accomplishing goals. I wish everyone all the best in 2007 and I hope you won't let anyone stand in the way to accomplishing your goals. Cheers!

Back to our trip, It was a first to London for both Ed & I. We were joined by our good friends Denny, Kara & Mike. They are all fun people and are always in a great mood and ready to go---which makes a group trip manageable and absolutely fun. Denny, Kara & Mike---thanks for sharing a wonderful trip with us. We will always remember the good times we had on this trip.

Day 1:

Here we are at ATL Hartsfield airport all ready for London.

We finally made it to London. We quickly adapted to the subway system...or the "tube" as it's called.All freshen up and enjoying our room at Marriott Kensington.Kara & I at Sherlock Holmes Museum. 221B Baker St. London England---the world's most famous address.Harrods ---the world's most famous department store. They were having their annual big sale so it was madness inside the store. Inspite of the 50% off offers, I still can't justify shelling out pounds (or quids) to their overpriced items. I'm sticking to my everbeloved Nordstroms:)

Click here for more pictures from Day 1. For Day 2 click here.

Merry Christmas!

Every year, I try not to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, but I don’t think I did too well this year. This Christmas season I felt inordinately busy with shopping, last minute traveling for work and attending numerous Christmas get together. This past week was spent catching up with friends and family…and eating waaaaaay too much. It started with a nice weekend in Vidalia.We went to midnight mass with my parents and had a delicious Seafood menu for Christmas eve.My Dad really looked healthy and that's the best Christmas gift that I could ask for. Then the morning of Christmas, we head to Ed's family. We had breakfast at the Bridges house. My sister in law, Heidi always makes the best breakfast casserole. Evening was nice as well. My father in law cooked a mean fried turkey. The night ended with the whole family opening presents. Here are some pictures from Christmas weekend.

With my parents after midnight mass.

The girls opening their presents.

Click here for more pictures.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and I always feel so blessed to be surrounded by people who make me a better person. I don’t deserve the beautiful people in my life, but I continually thank God for their patience, love and support. Every year I’m reminded of how fortunate I am and Christmas is a time for me to reach out and say THANKS.Merry Christmas and I hope everyone had an amazing day and spent it with their loved ones.

Tis the season to be jolly!

I've been bugging Ed to do something Christmasy...maybe check out some lights, but something that would not require sitting in traffic or crowd for hours. So, when I heard that Downtown Norcross was offering free horse drawn carriage ride, I quickly told Ed that we must go and have dinner at Dominicks Italian Restaurant. So tonight we checked out Downtown Norcross and we were also fortunate enough to have the wonderful company of Darren and Heather. It was nice to catch up amidst everybody's busy schedule. The food was delish and the chocolate mousse was a definite treat. After dinner we took a stroll and a ride of Downtown Norcross. Ed was a little disappointed with the very little lights display but we still had a blast with the carriage ride. Oh and what beautiful and huge horses!

My Celebrity Look A Like

How cool is this from www.myheritage.com .
Donna's Celebrity Look-alikes.

Ed's Celebrity Look-alike:

You...yes you are Time magazine's person of the year

So, Time magazine picked the person of the year. Honestly I have mixed emotion on this. Impressive cover but I'm a lil disappointed with Time's "cop out" on making "The" choice. I admire Time's effort of recognizing the impact of bloggers(like me), online communities(like the ever popular MySpace), social networking site, social news sites, and the utilization of tools like YouTube, particularly with regards to the midterm elections,but the trick of these annual gimmicks is to pick someone — or maybe a couple of people — who represent the larger trend. In a way it was disappointing, I still like the idea of recognizing an impressive person(like the Pope, the President,etc) or a group of person, who made the biggest difference each year.

So, if you were on Time's editorial board, who would you have picked?

Wedding Album

We finally got our album from our photographer. We love it!!! I haven't looked at our pictures for a while and I couldn't help but smile as I flipped through pages. Wow, time flies...I can't believe it's been almost 8 months. I have learned so much; not just about Ed, but about myself as well as our relationship. There was something about finally getting married that made me pause and realize that it is no longer just about me, but more about "us".

Life is so big and grand and exciting and wonderful...and what makes it even more special is if you are lucky enough to have someone with whom to share it all with. Someone to grow old with, who can laugh with you through the good times as well as the bad times, someone who loves you unconditionally, even in your darkest moments. Some who is not with you because they have to be, but because they want to be.

I consider myself very lucky. I love being married. I really and truly.

New Toy...New pictures

Yay we finally got our first SLR camera, here are some test shots. I'm so excited to use it for our London trip.

Secret Santa '06

Last night we had our annual Secret Santa at our loft. This is it's 4th year anniversary(3rd for Ed). It's always fun to discover who's ur Secret Santa esp. with all the ploys & strategy to keep it a Secret from everybody esp.to significant others. Well once again, it was a success. Lots of good food, cheers and love. Here are some pictures from the night.

But of course, it wouldn't be a PARRTTTY, until you pull a trick on Omayra. Ashwin told Omayra that bec. they were such in a hurry to get to the party,they forgot to bring Rupel's gift to her.

Omayra: What???? I only asked for a gift card & you forgot???

Omayra: I'm done with this Secret Santa (Notice, Wynell laughing so hard)

Wynell started to feel bad. Wynell: Here Omayra you can touch my gift

Well, it was a joke...Ashwin & Rupel did not forget to bring her a gift. Omayra was happy:)

To view more pictures from the night, click here...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!

Can you believe it, only 19 more days before Christmas. After multiple trips to Home Depot and Lowes, we finally found the one-Our Christmas Tree. I probably asked Ed to untie thousands of trees(well, because the untouched trees are obviously better) I'm so lucky to have a very patient dear husband when it comes to Christmas Tree Shopping. He understands how much I love decorating for the Holidays. So,last Sunday, Ed and I stayed up until it hurt to blink. We decorated our tree, hung our stockings, and spread a little Christmas cheer. Before we went to bed, we stood back and gazed about our pretty tall tree -almost 10 ft high, after finishing it with our Angel topper. Btw, notice the recurring snowman theme?:)

Cookie Exchange

Darren and Heather graciously opened their home to host a cookie exchange. We also had our gift exchange and everybody loved their gift(s) from their Secret Santa. Here are some pictures from the night:

A group picture


Precious reactions from some Britney Spears sighting


Yummy homemade cookies


Not so homemade but still yummy cookies courtesy of Mike:)


To see more pics from the night, click here..

Oliver's Baptism

When Jay and Amy asked me to be Oliver's Godmother, I was honored. Oliver was baptized in Vidalia,the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful ceremony. The whole community celebrated further with a lunch buffet catered by Tita Fely She did a great job! And of course, everybody was entertained by the ever reliable karaoke machine:)
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Happy Birthday Wynell!

There’s something amazing about friends. Something like biscuits and gravy. Warm, comforting, and sticks to your bones. I wouldn’t be half the person I am today if it weren’t for my friends, my biscuits and gravy. A group of friends celebrated Wynell's 30th bday at Medieval Times. Per cable guy movie, "There were no silverwares in Medieval times, therefore there is no silverware at Medieval times". We had a blast cheering for our yellow knight although he lost.
Wynell, happy birthday best friend!! We’ve been celebrating our birthdays together for the past 9 years and I look forward to celebrating another million birthdays with you! I love you! Click here for more pictures...