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Safe to say this is the most dissapointed I've ever been to be home. I had the time of my life in England with the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on:). I could write all the details of the trip at length, but in the interest of not boring any readers, I'll stick to the basics.



Getting off the plane was like being shot out of a rocket for the week. Straight from Heathrow we drove out to see Anne's uncle race is mini. Unbelieveable how cool it is to see a little car like a Mini fly around the track surrounded by bigger Mustangs and BMW's. From what I heard, his Mini goes 70mph in first gear! Amazing!!!



From the track it was home to get changed and then off to Anne's sister-in-law Natalie's 40 birthday celebration. Again, great time! It was formal (I actually had to wear a tux and was able to tie a REAL bowtie!) so added a fun little aspect to the mix. We had a great time, some of which is a bit fuzzy from all the pints I had:), and stayed out quite late.



The next couple days were spent catching up with Anne's family and just enjoying the beautiful English countryside. It's amazing just how beautifully green it is there. I tease Anne about the crappy English weather, but it's obvious that it does its job. I absolutely loved the long walks we'd take with the dogs. Amazing.



Now the crazy fun starts!!! Anne had set up some time for us to ride at a velodrome in Newport, Wales. I'd never been on one so to say I was intimidated was an understatement. Couldn't let her know that though:). We did a two hour, coached session that was some of the most fun I've ever had on two wheels. It's pretty easy to get the knack of it, and once you have the confiidence you can really fly. I really enjoyed a little "scratch" race we did and could easily see myself joining up and racing if the opportunity was there.



The following day, we went to Afan forrest to ride mtb's. Again, having never ridden on an actual "Mountain", I was a little nervous, but still confident. I had the absolute time of my life!!! Anne's friend Ian, who owns a bike shop in Cardiff, Wales and had ridden on the national team for the Commenwealth games (so obviously the dude knows his stuff!), had described the trails as some of the best mountainbiking he's ever done, if not THE best! I think he's spot on! The singletrack was amazing and the views were breathtaking. There's nothing like climbing up one side of the mountain and then smiling your ass off while screaming down the other side on sweet flowing singletrack. I had a couple of "pee in your pants" moments on the way down, but that's just how I ride and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way!



From a couple nights in Wales it was on to London to another family party. It's safe to say that London is my favorite city in the world. The history, the people, the architecture-you name it, I absolutely love everything about the city. After living in New York I insisted that I never wanted to live in a big city again, but in all honesty, I could definitely make my way in London. The party was fun (Anne's brother's partner's 30th), the company was great, and spending time with my Anne in an awesome city was like bliss!:)



So that's the trip in a nutshell. It's been back to work for the last few days and getting rid of the jetlag. Training starts up again soon so I'll just enjoy this time and work my ass off so that I can get back to England asap. Stay tuned!