weekend, we

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Hello everyone, how was your weekend?

It's just after 4:30pm and I've been awake for about three and a half hours. Totally embarrassing but I think my jet-lag finally caught up to me.

It was a go-go-go weekend starting on Saturday morning when Joe suggested that we head to the beach - Okay! We got on the train and traveled south to Brighton, just one hour away from the the city. I'll share more on Brighton in a separate post but it was definitely wild to be on a beach in the South of England when just last weekend I was in Malibu in Southern California.

From sand (or pebbles in Brighton's case) to bright green grass and lush trees, Sunday was all about the park. I attended a London bloggers picnic, Blognic, at Regent's Park and spent the afternoon meeting new people, talking about shared interest, and eating lots of homemade goodies. It was really great to meet so many friendly people who share a common love for blogging and living creatively. I even got a few tips on some good car boot sales (aka. community rummage sales in the States) -woo hoo!

After Blognic, I arrived home with energy to burn so I suggested that we go for a bike ride in Hyde Park. We hired/rented Barclay Bikes and spent the evening riding around enjoying one of the Royals' public spaces (thank you, Windsor Family). After a few hours of pedaling - and finally getting some dirt on my new white Chucks - it was time for dinner in Little Arabia and an end to the weekend. Home. At. Last.

For the blog curious, here's a list of some of the bloggers I met at the picnic + their respective blogs. Let me know if I missed you!

Marianne of Nordic Bliss Michelle of I Ripple. I Dance. Carole of Mademoiselle Poirot Lisa of Me Old China Kate of Fabric of my Life Amy of Daisy Fay Interiors Elizabeth of Rosalilium Megan of Meg Gets Crafty Katie of What Katie Does Tori of Wellies and Vogue Andrea of Lotus Events Bethan of Decorator's Notebook Thank you to Lynne of Tea for Joy and Ellie of Home Shopping Spy for coordinating the day!

in the name of love

Hello! Sorry for the late post - I got carried away running errands and drooling over pieces like this at The Old Cinema London antiques shop on Chiswick High Street. A girl can dream right?

As promised here are photos from Friday's royal wedding screening at Hyde Park. We were there with an estimated 100,000 other viewers and got into the spirit of celebrating the big day ourselves (well, at least I did!).  However, I became fully aware that I didn't care so much about the royal-ness of it all because really, they're just a living tourist attraction. Rather, I saw it as getting to attend a beautiful wedding for two people in love. I enjoy reading wedding blogs, I think wedding dresses are beautiful, and I understand the joy in celebrating love. So, why not take part in Will and Kate's union if they're opening the door?

As I looked at people waving their Union Jacks, wearing tiaras, and toasting the newly married couple, I realized that others felt the same way. I may not understand the British "Royalist" who still see the Windsor family as a mighty institution but I could see how everyone was simply happy to be a part of a joyous and romantic event. Love is love and always worth celebrating.