Happy Anniversary Will & Kate!

Happy First Anniversary, Will & Kate!

It seems like just yesterday that I was camped outside Westminster Abbey

standing for 8 hours without a break to rest my legs,

watching people act like total fools....

but oh man,

it was worth it!

I will never forget watching the Queen pop out of the car in canary yellow dress,

William and Harry grinning to each other as they arrived for the service,

and Kate turning and waving to us before walking down the aisle.

The whole day felt like Christmas...

the atmosphere was electric

& I still can't believe I got to witness it firsthand.

For a trip down memory lane,

click back to see the photos from my day at 

The Royal Wedding!

PS. I'm still waiting for us to become best friends...

I know it's been hard with me being in France. 

I'll be back soon though & we can get down to business.

England: A Picture Story.

You didn't think I would go to England for 5 whole days

and not take a million pictures for you, did you?

Silly goose.

Here they are...

the pretty places,

the fun outings,

& the delicious food.

Not too many words needed... 

you get the picture(s).

our neighborhood... russell square.

chorizo sandwich from brindisa in the borough market. tyler was so jealous he had a meeting.

seeing "the tempest" at the royal shakespeare theatre. a stranger of his plays... but good.

quick visit to willy's birth home. it's a great site to visit.

introducing my students to moomoo's milkshakes. my favorite.

delicious food... complete with crusty bread & chunks of butter.

getting to spy on the new james bond being filmed outside our window at lunch. hello, dame judy dench!

and a stop by my favorite place... the radcliffe camera in oxford.

*all images original to aspiring kennedy.

The Good & The Bad

GOING TO LONDON FOR THE LONG WEEKEND

PROS

I get to be in England. My favorite place.

I get to have dim sum with Helena at the Drunken Monkey.

I get to go to Oxford, eat at The Eagle & Child, and have a MooMoo's milkshake.

I have a 0.06512 chance of bumping into Kate Middleton.

I get to try on my new glasses while I'm there.

I get to see Billy Elliot in London & The Tempest in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

I get to see Tyler after being apart for 5 days.

CONS

I have to pack up our place here and it makes me feel like a hoarder.

I have to pack up my clothes into 2 tiny suitcases and it makes me feel like a hoarder.

I have to pack up all my gummy candy from Germany for 5 whole days and it makes me feel sad.

Yes, I agree.

The good definitely outweighs the bad!

I am England bound tomorrow for a long weekend 

of sight-seeing, catching up with friends,

and to recharge my soul a little

with some familiar faces & places.

*image via

Straight to the Heart {Home}

As you might remember,

I'm a contributor to the UK's beloved 

Heart Home Magazine.

I write a quirky little diary of my life as an expat.

{Yes, as a matter of fact, it does make me feel pretty cool.}

The spring issue came out last week

and I have been clicking through it's pages 

whenever I have a free moment.

 I have to say...

they did a really great job.

It's all spring-y, English-y, & happy...y.

Honestly, reading it made me a bit homesick for England.

When you have a little bit of time,

flip through the new issue- I bet you'll love it, too!

A few of the highlights from reading it were...
drooling over the recipe for an Orange & Pistachio Cake (pg 24),
getting inspired to rent an English cottage for our upcoming break (pg 132),
& Tina Bernstein's floor level day bed decked out in Missoni prints (pg 98).

I hope you'll go check out the magazine,

and stop by page 124 to see my piece!

Downton Abbey- Your New Favorite Thing

I always assume everybody already watches Downton Abbey;

however, I have grown increasingly alarmed

to learn that some of you still have not jumped in to the series.

Here's the deal...

you need to.

You, just, really do.

Watch this clip

and I double dog dare you to resist

the lure of Downton.

The fabulous plots,

the costumes,

the gorgeous English backdrop...

Maggie Smith's hilarious one liners.

Everything about Downton Abbey is just so perfect.

It's like Pride & Prejudice meets Sophia Coppola meets The Titanic.


If you thought Will & Kate brought England back on the style map,
this is going to be the next (and dare I say, larger?) wave of English style
to sweep the pop-culture scene & re-establish the British Empire.

The final straw to convince you that you need to watch it?


It's reportedly the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge's favorite show.

A Day with The Queen... & A Smile from Charles

I admit that some of the things 

I get to do are completely ridiculous.

Life in England has given me the chance

to partake in some amazing moments & celebrations...

and I haven't lost the hunger to try & find them.

One of the more memorable of these came today,

the day the Queen & I crossed paths.


(And for real this time... not across the street like at the Royal Wedding.)

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the translation

of the King James Bible.

Today in Westminster Abbey,

the Queen, Prince Phillip, & Prince Charles

came to celebrate this event

that was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

And, gosh darn it, I did, too.

My friend, Grace, inherited some tickets

that an old friend won in the lottery 
held by the King James Trust.

When Grace's husband couldn't leave work,

I got to play second fiddle...

and was the happiest fiddle in the world.

Grace, being responsible & prompt,

got there early when the doors opened 

and scored seats on the front row.

I, being late & a maniac,

was happy to see her prime location upon arrival.

After about an hour,

the crowd grew silent...

the scene from outside the door illuminated in camera flashes...

and the party started.

The Queen walked past & nodded hello.

Prince Phillip walked past and nodded hello...

but when Charles walked by and saw two euphoric, grinning Americans,

 broke his composed face and smiled at us.

I pretty much blacked out after that.

The End.

Actually, I do remember the service.

It was gorgeous

and a great tribute the huge impact

that this translation has had on the world.

The choir was, in the most cliche terms, angelic 

and we listened to the thoughts & prayers 
of some faithful leaders of the Anglican church.

Afterwards, the Royals all processed out

and, so kindly, nodded at us once more...

We made our exits from the Abbey with the crowd...

and glowed all the way home.

I'm not sure if this would be your cup of tea...

but it sure was for my taste!

The BBC news clip is here... 

*Around the 1:32 minute mark, you'll see my big white flower in the bottom right. :)

*crappy iPhone pics by me

*gorgeous real photos by Grace Glendinning

Lake it or Leave It: The Lakes District

When you hear the Lakes District 

what do you think of?

Most people say Jane Austen.

If that's what you think, you're in good company...

because I would, too!

Even though Jane & me aren't as close as I would like,

seeing how she is kinda, well, dead and all,

I can only assume that we would be kindred spirits 

in our shared appreciation of this amazing area.

While I will never know {for sure} that Jane & me 

would see eye-to-eye on the beauty of the Lakes District...

I can ask you, my friend,

Is this place not gorgeous?

If you want to travel to the Lakes District,

here is what I would recommend.

I love staying in the town of Ambleside

at the Ambleside Central Hotel. 

Great location in the Lakes District

with cozy {& affordable} rooms...

Eat breakfast at Ambleside's Apple Pie Bakery...

and don't feel guilty about having it's namesake {with ice cream} for breakfast.

Visit Wordsworth's house in Grasmere, Dove Cottage...

find yourself inspired like one of the Lakes Poets by the stunning views.

and while you're in Grasmere, 

 try a bite of gingerbread from 

it's birthplace-

Sarah Nelson's.

It is an afternoon (teatime) delight!

Spend half a day exploring the waterside town of Windemere...

I love the small bakeries, tea rooms... 

and it's endless supply of charity shops!

Renting a boat on the Lake will fulfill all your stereotypes 

of a visit to the Lakes.

While you are in the Lakes District,

make a stop by Beatrix Potter's preserved home, Hilltop Farm...

and make it a priority to have lunch at the wonderfully delicious pub next door, 

The Tower Bank Arms.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

Monday Moods: I feel... scared.

No, but seriously.

I am feeling a little jumpy.

After an eery tour of London's East End...

also known as "White Chapel"

to trace the tale of Jack the Ripper,

I'm sleeping with one eye open.

I mean, 

I may not be a prostitute like all of Jack's victims

{regardless of what impression you may get from my affinity to leopard print}...

RipperVision... Portrayed images at the scene of the crimes!

and it's pretty much settled that the unknown killer is dead 130 years later...

But still.

It was creepy!

We took this Jack the Ripper tour

for £8 per person.

Our guide, Amy, was really animated

and kept the whole group interested for the whole tour....

though, man, that story gets VERY gruesome. 

It took about 1.5 hours 

and showed us some really quirky parts of London

we had never visited.

If this looks familiar, Harry Potter's Diagon Alley was partially filmed here.

While it may have given me the heebie-jeebies,

it also felt like the perfect way to celebrate Halloween in London.

Tonight, I'm hosting a party...

my costume is yet to be determined.

What are your plans?

(And any easy costume ideas you can send my way?)

*all photos original to Aspiring Kennedy

Tea With The Queen

How many times have Americans joked

about going to Buckingham Palace for 

tea with the Queen?

I mean, personally, I've heard it 

at least 100 times 

since we moved to England.

The worldwide total would be a number 

that rivaled the number of girls (and their mothers)

who dream of winning Prince Harry's heart.

Seriously though,

it's a silly statement 

because 

-obviously-

the notion of having tea

at Buckingham Palace is simply ludicrous.

Except for the fact, 

you actually can have tea at Buckingham Palace.

{Who knew?}

While the Queen is away for the late summer 

exploring her castles in Scotland,

Buckingham Palace opens to the public

for a 1.5 hour tour of the state rooms.

Apparently, visiting the palace 

must be a well-kept secret 

within the English geriatric community...

as 90% of the guests were females over 75.

{I suppose a girl's dreams of being a princess are timeless.}

This summer, the Duchess of Cambridge's dress was on display.

I got to see it even closer up than 

from my abbey-side perch 

at the Royal Wedding.

It was displayed in the Ball Room

that the wedding reception was held in,

and designer, Sarah Burton,

was featured on video 

discussing the design features

 of Kate's iconic dress.

Most of us have been to the White House or a castle on a trip at some point,

but I have to say-

no home I have ever seen

begins to rival the opulence of Buckingham Palace.

That place is no joke.

{Though no pictures are allowed inside so you'll just have to trust me.}

Bravo, England.

Not only do you let a commoner marry into the Royal Family,

but you let schleppy folk like myself

tour your home

and have tea on your back porch.

the cafe overlooking the garden. too gorgeous to explain.

we had to break the rule, and order a mid-day cappucino.... just for the crown.

Made me feel right at home...

in fact, 

I could get used to living in a place like that.

The other great thing 

was the gift shop in her backyard.

Basically,

the nicest yard sale...

 ever.

Seriously, look at the crowd here. It could rival an Alaskan cruise.

The store offers some really great merchandise:

china, lotions, soaps, towels, ornaments & chocolates.

I bought myself really posh

 (but disappointingly unused by HRH)

shower cap.

{I'm not kidding.}

The walk out the to the back gate

felt like a stroll through Central Park.

Pinkies up!

If you are looking for a place 

that almost feels as fancy & nice as Buckingham,

head to my friend, Debby's blog

Inspired Design 

and check out my feature for fall!

Debby's blog is great,

and I highly recommend it for your daily blog reads!

For more information on taking your own tour of Buckingham Palace,

check here for openings & dates when the palace is open to the public.

Pre-ordering your tickets is recommended and simple.