Loving the Weather!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. It's freaky to think that I might have a child by next Mother's Day if we're able to conceive right away. It was a beautiful weekend here in England. High 70s and sunny, which is 20 degrees above the average high for May. We didn't really do anything outside, apart from walk to the gym and grocery store, but I always like having the option of outdoor activities :)

We do have every window in the flat open though and the fresh air is wonderful. Of course, we have bugs flying around now because the English are opposed to the idea of window screens. However to be fair, there are very few bugs here. It's quite strange actually, we were shocked that we didn't need bug spray once during our 10 day camping trip in France and Italy. Mosquitos are one of my least favorite things about Wisconsin.

Speaking of Wisconsin, I came across an interesting editorial while reading my future home's online paper. It calls for tougher drunk driving penalties in Wisconsin. It made me immediately think about how different it is here. I was surprised to find that it's rare to drink and drive. Designated drivers don't just drink less, as they would in Wisconsin, they don't drink at all!

I would imagine there are two significant factors, many more public transportation options and also much tougher drunk driving penalties. For a first offence here your license is revoked for one year. I had a high school classmate who was caught drunk driving three times before her license was revoked, and keep in mind that she was under the legal drinking age as well!

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=749061

It definitely makes me think about the times Chris and I have driven after drinking, and how I want to avoid that when we return home. One particular instance that comes to mind is an evening at the Essen Haus when we both walked to the passenger side of the car, assuming the other was able to drive. We already have a plan for this upcoming Saturday evening which we'll be spending with our wine drinking buddies Josh & Tracy. They live within walking distance of my brother's apartment, so we'll be crashing their that night.

I can't believe we leave for the U.S. in just 4 days! We're both really excited. This morning Chris was talking about the "Mega Buddy" Diet Coke's he plans to get at Kwik Trip during his 8 hour drive to South Dakota. He loves everything about road trips, especially the junk food aspect! :) I have a long list of apartments and gyms to visit in the Milwaukee area during my time in Madison. I'm thankful for the oppotunity to visit before we move in July.