Milligan's update

An update on what is going on in our lives

With Friday being Karen’s official end to Autumn term, she celebrated with a cold and windy run in Regent’s Park, followed by a nice warm and relaxing shower. Fortunately, Lorie and Joey were not arriving from Paris for another five hours as Karen discovered our master bedroom looked like New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina upon reaching for a towel. Karen quickly called for Greg, who called the property manager, who called the plumber. We used every paper towel roll in the flat to dry up the flood. Source of the problem: our bidet, which functions as many things, the least of which its intended use.

After a never-ending trip from Luton airport, Lorie and Joey appeared on our doorstep to Duke’s delight. Several hugs and kisses later, Greg lead us to Sea Shell, a classy fish and chips restaurant located just northwest of Marylebone station. Over plates heaped with oversized crispy cod and potatoes, Lorie and Joey recapped their wedding and honeymoon memories. Then we walked over to the Hobgoblin Pub to enjoy more beer for the boys and glasses of white wine for the girls, entertained by the owner’s friendly white poodle. After being the only group kicked out at closing time, we headed over to The Volunteer (the lone pub in our neighborhood open past 11pm) for more of the same.

For brunch, we introduced Joey to the traditional full English breakfast at Coco Momo on Marylebone High Street. Next, Lorie played tour guide as she showed him Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. We met back up at the Apollo Theatre at 2pm to see Evita, a play about questionable Argentinean women according to Joey. To kill time before dinner, we paraded up and down Tower Bridge, checking out the Tower of London from all angles (much to Joey’s dismay the engine room was closed for the day’s tour!). Then we strolled around Covent Garden and even snuck in the Nine West sale for a short browse. Lorie was pleasantly surprised to start off our curry meal with Kir Royales at Bhangra Beat. Dish after dish covered any available space on our table as we stuffed our faces. To end the night, we hopped on the tube to ride further south than we had ever before (Colliers Wood on the Northern Line) to watch Joey’s friend from Amarillo, Rodney Branigan, play two guitars at the same time in a cozy barn-like venue in Abbey Mills Market. Karen is not sure what was her favorite part of Saturday – the four of us cautiously crossing the parking lot of the largest Sainsbury’s in the UK (adhering to the second set of instructions from a stranger in a sketchy part of town) or listening to good music while drinking a shot of Jack Daniels and munching on a shared bag of crisps with Greg.

Sunday morning greeted us with a blue, sunny sky as we walked to the Garden Café in Regent’s Park with Duke in tow, attracting more dogs than we have ever seen at the park at one time. Two scones busting with clotted cream, a huge slice of chocolate cake, eggs and toast, and two pots of tea later, Lorie and Joey departed for home. The only thing missing from their London weekend: a shopping trip to Harrods. Next time!

After her visit to London Greg's mom wrote a little summary of her experience, here it is word for word...

My London Experience

After exchanging money, going through customs, getting my luggage and finally my return train ticket to Victoria Station I was on my way to meet Gregory and Duke. I got on the train in first class which I didn't stay for long. After arriving at Victoria Station (30 min) I see Gregory and Duke, which was an incredible sight. Then I learn for the first time about the terrorist plot. Now I know why we sat on the tar mat for so long before getting to our gate. We were told it was a conveyor belt issue!!! Now we are headed to Gregory, Karen and Duke's new home(mews). I am in awe over all I am seeing and thrilled the temp is about 75 degrees. I am not sure the distance of our walk but the company certainly made it shorter. Duke is improving daily with his walking skills. We arrive at the mews and I am still in awe over the sights Gregory is pointing out and having no clue what is ahead of me for this visit. Karen is home and has been under the weather for several days and is getting better. Sure is great to see her. Their home is small as you have heard but they have adapted to the needs of their family. I took about a 6 hour nap. I would suggest if coming to London try to change your sleep hours prior to coming so you don't need that long of a jet lag nap. That evening we went to Grenadier and the crowd was too large so we went then to The Wilton Arms pub a few steps from their Mews. I had fish and chips!!! The beer is not as cold as we are a custom too. Forget about ICE!!! Definitely a luxury. Smoking is allowed but no mobiles.... Crowds of people pour out in the streets of some of the pubs( I guess for space and no smoke). The draft beer is poured into a glass with the name of the type of beer you order. The window boxes at many of the pubs have gorgeous flowers (incredible petunias).

Oh, Duke has his own storm drain that he frequents...

The first day out and about Gregory and I did a walking tour(Rick Steve's book). However, we started our walk from their home. We added a lot of territory to this walk and saw a lot of history on our way. When we reached the Thames (Tim's) river we actually began the tour. We saw on this walk Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria Memorial, St James's Park, Wellington Barracks (headquarters for the Queen's guards. Then ahead of us I start to see Big Ben(an awesome sight). Then there is the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St Margaret's church, Winston Churchill monument. Oh the sights are exquisite. We continue the walk and we see the London Eye built for the millennium celebration. As we continue this walk we head down the street towards Trafalgar square. We come to Downing Street (see a protestor), then Horse Guards Parade(where the queen's birthday is celebrated), we then see the Banqueting House. Then we arrive at Trafalgar square. We then go to the National Gallery(absolutely worth the time and get the audio tour). We then have lunch at a Pub and begin our way home by Tube. Incredible day. I recommend this to everyone.

During my stay I visited Hyde Park, Princess Diana's monument, Changing of the Guards, The Clarence House, Tower of London(Ceremony of the Keys), Borough Market, Tate Modern, Covent Gardens, St. Paul's Cathedral(Gregory and I walked up into the dome...), Tower Bridge(from the Tower of London), British Museum, National Portrait Gallery(not that great), Brompton Church(can't remember the name), Burberry, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, British Breakfast and a play( seven brides for seven brothers), and the day before I left we went to LBS where Karen will be attending school and then took the train to Windsor to Windsor Castle. Duke had a dog walker for the day while we were gone.

The sights were incredible, however, doing the day to day things with Gregory and Karen were the most special. I had the chance to see how they live day to day. A trip just to get dog food required a piece of luggage to bring it back. Playing with Duke in Hyde Park. A walk to the grocery store. Enjoying meals prepared by Karen (Great Cook). Seeing excitement on their faces when I brought Peanut butter, Woolite, zip lock bags, ice trays, and powder Gatorade. I think I did pretty well keeping up with them(they are such athletes) with all the walking. By the time I was to leave I had figured out the tube stops( underground transportation). Get an Oyster card for 7 days(if you are there for the length of time) to get around in the tubes.

This was a trip I will never forget. And it was great to catch up with the Kids (Gregory, Karen and Duke)

Love,
MOM/Anna

By the grace of God, I received word last Friday from London Business School that I’ve been accepted into their full-time 2-year MBA Programme, which begins August 28. After several cartwheels around the living room and hugs & high-fives from Greg, I promptly rang my parents’ house to wake them with my victory. LBS is not only ranked #5 globally by the Financial Times, but it’s #1 in Europe AND most importantly, in London! So pretty soon we’ll be scouting homes to let near LBS and researching dog walkers as our 6-month break clause allows us to move by the end of October. This way I’ll be within walking distance of the school and Greg’s commute to Heathrow will be less of a shock on Monday mornings when he has to fly out to Aberdeen. After three months of filling out applications, boarding trains to interviews, and checking my inbox & mail slot for admission results, there is a definitely a lesson to be learned: apply early if possible! I am very happy and fortunate on the outcome of my MBA pursuit, but could have done without the half dozen Excedrin Migraines I had to pop along the way.

Now that Duke has completed his Puppy Foundation Course, we quickly signed him up to continue training with his instructors Sue and daughter Cari. On Sundays at 11am, we’ll tube Duke to Finsbury Park for group outdoor instruction and then on Tuesdays at 7:50pm, Duke will attend the Bronze Foundation Course at St. Mary’s Church. We had our first private training session with Ingrid and learned we need to be more interesting pet parents. Apparently, we should talk to Duke three times as much as we do now when we walk him and spend more time playing with him! Yet, Ingrid complimented us on how much Duke has progressed under our care and what a great puppy he is compared to her other clients. I’m thinking our expectations may be a little high for Duke at 4 months…go figure  Sunday, Duke boarded the tube and bus as we ventured to Richmond Park for his first Viz Whiz (a gathering of about 10 or so Vizsla owners and their dogs). Duke was the only pup and did a superb job of keeping up with the big kids! At one point along the 3-hour romp, the dogs had the chance to play in the river, swimming around and fetching sticks. Duke was a bit intimidated by the barking and competitiveness of the others, but went in waist-deep once the others had moved on. We’re so proud of him and look forward to his next open water experience where we hope he’ll try out doggie-paddling.

Throughout July, we’ve been spending quality time with our friends and London visitors. We feasted on delicious French cuisine and wine with Emily and David at the L’Artiste Musclé in the picturesque Shepherd Market of Mayfair…menu tip: pick the beef bourguignon (stew) over the sausage & beans! After our tarte tatin, we stopped by our place to relieve Duke, whose manners were quite impressive, on our way to Harvey Nichols to relax in their fashionable department store bar on Knightsbridge. Among the stag party, the prostitutes, and business suits, we enjoyed our cocktails until the wee hour of 11pm. The following Sunday, we met Emily and David in their neck of the woods at The Waterway located on the canal (in Little Venice) for an afternoon BBQ complete with pitchers of the traditional British summer drink Pimm’s (lemonade and gin with slices of orange, lemon, apple, cucumber and mint).

The next Friday, Greg’s SAIC colleague Debra was in town visiting with her friends Jaclyn and Charmaine. After sharing a pitcher of Pimm’s, revealing city secrets, and devouring fish & chips at the Grenadier (our favorite neighborhood pub that we recently ate at when I learned of my place on the LBS wait list), we headed to the Turk’s Head to catch up with my old boss Karen and her KBR entourage who were at the tail end of their Kinnerton Street pub crawl. We moved the party to Motcombs for some late night conversation, grub, and consulting reminiscing. Then Saturday night we hosted Blanca and Stephen for a very homemade lasagna and Peach Melba supper complete with Duke’s snoring as entertainment. Luckily we planned the date well in advance so we had plenty of time to put away all the laundry “line-drying” around the flat.

Last Thursday, we had the pleasure of dining with Angela, Greg’s boss at the incredible Indian restaurant Benares in Mayfair. In addition to exploring travel opportunities, we were taught the importance of ordering sada dahi (yogurt to cool down a spicy dish), naan (bread instead of rice) and hari machchi (a spectacular John Dory fish). Saturday morning we navigated through Borough Market with Duke as Blanca and Stephen introduced us to one of London’s many fabulous fruit and vegetable wholesale markets. About five times the size of the Farmer’s Market in Houston, you could buy anything from fresh salmon to melt-in-your-mouth Belgian brownies. Duke was a bit overwhelmed with the smells but settled down while we sat for organic burgers and filtered coffee. Afterwards, we strolled along the South Bank of the Thames River as Blanca and Stephen acted as tour guides, pointing out all the sites we’ve put to memory for our next outing. Last night, we celebrated my LBS offer at the Mango Tree, a trendy Thai restaurant situated under the old Enron building opposite the Queens Gardens, with Emily and David. I discovered Ciroc (grape vodka) and meung cum (betel nut leaves served with peanut, lime, ginger, chili, dried shrimp, and toasted coconut).

Milligan's update

12/29/06

12:41:24 pm Dec. 15-17: Lorie & Joey’s visit (click for pics)

11/25/06

01:03:28 pm Anna's trip to London

07/31/06

11:54:37 am The wait listing is over!

11:53:21 am Our boy’s growing up!

07/30/06

11:55:31 am Hanging with our homies…