Pre-Halloween Celebrations

Pre-Halloween weekend means party! Jules is building up her winter wardrobe thanks to thrifting. Her sheep costume is adorable. I had a quick visit with Magda and Amali--so precious. Mom and Miriam came over for some pulled pork yumminess.

Kitty Cafe, Newcastle, and Dinners with Friends

Julia had a good week, turning in her first paper and making progress on formulating her thesis. Leeds has a kitty cafe! She's getting into a routine and making strong friendships through her building, her flatmates, fellow Americans, and her program. Over the weekend, she took the train with some friends to Newcastle to see a premier league soccer game (Newcastle v. Brighton) at St. James' Park. They checked out, Blackie Boy Bar--cool clock. The city looks similar to Leeds. Kudos to Jules for using her crockpot and figuring out her budget--so grown up! I'm not sure, as a coffee lover, how I feel about her growing affection for tea...and eating curry too! She's getting all British on us, hee hee.

All Kinds of Classes and Chocolate

Crack us up...Julia can take free classes at the gym during the off-peak hours of 6:30am - 11:30am. Off-peak? Those are prime morning hours! Steven said, Not for college kids. Ha! She's taken soul cycle and yoga. Continuing to settle in...she bought a crockpot and made chili, had a group dinner with the American friends, and made good strides on her research proposal. And, check out the surprise from Benjamin--how sweet--a box of chocolates!

Keep on, keeping on, Jules! You're doing great!

Class, Oxford, and Hiking

Julia is taking three modules this term--so she is going to be busy! The two classes that have started so far, she likes and seems excited about the topics and workload. Yay--that is what graduate school should be all about, pursuing and enjoying something very specific!

Check out her Railway photo. Jules took the train to Oxford and met up with Mike (Lia's boyfriend) and Emmie on Saturday. They had a wonderful time, which included some Yorkshire language lessons, lunch, and the famous, "cake in a bag" treat.

Thanks to her new friend Vy, Julia joined the hiking club and went on her first adventure on Sunday. This girl knows how to pack a lot into one weekend. We are so happy that she is happy and doing well.