Better than bombarding your inbox: Gray skies, wet sidewalks.

First off, apologies to those of you who arrived today thinking this post would be about the sailing trip. I'm spending a bit more time on it. The plan is to have it up next Friday. As the captain would say, "delayed gratification"...

We're hunkered down for a weekend of rain, cold weather, and work. In the meantime, here's a hodgepodge collection of pictures spanning January 11th - 31st:

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I spent a few days in Summerville, SC after the sailing trip. Kristin, Jamie, Lucy, and I kept Mom & Tom company, playing pickleball, eating, visiting their friends, and doing laundry.

Lucy eats.

Kristin & Jamie dance.

Tom & Lucy return from birdwatching.

The big event on my last night there was a trip to Janet & Jenny's house next door. J&J, grandparents themselves, supplied Kristin with all sorts of necessary items for Lucy during their stay - things like toys and a pack'n'play. In return, we brought Lucy by for drinks, finger food, and chili.

Pigs in blankets.

Walking next door.

I took this picture for Kenz: that coffee table is also a lazy susan - likely the best coffee table in all of Summerville, SC.

Lucy's coolest pajamas - Eiffel Towers all over.

My friend, Joey Hall, came by later that night. He drove 3.5 hours down from Wilmington, ate some food, hung out with the fam for about an hour, and then the two of us hopped back in his car for the 3.5-hour return trip back to Wilmington. I'd booked a flight from Wilmington back to London in order to hang with him for two days on the way out of the country.

Tom & Jamie helping me carry my bag out to the car.

Joey and I have been friends for over a decade - ever since we shared a cabin together at Camp Pinnacle. We can pick up right where we left off, no matter how long it's been since we've seen each other. We spent the entire drive back to Wilmington talking about everything under the sun; 3.5 hours felt like 30 minutes.

We stopped at Planet Hollywood on the way back, despite it being closed. Just because.

An appropriate pose in front of a '90s institution.

David Brent inspired (context).

We didn't have much on the agenda in Wilmington other than hanging out. The two of us spent much of the mornings catching up on work projects, and then spent the afternoons walking around town.

Gifts from JHo.

Waffle House

Joey took me to see the elusive gators. We saw none.

Consequence of living with cats: hair on your face.

Chandler's Wharf

Joey's new DJ equipment: "I'm gonna throw a chain on it and wear it around my neck"

Sushi dinner.

One last note: Joey has been working on his basketball skills. You can check 'em out here.

Airport drop off.

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Unlike Kenz, who suffered a week of polar vortex flight delays, I returned on the correct day. As mentioned in the previous post, however, despite arriving on time, the weather was bad enough to cause a severe case of jet lag. Well, I'll blame it on the weather; they say it's best to get out in the sun and not take a nap. I don't know who they are, but there's no sun in London this month. I took a nap upon return and spent the rest of the week trying to catch up. Having been gone for six weeks, everything seemed like a struggle. Not only did I not want to wake up at the correct time, but I had a mountain of work to climb.

But it sure was nice to be reunited with this lovely lady!

Kenz spent the evenings knitting...

...and eating absurd desserts.

We FaceTime'd with a few folks...

...to see how everyone else's travel went.

My niece and nephews, Sam, Quin, and Zora, have been learning how to wrestle in Hong Kong. The only wrestling club in the city is a part of their school, and I've enjoyed keeping up with their progress. Below is a face-off between Quin and Zora.

To watch these two in action, click here.

A congratulations is in order for Dustin & Taylor, friends of ours. Their recent baby announcement card is held up by their old 'save the date' magnet from 2012.

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Now that I've recovered from jet lag and very nearly caught up on work, I've had the chance to get out of the flat here and there.

There's no way I could be a crane operator on top of the Walkie Talkie.

Seen in Elephant & Castle. That's an iPhone in hand, ringing God.

Good 'ol Walworth road, where folks are so superstitious that they'll try and prevent you from walking underneath a ladder.

I found a french horn hangout (shoutout to Lisa).

The Shard

Early morning bus rides mean foggy windows.

Back to the English breakfast.

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Getting out of the flat also includes seeing folks.

Owen and I went by his sister's house to move some furniture and meet her newborn. Shame on me for not snapping a baby picture.

Jim popped by to hang out and see Kenz's new heating pad.

I met Owen for lunch last Saturday. I introduced him to Five Guys.

The restaurant arrived in London this summer. This was the first time I went. There's usually a line out the door.

Owen thought it was gnarly.

All in all, it's been a relatively quiet two weeks. I've been reestablishing structure into my life, trying to get all my "routines" back in order. Kenz is doing what she does at the end of every semester: keeping odd sleeping hours, working around the clock, and eating nothing but grilled cheeses.