HOCO 2014, Slough Edition

For those of you who aren't familiar with the term "HOCO", it's a quite awful abbreviation for the term "homecoming".  I first heard of "HOCO" in that magical time of year back home, when it was, indeed, homecoming season.  Homecoming was a part football game-part dance-part party-part reunion weekend of sorts for both students and alumni (as well as teachers-coaches-parents, etc).  As part of the marching band (well, ok, COLOR GUARD), this was a REALLY fun night.  It was when past members of the band/guard/school often returned from College just to hang out with us youths still in school.  It was a time of remembering, celebration, good food, good friends, and memory making.

   (This weekend also included things like fancy dinners, dates, sleepovers, and mums.  See picture below.)

Jessica Simpson as Homecoming Princess at my high school, JJ Pearce.
(Circa before I was in high school.)

So, what is HOCO 2014, Slough Edition?  

I had the privilege to go "home" with my friend Catherine.  It was a packed weekend of visiting various friends, eating great food, laughing (much laughing), and hearing stories.  (And a quick trip to Windsor!)

Random fun fact about Slough:  it's where the original British television "The Office" was filmed.  

Like, right here. 

Anyways, I digress. 

It's always a risk to invite a new friend "home".
 It's like a blending a bit of your past with your present in hopes for a good future.
 It's kind of like inviting someone to hear the story when you've already made it halfway through the book.
It can be awkward and tedious - trying to balance, explain, and not leave anyone out.

But if you know me at all, I don't mind awkward or asking questions, nor am I one to ever feel "left out".  I love picking up stories halfway through.

And if you met my friend Catherine, you would know she's part-saint (pretty sure of this), full Scottish (really sure about this, though she has been in England for awhile...) which makes her pretty much an amazing person.

(Scots are like Texans - we both like good food, good friends, good stories, & good drinks, and maybe sometimes a little independence.)

Catherine spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my family (it was one heck of a week to put it politely) where she met my friends, my family, and became best buds with Lizzy.

(And also impressed us with her AMAZING baking skills.)

As Catherine was at my school this past semester, I am now at her school.  It has been so great to have someone familiar around - she's been part-translator-part-a-million-other-things.  She's met majority of my friends at CTS, knows my family, and it's nice that sometimes I don't have to tell a story to tell a story.  She also went through the time away from home and school in a different culture type of thing as well.

Anyways, I digress.

It was an awesome HOCO for Catherine to see her friends and regale them with stories of her time serving the church she did in San Antonio, of her classes and experiences at Columbia, and of her other adventures in the states.  It was fun to watch her tell the stories and see how excited she was to share the stories with her friends.  And how excited she was to hear from her friends as well.

Enjoy some pictures from our adventures around Fleet, Slough, and Windsor.

We found this entrance quite hilarious. 

Station Jim, the original one I might add.  

Um, Tesco 24 hours. It. Was. Awesome. Amazing. And so American feeling.  We walked in and there was a Krispy Kreme giving away samples of hot doughnuts.  #winning

Part of Windsor Castle

Long Walk

Windsor 

I thought these were cute.
#snailmail

Get it?  

The Queen's Swans

It was CRAZY windy.
Don't let these gorgeous, peaceful looking swans fool you.

Castle at night.

Cute label, not cute lager. 

f

Friends!

More friends!

 Lovely ladies.


I'm totally in love with this country.  An hour or so before this, it was a CRAZY gale of a storm, and then this windy, cold yet calm storm.

I am grateful for my friend Catherine, and for her inviting me to experience her HOCO '14 Slough edition.