Oh right. My blog...

I'm almost embarrassed to come back and write here. It's been so long since I wrote at all, yet alone regularly. April was the last time I stopped by for a visit. Four months. Ooops.

Well, what's new? Mick and I have moved to a new apartment in a city not at all far from where we were living called Maidstone. We'd basically had enough of our old landlord, so when the lease was up, we high-tailed it out of there. We're still settling in to the new place, things aren't getting done as soon as they did at the last place.

Mick is doing really well. His business continues to grow and he works so hard. I'm still at the pub, though now that we have moved to a bigger town I'm hoping there will be more variety and maybe something a bit closer to home. We shall see. I tried really hard to get a teaching job for the coming school year, but my transfer of qualifications didn't come through until most of the positions had closed. I think a lot of the schools were hesitant to hire me because the transfer hadn't come through yet. Bad timing, I suppose. Could mean I'm meant to do something else. What do you think?

I feel like writing in here is such a labour. I have no idea what to talk about. Maybe I was gone too long? Odd.

What else? Oh! Back in early July my mom came to visit for a week. It was wonderful to see her but the time went too too fast! We went to London for two days and showed her some sights and walked miles around Harrods as well as Fortnum & Mason. It looks like we will definitely be going to America for Christmas though. We can't wait.

The day after she left, I found myself feeling very sad and homesick. I did something I haven't done in years. I splurged, big time. I bought myself a Canon 550D. It's beautiful and I love it. My every thought has been of things to take pictures of. I find myself slowly rediscovering my creativity. When Mick and I drive through the country roads, I'll look out the windows and see the orange setting sun obstructed by bright green branches in the woods and my heart leaps. And I remember I don't have my camera, then my heart sinks. I just want to take pictures, and I'm wanting to find a way to take a few courses. Some of my happiest time were when I lived in Yuma and took a Digital Photography course at the local community college. I'd like to try and find a way to do it again.

My birthday is next week. 26. I don't want to talk about it. The week after is our one year wedding anniversary. Wow! Where has the time gone? And then another two weeks and it's Mick's birthday.

I know this probably wasn't the most exciting update, but I'll make more of an effort to come and write more often. I lost my creativity for a while there! Hopefully it's coming back, whatwith my camera and all that jazz.

Here I am

I am. More to observe than participate lately, but I am here. Life has slipped into that typical routine of wake, work, cook, clean, sleep. We are making plans for more in our life- more space, more income, more adventure.

I've happily slipped into the role of a wife with a home and a husband. Speaking of the devil, he's proved to be pretty handy around the house as well. Here's what we've been up to lately.


A special day, just the two of us. An automatic change from winter into a glorious spring. The sofa and chair we bought and are anxiously awaiting!!! And beautiful English scenery.

Dinner

Febphotoaday, day 6 was dinner.
I made stuffed chicken breast (cheddar and spinach) with rice and boiler spinach. Hubby loves the spinach. As do I.

10am

Saturday night we were snuggled up on the couch. Something caught Mick's eye out the window. "oh, oh!" he said in anticipation, getting up from the couch and causing me to slump over in my coldy stupor. It was snowing! Over the next couple hours we watched it settle and grow until we went to bed. And then we got up the next morning. At 10am I peeked out the window and saw this (6yesterday's assignment was to capture 10am for febphotoaday):

Stranger

Hello! Happy Saturday my friends! I'm posting from a pub in Camden, one of my favourite London gems. It's a great and funky market town. We've been looking for cool knickknacks for the apartment. We came up to london to see one of our favourite comedians, Steve Hughes last night-- he was hilarious, as was the opening act, Sully O'Sullivan. Check them out.

We spent the night at a hotel and came to Camden this morning. Here is my day 4 febphotoaday submission- strangers.

Have a great weekend, peeps!

Febphotoaday

Heya! As you know I'm a lover of instagram, a photo ap for the iPhone. It makes stylising and sharing your photos a bit easier, and is a lot like twitter. But with pictures. This month a user started #febphotoaday. It's a daily challenge to enter a picture centred around a list of words- one per day. I have been doing it this month and thought sharing it here each day would help me blog a bit more, because ie been slacking a lot.

Here are the first few days. Day 1 was "my view" two was "words" and today is "hands." I will also include the assignment in case anyone wants to join in!

Mostly Moved In

Last time I wrote, we were still waiting to find out if we were getting the flat we fell in love with. A week later, we are all moved in. Well, mostly moved in. All the big furniture and majority of the niknaks are here. All the books and DVDs. Kitchen stuff is here. All we need to finish are little bits here and there and most of our clothes.
The apartment looks great, apart from the piles of boxes and unfinished little tasks. Oh, and we don't have hot water and the washing machine is broken. I actually used hot water from the kettle and pots warmed on the stove and added it to cold water from the tub so Mick and I could bathe tonight. Hopefully this will all be fixed this week because the maintenance guy should be around. Pictures and shelves and clocks still need to go up, but the kitchen is in full working order, minus a toaster. Waiting for Internet and stuff, which should hopefully happen this week. It's all coming along at a good speed, and we are so happy to have our first home together! Here are some snaps I've taken. It all looks different already but I'll post more.
Sorry if I seem a bit too enthusiastic- I know we are only renting, but I've never had anything like this of my own before. Or a husband to share it with.

We we we we so excited!

We are moving today and tomorrow! Tenancy doesn't actually start until tomorrow, and we won't actually sleep there til tomorrow, but we get the keys and start schluffing our smaller stuff over, then big things tomorrow in a rented truck.
Happy Friday, y'all! Lots of pictures to share soon!

patience...

I'm guilty of neglecting this blog in recent weeks. I'm not sure what it is, perhaps it's that January down fall of excitement - Christmas has ended, junk food needs to be avoided, and it's a new, daunting year. Or perhaps it's just that not a whole lot is happening, which is more than true. My weeks are full of pouring drinks and serving food and running around the pub. My evenings consist of eating dinner (half of the time I'm not even sure what we're eating, my memory is just so glazed), finding something to watch on tv with the husband.
Speaking of the husband, he got his driving license last week and so we've been out and about a lot lately. Out with friends, a date night, shopping for things we need for the apartment.
Ah yes, the apartment! In one of my last entries from almost two weeks ago (!) I mentioned that we'd paid a holding fee while they do our referencing. I bet you're wondering if we're living in the apartment now, amongst a slew of boxes and slowly, but surely, getting ourselves settled. Well, you're wrong. They only just completed our referencing today, due to slow-movement on both the real estate company and the referencing people. We still don't know when we are signing the contracts and moving in, but we're getting pretty frustrated. We're supposed to find out today... but we will see. I hope to have some news for you all tomorrow.

In other news- I was able to secure tickets (via ebay) for the sold out Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers concert in London in June. Have I mentioned they're my favorite band of all time ever since I was 8? Well they are. And I get to see them (for my second time) on their first European tour in twenty years. Yay!
Have some photos.

A butcher block chopping board and a granite mortar & pestle for the apartment's beautiful kitchen

A dog desperately trying to get me to feed her a chocolate muffin.

Muddy shoes and happy hearts

Today is one of those days where I'm so immensely happy with my decision to move to England.

Waking up to frost.
A cold walk in the country fields and lanes with a very special boy.
Discovering a pub in a little village, having a drink and chatting with the barmaid.
Holding hands, walking through the muddy fields, my hubby helping me hop a fence, that tingly lovey feeling that makes your legs go a bit funny.

This is life, as it should be.

Just a wee update

Hello. Just wanted to update you on the apartment hunting situation. We have paid a holding fee on the beautiful one we viewed Monday. This way nobody can come swipe it from us while we wait for our references to be checked out. We sent off the paperwork for that yesterday, so we're just waiting and hoping for the green light. Send positive energy and cross some fingers, please!


Also... Constantly on my iPod lately.

They were kids that I once knew

A few hours of sunshine snapped on the way to work.

I don't have much to talk about these days, which is why things have been really quiet for me.  Work is fine, good. I've made friends with a really nice girl I work with. Life is life, the kind of stuff that's important but personal so I don't really want to put it on here- lots and lots of marriage discussions (not discussions about marriage, just the kind of important talks that married people have with each other) important, but boring to outsiders. We are on a desperate apartment search. We've looked at two, both at each end of the niceness and money spectrum. The first was amazing, but too expensive. The second was extremely small and underwhelming but more affordable than the first, but probably overpriced for what it was. And number three. Oh, number three, how I love thee. We've only seen pictures of it online, but it looks even nicer than the first one, similar size, but more affordable. We are seeing it tonight and I can't wait. Apart from that, it's just a matter of counting our pennies and making sure we can do this.
And then doing it anyway.
That's pretty much what is consuming our time and thoughts around here. Also the ridiculous pricing of towels. We were at ASDA the other day (UK's Wal-Mart partner) and I saw some towels. I decided to have a look and a feel, knowing that we'll be needing to get some soon. The towels weren't very soft, but they were £5 each. For cheap, scratchy towels. That's like, $7.50! I couldn't believe it! And my father-in-law's girlfriend said the nice big bath sheets you can get at the good department store are £22! Is this normal? Or is it just an England thing because I can't handle it right now. But I guess that's what Argos is for. I found a bundle of 6 towels for £12, go me.
Yeah, sorry for all the towel talk- these are the mundane things that occupy my mind lately!
Mick and I are doing well. We've had some time recently to sit down and really talk, an activity that life hasn't given us the chance to do lately. We walked away from a very open and honest conversation feeling closer than we have for a long time, and a bit more full of one another's love. And I think that's something we've both really needed lately.

The other day I walked to work, listening to a song I discovered recently. It's called "Dead Hearts" by Star. It was cool, not cold (it's been a very mild winter), and I had my headphones on and nearly skipped to work in the sunshine. Yes, sunshine. Since moving to Kent in October, I haven't seen a lot of sun. In Sussex during the summer there was loads of it. For a minute, I really missed Arizona and the endless blue skies. There was a day early last week (Monday?) and a girl I work with and I were upstairs taking down all the Christmas decorations and it just started to pour. Angry rain, people. And the wind was pushing it in these clouds of water racing across rooftops. I felt like the windows were going to break. And then it stopped... and got sunny for an hour. And then the rain started again, then stopped... it was pretty crazy.
Anyway, I hope you all have a great week!

Auld Lang Syne

Last night the pub held a New Years Eve party, and I was selected to work with some of my favourite coworkers. Doors opened at 7:00, but people didn't start arriving until after 8:00. There was food, a DJ and prizes, and lots and lots of people drinking. Mick came with his best friend who is visiting, and so did my sister in law and her group. Everyone was in high spirits and the place was the most hopping I've ever seen it, with the music and disco lights. I'd walk the length of the bar, collecting empty glasses and bottles, put them in the recycling or dish washer and by the time I turned around there were more to collect. Bottles of spirits were emptying at an astounding rate, and I had more than a few drinks bought for me by lovely customers. When the countdown was two minutes, our bosses forced us off the bar to have a drink and enjoy ourselves. I sat with Mick and Gus and watched the numbers dwindle down. 10, 9. Mick came to America with me. 8,7. We got engaged. 6,5. My brother got married, such a beautiful wedding. 4,3. I moved to England and started over. 2,1. My sister became a world champion. I married my best friend. Happy New Year!!!
I watched the rest of the bar with a far-away feeling in my heart. Party poppers cracked and the smell of gun powder filled my nostrils. Someone had brought light up bubble guns, and drunk girls giggled and danced in them. Sparklers were being lit, hot diamonds dripping from a stick. I loved the way people would light a stranger's sparkler with their own.
I thought of the millennium, 12 years ago. I was 13 and living in Yuma. I remember standing in the street and shouting Happy New Year surrounded by friends and family. My dad let me have a puff of his cigar just before midnight. I told him I didn't want the world to end without knowing what it was like. How time moves so quickly. But last night I sat in that loud pub on a square leather ottoman, kissed my new husband, and watched as people stood in a circle, held hands and sang Auld Lang Syne. Over the next five minutes I found, hugged and kissed my new friends and coworkers, and even the sweet little Italian man who comes to the pub somewhat regularly found me and gave me a hug, as well as the smooth talking man with a sharp London accent. So much joy was all over the place, but as is usual for me, happy occasions are usually tinged with sadness, too. I'm not sure why, but I've always been that way. Perhaps it's for the passing of time and leaving behind another year. A year is full of so many moments, and most of the joy comes from the little moments that you don't remember several months later- a joke, a really good meal, a moving film. And this year it was laced with a sad hope, that this year will be better, newer. Don't get me wrong, 2011 was the biggest year of my life, but there is still so much work to do, so much to figure out, and I just hope that I can make a dent in it this year.

So Happy New Year to you all, and remember, auld acquaintance should not be forgot, nor should times gone by.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_YnmHLynRY&feature=youtube_gdata_player