A Revival & October Horror Challange

So here we are again. I'm staring at my laptop wondering how it has been nearly two years since I last visited this blog. However it came to be, it did, so let's just move on. Let's pick up where we left off.

So much has happened in the past two years, I don't really know where to start. The last time I wrote, Christmas 2013 was nearly upon us. We had a brief but very enjoyable visit from my mom, and I told you all about our new kitten, Hugo. About a month later, Hugo sadly disappeared. It was very sad timing, because just a week before, we adopted this mug.

This is Alfie, better known as Fred, Alfredo, Pickle, or my little Pickle-Biscuit. He's the worst, most lovable dog there ever was. He's disobedient and sneaky, greedy and stubborn. He's gorgeous, sweet, hilarious and very snuggly. He's my little best buddy, even despite the fact that he arrived in our home a week before the cat disappeared and I think this is rather suspicious, considering the cat didn't seem particularly fond of this stocky little barking nugget. Basically, I think the cat thought "what the hell have you brought into MY house? See you'se guys later" and found another, pug free home. It took me ages to get over the loss of little Hugo, but Alfie kept me company and now we are inseparable. Unless someone else is holding the food. He is loyal to she/he who holds the food.

Since I last wrote, Mick also took a new job. He still dabbles in freelance writing and has various projects going on with his interests, but he's also got a pretty sweet gig working in PR for a local budding organisation. Work is the same for me - good and busy, still in the same place.

About 10 months after Hugo decided to disappear and break my heart, I felt ready to get another kitten. Enter our gorgeous Isla.

She wasn't the most pleasant kitten, not like Hugo was. But she's beautiful and grew up to be lovely and fluffy with amazing markings and the bushiest tail you ever did see. She puts up with a lot from her Puggy brother, and loves to bring moths in the house from the garden and massacre them in the lounge while we watch TV. I know, gross right? But you've got to support their interests, I suppose.

The end of 2014 had wonderful cause for celebration - Mick and I returned to America to celebrate Christmas and New Years with my family. It had been two years since I had seen anyone, apart from my mom, and it was long overdue. We had a fantastic time enjoying the beautiful weather, seeing my favourite people and places, and just soaking up California goodness.

The biggest event of 2015 by far though, and the biggest step so far for myself and Mick, was becoming homeowners! After returning from America we decided it was time to start looking, even though at the time I was horribly homesick, falling from the high of being home and enjoying the many splendors that California has to offer - and as such, had absolutely no interest in setting any further roots in this grey and damp country that put so many miles between me and my loved ones.  We viewed a house or two, but my heart was not in it. And then we found it - a beautiful little three bedroom semi-detached on a quiet street, close to all our favourite stores and in the area we wanted to live. The owners showed us around on the evening we went to view, and when the lady went to turn on the light in the cupboard under the stairs and ducked out of sight, I glanced at Mick with that look on my face that he knows so well - the look that clearly states "I want it."
We fell in love with the house. It's a 1930's build so it has all kinds of character and charm, but it's also open and airy and bright, which satisfies my American tastes.
Everything went smoothly, and in April, we got our keys and spent a week getting ourselves moved in and all settled.

Home sweet home! We love it here and even though I was hesitant to buy, it's done wonders for me. I finally feel HOME. This is the sixth place I have lived since I moved to England 5 years ago, and it's such a wonderful feeling to finally know that this is it - we will be here for a long time and its OURS. Since this photo was taken, Mick really freshened things up by giving the garage a fresh coat of white glossy paint, my little trees decided to die (they've been disposed of) and I tucked the curtain back in the window upstairs (it was only that way for an hour or so!)

The summer of 2015 was a rainy one, but did bring with it a brief heat wave with temperatures that made me very happy my office is air conditioned and that our house seems to stay quite cool. In August, Mick surprised me massively with a weekend in Paris for my birthday. He got me all the way to the train station where you hop on the EuroStar before he gave me the tickets and clued me in on things. I of course got all teary and touched. We spent three and a half days in the City of Love seeing all the sights. I for one enjoyed the coffee and pastry far too much.

Yeah, he got some epic bonus points for this trip. It was so exciting to finally get to see a little slice of Europe, and Paris was lovely. It has a similar feel to London but it's not nearly as big and their underground is so much easier to manage. I have some really happy and unforgettable memories here - including wandering around the Louvre, everything feeling so surreal. The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and so many others.

A few weeks later it was Micks birthday, and I had arranged a night away in Hertfordshire where we ate an amazing Italian dinner at a funky little restaurant and stayed in a little lodge in the country. The next morning was the real event though - a day as zookeepers. We got to feed otters, pick up alpaca poo, hang out with raccoons and a skunk, as well as the cutest lizard EVER.

So that brings us pretty much all the way through to the end of September. All I remember about October is that we watched lots and lots of horror movies. 30, to be exact. For some reason I thought it would be a great idea to give ourselves an October Horror Challenge, where we watched a Horror or Halloween themed film every night for the month. We did very well, only missing one night because of a cooking competition that Mick was taking part in for his department at work. As a result, we were up cooking until midnight, so didn't have a chance to do any movie-watchin'.

If you're interested in which films we watched - check out the list below. I've included a very very brief review of each, should you ever decide you want to commit to anything like this in the future.

Night 1: "Saw II" - unimpressive. I'm a fan of the first but this doesn't tempt me to finish the rest.
Night 2: "28 Days Later" - there's not much to say about this one, very solid zombie film.
Night 3:  "28 Weeks Later" - sequel to the above. I prefer this one to the original.
Nights 4-7: "Scream 1-4". Classic slasher films and you can't go wrong.
Night 8: "Dawn of the Dead" - another solid zombie movie that doesn't let down.
Night 9: "An American Haunting" - meh. It's hard to deliver with ghosty ones - this didn't.
Night 10: "American Mary"- twisted. Very interesting and unlike anything I've ever seen.
Night 11: "The Blair Witch Project" - just as bad as I remembered. Worse, actually.
Night 12: "Mirrors" - very different, I liked this one.
Night 13: "What Lies Beneath" - one of my all time favourites. Ever. Of all genres.
Night 14: "Friday the 13th" - the original. Couldn't get into this one. Also, ketchup blood.
Night 15: "Friday the 13th Part II" - slightly better than the first one.
Night 16: "Nightmare on Elm Street" - 2010 remake, one I really like, though I seem to be alone.
Night 17: "The Omen" - oh man, such a good movie. One of the gems of the 70s.
Night 18: "The Omen II" - also good, but not nearly as good as the first.
Night 19: "White Noise" - good but I fell asleep. Starting movies at 9 on a school night is hard.
Night 20: "Wrong Turn 2" - sick. Sick, sick, sick. But I liked it.
Night 21: "Pernicious" - could have been good... but don't even bother.
Night 22: "Insidious 3" we both nearly wet ourselves. So scary! Best movie of the month.
Night 23: "Eden Lake" - it's good but for some reason I don't really like it. 
Nights 24-26: "Hostels 1,2&3" - not at all what I expected and very, very good. Third one is meh.
Night 27: "The Devil's Rejects" - ugh. Waste of my night. Didn't even pay attention.
Night 28: missed due to cooking
Night 29: "Would You Rather?" - Not really a horror, but very interesting premise.
Night 30: "Hocus Pocus" for me (have to watch it every year with a girlfriend!) and "The Human Centipede" for Mick. I refuse to watch this one. Blech!

And for our final night, the original "Nightmare on Elm Street!" Which we didn't actually finish because it was very late and we were rather sleepy.

We are discussing perhaps taking part in a similar challenge for December, but with Christmas movies! A movie a night for a whole month is a bigger commitment than you might think, so I'm not sure if we will do it!

Well, that brings you up to speed on what we've been up to. You're going to be seeing a lot more of me. I've really missed writing in general, as well as working on this blog, so I've made a conscience decision to be more present here, as well as with other, personal writing projects. Writing has been a passion of mine since the tender age of 8, when my 4th grade teacher held Writing Workshop every morning to encourage our creativity. I have been hooked since then, until the past few years when I allowed life to get in the way. No more. No more.

I'll also be taking part in 30 Days of Thanks over on my Instagram account by expressing thanks all throughout the month of November, and not just on Thanksgiving Day! Join me! Or simply just follow along as I rack my brains before bed each night, trying to find a photo I took throughout the day and reminding myself that really, life is wonderful and full of so many blessings

It's good to be back. xo

A Revival

I haven't been here since August. That's a very long time, and life has shown us several big changes since then.
I think part of me was resigned to the fact that I would give up this blog. Life was busy (as it always is) and I didn't have the time or inspiration to continue to make this space a beautiful one. But I must make a confession - I have been a downright nasty person to be around as of late. My poor, dear, sweet husband has caught the brunt of it and most of the time I didn't even realise how horrible I was being until I saw the hurt in his eyes after an argument settled, or until I heard the anger in his voice.
The only thing I know is that when I am stressed and frazzled, I become un-fun and snappy. I become a lot like a teenager who doesn't like to hear any criticism, but especially the word "no."
I need a therapy, of sorts, to keep myself happy. Expressing goes a long way. I remember back in high school, I used to dump my stresses during my least favourite (and weakest) subject- math. It would have done me a lot more good, academically, to sit and pay attention, but it did more for my state of mind to get out some notebook paper and just write. I wrote poems, short stories, even took a few cracks at novels. Nothing ever came of it and sadly, I've lost most of those poems and stories, but it felt good. Another release I discovered around the same time was photography. I found that, after a teenage argument with my mother, a trip to the desert with my little digital camera did me a lot of good. A few years later, I took a photography course at the community college and invested in a good little starter digital SLR. I would lose myself behind the lense, become engrossed in finding the perfect shutter and f-stop combination, and find delight in tweaking the focus just right. Whatever worries plagued my mind could be easily forgotten. In a world where I so often feel like I have no control, getting behind the viewfinder and manipulating the settings of a camera, taking a world that, to me, in that moment, feels ugly, and changing it into something beautiful with this little machine makes me feel ok and reminds me that there is always beauty to be find.

And so, I resolve to write here regularly again, and to take more pictures. I got my camera out a few weeks ago and it sits on the piano (no, we don't play [though Mick can dabble], but it sure is a great place to set all our crap).

So, what has happened since August? Sheesh. A lot. Let me break it down by month for you.

September:
We celebrated our one year anniversary in London. Mick's mom and dad bought us tickets to see "We Will Rock You," a West End musical based on the music of Queen. Oh, did we love it. I quickly bought all of Queen's greatest hits that I was missing. A few days later I started a new job for a recruitment company that specialises in accountancy and fiance. I do a lot of administrative type work, and it's a really great place to work. The people are great and I'm always kept on my toes. A few days later Mick caught up with me by turning 26. Hah.

November:
I had a nasty cold that stopped me dead in my tracks. Mom sent me some Thanksgiving decorations to get me out of an autumn/germy funk. We celebrated a big of a Celtic Thanksgiving, plus a South African. The food was good and I enjoyed being in the kitchen all day.

December:
The countdown to my biggest wish was dwindling down - on December 15th we hopped on a plane and got to visit home for the first time since I moved here. We spent two weeks with my family, time split between Arizona and Southern California. I caught up with my parents and siblings, loved up on my niece and nephew, and shared good laughs with good friends whom I've missed loads. The time went too fast, and with a confusing mixture of sadness and joy, we came back to England.

February:
Another move... Mick's dad kindly asked us if we'd like to rent his house since he is remarrying and moving in with his lucky lady. We were ecstatic for the opportunity to live in the beautiful village in a lovely house with a lot more space and room to grow.

March:
I passed my driving test the first time (quite an accomplishment in England, the driving tests are brutal here!) and got a new car, a lovely little Skoda which may or may not take a lot of work...

That pretty much brings you up to date. There have been other things in between, which I'll share in photos.

Continuing developing my cooking skills

Spending as much time as possible with this guy

A fair amount of snow this winter (that's our new house from the garden!)

And a lot of ice...

And just enough down-time to keep me going

I'll be back soon, I promise. I've missed this place.

xo

For Mom

My mother started a tradition with my sister, her oldest child. When each of us graduated with our bachelor's degree, she made us a quilt. I chose pink and green and toile. And with love and patience, she stitched a beautiful masterpiece.

The other day my mom asked me, “how could you move like that?” She didn’t mean it in any harsh way. She and I are very different people, and she just meant she personally couldn’t do the massive thing I have done- quitting my job, leaving everything I know, and starting over in another country. I always knew that it would be hard for my mom when I left.
But it made me think- how could I, the little girl who used to have a panic attack every day before school and couldn’t spend the night at a friends house without wanting to go home in the middle of the night, become this woman who did what I did.

And then I got this quote, and I think it answers both my mother’s and my own question.

"Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible."  ~Marion C. Garretty

And it’s true. I’ve always had anxiety problems- most of the time it’s underlying, but other times it’ll flare up and can be pretty debilitating. When I was a kid, I wanted to quit school because I hated it so much, and I had a literal phobia of going to school until I was about twelve, as well as separation anxiety. But my mom and dad pushed me, because education and socialization is very important and they didn’t let me drop out and get home-schooled. I begged. I threw fits. But because my mom and dad loved me enough to not give in (and to go through the panicked battle with me day after day after day after day) and do what was best for me, I was able to finish elementary school. I was able to finish middle school, high school, earn an associates degree and graduate with honors with a Bachelor’s degree.

And then, when Mick came back in my life two years ago, I knew I would have to make a decision at some point. It was difficult for me, because I knew that for he and I to be together, a lot of things in my life were going to change. I worried what my parents would think, what my brother and sister would say. But I found the answer within myself. I found the strength to do what was best for me, because I’d seen my mother do it for me when I was a little girl. I saw her say no to the easy way, and do it the right way.

So, to answer my mom’s question- I was able to move away because I did what she did- I knew what was best for me, and even though I knew it would be hard, I did it anyway. She loved me and did the impossible, so that I could, too. 

Although a Mother's love isn't a love I understand just yet, I do know some about it, because I've been on the receiving end. I've also watched my sister grow with motherhood; I've seen how she looks at my niece and listened to her talk about just how much that gorgeous little girl means to her. So while I don't yet have my own children and can't completely grasp what a mother feels, I have an inkling, and I am thankful to be loved in such a way by such a remarkable woman, and for the opportunity to love her back with a daughter's love.

My Last Day

It's weird to say it- this is my last night living in America. To be honest, it still hasn't sunk in. Tomorrow my dad is taking me and Mick to the airport at noon. Mom is going to stay here because there won't be enough room for all of us and the luggage in the car.
It's been a surreal day. A nice day, but still very surreal. I can't get over how normal everything seems. This is the biggest thing I've ever done in my life, the biggest thing I'll probably ever do. I keep expecting to feel something huge. All I feel is a bit of excitement tingled in with some sadness. It just doesn't seem...real. It seems like I'm leaving for England, but just for another trip. Not a move. Oh well, I guess it'll hit me soon enough.

Here is how I spent my last day in the good ole' US of A.
8:40am- Wake up and have breakfast in the living room while my mom, dad, niece, Mick, brother in law and I all hang out.
9:00am- decide to take a shower. Check my text messages and see that my best friend has asked me to come see her while she babysits so we can spend a bit of time together. Reply, yes. Shower, dry hair, do make up, throw in some laundry.
11:00am- Head up the highway with Mick to visit my friend. The kid is sleeping when we get there so we hang out and talk.
11:30am- Mick and I go to Subway and get lunch for the three of us, take it back to the house, talk and eat with Tabatha while the kid plays around the house.
1:30pm- Head back to my sister's house. Mick and I have accumulated souvenirs from our road trip last week, so we needed to shift some things in suitcases and reorganize. We spend some time doing this, completely unpack and repack all my suitcases. A few minor adjustments to Mick's as well.
3:00pm- Cool down after all the packing. My niece wakes up from a long nap, we hang out with the dog on the couch.
3:30pm- My sister gets home from work and cleans up while I watch Friends with dad.
4:30pm- My mom, sister and I head out to see Bridesmaids.
7:00pm- We get out of the movie, grab some dinner to take back to the house.
8:00pm- Eat dinner. I hunt for travel insurance online while Mom, sister, Mick and niece play Candyland.
Now we're all just hanging out watching a movie. Dad is going to bed and the rest of us are just getting some last minute time out of the night.
I'll update once we've gotten to England.

The Less Glamorous Half

I want to be really honest on this blog. And so that means I have to tell you the other side of how things are going right now. I'm really excited to move to England, but there have been some tears. I think of how beautiful England is, how much I love the weather and history and Mick's family, and I feel really good. But then I remember there are going to be days when that probably won't be quite enough. There will be days when I want to go shopping with my mom and sister, see a movie with my dad, have a drink with my brother, play a board game with my niece and brother in law, or have sushi with my best friend. There are going to be days when all I want is a dose of familiarity, a place I've known my whole life where I can go and have some "me time" and it just won't be possible.
There will be days when a Skype call won't be enough, and I will hang up feeling sad and lonely for the people who raised me.
When I think of these days I know are coming, I can't help but cry.

My life is going to be a great adventure, but one that includes some sacrifices. I am so excited to meet the future, but of course I am sad and afraid at times. I try to think of all the amazing things I'm going to see and do, of the home Mick and I will make and the things and memories we will fill it with. I really try to focus on a lack of 100+ degree weather and lots of rain and green.
I just wanted to share with you guys that this is a big deal, and it's not just fun and exciting. There is another side to it, a side much less glamorous which requires me to say goodbye to my family for nearly a year at a time.

Now, onto happier things. Mick and I are heading to Los Angeles in a bit to see Canter's Deli (which he informs me is famous for its food and celebrity clientele. I'd never heard of it. Wait, who's the California native again?!), and then we're going to go see the Venice Boardwalk (cloudy and rainy today...) and possibly meet his friend for drinks later. Then tonight my parents arrive and tomorrow is the engagement party! Yay!

Bits and bobs

This is getting ridiculous. I am leaving Yuma a week from this coming Monday. Not forever, but in the sense that I'm moving. Moving. And how much have I done to prepare for that. Hah. Not much, really. I did do a bit of work last night, but, as I said, ridiculous. I have no motivation to go through 14 years of Stuff. So much Stuff. And it doesn't help that when I get home, mentally psyched up to get in there and do some work, Mick's always like "oh I want to go do this and this and this." Duuuude. So I've recruited a very strict friend to come over tonight and force me to do it while Mick watches her child. I'm hoping to finish under my bed and the window seat. And that just leaves the dreaded closet for tomorrow. My room is a disaster, though. I've always hated that, you know? That in-between stage when you are honestly cleaning, but there are stacks of Keep, Trash, and Donate and big black garbage bags. And so it looks dirtier than when you started. But I'm not embarrassed to have people over, because I have a good excuse for my mess.
Moving on. I'm so glad it's the weekend. Work is quickly just becoming a fight for survival at this point. Trying to keep the kids from going completely bonkers is quite a task. Next week is full of activities, though- we're finally going to watch The Diary of Anne Frank, which we finished reading a few weeks ago. There's an 8th grade pool party and BBQ, and then promotion is on Friday, as well as an end of the year luncheon. Then my brother and his wife are coming for the weekend, and Mick and I leave for the Grand Canyon and Vegas the following Monday. So there's lots going on, and this is why I need to get my butt in gear with the packing thing!
Today is mother daughter day. I'm really feeling the time limitations when I think of how I want to spend time with people before I go. So mom and I are going to go see Bridesmaids and have lunch and do some shopping. It's really weird and it occurred to me last night. You always start getting closer/getting along with people better when one of you is leaving. I also noticed this when I was 10 and moved from California to Arizona. I made so many new friends in the few months before I left, which made it harder to leave. Lately, my mom has been making me really laugh, and I'm noticing things in my dad that I'm really going to miss. Even my sister, who is ten years older than me, and I are finding all sorts of things that we have in common. I'm trying not to let this make me sad, though. I'm trying to think of it as a good thing, something that will help us all stay close when I'm living far, far away. But everything family related is really getting to me. I was picking out a Father's Day card yesterday at Target and just about every one of them made me want to burst into tears.
It's also happening with friends. Last night I went out with Brittany and Jake and some friends of theirs. I haven't seen them in possibly months, and of course all our best memories and laughs resurfaced. So, yeah, I'm basically in a mad scramble to spend as much time with everyone as possible.

And that's where we are this weekend. Hope everyone is having a great start to summer activities!

Up, up and away!

I've been "blogging" since before "blogging" was "blogging," but at a personal location over at opendiary.com. Now, however, since my life has begun to take some form of interesting, I decided to take it public. And global, seeing as how my life is now being extended into the global scene.
Numbers and days- this is what my life is driven by. Let's look at some of these numbers and days in the past few years and how they've brought me to today. Just the highlights mind you.
Spring 2004- Mick and I began speaking in a web forum.
Summer 2006- I bought a ticket to go see him in England.
November 2006- That all fell through.
October 29, 2010- Mick sent me a letter basically bringing everything back.
June 24, 2010- I flew to England and met Mick for the first time. What was meant to be a two week trip became a one month dream.
July 25- December 19, 2010- We spent a very difficult 5 months apart.
January 5, 2011- Mick came back with me to spend 6 months in America.
April 27, 2011- Mick asked me to marry him. I said yes.
May 17, 2011- My marriage visa was issued.

And that pretty much brings you up to speed. You'll learn more about Mick in the entries to come, and how we came to be. So here we are, engaged, in love, and 28 days from moving to England to start our lives. Twenty eight days. In twenty eight days I am moving to another country across the ocean, completely removed from everything I know and the people I hold most dear. I'm elated. I'm excited. I'm terrified and I'm sad. But mostly, I'm enthralled.

So this will by my place to come and deal with anything and everything. The trials and tribulations of fitting nearly 25 years into 3 suitcases, saying goodbye to my family, my spiritual spine. It will be where I come to vent my frustrations about being a newcomer in a country and learning the ins and outs. It will be where I tell you all about the life my other half and I will build.

I hope you're ready for an adventure, because I sure am.