September 2, 2011- Our Wedding Day

I woke up at 6:45am in my parents hotel room at the Village Hotel in Maidstone on Friday morning. My hip was sore from sleeping on the roll-away mattress. I looked at my phone and saw that Mick had text me at midnight. In order to follow tradition, we spent the night apart. Apparently, he wanted to open his wedding day gift at midnight, since, technically, that was our wedding day.

I took a shower and dried my hair and went to breakfast with my parents. Then I straightened my hair so it would be ready for Laura to come and style it for the wedding. We checked on the hotel's preparations for the reception that night. It felt like an incredibly unremarkable day, just another one, and the girls at the front desk commented on how I was the calmest bride they'd ever seen.

Laura arrived and got to work on my hair. It was a long process, but she did a beautiful job. The flowers arrived. I was so pleased with them- gorgeous pink, white and green roses that smelled like heaven. When the florist was done with the table and pedestals in the reception room I went down to check it out and it was like walking through a wall of sweet roses. I went back to my hotel room to finish my makeup while Laura did her hair. Around this time the photographer arrived and took shots of my jewelry and dress and me getting ready. My mom arrived at about a quarter to 3 (the wedding was at 3:30) to help me get into my dress. It took a good ten minutes, five of which were spent with my arms over my head while my mom and Neely, the photographer, tried to get the dress and all its layers straightened and down over my head. I was starting to get pretty hot (it was a really warm day!) and freaking out a little bit about time. "Get it together, one lady did this alone in the dress shop!"

We got out of the room at ten after 3 and the white Taxi Cab was waiting for me. I flopped in and off me, my mom and dad and Laura went. I think we arrived at the Archbhisop's Palace a few minutes late and I met with the registrar and the music began and Laura walked in. Then my dad and I went in. Of course I first looked to Mick, but he seemed really twitchy and was blocked by his groomsmen. He was barely able to look at me. By the time I got to the front of the room to stand with him he seemed a bit better though, and the further we got into the ceremony the better he seemed. I really don't remember much of the ceremony, but I remember looking into his eyes and trying not to sound like a little kid when I said my vows. I didn't realize how nervous I was until he took my hand to put my ring on and could feel my hands shaking. And then suddenly it was over and we were married.

We went outside and took pictures with all the family then everyone left for the hotel and we had our shots together. It was really hot and we both just kept on sweating. The car took us back to the hotel about an hour later and everyone was waiting in the garden patio area for us and we had a drink then went into the reception room. We ate, we drank, we sweated some more (the air conditioning was broken....), we danced. Mick and I danced to "Songbird" by Fleetwood Mac and my dad and I danced to "My Wish" by Rascal Flats. Later in the evening some of Mick's friends from school came for drinks and so did Rach and Josh. We visited and kept going outside where it was cool. Finally, around midnight, I could stand my dress no longer and Mick and I retired to our room. It was a very long, hot day, but a very, very good one. I don't really have any pictures but as soon as people start sending them to me and the photographer gets the disc to me I promise to post them. For now I'll leave you with this one- I adore the way Mick looks in it; so chuffed with himself. Like he's saying, "Yeah, I just got married. What did you do today!?"


We took my parents to the airport today. I hate to see them go, we had such a good time with them here. Now I may not see them until Christmas 2012 when Mick and I plan to go back for our first visit. 15 months- feels like a looooooooong time. But my siblings and their families should be coming to visit over the course of the next year so I have that to look forward to. And finding a job and looking for a place of our own when we save up enough.


Haha, I'm married. It's still so funny to think!

We did it!

Hello everyone! Just wanted to reassure you once again that I have not forgotten this blog. The weeks leading up to a wedding are the most insane weeks of a woman's life (until she has children, I'm guessing!) and for me, it's no exception!

My parents have been here since Sunday and we've been doing our best to show them a good time and get in some sights. Yesterday was, of course, the wedding. It was a fantastically sunny September day and rather warm- especially in yards and yards of fabric! The ceremony is a blur, but what I do remember was great and nobody cried or passed out. The reception was beautiful and the flowers smelled like heaven. The only thing missing was the rest of my family and friends back home- especially my brother and sister and their families. There are so many people I wish could have been there to share in the beauty and joy of the day, but I promise to share lots of pictures as soon as I get them.

I will give a more thorough entry on the day once things have slowed down a bit-- we have more family things to do today and quite frankly, I'm going to need a few days to recover.


Signing off, for the first time as Mrs. Aindrea White! :)

Hen Night: 4 Girls, 1 Camera, and lots of booze

It's Monday now and I'm finally caught up on all the sleep I lost partying the night away on Saturday at my Hen Night. My soon-to-be sister-in-law (how many hyphens?!) arranged such a great night and I can't thank her enough.
Laura came to the house in Kent where we visited while she did my hair, then we did our makeup together.
The night started at Black Rock, a really cool restaurant in Maidstone where your steak or fish or whatever is served to you on a volcanic rock on a plate, still cooking. When you decide it's cooked enough to your liking, you dig in!

Mick's mum and her good friend, Lin, joined us girls for dinner

My steak cooking on a rock! It was a 400 degree rock!

For some reason Karen's husband, Andy, got stuck in a picture with us. He came to take Karen and Lin home.

First place we hit was Strawberry Moons. A very fun decorated club with too-loud music and annoying drunk men, all of which were obsessed with stealing or destroying my pink headband. Which they succeeded in doing.

I didn't realize he had bitten it until I saw this picture

All that remained of my headband :(

See the balloon? It was tied to my wrist haha.

Aimee, Laura, Heidi and me

 We walked down the street after Strawberry Moons and went to Muggletons, a pub where we drank blue drinks and I made good use of the shotglass around my neck.

Blue drinks make for blue tongues!

Laura brought dare cards. This one was really hard- see the struggle on my face?

Blue Tongue Club :D

Next we headed to Chocolate Bar (which got me excited because I thought they'd actually have chocolate...) where we danced for ages and made friends with boys.

I was trying to do that dance where your arms hang....

Strange dance moves...

After several hours of dancing at talking and drinking, we decided to call it a night at 4:30am. Then Laura realized we didn't have a key... so I had to call Mick and wake him up, which was not well received. He put a key under the mat for us. We took a cab home and crawled into bed at 5am. I slept restlessly and feeling less than fantastic for about 5 hours before it was time to get up and start the day!

All in all, it was a very enjoyable night that I will never forget!

Welcome to Bunntopia!

Friday Mick and I wandered down to the pet shop about a half mile away. We wanted to pick up some more hay for the bunbuns. While we were there we took a look at some hutches. I somehow talked Mick into paying for a bright pink hutch that looks like a castle. And then we carried it home. OUCH. It was way too far to carry something so big. On the bright side, it made us realize how badly we need a car so I think as soon as payday rolls around, Mick's going to be looking into that seriously! Anyways, here's the hutch, all set up!

Bunelot? Bunntopia? I can't decide.

Truffles on moving in day. You can see Harley in the background in the "bedroom"

And here they are in their run in the garden. They love it out there. Cutest summer camp ever!

In other news, our honeymoon is booked! We're staying in Cumbria, in the Lake District. I've never been and I don't think Mick has either, but it's supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in England. Here is our hotel

image from explorelakedistrict.co.uk

dining room. image from asiarooms.com

the view from the hotel. image from oldukphotos.com

So, thanks to Mick's mum and stepdad, we'll be spending 7 days and 6 nights hiking, boating, fishing and relaxing. And the hotel even gave us a free upgrade to a room with a lake view! We can't wait. Here are some beautiful shots of The Lake District that I've found online.

image from my-hospitality.com

image from moneyweek.com

image from i.telegraph.co.uk

image from happytellyus.com

Hope you all have a nice Sunday!

Something I'm Good at

I was raised by women who were amazing cooks. First of all, my mom. We always had wholesome, filling dinners growing up and mom worked really hard. Of course there was the one night a week when dealing with three kids and a husband working away from home would just make her too tired, and so we'd have pizza. Mom makes amazing meatloaf, spaghetti, roast beef and pork, all kinds of great stuff. There was also my Grandma Flo (mom's mom). I will never, ever forget the sweet tartness of her lemon meringue pies. And my Grandma Helen (dad's mom) does fantastic cookies, beautiful turkeys and stuffings. And there's Peggy, a dear family friend who is more like an aunt than anything. Peggy is gifted. Her apple pies (often made from her own apple trees!) are to die for and were even featured in her local newspaper.

Growing up around all of this, I hoped that I'd pick something up, and I seem to have gotten lucky. I'm still learning, but I must be doing something right, because my soon-to-be mother in law asked me a couple weeks ago if I'd do the cooking in the evenings. It works out well for now, because Mick is busy working all day, and so is she. While I keep myself busy during the day (exercise and little chores, wedding planning, writing, etc) it just makes sense that I would do the cooking.

I always hate on cooking shows when people say "Oh, I don't follow recipes, I just cook by FEELING." I think it sounds so cheesy, but to be honest, I think that's how I cook. I get ideas from my favorite show of all time ever, Come Dine With Me, and from things my mom made growing up, and just from my imagination. Now, I know a lot of my friends who read this are either working or stay at home moms who have A LOT to do and can't really find the time to plan out a new menu for every night. That's why I thought I'd share some of the really simple but yummy dishes I've been making.

Stuffed Chicken Breast
This one is my favorite, and I keep adding on it. The first time I made it, I slit a pocket down the side of each chicken breast and stuffed it with little chunks of cheese (I prefer camembert or brie, but any soft, sticky cheese like these will do. I find that if you use a smoother cheese like cheddar or mozarella, that it runs out of the chicken breast while in the oven). Then I get a little block of chicken stock (Knorr works well) and put it in a small bowl and pour just a tad of boiling water over it. Let's say 1/4 cup- just enough to dissolve it. I then add some garlic salt and Italian seasoning to the mixture and mix it up. Then I place the chicken on some foil on a pan, drizzle the Knorr mixture over the top of each breast, making sure to stick some in the cheese pouch. I bake them at 400F for 20-30 minutes and they are realllly good and moist. The second time I made them I added a few little leafs of spinach into the pocket with the cheese. Next time I'm going to add sun dried tomatoes. Very yummy!

Shepherd's Pie

I guess technically it's Cottage Pie (Cottage Pie=ground beef, Shepherd's Pie=ground lamb). But either way, it's really easy and really good and filling. Fry about 1lb of lean ground beef in a skillet. Add pepper and any other seasonings you like to flavor your meat. Fry until cooked all the way through and drain off the fatty juices. You will also need mashed potatoes- instant work great, but home made are always better. It's up to you. Either way, prepare your mashed potatoes and get some peas and carrots to boil for a few minutes. Next, you layer it all up. Meat goes on the bottom of a large glass dish. I like to sprinkle some cheese over the meet- this isn't traditional in English cooking, but I find it helps the whole mixture to stick together. Next I layer in the carrots and peas, and finally the mashed potato. You can sprinkle some peas or add carrots to the top to make it pretty if you like. Put it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 375F to melt the cheese and get it nice and gooey.

Asian Chicken

This one was kind of a mistake- I had planned to do it with salmon but the little shop around the corner was out so I resorted to chicken breast. Fill a glass dish with about half a bottle of soy sauce and place the chicken in it to marinate for as long as possible. A couple hours is okay, but I'd put the chicken in the dish and place it in the fridge first thing in the morning if I were you. Also, sprinkle some ground ginger on the breasts (of you can cut up fresh ginger root and toss it in the soy sauce, if you like) Next- carrots. Slice about 4 carrots really thin and put them in another dish with as much soy sauce as you think necessary. Sprinkle more ground ginger in. Stir the carrots a few times. They only need about 2 hours in the marinade as they absorb the soy sauce much more quickly. When the chicken is done marinating, place each breast on a separate sheet of tin foil large enough to wrap the breast in. Place a serving of the carrots on top of the chicken and make a pouch out of the foil. Wrap it all up and place the breasts on a baking tray. Bake at 400F for 20-30 minutes. Unwrap and serve. I served this with rice.

No Sauce Sausage Pasta
This is a great light pasta option. It's not heavy with sauce, very yummy! Slice 4 herb (or spicy, if you're so inclined) sausages into circles and place in a pan to cook in olive oil. Throw in sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, and plenty of basil. I also like to throw in a yellow or orange pepper for color and flavor. Fry it all up until the sausage is cooked through. Boil up your favorite pasta and serve the sausage mixture over it with some olive oil. Voila!

Try some of these out and let me know how they work for you. I'll be sure to share more. Tonight is mushroom and sprout stir fry with noodles and diced steak!

Today I ordered the party favors. Mick and I did our Intent to Marry thing on Tuesday. We took the train to Crawley, the closest registered office (because I'm a furrrrnerrr we had to go to a special kind of office to do it all). I thought we'd just sign some papers and they'd post them on the wall, but in fact it was a bit more official than that. The lady greeted us and took our documents (Mick’s passport and a letter from his bank just to show the address he lives at is the same as mine, my passport containing my visa, and a letter from Mick’s mom saying I’ve lived with them for over a month and one from Mick, too) and went into her office. Then she called me back into her office and talked to me while Mick stayed in the waiting room. She quizzed me on my own information- full name, date of birth, occupation. Then the same stuff about Mick. Then she dismissed me and called Mick in to do the same. Then I was allowed in. We signed the papers, and were excused. She will post the paperwork to us after it has been visibily posted in the office for 16 days. Once everyone is sufficiently satisfied that we’re not previously married, related, or sworn to celibacy (hehe) we can get married. And, just so you know, we are none of those things.

We found a wedding photographer for a really decent price. We will be meeting up with her in a couple weeks when we are back in Kent. Woot!

The rabbit’s run came yesterday. We set it up in the grass and let them run around for a couple hours. They were exhausted when we brought them back in. They were literally just running around in circles and jumping all over the place. We wanted to let them out again today, but it’s been dreary and rainy all day. Hopefully we can let them out tomorrow and I will take pictures.

Okay, that’s all for now. Hope everyone is well!

More wedding details and lovey goo

Today Mick and I went into town to pick out the suits for he and the groomsmen at Moss Bros.! We picked out a really nice grey suit with a creme and green waistcoat and matching cravat. Take a looksie!

Waistcoat and cravat in our chosen colors

Morning suit (both images from moss.co.uk)

He and his two groomsmen (who are wonderful guys) are all going to look so handsome. But of course, I'm most excited to see Mick in it. While we were in town, I also picked up his ring after having it engraved with a special message.

Also, we're going to be doing M&Ms as wedding favours! I thought this was a great idea because, duh, who doesn't love M&Ms! And also because Mick and I had a ball when we were at the M&M store in Vegas, looking at all the awesome merchandise. The favors will look something like this-

image from mymms.co.uk

Annnd for the wedding car.... a white London Taxi! How much more English can it get?! There are options that are a lot fancier- Royce, Jaguar, Diamlier... but there's something that's just so cute and classic and unique to us about the Taxi. They also decorate it with flowers and ribbons matching your theme, so we'll get pink and green.

image from cars4weddings.co.uk

Okay, enough wedding stuff for now, I've been cramming it down everyone's throat lately. I also want to just talk about how Mick and I are doing because, obviously, that's the whole reason all of this is happening. And while I never want this blog to become a place for my mushy love monologues, I do want to address it a bit, because this is our love story, after all.

I am so happy. I've always loved waking up in Bognor, hearing the seagulls and snuggling with Mick. I really just can't tell you how *insert powerful word here* it is to look at him and know we never have to worry about the logistics anymore. And even though we have our scuffles (but what passionate relationship doesn't?), everything about him makes me want to spend forever with him- his smell, smile, eyes and just the fantastic guy he is.

This is happiness, and this is love.

Me and Mick at his sister's birthday dinner a few weeks ago

Wedding bits!

We've had a very productive weekend here in England! Friday, Mick's mom and I ran around Kent making wedding arrangements. We went and saw a florist about bouquets, centerpieces, corsages and various other arrangements. We showed them the following picture as inspiration:

I did find this online, ages ago, but I don't remember where from!

Unfortunately, the big fluffy pink and white flowers (peonies) are not going to be available in September, so they are going to find me some roses that look similar. The centerpieces and pedestal arrangements will be made up of the same flowers, but the corsages for the Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom will be cream colored orchids with pink edges.

We also booked a venue for the reception! It will be at The Village Maidstone Hotel.

Image from maidstonehotels.co.uk

 

 

 

 We also met with a cake decorator who is going to be making the cake. Mick and I picked out these cakes for the inspiration:

We like the shape of the cake itself, as well as the color of the blossoms.

But we like the more delicate branch and the pearl accents on this one.

So the lady said she could kind of go in the middle with the branch and give us edible pearls on the bottom of each tier. Our tiers will all be different flavors- vanilla, chocolate, and lemon!



All in all, things are coming along nicely for the White Wedding. We even picked out invitation and announcement materials yesterday, which will continue the pink and green color scheme. Just need to work out some more details, like our wedding car and suits for Mick and his two groomsmen. And party favors, too.




It was so good to see Mick after spending the weekend apart. Kind of adds a new spark to things, sometimes.

Yesterday we went out and got some stuff for the bunnies. We get to bring them home this weekend. We picked up water bottles and food dishes and a few treats and some litter. Need to get shavings and food, then we're ready to have them! Looking forward to having a snuggly little pet :)

That's all for now, I have lots of stuff to do. Hope everything is well with you guys!

How Many Firemen Does it Take....?

Yesterday was such an interesting day! A couple things I wasn't expecting actually ended up happening. For starters, I found a wedding dress at the first shop we looked in! Mick's mum took me to the shop in Chichester where she bought her wedding dress a couple years ago. The shop was in a cute little arcade of shops and was called Confetti & Lace (if you're getting married in West Sussex, check it out. Great selection of gowns and really friendly staff!) We picked out a few that I really liked and put them aside. The lovely girl running the shop said she was swamped and couldn't help me in and out of any dresses (seriously, you need a pro for this. Who knew?) so we could come back in a couple hours. That worked fine, because Karen and I both had a few other errands we needed to run. Before too long, the girl from the shop called back and said she was free, so we headed back down. I tried on a couple dresses but nothing was looking quite right, or they just wouldn't fit at all.
There was one hanging up that didn't really catch my eye, but the girl said I really should try it. She had a good feeling about it and it's true that lots of times, what you don't like on the hanger looks amazing on. Well, that was the case here. As she was getting me into it and getting everything hooked up, I started to see it taking shape and I could tell that it was going to look good. "Natalie..." I said. "Before you do anymore, tell me the price. I don't want to get my heart set on it and find out I can't afford it!" The price was right. And I could tell by the look on Karen's face the minute I stepped out from behind the curtain that it was the one. We took pictures to send my mom and I bought it then and there. It was a discontinued style so we got it for over 50% off. We played with veils and tiaras and it was so much fun! I wanted to keep the tiara on so nobody would forget how special I am during this time!
Now, obviously I can't show you the dress. But here is a shot of a few that I liked but didn't work out!

Eenie meenie miney mo...

As we were chatting about the dress and general wedding plans, we noticed the gates that lead out of the shopping arcade (I don't mean arcade as in video games, I mean it as in a passage or walkway which contains retailers.) were being closed up for the evening. Natalie had stayed after hours to help us out. There were three gates and we could see that one or two of them were locked. Natalie said not to worry because they always leave one open longer.
We paid and set up dates for the fittings. She put my dress in the back to save until then. We thanked her and walked out the door and headed for the gate she said would still be open. Um. It wasn't. So we went back and let her know. "Oh, no problem," she reassured us. "I have the key to the big roll-up gate, let me get it." It didn't fit in the lock. The poor girl has only been back to work for a week after having a baby so I think she hasn't completely been briefed on everything. So we went back to the shop and sat on the couch while she called the Caretaker who locked us in without CHECKING TO MAKE SURE THE SHOP WAS EMPTY! No answer. No answer. No answer. So she tried the landlord. Out of the country for the next week and a half. She tried a coworker, no luck, no key. She tried the shop owner. No lock, no key. At this point she was getting really upset because what if there had been a fire or something? We were completely and utterly trapped in a tiny row of shops with no restrooms (they were on the other side of the gates, of course). And we were supposed to be meeting friends for dinner. When Karen called to tell the friends, they laughed and said "only you, Karen!" Which makes me pretty nervous because I'm going to be spending lots of time with this woman, as she's about to be my mother-in-law! :P
Karen called Andy and he said he and Mick would head home, feed the dog, and bring back his bolt cutters to see if he could cut one of the padlocks on a gate. Mick didn't seem all that concerned. Finally, Natalie called the police. Twenty minutes later, we heard sirens. We ventured out of the shop to see a bobby and three fireman fiddling with the lock. They talked about the pros and cons of cutting the bolt (no protection after they cut it because of course there was no replacement lock and all the shops are old and the doors aren't very strong, nor the locks). A minute later Mick and Andy showed up. The first thing Mick did was look at me through the bars like I'd done something wrong and said "it's a nice dress, is it?" Let me tell you, it's a good thing there were bars between us because he deserved a bollocking for that cheek! No "you ok babe? Been worried!" NO. Just sarcasm!

How many firemen does it take to bust a lock? In the end, about five.

The firemen (who are sexy even in England, let me say. It must be a universal thing!) tried using their bolt cutters, but they weren't strong enough. They tried automatic ones, but no luck. One of them had a screwdriver and was trying to unscrew the gate from the wall. Finally they pulled out what I think are the jaws of life (nobody here knows that term, but I heard one of the firemen say that they use it to open car doors so I'm pretty sure that's what they were) to pry the gate open wide enough to slip the padlock through and viola! Freedom! After two hours! We thanked the men for their help and headed to dinner. I needed the bathroom and a drink of water badly!

Thinking back, I remember turning to Karen and Natalie as we watched our rescuers struggle with the lock and saying "I really hope this isn't foreshadowing how the rest of my wedding planning is going to go..." And I really, really do hope that!

Time for a quick Sunday quote...

"I've never worn stockings and suspenders though. I think I'll save them to wear under my wedding dress."
-Jennifer Ellison

Ain't it the truth? All the equipment that goes into wearing a wedding dress!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone! :)

Laughing at this post is prohibited

So much news in just a couple of days! Since the wedding was booked, my mom and dad went ahead and purchased their tickets to fly out here. I'm very excited that they are coming! So now wedding plans are in swing and today Mick's mum is taking me to look at wedding dresses. I'd like to get flowers and a cake sorted when we are in Kent next weekend. We're looking for a venue to hold the dinner/mini reception thing.

Yesterday was a very odd day. During the night my upper lip swelled up to enormous and comical proportions. I could feel how huge it was and Mick said I didn't even look like myself. I gathered the courage to get up out of bed and look at it. It was no longer all that comical, because I was freaking out. We aren't sure what caused it, but considering the fact that I've had some hives and swelling in the recent past, I'm not shocked. Bemused, but not shocked. It is against my better judgement that I share the following picture. I know I can't control it either way, but please. Please don't laugh. It was actually painful from being so swollen. It felt like my skin was being stretched and could tear. I'm sure it wouldn't have, but it felt like it.
We went to the doctor and he basically was no help. At all. It went down throughout the day and when I woke up this morning it was pretty much normal.

A sweet little girl.

Yesterday evening we drove to the charming village of Ditchling near Brighton to look at the bunny rabbits. We've decided to get two so that one won't get lonely. We decided on the little snuggles to the left.

A cute little boy.

We're going to have the boy fixed once they are old enough to, ahem. Be like rabbits, if you catch my drift. That way we won't have billions. We looked into getting two boys or two girls but apparently they fight. The best match is a brother and sister with one fixed. So that's what we're doing. They will be ready to come home with us in a couple weeks. We're thinking of Harley for the boy and Truffle for the girl.

After the rabbits we had dinner in a restaurant on the waterfront. It made me want seafood. So I had a whole sea bass with the head and eyes and everything. Never done that before.

Today we're going into Chichester, a town I really love to get some things done and check out dresses as I mentioned. We're also going to play snooker (learn more here). Tonight we are meeting some friends of Karen and Andy's (Mick's mum and step-dad) and having dinner with them.

Okay, time to hop in the shower and get this day rolling. Have a great weekend everybody.

Dead fish on a plate. Clearly.

Dum, dum dah-dum!

In case you silly people couldn't tell, the title is the tune from the Bridal March.

Yay! Finally some concrete wedding news! I was able to book a date this morning, which is a huge relief! We will be married Friday, September 2 in the afternoon. We are getting married at the Archbishop's Palace (learn about it here) which looks like this:

The room where our ceremony will take place.

We are getting married in a room where I can have my dad walk me down the aisle, which makes me very happy. Beyond these details, I don't really know anything yet. The lady I spoke to on the phone said they are going to send us a ceremony package where we will be able to personalize the ceremony more but I won't have that for a few days. I'm just happy because now it feels like this is all really going to happen!
Now, unfortunately for my female friends on here, I won't be able to show you pictures of the dress and my hairstyle once I figure it out because of course Mick reads this blog. But I'll find some way to share it all with you!





Time to go work for a good Bride Bod and burn some calories. Have a great Thursday, everyone! The weekend is almost here :D

Out of the Mouths of Brits, Volume II

 Alright, a lot of people really liked my English Slang post from last week, so I spent a few days compiling more sayings and phrases and words to share with you! Here goes.

Knob- a slang word for male genitalia, often used for an insult. "Don't be such a knob!" It's not as offensive as it seems. 

Stroppy- this is used when someone is being very moody. Sometimes when I'm being bratty and throw a sassy line at Mick he looks at me all exasperated and says in a high-pitched voice, "Alright, stroppy!"


Got a cob on- A way of saying you're in a bad mood or sulking. Again, Mick has asked me "why have you got a cob on?" I'm not entirely sure where it comes from. And for the record, I'm not always in a bad mood!


Thick- Stupid, unintelligent.

Innit- A chavy way of saying "isn't it." Example, "that car is well fast, innit?!"

Trolly- grocery cart

Lorry- Large truck, like an eighteen wheeler.

Pikey- common, low class, trailer trash. Can describe a thing, area or a person. "This place is full of pikeys." or "This neighborhood is so pikey!" It's kind of how they describe gypsies and pikey comes from the term "turnpike" which is the side of the road and where lots of gypsies would camp out.

Chav- This one took me ages to understand. I still find it difficult to explain, so read here.

Holiday- what they call vacation. "Oh, I'd love a holiday on the beach!"

Cheers- Thanks.

Plonker- comes from Only Fools and Horses. Stupid, idiot. Del Boy always told his brother Rodney "don' be a plonka awl ya life!"

Tart- promiscuous woman or slutty dressers

Biscuit/Cookie- Okay, this is a huge debate between Americans and Brits. In America, we have cookies. It's a pretty broad range of tasty snacks. In England, it's broken down into two categories- cookies and biscuits. In England, this is a cookie, just like it is in America:

image from cookiedelivery.com

And in England these would be considered biscuits, even though in America they'd just be more cookies:

image from buchnknight.blogspot.com

Bobby- from kaboodle.com

So, all very cookie type things. The best way I can think to describe the difference is that fluffy more home-made type things are considered to be cookies, while harder, more compressed baked goods are considered biscuits.

Copper- A police officer. Not to be mistaken for a bobby.

Bobby- A certain type of police officer that wears a helmet.

Ickle- small, tiny. On at least one occasion Mick has called me "ickle sleepy head."

Petal- An affectionate nickname, generally for a woman. If I'm lucky I get called this.

Plank- a stupid person.

Ponce- Someone who dresses and acts fancier than they probably are.

Posh-  Classy and sophisticated

Sod- Meaning sodomite, but that is in the old fashioned context. More commonly used as a gentle form of fool, bastard, or idiot. "You cheeky sod!"

Blow off- To break wind

Bog roll- Toilet paper. The restroom here is sometimes called the bog.

Chuffed- Pleased, stoked, proud. "I was really chuffed that everyone liked the cookies I made!"

Toilet- The restroom. You don't really ever hear someone say "I need to use the restroom" over here. It's generally "I need the toilet," which kind of grosses me out, because it makes me think of the actual bowl and it's just yucky.

Fit- sexy, attractive

Fiver/tenner- Five or ten pound note (money).

Frog- What the English people call the French. The French and the English don't like each other much, but then again, who really likes the french?

Gogglebox- This one I haven't heard too often, but it means television. "Turn on the old gogglebox, will you?"

Kip- Sleep. "I'm going to try to catch some kip."

Taking the piss- Messing with someone, joking around. A less offensive way of saying it is "taking the mickey." I got Mick his favorite television series on DVD for Christmas and he looked up at me shocked and said "are you taking the piss?!" In this case he pretty much meant "are you serious?!"

Skint- broke, no money. "I'd love to go, but I'm skint."


That's probably all I'll do for a while, because for now that's all I know! But if I learn more I will post them.

Mick and I have been talking and we (I) really want to get a rabbit. We both want a pet- I haven't had one since my childhood dog, Bailey, passed away a few years ago and Mick misses his rats. Where we live we can't really have a dog or a cat and they're a bit more of a financial obligation than we're looking for, so we decided a rabbit would be nice. It seems to be alright with Mick's mum and step-dad. I've fallen in love with a little guy an hour away who looks something like this:

image from petrabbitworld.com

He's a Dwarf Lop baby and I have to have him so I can schnoz all over his little face.We're going to go see him later in the week and put down a deposit.

Other than that, I've been just doing odds and ends. I had my first adventure in drying clothes on the line

 

And bonding with the dog 

Last week was nice. Mick and I were able have a belated anniversary celebration. I took him out for an English Fry Up, his favorite thing about being English.

My first English fry up at the Hobgoblin Pub in Canterbury last summer. I've had a few more since then...

And he made a really nice pasta dinner and we exchanged cards. Nothing big this year because we've spent a lot of money on flights and rings for the wedding and stuff.
And oh yeah, news on the wedding. I've gone back and forth a bit but we've decided to just do one wedding rather than a legal one and then a big fancy one. I really want all my family to be able to be there, but I kind of feel like having the two weddings, they end up stealing thunder from each other. The first isn't fancy, but it's the real deal. And the second one would be pretty and formal and a big party, but we'd already be married. So we're just going to do a small but elegant wedding in September. I'm waiting to hear back from the place, but I think it will be September 2nd. Which will make a very busy three weeks for me and Mick! My birthday is August 23, our anniversary will be September 2, and his birthday is September 12!
We spent the weekend in Kent and got to go to a friend's housewarming party. It was a very cute older house and made me really look forward to a time when Mick and I will be able to do the same thing. Now we are back in Bognor for a couple of weeks. I have to say I'm glad to not be back and forth for a bit. I keep forgetting things at one house or the other, this week I forgot my razor!

A very Happy 4th of July to all my friends and family back in America. I always feel like such a traitor when I'm here on this particular holiday. Inside I'm waving a little flag. I'm going to miss the hotdogs and fireworks, though. Perhaps I can stream a live firework display or something.

That's all for now. Hope everyone had a great weekend and a not too miserable Monday. :)

Shop til you drop!

Just a short update... too tired to say much today!
We went shopping today at Bluewater, one of the UK's biggest malls. When it was built in 1997, it was the biggest mall in all of Europe, but apparently the mainland got it's butt in gear and built some bigger ones. (I'll be giving you little lessons on England and its history from time to time!) Today Mick's mum told me that it's built in the bottom of a quarry. And sure enough when I looked around as we left the mall, there are sheer cliffs surrounding the mall to prove her point correct. I've been here a few times on my various visits to England, and always end up leaving exhausted and satisfied. I can't wait until my mom and sister come to visit, because they will LOVE this place. It's a gorgeous mall. I picked up a few necessities like body wash and shampoo, and Mick and I got gifts for his sister's birthday.

Bluewater (from wikipedia.org)

 

Interior of the mall (from tonbridgesearch.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 While at the mall we got a sim card for my phone so that I can have a UK number and access to internet/email on my phone like I do at home, 300 minutes, and 3,000 texts a month. This is only going to cost me ₤10, which is about $15 a month. To my fellow Americans- we get SCREWED in the states when it comes to mobile phones. I suggest you all revolt.
We spent last night in Wrotham, where Mick's dad lives and visited with that part of the family. Wrotham is an adorable little village in Kent where you can still get your milk delivered to your doorstep in glass bottles by a milkman who drives the truck and everything! The first time I saw this I about had a quaint little heart attack of cuteness on the pavement (sidewalk).

Here's a shot of Wrotham (from geograph.org.uk). Excuse the scaffolding- old buildings means lots of upkeep, which means lots of scaffolding in England!

Sleeping patterns are still out of whack. Our first night here, Mick and I slept nearly 12 hours. Then last night we couldn't fall asleep until past 3am and had to get up at 9:30am, but I was awake around 8:30 and I'm still awake and it's 11:20pm! I hope things will get normal soon!

Also- just to keep you in the loop, we will be starting to plan the wedding very soon. I have to live in the UK for 9 days before we can give our Intent to Marry at the registry office. Apparently this comes from an old tradition called Banns of Marriage. Another history lesson! Basically, they post your names in the office (back in the day I assume it was the town hall or something) for a little over two weeks. This way, people see it as they come and go and if, by chance, you shouldn't get married because you're related, already married, sworn to celibacy (that one made me laugh!) etc, passersby who know this information can inform the right people and the marriage will be prevented. So, after our Intent is registered, we have to wait 16 days then we can get married. Next week we will register our Intent, wait the given period, and find a date when we can do all this. This will just be the little legal wedding, and next spring we'll do the big to-do.
I got to talk to my dad tonight- haven't spoken to anyone back home since I arrived because I've been too tired or busy. My mom was out (boo!) but I got to catch up with dad. I miss everyone lots. I'm okay during the day when I'm busy and surrounded by people, but at night when I get in bed and have the quiet surrounding me I start to get kind of worried and sad and miss everyone. Needless to say, I'm not too fond of nighttime for this reason. 
Okay, that's all for now, I'm beyond tired and need a bath. Hopefully I'll be doing some exciting things this coming week and will have some good posts for you!
This was supposed to be a short post!