Hopeful Happenings

This past weekend has been picture perfect.

We've had some seriously great weather,

low 60's, Holllllaaaa!!!

We took advantage of a sunny Saturday and decided 

to go to town and walk around.

We normally stick to one part of town but we

decided to walk to a different area and explore some.

It was well worth it because we found a few new restaurants to try

and we stumbled upon a bombed out Church.

The Church, St. Lukes, was bombed by the Germans in WW2.

The entire center of the Church was missing including all of the

stained glass windows that once graced the walls.

Sunday was Mothers Day here in the UK.

I'm not completely sure why it's on a different day

than the rest of the world but I heard it has something to 

do with the Church of England.

Sunday was another amazing day outside.

Sunglasses were needed and jackets were left home.

I mean where am I, Death Valley???

It was so nice.

We did a little gift giving that morning, 

we got Tom's mum some smelly good stuff and flowers.

Chrysanthemums because it was mums day!

We prided ourselves on that gift ;)

We all hopped into two cars and headed out for the afternoon.

We ended up at this place called Haigh Hall.

All I know about this place is that it's beautiful

and there's Crazy golf [which we played]

 Tom's mum and dad and buster and minnie :)

It was such a good day.

I was happy to see a little more of the area

than just going to town on the bus.

I got to see a whole new area and it's inspired

Tom and I to go to more of these places over the next few weeks.

We kept on exploring today while we were in town.

We ate at a cute little cafe, went into some charity shops, got some ice cream.

Then we decided to go check out the Liverpool Library.

I'm so so glad we went to the library because

it is absolutely the COOLEST library i've ever been to.

I think i'll find myself in there quite often now that we've found it

especially when Tom is in work and I'm waiting on him.

I should probably mention that the Library is stunning

which of course you can already see but most of it is modern

from a little/HUGE revamp they did a few years ago.

There is one room though, the one pictured above that

is just so incredible, I'm not sure i'd get any reading done in there,

I'm more likely to get a sore neck from looking all around me and at the ceiling ;)

It's been so nice this weekend

and now we've got a pretty solid week ahead.

It's April first tomorrow.

Someone sloooww the clock down!! :)

Have a great week!

Italia

I hope that I'm not starting this countdown in vain

because we haven't exactly booked anything yet.

We won't be able to until we get the go ahead from

Tom's work people which could happen any day now.

But I'll just start it now because i'm SO excited!!

We will [hopefully] be galavanting through the tuscan hills of Italia this time next month!!

A trip that will hopefully last around 5 days.

Where we will most likely be seeing the following.

Leaning tower of Pisa [total tourist thing but it's to close not to see]

Cinque Terre is also on the list of places.

I've wanted to go to Cinque Terre for a long time

so i'm excited that we'll be close enough to get there for a day trip.

And the majority of our time will be spent roaming the streets of Florence.

This will probably be the last bigger trip we take.

It's going to be so so nice, I really can't wait!!

The Bizz [so much better with double z's]

When I started College in 2009

I knew I wanted to be an interior designer.

I had spent just about every previous summer

re-decorating my already perfectly decorated room.

Actually that's a lie.

I look back and while I had good intentions

most of my room redo's ended up looking terrible.

I see it now, I didn't see it then.

(purple stripes, writing quotes on the walls)

Oy!

So after sitting through a lecture about interior design

I remembered suddenly that I HATE math and measurements.

So that career lasted oh about 15 minutes.

My freshman year in College I decided I had a love for photography.

So I was like, oh hey lets take a class on Photography.

Cool class, but totally a wasted credit.

Because I was not meant to be a photographer.

I can take a nice picture, but I was not

fond of learning about aperture and lenses

and cameras and ways to print and blah blah blah.

That same semester I also took an advertising class.

It was interesting, I liked it but I didn't want to be a professional advertiser.

No way, Jose!!

Also I'm an ENFP...if you know what that is then this post

totalllyyy makes sense to you ;)

Then a few weeks into school this thing called

the cupcake craze really took off.

And I was so into it!

That was the moment that I knew I wanted to own my own bakery.

Owning my own bakery seemed like a grand idea.

Except that I just wasn't that keen on cooking.

Cooking or baking.

I wanted the business.

I wanted the cute store front

with pretty distressed wooden tables

and different chairs accompanying those tables.

I wanted the smell of cupcakes and BREAD

to waft through the streets and lead everyone to my bakery.

I wanted a business, not a bakery.

I wanted to hire people to bake, and I wanted

to do the rest, like make it beautiful and make people love it.

I obviously didn't know much about owning a business back then.

Hey Emily, there's this thing called accounting and finance.

It's not all pretty store fronts and yummy smells.

Remember how I loathed math in Interior Design.

Well there is WAY more math to be found in Business.

A scary amount of math, enough to bring tears.

But I was SO set on having a bakery that

I signed on the dotted line and sold my soul

to this place called COBA!

College of Business Administration.

It was, to this day, the best school decision I ever made.

I have a business brain and heart.

I am so glad I majored in Business Management

because it gave me so much amazing information

on working in the business world and or owning my own business.

I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit.

If I could get paid to just sit around and create

business ideas all day then I'd be so rich!!

And it would be awesome!

I am so inspired by some of the amazing ideas

that I'm seeing on a daily basis of people

who have come up with a niche and

acted on it and turned it into a thriving company.

I know starting a business is hard work but once

you get everything lined up and ready to go

it is just so exciting to see how people

take in your ideas.

Here's a mid post pep talk for anyone

who wants to start a biz!!

Now, let us continue...

I'm working on something right now.

Something I've been working on for a few months.

I most definitely do NOT have it all pulled together

and probably won't for some time but it is so exciting

because I personally think it's a really fun idea

and no one that I know of is doing it to the

level that I'm wanting to do it.

It's probably one of my better ideas.

I just need to get it pulled together.

Tom has been helping me with it

and he's really amazing and supportive

and even better he's totally good at playing

devil's advocate which I really need

to make sure that every decision we make

about this bizzz is well thought out. 

You know those people who try out for singing

competitions and are terrible but no one told them they

were absolutely awful singers??

I'm not going on a singing competition or anything

but it's the same thing, if I tell you an idea I need

you to tell me if it's sooooo bad or be honest and

tell me it has potential but I need to work out some

kinks before I take it any further.

I like honesty, it leads to less embarrassment later on. 

However, in this case, it's a good idea!

Great even, would spectacular be taking it to far??

Hmmm, I don't think so ;)

I won't be spilling much about this venture on here.

I don't want to say something and get hopes up and then

it crashes and burns in a fiery explosion of failure.

Ya know what i mean??

Anyways...this was a long post

but i'm just sitting here on my mac writing up

some business plans and well i'm excited!!

I hope you are all having a great day!

Life Lately

So I took a week off from blogging

but didn't actually realize this until yesterday

when I saw that I haven't blogged since last Tuesday...

whoops

So let me catch you up on the happenings of this past week.

Not much happened...I babysat P, 

we went to see Dallas Buyers Club,

& I watched Frozen more

times than I'd like to admit.

Speaking of frozen...

Have you guys seen this HILARIOUS

video of a sweet girl getting a splinter out while

singing/shouting "Do you want to build a snowman"

I feel for her, it looks painful.

But her singing is freaking hilarious!!

In other news...

Tom and I have had a 2 trips planned for a while,

to go to Florence and then go on a longer trip

to places in europe like the Netherlands, Germany or Belgium.

It was a good plan, and we probably could have done it

but with Tom working we just decided that it would be easier to

just take one longer trip to one place.

And since it's chilly in England and will likely be chilly

for the rest of the time that i'm here we are thinking 

about going somewhere warrmmm and maybe beachy.

Italy is still a top choice.

In fact I think Italy is pretty definite.

Yea, we're going to Italy...

hopefully we will be able to go

for about 4 or 5 days.

Enough time to really take it in

and get some sun.

I love Italy and I can't wait to go!!

I'll try not to be MIA this week ;)

Hope you're all having a great Tuesday!!

Brasco Lounge

I'm currently in bed watching a movie and

eating Doritos (the cool ranch kind) and drinking a diet coke

that I got from the bargain booze down the road.

For those of you wondering what I do with my days...well...

I do a lot more than this...thaannkk gooodddneessss!!

I am enjoying my little day off.

I'll be getting out of bed around 5 to

go meet Tom after work for a little date

with our friends treadmill and weight machine.

This weekend was a good one.

I got to meet a lot of Tom's family

which was fun, it reminded me of what

I put him through at the BBQ we had for him

when he was in Texas ;)

I now owe him big for that!!

It was great though, he has such a nice family.

I got to meet so many people, including some youngsters

who were hilarious to hang with.

Honestly if I had it my way i think I'd sit at the kid

table voluntarily for forever just because those

kids say the funniest things!!

Yesterday Tom had half the day off so we decided

to go to lunch together before he had to go in.

We really enjoy trying out new places

and we've been looking at different restaurants since

before I came last November.

So yesterday we decided to go to a restaurant that

we had been thinking about for a while but

we just hadn't made it over there yet.

It's called Brasco Lounge.

And it's SO adorable, it's like out of a magazine

or a pinterest board and we just fell in love with it.

From the different colored distressed wooden tables and chairs

to the different lighting around every corner 

to all of the fab wall pictures...sighhhh

It was a dream!!

{All photos taken with iphone}

And the food was great too!

I had a chili dog..yea..in a place like this ;)

Tom had a falafel burger with Halloumi...

If you haven't had halloumi then you are missing out my friends!!

They have lots of different types of food, even Tapas.

It is now one of our favorite places to eat in Liverpool.

They even have coffee and snacks too if you're just popping in

for a light snack or for a nice warm drink.

Basically we'll be returning very soon! :)

Hope you're all having a great week!

Living Abroad

I was 18 and leaving home for the first time.

I was a homebody for the first 18 years of my life.

The two times I had left and been out on my own

was when I was 14 going to Church Camp for a week,

and when I was 16 going on a choir trip to Colorado.

So that's two weeks out of my life that I chose to leave home

and I'll be honest, both occasions were terrifying.

I loved being home, with my family and friends,

there was nothing happening that would surprise me.

Everything was normal, easy and safe!

Then I went to University in AR and lived

on my own for the first time and it really rocked my world.

Like i've said before, I hated it.

I felt lost, everything was hard and the small

town that I lived in was so far from home.

Then I decided to make a change in my attitude.

To realize that this world is not as scary as I had made it out to be.

That I was an adult and could make my own decisions.

That I had control of my life, and my future.

That's when the whole world opened up and 

I became more free than I had ever felt before.

At the end of these 5 months in England I will be able

to say that i have lived abroad for a total of 8 months.

3 months in France, 5 in England.

My 18 year old self would have been shocked!!!

It's never ideal being away from family.

And I know it's hard on both sides.

My family misses me just as I miss them

but i'm just so thankful to have the family I have.

They are supportive of everything I do, and without their

guidance, love and support I would not be having

this amazing experience that i'm having today.

I know i'm living in a little dream world right now.

I also know that won't last for forever.

Jobs/rent/bills will creep in and life will get real.

But i'm a firm believer that life can be the best if you're

surrounded by people you love and who love you in return,

and It doesn't hurt to be in a place that makes you happy either.

I'm an optimist/dreamer...my life will always feel amazing

because that's just my attitude towards everything.

As I've mentioned before, after my five month stay in England

Tom and I will go back to being long distance love birds...

And it's going to succkkk!!

So we've been looking into loads of ways that two people

can be together for longer than 3 months and work at the same time.

Because like i've also said...we both need to be working.

We need to be saving money..paying off student loan collectors

and well just lots of other things...

So how do we do that??

Well there are a few options.

Go bankrupt flying back and forth

to see each other for a week or weekend

like once or twice every few months...

Get hitched

Marriage is expensive.

I may be an optimist/dreamer but Tom is a realist

and in reality you need moneeyyyy to be married!!!

Especially when you also have to get a visa 

for one person to get over to the other country...

get a work visa {go bankrupt getting it}

Work visas are hard to come by and expensive to get

if you go the non traditional route.

Traditional route is go to school...get hosted by company.
Probably not happening...

- Get a Working Holiday Visa - 

A lovely person left a comment on my blog

about checking out WHV's.

Mind blown!!!!

I didn't even know something like this existed...

I hope if you are looking for an adventure and need to

make money at the same time that you will look into this.

A few Countries offer this Visa.

The one's I know of are Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

I don't know much about the Canada one but Tom and I

have been researching Australia like crazy.

Is it totally crazy to think about going to another country

that isn't home to either of us just to ensure that 

we are able to stay together longer???

hmmmmm....possibly.

But it seems like a really really cool option

so instead of being apart we will be together...

instead of only one of us working we can both work...

The Visa is not expensive in terms of how expensive visas usually are.

It's only for 12 months but that's more than enough time for us

to explore, make some money and figure out some more details.

A lot of people use this Visa mainly to backpack across Australia.

Which is crazy cool if you can afford to do that.

I think in our case we'd be using it to stay in one crazy amazing place

for about 6 months...work...save some money and then move on

to another totally amazing place for the last 6 months and do the same.

Jobs seem to be pretty available from what i've seen.

So there's that ;)

Let's just say the 18 year old me would pee my pants

if she knew she could go to Australia for a year...

XFactorTour

One of the perks of Tom working at a

concert venue is freeeee tickets.

It doesn't happen often.

In fact, this was the first time we've been given any free tickets.

So let's just say I hope this isn't the last time.

We got free tickets to go see the UK XFactor tour from this past season.

We had fun.

It wasn't really something that Tom or myself

would have paid to go see, but it was fun and free

so no complaining here ;)

The seats were amazing.

We were really close to all of the action.

And they were the perfect seats for people watching.

There were tons of girls under 12 who were

just dying over some of the x factor boys.

It was hilarious!!

...

Tonight we're going to see the Grand Budapest Hotel.

I've heard good things, i'm excited!!

Oh and we're going to a buffet place.

I'm normally against them but this place looks amazing.

Where my stretchy pants at???

-Em

Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Saturday Tom was off so we decided to take

a little trip down to Blackpool and

go to the amusement park that

is down there.

We trained it to Blackpool from Liverpool.

The trip took about an hour and a half.

Once we got there we were off.

Tom's little sister Holly came with us.

It was a really fun day, full of rides and 

snacks and that sick feeling you get

when you mix the two ;)

Now i don't know about you, but i'm a big roller coaster fan.

I can just walk into a park and head straight for the

tallest and scariest ride that they have.

I wasn't always like that, I used to be terrified.

Tom still needs some "man up" time

before we jump on one which is pretty cute ;)

I enjoy the big rides except for the ones that drop you.

Free falls are not my thing, I am known to

scream for my mommy on those...

The one in the picture under this is another one i don't like.

It's a feet dangle one, where the harness comes over your head.

My little head banged around in that harness so hard that

I honestly thought my ears were bleeding when we got off...

That one won't be a repeat ride!!

 I also came across a Texas Steakhouse.

Random...

Actually...it's not all that random.

I've seen "Texas" restaurants in Ireland, London and now Blackpool.

Maybe they have a thing for us.

I don't blame them ;)

It was a great day, went by fast but it was 

just nice to get out for the day and 

enjoy some nice company, nice weather

and a little bit of the craziness that you always

seem to find at amusement parks.

Hope you all have a great week!

Two months in the UK

It feels like yesterday that I was writing about

my first month here in the UK...

And now here we are on month number two.

Tomorrow I'll be into month number three.

Crazzzzyyyy how time flies.

This past month has been AMAZING!

We went to London.

I bought a bus pass (super exciting)

We joined a Gym (and we've worked out almost every day)

We went to an amusement park (post tomorrow)

AND it's finally starting to warm up!!!

This warm weather and sunshine is making me so happy.

However I think i've had it better here than most of my people

back home in Texas where they've had a little too

much winter weather lately. 

But I think sunshine and warm weather

is starting to creep up all over the place.

Thank gooooodness!!!

So two months down and three to go.

I hope they go by slooowww because i'm 

enjoying my time with Tom so much!!!

A few things that may or may not take place this month...

A trip to Florence, Italy.

There is an amazing deal on Groupon at the moment

for three days in Florence plus flights AND a SEGWAY tour for £180.

I mean hello...

So that's a possibility depending on Tom's work schedule.

Also happening this month is renewing bus pass and gym memberships...

Nerdy excitement!!

I'm sure whatever happens over the next month

it will be great, I just hope we go to Florence ;)

One year & 4 months

Tom said that since we have known each other

for one year and four months that we can basically

say we've known each other for a year and a half.

A year in a half just sounds cooler...

When this started last November

neither of us knew that it would lead

to spending 7 months apart before we even met.

Or that we'd spend a few weeks together during the summer.

Or that I'd spend Thanksgiving with him and then spend

five months living with him and his family.

When you take a look back at everything that

we've done together, it's all pretty fantastic.

I love reminiscing on our story.

That moment when we first started talking.

That moment when we realized texting was possible.

That moment when we made travel arrangements.

That moment when he said "I love you".

That moment when I said it back.

That moment when he got here.

That moment when we got to really explore

what 'love' really is...in real life.

That moment when we went on adventures.

That moment when he had to leave.

That moment when he booked another ticket {for me}.

That moment when I met his family.

That moment when we made a 5 month plan.

That moment when I moved in.

This moment.

We're both so happy in this moment.

Getting to spend time together is all we ever wanted and now 

we're getting to do exactly that.

A year ago I wrote this on my blog.

"Never have i ever met someone who makes me feel this comfortable, 

I'm an awkward girl, its in my blood..i can't help it

and that's kind of hindered me in past relationships,

but Tom makes me feel like i can snort when i laugh in front of him...

that's kind of a big deal!!!"

Let's just say the comfortability level has risen,

as well as the love level ;)

Polaroid

Here's a story I don't think i've ever shared.

That one time i ruined Tom's surprise present that

he was giving me for Christmas...

I think it was last summer when Tom was in America

that I told him of my love for old Polaroid cameras.

They are so cool, I wish we had kept ours that

we had waayyy back in the 90's..

I told Tom that I wanted one, that I have been searching for one.

I never thought he would hold onto to that convo

and actually act on it..

So a few months later...

Tom is in England and I'm in Texas.

I'm on my way to my PawPaw and Tish's house

to help them clean out the attic...

When in reality my mom helped and I skyped Tom..

whoops...

Anyways on our way there I asked my mom

if she thought PawPaw had kept any old Polaroid cameras?

She thought that he might have, and I started getting real excited!

We got to their house and PawPaw said he did have a couple.

So as they were working through the Attic they 

found two Polaroids in great condition.

I was skyping Tom when PawPaw brought them over to me.

I was SO excited that I threw them up in the air and showed Tom immediately.

His face...was horrified.

It was like a smile suppressing a sigh.

I started giggling, then he started giggling...

uncontrollably I might add...

I asked him what was up and he said nothing.

Then the news broke that he bought me a Polaroid for

Christmas and it was going to be this big surprise...

And I had ruined it..

But it was ok because Tom is REALLY bad at keeping secrets

so he was happy the cat was out of the bag.

Plus now we had three to play with instead of just one.

It was kind of a win win situation.

So on Sunday we bought film for each camera.

It came in yesterday and we've been

having so much fun getting into these cameras.

We took a picture on each camera to test it to see if it worked.

We already knew the middle camera would work because we've

been using that one since Christmas...That's the one Tom bought.

The other two we had no idea if they would work or not.

The one on the left is a Land Camera and it gave us the worst picture

of the three, and the one on the right is a One Step 600 and it

gave us a really good shot of little buster...(the pup)

Polaroids themselves are not expensive, especially the older versions...

But you might go bankrupt buying the film.

Polaroid doesn't make the film for the older cameras anymore.

This company called "Impossible Project" makes it.

You should all check and see if your parents

or grandparents have any of these cameras up in attics

or in closets or anywhere in the house.

Because they are just as cool/cooler than 

they were 20 years ago ;)

Do these glasses make me look hipster????

Yesterday I got a package in the mail from my parents.

It had lots of yummy and fun goodies in it.

It was so nice to get a little something from home.

I've been over here almost two months now 

and as much as i love it here, i still miss my fam...

and my country gravy...

So it was great to get some things from home.

One of those things was my glasses.

Before I came over in January I went to the eye doctor

and we both realized that my far sightedness was real bad...

I'd be driving and i'd be looking for an exit and i'd miss it 

because i couldn't read the sign till i was right on it...

Real real bad...

So he prescribed me some glasses.

The lady that helped me find them made

sure they complimented the features of my face and

i'm just sayin...she did real good in helping me choose.

I really love them, not just because they are cute

but because i can finally see far away things!!

Now I just need to keep reminding myself that

I can't openly stare at people because 

i'm not wearing sunglasses but real glasses...

Come on Emily!!!

Hunter Hunted - Keep Together

Have you ever been in a store shopping

and a song comes over the speakers and it stops you in your tracks

and you stand there desperately trying to take in the lyrics so

you can look up the band later on when you get home...

Oh...is it just me then??

With the help of technology

I made a note on my phone with some

random lyrics from this song that i'm sharing with you now.

This has become an instant favorite of mine,

And I just thought i'd share ;)

       

PS...Happy Birthday Texas ;)

I will celebrate you by wearing my Texas

flag shorts and my Texas shirt.

I also have big plans to introduce my lovely 

British familia to queso and tacos later this week ;)

Have a great Sunday!!

Primark (It's a love hate thing)

Primark.

A place where you can find amazing deals

on some pretty fashionable clothes | Shoes | Accessories.

It's a blasty blast in there.

Primark.

A place where you can also be run over by crazy

erratic women in search for those amazing deals.

Where's my mom...i'm scared!!!

For those of you that don't know about Primark, let me explain.

When I was studying abroad in Paris we took a week long trip to London.

This is where Lauren (Aspiring Kennedy) changed our lives forever

with a shop that would make Walmart prices shake in their boots.

She walked us into Primark, i'm pretty sure the angels started singing,

and she sent us off into the glorious direction of every girls shopping dreams.

A dress for £5!!!!

 STOP IT, STOP IT RIGHT NOWWW!!!

Jewelry for £1!!!

I'M GANNA PEE MY PANTS, THIS IS SO AMAZING!!!

Shoes for £2!!!!!

THIS PLACE, {tear}, IT'S MAGICAL!!!

If Unicorns were real they'd be prancing around primark

because it's just that dang amazing...

But the amazingness comes with a cost..

The people in there are capital C Crazy!!!

They push they shove, they'd probably rip out your hair

for that last size 12 of that amazing dress that's flying off the racks.

It's dangerous in there!

In fact I was just in there buying a bag

because my other one that I bought in there 

sucks pretty bad.

As i was walking through I was being pushed and shoved

and I was noticing others being pushed and shoved and basically

taking a beating all for the sake of a good deal...

I'd be lying if i said that i hated primark.

I, in fact, love it a little too much.

Other stores that i used to think were relatively cheap 

have become outrageously expensive.

Like F21...

I go in there and i'm like..

"How am i meant to afford this £20 pound bag"

It's insane, it's a mind game, and well, i'm totally hooked.

yeesh...

-Em