US meets UK

STFU, Marrieds is a site where couple’s facebook friends screen shot their pages and send them to this site.  Most of the pics are of couples using facebook to communicate with each other and publicly post on each other’s walls etc.

(source)

I’m not gonna lie, some of the posts I find funny.  Everyone has their own PDA boundaries and mine include facebook. Honestly, profile names like the one above and couples that have a joint account (JoshandJane) confuse me.  Do they really have all the same friends? Are they a singular, exclusive unit?

If someone just bought a house or it’s their wedding day I think that’s a fair status update, but I’m sure everyone has seen friends that are part of a couple that leave tons of messages on each other’s walls, or constant status updates.  But to me, isn’t that what gchat or email is for?

Do you and your fiance have “digital boundaries”, what do you think of the site?

So, I know I said I’d tell you more about how Mr.D and I came to be in early March, but I realized that although our meet-aversary was important, our “decision to meet again” is almost more important than our meeting! I think there are lots of times in life where we let opportunities slip away and we barely notice them. I am just so happy that Mr.D and I made sure to dive in the unknown with each other.

March marks the first time that when Mr.D and I say “this time last year” we can reference the other! When I last left off Mr.D and I had met in Austin and we each had to go back home from our trips.  We began an intense amount of emailing, gchatting and skyping and one day when I woke up I eagerly checked my email as usual.  Mr.D had written a lovely long email after we finished skyping the night before.  I was running a little late for a meeting in Phoenix but (as with all of his emails) I HAD to read it. The best part of this email was that it said he really wanted to see where things could go with us, that he was compelled to give us a real chance.

Since I was running late though, I didn’t have time to type out  a well written, thoughtful response.  So I grabbed my breakfast and coffee, jumped in my car, called Mr.D to let him know I felt the same way.  All while trying to navigate the Phoenix metropolis, drink my coffee and play it “cool” on the phone with a man I was madly dorky over.

Even better was the next email, which suggested we meet up again! I was planning a move from Tucson to Miami in mid-April and because of the timing I suggested he visit Miami.  After talking on skype we both decided that it would be better if we took advantage of my impending road trip, I needed a road trip buddy and we both couldn’t wait to see each other again. My parents were less than thrilled that I was choosing to go on a 2,500 mile trip through very desolate parts of the west with someone I had been in the physical presence of for less than 10 hours.

I think at one point my mother even mentioned “bayou” “ax murderer” and “fed to alligators” in an email she sent me attempting to persuade me not to go.  I told her to google Mr.D, that we had had several long conversations both on skype and through email and that my decision had been made.

Mr.D flew into Tucson, helped me to pack up my life and a few days later we set off for our first stop, El Paso.  We only had 4 days before I had to catch a work flight from Fort Lauderdale, so driving 12+ hours each day from then on (stopping in Austin, New Orleans, and Orlando) we really got to know each other.  It’s a risky move, to confine yourself in a 2 door hatchback filled to the brim with all your earthly possessions and another human being you’ve known barely a month.  But it worked for us and we couldn’t be happier!

Did you and your fiance have an unlikely meeting (or “re-meeting”)?

If you’re my friend on facebook you already know this fact because I’ve been moaning about it for the past week. Which is why I haven’t really been posting lately, I’ve been cooped up in bed with my homemade nyquil.  Which is this:

Dear Sinus Infection,

I hope you die. Forever.

love,

Christiana

ps. I’m on the road to recovery (which means regular posting), but now Nick is getting sick…

Wowwee Zowee Londoners, you guys are lucky!

(Segerius-Bruce Photography via Rock n Roll Bride)

In the jewelry area I found Laduree macarons.

(source)

I had a freakishly huge cupcake/muffin hybrid at Candy Cakes.

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I passed Beard Papas and craved a cream puff (or 12).

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I was in London for 2 days, but if this is any indication of the confectionery delights I can only imagine how delicious the desserts at London weddings must be.  I mean, that is if you’re opting out of the traditional fruitcake wedding cake (yes my American pals, Christmas type fruit cake).

What other non-traditional desserts have you discovered?  Any London faves?

I’ve seen lots of posts about difficulties with future in-laws, or the general pain that they can be and TV shows like “Everybody loves Raymond” really promote the stereotypes of them.  I understand Mr.D and I have gotten to know our in-laws a bit better since we’ve lived with them, but I like to think it’s more than that.  I really can’t say enough great things about my in-laws, they’ve made me feel so welcome in a foreign country and I enjoy spending time with them.

(source)

This weekend I went to London with Mr.D’s Sister, Mother and Aunt and we had a fantastic time. We swung by Buckingham palace, saw Billy Elliot AND the Lion King in the West End, ate fantastic food and had a wonderful time. My FMIL and FSIL have seen Billy Elliot countless times (both in the US and the UK) and I was so pleased I was able to see it with them. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should seriously go – it’s my new favorite and I can’t wait to take my own mother to see it.

I had such a great “girls weekend” with my future in-laws and I’m so happy we’ll all be family.  Does anyone else get along with their in-laws?

Hardcore.  I was wandering around VisaJourney.com and checked out the flow chart they have for the fiance visa (K1). In reviewing the documents for the next step of the K1 Visa process I came to the brink of a panic attack.  The visa process is so incredibly bureaucratic and I’m just so frustrated with this entire thing.

(teh source)

While I’m in the UK I can’t work, and the 1-134 form says I need to have a statement from my “current employer” and a statement from a bank officer saying how much has been deposited in the past year and what my current balance is.  The purpose of this form (as far as I can tell) is to ensure that Mr.D and I won’t be on welfare in the US. I’m hoping that gathering my previous tax returns will show that while I’m in the US I am capable and willing to make money, but I just don’t know if that will be enough.

I feel like I’ve been caught in a catch 22.  I’m in England to be with the man I love, while I’m in England I can’t work.  It’s looking like I need a job to marry him, but I can’t have a job while I’m in England.  Am I supposed to go back to the US and get a job so his visa will be approved? I’m starting to feel like the US Government is privy to more private details than anyone else we’re close to, they’ve practically become a third party in our relationship!

I’m so upset that we’ve started this process and so much of it comes down to some immigration officer’s discretion. I knew all along that our future hangs in the balance of a stamp, but now that reality is hitting so much closer to home.  If we’re not approved we have a few options, but all of them are expensive and none of them are exactly the way we hoped things would turn out. I know there is nothing to do but gather all the data we can and hope to prove our relationship and my ability to have a job, but it really doesn’t make me feel any better about it.

I’ve been in London!  Have no fear, I’ll soon be doing a write up or two of my trip.  For today however, I’d like  to catch up with Nick, I haven’t seen him in 4 days (gasp!).  He’s making jerk chicken (fake jerk chicken for me) for dinner tonight and I made these again.  Have you made them yet? What on earth are you waiting for!??!

The next day we visited Cadbury world which, not surprisingly, was crawling with children.  I wouldn’t take my non exisistent children here, because I think they’d be bored senseless.  Much of the “world” is actually movie shorts.  The “Cadabra” ride was creepy and bizarre, the room where you learn about chocolate making was fun, but I think we mostly went for the free chocolate. “Free” chocolate received: 2 of each of the following, dariy milk, caramel, curly wurly, buttons.  You might see a few things missing…

And then to purchase MORE chocolate of course

We headed for the city center after our chocolate overload and visited The Bullring, a shopping center that didn’t really live up to the hype. But we did check out this awesome vintage shop

Which had a fantastic selectionof cowboy boots.

and a great door

Since it was St.Patrick’s day weekend, and apparently there is an “Irish Quarter” in Birmingham there were hundreds of very inebriated people. Birmingham was a ton of fun and I definitely recommend visiting, my only regret is not seeing more of the city center.  Well, that and not wearing more comfortabel shoes, but thats practiclly a daily regret for me.  Tomorrow I head to London so I won’t be back till Sunday! Enjoy your weekends!

I love the fail blog, and on Monday if someone had taken a photograph of the incident I would have been on it. We’ve tried to plan ahead for my proclivity towards injury and have made a few wedding decisions on what to avoid.  For example, we’ll be dancing in the ballroom instead of on the brick patio to avoid tripping and falling. If you take a peek at my weddingbee bio you’ll see that I’ve been banned from rugby and soccer until the wedding.  I thought that meant full on, organized sports, it turns out that should have been applied in blanket force.

I looked out the window and saw Mr.D’s little cousins playing with a rugby ball, so I naturally headed outside to forget about dinner on the stove play with them.  We had a few fun runs then BAM.  I rolled over my ankle and am now confined to RICE (Resting, Icing, Compressing and Elevating).  This means I can forget about doing the 30 day shred with my pal Jillian, or tenduing with the NYC ballet since I now have a big, swollen, squishy, ball for an ankle.  I’m hoping Mari Winsor and I can still hang out for 20 minutes with that stupid circle, because I don’t want this set back to get me down.  In the past few years I’ve had several concussions, broken my foot, sprained/ripped apart my ankles multiple times and the mother of them all I had one of my ACL (knee ligaments) reconstructed.  So you can see why the ban was in place…if only I had listened to it.

What that ultimately means that picture like these:

(source via rock n roll bride)

are definitively OUT for the wedding day.  Maybe once we get back from our honeymoon we can have a day after shoot, where it won’t mater if I can’t walk when we finish…

Anyone else accident prone?  Are you planning ahead for the big day?

Nick and I visited Birmingham over the weekend and started out trip the way we start all our road trips: with a McDonalds Breakfast. There is something different about the UK Egg McMuffin and I can’t put my finger on what it is exactly. The muffin and cheese seem different and Nick thinks they put butter on the US English Muffins. The UK Mcdonalds coffee is also TERRIBLE. The gave me a “white coffee”, I don’t know what I tried to drink, but it was no bueno.

At least it it was Rainforest Alliance Certified.

After an hour or so of the Wedding Show we reached our limit so we headed for Birmingham city center to visit the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. They have a fantastic collection of Pre Raphaelite paintings and I also enjoyed their Arts and Crafts section.

This woman (Jane Morris) is modeled in so many of the paintings, but this is the only one of her as a redhead.

Nick and I both enjoyed the books in the Arts and Crafts section.

We found Millie and a Monkey in the museum as well. She’s a naughty brat, who would easily be f’ing with a fireplace. We love and miss her though, which is why we take pictures like this.

A HUGE painting by Botticelli.

Creepy ginger haired boys in dresses.

A painting by someone I don’t remember who used the wrong glazes or pigments. Rendering his subjects ghosts people.

I <3 Degas Bronzes

As with many free places there are often odd, eccentric people wandering around. We met Herman in the Buddha gallery and he started going on and on (and on) about Masonic architecture, symbols and la la stuff. 8 Lions, Hermes, H, 8, teardrops, seeds, same as above as below, men, man, Her-man. It was… interesting.

There are NO sushi restaurants near us in Lancaster. It almost breaks my heart, between sushi nights in Miami and my general love of Sushi Sono it’s one of the things I really miss about being in the UK. So on our way to the museum we spotted Woktastic. I should have known, from the revolving sushi conveyor belt that it wouldn’t be in the same realm as Miami or Maryland.

Then I accidentally ate CHICKEN, what the hell was chicken doing in sushi. Bastards.

Despite the chicken in the sushi we had a great first day in Birmingham. Huzzah! Stay tuned for our trip to Cadbury World and more of Birmingham!