A Yank in Blighty

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noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 16:23:00 +0000

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My Little Box | March 2015: My Little Superbox

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 10:30:00 +0000

So a few months ago I ran across a post from Fleur de Force about a new subscription box that was soon to launch in the UK called My Little Box . I have tried both Birchboxes (US and UK) as well as Glossybox but have always eventually gotten bored while the samples just pile up.

Despite that, because I love Fleur de Force I rushed to My Little Box’s website and signed up for their first UK box back in September. Since then I’ve been enjoying monthly surprises to the office which made all my coworkers jealous. So now three of them have subscribed and two of them have gotten others to subscribe as well! I could be my own case study in the powers of marketing through blogs!

But I haven’t come back to my blog to lecture you on sales strategies - so I’ll save that topic and just tell you about my most recent box.

Opened Box

The theme for March is Superheroes/Superwoman/Wonder Woman. It’s called My Little Superbox and came with lots of goodies to bring out the Wonder Woman in us all - both physically and mentally. Or at least that’s what I’m assuming based on the products.

Magazine and Stickers

The first thing you see when opening the box is the stickers and magazine. We get a magazine every month which has some information about products and cool photos and articles. It really is a mini magazine - everything you’d expect in Elle or Cosmo, just less of it! I especially love when they have DIYs and/or recipes and this month included two the looked quite tasty!

T-Shirt Roll

Bag of Goodies

After removing the magazine and stickers, I could immediately see the bag of goodies and something all rolled up. I went straight for the roll as I was quite curious and it turns out that it was a t-shirt. I like the idea of the shirt even if the ‘I Believe I Can Fly' saying is a bit corny.

T-Shirt

Now my issue with this shirt is that it’s one size and we all know one size is not inclusive. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised that I could at least get the shirt on as a plus-size gal, but it’s not flattering and not something I’d be able to wear. However, I would admit that being on the larger size this one size shirt would probably be pretty suitable for most averaged sized gals and a good sleep shirt for those that are even slimmer. The shirt is in collaboration with French brand Gat Rimon and is apparently £29 though I could not find it to purchase on their website which is a shame if you didn’t get the slogan you’d prefer!

But I didn’t worry about the shirt for too long because now it was onto the bag of goodies!

Kerastase Conditioner

And the first thing I noticed was the Kerastase Cristalliste ‘Lait Cristal’ (£20 for 200ml) Conditioner. I’ve used the Cristallise line before although I bought through Feel Unique and didn’t pay full price. It’s geared towards long hair I think, which I no longer have, but I liked how it was light weight so I think I would still enjoy using it on my shoulder length hair. It’s definitely going to make its way into my shower for a nice treat. Plus, the information card for the product has a 20% code when you order direct through Kerastase, so that’s a nice bonus!

Lip and Cheek Pencil

The next thing I pulled out of the bag was a Lips & Cheek Pencil (£10.50) that is from My Little Box’s own brand. Each month we get to try something from their brand. From the looks of it, the website to buy their products isn’t in English, so I wouldn’t be adventurous enough to try and buy anything - but it’s usually a nice addition. This particular item is a pretty nice pinky peach that feel really Springy to me. It’s got some shimmer in it so I’m not sure I’d actually try it on my cheeks. But it’s reminiscent of the Revlon Balm Stains that I really like. I don’t know how well it holds up as I haven’t been wearing any makeup as of late so I’ve only just tried this out at home so far.

Garnier Miracle Sleeping Cream

The last item in the box was actually a full-size night cream, Garnier’s Miracle Sleeping Cream (£12.99). I’m not the best at the whole skin care thing and rarely use a face cream, but I’m intrigued by this one because it’s actually reasonably priced. I’ve only tested it on my hand and not tried it overnight. But my initial thoughts are that it smells nice though I’m concerned it will be a bit strong on the face. In terms of the texture, it’s quite gel-like in consistency rather than really creamy. I think this contributes to the lightweight feeling of the cream. The box promises all kinds of anti-aging things which I’m not entirely sure I need just yet. But it feels nice on the back of my hand, so I just might give this one a try next time I actually remember to use a face cream!

My Little Superbox - March 2015 | My Little Box

You can subscribe to My Little Box here. It’s just £14.95 per month (including shipping) but since I have it shipped to work I save £1 a month so it’s only £13.95 total! I have to say I’ve been satisfied with each box I’ve gotten so far since September and really feel like it’s worth it. Plus who wouldn't love to get a little box of surprises every month?

Do you subscribe to My Little Box or any other services?

A Valentine's Soiree and Fifty Shades of Grey Review

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 00:17:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I was taking the bus home from central London and we went by an Everyman Cinema. I've seen these around and was kind of curious about seeing a film at one of their locations. So when I got home I went to the website to see if something good was coming up that my husband and I could go see. When I got to the website I was greeted by an advertisement for their Valentine's Soriee event which was a special screening of Fifty Shades of Grey.

Now I was kind of on the fence about seeing Fifty Shades of Grey. I read the books over the Summer and the truth is while I read them all and they were interesting enough I just didn't think they were well written and certainly no where near the hype that surrounds them. To me the characters were a bit flat, Anastasia was really kind of whiney and annoying and the whole dynamic of if you're rich enough a woman will love you no matter how you behave and if you're persistent enough you can change a man's core beliefs and desires kind of irked me. Also I didn't think the books were as steamy as all the publicity around them would have you believe.

All in all a mediocre series...so I don't actually know what made me want to see the film.

I think the haunting remix of Beyonce's 'Crazy in Love' in the trailer is what really drew me in. And then Ellie Goulding's 'Love Me Like You Do' song was released and I became more intrigued. I liked the song and the scenes from the film that were in the music video looked pretty well done and interesting. So when I saw this Valentine's Soriee event (and it included champagne and surprises) I thought why not and booked tickets for us to go on Friday night when the film opened.

So we got dolled up and headed to Maida Vale where we were greeted by some scantily clad waitresses and daper waiters serving champagne and toting whips around the lobby/bar.

I'd be lying if I didn't say that one of the draws for us was the champagne. I did think that maybe the promise of booze would make my husband more likely to come along. Not that he's a wino - just that I know Fifty Shades of Grey really isn't his thing so this would be a starting point. And I have to say Everyman Cinema certainly delivered on the champagne. When we arrived they directed us to a table where we were each given a glass of Champagne Jaquart.

Then as we sat and waited for the show they came around and topped us glasses including after we already entered the theatre. And then during the show for anyone willing to go out to the concession stand they'd refill the glass again. I'd say throughout the course of the evening we easily got the extra we spent for the tickets in champagne. So all in all not a bad choice!

As part of the ticket we also had a little bag of surprises at our seats with a variety of items (though unsurprisingly they are mostly intimate themed).

We got everything from Yves Saint Laurent Mascara to body chocolate to a blindfold. Truth be told my money was on handcuffs so I was pleasantly surprised there were a few interesting items in the mix.

But what did I think about the movie?

Well as I said before I wasn't the biggest fan of the books. I didn't dislike them entirely but I just wasn't impressed. However, I'm a fairly visual person and have been known to enjoy the film more than the book on several occasions. In this case I would say I enjoyed the film more though I'm still not at fan status - more like interested observer.

Firstly, as far as the cinematography goes the filmmakers were given a lot to work with to create a beautiful landscape for the film due to the Christian Grey character's wealth and power. I think this element was possibly my favourite of the film. The aerial shots, the fantasy of your date flying you by helicopter, the beautiful apartment where so much of the film takes place - these translated so well to film, especially since the popularity of the book obviously afforded a nice budget for the production.

The writing was...markedly improved over the books. This is largely because some things that were said could now be shown and I have a feeling someone did some editing with the dialogue that was kept. There were still some cringey lines - especially when stating the obvious or the innuendos that were rampant in the first few minutes of the film. But I will give them credit that the pacing was better though still slow at times. I'm sure there is plenty that hardcore fans miss from the books but I sure can't think of a single scene that I wanted included but wasn't.

The acting was better than I feared but not great. Some of this could be down to the writing but at times the characters just weren't believable. Not that they were every that realistic to start with. I do think the actors had chemistry which could have gone completely wrong. Jamie Dornan's American accent was a bit of a struggle and caused him to get a bit stiff with some of the delivery of the lines. I don't think it was the director's choice for the character but I doubt it. Dakota Johnson was better I thought....she played the slightly awkward and somehow tiid yet outspoken Anastasia Steele better than I expected. However, overall the acting just felt a bit disingenuous and not realistic. Then again some of the issues I have with the acting were issues I had with the characters when reading the novels so maybe these actors are actually incredibly authentic to the books!

The sex scenes were probably the most talked about element of the film and thus what I was most curious to see how it was handled. Again comparing it to the books, but I remember while reading feeling like the scenes didn't go far enough based on the hype around them. I think with the film it's pretty similar. However, for an R-rated/Certificate 18 film (rather than something more explicit) they actually handled the scenes very well. Some were certainly racy in the context of film and the ratings associated with it. So I think there is that element to get your heart racing a bit while you're watching the film. But yet it is...tasteful for the circumstances? I mean I wasn't shocked and saying on my gosh I can't believe they showed that at any point.

All in all it was an enjoyable, good enough film. It wasn't excellent but it was entertaining. If you liked the books and can watch it without expecting a word-for-word adaptation then you'll like it. If you hated the books or hate adaptations then this is probably a film you should miss. Like the books the content is largely superficial so there's not a lot of concentration required to watch the film. Just sit back (preferably with your glass of champagne) and enjoy the ride.

Have you seen the film or read the books? What were your thoughts on Fifty Shades of Grey? Have you ever been to a similar event put on by a cinema to celebrate a new film?

Overdue Update - Promises of a Bright Future

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 23:25:00 +0000

So my first attempt at this blog didn’t pan out as I hoped. I got myself busy with a new job and didn’t make the time to blog. It’s been just over a year since I started and I really thought I would have a lot more to show for it then I do. But my saving grace has been that the whole time I’ve been away from blogging I’ve had this niggling in the back of my mind wanting me to return. Trying to think of ideas and posts. Or doing something with the full intention to blog about it and then never getting around to it. I know...it’s terrible.

But I’m not a quitter. I am a procrastinator through and through but I don’t give up. So this is me…getting back on the proverbial horse.

I’m partially inspired by my involvement in another blog, herfavfood.blogspot.co.uk. I was so happy when I was invited to be a guest writer. I knew it would be good for me as I’d have deadlines (flexible but still present) and someone holding me accountable. I’ve got my first review up and my second submitted. If any of my lovely readers are still around I’d love it you would go check it out. You can find quick links to my posts on her Guest Writers page.

I've got a few things in the works though and hope to get back into a schedule of posting twice a month. And if you have any ideas for content you'd like to see on the blog I'm certainly open to suggestions. I would imagine this would be especially helpful in establishing a new routine.

Also, in case you didn't know - you can still find me on all the various social media sites where I have been active during this hiatus of blogging! In fact Twitter is where I always post my food reviews when they go live so I've you're interested follow me so you'll always know about new posts! I've got three or four events I'm going to in the next two weeks - so there's lots to look forward to!

So this is my apology and promise all in one. Sorry I've been terrible - I know I can do better!

Please tell me I'm not alone. What have you started but gotten sidetracked from in the past? How did you overcome the procrastination?

Update: I got a job!!

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 18:24:00 +0000

Hello! I'm terribly sorry to do this, but this week's post is just going to be a very quick update.

As you can tell from the title I got a job! It's very similar to what I was doing in the States before I moved to the UK so for once I was the one interviewing with the experience! My initial interview was last Tuesday, I was offered and accepted the job on Friday and my new boss asked if I could start on Tuesday and as I wasn't working and had no notice period I said of course!

So yesterday was my first day. It went well. There was an event so I mostly tagged along and got to meet most of the people on the team and because of the event I got free lunch. Not bad for a first day. Then I spent the afternoon learning the database I'll be using by doing some data entry. Thankfully my job isn't all data entry, but that of course is the best way to get to learn hot things are input and what it all means!

Today was my second day and I picked up where I left off on the data entry which really took most of the day, though I could feel myself getting better/faster as the day went on and by the last few I wasn't looking at my notes at all. So that's good. I'm certainly not an expert on the database but I've got an ok enough handle on it I think.

Tomorrow I've got some more training on the database, but from IT this time, instead of a coworker, so I'm sure they go over lots of things that don't even apply to my position...but it looked like there were a few other new hires in the invitation as well so maybe I'll meet some more people! Then in the afternoon and all day Friday I'll be training with the woman I am replacing before she moves downstairs (she's not leaving completely, just taking a different role). So tomorrow is when I'll get to really learn what it is I'll be doing on a daily basis for the foreseeable future.

I am so excited and happy to be getting back to work. It's such a relief after such a hunt. I really appreciated everyone's kind words and good thoughts during my job search. Thank you as it seems like it helped!

I haven't gotten the contract yet as this has all been quite rushed to get me in for training before the person in the position currently transitions. But all my references have be received and checked out, they have my credentials, and all that's left is the contract. I'm curious to see how this process goes and what types of things are stipulated in the contract. To be honest I was so excited to get a job offer and knew I would take it if they offered that I didn't actually ask very many questions...so I'm not a very good example of what to do in job hunting situation!

However, the downside is that as I transition from not working at all and spending all day at home into working a full time job...I'll also need to figure out how to work it all out with my blog. I'm still wanting to post at least once a week, and that's the plan, but please bear with me these first couple of weeks if posts are late or something like that. I'll find a groove that works for me pretty soon and then I'll probably learn why so many bloggers can't survive without scheduling posts!!

In the meantime I get to adjust to be a commuter and having to take the tube during rush hour (which I always tried to avoid before!) and scheduled time for tea to be set up for our office staff (9, 11, and 3 apparently!) and brushing up on my British English so I don't embarrass myself in e-mails to colleagues or anyone else! On the bright side I get to start looking forward to payday and finally get to put aside some money for savings (after spending a little on things I've been denying myself of course)!

What's in a (blog) name?

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 16:20:00 +0000

That was the name I chose for my blog. I had been considering blogging about life after FLR(M) for couple months before inspiration struck...in the shower no less. So in today's post I hope to explain the terms and why they fit!

For as long as my husband and I have known each other we’ve always made fun of (and admired) the interesting vocabulary from each other’s cultures. I remember one Christmas he wished me a “Merry Crimble”….Crimble?! What a weird name...I’m sure it has it’s own interesting origin, but I want to focus on Blighty.

As we talked he would occasionally refer to his homeland as Blighty. Now when I heard that word it didn’t sound very positive to me...perhaps because the word blight is quite negative.

But according to the Wikipedia Article on Blighty, this isn’t the origin at all. Now common sense sort of told me this all along as I didn’t think Kevin would refer to his homeland as a purely negative nickname. That wikipedia article says it actually derives from a regional variant of an Urdu word (bilayati) that came to be an adjective to describe things as British or English. It goes on to explain it as a term of endearment or British Expats or those on holiday abroad...and that it first came into this usage in World War I as the soldiers were longing for home.

(Also just as a side note, it describes a Blighty wound as something received that meant the soldier must recouperate away from the trenches but not fatal and was something many soliders hoped for. This description reminded me of Downton Abbey when one of the characters stuck his hand up out of the trenches holding a lighter to get shot which subsequently got him sent home. While the Wikipedia article says it was hoped for by many...it makes perfect sense the particular Downton character would have planned a wound such as that as he is quite the manipulative and selfish character! Anyway this has nothing to do with the reason I chose my blog name ,just an observation I made that interested me!)

I’m not sure really why Blighty stuck out to me as a nickname for England that Kevin used. He’s never been an expat, but I’m guessing it’s just the kind of nickname that is used enough that he’s picked it up. Other than the name of the blog I don’t actually use Blighty in any sort of conversation. However, I have to admit that ever since I studied abroad in London back in 2008 I always said there was something about this city and country that felt right, like home. These feelings only grew once I met Kevin as it now felt like a part of me was here in england. So as silly as it sounds maybe some part of me was a British expat stuck in America.

Plus on a more practical level I think that it just felt appropriate that if I was going to be calling myself a Yank as Kevin (and other Brits) have referred to me as, then it would flow nicely to include another British term. Also I think I thought it would be familiar enough and make sense to my potential local readership base while being a bit familiar but just foreign enough to generate interest amongst American readers.

Now the Yank part of A Yank in Blighty is probably even more obvious, but depending on your side of the pond could determine your view. Wikipedia, of course, has a nice article on the term Yankee where it delves into the origins of the term and it’s cultural significance and it’s usage. But while I felt I need that information to explain the term Blighty, I don’t think it’s as essential here. A Yank or Yankee is an American. At least when I’m on this side of the pond. Going back in American history it refers to Northerners as referenced in the Civil War.

So here’s a confession...I was born in Arkansas. Which is actually the South. And which still to this day has a state flag derived of the confederate flag. So growing up there, if I had met Kevin as a child and he had called me a Yank I probably would have bristled at the thought. Not that I’m wishing for the South to rise again nor will I be flying any confederate flags or anything ridiculous like that, but you just don’t really call Southerners Yankees...it’s just not done. But as it turns out not only did my family move me to St. Louis where I spent my formative years in what I always called a Northern city in a Southern state, but after my mom has done some genealogical research turns out the Southern roots aren’t as deep as I thought and turns out I had Yankee soldiers for ancestors. So now with my time in St. Louis and the knowledge of my ancestors I embrace the term Yank. I understand that British people often use it with negative connotations, but I’m not going to let that get to me. I’m in the expat stage where I’m more patriotic here then I generally was at home. Turns out the Brits like to make fun of Americans...a lot and while sometimes it’s funny or even well-deserved...I find myself getting quite defensive.

In fact, I recently had the opportunity to attend a taping of Top Gear (who make fun of Americans all the time apparently) and when Jeremy Clarkson asked if there were any Americans in I not only was still enthusiastic enough to shout, but when he asked why we put strawberries on everything (which we don’t) I, in my desperate defense mode, replied with because they taste good! While true, probably not the most eloquent defense of my home land...which by the way produces the most amazing strawberries ever in the early Summer (this is in Arkansas mind you) and are always a staple at our house. Thankfully they have strawberries here around Wimbledon so I can still get my fix (and they aren’t half bad, though never quite as good!)

If you like to view the clip I’ve got it timed up pretty close at http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b03vp5dw/?t=23m06s on BBC iplayer or I’m not sure where to watch in the US but it’s probably about halfway through the News segment of Season 21 Episode 2 if you watch it!).

Really what this proves is that I am still a loud American who now wants to defend the reputation of her homeland while also hopefully learning to fit in well enough to become a future citizen in a new country that has felt like home for a long time. So thus I am very much...

A Yank In Blighty

A Day Out In Saffron Walden

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 12:00:00 +0000

(Sorry in advance, but this is a photo heavy post and might load a bit slow!)

My husband was raised in a small town outside of Cambridge not very far from Saffron Walden.

Saint Mary's Church, Saffron Walden

Because it's so close, we've actually been there a few times with his father to walk around the shops and market on weekends. Every time we went I would see a sign pointing to Saffron Walden Castle and of course being an American with an interest in history I was curious and I don't mind still playing tourist! I didn't know what to expect but a quick Google search told me that it was only a tiny ruin but there was a connected museum as well. So one weekend Kevin and I headed off to Saffron Walden, skipped the high street, and went straight for the museum and castle.

The museum does charge an entry fee but it is only £1.50 per adult (75p concessions and children under 5 are free), but they do have free parking. It's not a huge lot (or car park) but there was ample space for the number of visitors that were milling about on the Saturday we went. We we're lucky (mostly) because it was a beautiful, clear, and most importantly dry day. However it was very windy! We didn't notice it when we were inside but walking around the castle it felt like we'd just be blow away!

Old printing press

When you first enter the museum there is local history to your left and the beginnings of ancient history (plus right now a special Egyptian exhibit with artwork from local students and others) on your right. We started in the local history area and it had a pretty good range of items. Pieces of old churches, a town charter signed by Henry VIII, the above printing press and below local printed money. That was interesting to me, I didn't realize that money was printed locally, but I guess that makes sense, things weren't always centralized in the US and the UK has been at this whole functioning economy thing for a lot longer!

Old money. It was huge! No wonder the £20 notes are still giant compared to my US Dollars!

Once we made it through the local history we started the trek into the ancient history path. They covered a lot of information and to be honest I couldn't begin to remember it all! I believe most of the artifacts in this section were found in the local area. A couple things that stood out were there being activities for kids (a sandbox where they could have their own archaeological dig) and these below skeletons. There was a plaque telling the gender, approximate age, time, and cause of death - all information gleaned from these skeletons. I have to say science is pretty amazing!

You know as you do, walking along a museum and bam ancient buried couple below your feet. Totally normal.

After the ancient history there is a section on geological history including rocks (which bored me a bit so I moved quickly through) and animals/insects. I think there must have been a local taxidermist or something because they had huge scenes with many different animals set up to show interactions in the wild as well as a giant Victorian looking office with more exotic animals on display, I think this was fashionable in the Victorian era (but don't quote me on that, I'm not a historian!).

A mummified cat

A stuffed lion. Perched on a ledge. It was...interesting

Then continuing through the museum there were more lifestyle pieces. So, fashion through the ages, toys and games, china, and some furniture pieces (including a cabinet owned by the man accused of and beheaded for being Anne Boleyn's lover).

A Victorian Wedding Dress

One thing I read before we ventured to the museum is that they have a glove that is believed to have belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots. As I said before I've got an interest (though by no means expertise) in the history of the British Monarchy. I've been watching this CW show called Reign which chronicles the life of Mary (though it is very inaccurate to dramatize it for a modern teen audience). Despite the liberties they take with the truth I find it quite enjoyable (though maybe best to forget any of the facts you know!). Once of the critiques I see over and over regarding the show is that the fashion is too modern and prom-esque so I was particularly interested to see (even a small) piece of the real woman's wardrobe. Frankly it's quite ornate and beautiful for what I assume to be a daily wear, casual item...so perhaps the show would have done well to make historically accurate costumes as I'd imagine they would have been even more beautiful!

Glove allegedly belonging to Mary, Queen of Scots

When we exited the museum we just walked along a short path to the left to the ruins known as Walden Castle. It was built in the early-mid 12th century by Geoffrey de Mandeville and ordered to be destroyed a short time later by Henry II. The remains are from the keep (which is a term I know well now. Thanks Game of Thrones!) and according to the sign as you approach the ruins, most of what is visible now was underground when it was built. The sign mentions that if you walk inside the ruins you'd be in the basement and if you look above you can see the fireplace from a ground floor room. Unfortunately either this sign is outdated or we were unlucky as there was a fence and gate blocking the entrance preventing us from walking around inside. Based on the litter and graffiti I saw I'm guessing that's an issue (and contributing factor to blocking access), but the fence wouldn't have stopped me climbing over it physically (I'm just not the type to go against posted signs!). I think it's a shame that true visitors can't walk around and yet vandals aren't stopped by the preventative measures.

But despite that disappointment, it was still interesting to walk around the structure and try and imagine what it was like almost 900 years ago!

Approaching the ruins

I quite liked this sign as it sounds so much nicer than 'Caution Falling Rocks' we'd get back home!

It looks like they've had to add fortifications where the structure wasn't sound

View from the other side

View inside (standing right against the fence)

Still against the fence but a different angle

Steeple through the trees

We had seen it driving in as it shares a road with the museum and ruins, but as we turned towards the car from the ruins we could see the massive steeple from the church and decided to go check it out as well. We figured we wouldn't be gone long so left the car in the museum lot and walked across the street.

View from the back of the large church

What we found was Saint Mary's Church. According to the website it is the largest in Essex and the spire (or as I call them steeples) is 193 feet. There was apparently a large Norman stone church in approximately this location from 1130 (which means it was there when the Walden Castle was built) and the present church began constriction around 1450. So all in all it's a pretty, old, historical church.

The front. Interestingly it wasn't until after viewing the pictures we noticed the line of red bricks in the clock portion of the very tall steeple.

We noticed the front door was open and so went inside. At first I wasn't going to take any pictures as I always feel a bit funny and disrespectful and there were a small gathering of people in a couple of the pews. I noticed a table which had a small visitors guide and picked that up and began to just wonder around and enjoy the sights of the beautiful architecture and stained glass windows. I have to say stained glass windows have always been one of my favorite things about church buildings as they are so intricate and beautiful, especially on a sunny day like we had.

After a few minutes of wondering the small group got up and left and it was just Kevin and I in this massive sanctuary. Once we were alone I felt a little better about snapping a few pictures as I knew I wanted to share but didn't have to worry about disturbing anyone.

Look at this sanctuary with such a long aisle! I think if we did a do over huge wedding
I'd want it to be somewhere like this

Church organs are another aspect that fascinate me as my father had a degree in sacred music and spent several years as a music director for a few different churches (though none of them as grand as the ones I've found in England!)

The beautiful stained glass windows. Could you imagine putting these together? And the scale for such tall windows! It reminds me when I was in high school in French class we learned about the stained glass windows in the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris that I've haven't managed to see in my two trips there.

Outside the church we found a couple more interesting things. This Tudor style/era house had a sign that said Verger's Cottage and was connected to a couple similar buildings that were also part of the church grounds as they had signage of Sunday School type classes and such. Mostly though I just love these old Tudor buildings that are a bit wobbly and uneven. I think it gives them such character so I couldn't help but snap a couple photos!

A wobbly Tudor style (or more likely Tudor Era) building

On the path leading back to the museum was this old style gas street lamp that has been converted to electric. I think this is an example of what I love about this country. It has such amazing old gems like this that would have been just as easy (and probably cheaper) to replace with a new electric lamp, but they preserved the history and just made it functional for the modern era. Also I think it looks a little like a caricature of a king or prince...tall and lanky with but with short stubby arms and a crown on his head. Just me? Yeah I'm weird.

Converted gas street lamp

Have you ever been to Saffron Walden to see the ruins, museum, and/or church? I have to say I was impressed to find such a nice little pocket of history that made for a lovely day out!

Blogger Valentine's Swap

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 18:03:00 +0000

Happy Valentine's Day!

Kevin and I went out for a lunch date today and then are having a simple night in (thank goodness since it's raining and awful outside) where I'm cooking him a steak dinner and we will be nice and lazy! What did/are you doing to celebrate the day?

Last month I noticed this post over at Adventures in Tea and Cake about a Valentine's Box Swap for bloggers. And I though it would be such a great way to celebrate Valentine's in this wonderful blogging community I'm a new member of!

So I signed up and awaited my blogger to shop for! I got Elizabeth over at Beauty Supergirl and had a lot of fun trying to pick a couple things I thought she's like from her blog and a couple things I wanted to share and send them off! I hope she enjoyed the box!

Meanwhile I received a box from Beth Tinkerbell packed full of goodies! So I'd like to share what I got :)

The goodies were all wrapped up in cute themed paper!

The entire contents once opened

She sent this sweet card which said the box contained everything for an awesome pamper session to get ready for my first married Valentine's Day. I thought it was so sweet that she had taken the time to look at my blog to personalize the box for me.

Grace Cole Strawberry and Kiwi Shower Gel

I love pretty much anything strawberry...the flavor, the scent, the color...the look...my favorite Cath Kidston pattern was last year's strawberry print...so it's safe to say I'm a strawberry fan! I also like kiwi and think they go pretty well together. So I was happy to see this even though I wasn't familiar with the brand. I used it in the shower this morning...and it smells absolutely heavenly! (Also it lathered very nicely and as scent and lather are my two main concerns with a body wash this was perfect!) I just may have to check this brand more out in the future. Their website is: http://www.gracecole.co.uk/.

Grace Your Face Pre Date Brightening Mask

I haven't tried these yet, or any sheet mask for that matter. So I'm really looking forward to giving this a go. I'm not a beauty expert by any means but I may just report back with how I get on with these at a later date!

Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate

Let's just be frank, I'm a girl who likes to eat, especially chocolate. And as that's totally allowed on Valentine's Day this was certainly an exciting find. Bonus, my father-in-law hates Lindt so I can take these with me to Cambridge this weekend and don't have to worry about them being stolen!

Mini beauty box within a box

I used to subscribe to Birchbox (both in the States and here in the UK) and Glossybox, and this was a little mini beauty box packaged just like those so it was exciting to open and see what was inside!

Macadamia Deep Repair Masque

I have heard so many good things about this hair mask. I subscribe to a fair few "beauty gurus" on YouTube (as I didn't even start wearing make-up semi-regularly until well into my 20s) and I think most of them at one time or another have raved about this. I never got around to trying it and am so looking forward to it! I've dyed my hair on and off (mostly on) since I was about 13/14 (wow that's nearly 15 years!) and it's been through it's fair share of damage thanks to that.

Calvin Klein Lipstick in Clear Rose

I don't think I even knew Calvin Klein made lipstick. I just remember them from the 90s with their black and white underwear ads and the Eternity fragrance my aunt had that I'd always put on at her house. I love the color. It actually suits me! And this is coming from someone who half the time puts on a perfectly gorgeous lipstick and then wipes it off to go for something more neutral. But I put this on for my lunch date today with Kevin and not only did I leave it on but I really liked. I paired it with a Revlon lipgloss in Peony which I think gave it just enough shine but as that gloss is light didn't alter the color much!

Revlon Top Speed Nail Polish in 510 Fire

I haven't worn this yet as I just did my nails in a muted pink for a job interview (Eternal Optimist by Essis), but it looks like the absolute perfect red. Bright and gorgeous! Can't wait to have an occasion to wear this!

Sally Hansen Maximim Growth Plus in 02 Base + Top Coat

I love multitasking products that can be used for both. One less bottle, especially if you're traveling and want to paint your nails! Those quart size clear baggies fill up fast! I'm currently using a Sally Hansen top coat (the InstaDri one) and absolutely love it. If this is half as good as that at doing two jobs then we will get on very well!

That was my box. How awesome and generous was Beth? I really loved the box and had so much fun doing this swap! I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to try out everything at the time of writing this...but I wanted to get it up on Valentine's Day and today didn't lend itself to pampering as I had to run a couple errands and met Kevin for lunch! But I am so looking forward to having a full on pampering session with face and hair masks, a manicure, and a bit of indulgent chocolate! In fact, I might just have to make nights like that a more common occurrence, and hopefully with this products I'll find a few new favorites to stock up on!

So thank you Kel at Adventures in Tea and Cake for hosting and a HUGE thank you to Beth at Beth Tinkerbell for making my box really great!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

My name is Alex, and I'm an LDR survivor...

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 13:32:00 +0000

In a nod to Valentine's day this week I thought I'd talk a bit about my surviving a long distance relationship (LDR) and how we came out on the other side happy, in love, and married!

I don't want the hows and whys of our meeting to be the focus of this particular post, but for those who don't know us, the short version is a friend of mine talked me into adding Kevin on Facebook, we talked for a few months and became friends, he came to visit, and we *really* hit it off and after a couple more months of just chatting we decided to officially give the long distance thing a try.

It seems like LDRs get a lot of flack. People saying they can never work and aren't worth it.

Well let me be the first to tell you they can work and if it's the right person then it is absolutely worth it!

I'm going to take you through a few of the key points that I think helped Kevin and I maintain a successful long distance relationship for just over two years.

1. Communication - I count myself lucky in that since my soulmate happened to be from halfway across the world, at least we found each other in such a digital age. We also were fortunate to both work desk jobs that required near constant use of a computer. When we started talking it was just on an instant messenger client and Facebook. It was these early days of talking that we really got to know each other even though we had never met. We'd stay up late discovering strange coincidences about our lives, trading YouTube videos of childhood shows, talking about our day, and anything else that seemed worth sharing. We formed a real friendship, which I think is the basis of any romantic relationship if you expect it to last!

After his first visit to the States, we graduated to Skype. I think for a couple of people that can be insecure at times, this was much easier after we had met face to face. First we'd Skype on weekends or when he was up late (as there is a 6 hour time difference!). Now I'm about to out myself as a complete sap...or weirdo here...but we eventually started just leaving Skype connected almost constantly. We even set it to answer automatically so if one of us noticed it was disconnected the other could just call right back. (Of course this connection was closed when Kevin went into work as he had a work laptop, but I'd leave my computer open at home and he'd call while I was at work after he got home and be waiting in my room so to speak).

One of the times it connected when I wasn't home

In fact, a couple of times I think it scared my mom when she was at home and could hear strange noises, only to discover Kevin had called but fallen asleep before I got home and was just snoring on my computer! It sounds silly (and probably even verging on creepy) but honestly the near constant connection on Skype I think is one of the things that made us feel like a part of each other's lives despite being an ocean away!

Skyping with a Tiger!

Showing off the gift I got him

2. Visits - I know that the frequency of these will depend on one's personal situation, distance, finances, etc. I was in St. Louis and he was in London...so it was not cheap to see each other! We did pretty good, averaging seeing each other ever 3-4 months. I was very fortunate to have a great boss that let me rack up comp time to take a few extra days here and there in addition to the reasonably generous vacation time I was already given.

Top of the Arch in St. Louis

His first baseball game!

Gardens at Buckingham Palace

The visits were always really great, jam-packed with exciting moments, lots of eating out and other date type activities, and really a vacation. This is an important distinction to make, because although visits are great and wonderful and so much fun, you have to remember that real life isn't like that. You're cramming in (in our case) three months of not seeing each other in person and so it's very skewed and we're on our best behavior so to speak. We did a lot of touristy, travel things that we just don't hardly do now as real life has taken over. It makes for really great high moments when you're together that make times you're apart feel *really* low.

Visiting Tower Bridge

Cloud Gate in Chicago

Eiffel Tower in Paris

You can ask my mother, I was always a wreck after dropping Kevin off at the airport. I'd come home having cried the whole time at the airport and the whole drive home. Or when I had visited I'd come home having cried off and on the entire trip home. I did find the trips when we already knew the dates of the next visit were a little easier, but at the same time with each trip our relationship got more serious and saying goodbye felt a little more like I was actually losing a piece of myself that was meant to be intact.

The tiger was still sad, even that time he got his own seat!

3. Silly/Romantic gestures - I think these are important to any relationship, but especially when you go long periods without seeing each other. On Kevin's first trip, one of the last things we did before his original flight home (which was delayed a week thanks to the Iceland volcano, but that's a story for another post another day!) was we made each other stuffed animals at Build-A-Bear that we could hug when we were missing each other. It's a bit cheesy, and he may be really unhappy with me for sharing this, but I think it's adorable and those tigers got a lot of hugs in the time we spent apart.

The Tigers on their "bear-thday" (Build-a-Bear is cheesy so I will be too!)

Another tradition we started was leaving a note to each other hidden somewhere to be found after we had said our goodbyes. They were sappy a mostly filled with 'I already miss you so much' and 'I can't wait until the next visit' but it was really sweet and nice to have that final surprise after leaving.

One trip Kevin even took it a step further...and left me a note hidden that he told me where to find when I was having a particularly bad day at work. I had taken him up to the office to ~~show him off~~ help me move desks at work and he hid a post it note behind a filing cabinet. One day when we were chatting and I had just found out I didn't get into a film curating master's program in London he told me where to find it and it was just such a nice sweet gesture.

We also did a lot of more materialistic exchanges. Always sent gift boxes/care packages for Christmas/birthdays/Valentine's. I had so much fun shopping for him and wrapping everything up and trying to tease him with hints about what was in the box. Then we'd open them together on Skype and it was just almost like we had just handed them the gift. He also sent flower a few times.

Valentine's Flowers

Anniversary Flowers
(Bonus, the green post-it on the right is the surprise cheer me up note. I kept it displayed for anytime I needed a boost!)

4. Planning for the future - Finally, it is true that a long distance relationship won't work if there's no possibility of being together in the future. If neither party is willing to relocate (or both to a third location) then it just can't work. Although the tips and stories I gave you above can help to facilitate a LDR and keep a relationship happy within the circumstances, it would be very difficult (if not impossible) to continue that indefinitely. Now the length of time can be adjustable. It takes some couples longer or shorter to be able to make the necessary life changes.

I knew from the beginning that if I could find a way to the UK I would want to move here to be with Kevin. I already loved London from my time studying abroad, and had even said that if I ever did a master's program I'd want to do it in London. Although we began talking about the possibility of marriage just a few months into the proper relationship, we also wanted to see how we'd fare living in the same city rather than just the fairy-tale visits. So I worked and saved money and applied for a program through my undergraduate school (as I knew they would accept me!) and set wheels in motion to spend at least a year in London with the plan to reevaluate during that time what we wanted to do in the future.

We got to fly together when I moved here!
(Don't let it fool you, I used almost all of Kevin's luggage allotment as well as my own!
Obviously I was hopeful I'd be staying!)

It turns out we decided that we didn't want to go back to long distance and that marriage was the right step for us anyway, so we got married and I stayed.

I think relationships take a lot of compromise. If you're in a LDR and you want to continue, then I think one of these compromises is for the couple to find a way to be together in the same place. As long as you know this is an eventuality (even if it takes awhile) then I think with a bit of effort from both partners a LDR can be a great starting point for a lasting relationship. And a bonus is that with all the communication you have to be doing you will know a lot about each other...in some cases probably more than a couple that sees each other everyday!

So if you find yourself in a situation where you're apart from the person you love for an extended period of time, don't listen to the naysayers who think the long distance thing can never work. If you love each other and try, it can definitely lead to great things!

(Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!)

Controversial Coke Super Bowl Commercial?

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 13:56:00 +0000

So for those of you who don't know, the Super Bowl was this past Sunday. It is the biggest day in American Football (American sports really)...which means the highest ratings. So of course the network has taken advantage of this by charging high premiums for advertising slots during the game. In fact, many people I know (including myself) only watch for the commercials (and maybe halftime show) if we watch at all!

This year I didn't watch the game as it started at about 10:30pm London time, and of course I wouldn't be able to watch the commercials!

However, thanks to the wonders of technology I've seen lots of them floating around. Some really tugged at my heartstrings like the Budweiser commercial with the puppy and Budweiser Clydesdales. (I'm from St. Louis so the clydesdales usually get me anyway and as I'm really missing my pets it was just emotions all over!)

This is the commercial Budweiser produced

Another commercial that was shared by a few people on Facebook was the Coca-Cola Ad featuring the song 'America the Beautiful' sung in several different languages.

The America Is Beautiful ad produced by Coca-Cola

Unfortunately, my Facebook friends (and the rest of the internet population) seemed to be a bit more divided regarding this ad. I recommend you watch it and form your own opinions. I will be sharing mine, but it's not so much to try and convince anyone a certain way or change anyone's mind. It's more because after viewing the video and reading a couple shared blog posts the ad and the response to it really got me thinking.

The gist of the commercial is that it features many people singing a very recognizable and patriotic song in several different languages and who clearly come from different cultures. To me, this is the perfect representation of America.

We have long been a nation of immigrants and this is something that many Americans I've known are still proud of to this day. If you ask an American what they are or what their heritage is you'll often hear them reply with 'I'm half Italian, half Irish' or 'I'm a quarter German, a quarter Polish, and half Scottish' or something along those lines. In many cases this heritage is passed down from two, three or more generations back and the individual has never even been to the country who's heritage they are claiming. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a bad thing at all. I think it's great so many American claim their historical heritage, but they are generations removed from it. And I think that might be one of the reasons that some awfully ugly things were said about this multicultural Coke commercial.

I saw this post by Allen West on his blog on a friend's Facebook timeline. It was the first I had seen the ad. In this post Mr. West calls the commercial "disturbing" and cites a lengthy quote from former President Theodore Roosevelt (which I couldn't claim to know if it is entirely accurate or not) that states all immigrants to America should learn English and assimilate into the culture.

Later in the comments section I read through a few that were even more negative about the commercial and one woman who mentioned her time as a expat living in Germany where she tried to learn the language and made mistakes along the way, but at least wasn't expecting everyone to speak English to her.

The other post I read was from Talking Points Memo and can be found here. This post started by drawing very clear political lines and saying conservatives were upset by the commercial. It mentioned several individuals who said very negative things about the commercial. Including a Twitter post from Todd Starnes saying "Couldn't make out that song they were singing. I only speak English." The comments on the TPM article were as anti-conservative as the other was pro.

Now I don't really want to make this blog a political leaning blog, but I just felt the need to write out my opinion about this commercial and why I'm disappointed with the negative responses.

Firstly, I thought the commercial was beautiful. The imagery, the song, the inclusiveness - all of it gave me goosebumps. I happen to be one of those Americans who's ancestors have been in America for a long time and who weren't wealthy landowners so despite a lot of effort on my mom's part, it's been difficult to definitively prove who immigrated to America when and where they came from. I was always jealous of the people I'd meet with Italian grandparents who had learned the language and recipes! I remember going to Ellis Island when I was younger and being disappointed we didn't have any ancestors to try and look up as I think that would have been so moving to stand in that place knowing my family had been through there. But just because they didn't come in those waves, as we're not aware of Native American heritage then they must have been immigrants sometime!

This history of immigration is integral to American history. It is something that has never been without prejudices and difficulties, but just seems to have continually more negative connotations, or at least it's easier to find people's negative sentiments. Now I'm an immigrant in another country which also has it's fair share of negative propaganda about immigrants and their lack of desire to learn English and assimilate into British culture.

I think this experience I'm going through is part of what made me extra sensitive to the negativity surround this Coke commercial. I don't have the same language barrier here in England as is being touched upon in the discussion about the commercial. But the truth is despite being a native English speaker in an English speaking country there are still differences. They seem silly at first, what I would call chips are called crisps here. And what I would call the trunk of a car is the boot in England. When I'm in public I use these words. If I go to a pub I don't ask for a burger and fries, I ask for a burger and chips. But you know what, when I'm at home with my husband I still call them fries because that's what I'm used to and what I've said for 27 years!

I know this is an over simplification. But it was the first thing that popped in my head especially when I read the woman talking about living in Germany on the Allen West post. I thought to myself that yes she learned to speak German while out and about interacting with locals and that's great, but I bet when talking to friends and family while there she still spoke English because that's her native language. So how is that any different to an immigrant that speaks English at work or in a store and their native language at home?

While I was in St. Louis there were a lot of relatively recent immigrants from Bosnia and there was a pretty decent sized population in my schools. Every classmate I had spoke English very well and many still spoke Bosnian to their friends who shared that language. I also know that at least some (if not most/all) of them spoke Bosnian at home with their families as well.

But just because they still spoke Bosnian with friends and family doesn't automatically mean that can't or won't speak English.

To lay all my cards out on the table, yes, I agree that if you move to a country with a language different from your own you should do your best to learn the language and learn the cultural norms and make the most of living in this new place.

However, I don't think that means you can't also maintain and celebrate your heritage including language, cultural practices, food, anything really. I'm not going to stop celebrating The 4th of July or Thanksgiving, I'm going to continue those celebrations while adding the important days in the UK. And I think that finding a way to incorporate your culture while honoring your new home makes for a great tribute and a bridging of your past and present.

I think America would be in a truly sad state if we hadn't adopted cultural aspects from various waves of immigration.

Look at the Budweiser ad. No one is complaining about the fact that it was produced by a company founded by two German immigrants. Adolphus Busch married Lilly Anheuser (who's father was the co-founder). I bet it was a comfort to them to be around fellow Germans when they first immigrated to the States. I bet they spoke German at home and did business in English. In fact their beer is an example of something we Americans have adopted from another culture. Is it because they immigrated 150 or so years ago and it doesn't matter anymore? Or have we forgotten that even these familiar individuals came here much like the immigrants of today?

I guess what I'm trying to say (not very eloquently) is that I think the Coca-Cola ad hit the nail on the head. Our nation is made up of immigrants. We are a relatively young nation that has been shaped by influences from all across the globe. This commercial celebrates that fact and illustrates it by using language and song. They could have just as easily chosen a different way to celebrate our diversity, but I think it was beautiful and emotive to hear different languages transitioning seamlessly and all expressing an appreciation for America.

And it made me feel proud of my home country. She may not be perfect, but there is so much beauty in not only our land, but in our people.

Coke was right. America is beautiful.

First Month Blogging. Check. And The Liebster Award

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Wow. A whole month of blogging. And, I haven't even run out of ideas yet. In fact, I have drafts of posts still coming soon because I wanted to get this post out this week!

Firstly, I want to say a massive thank you to everyone that has read my blog in the past month since my first post. I am blown away by the stats and never expected to have so many readers/pageviews in my first month! It's of course not all about the stats as I would blog regardless, but I thought I'd share and give myself a little pat on the back.

Bloglovin': 21 Following
Twitter: 29 Followers
Instagram: 7 Followers, one post with 23 likes! (and a couple more with 9)...my personal Instagram never got that many likes!
Facebook Page: 54 likes!

And Google Analytics tells me I've got 133 unique visitors. That is just incredible.

I've taken part in three really awesome #lbloggers chats on Twitter, had a few conversations with some bloggers, joined a blogging forum, won a giveaway (which will have it's own post soon!), and was nominated for a Liebster Award!

Thank you so much Keena Lee over at Lee Muse for nominating me for the Liebster Award! It's an honor that anyone is reading, and here you liked it enough to put a link in your blog!

Based on her post about it and a few others I've looked at, the Liebster Award is given to new bloggers by other bloggers. As it is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers it is a great way to learn about new bloggers! And I certainly am new!

Getting into the bones of the award:

There are a few simple rules that you need to follow:

1. Mention the person who nominated you with a link in their blog

2. Answer the 11 questions provided by the person who nominated you

3. Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers

4. Create a new set of 11 questions for your nominees to answer

1. What day do you post on your blog the most? Do you have a set schedule? Wednesday is my weekly post day. Well it started as Thursday but I prefer Wednesday. I post once a week plus the occasional extra post as it fits.
2. What do you love about blogging? I like having somewhere to document everything. I'm just starting this journey (as a blogger, wife, expat) and expect to do a lot of interesting things along the way and I think this blog is a great way to share those thoughts and experiences. Even if no one reads it, I can look back on it in a few years a see how I adjusted!
3. If you can have any blog out there, whose blog would you want to have? One that makes decent money? Haha I don't have anyone in mind specifically. I mean I like being me and look forward to the content I hope to produce, but I wouldn't mind if this could turn into a work from home career like it has for some bloggers!
4. What color clothing do you wear the most? Why? I don't know. I guess black? A lot of my closet is black (or at least a dark other color). I also like color though, I have a few yellow shirts I think suit me, and pink is nice.
5. What do you hate about blogging? Nothing yet! So far I've had a great experience with the lifestyle blogging community, everyone seems friendly and welcoming. I think at some point writer's block will plague me, but for now I've still got a few drafts and ideas so I'm doing ok!
6. Which Social Media App do you use the most? I think I use Facebook/Twitter/Instagram pretty equally. Generally I check them all one after the other. For the blog I can see Twitter really taking over though, especially as there is the #lbloggers chat on Sunday nights!
7. What can you not leave home without? Practically, keys...or I'd have a hard time getting back in. But psychologically my phone...as I use it so much when I'm out I'd probably be lost without it!
8. Describe yourself in one word. Multifaceted - not as in I'm two faced, but as in there's a lot of layers to me. Remember the onion analogy from Shrek? Yeah.
9. What was/would be your first dance wedding song? I'm not sure haha. Kevin and I had a small registry wedding with a lunch after, no dancing reception. If we were going to have one I'm not sure what the song would be!
10. Tell me something funny that happened to you. When I was in 6th grade we had an assembly where these yo-yo trick guys came and performed. I was chosen to go up and try a trick (around the world) and ended up hitting myself on the head in front of half the school. Pretty embarrassing. But I did get a free yo-yo out of it!
11. What main reason you started a blog? (Being Heard, Being Seen, Popularity, Hobby, For Friends...) Just to document my life in England and vent a few frustrations with adjusting to life in a new country and culture!

I nominate:

1. Adventures in Tea and Cake - She's got it all, bit of beauty, bit of fashion, bit of food...and I've really enjoyed reading all of her posts so far!

2. The Grits Blog - She's already been nominated but just in case you haven't read her go check her out. She's a Southern Belle and has a post about gooey butter cake. She clearly knows the way to my little blogger heart!

3. Running on Coffee - She used to make YouTube videos that I watched so I followed her on Twitter, and she's semi-recently started this new blog which is all about getting healthy. This girl has made some very impressive life changes, and if I could muster up half her motivation and follow suit I would be so much healthier for it!

4. Team Starnes Takes London - This is written by another American Alexandra...She's a recent expat I believe and I love her posts of exploring London. I was hooked though when I saw her post about their dog they've left with family in the States!

5. Note to Self - She is a member of the message boards I mentioned joining earlier which is how I discovered her. I've really enjoyed her posts so far, especially the one about moving. Moving away from home is challenging whether its a few block or half the world away! I'm really looking forward to seeing how she settles in and any other thoughts she wants to share!

6. Lisa's Beauty Street - She lives in Iceland! How cool is that? Plus she gives great product reviews, and I love the ideas on the Valentine gift guide she just posted! I look forward to reading more from her in the future!

7. Mac & Cheese - Firstly I love her layout. It's so adorable but not overwhelming, what a great choice. She has some great (healthy) food posts, and interesting product reviews. I just found her in Sunday's #lbloggers chat and am really looking forward to setting aside time to read back through older posts!

8. Bethnal Bohemia - She has this really awesome bright white hair, that takes mega guts to pull off...and she does it so well! She also has interesting product reviews and I especially love her rant about how it can be difficult to be petite and slim...just goes to show no matter which end of a spectrum we're on, fashion can be a challenge!

9. Bristol in My Pocket - She is a native Texan living in Bristol. She's way better than me at managing to travel around England and I've been loving her pictures along the way!

10. For Your Entertainment - This is my friend Megan's film blog. We met during our postgrad program and she's awesome and insightful. She is a great writer and is doing a 2014 movie challenge to watch all the top 250 IMDB movies! I can't wait to follow her on that journey!

11. Project 365 @ Okiedokie - This might be cheating I'm not sure, but this is my husband's Project 365 for 2014. He's not always on time with his posts, but he does take a picture everyday and then writes a little snippet that's an insight into his (and our) life.

Now...the questions for all you nominees!

1. Why did you start blogging?
2. What is the main goal you'd like to accomplish in 2014 with your blog?
3. If you could move anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why?
4. What is your earliest memory?
5. If you could have any super power what would it be and why?
6. What website do you spend the most time on?
7. What if your dream job?
8. Do you prefer cooking or getting take out?
9. What if your favorite store, where you could probably spend too much money?
10. Who is your favorite blogger?
11. What is the best piece of advice you've been given/found?

That's it! Now go my nominees, answer my silly questions and share more blogs for me to find!

And if anyone just wants to answer the questions that's cool too, I'd be really interested to read the answers. You can leave them in a comment or link me to a post.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Public Transport Can Be Difficult

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 10:00:00 +0000

Last month I had a job interview set one day for 10am. It required two tube changes (so three lines in total). I thought the time was good as it would hopefully mean the majority of the rush hour crowd would be out before I needed to travel. However, because I’m a paranoid (and perpetually early) person I left my house at 8am in the middle of rush hour anyway. When I left my home station the status board said there was a good service across the line.

By the time I got about 3 stops down the line to my first change the line I needed to change to was expecting severe delays. So I kept going a couple more stops where I could have changed to another line, but it wasn’t running either!

So I exited the station and tried to get a bus. Apparently everyone else in the station was needed to do the same as there were at least 75 people waiting at this bus stop. I was luckily positioned a bit closer to the first bus that stopped (as it was behind another one) and as soon as I stepped into the bus the driver covered the oyster validator and said no more people and threatened to shut the doors (which is was standing in the middle of!). The crowd waiting behind me just almost didn’t let me off! I'm not actually sure what is appropriate commuter behavior in this situation as despite plenty of experience with transport, it's almost never during rush hour!

I waited for the next bus and it was almost as full as the first before it even stopped and I wasn’t as well positioned. Another one came and was about the same.

At this point I figured a bus wasn’t much of an option and I had just about an hour to get to my interview. I was frankly happy that I had left so early. I started looking for cabs, but none of the black cabs had their lights on and to be perfectly honest I’ve not had much practice hailing cabs so I wasn’t sure how well I’d fare going that route.

So I checked my Uber app to see how far away the nearest car was and it said 11 minutes. I figured chances of finding a cab in that time were slim...and the crowd around the bus stopped seemed to just grow despite regular busses….so I requested an Uber car and stood around to wait.

Once it arrived I immediately felt better as I knew I’d get there on time. We hit a fair amount of traffic...but still moved faster than the bus would have. After about 25 minutes we arrived at the place for my interview. And lo and behold I was early. But I’m used that.

I walked up the road so see if there was a nearby cafe or something as I didn’t want to go in too early but didn’t see much. So I just walked around and played a bit on my phone. It was a fairly deserted street...although there were some Barclays Bikes nearby...shame I didn’t know/aren’t brave enough to cycle on London streets or that could have been a pretty good solution. However, I was fine and after killing a few minutes it was only about 10 minutes until my appointment so I figured I could navigate the reception area and find the office I needed and not be too early.

Coming out of the interview the tube line I would have used was still delayed/not running so I just took a bus into central London to where my local line stops and went home that way. The only reason I didn’t use this combination to start with was because I thought it would take too long with the central London traffic! But if I were to get the job might just be the perfect solution...and would mean lovely views of London everyday!

But anyway, just one example of a minor transport crisis and thankfully a minicab company provided a viable solution. And as a bonus, when my receipt came through from Uber it was £0.00!! The ride was £10.96 and they round down to the nearest pound, so it was £10...and then I had a £10 referral credit from when my husband signed up and took his first ride with them. Not a bad deal and luckily was cheaper than the bus!

If you are interested in signing up with my referral link, when you take your first ride we'll both get £10**! (It used to be the new user got that off their first ride and I'm not sure if it's still that or if it's off your second ride, but either way it's free money that could come in handy!) My link is here: https://uber.com/invite/56l1r. Or if you download the app you can just enter 56l1r I believe. And as a bonus, this service is actually available in a lot of cities across the world (including several in the States though I'm not sure what the referral amount is there) so worth a visit to https://www.uber.com/cities to see if they are in your area (or somewhere you'll be traveling soon)!

Happy traveling, and may yours always go better than this day!

**Extra bonus, it looks like it says the referral is now £20 for each person...not sure if this is a special promotion or if they are just more generous this year!

Disclaimer: This post wasn't sponsored by Uber or anything like that, I just found the service through Twitter and have had a couple good experiences and thought it worth passing on information :) If you use my links I will be compensated, but only in the same way as anyone else using the service who refers it. If you sign up (with or without my link) you can refer a friend and get free money too!

In Remembrance of Dad

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Today is the fifth anniversary of my Dad's death.

Five. Years.

Some days I can't believe it's been that long.

I will never forget the October when he was acting a bit strange and couldn't complete his tasks at work anymore. I will never forget the day we took him to a neurologist and were told he had all the symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease aka Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy which had no cure, no real treatment, and no guarantee how much time one could live with the disease. I will never forget how Mom and I took care of him as he wasn't able to do for himself. And I will never forget the day he died and the snow that fell as I followed the ambulance to the hospital.

But these aren't the memories that are always with me.

Mostly when I think of my dad I remember his laugh and how much he loved me. He wasn't a perfect man by any means, but he ~~was~~ is my dad and I know that although he isn't here physically, he's still been there through all the important times I've had in the past five years:

I've received my Bachelor's degree, got my first real job just weeks after finishing school, fallen in love, quit that first job to move abroad, completed my Master's degree, and got married.

I would have loved nothing more than to hear his loud, booming voice cheering for me at graduation. Or to have him give my now husband the third degree when he came to visit. Or had him walk me down the aisle this past August.

My bouquet with my dad on the left and Kevin's Mom on the right as a visual reminder of those in our hearts

But no matter how much I miss him, I am so thankful to have had him be a (frustrating at times, but a) really great dad for 22 years of my life.

I love you Daddy.

Finding Work in London is Stressful

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 14:46:00 +0000

Prior to relocating to London I had only held a few part-time jobs and one “real world” full-time job. So needless to say I didn’t have a lot of experience in applying and interviewing for positions!

The first step I needed to take after acquiring my residency was to apply for a National Insurance Number. I would have thought this process was easy and not that is was hard per se but it was more cumbersome than I expected. I needed to call the JobCentrePlus hotline which I assumed would send me a form to fill out and that would be it. However, when I called, they asked me a few questions and then said my nearest JobCentre location (Camden) was booked but they booked me in for an appointment at one in East London. I didn’t get to pick the date or time, it was just assigned to me. However, as I’m not currently working or studying I made it work as it was a priority. The woman on the phone told me to bring my passport, residence permit, proof of residence, and proof of working/looking for work.

When I arrived at the JobCentre with my documents I was asked if I had an appointment letter (which I had not received) or my confirmation number (which was given to me over the phone). They had me wait in an open area with at least 30 other people standing around. After about 5-10 minutes a woman came a called me along with four other people and walked us back to another area with seating lining the walls (which was mostly full) and we had to find a place to sit or stand there. After quite awhile of waiting a man called me back (my husband was not allowed) and sat down at a desk with me to go over an application form. First he copied my passport and then I answered all the questions and then went to sit back down and wait for my passport. Several minutes later he came over saying that he missed some visit stamps in my passport and had made copies of that and amended my application. I sat back down. Then several more minutes later a woman came over and said the first gentleman had filled out the prior visits section wrong (he had asked me of any trips during my stay where I spent more than 30 days out of the country...but he should have asked any trips I’ve spent 30+ days IN the UK). So after some questions and amendments to the application and another short wait to get my passport back I was finally done and able to leave.

To be honest I was a bit annoyed at all the back and forth and lack of clear questioning (which would have sorted the issues to start with). However, at the same time I appreciated the fact that they checked it and went back over it to ensure it is processed quickly and not delayed because of missing or incorrect information. Thankfully it seems to have all worked out as I did receive my number before Christmas!

Also in this time I had submitted my CV to several jobs on The Guardian’s job section. Mostly I’ve either gotten no response or a thanks but no thanks e-mail. However, this round I got an e-mail from Pathfinders Recruitment agency saying they were interested in registering my details. I wasn’t really sure what to expect (as in I kind of assumed it would be a scam or at least charge something) but I thought I’d take a chance and go meet with them to learn what they are about.

I met with two women initially, one of whom handles temp assignments and one who does permanent placements. I had said that I ultimately wanted a permanent role but was willing to work as a temp to gain some UK experience. After having a chat with the very nice women I had to do spelling and typing tests. Then they had an Admin/IT role I might be interested in at a design firm and I agreed to have my CV put forward for that. Over the next few days after my appointment there were a couple more roles they thought I might be suitable for. By about a week later and not really hearing much of anything I kind of assumed that nothing had come of those few roles. Then I got a call asking me to clarify my visa/work permission status because the design company was interested in my CV. Once I confirmed that she came back saying they would like to interview me. A few hours after the interview they notified me that the company would like to see me again. Unfortunately, the company decided to go with someone with more IT experience.

I’ve been continually applying for positions, including part-time retail work at places like Boots, Whole Foods, Build-a-Bear...all of which I haven’t had any luck with. Boots even said I didn't pass their questionnaire (which was basically about customer service situations) despite the fact that I worked in retail for two and a half years and if I'm honest the US has better customer service. Just yesterday at Boots my friend was having trouble finding something and asked an associate twice and instead of walking her to the product she just told her the section it was in both times. I'm sorry but that just wouldn't fly in my former retail position!

I have to say, when I got my first job mere weeks after graduating college I was very fortunate. I was in the right part-time student worker job at the right time and had impressed my supervisors. This four months of looking for work has been soul crushing to be honest.

So many places never even respond to your application, and the ones that do just say they won’t be taking my application further. I haven’t gotten any other interview requests. I'm just not used to so much rejection!

Rejection...

Insulting rejection...

Now in the new year, I’ve decided to expand my search back into the higher education field. It’s where my experience is, there are several openings, and to be completely honest the pay is better than the entry level media jobs I was applying for. Hopefully I’ll have a better response and be able to finally start working!

One benefit of not finding a job before the new year? My US taxes should be simple at least...and technically as I had no income I don’t think I actually have to file them.

But, I can't wait until the day I can post all about "Working in the UK"!

Have you ever had trouble finding a new job? What did you do to entertain yourself (considering your budget for entertainment is next to nothing)?

The Day I Met Matt Smith (sort of)

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 17:43:00 +0000

Yesterday I set my alarm for early in the morning and met up with a friend at the Almeida Theatre in Islington at about 8am. We stood in line until 11am when we were able to buy day of tickets for the new musical American Psycho starring Matt Smith as Patrick Bateman.

Waiting outside in line after a lot more people had joined the queue!

They let us into the lobby at 10am (tickets went on sale at 11am). Was nice to be warmer!

I remembered watching the film with Christian Bale sometime in college and to be honest I don’t particularly remember much about it. Other than knowing it was quite violent I didn’t remember many details and don’t remember any greater message.

Maybe it’s my age. Maybe I’ve matured. Maybe I’ve seen more of the world and had enough learning experiences to see things differently. Maybe the cast of the musical was that good. I don’t know.

Whatever the reason, this time I feel like I got it (or at least a better understanding). I got the satire. I could see the ludicrous caricatures of vain and shallow people driven by consumerism. I think there’s still some meanings I didn’t pick up (as subtext has never been my strong suit), but despite the fact the play is about a serial killer I enjoyed it. I would consider seeing it again.

In terms of the acting, I will preface by saying the downside of a play set in New York but cast and performed in England (where I assume most of the cast are from) is that the fake American accents can be a bit distracting. At least to me and the American friends I were with that picked up on some weaker accents. Matt Smith’s accent was really good I thought. It really impressed me. But even despite it’s accuracy, there were times it just sounded strange to me. Not because the words were wrong, but because this is the actor I’ve been watching on my Doctor Who screen with a very British accent for a few years. To be frank, it was weird not hearing him speak in a British accent. But again, his execution (no pun intended) of the accent was spot on and impressed me wildly. In fact other than a couple of actors whose accents slipped several times the whole cast impressed me. In some moments it was easy to forget I was in a theatre in London and not New York!

Regardless of a few accent slips though the acting was incredible. There’s not a single part I could or would want to complain about (except that part of me wishes I’d not felt like splitting up the group was such a bad thing so we could have been in the stalls!). Each character was played with ease and believability...despite some actors playing several characters! The singing was great...none of the voice cracking I’ve experienced in some musicals (I’m looking at you girl who played Mimi in a touring production of Rent a few years ago…). And all this with it being their second show of the day!

And the music. Oh Duncan Sheik, you are a master. I still haven’t seen Spring Awakening (even though I’ve wanted to) and if the music is a good, enjoyable, and fitting as it was in American Psycho then I would see it for the music alone! And please release a soundtrack for this!

The set, I thought was so clever. Walls of video cassette tapes, large white sections of wall where white noise, images, words, colors were projected to add to the visual aspect of the action on stage. Rotating platforms to move set pieces and even people...used for practical and comedic effect. Slats that looked like the blinds we had on the giant picture window in my old house, that both lended aesthetic value to the design of these expensive Manhattan apartments (which would have of course had giant picture windows) but that also allowed a separation where a chorus (of I guess conscience?) could be seen but not awkwardly in the action.

I did have one complaint about the set design. It it might be unfounded as I’m no expert in television sets. But from what I remember in the late 80s/early 90s (though quite young) is that TVs were fat, none of these thin LCD screens we’re used to now. And yet it was a sleek flat screen TV on set in Patrick Bateman’s apartment. Is this an anachronism used simply out of ease and space consciousness? Or were they available in that time to the narrow (rich) demographic that the character belonged to? If it’s the latter then of course it’s appropriate as that character would have most definitely had the best and latest money could buy...but if it’s the former I can’t help but think it’s a glaring oversight by an art designer and/or director? When we first sat down it was obvious it was Patrick Bateman’s apartment and I wondered if they had modern day until I remembered the logo was the old Walkman headphones so it must have still been that late 80s period.

Honestly though, if my biggest complaint about a two and a half hour musical is a TV that looks out of place and a few words/phrases said without the required American accent then I think the cast and crew have done a fantastic job. Long story short...if you are in London and able to wait in line in the morning to get day tickets...do it! It is reasonably priced (the most expensive ticket offered to us was £38...I paid £26 for a full view seat in the circle...my friends with student ids were only £16 for any of the seats!). And most of all an excellent show!

I’m sorry that I’m not a trained theatre critic and I can’t give much substance to my opinions, but I still thought it would be interesting to talk about the play. However I have read this from others and will chime in as well...I will be shocked if it's not moved to the West End and then a future Broadway debut! (Though I hate to say it...I'd see it being recast for Broadway...I don't think American audiences would have the patience for a handful of the accents...and New Yorkers might even feel different to Matt's accent then I did, who knows!)

But I also wanted to talk about the fact that Matt Smith comes out and signs autographs for 10 minutes after the evening show. I bought the program for £5 (which I would have done anyway). Then after the show we made our way down to the lobby and stood near the staff only door (where we had interestingly enough seen a hooded Matt Smith with dinner in a bag, very much looking like he didn’t want to be bothered, so we didn’t, enter just before the show). After a few minutes and a decent but not huge crowd gathered he came out, set down his stuff and started signing.

I told him that I just had to say his American accent was awesome and really impressed me...and he said thank you and acted like that was a genuinely nice compliment to receive (probably because my own accent is so apparent!)..signed my program and then I got out of the way for everyone else. A picture would have been nice but it wasn’t conducive to that, the lighting was horrendous in the lobby, and my phone was pretty much dead anyway.

(As an aside, if you’re ever in a group waiting to get an autograph and someone is done and trying to back out of said group...it would do you well to let them pass as that gets you immediately closer to your goal!)

Signed program!

All in all it was a great play, a nice experience to (sort of) meet Matt Smith, and well worth the effort to get there for tickets. Again, if you are in London and capable of going early to wait for tickets...I can’t say it enough...do it! Do it! DO IT!

Journey to a UK Taco Bell and Foods I Miss

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 21:12:00 +0000

A few days ago Kevin and I made a trek from our home in NW London to Lakeside shopping centre in Thurrock, Essex...which means mostly nothing to me, but I know it’s outside the M25 and that means more than just a tube ride away. So Kevin got a Zipcar for the occasion, and it made for a nice little road trip.

I’m sure it seems odd. What could this shopping centre outside London offer that we can’t find in Central London? Taco Bell.

Me outside the Taco Bell Stand

There are only three Taco Bell’s in the UK according to their website...the one we visited, another one in Essex (in a town called Basildon) and one in Manchester. This is a mind boggling fact to me considering that London is littered with KFCs and Pizza Huts, the latter of which is sometimes in the same building as Taco Bell back home in the States!

Anyway, we got there and it was just a little stand in a mall food court. Nothing fancy. They had a lot of familiar menu items, but certainly in a very limited capacity. No chalupas for me. One addition I noticed was Mexican fries...I don’t think any Taco Bells I’ve been to back home have fries.

Mexican Fries

We each got a box meal. Kevin’s came with a burrito, taco, fries, and churros. Mine was a Crunchwrap Supreme, taco, and nachos.

Funny Packaging

Kevin's Meal

My Meal

Overall the food was good. Pretty much just like home from what I can remember. Although there might have been a few more tomatoes in the tacos.

Soft Taco

Enjoying a Taco

Kevin Having a Burrito

The fries were different but not bad. But the nachos. What a fail. I’m not sure if they are supposed to come with sauce, but mine didn’t. Kevin got chocolate sauce for his churros and salsa, but we aren’t sure if that was for the nachos he ordered or the fries he was given. I did see one person with a little cup of nacho cheese as we were finishing, so maybe it’s separate or maybe it was just busy and got skipped out of my box. If I ever find my way to Taco Bell again I’ll be sure to ask because gooey nacho cheese from home is one of the things I miss! (And in hindsight would probably go really well with the fries).

More like Doritos than Nachos

The visit got me really thinking about foods I miss. Some of them I just can’t get over here at all and the rest generally cost too much from the speciality importers to have more than once in a blue moon. I’m sure eventually I’ll find substitutes or just learn to be content with having them as treats when I go home for a visit.

But for now, what I’m missing is still pretty fresh in my mind, so here’s a list:

Velveeta - And Velveeta Shells and Cheese! I’ve seen a couple recipes to make your own, but I’m not actually sure if I could get the taste right with the cheeses we have here. Because I’m pretty sure there’s no actual real cheese in Velveeta anyway!

Rotel - Though I think I could probably find a fair homemade substitute as it’s tomatoes and chilies. However, as the only things I make with Rotel also contain Velveeta I’m in no rush to recreate it until I sort myself out with the right cheese first!

Graham Crackers - Digestives just aren’t the same no matter how many cheesecake recipes I see that say to use them as a crust. Also, I have a theory that s’mores would be really good with Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and would like to try it out sometime.

Wavy Lay’s - Though I think I’ve found their UK version. Walker’s and Lay’s are the same company...and they have Walker’s Crinkles Crisps which seem to me to be the same thing. I’m looking forward to trying them with some sour cream and chive dip to really test it.

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chips - They sell chocolate chips here and they make cookies just fine, but they are in tiny bags and it takes several to make a chocolatey batch of cookies!

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls - We may have found a substitute in the JusRoll Croissants...they don’t look as flakey as a normal croissant so they might just fit the bill. Looking forward to trying it out, when I do I’ll report back!

Good Nachos - It seems like everywhere here just throws some shredded mature cheddar on some Doritos and voila nachos….not the gooey nacho cheese I love from home. As you can see above I was even disappointed in the Taco Bell Nacho’s lack of cheese and addition of excessive seasoning.

Crab Rangoon - This seems to only be an American Chinese appetizer...despite having an extensive choice in Chinese restaurants and even huge Chinese food superstores, none have crab rangoon. But again, something I think I will try making on my own...but a baked version (for ease and health).

Good Dill Pickles - I’ve found some Mrs. Elswood slices that are close but just not quite right. I did however find some good pickle relish at the Chinese food store, Wing Yip.

JIF Peanut Butter - Tesco now has a fairly good American section, and they even have JIF...but it’s only extra crunchy! Unfortunately, I prefer creamy.

Any fun or seasonal flavored M&Ms - While I was in Vegas in September I found Pumpkin Spice M&Ms...Mom always sends peanut butter ones for Kevin...I know they’ve made peppermint ones or other fun flavors and colors for holidays. As far as I know unless I go pay exorbitant prices at M&M world in Leicester Square I can’t even get them with fun colors!

Girl Scout Cookies - Mostly Thin Mints and Tag-A-Longs. Ah how they remind me of my childhood...and how good they are from the freezer!

Imo’s Pizza - This is a pizza chain local to St. Louis for those who aren’t familiar. They serve St. Louis style pizza which a friend from Chicago once called pizza on a cracker. But I really grew to love the thin crusts, sweet sauce, and Provel Cheese (which is a wonderful regional blend). Plus they serve toasted ravioli, another St. Louis favorite. Alas, there is no substitute for Imo’s and will forever be something I have to savor while I’m in St. Louis.

And finally, pretty much all of my mom’s cooking! I’ve gotten a few recipes that I’m working on testing on this side of the pond...but even if I get them right it wouldn’t be quite the same.

Are there any foods you miss either from home or that you’ve discovered on travels?

Celebrating 2014

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 14:21:00 +0000

I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on this past year. It’s been quite the eventful one!

I completed my Master of Arts in Media Communications. It was a bit of a challenge since I hadn’t taken classes in a while, but I think I really did myself proud finishing with a 3.91 GPA.

To complete the program I had to undertake a research project that included primary research, which I hadn’t done before. It turned out to be one of the most rewarding and fun papers I’ve ever written. And as a bonus, my professor really liked it and handed it out to this year’s students!

Kevin and I decided that we did want to move forward with getting married and starting our lives together. We went ring shopping and booked our wedding date at our local council’s facilities.

We got married on August 13. It was a very small event. My mom flew over from the States and I also had a friend from my school and Kevin had his dad and aunt. We followed the ceremony with a pub lunch (where pretty much everyone ordered fish and chips!) and cupcakes from Lola’s. It was a simple but lovely day, and the happiest of my life.

Emotional walk down the aisle

After the ceremony

Then after the wedding was the visa process and once that was completed I tagged along with him to Las Vegas when he had to go for work which was our mini-moon.

Kevin at In-N-Out

Dinner at our hotel - The Venetian

Our favorite version of gambling - arcade games

Since then we’ve been settling into married life, celebrated our first married Christmas, and I’ve been looking for work.

Christmas 2013 festive sweater photo

Now that 2014 is upon us we are hoping I’ll finally find a great job, we’re hoping to move into a larger flat (as between us we have a lot of stuff and combining two small flats into one has proven to be a challenge!), and we’re hoping to finally make it back to the states to celebrate our marriage with friends and family back home!

I hope you all had a great 2013 and have an even better 2014 ahead!

Happy New Year!

Bloglovin'

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 21:59:00 +0000

You can follow this blog on Bloglovin' if it's something you use.

It's quite handy really, you just follow the blogs you want to read and it'll put all the new posts from them in a nice little feed almost like Facebook or Twitter.

You should try it out, and if you do, Follow my blog with Bloglovin'

Visa Applications Involve a Lot of Work

noreply@blogger.com (A Yank in Blighty) — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 21:50:00 +0000

Welcome to A Yank in Blighty!

I thought it would be somewhat appropriate if my first post explained a bit about my visa process, as that’s something I’m always curious about and maybe someone will stumble across it and find this account helpful.

I came to the UK in August 2012 on a Tier 4 student visa. I was completing my Master’s Degree at a university in London. Fortunately you are allowed to get married on a Tier 4 visa, so when my husband and I decided to get married that was legal and easily sorted.

After the wedding is when everything got interesting and needed lots of documentation!

My pile of visa documents

I had already spent a lot of time on the UKBA website seeing what types of requirements I’ve need to fulfill to extend my stay, but as a spouse. So I started with the application and the guidance notes they provide.

Then I collected the documents definitely required: passport sized photos of me (2) and my husband (1), each of our passports, our marriage certificate, six months of my husbands payslips and a letter from his employer confirming his employment and and salary, six months of his bank statements (which I procrastinated on and didn’t have time to request from the bank so had to be printed), and the lease for our flat.

Although it wasn’t necessarily listed as being required (I think mostly because this category is typically for those who have already proved it), I wanted to show that is the a genuine and subsisting relationship. So I went through and found some cards, letters, flight itineraries, skype and chat logs and the like through our years together. I added this to the photos and cards from the wedding and hoped that all those documents combined would show it wasn’t a sham marriage/marriage of convenience.

Also I collected mail that was sent to us/either of us at our address. This seemed to be mostly required for non-married partners, but as it was on the checklist I included it just in case.

Once I had the documents together I went to book an appointment at a Public Enquiry Office. i could have mailed it in, but as it can take a few months to get processed and my husband needed to travel soon, i opted for the (much more expensive) in person but near immediate option. However, the closest office to us in London was booked up past when my current visa would expire, so that wouldn’t work...so we booked the appointment at Solihull outside ~~Manchester~~ Birmingham (as I've been corrected, oops!).

The day of the appointment we left quite early so we could go to a local branch of our bank to have the statements stamped as authentic (which apparently banks don’t like to do, but we got a very nice woman that printed new ones so they could be signed). So we were off to the actual appointment. When we first got in we were told they were a bit behind so to leave and come back in a couple of hours. We went to a pub just up the road and had a little snack and just sat and talked for awhile. Then a few minutes before they time they gave us we went back to the office. After going through some light security we began a long wait.

We were given a number and noticed there was a screen with several categories and numbers in the corresponding rows. After a while our number was announced and the screen flashed with an arrow telling us which way to go. We went back to a room with several (chained down) chairs and a few glass window covered stations. We sat at one of the stations and there was a woman UKBA agent on the other side. She asked for our documents and had us point out a couple of specific ones. I think we might have signed something or other but we weren’t there for long. She then had us go back to the waiting area.

We sat for a long time and were concerned because my number wasn’t on the screen and several after mine were. It felt like the longest wait ever, though probably wasn’t, but eventually my number popped up and thankfully was still in the right order! After a bit it was called and the screen pointed the other way this time into a little room where they took my biometrics (fingerprints and picture) which only took a few minutes.

Then when we were back in the main waiting room after a few minutes an agent asked if we had our receipt and if so told us to come back at a certain time (which was like half an hour before the office closed or something like that) and as it was several hours away we went to the shopping center up the road and had lunch and walked around before eventually settling in at a coffee shop where my husband got a little work done.

We went back the the office just before they told us to and after going through the light security again we sat and waited. Finally just after the advertised closing time, and when all but us and one or two other people had been called and left we were finally called forward. I was given a letter saying my visa had been issued and to expect my biometric residence permit (BRP) in 7 to 10 working days. And we were free to go and celebrate basically!

And we celebrated in the most British way my husband could think of...tea on the train home!

Celebration Tea on the way home

All in all I would say I had a pretty pleasant experience. It was a bit of an annoyance to have to go so much farther away, but it was my own fault for waiting too long to book the appointment.

There was a lot of waiting, but the staff at the Solihull Public Enquiry Office were really great to keep us informed and where possible let us go do our own thing instead of being cooped up in the waiting room.

My BRP came much faster than they said, which was great timing as we were planning on my accompanying my husband on a work trip as a sort of mini-moon.

And in a couple years I’ll get to do it all over again (though I’ll probably be more prepared and do it by mail to save the £400 extra!). Ah the life of an immigrant in the UK!