October

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Italy- Day One

I arrived at Pisa airport at 8:50 pm after the usual horrible ryanair flight

(ryanair is a cheap airline that likes to harass their customers over the size of their bag and charges you for EVERYTHING).

Lauren and Liz arrived before me and picked up the rental car.

The rental company kindly upgraded us to an Audi.

We were not mad about it.

They picked me up at Pisa Airport and we drove the half an hour to our villa in BEAUTIFUL Tuscany.

Liz was the bomb.com and found this villa through AirBnB.

It was a four bedroom three bath with a pool.

A POOL.

sold.

It was so well kept, updated, and clean,

with stunning views of the Tuscan hills.

On the property was a ton of olive trees, pear trees, some sort of orangy looking fruit trees, and I'm assuming grapes were nearby since a man in a tractor always drove past with buckets full.

When I got there, Liz and Lauren had already gone to the market and were prepping dinner

#goodfriends

We sat down with a glass of wine, ate, and gossiped.

Then they presented me with the best blogger mash up video ever...

They had requested some of my close blogger friends send them a video clip,

so Anna, Sarah, Bridget, Emily, Ahnika, Jenni, Lauren, Amanda, and Liz all made videos giving S and I advice,

and sending us their well wishes.

Lauren put it all together with some moody music,

and I cried like a huge baby and laughed REALLY hard.

It was an emotional experience.

We went to bed with plans to lay out by the pool then dine somewhere fun the next night.

I am going to jump ahead so we can get the unfortunate part of the trip out there..


We did lay by the pool the majority of the day,
then headed into Florence for dinner,
(a recap and pictures of this portion of the day to come)
but then something unfortunate happened that evening...

We were starving,
and our reservations weren't until 8:30pm..
so Liz and I stopped off at a little store in Florence to grab a snack.
She got a nectarine.
Two hours later she was vomiting.
And did not stop until the next morning.


We left Florence early before dinner (obviously), took pizza to go (for Lauren and I), and drove an hour back to the villa,
pulling over every 15 minutes so Liz could be sick.
Every time we pulled over Lauren turned to me and said,
"Meg, can you hand me a slice of Pizza?"
And proceeded to inhale it before Liz got back in the car and could smell it.

We know it was the nectarine because it's the only thing she ate that Lauren and I didn't.
That stupid fruit put Liz out of commission for the rest of the trip.
Thank god Corey came in the next day, with the rest of the guys, to help her.
But my heart totally broke for her.

To be continued.

Monogamy Monday, but on Wednesday...A DATE!

A little peek at the landing page of our wedding website!

While I am catching up on "real life" after being away from the internet for almost a week,
(and by catching up I mean editing photos from Italy)
I thought I would show you a little glimpse of our wedding website,
designed by the freaking AMAZING Bobbi,
who has seriously been working her butt of on the coding, design, and launch of this site.
I owe this girl my life.
She is so talented.
(In case you forgot, she also designed my blog)

Also, you may have noticed a date.

June 29th 2013 

boom.

It's official.
You may think the date is official when the save the dates or the invites go out...
but it actually becomes official when you announce it on your blog..
just so you know.

*Tomorrow i'll be sharing some of our Italy trip..which was crazy good and crazy not so good. 

  cliff hanger

Italy Bound- Blate

italy image via | Aspiring Kennedy image stole from her fb | Explore dream discover image by Liz

Tomorrow Lauren, Liz, and I will be heading to Italy for my *Hen-do!

I met both of these awesome ladies through blogging (I basically owe my life to blogspot.com)

Liz ventured over to Scotland with her hubby a few months back,

and the four of us spent two glorious days together.

Lauren stopped off in Glasgow a couple weeks before I got engaged,

and we wined and dined together.

It was obviously love at first sight with both of these fellow American expats.

Over dinner with Lauren,

we talked about the possibility of my engagement (this was pre-engagement)

and how fun it would be to have a proper Hen-Do somewhere fun like Italy.

Cut to a month later-I'm engaged.

I get a text from Lauren re-igniting the hen do idea,

and with a lot of planning (mainly done by Liz and Lauren...)

this Italy trip was born.

After a couple of days our significant others will be joining us as well,

for a hen-do couples retreat, if you will.

Basically we are just REALLY nice and are letting the boys come too. 

This is like, the ultimate Blate,

and I am SO excited.

I'll be back here (to this blog) on Wednesday!

Until then,

you can follow us each on instagram

(we will attempt to post, although lack of internet might destroy us)

me: @msgram  Liz: @lizdenfeld  Lauren: @aspiringkennedy

*Hen-Do=British way of saying Bachelorette Party.

Conversations

Me: This site says to do 50 jumping jacks before you take a shower every day, plus some other ish.

S: What are Jumping Jacks? Like Star Jumps?

Me: Star jumps? Jumping jacks look like this
 ::::demonstrates a jumping jack::::

S: That is a star jump

Me: Or a jumping jack

S:who says jack jumps?

Me: its more likely that Jack jumps than a star...stars don't jump, they shoot...across the skye...and probably can’t jump..because of like gravity.

S: You make a star SHAPE when you do the jump...

Me: That’s a bit of a stretch.

Me: So when we get to California again, remember you can't tell people you hate coriander*

S: It is SO gross. I hate it.

Me: They won't let you through the border if you hate it. It's like, Southern California’s herb mascot. 

*coriander=cilantro

Me: Hey look I'm using my fork and knife and you are using your hands! We switched culinary cultures!

S: KNIFE AND FORK. not fork and knife.

Me: That is stupid. There is no right way to talk about utensils. 

S: You always say knife and fork.

Me: fork and knife

S: It sounds like your saying f*ckn knife

Me: oh.

S: I very nearly let out a fart there and then I remembered the rule about no farting while we are eating.

Me: Thank you for your level of dedication and self control.

S: That fella has some neck on him doesn't he?

Me: who?

S: That Giraffe

Me: Good one...

S: I just washed all of those dishes and it only took me 7 minutes. So much faster than you.

Me: I am sorry, but I only recently traveled back in time to the stone age. You've been here awhile. 

:::while getting ready one day::

S: are ya on ye yet?

Me: excuse me?

S: are ya on ye yet?

Me: I have no idea what you are saying to me

S: are you puttin clothes on?

Me: that wasn't even remotely close to asking if I was putting clothes on yet.

*read other conversations posts*

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Monogamy Monday- Wedding Dress

image 1&2 via | image 3 via  |  My Wedding dress pinterest board here

The hunt for the perfect wedding dress has been a bit...

frustrating. 

I have a very limited budget for a dress.

note: if you want to have a lot of money to spend on a second wedding, don't have a first wedding...
my words of wisdom to you..
you're welcome

Really though, even if I had a bigger budget, I probably wouldn't spend a lot of money on a wedding dress.

As I was doing dress research online I came across a lot of articles about the "recession bride."

Brides are less inclined to spend a lot of money on a wedding dress today, than they were about five years ago.

This obviously has resulted in department stores such a J.Crew, Anne Taylor, and Nordstrom to jump on this trend and create wedding dresses without the heavy price tag.

Even designers such a Vera Wang have caught on and started partnering with the likes of David's Bridal to produce a more budget friendly dress line. 

However, while the selections in those stores are great, I have yet to find something that is "me,"

and still fits with having a very traditional church wedding in Northern Ireland.

I tried on dresses in both Edinburgh and Northern Ireland,

and everything was just a tad out of my price range

(and REALLY out of my price range when I would do the exchange rate..ouch)

And on top of all of that,

I am limited to a certain type of dress.

Due to my back problems, I cannot have a dress with a corseted top;

so nothing that is structured, boned, and supported through the back.

Fret not though ladies,

I could feel your worry forming.

I have found a solution.

I am having my dress custom made by a wonderful designer in LA who is willing to work with my budget.

I don't want to say too much yet because we are in the very beginning stages of planning,

but I am excited...

and nervous.

Having a dress custom made can be risky.

I probably won't see the end result until close to my wedding,

and being that I live in Scotland and she is in LA,

I won't be able to have one final fitting (I'll be home in December for, hopefully, the first).

My life dress is entirely in her hands.

The pictures above are the over-all feel of what we are going for :)

*Can't wait to reveal it all to you on the big day!

So now my question to you:

What was your dress experience like? Any of you go the custom route? Was it a happy or sad ending? Did you direct a lot of your budget towards your dress, or did you put that money towards other things you felt were more important to you, and pay less for a dress?

Tell me everything. I could talk wedding dresses.all.day.long. 

*next week i'll be posting a glimpse of our wedding website and announcing the actual DATE! 

Scenes from yesterday

via instagram

dress c/o Marc Cain | Bag: Zara (similar) | Bracelets c/o Marc Cain & Poshlocket (no longer available but love this one)

Stephen had the day off yesterday,

so I put on my Wednesday's best

and we went to the grocery store...

clearly we are already an old married couple.

But I do have to humble brag on my man for a second,

because he had it in his head that he wanted to use his day off to cook me a nice 3 course meal.

If you follow me on instagram you saw this transpire. 

Stephen is an awesome cook,

so I wasn't about to object to his sweet offer.

So while I pinned, tweeted, blogged, and gchatted with my one of my bridesmaids (all at the same time, of course)

he slaved away in the kitchen.

I die.

Then I found his portion of our "love story"

that I am forcing him to write for our wedding website...

you KNOW I am going to be posting it on this blog.

It is way too good.

He writes the way he talks...

I'll just leave it at that.

get excited.

I know this is nothing but mush,

but there are some moments in life that need to be immortalized via blog post.

Thanks for hanging in there.

Fall into Autumn

1. Asos Faux fur Snood \ 2. Zara Sweater  \ 3. Kate Spade Flats \ 4. Asos Leather Jacket \ 5. TopShop sweater \ 6. Wallis Grey Ponte Blazer

What I have learned living in the UK during autumn/winter,

is the importance of having a lot of solid basics that can be mix and matched.

Autumn and winter clothes always tend to be a little more expensive (more fabric),

so I like to have some things that can be worn multiple times, in multiple different ways.

I have noticed that familiar chill filling the air again,

but I'm not talking about the weather anymore,

so I'm not going to say how that chill is filling me with fear for the months to come,

and what is keeping me going is thinking about cute autumn clothes...

oh and going to Italy, where it is in the 80s, next week!

More on Italy to come...

Hint: it involves a hen-do (bachelorette party) and three other expat bloggers.
I just got the chills.

A Personal Post for Suicide Prevention Week

There have been three people who I have known in my life who have either attempted, or committed suicide.

One of them is my dad.

My dad attempted suicide eight years ago.

I was on my way home from church one evening with my neighbor,

when he got a phone call from his brother saying my dad was being taken out of my house by a team of paramedics and police.

My mom and little brother, who was 14 at the time, were home when it happened.

I won’t go into the details of what happened that night,

but that night changed my family’s lives forever.

My dad was a successful writer/producer for television sitcoms.

He is incredibly intelligent,

and very funny.

He used to have a lot of friends,

and a beautiful family.

He now spends the majority of his time alone.

My dad has never been well emotionally.

He has suffered from mental illness the majority of his life.

He has struggled with suicidal ideation since I was a little girl.

I know this because I found a suicide note on our family computer when I was 13 years old.

Suicide is something he continues to struggle with and threaten on a daily basis.

Mental illness compiled with other factors,

has made my at one time “normal” father,

into a very different human being.

I have never spoken much of my dad before on this blog,

and there is a lot more to this story.

However, this week is national suicide prevention week,

and yesterday was world suicide prevention day,

and I felt like now was the time to say something in hopes maybe it made one person feel less alone.

Suicide is a topic that I’m sure makes many people uncomfortable.

As I write this post, I feel an uneasiness in my stomach, 

a nervous vulnerability that I have never felt before here on this blog.

It is one of those things, like mental illness, that you just don’t really talk about...

It is riddled with stigma and taboos that only spur on the problem.

Suicide is reality for a lot of people...

It is reality for my family.

It was reality for two people I knew growing up,

who took their own lives at a young age.

It is reality for their families and friends who will forever mourn their loss and wonder if they could have saved them.

“You were created to love and be loved. You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you're part of a bigger story. You need to know that your life matters.” -To write love on her arms (one of my favorite organizations)

*comments turned off*

Monogamy Monday- Bridesmaids

I have three bridesmaids (in case those pictures didn't make that clear).

They are all awesome (duh)

and attractive (of course).

Funny thing,

Ali is the only one who I did not meet through blogging.

You read that right.

For those that question blogging,

wonder if your time and energy is worth it,

or are skeptical to begin the process of blogging at all,

here is an amazing example of how blogging is not just a tool narcissists use to share pictures of themselves.

It is so much more.

Someone said to me once how they would rather get to know people face to face than read a blog about someone...

Okay, that is totally fair.

I love social interaction with people too (It's obviously how I made all of my friends for the first 25 years of my life).

However, I am not in school, I work from home, and last time I checked it wasn't cool to go to a bar to pick up friends.

Oh and I live in a foreign country.

In this day and age when all of your friends from your childhood have scattered to different places of the world, 

and you are feeling a little displaced in your new adult life,

I think the Internet can be an amazing tool to connect people with common interests (if done correctly).
(hello, match.com, e-harmony, christiancafe.com, etc etc)

I didn't originally start blogging to find friends (I don't think any of us in the blogging world actually thought we would make real friends when we first started),

I did it to connect with family and friends back home in the states.

You will quickly notice though,

when you move far away,

that a lot of friendships tend to fall by the wayside.

It's not their fault,

or yours,

it is just how it goes.

It is hard to stay in touch with the time difference,

and it really takes a huge effort on both parts to keep the friendship going.

Then, I discovered this whole world of people,

and it wasn't long before I found both Ahnika and Emily's blogs.

Two years and hundreds of skype sessions, phone calls, texts, and face to face meets ups later,

they are two of my best friends,

and along with Ali, have been the biggest support to both Stephen and I from the start.

I could not have survived the past few years without these three girls,

and that is a fact.

I know Stephen is incredibly thankful to them all,

because with everything that has gone on (both behind the blog scenes and on it)

it is a straight up miracle that I didn't move back to the USA earlier; forcing Stephen and I into long distance.

I'm so glad I stuck it out, because being away from him would have been the absolute worst.

Good friends and a good man can sometimes help you overcome the seemingly impossible.

Uhm and Ahnika and Emily don't blog anymore...

after they found me they figured there was no longer a reason to blog.

I mean, I get it.

Good Thoughts

originally from here

Loved this so much. 

Found it on pinterest, but it needed to live in my blog too.

Happy Weekend friends, I hope you have a lot of sunbeams shining out of your faces. 

Happy Friday

Yay, it is Friday!

Last night we had dinner with our only couple friends in Glasgow,

the husband is american (from the OC) and the wife is Scottish.

They were gone all summer traveling to much warmer climates like california and hawaii (so.jealous.)

and found out at the very start of their journey that my friend was pregnant! 

I saw her before she left,

and then seeing her now at almost 6 months pregnant was the craziest thing ever.

We are SO excited for them.

Stephen is envious...

he needs to simmer down.

I plan on spending the weekend cleaning the flat (I can get a little wild with the pledge..look out)

and visiting Stephen's little brother who just started University in Dundee (an hour from Glasgow).

Here are some of my favorite ladies to read over the weekend!

********

I feel like Hannah stepped out of a Bronte Novel.
Gorgeous, intelligent, and classic.
All she is missing is a posh English accent,
although her six months in England definitely gave her that British flaire.
I absolutely adore reading her blog,
and looking at her pretty face.
I know she is someone I would be good friends with in real life,
right Hannah???

Hi y'all! I am Hannah Margaret over at hm. My little blog is a place for those that are travelers and adventurers at heart. Whether that means living, traveling or dreaming of a place that isn't your hometown, my blog focuses on learning and experiencing. I believe that being abroad has been the most vital experience in molding me into the person I am today (and ultimately, who I want to become). I love all things flowered, pretending I'm an English Rose, listening to folk music, admiring the small beauties in life and wearing Peter Pan collars. Please stop by! xoxo, hm

BLOG

*****

Nicole is one of those girls I feel like I already know in real life.

I feel like we have met up in Spain and drank Sangria together.

We didn't.

Not YET anyway.

We have both hung out with our friend Liz though,

so...pretty close.

Nicole is like me in that she left California and joined us crazy american expats in Europe.

She just started a masters course in Madrid, Spain,

which makes her slightly cooler than me because she picked a city that has sunshine.

Seriously go check out her blog and oo and aww over her gorgeous photos of her travels.

Hi! I'm Nicole from La Mia Vita. I'm originally from Southern California moved to San Francisco for college and stayed for the next 8 years because, well it's the best city ever! Since I have a bit of my mom's gypsy spirit, I've packed up and moved to Madrid, Spain for a year to get my Masters in Bilingual and Multicultural Education (oh yeah I'm a teacher. and hopefully an employed one when i get back). This is going to be quite the adventurous year learning Spanish, teaching, meeting new people, trying not to miss my family and friends back home and of course traveling!!! Hope you'll join me for the ride!

BLOG

*****

Alli is the sweetest thing ever.

Her blog covers her daily life happenings as a canadian living in toronto, engaged and

 her recent wedding plan announcement!

Clearly I am a little excited about it...

She is embarking on the destination wedding journey like me

(is mine even classified as a destination wedding if I live in the UK? I digress)

Go say hi and makes friends with this girl asap,

you won't regret it.

Hello, Across The Pond readers! Gosh, you're a good-looking bunch, aren't you? I'm Allie. And I'm the writer behindThis & That. It covers just what it says - a little of this, and a little of that. From photography, art, and design, to memories made and little bits about my life. Sometimes things get awkward, and exciting, and even inspiring. Other times it can be just random. It’s kinda like no holds barred, except minus the death grips. (Gotta keep it interesting:) Feel free to stop on by and say hi, I'd love to meet you!

BLOG

Wedding Planning-New Addition

Ireland wedding inspiration shoot via Style Me Pretty

I was sitting in the car the other day with Stephen,

eating my McFlurry, fries and feelings,

fighting back tears of frusteration. 

I told him if we want a wedding in Northern Ireland, I need to hire someone who knows the area to help.

Dramatic, but effective.

I have been told by countless people to hire someone to help,

and I always sort of brushed it off because it seemed like extra money I didn’t need to spend.

I had friends who worked in the wedding events industry (in LA)

I have bridesmaids who ALL work or have worked in the wedding business (in LA)

and I don’t have a regular 9-5 job, which leaves me with time to plan myself.

Oh and I may have planned a wedding before (in LA).

I could totally do this all alone,

in a foreign country,

with not a single friend in Ireland to help.

Totally could do it.

Cut to two months post engagement and I’ve hired someone to help me navigate this country and help me style our wedding.

This is a small miracle because wedding planning/event styling is not really a thing out here.

See that shoot pictured above?

The lovely lady I am paying to be my bff is the one who put it together.

I nearly died when I saw that someone IN Ireland put together the elements of that shoot.

Long table, lace table runner, linen table cloths...I couldn’t believe my eyes.

(I say long table because you should have seen the look the venue coordinator gave me when I said I wanted long tables instead of round...GASP)

I contacted her, she responded, and then I asked Stephen if I could please have her.

She understood my frustration, 

told me I wasn’t crazy, 

and validated everything I had been thinking and feeling. 

She assured me it wasn’t because I wasn’t trying hard enough or looking hard enough, 

but that the details I want really don’t exist in Ireland, 

and that she is trying to create a market for it.

I’m feeling really good about this.

*****SEGWAY*****

I asked on twitter yesterday for help in coming up with like a weekly post title for wedding stuff, because Wedding Wednesday has been taken x 20. 

I spent DAYS trying to come up with something, and in like .5 seconds people came up with multiple ideas. 

*facepalm*

Some of my faves: 

"Check out that chest hair tuesday," "W2 or Bust Wednesdays"-Nicole

"Fa sho Fridays-bc im sure your wedding picks are fa sho awesome"-Michelle

"Monogamy Monday"- Alyssa

I’ve narrowed it down to a couple and the first post will go up next week.

I know, we are all very excited about it over here.

I need to organize this wedding planning saga for my own sanity. 

Is there anything specific you are wanting to know about thus far?

hit me with your best shot.

(thought that last line was a little much, but i'm leaving it in anyway)

Little Bits of Random

instagram username: @msgram

1. I've been perfecting my "Fry Up" (aka British breakfast) skills for Stephen. Pictured: wheaten bread, potato bread, grilled tomato, fried egg, British bacon, and sausage. In Ireland they usually do Soda bread, but we can't find any here in Scotland. Stephen is pretty sad about it. I am pretty sad about not having fruity pebbles...so...

2. Mint chocolate chip ice cream. 'nuff said.

3. New WARM winter tights sent from my sweet new blog friend Amie. Apparently, these are special tights bought in Europe (ie Poland) and will help me not cry when I walk outside when it's cold, although that is never 100% guaranteed.

4. Missing this lovely view in Amsterdam

5. Stephen put my hair in a side pony circa 1985. I really don't know what else to say about that.

6. Just testing out my new cross trainer, in my pajamas, which also happen to be Stephen's shirt and panties...Good thing I don't have a butt because this would be even more awkward.

Conversations

That stern look is him wondering why we are taking another photo for instagram...BECAUSE MY FACE LOOKED TOO ROUND IN THE FIRST FIVE. obviously.

Me: Hurry up you are movin like molasses

S: What are you saying? 

Me: you are moving like molasses

S: What is molasses?

Me: what? 

S: it's a wine right?

Me: I have something to tell you and I don't want it to change your opinion of me

S: What is it?

Me: I have pre-menstrual syndrome

S: Shite....

S: I have a new name for you when you are on your lady time

Me: What?

S: Red Snapper

S: Do we have any aloomineeyum?

Me: what??

S: Aloomineeyum foil...I need some.

Me: I don't know what the heck that is

S: the silver foil you can bake on...?

Me: ALUMINUM foil?

And because we aren't always ridiculous and arguing about why cheetos and and In N Out are God's gift to humanity... here is a little mush.

I found a sweet letter typed on my laptop when I opened it up the other day...I won't post the entire thing, but here are some of my fave parts

"I go to work looking forward to my 20 min break when I can call you and know that when I finish my day I will have you to come home to.  I smile when I think about what little things you will do during a day that will make me laugh...."

"I want to make you the happiest woman in the world and treat you the best you could ever be treated, love you the best you could ever be loved and give you my all.

Thank you for loving me my wee Megs.

I love you with all of my heart pet.

Your fella xxxxx"

dsjgfdhghfdfj <-------- that is the sound of my heart and ovaries bursting

*read other conversations posts*

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Poshlocket

Remember that lookbook I did for Poshlocket?

Well Poshlocket is hosting a giveaway on their blog where you can win an item of jewelry from either one of my looks,

Katie's looks,

or Alexandra's looks. 

Just visit the Poshlocket blog for details on how to enter! 

Happy Labor Day USA-ers!

Birthday Wish-List

1. Aldo Shoes (preferably this pair of boots) | Black Zara Coat | iPad | New Camera Lens 

So my birthday is December 3rd,

and for the first time in two years I am going to spending it on US soil!

Words cannot begin to describe how happy I am to be in the sun on my birthday and out of the cold.

My birthday last year was the absolute worst for multiple different reasons

(only made better by my sweet friend Ruth and Stephen)

but the only place I really wanted to be was home.

I sort of got lucky with the date of my birthday,

because while it is still in the month of Christmas,

the date is far enough removed from the 25th that I can still get away with getting birthday AND Christmas presents.

I always felt a little sorry for my friends who came out of their mothers womb the week of Christmas,

and frequently got stuck with the
"this is your birthday AND Christmas gift...sucks for you."

However, what I want this year is a bit on the pricey side,

so I am willing to allow family and Stephen to use the whole combined birthday/Christmas present thing.

YOU ARE WELCOME FAMILY.