for the nosy ones

When I put up a poll on my blog a couple weeks ago asking for input on topics to write about, I never expected that personal stories would be one of the top picks -- if I had, I probably wouldn't have included it!  I guess all you people are pretty nosy and just can't help but to want to know all the juicy, gossipy details of my oh-so-exciting life, right? . . . Can you sense the sarcasm??

I'm not big on blabbing all my life's details on the internet, or in person for that matter, but the following question continues to pop up:  WHAT ARE TOM AND I GOING TO DO?!  It is the pressing concern of all friends, family, and strangers.  Maybe you don't realize it when you ask it, but this is a very loaded, daunting question.  There is no simple answer and it is actually breath-takingly overwhelming to really stop and think about.

Well, let me begin by telling you this.  This is no easy thing to decide, and I really don't think anyone, except for people who have been through it, understands what is involved.  I don't even fully understand what is involved.  So all I can do is tell you what I know for sure.

Plain and simple, Tom and I are in love (queue the gagging, I know).  So, we've decided to get married - woohoo!  We ain't lettin' no Atlantic Ocean rule our lives.  While we are unsure of what the future holds for us, we know that we're going headstrong towards it.  We are now in the process of planning a wedding reception to be held in Grand Rapids.  I say "reception" because, as far as our actual marriage is concerned, due to visas and rules and regulations and all those things that nobody likes, we don't even know if we'll be able to technically get married on the day we celebrate it.  But guess what?  That's okay.  And if it's okay with us, let it be okay with you.  Nothing about our relationship is conventional so why should our wedding celebrations be?

We've chosen the date of October 13, 2016 for this big shin-dig.  It's far away, I know, but this is simply for the reason that weddings are quite an expensive affair, and Tom and I plan on paying for everything ourselves.  We are extravagant people and will be happy with something modest, but in terms of wedding receptions, modest is still money.  On top of that, we have a whole extra pile of expenses that other couples do not ever have to deal with -- visas, moving someone's life across the world, oh, and still seeing each and maintaining a relationship in the process.  Yes, it is our choice to go through all of this to be together, but honestly, if you were in our shoes, I bet you'd do the same.

So, in short, we are going ahead and planning this celebration, and we'll get dressed up in our suit and gown and we will have a fantabulous time, whether we're technically able to get married that day or not.  Marriage is a celebration of love, and that is what we'll have.  I'm sure, as time goes on, that more details will begin to fall into place, and things will work out just the way they're supposed to.

I hope this is enough to ease all your prying minds.  ;)

-teddy x

england : day six

I'm so stressed out right now because I'm trying to write this while watching the USA v. BEL game and it's in extra time and it's basically been Belgium v. Tim Howard the past 90 minutes! Belgium just scored thanks to the USA not being able to defend but I've my fingers crossed for the next 22 minutes.

So anyways, on Sunday we chilled for a bit at the camp spot in Scotland before heading back to Carlisle late morning. I took a little walk around the beach before we took off. It was so incredibly nice and the weather was perfect.

After getting back to Carlisle, Tom and I managed to make our way to a bar called McQueen's for lunch. I got to try my very first Sunday Roast! I approve. I think the Yorkshire Pudding was my favorite part. Also, I don't know what it was about their coffee but it was the best.

After that we went back to his house and watched Breaking Bad for a few hours (we're finally getting close to the end) and then got hungry again. Normally I wouldn't include every single meal in my posts but we ordered fried chicken and the box it came in was amazing.

Also, the "fried" chicken came in something that was more like batter that you'd find on fish in a fish n' chips meal. When I laughed at it, Tom said to me, "Keep in mind their menu used to say 'open 8 days a week'". It gave me a good laugh.

After fried chicken came s'mores! We had the ingredients leftover from camping so we thought we'd put them to good use. We made them in his garden on the grill.

I really wish we had gardens like this in America.

Thought I'd include this lovely matchbox for you guys, because fire only kills children and I thought you needed to know!

By the time we finished with our s'mores (I introduced his parents to them as well), it was nearing 11pm... Which meant USA v. Portugal was going to come on soon! We stayed up late to watch that and witness the dramatic equaliser by Portugal in the last minute of injury time. I was sure we were in for the win but hey, we still ended up making it to the Final 16.

Speaking of, the USA v Belgium match has ended amidst my writing this. The last 30 minutes of extra time were the best of the whole game. Tim Howard was an absolute beast. Without him the US would have been destroyed.

I'll leave you with this amazing Buzzfeed article.

Goodnight!

-teddy x