A New York State of Mind...

57th street and 6th ave
Single Cut Brewery, Astoria
Big aLIce Brewery, Long Island City
ST. Jame's Theatre  

       Yay I’m finally writing about some of the things I’ve been doing while being back in New York! Although this stuff was a month ago it was the start to my longer than expected return and I just haven’t had the chance to write about it all yet. There really is nothing like coming back to the motherland and seeing the New York City skyline pretty much every day. So literally night one of Sam and I landing in New York we got to have a good catch up with my parents and celebrate my dad’s birthday! A few days later we celebrated my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving! This one was even more special than usual as my dad was invited to partake in the parade as a marshal. It is my favorite tradition to wake up at the crack of dawn on thanksgiving day, put 2-20 layers of clothing on (weather depending) and stand in the middle of NYC braving whatever elements mother nature has conjured up that year. But the love I have for it is nothing compared to my dad, who started this whole tradition with us since I was a little one. This year Mother Nature decided to make it colder than Frosty the Snowman’s nuts as it was under 20 degrees (Fahrenheit sorry English readers I’ve not quite mastered Celsius yet) and a wind chill that brought the temperature into the teens! Now since I have literally gone just about every year, I’ve seen my fair share of cold days but this one was definitely one of the worst, and apparently one of the coldest days on record for the parade.

But talk about a kid in a candy store, I have never seen anyone more in their element and absolutely loving life than my dad was working that parade. It really made the day, and Sam and I were able to stand in a VIP section which gave us the perfect view of everything. And also some much needed coverage from the intense wind. Of course after the parade Sam and I spent some time in Legends bar (where we first met) while we waited for my dad to finish up his marshal duties (lol duty). Now you don’t understand what a feast is until you have been to my parent’s house for one of my mother’s infamous Thanksgiving Day dinners. I do mean dinners plural because the day consists of meatballs for breakfast, a first meal (you eat your favorite dishes), second meal (eat the things you were too stuffed to get to in meal 1), third meal is a combo of what were the favorites of the day and dessert. Add some naps and movies in there and you’ve summed up our day. Not to mention there’s left overs for about a week as my mom’s meal preparations are for a small army.

For the rest of the time that Sam was here that week we made it a point to see our friends and visit Astoria as much as possible since we both missed it so much. That also meant that we went to a lot of Queens Breweries. Probably our favorite thing to do while being in Queens. We stopped at our old local brewery Singlecut, then to my favorite Big aLICe. And even thought it wasn’t lit yet we stopped by Rockifeller Centre Christmas tree. Unexpectedly we stumbled upon the Candy Nations exhibit while on our way to Bryant Park. Their annual winter festival is probably the best holiday event going on in the city. They have a massive ice skating rink in the middle of the park with loads of small stands to buy handmade items and personalized gifts. And I have to say as I’ve done ice skating there a few times the prices aren’t horrible and when you buy the ticket you are allowed to come back the entire day and use that same ticket. Which is nice if you want to have dinner or a drink in the little restaurant and then go back to skating. But be advised if you want to save $15 on storage fee bring your own gym lock for their free lockers. They also sometimes have Groupon for it, which allow you to skip the line and get free hot coco when you’re done skating. I really do love this place and it’s always my number one recommendation when people ask me where to go in the city during Christmas time. This is also a place I had brought Sam on his first visit back to New York when we were dating, so it’s somewhat of a tradition to go.

http://www.jenkell.com/laurence-jenkell-exhibition-candy-nation-broadway-garment-district-new-york-october-2018

https://bryantpark.org/amenities/bank-of-america-winter-village-at-bryant-park

               

     Just after Sam left and I was feeling a bit down, my good friend Molly invited me to go see Frozen on Broadway, compliments of her sister Brittany. Honestly anything on Broadway that is put on by Broadway is just sensational. The affects they have leave me as an adult mesmerized so I can only imagine how kids must feel about it. I also saw Aladdin in September in London and that blew me away too. I would advise that you grab drinks beforehand because the prices were insane for their specialty cocktails named after characters in the show. Perhaps it was the sadness in my eyes or just the fact that the bartender over heard my sob story as I was telling Molly, but my “Arendelle” drink had more vodka in it than expected. But I appreciated the gesture none the less. I now feel like all other Broadway shows won’t be able to compare to the magicalness that is the world of Disney. That or I am just a giant child… probably just that.

 

The one where the visa didn’t come in time…

Mostly Long Island, New York

Dyker Heights, Brooklyn

2 places in New Jersey (but who can actually pronounce them?)

     So here is a quick update to the madness that has been this immigration process. I went in for my screening before I left for California on the 7^th of December but my paperwork wasn’t actually submitted until Monday the 10^th. That had left me just 7 days to hopefully have my paperwork processed and my passport mailed back to me before my flight on the 17^th. Well that was wishful thinking and here I am on the 27^th of December still in New York 1 month later, and its now been 1 month since I have seen Sam. With some luck I was able to change my flight… again.. to the 23^rd of December thinking that had to be it. I tried hard to stay optimistic but when that Thursday rolled around and I still had not heard a word about my visa I knew it is unlikely that I was going to have my visa by that Sunday. So unfortunately I missed Christmas and will now be missing New Years as my new flight is scheduled for January 2^nd. I am not happy about it because I would have obviously loved to be with Sam in our first year in our new home.

     I’m not going to lie though my frustration level is at an all-time high and I’m having a hard time believing how long this has all taken to get done. I know it could be worse and at least I know there is an end to all of this coming but this is the type of human that I am. I need to know dates, I hate not being in control, and I really really hate the lack of empathy from the professionals we are paying to help us make this situation easier.

     But and here is the big BUT, the revelation that I have has after spending the holidays seeing my family on Christmas Eve and all of Christmas day with my parents I know now that I was meant to be here. I've been to some fun Christmas parties where I dressed as the Grinch and was being all sorts of mischievous.... mostly just by drinking all the wine at the party. If being with Sam and our entire relationship has taught me anything it's that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. I could not have planned a better Christmas day with the two most important people in my world. This entire situation has brought the three of us closer than ever. And FINALLY my mother took the time on Christmas day to teach me all of her special recipes. My Italian-American family is cheering for joy reading that I’m sure. I now know how to make baked ziti, spinach pie, broccoli pie, and sweet potato pie! Which I know that Sam will find that more of a Christmas gift/ miracle than anything else I bring back to him.

                         

     I really have had an amazing month in New York so far! I’ve been spending loads of time with my parents and creating some wonderful memories, seeing friends, visiting family, stopping by my school in the Bronx and Queens, took a mini vay cay to Cali, and was asked to be a bridesmaid to my bestie getting married next year! I've been able to spend to major holidays with Thanksgiving and that's made me appreciate the struggle that a lot of people are also going through with immigration. Most of all I have had an out pour of people messaging me asking how it’s all going and sharing their stories with me. I feel so very loved and supported so thank you all so very much! I also have to give a shout out to a few of my cousins who talked me into posting again sooner than I thought. Knowing that you're reading and enjoying it means the world to me!

     So now that it is all a waiting game I will have fingers crossed for a swift return to London but also enjoy the time I have by making the most of it. If you or someone that you know is going through something similar please feel free to share it with me and my story with them. There has been so much comfort in having people reach out to me and even to Sam and helping out in any way that we can.

Things are looking up... kind of

     Um let me start off by saying... WHERE THE HECK DID NOVEMBER GO? I swear it was only last week that I was starting to get ready for my trip back home to New York. Now it's been 10 days since I left England! Lots has been going on between coming back and the last time I wrote about Oktoberfest and ice skating at the Museum of Natural History in Kensington. Still in shock it has been that long since I have posted.

    So here is an update on things before I get back to my happy go lucky posts of exciting places I have been going to. Sam and I left London with the hopes that once I landed our solicitor would submit my paperwork for my visa. Since the course of true love never did run smooth, we hit a few bumps along the way. A lot of it had to do a lot with miscommunication and lack of time to formulate an actual plan. Currently the solicitor has completed paperwork and by Monday we will have a full idea of what the next steps are. Nothing quite makes you scattered for brains than not knowing where your life will be in the next week let alone next month. 

   I was set to fly back with Sam to England on the 27th of November but because the paperwork had still not been completed, let alone handed in because of insufficient documents, I had to change my ticket. This meant a few things were about to happen. I had to change my return ticket date to a time that I still don't know will be enough, and I would have to do the number one thing I thought I would never have to do again since marrying Sam... we'd have to be apart for what is still an unknown amount of time. And let me tell you, if I could talk to the Nicole and Sam that were merely just saying goodbye to each other at terminal 4 of JFK airport as boyfriend and girlfriend, well I would have laughed at them. Because nothing hurts nearly as much as saying goodbye to your husband that you had seen everyday for the last 507 days (yeah I actually checked). It also meant that I would be missing the Mumford and Sons concert at the O2 on November 29th that I was lucky enough to get seats for, and because I didn't buy insurance (thinking what could go wrong?) I have to just eat the money for them. Which is a whole other annoyance I wont begin to go off on. But obviously this was the least of my worries but just a small add on. 

     What should be happening in the next few weeks or so should be simple. Sam meets with the solicitor on Monday, he then has the entire batch of documents and application nicely and neatly sent over to me so that whenever it is that I have to go to the embassy to get "checked out" I have everything I need in order to make their jobs easier to say yes. Then I will have my visa and finally be able to go back to my new home and start an actual life with Sam. I say actual life because I haven't been able to work and teach, the job that I have dreamed of doing since the age of 5. Not only that, to me a life is having structure and a regimen. It may sound weird but I long to have an alarm set for something I actually need to get up for. You might be laughing but to me in order to not turn into a couch potato (which has happened at times) I need to have a set schedule. I'm not that friend who's like I might be doing this or I might go there. I'm a solid yes or no lady. So Sam and I are back to our long distance relationship routines of Facetime regularly, ridiculous amounts of phone calls, watching tv shows at the same time so we can talk about them, and of course binge eating (my stretchy pants are doing overtime work after Thanksgiving). 

     You might be asking yourself, ok Nicole I'm reading these good things and all seems to be in motion here, what's the problem? Well my life wouldn't be as exciting as it is if there wasn't some twist in all of this. Since I changed my return flight to the 17th of December, it now puts a heavier time restraint on when things can get done. That's also because the man helping me schedule my return flight let me know that there are no other seats or days available to return until January. Sure I could maybe try a different airline or maybe even airport if I really needed to, but at this point with no incoming money from funemployment, it's just not realistic. Sorry not sorry if I sound like a bit of a drag here but this situation has not been easy. I am not playing down the fact that I am extremely fortunate to have parents who love me incredible amounts that I get to spend a lot of quality time with now. Or that I have another family across the pond who loves me too. It is just a hard pill to swallow when something you thought you were so sure of getting gets ripped out of your hands in an instant and you're forced to change a lot of your future plans. And the not knowing is what kills me the most. 

     The entire reasoning of me even sharing all of this is because I hope that if this unfortunate situation becomes of a friend of a friend or even someone who just happens to stumble across my page, I want to help them and inform them of everything that I know and have had happened to me and Sam. I have already had a few people contact me that I had not known previously before starting this blog. I've been asked about long distance relationship advice, and on the process of immigration. While I don't make myself out to know everything about either subject, I would help someone the best I can to feel even slightly better about what they are going through. I know we're not the first and most certainly not the last. 

     To end this on a positive note I'll let you know some of the good things that have happened so far since the last post.

1. I have created an incredible bond with a 7 year old girl, who I know will be in my life fora very long time. 

2. I have been able to spend Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday) with my parents and Sam.

3. I got to see my 4 best friends in the entire world and all their fellas.

4. Sam and I got to visit Astoria  and Legends bar in NYC (where we first met) a few times while he was here and reminisce on some amazing memories while living there. 

5. I legally changed my name to my married name!

6. I have plans to see a lot more of my friends and family for the next upcoming weeks while I'm in New York.

7. I have booked a trip to LA for next Friday to see my beautiful best friend Jordana.

8. And finally yesterday the 29th of November I was FINALLY granted my professional license for teaching! This also means that I will have the qualifications to teach anywhere I'd like to when I return to the UK. 

There will be more posts to come VERY soon, with all these good things happening. I'm doing my best to stay positive in the meantime and hopefully can update with good news soon.

      

 

Tis the season...

Erdinger Oktoberfest, Stratford 
Museum of Natural History, South Kensington
Battersea Park, Battersea

     Ah! I really have no idea where the weeks have gone. It blows my mind that I have not written a post in 2 weeks and I'm heading back to New York in just 8 days! October really escaped me while November feels like its gone in a blink so far. But none the less I have been going to some really great spots over the last few weeks. There are some great traditions going on during these end of fall into winter months.

     In October it was all about the name stating Oktoberfest parties. Sam and I went to the final night of the Erdinger Oktoberfest event at stratford. It went on from September 27th to October 28th, but because of our schedules we couldn't get there any earlier, but figured save the best night for last. I had bought our tickets for 50% off from a post the company had put up on Instagram. I was absolutely over the moon thinking (well this is meant to be that we held off going because now tickets are super cheap!). Well it wouldn't be me unless I mucked up something in the seamless plan. Once I hit the submit payment button on the site, I realised that I had bought tickets for the night before we had planned to go. Since I bought the tickets on Ticketmaster there was no number or service I could call to cancel the payment. I couldn't even pawn the tickets to someone else because the cardholder had to be the one to get the tickets at the gate. Ugh I found myself in a real pickle thinking I'll have to eat the money on the 50% off tickets I was amped to get, and thinking I'd end up paying full price in the end anyway. Then I thought of a plan..... what if we just showed up on the last night, went to the ticket booth to get the tickets and then play dumb about the date? (What the date is wrong? OMG I had no idea!!) Could we actually get lucky and have a nice human let us go through even though it was the wrong day on the tickets? We got to stratford and walked up to the woman at the ticket office and I was really bricking it. I thought no way this will actually work, and I was prepared to just pay full price for tickets to get in, because after all I was dressed up and I wasn't going to go home after applying a fresh pair of fake lashes! (Yeah I do that now) When I started explaining the situation to the woman she quickly cut me off to search my name on the database for tickets. After thinking that we would be turned away the woman smiled and said "no worries, we're not sold out tonight so shouldn't be a problem to have you seated somewhere else in the tent." BOOM!! https://erdinger-oktoberfest.co.uk

     We walked through the gates and I was very pleased with myself and my good luck of the night. It was one of the first really cold nights in London so there was no one outside at all, despite the bumper cars ride being set up. We walked into the main tent and there were rows and rows of picnic style tables set up, a buffet, and live band in full swing. The tent is set up for seating areas, vip tables, and standing section. Since it wasn't sold out that night there was plenty choices for seating areas. The steins were massive!! (I've never drank from a actual 1 litre size stein before) So after having just 2 I felt buzzed quickly. And it wouldn't be a proper Oktoberfest without wiener schnitzel! The live band really made the night. They played some major classics "Sweet Caroline" and literally all the Oasis classics. The crowd was lively and everyone was singing along and dancing. It made me really want to go to Germany next year and go all out for Oktoberfest, Bavarian costume and all!

 

     Another amazing happening going on right now is all the seasonal ice skating pop ups and holiday stands. I recently brought my mini friend to the Museum of Natural History, hoping for a fun Friday afternoon activity. I was surprised to see how set up the holiday fest there was. The ice rink there really reminds me of the one that Sam and I have been to in Bryant Park, in New York City. The mini friend and I really enjoyed ourselves skating around the giant Christmas tree in the middle of the rink. They have a small rink section in the back that is for smaller children to have some more space and to not get skated down by the bigger kids. What was really sweet was the selfie corner of the rink. You push this massive red button and have 10 seconds to skate back to your spot before the picture gets taken. We had to do this a number of times, as every time we were getting ready for the picture my mini friend would take a spill on the ice or wouldn't be quick enough to get back in time. The nice part is that if you buy the picture in the main building after you're done skating, the proceeds go towards the museum.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/ice-rink.html

              

   I will definitely be going back here for a little date night with Sam. They have a bar section where you can eat and drink after you have done your skating. It's a really comfy cozy section with lots of couches to hang out on. They carry the most perfect cold season drink, mulled wine that I just had to take advantage of while I was there. I mean come on I had earned it after lifting up a 7 year old every two minutes because she was like watching a new born deer walk for the first time. It wasn't even too crowded when we went which is always great because its just not as fun when you keep bumping into people on the ice. I'm sure this place will be packed out the closer Christmas gets. There are so many of these rinks opening up around London, I really want to partake in the ever popular rink outside the Tower of London.  I'm even trying to set up a trip to Bath to see their Christmas markets that I keep hearing so much about.

     The last bit of the season happenings are ALL THE FIREWORKS! Not even kidding you I have heard fireworks going off every night since Halloween. Much different from New York since they are illegal to buy and set off, but here it is an absolute free for all. Not to mention in New York you really only see fireworks during the summer time for the 4th of July or New Years day. You can buy frieworks just about anywhere here. I'm talking corner convenience store everywhere. I mean I like fireworks just as much as the next person, but every single night is a bit excessive. It's like people who celebrate their birthday for the entire month, it just looses its sparkle (pun intended). It really takes a bit of getting used to here and now I catch myself with the old lady remarks of (really again with the fireworks?!) BUTTTTT for this instance I went to the Battersea Park fireworks show in the beginning of the month which was absolutely amazing!! I am all about the organised fireworks shows. Battersea holds the special event every year near Guy Fawkes night (November 5), complete with bonfire and lights show. At one point I felt like I was at a music festival because they have the laser lights going with techno music. They had rows of food stands and beer lounges to hang out in before and after the fireworks. (Best to stay for a while after as the crowds were insane getting out of the park). This place got packed out really quickly. When me and my mini friend first got there we were practically the only people on the open field but half hour before the show you couldn't move. Luckily we had a blanket so we were able to have a rest while waiting. I was very envious of the people who brought fold out chairs, because the darker it got the more likely it was someone would step on your blanket walking by... or your hand. Battersea really put on such a great show as the fireworks went off to popular songs. They best were the opening and closing songs from "The Greatest Showman" (If you don't know what I'm talking about then do yourself a favour and rent that movie because it is amazing and the songs are out of this world!) https://batterseapowerstation.co.uk/whats-on/detail/battersea-park-fireworks

     So as I'm off to New York next week I am very excited to visit Astoria, get to have some of my moms amazing home cooked meals, and chat about all my favourite spots in my home town. It is still up in the air of when exactly I'll be back home in England because of this whole visa mess. But fingers crossed all goes smoothly so that I can be back for Christmas popping crackers and wearing paper crowns with my husband. 

The Only Way is Dogs.

The Vine, Brentwood
Slug & Lettuce, Brentwood
Sugar Hut, Brentwood
ExCeL Centre, New Ham


     Wow! I can't believe I'm at the stage where I've been doing too much to keep up with my posts. I have had a roller coaster of emotions the past 2 weeks, but I really can't complain because things seems to be working themselves out. It just shows me how great of a support system I have on both sides of the pond. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to ask how we are and to offer advice. But anyway back to the good stuff..

     Last weekend I had two special outings on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday I had gone out with my lovely cousin Emily to Brentwood, in Essex. Her and I, and a bunch of Sam's other female relatives are mildly obsessed with the reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex. The show is about a group of 20 something year olds living in Essex and all their drama in the group. Similar to Laguna Beach or The Hills, for those of you in the States. So Brentwood is there big going on area on TOWIE, so Emily and I thought we would give it a shot a see what all the fuss is about at these popular spots. 

     I'm going to try to paint a picture of the type of people who go out in this area. Lets just say most of them are a different type of breed of human. Walking around these bars were like being in a plastic surgery convention. The women/girls (because a lot of them were 18 years old possibly younger) were decked out to the max. It was like going to the Bronx Zoo and seeing the wild peacocks walk around with their feathers stretched out and strutting down the walkways. As you can imagine Emily and I felt a bit out of place. I should also probably explain that if you don't know me well, I'm a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers kinda girl. And although Sam would say otherwise I don't spend loads of time doing my hair and makeup. But for this occasion I made much more of an effort than usual.... I even wore heels. Most of the women there were dressed in stilettos and dresses that contained more sequence than a craft store. And if you weren't wearing some type of animal print then you were not worthy of eye contact. 

     The first bar we stopped at was The Vine, which was super crowded and more of a 18-23 year old vibe. The music was great but as the minutes ticked by we began to feel more and more like sardines in a can. This is where I found myself stating the most age identifying quote I have ever said. "The music is so loud in here and I'd really just like to sit dow with my drink." WHO AM I?!?! After our 1 drink there, Emily and I quickly learned this would not be our spot for the night. So our next location was just a few doors down at the ever popular chain of Slug & Lettuce. Not the most appetising name to me but it was miles better than The Vine for us. This was because A. I could now hear myself think. B. The crowd age was a bit more appropriate. C. 2 FOR 1 DRINKKSSSSSS!! I don't know why but whenever I am in one of the Slug & Lettuce bars I find myself gravitating towards a porn star martini (classic TOWIE drink not such a great name). Since this was my first big outing really since living in London I tend to forget that I am in a foreign country and I am the one with the accent. When Emily and I were waiting in the bathroom line a girl overheard me and quickly spun around to ask "OMG where are you from?!" when I replied there was a shrieking sound as one of the girls lifted up her skirt to show my her New York City tattoo on her thigh (because obviously when you meet a stranger this is an approbate thing to do!). Luckily this girl had actually been to NYC and gushed about how much she loved it. As we made our escape out of the bathroom Emily and I made plans for our next spot to go to. 
https://www.thevinebrentwood.com            https://www.slugandlettuce.co.uk/brentwood

              Although we were enjoying ourselves at S&L this wasn't the spot me and Emily had dressed up for, no we were going for the mecca of the TOWIE themed night. We were determined to end our girls night out at Sugar Hut. This bar/lounge/club/restaurant has been featured on the show probably every other episode. So we were hoping that we would find ourselves bumping into a few of the TOWIE stars. As we queued up to get in Emily and I started to get chatted up by two guys waiting in front of us. We got to talk and they began to ask us the usual chat up questions, where are you from, what do you do, are you single. When I replied that I was married one of the guys jumped back with "If you're married then why are you out?" to which I replied "I'm not dead". It only got worse when he then asked how old we were and made a face of disgust and said "shouldn't you be having babies or something" OUCH! But once we learned their age of 22 and 23 years old, Emily was definitely not interested and we got to enjoy the rest of our girls night. Being inside Sugar Hut was like walking through a maze, every turn was a different room with more bars and DJs. There was even a lounge area with only couches in the room! (I don't know why it excited me so much, probably the fact that I was wearing heels and was in need of a break from being on my feet). We really enjoyed this place the most since it had a little bit of everything bar, club, and lounge. They even have an outdoor seating area (much appreciated when it got way too hot inside). But although we enjoyed that spot the most, I can't say that this would be our new hang out spot. That and we didn't even spot any TOWIE stars. Well at least I don't think so as I thought one had passed by but Emily didn't see her so it could have just been my eager imagination playing tricks on me. I think next time we'll stick to a daytime visit and try out their restaurant. 
http://sugarhutbrentwood.com

     The next day Sam and I spent some time at the Discover Dogs show at the ExCeL Centre in London. This for me was like walking into the pearly gates of dog heaven, for Sam not so much. There were two major reasons why I wanted to go to this event. 1. Dogs. Need I say more? 2. Sam and I will hopefully in the nearish future be getting a little pup of our own. Because Sam has never owned a dog, and I have had 3 since the age of 9, I thought it would be a good way for him to explore different types of dogs to see what he would like to get. At this dog show they had more than 100 types of pooches there. I told you, literally dog heaven. From A to W (not all breeds were present) they had almost every kind of dog you could imagine. Each booth had the type of dog for that letter and information packets on the characteristics of the breed. They also had booths on puppy training, medical care, and adoption centres in the area. I don't know why but I assumed because we were going on a Sunday afternoon that there wouldn't be that many people going. I was so very very wrong. The place was packed out and it made it super hard to get to every booth to see the dogs. This is actually Sam's nightmare when going anywhere, so he stayed back while I squeezed my way through the crowds to get a chance to pet as many dogs as possible. While we were there we also got to watch the agility contest (where the dogs jump through hoops and run through tunnels on an obstacle course). That was something neither of us had ever experienced and the trainers were the most serious looking people. They were doing warm ups with out the dogs running through and practicing their hand motions. Watching it was absolutely hilarious. I'm all about being competitive but looking at it seemed a bit excessive.

     Every person that I had the chance to speak with working at the booths were the actual owners of the dogs in the area. So for the breeds I really wanted I got a good idea of what training, caring, and maintaining for that type of pup would be like. Sam and I left there with the top four different breeds to get of a miniature schnauzer, Irish terrier, Welsh terrier, and Jack Russel. Since then I think we have narrowed our 4 down to 2 with the Welsh terrier and miniature schnauzer. This is because they are the most well tempered, easy to train and maintain small breed of dogs. The day really was a success because it gave us a better idea of what to expect and really what we were looking for when the time comes. I highly suggest doing something like this if you are looking into buying a dog. I really learned a lot on what to look for if we go through a breeder or even through a rescue centre. They hold this expo every year so will definitely look into going again, maybe even have our own pooch with us!
https://www.discoverdogs.org.uk

A bump in the road...

   
     Last week was a crazy busy week so apologises for not being so regular with my postings. But I've got a few posts coming within the next few days because I've done a bunch of exciting things I'd like to share. To catch you up a bit on whats going on. Since being here I have applied for a spouse visa so that I can start actually settling into my new home. If getting all the paperwork sorted and providing enough information wasn't hard enough, Sam and I unfortunately received a rejection notice from the U.K government for my visa. So what does that mean now? Well it means that hefty application fee we had to pay goes right into the pocket of the government and we basically have to start the application process all over again. That's the nice version of it.

     After being extremely down and frustrated we looked into getting a solicitor because clearly we had missed something. The hard thing is that we actually did nothing wrong on paper. We filled out the forms correctly and provided a lot of information. We even sent them our bank statements with highlights of where I was getting paid regularly from the Department of Education. The solicitor told us that basically the people who work for granting visas only accept a bare minimum of ways information is presented to them. Basically we needed to provide original pay slips as opposed to bank statements. Which is ridiculous because they show the exact same thing! The most annoying part was that because of the lack of information on the government websites and the information and vague information we received on the few phone calls that we had with employees to make sure that we had everything we needed, it still wasn't presented to us fully. The major reason of the rejection of my visa was that I wasn't actually allowed to apply for the visa while being in the UK. Which also does not make any sense to me.

     So now what will happen is I will have to return to New York for potentially 6-8 weeks submit my application while there and stay until it is granted. The unfortunate part of that is since I won't be leaving until November 20th (we booked flights for thanksgiving thinking I would have my visa by now) it leaves the possibility of not being with Sam for the holidays and being apart for a long period of time. The situation is very bittersweet because on the one hand I'll be home with my family and friends and be back in my home state of New York, but on the other hand I'll be worried about my visa being granted and know that my life in the U.K isn't progressing how I had planned. I really thought by now I would be starting my career in the UK as a teacher (that the country is in desperate need of). It's just a very confusing and frustrating process, especially when you're in a obvious legitimate relationship and just want to start your life together. We expected it all to go smoothly with the visa since Sam and I did all the paperwork for his visa in New York on our own and it was granted (although the process takes MUCH longer).

     We're choosing to stay on the positive side of things and just looking at this as another bump in the road to us getting the life we've planned for one another. I'm looking at it as a massive vacation in New York to do the things that I have always wanted to do without having the amount of free time that I will have now. I'd like to plan some trips to my friend on the West Coast, blog about my favourite places in Astoria Queens and spend some much needed time with my family and finally get to meet my little nugget niece for the first time.

     I really hope that in writing this post I have given people a little insight to what it's like to have a international relationship and even though Sam and I put on a good face and look like we're always happy, we do have our struggles. Although it may not be with each other it is with the life that we share. I also hope that maybe someone who is reading this will be in a similar situation and get some information on how to go about getting their visa the right way without having to sell a kidney on the black market to pay for all of the ridiculous fees. Although it will be hard for me and Sam to be apart for so long at least we know that when I return to London we will have everything sorted and FINALLY be able to begin an actual life in our new home.

Let's give em' pumpkin to talk about...

The Cutting Crew, Pimlico

Foxes Farm Produce, Basildon

The Coach & Horses, Woodbridge

It’s officially the end of the first month of starting this blog. So I really want to start this post by saying a massive thank you to anyone reading this right now. It’s because of you that I have been enjoying this process so much. With more than 3,500 views to date on the site and over 200 reads on every post, it has already exceeded any expectations that I’ve had for it. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the support and the messages I’ve received of questions about the places I’ve been to. It makes me so incredibly happy to know that I have people reading what I am writing and actually liking it. It’s been a dream so far so I’m excited to see where else this crazy thing will take me to. 

Make sure that you’re following me along daily on Instagram at @coles_ and and/or on Twitter     @NY2LDN to see what I am up to!

So as for this week it was a bit of a low key one. Just lots of walking around exploring the Westminster area. I even took the long way home one night just to get more acquainted with walking through Central London. During sunset was the perfect time to do it. Literally anywhere along the Thames is a sure bet for a great picture and beautiful views. If you’re in the Westminster area, Ebury Street has some incredible store fronts decorated with fall themed flowers. It’s actually not far from Peggy Porschen Cakes, (the place I went to in my previous post) that also has a stunning store front.

I also did a bit of pampering this week as I’ve been absolutely craving to do something different with my hair, since I haven’t dyed it since well before the wedding. So of my discoveries this week I’ve found the Treat Well app which basically tell you the best spots for all types of services for men, women, and even children. There I found the highly rated Cutting Crew chain of hair salons. I visited the salon that’s on Warwick Way, in Pimlico. Absolutely loved it! They gave me exactly what I wanted. I had the mini friend with me for a haircut too and they were very accommodating to the both of us. They gave us beverages and snacks while we waited and got our hair done. I opted for a caramel colored balayage. It took some time to adjust to so much color in my hair at first but I am really loving it now. Needless to say I’ve now found my go to hair salon in London.

http://novelhairstudio.net

Sam and I’s outing this weekend was to Foxes Produce Farms out in Basildon, Essex. Although the weather felt like summer, we did the most fall activity there is.. PUMPKIN PICKING! If you haven’t gotten the picture yet, I’m a tad obsessed with them, and the entire autumn season really. So much so that Sam even made me a cornucopia from cardboard boxes and some rope. Super impressive and he really made my Nintendo Game Boy decoration for his birthday, look like a kids project. His cornacopia now goes perfectly with all of our mini pumpkins and corn we picked!

We really enjoyed ourselves on the farm. We were equipped with a wheelbarrow and ready to find the perfect patch. (The wheelbarrow also made for the most impressive camera stool) There were kids everywhere, as it really was a great day to get out with the family. Pumpkin picking has to be one of the most fall type of activities you can do in America. Apart from apple picking and drinking warm cider with some cider doughnuts (UGH I miss it). But here in England I don't think many people have really done it before. And if you've been on Instagram at all this week and you're American its basically taken over your entire feed this weekend. Lucky for anyone who follows me and doesn't have many other American friends, you'll get your fair share of pumpkin picking pictures. Complete with flannel wearing and boots. This specific farm also had hayrides, a food stand, and an ice cream truck! (Which is usually would be weird but on a day that it's in the 70's was ideal). That's where I had my first ever 'flake' in my ice cream cone. It's basically like a stick made of swirls of chocolate. Very enjoyable and I wish I had a picture to put up of it buttt unfortunately with it being so hot, and me having a ginormous sweet tooth, it didn't last very long. Foxes Farm has a lot of upcoming events for the Halloween season, complete with a spooky hayride and corn maze. They even have an upcoming mud run, that I may just have to look into. The farm had guides up for picking the right pumpkins, the specific types of pumpkins you can find (I had no idea there was more than one!), and loads of those head cutouts that you can take pictures out. Even though there were a lot of people at the farm, the fields are massive so you don't have to feel crammed in one location with everyone.
https://www.foxesfarmproduce.co.uk

I had no idea there were blue and black pumpkins, I thought this just meant that they were mouldy!

 
We finished off our weekend with a visit to my brother and sister in law's house. We went to the nearby town of Woodbridge, Suffolk. As it was me and Sam's first time in town we were really excited to see what it was all about. It has a lot of small shops, as well as a small cinema that does a 3 course meal during the viewings (sounds like a perfect date night to me!). We settled in at Coach and Horses pub, that is part of the Deben Inn, for an early dinner. It was super delish! Probably the best pub food I have ever eaten. It's not all the basic pub food you would find in most places since it also had a salmon and prawn risotto which I ate ever last bite of. The staff was friendly and there was loads of seating inside and out. We opted for the outside seating area, since we knew it would probably be the last weekend that we could eat outdoors before the start of the really cold weather. I fully enjoyed it for the views and all the dogs that came through with their owners for an early Saturday night drink. I really cant't wait to hang out here more and get to visit more of the local restaurants.
http://www.debeninns.co.uk/coachandhorses/

As for this upcoming weekend, I've got loads going on and I really can't wait to share!