It's been a long, I shouldn't have left with... (if you know you know)

New York, New York
Nashville, Tennessee
Long Island, New York

It's been far too long since my last post, but it was because of a whirlwind of events the last few month!

Since April, Sam and I started a petition for my return to the UK, and with an unimaginable amount of signatures and exposure from Time 107.5 FM radio station in Romford, we quickly got a response from immigration. And the best part was that I actually received an apology from the immigration officer I spoke to.

It turned out that I was rejected by mistake the second time we applied for my visa from the US. The officer who viewed our application failed to check with the reasoning for our first application rejection (only rejected because we applied when I was still in the UK). The second rejection was because the officer determined Sam and I's relationship to not be genuine (yes I know, absolutely laughable). The month of May was an absolute celebration with Sam coming over to visit me in New York, and finding out together that I would be back in the UK in the following weeks. I spent loads of time with family and friends and just in complete eagerness to put the last 6 months of misery behind me.

In all the stress of the 6 months being stuck in New York, I learned a lot about myself (lots to time to reflect on life). Mostly the fact that I don't always deal with things in the best way. I looked back at my time in New York, and although I did some amazing things and traveled a bit, on the down time I wasn't taking care of myself. Major stress is not something I had ever really had to deal with, so I never really understood how to cope with it then. It felt like my life was taking huge steps backwards. But now I feel as though a massive weight has been lifted and I can settle into my life. I have a new appreciation for the time I have in my life, and what I do/who I fill it with.

When I got back to London in May, I started the application process to begin teaching. The paperwork took longer than I ever anticipated. I mean I actually had to go and get ink fingerprints done and send them off to the FBI as part of the background check. It was an intense process that basically has taken up to this week to finish up. So unfortunately I was unable to start teaching for the duration of the school year, but luckily the agency I am working with has been incredibly helpful and caring to my situation.

 

It really felt as though everything was beginning to fall into place. I had three really great opportunities come my way for this fall (one including a reality tv show). I was able to take a couple mini getaways to Scotland (to see the Spice Girls), and Germany (for a potential job opportunity). It just felt so nice to have options and thinking about the future.

 

I was only back in London for 2 months before it was time to head back to New York for more celebrations with family and friends. It was satisfying to know that it would just be a visit, and there wasn't any pressure of dealing with immigration on the way back. I landed in New York and a couple days later I was straight off to Nashville for my bestie's bachelorette party. Flew Back to New York for my niece's first birthday party, got to see a lot of friends in the weeks between, and ended the month with my other bestie's wedding, and Sam and I's 2 year wedding anniversary.

I am beyond ready to see what the next few months back in London will have in store for me. But most of all I am very eager to start my career after A YEAR of unemployment.

There is certainly lots more to come!

Sky High in Colorado!

Colorado

Denver; First Draft Taproom & Kitchen, Finn’s Manor

Colorado Springs- Pleasant Valley: Garden of the Gods Park & Resort

Frisco; Outer Range Brew Co.,

Idaho Springs; Tommy Knocker Brewing

Steamboat Springs; Strawberry Park Hot Springs

Genesee Park; Buffalo Herd National Preserve

Red Rocks Park; Red Rocks Amphitheater

Lafayette; Stem Cider

Boulder; Amante Coffee, Pearl Street Mall,

Louisville; Waterloo

     Valentine’s Day wasn’t what I expected it to be this year, but turned out to be one of the best. Instead of being with Sam, one of my best friends Michelle flew me out to Colorado to go visit her in her new home state. This was my first time ever there and I can now see what all the fuss is about. There is a ridiculous amount of things to do and incredible scenery. It is honestly an active person’s dream place to live. People are always biking, hiking, snow shoeing, skiing, snowboarding, and trail running. I’m tired just thinking about it all.

     On the first night we ventured into Downtown Denver, where we had ourselves a delicious Mexican meal and extremely large margaritas (because if you’re single/not with your significant other on Valentine’s Day tequila is always helpful). If you know me you know I’m a bit of a beer snob, and so is Michelle which is one of the many reasons I love her. So us going to a brewery was definitely in the cards for the night and many other nights of the trip. We went to this place called First Draft Taproom and Kitchen and it is what beer lovers’ dreams are made of. It wasn’t a single brewery taproom but had multiple companies brands on tap from near and far. But the cool part about it is that you get this arcade looking plastic card that you tap above the beer you want and it keeps track of how many ounces you’ve drank and the cost of the pour (it’s also how you pay out at the end of the night). This is seriously genius because it means you never have to stand in front of a bar waiting to be served, you get to try every kind of beer (and a few selections of wine and cider) they have to offer without wasting a whole pour. Basically it’s like being in a taproom with all of your favorite breweries. If you’ve ever been to South Street Sea Port in NYC they do a similar looking pop up stand there. After First Draft we ventured not too far to Finn’s Manor. This place is known for their large selection of whiskey, so it would have been rude not to have at least one drink there before heading home. This bar has a great outdoor seating area with a large picnic style tables with a fire pit in the middle. Drinking at this table made me think this could be a huge fire hazard but I did love it since it was chilly out and was just the right touch to keep it cozy outside.

https://www.firstdraftdenver.com/

https://www.finnsmanor.co/

     The next day Michelle and I headed to Louisville quick for some breakfast before a hike at Garden of the Gods Park near Colorado Springs. Now this place is on another level of amazingness. It has these red rocks/mountain looking things that tower so high up it is just incredible to think how the heck they came about. Not to mention it is photographed on a daily basis and is an Instagram tourist spot. It is actually impossible to take a bad picture there, especially on the 60+ degree day that we were there. It was a bit windy so getting selfies took some patience. The scariest part about this beautiful place was all the beware of rattle snack signs along the trails. And even though I knew that it was still a bit too cold for rattle snacks to come out, I couldn’t help but keep a wary eye out ready to run for my life (or scream bloody murder) if I caught sight of one. There were also dogs EVERYWHERE which made the hike even more enjoyable. After out hike we stopped in Colorado Springs for a little shopping and a nice carbo loaded dinner at an Italian restaurant.

https://gardenofgods.com/

     The next morning we were off to Steamboat Springs to our Air BnB house, with the rest of our crew. But of course on the way up we thought we would break up the 3 hour drive by stopping at a brewery or two. Outer Range Brew Co. was our first stop and it was the land of skiers and snowboards and people who look way too cool for me to be around. This is one of the best breweries in the country (I’m not just saying that, it’s a fact) and I can now see why! They had such a good selection of beer and there wasn't anything there that I didn't enjoy. They also have some great merchandise which I had to have little souvenir from. And like all good breweries there were loads of pups hanging out. At a whopping 9,000+ feet up the beers went straight to your head. And just before we made it to the Steamboat Springs house we grabbed one more drink and some lunch at Tommy Knocker brewery. This place is located in the middle of an old mining town and the brewery pays tribute to that with its logo and decor in the building.

https://www.outerrange.com/

https://tommyknocker.com/

     So we finally arrive at the house and it is immaculate from the outside. Honestly it was by far the nicest house I have EVER stayed in! The property consisted of the main house (where the owners lived) and the smaller (yet still humongous house that we stayed in down the road). To paint a picture of the town for you, the area is just so massive with so much land that people named their own streets! This makes it hard to find on GPS but still so appropriate for some of the streets we drove past. This house had everything needed for a weekend away, complete with its own movie theater, arcade room (I’m talking the classics pinball, ski ball, basketball, air hockey), and incredible views of the mountains. This place was perfect for our group of 6 but easily sleeps 10 people! Even though it was about a 10 to 15 minute drive into town, Steamboat itself is a winter wonderland. They have a strip of shops, bars, and restaurants that were always lively at night and loads of winter activities. They say in the summer it is just as good because when all the ice melts they turn everything into water sports.

https://abnb.me/V687YeLPqV

 

     While we were in Steamboat Springs we were able to snow shoe, which if you haven’t done it but are very uncoordinated like myself, it is the best snow activity! It’s basically hiking with big shoes on that have metal grips so you don’t fall off the mountain. The higher up the trail we got the better the views were. We could actually see the whole town in front of us, it was really incredible. Everyone that we passed along the trail was super nice waving and smiling and giving a hello (which was a clear sign that they we were not in New York). One guy even gave us some tips about going to the hot springs which we had planned for later that night. The hot springs are basically a natural Jacuzzi that’s in the middle of the woods. It’s a big tourist spot for people who go to Steamboat. What we didn’t know was that after sunset was clothing optional (insert cheesing face emoji here). So before we hit the bumpy off road drive to the hot springs we of course had to stop for lunch and a beer at the local brewery.

https://www.mountaintapbrewery.com/

     When we finally get to the hot springs there were a ridiculous amount of people coming and going. They charged us $5 to get in and another $5 to buy a towel (which was really a wash cloth). So if you ever do go there I highly recommend bringing your own. For all of its creepiness of some people being naked it really was an awesome experience. Being in the middle of the woods I would have thought it would have been pitch black, but because there were so many stars out, it perfectly lit the sky up. Probably was a good thing that it was faint lighting for the nudists there. Which I should add that our group were not a part of. Another word of advice would be to get dressed in your bathing suite before going to the resort. Since it is super busy there and literally on the side of a mountain there isn't much room for buildings, so they only have a small wooden shack to get changed in (think of the part in Frozen when Anna and Sven need to stop for supplies in the forest). Thankfully we were able to get the section of the shack that had some curtains. I’m making it sound negative but maybe I was just a little scarred from the man who tripped on the stairs while getting out of the springs and we all got a view full of his royal jewels. It really was a one of a kind experience that I would hands down do again… just preferably in the day time.

https://www.colorado.com/videos/colorado-hot-springs-strawberry-park-steamboat-springs

     When we left Steamboat Springs we stopped by another popular tourist spot, the nature persevere for buffalo and also elk. It was a crazy thing to see because they all just got along and ate together in a big circle. There were loads of people up against the fence taking pictures of the animals. We also stopped by the Red Rocks amphitheater which was covered in snow. The amphitheater is like Colorado’s version of New York's MSG, all the big concerts take place there nestled in the middle of a mountain. All I could think of was how anyone could drive to the concert because they must have been stuck in traffic for hours on the way in and out (SINGLE LANES ONLY!).  But the stadium is beautiful with its mountain scenery. I would love to see a show there because I can only imagine how good the music must sound. That same day we also visited a Stem Cider Taproom and Grill. If you are a fan of ciders this is the place to go! They had so many interesting flavors to try. My favorites were the lavender and this other one that tasted like a hot toddy. Their kitchen was also impressive. Since I have been meat free it was a little harder to find something on the menu. I ended up going for the beet burger that honestly tasted like a regular hamburger but better! I really loved it and it made me appreciate my new pescaterian since it made me try new things I probably would have never gone for. But don’t even get me started on their French fries!!!!!! They were out of this world delicious and the dipping sauce uggh serious yum.

https://www.denver.org/listing/buffalo-herd-nature-preserve/4549/

https://www.redrocksonline.com/

https://stemciders.com/

     On my last day in Colorado Michelle’s brother John and his girlfriend Ashley (who are now good buddies of mine) showed me around Boulder, since this was one of the only big spots we didn’t get to see on the rest of the trip. We stopped to get some breakfast and coffee in this cute little Italian shop called Amante. Everything was sooo good in there so had to give it a little mention. We spent the day walking around the outdoor mall on Pearl Street which had some major brands and cute little homemade shops. And before long it was time to head out of there and grab some lunch before I had to go to the airport. We ate at this place called Waterloo, which looked like an underground station in London, so I couldn’t not go in! It was actually a Johnny Cash themed restaurant that had all memorabilia on the walls, including a chunk of a Cadillac car on the wall.  

https://www.boulderdowntown.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4fHkBRDcARIsACV58_Gqhm4R7l7iR9VKtopTcGiiBtXCkV6JLTGsJzFyN6Gn-hncH2RVcQMaAqDhEALw_wcB

https://www.boulderdowntown.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4fHkBRDcARIsACV58_Gqhm4R7l7iR9VKtopTcGiiBtXCkV6JLTGsJzFyN6Gn-hncH2RVcQMaAqDhEALw_wcB

https://www.waterloolouisville.com/

     On this trip we averaged about 7 to 8 miles a day of walking. You would think I would have lost some weight from all the activities but the eating and drinking heavy beer put a stop to that (talk about a balance!). I can now see why Michelle loves living in Colorado so much. There is just an urge to get up and do something active every day because it is literally all anyone does there! And other than the occasional nose bleeds from high altitude, I really had an incredible time on this trip and I can definitely see myself going back to Colorado in the future!