June

QJune was another busy month for us!

The first weekend,  Anthony participated in this big charity even with his work.  It was quite the fun day.  It was called the Dragon Boat races and they help raise money for Sue Ryder.  They provide hospice and neurological care for those who need it- in the sense of medical care, emotional support and practical things for those in need.  Anthony went ahead earlier than Lilly and I, and my friend from work came and got us two later on.  It was such a fun day.  And Lilly was so sweet.  She made Ant a sign to say Go Daddy and was cheering him on the whole day.  Anthony's work had provided a tent with tables, drinks (alcohol and non) and food for friends and family.  I was also able to finally meet some of Anthony's coworkers.  What did Anthony do in this? Well, there is a canoe like boat shaped like a dragon.  There is one person who beats on the drum and the rest of the team row like crazy to beat the other teams.  Anthony's team went to semi finals, they were really good.  Some of the teams tipped over in the water, which was funny to see.  There was music, and little games/rides for the kids.  It was really a fun day.  Plus, we got some serious sunshine that day.

Here's some pictures of the day.

Lilly patiently waiting for Amy-Louise to pick us up, so we can go cheer on daddy

We also celebrated Father's day in June, where we spent the day at the fun fair!

In June we also went up to see Anthony's best friend Ryan and his partner Alex.  Those two have a weird obsession with Monopoly, so we a played a game where Anthony literally had about ten pounds left to his name, and somehow came back and dominated Ryan.  It was a fun trip, and only wish they lived closer. 

Some friendly lovin

Alex and I

May

The month of May was a fun one! This month was  the first month I had a paycheck.  Not only that, but when I started work in April I just missed the payroll deadline...so I had a month and a half paycheck.  For the first time since I have moved, I not only had my own money to spend, but we actually had extra money for {fun} things.

In May, we finally painted and decorated our flat.  It went from a cold, white wall
 flat to something with a little life in it!  Our living room, I painted a really nice greige shade and hung up some pictures.  We moved furniture around, and made it more..homey.  Our bedroom was my next project.  When Anthony moved in, it was painted hot pink on one wall, black wallpaper on another, and then grey on the sides. We tore down the wallpaper and painted it a very very light grey.  We also wallpapered behind our bed a very light shimmery grey for some contrast.  This was both of our first time wallpapering.. and it isn't perfect but a project with some pride into it.  Slowly, but surely it came to life.  We got a new duvet, some bedside tables and I hung new curtains.  It literally took on new life, I only wish I had before pictures.

bedroom makeover

bathroom

kitchen and laundry room

living room overview

Thankfully the kitchen and bathroom were already painted decent colors, so it was just a few updates I made.  I know this sounds silly, but doing these home improvements really made it feel like home. Even Anthony, who was dragging his feet a little said it feels nice to see pictures on the walls etc.  I feel like I spent my whole budget of  my   'whatever' money doing these things, but I am so glad I did.


May also consisted of some nice weekends out with Anthony and Lilly.  We found out there is a zoo just twenty minutes away.  It was a nice day outing for us three, and a pretty drive on the way there.  Anthony and I also took a day out and just had some nice ciders, lunch, and sunshine at our favorite pub, Charters.  At the end of May, we had a three day weekend where we went up and saw his brother and fiance at their new cottage outside of London.  It was so beautiful  there.  They live out in the country, and the fresh air and surroundings was just great.  We had a nice lunch at a lovely little pub, where I had a cheese souffle with pear and honey mustard salad.  It was divine.  Of course followed by pudding (dessert).  Anthony had a ice cream sundae of sorts and I had my new favorite British dessert...sticky toffee pudding.  Oh it is so delicious.

on the way to the zoo-those yellow fields are mustard fields

view on the way home from the zoo

Right before we arrived to Anthony's brother's house

Overall, May was a great month for us!!

It's been a while...

Hi guys,

Sorry it has been ages since I have written anything.  Life just got busy! I will try to be better about writing posts.  I think the last time I have written was in April.  A lot has happened since then.


To start,  I had my first job.  I am very blessed I was able to get a job, and a job that brought me some skills, confidence, and friendships.  For that I am ever grateful.  On Monday,  I am due to start a new job with a different company.  It is exciting how far I have come in a mere 8 months.  Next up is my driving license!

When I started my new job, it made me really realize how unconfident I had become.  Yes, I was in a new country away from everything familiar to me, but I had never realized this until now.  Now, I speak (or try to lol) the lingo, and feel confident doing daily things that were no big deal in America.  Like making phone calls for instance.  Understanding British and Scottish accents is not an easy task.  They are not all lovely and romantic like the ones we hear on TV.   When I first started my job, this was a very hard task.  Just like in America, accents vary from region to region.  While, I think my brain has for the most part tuned out the differences from American to British accents, I still have a hard time with Scottish accents. Here's a fun little video for you to hear the differences.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHD9T4efePA

While some days, I really do miss Missouri...I am truly embracing life here.  One of the hardest things besides being away from friends and family..is missing food and other items that I have come accustomed to in the states.  For instance, dill pickles, beef hotdogs, and Mexican food. Learning lingo, and then switching off and on due to who I am talking to has also been fun.  Common words here: lovely, brilliant, and adding x or xx to the end of sentences when your talking to a friend/coworker in writing.  So many times, I have gone to put xx on texts to friends in America and had to stop myself.

 There has been a lot that has happened in the past few months, I will cover them more later.

Thanks for stopping by!
Erica xx

Parents visit!!

March has been a good month for us! Ant had a birthday, we did the legal marriage, my visa was approved, and my parents came! This was a good visit, and nobody drove each other nuts all staying in our one bedroom flat! I really enjoyed having them here, because it gave us a reason to go out and do things that we've been meaning to do. We explored town, went to the city museum, tried different restaurants and pubs, and went to Cambridge, which was beautiful! Ant took my dad to a local football (soccer) game. The premier league teams were on a break, but they still had fun! We skipped London, just due to the fact that the days we had planned were right after the attacks on Brussels and it was rainy and cold. We'll catch London next time. It was so good to see my parents, and I was a bit sad to see them go. It actually felt empty to not have the around anymore. Since I am not working yet, I don't have a lot of human interaction eight hours a day, five days a week.  Here's a few pictures!

Pink taxi in town. Peterborough 

Old telephone booths, believe they still work. Cambridge 

Cambridge 

    

The River Cam. Cambridge

Mom and I, punting ride. Cambridge

                                                    Peterborough Cathedral. Peterborough

Town Centre. Peterborough

Draper's Pub. Delicious food!! Peterborough

Delicious Fish N Chips place.  Believe this was in Whittlesey.

Fish N Chips! Ant, mom, dad.

Charter's pub, Peterborough.

Baby Sheep, Sacrewell Farm-Peterbrough.

Lilly petting baby sheep at Sacrewell Farm.

Ant and I in Cambridge

Awful picture, but at a train stop. Cannot remember the name of the town, sorry!!

Mom and Dad at forgotten name of town.

Steam engine coming! This isn't a normal train that people take for day to day transportation.  More of a novelty, old fashioned modeled train. Much slower moving.  Peterborough

Ant and I at the Orton Mere steam engine station.  Peterborough

Lilly petting the horse at Sacrewell Farm.

Goat having a bad day?? Sacrewell Farm

Charter's Pub- Peterborough

My dad with his new friends lol-Charter's Pub Peterborough

Ant and I at Charter's Pub

Mom and Dad at Charter's Pub

Lilly and my mom.

Peterborough Museum, super cool place I would recommend to anybody who comes here.

Tapas at Argos-Peterborough

Peterborough Cathedral

Peterborough Cathedral