Travel.

Last night we watched Argo, which was absolutely amazing, if you haven't you need to, and soon! Tonight, we are watching Zero Dark Thirty, I know the result will be much the same. I will be much the same. I/ we will want to go, go to these amazing places, and be angry and disheartened that we can't go, or feel like we can't due to safety concerns for a while. This is something that has angered me about so many places for a while. Being a girl, blonde, American, I feel like such a target. I am sure this is a combination of parental concern given mostly by my father since before I can remember, my own paranoia and the general media. I have friends from so many of these countries that I feel this way about. Most of them men, all of the absolutely wonderful. They have done nothing but shown me Love. So why is it that I am still so fearful to go to these places? Are those from Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, India and several countries in Africa, that I know the nice ones, I have a hard time believing they are the only ones. Are they more western thinking or open to women and women's rights? Possibly, they do live outside of these countries now. Though I really think it is a lot of the media, the fear that is spread when one little thing happens in these areas, especially if it is to an American or a woman. All I know is that I am beyond thankful for my friends, each and everyone of them and how they have shown me love and how beautiful their cultures are. I know my desire to go to these places won't go away, I want to go everywhere, experience everything... I mean why wouldn't you. I just hope that I have the chance to go, experience and enjoy these cultures for what they are! And again, thank you to all of those who show love, and not fear, even if it is chanting USA at me, you know who you are! :)

ourliveslived

I have recently decided to change the blog a bit.... I want to share more of the things we love, the foods we cook and what makes up our lives. I've managed to set up twitter @ourliveslived, tumblr: ourliveslived@tumblr.com, Pinterest, and instagram... Wish me luck! :) I have two helpers on my side this adorable little guy, Baxter shown with me here on our trek across the Atlantic and the love of my life... Alex, shown here at one of our favorite pubs in London, The Spaniards Inn (http://www.thespaniardshampstead.co.uk ).  So, Keep an eye out for the happenings of our lives, let me know any thoughts, questions, really anything!

best,

Amy, Alex and Baxter
Ourliveslived

                          
                                                         

a visit

I don't think I have ever wanted to go... just be transported for a week or two so badly as I do now, to lovely jubly old London. If I could just wiggle my nose like Something from bewitched I would pop up in good ole London town... First I would probably stroll wherever I could find my friend Ilya, I know he would be on the adventure with me wherever I might go, We would then go to Twinings on the strand where I would hope to possibly surprise Natalia and visit Phil, Karen, Lucy, Mark and all of the wonderful people who are there, we could go to the sandwich shop around the corner, who's name escapes my memory.... i would choose tuna melt and it would of course be a sunny fabulous day where we would bask in the sun... I would go on to meet up with Karolina and Safina and tour whole foods kinsington, walk from there to Sloan street and buy baxter something from Mungo and Maud. Then we would go on to meet seriously every last person we love and adore at some shit but lovely up centrally, and hang out drink/ karaoke until we absolutely had to take a taxi home (Seema should know a great place). The next day Alex and I would some how make it to chili pepper jelly ( I can never get the name right) for  breakfast, take a walk through the book shop and waitrose along with all the corner shops then pop into blue legume for a little dessert, before popping into jacks to get some cider to take back to Niall and David's where I assume we are staying..... where everyone could once again meet on the roof top garden and we could party until the sun came up. I must stop by the art shop in covent garden, cos on regent st., liberty, greensmiths, fortnum and mason, and hattchards and bond street! and  another cocktail at the ritz and a run into cordings with ilya and see Chloe (whom I felt was my very first friend in London ever!) , churches on bond street.... make that everywhere on bond street, a mani - pedi with Desi wherever she recommends and whatever Lola says is the best new place in town. Catching up with Szabina and flat planet and Liberty with Kash, and trying to hold every list bit with me forever and ever until I can come back again......... I would do absolutely anything for this to be where I am going tomorrow... next week, anything... but I will wait, patiently, but I cannot wait to see you all again, so soon and soak up every last little bit of London that I can!

longing for a memory...

We have been here in Colorado for a few months now and are settling in well, we both have jobs and are making friends. The quality of life is amazing, there is little stress and so many of the things that we longed for in England. We can finally buy the appliances we want (I realise this sounds ridiculous, but it is a sign of settling.) I know that we made the right decision, I know that this is beyond right for us.  

Though there is still a bit of impossible longing somewhere deep inside. It isn't that we moved from the "big city" as so many people around here to think it is. There are very few places we would even consider living back in the US and the roaring fork valley won... we moved here because of exactly what it is. It is slow paced, and adventurous, it is active and cultural. It is the biggest small city ( I'm not even sure if it can be considered a city, it's really more of a town) that that I know. What it isn't and what it can't be... is simply put London. I was far from enjoying my every moment there and realise I look back on it with only the fondest memories. It was the first that was really my own, our own. It was where Alex and I began to make a life for ourselves and even added the best puppy ever to our family. We conquered it together, truly! 

London holds within it so much to me, things that cannot be explained. I miss the transport and the views, the cafes, the friends and how they are from all over the world! I miss the chaos and the calm, the passion and the apathy, roof top gardens and the parks... oh the parks be it sunbathing, picnicking, and drinking in them. I miss the culture of each borough and how individual and similar they all were. The beauty in the ordinary and the freedom to be. I miss being where all the magazines were focused on and what felt like the centre of the world. I miss Mo Farah and Paula Radcliffe, Fortnum and Mason, Liberty, and all that as there, all that was history. Oh, and I miss the ease of travel, the great sense of adventure with so many countries and continents all being so close. 

These along with many other things are what I miss and thus what I remember. I don't remember the bad, which I am glad. I do force myself to recall the troubles and trials to remember why we left and acknowledge decisions made. 

I miss London and cannot wait to go back and visit it along with all of our other favourite places but I am truly  happy for our decision to live here. 

Everything is bigger in... Texas, no... America!

We landed on U.S. soil and it didn't take long before we noticed some real size differences. As we were waiting on my parents to pick us up from the terminal (we arrived into Brooklyn via boat, the Queen Mary 2.) We knew there would be a bit of a delay but had no idea how long it would be. As I had an unrelenting headache and the start of hunger pains were starting to set in Alex set off to find relief from both. He shortly returned with: 1-diet, 1- tuna sandwich, 1- bottle of beer, 1- New York times, 2- pain relievers. Immediately I grab for the med's and coke to wash it down, the coke though didn't quite sit in my hand as I was used to, it was larger. No, he hadn't picked up some liter or sharing size or anything, it was the "normal" standard grab and go size. We began to eat some of the full meal size of tuna sandwich which we could happily share as Baxter tried to get in on the action too. We made our way to Missouri over a number of days with supersize meals, cars, drinks and I am sure many other things along the way.

Once back to Missouri we took upon an adventure to go grocery shopping with my mom. Here we were astounded by the supersize veggies, fruits packages and bundles of foods. My mom really only drinks decaf coffee, Alex has a ritual of caffeinated coffee every morning. So, while we were at the store she was sweet enough to pick up some full coffee for the house. She picked up a jug (yes, literally a jug) of coffee that was larger than my head. She then remarks that it used to be bigger and began searching for the larger container of coffee. Why on earth someone would need a larger container of coffee that was not a business was beyond us, though that is the norm here... lots of stuff, and big.

Fresh Veggies

We have been hit with a few culture shocks since moving back to the U.S. I will later post as to why we moved back but also several of these instances on later posts but the one most on my mind at the moment is the overwhelming generosity and friendliness of the people here. I find myself being a bit of a cynic though have been fighting the urge to doubt the authenticity of some of the kindness but for the most part it seems pretty legitimate.

We stayed with some friends for the first week we were here, they have a garden and we have been beyond blessed with fresh vegetables straight out of the ground. They also have some cattle that they kill and sell once a year which they gave Alex some of the meat to try. Another girl that we have just met last week that lives in the building of lofts next to ours kindly dropped off Alex's hoodie that we left at their place during a party the other night along with a heaping back of fresh vegetables from her garden. We have been eating some wonderful dishes inspired by what we are receiving from very generous friends.

Other than that, the entire population almost seems to be on something in comparison to London. Everyone smiles, offers assistance and goes out of their way, to help make your day that little bit better. I have even tried to get mad about things. For example, someone is in our parking spot, we have a parking garage below our building with secure parking and assigned spots to coordinate with your loft. Someone has been in ours since we moved in. Granted it has only been 3 days now but it is annoying none the less. They first told us to park in guest parking though at times this has been full, forcing us to park in handicapped parking in fear of throwing the system off balance by taking someone else's individual assigned spot. I felt very uncomfortable about this and marched in to tell the guy whom we rented from that something must be done. He was not worried, "oh, just go ahead and park in 212." Today I see that there is a note on our car from 212, kindly asking us to move as they have moved in and need their spots. I again march in, beyond annoyed, as now I look like the bad guy and and ready to give this guy a piece of my mind. Again, he calmly says it was his mistake, he will apologize to them and that I was to park in 214. This would have not been the response I would have gotten in London, at least not from our letting agent or managing company.

I am slowly getting used to this new kind wonderful world, but things are looking pretty good!

Feelings building visions...

I have these visions. OK that sounds weird, but it's not as weird as that sounds.... I mean when I have some feelings I see some almost cartoon version of these feelings being acted out at times. There are really three main ones.

I remember the first, I had when I was younger... I grew up having two step brothers that lived far away, and though they often promised they seldom visited (at least that was my feeling, but I am not sure that it would have ever been enough, I craved their attention.) My dad was also gone often, he travelled with work and would be gone for month's at a time. He often came home by surprise which was sometimes wonderful and sometimes scary dependent upon the method of surprise. At this stage in my life I often envisioned one of these wonderful men in my life appearing down a street, me running toward them, them running toward me and a wonderful embrace with them picking me up and swinging me around. This happened, at least in my memory when I was between 8-12 probably, at least in my memory, but it was wonderful.

The one I seem to have more often than not is of someone pulling me by the feet, my face down, nails most likely dug into the floor/ground. There is probably some combination of kicking, screaming and tears. Though it is usually not all too dire as I know that the things that bring this feeling on are usually things I want but am scared of. It is what I see often before a flight, I don't remember if it was there before the move to London, but it sure is there now... daily.

I know that I want to move, I know that I am excited, but it is difficult to see that at times. I absolutely love London, beautiful, rainy, overcast, chaotic, diverse and unexplainable London.  I have loathed and loved it in these two years and now that it is coming to an end I have very mixed feelings. I am very glad to say that there are not any days that I am at my breaking point, that I just can't wait to get out of here. This is for the best, as it would be a horrible feeling to leave hating London. Samuel Johnson speaks true, though I feel we are intellectual, and that is why it is time for us to leave, at least for now.

"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
— Samuel Johnson


If you have not visited this wonderful city, like so many wonderful places you are truly missing out, though even at visiting, it depends how deeply you dive into the city to find the pieces that have grown the dearest to my heart. The places that remain on my list to go to again, after I go to them time and time again.