The Smith Catch Up!

So we realised the other day that we rarely get around to updating the blog with much about us unless we are out enjoying restaurants or discovering Birmingham. However, life is racing by and so we wanted to make sure that every so often we'd take a moment to record the little things that we get up to during the week as there are so many small, yet amazing things that are happening.

If you have followed us for a while you will know that we celebrated our second wedding anniversary almost a month a go while enjoying a trip of a life time to Santorini. I have no idea where 2 years has gone but since that time our wedding video has amassed over 73,000 views and we have had so many comments from couples who can't wait to say 'I do'. It makes us want to do it all over again :)

The other happy outcome is that clips of our wedding get featured in videos that others put together - the most recent being a video @girlskissgirls put together as a tribute to the Orlando victims (check out our pinned tweet to see the video).

We are always proud to see our faces used to support a cause so close to our hearts. While it seems marriage equality has been around for some time now, it is clear that the battle to win over hearts and minds is still ongoing. With the political uncertainty in the UK and US right now, LGBTQ rights are still on the agenda and still being challenged. It is both sad and frustrating to read comments and quotes from leading politicians questioning the validity of our love, so any and all publicity normalising our relationship is something we will support.

Reading a story in the news today (link) about a white woman feeling fearful of sitting next to a Muslim lady on a plane today really brought home how divided our world currently is and how sad that is. The story brought a tear to my eye as it was a simple situation where the white woman saw the Muslim lady text 'Allahu Akbar' and presumed it was a final text. The article goes into how the white woman had 'perceived the Muslim lady as a threat'. Rather than escalating the situation, the Muslim lady took time to explain exactly what was in the text to the white woman and over the course of a plane journey they discussed their differences and life experiences, ultimately leading to them finding that they had more in common that they had different. How amazing is that. It touched me as this situation occurs on the daily without anyone taking the time to understand differences. We judge. We perceive and we let the media control our views. Be it about a race, a religion, someones sexual orientation or where someone lives, if the media had it's way all we would ever focus on was our differences - it makes for a great story - but I took a moment after that article and decided that in my world at least that I would make a concerted effort to acknowledge my negative bias and readdress the balance.

So what else is news in our world......
Well Laura's parents are currently with us on a quick pit stop before heading over to Europe to tour with their motor-home. The plans all sound very exciting but it is amazing how much planning it requires. Turns out putting your life in order involves A LOT of paperwork so at anyone time there are three of us working from home. It's been so nice getting to spend time with them in between the tasks though.

We are off to Euro Disney in Paris in November. We found out one of good friends had never been before and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to add a 3rd Disney to Laura's list. The best bit of all is that the Christmas decorations will be up so it will be a Disney Christmas experience - EXCITING!!!!

Before then we have to figure out logistics for a hen party in Barcelona in September. One of our bridesmaids is getting married in Idaho in October and like us she has friends around the world so this will be the European celebration. With only 6 weeks to go we have no flights or accommodation #panic!!!!

We will be following the Bride and Groom from London to the US in late September with a quick stopover in Toronto to meet some lovely ladies we know through social media, oh and visit Niagara Falls - CAN'T WAIT!

Rumour has it there is a zip wire there....think we might get on that :)

My birthday is officially over.....sadly....the love and generosity were incredible and I can't believe still owe people thank you calls. I have no idea how life got so busy but part of me wishes I could have a life admin assistant to help me get through everything I want to achieve. With the delicious ice cream cake Laura made sadly finished I am now focusing on getting through a picnic basket I received that was full of America candy! I was indeed a lucky lady this year. I am just hoping the netball & netball hoop and badminton kit I received help me stay in shape :)

You may have also noticed an increase in Birmingham reviews - Laura has signed us up to Birmingham bloggers a local network connecting bloggers with businesses and it is fair to say that the number of opportunities are greater that we ever thought. As with most things in life we have thrown ourselves in and it has already given us some amazing opportunities to discover new places, eat a ridiculous amount of amazing food and meet some great people. It won't mean that we will turn this blog into a purely review place but it does mean if you ever come and visit our wonderful home city that you'll know the best places to check out :)

Laura has also discovered Pokemon Go so we have regular walks and trips to Pokestops and in search of the mystical creatures so we're discovering all types of places. Are you playing? Or avoiding it and all the people playing it?!

This week has also been busy as Laura had a choir concert at the weekend so there were two practise sessions added into our hectic schedule. The practise paid off and the concert was brilliant. The highlight being Rainbow Voices version of Pink's 'Just give me a reason' - it was goose-bump inducing!

And so I shall leave it there for this post......we are loving our happily ever after and we can't wait to get back to put more of our memories up here. On that note I spotted this passage on Instagram and wanted to share as the list makes my heart happy and is an exact description of what Laura and I do when we have time together......