Seven.

Today Sarah and I have been together for seven years!!

Seven isn't necessarily a significant number, and with all that has been going on here lately it is passing without the biggest of celebrations, but I wanted to take a moment to recognise it.

Seven seems like a really long time. It's well over half a decade of love, laughs and adventures (and of course the occasional argument). Soon it will be in double digits, and I can't believe how quickly it is going. But I guess they say time flies when you are having fun!

So, in honour of the day, I thought I'd list my 7 favourite things about Sarah at this moment in time:
1. She makes me laugh with her wit and silliness, which always puts a smile on my face
2. She is the smartest person I know, both with her random fact knowledge and her
3. Her eyes - they are big, beautiful and always convey her inner feelings
4. She is so generous - always going above and beyond to make me feel special, doing chores that I don't want to, and making my life even better in so many ways
5. The. Best. Cuddles.
6. I love how much she loves Bisbee, and seeing how amazing and protective and loving she is with her makes me so excited for the future
7. She is truly my other half. The first person I tell good news to, who I run to for comfort, who I want to travel with and cook for and make smile every day

And now, a highlight photo from each of our seven years together. Here's to many, many more!!

Year 1 - Sarah's 26th birthday and our first trip together to St. Malo

Year 2 - our time in Sydney, living together for the first time!

Year 3 - Our trip to Naples

Year 4 - We got engaged in Idaho!

Year 5 - (technically slightly after) we got legally married in the UK

Year 6 - we became Mrs and Mrs Smith!

Year 7 - Our big honeymoon road trip to California

I love you, wife!!

Laura's Left Over Delight

How you feeling after the week of indulgence?

I think it's fair to say we are dreading the thought of putting on proper clothes and starting Veganuray but with new years always comes new starts and we are getting ready to go, go, go.

However before we do we are using up all our leftovers and thought we'd share one particular recipe that worked out really, really well!

We shall call it: Laura's Left Over Delight! The original recipe can be found in 'the great potato cookbook' by Readers Digest.

Makes 2 big pasties or 4 small

Ingredients:
2 cups (250g) of plain flour (all-purpose) flour,
1/2 cup (125g) cold butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of flavouring (thyme / rosemary)
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup of iced water

Filling:
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
250g part boiled Potato (peel and dice first)
400g of meat (chopped into small pieces, we used our Christmas beef)
1 cup of leftovers (sprouts, onion, carrot, parsnips, stuffing etc etc)
Salt & pepper


Step 1: Make the pasty casing
Sift the flour into a bowl with salt and flavouring. Add the butter and using your fingertips make a crumbly texture. Work in the water slowly until it becomes a smooth dough.Make it into a ball and put in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for half an hour.

Cheat - if you don't want to make your own or don't have the ingredients, you can purchase a sheet of puff pastry in the refrigerated section of the supermarket and divide it in two pieces!

Step 2: Fill
Roll out your pastry into two equal rectangles, about 2/3 cm thick.
After boiling your potatoes, divide them into two piles and place onto the top half of each pasty.

Divide up your leftovers and meat, pile on top of the potatoes. Fold the bottom half over the top and seal them with a fork the whole way around. Pierce the top a few times with a fork to let the steam out in the oven.

Step 3: Cook
Put the pasties onto a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked and golden.

Step 4: Eat
Serve with gravy for maximum deliciousness!!

Thanksgiving 2015 - Always Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!!

This day is the one I miss home the very most every year. I love the atmosphere in the lead up to Thanksgiving, everyone is so happy and content and strangers are nicer drivers and in supermarket parking lots. And this year Boise has snow!! Anyway.

I make the most out of every holiday throughout the year, even though my colleagues and neighbours probably think I'm crazy. Whether its an office Easter egg hunt, being the only house in my neighbourhood decorated for Halloween, or having sparklers and BBQs on the 4th July (no matter how rainy it might be!) I feel like I do the very best I can to bring the things I love so much about the USA to my life in the UK.

Exhibit A - Halloween 2015

But Thanksgiving is the only one I've really struggled with. Maybe it's simply because my work doesn't just let me have the two days off we get in America to cook and celebrate, maybe its because even if they did, the people I love would still have to work so wouldn't be able to celebrate with me, maybe it's because this holiday is about family, and most of mine are far away. It's also probably because strangers in the street don't know it's Thanksgiving, so the air of love and kindness just isn't there. I think mostly it's that I haven't yet found a tradition Sarah and I can make our own - to do Thanksgiving the 'American and wife in the West Midlands' kind of way.

Sign I came home to from my girls!

So while I'm waiting, and researching, and thinking of magical things we can do each year to celebrate along with my 'Americans in America' counterparts, this year we were invited to the opening of a brand new restaurant in Birmingham, called The Stable! It'll be so fun to have a nice date night in town, and get to sample all this restaurant have to offer, to mark the occasion. We'll post all about it afterwards, so keep an eye out!

Though Thanksgiving is slightly bittersweet for the lone Idahoan of Kings Norton, it isn't lost on me just how much I am to be thankful for.

I'm most thankful this year for my Mum - she has fought pancreatic cancer this year, and after lots of chemo, a surgery at Johns Hopkins, lots of recovery time in hospital, and more chemo, she is officially in remission as of last week! Mum is truly my hero, she handled everything that came her way incredibly well, continued to be the Mum we all love and adore throughout, and never lost her sense of humour. It may not be over forever, but for now, we are all just so grateful and happy.

I'm also so thankful for my Dad, the unsung hero of the cancer fight - he kept Mum going when she was down, made sure she walked and ate to keep her strength up, treated and surprised her to keep a smile on her face, went to so many 6 hour long chemo appointments, asked all the hard questions to all the doctors, became 'Nurse Bob' when he tended to Mum's post-surgery wound, and was the unwavering support we all needed the whole way through.

My wife, who tried to shield me from hurt and heartache every step of the way - from the day I came home from work and had to Skype Dad to find out that Mum had cancer, to driving me to the airport and packing for me to go to Baltimore for Mum's surgery, for holding down the fort while I was away, being my shoulder to cry on countless times and my reminder to stay positive throughout, for always thinking of ways to make my Mum smile from sending flowers and cards to 'take a picture of this, your Mum will like it!', for always knowing when a pizza and movie night is needed, and for being my better half every day!

I'm thankful for the caring and kind people I have around me here, my mother in law for being there for us from the beginning and for giving me a good luck charm I took to Baltimore and will keep with me always, my good friends, in laws and colleagues for checking in and asking how Mum is, but also for distracting me when I needed it with adventures and memories I will keep for a lifetime.

And finally, I'm thankful for this bundle of fur - it's our first Thanksgiving with her, and I can't believe we've had her for a year! She has changed our lives so much for such a little thing, and we can't imagine life without her. I put together a little video of her best bits from her first year, check it out here!

Happy Thanksgiving from my little family to yours - I didn't expect this post to be quite as heavy as it was, but 2015 has been a hell of a roller coaster. Here's to a healthy and happy 2016!!

Kicking Butt and Changing Lifestyles

My wonderful mum was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back in February of this year (2015). I've not spoken about it online, or indeed much in real life, I think because it made it seem more real. But I feel like in the wake of my trip to Baltimore last week, along with our lifestyle changes since then, that I want to document this part of our lives, to an extent.

Mum went straight into chemotherapy in February, doing what we were told is one of the most aggressive treatments, every other week for 3 months. Dad and I are the optimists in the family, but even we couldn't have predicted how well and in-her-stride she handled the sessions. She'd go in for a 6-8 hour day, have side effects for 2-3 days after, then in the off weeks she and Dad would go on little trips, long walks, and spend lots of quality time together. She since has met patients her age or younger who had to get off the chemo cycle she was doing because it was too intense, so I still can hardly believe she was doing so much with her weeks! 

We were very fortunate that Mum was able to be admitted to Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, where they did tests and Xrays and got great news - the tumour had shrunk enough that she could have it removed surgically!! The downside to this is that even with it removed, pancreatic cancer is very aggressive, and frequently returns - so she has been given 2+ years. But the plus is a very big plus, potentially another 5, or even 10, years! We can only hope.

After this news, I was beside myself. It is a big surgery - 6 to 8 hours - and I hadn't been able to see Mum since her diagnosis. I'm really lucky that with the help of my parents, my wife, and my workplace, I was able to go to Baltimore for the surgery - and to spend a few days of quality time with my parents beforehand. 

We had an amazing time, made so many memories - and I can't wait to share the photos with you in subsequent posts.

The surgery was thankfully a huge success, and Mum is currently recovering in the fantastic JHH facilities. Dad is by her side every step of the way, and our whole family is so relieved. Sarah and I can't wait to see them in San Francisco this October, and that Mum's recovery means they can spend more time in Europe, with us and enjoying their lives the way they deserve to.

Surgery success!

My Mum is an incredible woman and I am so proud of her. My Dad is also so strong and caring - so devoted to Mum and her recovery. This whole ordeal really reminded me of how amazing my parents are, and how lucky I am to have them to look up to.

The diagnosis, and everything that goes along with it, has made lasting changes to our family. My Dad recently read the book The China Study, and has given my brother and me each a copy to read. It really is fascinating. 

Simplified, the book gives readers studies of how a diet low in 'animal protein' and high in 'plant protein' can prevent cancer, and can even reverse illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure in some cases. 

One of the many studies in the book is in the 1980s, when the author began coordinating technical assistance for a nationwide project in the Philippines working with malnourished children. Part of the project became an investigation of the unusually high prevalence of liver cancer, usually an adult disease, in Filipino children. In this project, however, he uncovered a dark secret. Children who ate the highest-protein diets were the ones most likely to get liver cancer. They were the children of the wealthiest families. 

Studies like this within the book make sense when you think that diseases like cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc, are significantly more common in Western countries, like the USA and UK, than in countries like China, where there is a large number of vegans and vegetarians.

I suggest you take a read for yourself and draw your own conclusions, but I went from poking (light) fun at my meat and cheese loving Dad for eating vegan at the beginning of the week, to learning all I could about veganism and the ins and outs of The China Study, and by the time I boarded my plane home, I was hooked.

We have always said we loved meat (Sarah) and cheese (Laura) too much to become vegans. Not to mention how awkward it can be for vegans to go to restaurants, dinner parties, weddings, etc. But hey, when you may have the pancreatic cancer gene, as I very well may, you'll try anything -including veganism- that will help you live a long and healthy life with your wife.

AND YOUR PUPPY

We have put a rule in place that when we are out to eat, or at a friend's, we can eat regularly though and indulge. Pretty good compromise I think!

So expect some vegan recipes over the next few months on the blog, from two girls who don't 'love' vegetables, as we experiment with a whole new lifestyle!

Any vegans/veggies/vegetable enthusiasts have any tips or recipes for us newbies?

Thanks for everyone's well wishes, my mum is very loved!

May Day, May Day - Plus a Short Rant On Drag Queens

HOW IS IT MAY ALREADY, YOU GUYS???

This year is just flying. Not that we aren't enjoying it, quite the opposite! We've done quite a few fun things over the last few weeks!

This last weekend we drove down to Sarah's parents' house for dinner and a catch up. We had a lovely Chinese, with even better company, and Bisbee loved being with her Nanny Nutley. As usual, Sarah's mum had a lovely new toy for our girl - well, they say grandparents spoil! We caught up on mutually loved TV shows until the wee hours of the morning.

The next day we met one of our very bestests, Kate (Bridesmaid Kate!) who has recently moved over to the UK to be closer to us. Or it may be to live with her boyfriend, Lee, in Poole. But I'm betting it's the first reason. Anyway, we met them, and Lee's little boy, in a gorgeous country pub in Basingstoke. We went on a stroll with Bisbee, accidentally went into a historical site without paying, had a delicious meal, and caught up. Lee's son wore a tie to meet us. It was just adorable. We are so glad we have her here for the next year or so, and plan on making the absolute most of it!

Last Thursday, we bombed the two hours down to London after work, to see the AAA Girls in Vauxhall. In case you're not familiar, they are comprised of Willam Belli, Courtney Act, and Alaska Thunderfuck, all of Ru Paul's Drag Race fame. Also and other things, but for ease of writing, Drag Race.

Here's us in the crowd!! (Photo credit for this and below to The Meth Lab's FB Page)

Before the show started we tubed into Covent Garden to visit The Diner - Instagram followers may remember this place from its rave review after my old work took me there as my leaving dinner, and ever since I've been dreaming of taking Sarah there. Actually dreaming. Most American themed places stick to the classics, but The Diner has all the awful foods an American doesn't realised she'll miss until they are gone - and they reinvent these dishes so they are maybe even more delicious. Maybe.

I had a Pina Colada milkshake, which was TO DIE FOR, and Sarah had a scrummy strawberry one.

Together we shared corn dogs, sweet potato pancakes, buttermilk chicken strips, and my fave - tater tot benedict. *drool* I was confused initally by the addition of a poached egg and hollandaise to tater tots, if it ain't broke and all that, but I was wrong. Incredible.

Anyway obviously we definitely recommend chowing down at one of their London locations. We can't wait to go back.

Right, back to the show. I am IN LOVE with Willam, so was so chuffed when S suggested we go. I just think she is stunning, and so funny, and I would be her if I could. Probably. As long as I could still be married to Sarah. Besides the point.

The show was hosted by the Meth Lab, did anyone else watch that show about Drag Queens in London? They were in that. The performers were so great - especially Ruby Wednesday, who did a fantastic piece. I was there in awe thinking how in another life I'd like to be one of the women in this performing crew, and then before my eyes I remembered that being a woman in a show like this means getting completely naked onstage, so I decided to not pursue that fleeting dream.

The AAA Girls each got on stage and sang a few of their songs, and they were even more stunning and wonderful in real life. It is just so impressive that they are much better at being a woman, and also a man, than me. Makeup, hair, clothes, and their BODIES - just amazing.

(Chose this photo of them from the meet and greet because I ADORE this fan's necklace!)

Gosh I didn't realise I felt so strongly on the subject! Apologies!

Ahh and we went to Wales for May bank holiday - it calls for a whole new post on its own, you should GO there! It's stunning!

In final news, my brother found his own flat today - he's such a boss - first job he applied for, he got, and first flat he looked at, he loved! He'll be in Moseley, which is a lovely town in Birmingham, with a lovely farmer's market (or, probably more interesting to him, decent nightlife!) We are helping him move in on Thursday. It'll be weird going back to just the two of us! Er, three of us!

And also, I'm off to Baltimore for the last week of May - my mum is having an operation there, and I'm very grateful that I'm able to go spend some time with her and my dad, and be there for it. If anyone has any suggestions of things to do in the areas, let me know!

I feel like I haven't spoken to anyone in ages, caught up on blogs, anything! Please let me know your news :)

Valentine's Day - To the Loves of my Life!

I am very lucky to have a life surrounded by strong, powerful, amazing women and I hope I never take that for granted. So on this Valentine's Day I thought I would write a dedication post to the wonderful women I love so very much!

The first is my wonderful, amazing, adorable wife who has single-handedly managed to find a job in a matter of days that gives us a lifestyle we once dared to dream about but were scared would never come true.  We are for all intents and purposes about to start a new, fulfilled life and it is mainly down to my wife. I can't wait.

Laura I love you so completely, madly, utterly. I am crazy in love with you and that makes every day better. The great times are exceptional, the bad times are never so bad, and the everyday is fantastic because I get to say I love you. I am proud to call you my wife, to talk endlessly about you to anyone and everyone who will listen and I am never short of things to say when they ask 'who's Laura?'. You complete me - Happy Valentine's Day my love.


The second lady is my Mum. The older I get the more I appreciate the practical help my Mum offers. When days are busy and long, I never underestimate the power of her home cooked meal and the offer of 'let me look after that' be it washing, paperwork or anything else. The past few days we've had my Mum to stay and through support, advice, guidance and a lot of work she's has turned our house from a building busting at the seams with our stuff back into our home. Since moving up full time we just hadn't had the time and in 3 days her experience sorted everything. We are lucky to have such a wise, helpful Mum to call on and we will never take it for granted.

The third woman is my Mom-in-law - Lyn. While we don't get to see Lyn anywhere near as much as we'd like, we are forever grateful for the Skype calls, Whatsapp messages and emails helping and advising us when planning trips, days out or even where to eat. Exploring every city is made better with the Lyn factor! We like to think that distance doesn't make a difference and our relationship with Lyn certainly shows that with modern technology it really doesn't, the only thing they need to work on is the virtual hug. We are constantly stocked with all the American goodness Laura misses and because of it L's homesickness is rare and infrequent- it's all because of the thoughtful lady that is my Mum-in-law. I couldn't have got luckier!

The final lady I have to mention is our puppy Bisbee! I like to think in human form she would be a wonderful woman because in puppy form she is so happy, loving, caring and ready to spread love that she couldn't be anything but wonderful. We have smiled more, laughed harder and found ourselves having conversations we never thought we would because of her. She has strengthened our family and given us the best excuse to have more time at home together so I couldn't not wish this bundle of joy a Happy Valentines!



I hope whatever you are doing, have done or plan to do today puts a smile on your face! Love is love and love is wonderful whoever you get it from!

Happy Valentine's day!