Our First Year Wedding Anniversary Part 3 (The Final Part!) - Bob Bob Ricard

I'd seen photos from the glamorous Russian restaurant Bob Bob Ricard in London on Instagram over the last few years, and always had it on my list of 'one day, if we have the money/an occasion' items.

So when I suggested it to my 'realist' wife for our anniversary and showed her the photos, I definitely expected her to say no. It is the most expensive place we would have ever eaten! So I was shocked when she said she thought it was a great idea, and I booked it before she could change her mind.

My parents very generously offered to pay for most of the meal as our anniversary present, so Saturday we set off all dolled up to have our first anniversary dinner!

And let me tell you, it was incredible. I think I thought the experience would be amazing, but didn't expect the food to be stellar, because it would be more about the experience. Does that make sense? But I was wrong!

The dining room was beautiful, very ornate, with the wait staff in suits with tails, and we ordered a cocktail each to get things started. Sarah ordered a chicken, mushroom and champagne pie, and I ordered the filet mignon, with a few sides each.

It was just divine. The filet mignon cut like butter, was medium rare and to die for - the pie was flavourful and warm, and the top of it was beautiful! Weirdly, one of our favourite bits of the meal was seemingly simple - the honey glazed parsnips and carrots almost brought tears to our eyes. We have tried to recreate it since to no avail.

The sides are quite small, but I'd say the flavour of everything more than made up for it.

And then, we noticed the 'Push for champagne' button at each table - and thought, should we?

How could we not take advantage!

We were delivered two glasses of rose champagne, and after a cheers to this wonderful last year of our lives, we got onto ordering dessert.

We ordered the eton mess ball and strawberry and cream soufflé - which paired very well with our lovely drinks, if I say so myself!

Then, the icing on the cake (quite literally) of this amazing night, they had overheard us talking about our wedding anniversary and surprised us with this pretty little celebration ice cream cake, which had sparklers on it and made us feel very special.

In short, we cannot recommend Bob Bob Ricard enough for a special celebration meal out. Delicious food, fantastic service, one of a kind experience. We will be back, whenever we can find a wonderful occasion to celebrate! Surely getting through this week counts - celebration that it's Friday!

Part 1 of our Year 1 Wedding Anniversary celebrations can be found here! We checked out Book of Mormon.

Part 2 can be found here! We were at Pride!

Our First Year Anniversary Part 2 - Pride London and Lots of Yummy Food!

Nothing like writing about our anniversary two months after the fact, right?

I previously posted about our amazing time at The Book of Mormon, and about how we were in that Youtube video celebrating marriage equality across the USA, both from that weekend. Well, onto Saturday!

We woke up early and went to breakfast with our friend Dave, who we stayed with that weekend in London. Nothing like a proper fry up to set you up for an awesome day!

Then we headed off to watch the Pride London parade at Trafalgar Square, like we do every year.
In our gay lady outfits of course!

The weather was stunning and we enjoyed getting a nice bit of colour while waiting for the parade, though I ended up with a sunglasses tan - never the best look.

The parade was fantastic as usual, very colourful and so much fun. But, this year there were so many miners associations, perhaps after the movie 'Pride' from last year, that the Parade went on for AGES - after two hours, we gave up and started wandering around.

We got to quickly meet a few friends before heading to get changed for our big anniversary dinner at Bob Bob Ricard. That will be such a photo-heavy post that I will leave it for another time!

Sneaky preview

Sunday morning we met with our friends Sara and Sam who were in town for a concert, and we had a lovely brunch in Soho, which we followed up with cupcakes from the Hummingbird Bakery. YUM. And they gave us a beautiful present, a book of a question per day for a year of marriage, and some pretty tea towels (covering paper and cotton wedding traditions!!). So unexpected, they are just the sweetest ever.

We then headed out of town to go to a sunny pub lunch celebration with Sarah's family, who also gave us some stunning wedding presents, engraved to commemorate the occasion! The food was delicious, and we got to pick up our Bisbee girl too.



Anniversary goodies!

What a fantastic anniversary celebration! The first year went quickly and easily, and I couldn't be happier to be married to my one true love.

OMG It's March??

HOW did that happen? I feel as if it was just New Years!!

Officially, I've been at my new job and new life in Birmingham for a whole month - it's just flown by. I'm at a training company with lovely people, am managing two awesome girls, and am home at 4:15 every day, which is incredible!

It has really left me reeling though - what do I do with all this free time in the afternoons before Sarah gets off work at 5:30pm? So far I've had our loft converted so we can store all our boxes and suitcases up there, I've then removed all of that from our front guest room, and am in the process of painting a wall and awaiting a pull out couch so we can have more space for people to stay, and a blank space for anything we want to turn that room into in future!

I've cleaned and organised much of our home, have put up wall prints, taken the pup on walks, baked from these new cookbooks my mum sent me, and planted flowers. It's like a whole new lease on life - where I'd felt like I'd aged so much during our year-long commute, even these everyday household tasks have completely changed my life. I'm so settled and happy, and Sarah is too.

And so is Bisbee, of course.

(Cuz she's got mummy's credit card)

Because we are no longer constantly exhausted, we now do things on weekends! :) Last weekend we went down to Sarah's Aunt's house, south of London, to spend the night - and stayed up chatting until 3am! They made us a lovely cooked breakfast Saturday, and we set off to visit her grandparents - who adored Bisbee, and loved the book of our wedding photos we brought to show them. For lunch we set off to see Sarah's manager and her family, including a stunning 9 week old baby girl! Bisbee was so cute, chasing after 2 year old Zack and not even getting scared when he tried to ride her, and licking baby Zara's face a few times.

What is dis?

Unicorn girls and their unimpressed looking babies

Sunday, we went to our friend Estelle's 30th birthday party in Birmingham town centre, where we were treated to yummy homemade food, learning 'the lesbian dance' (I think it was a bob side to side with an angry face?? We weren't very good at it, you can tell) and witnessed a very passionate karaoke to 'Gangsta's Paradise'. Stelle, you are the most gangster 30 year old ever.

This weekend will involve a spot of shopping, hiking in the much-recommended Lickey Hills, and lots of yummy food. Sounds perfect to me!

It's Official

I have a job!!

As most of you will know, I left my beloved role at Threshold Sports at the end of January, because the 4-5 hour daily commute had become too much, and too expensive, and we decided 2015 was the year to properly move to Birmingham.

So after having two promising roles go to internal applicants (how does that happen twice?) I was given the opportunity to interview at a training company, here in the Kings Norton area... and I got the job - started today!

I am really excited because training is the field I started my career in (Sarah and I even met in training!) and I think there's a lot I can bring to the company. And perhaps the best thing? The hours are 8 to 4pm, and the office is only a 6 minute drive from home! Or, a 20 minute stroll, as I found out today!

I just can't imagine how incredible it will be to get home by 4:30pm each day - after over a year of not getting home until 8pm, Sarah and I will not know what to do with all our free time!

So we are officially proper Birmingham residents - dog walking, farmer's market-ing, korma eating (hey, we've got to work up to more spicy curries!) Brummies! And couldn't be happier ♥


P.S. to celebrate, why don't you head over to our Youtube channel to watch the beautiful professional videos of our wedding we just got back? We are just SO in love with them!

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Us and the Pup!

It has been almost a month since we welcomed Bisbee into our family and looking back on the impact it has had, we are still in shock. From the little things, such as not being able to just pop to the next room without a shadow to the bigger things like planning where you are going to be each day and who is looking after the puppy. There is so much to consider!

When we first got her!

That being said, the changes we see in her every week have been dramatic and while a month has seemed a while in training progress, it seems only yesterday that we brought home our furry bundle. We promised to keep the blog updated with our progress as a family of 3 and have so far failed dismally - apologies! With L job searching and a manic month at work for me, the days just fly by and our evenings are spent loving on Bisbee after missing her so much in the day.

However here are the highlights so far:

Week 1: This puppy is clever and willing to do tricks for food so with some roast chicken in hand and Youtube on the laptop we got to training. Our first tricks were learning her name, sit and high five. The sweetest thing is once she has them sorted she does them without command just to get attention. Is there anything sweeter than a puppy sitting at your feet trying to high five your leg?! I don't think so!

Our challenges have included night and house training. We have implemented an every hour trip outside to encourage her to only go outside but at some point in every day she has decided to go inside - so frustrating! Then the night training - this is the hardest, I have started setting my alarm every 2 and half hours and though we only tend to have one accident per night, it's one too many!

Oh and the love affair she has with stones, leaves and mud. We don't know if she likes the texture or likes the fact that it sees us chase her to get it out of her mouth! It's such a conundrum as we'd love to let her run around without us constantly saying no but we are worried that she will swallow something or eat something she shouldn't. It's a fine line though as chasing her with a stone in her mouth could lead to her swallowing it - it really is a team effort!

With Christmas right in the middle of this week we had my family come to visit and we can confirm our puppy is a floozy - seriously she will go to anyone willing to hug and fuss her and shamefully gives away kisses/licks that we thought she saved for us!

Week 2:  We are making progress with house training - we only had 2 accidents inside this week and she is learning to go to the door if she needs to go out. It means we have switched our trips outside to every 90 minutes but some trips descend into play time as she doesn't need to go. We have also started walks - only 20 minutes as we read that when puppies' bones are growing you shouldn't over do it! On walks we practice the latest tricks - wait and leave it! Perfect for waiting at roads and getting her not to pick up gross things. She is so happy when walking but strangely we always have to drag her out - she hates the harness.

She has also learnt the joy of car rides and as soon as we go out she will fall asleep in her basket, it is so sweet. Best of all she will stay that way while we shop - I mean, should we be offended that we can leave the car and she's not bothered?

We have also started leaving her for short periods of time as we thought it was best to get her used to it while she's young and sleeping a lot. We hide treats around the kitchen and her bed and she is normally so distracted we can slip out. You can tell she wakes up when we arrive back as she brings us her cutest yawns!

In other good news, the first trip to the vets was a breeze, she got treats after having her check up and then proceeded to charm the nurses - we couldn't get her to leave!

We are sad this week has to end though as this is our last chance to spend every minute (almost) of every day with her and we miss her when we leave for an hour! We are also nervous as night training is still not accident free yet!

Week 3: Bisbee the entertainer has joined us this week. She is on a rollercoaster of energy levels, either shooting around the garden like a nutter or so sleepy she can't lift her head. We have upped her food on the vet's advice - you can tell she is benefiting! This week I tried working from home 2 days and leaving her with my Mum for 3 days. It went well, although my Mum and Bisbee kept each other super excited and we were worried they both needed a rest at the end. Thankfully my Mum adores Bisbee and so far seems to be enjoying the crazy moments.

We started a diary last week to track how often Bisbee was going out to pee and I have to say it was the best thing we've done. Accidents this week have been non-existent and strangely in my Mum's house she sleeps 6 hours without needing to go. Unfortunately that isn't the case at home and after leaving a 3 hour gap we were left a present. It was disappointing knowing she can hold it but doesn't, however we will persevere!

New tricks this week include lying down, putting paws up if she wants to get up on the couch, dancing and going under my legs. She has now started lying down in the middle of the room - showing off I think but still cute!

Week 4: This week she has seemed less puppy and more dog - we are sleeping through the night and I don't remember the last accident in the house! She's also learnt fetch and 'okay' now seems to work as a way of getting her in. She has also got going out down to a fine art and is in and out much quicker - which is very welcome as it gets colder! However she has also learnt tug of war and will fight you for every slipper or sock she sneaks away or any branch she wants to chew!

Guilty!

Her time with my Mum has been even better this week, they both have been calmer and Bisbee has been on her very best behaviour for her Nanny Nutley. She even took her to the shops, to see the sleeping puppy first hand!

Our walks are also getting longer and while she still doesn't bound out the door, she now likes to walk ahead and she's even happy walking up to other dogs now. An afternoon in a dog park seemed to get her over her apprehension. She walked in a nervous puppy and walked out a playful puppy wanting to make friends - we were so proud! Her latest thing is running home though on walks, as soon as you say 'lets go back' she will have you sprinting for the door. Great for our diet/exercise plans, really not good for my Mum's bad back! It'll be next on our list to address I think!

So there you have it, our first month as dog owners. As I said EVERYTHING has changed and we love it! It is definitely not like having a baby - this is like having a toddler with its own opinions and own mind - but most importantly its own way of getting around! There is no leaving her in a cot or pram or sling and going about your day - nope, you are full on whenever she is awake and even when she's not you have to have one-eye on her as she has a way of getting to and chewing wires you swore you put away! I mean I have sworn she was asleep at my feet, checked on her every 10 minutes and yet lost my entire work laptop cable and phone cable to her mouth at separate times - she is a talented one and so quiet about it!

It is true that they have the same effect as having a baby though - the lack of sleep, the crying for attention (thankfully there isn't too much of that) but mostly the fact that they become all you can talk about! I mean I will talk about her even when it's not remotely relevant! I have attached Bisbee pics to customers, to colleagues to relatives! I don't remember the last time I took a photo on my phone that didn't include her. She's even in my FB profile pic - I am smitten and I couldn't be happier!

New Year, New Changes

2014 has been amazing. Incredible. Once-in-a-lifetime.

We pronounced it 'Our year' in January, to remind us that it was time to focus on US and put us first in this very exciting time in our lives. And we did that - we have made so many memories together, through two weddings, exploring our new home city, time with loved ones, and endless commutes. We have indulged, and spent energy just being happy, and being us - our relationship is better because of it, and we are individually happier.

So now it's time to look ahead.

In the six months since our wedding, we've spent too much time in the car, on the train, stressing about being late in our 4-5 hours per day journeys to and from work. We've had little time for cooking, date nights, blogging, thinking - anything, really (thank goodness Sarah's mum let us revert to teenager-dom while we were staying with her and cooked, cleaned and helped us keep everything straight!). It seems we have replaced all the activities we used to enjoy with two - cuddling and junk food.

And we love it. But having no energy for anything else has meant we feel like we aren't our best - we have put on the post-wedding-fifteen (is that a thing?), our under-eye circles are dark as night, we feel sluggish and stressed. I think we've aged five years in the last year of commuting - and we want to get it all back.

So 2015 is going to be the year of our health.

Mental health. Emotional health. Physical health.

Laura has put in her notice at her job in London. She LOVES Threshold, which is really the whole reason we did this commuting business for so long, but with the new puppy coming and the plan to move up to Birmingham permanently (coupled with the realisation that taking the train daily from there would end up costing £1000 per month on travel!!! (!!!)), we knew it wasn't feasible to continue.

This is a HUGE change in our lives - as of the end of January, we are finally getting to live in the city we love so much! As she works out her notice she will be looking for a new role in Brum, and we are looking forward to not getting up at 5:30am every morning. To getting home in time for Laura to make a healthy, delicious dinner. To after supper walks with our little Bee. To gaining back interests, hobbies, everything we didn't have time for when getting home at 8:00pm each evening.

The job change will allow us to take time, and have energy, to be US again. This means time together that isn't trying to keep Sarah awake on a drive, which will improve our emotional health. A work/life balance which will improve our mental health.

And finally, the time for cooking and exercise, which will improve our physical health. Motivated by Julia who got Laura into it and has seen success for a full year, Laura is picking keto up again in January. Sarah will be cutting down and eating healthier. The new puppy will make us get outside anyway, but on top of that we plan on finding activities that will be FUN for us and get our blood pumping. We hear there's a recreational softball league in Birmingham...

2014 would be a tough year to beat, but with 2015 being our first as a family of three and with all these positive changes, we bet it'll be pretty great.

What are your plans for next year?

A Dream Come True

I had a dream - that dream was to have a puppy. I've wanted this since I was four years of age. I know this because my Mum recounts stories of how by the time I got to school I had invented imaginary dogs. I wanted a dog so bad that I spent my childhood latching on to anyone with a dog. I walked dogs for friends, I loved any extended family dog as if it was my dog staying at someone else's house - I just really wanted a dog.

As my Mum was a child-minder I was never going to be allowed a dog. I had a rabbit, Bonny, who thankfully thought he was a dog and was happy to play fetch with me but he was never the dog I wanted.

It has been said many times, not least in this blog, that I can be a bit of a 'dream killer'. While Laura dreams big, has high expectations and generally a way of making the craziest plans happen exactly as she wants them to, I like to call myself a realist. I like to think of all possible outcomes and err on the side of caution. I don't like to disappoint and I don't like to be disappointed so I protect myself by being cautious.

While I apply this theory to almost all of my life there is one thing I have always been unequivocally excited about. You guessed it - a dog!

I didn't have expectations around breed or size, I just wanted floppy ears - see our last post for how we decided on that!

But having met Bisbee when she was just 3 weeks old, I was in love. I was smitten, obsessed, over-excited, you name it - this was one dog I was dreaming big about and the cautious me was no-where to be seen. This level of excitement over-spilled into tears, waking up too excited knowing her arrival was weeks, then days away. Shopping trips specially for her, I think we shopped more for her than for our wedding holiday. We weren't excessive but with almost all puppy stuff being sooooooo cute we definitely bought more than we needed.

On the day, the roller coaster of emotions was massive. We were not unaware of the responsibility that we were taking on or the change it would bring to our life but we were unprepared for the amount of love we already had for this bundle we had only spent 2 hours with and who had no idea who we were.

I'm pretty sure when we stopped for a McDonald's breakfast on the way there and ended up sat opposite each other crying, the staff were probably like WTF crazy ladies. We pulled ourselves together though and made the last bit of our drive in a fairly sane state.

As we approached the house, hearts beating, hands clasped tight we knew we were making the right decision. The moment the door opened we were greeted by a wagging tail and plenty of licks. She was ready and we wanted to be the best puppy mummies she could ask for.

It's been a week since we picked up our bundle of joy and I can fully admit it has been harder work than I first thought. Thinking back I don't ever remember looking after a puppy, just a well trained older dog, and it has given me a huge appreciation for all other puppy owners. I have never given anything as much attention, I've never jumped up so often or talked about pee and poo, I have never spent two entire days thinking of one thing and one thing only and yet I am still so unequivocally excited to have my own dog.

We will track our progress in the blog so we can look back on how far we have come, but so far so good. It wouldn't be anywhere near as fun or rewarding or in fact possible without my team-mate, partner and all round wonderful wife. I think it is fair to say having both of us doing this makes it a little easier. This way at least it's not just the puppy getting food and sleep.

As I write this I am about to start work, Laura is in bed and after a morning feed and clear out this is what I have for company:

Life is pretty perfect right now!

28th June 2014 - Our Wedding Photos - First Look ♥

We decided to do a first look because we thought we'd have enough emotion during the ceremony without seeing each other for the first time then, so wanted to have a private moment together to see each other in our wedding dresses beforehand. And boy are we glad we did, because we were less nervous for the ceremony, and enjoyed the whole day more!

Also, this dock was just begging for a first look!

Waiting....

Here she comes!

Love Sarah's face in this one!

Always looking out for me ♥

Aren't the surroundings INCREDIBLE?

♥ True love ♥

We really recommend doing a first look - it was amazing to have a few moments to stop and be by ourselves in a day that rushes by so quickly!

One of the things we are most proud of are how many personal touches there were in our wedding - amazing talent from Laura's mum and from bridesmaid Julia - support for an LGBT charity, beautiful things, we can't WAIT to show you them all on Thursday (20th November!)!

If you haven't yet seen it, click here to see our getting ready photos!

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