What We Love Wednesday - Date Days in London!!

It's Wednesday, we are feeling happy and in love (as always) so what better time to do a What We Love Wednesday post?! This week we decided to share our 'Ultimate Date Day in London', it's our guide to what you should do to woo the person of your choice when in the city we LOVE, London!

Having introduced the post in this way we should also say that this is generally a great way to spend any day in London, date or not. In fact the day this post is about we were actually wooing (if that's the right word) Alison as we wanted her to fall in love with London. 

Alison is a school friend of Laura's from Idaho and is here studying at the School of Tropical Diseases. We were lucky enough to have her stay with us when she got to London but due to the pesky thing called work we hadn't had an opportunity to do the 'tourist' day out.

We allowed ourselves a lay-in so that we were ready and raring for a day of activity. Our first stop was    Borough Market. It was just after lunch and the crowds were thinning so we could wander around and taste-test what the stalls had to offer. Laura and Ali decided that pate'd Wood Pigeon and Pheasant would be the best idea!!! Erm with the description of 'crunchy' and 'not that bad' it might not be for everyone.

To really get the taste-buds going we couldn't resist the Creme Brulee pots - so good and at only £1 we could have bought so many more, but resisted.

The thing with Borough Market is knowing what food to commit yourself to, the nibbling and taste-tests are all good but with the delicious smells and so many option it would be a waste not to eat something more substantial. Our choice was 'the sandwich', not just any sandwich, in our world 'the sandwich' is turkey breast with stuffing and cranberry sauce in a warmed baguette. AMAZING!

Now that's commitment!!

Now you have your date/mate/other half well fed, you can continue to explore the City. Depending on the time you have and your inclination to walk you have a number of choices. From Borough Market you can stroll for 40 or so minutes back to the Southbank (a stunning walk if you have the time) or use the tube.

We opted for the tube, as it was cold, we were on a schedule, and we're kinda lazy :)

On arrival at the Southbank you can admire the view of Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and the river and enjoy the street entertainment that is often going on. 

If you have planned your day in advance you can get discount tickets for the London Eye. We had booked the 6pm flight on the London Eye, and when we arrived to pick up our tickets we could see the sun just beginning to set - our timing was perfect!

The new attraction that comes free when you are doing the London Eye is a 4D experience. Not a great fan of heights, this was not Sarah's cup of tea, but gripping the hand rail we enjoyed a birds-eye view of London. Higher than you could go on the Eye, this short film had you soaring over buildings with wind in your hair, has you attending a party with bubbles appearing in the air and really provides a unique look at the city. (As Laura's Dad would say '4D - its like 3D... WITH ONE MORE D!!!')
Plus you get to look like this for 15 minutes:

Well maybe you won't look like this!

 The queue for the Eye moves quickly and before you know it you're ushered into a capsule with 20 other people. This was actually the first time we'd been on the flight together and the first time we had down it at sunset, it adds an air of romance, it has to be said. As the sun is setting you and your date/mate/other half are rising into the air.

It is still our favourite London attraction and really does provide the best view of London, as long as you're not too scared of heights. Sarah isn't a fan of heights but still managed to smile in every photo proving that sometimes you just have to go with it and the result is always worth it on the Eye!

As the sun set around us we could see the moon appearing by the Shard (the triangle building in the distance of the bottom left hand corner) and who doesn't love the colours that appear as the sun sets?!

After enjoying the view it was time to refuel - you know there is only one logical place for us to take someone if we want to impress them - Nando's! In this instance we opted for Nando's at London Bridge and we were lucky to get a window seat so we could see St Paul's Cathedral. Ah London, there is so much to love.

The great thing about the Southbank is that it's hard to get lost and if you keep walking one way you get to Houses of Parliament, and if you head the other you get to Tower Bridge. We can't remember if we've mentioned this before but Tower Bridge has actually played a part in both our dating history.

Way before we knew one another, The Horniman (no pun intended) was our date pub. Just over the road from London Bridge Station and through the beautiful fairy-lit Hay's Galleria (where ships used to dock) the pub gives you the perfect view of Tower Bridge. Its oh so romantic! And where we both used to end the night with dates we liked. Guaranteed first kiss territory!

We digress. The pub actually has a really nice riverside beer garden type area to sit and talk in so it's perfect for any occasion, and in this instance we wanted to round off our tourist day with Alison in a very London location.

With easy access to get home, what better way to spend a day/evening. And that is why this Wednesday we wanted to share why we love date days in London. We hope you enjoyed it - and please let us know if our date day helps you get your 'woo' on!

What's Happening, Hot Stuff?? 14th October 2012

Welcome to this week's What's Happening, Hot Stuff??, we thought we would do a round up of the latest news and things that have come into our world recently.

First off we have to say we love 'The New Normal' - have you seen it? Do you LOVE IT?! We discovered it this weekend on internet TV and watched 6 episodes and have only stopped because that's as many as we could get. It is so heartwarming, so relevant and so brilliant in its portrayal of a gay couple using a surrogate to get pregnant. It's co-written by Ryan Murphy (writer of Glee) and as always every episode has moments to make you smile, cry and go 'OMG I know someone just like that!'. We have a new addition to our FAVOURITE programme list!

Then there's Modern Family - have you seen the episode where Cam & Mitch take their daughter to Kindergarten for the first time and meet the lesbian moms - only this programme can make stereotypes SO funny. It shows that just because people are gay they aren't all the same - there may be similar challenges faced but ultimately, just like straight people, each and every one is different.

In sadder news, Brittana is over in Glee. So sad but yet so true to life. Anyone in a long distance relationship faces challenges and it's hard for both those left behind and those trying to find their own way. Thankfully the times we have been apart always have had an end date but there is no doubt they were the times of the biggest arguments and misunderstandings. We were glad, as hard as it was to watch (tissues were at hand), that they picked such a good song, that said so much, to close down the story line. Thankfully our similarities to Brittana were only in how they got together - as you know, our relationship is still going strong!!

Back in the real world, Sarah headed home to her parents' yesterday, the first time since our outing to see Jersey Boys - and good news, the niceness continues! Sarah was there to help them pack the last of the moving boxes and spent four hours lost in bubble wrap, but Christmas was discussed and Sarah was actually told that she had 'permission' to go to Idaho at Christmas. Permission may be an odd word as we are going anyway, but to actually hear the words 'It's OK for you to go to Idaho' were HUGE!!! Previously it was followed by a guilt trip. Not this time! Maybe there is change ahead, just maybe.

It's also great to see the UK X Factor has Jade Ellis, Lucy Spraggan, Charlie (from MK1), Rylan Clarke and Christopher Maloney representing the gay community. Prime time TV is a great place to showcase that just because you're gay doesn't make you different and to know that almost 50% of the final group are gay will hopefully show that it is more normal than people think.

It was also shown on National Coming Out day, those of you who follow Gay Star News or The Real Curve on Twitter will have seen so many tweets and retweets from people saying that they are proud to be gay. Throughout our relationship, and our blog posts, we have felt more and more confident in finding our voices and shouting about our love. At the end of the day, that's what it's about right?! We read a quote in an article by Lucy Spraggan's (XFactor) Mum that rang true for Sarah- 'Why should I be concerned about who you are sleeping with as long as you're happy'. You may have seen that Laura's coming out story was a great one but yesterday Sarah had a very similar conversation with her Mum. Sarah said the exact line was 'Mum I have NEVER told you about my sex life before, why would I tell you about it now, all I am telling you is that I'm in love'. At the end of the day, everyone has different relationships with their parents and while some are happy to openly discuss sex and who they are with, for others it's uncomfortable - but surely as long as the sex happens in a loving, safe, happy relationship isn't that all that matters?! Not who it's with.

Right rant over....

In France, there is good news as October 31st should see the Gay Marriage Bill unvieled to the French Cabinet. Reading about it OnTopMag.com Francois Hollande said: 'The government's proposal has been criticized by more than 1,200 French mayors or deputy mayors who have signed on to a petition warning that they will not officiate over the weddings of gay and lesbian couples. The Catholic Church also strongly opposes the reform.

However, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told the AFP that there would be no backtracking.

“After a very broad consultation process that, of course, involved religious leaders, I've made up my mind,” Ayrault said. “This is about ensuring fairness and equality that reflects the evolution of our society.”

Yay go France!!

In the UK we had the Conservative party Conference held in Birmingham and while it's widely reported that Boris Johnson, London Mayor, stole the show - we were pleased to see in his interviews he used the opportunity to highlight his support of the Equal Marriage stance of the party. In his words ' 'I have been asked to say something more in favour of gay marriage – and I do so gladly, because frankly I can’t see what the fuss is about.

'A couple of years ago someone asked whether I supported the idea and I was a bit flummoxed, because I thought it was already legal.

'In so far as marriage is a legal and secular recognition, by the state, of a union between two people, then that institution needs to move with the times.'

In the States, it's hard to fail to notice the campaigning that's been going on from Obama and Romney and now, Lady Gaga is joining in. Never one to shy away from publicity, her latest plan is to chain herself to the White House to gain attention for the legalisation of Gay Marriage. 

From GayStar News: She took to Twitter to urge her fans to become more informed about this year’s US presidential race between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

During a question and answer session, a fan asked ‘What do you plan to do next when it comes to helping legalize gay marriage?’

Gaga replied she would ‘chain myself to white house singing bad romance on repeat (sic).’

The pop star also urged her 30.3 million followers to watch the Vice Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan, and said they should be ‘empowered’.

‘Use my timeline. Be youth empowered, know its ok to have different views, but educate one another. Fight for your freedom by communicating,’ she said.

We also read that one of the more controversial shows in the States brought gay into the limelight from an unexpected angle. We have watched a few episodes of 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' and laughed at the fact that they had subtitled the program for the 'un' Southern people, it really does show a different lifestyle. Belly flopping into mudpits is all new for us :)  and in the middle of this pageant reality show comes Honey Boo Boo's announcement that their 'aint nothing wrong with being gay' - how very forward thinking from a young lady who likes to 'get in the mud because I like to get dirty like a pig.' The episode shows Honey Boo Boo's Uncle Poodle, and in a revealing new interview with GA Voice:

The Milledgeville, Ga. native, who tied the knot with his husband Josh in August, notes:

I’m gay, but I’m as redneck as I can get, and we want to be somewhere we can fish and jump on a four-wheeler, go hog wallowing. There’s probably 40 or 50 of us — gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people — around here, they’re all open about it, everybody knows it.

It’s not like there’s a gay bar here. We go to the same bars as everybody else, we’re all part of the same community... If there’s people who have a problem with it, they keep it to themselves, just like if I have a problem with them, I keep it to myself.” 

Awesome - it's so great to see that this wasn't edited out of the show as its ratings were higher than the Republican Party Conference! What a great way of spreading the word about the fact that gay people exist in all communities. Not a phrase we ever thought we'd use, but GO Honey Boo Boo!

In other great news, Jill and Nikki from The Real L word, Season 1, welcomed their first baby boy into the world - heartwarming! We love to see couples living the life we can't wait to get to. 

So looking forward to the week ahead, Laura's birthday rolls on. On Tuesday we are heading to the O2 to see Michael Jackson Immortal by Cirque Du Soleil and CANNOT wait, we will be sure to update Facebook with photos so if you haven't liked our page, head on over!!

We've also got our perfect Date Day in London ready for posting so that'll be up at some point this week, and we have a few dinner and drink night outs planned so the week is set to be a busy one (as usual haha!)!

See you soon!

xoxox

Happy Coming Out Day!!

Hi everyone,

Happy Coming Out Day!!

Today is a day, along with every other day, when you should really be proud of who you are, and who you love - after all, it is wonderful to be you!!

In honour of this day, we thought we'd look back at how we got to be where we are today!

To see our love story and how we got together, click HERE!!

For Sarah's coming out story, read HERE

We don't think we have ever told you about Laura's coming out story. While Sarah's is full of heartbreak, disappointment, homophobia, and baby steps (see here), Laura's is just about the complete opposite.

A week after we had kissed and decided we wanted to give being together a go, Laura went on a trip with her family to Australia for one month. Every day Laura would walk up to the internet cafe to email Sarah, who would stay online late just to receive them. About halfway into the holiday, Laura went on a walk along the beach with her mum, Lyn. She was telling her mum all about her life in England, when she nervously got up the courage to tell her that she had started seeing someone, she really liked them, and.... well her name was Sarah.

*awkward*

There was a silence.

'I thought this might happen!' Laura's mum laughed.

'Whaaaaat???' Laura asked. 'Well,' Lyn explained, 'you had a bit of an infatuation with a girl on your softball team when you were younger - so I'm not surprised.'

We both laughed, and Lyn asked Laura if she liked girls or boys better now. And it was as simple as that - no more questions, just acceptance. It didn't matter if Laura was dating a woman, or an African man (haha) -
she was loved.

Have you ever heard such an amazing reaction to a coming out?

But come on Lyn, you could have told Laura she liked girls at 12!! :)

From there, mum accepted Sarah like she was her own. If you follow us here, on Facebook, and Twitter, you'll see Lyn's comments everywhere - she is the most supportive person we know, and loves reading the blog. Lyn told Laura's Dad, who met Sarah in person first, and they hit it off talking about football and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Lyn told Laura's brother Jason, who affectionately nicknamed Sarah 'Snutley' and made this awesome video with us:

Laura's family is a great reminder that coming out isn't always a negative experience - though it will always be an incredibly nerve wracking and life-changing conversation. We are lucky to have such a supportive family that were ready to accept us, and we hope that Sarah's parents, and indeed any parents struggling with their child's sexuality - can take a page out of their book - to just accept and be happy for us.

On that note, we thought we'd leave you with the most touching ad we've seen in ages - enjoy!

xoxoxo

Laura's Fantastic, Wonderful 24th Birthday!!

I’m excited to be writing this as a brand new 24 year old! I've been 24 for 3 days now, and so much has changed. I’m already so much more mature.

See?

I am sure you've seen, as I was so excited, I just couldn't hide it on any form of communication going, but I had SUCH a great birthday. It was amazing, and wonderful, and made me realise how incredibly lucky I am to not only have the most wonderful girlfriend in the world, and the most amazing parents, but also some of the best friends a girl could ever have.

This is going to be a feel-good post.

Since I was little, I’ve not only had my birthday on 6^th October, but I’ve kind of claimed the surrounding days so I at least get a birthday long weekend. And everyone pretty much plays along. So this year, my pre-birthday started Friday 5^th October.

Cuz I'm a princess

It happened to be Corporate Social Responsibility Day (try saying that three times fast) at work, so the whole office had lots of fun things planned for charity. We all got to wear jeans, and some of the fun activities included a stationary bikeathon, a Wii Mario Kart competition, an Xbox white water rafting competition, someone wore roller skates all day, and someone else shaved their head – all for charity! We raised over £5000 for the MacMillan Cancer Charity.

The girls at work surprised me with a beautiful chocolate soufflé cake from Paul, which was delicious, and a lovely card. Then, also for charity, we had a cheese and champagne afternoon – so I spent the afternoon of my birthday eve enjoying my favourite type of food! Cheers!

Then, late afternoon I got a call from reception to tell me a package had arrived for me. I was SO excited to find out that it was a platter of red velvet cupcakes from Hummingbird Bakery from my parents (and dog, and brother)!! Oh my days, they were just the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted – you can really see why they are such a famous bakery!

From work, Sarah picked me up and we headed off to my surprise weekend destination. I had gathered it was north, and about 3 hours away, but had no idea where it was! Sarah provided me with the obligatory road trip snacks (something sweet, something savoury, something chocolaty, oh –and Diet Coke, of course!!), and we headed on our way, eating cupcakes as we went.

*drool*

The rain and fog was so bad on the drive, I soon forgot that I was supposed to be looking for clues as to our destination! Not that I could see the signs, anyway. Poor Sarah was a little nervous as she hates driving in the rain, but we really enjoyed ourselves, belting out 80s power ballads, then switching it up with ridiculous 90s rap – I really love my girl!

It was only when we turned onto the M42 that I started to recognise the drive. I had definitely been here before, numerous times... but dare I hope that we were going to Lauren & Sarah’s?

But as I got more and more excited with every turn, I learned that not only were we getting to spend the WHOLE WEEKEND at S&L’s, but my Sarah and Lauren had kept this a surprise from me AND Lauren’s Sarah, as her birthday was earlier in the week! (I’ve just realised this post may get a little confusing with all the similar names!!)

When we pulled up to their house, we were greeted by the girls and their gorgeous dog, Willow (we’ve claimed her as our little niece!), and a delicious Chinese takeaway! We caught up, and chatted for hours over Chinese food and my red velvet cupcakes. I just couldn’t believe I was there! This was the best birthday weekend away possible.

Willow was a very good girl, considering the amount of photos she was subjected to!

The next morning, the girls got up early and went to a farmer’s market, to give us time to open my presents just us two. How incredibly thoughtful, right?

I received some wonderful gifts – Sarah & Lauren got me a variety of American treats I’ve been missing – graham crackers (which I got SO excited for), Lucky Charms, Marshmallow Fluff (which my Sarah got so excited for), Red Velvet Cookie Dough Bites – OH my god, just thinking about it is making me hungry!! Thank you girls, for helping me miss home a little less.

Mum & Dad gave me a beautiful big card and some shopping money for my American spree in December! (Vic Sec and Converse, watch out!)

Sarah gave me the new Victoria’s Secret London – Bond Street Edition perfume. I LOVE it! It’s so beautiful, smells amazing, and is so special because it’s exclusively from the first VS store in the UK!

She also is taking me to see Michael Jackson Immortal – Circ du Soleil acrobatics with MJ music – SO amazing!! I’m a giant MJ fan, and cried for 3 days when he died – in fact, I could write a whole post on my love of Michael Jackson, maybe I will! I actually tried to find tickets to this show but they were completely sold out, so I’m shocked that Sarah was able to get them!! I’m one lucky girl!!

When S&L came back from their morning out, Lauren cooked us a full English breakfast – vegetarian style! Who knew, meatless sausages taste awesome! It was delicious, and a great way to set us up for our afternoon’s activities.

However, before we set off, all three girls came out of the kitchen singing ‘Happy Birthday’ with the biggest cake I’ve ever seen! I was so excited, the girls made this cake just for me – and when I cut into it to find a beautiful pastel rainbow, I could have cried – so much effort went into making that delicious and beautiful cake, I can’t thank them enough! Since then, I’ve managed to eat rainbow cake every day, and share it with work, who said ‘you must have some friends who really care about you!’ I can definitely say I do!!

We soon set out to an ice skating rink in Birmingham (half of my ‘socks’ clue given to me by Sarah, and wearing NEW socks provided by Sarah) – we got booted up, and skated around the rink for an hour or so. Neither couple had actually been ice skating as a couple, so it was a new experience for both of us. It was half romantic and half hilarious – ice rinks haven’t changed from when I was a teenager! Lots of groups of young girls, boys trying to show off, and people almost running into each other.  Oh and trying to communicate while shouting over loud music and NOT falling over!! We were happy holding hands and scooting around the rink, and taking photos of each other haha!

Then, armed with slush puppies and awesome bowling shoes, we took to the bowling alley (socks again!). We put up the bumpers, as it was Lauren’s Sarah’s first time ten pin bowling ever, but you wouldn’t have known it! I’m known for being quite the sore loser in this sport (terrible bowling skills combined with extreme competitiveness will do that to you) but I managed to keep it under control and we had an awesome time doing something new. Though nobody let me win, so I came last haha.

When we got home before dinner, I was able to Skype my parents! It was great to get to see them and tell them all about my day, and they wanted to meet L&S, so the girls got to say hi, and so did little Willow! My mum said some lovely things about them and thanked them for taking such good care of us, and L&S thought my parents were great, so smiles all around!

How could you not love them? The cutest couple ever!! And their dog isn't bad, either! :)

For dinner, we went to Jimmy Spices in downtown Birmingham. We’d never heard of it before, but absolutely loved it – it’s an all you can eat buffet, but it’s upmarket, and they have stations where they make whatever food you’d like! EVERYTHING was delicious, from the chicken pot stickers, to the fajita station, to the make your own chow mien, to the sushi, Indian, and the desserts!!! It was the perfect place for foodies like us, and we had a wonderful time. And can’t wait to go back!

Sunday, my post-birthday, was just as good as the rest of the weekend. After a morning of chatting (how do we find so much to talk about?) we took Willow for a promenade, and then had a lesbian movie afternoon, where L&S educated us with ‘But I’m a Cheerleader!’ and ‘If These Walls Could Talk 2’ with Ellen and Sharon Stone. But this wasn’t just any old movie afternoon – it was one with a cheese and pate picnic!!! Heaven, I tell you.

Finally, Sunday night we drove home, Sarah and I recounting the many amazing points of my birthday, and the weekend. We always find ourselves so eager to go back to Birmingham once we leave, and Sarah couldn’t have given me a better surprise.

True Love

The birthday fun doesn't stop there. I got some lovely cards from my grandparents (on my Australian side, in it said ‘give Sarah a kiss and a hug from me!’ – how adorable!! I received a card from my gorgeous friend Tina, which came all the way from Seattle, and made me tear up. I also got to see Alison last night, and got a beautiful and touching card from her.

I received a wonderful message from one of my Mormon friends from home, who said Happy Birthday – but also, that she loves the blog, and that Sarah and I have really helped change the way she views gay people/couples. I mean, I honestly can’t think of anything more meaningful than that message. I’m so happy that we are able to make a difference, and it means a lot to me that she would reach out to me to tell me that.

So, I think I've talked your ears off enough about my 24^th birthday, but I could go on and on. Thank you all for your messages, emails and well wishes over the weekend, you've all helped make this one of my best birthdays ever!!

Lots of love, 

Laura xo