Hampton Court

It is becoming more and more evident that I should have been born a princess.

I am absolutely and utterly obsessed with castles and the sordid history of royals past…it is all consuming.

I am bewitched by the tales of King Henry VIII and the saga of his SIX wives.

I watched the Showtime series “The Tudors” like it was my job, and have also read several books about Ann Boleyn and Henry VIII… never tiring of the story.

A few weeks ago, I actually got to visit Hampton Court.

My eyes were operating on overdrive and my tiny little heart just fluttered away inside my chest as we strolled around the Palace.

Hampton Court is infinitely beautiful.

I have this fixation with windows.

It is difficult to comprehend fully that Catherine of Aragon looked out of these very same windows.

Unaware of the turmoil she faced…

That her King would lust after Anne Boleyn so much…going to the most desperate of lengths to possess her.

And that this beguiling woman would become his new Queen, only to be cast aside and sentenced to death when she could not provide an heir and gossip prevailed…

The sheer scale of Hampton Court…

The soaring ceilings….

The exquisite frescos, super-saturated with color…

What hands have opened these doors? To what end?

Grandiose rooms…

Ghosts that have left their mark…

Crystal chandeliers and marble staircases…

Massive kitchens…

What horrors have been seen by these mirrors? What secrets?

How can we process all of this beauty?

Gardens that bring tears to your eyes…or MY eyes at least…

Bask in the majesty…

The tiny details…

I really should be sauntering around in a mammoth gown right now…dripping in gems…

Surrounded by so much magic…

The air is electrified…

There is this immense feeling that you are being watched…

And I’ve never been happier…

Meet Sir Noodles the Paperanian

In a feeble attempt to curb some of my cute animal hysteria, my husband and I acquired the fluffiest little bundle of cuddles in November.

Like ANYTHING could curb my addiction to darling little creatures.

When we got him at 6 weeks old, he was barely bigger that my hand.

He has grown like a weed!

He loves to eat my hair…

And my face…

Clocking in at 6.5 lbs now, he is almost as big as a small cat.

But bath time transforms our little bear/fox cub into a drowned rat.

He is always on the move!

And even though he is unbelievably adorable, he is a quite the feisty little beast.

And he loves his daddy more than anything…

Which is funny, because so do I!

I love my little London family!

Our Wedding Day

I was going to do a big wedding post, but my friend and our wedding photographer Nikki McFadden put together such a fantastic post on her blog, that I decided to just post a link to her site!

http://nikkimcfadden.com/blog/?p=3840

This girl has got an amazing eye and we were so very lucky to get her to come all the way to Cleveland from Nashville to capture our special day!

The Lake District and Lemurs

Many of my photos lately have been of historic buildings and priceless art, but I also have an arsenal of nature photography!

These shots are from one of my trips up to the Lake District in Northern England.

The weather was unparalleled the day we visited.

The sun was warm, the air was fresh, and there were CUDDLY ANIMALS!

Everyone knows how I feel about furry things…lest ye be reminded…

http://gimmeyummy.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/wabbits/

So, we shall begin?

The Lake District is basically my idea of what heaven looks like.

I know most people hope for sandy beaches and clear blue seas, but I absolutely adore the countryside.

There is certainly no shortage of Unicorns in England. And THIS is why we are perfect for each other!

The only thing missing is centaurs and faeries.

I mean…c’mon, this is some storybook level scenery.

We’ve even got the magic forest mushrooms!

I could just sit down in this field right here and now, and do some professional cloud watching for the rest of my natural life.

No one does the English countryside better than England. FACT.

And because the universe finds it funny to give me heart palpitations by continuously creating fuzzy critters and exotic creatures for me to FREAK OUT OVER,
OF COURSE there is a friggin SAFARI PARK in the middle of Cumbria.

THOSE GIRAFFE’S ARE KISSING! BEST DAY EVER!

Fuzzy head nubbins steal my heart…nearly stop it from beating altogether…

I manage to get it together long enough to feed a Giraffe, almost requiring CPR.

There’s a monkey being all “I’m a monkey”…

And a peacock petting zoo? Whaaaaaa?

Wait, wait…and you say there are LEMURS in this petting zoo?

AND THEY HANG OUT IN CUDDLESTACKS??!!

Y’all don’t even know…I’m like…going to pass out right now…

There are Monkeys everywhere!

And there are signs all over the place about being careful handling the animals and warning people about getting bitten…THIS IS ALL NOISE TO ME!

You can’t just wave these things around at me! I’m going to steal all of your monkeys!

I DO NOT CARE IF I GET MAULED TO DEATH!
Don’t they know who I am!?

OH! Except for you. You stay away from me.

I don’t trust birds. I suspect they are smarter than everyone. Secretly plotting.

Something unsavoury is going on in that bird’s brain…

And you two! Nooooope. No hugs for you!
You guys keep sleeping over there with those tusk things. Not near my face.

Nuh uh.

And I’ll get my picture taken FROM AFAR with you Rhino pals…but I foresee very little snuggle action in our future.

But you sweet Pig lover you…

I’ll give you a quick shoulder squeeze and tell you I love you…because I totally
do…

~THE END~

Bachelorette Babes

I was just about to FINALLY post some of the photos from our actual wedding this past September when I realized that I have yet to even post the shots from my Bachelorette Brunch.

Jeez.

My blog is starting to turn into Memento.

In my defense, I have been all sorts of busy and sometimes I just get so excited about a set of photographs that I just can’t wait to post them.

So pretty much the last 6 months of posts are totally out of whack.

Honestly it’s probably a pretty accurate representation of how hectic my life has been these last few months. So whatever.

Anyhoooo…I’m from Nashville. Home of Southern hospitality, crazy natural disasters, and smoking hot women. I’m lucky to be well acquainted with a handful of these gorgeous creatures, and they happen to make excellent friends.

This one, in particular, was magnificent enough to throw me a fabulous Bachelorette Brunch…which turned into a full-on day of Mimosa’s, sunshine, and ended in a drag club.

Pretty much the best.

My girls are so sweet.

And so pretty.

And so missed!

They gave us a table big enough to hold a press conference on…

And then we ate!

Group photo time!

My day would not have been complete without some outdoor Nashville day drinking!

What a perfect sunny day!!!!

I even got serenaded!

Boy crasher!

Boys who do the Sturgeon face with me can crash my Bachelorette party.

Seriously my friends are just gorgeous…le sigh…

The night ended with dancing and dragqueens…which is so epic and perfect.

Successful Bachelorette day if I don’t say so myself!
Now I miss my friends something fierce. I love you ladies!
Thank you for making my day so special!

xxoo

London for the First Time.

Man. I had no idea how behind I was with posting photos!
These photos were all taken at the end of June/beginning of July 2011 when I gleefully flew 4,000 miles to be with my new love in London.

It was a whirlwind week of art, food, history, and romance that ended with me flying back to Nashville with a overflowing heart and a sparkly engagement ring!

There is so much in London. It’s completely overwhelming. My husband has lived here 11 years and is still blown away by how much there is to see and do.

I present to you, my three weeks experiencing it all for the first time…

Tralfagar Square

Charing Cross

Somerset House

Strolling along the Thames

Battersea Power Station and Park

Millenium Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral

Quite the view from the top!

The Amazing Lloyd’s Building (or the “Sonic the Hedgehog” building if you are me)

The Gherkin

The Monument to the Great Fire of London 1666

Various Sculptures…

Lily Cole on a horse outside of St. Pancras…for some reason?

Tate Britain Museum/V&A/British Museum/Museum of Natural History

I want this chandelier. I must must must have it.

Is is weird that I even want to hug taxidermy sheep?

SEXY COFFEE BREAK!

St. Katherine’s Dock

Deathcab Show in Brixton!

The Tower of London

Tower Bridge, NOT “LONDON BRIDGE”

The Shard (in progress)

Buckingham Palace

Mr. Sunglasses man.

Westminster Abbey

The Palace of Westminster (“Big Ben” is actually the name of the BELL inside the clock tower, not the clock)

Stonehenge !!!!!!!!!!!! (1.5 hours outside of London)

And SHEEP!

DON’T RUN FROM ME!!! I’M HERE TO LOVE YOU!!!

Eventually these magical three weeks came to an end, and while standing next to Rodin’s Masterwork “The Burghers of Calais”…

…my sweetheart dropped to one knee and asked ME to spend forever traveling the world IN LOVE. WITH HIM! <3

GAAHHHH!!!

I said YES of course, and we drank champagne and celebrated not only our happy news, but my Fiance's 33rd Birthday! WHAT A DAY!

I told you it was a sparkler!

You should go to London. Even if you don’t get proposed to by a dashing Brit outside of Westminster. It’s rad in more ways that I can ever explain to you. Just go.

P.S.

Need a Pint? Maybe something a bit more mature?
Down the street from our flat in Clapham…

They’ve got you covered!

Gloucester Cathedral/ Disjointed Italy Brain

I’m about to turn 29.
In 14 days.
I’m honestly not really bothered about it though.
I remember feeling like 21 was a big deal (for obvious reasons) but 29 just seems like…the number that comes after 28.
Maybe 30 will feel differently?
Really, what difference does any of it make as long as you are happy and able bodied?

Until this past summer, I had never been overseas.
I might have, had my decisions early in life been different.
But I was too strong willed to follow the easy path.
By my own doing, my route through life has been a bit more complicated then some.

Now that I have all of these amazing adventures at my doorstep, I treasure every little moment.

This year, I will be celebrating my 29th birthday in Venice.

I know. I KNOW! How awesome is that?!

I actually just called the hotel we are staying at http://www.molinostuckyhilton.com/ to confirm the reservation. Basically, I immediately freaked out when the concierge answered the phone speaking Italian, causing me to hang up.

Like a moron.

BUT HE WAS SPEAKING ITALIAN! TO ME! BECAUSE I’M GOING TO ITALY FOR TWO WEEKS! HOLY SHIT!

My husband watched all of this transpire and lovingly laughed at me.

I laughed too. Then I calmed down. Called back. Spoke a little Italian. Surprisingly, It didn’t sound too stupid coming out of my mouth.

Everything got sorted out. Italy here we come!

Anywayyyyyyyy, here are some photos of the cathedral in Gloucester to tide you over until I have one million photos from Italy to post.
I bought two more camera batteries as well as a 32gb memory card, so I should be all set.

I didn’t get to see much of Gloucester aside from the cathedral as I was just accompanying my husband for a few hours while he attended a quick meeting.

But the cathedral is simply stunning.

Enjoy!