United States
Four Corners

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    • Day 5

      Miami!!

      November 22, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

      Soo Miami was a bit of a disaster with the weather! We went to south beach which wod have been really nice in the sun...loads of bars and restaurants along the beach! And then the rain started...i have never been so wet from rain before! We found a huge shopping mall to get some new clothes and then went to the Miami Heat game...they were playing the Philadelphia 76ers who were winning most of the game until they last quarter! It was really tense at the end and everybody was on their feet and chanting..it was so american lol

      Ben and luke drove home, i offered to do some but they wouldnt let me! We all stayed awake though to help the driver lol never been so pleased to see a bed!!!
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    • Day 1

      Take-off

      May 9, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      The trip to Florida had begun. It was a beautiful morning, sun out, birds chirping, and it was a strong farewell from the usually muggy London. It seemed like it was promising us sweet days of summer and heat, but we knew better than to listen, and we had some non-refundable flights to catch. 

      In terms of flights, usually there is not much to talk about. You sit in an uncomfortably tight space for about 8 hours, try to sleep with varying degrees of failure, and eat some food that, even in terms of sustenance, is seriously questionable. 

      This particular experience, however, was actually one that far exceeded my expectations, and defied my ever pessimistic predictions. 

      Firstly, we asked for an aisle seat (due to my incessant fidgetyness) and were granted the request. We then discovered, to some serious amazement, that the seats we had were front row, leg-room to boot, screen further than a hand’s width away beauties. Winner. And then, to top it all of, we saw Adam and Chloe sauntering over, and discovering that, despite having made separate bookings days apart, despite them having pre-booked seats and used a different check-in counter, we were sitting together! Add this to the hilarity of darling Charlie being sat five rows back, and we were off to a solid start. 

      Movies? Watched Murder on the Orient Express first. Love me a murder mystery, love me a piece of Agatha, and love me a little Poirot. It was beautifully shot, great colouring, but in terms of content and script, very average. Still enjoyed it though, and hey, it was free. Then followed Coco. Now. The whole time I had been watching a disappointingly not-bold Poirot solve mysteries, I’d been eyeing up Chloe’s screen next to me. Colours, beautiful animation, creative and imaginative characters…. To say that it drew me away Orient Express would be accurate, so as soon as the credits rolled I was onto the animated gem. 

      Oh. My. God. I have not cried that much in an movie for a long time. It is very much a children’s movie, and as such the message is hearty and optimistic, but it hit a chord I did not could be hit, and opened up a flood of tears. It took about twenty minutes of crying, an episode of Modern Family and half of Justice League to bring me back town to my nihilistic self. Gorgeous, and I recommend it whole-heartedly. 

      Landing in Florida was effortless, and other than the sometimes dead-eyed stare and aggressively inaudible mumble that I encountered on border control, it was the smoothest American crossing I’ve ever experienced. We got picked up by Adam’s angel grandad Roger, who proceeded to take us to his palace, displayed the two ridiculously delicious looking tequila bottles (Cozumel tequila nonetheless!) and letting us settle in. Amazing dinner, and then, at 21:30 local time (02:30 home-time) I ran out of people steam, and rushed to the safety of the bedroom to recharge, do some memoiring, and curl up and, not drift off, but completely zone out into lala land. 

      Beautiful. 
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    • Day 2

      Never skip leg-day

      May 10, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

      Jet-lag, a disney shopping mall, best British pie I ever had, pool-time, pizza, tequila (the very best from Cozumel, courtesy of the Rog-man) and a sore throat (treated with aforementioned Cozumel deliciousness). 

      I skipped leg-day day, and now I've fallen behind. But my new motto is never look back. So I guess it’ll be up to others to fill the gaps.

      Although. One thing I will say. We adopted a beautiful babe called Orlando. Welcome to the family, little one.
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    • Day 3

      Disney Flippin' World

      May 11, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      Today was Disney, all about Disney, and everything to do with Disney. After the successful Disney Tee shopping trip yesterday, Chloe and I were on point. Tie-died & ready to rumble, with three other less garish Mickey’s in tow, we left for the theme park. 

      The day stated off particularly disney-esque when, waiting in line to have our bags thoroughly - and I mean thoroughly - searched, a tiny tiny bird settled on a woman’s fanny pack (ok, minus disney  points there) and settled for the whole security ride. It matched perfectly to our mood, which only got better after seeing Chloe had got an “It’s my birthday!” badge alongside the crescendo of music as we entered the park. 

      There is little to say about the theme park that hasn’t been experienced by theme park goers a hundred times before. Granted, there were disney characters Goofying (haha) around at every turn, and the Mickey-mouse themed everything had a stupidly cheerful vibe to it. But other than that it involved some queuing, some fast-tracking, and a lot of riding (and a lot, a lot of factor 50 sunscreen application on my very high maintenance tattoos). The day was rounded off by a perfect ride on Space Mountain, a star-filled ride where you have no idea where the train is going to take you to next (rather much like the madness that is existence, I suppose). 

      Benihana is to follow this evening, and there is a bubbling excitement that overrides all exhaustion (for now). Bring me good food, sunshine and a dazzling heat, and I’m the happiest sunflower in the state. And that’s certainly what I feel like already on day three of this holiday
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    • Day 4

      Alligators

      May 12, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

      So, post-Benihana, after rolling in like the food-spheres that we had all become, I believe we all crashed and burned like the fast-travelling stars that we had been for the past two days. At least, that’s what I believe happened, because I was pretty much a walking zombie the minute we walked out of that restaurant, and am pretty certain I exhibited very little conscious thought up until I woke up this morning. 

      Today seemed like another adventure day, and despite the dribble of water that the clouds seemed to want to threaten us with, it was a good day indeed. The heat still abounded, we were still far, far away from the manic lifestyle of London, and we were on our way to spot alligators. 

      Roger carefully rolled alone in the very American-sized people-carrier, as we all leaned out of the window, cameras at the ready, eyes scanning the reed-filled swamp for gators. We spotted some cool birds, wings spread-eagles, no doubt spotting the Alpha-Chlo specimen we had in the car and feeling threatened. Few more birds in, and Mr Rog parked us up and encouraged us to take a little gander, try see some gators, but reminding us we couldn’t outrun them (fun fact: it appears alligators reach speeds of up to 30mph. I can definitely not run that fast. But as a wise man once said: you don’t need to outrun the predator… Just the slowest member of your team. Sorry, Alpha-Chlo). 

      That’s when success struck, and the alligators congregated. It was all fun and games, up until an alligator we were paparazzi-ing started growling, and then an alligator we were not paparazzi-ing because we could not see it, started growling back behind us. The re-entry into the american people-carrier was speedy. 

      A successful drive to exit the tour was had, as a wave of tiny, absolutely fabulous baby alligators were encountered, and many more snapping (haha) was done. It was a decent exploration of the Floridian wildlife, and the weather turned out to be perfect for a slow drive with open windows along the swamps, so suck-it, cloud-rain-grayness. 

      Plans for the rest of the day? After a brief visit for ice-cream at the beautifully synthetic happiness den that is Disney's Celebration Town, head back home, a pool-side read, and then the Samwise and I are up for a full-on three-course meal. Dessert? Brownie, of course. 

      So wish us luck, and see you all on the other side - we will probably be rolling to bed tonight as well. 
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    • Day 5

      Thunderstorms

      May 13, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

      Alright, so honesty up front. The thunderstorms didn’t hit until we were safe at home, but the BBQ was had under the rain, and it would have been like we were back home, except it was actually warm, and the rain was gorgeous, and the thunder was absolutely amazing. 

      Today started off nice and easy. Sam and I performed a speedy getaway in the morning for something I crave, always, with bacon and butter and poached eggs. Pancakes. We were out the door by 9am (I can be dead on time when pancakes are on the line) and sat at ihop by 9:30. My trademark morning rage was quickly substituted by a building manic happiness as pancake-land (aka ihop) filled me with energy. Pancakes. My dream. My life. My fuel. 

      For those who know me, you’ll know I’m a bit of a health chaser. Not necessarily obsessively, but I’ve been brought up on the Mediterranean diet, I like knowing where my food comes from (particularly my meat) and I have very high standards in terms of how food makes me feel once I’ve eaten it. I love a brownie, adore my piña coladas, and nibble on popcorn like the cookie monster nibbles on cookies. And have you ever had white chocolate rounds? Oh boy. Oh boy. So I’m not a snob… But I am a snob. And when it comes to pancakes, I’ve become a little bit particular. When I say pancakes, let’s be clear, I mean all American-style, fluff-beasts, banana-filled pancakes. Sam makes a mean set of pancakes, like, some of the best pancakes I’ve had in a while. Consistency has been reached, and I can happily say I would sell his services to others, did I not want them to myself and myself only. the pancakes at shop are not half as good. But there is something about pancakes in America, in a pancake house, that is just a little special. And everyone is always so nice here. Anyway. All in all, it was a very successful experience. 

      We ambled back to the house, for our 10:30 appointment with Captain Roger, and got very much distracted by three or four vultures circling. “We’re gonna die!” I yelled. “They smell the pancakes, they want them!” With a skeptical glance from Sam, I quickly quietened my concerns. He’d be sorry when they came a-pecking. And they did. Swooped right down, pouncing on the rabbit carcass 20 or so feet behind us. Not pancake-vores after all, I suppose. Their loss. 

      The plan for the day was a relaxing stay at Orange Lake, a pool-filled resort that promised ample reading time and relaxation. It started off well when, at Chloe’s estimation, her charlie and myself left for an iced coffee at Starbucks which was “not too far off, we drove past it right around the corner.” Boy oh boy. Was it far, far away. We ambled along, glad for the slightly cloudy skies, but still sweating profusely due to the 28 degree heat and the lovely, misting humidity. Steam-room on the go, who needs a spa? We made it, got the caffeine, ambled back, and finally, relaxation time. 

      Now. I have done this before. And I must, on a subconscious level, been so intensely aware of my stupidity that at the very least I compulsively coated my masterpiece of a tattoo with factor 50 sun-screen. I also dabbed some on my perfectly symmetrical chest-mole, because, I thought, that was just smart. The rest of my body? Haha! I laughed at the invisible UV rays. Haha! You can’t get me. It’s cloudy today. I’m immune. 

      I was not. 

      So that’s all the excitement, really, for the day. Covered in after-sun (Avène is a dream in a bottle) I tucked into one of the best BBQ platters ever (courtesy of the legendary Captain Rog) and some dessert which had Chloe and I in a sugar-induced high and streams of tears (“What it that ball of gas I see coming towards me Roger?!”). We then watched Bowfinger, one of my favourite films, comfort, comedy and minimal drama all around. Then, devastated it was only 21:30, and being on a strict bed-time curfew of 23:30 Chloe and I did our best to avoid the sweet comfort of our pillows for the next two hours.

      Success was a matter of perspective. 

      Night night, y’all. 
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    • Day 6

      Shopping & Ray-Bans

      May 14, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

      We shopped today, to escape the rain. I went to Sephora and got gifted with a hundred and one things, because, well, this is America. Also, I spent a lot (not all of it was for me, let me be clear). 

      I was then absolutely dragged, and I will never say anything different, to "Bath & Bodyworks" and was absolutely enchanted by the candles. Little more spending was done, in honour of a beautiful smelling home. Then, of course, the Ray-Ban store. I am a sunglasses fan. I admit it. I love them. I love having six different pairs, to use depending on the occasion, depending on the mood, depending on the outfit, goddamnit. I use them all, love them all, and scratch people who tell me I have too many and try and dissuade me from getting more. Nobody stopped me today. And I left the store a happy pair richer. 

      Oh! And we went to a pub quiz. We came fourth. We worn a tiny, amazing, iron little baby pan. I was so happy. It fit in my handbag perfectly. 

      “Frying pans! Who knew?!”
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    • Day 7

      Faux Thunderstorms & Bahama Bay

      May 15, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      Today, desolately, we had all agreed that the dream of visiting the Florida snorkling cave, was, just that. A dream. With promises of almost constant rain, and intermittent thunderstorms, it was deemed that a two-hour drive was too risky, and too unpredictable. 

      As the orchestra swells, and the violins get ready for their emotive solo, I ask the conductor to pause for a moment, because, when we awoke, it was a beautiful sunny day. And so, after the first proper leisurely morning of the holiday, lounging by the pool and rolling around like the fat little seals we were all becoming, we all departed for Bahama Bay. 

      Chloe and I were over the moon. Even better, the boys were determined to golf. Her and I were being dropped off for a full solo pool-side day. Books, sunshine, a little bit of a photo shoot. No interruptions. It is not a lie when I say that, as soon as we set foot in the beautiful pool-resort, the Chlo and I quickly ushered the boys out, before they could change their minds. 

      What ensued were a beautiful three hours of bliss. An iced Malibu-Mango-Coconut-Triple Rum-Piña Colada-Whipped Cream beauty accompanied us in our relaxation adventure. I swam, Chloe read, I read, Chloe read, we photographed, Chloe read. It was a dream partnership. 

      The rumbling thunder finally arrived, and fully satisfied of our time, we ventured into the little covered bar area, and sat there, content, as the rain escaped the heavy clouds above us and showered the once burning ground. It was a dream. 

      Then the boys arrived. They seemed content themselves, having successfully drowned some golf-balls and killed some eucalyptus plants, so together we seemed like a pretty satisfied lot. With promises of a “big” night out (definitely not, as Universal is tomorrow and we will be making the most of that $170 park-entry fee) we headed off home, relaxed, rested, and, on my part, happily found I had regained some of mediterranean skin tone that makes me feel a little less like a walking husk. In summary: photosynthesis levels: 90% restored. 
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    • Day 6

      Universal day!

      November 23, 2015 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

      Our day at Universal! Didnt take as many pictures as disney :( it was SO busy...thanksgiving week is like a half term for kids so americans everywhere :( some rides had 75 min waits!

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