Well, friends, this little series that begins today has been a long time in the making. Tara and I connected via the big and beautiful blog world and quickly discovered that we're basically long lost twinnies. For countless reasons!! You'll have to read along to figure them out! :) I love her dearly and know that this is just the tip of the iceberg of our friendship.
So today...meet Tara...here on Cheers Y'all!! Then pop on over to her blog, A Brew of Blessings, to read my responses to the questions below.
Without further ado...let the Across the Pond series begin!! YAY YAY YAY! Cheers!
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Name? Tara Illy
When did you get married? August 18, 2012 - two crazy beautiful years.
How did you meet your English spouse?
Story book version or cliff notes? We’ll go with the condensed story. Obviously S is from the other side of the world so we consider it a complete God thing that A. we met and fell in love and that B. our stories prepared each of us for exactly this moment in time. So basically S’s mom is American and his family have a house in Florida - where I’m originally from. We met ages ago when I was probably 14 and he a little older, except I don’t remember this occasion. Oops. I mean can't blame a tween, I was probably way more into n'sync and less into English accents at the time. Fast forward to 2011 and I was planning a fundraising event in my hometown. He’s parents were planning to attend and he just so happened to be visiting during that time. So he bought a ticket and came along. And well, the rest is history - kinda. He asked me to a theme park the next day and I politely declined because this girl was exhausted and then I somehow got persuaded to go. Maybe the English charm? Or perhaps because there was a bigger plan waiting to be discovered? The theme park turned into a sushi date and pottery painting the very next day, followed by dinner at his parents and jet ski rides under the sunset on the eve before he was due to fly back across the pond. We agreed to a ‘no expectations’ deal and decided if we were still both single at Christmas (when he had a tripped planned back) we would possibly hang out again. Well, that ‘no expectations’ thing turned into a call from S at the airport and we’ve spoken every single day since. The long distance was made slightly easier with technology, hand written letters and as many frequent trips as possible, typically a 3 month gap. We were then engaged and married almost two years from the time we met back at that event.
Story book version or cliff notes? We’ll go with the condensed story. Obviously S is from the other side of the world so we consider it a complete God thing that A. we met and fell in love and that B. our stories prepared each of us for exactly this moment in time. So basically S’s mom is American and his family have a house in Florida - where I’m originally from. We met ages ago when I was probably 14 and he a little older, except I don’t remember this occasion. Oops. I mean can't blame a tween, I was probably way more into n'sync and less into English accents at the time. Fast forward to 2011 and I was planning a fundraising event in my hometown. He’s parents were planning to attend and he just so happened to be visiting during that time. So he bought a ticket and came along. And well, the rest is history - kinda. He asked me to a theme park the next day and I politely declined because this girl was exhausted and then I somehow got persuaded to go. Maybe the English charm? Or perhaps because there was a bigger plan waiting to be discovered? The theme park turned into a sushi date and pottery painting the very next day, followed by dinner at his parents and jet ski rides under the sunset on the eve before he was due to fly back across the pond. We agreed to a ‘no expectations’ deal and decided if we were still both single at Christmas (when he had a tripped planned back) we would possibly hang out again. Well, that ‘no expectations’ thing turned into a call from S at the airport and we’ve spoken every single day since. The long distance was made slightly easier with technology, hand written letters and as many frequent trips as possible, typically a 3 month gap. We were then engaged and married almost two years from the time we met back at that event.
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| The charity event where it all began. |
What was the best thing about your wedding?
The people. Everything about the day was even better than I had ever dreamt. It even rained on our wedding day and crazily made it even more beautiful. The thing we loved most, apart from finally being Mr. & Mrs. of course, was that we had all of our favorites there to celebrate - a big mixture of my besties and family from Fl and a plane full of Stephen’s closest from both NY and England.
What do you value most in life?
My Jesus. Seriously. Over the past few years packed full of change and transition he has been my constant. He has no doubt been my strength in my moments of weakness and times when feeling the 'homesick blues'. If you polled my hometown the percentage that would say I'll stay there forever and raise a family would completely outweigh the possibility of me ever leaving. And I would’ve been just fine with that but a little something in me always knew that I was born to leave and that God had something bigger. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. But it means that the Lord has completely shaped my heart though my weakness of being homesick and finding my feet here. He has provided in unbelievable ways and has planted us in an amazing church full of beautiful people that we now consider friends and quite a few that we now consider family.
My Jesus. Seriously. Over the past few years packed full of change and transition he has been my constant. He has no doubt been my strength in my moments of weakness and times when feeling the 'homesick blues'. If you polled my hometown the percentage that would say I'll stay there forever and raise a family would completely outweigh the possibility of me ever leaving. And I would’ve been just fine with that but a little something in me always knew that I was born to leave and that God had something bigger. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. But it means that the Lord has completely shaped my heart though my weakness of being homesick and finding my feet here. He has provided in unbelievable ways and has planted us in an amazing church full of beautiful people that we now consider friends and quite a few that we now consider family.
What's your go-to Starbucks drink?
I have two. For a hot day it's all about the venti iced coffee with cream, splenda and extra extra caramel drizzle inside and out - try it and thank me later. For a cold day and my almost always 'go to' in this artic climate, a venti Americano, with steamed soy milk, two pumps of sugar free caramel and splenda.
I have two. For a hot day it's all about the venti iced coffee with cream, splenda and extra extra caramel drizzle inside and out - try it and thank me later. For a cold day and my almost always 'go to' in this artic climate, a venti Americano, with steamed soy milk, two pumps of sugar free caramel and splenda.
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| There's no such thing as too much caramel. |
What makes you tick?
I love, love interior decorating. And yes it does deserve two 'loves'. I also love writing and have a passion for blogging. I view it as a creative outlet to document my story and my life. It's a beautiful thing that none of us were created with the same blue print and we are each living out a different story, to see how God is using each of us is so encouraging and inspiring.
I love, love interior decorating. And yes it does deserve two 'loves'. I also love writing and have a passion for blogging. I view it as a creative outlet to document my story and my life. It's a beautiful thing that none of us were created with the same blue print and we are each living out a different story, to see how God is using each of us is so encouraging and inspiring.
What keeps you up at night?
I'm a planner at the core and if something is still looming on my to-do list before the lights go out it can tend to keep me awake. Dreaming about what's to come in the weeks, months and years ahead can also tend to keep my mind from shutting down and tends to be when a great idea pops into my head. My bright pink notepad stays close by. Also not having talked to my family back home - knowing that I haven't checked in and made contact just isn't acceptable which explains the many black-out Facetime calls. Luckily S has perfected snoozing right through, not that I blame him. Don't let this fool you - I do love my sleep though.
I'm a planner at the core and if something is still looming on my to-do list before the lights go out it can tend to keep me awake. Dreaming about what's to come in the weeks, months and years ahead can also tend to keep my mind from shutting down and tends to be when a great idea pops into my head. My bright pink notepad stays close by. Also not having talked to my family back home - knowing that I haven't checked in and made contact just isn't acceptable which explains the many black-out Facetime calls. Luckily S has perfected snoozing right through, not that I blame him. Don't let this fool you - I do love my sleep though.
3 items in your closet you can't live without?
Hard decision between shoes, dresses and accessories [because I'm a slight addict] it's a tough choice. I would have to say my Burberry wellies, they were a gift from S the Christmas before I moved, I was so elated. I mean an English brand meet weather, meet this Wellie obsessed American? Well that equals the perfect equation. I also love my Banana Republic trench coat and my go-to blazers - I have a collection and pair any of them with a tee and you have an outfit. I'm also have a weakness for leopard.
Hard decision between shoes, dresses and accessories [because I'm a slight addict] it's a tough choice. I would have to say my Burberry wellies, they were a gift from S the Christmas before I moved, I was so elated. I mean an English brand meet weather, meet this Wellie obsessed American? Well that equals the perfect equation. I also love my Banana Republic trench coat and my go-to blazers - I have a collection and pair any of them with a tee and you have an outfit. I'm also have a weakness for leopard.
Latest read?
Balancing it All by Candace Cameron Bure aka DJ Tanner. I loved it. It was an easy read about her life and how she stayed balanced through her time as a child Hollywood star and navigating through her faith. I'd recommend it for an easy, light reading option.
Balancing it All by Candace Cameron Bure aka DJ Tanner. I loved it. It was an easy read about her life and how she stayed balanced through her time as a child Hollywood star and navigating through her faith. I'd recommend it for an easy, light reading option.
Favorite travels since being married?
Thankfully we both have the travel bug and any chance we get we'll take it! There is so much to see in our amazing world and every trip we take is unique and memorable in it's own way. The Honeymoon has to take the cake though. We went on a mini moon to Cancun and a later, longer, even more amazing, honeymoon to the Maldives/Dubai a month after the wedding/move. It was heavenly. Some one once said spend as much as you can on your honeymoon because you'll only do it once - so we did and every penny was so worth it!
Thankfully we both have the travel bug and any chance we get we'll take it! There is so much to see in our amazing world and every trip we take is unique and memorable in it's own way. The Honeymoon has to take the cake though. We went on a mini moon to Cancun and a later, longer, even more amazing, honeymoon to the Maldives/Dubai a month after the wedding/move. It was heavenly. Some one once said spend as much as you can on your honeymoon because you'll only do it once - so we did and every penny was so worth it!
Another that comes pretty close to this was our roadtrip down the California coast last summer. We started in San Fran, headed to Napa and then back down through Big Sur, Santa Barbara, LA, Newport and ending in San Diego. The views were breathtaking and each part of this State was different yet, incredible! We went with two other friends and none of us know how we could ever top that experience. If you get the chance – go!!!
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| San Fran |
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| Big Sur |
Some others that left lasting memories were...Our weekend away to Sweden, cruising with my fam, NYC, Paris and exploring the best of England - weekend getaway to Bath, first trip to London.
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| Old Roman Baths |
Best bits of England?
Family & friends of course! It's also a country that is full of rich history which makes it great and there are so many places to explore. Everyone has been so welcoming in this city and I love that. I also love that my friends & family have somewhere great to come visit and that we now have a houst to host them! I also love the camaraderie it creates between the hubs and I. I, of course, always choose the U-S-of-A. And like almost any American I'm a sucker for the royalty.
Family & friends of course! It's also a country that is full of rich history which makes it great and there are so many places to explore. Everyone has been so welcoming in this city and I love that. I also love that my friends & family have somewhere great to come visit and that we now have a houst to host them! I also love the camaraderie it creates between the hubs and I. I, of course, always choose the U-S-of-A. And like almost any American I'm a sucker for the royalty.
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| This place never gets old. |
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Hooray! I am so, so, super glad that y'all have gotten to meet my sweet, long-lost twinnie/bffie/soul sister, TARA! I adore her and know you will too (if you don't already!). Now hurry scurry and hop on over to her blog, A Brew of Blessings, to read my answers to these exact questions! How fun is this?!
...to Tara's blog :)
