It's Been A Long Time. We Shouldn't Have Left You...

(This post was originally written in January and now we are finally posting.) Like my boy, Timbaland says off Aaliyah's song from that movie with Chris (I don't remember his last name but it is NOT Rock) and Jackie Chan - Oh yeah, Rush Hour. Wait a second, wrong black guy and wrong Asian dude!!! The movie with this song is with Jet Li and Aaliyah. (The guy's name is Chris Tucker in case you were wondering.) The song is called 'Try Again.'. So, like I was saying... Like my boy, Timbaland says from the song called 'Try Again'. " It's been a long time. We shouldn'ta (or if you are using proper English like the Queen it's should not have) left you. Left you, without a dope beat to step to. Step to..." If you don't know the song, then I am very disappointed. By the way, RIP Aaliyah. Here's a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEF_-IcnQC4 I am sure that most of you are wondering where we have been and why it's been such a long time since we last blogged. You have questions that you want to ask such as 1) how was the trip back home 2) when are we coming back 3) just how different is London vs Iowa, or the states in general 4) when are we going to start having kids. Your questions may differ, but these are the most common we had while we were back in the states visiting. Question 1) How was our trip back to the states? I am trying this new thing of saying how I feel instead of keeping it all inside. Why? Well, when I keep things bottled up, I tend to blow up on the one person that doesn't deserve it. Which is most of the time my wife-Beth. So with that being said, I am going to let loose. If I offend you, don't be so sensitive. I am purely saying how I feel just as much as you have your right to say what you feel. So here, goes. After a 12 hour flight from London we, or I, thought it would be a good idea to meet up with friends in Omaha at a local bar. Those that were able to make it out, we want to say thank you for coming to see us. There were just too many people that we wanted to see in Omaha and this was the easiest way for us to do it. The funny thing is by the end of the night, I think Jasmine had more friends show up to the bar than we did!!! We stayed up for more than 24 hours starting from the time we woke up in London to when we went to bed in Omaha. We hadn't driven for at least 6 months and once we were in the car from the airport, we realized that we hated driving. Having to drive and pay attention to what others are doing as well as still keep my eye on the road, just isn't worth it. Taking the tube is so much easier. I walk to a tube station, wait for someone to pick me up and they drop me off at my location. Heck, I'd rather take a 15 minute walk instead of a 5 minute drive to the grocery store. Which brings to me to my next point, we as Americans drive everywhere!!! Now, there are those that live in the bigger cities like NY and Chicago who make good use of mass transportation, which is good. Cause I simply could not imagine driving in those cities on a daily basis. But on a nice sunny day, why did I get in my car to drive 5 minutes when I easily could've walked for 15 to 20? Why did I go to the grocery store to buy food for two people that could actually feed a neighbourhood instead of buying just what I needed for the next couple days? I know the answer though, it is because we have giant refrigerators that must be filled all the time with food that consist of perservatives that makes it last longer. Gross!!! The food in London is so fresh that it only lasts a couple days. If not eaten, it goes bad. Even the fruit and veg doesn't last as long as it does back home. I am not declaring that I am be the healthiest person alive, but there are big differences that I have noticed in my life when I travelled. If we do move back to the states, having the healthier lifestyle would be difficult because in the states, the unhealthy is way more convenient and cheaper and it's opposite here. Question 2) When are we ever coming back? Well not for awhile.....We really like it here and we've been able to lead healthier lives than back home. Not having to worry about a car, car insurance, etc is really nice. Walking everywhere has really put things in perspective for me - It's not so bad after all. Plus, having the opportunity to walk in a place such as London offers so many opportunities that would be missed in a car. Question 3) Just how different is it? The food standards are higher. When we first arrived, I was afraid to eat anywhere but McDonalds cause I knew it was going to be consistent no matter where I was. I must tell you....the fries were not nearly as greasy, it actually tasted like a potato and the chicken tasted fresher too. The people respect each other more. People do not discriminate nearly as much because of our differences. I don't know how many times we have told people that our marriage is only legal in 5 states and they (the English and Londoners) just can't believe it. Why is it only legal in 5 states? Everyone deserves the same rights no matter what color, race, or sexual orientation one may be. They are preaching to the choir. There have been multiple times that Beth and I have been to the pub minding our own business, and people will randomly have a chat with us. We will end up spending the entire night hanging out with each other because we got along so well. In the states, that rarely happened to us unless we were getting hit on by a couple of guys. Oh, the guys here do not hit on us. Once we tell them we are lesbian or 'she's my wife' they are respectful and leave us alone or ask about our story. It's not the typical 'oh well you have never been with me and i'll make you straight.' Question 4) when are we going to start having kids? After all our travelling is done and when you create a fund that will help us with the process! It is a bit disappointing that no one really wanted to hear about our experiences in London. There were a few that actually cared but not that much. We were warned prior to our travels that it would be this way, but we didn't really believe it. Now we know. People only want to know: 1) When are you coming back 2)When are you going to start having kids 3) Do you miss home. That's it really. I think it is safe to summarize as this: We LOVE our families, we LOVE our friends, we LOVE who we are better in London than who we were in the States. So if you ask me question 2 again, we aren't coming back!!!!!!!!!!! Unless financially we are no longer able to make it or something happens to our families. :-)