I Spy Friday featuring Afternoon Tea

It's Friday and I'm heading off to Brit Mums Live! 

I can't tell you how excited I am and not nearly as nervous as last year.

They have a great line up of speakers including Kirstie Allsop and Katie Piper.

Tonight is the presentation of the Brilliance in Blogging Awards 

and I'm a finalist in the Travel Category.  (Have I mentioned this before?)

I'm not being trite when I say I have no expectation of winning,

but I'm really tickled to be a part of it all.

We got an email telling us to sit up close to the stage just in case.

I usually hide in the back.

I'm so glad that my dear friend Gina will be there with me.

On our agenda is champagne and giggles.

She always makes me smile and I'm so thankful for this blogging thing

or I might never have met her.

Inspired by this post by one of our favorite bloggers Aspiring Kennedy

Gina treated me to afternoon tea this week at 

The Drawing Rooms at The Ampersand Hotel.

We were immediately charmed with the tea room.

I love the bright, jewel-toned colors and the quirky artwork.

 I desperately need to have the giraffe in a champagne glass for our new place.

We decided to try both the Classic (£21.50) and the Chef's (£23.50) Afternoon Teas and share.

They also offer a Cream Tea (Scones and Tea) for £7.

We were there for a leisurely two hours and many people came and went.
(The place was never empty, I just managed to capture these shots throughout our visit.)

Everything was wonderful as you can imagine.

The best part was the company.

There is just something about meeting up with a girlfriend for a nice, long chat/rant/gossip/laugh to click everything back to where it should be.

I confessed to her that Matt and I had just had one of those weekends where

we were bickering constantly.  She said "But, on Instagram and Twitter it looked like you were having so much fun!"  We had a big eye roll and laugh about how different reality is from what we sometimes put out there.

I'm so guilty of putting only the good stuff out there most of the time.

But, it's not because I want to fool anyone or pretend I'm something that I'm not.

Trust me when I say that I have the same struggles as every woman,

relationships, body image, confidence, anxiety, PMS.

(And what the hell has happened to my neck?)

I think it's just the voice that has naturally developed as I've created this blog.

I want you to go away feeling uplifted and inspired to experience something new.

Just like I felt after having afternoon tea with my sweet friend, Gina.

 

Have a lovely weekend, dear friends!

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Gina was sweet enough to treat me.  We received no compensation for our posts.  

I Spy Friday Rotterdam and a Guest Post

Hello, Lovelies.  How was your week?

Mine was okay.  It just flew by.  And luckily we had some wonderful weather.

(I talk about weather way too much since moving to the UK.)

Today you can find me guest posting on one of my favorite blogs

We Took the Road Less Traveled with Casey.

I'm completely guilty of over-sharing, but I hope you will pop over and take a look.

Be sure to check out her recent posts about her cruise.  Gorgeous!!!

(And in a shameless effort to get you to follow me on

Twitter, Bloglovin, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, 

enter for your chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card while you are there.)

If you are visiting me for the first time from We Took The Road Less Traveled,

I'm so happy to have you here!  Welcome.

Stay for a bit and leave a comment.  I'd love to get to know you.

This weekend we are heading to Ramsgate for an

English Beach Weekend with a group of friends.

We are all taking the train down to the coast (armed with champagne) and renting a huge house.  The plan is to relax, play board games, enjoy the coastline, eat lots of food,

and enjoy some wine.  There is even the promise of Breakfast Tacos!!

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with our shenanigans. 

Now, I will leave you with a few more photos of the wonderful Rotterdam.

Cheers to a wonderful weekend!!!

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I Spy Friday featuring Rotterdam

And once again, it's Friday.  The weeks are just flying by, aren't they?

It will be June tomorrow.  (How did that happen and where the heck is Spring?)

And June means that it has been one year since I've seen my daughter Jessica which really stinks. It's the longest we've ever spent apart.  And this has put me into a bit of a funk, if I'm honest.  I miss that child of mine more than I can ever express. Hopefully, we will get her over here for a visit SOON!

We've also given notice to the landlord and it's official.  We are on the hunt for a new home in London.  We've enjoyed living so central for the past year, but are looking

forward to finding someplace with a little more rural, village feel.

It's very exciting but also a bit of a challenge.

I'll be glad when we are on the other side of the move.

I'll keep you posted as we proceed.

Gee, aren't you glad you stopped by?

You pop in and I greet you at the door in tears and ratty pajamas.

(You should have been here yesterday for the full on hissy fit.)

Let's just move on, shall we?

For today's I Spy Friday, I'm going to share some more photos from Rotterdam.  

It's not usually the first place people visit when going to Holland.  Amsterdam and The Hague are usually at the top of the list.  But, Rotterdam shouldn't be missed.  

I was completely charmed by the city.  I loved that it wasn't completely overrun by tourists.  It's a city where people are living and working and going to school.  

I want to go back with Matthew and rent an apartment for a few days.  I'll never ride a bike in London.  Even Amsterdam, with all of its bike lanes, is a bit scarey for me.  But, I think Rotterdam is someplace where I could try riding a bike again.  It's been years, but I'd love to try it.  Rotterdam would be the perfect place.

Here are two of the places we visited on our post conference blog trip hosted by Rotterdam Marketing.   We started with a Tuk Tuk ride.  To be honest, it sounded much more fun than it actually was. 

 

The weather was not cooperating and we crowded in six people per TukTuk.  One of the drivers got completely lost.  And I swear our driver got ours up on two wheels at one point.  I was holding on for dear life.  But, I guess that's part of the experience, isn't it?.  I'm sure they are much more fun when the sun is shining. 

Our first stop was the Blijdorp Zoo.  We had a quick tour of a few highlights and a bit of behind the scenes stuff.  It's a great zoo and I'd love to go back on a sunny day to stroll through to see what we missed.  

The Oceanium was a definite highlight and a favorite photo spot for the bloggers.

A little peak behind the scenes also added to the experience. 

Our next stop was the SS Rotterdam which was like going back in time. 

The ship was put into service in the 50's by the Holland America Line and once hosted iconic stars such as Frank Sinatra and the Dutch Royalty.  

It is now a hotel with restaurants and bars.

We had a great tour with Frank who spent 7 years in his 20's working on the ship and now volunteers to show people around the grand vessel.  It really got me excited about our upcoming cruise.

I think "I Spy" some blue skies appearing outside which is quite wonderful.

Matt's parents are coming to visit this weekend to celebrate their 50th Anniversary!

And we are having dinner with some friends tonight.

I can feel my melancholy lifting as we speak.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

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