Sunday Photo Album - Isla Mujeres, Mexico

aHAAAAA it's Sunday and I remembered to put a photo album up AND I'm hungover. Win.

Today's album comes from our honeymoon in Mexico. We were so lazy and pretty much hung out on the beach for most of our trip drinking cocktails with breakfast because we could. We were in a wedding haze and completely thrilled with how amazing our wedding day was.

By the second week of our trip though we wanted a bit of adventure and to stretch our legs a little so we took a ferry over to Isla Mujeres (loosely translated to Island of Women).

The island itself is so small that you can drive around the whole thing in around an hour and the best thing is that you can rent a golf buggy for the day to drive around in. So much fun. Here's their version of a sat nav:

Enjoy the album!

String Art - A great wedding present!

Oh hiya,

I've been wanting to post these photos for a while, but I made this as a present for our friend's wedding, so I had to wait until I'd given it to them in case they read this and saw it before and it ruined the surprise!

Basically, two of my friends, Matt and Lucy got married yesterday and the reception was in the grounds of their own home (they've got a nice place, lots of land). In order to make room for the marquee, they hired a tree surgeon to remove a tree.

The problem was that they removed the WRONG TREE and managed to chop down a beautiful weeping willow as well as the tree they wanted removed.

Ooops. They won't be getting a recommendation...

Anyway, they were gutted as it was a really old tree and a huge part of their garden, but they had pieces of the willow tree chopped up and ready to burn, and I had the idea of making a string art project for them using a piece of their tree, so it could live on in their home.

Plus I'm broke at the moment and thought a hand made present might be a nice inexpensive touch! :)

It was super quick and easy, my little niece and I had lots of fun making it. 

Firstly, we got some nails, in hindsight I would have preferred smaller nails as it was quite nail-heavy overall on the smaller hearts, but they were all I had. We had pencil drawn a heart shape and hammered nails into the general heart shape.

The hardest part was tying a knot in the thread to start it and finish the heart. It all has to look neat and I'm quite clumsy with thread anyway.

Next is the fun part and you just weave around the entire heart and push the thread to the bottom of the shape and then just start randomly weaving round each nail randomly in a criss-cross fashion until you're happy with the result.

Finally, thread all around the heart again at the top of the nail to create a 3D effect and tie the thread in as much of a knot as you can to finish.

Et voila! One quick and easy heartfelt tree stump string art!

Happy Second Wedding Anniversary - A Few Wedding Tips...

I haven't talked about weddings on here for a while... it's been all Kenya, Kenya and a bit more Kenya... and the fact that our two year wedding anniversary has arrived is NOT allowed to be overshadowed :)

I love being married. A LOT of people ask you after the big event 'How is married life?' and I'm here to tell you that once you emerge, dazed and a little honeymoon tanned from the wedding bubble... the truth is... it really isn't any different to life before marriage. Sorry. That's not a bad thing though!

There is more of a connection between you for a few weeks/months due to the experience you've just shared (standing up in front of your friends and family saying your vows such a wonderfully bizarre romantic experience) but soon enough Real Life kicks in and before you know it you're heading out to work of a morning, cooking dinner, watching TV and you get used to wearing your second ring and people (me) kinda stop talking about WEDDING THIS WEDDING THAT in every sentence.

I now have the pleasure of three of my friends (including one of those as my little sister, Beth) getting wed within the next year or so and it's so great to watch them go through the build up, the prep, the STRESS, the excitement and anticipation. I know each of their weddings will be fab and totally different from each other and I can't WAIT.

I wanted to share a few tips and reassurances in the build up to your wedding:

* At some point, you WILL dislike your wedding dress. It's true! You go through all the rigmarole of choosing the perfect dress, finding it, buying it (ouch) and then.... nothing. It takes a few months to have it made and delivered and by that time you've only got memories of what it looked like (and that was a sample you tried on). When YOUR dress comes and you try it on, don't be surprised if it doesn't live up to what you remembered. After all, you paid so much for it and it seemed like the perfect dress for you a few months ago but it's more real now you've paid for it and only have this one dress. Remember WHY you loved it and try it on with a gorgeous necklace and shoes to bring back the love :)

* Hen do - it's ok to have a small one. I'm not sure where this idea has come from that you need to have a hen do with at least 30 people on and it needs to be abroad and it needs to be expensive, that's not what most nights out with your friends are like are they and you still have fun don't you? Why can't a hen do just be a night out? It has all this pressure on it to be amazing and the more you plan, the less fun it will be!

* Your husband-to-be will not be bothered, it doesn't mean he doesn't want to marry you :) I remember asking Josh at one point in the run up to our wedding, what colour napkins he wanted on the tables... the look on his face was 'basically, I couldn't give a shit babe'. I MAY have over reacted at the time thinking he didn't care about the wedding. The truth is, men DO want to get married, but they're just not bothered about the detail and you can actually learn something from their attitude. Don't lose sight of the important thing; it's about you two marrying, not about matching tableware together...

* Your wedding photographer IS worth the expense. My photographer (http://www.sarahjanesphotography.co.uk/) was amazing and completely worth the fee we paid. She even helped me put on my wedding dress which I so appreciated. A good wedding photographer will be a huge help, have loads of experience and add to the excitement of the day without making you feel you're missing most of it by standing in front of a camera. Some of the best shots she took were us all getting on with the day and enjoying ourselves!

*Your husband to be will probably go to a strip club on his stag do. It's so cliche and predictable, but it will probably happen and you might never know about it.

* It's not all about wedding photo albums. We just couldn't afford an album having returned from honeymoon a little bit broke, financially. In hindsight maybe we should have put money aside before we got married to pay for the album, but I'm not sure how much I'd sit and look at the album anyway. I had our favourite picture made into a big canvas and it's hanging on the wall of our bedroom. I see it every morning and I LOVE it. Other images are dotted around our house in frames and we're constantly reminded of our wedding day, I think I prefer it that way.

Do you have any tips to share?

Mexico: A photo blog mainly.

I met my lovely friend Claire (hello Claire!) the other night and enjoyed an evening of Wagamama and carol singing at a carol concert (fast turning into a yearly ritual) and she mentioned she is going to Mexico next year, so I thought I'd have a dig through my photo album from our Mexican honeymoon :) I like going back through photos. And putting them on my blog.

Clearly our budget did not stretch to First Class tickets...

Mexican sunset. Kind of similar to other sunsets.

Take a day trip to Isla Mujeres

 

Claire - have an amazing trip! Can I come too????

In conclusion: Mexico has amazing beaches. There are a lot of Americans there who like to keep hold of rafts that belong in the swimming pool when they're not even in the swimming pool but luckily that didn't bother me. Oh and there are stingrays in the sea. Oh and Mexican food is amazing.

I'm in Wales!

Right now I'm in the beautiful village of Llangollen. Or is it a town? I don't know. I don't care.

You want to know why I don't care? Because this is my view right now:

Yep. Pretty content.

I'm in my safe house. I've been coming here since I was 12 (on my 12th birthday actually, fact fans) and this is the place I feel content. Well... if I can't leave the country then this is my favourite place ever.

Here's a few pictures from today before I tuck in to some wine and cheese.

 

 

 

 

And that's all for now from me. Sorry for the silence, it's been a big week. More news to follow...

 

But... You're Married? Why Are You Going Alone?

Yep, I'm married (happily thanks very much) and I have a lovely little rock on my finger to prove it. The last time I checked, this wasn't the fifties (or something similar) and women were allowed to go off and do stuff on their own...

I'm off to Kenya next week (hopefully, I'm on a standby flight) and without fail every single person I've told has asked the question 'Is Josh going too?'.

Hey Josh! Watcha doin'?

Now, I KNOW I'm completely irrational a bit uptight about some things, but it's hugely important for me to retain a sense of self - whatever the heck that means, I know what I'm trying to say. I never really thought of myself as independent - until I got married. I KNOW, I'M WEIRD. All of a sudden it was really important for me not to be 'a stereotypical wife' in the traditional sense and I'm really trying not to sound like a bitch here. I adore being married, but it's not the sum of my parts.

Honestly, I thought I'd punch the next person who asked me 'So, how's married life?'

I think because it just seemed such a LAZY question. I'm sure you don't really care about the answer, and the answer is that IT'S NO DIFFERENT SHITHEAD. What on EARTH would you like me to answer that question with?! I got married over a year ago, so the question has now expired, and guess what question comes next? Babies. Yeah, get in line for a punch.

What I'm trying to say is that just because I've walked down the aisle with the boy, that's not the end of the road for Katie on her own. Just because we're married doesn't mean we're joined at the hip at all times. PLEASE don't get me wrong, I love my husband to bits (but I'm NEVER going to call him 'hubby' - bleurgh!)

I don't need him to validate me as a person and I think that's healthy. I love being with him, but I love being me too and having things that I'm interested in. I recognise that what makes us stronger isn't necessarily sharing everything. As long as we have fun together and are happy, what does it matter? When you live together, it's important to make an effort and for things not to go stale. I will not be part of those divorce statistics that both of our parents so heavily contributed to (thanks 'rents).

The main thing is, he can't take any holiday until September and I might burst if I have to wait that long to go away. So, I either burst or go alone. And I don't feel like bursting right now...

I figure absence/absinthe makes the heart grow fonder, plus he can watch all the football he wants AND he gets to live in a tidy house for a while (I'm really messy). Then I'll get back, we'll go back to a messy house and relative domestic bliss.

By the way, I have no idea why I've used so many brackets in this blog post tonight, I must be feeling brackety. Read into that what you will.

Yours happily in marriage but refusing to conform to tradition,

Katie x

One Year Ago

This time last year I was growing into my new title of 'Mrs. Baxter' (I sound like such a dinnerlady don't I?) Trying to get used to not being a Mossman anymore... that sucked. Could be worse though, I could have married a Mr. Sidebottom or a Mr. Butt.

I still had a 'honeymoon in Mexico' tan, which is kind of like a normal tan but pastier, blotchier and with a sexy bandage tan line on my shin from having a mole removed.

I was looking forward to starting a new career in Marketing and saying goodbye to a four year stint in Customer Support.

I was about to turn 27. 27 on July 27th (made me smile anyway!)

I was about to go to Africa and then Amsterdam.

One year whizzes by, don't let it pass you by y'all.

That is all. Saturday night musings, now it's time for wine.

Love,

Mrs. BAXTER x x
Souplady.

The 5 Most Daring Things I've Done So Far... dum dum dum!

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. I've been training my cat for car travel and it's taking longer than expected. Bloody cat.

Anyhoo. Whilst I have travel on the brain, I have exciting news!

No, I am NOT pregnant!

We're doing a charity skydive at work. Not at work technically, that would be the lamest skydive ever. No, the drop location is yet to be announced but we're all throwing ourselves out of a plane in the next few months. Scary hey?

It got me thinking that I've done some scary/daring stuff already in my life, am I tempting fate by signing myself up for yet another risky activity?

I figure life's too short to spend it hiding away 'just in case'... it's better to live it than worry about it!

So in no particular order, but starting with the scariest first, I give you my list:

1. Camping in the Serengeti, Tanzania

Ain't no lions getting in my tent!

Woah. Poopantsville this one. It was one of those moments I thought to myself 'What the hell are you doing spending the night in the Serengeti in a tent?!!!' and I honestly didn't think I'd last the night but it was reassuringly uneventful. The camp was completely open and there were zebra all around us but no sign of any KatieEaters. We sat around the campfire hearing stories about tour guides waking up in the night to find lions around the fire... gulp. My recipe for surviving a night in the Serengeti? 1 beer, 2 sleeping pills and some sturdy earplugs. You'll soon wake up to sunrise feeling like a hero.

It wasn't until the next night where we camped at the Ngorogoro Crater and a fully grown elephant appeared a few feet away from our truck that it sank in just how cool this was. TIP - If you ever find yourself being chased by an elephant, just run in diagonal lines and you'll soon lose them. Or is that a rhino?

2. Flying solo across the world

Sadly not like Amelia Earhart, I was just a passenger, this time. No, I flew to Honduras a few years ago, and not only was it my first flight alone but I had THREE flights to catch (SIX if you think about the return journey as well mmm hmmmm) 19 hours and THREE planes later I was feeling mighty proud of myself let me tell you.

Two main horror stories were the guy who I sat next to asking me if I wanted to watch Air Crash Investigation with him on his laptop (true story) and the final flight after two long previous flights turned out to be the equivalent of a paper airplane, it was the size of a private jet on a windy night. My nerves were shot to shit after that long journey, but I calmed down pretty quickly with a glass of wine in my paw.

3. Zip Lining in Honduras

While I'm talking about Honduras, I'll drop in the absolutely insane and completely unsafe amazing zip line/canopy tour I did in Copan. I hear you guffawing 'that's not daring!' but if you'd care to watch my video and stay tuned until the camera pans around, I suspect you might think otherwise. Especially when you get to the end of the line and note that the wire that is the difference between life and death has been wrapped around a DEAD TREE. Don't tell my Mum.

One guy we were with got wire burns because they let him do the course in the dark and he didn't see the end of the wire and slammed full speed in to the tree. They made him finish the course because there was no other way down. Ouchville.

4. Still with me? Impressed at all? How about visiting a Mexican Doctor who used Google Translate to treat me?

This one is SO weird. I got an infection on my leg from a open scar (quick sick story that still makes me retch...I was sunbathing and looked down to see A FLY SITTING RIGHT ON THE OPEN WOUND!) Anyway, I needed antibiotics and quick, and found a Mexican doctor. My Spanish is fine if I need to order a cerveza or get the bill, but explaining the situation to the Doc was going to be tricky.

Luckily for me, he had an iPhone! We conversed through Google Translate for a while, I got my pills (to this day I don't know if they were antibiotics) and as I was about to leave, he called me back for one more translation which was 'Don't eat pig during the healing process' ... *blank look from me* 'sorry, pig?' nodding from the Doctor. I checked with a doctor when I got home and in his many years of practicing medicine, he has not come across this seemingly Pig-ist reaction. But I'm open to any comments from anyone in the medical profession!

5. I got married.

Collective puking from readers! Whatever.

I still maintain that buying a house is more of a commitment than getting married, but it's the most intense and full on day of my entire life, no regrets as yet my friends! Married life is NO different to life before, but with this weekend comes wedding anniversary #1 and it's been a fab year. Thank you for bearing with me, I kept it short on purpose.

So, I'll leave it on that note. I'd LOVE to hear what your most daring moments are and I'll let you know how the parachute jump goes. I REALLY hope I don't get the work experience guy rolling up my parachute...

A price-per-wear theory so I can afford clothes and shoes? Yes please!

*Disclaimer* Boys, you are not going to be interested in this post in the slightest. Run along and play with your toys :)

I heart clothes, especially pretty clothes and ESPECIALLY clothes with a bird print motif! Oh yes!

Flipside? I don't have much money at my disposal for aforementioned pretty things. Hmmm. Quandry.

How does one get past this and still end up with pretty things AND a bank balance with enough cash for wine and everyday essentials, such as matching shoes and necklaces?

Allow me to share my (almost) foolproof system when shopping and your lives will change!

It's called the Price-Per-Wear system (capitals necessary)

(If I knew how to make that little copyright logo thingy then I'd be all over that. But I'm not)

Now, the Price-Per-Wear system will get you out of a lot of down in the dumps and chin holding, head to the side 'but can I afford it?' moments.

You find yourself in retail heaven, standing before the garment of your dreams of the moment. You love it, it is, without a doubt, the prettiest thing you've seen in the last few minutes.

But it's £30. OK, the extent of my wealth reveals that I find £30 a lot of money to spend on one item, but insert your own amount, whatever works for you!

Ask yourself this vital question: How many times am I actually going to wear this?

(This is the part you whip out your calculator if your maths is not so good)

If the dress is £30 and you think you'll only wear it three times... well that's £10 per wear. Excellent maths skills Katie, well thank you very much Katie.

If it's going to be an everyday wear, and you'll wear it at least ten times, price it at £3 per wear. Bargain.

See what I mean? Brilliant logic, that also helps your maths skills. Everyone's a winner.

The Price-Per-Wear system. Someone show me how to make the copyright sign and quick!



(Of course... this logic went straight out of the window the day I purchased my wedding dress...)

Hot off the press...

I wanted to keep a collection of all guest posts and interview type things in one place. Mainly to show off, but once again to reflect on things I've done in my life so far. Hope you enjoy them!

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2007/old-news-article-5373 - interview about my trip to Uganda back in 2007 - I sound sooooooo well spoken, living in Leeds for nearly 8 years has changed that!

http://artofbackpacking.com/from-teaching-in-uganda-to-kenya-tanzania-and-zanzibar-%e2%80%93-by-an-africa-addict/ - guest post on Art of Backpacking website all about my trips to Africa so far...

http://blog.gapdaemon.com/blogs/guest-post-i-went-to-uganda-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-typhoid/ - A guest post about how I came to contract Typhoid in Uganda...no details spared!

http://www.beforethebigday.co.uk/2011/07/real-diy-budget-wedding-katie-josh.html - Uh oh...wedding alert! This was a guest post on a wedding blog. Ahhhhh.

http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-blog/2012/02/08/6-things-you-wont-experience-if-youre-not-tefling/ - I'm kind of cheating here but it was looking a bit sparse so thought I'd pad it out with a work related blog :)

http://artofbackpacking.com/things-to-do-in-honduras/ Oh and I'm back again on Art of Backpacking site, I do LOVE that site.

That's me so far! Enjoy!

Where I've Been So Far...

It's important to look back on your trips you've taken to really appreciate what you've done! It's not all about looking forward and dreaming of your next trip...take some time to appreciate where you've been and what you've accomplished.

With that in mind, here's a list of countries I've been to so far and my favourite memory from each place:

Ireland: Drinking time!

France: Disneyland Paris time!

Belgium: Chocolate times!

Spain: Gosh, too many times to count!

Portugal: Staying in a villa for the first time

Holland: Cycling around with my sister Beth in tiny neighbourhood times

Germany: A one night football tour to Hamburg - crazy times.

Switzerland: Coach trip with school, fun times

Cyprus: Sunset drinks time

Kenya: Safari time!

Tanzania: Hungover blur, lots of time spent on a safari truck times

Uganda: My first African experience time

Dominican Republic: All inclusive time

Honduras: Build a house time

Costa Rica: Airport stopover time but still a stamp in my passport!

Mexico: Honeymoon time!