Life In These United States

... while this blog has been quiet

since I flew home to the States,

life has been anything but that.

It's been full of spending time with people that I love,

doing things that jolly England just doesn't offer ($20 pedicures, anyone?),

being spoiled at showers for our quickly-approaching arrivals,

and eating more dairy/carbs/fat than I can articulate.

I have one baby that was leaning a bit on the scrawny side at our last scan

so I'm doing my best to stock up on extra calories while I'm here

to help a sister out.

Who said motherhood was a selfless gig?

The other day, I cruised through the grocery store with my mom

to grab a few things for dinner.

Typically, I can adapt fairly easily between cultures

but at times- 

I find myself reeling in a bit of reverse culture shock.

I'll find myself in a situation that seems so foreign and forgotten

and it leaves me confused on what to do next.

Items that I once needed in past years

 that are now frivolous, forgotten and slightly disgusting.

Yet somehow, their unexpected appearance

 leaves me with an urge to stockpile them 

with the fervor of a suburban mom at a strip mall on Black Friday.

And that's exactly how I ended up

walking out of the grocery store 

with one gallon of peppermint ice cream,

a can of orange cinnamon rolls,

an assortment of flavored coffee creamers

& seven boxes of Kraft macaroni & cheese.

So here's the plaguing question...

who doesn't like orange cinnamon rolls

and how can I change your mind?

*images original to Aspiring Kennedy

A Pretty Picture: Watercolor, Florida

If you need a great place to take a summer vacation-

you now have a great option: 
Watercolor, Florida.

This little town is right on the beach

and gives families a perfect place to lounge around together.

{And take matchy-matchy pictures together on the beach.}

You'll feel like you've stumbled upon Cutesville, USA.

And you kinda have.

I won't go into too detailed of an explanation,

because the pictures speak for themselves.

I mean... you've been to the beach, so you get the idea.

Now just add cute pastel houses, snow cone shacks & 

families peddling on cruises down to the beach

and you'll get the full picture.

Of course, my nieces were paraded around as princesses... there are certain life skills I feel obliged to teach them.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

The Giving {Family} Tree

When I went to Florida to join my family on vacation earlier this month,

my mom seized the opportunity to book family pictures on the beach.

You know the type,

where everyone wears white or khaki pants

& some sort of coordinating shirt.

While this isn't exactly my scene, 

I am happy to oblige my mom 

by throwing on a shirt & straightening my hair.

So out to the beach we tromped like a special unit of the JCrew army.

where we spent the next two hours flopping around in the sand,

screaming and the kids to get them to look at the camera...

and having our own fun while the photographer siphoned off family members for pictures.

As I look back over the pictures I took during the shoot, 

I feel really fortunate to be a part of this silly family.

While we may appear overly-confident & fling sarcastic comments at each other freely,

the truth is that every last person in my family has a really soft-heart.

Each of them continuously makes themselves vulnerable to others,

keeps themselves open to new relationships,

& deeply cares about how others perceive their actions.

Today, we are constantly fed the thought 

that it doesn't matter how what other people think of us.

We are reminded that we shouldn't live our lives to please others.

We refer to someone who is "sensitive" in a negative light.

And while I agree with that to an extent,

I love that the people in my family 

still care so much about others.

I appreciate the fact that they care about me enough 

to put up with nonsense that they probably have no real interest in

other than the fact that they want to support me.

{e.g. they sometimes read this little blog}

And that's why I ( along with my siblings & our spouses) 

am more than happy to put on matching clothes

and take a million pictures while my hair flaps around like a windsock.

Honestly, it take so little to make others happy,
and usually ends up pretty fun.

I wish I could remember that more often.

Now it's your turn,

what simple thing can you do

to take care of someone else today?

*All images original to Aspiring Kennedy

**Somehow I didn't get any pictures of my sisters. Luckily, the photographer got some good ones.

Monday Moods: I feel... off.

After one month in the US,

our bags are once again packed

and stuffed with the splendors

of Christmas morning & American retail prices.

Delicacies such as chile rellenos & fried okra

have made our jeans fit a bit tighter,

but the time with our loved ones has made our heart swell, too.

So as I anxiously await touching down in London

and moving on to a glorious stint in Paris,

I'm also saying goodbye to a few aspects of life

that I've been enjoying so much in the States.

Hunting through my mom family's abandoned grocery store for buried treasures. I found some good ones!

Roasting s'mores with family and watching Downton Abbey.

The retail craziness in the US. So much of everything... Is that 24 species of Pop-Tarts?

Decent burgers- because let's be honest: England kinda sucks at making burgers.

Spending time with my grandma...

And surprising her with dinner on her wedding china. (She wanted "spaghetti with a big glass of milk." ha!)

And of course, playing with my sweet niece. Good grief, I love that girl.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

Some things never change...

This week has been low in blogging, 

but as I always say-

when my blog posts are down,

it means other things in my life

are being awesomely distracting.

Beyond a visit to Windsor,

{that totally charmed my face off}

I've been hitting the town with my brother & sister-in-law...

I have some great memories 

of traveling Europe with my brother...

When we sit around a dinner table,

most of those stories are pretty much guaranteed

 to induce tears upon recollection.


Their favorite being the look that I strutted
 around London & Paris one week
in the height of my awkward years.


(Beret + Vest + Pink Puffy Coat = Lifetime of Family Jokes)

Yes, tears of laughter for them... tears of shame from me. I was just living the dream.

However, some of my best memories of Europe 

come from the other half of their marriage...

My sister-in-law, Meredith

{a.k.a. my college roommate}

Oh yes,

we both studied in Florence together

when we were in college...

Florence, 2004

took the continent by storm...

lived together for the rest of college...

and even came back together for a victory lap

through England & Sicily

with my family when the two of them started dating.

It's been six years since we've bought this party
back to this side of the ocean...


and we were doing our best to make up for lost time.

Out the door went through my calm, "local" demeanor...
and I transformed back into a loud, laughing American.

So much so,
that I regret to admit that we even went out last night 
dressed in matching shirts...


This move landed us the nicknames of "Ketchup" & "Mustard" from our dear husbands.

Oh well...


I guess some things never change.

The brilliance of our youth. Hard Rock Cafe, Rome 2004

Now you know more about my family...
and can see why I've tried to destroy all family pictures from 1995-1999.

*images original to Aspiring Kennedy

Breakfast Reading

Most of us like to consider ourselves "laid-back."

I'm a go-with-the-flow type myself.

Do you like to walk around in a kimono and a spare rabbit in your purse?

Cool. 

Are you training to be a professional hand-stander and want to practice in my front yard?

Have at it.

You want us to stay in a dirty hotel and go without bathing for 3 days in order to travel cheaper?

I can deal.

But the one thing 

that has always pushed me into a bizarre rage

  is hearing people eat.

... chomping, chewing, slurping, crunching ...

Ugh.

It makes me want to loose my mind.

via

My sister and I have been in countless squabbles (as adults)

that typically transpire similarly to this:

Lauren & Meredith are driving along in car

Lauren sits quietly.

Lauren covers ears and yells: STOP CHOMPING YOUR ICE!

Meredith: Get over it!

Lauren: I CAN'T HANDLE IT. I'M GOING CRAZY!

So this morning, when my friend Grace posted this article 

from the New York Times,

I felt some relief.

It describes a newly named condition,

Misophonia, that covers this reaction.

Now, I'm not as severe as some of the cases-

but man, I get what they are saying

Maybe when Tyler eats peanut M&M's ,

I'll still accuse him of having a secretly implanted amp

 in his jaw for the sole purpose of annoying me...

Maybe I'll still dodge the kitchen

when my dad eats a bowl of Grape Nuts...

And maybe raising children who don't smack

won't move down on my list of life goals...

but at least I know I'm not completely crazy.

What do you think?

Crazy or Completely Right?

Birthday Wish

If I could pick the perfect day to celebrate my 27th birthday,

what would I do?

It would probably involve a day spent with my love...

and my parents...

frolicking through our favorite Tuscan town...

eating delicious Italian meals....

and not having to worry about layering,
random rain showers,
or have to worry about my shoes getting soaked through.

Unfortunately, 

we did all of that yesterday.

Today we will have to settle for lunch at the Antinori vineyard,

 dinner off the Ponte Vecchio 

at my favorite restaurant in the world, Golden View,

and going back to "villa sit" our friend's place afterwards.

Hahah....

I realize how ridiculous and absurd it all sounds,

but alas-

 it's true!

Somehow, I lucked out this year on my birthday.

The only thing that could make it better?

Is if all you guys were there to join the party!

What would you do on your "perfect" birthday?