Monday Moods: I feel... childish.

Drinking a "racer" from a bottle & straw 

at brunch at The Riding House Cafe...

Desperately wanting to be a ballerina

after seeing the (incredible!) Degas exhibit...

Seriously asking my husband for permission

to buy the coloring book as a souvenir...

Opting to ride on the top of a double decker-bus,

even when the lower level was empty...

Going crazy over the sparkling windows & lights

debuting their Christmas wares....

It's days like yesterday that make me ask:

How can I have kid (someday)

when I still (so often) feel like one myself?

After walking by Christian Louboutin off Knightsbridge,

it seemed they were leaning towards the juvenile, too...

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

Friday Faces: Victoria of vmac+cheese

I am just LOVING the Friday Faces series. 

Every time I receive answers from the featured bloggers, 

I can't help but feel really lucky to interact with such cool people. 

For example,

meet Victoria.

The girl is just plain cool... 

beyond being a Texan (ahem!) who lives in San Fran (love!)

Victoria is also the person who encouraged me 

to take a simple post and turn it into a series getting to know bloggers better. 

And I did! 

I started a little series called "Friday Faces..." all thanks to her!

***

Happy Friday, everyone! My name's Victoria and I write the blog vmac+cheese. I was honored when Lauren asked me to participate in the Friday Faces series. Her blog is one of my faves! I always look forward to reading about her adventures abroad, don't you?

So, let's get right to it.

Who am I?

Where do I live?

What do I do? 

By day I work at a local university, specifically at their dental school. 

I assist one of the deans, 

and focus on a myriad of other projects in the Academic Affairs department.

Why do I blog?

[via]

I blog because I love being creative, I love connecting with other people,

 and I love sharing things that make me happy or make my life better. 

And above all -- blogging is fun! 

I definitely dream about having my blog become a bigger part of my career future. 

My hope is that it will be a great launchpad for other projects I want to work on!

Where do I blog?

I typically blog right here, in my home office. It's a little tiny space that's all my own. 

My desk directly faces a gallery wall filled with lots of framed art work that is meaningful to me;

 to the right of my desk is a big "inspiration board" made with string and clothespins, 

so that I can swap images out whenever I want.

 My office is also the first and last place I visit in my apartment 

before leaving and when coming home, so it features a big gallery of shoes. 

It's easy for me to dump off my kicks here!

When do I blog?

When I first became serious about posting to my blog everyday, I had to work out a schedule with my boyfriend so that he would know what to expect and when. (Sidenote: I have found one of the biggest secrets to communicating well with a man is to manage expectations. Seriously.) So, I typically blog on Sundays, and Wednesday evenings. On Sundays, I'm designing graphics and photo editing for the week, as well as coming up with post ideas. I'll also write Monday and Tuesdays posts (Wednesday is always a guest series post -- that helps take off some of the pressure!). On Wednesday night, I'll write Thursday's post and get a skeleton for Friday's post ready to go. It works out well! 

What looks suit me best?

[via 1 2 3 4 5 6]

As much as I wish I could be more daring with my fashion, I'm definitely no glamazon. 

I stick to pretty classic, basic pieces -- 

straight leg jeans, skinny black pants for work, lots of sweaters and stripes. 

As a third piece, I almost always opt for a cardigan or blazer of some kind. 

This time of year, I love wearing flat riding boots and mid-length coats. It works for me!

What's been the most shocking moment of my blogging career?

Hmm...probably when I realized people were actually reading what I wrote--

and that they related to it!

 When you first start blogging, sometimes it really feels like you're talking to no one.

 So that was exciting. 

Earlier this summer, one of my posts also got 'freshly pressed' by WordPress, 

which means that post showed up on the front page of WordPress.com. 

That was pretty shocking AND exciting! 

Where do I want to be in five years?

[via 1 2 3]

I have so many ideas and plans for the next few years of my life, 

but I'm totally one of those "idea of the week" kind of girls. 

I come up with genius ideas all the time...but I'm terrible at executing. 

Trust me, I'm working on that! 

So, for now, I'd say that in five years, 

I'd still like to be happy and in love, 

I want to have traveled to many more places, 

and I'd like to be enjoying the good life

 (complete with a glass of Champagne every now and then). 

Readers of vmac+cheese would be surprised to learn...

That I'm messier and more of a pack rat than I let on. 

I just realized this when I was taking photos for this post... my desk was a disaster! 

And I almost always have a huge pile of clothes sitting on a chair in our bedroom. 

I LOVE a clean, organized closet, but I despise putting laundry away. 

Can't have it both ways --  

I've decided I need to work on these habits, stat!

***

Thanks SO much Lauren, for having me visit today! This was a blast to put together. Have a great weekend, everyone! xo

Lake it or Leave It: The Lakes District

When you hear the Lakes District 

what do you think of?

Most people say Jane Austen.

If that's what you think, you're in good company...

because I would, too!

Even though Jane & me aren't as close as I would like,

seeing how she is kinda, well, dead and all,

I can only assume that we would be kindred spirits 

in our shared appreciation of this amazing area.

While I will never know {for sure} that Jane & me 

would see eye-to-eye on the beauty of the Lakes District...

I can ask you, my friend,

Is this place not gorgeous?

If you want to travel to the Lakes District,

here is what I would recommend.

I love staying in the town of Ambleside

at the Ambleside Central Hotel. 

Great location in the Lakes District

with cozy {& affordable} rooms...

Eat breakfast at Ambleside's Apple Pie Bakery...

and don't feel guilty about having it's namesake {with ice cream} for breakfast.

Visit Wordsworth's house in Grasmere, Dove Cottage...

find yourself inspired like one of the Lakes Poets by the stunning views.

and while you're in Grasmere, 

 try a bite of gingerbread from 

it's birthplace-

Sarah Nelson's.

It is an afternoon (teatime) delight!

Spend half a day exploring the waterside town of Windemere...

I love the small bakeries, tea rooms... 

and it's endless supply of charity shops!

Renting a boat on the Lake will fulfill all your stereotypes 

of a visit to the Lakes.

While you are in the Lakes District,

make a stop by Beatrix Potter's preserved home, Hilltop Farm...

and make it a priority to have lunch at the wonderfully delicious pub next door, 

The Tower Bank Arms.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

A Hump Day Treat

Looking at these people is like standing before fine art.

They might be in black in white,

but with cheek bones & faces like theirs...

we get the picture.

Olsen twins, Diane Kruger, Kate Moss...

Robert Downey Jr, Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper...

Honestly...

 I just can't handle the all the pretty DNA in one place.

*images via

A Pipe Dream Christmas

Err, Thanksgiving isn't really celebrated in England.

With the exception for the mad rush  

by the American ex-pat community

to Whole Foods on High Street Kensington...

most inhabitants of the UK blindly ignore this Thursday.

While we will pause to celebrate with our American friends,

I do feel that living on the original side of the Mayflower's journey

and in a land void of Pumpkin Spice Lattes or desserts... 

I fall exempt from the

"I will not acknowledge Christmas until Thanksgiving is over" rule.

Which, by the way, I think that is a hilarious argument... 

it's like equal rights for holidays.

Do people, like, honestly care?

Can't we all just celebrate whatever we want, whenever we want...

& skip the passive aggressive facebook statuses?

{Though I do feel "thankful" for facebook's "hide' feature in such cases...}

But anyway,

back to the topic:

Christmas!

As someone who is exempt from the post-Thanksgiving-celebration laws,

I've already started window shopping.

Yup. 

I'm awful.

Before you judge, please know this:

I live directly off Oxford Street

- the epicenter of charming Christmas retail -

and the absence of Thanksgiving 

already has us in full holiday swing here.

These types of visions really can't be avoided.

And I mean, 

if you're gonna make a Christmas list the first week of November

and offend people for your non-chronological celebrating...

you might as well shoot for the stars and go big, right?

So, without further adieu,

I present my Fantasy Christmas List...

complete with $19,000 earrings.

Or for any of the Thanksgiving purists out there,

I'll happily take any of these in November.

graphic image diary | barbour liberty jacket | irene neuwirth earrings | tom ford perfume | apple tv

Monday Moods: I feel... Fawkes-y.

... Remember, Remember The Fifth of November ...

This Friday, I got to celebrate my first Guy Fawkes night

in a proper English fashion:

A night in Battersea park for the festivities

sandwiched between hanging out in a pub with friends.

{The pub, The Prince of Wales, was actually really great.}

If you aren't a British History buff,

in the 1600's Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up Parliament 

by stashing gun powder underneath the main building.

His plot was uncovered at the last minute

and was promptly... "snuffed out,"

Guy Fawkes was hung, drawn & quartered 

at the Tower of London as punishment.

Err... oops.

Today, Britain celebrates the foiling of his plans

by building bonfires and throwing "faux Fawkes" on top

and setting off fireworks to symbolize the (could have been) gun powder explosions.

fireworks make everyone happy.

It's all pretty funny & medieval, actually.

Last year, we skipped town to try out the Canary Islands,

but this year, we couldn't miss out on a night in London

meeting up with some of our friends from Oxford.

{We miss our friends!}

We went to Battersea Park and were amazed

by the crowds of people...

oh my goodness, it was insane.

At the end of the night, the gates were so full and crowded,

the crowds opted to climb over the high fences 

and jump to the outer road.

Watching hundreds of people scale these wrought iron poles 

and jump to the pavement below

was like watching the last 30 minutes of "Titanic."

While I can't say Guy Fawkes was the most exciting event

- consisting mainly of standing in a field and waiting in the cold-

the fireworks were great

and the bonfire was a really fun (and redneck) way

to change up our London scene.

*You can also watch V for Vendetta for a modern remake of Guy Fawkes plot.*

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

*images 6 & 7 shot by Alanna Petroff

Will the real Slim Lady please stand up?

I wish I were a girl who was super skinny 

& didn't have to think twice about what she ate...

but alas, 

God swapped out my metabolism for an affinity for cobbler

and reversed my leg/torso ratio 

creating an affect I liken to the Tasmanian Devil.

I used to not care about what I ate...

like, I would eat a Dairy Queen Blizzard EVERY night in college.

And I miraculously wasn't 5468 lbs.

When I graduated & got married,

I still didn't care...

the only problem was

doing the office + lunch/dinner out routine... 

I kinda did gain 5468 lbs.

Living overseas has trimmed me back to my preferred size,

which I can attribute to having more time to consider what I'm eating

& walking constantly...

I was feeling particularly fat & happy after lunch.

For any of you that are so busy you can't even remember what you've eaten,

here's a few inspirational links to help out...

I love FlatPlanet's flatbreads for a well-portioned, fresh lunch....

and it's convenient location next to Liberty.

I love this Food & Wine recipe for a delicious carrot soup.

I love soups, salad and small sandwiches for lunch...

as they are easy, cheap, available pretty much everywhere

and do a pretty good job of keeping my butt the same size.

I love Sarah's healthy approach to eating,

witnessed by her grocery lists, light lunches & killer legs.

I love these trousers from H&M that make my legs look skinnier...

though no where near to Sarah's.

I love the Couch to 5K program that Leslie is doing...

She inspired me to go out and run one {tiny} mile last Saturday.

It was both horrible & empowering to a blog-potato like myself.

I love walking everywhere,

and I know this luxury isn't afforded in suburban cities...

which is why I'm a big fan of urban living discussion & planning.

I love this Chai Latte from Caffe Nero

for a low-cal sip on a chilly day.

Now I've spilled my secrets...
what do you love?

New Passport- Old Friend

Immigrating is hard.

I'm starting to assume that anyone who has a black & white opinion 

on the rules and policies that should be enforced

towards immigration & deciding who-should-be-allowed-to-live-where

has never actually tried to immigrate.

We are working on getting our visas renewed

so that we can stay here longer

and I can continue to eat my body weight in puff pastry & dairy products.

While we are working towards this exciting goal

{that will be a big sigh of relief for us},

I found a small hitch that caused me some slight grief:

I would have to renew my passport early

in order to have my passport valid

for the entire duration of my new visa.

Blah.

After 8 years with this passport and some heavy traveling, 

my passport has become something I really treasure:

it has 7 visas, 1 hand-stitched extension, 104 stamps & 13 empty spaces.

I'm so proud of it.

goodbye 19 year old picture... goodbye sparkly purple signature from a jelly pen.

My parents always worked hard to show us the world.

They wouldn't indulge us on trendy clothes

{oh heavens, did they believe in the hand-me-downs}...

but they did spoil us with traveling.

They always said that the stuff would turn to junk,

but the memories would turn into a life well lived.

And something about that idea seems to have stuck with me.

my first stamp in my passport. touch down in rome for a semester in italy.

my first uk visa

I mailed my new application & photos in today,

I realized that it wasn't my worn passport that made me a world traveler...

it's the collection of thoughts, memories & impressions that shape who I am.

And besides...

even if I do have to start over

 with a stark & empty passport,

I'll always have my facebook albums.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy