Guest Post: Across the Pond

Get ready for a laugh because today we have Megan from Across the Pond.

A Cali girl living in Scotland, Megan is hilariously inappropriate, loves food just as much as I do, and is one hot little number.

So we were destined to be friends.

Oh and she has a sexy Irish boyfriend.

Win.

So without further ado...

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Hello ladies and ladies

I am Megan from Across the Pond

Over a year ago I packed up my life in sunny california

and moved to England..

And i have actually never really confessed this over in the blog world..

but when I was accepted to the University of Nottingham, in Nottingham England..

i sorta thought i was going to be in London..

I was under the impression that Nottingham,

was like a bi-product of London..

like how originally I am from a town called Agoura Hills,

which is in Los Angeles.

fail.

Nottingham is like 3 hours North of London..

not even close to being like London..

its like boondock country livin..

and so im pretty sure everyone who came to my blog thought i lived in london..

due to my whole url living4london.blogspot.com thing..

and i sorta just went with it.

oops.

But i have been to london.

Proof:

and now I live in Scotland...

and still have my same url...

double fail.

Tell London I say Hi Alex!!

Guest post: Run With Me

Today I bring to you Ashley, fabulous author of the fun blog Run With Me.

We both love celebs, designer jeans, and old school Lisa Frank.

But she's a hottie hard core runner.

I live vicariously through her exercise.

Her posts are always a treat, so enjoy!

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Hello readers of Mutual Weirdness!

I'm Ashley and I blog over at Run With Me

So, I guess  I should tell you who I am right?

Most obvious fact?

I blog (yeah, that link above is what we call shameless self-promotion).

Second most obvious fact.....I LOVE to run

I'm sorry.....who doesn't like free t-shirts and medals a great workout?

But beyond that, here's some things you probably should know:

I'm a Tabloid Junky

I have no clue what's going on in the Middle East or D.C most of the time....but Kourtney Kardashian announcing her pregnancy and Demi and Ashton announcing their split, I'm.all.over.it.

I don't drink milk but....

I drink almond milk like a freshly-hatched infant. I once even asked for a milkshake at a bar. The bartender was not amused #iwastotallyserious

If it's one-shoulder, I probably own it

I have huge hands....

which naturally means I will need big diamonds to cover them up!

that's what I'm talking about.

I'm Obsessed with Music....

particularly this chick

I may or may not still own a poster of her Rolling Stones cover.

I better stop there. I don't want to overwhelm you with all this coolness ;)

THANK YOU SO MUCH ALEX

for letting me come post on your fantastic blog! Such an honor!

XO, A

Guest post: Jenni Austria Germany

Today's guest post comes from the lovely Jenni of Jenni Austria Germany. 

A graduate of OSU, our friendly neighbor to the north, Jenni now lives in Germany teaching English.

She loves all things involving food [especially sweets], travel, and Beyonce. 

So of course we are friends.

If you don't already read her blog [which you should], go do it now!

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What an American Abroad Misses Most

As someone who has spent the majority of the past few years living abroad (first in Austria, then in Germany), I've learned a thing or two about separation anxiety.  Sure, it's rough leaving behind loved ones, friends, pets, familiarity, etc.  Saying goodbye to your favorite TV shows can take a heavy toll on a person's emotional well-being, too (watching American TV online in Germany is darn near impossible).  And not being able to speak English on a regular basis has caused me my fair share meltdowns -- believe me.  

But when my mom tells me, "I'm sending you a care package soon.  What things do you miss most right now?", my answers never usually vary from month to month.  Today I thought I'd share some of the easiest/best items to send to someone across the pond -- you never know when this kind of stuff might come in handy.  Any American friends abroad will love you for it, trust me!  And any European friends you might know might appreciate it, too -- who knows?  Especially if they're looking to gain a few lbs. and/or increase their risk of heart attack.

1.  Quaker Rice Snacks

These things weigh almost nothing, which is ideal for senders trying to cut down on costs (unfortunately, customs/shipping charges can be OUTRAGEOUSLY high - a package my mom once sent me totaled $55!).  If the recipient of this package doesn't appreciate these Quaker treats, ask him or her to send 'em on over to me.  I happen to know someone who can consume one of these bags in a single sitting. ........

2.  Pop Tarts

These come in boxes or in packs of two (which my mom usually sends since they're more care-package-friendly).  And while there are, of course, several flavors to choose from.....all I have to say is: brown. sugar. cinnamon.  

3.  Magazines

Despite my attempts to seem like an intelligent person, let me be the first to say that I enjoy celeb gossip just as much as the next E!News addict.  Americans abroad eat these up like candy.  And if they don't, then they're not real Americans.

4.  Books in English

From my experiences in Austria and Germany, books in English are somewhat hard to come by.  Bigger European cities should have English bookstores, but that's by no means a given.  Take it from me, someone who spent a summer in Italy circa 2008 trying desperately to track down an English version of Breaking Dawn. 

5.  Sugary Cereal

Most European countries' food/drug laws prohibit crack-cocaine-like-cereals from being sold in stores, on account of...well, have you read their sugar content?  This means that Americans abroad must settle for eating bland cereal (think:corn flakes) day-in....day-out...and day-in again.  Cue 'Hard-knock Life' from the Annie soundtrack.  I'm out.

Guest Post: Sara in Le Petit Village

First up in my series of fantastical guest posters is Sara from Sara in Le Petit Village.

Not only is Sara hilarious and a lover of cheese and wine, she's a fellow Texan!

But Sara wins at life because she lives in a quaint village in Provence with her French husband and a band of always-entertaining characters [and a dog named Fifty].

I highly suggest you go check her out immediately!

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Alex asked me to guest post on her blog, while she's cavorting around Europe, and of course I said yes, I mean, anything for a fellow Texas cavorting around Europe, right?

And since it's that most wonderful time of the year, and one of Alex's cavorting destinations is Dublin (one of my former hometowns) I'm going to write about Christmas in Dublin. Or more specifically why I loved it so much (I'm using 'loved' instead of 'love' since I no longer live in Dublin, and now spend Christmas with my in-law's in France... although last year I did manage to pop back over for the holidays).

Via

Dublin, like loads of other cities, likes to get tarted up a bit for Christmas... the lights are slung all over the major shopping streets and wreaths hung. But Dublin is blessed with buskers (sometimes too many in fact) but at Christmas time most of them play Christmas music right there on the street, so besides the normal music blaring from shop's speakers, there's live music, keeping you company along your way as well.

And since we're talking about music, let's talk about the best Christmas song of all time, Fairytale of New York, by The Pogues and Kristy McColl. You can't turn on a radio in Dublin without hearing it. It has to be the most unjolly, perverse Christmas song ever. And it's wonderful. Have a listen (and check out a young Matt Dillon guest starring as 'the cop')...

 

The Irish know how to have a good time and Christmas is as good as an excuse as any. Work places go into full on festive mode, hosting some pretty amazing Christmas parties (I've been to ones at both the Jameson and Guinness factories... brilliant locations for parties!) and on Christmas Eve we'd always knock off early. Like real early. But that would be after Irish Coffees and Baileys that would have been made by 10am. Then it would be off to the pub.

 

 

After the goodbye, Happy Christmas drinks with your workmates in town, you'd head to your local pub to meet up with friends and family for a few pints and then on to Midnight Mass. Midnight Mass should always be attended after the pub. It's much merrier that way.

And there you have it... just a few of the reasons I loved Christmas in Dublin... a tarty city, perverse Christmas music, Bailey's for breakfast, and merry Midnight Mass.

Happy Holidays!

So long! Farewell!

I hope you all had a wooonderful Christmas!

Did you eat a lot of Christmas goodies?

I hope so.

Today I embark on my winter Euro-trip, and I couldn't be more excited!

To tide y'all over while I'm gone [because I know you'll be missing all my talk of food and cats], I have some FABULOUS guest poster lined up to keep you entertained.

They'll take good care of you, promise.

See y'all in 2012!! :)

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas, you lovely people!! 

Source: themeadowbrookblog.blogspot.com via [maisontwenty3} on Pinterest

May this day bring joy and blessings to all of you! 

And copious amounts of food!! 

Duh. 

 I'm headed back to Houston this evening. Leaving home on Christmas...womp womp. 

 But it's all in preparation for my flight to Dublin tomorrow morning!! 

 See y'all in 2012 :)

Twas the night before Christmas...

And in my house that means...

Last minute baking.

Source: batemanbuzz.blogspot.com via Sandy on Pinterest

Wine.

From our personal cellar, of course.
[lies]

Source: houzz.com via Noelle on Pinterest

Dinner at a Mexican restaurant [it's a tradition we accidentally started several years ago].

Source: bonappetit.com via Amy on Pinterest

And Christmas pies.

Source: thenaturalweddingcompany.wordpress.com via Holly on Pinterest

Merry Christmas Eve, friends! 

Merry Christmas from the Fab Four....

...and our 37 inch pizza.

While this may look like some sort of optical illusion, I assure you it is not.

This pizza has been featured on Man vs. Food.

It is typically consumed by families of 10 or more.

Not four women.

We know how to have a Christmas dinner.

And a killer tummy ache.



Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree...and cats

I present to you, our Christmas tree:

And I present to you, our Christmas tree + me + my cats because it's not Christmas without a portrait with your "children."

Just a little clip of why my alma mater is awesome

Because this happens at the end of each graduation:

The graduates sing the Aggie War Hymn and "saw 'em off."

Being an Aggie is pretty awesome :)

Wanna see something adorable?

That is a baby seal.

On a couch.

Why is there a baby seal on a couch, you might ask.

Apparently it went from the bay it lived in, across a road, through a dog door of a random person's house, UP SOME STAIRS, and onto this couch.

I wish something like this would happen to me.

Except there is absolutely no chance of that, seeing as how there are no seals anywhere remotely near Texas [except at Sea World and zoos].

Found in this article.

What my weekend looked like

Via

Via

Via

Jealous?

I was clearly watching what I ate.

Current song obsession

I"ve been rather irritated with Glee as of late.

There have been some hilarious nuggets here and there, but for the most part I've just felt....meh about it.

Then they covered this song on Tuesday.

Can't.stop.listening.

The original by fun. [yes, that is the band's name] is also excellent.


Have a fabulous weekend, lovelies!

Christmas gift for a crazy cat lady

What does it say about me that I want these cosmetics?

Found via 

That time my best friends came to town and I ate more food than ever

I am doing a separate post solely dedicated to the food that was consumed when the Fab Four took over Houston for the weekend.

Also, I want to make you hungry.

Friday night, 2:15 am: House of Pies

Saturday lunch: Greek food

Chicken gyro

Greek Salad

Spinach pizza

Saturday snack: Mini treats

Saturday dinner: Homemade pizzas

Saturday night snack: Sprinkles cupcakes

We love food, obviously.

Fab Four does Houston

Having my girls in for the weekend was absolutely wonderful!

We danced, ate, shopped, ate some more, had a photo shoot, made pizzas, ate some more, played games, and ate some more.

PERFECT!

5 million pictures to follow.

What up, iPhone picture with no flash.

Despite what this looks like, we don't like to just hang out in hotels. There was an awesome bar downstairs.

We did some shopping on a hip street. So I took a picture with Instagram to make them look like hipsters.

No girls weekend would be complete without a photo shoot in a park on a beautiful day.

I've been fooling everyone. This is the real me.

I am so incredibly thankful to have these ladies in my life. 

They know me, inside and out, and love me for all my weirdness.

Can we do this every weekend, please?