Five months into 2016, and also five months living in the US, and the weather has certainly gotten a lot hotter in this past month, it's felt more like summer than spring most of the time. I've been making the most of the weather with getting out bike riding, mostly to and from East Rock - getting there is tiring, but seeing the view from the top on a sunny day is always worth it.
That's not to say I haven't been doing any of my responsibilties around the house, something I've had to adjust to since me and my lovely Nicole tied the knot - I might not yet have a job but I do try to keep active, whether it's helping around the house, doing something creative, or going out and about as I just mentioned. I'm not the type who just sleeps all day and does nothing, and I never want to be that way.
The wedding ceremony is creeping up, it's less than 2 weeks away as I type this - I'm ready for the stress of the planning and the anticipation of it to be over, but at the same time I also can't wait to see my family again when they fly over for it, as I've said many times now, and of course both me and Nicole are looking forward to the ceremony and reception, it will all be worth it when we can stand on that beach with our family and friends looking on as we pledge our vows to each other.
On a more louder note, me and Nicole had a "rock and roll weekend" from the 20th to the 22nd May, we went to not one but two music gigs, both at the Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket - the first was an 80s rock covers band called Aquanett, they were really impressive; the second was 3 Doors Down, a rock band very famous in the US, they were solid and put on a really good show - both bands were a hit.
On the artwork front, I recently brought my "Snow Sam" comic series to an end - that isn't the only comic series I have decided to pull the plug on, sort of. After 10 years I have decided not to make any more short "A Monster Thing" comics, but don't panic, as I will be continuing the main story comics. My reasons? I just don't have any ideas for short comics anymore, plus as I've also already mentioned, I don't have as much time to work on artworks as I used to, and that time will get even less once I get more established in the US, so some things have to give I'm afraid - but the comics are on my DeviantArt page if you want to check them out, and if you already have, then I hope you enjoyed reading them.
I'll leave you with this fiery looking scene - all the best till next month, and I think I can hear wedding bells in the air...
31/05/2016
30/04/2016
April 2016
I must sound like a broken record when I keep saying how fast time seems to go these days, but it's true - I can't believe that it's been 4 months since I made my move Stateside, and already two months since and me and my wife Nicole tied the knot.
On that same note, it's now less then 2 months until our big ceremony in June, and while we're looking forward to it, it's also been a headache trying to plan it, even moreso for Nicole, and as anyone who's ever planned a wedding will know, it's not easy, but I've reassured her, reassured us both that it'll all come right. I'm also still hoping that my family can make it over despite the hurdles of passport applications and booking flights.
This month's seen some warmer weather, which gave me the push to finally venture out for a few bike rides, which not only gave me some much-needed exercise and fresh air, but also helped me get used to some of the local area. All of my rides were to a local landmark called East Rock, a small mountain that overlooks the city of New Haven, and while the walk uphill to the summit is exhausting, it's always worth it for the view of New Haven and the surrounding area from the top, and on a clear day you can even see Long Island in the distance - it's pretty much my "to-go" place now, much like Deerness Valley Way was back in the UK. (Still miss that place.)
On the music front, I bought a much-anticipated album that came out this month, "Gore" by one of my favourite bands, Deftones, and I was not disappointed - if you haven't heard them before, their music is best described as "heavy yet beautiful". They're playing at Mohegan Sun in August, and me and Nicole decided to book tickets to go and see them - can't wait.
Speaking of gigs, we finally got the chance to go to a gig together for the very first time (also my first American gig) - it just so happened that on 3 April, the 80s rock band The Cult were playing at Foxwoods Casino, and it was absolutely free, so we jumped at the chance. I'd only heard one Cult song before the gig ("She Sells Sanctuary"), so I wasn't sure what to expect, but they put on a great, solid show, and the venue was canny packed too. There was one funny moment during the show when The Cult's guitarist called out the security for being too rough with the crowds - needless to say he got a lot of cheers from the crowd. Both me and Nicole enjoyed the gig, we would definitely go see The Cult again.
We also had an interesting bit of travel on April 18 - the school where Nicole works asked her to represent them at an event held at a school down in the town of Mount Laurel in New Jersey (it would be my second trip to NJ, first visit was to Atlantic City back in 2011), and she asked me to accompany her, along with her parents. It was a very eventful 5 hour drive down to NJ, with some direction confusion and lots of sights of the "Garden State", but we got there in the end. We were put up in a really cool business-style hotel, and while I wasn't able to attend the event myself, I was able to keep myself occupied with planespotting (our hotel was close to Philadelphia Airport, so plenty of incoming air traffic). Nicole also found the event really interesting, which was great.
The following day we got to do a little more exploring, I briefly checked out the town of Moorestown with Nicole's parents, before we all got together and stopped at a picturesque park in Mount Laurel. After that, we headed back to Connecticut, with the drive being far less stressful this time round - on the way we stopped off to check out the Palisades Mall in New York State, a pretty cool place that reminded me a lot of the Metro Centre back in the UK - it's probably the only shopping centre that has an indoor rope course, a ferris wheel and a carousel. All in all, it was a pretty eventful trip.
There was more travel near the end of this month, and for a very special reason - April 23 was my wife's birthday, and I treated her to a new dress, a hand-drawn card, a pair of animal brooches and a copy of The Cult's greatest hits CD, in honour of our first gig together. To mark the occasion we travelled to the town of Mystic, a place we've been to many times, and visited the Mystic Seaport for the first time, a maritime museum themed as a harbour town from the old days, with old-skool shops and an impressive selection of boats on display, some of which we could walk onboard - it was very reminiscent of Beamish Museum, with its old-world look and feel. The highlights for me were getting the chance to build my own boat in a small workshop, and exploring the "Charles W. Morgan" whaling ship. Definitely a great place to visit overall.
We also stayed the night in a Holiday Inn, and I kid you not, our room included a jacuzzi, and we certainly made the most of it. It ended up being quite a late night too, as we paid another visit to Foxwoods Casino, where we stumbled across a live band playing covers of 80s rock, and they absolutely killed it. Nicole is a huge fan of 80s rock, it's almost as if they knew it was her birthday. It was a great weekend, simply put.
Ending with some artwork, as always - here's a sloth to brighten up your day.
On that same note, it's now less then 2 months until our big ceremony in June, and while we're looking forward to it, it's also been a headache trying to plan it, even moreso for Nicole, and as anyone who's ever planned a wedding will know, it's not easy, but I've reassured her, reassured us both that it'll all come right. I'm also still hoping that my family can make it over despite the hurdles of passport applications and booking flights.
This month's seen some warmer weather, which gave me the push to finally venture out for a few bike rides, which not only gave me some much-needed exercise and fresh air, but also helped me get used to some of the local area. All of my rides were to a local landmark called East Rock, a small mountain that overlooks the city of New Haven, and while the walk uphill to the summit is exhausting, it's always worth it for the view of New Haven and the surrounding area from the top, and on a clear day you can even see Long Island in the distance - it's pretty much my "to-go" place now, much like Deerness Valley Way was back in the UK. (Still miss that place.)
On the music front, I bought a much-anticipated album that came out this month, "Gore" by one of my favourite bands, Deftones, and I was not disappointed - if you haven't heard them before, their music is best described as "heavy yet beautiful". They're playing at Mohegan Sun in August, and me and Nicole decided to book tickets to go and see them - can't wait.
Speaking of gigs, we finally got the chance to go to a gig together for the very first time (also my first American gig) - it just so happened that on 3 April, the 80s rock band The Cult were playing at Foxwoods Casino, and it was absolutely free, so we jumped at the chance. I'd only heard one Cult song before the gig ("She Sells Sanctuary"), so I wasn't sure what to expect, but they put on a great, solid show, and the venue was canny packed too. There was one funny moment during the show when The Cult's guitarist called out the security for being too rough with the crowds - needless to say he got a lot of cheers from the crowd. Both me and Nicole enjoyed the gig, we would definitely go see The Cult again.
We also had an interesting bit of travel on April 18 - the school where Nicole works asked her to represent them at an event held at a school down in the town of Mount Laurel in New Jersey (it would be my second trip to NJ, first visit was to Atlantic City back in 2011), and she asked me to accompany her, along with her parents. It was a very eventful 5 hour drive down to NJ, with some direction confusion and lots of sights of the "Garden State", but we got there in the end. We were put up in a really cool business-style hotel, and while I wasn't able to attend the event myself, I was able to keep myself occupied with planespotting (our hotel was close to Philadelphia Airport, so plenty of incoming air traffic). Nicole also found the event really interesting, which was great.
The following day we got to do a little more exploring, I briefly checked out the town of Moorestown with Nicole's parents, before we all got together and stopped at a picturesque park in Mount Laurel. After that, we headed back to Connecticut, with the drive being far less stressful this time round - on the way we stopped off to check out the Palisades Mall in New York State, a pretty cool place that reminded me a lot of the Metro Centre back in the UK - it's probably the only shopping centre that has an indoor rope course, a ferris wheel and a carousel. All in all, it was a pretty eventful trip.
There was more travel near the end of this month, and for a very special reason - April 23 was my wife's birthday, and I treated her to a new dress, a hand-drawn card, a pair of animal brooches and a copy of The Cult's greatest hits CD, in honour of our first gig together. To mark the occasion we travelled to the town of Mystic, a place we've been to many times, and visited the Mystic Seaport for the first time, a maritime museum themed as a harbour town from the old days, with old-skool shops and an impressive selection of boats on display, some of which we could walk onboard - it was very reminiscent of Beamish Museum, with its old-world look and feel. The highlights for me were getting the chance to build my own boat in a small workshop, and exploring the "Charles W. Morgan" whaling ship. Definitely a great place to visit overall.
We also stayed the night in a Holiday Inn, and I kid you not, our room included a jacuzzi, and we certainly made the most of it. It ended up being quite a late night too, as we paid another visit to Foxwoods Casino, where we stumbled across a live band playing covers of 80s rock, and they absolutely killed it. Nicole is a huge fan of 80s rock, it's almost as if they knew it was her birthday. It was a great weekend, simply put.
Ending with some artwork, as always - here's a sloth to brighten up your day.
31/03/2016
March 2016
I hope everyone had a good Easter, whether eggs were involved or not. Mine involved quite a lot of them, plus flying a kite at the beach and spending quality time with my wife and her family, so I definitely had a good one.
Spring has arrived, and getting used to losing an hour's sleep with daylight saving time wasn't the only thing I've had to get used to this past month, as this was my first full month living the married life, yet with moving to the US and living with Nicole for two months prior, it already felt like I was living the married life, just without the ring on my finger. It's been good so far, to say the least, and even though I still get moments where I think about my family and my old life back in the UK, I don't regret making the move.
There's always a downside though - because of a bit of miscoummnication and red tape, I have still been unable to apply for a job in the US, because I need a social security number to do so, and that could take another couple of months to obtain. A couple of jobs came up in the last month that involved artwork, so I'm a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to apply for them, but hopefully once I have what I need Ill be able to look for similar jobs, there definitely seems to be a bigger calling for art-related jobs Stateside.
I say married life has been good so far, though it hasn't been without any hiccups, and most of them have been from planning for the June wedding ceremony, the majority of it is on Nicole, and anyone who's ever planned a wedding can probably imagine how stressful it can be. I do my bit to help, though sometimes I feel like it's not enough - but hopefully it'll be alright on the night though, as the saying goes.
On March 12, me and Nicole took our monthly trip to Newport in Rhode Island, and it just happened to be Newport's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade that day, it was the very first time I'd ever been to a St. Patrick's Day parade, and it was a blast, with people lining the streets dressed in green to cheer on the very colourful and creative parade floats, dancers and marching bands, they really put a lot of effort into it. Back in the UK, St. Patrick's Day doesn't get nearly as much of a celebration, and I was surprised to learn that apparently even the Irish don't make as big a deal out of the day as the Americans do - but then again, as I've learned, the Americans usually make a big deal out of just about everything.
I also had some terrific news this month - not only is my brother flying over for the wedding ceremony in June, but my grandma and my mam have also decided to fly over with him. It's proving a bit stressful though as my mam needs a passport, but it would mean the world to both me and Nicole if they could pull this off. The last time I saw my family in person was the day before I made my move, and I really want to see them again.
Went to see the latest animated film that everyone's talking about, Disney's Zootopia - two thumbs up, great characters and a very deep message. If this had been 20 years ago, that message probably would've gone right over my 10 year old self's head.
On the artwork front, this month I decided after 11 years to end one of my comic series, Snow Sam the walking talking snowman. I just felt that I was running out of gags and that his comics had run their course, plus with my move, getting married and eventually getting a job I'm gonna have less time to be able to do artwork, so something had to get the chop I'm afraid. However for those of you who have read my Snow Sam comics, I hope you enjoyed them over the years, and don't fear, I will still be drawing the character, and I'm not saying no to giving him any one-shot comics or cameo appearances in the future.
I'll leave you with Snow Sam's final comic - Easter and St Patrick's greetings to you all.
Spring has arrived, and getting used to losing an hour's sleep with daylight saving time wasn't the only thing I've had to get used to this past month, as this was my first full month living the married life, yet with moving to the US and living with Nicole for two months prior, it already felt like I was living the married life, just without the ring on my finger. It's been good so far, to say the least, and even though I still get moments where I think about my family and my old life back in the UK, I don't regret making the move.
There's always a downside though - because of a bit of miscoummnication and red tape, I have still been unable to apply for a job in the US, because I need a social security number to do so, and that could take another couple of months to obtain. A couple of jobs came up in the last month that involved artwork, so I'm a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to apply for them, but hopefully once I have what I need Ill be able to look for similar jobs, there definitely seems to be a bigger calling for art-related jobs Stateside.
I say married life has been good so far, though it hasn't been without any hiccups, and most of them have been from planning for the June wedding ceremony, the majority of it is on Nicole, and anyone who's ever planned a wedding can probably imagine how stressful it can be. I do my bit to help, though sometimes I feel like it's not enough - but hopefully it'll be alright on the night though, as the saying goes.
On March 12, me and Nicole took our monthly trip to Newport in Rhode Island, and it just happened to be Newport's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade that day, it was the very first time I'd ever been to a St. Patrick's Day parade, and it was a blast, with people lining the streets dressed in green to cheer on the very colourful and creative parade floats, dancers and marching bands, they really put a lot of effort into it. Back in the UK, St. Patrick's Day doesn't get nearly as much of a celebration, and I was surprised to learn that apparently even the Irish don't make as big a deal out of the day as the Americans do - but then again, as I've learned, the Americans usually make a big deal out of just about everything.
I also had some terrific news this month - not only is my brother flying over for the wedding ceremony in June, but my grandma and my mam have also decided to fly over with him. It's proving a bit stressful though as my mam needs a passport, but it would mean the world to both me and Nicole if they could pull this off. The last time I saw my family in person was the day before I made my move, and I really want to see them again.
Went to see the latest animated film that everyone's talking about, Disney's Zootopia - two thumbs up, great characters and a very deep message. If this had been 20 years ago, that message probably would've gone right over my 10 year old self's head.
On the artwork front, this month I decided after 11 years to end one of my comic series, Snow Sam the walking talking snowman. I just felt that I was running out of gags and that his comics had run their course, plus with my move, getting married and eventually getting a job I'm gonna have less time to be able to do artwork, so something had to get the chop I'm afraid. However for those of you who have read my Snow Sam comics, I hope you enjoyed them over the years, and don't fear, I will still be drawing the character, and I'm not saying no to giving him any one-shot comics or cameo appearances in the future.
I'll leave you with Snow Sam's final comic - Easter and St Patrick's greetings to you all.
29/02/2016
February 2016
Well, January certainly was eventful, with it being my first full month living in the US - but this month was also very eventful, and I don't just mean because of experiencing the crazy New England weather of snow followed by pretty much everything else.
I thought things had already come full circle when I made the big move from the UK to the US, however there was one more very important part of the puzzle that needed to be put into place, and it was something that me and my fiancee Nicole had been waiting for for well over a year.
On February 20, at Branford Point - a place that holds so much memories for us both, not least because it was also the place where I proposed to Nicole back in 2014 - in front of Nicole's family and friends (plus my grandma, who was able to tune in from back in the UK, thanks to the wonders of modern technology), me and Nicole became husband and wife. I can't put into words how it felt, but every minute was special, and I am so over the moon to now be able to call that lovely American lass, who I first met in an internet group over 15 years ago, my wife. It also won't be the first time we get married, either, because this was a legal wedding (my visa required us to be married within 90 days of my move), so it was very low-key, however we plan to hold a second ceremony in the summer, with the traditional ceremony and reception - but our wedding this month was the official joining together, and in no way will we ever forget it. It was one of those moments that you just don't forget.
On another note, I got to experience one of the American traditions for the first time this month - the Super Bowl. Aye, I'm talking about the big American football final which is basically the American equivalent of the FA Cup Final back in the UK, which is famous for its half-time musical number (it was Coldplay this year, which was great since I'm a fan of their music) and the special adverts that air during the game. To be brutally honest, American football is not a sport I really have any interest in, and the whole pomp and circumstance of the game just grated on me, much like most similar events. For me, the best part about watching the Super Bowl was getting to spend time with my lovely wife and our friends, chatting the night away. Forget the game, that's what it's all about, in my opinion.
Just before I get onto my usual slice of artwork for this month, I want to give a shoutout to one of my artist friends on DeviantArt, Josh aka Jowybean - I've been following his work since 2008 and I can't put into words how amazingly talented he is, he is a master of many different art styles and frequently puts insane amounts of detail in his work too, both in his fanart and his original works - please go and check his artworks out right here: Jowybean on DeviantArt
I'll leave you with this picture I made to commemmorate my wedding to my lovely Nicole - and I should also mention that this Valentine's Day was the very first one that we got to spend together, which pretty much made it the best Valentine's Day I've ever had. Just remember that love is for every day, not just for Valentine's, and that applies even if you're single - and on that note, it's ciao for now.
P.S. I can't believe one of my favourite metal songs is 20 years old: "Roots Bloody Roots" - Sepultura
I thought things had already come full circle when I made the big move from the UK to the US, however there was one more very important part of the puzzle that needed to be put into place, and it was something that me and my fiancee Nicole had been waiting for for well over a year.
On February 20, at Branford Point - a place that holds so much memories for us both, not least because it was also the place where I proposed to Nicole back in 2014 - in front of Nicole's family and friends (plus my grandma, who was able to tune in from back in the UK, thanks to the wonders of modern technology), me and Nicole became husband and wife. I can't put into words how it felt, but every minute was special, and I am so over the moon to now be able to call that lovely American lass, who I first met in an internet group over 15 years ago, my wife. It also won't be the first time we get married, either, because this was a legal wedding (my visa required us to be married within 90 days of my move), so it was very low-key, however we plan to hold a second ceremony in the summer, with the traditional ceremony and reception - but our wedding this month was the official joining together, and in no way will we ever forget it. It was one of those moments that you just don't forget.
On another note, I got to experience one of the American traditions for the first time this month - the Super Bowl. Aye, I'm talking about the big American football final which is basically the American equivalent of the FA Cup Final back in the UK, which is famous for its half-time musical number (it was Coldplay this year, which was great since I'm a fan of their music) and the special adverts that air during the game. To be brutally honest, American football is not a sport I really have any interest in, and the whole pomp and circumstance of the game just grated on me, much like most similar events. For me, the best part about watching the Super Bowl was getting to spend time with my lovely wife and our friends, chatting the night away. Forget the game, that's what it's all about, in my opinion.
Just before I get onto my usual slice of artwork for this month, I want to give a shoutout to one of my artist friends on DeviantArt, Josh aka Jowybean - I've been following his work since 2008 and I can't put into words how amazingly talented he is, he is a master of many different art styles and frequently puts insane amounts of detail in his work too, both in his fanart and his original works - please go and check his artworks out right here: Jowybean on DeviantArt
I'll leave you with this picture I made to commemmorate my wedding to my lovely Nicole - and I should also mention that this Valentine's Day was the very first one that we got to spend together, which pretty much made it the best Valentine's Day I've ever had. Just remember that love is for every day, not just for Valentine's, and that applies even if you're single - and on that note, it's ciao for now.
P.S. I can't believe one of my favourite metal songs is 20 years old: "Roots Bloody Roots" - Sepultura
31/01/2016
January 2016
It's safe to say that I never thought I'd be celebrating my 30th birthday living in a different country - but that's exactly what happened this month.
January '16 has been a time of major adjustment - I would say I'm pretty much used to being Stateside now, mine and Nicole's flat feels like home now. I would say the only part of living in the US that I'm still getting to grips with is the getting around, most of my travel has been Nicole driving me places, I've barely dared to venture out on my own. The cold weather hasn't really helped either, especially the winter storm Jonas that hit in the middle of this month - me and Nicole had a very memorable trip to Rhode Island to escape the worst of it (we ended up spending an extra night there because of car trouble).
So I'm sure some of you are wondering, "how does it feel to be 30?" I can say that it feels pretty much the same as my 20s so far. Some say that turning 30 is when the rot sets in, but others say that life begins at 30 - I would say that it's different for everyone.
It was a little strange not getting to celebrate my birthday with taking on my brother in a bowling match, but I was still able to wish him well via Skype - I also ended up getting a couple of half-unexpeected birthday presents from Nicole and her family, for the first time in years I have a bike of my own once again, and also I got a top-of-the-range Canon camera, so expect to see a lot of photography.
Me and Nicole also celebrated the occasion with a trip to Rhode Island and to Foxwoods Casino, where we had that game of slightly-sloshed birthday bowling - it was a blast, and I can't thank Nicole and her family enough for everything.
Keeping with the birthday theme, on the art front I hosted an art jam on DeviantArt - I was born in the 80s, so it was only fitting to host a jam themed around everything from that crazy decade, "Back To The 80s". I have very vague memories of living in the 80s as I was only a baby at the time, but I do remember some of the music, and 1980s music is something I enjoy listening to as well.
Unrelated to the jam, I've also been experimenting a little with my artwork - I recently purchased some Copic markers, and while they're expensive, they're really high quality, the ink doesn't bleed through the paper, and it also enables me to make pictures at much higher resolution. I'm hoping making my drawings this way will also reduce the amount of time I spend working on a drawing, while still keeping it high quality.
That was my January, and quite a way to start the new year it was - and by the time of the next blog, I'll be a married man, all being well.
I'll leave you with some artwork as always, one of my own entries to the 80s art jam, my homage to the classic animation "The Snowman".
In fact, I'll leave some music this time, too - one of my favourite songs from the 80s, and also the song that was the UK no. 1 when I was born : "West End Girls" by the Pet Shop Boys.
January '16 has been a time of major adjustment - I would say I'm pretty much used to being Stateside now, mine and Nicole's flat feels like home now. I would say the only part of living in the US that I'm still getting to grips with is the getting around, most of my travel has been Nicole driving me places, I've barely dared to venture out on my own. The cold weather hasn't really helped either, especially the winter storm Jonas that hit in the middle of this month - me and Nicole had a very memorable trip to Rhode Island to escape the worst of it (we ended up spending an extra night there because of car trouble).
So I'm sure some of you are wondering, "how does it feel to be 30?" I can say that it feels pretty much the same as my 20s so far. Some say that turning 30 is when the rot sets in, but others say that life begins at 30 - I would say that it's different for everyone.
It was a little strange not getting to celebrate my birthday with taking on my brother in a bowling match, but I was still able to wish him well via Skype - I also ended up getting a couple of half-unexpeected birthday presents from Nicole and her family, for the first time in years I have a bike of my own once again, and also I got a top-of-the-range Canon camera, so expect to see a lot of photography.
Me and Nicole also celebrated the occasion with a trip to Rhode Island and to Foxwoods Casino, where we had that game of slightly-sloshed birthday bowling - it was a blast, and I can't thank Nicole and her family enough for everything.
Keeping with the birthday theme, on the art front I hosted an art jam on DeviantArt - I was born in the 80s, so it was only fitting to host a jam themed around everything from that crazy decade, "Back To The 80s". I have very vague memories of living in the 80s as I was only a baby at the time, but I do remember some of the music, and 1980s music is something I enjoy listening to as well.
Unrelated to the jam, I've also been experimenting a little with my artwork - I recently purchased some Copic markers, and while they're expensive, they're really high quality, the ink doesn't bleed through the paper, and it also enables me to make pictures at much higher resolution. I'm hoping making my drawings this way will also reduce the amount of time I spend working on a drawing, while still keeping it high quality.
That was my January, and quite a way to start the new year it was - and by the time of the next blog, I'll be a married man, all being well.
I'll leave you with some artwork as always, one of my own entries to the 80s art jam, my homage to the classic animation "The Snowman".
In fact, I'll leave some music this time, too - one of my favourite songs from the 80s, and also the song that was the UK no. 1 when I was born : "West End Girls" by the Pet Shop Boys.
31/12/2015
December 2015
Where do I begin?
To say that December has been a month of mixed emotions doesn't begin to cover it. There comes a time in everyone's lives where something has to change, and on 28 December 2015, such a moment happened to me - I said goodbye to my family and my life in my home country of the UK that I've known for the past 29 years, and took a one way flight across the pond to start a new life in the USA with my soon-to-be wife Nicole. This was something that had been in the works for this whole year, and while the waiting and the whole process of applying for the visa got a little bit frustrating at times, it all came together in the end.
I always knew that saying goodbye to my family, especially my twin brother, would be one of the hardest things that I would ever have to do, and as emotional as it was, it needed to be done. At the end of the day, they all want me to be happy, no matter where I am in the world. And making this move doesn't mean that I intend on losing touch with any of my family or friends back in the UK, if anything it makes my connection with them stronger. As a good friend said to me, "you can take the lad out of County Durham but you can't take County Durham out of the lad."
My flights over to the US were absolutely fine, and to my surprise I had no trouble at US customs either - the only problem that happened was that British Airways left one of my bags in London, but that all got sorted thankfully. And when I was reunited with my lovely Nicole, I was finally able to say "I did it!"
We got moved into our own place, a very spacious apartment - it took a couple of days to adjust to it, there were a few moments where we both thought "pinch me, is this real?", but it already feels like home now. There's still much for me to get used to, but I'm sure in time that I will, and I know that Nicole will help me to do so.
With all that's been happening, Christmas has almost been an afterthought - however I'm glad that I was able to spend Christmas with my family before the move, as well as apending the New Year with Nicole and her family and friends - the best of both worlds, really.
As 2015 draws to a close, I can only wonder what 2016 is going to bring, not just for myself but for everyone. To this I say, it will bring what it will bring, let's just see what happens.
I'll leave you with my final artwork selection of this year, a festive group shot for my DeviantArt friends. Which leaves me to say just this: wherever you are in the world, whoever you're with, I wish you all the best for 2016 and beyond. :)
To say that December has been a month of mixed emotions doesn't begin to cover it. There comes a time in everyone's lives where something has to change, and on 28 December 2015, such a moment happened to me - I said goodbye to my family and my life in my home country of the UK that I've known for the past 29 years, and took a one way flight across the pond to start a new life in the USA with my soon-to-be wife Nicole. This was something that had been in the works for this whole year, and while the waiting and the whole process of applying for the visa got a little bit frustrating at times, it all came together in the end.
I always knew that saying goodbye to my family, especially my twin brother, would be one of the hardest things that I would ever have to do, and as emotional as it was, it needed to be done. At the end of the day, they all want me to be happy, no matter where I am in the world. And making this move doesn't mean that I intend on losing touch with any of my family or friends back in the UK, if anything it makes my connection with them stronger. As a good friend said to me, "you can take the lad out of County Durham but you can't take County Durham out of the lad."
My flights over to the US were absolutely fine, and to my surprise I had no trouble at US customs either - the only problem that happened was that British Airways left one of my bags in London, but that all got sorted thankfully. And when I was reunited with my lovely Nicole, I was finally able to say "I did it!"
We got moved into our own place, a very spacious apartment - it took a couple of days to adjust to it, there were a few moments where we both thought "pinch me, is this real?", but it already feels like home now. There's still much for me to get used to, but I'm sure in time that I will, and I know that Nicole will help me to do so.
With all that's been happening, Christmas has almost been an afterthought - however I'm glad that I was able to spend Christmas with my family before the move, as well as apending the New Year with Nicole and her family and friends - the best of both worlds, really.
As 2015 draws to a close, I can only wonder what 2016 is going to bring, not just for myself but for everyone. To this I say, it will bring what it will bring, let's just see what happens.
I'll leave you with my final artwork selection of this year, a festive group shot for my DeviantArt friends. Which leaves me to say just this: wherever you are in the world, whoever you're with, I wish you all the best for 2016 and beyond. :)
30/11/2015
November 2015
I just do not have the words to say that can cover how eventful this past month has been - but I can say one thing for sure: the wait is over.
The absolute highlight of this month was the last week, when after 11 months apart, I got to see my fiancee Nicole again, she flew over to the UK to spend a week with me, both at home in the north-east and for two trips to London. This was Nicole's first time getting to visit the capital, and we had a hectic but brilliant time seeing the city's sights, including Buckingham Palace, London Zoo, Regent's Park, Baker Street, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, as well as also having a skate on an ice rink down on the South Bank, and seeing the night lights of the London skyline from the top of the London Eye. Both the hotels we stayed at were great too, especially the Doubletree on the second visit (minibar and iMac in the room, anyone?)
We also combined the London trip with another DeviantArt meet-up, it was great getting to hang out with Dracorum-Order, Granitoons, TopperHay and LaptopGeek again, not forgetting meeting Qwertypictures (aka Chris Signore) for the first time. There was much walking, food, chat and drawing involved, and though it flew by, it was still something neither me or Nicole will forget for a long time.
However, spending timt together in London wasn't the only reason Nicole flew over, there was another very important reason for her being here - on 23 November, I had my visa interview at the US Embassy. It was a lengthy process, which involved waiting for two hours in between being called to a booth to have documents and fingerprints taken, the staff were very pleasant however. The actual interview consisted of questions about me and Nicole's relationship, and it was very quick, but also informal, it was more like a conversation than an interview, which made us feel at ease.
And now for the big announcement - how did the interview go? I can now finally say it after all these months...the embassy told me there and then that my US visa had been approved. It is finally happening after all this time, I can scarcely believe it - but needless to say both me and Nicole were overjoyed on hearing the news.
So this means December will be my last month living in my home country, because I've decided that I will be flying out to the US in the last week of December. This is because I want to spend one more Christmas with my family, before starting the New Year and a new life with Nicole. We both have a lot to do between now and then, that goes without saying.
Changing subject, the other highlight of this month was attending the Lumiere Festival in Durham for the third time - for those needing to know, it's an outdoor art festival that's been held in Durham every 2 years, and all the exhibits are themed around light - it was very crowded, but as always the exhibits were impressive. Some of the highlights included two flying fish creatures, mist across the River Wear, a projection of a whale swimming on the Wear and a dramatic projection on Durham Cathedral. Lumiere also saw another DA meetup, I hung out with DragonRichard for the event, which was nice.
I can't even imagine how December is going to be...but it's going to be a very important and very likely an emotional time - a lot of changes are happening, and I just hope I'm ready for them.
As always, I'll leave you with some artwork - a homage/parody of the B-movies from the 1950s that I drew for CowboyCrocket's 1950s art jam this month.
Till next time.
P.S. - Click the links below if you want to see pics and videos from my visit to the Lumiere Festival.
Videos:
Durham Lumiere 2015 #1
Durham Lumiere 2015 #2
Photos:
Durham Lumiere 2015 - Photos
The absolute highlight of this month was the last week, when after 11 months apart, I got to see my fiancee Nicole again, she flew over to the UK to spend a week with me, both at home in the north-east and for two trips to London. This was Nicole's first time getting to visit the capital, and we had a hectic but brilliant time seeing the city's sights, including Buckingham Palace, London Zoo, Regent's Park, Baker Street, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, as well as also having a skate on an ice rink down on the South Bank, and seeing the night lights of the London skyline from the top of the London Eye. Both the hotels we stayed at were great too, especially the Doubletree on the second visit (minibar and iMac in the room, anyone?)
We also combined the London trip with another DeviantArt meet-up, it was great getting to hang out with Dracorum-Order, Granitoons, TopperHay and LaptopGeek again, not forgetting meeting Qwertypictures (aka Chris Signore) for the first time. There was much walking, food, chat and drawing involved, and though it flew by, it was still something neither me or Nicole will forget for a long time.
However, spending timt together in London wasn't the only reason Nicole flew over, there was another very important reason for her being here - on 23 November, I had my visa interview at the US Embassy. It was a lengthy process, which involved waiting for two hours in between being called to a booth to have documents and fingerprints taken, the staff were very pleasant however. The actual interview consisted of questions about me and Nicole's relationship, and it was very quick, but also informal, it was more like a conversation than an interview, which made us feel at ease.
And now for the big announcement - how did the interview go? I can now finally say it after all these months...the embassy told me there and then that my US visa had been approved. It is finally happening after all this time, I can scarcely believe it - but needless to say both me and Nicole were overjoyed on hearing the news.
So this means December will be my last month living in my home country, because I've decided that I will be flying out to the US in the last week of December. This is because I want to spend one more Christmas with my family, before starting the New Year and a new life with Nicole. We both have a lot to do between now and then, that goes without saying.
Changing subject, the other highlight of this month was attending the Lumiere Festival in Durham for the third time - for those needing to know, it's an outdoor art festival that's been held in Durham every 2 years, and all the exhibits are themed around light - it was very crowded, but as always the exhibits were impressive. Some of the highlights included two flying fish creatures, mist across the River Wear, a projection of a whale swimming on the Wear and a dramatic projection on Durham Cathedral. Lumiere also saw another DA meetup, I hung out with DragonRichard for the event, which was nice.
I can't even imagine how December is going to be...but it's going to be a very important and very likely an emotional time - a lot of changes are happening, and I just hope I'm ready for them.
As always, I'll leave you with some artwork - a homage/parody of the B-movies from the 1950s that I drew for CowboyCrocket's 1950s art jam this month.
Till next time.
P.S. - Click the links below if you want to see pics and videos from my visit to the Lumiere Festival.
Videos:
Durham Lumiere 2015 #1
Durham Lumiere 2015 #2
Photos:
Durham Lumiere 2015 - Photos
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