#I got the notebook at Disneyland Paris a few years ago

[measuringbliss]

Look what I retrieved! My beloved!

[zoeekar]

If you don’t mind sharing. What was your coming out experience like

Aah I’m actually so glad you asked me this cause I’ve never had the chance to talk about it “in public”, haha. For everyone too bored to read this, SPOILER ALERT: my coming out experience has been really really positive so far and I’m eternally grateful for that. For the rest of you, story time under the cut!

So, a couple of years ago, I was working at Disneyland Paris for like half a year. It was right around my mum’s birthday too, so I knew I wasn’t going to be around to give her a present or anything. So what I did was I bought a pretty notebook and I wrote a story inside about two girls meeting and falling in love and all that. It was actually very cute and angsty (the latter is a given if you know what my usually writing is like). Anyways, I hid it in my room and then called my mum on her birthday and was like “go check *place*, there’s a gift for you.” and then I just like hung up on her cause I was too nervous. She called me later to thank me and all that and she was like “so have you met anyone there?”. I knew where this was going so I was like “I’ve met lots of people here.” She asked me if I had met any guys or girls and you could just tell where she was going with this. She dropped it though and didn’t say anything the entire time I was away. Flash forward to a couple of days after I got back and she’s like “so… do you have something you want to tell me?” and we just talked about it, she asked me if I was sure, if I knew it wasn’t just me wanting to experiment and all that, and then she just told me that, as long as I know what I’m doing, and I’m happy and safe, she doesn’t care who I’m with. My mum is a real champ, y’all!So yeah. There wasn’t crying involved or anything, it basically just went sorta like:- Are you sure?- Is that okay?- Αs long as you’re happy, that’s all I care about.

And then with my best friend it was even simpler. I just asked her one day over lunch if she would ever consider dating a girl and she was like “I don’t know, I’d be flattered if she asked, for sure, and I’d probably go out with her but I dunno if I’d actually date a girl. You?” So that’s when I was like “yeah, sure. I wouldn’t mind.” and the conversation was dropped. It was all so casual, I thought she hadn’t really taken me seriously. Well, until quite a few  months later when we were talking and she asked me something and I made an “I’m gay” joke. I was so nervous cause it was an accident, but then she was like “yeah, I know. You told me a while ago.” So…. that was that! Hahah And then she was “mad” at me cause I told I thought she hadn’t really believed me and she was like “is that why you haven’t told me anything about your love life in five fucking years?!?!” So… yeah xD

The rest of the people who know (basically all my other friends and pretty much everyone online), I never really had to “come out” to them. It was just always sorta out there from day one. My Disneyland roommate even told me I gave off a “gay vibe” and she knew cause she’s bi so her gaydar is strong xD The person closest to me who doesn’t know yet and I don’t really want them to know yet is my dad. He has said some… not so good things about the LGBTQ+ community over the years and I’m really not too eager to tell him just yet (if ever tbh). My brother doesn’t know either but that’s just cause we’re not too close and it hasn’t come up. I’m sure he’ll be fine with it, though. I’m really not worried ^^

[raychulemma]

50 Completely Random Questions People Rarely Ask Tag:

1. What’s your favorite candle scent? Red Apple Wreath - Yankee Candle. It's perfectly Autumnal and always goes on half price sale after Christmas. I have far too many versions of it

2. What female celebrity do you wish you were related to? Probably Maya Rudolph because she's a shameless weirdo like me

3. What male celebrity do you wish was your brother? Probably Peter Kay. I feel like he would be easy to open up to. And he would make awkward family events so much more bearable

4. What’s your favorite thing about marriage? (And if you’re not married, what’s your favorite thing about being single?) Security. Safety. I didn't expect it to feel any different because we had been living together for a while but something about the actual marriage made me feel protected and comfortable. Also because its a same-sex marriage it's a lot nicer to say my wife than my fiancée, because i would wonder if they assume my fiancée is male

5. What’s one thing you own that you should probably get rid of, but just can’t? Books that I'm not going to re-read but have memories linked to buying/receiving/reading them.

6. Can you do a split? not a chance

7. How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike? Seven. i learnt at the end of my road because it's a dead end. and i got a green bike for my birthday with a seat for my teddy

8. How many oceans have you swam in? just the Atlantic ocean 🌊

9. How many countries have you been to? 6. France, Spain, Germany, USA (Florida), Wales, Scotland.

10. Is anyone in your family in the army? No, my Grandad was, and some of my Great Uncles but no one during my lifetime

11. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child? Superted, Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Story of Tracy Beaker, Dick n Dom in da Bungalow, Jungle Run

12. What did you dress up as on Halloween when you were eight? A classy binbag witch

13. Have you read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Twilight series? I got into the Harry Potter books in 1998 and am still in love with the series. I went to the midnight release for the last book. I watched all of the films in the opening week and vividly remember that the cinema i saw the first film at in 2001 had a Harry Potter themed sweet shop. I have jewellery, clothing, books, dvds, wands, other collectibles. I read the books with my mum when i was younger and watched all of the films in the cinema with her. she had her own HP merch. My wife also loves Harry Potter. We have been to see Cursed Child twice and have been to the Studio Tour 3 (or 4?) times. We had a Harry Potter themed wedding which was absolutely perfect. Hunger Games was something i avoided reading until the first film was coming out, and then absolutely loved the first 2 books (3rd one got too political for me) and the films are still some of my favourites for costume and set design. I read the twilight books after my best friend recommended them to me. We all actually read them as part of our sisterhood club. I went to blackpool to watch the first film in the cinema with my best friend. I watched the last one at midnight with my wife and one of the girls from the sisterhood who is one of the biggest twilight fans i know still. she has behind the scenes books and dvds and has re read the books that much that the spines are just gone. my mum was also a big twilight fan and would watch them any time they were on tv. i watched a few at the cinema with her, always her choice. she hadnt seen hunger games at the time of them being released but we did watch them all with her a few years ago

14. Would you rather have an American accent or a British accent? i film YouTube videos and always think my accent would be more interesting if it was American

15. Have you ever taken karate lessons? no, my 2 brothers and sister did when i was 5 or 6. i didnt like being touched so never did it

16. Do you know who Kermit the frog is? yup

17. What’s the first amusement park you’ve been to? im going to guess Gullivers world Warrington because its the closest one to where i live

18. What language, besides your native language, would you like to be fluent in? French because I love disneyland paris. or japanese because i would love to visit tokyo but its way out of my comfort zone

19. Do you spell the color as grey or gray? grey. e for england, a for america

20. Do you know triplets? yes, 2 girls and a boy but i only met the girls

21. Do you prefer Titanic or The Notebook? Titanic. my mum was a massive fan. She watched it 3 times in the cinema when it first came out. we watched it with her when it was released in imax on an anniversary. she had behind the scenes books, a few versions of the vhs and dvds, playing cards. her love for it made me love it

22. Have you ever had Indian food? no im a very fussy eater and have never tried indian or Chinese

23. What’s the name of your favorite restaurant? Of all time? Tough choice but im going with pizza hut. Cheesy bites base with double mushroom. Never craved something more

24. Have you ever been to Olive Garden? they dont have it in England so no but i would probably like it

25. What would your parents have named you if you were the opposite gender? i have no idea, maybe jason after my dad?

26. If you have a nickname, what is it? rach, chicken, chickadee

27. Who’s your favorite person in the world? i want to say scruff but shes technically not a person. kirsty is my best friend and i would pick her every time

28. Would you rather live in a rural area or in the suburbs? where i live is in between. drive one way and its city, the other way is farms. so living in one ot those farmhouses not far from city life would be the dream. i would have chickens, sheep and cats.

29. Can you whistle? yep but my cats hate the noise

30. Do you sleep with a nightlight? i can see the hallway light from where our bed is so i dont generally need a nightlight but we do have cute ones. i have 3 HP ones on my bedside table

31. Do you eat breakfast every morning? yea as long as i have time

32. How many times have you been to the hospital? ive only ever been to a&e. once for palpitations, a few times for mental health and once for an x ray on my hand. ive been to walk in centres for urine/kidney infections and for fractured fingers. oh i did go to hospital to see a neurologist to be diagnosed with essential tremor

33. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo? yes i love it. my brother and sister both bought me the dvd for christmas the year it came out so i had 2 copies for a while. i also had the game for pc and ps2. and i had a game on my phone and ipad where you could build up the seabed and gain fish. the film is just so nice and calming to watch. the scenery, the sound effects, the movements are all just gently flowing. and somehow you get attached to these characters and root for them whether youre a fan of tropical fish or not.

34. Where do you buy your jeans? primark, next, sainsburys, asda

35. What’s the last compliment you got? kirsty said my eyelashes look like im wearing mascara when im not

36. Do you usually remember your dreams in the morning? yea and they're weird as fuck. the latest one was about the bath being clogged with poo

37. Favorite beverage that isn’t water? Tea ☕

38. How many pairs of shoes do you currently own? a disgusting amount. maybe 20. maybe more

39. How old were you when you found out that Santa wasn’t real? about 8 which I think wasnt too young or too old. my brother told me which I was glad about because i was prone to being bullied at school and would have hated to be told by nasty kids

40. What is one food that you used to hate but now you love? cheesy garlic bread WTF

41. What is a weird lie you’ve told? i told kirsty once that i had pood the bed and asked her to help me clean it.

42. Heels or flats? flats always. specifically trainers. i think dresses look so much cuter with trainers. same with suits

43. Do you have any weird phobias? no just common ones. moths, spiders, flying insects, beetles, heights, being completely isolated, finding a dead person

44. What is a phrase or word you always say? i cant actually think of a current phrase i say but i do get stuck on phrases

45. What is a song that you bast or belt out when you are alone? part of your world, let it go, bridge over troubled water, over the rainbow. any that i try to actually hit the notes on

46. What is one of your biggest pet peeves? nails. nails tapping, and the sound of cutting or biting nails. or people that stop in the middle of an aisle or walkway when you're trying to get past

47. Do you sleep with your closet door open or closed? they dont even have doors on yet so open

48. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? bear. the noise of bees terrifies me. i had a flying ant in my hair on flying ant day but i didnt know. i heard it buzz and cried

49. Do you have any weird things you do? i cant have 2 cream biscuits together (custard cream and jam n cream). i sometimes say hi to my teddies so they know i havent forgot about them. i buy hatchimals when theyre on sale even though i havent previously collected them cos im an impulsive pos. (honestly collecting animal jam figures and my little ponies were the best though)

50. What movie could you watch over and over again and still love? any of the harry potter films, titanic, sisterhood of the travelling pants, Princess diaries 1 and 2, enchanted, princess and the frog, raise your voice, catch me if you can, chalet girl, the shining, slumdog millionaire

[vannadee37]

Aahhh… October! Not only is Fall in full swing around here in the East Tennessee mountains, but in the blogosphere, it’s Blogtober! I did this challenge last year, so for the second year in a row now, I’m challenging myself to write a blog every day this month! So welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere and to Green Acres Meets Paris! I hope you’ll stick around with me this month where hopefully you’ll discover some new favorites {fall fashions, booties, movies, books, recipes, and more} as well as learn a little more about me!

I discovered Blogtober last year when another blogger friend {Tamara of Love of Mode} wrote about the Blogtober challenge on her blog. I did a Blogtober challenge last year, and I’m not going to lie… it was hard coming up with 31 blog topics. I normally only write about 10-12 blog posts a month and those mostly comprise of monthly series {pre-determined by my editorial calendar}, like “Man of Style”, “Woman of Style”, “Wanderlust Wednesday”, “Dinner Party”, and “Links I Love”. So there are five blog posts you’ll need to check out later this month!

Now on to Day 1 of this challenge…October is my favorite month, not only because I got married in this month back in 1998, but it’s also when the colors start to change and there is a crispness in the air that just smells like Fall! I like pulling out my scarves and my booties and sweaters. Coming up this month, I’ll share some fall fashion inspiration as well as some booties I’m wishing were in my closet.

As I mentioned above, I got married in October 1998 to a good ol’ country boy named Mike. Together we live in his grandmother’s house, which his grandfather and his brother-in-law built with their own hands back in the 1950s. We live out in the country, where my neighbors across the road are cows {although I haven’t seen them recently, so they may be living in a different pasture down the road somewhere}.

So as an introduction to me and my blog, “Green Acres Meets Paris”, I thought I’d share 10 Facts About Me. A couple of years ago, I was reading blog post after blog post where bloggers were sharing 50 random facts about themselves. So I decided to give it a go and wrote a couple of “random facts about me” blog posts. It was a two-part series where I shared a total of 50 facts about me.

Some of those facts from two years ago have changed, because {believe it or not} a lot has happened in two years. For instance, I shared in the first “random facts about me” post was that I’d never been to Disney World or Disneyland. Well, now I can that I have been to Disney World. I went there this past June with Elizabeth and Pam, a couple of fellow bloggers, when we were in Orlando for the BlogHer #17 conference. I also mentioned in this post that we have three dogs. Well, our oldest furbaby, Dakota, passed away two years ago on November 11th {on Veteran’s Day, to be exact} at the tender age of 16. So we now just have two dogs, Daisy and Doc. However, we were adopted by a sweet country cat {loving named KitKat} who gave birth to three kittens, although only two survived.

Want more random facts about me? I going to try not to repeat some of my facts from a couple of years ago. So, here goes…

1. I finally upgraded from my mini iPad to a MacPro to write my blog posts. It is much easier to type on my Mac as opposed to the mini keyboard I was using with my mini iPad.

2. I got a Vespa at Thanksgiving last year, but because it’s a 250cc, it requires a motorcycle license, which I’ve yet to get. But I will get it… soon I hope! I occasionally ride it to and from dinner with my husband, who follows behind me on his Harley Davidson Heritage Softtail. We have taken a couple of short trips to neighboring towns {around 50 miles round-trip}, but I haven’t gotten up the nerve yet to ride it to work. Traffic is crazy busy, and the even crazier drivers on Pellissippi Parkway heading towards Knoxville often reach speeds of 65mph or more. I need to feel more comfortable riding my Vespa and and taking short trips around my neck of the woods before I venture into the high-speed world of the big city.

His ride vs My ride: Last year at Thanksgiving, we bought a Harley Davidson motorcycle and a Vespa as early Christmas presents to ourselves.

3. As much as my husband loves car shows and going to them, I’m usually bored when I accompany him to the shows. I either end up sitting behind whatever car we take to show {the 1929 Ford or the 1965 Rambler American or the unfinished BroncLo} reading a magazine or a book, or I walk around and let him ramble on about the wheels, the engine, or the stance of the car or truck. I go mainly to support him and his business, The RPM Garage {go check him out on Instagram, @rpmgarage22}.

My husband recently joined Instagram {@rpmgarage22}, so head over to his profile and check him out!

4. I started BIHRT {pellet therapy} in March of this year. Since my total hysterectomy in June 2015, I was ushered into surgical menopause with a flurry of severe hot flashes, night sweats, decreased energy, low libido, insomnia, and hair loss. I did some research and read several books by Suzanne Somers where she wrote about menopause and bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. BIHRT has changed my life. I have three small pellets injected into my buttock/hip {alternating hips every three months} and only have mild symptoms about a week or two before my next round of pellet therapy. Want to learn more about this? You can email me or leave a comment below and I’ll tell you all about my experience with pellet therapy.

Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy {a.k.a. Pellet Therapy} – Who knew three small pellets could make such a difference!?!

5. I chew a lot of gum, sometimes three or four pieces a day, and I chew it way past its prime, where there is no flavor left. I always {and only} chewed Big Red in high school. There were a few kids in my Economics class who called me “Big Red” because I had Big Red gum with me at all times. I’m not sure they really knew my real name. I have expanded my chewing gum flavors to include spearmint and peppermint, but I love the flavor of Big Red the most.

6. When I publish a blog post, I try to schedule them to post at 11:00 AM EST. I’ve read a lot of other blog posts from so-called blogging experts that say to be consistent in when you post {i.e., days of the week, time of day}. Don’t ask me how I came up with the 11 AM post time. Just trying to be consistent, I guess. Except for today’s post, all other posts are {or will be} published “on time”.

“Paris is Always a Good Idea” … this notebook holds my blog ideas, and more.

7. I have tried keeping a bullet journal, but I am not as artistic as all those other bullet journal keepers. My current bullet journal {pictured above} is where I write down ideas for blog posts, keep travel plan ideas {like our upcoming trip to Las Vegas}, and create small mood boards. I also have a Moleskine weekly calendar that I got in one of my FabFitFun boxes last year, and I used it all the time in the beginning. Now it’s more of an after-thought. I still carry it everywhere with me and I do look in it about once a week. Then I realize I’m not even looking at the right week, or heck, even the right month! Gotta get better at organizing my day/week/month.

8. My husband and I still have date nights. We are childless {by choice}, except for our furbabies. He will occasionally call me on my cell phone and ask me out on a date, as if we had just recently met. And sometimes on Saturday or Sunday, when I’m inside the house {blogging or cleaning or whatever} and he’s out working in his garage {a.k.a. The RPM Garage}, he will call me on my cell phone and order breakfast or lunch. We have been together almost 21 years, and on Oct. 17th, we will celebrate our 19th anniversary.

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Me and Mike celebrating our 11th anniversary at the No Name Pub in Big Pine Keys, the Florida Keys.

Me and Mike in Colorado, dreaming of retiring in the small town of Cripple Creek.

9. I have still never been outside the continental United States. When I win the lottery, I’m going to do a lot of traveling! First stop… Paris! Why Paris? Well, my blog is “Green Acres Meets Paris” so I need to “meet” Paris IRL! Maybe I need to just write French President Emmanuel Macron and see if he can help make my dream become reality by inviting me to Paris! A girl can dream, right?

10. I’m like Sheldon on “The Big Bang Theory”. I have “my seat” on the couch and if we have company over to our house {which to be honest with you, is rare}, I don’t really like anyone sitting in my spot. If someone does happen to sit in my chair, I then usually sit on “my” bar stool and secretly wish they would leave so I can have my spot back. {Side bar: My husband and I got rid of our dining room table in favor of a tall bar, which is why we have bar stools.}

So there you have it – 10 random facts about me. What is a random fact about you? Leave your random fact in the comment section below and see if we have something in common!

Until tomorrow…

Yours Truly, Vanessa

Blogtober 2017, Day 1: Welcome to My “Green Acres” Aahhh... October! Not only is Fall in full swing around here in the East Tennessee mountains, but in the blogosphere, it's…