I love laughing at myself. I think it’s one of the greatest joys in life. Whether it is the result of a funny comment I made to myself in my head, or pure embarrassment at a public blip, it’s extremely healthy to laugh at oneself. I’m laughing at myself now as I write this first post, the beginning of Mongan Moments. Not because it’s a particularly funny post, but because this isn’t my first rodeo. My current pride and joy is A Pair of Passports – the part-time couples travel blog that I operate with my husband, Sean. But I wanted a place to share some more personal things, our everyday moments that have absolutely nothing to do with travel. So Mongan Moments was born.
I’m a chronic blog starter, always coming up with some new idea to share some sort of information with some demographic that might be interested in it. So that’s why I’m laughing – because my friends will think this is a hoot. Yet ANOTHER blog idea comes out of Kelly. However, this one is for me. To share my life. To share those everyday moments that I want everyone to know about – good meals, really bad meals, excellent books, fun events in London, a new wine or beer. Those moments make up my everyday life and Mongan Moments is dedicated to them.
So – what’s our deal as Mongans, and what can you expect to see here on Mongan Moments?
Our Backstory
Sean was always a Mongan, but we became ‘The Mongans’ on August 23, 2016, in an intimate, family-only wedding ceremony. Our story before that was relatively short, but quite the whirlwind of falling in love and battling the woes of long distance.
We met in February 2014 while I was studying abroad in London. Sean worked at the company where I interned as part of my program, so we were co-workers – and just friends. And then one day we both individually decided that it was something more…right before I left to travel and return to the US. But life worked out for us and we were always honest (and ambitious) from the get go, deciding we were going to date before actually going on our first date, when I found out I’d be returning to the UK for the summer.
After just two months of dating, we were in it deep enough to commit to 4 months of long distance while I finished university and attempted to find a way to return to the UK at the end of it. The majority of our FaceTime conversations happened while one of us was half asleep. Our first “I love you”s were said over drunken text message. We spent four of our first six months together apart, but it still just felt right. In January 2015, I moved to London for a year and we were finally a normal couple!
We moved into our current one bedroom flat in October 2015 and I had to return to the US due to the expiration of my visa at the end of December. We did a lot of back and forth at the beginning of 2016 before Sean proposed in May. I returned to the UK on a fiancee visa, we wed in August, and now here we are! We’re exploring London, navigating married life, and just enjoying the little moments of everyday.
Kelly, Sean & Giorgio Makes 3
Five days before we tied the knot, our dog Giorgio moved over from the US. He was a bit confused and jet-lagged for a couple of weeks, but he finally settled in eventually. We do a lot of dog-friendly UK travel in order to fulfil our travel wishes without needing to find a boarder for Giorgio; this has led us to a lifestyle of long countryside walks, cozy pub fires, and dog-friendly castle exploration. We’re not complaining!
I work from home, which means that someone is almost always with Giorgio; however, we are still trying to figure out this whole dog ownership thing. Especially in the city, we feel awful when we cannot get to the park one day and Giorgio is bound to a couple of long neighborhood walks. We do our best, though, and he’s definitely a happy (and snuggly) pup!
Mongan Moments
The items mentioned above are the foundation for Mongan Moments and will inspire most of the content here – my husband, our marriage, and our furry friend. As I mentioned, this is a personal blog. I’m doing this for myself – to document our firsts and our favourites and all of the moments that deserve more attention than they usually get.
Some things you can look forward to in this first phase of Mongan Moments:
- Marriage & Relationship Advice
- Date Night Ideas
- Information and Reviews of London Events
- Tips on Dog Ownership
- Honeymoon Lookbook
- Wedding Planning Tips & Tricks (and a look at our wedding(s)!
- and more!
I hope you enjoy reading and getting to know me (and us) virtually! If you have any questions, please contact me via email.
All photos by Mary Smith Photography.
