How My Obsession with The USA Started!

Growing up I was infatuated with America and longed to move to the land of the free, but little did I know what that actually meant. I was too used to watching American shows on TV and fell in love with a life that I thought existed only in America. It's strange, because I think everyone has a pre-conceived idea of what a country is like and to me America was just the epitome of happiness. I rolled all 50 States into one ideology in my head and thought "when I am older, that is where I am going to live!"

Schweitzer mountain, Sandpoint, Idaho, June 2017

First Impressions

The first time I touched American soil I was 13 years old and my Mum took me to Florida. I think as a child you hear about Disneyland but nothing can prepare you for actually being there. The memories I have of that vacation centuries ago still feel like it was yesterday. I'd never flown transatlantic and getting on-board that Virgin plane was a whole new experience. I couldn't believe how many seats and aisles there were, and how you got a TV and headphones, and that you could whistle away an 8 hour flight in what felt like minutes. If that plane could have flown up into heaven, I would have actually believed I was about to be flown there.

When we landed I was bubbling with excitement, and that humid Florida late-June heat embraced me like a warm hug. We took the journey to the villa we rented in Kissimmee and I honestly felt like we were staying in some mansion and living like celebrities. There was something about pulling up in-front of the house and seeing the immaculate green grassed lawn and just the beautiful architecture of the villa that made me fall in love. Inside the house the rooms were huge and everything felt so spacious. I distinctly remember the laundry room housing a mammoth-sized washer and dryer (how many 13 year olds pay too much attention to anything involving laundry I do not know), but they were something else. The rooms had intercom systems between them with built in radios, which I thought were the coolest thing ever. Well, almost the coolest thing until my Uncle showed me the fridge/freezer with the built-in ice maker.

Everywhere we went everything was so different, but so much better. It was like back home in the UK we were living in the dark ages, and America was so evolved and trendy. Imagine how I felt when I actually went to Disneyland and thought I had just entered a parallel universe where your dreams really do come true!

Great Expectations

Despite building an image in my head, based on watching TV and commercials of what America was going to be like, it did not disappoint. That vacation to Florida cemented my love for America. I still went home thinking that it was where I wanted to live when I grew up.

But life happened, and I had to wait another 17 years before these feet touched that American ground that was held sacred to me. This time visiting Idaho for a vacation with Mr H and to meet in person, my soon to be, Sister-in-law. Idaho was everything Florida was to me all those years ago, but it could not be more different at the same time. I'm not comparing the two States and saying they are the same, but I instantly felt like I was home again, and all those feelings that made me want to live in America were reignited again. At that time the Mr H and Friends YouTube channel did not exist, nor did the idea in Mr H's head. America seemed like it was only going to be somewhere we got to visit for vacations, but fast-forward 5 years and I don't think I go 5 minutes without talking about, or mentioning something to do with America. What started as an infatuation is now an obsession.

Live's Full Circle

I know America, like any country has it's flaws, and a place is different when you live there and don't just visit on vacation, but to me the excitement I feel about anything related to America just keeps on coming. That bubbling excitement I had at 13 when I landed in Florida was there every other time we visited The USA. It's still there when we book trips, plan meals, or create videos. That heat that embraced me like a hug when landing in Florida has the same feeling as the love and support we get from each one of you reading this, watching our videos, and supporting the channel. I've never felt as welcomed as I have in America, and by the American people. I love how you share so much about your state, your food, and history and how you educate us and teach us things that we would never have known (such as what the land of the free means). I love how this community keeps on growing and how you all get involved with advice, and tips, and how you make friends amongst yourselves. I hope you all know how much we love and appreciate you, and how you have put the 'Friends' in the Mr H and Friends Channel!

Feel free to share your thoughts on this blog or on your experiences of America in the comments.