The Sniffles.

The sniffles…the girls have them.  Poor things.  Luckily, I have (miraculously) wound up with two girls who handle getting sick pretty well, and they are simply getting on with life and ignoring their colds.  I am fairly certain that they did not get this from me.

Of course, Marcus and I have them too–not from a cold or the weather, but because Anne and Phil’s time with us is up.  They left yesterday for a few days in NYC before they’ll return to the UK on Saturday.  We are both really, really sad to see them go.  Marcus and I were talking last night about how we would have liked to have met them earlier on in our stay overseas…but of course, we can’t go back.

We had a great time while they were here though!  We took them to Deep Creek, where we hiked and generally just hung out and relaxed.  They saw downtown Annapolis as it prepared for the boat show.  They got to play with the girls (they’re exhausted now, by the way).  Anne and I knitted, and Marcus and Phil played video games.

And when they left, Marcus commented about how we’ll really have to try to get me out there next year…so at least that’s something.

Cheers, Anne and Phil!  We miss you already!

 

Travel in England

Another Tuesday, another compilation of some of my work for your viewing pleasure.  These pieces all relate to our time while living in England–some of the places we visited, where we lived, and things we learned and wanted to share about life in the UK.  It is by no means comprehensive–in fact, looking at how little it is reminds me of all the additional pieces I’d like to write!

Again, if you have questions, comments, feedback, or additional article suggestions, please fire away!

Food/Drink in the UK

Indian Food in Northern England: Akbar’s Takes the Prize

Organic Food Delivery in Yorkshire, England

Betty’s Cafe Tea Rooms: England’s Best Cup of Tea

Outings in the UK

A Day of History & Natural Beauty in Helmsley, England

Fountains Abbey:  England’s Must See Piece of History

Spofforth Castle:  Best Free Castle Ruin in North Yorkshire, England

Whitby, England:  Best Seaside Holiday in North Yorkshire, England

Bolton Abbey & Hesketh Farm Park: A Family Friendly Day in North Yorkshire, England

Tropical World in Leeds, England: Best Small and Inexpensive Aquarium Day Trip for Children

5 Reasons Not to Bother with Stonehenge

A Daytrip to South Wales:  Caerphilly Castle and Tintern Abbey

Day Trips in Yorkshire, England: Harrogate

Wacky Warehouse: Best Location and Value for a Child’s Birthday Party in England

Tips for Travel in the UK

Tips for Traveling Cheaply in Yorkshire with Young Children

A Guide to Saving Money While Exploring England

Tips for Driving in England

What You Should Know about Using Credit& ATM  Cards Overseas

 

Historic Steps

This week, we will finally be moving into our new house!  Our belongings arrived from England, miraculously, and two weeks early, at that!  We’re still without a washer/dryer, so I don’t imagine we’ll stray too far from my mom’s house, but we are planning to start sleeping in the new house this week, and I couldn’t be more excited.

As much as I love my mom’s house, it will be so nice to get settled, instead of just being on vacation.  I know, I know…is there such a thing as too much vacation?  Actually, I think there is, and I’m almost there.  I’m ready to stock the fridge, to start cooking again (gasp!) and even to do some cleaning and organizing in my own house.  I’m ready for the girls to get into a routine, though I know they won’t be completely settled until Marcus returns to work at the end of August.

I’m ready for the next step.

I find myself sitting here though, and as I get ready for the next step, I’m longing for parts of the old step…parts of our home in England.  One of our favorite pasttimes as a family was exploring.  We loved seeing abbeys and castles and walking through gardens.  We loved the history of it all, and it made up our weekends.

I’m missing that, and I wonder what we can do or where we can go here in America to recreate that.  I know we live so close to DC, but neither Marcus nor I feel the draw to walk around and explore it.  So we’re at a loss.

Maybe this will be a part of our life that stays behind.  We’ll find a new family activity.  But until we do, I’ll long for what we’re missing.

I suppose that’s always the way.

 

The Home Stretch

Marcus arrives home on Tuesday!  Yay!

This has certainly not been the easiest separation, and I certainly couldn’t have done it without all the help from my family and friends.

Not only will we never have to be apart for this long again, but when he arrives home, he’s on vacation until mid-August.

Does it get any better than that?

Our days without Marcus have been, for the most part, full.  I know he’ll be so surprised to see how much the girls have grown and changed in just this short time apart.

He’s going to be so surprised!

I can’t wait until Tuesday!

 

A Week’s Worth

Whew! What a week!

It’s only Monday…isn’t it?

At any rate, Kiki and I spent last week atvthe beach with the girls, which was lots of fun. The weather wasn’t entirely cooperative, but we had lots of fun anyway.

We’re in the home stretch now, though! We’re back at mom’s house, and there are 8 days until Marcus comes home! Yay! So that’s in the back of my mind, every day.

We had a bit of fence drama at the new house for a stressful (for me) and frustrating (for Marcus) 30 hours. But, it’s in the process of getting sorted now, which is encouraging. It’ll cost us…but unexpected expenses happen, and that’s why we have savings… Sort of.

My writing is going well, and I’m starting to branch out more, which I’m excited about. Expect a whole writing related post soon.

Knitting continues, and I’m working on a newcsock design. I have test knitters signed up, and hope to email them a draft later this week.

So, what a week…on Monday. I wonder what Tuesday has in store…

 

You Can’t Go Home Again

I suppose you can. I mean, here we are. Home again.

But though I’m happy to be here, glad to be with family, and excited about our new house, coming home again entails so much more than I ever expected.

Part of the situation is, of course, that we are in a state of flux. Marcus isn’t home yet, we aren’t living in our house yet, and our things aren’t here yet. But all that aside, it’s amazing how hard it can be to move, even moving home, after three years somewhere.

I miss my friends in England, our house, our schedule and routine, everything. I miss my knitting group, grabbing the girls from school and heading to Anne’s for tea, and even knowing where to shop for the things I want and where they’ll be in the store.

Some of this is going to take time. And I know I can’t even really expect that clock to start ticking until Marcus is home and we’re moved in.

It’s so funny, because you get so much support when you move overseas–sponsors, meetings, support groups, newsletters…and even then it wasn’t always enough.

But when you move home, you’re coming home, and the support isn’t there. But it’s just as hard as the first move.

I know it will all fall into place, and that this was the right decision for me and for my family. But it’s still an adjustment. It’s still hard. And we’re still working at it…

 

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Better known as the details.  I’m watching the details pile up right now as we get ready for my sister’s wedding on Saturday.  She and her fiance (and my mother) seem to be handling the small stuff quite well, and I’m impressed by how cool, calm, and collected they appear (especially for a family that has issues with stress and anxiety).

There’s a plethora of small stuff going on for us right now, too.  Some is related to our move, some to the girls, some to my knitting and some just to the ups and downs of life.

I’m trying to take it all in stride, though that isn’t always my strong suit.  As a result of failed attempts, I snapped at my sister on Friday, and on Saturday night I had a mini-breakdown while I was getting the girls to bed.  I know it has to do with a change in my medication, as well as all the regular life stresses that are going on right now.  Marcus is, as always, incredibly supportive and helpful, and that’s why I know I’ll manage to pull it all back in and get back on top of life soon enough.

As for the details (which I know many of you nosies are curious about), here’s the abbreviated version:

1.  Samantha has strep throat, in the midst of wedding planning.  We also have no doctor yet in Annapolis.  She is, thankfully, on the mend now.

2.  I’m working on Kiki’s garter for the wedding.  Please don’t ask me why I have left this until the last minute when they’ve been engaged since February 2008.  However, I am making real progress now, and am about 1/2 way done.

3.  We’ve been digging the Washington Capitals and their games, managing to hit a few at the Verizon Center courtesy of my dad and his company’s suite.  It’s involved a bit of juggling with the girls, and we have not managed to attend as a group yet (meaning me, Marcus, Kiki, and Andrew).  I’m hoping for a long series again, so we can have another go at it.

4.  We whisked Kiki off to Atlantic City for her Bachelorette Party last weekend.  There were a few kinks (when aren’t there a few kinks when 9 girls are involved), but for the most part, the weekend was a huge success.

5.  I’m a little bit homesick for England–our routine, our schedule, and our friends.  I was especially bummed to read yesterday on Twitter that Anne and Sue were sitting in Anne’s garden drinking wine, something that could (should) easily be my routine on a sunny Saturday afternoon…sigh.  But I know that they are still there, that we are still friends, and that my life here will fall into it’s own groove soon enough.

6.  I’m really excited because I heard back from a magazine that I queried an article idea to in early April, and they are actually interested and like the idea of a whole regular column.  I spent yesterday finding decent writing samples to share with them, and I’m incredibly nervous.  My first, non-web based freelance writing.  Woo-hoo!

So, if anything, I suppose we should toast to the small stuff, right?

 

Settling Down

We’ve been back in America for a week now. Putting aside Sam’s cold and fever, the return home has been pretty uneventful. It still feels a bit like a vacation, rather than a transcontinental move, and I suspect that will be the case until Marcus is here for good, and we’re moved into the new house. But vacation a nice, too, so no complaints here.

I’m slowly resuming knitting, and to that end, am attending a local knitting group today. My writing has been slow going, but it’s there.

So we’re settling in, settling down, slowly, but surely.

 

Home

I’ve been back in America for two days. It’s only fair to offer you some deeply reflective post about our time overseas, our feelings about leaving, and our return home.

However, as I’m typing this on my new iPhone and preparing to run out the door for kiki’s bachelorette party, I’ll be brief.

Marcus, the girls, and I were truly blessed by the opportunity to live abroad. We grew as a family, in Christ, and as individuals because of our time overseas and the friends that became our family whole we loved there. There will never be the perfect words to express our love and thanks for that.

We return home, and it is just like coming home. But it’s us who’ve changed, and we know that we will carry the blessings of this experience with us always, ever changed by our time in England and our family there.

Whether you call it God’s will, providence, or karma, we know that this experience was in a bigger plan for our family and our future.

We’re home.

 

Easter Weekend

Easter Weekend began on Friday and ran through Monday, with a plethora of activities and events.  Marcus and I couldn’t believe how excited the girls were about Easter this year.

We made it a point to try to explain Easter to the girls in simple terms–we don’t want them to get the impression that the holiday is secular, or about candy.  The conversation was basic–that Jesus died on Good Friday, but not to be sad, because He rose from the dead on Easter Sunday because He is God.  Of course, they wanted to know if Ross’ dog Gus would wake up, too, but I think they were able to understand that Jesus is the only one who could do it.  Miscommunications aside, it truly was a precious conversation to share with my daughters.

We spent Holy Saturday with our friends the Carbols, the Susaks, and the Hammonds for a Mexican Easter feast.  The children dyed Easter Eggs, played together, and we all enjoyed some good food and some good company.

Easter Sunday was a beautiful day here in Yorkshire, and we went to church and then to a church potluck Easter brunch.  The food was delicious and abundant, and the companionship was amazing, too.  The girls participated in their first “real” Easter Egg Hunt, and left with full baskets and full tummies.

Marcus had to head off to work on Easter Monday, but the girls and I had a super day.  We headed to Valley Gardens where we met Auntie Anne and Uncle Phil, Sue, and Bob for a picnic and some frolicking round.  The girls burned off plenty of sugar-induced energy, while the grown-ups knitted, laughed, and watched.  I suspect that a good time was had by all.

So, Easter weekend was a full and blessed one for our family.  It was a special day, and led into many good-byes that we know are coming in the next week.

I know that I have said it before, and that I’ll say it again, but we truly are blessed by the family we have made overseas, and the family we have become because of our time overseas.