Surprise.....! Yes, it is me...Sloane Cameron again...!
Well this is not much of a suprise...BUT...when my mom comes on to write something else she will see this so I am trying to make this BOLD!Now the only reason I am not playing games on the computer is because..well...I cant.All the fun games (Poptropica...Girls Go Games....Even Disney...!) have this weird Adobe Flash Player creepy thing...and of course...you guessed it....I don't have it. The Christmas holiday just started and I have nothing to do. What do yall want me to do...homework?We (we meaning dad..) tryed to get it but again....it would not work.
It truly is a sad life when this happens....I cant stand it...it is so emotional..it realy gets to you.........Well I guess this is good-bye...so.....GOOD-BYE!!!!
Living in Brighton is certainly different, so I thought for my first blog post I would do a little something different. If you are not familiar with the movie Airplane and the Naked Gun series, then don’t waste your time reading this, but in memory of the late, great Leslie Nielsen, here is what I have learned about Christmas in Britain so far.
The snow had melted, but more was on the way. As we headed out the car was sluggish, like a wet sponge, yet we were excited about going to our first Christingle Service at the church. What is that you might ask? It is a large building typically with an organ and pews where people go to worship, but that’s not important right now. As I informed our pastor that we didn’t know what a Christingle was, he said, “Surely you can’t be serious.” I replied, “I am serious and don’t call me Shirley. Just tell me what it is.”
“It is a church service where you stick a candle in an orange with some other stuff sticking out of it and light it.” A little odd, I thought, but intriguing. Christingle started in 1747 by a Bishop in Germany, but was not introduced to the Anglican Church until 1968. Literally Christingle means “Christ-Light.” The orange represents the world, the candle is Christ (the Light of the World), the red ribbon represents the blood Christ shed on the cross for us, the four sticks are the four seasons and the dried fruits represent the fruits of the earth and the earth’s riches with which God has blessed us.
Despite the sluggishness of our car, we still arrived a little early. I asked the kind, old man sitting next to me, “How much longer until it starts?” He replied, “I can’t tell.”
“You can tell me, I’m a lawyer.”
“No, I mean, I’m just not sure.”
“Well, can’t you take a guess?”
“Not for another 15 minutes.”
“You can’t take a guess for another 15 minutes?”
“No, I mean, it won’t start for another 15 minutes.”
The service started (after about 15 minutes) and we sang songs, the kids dressed up like nativity scene characters and the pastor gave a short message about the Towering Inferno and how in difficult times we should expect our hero (Christ) to come to save us. At the end, we lit the candles on our Christingles and sang Silent Night sort of like our traditional Christmas Eve service in America. We really enjoyed the service.
The next night we had been invited to our friends’ house for some mulled wine and mince meat pies—traditional British Christmas fare. Mulled wine is basically watered-down hot red wine with some cinnamon and spices. It is a very nice drink. So, we ate mince pies, drank mulled wine and chatted about various things, including the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Unfortunately, I expressed my opinion that no matter how silly the idea of having a queen and royalty might be to us, as Americans, we must be gracious and considerate. This was obviously an offensive statement to our British friends, but the truth hurts, doesn't it? Oh sure, maybe not as much as landing on a bicycle with the seat missing, but it hurts!
As our conversation turned to the student protests regarding the increase in the university tuition rates, we decided to turn on the TV to get an update. Sure enough the crazy students were rioting in London again. Basically their argument appears to be that even though the entire government is trying to make real spending cuts (unlike the U.S.), the students don’t want the tuition increase because there are still some rich people who could afford to pay more taxes to cover it. Crazy argument. As we watched the student mob heat up and as Prince Charles and Lady Camilla left the theatre in their Rolls Royce, they had a run in with the mob in which apparently Camilla may have been poked with a stick. As a BBC reporter interviewed the chief of police for City of London, the obviously angry chief stammered, “I promise you; whatever scum did this, not one man on this force will rest one minute until he's behind bars. Now, let's grab some tea.”
We left our friends’ house and since mulled wine and mince pies didn’t fill us up, we decided to stop and get some fish and chips. As we finished off the fish and chips in the corner of the chip shop and then climbed in the car, we soon realized why no one else was in Steve’s Fish & Chips and why the guy working there didn’t look like he would be named Steve—we all felt violently ill. A kind lady happened to be walking by at the time, so I asked if she knew how to get to the nearest hospital. Terrified, she said, “Oh no! A hospital! What is it?” I replied, “It’s a big building with patients and doctors, but that’s not important right now.” I still think it’s strange she asked that question. Now, you need to remember that we still don’t have a real comfort for driving on the wrong side of the road and in particular the wrong side of the car, but one thing was clear, the life of everyone in the car depended upon just one thing: finding someone who could not only drive our car, but someone who didn't have Steve’s fish & chips for dinner. Nonetheless, we decided to roll the windows down and give it our best shot to make it on our own. We needed some motivation, so I tried my best, “It’s fourth and fifteen and we’re looking at a full court press, but we can do it.” We eventually made it home and felt better in the morning.
We also attended a performance of A Christmas Carol at Sloane’s school. Always the aspiring actress, this was Sloane’s first real acting performance. She was Mrs. Fezziwig which is a character from the scene with the Ghost of Christmas Past. All of the parents were to attend the performance, so it was going to be a packed house. We had told our friends that this was her acting debut, so one of them asked Sloane, “Are you nervous?” Sloane replied calmly, “Yes.” “First time?” Sloane retorted, “No, I’ve been nervous lots of times before.” Since she was apparently uptight I had to give her a little word of encouragement, so I told her, “Sloane, just remember, when you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.” That must have been the encouragement she was looking for because she nailed her performance. We are very proud of her.
While A Christmas Carol was the same Charles Dickens’ story we are used to, we also went to see a performance of Carol which is a rather loose and modern day version of the traditional story. Bob Hartman, the author of Carol, stayed with us for about 10 days while he and the Lacey Theatre group practiced the show. Lacey Theatre is a small Christian theatre group that is based out of our church, so we have had the privilege of getting to know and enjoy time with them. Bob is not typically an actor—he is an author, pastor and storyteller, but he did an outstanding job at the dress rehearsal that we were able to watch. We had several meals at our house with Bob, so we had the opportunity to discuss many things with him. On one occasion we asked him if acting was very different from his story telling that he does in schools. He replied, “It involves a totally different skill set altogether.” So, we all looked at each other, shrugged and all said in unison, “It involves a totally different skill set.” I’m still not sure why he asked us to do that. Anyway, the Lacey group has toured around England and has performed Carol over 25 times. When Bob came back through Brighton toward the end of the show tour, we were wondering if he had lost his edge yet after performing it that many times. He said, “No. Like a midget at a urinal, I have to always be on my toes.” When Bob left us for the last time, he looked a little sad, so I tried to break the sadness. “Cheer up, Bob. This isn’t goodbye; it’s just that we won’t ever see you again.” I’m not sure it worked, but as you can tell, we had a great experience with Bob.
On yet another night, we decided to participate in singing Christmas carols outside of a neighborhood pub near our house. The event was organized by St. Luke’s church just down the street from our house. Although the temperature was below freezing, the turnout was excellent. We sang Christmas songs—only a couple of which I was familiar. It is odd that the Christmas songs are so different from what we are used to in America—even the familiar songs were sung to a different tune. There is a great one with very catchy tune that we really need to introduce back home. The catchy Christmas song is about a little donkey and is called Little Donkey, Little Donkey. After the singing, since we were outside the pub, some of our neighbors asked if we wanted a night cap. Michelle answered, “No thanks, we don’t wear them.” So we went home to warm up.
I do find it ironic that in the public schools here the kids sing Christmas carols including Silent Night, yet in America there is no chance of that happening anymore. Nonetheless, while Christmas is celebrated and traditional songs sung by virtually everyone (even our atheist next door neighbor decorates and celebrates), Christ is nowhere in the picture. I assume that since the Church of England was so intertwined with culture and everyday life for so many years that it is still lingering. Nonetheless, most of the churches are empty. It is a bit paradoxical that evidence of Christ is everywhere yet He is in very few lives.
That is the end of my Christmas story, but if you weren’t paying attention, here is a recap:
Christingle – good
Mulled wine – good
Spending time with new friends – good
Rioting students – bad
Steve’s Fish & Chips – bad
Sloane’s acting – good
Bob Hartman – good
Lacey Theatre – good
Unfamiliar Christmas carols – generally bad
Little Donkey, Little Donkey – good
Empty churches – bad
Jesus Christ – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace . . . Savior
Just wanted to let everyone know that Lucy did indeed make it to Brighton. Despite the snow, ice and bad roads, Keith and our friend Marek were able to go to London to pick Lucy up from Heathrow Airport on Friday, December 3rd. Lucy flew into Heathrow on Thursday, but because of the weather, she had to spend the night at the Heathrow Animal Reception kennels. The workers there were great, and they took really good care of Lucy.
When Lucy finally made it to Brighton, we met her a few blocks away because our street was too icy to drive on. Keith and I carried her giant crate home, and the girls walked Lucy through the snow. Lucy couldn't figure out exactly where she was. The fun in the snow was short-lived because it melted the next day, but Lucy thought the mud was just as fun.
Lucy is really settling in to life in the UK. She seems a little bigger, but I think that is just because our house is smaller. We haven't quite decided what to do with her giant crate. It is really ugly and takes up half of our living room, but Lucy seems to like it and we might need it again someday (perish the thought of ever having to do that again!).
The only bad part about having Lucy here is the fact that we don't have a backyard. Our small garden is decked, and we don't have any grass. That means several times a day we have to walk Lucy down the street to our neighborhood park. Luckily, the park is only a few blocks away, but it can seem really far when it is freezing outside at 9:00pm. Last night it was actually snowing when I took her out for the last time. It is all worth it though, and I keep reminding myself that it is good exercise for both of us.
Lucy's favorite thing about Brighton is the parks. She absolutely loves going, and she gets so excited. We live near two parks: Dyke Road Park where we take her to "do her business" and Preston Park where I take her running. Preston Park seems to be her favorite because I am able to let her off-leash and she just runs like crazy. There are always lots of other dogs to sniff and chase. It is nice having my running partner back again, and it is motivation when it is cold and I feel lazy.
Thanks again for all your prayers when Lucy was journeying to the UK. Despite the weather drama, everything worked out in the end.
In a few hours Lucy is leaving the US to fly to the UK. I still feel like it will take a miracle to get our dog to Brighton, but God has given us miracles before. I feel certain it was easier getting our children into this country than it has been to get our dog over here...and she still is not here.
Lucy, has been living with my parents since we moved to England in August. The UK has a PETS program that replaces the 6-month quarantine in the UK if you qualify. Basically, you have to fill out a LOT of paperwork in a very specific order, and then pray that you did everything correctly. It has been a rough ride since the beginning of this process, but it will be all worthwhile when our pup gets here.
My mom had to take Lucy to the vet in College Station yesterday to get 2 more vaccinations (that must be given between 24-48 hours of her flight) and to get her vet health certificate. Everything went smoothly, and the vet thinks the paperwork looks good. The problem is now that the ball is rolling, she has to fly. That wouldn't actually be a problem except for the fact that the entire English Isle has been blanketed with snow. Yes, we even have snow here on the coast. Apparently, this is the worst snow storm this early in over 20 years. Of course, that is just our luck.
Snow On Our Street Before It Snowed All Day
Gatwick airport has been shut down all day today, but luckily, Lucy is flying into Heathrow (and everything looks clear there). According to Continental, the flight is still scheduled and on time, so the plan is to get Lucy in the air and in the country - then we will figure out how to get her tomorrow.
Jimmy Winters (LOVE him!!!!) is picking up my mom, Keith's mom, Lucy and her giant crate at the Cameron's, and then they are heading to the airport in Houston. Sweet Jimmy had to help the moms because Lucy's crate is so giant it couldn't fit in any of their cars (and there is no way our moms could have maneuvered the crate and the dog). We will owe Jimmy big time for this favor - he is a REALLY good friend.
Giant Crate!
We are all praying (feel free to pray too) that Lucy and her crate end up weighing less than 100 pounds. The cost of her trip is determined by weight, and of course she is right at the limit. Lucy usually weighs around 50 pounds, but at the vet yesterday she weighed in at 54 pounds (too many treats at the grandparent's house?). We are not sure how much the crate weighs, but we think it is about 44 pounds. Yikes! That is close. It is going to take a major miracle for the weight to be under 100 pounds, but we really need it to be. There is a $500 difference between 100 pounds and 101 pounds!
At this point, that doesn't even really matter, we just need her to get to London safely. Her flight is scheduled to land in London at 9:30 tomorrow morning, and we are supposed to pick her up around 1:00 after she has cleared customs. A friend of ours from church, Marek, is going to take us to Heathrow to pick Lucy up because he has a car big enough for the crate. We are going to owe him big time too - especially because driving to London can be a nightmare and it will be even worse tomorrow in this weather. In fact, we are praying (feel free to pray some more with us) that it will not snow too heavily tonight and the roads will be clear.
We will keep you posted on the dog drama, but seriously, feel free to pray. We could really use it!
