This is a netball. It looks similar to a volleyball.
I have experienced a new sport here in England - Netball! Last Sunday I went to see the One Church Netball Team (a group of ladies and youth from our church) play their last city league netball match. It was a really different sport than I expected, and I will try my best to describe it to my American friends who probably have never heard of netball.
Netball is played on a court that looks like a basketball court, but it is marked with different lines (see picture). Each side has a goal similar to basketball, but there is no backboard. Only 2 people on each team can shoot baskets, and each basket counts as a point. Of course, the team with the most points wins. Unlike basketball, you cannot dribble or move when you get the ball, and you have 3 seconds to pass the ball. Netball is a very quick game, but there is little contact.
Sadly, I didn't bring my friends luck, and they lost their game by one point. Even though it was a little confusing, I did get the basic idea of how to play netball, so I agreed to join the team for their next practice on Tuesday night. I figured it would be a good workout even if I did make a fool out of myself.
Thankfully, their training was a little slower than the game, and everyone was really great about explaining the rules to me as we played. The hardest part for me was the offsides rule. Depending on which position you are playing, there are only certain zones you can be in, and crossing certain lines puts you offsides. Needless to say, I was probably offsides every time down the court.
I did get the hang of not moving or dribbling when I got the ball, but my passes were a little unconventional. I basically passed the ball like a soccer throw in with both hands, while good netball players pass really hard and quickly with one hand. My friend Julie told me that could be my signature move. I thought that was a really nice way of saying that I looked like a big goofball.
The other part of netball I had a hard time with was the lack of contact. Let's just say I am a little aggressive when I play sports, and I am used to soccer where contact is just part of the game. Although netball is quick, it is very different that basketball in that you can't take the ball from someone or get too close to them when you are defending (even when the other person is shooting). I am afraid I might get thrown out of a real game for too much contact or yanking the ball out of some one's hands (it is so tempting!).
I really enjoyed netball practice. I have really missed playing team sports ever since my foot injuries have sidelined me from soccer. It was fun getting a good workout and hanging out with some new friends. Hopefully, I will be able to continue going to netball practices. I don't think they will ever want me to play a real game with them (I would for sure get in trouble for always being offsides or too much contact), but surely they could put up with me for an extra body for practice each week. I am not sure this is the ideal time in my life to pick up a new sport, but then again, deep down I might be a fabulous netball player and have just never known it. I will keep you posted on my netball future (it might be really short).
Since moving to Brighton, this is the question I get asked most often, and to be honest, I don't ever really know how to answer the question. There isn't really an easy answer, and recently I usually end up sort of laughing and saying "I don't know." Isn't that the worst answer ever?
I mean, I do know why we moved to a different country (even though we were perfectly happy where we were), but just try explaining that to the grocery clerk who is checking your groceries. She is looking for a simple answer like "because of my husband's job" not because "we felt called". Don't get me wrong, I have had the "calling" conversation many times, but it is certainly not always appropriate and it is a long story.
To be perfectly honest (and isn't that what this blog is all about), there are some days when I ask myself, "so, why did we move here?". We actually really like it here and we hope we are making a difference in our church and community, but couldn't we be making that same difference at home in Texas? It certainly would be simpler and make a lot more sense.
My friend Kim from Austin asked me a few days ago whether I had figured out why we were here yet. I had to tell her no and I wasn't sure I would ever know exactly why we were here. The thought of that sort of bothered me until I was talking about the same thing with my new friend Elin over cream tea (isn't that so British). Elin asked me if I really needed to know the answer to the big question of why we were here. She offered that sometimes there are questions that just don't get answered and that is OK (of course, she said it more eloquently than that, but you get the picture).
I think Elin was right. There might not be a simple, obvious answer to why we are here, or there might be a million different answers. Maybe the main reason is because we felt like we were being asked - maybe it was just about obedience. I don't really know, but I do have a peace about it. I know it was the right thing for us to do even if I am not sure exactly why.
So maybe someday I will have that lightning bolt moment, and I will be able to write a brilliant post about the big answer to the question "so, why did you move here?". More than likely, I will have to write a really long blog listing all the small reasons why I think we moved here. For now, I will try to just enjoy each new experience here in England and remember that God is sovereign. He knows all the answers, so I don't have to.
Even though we were far from family and friends back in the States, we had a really wonderful and relaxing Christmas here in Brighton. God has provided for us so much this year, and our Christmas holiday was no exception. Things were definitely different - like our fake Charlie Brown Christmas tree vs. our real, fully decorated tree at home, but it was a good different!
Our Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
The girls got out of school for the Christmas break on December 17th, and Sutton was supposed to go to a youth lock-in at our church on that Saturday. Unfortunately, she wasn't feeling well and the weather was bad, so she decided to stay home. Because it was snowy, icy and cold that Saturday night, neither one of our girls joined us for our church's Community Carol Singalongs.
Despite the bad weather, we had a great turn out singing carols in front of the Basketmaker's Arms Pub near Gloucester Place Baptist Church and the Open House Pub near Florence Road Baptist Church. Keith and I quickly discovered that for the most part we sing different carols in the US, but luckily we had song sheets. After caroling at the Open House, Keith and I stayed and ate dinner there with Bob Hartman who was staying with us again before his last Carol performance on Sunday. It was a big night out for us.
Ian, Mark and Steve leading the carols.
The cold carolers.
The next morning we had to walk to church because the roads were so icy we couldn't drive. I am not sure walking on the sheet of ice that was the sidewalk was any safer, but we did make it to church and home again. That evening we (again!) walked to church - this time to Gloucester Place - for a candlelit carol service. It was a really beautiful service, and our family even did a reading. After church, we grabbed a bite to eat with Joe, Abby and Mark from church.
Walking home from church in the snow.
The rest of that week before Christmas we did a lot of baking and watching movies. I tried making some "Texas Trash" (a Malaise holiday tradition), but it totally didn't work because the cereals here have sugar in them. Let me just say sugar and chili powder are not a good combination. Luckily, a package came from my Mom right after my Trash disaster, and it was full of three bags of Trash. I quickly threw mine away and dove into my Mom's perfect Trash.
Our family also loves Willam Sonoma's Peppermint Bark, so we decided to try to make our own. It turned out really nice, so we made enough to give to our neighbors. The girls couldn't have a Christmas without decorating cookies, so we did that also. Somehow the recipe made a million cookies, so we were up half the night decorating them. Needless to say, our neighbors got some of those cookies also.
Peppermint Bark.
Decorating Christmas cookies (a lot of Christmas cookies).
Sloane and I were lucky enough to get to spend some time with our neighbor Rose over the holiday. On Wednesday before Christmas, Sloane went with Rose to the cat rescue where she volunteers. Rose tells us Sloane is a great volunteer, and she loves helping out with the kittens. We were just relieved that Sloane didn't come home with the dwarf rabbit Rose has been telling her about. Rose is retired and does a lot of volunteering, so on Christmas Eve I joined her on her Meals On Wheels run. We delivered hot meals to about 10 people on her usual rounds. It was great, and I really enjoyed visiting with Rose and meeting some lovely older people in the community. I don't anticipate having my own route anytime soon (that would involve a lot of driving and parking), but I can't wait to go with Rose again soon!
On Christmas morning, we woke up and opened our stockings. We didn't have time to open any presents though because we had to get ready for church. Our church had a short service on Christmas morning. It was very kids friendly with carols and a short message. Sutton and Sloane even participated in a reading. The kids in the church even bring a gift they received that morning and they get to go to the front and show everyone. It was really sweet.
Keith actually held the camera up in church to take this picture. So embarrassing!
Our family took really good care of us this Christmas. Despite a scaled back Christmas and learning some valuable lessons - like don't claim a lot of value when shipping things from the US because then your family will have to pay a lot of Import Duty and VAT - we were definitely not lacking for presents. As you can see, hats and things to keep us warm were the popular gifts this year, and they were very much appreciated!
Sutton's new hat and gloves.
Sloane's very furry hat and gloves.
After spending so much time in the kitchen all week, it was a real treat not to have to cook Christmas dinner. Our friends the Steells invited us to have a traditional English Christmas meal with them. They also invited a few more people from church who didn't have any family here, so it was a nice group for dinner. Becky and Dave are both really good cooks, so dinner was amazing. We had turkey, beef, roasted potatoes, red cabbage, bread sauce, brussel sprouts, dressing, parsnips, and pigs in a blanket (sausage wrapped in bacon). Becky even had Christmas Pudding, but apparently no one really actually likes Christmas Pudding. We ended up all eating the pies I brought.
The end of our Christmas meal. Notice the hats from our crackers - so fun!
After the meal, we played Trivial Pursuit. It was the most pitiful game of Trivial Pursuit I have ever played. It probably had something to do with the fact that the game was a British version, and Dave and Becky were the only Brits playing (everyone else was from America, Malaysia and Africa). Trivial Pursuit is always hard, but this was ridiculous!
For New Year's Eve, we spent the afternoon at our friends', the Nuhus, house celebrating Othniel's birthday. Bukky and her family are from Nigeria, and she made us an amazing Nigerian meal. That night we went to the marina and got some pizza for dinner, and then we saw the "Voyage of the Dawn Treader". We made it home in time to play some games and watch the amazing London countdown and fireworks on TV.
On New Year's Day, we joined the Steells for a walk on the Downs. It was a dreary, drizzly day, but the Downs are so beautiful it really didn't matter. We even took Lucy, and she and Baxter (the Steell's dog) had an amazing time. Lucy was covered in mud when we brought her home, so Keith had to throw her in the shower. It was a pain, but it was worth it to see her so happy.
The gang (you can't see the dogs - they are way ahead).
Seriously, how beautiful is this?
Michelle and Becky - the moms.
I am not sure how 2011can top 2010 for our family, but we are all looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us here in England. Let's just hope it includes a job for Keith. Please be praying for him as he starts to really look for a job here in the UK.
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!
