Spring Flowers

It was sunny outside today, so I decided to do a little yard work.  Here is a before and after picture of our garden.

Before

After

I know, it is impressive.  Those were some pesky weeds.

Looking on the bright side, at least I can say that I didn't have to mow the yard, but I actually enjoy mowing the yard (even when it is really hot outside).  I am just strange that way.

Here is a picture of the roses blooming at our house in Austin this week (thanks for the pics Ryan).

Our Back Fence

The Arbor

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year, and I loved it when all the Lady Banks roses were blooming in our backyard.  It doesn't last long, but it is amazing while it lasts.

I can already tell Spring is going to be even more amazing here.  The flowers are just now starting to bloom.  All of the bulbs have come up, and there are bright clumps of daffodils growing everywhere.  They are in parks, people's yards and even on the side of the roads.  They grow around town this time of year sort of like bluebonnets do at home in Texas.

Roadside Daffodils

The girls should be glad I haven't made them take daffodil pictures like I used to make them take bluebonnet pictures.  Sutton especially hated bluebonnet pictures (remember she doesn't really like taking pictures).  Here is one of our bluebonnet pictures taken last Spring.

Bluebonnets at LHC





I know the girls look happy, but it was a painful process trying to get this picture.  I am not sure it would be worth it trying to get a good daffodil picture.  We will see.





Spring Is In the Air

It is with great joy that I welcome back my old friend the sun.  I don't want to jinx it or anything, but the sun has actually been shining for several days in a row.  Yesterday I was even able to walk the dog to the park without wearing a coat (not to mention a hat and gloves).  It brings tears to my eyes to think this long, cold, dreary English Winter might be almost over, so now we can welcome beautiful Spring.

This past weekend was beautiful, so it was really hard to spend most of the day indoors.  Saturday was a clear-out day at Florence Road.  We set aside a day to try to clean and clear out the church, so it will be ready and looking good for our big One Church launch at Easter.  Everyone who showed up to help pitched in cleaning, clearing, sorting, dusting, hoovering, polishing and planting. 

Florence Road Baptist Church

Sunday was another busy day at church.  After the service everyone stayed for a Bring and Share lunch.  It was a very Baptist affair where everyone signed up to bring a dish (salad, quiche, bread, dessert, etc.) that they shared with everyone else.  Over 100 people stayed for lunch, so we had a really big crowd.  Amazingly, we had enough food for everyone.  It was nice to see people from Gloucester Place and Florence Road all mixed together and enjoying a meal together.



The Food Line



Sloane and her Peeps

Sutton and Her Peeps

Hall Full of Hungry Eaters

After lunch several of us walked down to Preston Park to try to work off our meal and to enjoy the beautiful weather.  The park was packed (obviously everyone else has missed the sun also).  We walked through the park and stopped on the grass at the cricket field.  Someone had brought a football (soccer ball for my American friends), so we had a quick pick-up game for fun.

Walkers at Preston Park

Football in the Park

More Football Action

After we finally got home on Sunday it was time for some NCAA tournament games.  It has been so great getting all the basketball games on ESPN America, and the first rounds were brilliant because the games came on early enough that we didn't have to stay up all night to watch them.  We have the family bracket challenge going on again this year with my family, and we even have a One Church bracket with a couple of our church friends.  Can't wait for the Sweet Sixteen this weekend!

Spring Half Term Break

Sutton and Sloane had their Spring half-term break a couple of weeks ago.  In the UK the school year is broken into 3 terms, and you get a week off for a half-term break in the middle of each term.  It was a little early for the typical Spring Break we are used to at home, but it was nice to sleep late all week and hang out.

We also got ourselves together enough to make a couple of day trips.  On Monday of that week, we made a road trip to Stonhenge and Salisbury Cathedral.  Keith did an excellent job of navigating the thousands of roundabouts we had to drive through on the way to Stonehenge (it felt very National Lampoon's European Vacation - "Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament"), and it took us about 2 hours to drive there.

It was FREEZING (no surprise there) on the big open plain surrounding Stonehenge.  Luckily, it didn't rain until later in the day, so at least we weren't cold and wet.  Before we left the house, like the good mother that I am, I made a big deal about the girls grabbing all their cold weather items (hats, gloves, scarves).  When we were getting out of the car, I asked Sloane where her coat was.  She told me that she didn't bring it because I forgot to remind her.  Seriously, I didn't think I needed to actually say that out loud - seemed a little obvious to me.  Needless to say, Sloane froze in her sweatshirt, but she didn't get a lot of sympathy from me.

For some reason Sutton did not want us to take any pictures of her.  She really doesn't ever like to have her picture taken, but not taking pictures at Stonehenge just wasn't an option.  This of course led to tears and very annoyed parents, but we all pulled through in the end.  Despite the cold and the brief photo drama, we all enjoyed Stonehenge.  I was the only one who had been there before, and it was actually better than I remembered it.  I think that you are able to get closer now than 15 years ago when I last visited. 

After visiting Stonehenge, we went to the nearby city of Salisbury.  We walked through town and found a place to eat and warm up.  After refueling, we headed to Salisbury Cathedral.  The cathedral has Britain's tallest spire and the best preserved of only four original Magna Cartas.  It was really beautiful, and surprisingly, we all enjoyed our visit to the cathedral also.  I think the highlight of the trip for the girls happened when we were leaving town.  On our way back to the car, we passed a shop called Cupcake Heaven, so we got some amazing cupcakes for the road.

On Wednesday, we had good intentions of going walking on the beach in Brighton, but the weather just didn't cooperate.  As usual, it was cold and wet.  Instead we went down to the Marina and had lunch and looked around at some of the shops.  We felt good that we had at least made the effort to get out of the house on such a dreary day.

On Thursday we got a train to London and went to see the Tower of London, and it ended up being a beautiful, sunny day.  The Tower was a little crowded because it was a school holiday, but we were able to see all the things we wanted.  We were able to take a tour with one of the Beefeaters, and we saw the Crown Jewels.  After lunch, we headed over to the National Gallery.  We saw all of the "must see" paintings by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Monet, Cezanne and Michaelangelo.  We also went outside and hung out in Trafalgar Square until it was time for dinner. 

Like our last visit to London, we went back to eat at Wahaca.  It is a Mexican food restaurant in Covent Garden that is actually really good.  It is the closest thing to real Mexican food we have found in the UK, so we just keep going back.  It wil have to hold us until we get home this summer for some real Tex Mex.

Super Bowl in the UK

Last night we experienced our first Super Bowl in England, and I am going to be paying for it all week.  Our friend Bob Hartman was in town staying with us again, and he is from Pittsburgh.  Needless to say, he is a huge Steelers fan, so we knew we would all be staying up to watch the game.

We thought about actually having a Super Bowl Party, but it is hard to be too festive when the game starts at 11:30pm.  We did invite another American from our church, Steven, who is from N.C. and who manages the new Hollister here in Brighton, but he had to be at work at 6:30am the next morning.  Unless it is your team playing, it is hard to be that dedicated.  I wasn't sure I would make it the whole game, but I was willing to give it a shot. 

Everyone knows that one of the most important parts of the Super Bowl is the food, but it is a challenge to think of snacks that sound good that late at night.  I decided to make The Pioneer Woman's Mexican Layer Dip, and we ended up eating it around midnight.

• I must take a minute to diverge from my story to pledge my love and devotion to Ree Drummond - The Pioneer Woman.  If you have never heard of  her, click on the link above RIGHT NOW and check out the Pioneer Woman's Cooking Blog.  Ree is a big-city girl who now lives on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma, and all of her step-by-step recipes use simple ingredients that I can actually (usually) get here in England.  I have Ree's cookbook, but I love reading her blog because she is hilarious and her food is yummy!

OK, back to the Super Bowl...the dip was a hit, and it wasn't too terrible that late at night.  Even though the Steelers didn't look good there for a while, we all had a feeling they were going to make a comeback.  Bob did his best to rally the team by waving his "Terrible Towel" (a very nice Big Ben version by the way), and it looked like it was going to work there for a while.  Unfortunately, I could only make it through the third quarter - 2:30am was my limit.  Keith and Bob actually made it until the end of the game (around 3:15am).  That is dedication.

Getting up to get the girls to school was extremely difficult this morning.  I decided to go back to bed for just a few minutes, and I ended up falling back to sleep until 11:00.  Even with that extra sleep, I am dragging today.  It feels a little bit like the time I took Sutton to see the midnight showing of Harry Potter.  It really did take me a week to catch up on my sleep - I think that is a sign of getting old.  We will see if it really does take me all week to recover this time. 

Netball

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).

So, Why Did You Move Here?

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.

It Was a Happy Christmas!

After church at Florence Road Baptist Church.

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.