She's back... or at least on her way to getting back

When Kevin & I first moved to the UK we had three things we did right away... 1)purchase TV, 2) Internet, House Phone & Cell Phone setup, and 3) Join the gym. Yep, that is the rating that Kevin assigned to our tasks :-) TV first, communication with world second, and our exercise & physical health second.

Over the last 2+ years I have enjoyed my time at the gym, from swimming with the girls; to participating in various classes - kickboxing, body combat, body pump, yoga, etc; to having a personal trainer for a few months; to enjoying the perks of massages and pedicures. Some of my best memories at the gym were when I was working out with friends ~ Janice & I used to take 2 classes a day...man was I in shape then.

In January, Kevin & I decided to cancel our gym membership & purchase home gym equipment. This would eliminate the regular membership fee, the travel time and would enable Kevin & I to work out together. We got a fabulous deal on gym quality equipment from a shop here in the UK and had a great location for it here in our home. We even got a TV for the workout room. We were set.

Almost every morning you can here Kevin in the gym at 6am. He has really enjoyed the home gym & benefited from it. Me on the other hand, I hate it. I feel like I spend so much time at home already that I really missed going to the gym, seeing other people, and basically just getting out of the house. I could always find an excuse to keep me from getting on the home equipment - laundry, cleaning, or basically just laziness.

Last Thursday I decided to take things into my own hands, and I rejoined the gym. I love it. My goal is to go to the gym 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes, but once I get in better shape I plan on rejoining the classes and spending a few hours there. So, here's to weight loss, better conditioning, better health!

There is no place like home...

We have been trying to decide whether or not we are going back to Illinois in August. There have been many factors - money, time, family, friends, etc. But my biggest concern has been whether or not going home would amplify our homesickness. Now don't get me wrong, living here has been excellent, we are enjoying our time, making fabulous & life-long friends but as the saying goes "there is NO place like home."

When we are here in England we seem to be fine - we really enjoy ourselves & our daily routine. The girls enjoy living in a subdivision where the neighborhood kids can come over, they can ride their bikes, and take the dogs for a walk. The school is within in walking distance as well as a convenient store which allows for regular walks for ice-cream or lollies.

But when we return to Illinois and stay at our farm, well that is just home and words can't describe how much we enjoy it. We have our lake, our land, the home construction, the memories, the friends, our church, the big-kids visits (my former youth group), and the family visits. Each time we go home we find it gets harder & harder to come back to England... so we were thinking maybe we wouldn't go home this summer.

We planned a week vacation at Cornwall here in England the week after the girls get out of school. It will be a girls only vacation shared with our best friends the Hunters. We have booked an apartment right on the beach and the Hunters know Cornwall like the back of their hand. I anticipate this to be a fabulous holiday.

Next I was planning to fill the time with daily outings here in England - safari parks, farms, horse riding, water parks, etc. There also is a Christian Family week called Grapevine which includes camping, music, and lots of friend fun time. And before you know it, I figured summer time would have ended & school would begin again...

Each night it seems that Kevin asks me if I'm sure about not going home in August. He was constantly searching for cheap flights but finding ridiculous prices instead. Finally, today I said just book it - we'll go home for the month of August. Well let me tell you - God is good! Kevin booked our flights, we got the last 4 seats on the plane, and the girls were free. Can you believe that - the girls were FREE. When does that ever happen - especially during summer travel time.

So family & friends, mark your calendars now... we will be home Aug 3rd through the 25th. I plan to eat plenty of Mexican, drink lots of Diet Mt Dew, and visit with as many people as possible.

I told Brittney tonight that we were going home in August for a visit - you should have seen the huge smile that came across her face; it was priceless!!!

Gymkarna - Girl's First Horse Competition

Mother's Day Sunday was spent as a family enjoying our first horse competition. We have been taking lessons for a little over a month, and the competition is really just a chance to spend family time together enjoying the horses. Gymkana is a sports day type event with horses. There were multiple races with Kevin or I holding the lead rein, and the girl's rode a different horse for each race.

Pole Weave ~ in this race the girls had to weave their horse in & out of the poles

Do you see that confident look on her face...
Brittney's turn...
Brittney was riding Marco & he wasn't too impressed with Kevin's lead rein skill. He kept biting Kevin during the race...
Cup Race ~ while trotting, the girls had to grab a cup on one pole then place the cup on the next pole

Flag Race ~ the girls would collect a flag at one end, trot to other end & place it in cone while continually moving, then repeat

For this race, Sophie rode Rupert & based on his size she had a bit of an advantage don't you think... BUT let me say she had great hand/eye coordination & dad kept Rupert at a steady pace.Look at how tall & strong Brittney is sitting on this horse. She looks really good when she rides & very comfortable!

Sack Race ~ the girls will trot on the horse through 2/3rds of course & finish via the sack. I took over the lead rein on this race so that Kevin could get some much deserved rest.

Potato Race ~ the girls will collect a potato that has been placed on top of a drum at one end , trot to the other end & drop it in a bucket at next end, then repeat. I was 'scheduled' to run this race with the girls. It was starting to get much windier & cooler, but we are still having a ton of fun!

Do you notice on the picture above that Sophie's right hand is free (she is holding the reins in her left hand). That is so she can pick up the potato, but the only problem this time...mom was actually running half way fast & Sophie had started to get a little too comfortable with this race. She fell of the horse half way through (we were in first at that point) - quite a few tears were shed, BUT she got back on that horse & finished the race. I was so proud of her for that.

After Sophie's fall, I really needed a rest so Kevin ran the last race with Brittney. Brittney did excellent - she came in first. She has excellent hand/eye coordination & is very comfortable on the horse. She was able to maneuver the course with skill & handle her horse with confidence. She definitely deserves to be proud (mom & dad were so proud of her!)

In the end, we had a blast! The girls did fabulous. They collected a rosette for each race they were in which is really good considering they have been riding for such a short time (and no, everyone did not get a rosette; the rider had to actually place in the top 4 to get a rosette). Excellent day!