Walk Like an Egyptian...

Brittney has been learning about Egypt & Egyptians at school this semester. In an earlier blog I talked about us going to London to visit the King Tut exhibit & how she was able to educate Kevin & I on many things... well, today was Brittney's Egyptian dress day. She went as Princess Isis. The princess was Queen of Egypt ruling with Pharoh Osiris. Legend has it when they died the Pharoh and Princess became King & Queen of the Underworld.

Back to School

Approximately a month ago I wrote a blog about going back to school. Well, the time is finally here. Last week I got the information for my first class - Research Development and Design. Please remember, my first degree is in accounting. We had research papers and research projects but not anything too bad (maybe a 5 page report or a group project of 50 to a 100 pages). For my Research class this time I am to choose a topic of interest from my department of study (Theologoy) and write a reserach paper with 50 sources, 20 pages, and 5000 words. Now to my PhD husband that doesn't sound like a lot, but to me - I am overwhelmed. I know I can do this, but man - how can I pick a topic of interest when I haven't taken any other Theology classes yet. One of my friends was suggesting picking a topic from the Bible and using each book of the Bible as one of my sources. Good idea, but I'm sure that is not what they had in mind at school.

I am to learn more in a few days so I know stressing about it right now won't do me much good. But talk about shooting my confidence before I even start. I guess that is how I know this will be from God not me... He did promise when we are weak, He is strong.

Mixed Emotions

The last few days have been filled with so many emotions... I have 2 friends moving back to the states, we are getting ready to go back to the states for our first visit in 15 months, and today was Sophie's class assembly at school. WOW - I find myself crying at almost anything right now. I guess that is why I am glad there are no Hallmark commercials here in the UK :-)

Friends moving back to the states is a reality of living in a "temporary" environment. When you move an ocean away from family and friends, the ISE (International Service Employees) friends you make become your new family. I don't think I could have made it through the last 15 months if it weren't for my new ISE friends. We have Bible studies together, book clubs, lunches, brunches, shopping trips, sweating together at the gym, grumbling about our spouses (who doesn't do that at times :-)), bunco, euchere, you name it - we probably do it. But the most important thing we all do together is "have each other's back" - we help each other stay positive. I know we will still be friends when we get back, but life changes & absences can be scary.

When it comes to going back home in 2 weeks - I am so nervous. I have purposely avoided going home before now. I know it will not be the same; I know it will be tough at times & great at times. Things change and we have to be prepared for that. So, I have decided to focus on the things I know will be okay - I am looking forward to seeing my family; I am looking forward to being on the farm (I love all our land); I can't wait to visit Willow Hill; and I cannot wait to see friends. On a different note, the first place I want to eat is Alexanders ~ oh to have a good, juicy steak with a huge baked potato and the salad bar from heaven. Man, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Sophie's class assembly was awesome! She was so confident on stage. She was so proud of herself ~as she should have been. She had a small speaking part "I have two dogs that I take for a walk in the park with my family." I was amazed. She spoke clearly and projected her voice. It was more than enough to make a mom proud. But a warning to everyone back home - she has a strong British accent (maybe not strong to the Brit's but to us Americans, it is a strong accent).

The assembly started with 250+ kids from the school making there way into the hall. They walk so properly, are dressed so properly, and sit without making a sound. It was soooo cute. Then in walks Sophie's class - 30 kids all barefooted. They had them take their shoes off for assembly so they wouldn't be tempted to pound their feet on the stage :-). For anyone that knows Sophie, you know she was in heaven ~ nothing has changed in that respect, she loves to have her shoes off.

I was very proud of her. She did an excellent job. It was enough to make a mom tear up at times...

Weekend in London

After a long night on Friday (Kevin & I stayed out too late playing cards), we all got up early to catch the train down to London. After then taking the underground to our hotel, mom took a nap while dad & the girls "rested". Our first item on the itinerary was to see the Tutankhamun Exhibit.


Brittney is studying Egypt history at school and really wanted to see it. She was explaining things to Kevin & me at times :-). We got the ear phones for all of us - Sophie kept walking through the exhibit asking (in her not so quite voice) what number do I push. You never had to worry about loosing her - just wait a minute & you would hear "what number. Mom, what number do I push. Mom." We learned about the mummy process, and I must admit it was pretty impressive to learn someone from 3000+ yrs ago was able to "preserve" items.

The next morning we woke up early to visit the Science Museum. The girls and Kevin had a blast. They looked at the human body, the early engines, and the space area. Most all of the museums in London are free, and there are lots of museums to see. Next time we'll see more of the science museum and another one...


You now, I am not into museums. I go for Brittney, Sophie, and Kevin... just don't ask too much of me :-) In the Science Museum I found a quiet and dark corner to test my eyelids :-) But they found me.

On our way to the show we visited our favorite restaurant - Texas Embassy. They serve authentic Mexican food (something very difficult to find in the UK) and give free refills on your drinks (again, something very difficult to find in the UK). Then we walked through our "favorite" - Trafalgar Square. Sophie loves to chase the pigeons (terrorize them might be a better description) and both of the girls love to climb on the Lion statues in the corner.

After dinner, after the pigeons, and after a "short" walk we found the theater. Kevin had gotten us second row seats, all the girls went potty, and now it was time for the big moment!

The show followed the movie to a "t". The opening scene is unbelievable. They actually bring to "life" the animals in the kingdom. There are elephants, gazelles, giraffes, a rhino, and of course, lions. Most of the actors were American but there were a few British (easy to distinguish the two via the accents). Sophie's favorite part was Ed (the goofy hyena) sticking his tongue out & talking in gibberish. Brittney's favorite was everything. Kevin's was the opening scene, and my favorite is Mufasso showing mercy to Simba after going to the Elephant Grave Yard (also my favorite scene in the movie). The witch doctor was awesome - she had a great voice & was very believable.

I think our next show will be The Sound of Music. We hope to go sometime before the summer. I also plan to take Brittney to see Phatom of the Opera - just her and me.

Earthquake - in England??? yep

Kevin, wake up. Kevin, wake up. I think we're having an earthquake. KEVIN, WAKE UP!

Of course, the most I got was a grunt from him... but I can officially say, I was RIGHT.

Wednesday morning at 1am England had the first Earthquake of this magnitude in 20+ years. There was a small earthquake last year (April 2007 in Kent), but I didn't feel it. I know 5.2 on the Richter scale is nothing compared to what the California coast has felt, but it was enough for me...

You know, I have lived through hurricanes and tornados but never an earthquake. As a little girl my grandfather lived in California. I remember him talking about the refrigerator dancing across the floor. Now I have an idea of what he was talking about.

I woke at 1 am (I immediately looked at the clock) to a loud bang. Then I realized the house was shaking - it seemed like a long time but "they" say it was 10 seconds. The wardrobe in my bedroom shook to the point that I thought it was going to fall over. I tried to turn the light on but the bed & the light were shaking too much. I could hear other things in the house trembling but was not willing to investigate. Duke and Daisy, the dogs came running into our bedroom and actually got under the covers. The girls (like their dad) slept through the whole thing.

A few minutes after everything settled down I walked through the house to check on everything and did not find any damage. I opened the windows to listen for any sirens or alarms, but it was unnervingly quite - like the still before the storm, but this was after the storm. There were no bird sounds, no dogs barking, nothing - just absolute quite.

First thing in the morning I turned on the tv to see that I was right - there was an earthquake. The epicentre was about 60 miles away. However, less than 10 miles from me there were some homes with downed chimneys, missing roof tiles, etc. Needless to say, the earthquake was the topic of choice on Wednesday - every where you went you could hear the conversation centered on the earthquake. But my favorite quote for the day "the British earthquake, it seems, is rather like the British summer - fleeting and mild-mannered, a pale imitation of what we experience when we head south to somewhere like the Mediterranean" (Iain Stewart).

Who knew I would travel half way across the world to feel an earthquake!!!!!!!!!!

Sunny Fuerteventura 2008

We spent our February school break in sunny Fuerteventura (part of the Canaray Island group west of Africa). It is a very windy island, which makes for ideal wind surfing and kite surfing. There isn't a lot of vegetation until you get into the more touristy areas, because it is mostly made up of red and black lava rock. It is said to be warm & sunny year round, so we put them to the test.

Arriving in Fuerteventura we were greeted with 20C temperatures which would hover in the mid to low 20s the entire week - awesome! The water was warm enough to play in, and the nights were cool enough to leave our balcony doors open for a nice breeze. It was great.

Travelling around the island by car was a little tricky but we saw some great views. We found the maps not to scale. Plus they are putting in new roads (which is a good thing) but makes the maps outdated. We spent one day looking for a road that just does not exist any more. The main roads are 2 lane-paved roads, anything else can be considered an adventure (dirt road or just plain winging it). You can travel from the north tip to the south tip in about an hour and a half; which, if any of you know Kevin, that is a must (see every inch that is possible).

We stayed at the Elba Palace Golf Resort - a five star facility. Even with five stars, the staff was accommodating for Brittney & Sophie (and they were both on their best behavior the whole time). The pool is said to be heated ~ the kids enjoyed it, but the adults found it to be too cold. The golf course looks to be gorgeous but with 2 little ones in tow, we did not try it.

If we go again, we'll stay on the southern most part of the island and at a resort. The beaches around the resorts have had “white” sand brought in; otherwise the beaches are rocky. Both types of beachs (rocky or white) are beautiful and make for wonderful sand castles and wave riding. Even in February the water was warm enough to play in.

We spent three days on three different beaches, but we needed to remember we aren’t in the USA anymore. If you stay around the resorts, the most you will see is a topless woman and maybe a child without a bathing suit. But, if you venture away from the resorts, beware – the sight can be disturbing at times… One day Brittney & Sophie were playing in the water with dad when an older couple (without bathing suits) decided to come into the water right next to them. In a combined shock & childish innocence, Brittney said 'dad, they don't have bathing suits on' of course Sophie kept asking why they had no bathing suits. Kevin & I were asking ourselves the same question - you know, some things just don't need to be publisized and should be kept covered up.

We spent one day at Oasis Park – a must visit for everyone. The park is a combination zoo, animal shows, and beautiful gardens. There was a 30 minute camel ride that took us to a high point on the island. The camel ride is not the smoothest of rides, but is an adventure everyone should try at least once if possible (unless you don’t like heights).

The animal shows are as good or better than any you could see in the USA. They actually bring a sea lion out into the audience to interact on a limited level – so cool. For the Reptile Show they bring out a crocodile and a python – and the really brave can hold these for pictures ¬ Kevin volunteered with the girls right behind him (I was then @obligated@ to take pictures). There was a Bird’s of Prey show and a Tropical Bird show.

The zoo is full of all different types of animals. It is very clean and close up (while still being safe) - monkeys, zebras, hippos, otters, you name it. The walk around the zoo was filled with shade from beautiful gardens. The tropical atmosphere was mixed with a desert feel from the cactus garden. It was a great day by all.

On our last day we ventured to the south-western side of the island to see that the waves are made for surfing – breathtaking to watch, but no child of mine is going out in that (at least right now anyway). I was reminded of the opening scene for Hawaii Five-O. We opted to go back to the other side of the island & enjoy the water & sand.

For us, it rained periodically on the island, but it would blow through pretty quickly. The first day we decided to go on a submarine ride during the rain shower. The ocean floor is easy to see because the water is so clear. The fish swim along side the boat. My only complaint, too short of a ride. At the end of the ride we saw a short show with a sea lion and got to stroke a man-of-war (quite slimy). But the man-of-war waved good bye as we left (that's him waving below).

Well, that pretty much covers all of the trip. We spent as much time as possible in the sun and at the beach. We all enjoyed the water, and the best for Kevin & I was watching the girls have a blast. It was a great holiday... too bad they have to end:-( Sooooooooo, until next time-

Singing

In Ecclesiates 3 it says there is a time & a season to everything in life, but it never promised that the seasons would be easy. In fact it describes good & bad times - a time to be born, a time to die; a time to weep, a time to laugh; a time to speak, a time to keep silent. But it does continue with the promise that everything God does is good. There is a song and a saying, "God is good all the time, All the time God is good".

It is no secret, that I have struggled since moving to the UK. I have struggled with leaving my career; I realize now that I had wrapped my identity in my career and my "success". I have struggled with loosing NeeNee, though I was blessed to know her for 7+ years and will be the better because of it. I struggle with the daily routine of life now - how do I fill the 6 hours the kids are at school with anything meaningful. I have struggled with leaving Willow Hill and all the friends/family there, forgetting to thank God for the blessing of KingsGate and all the new friends He has surrounded me with.

But what I miss the most is singing! I miss singing in the Praise Band (both rehearsals and Sunday mornings); I miss singing in the car to WCIC (Christian Radio in Peoria); I miss singing with the youth & jumping up & down to crazy songs; I miss singing at Snyder Village; and I miss the occassional solo or duet opportunties.

Singing is a release for me in so many ways. It is a way for me to verbalize and identify my feelings; it is a way for me to worship & be close to God ~ sometimes I believe it brings me to the Throne Room & gives me the ability to process the experience...

It has been a long time since I brought out my performance cds and tapes, but tonight I did for a little while. Of course the constant interruption from Kevin & the girls cut short the experience, but it did give me a glimpse of what I miss the most.

I'm not sure what this particular season is supposed to teach me, but I will stand firm in the promise God is good all the time and all the time God is good. And I will ask God to put a song back in my heart...