An American Swede in Tweed

Stratford with Nana and Papa

2012-02-01T19:43:00.000Z

We arrived in Startford only to find that we were right in the midst of a thick and moderately creepy fog. Cool. We like moderately creepy, and decided to celebrate with a butter beer. Which is not beer at all, but a sour sort of Orange Creme Soda.

Mmmmm...

Cheers!

Nana and Papa at the Birthplace of William Shakespeare.

Masquerade Diva!

Being a photo documenting junkie, I had to capture this fine window display on film. Nothing says welcome to Stratford like some friendly taxidermy foxes. Right? Good grief.

I LOVE the presence of live musicians that you find prevalent in the UK. I love music and I love watching the devoted street performers pound out a tune.

We call her eyes Nana Sue Blue :)

Super cheese.

The graveyard surrounding the Cathedral in Stratford where Shakespeare is buried.

The River Avon.

I am well aware that most people have to be drunk to behave the way that I do......but I don't. Nothing says graveyard to me like the King of Pop, Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Watch out William because I am using my best Vincent Price voice and am coming.....for.....YOU.....Muwahhhhhh!

R.I.P Shakespeare.

Love me this man! He has the most beautiful features that my beautiful children have fortunately inherited :) Perfect nose, plump lips, dimpled chin, little ears....the list could carry on.

Representing!

Papa had fun chasing the kids and they had fun chasing him. One of my favourite parts of their trip was running with Papa at Road Runners. There is something really cool about running 6 miles with your 60+ year old Father-in-law. Papa treats me like a daughter and has always made me feel loved and important and I love him very much.

The Holly here is fabulous!

And our day in Stratford has come to an end. We loved our time here but it is time for us to journey on.

Salisbury- Magna Carta, Stonehenge, and Bath with Nana and Papa

2012-02-01T19:03:00.000Z

We had yet to visit the cathedral in Salisbury and view 1 of 4 remaining original copies of the Magna Carta, and the best preserved I might add. The Cathedral is lovely and our visit was very much enjoyed.

Courtyard

I loved these old flags.

I know.....he is full of it.

Leaving the Cathedral even though we could have spent hours there. Time to head out to Stonehenge a visitor must see.

Nana

Papa

Am I lucky or what? Hubby is super fun to tease and play with the kids.....even at historic ancient monuments.

We left Stonehenge and headed for Bath so that Nana and Papa could tour through Aqua Sullis.

Roman Bath House

Pigeons.....meet William the Conqueror.....and be afraid......be VERY afraid.

We bought some yummy fudge, a Gelato, and wandered around the streets of Bath. I LOVE Bath and could wander around this beautiful town for days whilst the kids chase the pigeons.

Crepe`s and Swimming

2012-02-01T16:14:00.000Z

Today we took Nana and Papa to my favourite hole in the wall in all of England "Creme de La Crepe`" in Covent Gardens. This place is literally a hole in the wall and they have the yummiest crepe`s EVER.

Both kids love the "Piggy that went to market" crepe`as well as the sweet strawberry and nutella. I could eat here every day and it wouldn't be enough.

The place was packed as it was high tourist season, so we had to wait a bit to get a seat and even then we had to eat split apart.

One of the things that we love about Covent Gardens are the street performers who are always really great. Papa gave Ads some money for the golden man.

Papa carried Ads and I carried Will to Harrod's for some nosing around the confectionary.

The Blue One was a wild animal in Harrod's, but we were able to get some sweeties, a picture, and then get out. Nana and Papa bought me a lovely box of truffles.....my favourite.

We hustled home so that the Pink One could make it to her swimming lesson on time. This girl of mine has a really great little build, she is lean and strong, and is doing a great job in swimming.

Nana was excited to get some pictures of Ads at swimming and was snapping away when a lady turned to us and told us that we couldn't take pictures. What? Why not I asked. The lady told us that we could get someone else's child in the picture and so that we couldn't take pictures. I wanted to slap her. Okay maybe not slap her, but I was ticked off.

I think the highlight of the trip for Papa and myself was going to Costco. I know, who goes to England to go to Costco? Papa does. We were so excited to have a fountain soda, my first in nearly a year. Ads went through the store recognising labels from UT saying "everything here is American!" We laughed. There is something strangely comfortable about Costco for me, it seems to bridge the gap between my past life and my present life. Moving to the UK isn't like moving to another state where they still have Wal-Mart and Target and Old Navy and brands that you are familiar with, the UK is a whole different kettle of fish. So going to Costco was like bringing a bit of home and familiarity to me. Which I needed.

Costco hot dog? Yes please. Nana and Papa bought us some groceries and necessities at Costco whilst they were here for our Christmas, it was AWESOME. Papa is like a kid in a candy store at Costco.

The Channel and Bodiam Castle

2012-02-01T14:56:00.000Z

We took Nana and Papa to the Channel to enjoy the beachy scenery and for Ads to splish splash around. The girl got soaked, but fear not, I have a bag in the trunk for each of the kids filled with back up clothes and supplies.

Nana and Papa (who is from California) could not believe that there were children at the beach in the water......notice Papa in his sweater and Nana in her turtle neck. But here in the UK we adapt to the cold and even manage to swim in it.

The Blue One doesn't fancy the cold quite like his sister does.

Isn't Nana gorgeous? This is the woman my beautiful daughter looks like. I wish I could claim her as my own, but Ads is all Nana.

We changed Ads into warm clothes and hopped over to my favourite Medieval Castle.....Bodiam. Even the name of the Castle is great.

Bodiam is the only Castle in the UK that has its original portcullis. Pretty cool.

The kids love to climb and chase around on the inner ruins of the Castle.

The Stocks.

Our day quickly went from looking like this.....

To this!

And we ended up looking like this :(

Welcome to the UK where the weather can turn in the blink of an eye. Being that the Castle is in ruins there was no where to run and the thunder and lightening was fierce. Ads even began to cry because she was so scared. We made it tot he car soaked, cold, and a bit miserable, but the experience was epic.

Leeds Castle with Nana and Papa

2012-02-01T14:35:00.000Z

We told Nana and Papa to skim through the blog and see if there were any sights they wanted to see, Leeds Castle was one of them. We have been to Leeds Castle many times, but enjoy going each time, it truly is a BEAUTIFUL Castle.

Our Wild Bild is definitely a man's man and really loves his granddad. Each morning he would wake up and stand next to Papa's door and repeatedly say "Crappa....crappa.....crappa," until Papa would come to the door.

Me and Nana in the Wine cellar.

Papa learned that he really likes the Medieval aspect of English History.

After storming the Castle we settled on the hillside with a burger, chips, and ice cream.

This is my "why did I buy a messy, melting, and chocolate no less ice cream for my children?" You would have thought I knew better.

Nana and Papa are a lovely couple and are very inspiring to us.

As we headed to the car the kids decided to roll down the hills and wrestle each other. I let them. Despite the looks I received from others.

We returned home and settled into the sofa for a rest and a cuddle. What a great day and I believe that it was Nana's favourite day of the trip.

They are HERE....Welcome Nana and Papa to the UK!

2012-02-01T14:01:00.001Z

Pip Pip Hooray! Nana and Papa finally made it to the UK. When Nana and Papa were originally planning to come to the UK Papa suffered a heart attack, thankfully he recovered beautifully from his operation. Nana and Papa planned a second trip when lo and behold.....Nana crashed on her bike and broke her leg. Sorry Nana, this is just not going to work for us, you are coming anyway. We are glad that Nana was able to pull herself up by her boot straps and come to the UK in October. We hadn't seen Nana and Papa in a year so it was nice for us and the kiddo's to see them. We headed into London for some sight seeing and fish and chips at our favourite shop near Westminster Abbey where Hubby and I used to live.

Buckingham Palace

St. James Park

For some reason we thought it was really funny that it said "Dog Waste Only," like humans are stuffing their poop inside? We decided to capture John being sad that he couldn't fill the bin with his own poop.....*snicker*

Westminster Abbey

The Red Phone Booths

We didn't stay in London long as Nana's broken leg was tender and Papa's knee had stiffened causing him quite a bit of pain. However, they saw all that they wanted and ate our favourite fish and chips. Good stuff.

When You Get a Hot Day in the UK....

2012-02-01T13:44:00.000Z

EVERYONE goes to the beach! This was our favourite day at the beach and boy was it crowded.

We body surfed and taught Ads how to body surf and saw a friend from her school class out having a splash in the water as well. What a GREAT day at the beach. Leg-en-dary!

On our way to the Beach Will decided to get in touch with his expressive side and rock the robot to "the Killers" in the car. Love this boy.

The Pink One's Birthday Par-Tay!

2012-02-01T13:31:00.000Z

The Pink One had her 6th Birthday, and since her Birthday is before Halloween, and it is her favourite Holiday we decided to do a costume themed Birthday Party.

We had a piñata, pin the smile on the skeleton, musical numbers, and musical chairs. The party was a lot of fun. We did meat and cheese kabobs and fruit kabobs for the food and eyeball cupcakes for dessert. In the UK they don't open the presents at the party and they don't eat the cake at the party, but send it home in the party bag. So when in Rome.... We sent the eyeball cupcakes out the door with them and the party bags. I wanted to take a picture of Ads with each of her friends so that she will be able to remember them when we have moved away.

Ella

Louise

Alex

Nathaniel

Konrad

Evan

Katie

Ewan

Oliver

Brookie

Franky

Lily

Olivia

Jenna

Baby Brotha

Emma

Oscar and Isiri

There were a few who came in late and I didn't manage to get a picture of them. I took a picture of the kiddo's with our vampire guest, and of course the Blue One sadly wanted to be in all of the pictures. I told him no........he pouted.

My beautiful daughter had a great time at her party. You never know when you move to another country how well your child will be received and accepted by the other children, but they are all great and Ads has had a wonderful time in her class. Now, she doesn't get a party next year, but a date with a friend, much easier for mom. Our next big party will be on her 8th and the year that she gets baptised :)

Camber Sands Beach with Gucci

2012-02-01T12:53:00.000Z

When we get a good day here in the UK we shout BEACH! Today was a good day so we headed to the beautiful sandy beach at Camber Sands. The kids had a great time playing in the sand making sand castle's and Gucci and I loved sitting in the sun chatting away.

My Beach girl.

My beach boy rocking his Daniel Craig swimming costume.

Gucci rocking her Motley Cru T-shirt. Hottest mom in the world.

I am definitely a fair weathered kind of girl. I have made Hubby promise that our next move will land me somewhere warm with a pool :)

Our masterpiece!

We are occasionally blessed with good weather, and when it happens we head to the beach. It is a lot of fun living near a beach. I have said before and will say it again, if the weather here was warmer than colder EVERYONE would want to live here. England is gorgeous, but it is cold. Fun day with the Gucci!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-09T18:17:00.002Z

We would like to wish all of our friends and family a very Merry Christmas. As I have reflected back on this past year it has been one CRAZY ride. Here is a quick family recap of 2011. Last December 22nd we occupied the home that we are currently renting, painted a couple of rooms, spent a night sleeping on the floor covered in our clothes from our suit cases to keep warm, and awoke bright and early to the door where our shipment was waiting. Accident? Chance? Nope. Blessing! We hurried and moved all of our things into the house that had shipped from the US and began putting things in their place as we decorated for Christmas. It was now Dec. 23rd and we had lots and lots to do. We managed to get settled, get a gammon, put together a Christmas feast, and enjoy some time as our own little family all alone for the first time EVER.

With Christmas out of the way it was time for things such as: learning how to drive on the opposite side of the road, what needs to be recycled and which bin to put it in, how to operate electric showers, lawn vacuums, where to find anything at the grocery store, school uniform shopping, where to buy clothes, appliances, t.v.'s, ect... After a full year in this area I have finally learned some of the best places to get things, and am still finding new shops each week. I have also learned that English and American aren't always the same languages ;) Apparently I don't speak English, but American. With a huge learning curve out of the way it was time to have some fun.

We decided to join the National Trust and English Heritage which are inexpensive season passes to hundreds of manor houses, castles, gardens, beaches, all throughout the UK. Day tripping is one of our favourite things to do as a family and has become a sort of glue that binds us together every Saturday. We have had our fill of fancy houses, castles, battlefields, and gorgeous green hills with sheep. I love how lush and green everything is, but it comes at a heavy price of cold and rain year round. Some days I crave orange dirt, sweltering heat, and rock formations... a few sage brush and tumble weeds would be nice too. But green is good.

Adessa started school and loved it instantly, I sat at home twiddling my thumbs with William, and John got up each day and worked his guts out. It is really hard/strange/surreal not having friends, family, dance, work, or anything to occupy my time. I thought I was going to die, but alas, things got better. My friend Carol introduced me to the Orpington Road Runners which is a running group that her husband Ross runs with. I joined the group because I love to run, I love to run with people, and I have really enjoyed my membership in the club. My William is also now in pre-school 2 days a week for 3 hours a day which frees me up to be able to do something/anything. It has been a new experience surviving on my own when the car breaks down, getting kids to school when I have the flu, taking both kids to London's children's hospital for ultra sounds and appointments, or simply not having anyone to watch the kids while hubby and I take a much needed date. I have become quite good at having new experiences :)

Since the time we had left the US Adessa had been complaining about having a pain in her side and had started having pee accidents. She had a 2.5 inch kidney stone removed in June and has been much much better since. They aren't sure why she developed the stone, but are keeping a close eye on her to make sure she doesn't develop another and that he kidney function is normal. I have been pleased with the medical help we have received here. The kids love riding the train into the city and William really enjoys the toys in the children's hospital. I on the other hand, really enjoy sanitising their hands after riding the train and after letting them play on the toys at the children's hospital.......which is gross.

We have been able to take some fun trips because everything here is so close, for example it takes us the amount of time to get to belgium (3.5 hours), as it would to get to Cedar City from Bountiful. Living in Europe makes it really easy to see Europe. My favourite trip was going to Sweden with my dad and meeting my cousins Inga and Gunilla. My dad's mother is from Sweden (my Far Mor) and my grand father's (Far Far's) parents were also from Sweden.

We have had a lot of visitors and loved seeing different and same things with each and every one of them. We love having friends and family come and see us. John was able to go back to Utah for his sister Jen's funeral. This was one of the most difficult moments for us and a moment when we particularly felt the distance. We miss Jen terribly and pray each day for Grandma Jan, Pop, Joey, Nick, and Jeff. It is really hard sometimes for things to seem real to me because I am so far away, most of my life in America really sort of feels like a dream, and yet I know it wasn't. There are days when I really understand the concept of limbo.

I had a temporary moment of insanity where I decided to put in for the Brighton Marathon lottery, I couldn't possibly get picked......right? Wrong. I was selected and so it looks like I will be running the Brighton Marathon on April 15th. Ads is doing great in school, Will is doing great in school, and work is clipping along busily for John. We are particularly grateful for our church and the wonderful people we have met. Although we are VERY spread out here, there is a comfort in seeing friendly faces each Sunday when we go to worship.

There are so many things that we took for granted in America and there are also many things that we had or wanted that weren't necessary. I guess that is the great blessing of our journey, we have been able to look at our lives, purpose, and the people we allow into our lives with greater objective. I am super grateful for this opportunity and journey, and though it has been the most difficult thing I have ever done, I feel like my wings have expanded and strengthened and I know that I will be able to fly to heights greater than I ever could have before. I don't know why we have the opportunity to take certain paths in our lives, but I do know that when we do take advantage of the opportunity presented great things happen.

I am grateful for each of my family members, friends, neighbours new and old, and we miss them terribly. I appreciate all of the prayers, emails, skypes, laughs, FB interactions, cards, and randomly unexpected packages :) I have been so blessed in my life and I wish all of my friends and family a new year filled with joy and blessings. Love you.

Windsor Castle and Flat Stanley

2011-12-09T14:34:00.000Z

While mom was visiting we decided to go to Windsor Castle, which is one of the Queens current residencies. Wow! This Castle was amazing, just what you picture the inside of a medieval castle to be complete with armour, weapons, and banners. My friend Carlyn's daughter Brandy sent us flat Stanley for her son's school class. The point of flat Stanley is to send him around the world take a picture of him and send a note of what he did and then send him back. We decided to take Stanley with us to Windsor.

Flat Stanley

Entering into the Castle grounds.

Gucci at the Castle entrance.

She's fierce.

The Church on the Castle grounds.

Working hard.

Showing off his abs.

This is because of....

This. A whole trail of horse poop from the carriages :)

We laughed ourselves silly over these signs.

This building is totally crooked. The picture doesn't do it justice.

We ended our journey with a gelato, which was delicious. Home we went.

Girls Night out with Mary

2011-11-08T18:34:00.000Z

There was only 1 person more excited for my mom to come visit than myself, and that was Mary. Last February when mom came to visit she met my neighbour Mary and the two of them became fast friends. I cannot even begin to say how much Hugh and Mary have blessed our lives, the list could go on and on. Needless to say, Mary was thrilled to see mom. To celebrate the occasion Mary took mom and me to dinner at a lovely little Chinese restaurant. The food was great, but the company was wonderful. It was so nice to have a girls night, one of only a couple I can count on 1 hand. Hugh and Mary wanted a picture of us 3 amigo's. When mom left they picked the best one and had it framed for her to take home with her. Such sweet people.

Raising Cain at Madame Tussaud's- With Gucci

2011-11-08T17:43:00.000Z

I had heard that Madame Tussaud's was a must see, but with two kidlets in tow..... it is difficult to see anything beyond the realms of your own house. So, when Gucci came to visit Hubby took a couple days off of work for she and I to do some sight seeing. Yes, we were obnoxious. Of course. We had a great time posing with our favourites and "raising Cain."

James Dean is the love of my life. When I was in High School I painted an oil painting of him. It wasn't too bad, but his face was a bit squashy.

EVERY where we go people say that mom looks like Liza Minnelli. She does, it is true, so we had to document their likeness.

Love me some Jim Carrey.

'Yes Napoleon sir, my hand is nice and warm. And you?"

My "Twilight" smoulder.

"Bond, James Bond."

Audrey.

We are the champions my friends....

"Please, I will give you a son, just let me keep my head!" Btw, only 2 of Henry VIII wives were actually beheaded.

Doing my best Victorian face. Queen Victoria is one of my favourite royals of all time.

Hanging out with the Queen.

Gucci with her Beatles.

The King and Queen of Pop.

After we left Madame Tussaud's we went to Harrods for the confectionery. Whilst we were there we met Stefano aka "Stanley" here who was Ga Ga for my mom. He said that she looked like Liz Taylor and then proceeded to tell her that he would love for her to play the part of Liz Taylor in a film he is putting together. She respectfully declined and then he told us he would see us again. Um, I don't think so. He was a friendly chap, but strange I tell ya.

After Harrods mom and I boogied on over to see Shrek the musical. The last time Gucci came we saw "Love Never Dies" and she spent the rest of the trip sobbing. We decided that given her emotional state we had better stick with mindless humour. We loved the show. It would have been perfect to take the Pink One to.

"Elementary my dear Watson, elementary!"

Gucci and I had a blast today. Lot's of laughs and with the news of Hubby's sister Jen's passing many many tears. I was grateful for the support of my mom at this time. That is what family is for and best at, loving and supporting during the difficult times we face in life.

Our Gucci is HERE

2011-10-15T21:36:00.000+01:00

Do you think we are excited? To celebrate Gucci's arrival we sent up the welcome lantern to the heaven's......and maybe sang "at last I see the light..." We wrote our message and then sent that sucker away for all the world to know that "Our Gucci is HERE, HOORAY!!"

If you look really close you can see an orange dot, which is our lantern. These lanterns are really cool and lift up just like you see in Tangled.

The Pink One thrilled to see her grandma Gucci.

The Blue One thrilled to not be wearing pants :)

I love my mom and am so grateful that she was able to come and visit us for nearly 2 weeks. Woot woot.

The Hubster and the Birthday

2011-10-14T14:01:00.001+01:00

HaPpY BiRtHdAy HuBbY!

It is Hubby's Birthday and despite both children having raging fevers and the flu we are still celebrating. The celebration wasn't what we had hoped for, but I was house bound with 2 vomiting children so party plates, balloons, and candles didn't get purchased. We did however, manage a small gluten free chocolate cake which I had purchased a few days earlier and hid....whew! The Pink One had a great idea to get a candle and light it for Dad to blow out and make his wish :)

A couple of presents.

Th Pink One drew Dad a picture and bought him a book. She knew that she wanted to get him a book, so she got him a Sherlock Holmes book (she wanted Harry Potter, but none were to be found).

The Blue One was still terribly sick.

This is pretty much what Mom does :)

Who is the most excited? Dad or Sister? A gift from me and the kids- a couple of shirts and 2 pairs of pants.

A gift from neighbours Hugh and Mary

The party scene.

Hugh and Mary bought Hubby a beautiful waterman pen. We really are so very blessed to have amazing neighbours who I will miss terribly when we leave.

Hubby and I met when we were 17 years old. He was special. There was something about this super skinny and oober gawky kid that was....... special, that's the only word to describe it. Hubby and I had a blast rollerblading, biking, skiing, hanging out, and dating. I didn't think I would marry him, but I always had a lot of fun with him and laughed really hard. Hubby was my best friend before he was anything else, and because of that I feel like we have a great marriage. Hubby and I have a very open and honest relationship, just like best friends do. I am super lucky that I married a man who lets me run, swim, teach dance, stay home with my kids or work if I wanted. Hubby tells me I am beautiful every day, which I am not, but it is still nice to hear. I am lucky to have a man who likes to go and do things and give our kids opportunity to get out rather than stick home on the couch. Hubby is super smart, patient, kind, and always puts myself and the kids before himself. Wowsers right? Now I will write my disclaimer for those random few who may be sitting on their computer rolling their eyes and criticising this "perfect" world I live in, my husband has flaws just like any other human being, but I try to focus on his awesomeness. Hubby, you rock! Thanks for making my life more awesome than it would be without you, and HaPpY bIrThDaY!

Oh Celiacs!

2011-10-14T13:29:00.000+01:00

Hubby has Celiacs :( I have known for years, but he has been in denial. Accepting and admitting that you have something means that you have to do something about it, which has been why Hubby has avoided the truth. Hubby's sister Jen passed away two weeks ago, unexpected, and tragic. I will post about Jen when I can.....it is really hard, we were however able to scrape together enough means to fly Hubby home to say good bye to her before the cremation and to speak at the funeral. The combination of the emotional trauma, work stress, financial stress, family matters, etc...lead Hubby to have a major gluten reaction.

Hubby has typically been gluten intolerant, but his skin broke out into the skin rash that is associated with celiacs where the skin blisters and hurts and becomes terribly itchy. Hubby actually begins to itch all over now when he is exposed to Gluten :( The poor man is hungry and frustrated. We are currently reading labels and putting together our recipe book of what we can make that will keep him healthy and happy. We also know that Celiacs has a strong genetic connection, so we are keeping a close eye on the kiddo's. We seem to think that the Blue One would be more prone to getting celiacs since he has the eczema that hubby has. The paediatrician told me that eczema, asthma, and allergies are all related. I have none and hubby practically has all, and guess which one of us was bottle fed? That's right, ME :)

We are very blessed because Hubby's sister has a gluten free bakery in Kaysville, UT that makes the most amazing gluten free treats. To check out her website or for information about Sweet Cake Bake Shop click HERE. Now everyone who comes to visit is required to bring us sweeties from Aunty Alli's bakery :) I figure it will take us at least 6 months of wandering through the store to figure out what he can eat. Eating out is a whole different story. The frustrating bit is that they don't have the same things here as they have in the US, so many kindly offered suggestions don't work. We will get it figured out, probably in time to move somewhere else and have to figure out a whole new store of products. In the meantime, veggies, fruit, and meat for us.

Nearly Killed Me, But Oh So Worth It!

2011-10-13T10:51:00.001+01:00

When my neighbour Mary saw this picture she asked "who is that?"

Yup, that's me.

September 20th, 2005- I. Felt. Awful. In a period of 2 days I had ballooned and was so saturated with water that I looked like what Maren described as "a water bed." I remember going to work and saying to the secretaries look at my ankles....they are gone! Not only had I lost my ankles, but my face, arms and legs had all swollen. Being a first time pregnancy I didn't know what was normal and what was terribly wrong, so I carried on feeling soggy and huge. My mom who had been out of town returned, took 1 look at me and said, "you are NOT alright, we are going to the hospital NOW!"

We arrived at the hospital and they immediately hooked me up to the monitors. Shortly after they took me in to have an ultrasound. During the ultra sound I noticed that they measured the baby at 2 and a half lbs. and I knew that the baby was supposed to be nearly 4lbs. according to my pregnancy book. Panic started to set in. They returned me from the ultra sound where my placenta then abrupted and an emergency c-section ensued. Since I had recently eaten when they gave my the medicine, I became really nauseated and as I laid flat I started to lose my dinner on the operating table. Weird. Vomiting horizontal with your head to the side as they are delivering your baby is really weird.

They had to make the incision higher than normal because they weren't quite sure how they would get the baby out, but it worked. Little pink Adessa was born 2 months early, 1 month growth restricted, weighing 2 and a half lbs. and 15 inches long. From her peach sized head to her bottom she was the size of our hand. I didn't get to see the baby as the life flight team worked furiously to get her on a ventilator and have her breathing. They wheeled me out and then after stabilising the baby they wheeled her past me for me to see. I opened the little window and scared to death I touched her little arm. They swiftly hauled her away to another hospital with a NICU. Prayers. Are. Answered.

A few days later when I was released from 1 hospital I was able to go to the other and see my teeny tiny baby. I will not lie, they put the fear into you when you have a baby that little and I was really scared to see the baby. We were only allowed to have the baby out of her isolette for 5 minutes a day because she needed to feed (through a feeding tube) and grow. No stimulation to the baby. Stimulation means that the baby is burning calories which you do not want them to lose any weight at 2.5 lbs. It was really challenging finding a way to bond with a baby that you can't feed, hold, or stimulate :) But.....even though it takes longer to develop the bond, it is here and as strong as any.

The day after they released me from the hospital I was admitted to another. Most pre-eclampsia goes away after the baby is delivered, but I developed a rare and raging case of post partum pre-eclampsia. The doctors put me on oxygen and had several scans of my lungs that had filled with the same fluid that had infiltrated the rest of my body. My oxygen levels were awful and I could only take short and shallow breaths. The doctor and all of his little students came up to my room and told me that my goal for the day was to have neither a stroke nor a heart attack. What! Yup, it had become that bad. The funniest bit was when the Dr. told me to turn down all the lights and not stress to keep my blood pressure down. Right! He obviously doesn't know me. I had no lesson plans for a sub for my Students at the Junior High, I had a husband who had to leave out of town for work, and I had a baby in the NICU that they won't tell me if she will make it or not. Each day we were told "we will do the best we can, but no promises." Aaaaagh! just tell me that everything will be fine.......but no, they can't do that.

Six weeks later on October 30th we brought home a beautiful 5lb. baby Adessa. She is so very special. I think that there is something noticeably special about this child because she has a great deal of empathy. I feel very blessed to have been sent this sweet spirit into my life. The name Adessa is derived from Odyssey which means "long journey." From conception to birth Ads was a long journey, and I am certain that there will be many more things in her life that will be a journey (maybe even her kidney stone issues), but she doesn't take that journey alone. I love her with every bit of my heart and soul and would re-do all of the swollen pre-eclampsia again and again if meant having her.

The "Pink One" in her isolette at about 1 month old.

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

4th Birthday

5th Birthday

6th Birthday

I stole this tradition from my SIL Sherri, Birthday balloons on the bed are a huge hit. I also had Gucci make us pillow cases for the kids for each of the holidays including their Birthday. You can see a Halloween case and she is sleeping on the Birthday case.

Presents from mom and dad, Gucci, Hugh and Mary, and the Dixey family.

Ads wanted a guitar.......ta da!

We took homemade cupcakes in to school for a birthday treat and Ads was thrilled. She had a dinner of pizza her favourite food and then more cake and singing. We were so happy to have Gucci here to celebrate with us. Birthday party and pictures with friends is yet to come :)

Son of Thor

2011-10-12T18:14:00.000+01:00

I am sure that it is obvious that I am crazy for this little Viking child. The comment I hear most from random people about the Blue One is "He's a proper boy that one!" If a proper boy is wild, crazy, and fearless, then yes, he is a proper boy.

Some of my favourite things about this kiddo are:

1. When he doesn't want to do, wear, or eat something

he says that it is "YUCKY!"

2. He has a blanket that I have named "Linus"for obvious reasons,

that he cannot live without.

3. He loves cars, trains, and planes.

4. He can get a scrape, cut, bruise, and bloody nose

and only whimper once. Tough. As. Nails.

5. He loves to dance and sing.

6. He knows the words to my special song that I sing to him

and he joins in at the end.

7. He gives the most slobbery kisses.

8. He knows where the toy section in the store is

and also knows where the pound store is located.

9. He loves Mickey Mouse, Scooby Doo, and Ferb.

10. He adores his sister and will do anything she does.

11. He is really funny about the clothes he wears and will

NOT wear a jacket or anything with sleeves.

If I allowed him to, he would wear his Sweden

Football jersey every day.

12. He loves to eat chocolate, cookies, and cereal.

This kid could eat sweets all day long.

13. He loves to sword fight and wrestle and is rock solid.

14. He has an incredibly strong build with proper pecks, abs, and calves.

15. He is very determined and will stand for what he wants.

No persuading him otherwise.

I call him my "Joy" or "Joyous" because that is what he brings me. I feel so blessed to have this little Viking warrior child in my home.

The First Day of School

2011-10-11T22:27:00.000+01:00

Back to school.....HOORAY! This year the Blue One started nursery school 2 days a week for 3 hours a day and the Pink One is in year 1. Wow. The kids were super excited for school to start so we got up early, had breakfast, got dressed, and headed out the door. When I got the Blue One to school he suddenly wasn't so excited anymore. My little blonde bombshell turned, looked at me as if to say "oh crap!", and started to cry. *snicker* Oh how I love this little Viking. I walked him in, got him in the hands of a teacher, and then RAN. I love my children, but that being said, it was the first day in nearly a year where I would have 3 hours child free.........and I couldn't wait!

At noon I went and gathered the blue One up and took some more pictures of him after his first day of school. This is what the photo shoot was like:

Yeah I went to school....

It was cool....

I am so over this....

See ya sucker! Love him.

The Pink One was super excited to get back into the swing of school. Both my kids are very social like their mamma and love to be out and about doing things instead of hanging around at home. Both kids love school. The Pink One loved her first day of school and received a certificate the second week of school for outstanding guided reading. We were proud. I love my daughter, she is such a sweet kind and lovely child, a bit on the messy side, but so so so good.

Now what am I doing with my new found freedom? Swimming. I took swimming lessons and am now heading to the pool 2-3 days a week to practice. I am really enjoying swimming, it is super hard, but I am a girl who likes a challenge :) Plus, I want to get that chiseled swimmer body. Hubby and I have a new goal, will blog that later......shazam.

My Pilgrimage to Pemberley

2011-10-11T12:47:00.000+01:00

Aaaaah, Pemberley. Need I say more? Isn't it every girls dream to see "Pemberley" in the flesh? It was for me. Chatsworth house isn't far from Nottingham, so I knew that we would be taking a detour the minute I knew that we were going to Nottingham. The kids were less than thrilled to be touring through another fancy place where they can't touch anything :)

This is what Tessa thought about the house....

This is what Ads thought....

Tessa....

Ads.... See what I am saying, less than thrilled :)

That being said, they were still awesome as we walked from garish and extravagant room to room. This is the entry to one of the stairway's. Of course you don't get to explore all of the house, people live here for crying out loud, but you get to see enough. I loved that there were red sofa's in the entry as I have red sofa's myself. Loooove red. The paintings and tapestries were remarkable.

Fabulous!

In my joy and elation I asked Hubby to take my picture in the entry.....and this is what he took! Stinker. Maybe I should be concerned that he had a bout of palsy ;) Anyway, it documents that I was actually here in my height of glory.

You will recognise the statues from the Keira Knightly version of P&P.

That was one large foot!

The Blue One touching priceless artifact's of course. What else would this child be doing?

Gilded

Bedroom

My gown

Another Bedroom

The Library

The Dining Room

The girls were entertained by wandering around and pointing out the boy statues from the girl statues. I am sure you can guess how they were able to distinguish the two.

Is this Darcy?

The front of the house was under scaffolding as they were restoring it, so I didn't get a shot of the house head on.

The Fam

Heading into the gardens.

The gardens surrounding the estate.

As we were leaving an air show began. We were visiting the house on the same day as the country fair was being hosted just below the grounds. A couple of planes made a guest appearance for the fair, but entertained us thoroughly with their daring loops and dives. The kids loved watching the planes nearly crash.

Chatsworth aka "Pemberley" was amazing. I won't lie and say I wasn't bummed that it was under construction, I was VERY bummed, but what can you do? Hubby didn't like it at all, he felt that it was disgustingly lavish, garish, and greedy. There is no denying that it is the most ornate, garish, and colourful place I have ever toured through, but I LOVED it. Ticking this one off my bucket list.

Nottingham with the McBrides

2011-10-10T22:05:00.000+01:00

People had told us not to waste our time with Nottingham and that there was very little of the Sherwood forest remaining. Well, Jake's family just so happened to be lace makers from Nottingham, so it was the perfect excuse to ignore all advice and head to Nottingham and explore. We were able to go to the home where Jake's Great Grandma lived and take some pictures of their family.

I love children's expressions. This one screams "hey.....wait for MEEEE!"

A very fancy Robin Hood shrub *snicker*

This is at Nottingham Castle, which originally burned down and is now some Georgian style looking building. The kids posed by the great Robin.....and Jake.....and the Blue One who is ever presently on the run.

This group of young lads were so pleased with our creativity that they asked us to take a picture of them doing the same pose, of which I had to document :)

Robin Hood is such a chick magnet, even the little girls are drawn to him.

That's right, NO kissing until COLLEGE!

The boys were more interested in climbing all over Robin whilst the girls were interested in giving him a cuddle.

Talbot clan

McBride clan

Heading back to our hotel we passed the oldest inn in England "Trip to Jerusalem Inn."

And of course, who could pass up the opportunity to take a picture of a mannequin made of mirrors? I mean come on, is it every day you see such a sight? Um no.

Vogue

Peace

We decided to head to the "Crime and Punishment" museum in Nottingham. I know that it sounds horrible, but it was a really fascinating museum about the criminal system and prison here in Nottingham back in the day and how it evolved and was eventually shut down in the Victorian era due to it's inhumane conditions. This is the cage where they put a body after it was hanged (hung?) and covered in tar. The story is that a soldier shot the body that had been in the cage for months and that when he did it broke through the tar causing the gases and odours to leak out of it and waft it's putrescence through the neighbouring village ticking off the locals. The officer who shot the rotting body was punished for his act of stupidity.

This is the snivelling Sheriff of Nottingham.

Maid Marian testifying against Robin Hood.

Our very "interesting" Robin Hood.

The gallows. Actual gallows that were used.

These were carvings down in the prison cells on the walls and pillars. I found it interesting that the figures that were carved looked like women :) The prison was dank, small, gross, and included an oubliette. How cool is that?

The girls exploring and the Blue One running.....always running.

The museum was my highlight in Nottingham. I loved the history and the live actors that created a great atmosphere in the museum that took you back to inner workings of crime and bribery in the middle ages on up.

Stratford-Upon-Avon with the McBrides

2011-10-09T22:35:00.001+01:00

Stratford-Upon-Avon.....oh how I love thee. I fell madly in love with this quaint little town. Let's remove Shakespeare from this equation and I still love it, let's add him back.....and I love it even more. This town is magic. Fantastic crooked Tudor wood styled homes, fantastic church on the river Avon, great cool vibe, fantastic shops, I can't sing it's praises any more positively.....LOVED it.

The Fool- and a couple of theatrical Diva's.

A couple more theatrical Diva's :)

The home where Shakespeare was born...... and where all of the genius began.

The ladies

Lord Talbot

"My lady..."

And this is what happens when you wait a month to do your blog post...can't remember if this is an old pub or someone of significance old house. Actually I think it is the pub that Shakespeare used to frequent and the significant house is next door.

Yup, significant house. But why is it significant? Crap! I have forgotten. I knew I should have dedicated myself to blogging this before I forgot it, but alas time has escaped me and I didn't get it blogged....and have now forgotten.

Shakespeares home where he lived until he died.

My obsession with windows :)

The font that Shakespeare was christened in.

The grave of Shakespeare in the church on the river Avon.

Cool creepy gargoyle heads on a building on the church grounds. I love all of the interesting architecture, statues, and ornamentations.

I would so return to this town again. We arrived in the morning before all the tourists had unloaded and had the village to ourselves, or so it felt. I really have a love for the beauty of this place and the connection to Shakespeare makes it even better. They talked about how conflicted society was when Shakespeare was alive because of the Catholic/Protestant changes with Henry VIII, and Mary, and Elizabeth, it was very interesting and certainly something I hadn't thought about or considered.

Bath and Lacock with the McBrides

2011-10-09T19:31:00.000+01:00

I LOVE Bath. Bath has to be one of my UK favourites. There is something fantastic about this place, and I can see why Jane Austen mentions it so much in her writings. We arrived at Bath in the evening so Maren and Jake took the girls to tour through Aqua Sullis (the Roman Bath House), which we have seen before, and Hubby and I took the boys and wandered around and ate pastries :)

The next morning it was time to do the Royal crescent, and Jane Austen Centre. I had wanted to see the Jane Austen Centre the first time we were in Bath, but alas, there wasn't enough time. Hubby and Jake took the boys whilst Mare and I took the Girls to tour through the life of Jane Austen.

Gorgeous day in Bath at the Royal Crescent.

Mare, Jake, Cole, and........ Tessa in time out.*snicker*

Even Mare thought it was irresistibly funny.

The girls.

The Diva's.

"Oh yes, I do agree."

3 generations of proper ladies :)

Awww...

At the Jane Austen centre we learned a lot of interesting facts about Lady Jane and her family. I never knew that one of her brothers had been adopted by her uncle so as to inherit his estate and thus provide for Jane and her family. Interesting, right.

Loved this bloke.

We left Bath and headed to the medieval village of Laycock. I love Laycock. This village is home to films such as Harry Potter, Cranford, and the Kiera Knightly P&P. This is the picture of the cottage that Hubby would buy me if he "truly loves me."

Studly budlies.

The McBride clan.

Last time we were in Laycock hubby and I ate the most amazing Lemon bars EVER. We couldn't wait to get to the bakery and sink our teeth into some :) Sadly, they didn't have any. We sampled a couple other sweets, but nothing compared to the lemon bars we had the first time we visited Laycock. *sniffle*

Glastonbury Tor with the McBrides

2011-09-30T16:56:00.001+01:00

A Tor is a hill and the tower sits on top of the Tor.....pretty simple. The Tor has an impressive view for miles in all directions.

"Yearning"

My gorgeous boys

"Wanting"

Okay okay, we would have made crappy actress' but it still gives us something to laugh about. Muwaaaah.

Off to Bath....the place.... not the hygienic activity.

Glastonbury Abbey with the McBrides

2011-09-30T14:16:00.000+01:00

Glastonbury Abbey with the McBrides

2011-09-30T14:15:00.002+01:00

After Stonehenge we drove over to Glastonbury Abbey and Tor. We have been to Glastonbury before HERE as a family, but it is a fun little town so I was happy to return.

Kids love rolling down hills, don't they? The girls saw the hill and immediately ran over and began rolling down, too cute.

Of course brother could not be left out of the fun....duh!

One of the things we love about Glastonbury Abbey is that the kids can just climb around and have fun.

Beautiful architecture.

Fearless!

Arthur and Guinevere

Happy Kiddo's

Sleeping Beauty ;)

Raaaaarr!!! The kids screamed and fled. *snicker*

My little monkey child. This girl loves to climb any and everything.

Part of the original Abbey floor.

What! We can't leave them here? Darn.

"Does this vest make me look fat?"

The kids loved Glastonbury, but now it is time to head to the Tor. Whip crack!

Stonehenge with the McBrides

2011-09-30T13:30:00.000+01:00

And the road trip begins! We have been to Stonehenge before HERE and really enjoyed it. It is always fun to come back and visit this mysterious place and get some new photo's with different lighting.

Trying to keep the Blue One on the outside of the ropes was challenging, he wanted to duck under and run straight to the henge.

"Okay kids, squish together...no everyone look at me..."

"No this way....."

"William....over HERE!"

"Aww, forget it. Impossible."

"It was worth a try at any rate."

Camber Sands Beach with the McBrides

2011-09-30T13:21:00.000+01:00

After a couple of days in London we decided to take the McBride's to Camber Sands and let the kids play around and make sand castle's. The kids definitely loved this day despite the chilly weather. The girls gathered shells, while the boys flung sand. Perfect.

The cute McBride family with kiddo number 3 in Maren's womb :)

Sandy hands

Who me? I didn't do anything...

After the beach we headed to the ancient village of Rye. LOVED it! The girls had a great time roaming around the crooked cobbled streets.

Visit from the McBrides

2011-09-30T11:46:00.000+01:00

Maren and I have been friends since we were 8. I have several friends like that, which I understand is rare, but I love them dearly. Maren, Jake, and kiddo's were able to come and visit for 10 days here in "Jolly Old England." We were so excited to have them. Maren and I were roommates in college for 3 years in addition to being life long friends, and when we get together it is like putting on your favourite most comfy old t-shirt. I have a t-shirt that I have had for 16 years and literally melt when I put it on......that is what it is like when I see Maren. The two of us have been through thick and thin in our lives together and have helped each other more than we ever realise at the time :)

Our journey began with 2 days in London, 1 day at Camber Sands beach and Rye, and then a road trip up north. I am blogging the journey by event rather than by day, too many pictures to post by day. We were so glad that they were able to make it and I would love all of my other comfy old t-shirt friends to save up and do the same :)

Eltham Palace- Time Travellers

2011-09-09T22:20:00.000+01:00

While I was busily cleaning my house Leisha phoned up to see if I wanted to go with her and the kids to Eltham Palace for Time Travellers. Time Travellers is something that takes place at different Castles and Manor houses throughout the countryside portraying different periods of time. On this particular day they were delving into the Medieval period. Knowing I had loads to do, but also knowing that it would be fun for the kids I decided to bag the chores and join the others. Off we went.

Every Palace needs a statue with a head laying at its feet right?

After we arrived we decided to take a stroll around the Palace moat. There were huge goldfish that looked like catfish in the moat swimming about that the kids decided to feed. Worried about my wild Blue One I kept nervously lurching over to grab him from getting too close when out of the corner of my eye I see the Pink One with arms flapping like a bird and then a splash! CRAP! I ran over to the moat and pulled a completely freaked out Pink One from the water. Tears, tears, and more tears. It took a bit to get the Pink One settled after her moat swimming/fish nibbling debut, but she finally calmed down enough to carry on with our adventure.

A soaked wet Pink One still in tears. Again I am winning zero mom of the year awards as I choke back the laughter and photograph her fishy smelling cry face.

The villainous moat.

The Palace.

Quickly recovered and carrying on.

Look at those succulent calves. I must say that both my kids have these gorgeous calves that you just want to roast up and gnaw on ;)

The kids were able to go and make shields.

The Pink One creating her own coat of arms. I bet you aren't surprised to see that she chose a unicorn.

The Blue One got creative as well.

Showing off Medieval armour and weaponry.

I learned that what I originally thought to be Medieval pasties are actually there to protect the arm pits. Who knew? You can tell that the kids were thinking "Ugh, mom! Not another picture with a Knight." One day they will think this was cool even if it isn't right now.

We spent a couple of hours bumming around enjoying the activities and then we hurried home to get more work done. I was glad that I took time for the kids even though it meant a late night for me, it was fun for the kids. Neighbour Hugh is great to remind me that I can't take it with me, but I know that the things I can take with me are the memories of this life and so it was worth it. Sometimes I have to remind myself just exactly what it is that I get to take with me, not a messy house (thank Heavens) but happy memories.

Family Outing

2011-09-09T10:50:00.000+01:00

For our weekend outing we decided to head into London and Visit St. Paul's Cathedral. When we got there we could clearly see that it was tourist season and the crowds were massive. With two little kids in tow no one wants to wait for hours to walk through a very quiet and Holy place, so we snapped a few pictures outside and then headed to lunch at my favourite place in London.

On our way to Covent Gardens we saw this artistic display. I love random art.

Hubby and I were tickled by the name of this Pub "Ye Old Cheshire Cheese" *snicker* but as we got closer we noticed that his pub was frequented by Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, and countless others. Of course, only really cool people would go to Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, right?!

This is for all of you "Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" fans :)

The flowers in England are breathtakingly beautiful right now.

Th Pink One LOVED the Dragon.

Royal Courts of Justice.

The Pink One with the Dragon in the background.

I love seeing all of the gorgeous old pubs dotted all across the English landscape. I am not a drinker, but there is something charming about the looks of the pubs here.

Aaaah, my favourite place to grub. This is a little and literal hole in the wall Crepe' shop. They have beautiful sweet and savoury crepe's and each time I go I get one of each. YUM!

I am always looking for someone to go and munch a lovely little crepe with.....incentive to visit.

After lunch we went to the British Museum. The Pink One is obsessed with mummies (thanks Scooby Doo) and the Hubby wanted to see the Rosetta Stone, so the British Museum was the place for us. Hubby, bless him, was super stressed about the Blue One racing around the ancient artifacts *snicker* I had to remind the Hubby after we were on the train that we were in fact the only people dumb enough to take a 2 year old to the British Museum :) If you want a 2 year old to behave, then you need to take them to 2 year old friendly activities......not the British Museum.

The Pink One in her height of mummy glory.

The Pink One was excited that there were even mummified cats, I told her not to get any big ideas.

London is a magical city and I am glad that I am a short train ride into the city, but also a short train ride out of the city. Maren and Jake get here soon so it is time to wrap things up and get busy tidying.

The London Zoo

2011-09-08T17:54:00.000+01:00

Let me begin by saying that I am always looking for a good zoo to take the kids to. When the Pink One and I went to see my sister in NM we went to the most AMAZING zoo. Since that visit, I have been searching to find its equal. The London Zoo would have to be great right? Thumbs down and sad faces. This.Zoo.Stunk! It was not any better than the Hogle Zoo in UT, so disappointing. The pictures I have are practically the only animals that we saw. Either the animals were hiding inside somewhere or they just don't actually exist. The cool bit was going into the Reptile House where they filmed Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone.....and that was it. The pictures are almost as lame as our trip to the Zoo, but at least I tried to be a good mom.

At the penguins.

The butterfly house was nice.

Lions, but no tigers, or bears, oh lame.

Gorilla's in the mist.

Giraffe.

Pink Giraffe.

What is it about tiny spaces that is so enticing to kids? I remember loving to cram myself into small spaces when I was little.

The best was seeing this family of Otters. Yup, I said that was the best. Enough said.

Been there, done that, never again. Should have spent my money at Madame Tussauds, next time.

Scotney Castle

2011-09-08T16:47:00.000+01:00

My friend Leisha and I decided to head to Scotney Castle for a play date before the kiddo's go back to school. The old Scotney Castle was built in Circa 1378. A new "Castle" sits above the old and was built in 1558.

When we arrived we picnicked, then toured through the new Castle, and then headed through the picturesque landscape snapping photos while the kids ran around. Despite a stomach bug that the Pink One was battling the kids had a great time. Our trip ended a wee bit shorter than we had hoped when the flu bug beat the Pink One and an emergency trip to the toilet was met a little late.

The New Castle

Vanity

The Grounds

The Old Castle

Trying her best to feel good and enjoy our outing.

Will received a lot of attention today from the people meandering around. People always comment on his hair, but if that wasn't enough, his football jersey must have screamed talk to me :)

I LOVE those lips.

We have now seen Scotney Castle in the Winter HERE from a far and in the Summer up close. It is beautiful and we definitely enjoyed it more in the Summer than we had in the Winter.

William and Adessa vs. The Caviar

2011-08-19T07:58:00.001+01:00

I thought this was too funny! Love them.

Sweden Day 3- Big Bad Vasa

2011-08-17T23:07:00.141+01:00

On our last day in Stockholm, dad and I went to dinner with Jorgen and his girlfriend Angela. They took us to their favourite restaurant that they said was "very special." When they like something a lot like a place or a food dish they say that it is "very special." I sat down to order and asked them what was good. Jorgen suggested I get this appetizer with "shrimps," but Angela quickly responded that she wanted to "control" me and suggested that I order this certain appetizer. Jorgen then suggested the salmon, so I took his advice. The appetizer....grilled bread bits with red caviar on top and filled with a shrimp dill cream filling. The funny thing is that the dish is served with vodka, and with each bite of shrimp and caviar you toss it down with a shot of vodka. Since I don't drink I told Jorgen he was welcome to my vodka, he told me if I didn't drink it they would think I was from another planet.....which I sort of am ;) I told him I wanted him to enjoy it, but Angela said "no way, the vodka is mine," and then she drank it gone. Angela and I had an instant connection and we became immediate friends. When the salmon and potatoes came the salmon was raw. Apparently raw salmon is customary in Sweden, but I am not accustomed to it, so I didn't love it. Dinner was fun and Jorgen and Angela are great.

During the day dad and I went to the Vasa museum. This is an amazing old ship that was salvaged from the water 300 years after it sunk. They say that the recovery of the Vasa is as amazing as the building of it. The ship was able to recover in 1 piece which is miraculous and was so well preserved because she sank where the sweet water and the salty water meet. If she had sunk further either direction she would have been destroyed by the nature of the water.

The Vasa was built between 1626-1628 and sank less than a nautical mile on its maiden voyage. The ship lay still in the water until it was rediscovered in 1950. The ship was salvaged in 1961. The story of the Vasa is fascinating and includes a history of a crazy narcissistic king. For more about the Vasa click HERE

The Vasa as she was recovered.

The Vasa as she looked when she set sail.

The King had designed the ship and the architects were too cowardly to confront him about his flawed design. Because the ship was so top heavy, had two rows of cannons, and wasn't built deep enough, it began to tip as it started to sail. When the ship tipped water began to rush in through the canon holes causing the ship to sink even more quickly.

The carving and intricacy of the ship is remarkable. I have never seen such finite detail on anything in my life, especially something that was going to be in the water.

This is what the carved figures would have looked like before the colour disappeared under water.

These are piles of dye and the sources from which they came. These are the dyes that were used to create the paint that was used on the Vasa.

The pictures are blurry because it was really dark inside the museum, and when I used my flash it darkened out the intricacy of the work.

We spent longer at the Vasa than either of thought we would have wanted to. After the Vasa we headed to the Nobel building.

This picture is for Chris Jenkins our architect friend. I saw it and thought that he would love it since he likes modern architecture.

The Nobel building is right on the water. You walk through the arches and down some steps that lead right into the water.

Stockholm is amazingly beautiful. I know that I have said that a lot, but is one if not the most beautiful city I have been to.

Alfred Nobel was the inventor of dynamite. In 1888 when his brother passed away his passing was mistaken for Alfred's. When a false obituary was written of Alfred calling him "the merchant of death," Nobel decided that he did not want to be remembered in this way. Thus the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Dalarna Hess has become one of the symbols of Sweden. I knew that when I came I wanted to get my own Dalarna Hess to add to my ever growing eclectic assortment of treasures. Jorgen being the sweet man that he is bought me a Dalarna Hess and then said that they have them on hand to give to clients....wink wink. I loved it.

Dad and I were a bit tired of walking so we ditched our shoes, sat on a step, and put our feet in the cold water. In the winter time the sweet water freezes over.

I was a little sad to leave this beautiful place. I loved Sweden and the warm friendly and loving Swedish people. Jorgen was so thoughtful, sweet, and kind. He spoiled us evil.... me in particular with that beautiful Dalarna Hess. Seeing Inga was a dream come true and I have already received an email from Gunilla about our family and possibly coming again. Inga loved her book I gave her and sent me home with a doll that had belonged to my grandma's sister Karren as well as with a crystal dish. Hospitable and loving.....I am proud to be a Swede. Now, if I can only work on that "big American" bit......lol.

Sweden Day 2

2011-08-11T10:24:00.001+01:00

I knew when I came to Sweden exactly what I wanted to see. Hubby and I had been to the Ballenberg Open Air Museum in Switzerland and loved it, so when I saw Skansen Open Air Museum (the first open air museum) in Stockholm, we WERE going. Jorgen was excited that we were going to Skansen and told us to go on Tuesday when they have their "All Sing." Skansen's "All Sing" has been going since 1940, and is a live music sing along television program. Dad and I were excited for both the museum and the sing along.

Rather than walking dad and I rode this rickety tram to the top of the museum.

Timber houses

Family house

Tapestry of Saints

Baby Swing

The green thing in the corner is the husband and wife's bed. You pull the curtain around to....for....umm....to keep the snoring from waking up the children ;) ;) ;)

My obsession with windows prevails.

A weaving loom. We were told that before a girl could marry she had to weave all of the blankets and towels that would be necessary to sustain a household. I think the number was 11? Should have written it down. Anyway, it would take her about 2 years of weaving before she was completed and ready to enter her own home.

I loved these beautiful wooden spoons.

Viking Rune Stone. Most of these stones were to mark the grave of death of a fallen warrior.

This is one of the most popular churches for Swede's to marry in to this day.

Another house

Window obsession

This house belonged to a blacksmith. Blacksmith's made more money than farmers so they had nicer homes.

This peacock was a total poser!

The All Sing was amazing. It was so much fun to see people of all stages come and enjoy the traditional and new music of Sweden. I felt very much at home here, there were a lot of families and people who were happy and friendly.

The last number of the show had a Jewish person, a Nun, an Arab person, a Gay person, and others performing to a song that was about "it doesn't matter who you are we love each other." It was really quite funny and a bit propaganda-ish, but it had a good message. Looks like they are ingraining it into the young via live music television.

When we left Skansen I suggested we take the scenic route back to the hotel. Scenic it was!

However, just because it was scenic doesn't meant it was a good idea. Dad and I were lost walking the streets of Stockholm at night for 1.5-2 hours. Thank heavens for dad's Swedish and the fact that we were in a great city. Had this happened in Lausanne, Switzerland I am pretty sure people would still be looking for our bodies. We got to the hotel somewhere in the time frame of 11:00-11:30 p.m. We laughed pretty hard on our walk. Dad asked a guy for directions, he told us "You are way way way far away" he then offered to give us a ride, dad declined. Next time I am going to take the ride and let dad find the hotel on his own ;)

Inga Tornqvist- my Swede

2011-08-08T10:56:00.002+01:00

A couple of years back my dads cousin Inga sent him a card from Sweden. Being that I am a family oriented person and a huge lover of Family History, I kept her address with the intention of sending her a Christmas Card. Unfortunately, when we moved to the UK her address was lost. There have been a couple of promptings I have received since moving here, first go to Bavaria and send pictures to Helma, and second, to go visit Inga in Sweden. Knowing that my dad was coming here to the UK for the Tri and knowing that it was only a 2 hour flight with inexpensive fares to Stockholm, I asked him to come with me. He agreed. I spent 3 days on the internet trying to find one Inga Tornqvist in Norrkoping Sweden. No luck. I prayed and prayed for the Lord to bless me to be able to find her.

A couple of weeks later dad forwarded an email from his friend and work colleague Jorgen in Stockholm. The email told us that he was excited for us to come and that he had looked up and contacted Inga Tornqvist in Norrkoping, who is very excited to see us. I was in tears, and my prayers were answered. I know very little of my grandma Pearson and was quite young when she passed, but her story has always fascinated me. I will post on my Far Mor Britta later, but today it is about Inga. I was so excited to meet my living Swedish relative Inga and was surprised with the information that grandma's brother Sven had a daughter Inga Britt still living and my dad's 2nd cousin Gunilla was anxious to meet us and share her family history work with us. Could this get any better?

Jorgen told us that Norrkoping was only 1.5 hour drive from Stockholm and that we would drive straight and see tree's tree's tree's and the Norrkoping. As you can see from the pictures, he was right. I will confess that it was AWESOME to see beautiful green pine tree's. The air was clean and it was warm, sunny, and blue skied.

This picture is of the textile factory in Norrkoping where my grandmother worked before immigrating to the US. The factory has since closed and has been converted into a museum.

Norrkoping is beautiful and a very old town. Gunilla invited my family to return and stay with her for a longer period of time so that she can show us all of the old places. I will take her up on the offer. Stockholm and Norrkoping are so beautiful that I want Hubby and the kids to see it.

I don't know why, but there is something very complete about seeing your family in another country. It helps to understand where you come from, what your family looks like and if you carry a resemblance, and you see if they are like you in personality and nature. Inga never married and has no children. She and Inga Britt are the last of my grandma's direct line living.

Inga took us to a lovely restaurant and I had the yummiest fish and salad since moving out of the US. Inga bought our lunch and she and dad were able to speak Swedish together very well while I smiled and nodded. I put together a book of my siblings and our children and gave it to her so that she could see her Swedish/American family and know that we thought of her.

I think that so often in our lives we get caught up with what we have or get and what others have and do, that we often take for granted the simple blessings we have. Some people are never blessed with the opportunity to marry and have children, and it IS an opportunity. Some things you can work hard to buy and have, but other thing you cannot. I admire Inga for living a solitary life and having such a fun and optimistic nature. I have seen people become very bitter and unhappy, but her optimism was inspiring to me. Inga lives in a little flat in this building. The kitchen is tiny, but the home is cosy and nice.

Inga and Gunilla waved us goodbye out the window. They were disappointed that we only had 3 hours to visit, but we had to return the car rental. Inga was very hospitable and Gunilla was filled with information about our family, which was AWESOME. I have mentioned before that it is really really tough living in a different country, but I would never have been able to go to Sweden if I didn't live where I am living right now. The Lord knows what we need in our lives and he knows the things that we need to do and then he prepares a way for it to happen. I needed to do this, and he prepared the way. I hope to see Gunilla and Inga who is 81 years again....sooner than later.

Pedal Until You Puke

2011-08-07T21:29:00.001+01:00

Dad participated in the London Virgin Triathlon and were able to cheer him on. I think it is so important to teach your children that we support each other in families, and I also believe it is important for them to attend physical fitness events. The kids loved cheering "Crappa" on. I was proud to watch my 65 year old father pedal til' he wanted to puke. Good job Dad, we are proud of you. Next year a couple of ward friends have invited me to do the running leg of the London Virgin Triathlon, I said yes....of course :) Maybe next year Crappa and I will both be participating, that would be cool.

Sweden Day 1

2011-08-07T09:14:00.000+01:00

Stockholm Sweden Day 1

2011-08-05T14:19:00.000+01:00

My Paternal Grandmother or Far Mor was from Norrkoping Sweden. It has been my life dream to go and see this land that she left to immigrate to Meadow, UT. Since my dad was going to be in London for the Triathlon I decided to see if he would be willing to take a few days vacation and come with me to Sweden. I have become a pretty comfortable world traveller, but my dad speaks fluent Swedish which is always nice to have in your back pocket :) Dad agreed and away we flew. Dad has a work friend in Sweden named Jorgen who arranged a hotel in Stockholm for us to stay in that was walking distance from everything we wanted to see and do.

Sweden is called "The Venice of the North"

The Clas Pa Hornet

Jorgen "the Viking" and Dad

Jorgen picked us up from the airport and took us for a drive through Stockholm.

Dad and Jorgen looking like twins. I laughed how they have no bottoms, they were stepping in the same gait, and they both walk with their palms lifted. My mom has always laughed at the way my dad lifts his palms back when he walks, I laughed when I saw that Jorgen does the same thing.

After we drove through Stockholm Jorgen took us to Gamla Stan which is the old town. This photo is taken by the palace and the church where the Royals are married.

This is the church where the Royals get married.

This square in Gamla Stan is where the Danes when they invaded Stockholm in the Middle Ages cut off the heads of the Swede's and let them roll.

This is the smallest street in Stockholm.

The Royal Palace.

I think I have mentioned before that I always seem to stumble upon interesting things. Well, when we got to Stockholm we happened to arrive while the international Pride festival was taking place. Gay people from all over the world had come to Stockholm, the flags were flying everywhere from the streets to the buses.

This is the balcony on the Royal Palace where the Royal couple comes to wave to the people.

The Parliament building.

Side view of the Royal Palace.

Sweden is made up of 24,000 islands. Right near this spot is where the sweet water and the salty water converge.

Near T Central there was a monument placed in the square to honour the people killed in Norway.

I loved this figurine hanging from the building. Hubby asked me if it was real, it isn't but it looks really real.

Jorgen took us to dinner in Gamla Stan where we enjoyed some amazing meatballs.

Stockholm day 1 was AWESOME. I cannot believe how warm and beautiful it was. The Swede's are absolutely gorgeous and friendly. Stockholm is a clean and beautiful city and the pace is VERY different from London. Stockholm is a walking and cycling town and there are zero fat people. Jorgen told us that he told people that he had "big Americans" coming. I was so embarrassed that before he had met me he had assumed that I would be "big" because I was American. Does America really have the reputation of being obese? Neighbours Hugh and Mary confirmed this stereotype, and yup it does. I was shocked. No more obesity for my family. After travelling through Europe and Scandinavia I have seen that Europeans are very thin and fit. No more excuses of having "big" Swedish ancestors, they aren't "big" but they are tall, beautiful, and fit. Another thing I thought was funny was how many Swede's have dimples. You don't see many dimples in the UK, but you see tons of them in Sweden. Too funny.

Impressed

2011-07-28T13:37:00.000+01:00

My dad came and stayed a day with us here in England before he participates in the London Docklands triathlon Saturday and goes sight seeing with his work friends. I decided to take him to Leeds Castle since he has seen all of London. While we were at the Castle there was a tour group of young Asian teens. While wandering the castle a couple of these teens asked if they could take a picture of the Blue One, which was fine. No sooner had I said yes than at least 20 teens swarmed around him snapping pictures while he stood pot bellied, smiling, and acting slightly confused. A castle employee approached us and asked us if we were okay with them taking pictures of the Blue One, we told him it was fine, and he said "just making sure, some people don't like it." Too funny.

The tricky part of this whole situation was that they didn't want any pictures of the Pink One. I was a bit worried about how this would affect her, since she has always been the one people wanted to take pictures of whenever we are out. I watched as the Pink One stood back with the teens and made faces at the Blue One so that he would smile for the pictures. After they finished taking their photos and possibly overloading FB with pictures of this very blond child, we moved along in the castle. The Pink One skipped merrily on and never mentioned the fact that they weren't interested in her. I thought about other children and how they would have tried to hog the spotlight from their sibling, or pitched a fit that they weren't photographed, but the Pink One stood back and supported her brother while he stood in the spotlight.

I felt so very proud all day. I hope that my kids are always supportive of each other and are never envious of what the other gets or has. I feel like we are off to a good start. Life is difficult and I am sure that my kids will watch each other face all sorts of joys and hardships in their lives, but if they can love and be happy for each other during the good times, and have empathy and support for each other during the hard times, then I will have succeeded as a parent. There is nothing uglier than jealousy rearing it's ugly head in families and friendships. I hope and pray each night that my kids will always have joy in each others success.

The Pink One, Crappa, and the Blue One

It was a jaw dropping experience *snicker*

The Pink One was sad that Crappa had to leave so soon. We have tried to get him to come and stay for a week, but we are happy with a day and a half. While she was playing with her toys today I over heard her trying to persuade a toy (Crappa) to stay for a few days. What a lovely sweet child she is, I am so very blessed.

Pink Cadillac

2011-07-24T18:07:00.000+01:00

Battle of Hastings and Abbey

2011-07-23T23:24:00.001+01:00

The Battle of Hastings took place on October 14th 1066. The Normans and English were a pretty equal match and King Herald II and Duke William were comparable leaders. However, King Harold II was killed in battle (shot through the eye with an arrow) and William and the Normans prevailed. William became known as William the Conqueror and became William I, the first Norman King of England. In an attempt to win over the people and atone for the battle of Hastings, William built an Abbey on the battle grounds. For more information on the Battle of Hastings click HERE.

When we arrived in Battle, there was a scarecrow festival taking place in the village. The Pink One loved the scarecrows, and I thought that they were utterly creepy.

It is no secret that I have a thing for windows. I love looking at windows and I love photographing them.

The Battlefield. I love battle fields, you can always sense a different kind of spirit roaming around. I remember going to Gettysburg and feeling a very distinct spirit on that battlefield and I remember feeling that same way at the Colosseum in Rome.

We loved this hollowed out tree. The Pink One was a bit hesitant to climb inside when she saw some webs and bugs in there, but she decided that the coolness out weighed the creepiness.

Bits of the Abbey buildings from the battle field.

What is cooler than a battle axe and a sword? I mean really!

If I cut his hair do you think he will lose his strength?

The Abbey. The Abbey was of course destroyed by Henry VIII when he ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-1541). Okay, I want to wring his neck. This place was absolutely beautiful. How could ANYONE order to have such a labour of love, artistry, and hard work destroyed? What a nut job!

You had me at cathedral arches.

The great thing about the historic sights that are in ruins is that there is always something for the kids to climb on and explore.

The Pink One collected a bit of "wall" that she has been playing with all evening.

Wild thing.

Yep, it really is a boarding school....... and a posh one for that matter.

The School.

I LOVED this little pub right across from the Abbey's gatehouse. This pub is beautiful and totally crooked. I was thinking that in UT it would have been condemned for its unstable looking structure, but here is a fantastic little pub circa 1430. AMAZING. If you look closely at the picture you can clearly see just how crooked it is.

I have included a video touring the battle field and telling the story of the battle, fascinating. Battle = AWESOMENESS. Not only is this place of immense historical significance to England, but it is also beautiful, and the town is incredibly quaint.

Battle of Hastings

2011-07-23T23:23:00.000+01:00

Sunset in London

2011-07-22T12:09:00.000+01:00

Sunset in London

2011-07-22T12:04:00.001+01:00

Just when I think that the rain and clouds are going to make me go bonkers, I get a special gift like this.....

These pictures are not edited, the sunset really was that amazing. After enjoying this gorgeous display of moving clouds and splashing colour, I decided that clouds and rain can sometimes be okay......sometimes.

Harry Potter House

2011-07-21T08:00:00.000+01:00

Okay friends and Fam, You have requested and I have produced :) Here are 3 videos showing you our house here in the UK. I couldn't and haven't been able to upload video directly through blogger so I uploaded to You Tube. I now have a You Tube channel for the blog which is americanswedeintweed. All video that I will be uploading or making of our adventures here in the UK will be published to my channel. I think that if you subscribe then it will send you the video's when they are published, or just pop onto the blog to check things out. I hope you enjoy the video, and please forgive the shakiness on the first when I am walking outside.....good grief!

Harry Potter House Part 1

2011-07-21T07:52:00.000+01:00

Harry Potter House Part 2

2011-07-21T07:51:00.000+01:00

Harry Potter House Part 3

2011-07-21T07:50:00.000+01:00

The Pink One's Key Stage 1 Concert

2011-07-14T16:27:00.000+01:00

Never in a Million Years...

2011-07-13T14:53:00.001+01:00

would I have ever thought that my life would be what it is today. Never. Hubby and I met 15 years ago, 1 scrawny teenager, and 1 healthy sized teenager (you can guess which was who). When he and I met, I had NEVER met anyone like him in my life. He was the nicest, most respectful, complimentary, caring, yet wildly adventurous, fearless, crazy, shy, fella I had ever encountered. The two of us spent hours biking, hiking, roller blading, playing street hockey, skiing, studying for AP classes, listening to good music, and of course hanging out.

Hubby and I dated for a few years, and then when I was in college I dated other guys so that I could see what the right kind of guy for me would be. Hubby was great, but was there someone out there who was a better match for me? After some horrible dates, good roommate laughs, and a lot of nicknames of boys that would come around our apartment (Putrid Potato Head, B to the 3rd power, Crazy Joe, Creepy Kade), I quickly realised that there were a lot of guys out there that were odd. There were also a lot of guys that were fun, so much fun, but just not the right fit for me. After 5 years I knew that Hubby was right and we were married.

It is true that after we were married we both still had to finish our educations, I had one more year at University and Hubby had at least 4 for a Bachelors Degree. Hubby went on to get his Masters Degree which was an additional 2 years of school. We had zero savings or great jobs, and only 1 borrowed car. But, what we had was more important, we had a determination to work hard and struggle together to make our life AWESOME. Marriage is a huge commitment, for me it is an eternal commitment. I don't believe that anyone should get married before they are ready, but I also believe that when you know that the person is right, then you should get married. I know that some people think that we are crazy for getting married as young as we were (almost 22), but marrying when we did has helped us to grow together, sacrifice for the other person, and have a whole bunch of fun with a best friend.

Hubby and I have so many fun memories together and not a lot of baggage from past relationships. The other day we were chatting about which "era" of our marriage has been the most fun; 1- the Cedar City and my senior year of University era, 2- The Sweet Violet West Valley era, 3- Our super stylish Condo and swimming pool in Bountiful era, OR 4- our house in Bountiful and having children era. Our 5- living in London era is not yet open for deliberation :) When we were finished we found that there was something that we loved about each era and it was really difficult to choose. Hubby and I have really and truly enjoyed our journey. Don't be fooled, our journey has had many bumps and has been far from picture perfect, but there isn't anyone I would rather struggle with than him.

Thanks for taking me on the most frightening, thrilling, daring, rewarding, fun, fantastic, and educational adventure of my life, being a wife and a mother. Happy 11th Anniversary babe, you ROCK!

Fantastic Fourth

2011-07-12T09:13:00.000+01:00

The 4th of July has always been one of my favourite holidays.....ALWAYS. This year was the first in 10 years that I didn't attend the Centerville parade, or Eaglewood fireworks. :( That being said, we couldn't let this favourite swimming, parading, BBQ-ing, fireworking holiday pass us by. We decided that despite feeling totally traitorous we would invite a couple of other American families over to celebrate our independence and freedom. I feel incredibly blessed to be from a country where I have rights, freedoms, and many opportunities. This year my feelings were bittersweet. In an effort to keep this post upbeat and happy I will focus on what we had instead of what we didn't.

1- This year at our very Britishly American 4th of July we had friends, wonderful friends. I have desperately missed having wonderful friends to chat with in the evenings, but at this special event we had friends. I am super lucky, again, to have a couple of wonderful girlfriends who despite the distance make an effort to get together and laugh our heads off.

2- We had a BBQ. The food was awesome (except the funky beef), potluck pasta salad, fruit salad, potato salad, chips, burgers, soda's, fruit tart, and popsicles. It was a true Americana feast. I wanted to make my traditional cowboy caviar, but the line must be drawn somewhere. We ate, laughed, and then ate some more.

3- Fireworks.....sort of. Rather than our traditional street firework show with the neighbours, we sent off the floating lanterns like in "Tangled." Aaaaah, the floating lanterns, I will be smiling and laughing for years when I think about the lanterns. Thankfully we are all safe and no charges were pressed.

The Girls

The Boys

The Toddlers

Leisha, David, and family

Anya, Troy, and family

Me, Hubby, and the piggies

The kids enjoying a little traditional summer refreshment, ice lollies.

Troy's glamour shot ;) Woot woot.

The Blue One negotiating with David

Hubby and Troy decided to man up and take care of the lantern business. They read the instructions, followed the instructions, and then waited to see what happened. Success! As the lantern heated up it started to lift off and successfully floated up to the heaven's. The Pink One wondered if Emma in UT and Gucci saw it float past their houses.

I love the shot of the lantern and the airplane.

After 2 successful lantern lift off's we decided to go for a 3rd. Whoever said that the 3rd time was a charm, is bonkers. Lantern 3 floated up and decided to land on the power line......whilst burning. The kids and adults alike were screaming and panicking. Thankfully a breeze came and blew the lantern off of the line before burning and causing a major fire. Whew, that was close! Troy then decided to send it off again, but it accidentally floated into a house. The happy homeowner rushed out the door saying "don't let it burn my car!" We were able to avoid disaster and retrieve our dud of a lantern, tuck our tails between our legs, apologise profusely, and head back home. Lantern lighting over. We decided to hold onto the other lanterns until New Years.

The girls decided that a great conclusion to a happy holiday was a conga line. I love girls, they are so much fun and oober creative. The girls sang "conga, conga, congaaaaaaaa!" over and over again while they danced in a line. They are such darling girls and all play really well together.

After the conga line was over it was time to leave, which was hard for the kids because they were having so much fun. After parental persuasion and some nagging, bowls were collected, cars were loaded with happy and tired children, and our awesome fourth came to an end.

Tonight we are counting our blessings as we were able to celebrate a very important and meaningful holiday with people we love. Thanks friends for saving our fourth and for making a happy memory and a new set of traditions for our future years as exPat's celebrating a glorious nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all. Xoxo.

An Award and the FOTH Family Picnic

2011-07-11T12:38:00.001+01:00

I received a note from the Pink One's teacher telling me that she would be receiving an award at the Merit Assembly on Friday. I knew that the award would be about her operation, but the Pink One had several ideas as to why she would receive the award (don't you love the confidence of children?). I wrestled the Blue One into the assembly and watched the class perform a musical number and then the presentation of awards.

Mrs. Kenneth the Head Teacher called the Pink One forward to present her award, it was for being a super star after her operation and not complaining once about it in class. Moms know everything. The Pink One was pleased with her award even though it wasn't for one of the many reasons that she had brain stormed it to be.

Later in the day the school hosted the FOTH Family Picnic, which is the reason for the children wearing their street clothes instead of uniforms. I brought the Blue One back to the school so that he could run around and play while big sister enjoyed playing on the inflatables and eating sweeties.

The Blue One was too little to play on the inflatables with the bigger kids so he ran around and wrestled with me on the grass. As evidenced in these pictures, this kid has Viking blood flowing through his veins. I love his spunk and strong will, but honestly, he is exhausting.

The freaky thing is that he can actually use his sword really well. Totally innate.

The pink One with her teacher Mrs. Marchant-Potts

The Pink One with her assistant teacher Miss Hill

Enjoying the sweeties

Popsicle, except here they are called ice lollies. I call them Popsicles, the pink One calls them ice lollies.

It was a fun event for families. I did feel a little out of place and awkward sitting alone on the grass, but after a while my friend Maria came over and invited me to join her family and friends, which was nice. The Pink One had a great time which is really all that matters. The school does some fun family activities, and has some fun events that really showcase the students. I am sure that schools everywhere are the same, but it is really fun to participate in all of the festivities as a family.

A Day at the Beach

2011-07-11T11:47:00.000+01:00

We have been to Camber Sands before as a family and I have taken the piggies sans Hubby (who is always working). We LOVE this super soft sandy beach. Before you get wildly jealous lets remember that this is England not Hawaii, so the temperature is 72 degrees at best......at best. However, when we do get a sunny and moderately warm day, I like to take the piggies to the beach.

"Footprints in the Sand"

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed He was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from His life. For each scene He noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to Him and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of His life flashed before Him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of His life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of His life.

This really bothered Him and He questioned the LORD about it. LORD you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.

The LORD replied, my precious, precious child, I Love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.

One of my all time favourite poem is "Footprints." I loved this picture because it reminded me of this poem :)

The pink One thought that standing on her kick board in the water meant that she was surfing. Love her.

Hubby built a sand volcano with the piggies, they loved it. One year my family and spouses went to Bear Lake for a jet skiing, swimming, frisbee playing holiday where Hubby refusing to wear sunscreen ended up with 2nd degree blistered burns all over his shoulders. Hubby has scarring across his shoulders from this event. Needless to say, he always covers up when he is in the sun. The kids get their olive skin from my Swedish genes ;)

While we were at the beach we bumped into friend/acquaintance Annette and her family. I didn't see her, but she came up to me and said hello. I really like Annette who is from Australia and her hubby from Holland. You can see Annette and her family playing in the background behind the blue One.

Not a swimsuit model? *gasp* I know you are shocked, but again for historical purposes my presence at the beach has been recorded.

The next sunny warm day where we have zero commitments, you will find us at Camber Sands. The next sunny warm day may possibly be in a year, but you will find us at the beach taking advantage of our 1 good day.

When What to my Wondering Eyes Should Appear....

2011-07-10T15:49:00.001+01:00

A Miniature Poop and me Almost Puking in the Pool.

I am taking swimming lessons. I know, I know, "You don't know how to swim! What kind of parents did you have?" The blame is mine. I did take swimming lessons when I was young, enough for my hair to turn green from the chlorine and to get a treat at the end of my lesson...... but not enough to actually remember what I have learned. After my second marathon I decided that I wanted to try a triathlon, but the swimming bit has been keeping me at a safe distance. So, in my boredom I decided to sign up for swimming lessons and get working toward my goal.

I headed to the "Leisure Center" here in Orpington and entered into the same training pool that I bring the Pink One to during the week. I must admit that I was nervous, maybe even a little scared, but when I saw the other "grown-ups" heading into the water I began to feel better. The lesson went well, until I had a bit of difficulty getting the breathing bit down. I was trying to get into my 1-2-3 breathe rhythm when I gulped down a half a pool of water and came up sputtering. I coughed, I hacked, and I had water draining from every opening on my face. I gathered myself together and attempted my 1-2-3 breathe rhythm coming back when I saw IT. That's right, the little brown ball bobbing around in my lane.....it may have even winked at me. I swam faster to get passed it, came out of the water, and literally had to think happy thoughts to keep from puking in the pool. I have never held down vomit so effectively in my life! The others couldn't see the poop, but they would have seen me spewing my breakfast into the pool.

Immediately my thoughts turned to the fact that the swim before I saw IT, I had swallowed down half the pool. "Happy thoughts, happy thoughts." At this point in time I didn't know what to say or what to do? The class after mine had arrived and since I NEVER know how I come across as an ex Pat here I did what any good person would do, I hurried out of the pool, dried off, and cruised home into the shower. Yep, I let someone else swim around in the pool with IT. Don't worry, I have been looking for it each lesson since. *shudder* On a more happy and less nauseating note, I have been advanced to intermediate :) My substitute teacher this past week told me I was in the wrong level and should be in Intermediate. I was flattered. So, I guess I am out of the poop pool and into the big pool, where I will have to work really hard to actually swim a length without fainting.

Camber Sands Beach

2011-07-09T19:11:00.000+01:00

Sew What!

2011-07-01T12:05:00.000+01:00

It is no secret that I am ADHD :) Having moved to the UK and left my fantastically busy, yet sometimes overwhelming life behind, has left me bored. I know that you are thinking, "you live in ENGLAND!, how could that be boring?" It is. I am bored for a couple of reasons: 1st- the Pink One is in school which limits how far I can go, what I can do, and when I have to be back 2nd- Everything here is EXPENSIVE which further limits what you can do and 3rd- I am tethered to a 2 year old in a less than child loving land, which limits where as well as the times I may take him out. This has left me alone, in a house, BORED! So, I got this crazy hair brained idea that I would take sewing lessons on You Tube. Online you can find some great deals on fabric, and with blogs, tutorials, and a great imagination you can come up with some funky patterns. Challenge accepted. Friend Naomi has let me use her sewing machine and I have been scouring the blog world, You Tube, and Etsy to come up with some fun and simple, but time consuming projects.

Project 1- I took an old school shirt from the Pink One's closet and made it into a patch work sashed dress. I use THIS website to get my measurements and then used my imagination to change things up. I also used THIS sight to make the Blue One's matching bow tie :) I love taking something that isn't being used and making it into something summery and useful. I also have an addiction to ruffles. I decided to match the sash and the ruffle and then have everything else mixed up patch work.

Project 2- tiered skirt with yellow sash and yellow ruffle. There was 0 yellow in the fabrics, but I wanted to contrast the fabric rather than have matchy matchy. I used the same pattern for this skirt as the one listed above for the dress. I decided to partner the skirt with a red sweater even though there wasn't any red in the skirt, but I liked the way it looked.

Project 3- Pillow case dress. You can find tutorials on pillowcase dresses all over the internet. Of course I added my flair with a ruffle and a different printed hem. I also like the one shoulder bow better than the 2 shoulder ties.

Project 4- I.Love.Sweetheart.Necklines! I have always had a love affair with the sweet heart neckline, don't know why, but I love it. I decided to do a little print dress with a ruffle at the neck. I copied this from a picture of a dress I saw on Etsy, and rather than buying the pattern I just drew what I thought it would have been. It worked. This is my favourite dress by far. I added a small pink ruffle out of the same print as the blue and then a random mustard silk larger ruffle. I love adding a random colour to my creations, I think it makes them look more interesting.

Project 5- The Pink One has a school friend who's Mom just had a new baby girl. Aaaah, I love baby girl clothes. So I made her a couple of outfits for a baby gift. I found my applique prints HERE and the diaper cover tutorial HERE. Again, because I love ruffles I added a ruffle bum to the diaper cover.

Project 6- I saw this skirt with the gathered pockets and fell instantly in love with it. Again, it came from a free tutorial, which is AWESOME. For the skirt pattern click HERE and for the pocket pattern click HERE.

Project 7- I love the tulip pants and tuxedo ruffle top. The Pink One told me this outfit was funny, but I thought that it was cute. Had I had enough fabric I would have done the pants in the green with a blue ruffle on one leg and a pink ruffle on the other leg. But alas, I did not, so I did it opposite of what I would have wanted to do. For the ruffle top click HERE and for the pants click HERE.

Project 8- is yet to be revealed. I have made the piggies patriotic outfits :) Pictures to come.

I would not consider myself to be a good seamstress, but I am determined, and I am getting better. I am glad that I have some time on my hands to develop a skill that I would not have spent time on in UT. I am a believer that you can't let not knowing how to do something keep you from trying. I have tried, and I am pleased. My boring life has started to pick up a little; sewing, family history, an occasional run, You Tube hair tutorials...... looks like I have eaten up a couple hours hanging out at home each day ;) Happy sewing.

The Royal Ascot

2011-06-23T18:38:00.002+01:00

While the Pink One and I were heading to the hospital for her operation, this is what we saw at the London Waterloo East station.

Pretty fancy eh? The station was filled with people looking as posh as they possibly could. I couldn't let this go, I HAD to know what all of the hoopla was about. I asked the couple posed with the Pink One what on earth was going on? "Why it is the Royal Ascot!" said while looking down ones nose at me. The what? Never heard of it. But, the Queen was going to be there, so it must have been important. The Royal Ascot is a 300 year old super fancy and very posh horse race, the who's who of England can be spotted at this race. If you would like to read more about the Royal Ascot, or simply just admire the pictures click HERE.

I love that the Pink One wasn't afraid to go stand with random posh strangers and have her picture taken *snicker* Don't worry, the couple was thrilled to have the attention and weren't bothered at all to be photographed. In fact, they were so pleased with themselves that they hardly noticed anyone else in the station :) I do love that here in the UK they actually have top hats and fascinators on hand in their closets. I have always loved formal events and must say that I love that they still celebrate certain things here looking like Mr. Darcy ;) Maybe next year you will see me in my fascinator at the train station looking down my nose at the passers by.......just maybe.