I lay it at Your feet GOD!!

The last few days, I have been stressing out, there is so much to do. Michael got his orders yesterday so now, the ball is in motion. Trying to nail down dates to leave, for the packers, for the cleaners etc is not as easy as it sounds. We are only allowed I think 3 nights in billeting before we leave so we have to time things accordingly which actually is very stressful because in doing this, everything is down to the wire. I have had so many things on my mind lately that I have not been sleeping well and waking up stiff and achy for being so restless. I have been waking up with a sudden thought about cars or houses or packers and lain in bed for hours before drifting back off to an uneasy sleep. We have just purchased a used US spec vehicle that we will ship back for Michael so we are now trying to sell our British spec cars. We are so afraid that we will get stuck with them. What will we do then?? I don't even like to imagine it. I pray everyday, about all kinds of things and for various people but as I laid in bed last night, I realized that I have been praying that "we sell the van, we sell the car" etc. I decided that I was going about this all wrong so when I started my prayer, I told GOD that I give this all to him. I will do my part in getting things prepared but I lay my stresses at His feet and I praised Him for being such and awesome GOD allowing me to do that. I have to tell you that I slept like a rock last night, did not wake up once and I didn't not ache at all this morning. I even slept through the earthquake that happened over here. Apparently it was a 4.7 just southeast of us. We went to bed just after midnight and the earthquake happened about 1am.
If you wouldn't mind just keeping up in your prayers, we have a lot going on and the next few months will be very stressful and hectic.

Have a great day and thanks for looking.

Music to my ears

Well, this week is yet again almost at an end. Dylan, Dalton and I had violin lessons today and I have to say that we are all doing quite well with it. Dylan and I can play about 6 songs and Dalton can play about 3 really good. I love playing the violin and so do the boys. It is easier than I thought it would be so since I can read music, I can pick out most of the songs from our beginners book. It is good fun. I wonder if the guitar is much like playing the violin?? I would love to learn to play that to. We are going to try and get the boys in piano when we get back on that side of the pond.

We had to take the van to the shop the other day because I am leaking oil. At this stage of our life, when we only have just over 3 months left here, I was praying that it was nothing serious. I had visions of a cracked block or a cracked something else that might leak oil. I said a couple of prayers before we took it into the shop and praise the Lord!!! It is just a gasket. It will cost about 5 pounds plus labor to fix it!!! I am so thankful. While we were at the shop, Michael came to pick me up and asked them about his car, his knobs for his heater have been messed up since about 3 months after he got the car over 3 years ago. The fan for the heater/defrost would only work on high or off and we were not able to move the temp dial at all or it would stop working so Michael managed to fix that where it was on full hot all the time. I guess it was ok in the really cold weather but when you turn it off the windows started to fog up and then when you turned it back on, it got really hot. We went ahead and left the car there for them, they ordered the parts and said they would fix it the next day. That only cost 78 pounds, about $160. I can't believe that he drove it around for 3 years with it broken like that and it was that easy to fix. We for some reason thought it would cost about $500. At least this will help it sell better. I am praying right now that both our cars will sell. They are both right hand drive so we can not bring them back to the US. We have a line on a vehicle for Michael that we might buy and ship home so if you wouldn't mind, please keep these things and just our move in general in your prayers. I have a feeling we can use them.

The bullet train of life!!

I don't know where the time has gone. It is already Tuesday and I still feel like it is the Tuesday from last week. Dawson was out of school since the 7th and just went back yesterday, however Dylan and Dalton had the day off yesterday for the holiday. I feel like I have been so busy and never a moment to myself. Michael and Dylan had a campout this weekend, the "Freeze-O-Ree". This is where the Webelo II Cub Scouts camp out with the Boy Scouts. Mike was not too thrilled with this, since we do live in England, it is February and the campout actually had the word "freeze" in it. He decided not to take Dylan and Will, (our friends husband was gone so Mike said Will could camp with him and Dylan) out Friday night, that they would go early Saturday morning and the camp out Saturday night. Well, I was sound asleep in my nice warm bed until about 12:30am when Mike tried to open the front door but was unsuccessful since I had the chain on!! They gave it up, the tempature had dropped to 18. YIKES I don't blame them one bit. Some folks that actually stayed (which there were few!) said they had ice INSIDE their tent. Crazy weather but I think today is that last of the really cold days. We should have lows somewhere in the low 40's for the next week or so. It has been a really mild winter so far. No snow yet. I know I am jinxing the whole of England and I will post the pictures of the snow when it does. HAHA

Good news today, I got weighed in and I have lost a total of 35.5 pounds!!! I am so thrilled. I will only update you on the 5 pound marks or so, I am sure you really don't care but since it is a big part of my life right now, I feel the need to post it.

To all , have a great day and keep on keepin' on!!!

Crazy Weather

What a few days we have had. Today is the only day this week that there has not been delayed reporting to work and school. The fog has been so thick, I am absoutely positive that the expression of fog being "as thick as pea soup" originated here in England!!!! We were at a round about Wednesday night on our way to Awana and we could not even see the base or the base lights which were on the left. Once on base and driving toward the chapel, we drive parallel to the runway and we couldn't see it or the planes that usually pepper the runway. CRAZY!!! Looks clear today if not a little chilly.

Yesterday, being Valentines, Michael and I were fortunate enough to go out to dinner just the two of us. I managed to get reservations for the base Valentines dinner yesterday, not sure how that happened on such short notice but it worked out good!! It was really nice, there were just tables for two decorated with rose petals and little confeti bits, we had champagne and a five course meal. It was delicious. I would like to thank Ronni for volunteering (actually ordering us) to watch our kids since her husband was gone so that we were able to go out. You are awesome Ronni and I will miss you when we leave. I hope you all had a great day as well.

The days are flying by and feel sometimes as if I am losing touch with time. We are trying to get some dates together for our return home, also we are planning a trip to Holland in the spring and then Dylan has a Campout on the beaches of Normandy for his cross over to Boy Scouts. It is a packed next couple of months, not sure if that is a good thing or not yet!!!

1 year later

Mom and Me, Rainforest Cafe London, England 9-06




As I write this today, I am thinking of a phone call I received one year ago today at 3am from my sister, totally distraught telling me that our Mother was dead. It is still hard for me to believe, I miss her so much and I miss talking to her. The fact is that I probably didn't talk to her as much as I should have but I was lucky enough to have talked to her just 2 days before. We were planning her trip back to England in September, she was going to go into work on Monday and put in her leave request. We were going to go to Paris, just she and I. She never made it to work on Monday. The fact that I didn't talk to her as much as I thought I should have was ok, because I could have just picked up the phone and called her whenever I did get the fancy to do so. As I no longer have that option, I find myself wishing I could and missing her more than ever. Even if it is just to ask her a question about a recipe or a sickness I might have had as a kid or to compare myself as a child to my children. These are all things that I can never again do. They say time heals all wounds, and I can say that this is true, it has gotten easier, only because life goes on for the living. Even as harsh as that may sound, it is the truth, I have a family that depends on me, both my kids and Husband and I would also like to think that my brothers, sister and father depend on me, even if it is just to be a small part of their busy life.



As I look back, I don't know where the time has gone and it is really hard for me to believe that it has in fact been one year. I think of my mother every day and even though the pain of losing her has eased somewhat, it is still painful. To everyone who has lost a loved one, be strong and keep your faith. This in loving memory of my Mother: Liz Phillips!!!



I love you Mom

Breeding Britches

Ok, is it just me or does everyone's laundry multilpy in the hamper?? I would swear (that is if I was the swearing type!!) that I had all my laundry done, every stitch with execption of what was on our backs on Thursday. We all even wear our jeans twice if they are decent, usually by the end of the day, everyone's shirt is wrecked though. Dylan and Dalton were home yesterday so we decided to clean the house and do laundry. Ok, I decided but they were huge helpers. I had 6 loads of laundry. Ok, the sheets off my bed and some towels are a load but COME ON!!! Does it ever end. I probably wouldn't mind doing laundry if I didn't have to do it every day just to stay caught up.

It has been a crazy week, with Dawson sick, me on the verge of being sick, Michael called in to work for crazy hours so I am just exhausted. I have not been sleeping great and waking up stiff and sore. The weather has been cold, rainy and windy, (what's new?) I am in need of some sun and warm weather. It will still be a couple months, more like 4 until the weather is nice here. Oh well, I could complain, like I have just been doing or I could get over it and be thankful that I can feel anything at all. I will try to have a much better attitude for my next post, maybe I should do it on a day that my maid comes in and cleans the house for me!!! Yeah Right. Have a great day!

Ironic

Today was a rough day, trying to get the boys to do their homework is quite like herding cats as my friend Ronni likes to say. Dawson still a little sick and now I am not feeling well and Michael called into work all weekend it has been a long day. Dalton has started this incessant whining when he does his homework, he wants someone sitting next to him no matter what and his teacher assigns an absurd amount of homework for 1st graders. He sat at the table for about 2 hours and had not accomplished anything. Well, when he threw his last little fit, I had had quite enough. I decided it was time for a little something for him to cry about, (didn't you hate it when your parents said that??) Once that was over and he recovered enough to finish his work, he came up to me and apoligized. Told me he was sorry for his behavior and the fact that I had to spank him. He told me that he still loved me and he knew that the reason I spanked him was because I love him to. I of course told him how right he was and that if he had just consentrated he could have been finished with his work in about 30 minutes. Last weekend I think he was at the table for 5 hours doing all his work. I just think for a 6 year old, he is amazing!!

sick in the house!!

Wow, what a crazy week, poor Dawson still sick, I ended up taking him to the Doc. on Wednesday but she said that he did not have an ear infection and what he had was probably viral, etc. etc. etc. The same thing they all say everytime. Anyway, he got better Thursday, no more fever and was able to go back to school Thursday and Friday. When he got home, Friday evening he started going down hill again. Threw up again and now had a wicked cough. Samething yesterday, fever and throwing up. Poor little pooper. He slept with me last night again so I could keep an eye on him. I called my friend and she suggested that I put vapor rub on his feet and then socks over them. She said it is an old wives tale so I thought what the heck. Not sure if it was that or the medicine I gave him but he managed a pretty good nights sleep, he slept on and off until 9am this morning. We didn't have to worry about Daddy because he got called in to work last night and didn't get home until 2 I think and then was back up at 6:30am going back in. Poor Mike too. Other than poor Dawson, it has been an uneventful few days, although Michael and I are not feeling too well either. My throat hurts and my nose is stuffy but nothing like Dawson. I am sure I will mend soon enough.

Well, some of you are getting excited to see us in the beginning of June, I am afraid it will have to wait until the end of June now. Michael has found a class that he would like to take here before we leave so I don't think we will be leaving until the last week of June sometime. It kind of messes up the plan that we were working on which was doing his graduation on June 7 in Germany while visiting good friends Stephanie and Charlie and kids and then flying to see Marybeth from there for a few days and then home. I am a little disappointed but I understand. He should hav 6 of his 11 classes for his Masters done before we leave here. Then when we get back, he will have to requal. to fly again and study for Cheif so I think these classes will be put on hold for a few months. Until September or October I think. Anyway, Sorry Marybeth, I am sad to but we will get up there sometime in the summer.

Well, Uncle Dick, this is for you. I think I look better than this picture, (Isn't that the way it always is??) but here you are. I still have a long way to go but I was comparing pictures yesterday of me before and now and I can finally tell a difference. My jeans are way too big and that doesn't help but you will get the idea. Thanks for looking.