We're still living the hotel life...in fact I'm getting kind of used to someone making my bed, cleaning my bathroom, and fixing me breakfast every morning. Uh-oh.
We've been traipsing back and forth between hotel and house doing what we can to make a house that is still pretty much without furniture feel like home. And by that I mostly mean giving our credit card a real workout. It's a little bit like starting out as a newly married couple only without the benefit of all the bridal shower/wedding gifts. I realized today that we still don't have a rubbish bin or a broom. Or a few hundred other little essentials. Not that I've ever given anyone a broom for a wedding present but you know what I mean.
I kind of hesitated to post this next little gem on my blog because my mother reads here and she won't like this. Last week as the movers were unloading our storage container into our new house the lawn guys arrived to mow the grass. I know we're not actually living there full time yet but my gosh it has been raining day and night and the grass is loooong. My first introduction to the lawn guys was my husband calling me outside because 'look what the lawn guys found'. And let me just say upfront I hate playing this sort of game because I know it will involve something disgusting.
And I was right....it was a deer leg. And not to be too graphic but there wasn't a deer attached to it. Ewww. Much manly conversation ensued after which they all agreed that this was not the work of a bear but more likely a bobcat. Terrific. I knew we'd have bears, deer, skunks, foxes, raccoons, turkey vultures, and chipmunks but I had not really planned on bobcats. Welcome to The Garden State. If you've only seen NJ from the turnpike then all of this probably comes as a bit of a surprise to you...when you think of NJ you think oil refinery, smog and traffic. But you would only be partially correct because once you get off the turnpike there is a whole lot of very beautiful countryside.
We've also made the acquaintance of two groundhogs who have set up a comfy little home in the rock wall in our back garden. We discovered the entrance to their little hotel when we opened the car door and our very ladylike dog made a beeline for an opening in the wall. She managed to get her supermodel body (she's tall and thin) stuck halfway thru said hole before my husband finally yanked her out but not without alot of dripping sweat, brute strength and an expletive or two. Or ten.
Actually the dog is the teensiest bit distressed. I take her with me to the house each day and she walks from room to room and thinks we've lost our marbles. She wonders why we've moved her to a house without any furniture??? Every now and then she presses her nose up to everysinglewindow in the house and pants at the critters just beyond her reach. She is a bird dog and the hunting instinct runs strong. And it won't be squashed. Which is why I've got a fence company arriving on Friday. You're relieved aren't you?
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Misty Water Colored Naked Barbie Memories Light the Corners of my Mind
We officially became homeowners once again on Monday although we're not actually living in the house yet. Most of our belongings are still in transit from the UK. Six years ago we waved goodbye to many of our possessions as they were sent off to storage. Yesterday that container was delivered to our new house.
My husband and I had talked for weeks about what in the world was in that container. We remembered it as a small amount but the moving company informed us it was 7500 pounds so apparently alot more went into storage than we remember. We knew there would be some furniture...our white couch that serves up great naps, our practically new pool table which is now six years old but barely used, a few appliances...Hello Kitchen Aid mixer-Oh how I've missed you! We were prepared to see these items once again and to face a lot of junk too. I mean, if you've lived without something for six years how badly can you need it?
What we were not prepared for was the walk down memory lane straight thru the childhood days of our daughters. It began when I innocently opened a box marked linens only to find a small basket of naked barbies (are there any other kind?). These were the 'bathtub barbies' and many a happy bathtime was spent with these dolls deep in conversation. Sigh. In a box of tools my husband stumbled across a sweet little diaper bag filled with Bitty Baby accessories. There was the overhead projector Daughter2 asked for on her 10th birthday (her desire to be a teacher started very early). There were enough American Girl dolls and furniture to possibly require their own bedroom (thank you Mema). And inside what used to be our games cabinet...a small poster written in a child's hand that read, "Don't just stop and wave, Stop and buy some koolaid". Gulp. There were field hockey sticks and hula hoops, a soccer ball, a sled, roller blades for little feet, even all the camping gear took us back to the days of little girls. Little girls who sat on your lap and hugged your neck, who needed tucking in at night, who made up whole worlds with dolls and dress ups and who served us tea and play food in their pretend restaurant.
These days those little girls are college students cooking real food on a real stove, driving cars instead of roller blades, still dressing up but not in their grandmother's Hawaiian mu'u mu'u anymore. We moved to England during what was our daughter's transition from girlhood to teenager and now young adult. I didn't realize we were leaving childhood behind when we left the US but in essence that's what we did. Lots of happy memories were packed into that storage container in 2003. And yesterday, a moving van and a naked barbie brought them all back.
My husband and I had talked for weeks about what in the world was in that container. We remembered it as a small amount but the moving company informed us it was 7500 pounds so apparently alot more went into storage than we remember. We knew there would be some furniture...our white couch that serves up great naps, our practically new pool table which is now six years old but barely used, a few appliances...Hello Kitchen Aid mixer-Oh how I've missed you! We were prepared to see these items once again and to face a lot of junk too. I mean, if you've lived without something for six years how badly can you need it?
What we were not prepared for was the walk down memory lane straight thru the childhood days of our daughters. It began when I innocently opened a box marked linens only to find a small basket of naked barbies (are there any other kind?). These were the 'bathtub barbies' and many a happy bathtime was spent with these dolls deep in conversation. Sigh. In a box of tools my husband stumbled across a sweet little diaper bag filled with Bitty Baby accessories. There was the overhead projector Daughter2 asked for on her 10th birthday (her desire to be a teacher started very early). There were enough American Girl dolls and furniture to possibly require their own bedroom (thank you Mema). And inside what used to be our games cabinet...a small poster written in a child's hand that read, "Don't just stop and wave, Stop and buy some koolaid". Gulp. There were field hockey sticks and hula hoops, a soccer ball, a sled, roller blades for little feet, even all the camping gear took us back to the days of little girls. Little girls who sat on your lap and hugged your neck, who needed tucking in at night, who made up whole worlds with dolls and dress ups and who served us tea and play food in their pretend restaurant.
These days those little girls are college students cooking real food on a real stove, driving cars instead of roller blades, still dressing up but not in their grandmother's Hawaiian mu'u mu'u anymore. We moved to England during what was our daughter's transition from girlhood to teenager and now young adult. I didn't realize we were leaving childhood behind when we left the US but in essence that's what we did. Lots of happy memories were packed into that storage container in 2003. And yesterday, a moving van and a naked barbie brought them all back.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
1984...it was a very good year
Today is our 25th wedding anniversary. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to get a trip to Italy on your 25th but we're buying a house instead. That's okay too. I did get a fabulous trip for my 20th wedding anniversary which in my mind makes today the perfect day to write another post about 'my happy place'... Italy.
We celebrated our 20th anniversary in the little town of Amalfi on the coast of Italy. Technically we spent our 20th wedding anniversary at daughter2's 8th grade graduation ceremony in England which was nice and all but...we took our anniversary trip the following March and although it was late we considered it a celebration of our 20th and truly, anytime is a good time to see Italy.
To visit the Amalfi Coast we flew into Naples and hired a driver to take us to our hotel about an hour up the coast. You could rent a car but it's not a place we wanted to be driving ourselves so we hired a driver for our stay. His name was Marco and he acted a bit like tour guide too which was really helpful. And here's a tip...take your Dramamine...the road from Naples up the coast winds around and around and around and around and around with magnificent views of lemon groves and the bright blue sea and your car hugs the side of the mountain (hopefully!) as you go up and up and down and down and around and around.
The lounge area was decorated all in white and was so restful. Every evening my husband and I sat there with a glass of wine and a bowl of the best olives I've ever eaten in my life. The first night they brought a bowl of these olives to us I wondered if they had something artificial added to them since they are very very bright green. But it's just the way they grow and they are not packed into any oil, just seawater. Honestly I could eat my weight in olives in Amalfi.
We spent the days wandering around the little villages along the coast...The village of Ravello was probably our favorite. And it's not just because I loaded up on Italian pottery there.
I mean I may have bought some pottery but that's not the only reason why it was our favorite. It is just so picturesque. Exactly as you'd imagine an Italian village should be. We strolled around the grounds of two lovely villas there, the 12th century Villa Rufolo and the 11th century Villa Cimbrone, both with amazing gardens. Villa Cimbrone has one of the best panoramic views on the coast. You have to stand on a patio that literally hangs out over the sea but the view is absolutely worth it.
To get to the villa you walk up a very narrow alley and while we were there they were constructing a patio up top. The sand came up two buckets at a time on the back of a donkey. I'm pretty sure the patio isn't completed today, 5 years later. But that's okay. It's Italy and they take time to smell the roses there. Or maybe I should say the lemons because the Amalfi coast is covered in lemon trees. Some were still covered with a black wrap that is used to protect them from the winter weather.
Our driver, Marco, brought me one from his father's garden one day (because like I said its Italy and the Italians love their visitors and they love their countryside and they want you to love it too...and I do) and anyway he told me I could eat the whole thing. A lemon liqueur known as Limoncello is made in this part of Italy and its served in frozen glasses and is yummy.
There is a very pretty little 11th century 'duomo' (church) in Amalfi, The Church of St. Andrew, and it contains the remains of the disciple Andrew. We visited the church one day and then spent time sipping Espressos at a cafe in the square. Fantastico!
On our last day here we visited Pompeii. The size of it is absolutely staggering.
I could go on and on about Italy but since it's our anniversary I probably should at least mention my husband. He'll understand because he loves Italy as much as I do and we both look back at our trip to Amalfi as one of our favorites. And... I'd love to post a picture from my wedding day but my wedding album is currently traveling across the sea and most other photos from the day are in my storage container which is being delivered tomorrow.
My husband has a special birthday coming up this year so I plan to write more about him then but for now, if I were to tell you what I love most about him it would be this... he loves life, he isn't afraid to try new things, he never met a stranger, and he can make me laugh. He has worked hard all of our married life and is a wonderful provider. He is also a terrific father who adores his sweet daughters.
I love this boy. 25 years ago I could not have forseen where life would take us and I don't think either of us could have imagined the adventure it has been. Tonite we're having dinner at a little Italian restaurant nearby. The owner is from Naples. It's the next best thing to being there.
You know when you get to the empty nest stage in life its kind of like returning to where you began (except of course you're a whole lot older)....I look forward to spending the next 25 with you...my h. l. ... Happy Anniversary...
We celebrated our 20th anniversary in the little town of Amalfi on the coast of Italy. Technically we spent our 20th wedding anniversary at daughter2's 8th grade graduation ceremony in England which was nice and all but...we took our anniversary trip the following March and although it was late we considered it a celebration of our 20th and truly, anytime is a good time to see Italy.
We stayed in one of my favorite hotels, The Santa Caterina, which is perched into the cliffside of Amalfi with a restaurant that juts out over the crystal clear blue sea. So beautiful.
We spent the days wandering around the little villages along the coast...The village of Ravello was probably our favorite. And it's not just because I loaded up on Italian pottery there.
They grow up the side of the steep hills and they don't look like any lemons I've ever seen. On a visit to the market in town I pointed to a lemon and asked the shopkeeper what the fruit was thinking it was some kind of combination of a lemon and something else. But, no, this is just how the lemons grow here.
There is a very pretty little 11th century 'duomo' (church) in Amalfi, The Church of St. Andrew, and it contains the remains of the disciple Andrew. We visited the church one day and then spent time sipping Espressos at a cafe in the square. Fantastico!
On our last day here we visited Pompeii. The size of it is absolutely staggering.
I don't know what I was expecting but you could walk thru mile upon mile of ruins. Mt. Vesuvius sits back in the distance and there were excursions up there but we didn't do that on this trip.
I could go on and on about Italy but since it's our anniversary I probably should at least mention my husband. He'll understand because he loves Italy as much as I do and we both look back at our trip to Amalfi as one of our favorites. And... I'd love to post a picture from my wedding day but my wedding album is currently traveling across the sea and most other photos from the day are in my storage container which is being delivered tomorrow.
My husband has a special birthday coming up this year so I plan to write more about him then but for now, if I were to tell you what I love most about him it would be this... he loves life, he isn't afraid to try new things, he never met a stranger, and he can make me laugh. He has worked hard all of our married life and is a wonderful provider. He is also a terrific father who adores his sweet daughters.
You know when you get to the empty nest stage in life its kind of like returning to where you began (except of course you're a whole lot older)....I look forward to spending the next 25 with you...my h. l. ... Happy Anniversary...
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Eeny Meeny Miny Mo
I made my first trip to the supermarket this past Monday. Next time I'll take an Advil before I go. I felt a little bit like a 3 year old whose mother asks if they want to wear the pink top or the green top and they take 20 minutes to make up their mind before finally settling on the pink and then they cry because they really wanted the green. That was me in the salad dressing aisle. And the cereal aisle. And a few other aisles too. Who knew there were so many choices? And so many new products. And they all come in supersized containers. I stood in front of the salad dressing for a long time. Do I want regular, light or no fat? Regfrigerated or shelf? Name brand or store brand? I see Ranch...I haven't had Ranch dressing in a long time so let's go with Ranch. But wait, do I want Ranch with Parmesan, with pepper, with Parmesan and pepper, with sun dried tomato, with sun dried tomato and basil, with garden herb...help! In the end I grabbed a bottle of plain ole Italian.
A friend told me she had the same 'problem' with mustard. She was visiting her mother in law in Texas and she was sent out to the market for mustard. She neglected to ask which type and it never occurred to her that she'd have 400 varieties to choose from. In England there aren't one quarter of the choices you have here...you go to buy a vacuum and there are two...which do you want? Easy peasy. When I first moved to England that lack of choice was a teensy bit annoying. But you adjust your expectations and eventually I grew to like the simplicity. I mean do I really need 7000 cereals to choose from? I suppose I'll re-adjust my expectations once again and grow to love all the choice but for now it's a bit overwhelming. Obviously. Because I did just write a whole post about buying salad dressing.
Today my husband and I are off to buy televisions and a refrigerator. Don't worry though...I've got my Advil. Extra Strength. The jumbo bottle. Only in America.
A friend told me she had the same 'problem' with mustard. She was visiting her mother in law in Texas and she was sent out to the market for mustard. She neglected to ask which type and it never occurred to her that she'd have 400 varieties to choose from. In England there aren't one quarter of the choices you have here...you go to buy a vacuum and there are two...which do you want? Easy peasy. When I first moved to England that lack of choice was a teensy bit annoying. But you adjust your expectations and eventually I grew to like the simplicity. I mean do I really need 7000 cereals to choose from? I suppose I'll re-adjust my expectations once again and grow to love all the choice but for now it's a bit overwhelming. Obviously. Because I did just write a whole post about buying salad dressing.
Today my husband and I are off to buy televisions and a refrigerator. Don't worry though...I've got my Advil. Extra Strength. The jumbo bottle. Only in America.
Monday, June 8, 2009
My Wish
Many years ago someone shared this quote with me, "When I look at my daughter I see myself, only better." For me, this has been true from the moment I laid eyes on my newborn baby girl. 1988.
1. She is kind. Perhaps kinder than any person I've ever known. She has a soft heart and cries for lonely people, for hurting people, at cruelty in the world...she wants to make the world a better place.
2. She is gentle. She has always had an instinct about people. She knows when you need a hug, a laugh, a kind word, a thoughtful gesture, or quiet. Being around her soothes my soul.
4. She has a deep and growing faith.
5. She used to be 'fraidy-scared' of pretty much everything but at about the age of 14 her father's genes kicked in and she is now my adventure lover.
6. She sings beautifully. Again, she can thank her father for that.
7. She is my beach baby...sun, sand, surf....they are her favorite things and the place she is the happiest.
8. She is a volunteer Young Life leader and loves the time she spends playing her guitar for club each week, performing in silly skits, and sharing her faith with her group of highschool girls.
9. She is petite. In the extreme.
10. She takes beautiful pictures and loves photography.
11. She loves beauty...art, music, nature, sunshine, clouds, the great outdoors.
12. She loves to read...anything from Rob Bell to Historical English novels She is a great one to take to English Castles because she can always tell us who is related to whom and how.
13. She causes people to have hair envy.
14. She plays the guitar...there may be just a bit of the flower child in her too. She loves all kinds of music and has everything from country to Tchaikovsky, from David Crowder to The Beatles on her ipod.
16. She is a natural born ballerina.
17. She likes to cook.
18. She loves to ski.
19. She has a soft spot in her heart for her Daddy.
20. She used to hate change...moving to England at the age of 15 after 9 years in the same house, town and school system were hard for her. But she survived. Not only did she survive, she thrived. In fact, she more than thrived. She fell in love with something different and new. She has friends all around the globe. She loves to discover new cities, new foods, new cultures. She discovered that she can do something hard and she can like it. She can love it. That doing something hard can make her life better and give her a sense of independence and confidence, and most especially a sureness that God is with her wherever in the world she goes. This she may not have learned any other way.
21. She has brought more joy into my life than I ever imagined possible.
21 Things I love about my Daughter
1. She is kind. Perhaps kinder than any person I've ever known. She has a soft heart and cries for lonely people, for hurting people, at cruelty in the world...she wants to make the world a better place.
2. She is gentle. She has always had an instinct about people. She knows when you need a hug, a laugh, a kind word, a thoughtful gesture, or quiet. Being around her soothes my soul.
3. Her sister is her best friend and has been since the day they met. She was 2 years old, took one look at the baby girl in the bassinet beside me and said, "Gimme dat". It was love at first sight. They have been like two peas in a pod all their lives and it makes my heart happier than I can say.
4. She has a deep and growing faith.
5. She used to be 'fraidy-scared' of pretty much everything but at about the age of 14 her father's genes kicked in and she is now my adventure lover.
6. She sings beautifully. Again, she can thank her father for that.
7. She is my beach baby...sun, sand, surf....they are her favorite things and the place she is the happiest.
8. She is a volunteer Young Life leader and loves the time she spends playing her guitar for club each week, performing in silly skits, and sharing her faith with her group of highschool girls.
9. She is petite. In the extreme.
10. She takes beautiful pictures and loves photography.
11. She loves beauty...art, music, nature, sunshine, clouds, the great outdoors.
12. She loves to read...anything from Rob Bell to Historical English novels She is a great one to take to English Castles because she can always tell us who is related to whom and how.
13. She causes people to have hair envy.
14. She plays the guitar...there may be just a bit of the flower child in her too. She loves all kinds of music and has everything from country to Tchaikovsky, from David Crowder to The Beatles on her ipod.
15. She has the travel bug. Big time. She has been to at least 16 different countries and countless cities and towns in those countries.
16. She is a natural born ballerina.
17. She likes to cook.
18. She loves to ski.
19. She has a soft spot in her heart for her Daddy.
20. She used to hate change...moving to England at the age of 15 after 9 years in the same house, town and school system were hard for her. But she survived. Not only did she survive, she thrived. In fact, she more than thrived. She fell in love with something different and new. She has friends all around the globe. She loves to discover new cities, new foods, new cultures. She discovered that she can do something hard and she can like it. She can love it. That doing something hard can make her life better and give her a sense of independence and confidence, and most especially a sureness that God is with her wherever in the world she goes. This she may not have learned any other way.
21. She has brought more joy into my life than I ever imagined possible.
And to my daughter... in the words of Rascall Flatts... "I hope you never look back, but you never forget, All the ones who love you, in the place you left, I hope you always forgive, and you never regret, And you help somebody every chance you get, Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake, And you always give more then you take.... and more than anything, My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to, your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small, You never need to carry more then you can hold, And while you're out there getting where you're getting to, I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too, Yeah, this, is my wish.
Happy birthday my sweet girl!
Happy birthday my sweet girl!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Show Me The Money
Wow, nothing like purchasing a car, insurance, a phone, a computer and a printer all in the span of a few hours. My husband says Obama will likely take credit for the bump in the GNP but don't you believe it. We've certainly been doing our part to jump start the US economy.
We're feeling a little overwhelmed today. There is so much to take in I'm not sure where to begin. How about I start with our utilities set up. About a week ago, while still in the UK, I rang the telephone company only to discover that these days the telephone company is actually the internettelevisiontelephone company. The very nice girl on the line was just talking and talking and talking and I finally had to interject that I didn't have a clue what she was talking about and I would be hanging up now. In all honesty as soon as she started talking about bundles and 3.0 or 6.5 or 2.4 I wanted to put my fingers in my ears and sing lalalalala. I told my husband he would need to sort this out so he called today and his call went pretty much like mine...still no phone/tv/internet set up organized...hopefully the third time will be the charm. It's kind of hard to believe but when we moved overseas six years ago we only owned a couple of DVD's. They were just becoming popular and everything was still in VHS format. Now it's all High Def and Blue Ray and XYZ ...as the saying goes, tomorrow is another day.
Speaking of tomorrow... we are going to South Carolina to see our girlies for the weekend. And can I tell you we are excited??!! Nothing says home like your kiddos. Funnily enough there are Scottish Highland Games happening down south this weekend. A little taste of the United Kingdom right in Greenville South Carolina. Who knew? And my sweet Daughter1 is celebrating her 21st birthday this weekend...I cannot believe that little bitty baby girl who looked me right in the eye the moment she was born is already a full grown person. Well, she's still little bitty. And she's still adorable. And sweet. I'm going to write a birthday post for her on her actual birthday which is Sunday.
We're off to walk the dog now. And by walk I mean stroll around the hotel complex which is large and very green. Actually our pup is loving life in our temporary housing....the grounds are full of squirrels and bunnies and Dixie is doing her darndest to catch one before we leave here. Earlier today she was surprised by a mama duck who came screaming and squawking out of a bush she'd stuck her nose in and now she goes stealth everytime she leaves the building. This is just a precursor to her new home...we have lots of woods on our new property and with woods come critters so Dixie is in for some excitement. I guess that means we are too. The last time we lived in NJ we had a sweet dog by the name of Abbey and she experienced the 'excitement' of the great outdoors...chased a bear cub up a tree and cornered a skunk who thanked her as only a skunk can. I was pregnant at the time and if you've ever been pregnant you know the whole smell thing is dicey anyway. Oh, and we were driving to my moms for the Easter weekend just two days later and that skunk scent really lingers. Good times. Good times.
Thank you for the kind thoughts, emails and comments. I'm a bit behind in reading posts but will be catching up in the next week or so. Moving house has seriously cut into my computer time. Cheers...Joyce
We're feeling a little overwhelmed today. There is so much to take in I'm not sure where to begin. How about I start with our utilities set up. About a week ago, while still in the UK, I rang the telephone company only to discover that these days the telephone company is actually the internettelevisiontelephone company. The very nice girl on the line was just talking and talking and talking and I finally had to interject that I didn't have a clue what she was talking about and I would be hanging up now. In all honesty as soon as she started talking about bundles and 3.0 or 6.5 or 2.4 I wanted to put my fingers in my ears and sing lalalalala. I told my husband he would need to sort this out so he called today and his call went pretty much like mine...still no phone/tv/internet set up organized...hopefully the third time will be the charm. It's kind of hard to believe but when we moved overseas six years ago we only owned a couple of DVD's. They were just becoming popular and everything was still in VHS format. Now it's all High Def and Blue Ray and XYZ ...as the saying goes, tomorrow is another day.
Speaking of tomorrow... we are going to South Carolina to see our girlies for the weekend. And can I tell you we are excited??!! Nothing says home like your kiddos. Funnily enough there are Scottish Highland Games happening down south this weekend. A little taste of the United Kingdom right in Greenville South Carolina. Who knew? And my sweet Daughter1 is celebrating her 21st birthday this weekend...I cannot believe that little bitty baby girl who looked me right in the eye the moment she was born is already a full grown person. Well, she's still little bitty. And she's still adorable. And sweet. I'm going to write a birthday post for her on her actual birthday which is Sunday.
We're off to walk the dog now. And by walk I mean stroll around the hotel complex which is large and very green. Actually our pup is loving life in our temporary housing....the grounds are full of squirrels and bunnies and Dixie is doing her darndest to catch one before we leave here. Earlier today she was surprised by a mama duck who came screaming and squawking out of a bush she'd stuck her nose in and now she goes stealth everytime she leaves the building. This is just a precursor to her new home...we have lots of woods on our new property and with woods come critters so Dixie is in for some excitement. I guess that means we are too. The last time we lived in NJ we had a sweet dog by the name of Abbey and she experienced the 'excitement' of the great outdoors...chased a bear cub up a tree and cornered a skunk who thanked her as only a skunk can. I was pregnant at the time and if you've ever been pregnant you know the whole smell thing is dicey anyway. Oh, and we were driving to my moms for the Easter weekend just two days later and that skunk scent really lingers. Good times. Good times.
Thank you for the kind thoughts, emails and comments. I'm a bit behind in reading posts but will be catching up in the next week or so. Moving house has seriously cut into my computer time. Cheers...Joyce
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Ladybug ladybug fly away home
But please forget me not...that is the theme of an end of year party held in our community every year. The past two years I was the host but this year I was strictly a guest...a ladybug. We tell ladies who are leaving the country (ladybugs) to bring something to drink which works well since you cannot send anything liquid in your sea shipment. The ladies staying in the UK (forget-me-nots) provide the food. It's a great way to catch up with friends before moving.
I'm writing this from the British Airways lounge at Heathrow. We're waiting for our flight and so far the day has gone very smoothly. We had to arrive extra early because we had to first take our pup to the BA Cargo terminal and get her checked in. She will be on our flight but travels as cargo. She was very well behaved during the check in procedure which is more than I can say for her first night in the hotel this past week. Let's just say that five nights in a small hotel room with five ginormous suitcases, one very large dog crate and the very large dog to go in it certainly go a long way in making you feel ready to move on to the next thing!
As a little gift, we've had the absolute most spectacular weather this past week (you didn't think I'd leave the UK without mentioning the weather did you?) It has been glorious and you can't help but be a little bit happy in all this sunshine.
A few people have asked me what I'll blog about once I move back to the states. No worries...I have loads to say all the time...just ask anyone who knows me....
Cheers, Joyce
I'm writing this from the British Airways lounge at Heathrow. We're waiting for our flight and so far the day has gone very smoothly. We had to arrive extra early because we had to first take our pup to the BA Cargo terminal and get her checked in. She will be on our flight but travels as cargo. She was very well behaved during the check in procedure which is more than I can say for her first night in the hotel this past week. Let's just say that five nights in a small hotel room with five ginormous suitcases, one very large dog crate and the very large dog to go in it certainly go a long way in making you feel ready to move on to the next thing!
As a little gift, we've had the absolute most spectacular weather this past week (you didn't think I'd leave the UK without mentioning the weather did you?) It has been glorious and you can't help but be a little bit happy in all this sunshine.
A few people have asked me what I'll blog about once I move back to the states. No worries...I have loads to say all the time...just ask anyone who knows me....
Cheers, Joyce
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)