Happiest Place on Earth

This was our first Thanksgiving away from home so we debated what to do. Do we not celebrate at all? Should Jamie and Patrick stay home that day and we have our own Thanksgiving at home? Or do we go and indulge ourselves instead of sitting home and missing everyone? We decided to be indulgent and went to Disneyland Paris for a long weekend!

The most common way of going to Disneyland Paris is by the Eurostar, there is even a train station right outside the entrance gate, but it is only about 6 hours of total travel time by car. We also wanted to check out the Eurotunnel and have the option of driving into Paris proper so we decided to drive. I spent all day Wednesday getting us ready for our trip. It’s amazing how much work it is to pack up a family of 5 for just 4 days.  The biggest delay was making sure all the laundry was done since I can only get about half as many clothes in each load as I’m used to. But by about 11:00pm Wednesday night the family was packed, we had snacks, backup clothes, stroller, multiple stroller accessories, etc. We were either going to Disneyland or war but were prepared either way.

We woke the kids up just before 5:00am and piled them in the car still in PJs. Our goal was to let them sleep for at least the portion of the drive that was still dark. Patrick and Ella snoozed but of course Kellen, the child that most needs to sleep, decided he was up for the ride so chatted with us all the way to the Eurotunnel. When we told him we were going to drive our car onto a train he laughed and said “No, Daddy” figuring of course that Jamie was teasing him. Then when we really did drive right onto the train I think we were all a bit amazed. They line the cars up similar to riding on a ferry but its only single file. They get you on, parked and on your way incredibly fast for so many cars. Then 30 minute later you’re there and in France.                        

It is a bit strange that you go into this tunnel for 30 minutes and come out and it looks totally different. Although the countries are so close you immediately can tell that the trees and fields look different, the villages have a different feel to them and of course you drive on the right hand side of the road. We were on our way, thank goodness for GPS. The drive from the tunnel to Disney was about 3 hours and this is where the details get a bit hazy as I dozed and poor Jamie had to go it alone for at least an hour. Finally we pulled into the Disney property that included Disneyland as well as all of the Disney hotels. It was a foggy day so we really couldn’t see much but being used to Disney always being sunny and warm it was definitely strange to pull up in the fog and gloom.

After we checked into our hotel we walked through the Disney Village, their version of Downtown Disney in California, this was not a good place to start. While the actually Disney store and restaurant in the village were nice the other restaurants looked like they hadn’t been updated since the early ‘90s when it was built. We ended up having our lunch on Thanksgiving day in a Planet Hollywood that was well past its prime. At this point I think Jamie and I were both nervous that maybe this wasn’t a great idea. Here we are freezing on Thanksgiving eating terrible burgers in Planet Hollywood. But then we entered the park.

As usual Disney does such a great job, you walk in and you are on Main Street USA and Mickey was right there inside the entrance. Kellen and Patrick both gave Mickey a big hug and we were back on track. Overall the park was really similar to California but there would be slight differences. For example the first ride Jamie and Patrick did was Space Mountain 2 so it had full upside down loops but was the same dark space theme. One big different between Disney in the states and in Paris was the smoking. It was crazy. We really aren’t bothered by smoking but this was out of control. I would guess that 50% of the adults were smoking in the park at any given time. Waiting in line for rides, pushing strollers, watching the parades, all smoking all the time. We were definetly in Europe and not the states. We also noticed just the number of different languages being spoken all around us. When there were announcements over the loudspeakers they would first be in French, then Spanish, and then English, followed by at least 3 more languages.

We were really lucky that we arrived on Thursday, there were essentially no lines on Thursday and Friday, we couldn’t believe how much we were able to do and see. By Saturday it was the Disney we were used to with hour long waits.  Along with Disneyland they have the Disney Studios so that was also a lot of fun. There were Cars rides and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on stage. Patrick did the Tower of Terror multiple times. We did get a kick out of all the names of the rides being different.

Kellen had a blast this trip, we really did focus more on the little kid areas since Patrick has been to Disney multiple times so we spent much more time in fantasy land then we ever had before. The Small World is just Kellen’s speed, along with the Snow White ride and Pinocchio. He did go along with Dad and Patrick in Pirates of the Caribbean but he told me that one was scary and didn’t seem interested in trying them again. It was also a lot of fun to watch parades with him, the rest of us enjoy the parade and look forward to them but it was perfect for Kellen. We would park his stroller right up on the curb and he would point out each character as they walked by.

By Saturday night we decided that a break from Disney would be a good thing and drove into Paris for dinner. I have to hand it to Jamie, I think they drive more aggressive in France then they do in England, and compared to Seattle it’s downright reckless out here. We saw the Eiffel Tower, it was more incredible in person then I anticipated. Then we found a bistro for a late dinner. It was so fun to take Patrick into Paris and have him try out his French he’s been learning.

On Sunday after a few last rides we started to head home. We decided to make a day out of it and went to Reims before catching the Eurotunnel back to England. We knew we wanted to see the Cathedral of Reims but we were pleasantly surprised to find a Christmas market in full swing. There were stalls selling all sorts of food stands and crafts, a full band playing and even a pony ride with a line of adorable little girls. Then the Cathedral itself was amazing. The façade was so intricate you found yourself just stepping back and trying to take it all in.

As we drove home I think both Jamie and I were tired but happy with the trip. It was the perfect balance of familiar and new, kid focused fun and exploring for us. It’s these kinds of long weekends that were the motivation to make the move out here. Throughout the weekend we would talk about what we were thankful for and this year we have so many reasons to be thankful. Our family is now complete with Miss Ella, we are all together under one roof and we just had our first of hopefully many adventures.

Welcome to our Home

Getting Settled

Tomorrow is November 7^th and my official last day as a Microsoft employee and exactly a month that the babies and I have been in England. The past month has been filled with frustrations and amazing experiences. I still don’t have my own debit card but seeing Patrick study the ruins at the Roman baths in Bath was awesome. So now a month later am I glad we decided to go on this adventure? It may depend on the day you ask me but today I say yes I’m very glad.

As of tomorrow my paid maternity and parental leave are over, I’m sure if we were still in Seattle I would use some vacation time during the unpaid portion of my leave but I would be heading back to work in the next few weeks. I can’t imagine leaving Ella and I’m so relieved I don’t have to go through what I did when I went back to work after Kellen was born. I was in tears each morning when dropping him off for about a month and while I’m sure it would be easier this time around I’m so glad I get to stay with her. I’m also excited that now that we are settled I can start getting Kellen involved in local toddler activities. He has his first soccer lesson tomorrow; he is so crazy about running and kicking that he is going to love it. We’ve joined a Mom and toddler group so we are starting to make friends from both myself and Kellen.  

I also think about everything Patrick has experienced in such a short amount of time that it’s amazing to me. Today we took the train into London then the underground out to Camden market, Patrick is now a pro at navigating the train station and the underground. Yesterday we were touring Roman ruins in Bath just an hour and half drive from our house. He was amazed by the ancient tools and architecture. He pointed out damage on the outside of the cathedral from the time of Kind Edward that he had studied in class. Two weeks ago we spent the day going for a drive through the countryside and drove through the Cotswolds, as we walked up to an old church the first headstone Patrick spotted the cemetery dated back to 1600. His world view is going to be shaped by this experience far more then Jamie’s, mine or the babies’.

It’s because of these things that I try to take a deep breath when I feel like a total idiot at the grocery store for being too slow when bagging my own groceries or when I can’t actually get a cell phone plan so have to do pre-paid which means I inevitably run out of minutes at the worst possible time. Skype is turning out to be my lifesaver, I can actually see Grandma and Papa when we chat and they can see how chunky Ella’s getting. I’m already dreading the day that my parents leave in January without knowing when they’ll be coming back and I can’t believe I won’t meet baby Emmett until he’s at least a year old. I’m sure there will be plenty of days when it all feels too lonely or overwhelming but I’m confident those days are going to be fewer and fewer as we start to build a community here. So I think we’ll make it, at least for a couple of years.

The Adventure Begins

I can’t believe it’s only been 2 weeks since we arrived. The last 2 weeks have been both fun frustrating, I think the biggest surprise has been how different things are here while at times being so much the same.

We live in the Wokingham area of Reading, about 30 miles west of London. Neighbourhoods are organized as villages, normally centred on a few pubs and a post office. We have easy access to central Reading, shopping, Patrick’s school and Jamie’s work so it’s a great location. The house is fairly new so the appliances and the features of the home are nice but I have had to readjust what my version of small is in the last 2 weeks. Before the movers came to pack our things from the Duvall house we really tried to go through and get rid of the things we didn’t need, well the definition of what you don’t need is very different based on the size of house you are moving into. Since we didn’t yet have the house we had no idea how little space there would be, for example we have 3 bathrooms which is a luxury around here, but each bathroom has only a pedestal sink so there is not one bathroom cabinet or drawer in the entire house! Thank goodness for my Mom because we spend the majority of the first week organizing, cleaning out and running back and forth from the B&Q (think Home Depot) to find creative solutions. Now 2 weeks later the house feels like home.

I’m amazed by how well settled Patrick is. He goes to The Forest School and has his group of friends that are all in his classes. He’s been the first to start to pick up the sayings and is quick to correct me when I use the American words. Chips are now crisps thank you very much. He is also navigating the buses like a pro and played tour guide to Grandma that first weekend. I think they covered half of the Rick Steve’s book in one day, they both got home exhausted.

I’m driving here which is good and bad. I feel like a new driver all over again because I have to pay such close attention while driving. First there is the whole opposite side of the road issue, which is actually easier to adjust to then I anticipated. The hard part is the fact that the speed limit goes from 30 to 60 to 30 again as you go in and out of roundabouts everywhere you go, people drive fast but then there are also speed cameras on every street. So you need to drive too fast but try not to get a ticket while trying to navigate roundabouts that seem set up to trick you.

It really is amazing to see so much history on a daily basis, we pass buildings that are hundreds of years old or out of nowhere will be an old cross or statue. Sometimes it seems unreal that these towns have been there for so long that you can see different periods of history in one street’s architecture. But then in central Reading there’s The Oracle which could easily be in Seattle with its high end shops, movie theatre and restaurants. The little kids, Grandma and I had lunch at jamie’s italian, the Jamie Oliver restaurant and it was delicious.

We have managed to do some sightseeing; so far my favourite has been the town of Windsor. The castle was amazing and the town itself was so charming. Walking around the streets I felt like I could spend hours exploring each alley and am looking forward to going back since it’s only about 30 minutes away.  Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral made up another days excursion. London of course has so much to see. We took the train in last weekend and started our day at Trafalgar Square which now has a countdown clock to the 2012 London Olympics, we then walked to Parliament and Big Ben passing 10 Downing Street along the way. We had lunch in the park across from Buckingham Palace then took a bus tour of the city. Kellen was in heaven, he’s obsessed with trains and buses so to not only get to ride both but to ride a double decker in the open section on top was almost too much.

Those were really our big tourist days. The rest of the time I have been trying different grocery stores, attempting to get a cell phone and exploring our immediate area to get a better sense of direction. Having always lived in Seattle or the Eastside I always had a general sense of how to get where I needed to go, you always know where north is or how to get home. Moving somewhere totally new I have no sense of direction, thank goodness for GPS.

We had to take Grandma to the airport on Friday, it was sad to see her go. I can’t thank her enough for all of her help. When we arrived and I saw a house that was already overflowing but still full of unpacked boxes I was totally overwhelmed and as usual she had the vision. This was our first weekend without a visitor so we took it much easier. After a much needed lazy Saturday we drove into London today and checked out the Covent Garden Market, the kids loved the street performers and we had a great lunch.

So now 2 weeks into our adventure it is starting to feel somewhat like home. There have been moments that I have wanted to pull my hair our, like when I’ve gotten off on the wrong street from the stupid roundabout for the 2^nd or 3^rd time. There are things that surprise me, they swear freely on TV and actually show nudity as well, so far it’s mainly been men’s naked butts much to Jamie’s disappointment. There have also been those wow moments, driving down a road and realizing I’m passing the location of the Ascot races, riding the bus over London Bridge or even just passing a Celtic cross of the way to Patrick’s school that’s at least 300 years old.

One More Week

It has been way too long since my last post especially since I have thought about multiple updates over the last few weeks. It’s surprisingly difficult to get time to sit down and actually type, as I’m typing this Ella is awake making little noises so any minute now she will want to eat so I better hurry.

We are exactly one week away from our move date and it feels like it can’t come soon enough. The past almost 2 months have been wonderful in many ways but also incredibly difficult as our family has been split between here and the UK. Each day when I talk to Jamie we swap sob stories about the challenges we are each dealing with. As he is trying to finally get a bank account I’m pulling my hair out trying to get Ella to sleep in her own bed. Each day I try to accomplish one thing to prepare for the move so it feels like time is passing and I am continuously strategizing how to get Kellen through an 8+ hour flight.

When I sit back and think about the last 7 weeks it’s pretty amazing how much has changed and everything we’ve all been through. I’m happy to pass along that Patrick is not only settling in well but is happy in his new school. I just got off the phone with him and he had his first dance this evening with the local girls’ school. He has made friends, joined the rugby team and when I talk to him on the phone he sounds genuinely happy and excited. This is such a huge relief because our biggest concern with the whole move was how the transition would be for Patrick. His new school is all boys and they study a much more broad set of subjects then his school in the US. He is taking the basics like language arts and math but he is also taking both French and Spanish, religion, history and geography. The school seems to be much more demanding in pace as well which is great for Patrick since he was not always fully challenged at his old middle school. It has only been a few weeks so we will see what we think at the end of the school year but we have been so impressed already with the education he will be getting that this may be our main motivation to stay for a few more years.

Ella has gotten so big (well relative to how tiny she was) and is now starting to be more alert in between eating. She is as cute and can be and her cheeks are rounding out nicely. She just may give Kellen a run for his money in the chubby cheek department; he had some cheeks in his day. I’m starting to think that she may be even more stubborn then her big brother, she insists on eating just about every hour and doesn’t slow down when it’s time to sleep. If she is unhappy watch out she will let you know. Papa is still her favorite; with him she can lie nicely and gaze at him lovingly. With me she only wants to eat and poor Grandma she just yells at her. Last night Grandma generously offered to hang out with the kids while I got a haircut, I fed Ella right before my appointment for 30 minutes and was only away from her for 45 minutes. I had packed an emergency bottle just in case but figured there was no way it would be needed, the little stinker ate 4 ounces and wore Grandma out. We finally have her passport and her British visa so she is all set to go. She doesn’t realize it but I’ve already enlisted Daddy’s help and it is his mission to get her in her crib once we arrive, she may be the one asking to go home with Grandma when she leaves.

Kellen has been through so much in the last 7 weeks that I have to remind myself he is a trooper. He has a new baby sister, Daddy and Patrick moved, and we have been staying and Grandma and Papa’s. Things have just started to get better the last week or so but the poor guy had a really tough transition. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what just 2 year old behavior is and what his way of dealing with the change is. We are dealing with tantrums and some aggressive behavior, unfortunately AJ has taken the brunt of a lot of it, as well as major clinging to Mommy. But over the last week or so I’ve started to see things turn around a bit and the old Kellen has started to peak through. It does break my heart when he says “I want to go home” or “Daddy home?” We talk a lot about our plane trip to England and our new house, the fact that there is a park by the new house is the real selling point.

At one time I was going to do a blog post titled things that Kellen has broken. Being 2 years old Kellen can get a bit rambunctious and you combine that with his new found stubbornness and naturally things break. First he tried to swing on the towel rack in the bathroom and pulled it out of the wall so his first casualty was the drywall. For those of you who know my parents and how put together their house is you can imagine how terrible I felt when this happened. But to their credit they took it in stride and Kellen was allowed to stay. The second casualty I like to call “any illusions Mom had of a parenting philosophy”. When we first came to the house Kellen didn’t have juice and had to eat what was served. Bedtimes were an efficient routine that we had down with no return trips to his room or getting out of bed. I also was confident in ignoring the whining or tantrums and using tough love when needed. These days his wish is essentially my command… I’m not sure how it happened but I was joking with my parents that at this point throw the kid a candy bar and call it good. We may not be quite at that point but getting through the day with a newborn and a 2 year old have quickly taught me that while I don’t want to spoil him sometimes I’m just too tired for the fight. I keep telling myself that once we are in our new home and Daddy is there to help that I’ll get things back on track. I’m sure future blog posts will be dedicated to this effort. The last and final thing Kellen has broken (hopefully the last we have 7 days left) is Papa’s rib. That’s right, my Dad’s rib is now broken. Papa was helpfully giving Kellen a bath in their huge bathtub. I’m not totally sure how exactly it happened but somehow by leaning over and Kellen refusing to come closer, I’m sure was swimming around like a goofball, pressure was put on the wrong spot and Papa now has a hairline crack in his rib. Poor Papa is in pain and miserable if I thought I felt guilty about the drywall the rib has taken it to a whole new level.

So how am I doing? I think the experience so far has been more difficult than I anticipated. It’s hard to have a newborn and a toddler, especially with Jamie being on another continent. My parents have helped so much and been so wonderful that I don’t think we could do enough to repay them for the help, we’ve turned their house upside down and while I’m sure time with the grandkids has been great I’m also sure they will enjoy some peace once we’re gone. I also didn’t anticipate how much I would miss Jamie. That might sound bad but I figured that the work of two kids would be hardest part but really I miss my husband. When he surprised us by coming home for a weekend it was a reminder of how much I miss having him around both for myself and the kids. But I am actually doing well, I have the kids fairly under control, we’ve settled into our new routines and I am just so excited that our move date is almost here.

I doubt I’ll have a chance to post before next Friday so once we are somewhat settled I’ll start sending out updates about how we’re doing.

She's Here!

It’s been about 3 weeks since I’ve posted and to say they have been a busy 3 weeks would be an understatement. Ella is now 2 ½ weeks old and she is tiny and perfect. I’m happy to say that the C-section went well; she was born at 8:50am on August 16^th. When she was born she immediately started screaming and turned pink, I don’t think there is a larger feeling of relief then to see your baby round, pink and crying for the first time. Although we had no reason to think there would be any complications I was still nervous going in and overjoyed as they wheeled us out together.

It’s funny but it really does now feel like our family is complete. When Kellen was born I knew eventually we would have another baby this time it feels like all of the pieces are in place and we are a happy family of 5. Ella was 7lbs 5 oz. when she was born and lost almost a full 10% by the time we went to the nursing center at Evergreen for our post-partum appointment; she was a super small 6lbs 9 oz. She then started to gain slowly so they wanted to make sure and continue to monitor her until she started gaining at least an ounce per day. As of her doctor’s appointment on Tuesday she is now gaining an ounce per day and we expect her to be at birth weight or higher by her weight check next Wednesday. I’m confident she’ll get there because she definitely eats like her brother did and he filled out quickly.

Having a newborn again has been a lot of fun this time. I don’t feel the nervousness that I did the first time around. People tell you it is different the 2^nd time and it truly is. I feel so much more confident about the day to day with her then I did with Kellen. The flip side is that I don’t have the same luxury of time that I did the first time around, sitting on the couch staring at the baby until 11:00 is not an option with a wild 2 year old running around. Kellen now feels like a giant, it’s hard to believe he was ever a newborn and so tiny. Jamie’s grandparents have been in town visiting and I wonder what it must be like to see your children become grandparents. It’s unbelievable to me that Patrick will be a teenager and Kellen is 2, I can’t imagine them as adults, it’s both exciting and scary. It has been really special to have so many generations together at once. Ella has also gone to visit her Abuelito with Papa and I. It has also been really different to be at Grandma and Papa’s full time. I can’t thank them enough for all of their help, especially with Jamie gone. Ella and Papa have their special bond already and Grandma is slowly developing a complex and Ella stops crying as soon as Papa holds her. The good news for Grandma is that Kellen is still loyal to her.

I haven’t taken nearly enough pictures as each day has been hectic trying to get Jamie and Patrick ready to leave for the UK. I’m including a few from the hospital below and am determined to start taking more immediately.

Jamie and Patrick left for the UK last night. It was much harder than I thought to say goodbye to them. As he said goodbye to extended family the reality of how much time we spend with family really started to hit home and how important everyone is to us. We will miss the small moments throughout the year, not just the birthdays and holidays but the Sunday morning before Seahawks games or getting together for drinks just because. I think those smaller moments are the ones we will miss the most.

Now that Jamie and Patrick have left I’m anxious to join them. My recovery from surgery has been going much quicker than anticipated so the doctor thinks I’ll be cleared to travel on October 11^th. There are still details like Ella’s visa that need to be finalized but October 11^th is our tentative date.  Jamie found a house during his house hunting trip and our furniture should be there the first week of October so it helps to be able to visualize where we will be living and makes it feel more real. There is a park just half a block from the house so it’s also nice to know that the babies will be happy there too. Patrick will start school next week and I can’t wait to hear his impressions and see pictures of him in his uniform. The next few months will be a series of firsts for all of us!

Happy 2nd Birthday Kellen

We are officially 7 days away from Baby Girl’s big arrival and I can’t tell you how quickly I hope those 7 days pass. But before the 16^th gets here there is a very important day taking place… Kellen’s 2^nd birthday is August 13^th! I don’t know that there is a 2 year old around who loves birthdays as much as my little guy. Not only does he force people to sing happy birthday to him on a regular basis, it is even sometimes our bedtime song, but he talks about the party and the cake all the time. Last weekend he rounded up his closest toddler friends and they all went swimming then of course we had birthday cake. He was in heaven, the very next morning he started asking for his next birthday party.

Maybe it’s the pregnancy hormones but I can’t help but be amazed that it has already been 2 years and how much my little mini has changed in such a short period of time. My once happy lazy bones baby is now a full out terrible twos toddler who fluctuates between a total snuggly love and a terror intent on finding Mom and Dad’s breaking points. I’m worried he just might succeed one of these daysJ.

Happy Birthday Kellen!!

The two most handsome brothers I know.

6 months old and boy did he fill out.

1 year old and ready to start trouble.

After that first year good luck keeping up.

And now he's 2!



Keeping Things Interesting

Well things are starting to get interesting in our household. So far this pregnancy has been so much easier than when I was pregnant with Kellen, I’m so thankful to have a great Doctor that has been really proactive in trying to prevent the blood pressure issues I had last time but given my history it was somewhat inevitable that at some point my blood pressure would start to creep up. A few weeks ago my doctor started to notice that my blood pressure was starting to go up slowly so she started with weekly appointments and Non Stress Tests each week. Last Friday it had gone up more than expected so I was put on bed rest until I can get in for an ultrasound and another visit that I now have scheduled for tomorrow. Tomorrow we will see if bed rest continues or I’m back to work on Thursday.

Last time we went through all of this I was barely 30 weeks and the first focus was making it to 32 weeks, then 35 weeks and eventually the little stinker was born at almost 39 weeks. Chubby cheeks and all he was healthy as can be. This time I’m already 36 weeks and honestly if baby looks healthy I wouldn’t mind meeting her sooner than later…  In reality no I don’t want baby to be born any earlier then she should be but in moments of weakness when I can’t breathe, bend over or sleep through the night I’m so over being pregnant.

So tomorrow we will see it’s either a few more weeks of laying low or back to work. In my wishful thinking I also keep picturing Jamie and my Mom suited up for the delivery again.

On the moving front things are starting to progress there as well. We now have packing dates; the movers will be at the house on August 15^th to pack our things. We’ve also started to work with the destination services people and think we may have found the right neighborhood for us. It’s called Maidenhead and is located in between Reading and London so is accessible both to work and all of the activities we could want in London as well. We’ve also gotten some clarification on how to navigate the Local Authority to get Patrick enrolled in school. Our visa process has been started and we’ve gotten the directions on how to get a bank account in the UK, which from everything we’ve heard is actually one of the most time consuming parts of the entire relocation process.

There is still a lot to figure out but I’ll take the small victories.

Disappointed in Us

I’ve been debating about this post for the last few days since overall I think it is a sensitive topic. Driving into work on Monday morning I happen to notice a bumper sticker on the back of a truck in the lane next to mine. It said, “I jump out of planes and shoot Muslims in the face for a living” and then the other side of his bumper had a Veterans of Foreign Wars sticker. I found this so offensive that I probably talked to 10 people about it that day because I was just so shocked that it was acceptable to have something like this on your car.

I don’t pretend to understand what our military service men and women experience in war, while I have seen quite a few ‘realistic’ movies,  I don’t kid myself to know what they’ve gone through and how that must shape their world view going forward. I also want to raise our kids to respect military service and those who to choose to serve should be respected for it. I would never want Patrick, Kellen or eventually Baby Girl to see that bumper sticker. To me it represents cruelty, hatred and is a scary sign of what has become acceptable in public places. Why is it even OK to have a sticker saying you Muslims in the face? It obviously isn’t just this one guy who thinks that’s something worth printing and selling.

When does it become too offensive? “I jump out of planes and shoot ___ for a living” insert Jews/ Blacks/ Women/ Catholics/ Americans, are we more offended by any of those categories? It was my Dad that brought up a good point, had it been a Muslim man with a bumper sticker saying he shoots Americans he would have been arrested within blocks. More importantly what does this say to the Muslim Americans that live in our communities or really any non-Caucasian group? Watch out, should it become acceptable we will also make jokes about shooting you.

After thinking about it some more it isn’t this one guy, who is obviously some overcompensating macho jerk, who scares me. It really is our overall climate. I was out of the country for a few months when 9/11 happened and I remember talking to my Mom and her saying that it was unreal, even rational people where out for blood, ready for war, anything to avenge what had happened. Well now it’s 10 years later and while we’ve soured on the wars and political focus has shifted it seems we still feel that it’s acceptable to degrade and hate an entire group of people. I don’t know how you change that but I feel so disappointed by the fact that it’s even an issue.

Aren't You Excited?

People keep saying “You must be so excited!” I say I am and we chat about all the wonderful things that living in Europe should mean, travel, food, etc. But to be honest it’s been really hard to get excited.

I’m very much looking forward to moving and think we made the right decision but the logistics of moving have been so overwhelming, or more realistically our lack of progress on the logistics of the move have been so overwhelming. So far we have learned that everything hinges on getting an address, which hinges on the house hunting trip, which hinges on your visa timing which by the way is dangerously close to Baby Girl’s birthday…

So it looks like the first real step is a house hunting trip the last week of July.  Jamie will have to go on his own but it’s his mission to settle on a neighborhood if not find a house that week. The destination services people have you complete a questionnaire outlining what your biggest priorities are commute time, school district, price, size, etc. Then once you arrive they take you on tours of the areas that best match your priorities. Once we have a set area then we can move forward with Patrick school, which really of all the unknowns is the biggest priority to get settled.

So in the meantime I’ve tried to focus on the area I have a bit more control of, I’ve done my shopping for Baby Girl since I can’t put a room together I’ve washed all her clothes and have them all packed and organized by size to send to Grandma and Papa’s house. I’m also wrapping up as much as I can for work. It’s daunting to think that in just 4 weeks I won’t be working anymore. Some days it feels like it can’t come soon enough, other days I feel terrified that I’ll never find another job a enjoy again.

We’ve also been super buys with family events as usual and this year I’m really trying to enjoy the time we are all together. I am going to miss seeing everyone on such a regular basis and have already starting to try and plant the seeds as to why they should all come out to visit.

Here are some of our highlights of the last few weeks.

The weekend in Ocean Shores started with sleepy mornings on the deck.

4^th of July BBQ, I made everyone wear their USA shirts for the picture. Patrick only wore his for as long as it took to take. But come on it’s our last 4^th for a few years; we needed to ham it up a bit.

My Birthday Party, thank you as usual Mom and Dad!

And Edgar’s baptism! He was so perfect through the whole mass and I couldn’t be a prouder Godmother.

So to answer the question, when I do sit back and think about November when we are all under the same roof again. We will have Baby Girl with us, we will be living the UK and we will be starting our new adventure, I am really excited for that. It’s just the 3 months in between that are a bit daunting.

Just how American are we?

At Costco last weekend Jamie and I were pushing a cart with baby clothes, a kid’s picnic table, mangos and pork chops and Jamie turned to me to ask “Do you think we’ll miss this?” Since the language is the same I think we at times underestimate the cultural change we are going to go through moving to the UK. So here are some of the things I’ll miss the most but probably be better off without.

First has to be Costco, I love Costco. Yes it’s huge and always busy but you can’t tell me it’s not convenient to buy toilet paper by the 200 pack. With two growing boys we go through a lot of milk not to mention diapers for the little guy and bulk really does make sense for those things. I will freely admit there are plenty of things that don’t really need to be purchased in bulk beef jerky and mayonnaise being two of them. I’m sure there are big box stores in the UK but from all the pictures of homes I’ve seen it doesn’t look like we would have anywhere to put bulk items.

My second concern is the washer dryer situation. I am just now starting to appreciate how lucky it is to be able to throw all the towels in one load and have them dry within 90 minutes. The luxury of throwing a full load of jeans in is something I know I’ll miss. Not only are the washing machines I’ve seen look tiny they are also in the kitchen. Yes the kitchen. There are also no dryers, we think some of the washers are dual washer and dryer but most houses have clothes lines for drying clothes in the back. Since Reading has the same climate we do here in Seattle I’m not sure how often it stops raining long enough for your clothes to dry. I’m sure this will be one of my key learnings that first month.

My third shamelessly American habit is Starbucks. Not just Starbucks but the drive thru Starbucks. Jamie actually hates this particular habit of mine. I know it would be better if I only drank organically grown, independent coffee from much cooler coffee shops then Starbucks but I don’t. I like knowing I’m going to get the drink I want. They really are everywhere, including on my commute into work, and with the drive thru I can swing in and be on my way within minutes. I know there will be Starbucks were we’re headed but I see two primary reasons I won’t be able to continue my expensive habit. One, gas is so expensive that the idea of driving to get coffee sounds outrageous. Two, on one income the thought of our expendable money going to my coffee habit doesn’t seem like a good idea.

In reality I’m sure it’s the small things we aren’t even aware of that will be the biggest cultural differences. That is the point to experience somewhere different, expose the boys to different ways of doing things and hopefully broadening our own way of thinking. But I’m sure there will be the days when I just wish we could run to Costco buy 4 gallons of milk and pick up a hotdog on the way out.

Out With The Old

With so much of our relocation plans still up in the air the only thing preserving my sanity has been to try and prepare for the move as much as we can in advance. Without knowing our actual move dates yet the biggest area of focus so far has been cleaning out house of everything we don’t need anymore. It is amazing how much stuff you can collect in a short period of time. When we moved into our house 4 years ago it felt huge, after the 1000 sq. ft. condo it we felt like we were living in a mansion. Now just 4 short years later every closet and corner of the garage has been bursting at the seams. I’ve even heard myself saying, “You know one more bedroom sure would be nice…”

So over the last 3 weeks we’ve been moving from room to room cleaning stuff out. I was baffled by how many bath towels we have managed to shove into the linen closet. I now have a new rule, if you buy a new towel you must get rid of an old one. We have more board games than any one family should have and somehow we have about 15 baseballs. We also have some nice things that we have just outgrown. Patrick’s old train table has provided him with years of train and Lego fun. Kellen’s crib bedding is no longer needed now that he is a big boy in a big boy bed. So what to do with all of our random collections? I had my first garage sale on Saturday.

Cliff and Nicki’s neighborhood down in Renton has a yearly neighborhood garage sale and they graciously volunteered to let me use their garage and driveway on Saturday morning. So I was down there by 7:30 with both Patrick and Kellen in tow. Nick helped pull out tables for me and I merchandised our things as much as I could. I did get a few comments on how well organized or sale was; thank you 4 years of retail experience! I was ready for the huge crowds and to rake in the cash. Instead it poured down rain and everyone told me this was less than half of the normal traffic, too bad it rained…  Regardless of the low traffic it was for sure a learning experience. I didn’t think anyone would want the old towels I had collected but those went like crazy while the baseball gloves and skateboard had little to no interest. The cutest customers were the little kids. They were defiantly our target demographic since we seemed to have never gotten rid of any of Patrick’s toys until now.

Of course there was the jerky guy that had to barter every price, his son wanted a keychain I said .50¢ and he had to remind his son that the fun of a garage sale is the negotiation; the son got the keychain for .25¢. I think someone stole a watch from me, I was only going to sell it for $1 but I guess that was too steep. There were also some fun people. A lady expecting a little boy bought the full crib bedding set and was so happy to find it.

In the end I made a whopping $180, not sure it covered the gas to drive to and from Renton but better than going to Costco that morning and spending $180. Because of the low traffic we’ll be doing another one. This time at our house and hopefully in the sun.  I still haven’t gone through our kitchen cupboards so who knows maybe this time I’ll have 20 measuring cups to sell, I’ve been surprised by every other room. I think that after this big adventure my garage sale days may be over.

This weekend was also father’s day so happy Father’s Day to Jamie. He is a great Dad to both of the boys and I’m excited to see him lose all pretense of being a disciplinarian once he meets his baby girl. Also to Grandpa and Papa, just the look on the boy’s faces when we tell them we’ll be seeing you guys makes it clear that you rank much higher than boring old Mom and Dad. It’s for good reason you guys are the best!

Here we go

Our growing family is about to embark on a grand adventure and my hope is this blog will be a good way to keep friends and family updated on first our moving plans and timeline and then our adventures once we are on our way. As long as Jamie and I have been dating (10 years!) we have daydreamed about moving abroad to experience both living in another country as well as to travel as much as possible. As our family has grown, and continues to grow, we still have hoped to get the experience to move abroad. Well finally there is an opportunity that makes sense for us both personally and professionally so we are jumping at the chance to move to the UK.

We will be moving to Reading, Berkshire in England. It’s been described as the tech center of Western Europe and most people have compared it to a larger version of Bellevue. We’ll be a 30 minute train ride outside of London in one direction and 50 minute drive to Stonehenge the other direction. One of the biggest events in Reading each year is the Reading Music Festival each year. We’ve already started to hunt for cheap airfare around Europe and are making our list of cities within short train rides.

In reality we have a lot to do before we can actually move. In the next 4 months we need to rent our house, find a school for Patrick, find a house in Reading, sell our cars, sell anything else we don’t plan on moving, I need to wrap up my job and oh yeah have a baby! Baby girl Bly is scheduled to be born on August 16^th, just 3 days after Kellen turns 2 years old. Luckily for us Papa and Grandma have agreed to have us as extended house guests once the baby arrives. I think Grandma’s timeline and my timeline may be a bit different, I think she suggested we stay for 6 months at one point J.

So as we embark on this new adventure we will be sad to leave such wonderful family and friends behind but hope that you will all come to visit. We’re trying to find a house with an extra bedroom as we fully expect regular house guests.

Check back soon, I’ll do my best to post regular updates as our plans unfold. I’m sure you’ll also see plenty of cute pictures and videos of the kids.

With Love,

Nicole