Homesick.........

but I am not sure for what. Marc and I were talking yesterday and realized we are both homesick. I couldn't even admit it without tearing up. I know most people think we are brave living so far from home and family. Maybe we are, most days, but some days, you just want what is familiar. I realized this is probably why I have been so BAH-HUMBUG about the holidays. (That and Marc has to leave again for all of January on Sunday.)
As I have thought about what exactly we are homesick for, I am not quite sure. I know we miss things like Sonic size drinks, drinks with ice, drive-thrus, tasty food, well organized roads and highways, being able to call people when you want without having to worry about time zones, and countless other things that made our lives easier in the USA. I know we miss these things, but I don't think that is what we are really homesick for. I am sure it really boils down to being able to feel connected to those we love. Our friends and families. And yes, I think that ultimately, we are homesick for our connection with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
I think that at this new start time of year, I am going to try and reconnect better with those relationships that really bring peace into our lives and meaning to our days....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Marc loves to tell a story about when his brother Joseph was in high school. Joseph went to visit a friend and the father of that friend was hanging Christmas lights. Apparently annoyed, Joseph wished the man a "Merry Christmas!" The man's reply was "Merry Christmas. I am spreading Christmas frickin' Cheer. Merry Frickin' Christmas!" I think it is a funny story, mostly because I can picture it. I realize that there are traditions and customs that we follow at Christmas time. I think we can let the carrying out of those traditions rob from the original purpose of those traditions.
During a holiday dedicated to the most charitable person in all of mankind, our Savior Himself, should we be running around so crazy that we are too tired or stressed to be courteous to our fellow man, or worse, our own family?! Do you think he would want us to take the next six months paying off the "Joys of the Holidays" because we couldn't just simplify. Why do we feel the need to overcomplicate things?
Christmas really is a simple holiday, even if you do include Santa. We celebrate the "birthday of Jesus" as Sergio likes to say. We give gifts because "Heavenly Father gives us gifts" answers Giovanni. The whole point of this holiday is to celebrate the greatest love of all time. To remember that if it weren't for Jesus Christ, we would have no purpose and no hope.
After we put the boys to bed tonight, both boys suddenly called out for us. I just assumed it was the first of many on such an exciting night. They just wanted to remind us to put out the plate of cookies for Santa, and to not forget the carrot for the reindeer. I sadly told them that I didn't have a carrot, but could put out extra cookies. Giovanni, after thinking a bit, said, "You can put an apple. Horses like apples, I bet reindeer do too." I thought that was smart and started to close the door, Giovanni again called out that I should include a note to Santa. I was a bit annoyed because he has already made a couple of lists and I was beginning to worry that he had missed the point of the holiday. He then told me that I needed to write a thank you note to Santa to thank him for coming and bringing us our nice presents.
I was so relieved. That is really what this season is about, especially if you count Thanksgiving. We have a great opportunity to be grateful. To remember all of our blessings and truly thank God for them.
So Merry Frickin' Christmas. I hope it was simple and peaceful...

School pictures 2009

England has a couple of traditions that I really like. I LOVE that my kids go to school in uniforms. It really saves on the fights in the mornings and I like that all kids, no matter their economic status have the same clothes. I also like that they take sibling pics at school. I know that both boys are really chees-ing it up in these pics, but don't we all have a school pic like this in our albums?!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

They don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in England. Why would they celebrate the pilgrims leaving?! I am sure they have some sort of "celebrate the harvest" holiday, but not that I have noticed. As soon as the Halloween decorations are down, Christmas goes up. I love Christmas, but I am grateful for Thanksgiving. I think we all need a holiday to help us to stop and really think about what we are thankful for. I also like, that for the most part, Thanksgiving is a giftless, dedicated to food (and Marc would add football), family and friends get together. I like that. It is hard to over commercialize Thanksgiving.
Marc and I were sitting on the couch last night and I asked him what he was thankful for this year. He said he was thankful to be home for thanksgiving (he missed two in a row in Iraq). I told him that is what he said last year, he said it is still top on his list.
I sat and thought for a minute and I said that I was thankful for Marc. Not because he is such a great husband and father, which he is. I am thankful for Marc because I am lucky to have a daily reminder that there really are people in the world who are willing to risk EVERYTHING for freedom. He will forever be changed by what he lived and saw in Iraq. I may never know just what because he still cannot talk about some of it, but I can see in his eyes the change. He knows what is worth fighting for and what is not anymore.
So, this year, as I go over to his boss' house for turkey and all the fixin's, I will sit with just a few of the soldiers that have allowed me my life of freedom. It really is the soldier that allows us freedom of religion and freedom of speech. This year, in a selfish world, I am thankful for all people who put their own needs behind the greater good...wasn't that what the pilgrims left for in the first place?!

Vacation PT2

Here is the second set of pictures. There are none of our London trip. Marc and I are both BAD at remembering to take photos.

Vacation PT1

My parents were here for two weeks. I have to say, this is probably the best vacation we have ever had with my parents. My mom and I didn't have one fight. We went to the ocean and did a couple of carnival rides on the boardwalk. Giovanni had about three birthday parties by the end. My dad was bound and determined to build a lego plane from pieces scattered in five different bins. My mom found some long lost, and long dead, ancestors and got to visit their graves. Marc and I got a two day, kid free, vacation to London. It was an all around great trip. YAY!!

PROJECTS

Leave it to my mom to actually get pics of some of my projects. I painted two old dressers for the boys. I spray painted the handles bright red. I had to rearrange their whole room to get the dressers to fit. Now, I think I might steal them for the nursery and think of something else for the boys. The last pic is of my latest project. Originally it was for the boys too, but I think I will make it Marc's dresser. We could all use more storage here. England has a closet shortage.

this little piggy...

So, Marc is home. YEAH! I have stopped spotting. YEAH! My parents come in less than three weeks. YEAH! And, Marc has (probably) SWINE FLU?! YUCK! I am just trying to decide if I feel pregnant, or sick. One may never know. I have tried to think all day about what we should name this soap opera that is our life. Any suggestions?!

the learning curve of life

So, to give you an update, all is going well. My hormones are "going up at the appropriate level" and the bleeding has stopped. I hesitate to post this for fear that the Karma police will step in and take something good away. Why is is that we think that there is some giant scale in life that has to be balanced?! We think that if we get a really big blessing, that there must be some big trial or bad thing waiting. For right now, I am just enjoying the good that seems to be coming. Marc should be home on Monday night. They tried to extend him AGAIN another three weeks, but the silver lining is that the registration on his car plates expires. He cannot stay in Germany with expired plates. I will never be more happy to pay that fee than I will this week.
I have been pondering alot about life lately. Too much time on my hands while I "took it easy." I am surprised at how much of life we miss living because we are busy being angry, offended, worried that we offended someone, or just worried that if we start to enjoy life, we will be hit with real trials. I remember on my mission, when I had only about a month left. I told my mission president that it was too bad that I was done, because I was finally starting to figure it out. He said that that is how life is. I have come to understand some of that. I wish that the lessons we learned from life could be learned before we need them. The very trial that teaches us patience is the trial that could have gone better if we were already patient. Maybe someday, the learning curve of life will make more sense to us. For now, we just need to pray and hope that we can at least pass the course.

Trying to learn patience, QUICKLY!!!

Anyone who knows me, instantly knows a couple of things: I am not quiet or shy, (sorry Mom), I am too independent, and I am NOT patient. Well, this is the month that I am beginning to understand patience. Marc has been in Germany for around a month. We have been trying to have another baby for more than three years. With an Iraq deployment and two miscarriages, I was beginning to really question if we would ever have any more. Well, I thought I was pregnant. I don't just mean hoped, I mean just sort of KNEW. Then I started to spot and thought, "O WELL, guess I'm not." Then I went to the doctor for some thyroid problems and he ran a pregnancy test, POSITIVE. Well, I explained that I was already bleeding and didn't expect to keep the pregnancy. I went home and couldn't even muster the hope to pray to keep it. After two weeks of bleeding with positive pregnancy tests, I finally got into a doctor (long story that would make you HATE SOCIALIZED MEDICINE)by going to the American Air Force ER that is almost three hours away. After a LONG wait watching an ENTIRE NFL Football game, I got into the doctor and they did an ultrasound. It is absolutely AMAZING that they can see a thing the size of a raisin, with a heartbeat. They told me I was officially six weeks and one day pregnant. The raisin didn't even have arms or legs,but it had a heart beat. So I am taking it easy and trying to have faith in God's plan.

My mother-in-law, Julie, who is more like a second mom, sent me this quote:
"Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God's purposes and patterns to unfold in our lives, on His timetable."
-- Elder Neal A. Maxwell

I realized that no matter what happens, I was not showing enough faith in Heavenly Father. So, to sum up, I am trying to be patient and just enjoy where we are now, and be worthy of whatever blessing may come next. Maybe someday I might just actually call myself a patient person, (but probably not in a quiet, ladylike voice).

life update

I have no pictures to post, actually I have a lot to post and take, but cannot get the card to work. We have had a busy summer. A whole lot of not much. We went for rides and played with friends and went to Cadbury World (a tame version of Willy Wonka). We finally started school here in England. The boys are both in full time, so I am going to have a lot of time on my hands. So far, all of the projects that I had to do have been put off. I am taking it easy while I go through my third miscarriage. We are disappointed, but the doctors are on top of things and we will hopefully get things worked out.
I redid the boys room. I moved them upstairs to the third floor and have added some fun touches. The theme for their room is maps and red white and blue. I got an old red metal trunk at a junk sale and decoupaged maps all over it. It might just be one of my best projects yet. I am currently recovering my dining room chairs, but cannot decide on a covering. I was leaning towards fabric, but then remembered how lovely vinyl is to clean. I will post pictures. So far, out of five rooms and three floors, I just need to finish the boys' room and our junk/guest room.
Marc is in Germany and when he gets home, we will post some pics.
Love to all.

Our New House

I have yet to take any inside fully decorated pictures, but here is the house the Army has provided us with. It has AMAZING views of the cathedral. I told Marc I am probably the only woman in the world who is complaining that her house is too big. I know that we are told we will be blessed if we do the right thing but what do we do if we feel the blessing is too much?!

Our British Vacation

Marc's parents came over for two weeks. We went to Scotland, Legoland and just hung out. We definitely needed a vacation from our vacation, but it was great. Marc took time off for the first time in forever and we just did fun things.

LIFE...

I guess since the last post says that we were mostly moved in at two weeks and it has been four weeks, we have lived in this house for six weeks. I don't know that I have made much more progress. We have been really busy. Marc had to study for and PASSED his promotion board, I got released from Relief Society, I got called to be Primary music leader, Marc's parents came for vacation, we went to Scotland, we went to Legoland, and we are now resting. For those of you who may not believe that God has a sense of humor, just look at my new calling. I am in charge of an hours worth of music time for the kids 3-12 at church. I HAVE NO MUSICAL ABILITIES!!! I am nothing if not enthusiastic, but I am definitely not qualified for this. We took lots of pictures of Scotland and Legoland, and I will post pics of the new house, but for now just trust that we are surviving. We may not be thriving, but we are surviving.

We are officially moved in...

We we have been here in the new house for just two weeks and we are about 95% moved in. It is easier if you are just moving across town than if you are moving across the ocean. Marc stole my computer, after he killed it and then fixed it, and so I don't know how to do pictures on his laptop that is in my office. I will post more pictures later. We really like the new house. It has a better flow and is really easy to keep clean. The other house had a lot of charm, but like most old houses, it was nearly impossible to keep clean. Marc is closer to work and the boys are closer to school. We have a garage for the first time in our 8 1/2 years of marriage. We are happily settling in and only have about five boxes left to unpack.

MONKEYS...

We went to a "safari park", which means that you drive through the enclosures that the animals are in. It felt very much like Jurassic Park, especially when the double gates for the tigers and lions had to open one at a time to ensure that the animals did not escape. The boys thought it was too cool. We rolled our windows down when we could, and Marc almost didn't roll his up fast enough to avoid the BIG BROWN BEAR sneaking up on us. The picture of the monkey on the car is our car. He is sitting on the mirror eating a cracker that just "magically" appeared on our windshield (stuck there with squirt cheese I might add). In the other monkey enclosure, you could walk around and almost touch them. We had to keep our pockets closed because they apparently are kleptomaniacs. The cheekiest monkey stole gum from our friends pocket and wasted the whole pack. At the end of the day, we got to watch the keeper feed and care for the falcon. It was good it was after Easter, or the boys might have been traumatized to see baby chicks treated that way.

Update with no Pics

Ok, I forget you can post without having pictures. We have been super busy lately. We found out we have to move into a different house as of May 1. It is actually good because we found a place that will sign a three year lease. We have exactly three years left here so we are really excited. The boys can stay at their school and Marc has less commute time. I get to decorate all over again, which I actually love. I will post some pics of the new house and decorating style soon.

the "Master" bedroom

This is the first time in over eight years of marriage that Marc and I have a real bathroom off of our bedroom. We also have enough space to put a couch. I have to say, the couch was a freebie, I got a cute slipcover off of Ebay and added some pillows from the thrift shop. Our bed is the ONLY piece of furniture in our house that didn't come from a garage sale, thrift shop, costco or IKEA. The only reason we didn't get our mattress from costco was because I found a better deal. Every piece of furniture, including the headboard and our laundry basket is previously owned. Now you know why I said, "NO MORE PROJECTS."

rub a dub dub, two crazies in a tub

I have decided that I live with crazy people. Giovanni had a grocery store blue bouncy ball, you know that kind that are always in those towers of bungee cords?! Well today was actually nice enough to go outside. So they were outside playing and accidentally kicked the ball into a thorn bush. When he came inside crying to show me the damage, he noticed that the hole got bigger with some help. We ripped it in two pieces and of course, what better hat than half a broken ball?!
When they took their baths, they thought they looked like swim caps. So here are my two future olympic hopefuls....

my new "desk"

Ok, so I will admit that I am a paper stacker. I get important papers and put them in a stack. I study new topics and put them in a stack. Well, the stack desperately needs to be sorted. I have a ton of space, but no real surface to work on. I decided weeks ago that I needed a new table top to sort things. I wanted it to be large, but easy to store. I thought about a regular folding table, but found this instead. It is a drop leaf table that has a drawer in each side underneath. It is only about ten inches wide when completely closed so can be pushed against a wall or behind a couch. It needs a bit of TLC, but in no way is "another project". I hope this gives me the push to actually sort all my junk.

junk store finds

I go to thrift stores here quite often. They call them "charity shops" because they all donate their proceeds to a different charity. Well, here are some pics of my latest finds. I got two chairs, and an end table all for 5 pounds each.

School Pictures

MY BOYS

SERGIO age 4

GIOVANNI age 6

The boys have to wear uniforms here in England. I think it is GREAT. It has saved many fights in the mornings over what to wear. The schools here have a tradition that when siblings are at the same school, they can take school pictures together. Too cute.

Family Pictures

The picture where we are all dressed in grey was the day before Marc left for Iraq. The picture with me in red is about two weeks after he got home. What a difference a year and a half make...

our "British" kitchen

Our house's original foundation is about 300 years old. It has had two additions and recent remodeling. Luckily for us, our landlord must have seen many American kitchens when he remodeled our kitchen. (Plus he was inspired to make it red and black for ME!) We have a double oven, and a huge eating area by British standards. You must know, this is what sold us on the house. We have a lot of counter space, an island, and our big fridge and the mini fridge that came with the house. Most of our friends here could fit three of their kitchens in ours. Needless to say, we feel really blessed to have such space.

our "sitting room"

Right next to our living/family room, is our sitting room. Keep in mind that neither room is very big and would be better as one but cannot because the wall that supports the stairs is what also divides these two rooms. Anyways, since we have a room, we have to decorate it, right? We inherited a beginner piano for the boys and keep our coat "closet", wardrobe in here.

can't live without him, can't keep the office clean with him

Marc has been out of town for a month. His wonderful Mom came for 2 1/2 weeks to save my sanity. While she was here, I finally got Marc's office cleaned and organized. I was so proud of myself and how clean it was and how Marc has a place for all his military junk. Well, I knew it wouldn't last, but I am still impressed with how fast it was messed up. Mind you, he hasn't even been home a week, and he is still "unpacking."