Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Woo-hoo!


I've never made one of these, but couldn't resist. I'm still mourning the suspension of my teaching career while we're living in England, and can't wait to get back into the classroom at some point in the future upon our return to Texas. Until then, I'll have to settle for hours of free time during the day to fill as I please. 


And thus emerges the butterfly

This morning I snapped the obligatory first day of school pics to document the now 9th grader's return to school in the UK. Back into the uniform. Back on the bus. Back to attending classes with kids from all over the globe. 

I rifled through the picture vault and rustled up pics from the first day of school when the younger daughter was in 5th and 6th grades. She threatened to kill me if I posted them on social media. 



I think it's telling that I had trouble posting the younger daughter's 9th grade pics from this morning because it kept tagging her as her older sister, the college junior.



It seems she is looking more like her older sister these days, coming into her own and moving out of that awkward stage. With a six year age gap, they've finally reached the point where they can wear each other's clothes. Not that it's really helpful or possible with the coed in Texas and the high schooler in England, but there are always school breaks and summers. 

Best wishes for a wonderful start to an outstanding high school career. This is it for me, the baby of the two beginning her last four years in the nest. I'm praying for academic success, solid friendships, fulfilling her potential, and a teenage bedroom that doesn't look as if a bomb exploded in there.

Friday, August 21, 2015

It's like we live on the other side of the planet

Last Saturday, the husband and his parents moved our college junior into her new apartment at a large Texas university. I must admit, I was kinda sad to miss the occasion. You see, for the past two years I've flown with her to South Carolina to help her move into her dorm and apartment. In January of this year, I also made the trek to her new transfer uni back in Texas to get her moved into the sorority house. This year I'm stuck over here in England unable to help at all.

Mind you, I'm not missing the heavy lifting. And sweating. But I am sad about the fact that I didn't get to meet the new roommates and their parents. Or get to run around and make last minute purchases for the new digs. Plus I need a new college hoodie to represent over here in Europe like all of the other Americans that think it's appropriate to go abroad with their favourite high school, college or pro team logo on their shirt, hat, backpack, keychain, pen, sunglasses, etc. But I didn't get to make a run to the local bookstore for the above college items.

The grandparents snapped a few pics and sent them to me. So yeah, I'll admit the exterior of the apartment complex, brand new this year, looks lovely. 




But I still want to see what the inside looks like and I'm getting no cooperation from my incommunicado child. She's busy with rush prep, but surely she could take a couple phone pics and send them to me. I've asked her to do this a couple times now and so I know she knows I want to see it. And I know she knows it's driving nosey me nuts that she hasn't coughed up the photos yet. I love her dearly, but she can be sooo irritating sometimes. Maybe I'll just make a run up there in October when I'm back in Texas (for a little medical procedure, yo) so we can have lunch and I can FINALLY satisfy my curiosity about where she's living.


Thursday, August 6, 2015

We've Arrived

We've been in England for 10 days, seven spent camping out in the new house on blow up air mattresses until this


rolled up the street. We were SO excited to receive our sea container full of household goods. The house is far from being completed to my standards, but we've made a good start. We had to order a bit more furniture - bespoke - and so we'll be waiting on it for a good eight weeks while they chop down trees and crank up the loom to create the upholstery for our new sofa and chair.

Our family wouldn't be complete without the arrival of Ollie,


looking dwarfed by the super tall hedges in our back garden.


Plus the co-ed joined us from her study abroad summer spent in Spain. 


We celebrated our return to life abroad with some pics taken at Windsor Castle's Long Walk this morning. In true British style, we had to break out the brolly when the weather alternated between a light mist and weak sun. I can't wait to see the proofs and pick a glorious one of the girls for a wall here in our new Surrey home. Cheers to a successful move!