My parents have 12 grandchildren: still two girls but 10 boys instead.
Apparently I can't add in my head. D'oh!
Apparently I can't add in my head. D'oh!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, July 4, 2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Lucky Thirteen
On June 29 at about 5:30 AM, my brother and his wife welcomed a second boy into our family. His name is Dylan Nicholas Henneberry. In spite of being a few weeks early, he weighed six pounds thirteen ounces and is 20 inches long.
This makes 13 grandchildren for my parents: two girls and 11 boys. Yikes!
This makes 13 grandchildren for my parents: two girls and 11 boys. Yikes!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Back in the Modern Age
I am very excited to say that the blog is up and running again! And just in time too. There is a ton of stuff to update. Looks like I am gonna be typing for a bit. In case you have been checking in from time to time, make sure you scroll down to a couple of posts I had written earlier but just published a couple of days ago. They are about what I will and will not miss. Enjoy!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, June 30, 2011
What I WILL Miss
I've been asked this question many, many times: "Are you going to miss it here?" The answer is an emphatic "YES!" Here are a few things I will miss horribly.
the smell of fairy liquid
traveling to places I had only dreamed about in the past
roundabouts
CONVENIENT public transport
the NHS
free prescriptions for me and the kids (and, yes, I realize they're paid for through taxes, but still, what a system)
free eye & dentist exams for the kids (yes, I know...)
free orthodontia (yes, I still know...)
free eyeglass lenses & frames for the kids (yep, still know...)
hearing an English accent everywhere I go
walking, both in the countryside and in town
uniforms
being a tenant
flowers and constant green grass
cool summers
fields and fields of rapeseed blooming, snowdrops, poppies
the kids' schools and the way they teach to boys
British meat - I like it better especially the beef, but I will never be a fan of lamb
PUBS and the whole pub culture, everything about it
my friends and friendly neighboUrs in the UK
football matches on the telly
learning something new everyday, whether weird or interesting
the oldeness of it all
school schedule & term breaks - this is a biggie
packing my own groceries - weird but true
hearing Girls Aloud and Take That on the radio
ridiculously cheap airfare (if you plan ahead) to places you never thought to visit but turn out F.A.B.
On the other hand, I am looking very forward to:
hanging out with people I love and missed
Chick-Fil-A sweet tea
7-11 coffee
my washing machine
driving on the side of the road for which my car was intended
being able to gets parts for my car because there are others like it
swimming in a naturally warm swimming pool vs one that says it's heated in the summer when it's not but should be because it's FREEZING
seafood that isn't a fillet of fried fish or a prawn
$1=$1
Target
screens in my windows
crickets & lightning bugs
closets and storage
MY KITCHEN & APPLIANCES - I am so lame
gigantic stretches of beaches that are warm and sandy (vs. a 'shingle' beach)
sushi
convenience
rediscovering the US of A with the kids and revisiting some old haunts
the smell of fairy liquid
traveling to places I had only dreamed about in the past
roundabouts
CONVENIENT public transport
the NHS
free prescriptions for me and the kids (and, yes, I realize they're paid for through taxes, but still, what a system)
free eye & dentist exams for the kids (yes, I know...)
free orthodontia (yes, I still know...)
free eyeglass lenses & frames for the kids (yep, still know...)
hearing an English accent everywhere I go
walking, both in the countryside and in town
uniforms
being a tenant
flowers and constant green grass
cool summers
fields and fields of rapeseed blooming, snowdrops, poppies
the kids' schools and the way they teach to boys
British meat - I like it better especially the beef, but I will never be a fan of lamb
PUBS and the whole pub culture, everything about it
my friends and friendly neighboUrs in the UK
football matches on the telly
learning something new everyday, whether weird or interesting
the oldeness of it all
school schedule & term breaks - this is a biggie
packing my own groceries - weird but true
hearing Girls Aloud and Take That on the radio
ridiculously cheap airfare (if you plan ahead) to places you never thought to visit but turn out F.A.B.
On the other hand, I am looking very forward to:
hanging out with people I love and missed
Chick-Fil-A sweet tea
7-11 coffee
my washing machine
driving on the side of the road for which my car was intended
being able to gets parts for my car because there are others like it
swimming in a naturally warm swimming pool vs one that says it's heated in the summer when it's not but should be because it's FREEZING
seafood that isn't a fillet of fried fish or a prawn
$1=$1
Target
screens in my windows
crickets & lightning bugs
closets and storage
MY KITCHEN & APPLIANCES - I am so lame
gigantic stretches of beaches that are warm and sandy (vs. a 'shingle' beach)
sushi
convenience
rediscovering the US of A with the kids and revisiting some old haunts
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
What I Will NOT Miss
Although I have immensely enjoyed my stay in the UK, there are a few things I will not think twice about leaving behind. They are:
outlets that you have to turn on
separate hot and cold taps
parking in the actual street where cars need to drive
MOT
having my vocabulary corrected
having a swipe card in a non swipe card economy
calling my credit card company whenever I travel, even if it's the distance from MD to NC
constantly doing math in my head to convert C to F or ounces & cups to grams, what IS the purpose of a "stone" anyway?
PE and Games kits x3
noisy especially when rainy street I live on
bayonet lightbulbs
breakers that trip and turn off all of the lights in the house when a single light bulb dies
driving an American car on the other side of the road
car issues in general
slow mail (US military not UK Royal Mail which is like lightning fast)
work paperwork
being a landlord
being a tenant
lack of conformity when walking down the sidewalk, oops 'pavement'
searching endlessly for groceries that I know MUST exist and lack of choice in some items
crap coffee
APPLIANCES!!!! farewell skinny damp fridge, separate freezer, six million dollar man washer and loud dryer. although you all work fine, I like mine better!
the insular feeling of the garden, not being able to mix and mingle across the lawn
the constant loop of Friends and Scrubs episodes
the unfavorable exchange rate and having to gamble regarding the exchange rate
Community Bank/Bank of America
the cold damp that's colder than just cold
foggy windows and wet or icy windows INSIDE the car
driving on ridiculously skinny hedgerow "roads"
cold beaches
queues
Upon my return, I am definitely not looking forward to:
traffic
American accents and how loud we are
outright rudeness vs the passive rudeness here
overwhelming choices
strip malls
cicadas & mosquitoes
giant plates of greasy food
finding my niche all over again
outlets that you have to turn on
separate hot and cold taps
parking in the actual street where cars need to drive
MOT
having my vocabulary corrected
having a swipe card in a non swipe card economy
calling my credit card company whenever I travel, even if it's the distance from MD to NC
constantly doing math in my head to convert C to F or ounces & cups to grams, what IS the purpose of a "stone" anyway?
PE and Games kits x3
noisy especially when rainy street I live on
bayonet lightbulbs
breakers that trip and turn off all of the lights in the house when a single light bulb dies
driving an American car on the other side of the road
car issues in general
slow mail (US military not UK Royal Mail which is like lightning fast)
work paperwork
being a landlord
being a tenant
lack of conformity when walking down the sidewalk, oops 'pavement'
searching endlessly for groceries that I know MUST exist and lack of choice in some items
crap coffee
APPLIANCES!!!! farewell skinny damp fridge, separate freezer, six million dollar man washer and loud dryer. although you all work fine, I like mine better!
the insular feeling of the garden, not being able to mix and mingle across the lawn
the constant loop of Friends and Scrubs episodes
the unfavorable exchange rate and having to gamble regarding the exchange rate
Community Bank/Bank of America
the cold damp that's colder than just cold
foggy windows and wet or icy windows INSIDE the car
driving on ridiculously skinny hedgerow "roads"
cold beaches
queues
Upon my return, I am definitely not looking forward to:
traffic
American accents and how loud we are
outright rudeness vs the passive rudeness here
overwhelming choices
strip malls
cicadas & mosquitoes
giant plates of greasy food
finding my niche all over again
Friday, June 24, 2011
Saying Good-bye to My Baby
Things are happening all around us, maybe a little too quickly sometimes and then not quickly enough at other times.
Evan and I took a trip to RAF Lakenheath on Tuesday to drop off Cinderella Bullseye for her long journey home. We had to have the car completely detailed and shampooed because the US Department of Agriculture is very strict on importing bugs and soil inadvertently. When we arrived, we went to another car valet place around the corner from the office to have the chassis pressure washed underneath as well. They had us in and out in less than an hour. It took the inspector longer to document all of the dings and dents than it did for me to sign the mountain of paperwork involved. I gave her one last glance with a tear in my eye, hoping I will be reunited with my fourth baby very soon.
Evan and I decided to go up a day early because it is about a three and a half hour drive there and in order to shop at the base for a few items. On the way to the base, we tried to find a small town called America, but it was not properly signed (an anomaly here). Maybe they weren't so excited about being known as America, England or I suspect a bad American stole the sign.
I had an iPad2 in my sights, but was informed Tuesday afternoon that they had sold out the previous Friday and none of the games Evan wanted were in stock. Huge bummer for the two of us so we headed to our posh off-base lodgings I found on laterooms.co.uk. It was fairly stunning but the gardens definitely needed some tlc. I have photos but uploading has become an issue on the dinosaur Dell. Maybe I will add them one day. It was an ancient manor house in the middle of nowhere but like 15 minutes from base and 10 minutes from the car place. There happened to be a lot of Americans staying there who were most likely affiliated with the base somehow. It was odd to hear that many American voices at once when not expecting it. I need to get used to that.
Anyway, we had a good night's sleep and full English breakkie and headed bask to the base to go to the bank and run a couple of errands before taking the car to the place. Evan turned on the radio and it took us like a full minute to realize that we were hearing an American voice speaking to us and then that it was NPR! In England. On the radio. We were stunned. It was a nice send off for Cinderella Bullseye and a great way to transition our car back into America. Definitely a sign. So we decided to try the exchange one more time to see if a shipment had come in overnight. Not expecting much, I asked the guy at the Apple counter if they had gotten any iPads and he sad YES!!!! I litruhlee jumped for joy. No kidding, I hopped up and down like the Easter bunny delivering candy. I got exactly the one I wanted and Evan found the game he wanted and we were smiles all around! We got to the car place early and they accommodated us early. One of the employees gave us a ride to the train station JUST as it began to pour, we caught every train home early and arrived home about four hours later, very weary but happy travelers.
And PS, just in case you weren't paying attention, I have and iPad2!!! Now I just need to figure it out because Craig won't help me in the least as he is a staunch PC user, sort of like his Grandfather in the whole "buy American" theme as it applied to car purchases.
Evan and I took a trip to RAF Lakenheath on Tuesday to drop off Cinderella Bullseye for her long journey home. We had to have the car completely detailed and shampooed because the US Department of Agriculture is very strict on importing bugs and soil inadvertently. When we arrived, we went to another car valet place around the corner from the office to have the chassis pressure washed underneath as well. They had us in and out in less than an hour. It took the inspector longer to document all of the dings and dents than it did for me to sign the mountain of paperwork involved. I gave her one last glance with a tear in my eye, hoping I will be reunited with my fourth baby very soon.
Evan and I decided to go up a day early because it is about a three and a half hour drive there and in order to shop at the base for a few items. On the way to the base, we tried to find a small town called America, but it was not properly signed (an anomaly here). Maybe they weren't so excited about being known as America, England or I suspect a bad American stole the sign.
I had an iPad2 in my sights, but was informed Tuesday afternoon that they had sold out the previous Friday and none of the games Evan wanted were in stock. Huge bummer for the two of us so we headed to our posh off-base lodgings I found on laterooms.co.uk. It was fairly stunning but the gardens definitely needed some tlc. I have photos but uploading has become an issue on the dinosaur Dell. Maybe I will add them one day. It was an ancient manor house in the middle of nowhere but like 15 minutes from base and 10 minutes from the car place. There happened to be a lot of Americans staying there who were most likely affiliated with the base somehow. It was odd to hear that many American voices at once when not expecting it. I need to get used to that.
Anyway, we had a good night's sleep and full English breakkie and headed bask to the base to go to the bank and run a couple of errands before taking the car to the place. Evan turned on the radio and it took us like a full minute to realize that we were hearing an American voice speaking to us and then that it was NPR! In England. On the radio. We were stunned. It was a nice send off for Cinderella Bullseye and a great way to transition our car back into America. Definitely a sign. So we decided to try the exchange one more time to see if a shipment had come in overnight. Not expecting much, I asked the guy at the Apple counter if they had gotten any iPads and he sad YES!!!! I litruhlee jumped for joy. No kidding, I hopped up and down like the Easter bunny delivering candy. I got exactly the one I wanted and Evan found the game he wanted and we were smiles all around! We got to the car place early and they accommodated us early. One of the employees gave us a ride to the train station JUST as it began to pour, we caught every train home early and arrived home about four hours later, very weary but happy travelers.
And PS, just in case you weren't paying attention, I have and iPad2!!! Now I just need to figure it out because Craig won't help me in the least as he is a staunch PC user, sort of like his Grandfather in the whole "buy American" theme as it applied to car purchases.
SE7EN
So Craig was watching the movie SE7EN the other night. I remember one time we were walking and trying to remember the seven deadly sins and kept coming up one short so this time as he watched the movie, he wrote them down because he knew I'd wanted to know. In addition, he googled them and found out the seven corresponding virtues which aren't nearly as popular and wouldn't make as good a basis for a creepy movie. Anyway, here's some good food for thought:
Wrath v Patience
Greed v Charity
Sloth v Diligence
Pride v Humility
Gluttony v Temperance
Lust v Chastity
Envy v Kindness
Wrath v Patience
Greed v Charity
Sloth v Diligence
Pride v Humility
Gluttony v Temperance
Lust v Chastity
Envy v Kindness
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