Old People Bowling

Many of you have asked about my day to day life here - what is our schedule - what do we do during the day. I know it's hard if you've never been here with us to picture even remotely what it is like. I am slowly getting used to the way of things. I am getting used to the fact that the children in my children's classes are not called Tyler, Austin, and Jacob. Or Emma, Emily, and Haley. We have Barnaby, Simon, and Oliver. And Imagene, Izzy, and Elizabeth. I am getting used to this town - to walking most places, to the grocery stores, the shops. Gillian is saying things like, 'That man certainly looks cross.' Joshua is now calling his tennis shoes 'trainers.' And his cleats are called 'boots.' It's different, but getting more normal to me. And enjoyable.
But on to my old people bowling story. Usually one day a week I make the 35 minute drive to RAF Fairford. That stands for Royal Air Force Fairford. Fairford is a town, which is where this base is located. There are American Air Force personnel stationed here, too. When I go there I almost feel at home. It is just like a base that we lived on growing up. Complete with base housing, a BX, a gas station, a mini-mart, a tiny library, a tiny movie theatre, etc. It is wonderful to be there sometimes and just hear American accents wherever you go. I usually go to the gas station to fill up the car for much, MUCH less than we do on the economy, I go to the bank, I go to the library, and I go to the commissary to get the American foods we just cannot live without. One thing that I get a huge kick out of - and Caitlin can attest to this - she came with me once: There are British Air Force guarding the entrance gates. In full uniform, they appear very stern, very unapproachable. They are all carrying automatic weapons, and you have to stop at the gate and show them your ID to get on base. And without fail, every time I stop and show my ID to one of these fierce looking airmen, the response is, "Brilliant! That's lovely, thanks so much! Cheers!"

But I digress. Every once in a while, after the commissary, I decide that Aidan and I need to have lunch at the snack bar at the base bowling alley. Today was one of those days. I love it because it's all American food - cheeseburgers and fries, grilled cheese for Aidan, BLTs and the sort. And you can pay in dollars. And there are lots of Americans around. But it is first and foremost a bowling alley. Aidan likes to sit at one of the tables directly behind the lanes so he can watch the "balls." Today was busy. I don't know what kind of league it is, but they're elderly British people. I don't know how or why they have access to this base, maybe they're all military retirees. But they bowl as couples. There were about a dozen couples. You could tell how much they all enjoyed bowling. I mean, they were all having a super time. But the funniest part to me - the reason I started this whole post to begin with - as I sat there and thought, "How great is it that these people come here and bowl together! I think I might like to do that when I'm old, too!" I noticed that they all high-fived each other. And not just each spouse. They ALL high-fived EVERYONE after every single turn took. And I laughed. And I realized that with all that high-fiving there was no way I'd ever be playing old-people bowling.

2W Assembly

At St. Edward's the classes are labeled by a number and a letter. Gillian is in 2W. That means she is in Year 2, and Mrs. Walsh is her teacher. Today was the assembly for 2W. This means that parents get to come for a 10 minute production that their children have been working on. Gillian's class's theme was "Rules." They each had lines, they had skits, and they sang two songs. They each also got to call out a rule that they have in their own house. I held my breath - just waiting for what "rule" Gillian thought would be appropriate to share with her class, her teachers, the other parents, and the headmaster. Could it be our 'Do not carry Aidan down the stairs' rule? How about the 'No touching or looking at my brother in the car' rule. Or maybe she would choose something that would make me look like the best mom ever - how about, 'Only vegetables or fruit for a snack' rule. But what came out of her mouth? "NO SPITTING." Well, it could have been worse!

In the meantime, Aidan, jealous of all the camera time Gillian and her class were getting, continuously stepped right in front of the camera, lifting his shirt up for all to see his wondrous belly all the while saying "Cheese! Cheese!" complete with binky in mouth. And yes, I know, he's 2 1/2 and should probably not have a binky, but when you have a 2 1/2 year old at an assembly and need to keep him quiet, you will go to many lengths ...
Gillian in middle front. Friend, Elizabeth to the right, Hannah to the left. That is Headmaster Mooney on the left. He is a wonderful leader, and his lovely wife, Mrs. Mooney, is the French teacher!

Welcome Bubbles and Buddy

As long promised to our children who are not allowed to have "pets" in this house in England, we have bought them a little fish bowl with two little fish. I know the photo makes it look like there are four fish, but that's just their reflection in the bowl. Bubbles and Buddy were purchased yesterday and are settling into the Boline household quite well. They are good eaters and have fun playing together in their little home. I pray they last at least a week.

Cutie Patooty

It was rather warm last week so Gillian was able to wear her summer uniform to school. My favorite part is - well, all of it. I love the straw hat, and I love the cutie cotton dress with the little white socks and school shoes!

All Things British

The British language is really not much different than what we speak in America, but let me share the new words my two eldest children are using after only being in school for less than two weeks.
"I left my PE Kit in the cloak room."
"Pardon?"
"I saw my teacher out in the corridor."
"May I please use the toilet before we leave?
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It was a huge effort to have Sky Satellite installed in our new home, but we are so grateful. Patrick is able to watch episodes of COPS every night. I can watch episodes of Knight Rider, McGyver, Frasier, Scrubs, MASH, Fantasy Island, Dallas, Judge Judy, and The Simpsons just about any time I want. And the best reason to have Sky Satellite: Last night we were able to watch the Colts play Tennessee - LIVE. We also get the occasional Major League Baseball game. What a time we live in.

Off to School!

I thought this day would never come. It has been the longest summer of my life. We withdrew the children from their old school in the States early because of all the travels we did. We took three weeks to drive to Minnesota, Colorado, North Carolina, then back home. We flew out of the States on July 4th and have spent the past eight weeks traveling in the UK and settling into our new home. But here we are this morning, rushing to get breakfast, hair pulled back appropriately, dressed to the nines in the new uniforms, and making sure we have enough time to read a devotion and spend some time in prayer before the long walk to school. One mile, approximately, one way. So yes, this means I will be walking about four miles a day, pushing Aidan in his stroller, to drop off the children and collect them each day. But the children got into their new classes with no problem, and I suspect they will be excited to get up and do the same thing tomorrow!

I can't leave Aidan out here - he is one cool dude hanging out in the driveway. He does miss his brother and sister while they're at school, but I think he's enjoying his own "Mommy" time, too. I know I'm enjoying my Aidan time!

Caitlin's Visit

Caitlin arrived from Germany last Wednesday night (late) and we had a WONDERFUL three full days with her. We didn't do too much. We went to the base so she could pick out some American foods she had been missing. We went down to High Street and had lunch and did a little bit of shopping. And then Saturday we drove to Bristol where she and Artur will be living in a year so she could see what they should expect. It was a great outing. The city is right on the harbor with lots of boats, beautiful cobblestone streets, and great-looking restaurants. There happened to be an organic food festival going on this weekend, too, which looked fantastic. I think Caitlin and Artur are going to LOVE their new home next year. The photos show us in Queen park near the harbour where we had a picnic lunch and walking along the harbour. Caitlin was a trouper with all the walking, and she looks fantastic! I loved having her here. She is an encourager and a blessing in my life.