A Time For All Seasons

What an eventful year it has been for us. Last year this time, I was writing you all about our upcoming move to England. Come December, we will have been here for six months. I've kept up on the blog about our adventures getting here and some of the things we've done and seen. You can browse the blog links on the right to catch up. Christmas cards, coming soon, will include all our new contact information.

For the most part, we are settled in and our small three floor house is feeling like home. John is loving his job and we are making great friends. I've always got some kind of project going, editing photos for posting and for the Etsy Shoppe or whipping up a crochet project, making Christmas cards. I've been playing a little with creating my own patterns. I was blown away with the response to my afghan pattern. The Shoppe will be on vacation the month of December, so we can spend time enjoying the holidays with family and friends. Please stop by for a visit in January.

John loves working here and has had some exciting things happening at work, but we'll have to save those stories for when we're in person. He's been busy making traveling plans that I will be excited to share about once we return. On the list is Belgium, Germany, and Paris. We did finally find a home church as well and look forward to becoming more a part of that family in the coming year. We have plans to celebrate Thanksgiving with a few neighbors next door with a full Thanksgiving dinner on the Saturday after Thanksgiving day. Should be fun.

Like in the states, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas out there on the streets. All the stores are decorating and the towns are getting up their lights. Can't wait to see London dressed for the season. I've gone ahead a little early and got our small selection of decorations up. I am missing all the things we left behind. Our new Balsam Hill tree is beautiful and from a few feet away really does look real. We are staying put for Christmas this year to experience an English holiday. I know already, it's going to be hard being away from our big family celebrations. But, we do have some plans including some Christmas Markets, the Christmas Ball, and a special Christmas Eve dinner booked at one of our favorite restaurants, Jamie Oliver's Italian.

The girl's are doing well. Beki has a year and a half left in her teaching degree. She'll be graduating May 2017. She and Corey are renting a house in order to contain 3 cats and a dog. Ari is enjoying her job at Starbucks. She's the best barista I know. She and Anthony are looking to move into a bigger place after the first of the year. I miss them terribly and can't wait until they can come visit. Our fur babies, Sapphie and Ebony, are well adjusted to life in England now. Ebony is showing signs of being more out-going, even getting a little curious with visitors. Sapphie, at fourteen, is too old to care anymore!

After almost 17 great years, our little Frosty boy just got too old and recently passed. For all that knew him, he was adored. I always said he was the best little dog any family could have, friendly, cute, and lovable. He went through a lot with us, three moves, many Ohio trips, and growing up with the girls. He was the best companion for all those lonely nights when John was away. He will be truly missed and leaves a big whole in all our hearts.

Be sure to bookmark this link to stay up-to-date on all our adventures. We miss everyone from the states and are hoping some of you are making plans to come visit! Our door is always open and we've got a two bedroom suite all ready for guests. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity. We'll only be here two and a half more short years.