Repatriation
16 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
Well, it has been quite a journey. I am so thankful that my friends and family encouraged me to write this journal of sorts to remember our time in the UK, because right now, it seems like some strange dream. Reading back over some of our experiences helps to put everything into perspective. We had an incredible time abroad, and met some fabulous people. It was difficult to say good-bye to our new friends, and the rural Devon cottage that we called home for two years.
We boarded a jet with our one-way tickets off the island just three and a half weeks ago, but in some ways, it feels like this house was built just for us and that we have been here a whole lot longer. We have been busy painting, decorating, cleaning and settling into our new home as well as helping the children adjust to their new school. Our weekends are filled with visits from old friends and watching the children play with all of their new neighborhood friends. I am so thankful that we did a lot of research before we chose our home and school, as I feel that we made an educated decision on choosing this area for our children to be raised. The house may not be perfect, and there is still lots to do, but that doesn’t matter. We have the rest of our lives to get it done. For this, is where I will grow old.
Tea and Crumpets
18 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
It does not get any more British than this. We spent our last night in our tiny hamlet at the lovely, thatched, 18th century cottage of our neighbors sipping tea while roasting crumpets over an open fire. They showered us with gifts to remind us of this little pocket of heaven and we shared a lot of laughs. It’s hard to believe that our movers will be here in the morning. We are all going to miss this place something fierce…
Good-bye’s
17 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
We have spent the past two days saying good-bye to Paul’s co-workers and some great friends. What an emotional journey. A very special thank you to all of the families who joined us today at our favorite English pub, the Turf Locks, for the afternoon. We have been fortunate enough to meet some incredibly kind, generous, and talented people here who have taken us under their wing and taught us a thing or two about life in the UK, and many of those folks were with us today. The hugs, the tears, the laughs, the thoughtful gifts, the walk home in the radiant sunshine with another surprise visit from the steam train… it all made for an unforgetable day. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. xxx
March Madness
15 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
Thank you NCAA marketing geniuses for that one, as it pretty much sums it up for me right now. Actually, perhaps Manic Moving March Madness would be a tad appropriate. It seems that our vacation has come to a screeching halt as we prepare this old cottage for our impending move. Deep cleaning, organizing, a little packing even… at least the weather has been cold and dreary and not tempting me outside as it did earlier in the week. Hard to believe that this time next week, we will be HOME.
Reminiscing
12 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Prague, reminiscing, Rummy
Tonight, as I sat and played Rummy with my daughter, I couldn’t help but remember where she learned how to play. It was a bitter cold night, in Prague, Czech Republic, and we all had enough of the freezing temperatures and sight-seeing and decided to stay in our hotel suite and play cards. Paul and I were expecting a night of Go Fish, and other child friendly games but decided to go out on a limb and teach them one of our favorite card games. Rummy. Needless to say, the children caught on fast and we have been playing ever since. Tonight, however, in the middle of our game, my husband called and spoke to Lexi on the phone. I overheard her say, “Ok Daddy, I’ll try to let her win….” I chuckled at the sincerity of her words. Sweet girl.
We are lucky enough to have a group of friends who are willing to come and say farewell to us at our favorite pub this weekend. It’s hard to believe that it will be our final weekend on our two-year stint abroad. So very bittersweet. While I am absolutely elated to be heading home, thinking about leaving this place and the incredible people behind brings tears to my eyes. No matter where we live, we always seem to be lucky enough to find generous people to welcome us and show us the way. The thought of having to do that all over again is a bit daunting. At least I know that it will be the last time we have to go through this. Our next house, our FOREVER house, may see many neighbors come and go over the years, but we are staying put. Forever. That is an incredible feeling. After moving around so much, I cannot even begin to explain how wonderful it feels to know that ‘forever’ is right around the corner. However, it means leaving something so very special behind. I once described this adventure as an emotional rollercoaster…well, on days like today, the term ‘train wreck’ sounds more fitting. I am a mess. An absolute mess. I am so thankful for our incredible memories that will keep me reminiscing for many, many years to come.
Vacation Rocks
10 Mar 2012 2 Comments
We have continued with the ‘every day left in the UK is a holiday’ mantra and spent the week doing lots of fun things. Hours by the sea in Sidmouth on a sunny morning, a 12 mile bike ride along the coast another day, and today we even went to the zoo on a perfect Spring-like day. Despite all of the fun, we even managed to get a little work in, as yesterday we sold my trusty little car back to the dealership. It was bittersweet. I loved that silly little car.
Tonight, we ended our evening with an outdoor family game night of Skittles, tag, and frisbee which was complete with a surprise visit by the first steam train of the year. It was the perfect end to a great week.
Unexpected bonuses!
05 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
This year, the difference in days that Europe and North America starts Daylight Savings Time is going to work in our favor. When we repatriate in a couple of weeks, we will only need to adjust to a four-hour time difference instead of five, as the US moves their clocks forward two weeks before England. Perfect. This girl does not adjust to time differences well, and I’ll take all of the help that I can get!
Secondly, the year that we moved to England, we missed the UK Mother’s Day as it is celebrated in March. We relocated in April, meaning that we missed the USA’s Mother’s Day in May as well. THIS YEAR… we will be in the UK when they celebrate it AND in the USA when it is celebrated there. Two Mother’s Days for me this year, I’ll take it!
At a time of such uncertainly and chaos, thank goodness for unexpected bonuses!!
Nearly there…
05 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
Ok, so maybe I have not yet sorted out all of the utilities at the new house, but I did manage to secure GVSU football season tickets. This girl has priorities. GO LAKERS!!
Starting to organize and even pack a little. Movers will be here two weeks from today. Selling my trusty little car back to the dealership later this week. It’s all so bittersweet. Cannot wait to get back, but hard to believe that we only have two weeks left in this gorgeous spot.
England Bucket List
03 Mar 2012 1 Comment
Just a few weeks left of our time in the United Kingdom. We are slowly but surely checking items off of our England bucket list. This week, I managed to spend five hours alone in the tranquility of Dartmoor National Park. I have always wanted to see Postbridge. Check. Today, the family and I trekked up to the Uffington White Horse, walked along the ancient Ridgeway, and toured through Avebury. Check. Check. Check.
I have made a solemn vow to myself that I am going to treat these last weeks as though I am on holiday, and so far so good. Everyday this past week, I managed to do something fun. Whether it be lunch and shopping with friends, rummaging through antiques on my own, or taking long walks along the coast, it has been grand. All of the important ‘to-do’ lists required for our repatriation are falling into place in between my outings. It will work out. It always does. Not going to worry about that. It’s time to focus on the family and having fun.
Well, I’d better run…only 18 more days of vacation 
Mission Accomplished
23 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
The past couple of months have been a whirlwind of planning, organizing, and preparing for our repatriation. We had the best trip back home over the children’s half term holidays, and were able to secure a fantastic school as well as an incredible “forever” home. The schools were all so gracious to let us come in and tour as well as meet the staff, but to us, one of them stood out as THE SCHOOL that our kids should attend. Same with the houses, we were scheduled to look at 6 homes on day one, and 6 homes on day two. About halfway through our second day, we drove past a home that my husband and I had eliminated due to the photos posted on-line. We agreed that the property was stunning from the outside, but the interior pictures turned us off, so we did not put the home on the list. As we drove past it, I asked my husband to pull up in the driveway. I got out of the car, and noticing that the house seemed vacant, walked in the backyard. The scenic view was gorgeous, although there was little to no flat grassy area for the children to play on. I got back in the car, looked at Paul and said, “it’s pretty, but there’s no yard.” So, we set off to our next house on our list. But during that drive, we decided to ask our realtor if he could try to get us into that house. A long time passed, and we thought that we were going to have to buy a home that ticked some of our boxes, but it just didn’t feel right. At all. At least not to me. Then, we got the phone call that we could view the home and we set off immediately. Because this was our 7th home of the day, and at this point, we had no intention of buying it, we told the children and my aunt who was gracious enough to spend both days with us, that they did not need to come in. So, they waited in the car.
Our realtor opened the door for us, and by the time that I walked to the back of the house, I knew it was our new home. I did not even need to go upstairs or downstairs. I just knew it. By the time our realtor finished putting the key back in the lock box, I greeted him at the door and said, “Welcome to our new home.” I then ran outside and grabbed our waiting family members to come and see it. We all agreed that it was perfect. Absolutely perfect for us.
We were able to have the home inspection two days later and everything checked out OK. The minor inspection findings are all to be fixed by the seller, as well as some things that he just “wanted to do for us,” including putting a railing on a staircase leading from the deck to the backyard, as well as fixing the supporting foundations on a play fort for the children.
The best part, is that this home falls within the district boundaries of the school we loved. We are thrilled. Oh, and about the yard? There happens to be just under one acre of area for the children to play. Luckily for us, most of the lot is wooded so that there is not much lawn maintenance. Works for me! There is still a big green grassy area for the children to play ball on in the front of the home, that should be enough
The next month will be filled with even more organizing, planning and preparing, but it will all be worth it. For this will be the last time we move. I can envision our daughter walking down the grand stair case to greet her awaiting prom date, and our son getting ready for his wedding within these very walls. I even told our daughter to pay attention to the realtor when he was talking about resale of the property, because it is going to be her responsibility to sell the house when we die of old age.
