England Proper

I know this blog is WAY overdue, almost 3 weeks past when it should have been written, but so many wonderful things have happened in the past month, that it may have just been worth the wait! Sorry to leave my fans hanging though. A.K.A. my mom!

We are HOME!

I hadn't laid eyes on our rental since the day after we arrived in England and had anxiously been awaiting our reunion. It was a day like any other day, children running around with crazy bed head and last night's dinner all over their faces, and me scrambling to get everything to fit into a suitcase or a basket of some sort. We had to be completely checked out of TLF by 1100 and meet our landlord at 1030. Chaos pretty much sums up the events of that morning. 

We no sooner arrived at our house and the kids were running about staking claim on their rooms and discovering an enormous garden (back yard) complete with climbing trees, a play shed, flower beds, and gads of space to just run around in and be LOUD. The British love their gardens and enjoy plenty of room to spread out, outdoors anyway! Aaron and I immediately knew this was the house for us when we saw the ever spacious back yard had places for our playground equipment while still cultivating my botanical love to grow my own food and pretties. There is even the perfect setting for a nice hammock in between two high overlooking shade trees. I had found my place for serenity! 

Shortly after dropping us off at the house, Aaron had to return to base to acquire our luggage and check out an overnight kit from the Airmen and Family Readiness Center. To our dismay, the appropriate accommodations weren't available for our 24 hour hostel, but the members of our church quickly jumped to serve our family in a pinch. Dinner was served and bedding was available for all. We slept soundly that night inside the walls that would soon become our "home" for the next three years. 

It's Just Stuff

When two lorries pull up to your house bright and early containing all your beloved belongings, you pounce out of bed and get to it! I will forever be amazed at the drivers that operate these mighty beasts and manage to shimmy down a narrow driveway to load and unload. God bless 'em!

The movers were so gracious to build me a help desk to sort out the inventory as it flew off the truck, 7 men at a time, each one shouting numbers anywhere from 1-450. With my trusty diet coke in hand, I rose to the challenge of checking off digits while simultaneously directing furniture and boxes to each of their final destinations. 

It is never easy watching your personal effects come off the truck in pieces and damaged beyond repair. It is a bit disheartening, but you shrug it off and say, "That's the life of the ordinary military wife." You silently remind yourself this isn't the last set of furniture you will ever own and pretend not to care, when deep inside a small piece of you is silently cringing and wanting to take it out on the previous packers. You jokingly chant, "That's what claim forms are for!", but really you know that no one will ever find the same value in the couch you snuggled your dog on, the table where so many family meals were shared, or the antique statue your late grandmother left you. As so many active duty members before you know, you simply salute it good-bye and embrace all the lovelies that made it in one piece. 

I ran around the property and quickly snapped some shots of the empty house. As I said before in my last blog, the house definitely needs a make-over and a little Kristi charm. It hasn't been painted in over 10 years! My hope is after the kids start school that each room will get a once over, and "Before and After" pictures will definitely be a big hit in future blogs. 

As I unpacked our things, the whole ambiance of the house quickly started to take shape and feel more inviting. There is just something to being surrounded by your own belongings rather than a hotel's. Even if I don't own this house, there is a small piece of it that is definitely mine. 

Three months without "things" gives you perspective. It makes you grateful for the stuff you so obviously took for granted on a daily basis while also making you go "hmm, do I really need that?" When space is limited you start to narrow down your belongings to 1. must haves 2. hope there is room for and 3. where can I donate it? Thankfully, England is all about second hand stores; they're practically on every corner. If you haven't the time to run out and contribute, no worries! A pick up bag gets dropped off twice a week for donations picked up roadside from your house in support of a different local charity each time. It really is a unique effort to support friends and neighbors aboard this small island, one I will definitely be taking back with me to the States, a greater desire to give! 

Meeting the Neighbors

We have been blessed to have the most wonderful neighbors every single time we move. Leaving Colorado's scene felt irreplaceable when it came to over the fence conversations, friendly waves, the unspoken agreement to watch over each other's house when leaving on a trip, and of course the unconditional acceptance of my occasionally naked screaming banshee named AJ (our child with autism). 

We weren't in our house that first day but a few minutes before Steve and Marion made their way over to us with homemade jam, a town map, and specialty garbage bags along with directions on how to do things the "British" way. She was absolutely precious in her exasperation that we didn't have a means to make tea for the evening. She quickly offered up a spare pot and cups for us to survive high tea until our stuff arrived in the morning. 

She also insisted that the kids come into her garden to meet their new friend, Speedy. Speedy is a 60 year old tortoise that "goes to bed" in October and returns in March. I never knew that tortoises hibernated in the winter! He was moving rather slow due to his winding down for the year, but the kids, especially AJ, were delighted to live next door to Mr. Speedy. I found AJ in their garden several times the first week peeking under the trees trying to spot him and dig him back out. Thank goodness we went to Paris for a few days so Speedy could actually go down for his long awaited winter snooze. 

Of course our friendly neighbors left the kids a good-bye card from Speedy letting them know he had gone down for a nap for the season and would see them next spring. Having amazing neighbors is just one more way that God has shown me His hand in my life. He knows being away from family has always been my weakness, so he provides me with fill-ins while I am away. Steve and Marion are definitely those hands!

First Date Night

With all of the hectic events that have ensued since July, Aaron and I found ourselves without a date night in months. His first two weeks of mandatory orientation were coming to a close and there was a guest dinner scheduled for the evening before his official matriculation. It would be a tight squeeze for us to attend since it was the same day our home delivery was scheduled. We had to bust it to the store and grab some essential groceries and get home to find proper attire for such a formal event. We had packed only causal wear in our suitcases and still had to locate which box my dresses, jewelry, and heels were occupying, but we did it in a snap and were quickly on our way to the event. 

After dropping the kids off at the sitters, Aaron and I took some time to walk around the campus for him to show me his new home away from home, New College, Oxford. I captured a few pictures of Aaron and me walking the grounds before pressing forward for the evening.

New College Tower

New College Courtyard

The cloisters as seen from inside the grounds.

I got a few shots of the cloisters from the inside and the epic scene where the assumed Alaster Moody turns Draco Malfoy into a ferret in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". Harry Potter fans feel free to give out a nerdy squeal with me!

Inside the cloisters.

Aaron and I continued our evening by attending Evensong together in the New College Chapel. It was a glorious event and the singing can only be described as angelic. Male singers aging from about 8-late 70's made up the entire choir and filled the chapel with outstanding compositions. If the harmonies alone weren't enough to make you feel closer to the Lord, the sheer magnitude and beauty of the chapel certainly had you feeling His presence. The mission of Evensong is not one to push a certain religion upon you or to even gain participation in their ritual, but to simply give space in your mind for thought. Too often in our lives we are so filled with tasks that we rarely give time to just 'think'. Evensong reminded me of the importance of slowing down for periods of thoughtfulness and allow time for quietness. 

A cool, fun fact about the New College Chapel: up the stairs a bit is a striking Shephard's Crook that is dazzling with intricacies. It belonged to the founder of the chapel back in the 1300's. It is hand-furbished with the finest detailing and contained in a heavily guarded case. It is worth over 40 million GBP and is the oldest and most expensive relic in the college. The minister in charge of the chapel told us he had never actually seen it touched by human hands before, and it is never removed from its position. Quite the attraction to say the least! The display light was out at the time, so the gentlemen lit it up for us from the outside as best as he could. The picture certainly doesn't do it justice.

Following the hymns from Evensong, Aaron took me out to the main entrance of the chapel which had me stunned with amazement. The walls stand so erect that I wasn't able to capture a picture that would compose it in its entirety. However, I did catch a shot of the once most controversial memorial at the college: 

This plaque is dedicated to the persons who lost their lives during WWI that attended New College, but left to serve their country on the German side. You may understand now why it was such a controversial piece, but the purpose of the memorial is to once again reunite one another as children of God and to remind everyone of the goodness in us all. A life is a life, foreign or domestic, and those that were prior students at New College were valued and will be missed, a beautiful dedication in my opinion.

Off to dinner in the New College Hall! Aaron and I dined on quite the menu that night. I haven't gotten a hankering for the British plates just yet, but I am slowly warming up to them. Overall, the dinner was palatable and the company, wonderful! I got to meet some of Aaron's fellow chaps and Oxford family, and that was especially pleasing.

A panorama of the dining hall.

Tonight's menu!

Aaron Matriculates

You may be wondering, "What in the world is matriculation?' You wouldn't be alone in your inquiry. Matriculation is the official ceremony that confers membership of the University of Oxford on the student. Every student attending the university to obtain their Phil (PhD) must matriculate in order to be eligible for examinations. Aaron's school year is broken up into three different terms: Michaelmas, Hilary, and Trinity. Students that traditionally start during Michaelmas (October) will matriculate end of their first week of term. A special outfit is required in order to matriculate; it is called a sub fusc and gown. Below are some pictures of Aaron participating in the event in his ceremonial garb!

Sub fusc is the entirely black suit, gown is the draping that covers his shoulders to his waist.

Inside the Sheldonian Theatre where matriculation occurs.

Aaron outside the Radcliffe Camera, part of the Bodleian Library.

Finding My Way

Aaron also started rowing during this time and his schedule quickly became packed which found me seeing him less and less each week. I began to feel a bit like a prisoner in my own home, trapped with no money, three kids, and no capabilities of driving thus far. I had completed the kid's school applications just before we moved in and needed to get them sent off in the mail ASAP. Since I hadn't had a chance to start driving yet, I didn't quite feel comfortable setting out with my kids in tow in a one-way ticket to an accident in the making. I simply googled a Royal Mail station to put the applications in the mail and found one just 1.5 miles away...or so I thought. The kids and I had grown accustomed to walking fair distances on base as it was plenty spaced out, so 3 miles should have only been slightly challenging. I pulled out the double stroller just in case Paisley wasn't feeling up to the jaunt. AJ and I put on our best walking shoes, grabbed the GPS, and set out for an adventure. 

After walking what seemed like a good 45 minutes, the GPS still had me traveling a decent distance. I figured with three babes in hand, I must have been moving at a considerably slower pace and called on AJ to pick up the pace. When the GPS declared we had arrived at our destination with no obvious postal office in sight, I all but started to weep. I saw large trucks with "Royal Mail" emblems aside them and knew this was definitely NOT the British post office, but a delivery service instead. I found the help desk where a kind bloke helped me navigate my way back towards the actual Royal Mail post office. 

We typed the coordinates in our GPS and off we went again. One thing I can count on from my sweet AJ; he never complains. He may tell me how he is feeling, in this instance, tired...but never a murmur. I simply instructed AJ, "Keep walking; we will be there shortly." It was important for me in that moment to keep my cool. Inside I was definitely panicking! My children were undeniably starting to second guess my abilities. The GPS battery was running low and we were certainly being lead down some questionable alleyways with even more questionable occupants staring us down. I said a silent prayer in my heart that my navigation would keep it's battery long enough for us to make it to the post office, and that we would arrive safely with no harm. I prayed for protection and that my kids would not see through me and believe in my fabricated confidence. 

The day was growing long and the kids were getting hungry, but we eventually made it to the post office. My GPS shortly died after our arrival and we stood in line nearly half an hour at the service entrance to mail out our applications. Do you know what waiting in line that long does to 3 hungry gremlins? Your imagination's best guess wouldn't suffice! All that time in queue to find out the post doesn't sell envelopes. One must go to the nearby store to purchase an envelope first! We made it this far, what's one more stop? We went to the nearby store to only find my card (only form of payment on me) was not accepted by the register! There we were, up a creek, without a paddle OR a boat! I politely thanked the teller and began my return trip home. 

My kids were puzzled to say the least. I didn't have any answers for their questions and silently began to sob. We had no GPS, no money, and my applications were still not in the mail. I believed at this point I somehow knew my way home or at least the general direction and only about 10% battery life left on my phone. I knew I could try to use what was left of my juice to find our way, but wanted to save my battery in case I needed to call someone for an emergency. The worst part of this whole ordeal was knowing no one knew where I was or that we were even missing. I had tried to reach Aaron, but his phone was off. When faced with such overwhelming circumstances, I had no choice but to reach upward to my Father in heaven once more. I begged Him to help lead me home and get my children safely back and fed. I asked that AJ be spared too much exhaustion, hunger, and that somehow I might reach Aaron in the meantime. I also prayed my phone would last the next mile and a half to our house just in case I needed it. 

Shortly afterwards, Aaron called and got the full details of our crazy day. He headed home immediately! I am overjoyed to share that not only did AJ walk triumphantly the rest of the way, but my phone, despite my call to my husband, died only after we reached home. I never once turned on the GPS but felt an internal prodding leading me in each direction and down each street until we saw our car in the driveway. 

I am still confused as to why the initial search for the Royal Mail delivery site showed us only having to walk 1.5 miles. When I typed the address into the google maps with directions, it came up with different results entirely. AJ and I had walked over 7 miles and almost 3 hours. Many lessons were learned that day. I now know that insurmountable strength is obtainable when it is your only option, my kids are remarkable, and to never leave the house assuming anything; call first! I could have easily been a victim to my circumstances and let the events of this day shatter what little fortitude I had assembled over the last month, but instead chose to take a stand. I knew I needed help learning to drive and different money options would need to be available to me at all times. Aaron took us to the store to get me some tangible pounds and scheduled me for my first driving lesson. I am happy to say that this mama has covered plenty of ground in her Audi A6 since this day!

AJ in Europe

AJ's case has certainly taken some interesting turns as we continue to plot a course through the UK ABA programs and ECHO overseas. Where does this mom find her energy, in the sight of my child experiencing newness more so than anyone else. As much as I have struggled to acclimate to my surroundings, I know that AJ must be going through the biggest whirlwind of his life. ALL of his familiarities, with the exception of his family, have been stripped away from him and gradually reintroduced. Food, one of AJ's biggest battles, is COMPLETELY different over here. I had lightheartedly jested that AJ would starve in the UK or survive on popcorn and watermelon. I hate to say it, but even those two things are different in England. 

I have to brag on him for just a minute. AJ has tried more new foods in the last month than I think he has eaten over his lifetime. The first three times he tried pizza (his favorite food) he exclaimed, "YUCK! ICKY PIZZA!". Now, he simply samples the Italian pie, shrugs his shoulders, and continues eating. The other night, he even requested my homemade spaghetti. Folks, AJ hasn't eaten my spaghetti since he was 2 years old, almost 5 years now! When AJ makes such requests, I don't ask questions, I just cook. He had a hard time managing the texture of the spices and insisted separating them from the meat balls, but sucked down every noodle he could find uncontaminated with meat or spices. That is just one example of the many adaptations AJ has made to his new life-style. He is no quitter and when life gets demanding, AJ remains unbroken. He is my hero. May we all rise and slay our Goliath the way AJ does!

Paris Awaits

We just got back from our quick holiday over in Paris, France! I will continue to transfer all the photos I took while taking in my first foreign speaking country to comprise another blog post soon. 

Au Revoir!

~K