We're here! We landed at Gatwick around 9am Wednesday morning after being delayed about an hour in Newark. The delay actually worked to our advantage because both Caroline and Sadie were sound asleep before the plane even took off, and slept the ENTIRE flight! I didn't sleep as much as I would have liked, because since we received business class seats (thank you Scott's!), I stayed up for the fine food and wine being served. Seriously - the food was really, really good and the accommodations on Continental (my new favorite airline) were amazing. I fell in love with the business class seats and could get quite comfortable there. :)
After loading our five large suitcases, four carry-ons, and two car seats into what is the equivalent of a Subaru stationwagon, we headed to our house. (The pre-arranged taxi service sent the wrong car for us...it all worked out, but it looked dicey for a few moments on whether we would be able to fit all of our things, not to mention children into the car!). When we arrived in Claygate my first impressions were: a) Chris did a pretty good job cleaning the house before he left, and b) the village in general, and 23 Meadow Rd. in particular, are even cuter than I remembered. What a relief.
Caroline's transition has been even better than I could have hoped for. She loves her new room and bunk bed, and has been enjoying playing with all of her toys that were shipped from Ohio in the middle of May. Plus, I think she is just relieved to be with her Daddy again! We had a wonderful letter waiting for us when we arrived, telling us that Caroline got "in" to the local public primary school. This has alleviated a major stressor for us - whether I would be traveling miles and miles a day to get her to school and/or paying a gazillion pounds to send her to a private school. As it turns out, Claygate Primary is just a ten minute walk away and very well-regarded.
Sadie's transition on the other hand, has not been quite as seamless! The day we left, Chris took her to the doctor in Dublin as we feared she might have an ear infection. Instead, she has a lovely virus known as hand, foot and mouth disease. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do for her, other than love her and pump her with fluids. Between her illness and being moved across four time zones, she is not sleeping great at night or napping well during the day. We are hoping she starts feeling better soon so we all can feel a little more rested!
Chris went back to work on Thursday and the girls and I spent most of Thursday and Friday unpacking and exploring Claygate. We found the park, went to the school to pick-up Caroline's registration materials, and stopped by the local market and stationery store. I don't have a car yet - the jury is still out on whether I'll be needing/getting one - but the weather has been so nice, that's it's just been great to walk around outside. I still feel like I'm on vacation, because when I'm out and about and add up the architecture with the local accents you can just tell you ain't in America anymore! I mean this in a good way - Claygate is truly a classic english village - and it's crazy to me that we are LIVING here.
This weekend, I tried my hand at driving Chris's company car. Let's just say, it's a bit confusing driving on the left side of the road, from the right side of the car, and shifting with your left hand! Not to mention, the english roads are AT LEAST five feet narrower than the typical american road and the drivers here follow so close behind. They aren't being aggressive necessarily, but in America we would consider this tailgating bordering on road rage! Oh - and the round-a-bouts - don't even get me started on the round-a-bouts.....they. are. EVERYWHERE.
Okay - onto my shout-outs. On May 31st we attended a most special event. Our beloved friend Kate, who we first met in Cincinnati our first go-round there, got married! We were lucky enough to get Chris back in town for the occasion and celebrate with Kate, her new hubby Jeff, and their wonderful families. It was a beautiful wedding followed by a tremendous party. As a bonus for us, we were reunited with many of our Cincinnati pals (even some from the aforementioned first go-round), which is always a pleasure. So, congrats Kate and Jeff - wishing you many happy years together...including an '08-'09 trip to the UK?!?
The day after Kate's wedding we began our formal goodbyes with our families. We celebrated Chris's mom's birthday at his parents house, and even attended a Wild West Festival in Brown County, OH with them! (It's on-going this month, so for any Wild West fans - you may want to check it out!) Chris spent some time on the internet at his parents and found flights for $650, so they are gearing up for a visit. As always, we enjoyed our time at Frog Hollow, especially the girls, who get spoiled rotten by Grandma and PaPa.
Finally, my mom picked-up pizza from our favorite pizza place (Benny's in Marysville) and brought it over on Monday. My brother Matt, and sister-in-law Susan as well as our best pals and house-sitters, Catherine and Rich joined us. I am going to do the unprecedented now and give a second shout-out to my mom...(Not that it matters because at this point she is probably the only one still reading this obnoxiously long blog!) My mom is quite a gal, who has become my dear friend over the past several years, and I am going to miss her enormously while we're in England. I can't even imagine the last couple of months back in Ohio without her nearby to help with the girls, and I know they treasured every second of their time with Grammy as well. So mom - GET YOUR PASSPORT, call the doctor and get some Ambien, and get across the pond for a visit! Love you...
