Frustration

Some things here can be a little frustrating. First...my day starts out waking up with a head cold and not really wanting to face the day, but I do. On the way to taking the kids to school, Bryce and Tyler feel they must complain about living here. This is not the first time I have heard this. Must be the winter blues. They miss everything America has to offer. They want to go back to their house, be with their friends, and go to grandma and grandpa's house. It just isn't fair (they would say)! I give them the usually pep talk about how this is a very unique opportunity for us to live in another country and experience how this side of the world lives. Don't know if the pep talk did any good but it got them to go into school with their new friends. After just dealing with this hour of my morning I decided I needed a coke from McDonalds. Big mistake! Why you ask? Well after asking for a coke with ice (you have to ask for ice here or they will not give it to you), I took a big drink and very quickly remembered how bad the coke taste here. I'm telling myself its ok because I shouldn't be drinking this stuff anyway. I then head to Toys R Us to buy birthday presents for a couple of parties the kids are attending. Kylie and I picked out the gifts and proceeded to the checkout. I get my visa out to give to the lady. I tell her it is a swipe card (most everyone here doesn't have the swipe cards they all have cards that you insert into a machine and give a pin number). She says to me that we don't normally take these type of cards. I ask why? I mean I have been here for six months and have had no problem using this card as long as I tell that it is a swipe card. She asked for my id. I give her my Illinois drivers licence and she says I may have to get someone to approve this. At this point I really just want to get my stuff and go home. This should not be this difficult. Anyways she looks at me and just decides to push the little button on her machine and let my card go through. Then I told her that I would like to have gift receipts for the presents I have purchased. She then said we don't offer gift receipts. I asked her well how are they suppose to return the item if they don't want it. She replies "then I guess you are going to have to either give them your receipt or come back to the store with them so they can return the item. I didn't even begin to argue I just picked up the sack and Kylie and I left. I have only been gone for two hours this morning and am now frustrated. I am now giving myself my own little pep talk! You wouldn't think that living in another country that still speaks English would be difficult. Well let me tell you it is not as easy as you might think!

Esporta Fitness Club

Here are some pictures of the fitness club we joined called Esporta. The lounge pictured above is a great place to go to meet people and eat lunch or dinner. We ate dinner their this last Wednesday after the kids' swimming lessons. The gym there is very big. There is another area with more weight machines, bikes, and treadmills. There is also three different fitness studio rooms where they offer classes. I usually go in the mornings after taking the boys to school and Kylie goes to the creche which is basically a babysitting service. She honestly does not enjoy it at the moment so I might have to come up with another option for her. The best part about this place is that it is very kid friendly. They offer many different programs for all three of our kids.

A Big Thank You!

We wanted to thank everyone for making our visit home to the states extra special! It was so nice to see everyone and for those of you who we couldn't see we will have to make it up over the summer when we visit again. We love being with our family and friends and as always we never want to leave you! The kids are having a blast with all their new stuff from Christmas. They thank you all for everything! It was very difficult getting back to a routine and a bedtime schedule but I think we are finally back on track. The kids have started their football (soccer) sessions again which they love and the newest add on is swimming lessons every Wednesday. Steve and I have joined a fitness club near us. We are determined to get into better shape. So cheer us on because we will need it. Thanks again for everything everyone has done for us while we were home. We love you all!!

We are wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!! We are thinking of all the family back in the states and miss being with you today. Enjoy each other and don't eat too much!! Good luck in all of your shopping tomorrow. I wish I could be there to shop with you and of course Stacey I will miss our ritual Olive Garden trip(we will make it up when I come home). We are very thankful that we have your love and support. We love all of you!! We will see everyone soon....only two weeks to go!

A Thanksgiving Feast

Last Sunday we got together with all of the ISE (International Service Employee) families here in England for a Thanksgiving feast. England doesn't celebrate this holiday so it was nice to get together with the other Americans who do. There were about 130 of us. Each family brought a hot dish or dessert to share. It was a huge buffet line with wonderful tasting food. The kids had a seperate room where they could play with toys and run around. Below is a picture that I offered to take of the whole group. It was a challenge to squeeze everyone together so they could be seen, but with everyones help it was a success. If you would like to view it up close just click on the picture.

Playing in the Snow

Let It Snow

We woke up this morning with snow coming down! The kids as you can imagine were so excited. They imediately wanted to run outside to play. Tyler started screaming to Bryce "We can leave now, its almost Christmas." For some reason when it snows he thinks Christmas is near..... like tomorrow. We of course explained that we only have two more weeks until we leave, so the count down has officially begun.