It's been quite the adventure - 3 weeks now.

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Hey!

So, last week was interesting, to say the least. It was full of ups and downs, tears and joys but all in all, I'm still here living the adventure. An adventure that involves travel, family, kids, drama, cleaning, lessons to be learned and experiences to be gained.

Where to start?

Friday was my first official day off. I stayed in bed late, until like 11 although I was awake from 7 onwards. I just didn't feel like dealing with kids, lunches, etc. on my day off so that was my way of avoiding it! I then caught up on some reading and watched Just my Luck. I've watched the movie before but it's kind of cute so it works anytime. We have pretty sweet tv, movie and music channels here, all of which can be recorded for viewing later. So, I often record movies and then just watch them when everyone is out of the house, it is as sweet as it sounds...really! After the movie I went up to the Spires, a shopping mall type of idea and shops along the street. I wanted to get some gym gear, shoes, backpack, socks, etc. I found a few bargains, got 3 tops, 1 pair of pants, 2 cd's, backpack, shoes, toiletries and stationary within my budget and even saved money. I was really happy with myself. I couldn't find socks but when Dave bought groceries on Saturday, he brought me home 6 pairs! How sweet. I came back from my lovely time of shopping to put it all away and get ready to do the Dance Cardio Funk class at the gym. It went well, I got there a bit late but got into it okay. I found the teacher didn't explain the moves very well and looked very uncoordinated (they have mirrors everywhere) but survived and will try it again. I figure you have to try most things twice to make sure your first impression was right/wrong, more of an educated experience I suppose. There was a spin class happening right behind us and shoot, they were sweating. Now, that looks brutal but how wrong can you go sitting on a bike pedalling your butt off? Planning to give that a try at some point this month for sure.

I had been chatting with a Spanish aupair for a week or so, finally got our schedules together and met up on Saturday. We visited Regent's Park near the London Zoo. It was absolutely beautiful! They have incredible plants and flowers everywhere, I figure it costs the city a fortune to keep it looking that way....not my problem though because shockingly, it's free. London is pretty expensive so low cost or free activities are always great. I have my Merlin Annual Pass now so that helps with getting to check out London attractions free (to a few specific locations). So, I met Begona who aupairs for 2 kids, no cleaning but looks after the kids after they are done school for a few hours. It was nice to chat with someone who shares a bit of the same experience, although her family is a lot different than mine, she is studying to learn English better and she is 37. Obvious differences but all in all, it was cool to make a friend. We hung out for about 5 hours, walking and chatting. My feet really hurt by the end of it because I wore my skate shoes that are a size too big, not comfortable for long walks but better than cute sandals. I got home around 8pm, quite exhausted and impressed that all I bought was a bagelwich and icecream cone spending a total of £2.59 in main London! Wow, impressive, I know. I got a lovely dinner that Dave had made for the kids when I got home. Bonus.

Sunday - well, it's major Rugby day then so Alex, Dave and Luke were out of here around 10. I hung out with Rhiannon, didn't do too much and then we went to a Church (of England) with Hannah and Chris, 2 people I met at the Baptist church when I first arrived. Hannah regularly attends there and had invited me to go with her which was really nice. I couldn't go last week but when I was talking to Dave on Saturday he was cool with Rhiannon coming to church with me. He figured if she was naughty, I shouldn't take her anymore but had nothing against it so that was awesome! R didn't really well, didn't like Children's church enough to stay the whole time so she sat through the service with me. She is extremely witty and they showed a video on destruction. The sermon was about Jesus coming to the world to destroy the work of the devil, she was like - how come Jesus wrecked that building, was it part of the devil? It was really kind of cute/funny, trying to explain that while the service was going on was challenging! I met a couple of other friendly young people there so that was nice. After church we came back home and we made cookies (biscuits) together. They were very yummy! We made heart and star shaped cookies, totally bite sized so it doesn't hurt to eat a few at a time! I'lll work it off at the gym. Alex and Dave got back from Rugby around 3:30 at which time I ran out the door to catch the tube. I had planned to go to the London Acquarium on Saturday but changed those plans to meet Begona - I was still determined to go. So, I got on the right tube which was cool. They all terminate at the station I start at but go in different places. Yesterday I got on the wrong one but it's okay because you can get off at any stop and then wait for a different ride. So, I was quite proud because I managed to get on all of the right tube rides! I got to the London Acquarium before it closed for entry so that was sweet. I was confused by the building setup and missed a bunch of the fish, etc. but still got to see some sharks, turtles, fish, etc. It was pretty neat. After I checked it out, I went to the shop and found a couple things for Christmas gifts and random gifts for specific people which was cool. I wanted to go to Covent Garden but decided to come home and save that for another day as it was getting later. I got home around 7pm and had the roast dinner Dave makes every Sunday for the family. I washed the dishes, tidied the kitchen and did some reading before bed.

Monday - I got the kids off to school relatively painless except Alex couldn't find his backpack and hadn't done his homework. So, we missed the right bus and took a different bus only to arrive at school 6 mins late! Grr, guess it proves my point that they need to be ready on time when I give them 20 minutes warning. After I dropped them off, I caught up with one of the school moms, Niki, and got my bus to the gym. I took the Step and TOne class, it was pretty good, got sweaty so that must mean something. There were a few times where I really didn't know what the trainer was telling us to do, most of the ppl knew what to do but there were a couple of us that were lost. I guess it's just keeping up with what you learn and it won't seem as crazy! I don't know what the deal is but for some reason every single one of the 3 purses that I brought to England have either broken or ripped. So, I used my backpack today but thought I'd check out the charity shop closest to our house. I found a little purse there and amazingly, wool! This country seems to have a real lack of craft supplies, a real drag for someone like me. So, I got really cool wool for a pretty awesome deal, the kids will be pretty stoked once they catch on. Rhiannon tried but didn't quite get how to do it. Alex wants to learn but has been too busy hanging out with his friend Conner. Lynn comes home tonight so Dave is picking her up. I am going to get the house all cleaned up and babysit the kids until they get home. Not sure what I will do tonight, probably either youth group or a dance class at the gym. Yeah, I am a gym junkie but it's pretty than sitting around being bored. Well, better get going, lots to do still. Have a great day, hugs - Chloe!

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Comments

[Nancy Clarke]

Hi from Nancy Clarke
Hi Chloe, this is a really neat blog. I am sure this will find you well and having some fun in between the work! I like the detail in your stories - makes one feel like they are there too. We've had a frost here already and the leaves are dropping. Not too much rain but the clouds have moved in - typical for the valley. We had the Run for the Cure BBQ yesterday - rained terribly hard for a bit but sales were steady. Take care have a great weekend. Nan