Monday, March 30, 2009

Well the packing went well and the goods are all loaded and sitting in cargo containers waiting to be off.  I don't know where they are at the present time but know that some will arrive in Houston in about a month and Singapore will arrive in about 2 months.  I hope our household good don't get seasick :)  They have a long ways to go over the ocean in two different directions.

Yesterday was a lovely day.  The ward had a farewell for us after Church.  They presented us with a photo album of all the families in the ward and each (or some) wrote a little note.  So sad to leave this wonderful ward.  They have become like family.  

We sold both of the cars this weekend so we are car less now.  It's not too bad.  Kurt got a taxi to work today and I rode the train to Twyford.  I'm waiting for the people to come and check us out.  I'm hoping they aren't too hard nosed about things.  I can tell you - we left this house a lot cleaner than when we got it.  But I have loved this house.  It's been my "Nauvoo" house.  I have had wonderful memories here.  It was really hard on Kurt.  He loves it here.  

On to the next adventure!!!

Wed., March 25, 2009

I heard really sad news from Nayda on Sunday.  She called to tell me that Jared had died.  I couldn't believe it.  So young with so much potential.  I think it was John and Nayda's worse nightmare come true.  But they have strong testimonies of the gospel and have faith in temple covenants.  These two days will really be hard for them.  My heart aches because I'm not able to be there to  support them.  The best friends in the whole wide world.  I love them, dearly.  

We are in the middle of packers being here at the house.  They packed the upstairs yesterday and about 1/4 of the down.  The loaders come to pick up the Houston shipment today about noon.  They return tomorrow to pick up the Singapore shipment.  Meanwhile, the house is total chaos with boxes and junk everywhere.  

Kurt and I are staying in a very POSH service apartment until we fly out on Tuesday.  It's the Forbury Hotel and is in a very nice location to be able to get to the towne centre and the beautiful Forbury Park is just across the way.  We are also right next to the ruins of the Reading Abbey.  It's funny because I always wanted to stay at this hotel and here we are on the tail end of our time here and I get my wish.  How great is that :)

Friday, March 20, 2009

Well, I finally just about have all the inventory done.  So glad about that.  I will be happy when this move is DONE.  It's been beautiful here.  Spring is everywhere.  The sun has been shining.  So happy that I was able to see one more spring.  I'm planning to take video of our beautiful tree out front.  It's an ornamental plum tree so it blooms with gorgeous purple blossoms. There are white blossoms around from the other bushes.  It's just beautiful.  I will have to take pictures and post.

I have really enjoyed viewing pictures of Isabel, Kiersten and all the pictures that Jamie took.  Thanks so much Jamie Girl.  I can sit and look at these pictures for hours.  I've had to make myself be busy and get all this inventory stuff done :)  My friend, Jane Monahan scrapbooks and she did the sweetest thing.  She took pictures of Isabel and made a really sweet "Grandma" bragbook for me.  It's small so I can take it with me.  My friends here have all been so good.   Every day someone has called or come by to visit for a bit and brought sweet gifts that will be wonderful memories.

Tomorrow we are going to the Temple.  It will be the last time to go to the London Temple.  It's a ward temple day so it will be nice to be there with dear friends.  Kurt is going to do the work for one of his uncles that passed away a little over a year ago.  I was wanting to get some sealings done but we have been invited to go afterwards to some caverns that aren't too far away from the temple.  It will be a last site seeing excursion.  Can't pass the opportunity up.  The weather is supposed to be good, too.  In England this is a rare blessing :).  

When the movie "Young Victoria" comes out, go see it.  It's really good.  You will see a well written movie with some beautiful English countryside.  It's about Queen Victoria and Prince Albert when they were young.  It's a beautiful love story.  Highly recommend it!  Emily Blunt plays Victoria and Rupert Friend (who was Wickham in the Kiera Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice - also her boyfriend in "real life") plays Albert.  Really good!

Okay, enough rambling for now.  Time to get busy again.

Grateful

This morning I have heard the news that one of my friend's in Tyler, TX has a brother that was hit in a freak accident up in SLC.  He is in the U of U hospital and not expected to live.  Made me realize how much a gift family is and how precious that gift is.  We can be here today but gone tomorrow.  Makes me very grateful for Temple covenants and how sacred they are and how we are bound together by these covenants.  I am grateful for my covenants.  I am grateful for my family and love them so much.  

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Yesterday was a good day.  We went to Church early to meet with the bishop.  He released us both from our callings.  I will miss the YW of this ward.  I've learned to love them very much.  We both gave talks in church and then the bishop asked us to do the fireside in the evening.  We did it on Spiritual Crocodiles using the seminary video and talk from Boyd K. Packer.  It went really well.  We set up an obstacle course in the house and called it a crocodile pit (we got this idea from the ideadoor.com).  We printed out 8x10 crocodiles that we placed on the obstacles.  We had the youth try to go through the pit blindfolded by themselves first and then they were led through with help.  It was a good lesson on how easy it is to misstep and become trapped by the things of the world that are trying to snap at them all the time.  It was a good lesson on making choices and the consequences of those choices.

Yesterday was also a good day because we talked to Taylor, Kiers and Isabel.  It's always good to hear those voices.  I love hearing Izzy talk.  She's growing up very quickly.  She says her name now - it's wonderful.  She even said Gran and Granpa.  Makes my heart happy. 

I'm finished with inventory on the downstairs.  Today I'm moving up.  It will be a week from tomorrow when the packers come.  Weird for me to think that we will only be in this house one more week.  We move into a hotel on the 24th.  In two weeks I will be living in Singapore.  WOW!  

Move Preparations

I've been sorting items to send back to Houston, things for our air shipment and most of our house will be sent to Singapore.  It's been long and tedious and now I'm having to inventory - EVERY SINGLE THING.  I'm a little tired of it :).  I need a break so here I am.  Today Amanda Berns came over to help me do some inventory.  It took her 2 hours to just list all the CDs, books and DVDs.  I'm very grateful for her help.  I think I was dreading the inventory on these items the most.  Tedious, tedious, tedious.  Everything has to be written down and then an amount has to be put to it.  This is all for the purpose for if our shipment gets lost or damaged - which I understand and is a good thing.  The moral of the story - don't collect so much stuff :)  Okay, enough ranting - now I need to get back to work.

Cardiff, Wales

Yesterday I went to Cardiff Wales with my friend Kathryn Witts.  We went to visit her daughter, Jessica.  It was a good trip.  I have been to Wales many times and love it.  It is one of my favorite places but I hadn't been in to Cardiff proper.  Jess is going to the University of Cardiff and lives in a gorgeous old Victorian townhouse.  She shares it with about 6 other LDS students.  We went to a rural life museum at St. Fagans.  It was interesting to see the lifestyle of the old welsh and to feel the "spirit" of the old village that we were in with the thatched roofs, etc.  Places were so dark.  I can't imagine having to work with an open fire and the smoke in the room.  Made me grateful for the time that I live in now but appreciate the hard labors of those who are from the past.  

When we got back to Jess's home there were a lot of old missionaries that had served in our Woodley Ward there.  They all attend the University also and most are Welsh.  I have to say, I have a special place in my heart for all the Welsh missionaries that served in our Ward.  They are just good guys.  It was fun to see Luc Rasmussen, Simon Hayes, David Hall and Elder Gardner.  I'm still not sure what his first name is.  They were there with the girls practicing a "Bollywood" dance from the music from "Slumdog Millionaire".  It was going to be filmed for part of a "Oscar Night" activity with the institute group.  It was fun to watch them be silly young single adults.  Brought back fun memories for me from those "good ole days."

When Kathryn and I got back in to Reading (Cardiff is about a 2 hour drive) we met up with Tim and Kurt, Bishop and Honor Mason and Linda and Frans Lambrechtsen.  We went to a Tappas Restraunt in downtown Reading.  Tappas is Spanish dishes that come in small servings.  All really good.  We are blessed with good friends here.  It hit me pretty hard last night that this is all coming to an end here.  I have loved these past three years.  We have made wonderful eternal friendships and lived in a beautiful part of the world.