Our American house has American internet. :) :) :)

   Kyle, Gunner, Tesla, and the general potato shape that I have become have moved into our new house and I think it finally smells like us. One of the most annoying parts of moving (in my opinion) is trying to get over how much a new house smells like someone else's... but I think glade plugins, cooking, and using my handy dandy new coffee maker has gotten us to a good start.  This house has some definite quirks... like a possessed garage door, a dive-bombing dove in our pergola,  and a guest bedroom we're not allowed in.. (The door is suddenly... locked? Held closed by a ghost who works out quite a bit? Idk... but we can't get in there.), but we feel pretty lucky to have found a nice place in a good neighborhood right at the base of the mountains. 
    As per usual with a military family returning from overseas, we really have no idea when our stuff will get here. Hopefully the boat hasn't caught fire somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic, destroying everything we own. (It happens.) Usually it isn't such a big deal staying on air mattresses and eating on the floor.. except in this case I am 8 months pregnant with the Incredible Hulk and those activities sound like absolute torture. Thankfully, my husband loves me and wants me to be actually happy.. instead of just pretending to be happy when what I really want to do is crawl under the porch like an old dog and die. ... so we now have a king-sized mattress and box spring and a super wide snuggler recliner. These things are actually intended for the expansion of our family, since we're pretty sure Gunner will be sleeping in our bed til he's 18 and the boys and I will undoubtedly be camped out on the recliner for awhile after I give birth... but they really help me out now, as well. This is especially true since my body is hilariously terrible at everything and I spent some time in the hospital yesterday. I'll know more tomorrow hopefully but I am having high blood pressure for the first time in my life and so we are trying to watch out for pre-eclampsia on top of the cholestasis problem I had with Gunner, AND gestational diabetes.  I'm supposed to call for a follow-up tomorrow and will HOPEFULLY get to see my OB on Tuesday.  I have been having lots of headaches, dizziness, itching, and swelling so it will be good to get some actual bloodwork done and be safe, rather than sorry. 
    There is really so much more I could write about, and I will try to soon, but I really should at least TRY to sleep. I'll try to keep everyone informed on a possible induction date as soon as I know it and maybe, just MAYBE we will have our furniture and other things by then? It is awfully hard to nest in an empty, echoey house... and many of our baby things are on that boat.. but I DID order his carseat today and will hopefully have a lead on a baby swing soon (We sold Gunner's soon after he outgrew it, due to lack of forethought and living in a tiny British house.) 
   Anyway, know that you are loved!
  Until later. :) -Lolli

Home is where the Air Force sends us

It has been a crazy and tiresome week in Alamogordo New Mexico, but I am SO glad it happened. We have learned many things.. like: 
1. Kyle will get an amazing tan here. 
2. Poor Gunner and I, however, will be smelling like sunblock for the next 1-? years.
3. Transition lenses are a must.
4. Gypsum sand will get in your shoes if you even dare to look at it.
5. The water here makes even sweet tea unbearable... and our choice in restaurants will inevitably be based on who has the best water filter installed.
6. The people here are awesome, inviting, and polite... and I am so excited about making friends here.
       There are many events from this week that I could talk about, but for an update I want to focus on my 3 main goals for the trip...

 On Sunday, after lots of deliberation I decided to take a chance and visit Cloudcroft church of Christ about 30 minutes up the mountain. It is nearly impossible to research congregations in the area because they are small, keep to themselves, and have almost no online or social media presence at all. I was nervous about using my one chance to blindly attend a church I knew so little about, but I went with my gut and it worked out. The drive was breathtaking, the members were wonderful, and the scripture was sound. After church every Sunday, many of the members stay in the building for lunch and a more informal 10 minute devo presented by one of the men. We were invited to join them in food and fellowship... but as we circled up to pray for the meal laid out at the other end of the room, I realized that Gunner had broken away and was wandering by the tables. Suddenly I was holding hands with bowing strangers, and didn't want to break away, so I kept one eye on Gunner... who very nonchalantly walked over to the potluck table and got a styrofoam plate (which was actually 3 stacked together). I had to quietly let go of the hands I was holding and make my way across the circle just as Gunner was helping himself to a GIGANTIC scoop of casserole. Quite a few members of the congregation saw everything and died laughing. Gunner makes a great first impression. :)

  I had a few leads to follow up on with finding a house, but was feeling anxious because nothing felt like a sure thing. The rent here is driven way way up thanks to the German Air Force getting paid more than us.. so we get stuck paying more for pretty crummy living quarters. One house that I thought would be reasonable turned out to look way smaller in person, and need lots of TLC that I wasn't sure it would ever get from the landlord. ..Another house was too expensive and would never be ready in time. Thankfully, a chance I took a couple of months ago actually paid off in a big way. I won't go into the lengthy explanation, but I will say that 1.)It never hurts to ask, even if you think they will laugh in your face 2.)Being thorough beats being lazy every time, and 3.)Apparently being polite and courteous to people in times of great stress make you memorable to them and they might end up helping you out anyway.

  My last big project of the week was to try and determine the best place to have this baby. I had 3 hospital options and needed to research induction methods, birthing suites, quality of care, visiting policies, NICU protocol, and ease of travel to and from the location. I visited the hospital closest to our new neighborhood, hoping that they would let me peek into one of the empty rooms, and a nurse surprised me by giving me a full tour and answering all of my questions. She put my mind at ease about so many things and was genuinely interested in knowing my history, due date, birth plan, and discussing possible scenarios. I will definitely be making an appointment at that hospital as soon as possible to get the ball rolling towards having this baby, because I really don't have much time left!

  Tomorrow we will be making our way back to Arkansas where Gunner and I will sit and twiddle our thumbs until we FINALLY get to pick up Kyle!!! We are so excited and can barely stand it. An arrival date has yet to be determined but it will be soon!! SO happy!

More updates to come on this crazy adventure!!

Blagh

 Unfortunately, we are back to the drawing board on finding a house in New Mexico. The house we were counting on must now be sold, because the Landlord is dealing with some serious health issues that require some big decision-making for him. We really feel for him and totally understand. However, now that we have only about a month before we move down there, things might get interesting. Prayers that we can find an affordable home in a safe neighborhood would be hugely appreciated! The rent down there is crazily overpriced.
    Mom, Dad, Denny, Gunner, and I are planning (for the time being) to make a trip down to that area around the first week of March to scope out houses, congregations, and labor/delivery units.  I would love to start developing connections/ relationships with people from church asap, since Kyle and I could definitely use some help during my possible C-section/ early induction/ super fun baby extravaganza.  
   Hopefully, by then, we will have an idea where we will be living, and the following scenario will probably involve Kyle heading to Lawrenceville to try and get his truck running well, and me renting a UHaul and driving it (with Gunner in the passenger seat and Tesla in the floorboard) down to New Mexico.  
Soooo that's where we are now. God bless anyone who actually read all of that. As your reward, here are some cute Gunner pictures. :) 

 

Maybe I'll get better at this...

So. Many. Things. have happened since my last update, and it's like time was ever-so-rudely stolen from my handbag.

-We flew up to DC with Dr. and Mrs. McLarty and made it up there in 2 hours. Definitely a HUGE perk of being a University President.. and I love how grateful Bruce was for the privilege, despite having flown on the plane countless times before. They truly are wonderful people.

-We met up with our Howards and had an amazing time all around. Rena and Mom went to rent a van for us all to fit in, and came back with a brand new, totally tricked out Suburban/ spaceship. The thing was HUGE.. and had wifi... and "projection capabilities", and also held the secrets of the Universe, no doubt.

-We went lots of places: La Madeleine, swimming at Cub Run, the Cheesecake Factory, George Washington's Apothecary, honestly too many places to really think of while trying to pick apart the trip that now seems like a whirlwind. I just know that the entire time was fun. I love DC. I love my Sister and her family. That's really all that needs to be said, I guess. DC always makes me miss Kyle even more than I already do because of how much I want to show him, there. He always reassures me that we'll make it there together some day and I can tour guide him til he can't stand it. :)

-We picked up TESLA!!! Rena and I navigated the weird secret agent-style catacombs of the United Cargo office and were there when her pet taxi pulled up. It was nerve wracking, but she made it to us unscathed, for the most part. The poor pup was in that crate with it ZIP TIED shut for probably around 11 hours. Most dogs would have just gone in the crate.. but not our Madam. She held it the whole time. A few days later, I picked up on something being a bit off with her and took her in to the vet. She is now on a round of antibiotics for a pretty good bladder infection.

-The reunion between Gunner and Tesla was glorious. He ran to her and pet her saying "good Girl" about 80 times while I was trying to convince her that peeing in snow was acceptable. haha

- The ride home was just as great as the first! The pilot, Bruce, and Ann were all taken with Tesla and she was allowed to ride in the cabin with us. Bruce even offered to have the pilot stop halfway to let us all out to stretch our legs if the kids needed it, but we decided to press on. She and Gunner both slept for most of the flight and we were back in Searcy in no time!

So now we are back in Searcy and not a whole lot is going on except for appointments, appointments, appointments, and trying to figure out a neater way to live out of suitcases. Gunner called Kyle on video chat the other day while I was in the kitchen making us a baked potato. I still have no idea how he figured that out, but I love how he took the initiative to talk to his Dada. :) I hope he's always that eager to call home!
  We are mostly just counting down the days until we get Kyle back and can start our new adventure together. I love the Holloman wives page because about 50% of it is bickering over whether the loud bang that just shook their house was either a sonic boom, or a bomb being dropped at the missile range. :) Haha I can't wait to be a part of that.
  'Til next time, Lolli.
(I'll try to start updating about once a week.... hopefully)

Sigh no more Ladies, Sigh no more...

My favorite version of Much Ado about Nothing was on TV yesterday, hence the title. :)

This update is being brought to you in list form... because listing things is fun, and easier to do when a toddler is attached to you.

Also.. I can't believe the last time I update this blog was when Gunner was born.. but little boys tend to keep One a bit busy.   ..anyway...

1.) I'm not sure if its the reverse culture shock (Which is NO JOKE, by the way), or some sort of new-found enlightenment, but Facebook just hasn't seemed super appealing to me since arriving back in the States. So if you want to know what is going on with us, you might have to actually call me and talk to me. Ha. Sorry.

2.) Gunner got to play in snow for the first time ever, yesterday! He had fun chasing the dogs around in it.. though, when I tried to show him that you can actually EAT snow, he laughed and looked at me like I was the most uncivilized person he had ever met. haha.

3.) We will be running around like crazy the next two days because we are taking off on Tuesday for DC to pick up Tesla!!! The awesome President of Harding and his wife have invited us to fly with them in Harding's private plane since they are headed to the Capitol anyway. We'll stay there and get to spend lots of time with my sister Rena and her family (Yay!!!) before bringing Tesla back on the same 12-seater (?) plane on the 3rd. Hopefully the weather will be calmer then, since a tiny plane in freezing rain and snow really doesn't sound fun. Prayers for safe travel will be hugely appreciated!

4.) Prayers for the husband would be wonderful, too. Days must seem even longer to him while we're apart and now he won't even have Tesla at home. :( Though, she did just start her season so I'm betting he is pretty excited about not having to deal with doggy undies the next 2 weeks. You're welcome, Kyle. haha. He's going to drop her off at Silver Birch Kennels on the 27th where our pet courier will set up her crate and get ready to drive her to London and check her in to her flight. I'm sure both Kyle and I will be nervous wrecks until I pick her up. We are VERY attached to that dog and so is Gunner! He's going to be over the moon to get his good girl back. :)

5. This may be TMI for silly people, but according to Babycenter my uterus is the size of a soccer ball and I'd say I concur. It already feels like this child is running out of room... but everything looks great so far and my next appointment is Feb 8th. I am planning on having the baby in Las Cruces after we move, but my OB here has said to be prepared if he advises me that I shouldn't leave. Hopefully there will be no problem and I'll get to have my desert baby. Showing up right before having a baby is a little daunting but the hospital there is supposed to be very supportive of your wishes ( like when I say "You're going to HAVE to induce me... probably early... and no I don't want an epidural.")

6. As long as nothing insane happens in the next couple of days, we should have a house waiting for us when we get to New Mexico! The rent in that area is ridiculous (Thank you German Air Force), so it has been a challenge but after weeks of research, calling, requesting videos, haggling, and learning all about water softeners and swamp coolers, I finally located a great house not far from base! We are so relieved and excited to be able to settle into a home right when we get there, and to have a place to bring the new baby home to! I can't believe we'll be moving into our 4th house as a married couple! We will have lived on  Street, a Square, a Drive, and now an Avenue!

Hopefully this has been a sufficient update.. Now to lay out a certain toddler's church clothes for the morning! Know that you are loved!!

A Gunner in a Day

      Monday afternoon I was sitting in a hospital bed hooked to monitors for my weekly non-stress test in the inner bowels of our base OB clinic. I usually had them on Tuesdays, but just happened to be scheduled a day early this time, at 37 wks + 1 day. After reviewing my blood sugars, monitoring fetal heart rate, and checking amniotic fluid, the OB asked if I had any questions. I casually mentioned that I had been dealing with itchy hands, legs, and feet for the past week and a half and that it particularly bugged me at night. The OB said "My antennaes aren't going up, but I think I'll have some labs drawn on you. You are scheduled to be induced in 2 weeks, but if your liver function is raised, we might have you come in earlier because there unfortunately would be a higher risk of fetal death. In cases like this, we try to keep the baby in as long as possible, but typically take them at 37 wks, which was you yesterday. Come back Thursday and we'll talk about your results."
     On the way home from picking up the husband, I was in the middle of explaining to him that I might have Gunner as early as Thursday, when my phone rang. It was the OB saying "I got your results back, and it looks like your liver function levels are elevated, and by that I mean three times what they should be. Your liver is in cholestasis. Please report to labor and delivery when you can and we will go ahead and induce you tonight. If we wait, both you and baby could be in big trouble."
     We went home and gathered what I had prepared for the hospital, and I did my best to let everyone know what was going on. At labor and delivery, we went straight back to my birthing room where they inserted a foley balloon to manually dilate my cervix to a 4 or 5. That was pretty intense. After 6 hours of definite, but bearable contractions, the balloon finally fell out and they let me contract on my own for awhile.There was a shift change and I finally met the OB who would be catching little Gunner. Her name is Dr. McBee and she has the largest hands I have ever seen on a woman.  Kyle and I took turns trying to explain my pain tolerance to the nurses when they wondered why I was just sitting there and thought it must not be working. Every shift change we would have to explain to a new set of nurses that I feel pain, but don't externalize it, which is why I look like a person sitting in bed watching TV instead of a person in labor.  My contractions looked significant on the screen, but I kept rating them at a 3 out of 10. I am horrible at rating pain and hate when I have to do it. I almost always say 3 because it was my jersey number in little league. They decided that meant the contractions weren't strong enough, so they started the pitocin.  Unfortunately, the adding of pitocin tended to make Gunner's heart decelerate during contractions, so we had a very very long journey of switching it on and off throughout the night and the next day. I kept contracting, but stayed stalled at 5 cm, which was incredibly tiring and frustrating. They asked if I wanted an epidural, which had been suggested to me as a means of relaxing me and hopefully keeping me conscious for the rest of the delivery. I said sure, since my passing out would be bad for the baby. After a mostly failed epidural (which messed with my heart in a really weird way and was intended to keep me from passing out as I have a habit of doing, but really just made me feel pins and needles on one side of my body) and manually breaking my water, I tried to tell the nurse that I felt light-headed and sick, but since my vitals looked normal at the time, she left. I laid in bed and watched TV. Suddenly it felt like I was laying on a slab of ice and slowly sinking down into it. The nurses came running in and yelling and suddenly I was laying on my side with an oxygen mask. Apparently my blood pressure and heart rate plummeted and they saw it on their monitors in the nurses station. 
   I was now forbidden to lay anyway but on my left side connected to Oxygen, a blood pressure cuff that went off every 10 mins, an IV, an epidural, a catheter, and ciculation boots. I laid there breathing the oxygen for hours waiting for what I had heard was the most painful part, transition. The pain had changed locations, so I thought it might be starting, but wasn't sure. Over time the pain became very intense and full of pressure. A few hours later,after 24 hrs of labor, Dr. McBee came in to check me and said I was complete and transition was over. She asked if I wanted to try and push or if I wanted a break. I thought that was such a silly question, and I said "Let's do it now." Here came the hard part. 
I waited for a good contraction and did my first 3 10 second pushes, then immediately requested something to throw up in. After I lost my all-liquid diet from the past 24 hours, I was good to go. Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events was playing on the TV and I tried to explain to my OB what it was about between pushes. I'm not sure how well I did because pushing 3 times during each contraction has to be the hardest, most exhausting thing I have ever done. I have also never sweat so much. Dr. McBee said that I was a good pusher and was making progress, but that Gunner's heart was dipping more drastically after contractions and that she wanted to get him out by vacuum as an emergency measure when I got him low enough. That was absolutely terrifying. I did not want that to happen. I remember thinking "I need to get him out on my own. I'm going to get him out on my own." Kyle later said he knew that was what I was thinking and that's why it wasn't much longer after that. This was definitely the painful part. I knew I was getting close when Dr. McBee started to quickly put her smock on while asking Kyle if he was going to cut the cord. I was able to get him out without the use of vacuum after only 40 mins of pushing altogether. Dr. McBee started to pull him out, but had to stop because Gunner's cord was wrapped around his neck, which explained all the heart decelerations. She quickly apologized to Kyle, and cut it herself because it was pulling on Gunner's neck. (Kyle was able to cut it later when they clamped it, though.)The baby came out squeaking and making little puppy noises. They flopped Gunner on my chest while they worked on him and I was so indescribably happy. I barely heard Dr. McBee say that I had a second degree tear and she started to sew me up. I was so enthralled by my son that I didn't care about the pain at all. He measured in at 7.95 lbs and 19.5 inches at 3 wks early, born at 9:22 pm March 18th.
      After all this, Gunner and I were closely monitored for blood sugar and bilirubin for him, and blood pressure, Oxygen levels, and plummeting heart rate for me. It was a strange sensation to feel so wonderful and so awful at the same time. Kyle was feeling sick so I sent him home to sleep instead of having to use the hospitals fold out bed. Gunner and I had to stick it out alone the next couple of nights while Kyle had to stay home and recover from his own malady, but he was feeling much, much better the day we were finally discharged. Within 20 minutes, Gunner went from high risk to low risk, and I finally passed an EKG, so they let us go home. Now I am typing this in our living room while Kyle and Tesla the dog are asleep on the couch and Gunner is napping in his swing, milk drunk. We are all so happy to be safe, sound, and finally together.

Hormones are killing my brain

   Tesla and I are pooped. She is upstairs passed out on our bed and I am propped up on the couch. We've been dog-sitting a pair of dachshunds for over a week and they went home today. It's nice to have a place to sit on the couch again. Yesterday, Kyle and I drove to Essex ( East of London) to Lakeside Mall, which is right next to where the Thames heads into the city. They had a Build-a-Bear, a Disney Store, a Forever 21, and a Cinnabon! (Though, in my current state, I couldn't even think of eating one, which was very very sad..)  We ate at Wagamama for lunch, and then went to IKEA, B&Q, and Toys R us/ Babies R us. It was fun and I made it through the whole day without feeling too sick! 
   Most of you have seen the pictures and know that our ultrasound went well! But if you haven't, here is the better of the two:

   The baby should look completely different than this by now, but in the picture you can see the umbilical cord, the head (on the right) and the little arm and leg sticking out. The heartbeat was 180 bpm, which is fast but that might be attributed to the fact that I was SUPER nervous before the tech finally zoomed in on the heartbeat. I also had an ultrasound tech friend look at it and she said everything looks good! Since the ultrasound, everything has been going well.  I'm starting to feel a bit thicker around the middle, which is a good sign. The baby should be about the size of a kumquat by now. :)
   Kyle made Honor Guard! He got this awesome medal that he gets to wear on his blues, and I think he will get his specific details soon. He also was able to fix the Jeep this past weekend! It runs SO much better now. 
Not much is happening out of the ordinary this week. I have been craving soul food like nobody's business, so Kyle is taking me to Pinkerton's (A steakhouse at the Liberty club on base) on Thursday. I am so excited! :) We love you all and hope things are going well stateside!

Blessed

     The Jeep is still out of commission, but luckily, a family at church has offered to let us borrow their minivan until we get it fixed, so we no longer have to pay for a rental car. So grateful.  It has already helped out a lot. My nausea hasn't been as bad, this pregnancy, but it is still definitely annoying. I was able to go to a BBQ at our friends house, go to church, out with another friend the next day, and then to my OB class, without any real problem. I felt bad for all the other pregnant ladies looking sick as dogs. There is no happy medium with morning sickness... Either you are miserably sick, or you're worried out of your mind because you aren't sick ENOUGH. I've been falling into the 2nd category but am praying that I'm just lucky for the time being. I was invited to go to a museum in Cambridge today, but decided to try and take it easy at home. We'll be at a friend's house tomorrow for dinner (I'm making a chocolate trifle), and then Kyle's football tournament on Saturday, so I thought a day of rest would be good idea. 
    Our ultrasound is just 3 days away! I am extremely nervous and excited. It is in radiology, so I have a feeling that the tech won't say much... but I am really hoping that they will at least turn the screen my way, so I can see. Kyle will be there, as well, so hopefully he will be able to watch the whole time and help me beg the tech for a picture or two. If it is a healthy ultrasound and we see a strong heartbeat (or two), we will announce shortly afterward to the rest of our friends and family. Praying that it will be a good visit!
     The days are starting to get noticeably shorter here, which is making me anxious for Christmas! We won't be home for Thanksgiving, which pains me to think about, but Kyle's shop splits up Christmas time off so that we will either be home for Christmas or New Years. I will most-likely fly over early to spend time in Arkansas, meet up with Kyle, and then head to Georgia, before flying out of Atlanta. It is a tentative plan, but I thought I'd put it out there in case other people were planning. If September and October could go ahead and get themselves over with, that would be great.. for my sake, and my little bean! 
   Oh! Also, Kyle tests for Honor Guard this next week, so prayers would be hugely appreciated for that! He gets graded on his uniform, flag folding, facing movements, drill movements with a rifle, and reciting the honor guard creed. I'll let you all know how it goes! I love you!!!

Things that happened yesterday

    I am now, apparently, the new secretary of the Lakenheath Players theatre group.... without having met a single member. I started getting messages from someone about my theatre experience, asking how many shows I had been in, etc. I told them I wasn't sure but that it was over 45, and they immediately sent me an official document asking me to be secretary. (Evidently she made herself President, and her husband Vice President) I told her I needed to think it over and talk to my husband about it before giving an answer. (Not to mention the fact that once I'm over being too morning sick to go to rehearsal, I'll be too huge to be in shows.) I woke up to an announcement on Lakenheath's FB page saying "Congratulations to Lolli Mitchell on becoming the new Theatre group secretary!"  I'm not really sure how I keep getting myself into these situations. I think I'll try to go to the next meeting and make my decision after that. If I can find a serious theatre group, it would be great. My problem is that I keep being "recruited" by groups who either want me to do entire shows by myself and out of my own pocket, or think that karaoke is somehow the same as theatre. No thanks.
    I haven't announced the arrival of the jelly bean on Facebook yet, and probably won't until I've had at LEAST a healthy ultrasound, but I did allude to my awesome morning sickness in my status today, because of what happened afterwards! I woke up at 3 AM feeling all sorts of awful, and went downstairs, with Tesla close behind, to get some ginger ale. We went outside to the patio and ended up sitting out there for a good 45 minutes, watching a meteor shower. It was a great distraction from how I was feeling! Tesla didn't think it was that interesting. She went back to sleep in the grass. If every bout of morning sickness could be followed by some sort of celestial display, it would make this pregnancy thing a lot easier.

The Jelly Bean

    Now that everyone has FINALLY been notified, I can talk about the only thing this Mitchell household has been thinking about for the past month: a new member of our family will be showing up sometime around April 6th! My first ultrasound is on the 26th so lots and lots of prayers would be hugely appreciated and I'll try to keep everyone updated on what is going on. So far my only problem is that the absolutely WORST part of being pregnant in England= the food. All the food I want to eat is in the states! I'm tempted to take a military flight to Little Rock just so I can go to cracker barrel. It's going to be a rough 7 1/2 months...
    Kyle is working hard and starting to put together his packet for an OCS board coming up. We are friends with a Captain in NAV on base who is helping Kyle through the process. He only has a couple of months to get ready, so any prayers regarding getting approved by the board would also be hugely sought after! The process is largely dependent on timing, so we are praying that this will work out.
    I've been trying to take it easy as much as I can, but we did go to Audley End on Saturday. We toured through the house, walked through the grounds, saw the horses and fed the ducks. Elizabeth McGovern, who plays Lady Grantham on Downton Abbey was also there, for a concert. After Audley End, we stopped at a Welcome Break and ate at the KFC there. Two interesting things about English KFCs: 1. They serve french fries, and 2. They don't have mashed potatoes, but DO offer a tub of gravy as a side. Weird.
   

Oh woe is Lolli

I am a spoiled brat that God is attempting to make stronger. I know this because my family got to be together without me for the first time this past week, and it hurt. It hurt a lot. I had never even considered the possibility of that happening. I've ALWAYS been there... and I have ALWAYS taken it for granted. However, the positive side is that challenges like this teach us to never take things like seeing family for granted again. The negative side is that I MISS THEM. I told my BFFFRMI (Best friend forever for real, mean it) Mary, that they were in Searcy without me, and she said "Is it okay if I drive down and see them? Because your family is legit." I agree. They are, in fact, legit. Anyway, my reasoning for writing this is to say that though I complain, I am glad that they got to spend time together and I realize that this was a lesson that I would inevitably have to learn. .. but I was still sad. In fact, it made me paint this:

Not a great picture, but hopefully it still captures the turmoil I was feeling at the time.

Today, I went on a girls from church date to Oxburgh Hall (which we will have to go back to because the inside was occupied), a pub for lunch, and a few antique shops. I bought a very large glass bottle that I will, at some point, find a good use for.

An aerial photo of Oxburgh hall. It has a moat!!

Tomorrow will be exciting because Kyle is competing in the Liberty olympics! He is competing in the 100m relay, and Ultimate frisbee. I'll try and take some action shots while I play cheerleader. :)
 We love you all!

Time is going by entirely too fast

   Poor Tesla was stung by a bee today. She sported a cartoonish fat lip for a good five minutes before looking normal again, and continues to try and catch bees in her mouth every chance she gets. I took a page out of "Marmie knows how to fix everything 101" and rubbed a baking soda paste on her mouth, which made her look a little rabid, so I tried to keep her indoors after that.  A woman who was shopping with her son yelled at me to get the stinger out, or Tesla would die... I tried to tell her that not many dogs are THAT allergic to one bee sting, and that it was a bumble bee.. its stinger has no barbs, so it gets to keep it after it stings you.(Thank you, Harding biology dept) She then left me alone and went back to yelling at her son. He and I shared a sympathetic look. 
    Two weeks ago, Kyle and I went to Great Yarmouth for our anniversary, and the first day was AWESOME. We walked on the pier, shopped,  rode rides, saw a movie, had dinner, took a carriage ride, and played in one of the many arcades on the promenade. The next day was not as awesome, however. I woke up at 4AM with THE PLAGUE, which I had apparently gotten from the two girls I babysat on Friday. I hung out on the bathroom floor for 2 hours, pondering my mortality and trying to give Kyle more time to sleep before I woke him up and asked him to go to the drug store. Super fun times. I won't get into all of the wonderful details of my anniversary stomach bug, but it definitely made me grateful for modern medicine. When we got home, Tesla instantly became worried that I was dying and would not let me out of her sight. She cuddled with me for 8 hours straight, until I started to act a little more alive. Hopefully soon, Kyle and I can go out to eat or something to make up for me being dead on our actual anniversary. :-/
     We are celebrating Kyle's first year in the Air Force this week, which is hard to believe. It has been a busy year and we are incredibly thankful for the opportunity and adventure! We hope and pray that everyone back home is happy and healthy. :)

Stevie Nicks is the best dental hygienist ever.

  I finally, after many months of waiting, started on getting my loose fillings replaced. I wish that I could go back in time and keep my past self from going to that dentist in Biloxi. It would have saved me a world of hurt. My dentist here, Dr. Moriarty (His real name is Dr. Anderson), may actually have begun the long journey that is restoring my hope in the dental profession. He took his time and never caused me any real discomfort. He carefully pointed out to me the restorations that Dr. Barnes did in Biloxi and how they were failing. He also used a bite block, which took the strain off of my jaw so that it wouldn't dislocate again. It only took an hour which was amazing compared to holding my mouth open for nearly 4 hours last time. Stevie Nicks came on the radio twice during the procedure and sang me through it. The rest of the time was made bearable by thoughts of petting tigers and cuddling Tesla.
   The 8 yr old I am babysitting sat patiently in the waiting room while I had the work done. He played his video game and didn't even noticed that time had passed. Feeling like I had half a face, I took him to get a donut on the way home. We may go bowling a little bit later after the novocaine wears off. I'll have to go back to the dentist and do this all again, tomorrow. Hopefully that experience will be as good.
   Kyle and I still haven't celebrated my birthday, and now we have an anniversary coming up. He has this friday off, so we are trying to think of something to do. My dentist was trying to give me ideas of where to go , the entire time he was replacing the filling. I would love to got to Alton Towers while I still can (being UNpregnant, and everything.) Kyle wants me to figure out a destination, so I have about a day to make up my mind. We'll have to take the train no matter what, since the Jeep still sounds like it has had a tracheotomy recently. I had better get on that and start planning! I love you!!

Ghost Hunting and Hedgehogs

    Raf Feltwell is supposedly one of the most haunted places in this area, according to the internet and various sources. Many people who used to stay in the old barracks on base talk about "Herbie", a ghostly practical joker who likes to wander around, stealing beers and resetting alarm clocks. They talk about him like he is just another resident, walking around in khaki pants and a teeshirt. One source said that they saw him walk into the day room, and decided to follow him. Once they got there, the day room was completely empty.
   There is also talk of a phantom plane, which makes attempts at landing on what used to be the Feltwell runway, whenever the fog gets thick outside. This is supposed  to be in reference to a man who crashed his plane trying to land in the fog a long time ago. 
   Lastly, I have a neighbor who has in her possession a very eerie picture.  She took it of the small cabin by the elementary school that used to be my band room when I was in the 4th and 5th grade. If you look at the picture, you will see the figure of a man in one of the windows. Very strange.
   A lot of people ask me, since I have so many stories like this, if I believe in ghosts. After all, I DID used to tell ghost stories every year during rough night for my social club for a good 5 years. No, I do not believe in ghosts. There is definitely something strange and unnerving that exists, but I don't think I have the slightest authority to tell anyone what it is. I merely tell stories, put out my disclaimers, and let people make up their own minds. 
    Kyle thinks I am completely ridiculous. I made up a fun theory, that I don't necessarily believe in, but I think is fun to think about. The theory is that seeing ghosts or spirits is really just a form of time travel. People sometimes see Abraham Lincoln walk down the halls of the White House, because in the 1860's, he did... and when "ghosts" interact with us, it's really just a breech in the barrier that lies between our time and theirs..and sometimes, WE are the ones in the past..and we are looking into the future. I think it would make a pretty awesome novel.
    Some of the "personal experience" stories that I tell come from a stack of occurrences that I secretly chalk up to my crazy imagination. For instance, I used to tell the story about being in the Benson auditorium alone at night and feeling/seeing someone rush by me, only to turn and see no one there. I always fail to mention that I had been running on 0 hours of sleep in two days, at the time. If I think about it logically, I can see how my mind could have been playing tricks. This makes me wonder how many people tell paranormal anecdotes, who know in the back of their minds that it may not have happened.
   However, there are a few times that something has happened, either to people I trust completely, or to myself with the company of multiple witnesses. My parents currently live in a house that was deemed haunted by the previous tenants. I'm sure my mom remembers calling my name and asking what I was doing, one afternoon. When I came out of my room to answer her, she stood there looking surprised. "You're not upstairs?", she asked. I was promptly pulled into the front room where I could hear distinct footsteps coming  from the second floor. We knew for a fact that we were the only ones home, and could do nothing but stand and listen, eyes wide. I joked, "Maybe... morbidly obese squirrels?"  The footsteps suddenly got louder and more distinct, startling us. After a fair amount of clumsy speculation, we made a plan to go up and see what it was... with a gun, just in case it was an intruder. We could still hear the footsteps, so I was at least certain that I would be able to find what was really making the noise. I walked up the stairs while carefully holding one of my Dad's handguns, opened the door.. and nothing. Not only was there no one upstairs, but the footsteps had stopped. My Mom and I spent the day utterly confused.
    All of this is really just to say that some girls around my neighborhood and I went ghost hunting the other night at 1 AM. We walked around the entire base, which is very peaceful and creepy no matter what time of day it is. We walked through the old barracks and even sat in the day room. Nothing very spooky happened, but it was still fun to explore and hang out. 
   All in all, I have a very bipolar attitude when it comes to this sort of thing. Half of me is curious and wants truth, and the other half is terrified and sees all of it as something not to meddle with. It causes a dilemma, because most of my curiosity came from experiences that happened while I wasn't being meddlesome at all. Maybe all of this is just my way of stumbling onto the idea that writing a novel about it would be fun. Hmm.
  OH... and yesterday, Kyle, Tesla, and I found the largest hedgehog I have ever seen. It's spines were so long that even picking it up with my jacket was painful. Once I picked it up, I immediately remembered how hedgehogs smell, from when we used to catch them in Ely. Not awful, but not like roses. 
  Sorry that is post isn't much of an update. I hope all is well! :)
    

Ode to ginger ale

    Ginger ale is a wonderful placebo. I can never tell if it is actually helping my nausea, or if my imagination is just rampant as ever and playing tricks on me. I will be babysitting every day for the next week, but after that, I'll be making a Dr's appointment to finally figure out why I've been feeling so gross the past 6 months. It has been suggested that I try to go off of gluten and see if that makes a difference, but.....bread... so I don't know if that will work out. 
  Tesla can't come to babysit with me anymore, which is tragic, but she keeps slipping through the fence and walking into people's living rooms. I thought for SURE that she wouldn't go through the side fence, because the dog in that yard always growls and barks at her. I thought this until I no longer heard growling, looked through the fence and saw Tesla, sitting with the mean dog in its dog house. That little social butterfly...
   I don't know all of the details, but Kyle is having a big day today. He had his name drawn to eat breakfast with the command chief this morning, and later today, will be participating in a POW/MIA ceremony. He will be marching and  carrying one of the hats symbolizing a branch of the military. I wish I could go see it. 
   Later tonight, Kyle is bringing over a buddy from work to grill and hang out. I am providing the potato salad, fried green beans, and banana pudding. I'm really excited about how the potato salad turned out, which I think pretty much seals the deal that I am now a grown-up. It has red potatoes, bacon, onion, and green bell pepper in a mayo dijon sauce. YUM.
   Rena: I did NOT get an autograph from the man at the country fair. He looked like the villain from Pocahontas. 

Not really that interesting... but it happened

      Tesla is growing by leaps and bounds. Well.. her legs and paws are. The rest of her looks pretty much the same, so she looks more like a Disney character than a dog, right now. To make extra money, I have been dog sitting people's pups while they take mini vacations around Europe, which military folk around here do all the time. It has been a pretty good gig, watching pets for 15 GBP a night, but I think I am about to have to say no to a dog for the first time. Kyle and I took Tesla to meet two Westies yesterday to see if they got along. The female seemed nice enough, but we soon learned that the Male is not fixed, and belongs in a tiny doggy straightjacket. The owner informed us that he gets overly friendly with female dogs, but never seems to figure out exactly how it's done, so it should be fine. Dealing with that for an entire week just doesn't really sound like something I want to do, especially with my little Tesla in the house, so I am currently trying to figure out the best way to tell the owner that I don't approve of her dogs's lack of morals.  Spay and neuter your animals, people...
      We got the MOT inspection and light conversion done on the Jeep so that our blinding American lights don't get anyone killed. (Sarcasm). Hopefully soon, we can actually go further than 20 miles out on weekends! Last weekend, we went to the Hockwold country fair. If you have ever seen Jam & Jerusalem (A really good British show about what living in a small English village is like. I think all of the episodes are on Youtube.), it was very much like something off of that show. They had a pig roast, Tea and scones, fish & chips, old English cars, steam tractors, a tractor show AND a push lawnmower show, giant work horse demonstrations, games, and various town organizations. We rode a bus to the fair from where we parked and discovered that English people sing "The wheels on the Bus" A LOT differently than we do.  The big celebrity of the fair was an extra who had been in a Harry Potter movie and the Dark Knight. He was selling autographed pictures of him walking behind Heath Ledger, which was hilarious. I ran into some people who have a theatrical troupe in Hockwold and want me to audition for their Scrooge panto which opens in November. I think it would be fun.
     Kyle seems to be liking his job, from what I can tell. He is good at keeping work and home seperate. I can tell that he is happy to be home, but he doesn't seem like he is escaping from anything when he arrives, so I think he is happy all around..... and that concludes my analysis. 
    I just heard a knock on the door (I am babysitting in a neighboring village) and it was two grinning British boys... and Tesla. She apparently squirmed through the fence and got into their garden, not that they were complaining. She has a pretty wide fan base, here in her homeland. I might take a trial run at leaving her at home tomorrow, because she tends to get really bored here, and it is difficult taking care of a puppy dog AND a puppy human at the same time. :-/
    I love you all and hope that all is well!
   

This will be interesting...

Out of sheer guilt and frustration from still not having Internet at our house, I am attempting to update this here blog using only my phone. Please don't judge too harshly if there are even more typos than usual.  Trying to spellcheck, let alone cling to any sort of organised thought while typing on a phone... Well, it's not easy.
  We have my Jeep, finally! We were going to celebrate my birthday in London, but had to cancel due to some work that needs to be done on the Jeep: inspection, light conversion, registration, and something under the hood that sounds a bit more like a hamster wheel than it should. I have been driving it, though being seen with an Arkansas license plate is definitely something that makes me a little wary, sometimes.  We will most likely celebrate my birthday sometime in June, at the rate we are going. Every week gets busier and busier. Kyle, Tesla, and I walked to the Spring Fling fund raiser at feltwell elementary school after I picked him up today. Something like 30 kids asked to pet Tesla and all said the same thing: "she feels soft! Like a stuffed animal!"
    We bought tickets to get food while we were there and a little girl in line with us told me, "I can tell you we're here during the fourth grade. Wanna know why? You're in a yearbook." It was so weird.  I still can't put together exactly how she knew that I went there. So strange.  Also very strange was that I ran into a very familiar looking woman, who turned out to be my elementary school nurse... The same nurse that Marmie used to substitute for. She was really excited that I recognised her and told me that she still works there and so do many of my old teachers! I saw some of them, including the man who taught the gifted and talented program I was in. It was all too weird. Oh... One more weird thing: thanks to meeting various people, I will possibly be in charge of feeding feral cats in the village this summer because the lady who normally does it is going on vacation?... And Kyle may soon be a Boy Scout troupe leader! His news is a bit more exciting than mine.. It was an interesting day, for sure.
    Not a whole lot of other news... Kyle rolled his ankle yesterday, playing basketball. I made him keep it elevated above his heart all evening to get the swelling down and he was able to do PT this morning, so that is good. The next two weeks will be busy. I'll be watching an 8 year old for ten hrs a day during that time, and Kyle will inevitably have lots on his plate from work. We are getting into the swing of things, slowly but surely. Our house is also finally starting to look like a home! I M coming to terms with the fact that our living room will have to look asymmetrical no matter what.. Which is painfully, but at least we HAVE a living room! I am more than grateful for that.
    I will try to update more often, now that I know it is possible to do so on my phone! Hope you are all doing well!! I love you!!!!

My late birthday post

    Despite Kyle's absence, I had a pretty good birthday. I spent the whole day with Tesla, visiting friends from church. We went to ladies class at Crystal's house, where we had lunch, tea, and a good bible study/ discussion time. Afterwards, we went to Miss Polly's house to spend the night. Miss Polly is one of the few people that I remember from when we were stationed here in the '90s. Back then she had a husband named Peter, who was known for his hat and beard. Unfortunately, Peter has since passed on, and Polly lives by herself with her cat Tigger. I picked Polly up and we went and ate fish and chips with our preacher and his wife, and then grocery shopping. Back at miss Polly's house we had tea, birthday cheesecake that we bought at the store, and watched Poirot on TV. Tesla and I stayed in her guest room, in one of the most comfortable twin beds I have ever experienced. All in all, it was a good birthday. I was unable to pick up my birthday presents from the post office until Kyle got back, but he got home yesterday, so he picked them up for me today! Tesla and I were so happy to have our male back. He takes very good care of us both. :) He had a good time while he was gone and is so glad that he got to see family!
    I opened all of my presents today from Marmie, Dad, Denny, and Kyle. I love them all!!! Mom and Dad got me a Harding hoodie, place mats, a watercolour book, mugs, and lollipops (of course.) Denny got me Jubilee from X-men. (He and Kyle are good at reminding me not to let myself get too old to care about fun things.) Kyle got me a signed picture of Secretariat with his jockey, Ron Turcott. (It's signed by the jockey... not Secretariat.) He knows how much I love that movie and cry like a little girl every time I see it. If you haven't seen it, you need to!
    We are hoping to celebrate my Birthday this weekend in London. I definitely want to eat at Wagamama's and see a show. The rest, we will play by ear. :) I will try to take lots of photos! I love you all!!!

Once more, with feeling

    Today has brought forth so many blessings. The idea to start a theatrical outreach to the youth of surrounding villages and the tri-base area has been approved and enthusiastically dropped in my lap, for me to start thinking about and working on. The acting space is small, but small spaces are only a hindrance to those with small imaginations. I think we are wanting to aim towards a time when kids are on school holiday, so I have lots of time to think about advertising, logistics, scripts, and rehearsal formats. I think it will be a great experience for all of us involved. 
    I can almost see Tesla growing while she sleeps. The people at church are wonderful and ask about her as if she were my child. They even want me to bring her to a service soon, so we will see how that goes. She will most-likely sleep throughout the whole thing. I will be dog sitting 2 more dogs in the next few weeks. It will help keep Tesla socialized, which is very important for the Shiba-Inu part of her DNA. I wish there were a way that I could get Harlo over here.... but I'm pretty sure the emotional scars he would pick up from a 9 hour flight would be impossible to erase. Poor baby.
   Tomorrow is my birthday, and also the ONLY day this week that I have had nothing planned.  I think I might go to the ladies class (if I can figure out where it is), and then head over to Miss Polly's house and stay the night. Miss Polly is one of the few people that I remember from when we lived in England. She was married to a tall bearded man, named Peter. Unfortunately, Peter is gone now and miss Polly lives in Brandon with her cat Tigger. We will see if Tigger and Tesla get along. 
   On Friday, I am supposed to hang out with another person from church, go to the Mildenhall Bazaar on Saturday (which will feel completely wrong not having my Marmie there with me), and then babysit two little girls that night, just in time for Kyle to get back. It has been nice having a car, but I am ready to have my male home. Right now, he is probably getting ready to go to church with Rena and her family. I'm glad they are close enough that they can do that. By the way, this is me trying to sound like I am happy for them and not jealous at all, when in reality, I could go for a nice session of bitterly weeping while eating a substantial amount of cookie dough. I miss all of them way too much!!!  ...So no, I am not happy for them at all. 
    That concludes another update. If I am unresponsive tomorrow, it is because I get no mobile service at Miss Polly's house, but will get back to everyone as soon as I can! I love you all!!
   

A productive day

   Little Tesla, who isn't even 8 weeks old yet, knows how to sit and is fully potty trained. I had to leave her at home in our downstairs bathroom today for almost four hours due to my dental appointment and she STILL hasn't made a mess. I left her food, water, toys, bed, and paper in there and when I got home, she just sat in the middle of the room and looked at me, betrayed. The first thing she does when we go outside is go to the bathroom, and then attack the grass, as though peeing on it just isn't enough. I have no idea how that happened. I definitely can't take credit for any of it.
    This morning I drove (for the second time, EVER, in England) to get to my dental appointment, which turned out to be a huge relief as it was only scary in a funny way, as opposed to being scary in just a scary way. My new dentist has a voice that sounds EXACTLY like the serial murderer Moriarty in the Sherlock series. I had no idea that a person could sound like that in real life without automatically getting arrested. It's pretty creepy, but he really seems like he knows what he is doing. The first available appointments to fix my loose fillings are in two weeks, but he said if I want, I can come in on Wednesday for sick call and they can start then. I am going to try and wait the two weeks for the real appointments with the dentist/ serial murderer I trust. After what happened in Biloxi, I never want to try and rush dental work again. Yeesh.
     After the dentist, I went over to the BX to find Tesla something to chew on, other than my couch and my face. Not realizing what time it was, I got there an hour before it even opened, so I sat down with some coffee in the food court and made friends with a Turkish man who sells antiques. He gave me a custard donut and told me where all the good antique stores are in the area.
     Kyle is probably learning up a storm right now. I gave him Rena and Wheeler's numbers, so they should be hearing from him soon. I think he is wanting to go to church with them. :) I love you all and hope you are having a blessed day!