Blue Steel in the Crown, a pub in Shiptonthorpe.

Bashful...

Fancy a fight? This is the place to get it done!

Beautiful Victorian Whitby.

The view from our picnic spot.

Whitby Abbey...

Martin is such an artist with the digital camera, no?

These blackberries made a wonderful blackberry crumble! Tasty!

Mmmmm, brambles!

The Bank Holiday

What a beautiful day! We were going to go down south or abroad, but instead we stayed close (ish) to home and went to Yorkshire. Whitby, to be exact.

I saw the North York Moors for the first time, and got a little bit homesick. There are miles and miles of nothing, and it's gorgeous! Instead of rolling hills and sagebrush, it's rolling hills and beautiful purple heather. The best part is, it smells amazing!

We had a lovely picnic on the seaside. I'll post a picture of the view from our blanket. Then we went into Whitby itself and strolled around. I think it's my new favourite place in England. It knocked York down a notch.

Anyway, the guys are coming by tomorrow to look at the house. I'll keep you posted on whether or not we get "consent" to modify our own house! (I hate the English government sometimes)

Pictures now...

Ezais in the sandbox.

Martin shows Caitlin how to operate a digger. I think he wants to chuck her off and go for a ride himself!

Our friend Lewis and his son, Ezais. Quite possibly the cutest baby on the planet!!!

Self portrait--Martin the deep thinker with his brooding good looks. Really, he's just trying to remember if he locked the door before we left the house.

Martin and the GIANT Shire horse (retired). Took this one for you, Jace. Seriously, this horse is huge.

Oliver, bottle feeding a calf at Rand Farm Park last weekend.

Martin having bread and nutella in bed. Sexy beast, yes???

A New Talent...

I have discovered that I am quite decent at plastering! Martin and I got motivated to finish the front room last weekend, and we bought some supplies. He was chiseling out channels to run our electrial wiring through, and I decided to start on the plaster. Turns out, I'm pretty decent at it. The best part is, I actually enjoy it as well. It's very soothing and rhythmic. When I'm done, I actually feel relaxed and happy. Best of all, we are finally making the room look better instead of making it look worse. I am going to do some more plastering this morning, and will take some pictures when I am finished for the day.

I only have a week left on my contract at Hewden, so I have laready started looking for jobs elsewhere. There are a few options right now, so hopefully I won't be jobless for as long this time. This job has really made me feel better about working. After Volvo I just wanted to sit in my house all day long and never talk to anyone. Now I'm OK.

So yeah, we're doing well here in jolly old England. One thing that hasn't been so great is the weather. August is supposed to be beautiful and summery. Back home it's usually the hottest month of the year. Well, not here. It has rained every single day this month, and the top temperature has been about 65 degrees F. It gets downright COLD at night. We have had our sweaters and jackets on all month. I am really hoping that it warms up soon, or it will feel like we have an 8 month winter this year.

I really miss the desert! I know that sounds a little bit silly, but it's true all the same. I long for zero humidity with a passion so intense it's almost unholy! It is really wonderful that the grass is so green and flowers grow without watering them every other day, but it would be even nicer to not sweat buckets when it's hot. Even nicer than that would be to have non-frizzy hair again. I miss being able to NOT do my hair and have it look ok. Not great, but not a 'fro! And I really miss knowing that it was going to be nice weather. You never can tell, here.

I may have news about church tomorrow. I'll keep you posted. Now for the pictures I've been promising everyone...

My First Driving Lesson...

I had my first ever English driving lesson on Thursday, and it was good! The guy doing the lesson, Trevor, is kind of touchy feely and pervy, but it was still a good lesson. He gave me some good pointers, and I should be ready to take my test soon. Some of the stuff he taught me to do would make my daddy cringe, but I have to drive a certain way to pass the test so I will do it for a while. But I will not carry on driving that way once I'm done!

Martin and I are going to a fancy dress barbecue tonight, and I need to finish getting ready. Martin is wearing his dad's old Navy uniform, and I have bought a vintage 80's dress. I'll get some pictures and post them later! Unbelievably enough, Martin's dad's uniform fits him pretty well. Laurence's build is slightly less than slim, but he used to be quite a looker! Martin looks great in it--I have always loved a man in uniform! In fact, I have dated a member of every single division of the US armed forces. Personal weakness???

Anyway, must be running now. Pictures to come!!!

I miss the girls!

So now that I am working in an office where the ladies all get along, I miss Becki and Deedee. We used to have such a great time at work, and being at Hewden with Heather and Michelle reminds me of the fun we used to have.

So yeah, here's me sitting at work missing the job I left a year and a half ago, and I'm kind of wondering if they miss having me. It's not that often you have an office full of girls who get along that well and enjoy each others' company that much. Women are usually so competitive! So yeah, Becki, Deedee, miss you SO MUCH!

Doing well here in England. Martin's interview was postponed as they are really busy and down some staff at work. I'll keep everyone posted on that front. We haven't done anything on the house for ages--both of us are so tired, and tired of DIY. but we are going to patch some plaster tomorrow, so that should be fun. I have some pictures to post as soon as I get them onto the computer. Coming soon to a computer near you!

In other news, I have decided to do either a certificate in body massage or a diploma in holistic treatments. The local college is sending me the info and I will decide by next week. Really looking forward to that. The body massage certificate is a 36 week course, 1 night a week. The diploma is one full day a week for 36 weeks. Tough choice! It's a lot cheaper than qualifying in the US, and I will be able to get a job in a spa when we move back to Utah!

Must go to bed--it's nearly 11 pm and I am exhausted!!!

The current state of the living room--getting better, believe it or not!

Two fishbelly white people desperately seeking the sun. We look a little bit darker now, thank goodness!

Martin struts his stuff with Mr. Kipling's mini battenberg cakes. After all, Mr. Kipling makes exceedingly good cakes!

Interpretation: Hello. Please keep your dog on a leash and don't pick the flowers or the manager will politely ask you to leave. Honest--this is a real sign!!!

The Dietician...

This is one appointment that wasn't a disappointment. Martin and I found out that we actually have quite a healthy diet. The lady told us that the only thing I need to do to lose weight is watch my portion sizes, exercise more, and maybe substitute some of our food with low fat options. So yeah, good news, but still frustrating.

Lovely day, though. Since my appointment was in the morning, I didn't go in to work until noon. The day goes by a lot faster when you don't actually have to work the whole time. Work was easy, as well. This current job is totally more what I thought temping would be like. I'm glad I have the job, even though I'll only be there for 4 weeks longer. It has gone a long way toward restoring my confidence in myself and making me less afraid to get out there and work again. Nasty Yvonne really messed with my head.

Martin has another interview for a promotion on Monday, and we're really hoping that this is the one. He could be working in Hessle (just across the bridge from us) or in Grimsby. His sales numbers have been good, though he didn't make the "Elite Club," and he is wonderful at his job!

Martin has nothing to add, so I'll say good night for now!