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!

A BIG party!

We had a great weekend! Friday night we went to the Mundays' house and played games, ate snacks, etc. Then on Saturday we got our fridge/freezer and drove to Chelford with Cathy. There was a huge party for some friends of the family, Dave and Christina. It was their 25th wedding anniversary.

The party was in Chelmford, near Manchester, and it was brilliant. Dave and Christina are two of the nicest, most friendly people I've ever met. There were a lot of people there--about 160. We all went to the village hall and danced, ate great food, and (everybody but us) drank! TONS!!! Martin and I had a good time watching everybody get absolutely trashed, but we left fairly early as we were both exhausted. We got to sleep about 12:30, and some of the people didn't get home until 7 am (including Cathy, the naughty minx)!

This morning we got up and had a great cooked breakfast. Then we drove home. The best part of the morning was laughing at all of the silly people with horrible hangovers. Wow, everybody there was moaning and saying that they could really see the benefit of not drinking. The best part was, we both remember everything we did last night.

Also this weekend, we went and watched "Cars." I know it probably came out ages ago in the states, but it was just released this weekend in the UK. We both really enjoyed it--fabulous movie--Pixar are brilliant. I've never seen one of their movies that I didn't absolutely love.

I was SOOOOO cranky this weekend. Saint Martin was wonderful and patient, or we would be getting a divorce. I don't know--I was watching Cathy dancing with her dad, and I got all sad and was missing my dad. I miss my family so much this weekend.

Ugh--work tomorrow. I already miss being a house wife. Wish I could just have a baby and stay at home, but hopefully that will happen soon.

Martin the big BULLY!

Can you believe that my husband made me get a job? He is so mean to me sometimes, but I love him anyway. What I don't love is no longer being a house wife.

My job is so boring at the moment--there's not much for me to do, and I can hardly believe I am getting paid good money to do nothing. The important thing is that it's a friendly working environment. It makes a nice change.

I'm working with three women at the moment, with three men who also work there but who we hardly ever see. The women are Alison, the boss, and Michelle and Heather. Alison is a tough, ballsy lady who swears like a sailor but has a heart of gold. Michelle is a Grimsby lass who is cheap and common as muck, but is kind and funny, though she ALSO curses like a truck driver. Heather is motherly, even though she says she hates children, and very polite. Everyone is as different as can be, but they all get along. Alison loses her temper a lot, but the girls just roll their eyes and laugh about it. I was so terrified to go back to work because of the Volvo experience, but I am feeling much better now. Plus I am keeping an eye out for something full time--head receptionist at a local hotel.

Martin has gotten a LOT done on the front room while he's been off work this week. Mostly it has been cleaning--he took three car boots full of rubble to the tip. We have a clean front room for the first time in weeks, and it's wonderful. On monday he's going to finish tearing down the ceiling, then he's going to put the stud wall in for the entrance hall. Then the electrics can be done, and we can plaster. After that, it's all painting and decorating and laying floorboards. We are about 3-4 weeks away from livable living room!

I need to find the digital camera, because on my last day of freedom before starting work we went on a little day trip to Sleningford Water Mill, near Ripon (up in Yorkshire). We got tubes and floated down the river on them, had a picnic, played in the water, and got sunburnt. It was a seriously fun day, and I have pictures of Martin's pale chest to post. Can't wait for family to come and visit, because I think they would really enjoy that place. It's a campground, so we could bring tents and spend a few days!

Anyway, must dash. We've got the Gilbert grandparents coming up to bring us a full size fridge/freezer and need to get the house cleaned before they get here. Much love to all, and I'll post again soon!

I got a job!

Nothing to get too excited about--just another temp job. But it's six weeks, 42 hours a week. Most importantly, it's a paycheck. I start Wednesday, and Martin is taking some vacation time for the next two weeks. Bad timing, but weather permitting we're doing something fun tomorrow! I'll keep you all posted.

Sorry--no BBQ pictures, I forgot the camera. But it was a good time!

Duck, duck, GOOSE!

the middle room, and currently the living room. eventually it will be the dining room (in a year or so probably).

The dining nook in our house.

Martin's boys! Steve and Adam, doing what they do best.

Only a Dream...

I had this horible dream last night. Martin and I were flying home to visit family in Utah, and our plane had electrical problems. The plane started going down in a burning mass of stwisted steel and melted plastics. But we managed to get out together, and for some reason we had parachutes. They opened, but I knew that if we didn't stay together we would lose each other. So we grabbed on to eath others' parachute straps, and we managed to land in a fountain inside the airport.

So here we were, in the airport, and absolutely terrified about getting on another plane. But we were only halfway there, and so we knew we'd have to do it again.

I spent most of the dream trying to come home, and it was scary and almost impossible. I woke up and just wanted to cry. I don't want to be scared about coming home.

Martin called me from work yesterday and told me that Arch, a guy that worked for Enterprise in Utah, is moving to England with his wife and two kids. We're pretty excited about that. They'll be living in Nottingham, but it will be nice to have other Mormons in the company. Someone to hang out with at work parties, you know? They're really nice people!

I spent most of the day yesterday baking. I made Martin some raisin filled cookies (his favorite), and we had home made steak pie for dinner. I was quite pleased with how they turned out. My oven is weird though. It bakes really hot! Either that or Martin hasn't calculated the conversion from farenheit to celsius correctly for me. It's a fan assisted oven, which I hate. I burn nearly everything, but yesterday I only burned a few cookies! The steak pie was delicious, and we took some cookies to choir practice, and they were gobbled up immediately!

Tomorrow should be fun. We are tearing the ceiling out in the front room. We also found out that one of the guys at church is an electrician, and we are hoping he'll help us with the wiring downstairs. fingers crossed! We hope to have the room finished by about Thanksgiving. Maybe a bit optimistic, but there's naught wrong with a bit of optimism.

I've been taking some pictures of the parks surrounding Barton, and I will try to get some of them posted this evening or this weekend at the very latest. Plus, I'll have some pictures from the BBQ we are going to tonight. Our friends Lewis and Emma are having it, and I want to get some pictures of our friends posted. Just a little proof that we HAVE friends. You've seen Lewis before--part of the demolition crew. Plus, pictures of people can be more interesting than pictures of the house and the scenery. Beautiful scenery gets old after a while, right?

Speaking of beautiful scenery, English summer is really nice. Lincolnshire is, anyway. It's primarily an agricultural area, and there are a lot of wheat fields. Everything is lovely and golden right now. A lot of the farmers are making hay right now, too, and it smells fantastic! It's a little bit too warm some days, and incredibly humid, but we had a nice mist the last few days which cooled it off quite a bit. I always forget how close we are to the water until I go for a run. It's only about 1/4 to 1/2 mile to the waters' edge.

Anyway, must get on with my day. I promise, pictures next time!

Martin is back at work for a while. He still has 9 holiday days to use, so he is at work all next week and then off for two weeks again. We haven't gotten anything done on the house, really, but we are planning to get a lot done over the weekend. We want to render all the bare brick in the front room and have it ready to plaster. We are going to patch all the holes in the plaster ourselves, and then pay to have someone skim it so we can save money AND have a professional job. Apparently, plastering is a real art form.

I have started looking a little harder for a job--currently have three applications in at various places. I have to make calls this afternoon to check up on my chances, but I really don't want to do that. There is a very delicate balance to be struck. I want to appear eager to get the job, but not pushy. Especially since Americans have a bad reputation for that anyway!

Choir tonight, and I am in charge. Nicole is going to a parent/teacher night, and has asked me to stand in. I really hope the pianist is there tonight, because if she's not then I have to do that as well. Not really a good time for me, and I usually look forward to choir so much.

Martin is enjoying his birthday gifts--he's gone golfing three times in the last two weeks. Come to think about it, that's probably why we haven't got anything else done on the house. Maybe the gift certificate for the local golf course was a mistake?

I got to speak to my oldest sister Velecia on her birthday a few days ago, though it was a quick call. Martin got called out for work soon after I called her, and I went with Martin into Grimsby. She sounded good, but tired. She's expecting her third baby soon, her first girl! I am really excited for her.

It's funny, how everyone hesitates to tell me when they are pregnant. It's like they think I will be all upset about it. It's not like they got pregnant to spite me. Besides, I think I am way past that. I will have children, eventually. The only time I get angry that others seem to be able to conceive so easily is when it's 14 year old alcoholic sleeping with their druggie boyfriends. That does tend to make me wonder why THEY can have kids and I can't. Does God trust them more than me? Anyway, that's another post.

It occurs to me that I haven't posted anything but pictures for a while. Of course, not much has happened except us working on the house, but still, I don't want anyone to feel that we are slacking!

Martin had a good birthday, I think. He enjoyed his gifts from me and his family, and looks forward to receiving the ones from the other side of the pond. He got his card from Grandma Lofley yesterday, and wanted me to post a quick thank you to her. We had a barbeque for his birthday dinner. We were going to have it at our house, but decided it was in too much of a state to have anyone over. Instead we did it at his parents' house, and I think we taught them a valuable lesson in how to host a stress free and low maintenance BBQ. We just did burgers (Martin's request--his favourite are Carls Jr.'s western bacon cheeseburgers, so we got all the trimmings for those), mom's italian pasta salad, green salad, drinks, and home made apple pie for dessert. Everything was done in advance except the cooking of the meat, and everything was served on paper plates. It only took about 30 minutes to clean up. Much easier than their party last month!

Martin's gifts seemed to follow a golf theme. I got him a gift certificate for a golf course near his office. He got a golfing shirt from his nanna and grandad, and his mum and dad got him a golf bag trolley. I hope he puts all of them to good use, as his game is really suffering! (so just kidding--it's only suffering a little bit)

So I am a mean wife and made him work on the house on his birthday, but we took a day off yesterday and went to Alton Towers. It's a theme park in Staffordshire, down in the midlands, and it was so much fun! There is a castle at Alton Towers, just like at Disneyland, only this one is REAL! After the last of the Earls of Shrewsbury died without an heir, the estate was used to house troops during WWII. Then it was sold to a local group of businessmen who opened the gardens to the public and built a theme park. Part of the revinue generated by the theme park is going into restoring the towers. It's a fantastic old castle, and it will be even more fantastic when fully restored. So we got to ride really great roller coasters, stroll through fabulous gardens, and walk around a castle!!! All in all, a wonderful day!

Today we are working on the house some more, and then tomorrow, we are going to do it again. But we are leaving at around lunch time to drive to Preston. It's time for another temple trip. We're going to take A roads instead of motorway to get there, which takes about twice as long and is at least 4 times more fun! I'll have the camera ready for any marvellous shots that come up, and I'll post again this weekend.

Bye for now!

Beautiful Lincolnshire. Just nice to have a view of something besides bare plaster and bricks!!!

Awwww, how adorable!

The latest & greatest view of the front room--taken this afternoon.

The construction crew: from left to right, Glen, Lewis, Karl, & Martin.

The Humber Bridge--practically on our door step.

The remodeling saga continues...

We have managed to clear most of the rubble out of our front room, but as we peel away the layers of plaster board and cladding we keep finding strange thigs--like a bare brick wall without any plaster on it, and great gaping holes in the ceiling. We can see the front room from our bedroom above it. Scary!

Martin has been so great!!! His knuckles are all scraped up and he is exhausted, because I was absolutely rubbish with the demolition. I basically just tried to stay out of the way for two days, but yesterday was actually able to help. We hired a skip and filled it to the brim with broken cinder blocks and sheetrock. I know how to handle a shovel very well, thanks to my daddy. He really taught his girls how to work!

I actually found a job that sounds great, which I've applied for. It's at John Leggott College in Scunthorpe, working as a personal assistant for the director on the international centre. I would be handling all secretarial and receptionist duties in the department that deals with foreign students studying there. I am hoping to at least get an interview. Fingers crossed everyone. Martin really wants me to get a job!

We're doing well though! I was taking a look at our life today, and realised that it's great! We own our own house, and it should appraise at double what we paid for it. It's also a grade 2 listed building in the conservation area of a historic market town. Life is good.

More pictures coming tomorrow, after we get some more work done.