life in the fast lane (sort of)

Wow - it’s been 6 weeks since I last wrote anything! I can’t believe it’s been that long. Actually, I can. A lot has happened in the past 6 weeks. I moved halfway across the world back to Florida. My 2nd nephew is soon to be born. I have my own GINORMOUS apartment with no furniture in it (yet), and I’m in the process of buying another car.

Ok, so maybe it’s not that much. But considering most of it just started happing within the past two weeks or so, it’s a lot.

Yup, I moved back to Florida. It’s really weird and really cool being back. So much has changed, yet so little has changed. My church has tripled in size since I left (and finally has its own building right down the street from where I live). Every one of my friends from church has grown so much! I don’t mean physically, I mean maturity level, emotionally, spiritually, etc. I’m not sure if anyone knew the exact date of my arrival. Everyone seemed so surprised to see me at church on Sunday. Every one of my friends gave me huge hugs and welcomed me home. It definitely made me feel loved - a good change from all of the goodbye’s I’ve been saying (and re-saying) over the past two months. Not that I haven’t felt loved, it’s just a nice change to be greeted with a smile and a hug instead of a tear-stained face and a hug.

Last I knew (and I’m terrible for not getting an update, I know), my sister is still waiting on her second son to grace us with his presence. She went into what I’m guessing was false labor just before I left England (5 or 6 days ago) and I haven’t heard anything since. Doctors think she can go at any time, though. It’ll be nice to actually been in-country when one of my nieces/nephews will be born.

I love my new apartment. It’s 300 sq ft bigger than my house in England. Huge! It looks so empty right now, though. I can’t wait to get all of my stuff and start decorating it. Listen to me - I sound like such a girl now! Maybe my friends aren’t the only ones who have grown over the past three years…

I’m buying another Mazda6 sometime today or tomorrow. I love it. I didn’t realize exactly how easy they drive until I drove that beast of a rental Rover around for 3 months. Oh - and I have yet to accidentally drive on the left side of the road! I really do impress myself sometimes.

Leaving my life in England was really hard. It’s still hard to adjust to the fact that all of my friends from the past three years aren’t available to talk/hang out whenever I want (or whenever they’re available). I can’t get used to being 6 hours behind them… I miss them all terribly. Even though I have all of my old friends around, I still feel lonely without my friends from England. Hopefully that loneliness will start to fade soon.

I plan on joining (or at least trying to join) the worship team at church. After spending the last three years wishing I was helping lead worship, I decided to “cowboy up” and tell my friends (the Worship Arts pastors at church) that I want to join the worship team. Of course, this all depends on what shift I end up working…

Speaking of work, I don’t have to go to work again until 3 September! I’ve been off work for a total of 7.5 out of the last 8 days! I’m loving the time off. It will be nice to have a schedule again, though. But 10 days of relaxing will make up for the not having a schedule, I think.

I miss my boys. Oscar got into a fight (or rather, was fought with) the other day. Dear, sweet, innocent Oscar! He got bitten around the base of his tail and had to be taken to the vet to have a shunt put in so it could properly drain (it got infected)! My sweet little man has a shaved bum, now, and battle scars!

That’s really all I have to say right now. Except for this: bring on the visitors!!!!!

the calm before the storm

There was a thunderstorm last night - the first time I’ve heard/seen it storm here in the almost three years I’ve lived in England. There was no calm before the storm. The weather was bad, then it just got worse.

Yet there was something strangely calming about hearing the thunder, the wind and the rain pelting my bedroom window. It put me to sleep.

I miss thunderstorms. I love driving in them. I love standing inside and watching the storms (especially the lightning and the way the trees seems to dance in the wind). I love standing out in a rain storm.

The storm relaxed me in a way I haven’t been able to relax in awhile. How is it that something to “scary” can do so much to relax me? I would like some more storms, I think. They help me remember the beauty that is God’s creation. Sometimes I take the beauty of nature for granted. Storms remind me of who created nature…

Thank You for the reminder.

ants & three-day weekends

It's a three-day weekend for me. The first of two in a row (almost unheard of at this base lovingly referred to as "Lakenhell"). Pilots are allowed patches on their flight suits called "morale patches". One famous one from our base consists of two guys facing each other, one kicking the other in the groin. The text? "Lakenheath - morale stops here".


Believe it or not, it's true. That's what makes these little surprise/short notice three-day weekends so nice. If we don't know about them in advance, and they just happen, we really do feel like we're appreciated. At least I do.



There seem to be so many options when one is faced with multiple three-day weekends (or, heck, even just one three-day weekend). Unfortunately, I think mine will be spent being responsible - spring cleaning, do some much-needed dishes and laundry, etc.



I also need to call my landlady about my recent (aka happened this morning) ant infestation. No joke... it's nasty. There is a never-ending trail of ants front my front door to a wall inside my living room. The entryway into my living room is currently a black moving stream. I'm trying to keep the ants at bay with chili pepper (I don't have cayenne pepper - that works the best), and it seems to be working. At least right now.

I haven't seen Karen in what seems like decades. She might be staying over this weekend (although I still won't get to see much of her). She has a weekend-long class on Mildenhall, but even seeing her just after her classes is good enough for me. We're WAY overdue a shopping trip. She is my best friend here... Life seems kind of empty without her here for me to make a fool of myself with. She's a great stress reliever for me.


We'll see each other soon. And when we do, watch out Cambridge!