Back to the Grind...

The good news is that I passed my Criminal Law Class- with a nice grade. Not an A, but close... I am very relieved. All during the break I was planning my return to the states. I thought about admitting defeat. Quitting. It was all set... and then I passed! So we are here and it feels good.

I tried to make books for the kids for Christmas, but that didn't happen. I thought about baking, but that didn't happen either. For Atlas' birthday he got a giant store-bought panatone! The shame of having a store-bought cake! However, I did relax and finally go to the movies (after not going for 4 months) and I did make the books for the kids when they went back to school- maybe I'll give the books to them for Valentine's Day...


I love living here. I was really prepared for rain and rain and rain. It hasn't been awful (yet?). The days are short and the sun sometimes doesn't come out but there are still a few roses in bloom in the odd garden and hydrangeas are starting to bud. It is still so green. The trees, even without their leaves, are majestic. And best of all, I love the buildings- the church spires and towers.

My vacation is almost over!

These three weeks we have done it all! Had Lovely family in town-
(this is the park behind our house) we miss Dreamy (Dries) terribly, celebrated a birthday- Atlas turned 12! Christmas, our 13 anniversary, a trip to Paris just Rich and me,


New Years and the Deadly UK Flu. I am recovering just now and the three littles are in the midst of it. Some highlights: me holding Paris who was just starting to get sick, Leif who had been complaining all morning that he was not feeling so good but begging to go play with his Scotland best friend. He told me that he felt like throwing up so I told him to go to the kitchen. He turned his head and started to throw up just as Richard walked in the door. I started laughing so hard. Poor Paris asked me why I was laughing. It was the culmination of the last 4 days. Me on the couch and now more sick kids to deal with. Poor Rich. Fast forward 16 hours. It is the early morning and I can't sleep. Dizzy and awake on the couch, Emilia enters announcing that she feels like throwing up. I tell her to go to the kitchen, she doesn't make it. Rich is asleep and the mess is up to me to clean. I wasn't laughing.

Our next challenge was getting rid of the Christmas tree. We are on the second floor of our flat and although we have wood floors, the stairs and entrance are all carpeted. There is no way that I'll vacuum up the millions of needles that will fall and neither will Rich, so our alternative is to toss the tree out our window.

It was a success!
And we never did any Christmas cards or any more Christmas pictures...