Summer's gone already?
Oh dear, oh dear! It has been a long time since I have written anything! I have to catch you up to speed: I’ll share the bad news first: You may recall mention of a bike trailer that I had purchased.
It gave me immeasurable pleasure. Alas, after one month it was stolen. ☹
That aside, the rest of our news is good: Sierra learned how to ride her bike with no training wheels! Yeah!
Our summer was cold and drippy, but we didn’t have any flooding like they did in England. Hooray! And we were even able to escape Scotland a time or two. Yippee!
Sierra’s school year ended on July 6th. Before it did, we joined some other church members at a family retreat in Pitlochry. Later that month, we hosted a joint birthday party for Sierra and her friend Julia. (Neither her mom nor I managed to organize parties for the girls in December, so they got to celebrate on their half birthdays.)
Then Sierra was in a riveting performance of Dumbo the Dinosaur at the conclusion of her drama class.
.JPG)
Shortly after that, an ad in the newspaper caught my eye, so I began the process of applying for a cabin crew position with a company called Flightline. The job would have entailed 10 days of flying a month between Aberdeen and Shetland. Unfortunately, I had to refuse it when I figured that I would have been working to pay a sitter! In the midst of it all, I began driving lessons. (My international license – my US license – is only valid here for one year.) Please keep your fingers crossed for me; I have my test on Sep. 19. It sounds like nothing, but only 42% pass the first time. I know someone who passed on her fifth attempt. The UK has very high standards for drivers, and, besides the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road, they have other peculiarities too.
The week after Sierra’s school year ended, my parents arrived. They were here for two weeks. While they were here, we went to Ireland and visited Dublin and the surroundings.
In Ireland, I felt like we had dove into history.
Here in Scotland, we were pleased to see the Highland Games on an unusually sunny day. We also visited various castles and museums. It was really nice to have my parents here to show them some of the places that are special to us and to share their company. The time went too quickly!
A couple of days after my parents left, Steve packed up for a month in Germany where he is completing an intensive language program at the Goethe Institute in Bremen. He gave a sermon at the evening service at our church the night before he left. If you are interested in hearing it, it may still be available at http://www.dcfchurch.com/recent.htm. His message put me at ease: where I had been worried about managing for a month without him, his sermon reminded me that I can trust God completely to supply all I need!
Since Steve left on July 30, the kids and I haven’t skipped a beat. Of course, we’ve missed Steve. (Austen was feeling a bit sore with him for leaving and wouldn’t speak to him on the phone at all!) After Steve left, we had trips to parks and libraries, play dates with friends and even attended a jousted tournament at a local castle!
All those things kept us busy for one week. The next week, we participated in Holiday Bible Club (read Vacation Bible School). I worked with the children aged 7 and 8. Austen stayed with me and Sierra went with the P2s. The week was a little difficult as Sierra was under the weather. She developed a fever every evening but in the mornings woke feeling fine. One day, she succumbed completely. We barely made it home in time. In spite of illness, we had fun and all of us learned a thing or two.
The Sunday following Holiday Bible Club was a little sketchy too when Austen developed stomach flu; we were slated to travel to Germany that day! We managed, thankfully! In Germany, we were hosted by two very gracious people – Inge and Berndt Wanske. I met them more that 15 years ago in Ecuador. They showed us their lovely region of the country in the state of North Rhine/Westfalia and kept the kids and me entertained.
Then they put us on a train to Bremen where we spent the weekend with Steve. We all had a great time and even the children are wondering when we can go back to Germany!
August 20th found the kids and me back in Aberdeen. Sierra began P2 the next day.
She likes her new teacher and is excited about the year. Austen starts nursery next Tuesday. He will attend five days a week each morning. We are starting to think about how we will celebrate his 4th birthday in October. Will it be Spider Man? Racing cars? Power Rangers? I guess you’ll have to wait and see!
Summer was over and gone in a flash! We’ll be eager to hear how it went for you! Happy Labor Day!
It gave me immeasurable pleasure. Alas, after one month it was stolen. ☹
That aside, the rest of our news is good: Sierra learned how to ride her bike with no training wheels! Yeah!
Our summer was cold and drippy, but we didn’t have any flooding like they did in England. Hooray! And we were even able to escape Scotland a time or two. Yippee!
Sierra’s school year ended on July 6th. Before it did, we joined some other church members at a family retreat in Pitlochry. Later that month, we hosted a joint birthday party for Sierra and her friend Julia. (Neither her mom nor I managed to organize parties for the girls in December, so they got to celebrate on their half birthdays.)
Then Sierra was in a riveting performance of Dumbo the Dinosaur at the conclusion of her drama class.
.JPG)
Shortly after that, an ad in the newspaper caught my eye, so I began the process of applying for a cabin crew position with a company called Flightline. The job would have entailed 10 days of flying a month between Aberdeen and Shetland. Unfortunately, I had to refuse it when I figured that I would have been working to pay a sitter! In the midst of it all, I began driving lessons. (My international license – my US license – is only valid here for one year.) Please keep your fingers crossed for me; I have my test on Sep. 19. It sounds like nothing, but only 42% pass the first time. I know someone who passed on her fifth attempt. The UK has very high standards for drivers, and, besides the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road, they have other peculiarities too.
The week after Sierra’s school year ended, my parents arrived. They were here for two weeks. While they were here, we went to Ireland and visited Dublin and the surroundings.
In Ireland, I felt like we had dove into history.
Here in Scotland, we were pleased to see the Highland Games on an unusually sunny day. We also visited various castles and museums. It was really nice to have my parents here to show them some of the places that are special to us and to share their company. The time went too quickly!
A couple of days after my parents left, Steve packed up for a month in Germany where he is completing an intensive language program at the Goethe Institute in Bremen. He gave a sermon at the evening service at our church the night before he left. If you are interested in hearing it, it may still be available at http://www.dcfchurch.com/recent.htm. His message put me at ease: where I had been worried about managing for a month without him, his sermon reminded me that I can trust God completely to supply all I need!
Since Steve left on July 30, the kids and I haven’t skipped a beat. Of course, we’ve missed Steve. (Austen was feeling a bit sore with him for leaving and wouldn’t speak to him on the phone at all!) After Steve left, we had trips to parks and libraries, play dates with friends and even attended a jousted tournament at a local castle!
All those things kept us busy for one week. The next week, we participated in Holiday Bible Club (read Vacation Bible School). I worked with the children aged 7 and 8. Austen stayed with me and Sierra went with the P2s. The week was a little difficult as Sierra was under the weather. She developed a fever every evening but in the mornings woke feeling fine. One day, she succumbed completely. We barely made it home in time. In spite of illness, we had fun and all of us learned a thing or two.
The Sunday following Holiday Bible Club was a little sketchy too when Austen developed stomach flu; we were slated to travel to Germany that day! We managed, thankfully! In Germany, we were hosted by two very gracious people – Inge and Berndt Wanske. I met them more that 15 years ago in Ecuador. They showed us their lovely region of the country in the state of North Rhine/Westfalia and kept the kids and me entertained.
Then they put us on a train to Bremen where we spent the weekend with Steve. We all had a great time and even the children are wondering when we can go back to Germany!
August 20th found the kids and me back in Aberdeen. Sierra began P2 the next day.
She likes her new teacher and is excited about the year. Austen starts nursery next Tuesday. He will attend five days a week each morning. We are starting to think about how we will celebrate his 4th birthday in October. Will it be Spider Man? Racing cars? Power Rangers? I guess you’ll have to wait and see!
Summer was over and gone in a flash! We’ll be eager to hear how it went for you! Happy Labor Day!
posted by Steve and Lara | 6:17 AM
2 Comments:
Nice cake!
Is that really Spiderman or is that Austin? I can't tell.
Looks like you are making the most of your time overseas.
Mary
Hey Herrings!
Ian and Sally here. We have started a blog of our own, and we've added you to our links. Sounds like Scotland is treating you well. Blessings!
Post a Comment
<< Home