Home Sweet Home

Well it has been far too long since we last wrote, sorry about that!  As most of you know, we spent the first part of the summer visiting family, making moving plans, and just enjoying the land of the free!  It has been really good to be home.  Ben and I are now settled into our new place and absolutely loving it.  It would be hard not to love it though after three years in university accommodation!  Nonetheless, I thought it would be fun to show you our new place and mention some of my favorite details.

It was pretty fun moving into a place and getting to unpack all of our belongings for the first time in three years.  It felt like we were getting married all over again!  I have to say though, one of the things that God really changed in me while we were in Cambridge was my attachment to “stuff.”  I love stuff.  I love to decorate and entertain, and keep every special memento which means that it is very easy to accumulate.  There were times when Cambridge was really hard because we had so little, and yet the simplicity of life there changed me.  I loved having space.  I loved having empty drawers and cabinets that weren’t packed to the brim.  So as we moved into our new place, there were moments when I felt overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we had.

I counted eight spatulas.  Eight.  I have certainly never cooked with an octopus so it just seemed a tad excessive.  There was a point when I was unpacking our kitchen that I became overwhelmed as I was running out drawers and cabinets (granted, we don’t have many at all), and I just kept thinking, “what am I going to do with all this?”  I had never even used some of it.  So after we had opened every box, I started really looking at things and making “keep” and “give away” piles.  I had so looked forward to moving home, but I did not look forward to feeling like we were already bursting at the seams.  So we took about four boxes of stuff to goodwill and now I feel like we can breathe.  We have space.  Not every shelf is taken and not every drawer is filled.  It feels good.

So here is just a quick glance into our new home…

Entry way…I love the birds 🙂

I have my own couch again!!!!

My new dining room table…love, love, love!

Hallway to the bathroom and bedroom…love all the colors in the house!

Very small bedroom but it works!

Hands down my favorite thing is having a dishwasher again!

Ben’s little garden

We needed extra storage and Ben said he liked these wire racks…I was not a fan at first…now it is one of my favorite areas! Smart man that one!

Back to Life as Normal – Reflections on Zambia

The last few months have been an absolute whirlwind.  The fact that tomorrow is the first of July is bewildering to me since inwardly I feel like it is only March.  Where have the last three months gone?  Here is a quick run down of what all has gone on in our lives the last few months: a youth girls sleepover, the Cocksworth wedding, a three-week trip to Zambia, a girls weekend away, Ben’s parents arrived and we went to Brighton one weekend, I worked a few days and then we headed off to Rome for the Jubilee weekend, Ben’s parents left, Ben’s sister and her husband arrived a week later, the May ball took place, we attended another May ball two nights later, I worked a few days and then went to San Sebastian Spain with Ben’s sister and hubby, and then they left for the states on Tuesday.  It has been four days of calm and quiet.  My mind and body are only just beginning to take a deep breath and realise that the craziness is over.  Back to life as normal.

Now that I am starting to unwind, I would like to share some of my own thoughts on our adventure to Zambia.  This was our first trip to Africa and it was amazing.  Not in the “everything went perfectly” kind of way, but in the “I LOVE these people” kind of way.  It seems like a lot of people go to Africa and their lives are completely changed.  I think I experienced more of a gradual shift in my thinking and awareness of African culture.

Every day I learned something new.  I learned about courting and marriage customs. I learned that there are 73 tribes and numerous languages in just this one country.  I learned that nshima (pronounced cheema) is the staple food and they eat it every day and it is eaten with their hands.  I learned that fruits apart from mangos, are a luxury.  I learned that Zambians are extremely proud to be Zambians and take great pride in being a peaceful country.  I learned about generosity and kindness nearly every day.  I learned that Zambians take great pride in being a Christian country and I was blown away by how this actually plays out in so many aspects of their day-to-day lives. More than anything, I learned that the Zambian people are full of love and laughter.  You have not known hospitality until you have been to Zambia.

The experiences we had were wonderful, but as Ben said in our first post, it was the people who made our trip.  In just three weeks we made some amazing friends.  It was difficult to leave such loving people.  They filled me with joy and I am so grateful for the chance to have met them.  I can’t wait to tell you more about our trip…I get excited now just thinking about it again!

Embarrassing Moment #9 Spring Cleaning Mishap

My department at work has been restructured over the last two months and because of this, there were a lot of changes that needed to take place.  The biggest change was that we were moving desks, getting rid of old filing cabinets, getting new filing cabinets, and moving our payroll department into the adjacent office.  With all moving, cleaning, and clearing out, we decided to have a dress down day where we shut the office to get ourselves organised.  I love organising things, so I am always eager for these kind of days.  And then there is the reality that I just love any excuse to wear jeans to work!

I woke up that morning and felt especially excited about the day.  I get to wear jeans and my favorite OU t-shirt.  I was rumaging in my closet when I found that my favorite pair of jeans were clean.  I have had these jeans for years so I took a good look at them debating on whether I wanted to clean in them or not.  These were my favorite jeans but they were also my oldest which made them the best candidate for cleaning.  The only problem was a small little tear near the crotch.  I took a good long look at it and couldn’t decide if it was worth the risk.  I showed them to Ben who said, “It is only one day, they’ll be fine.”  So with that vote of confidence I put them on and headed to work.

We had a great morning.  We got the majority of the moving done by around 10:30 and even though Ben had said I would be fine, I found myself being cautious when I was bending down.  For those of you who know me, you will completely understand why I felt especially cautious.   We had finished all the big stuff and were now just moving small boxes.  It was then that I made my fatal mistake.  I bent down to pick up a heavier box and in order to use my legs instead of my back (as they always tell you to do), I pushed my knees out a bit like a frog and that was all it took. I heard the rip and suddenly I felt a woosh of cold air hit my inner thigh.  I looked up with panicked eyes to my colleague who had heard the same thing. She quickly made sure none of the guys came over to our side of the room.  I needed to assess the damage before I tried going anywhere, so I bent down and looked between my legs to find a three inch tear all along the seam of my favorite jeans.   Oh man!  Thankfully it was on the inside of my leg and wasn’t really that obvious to anyone who didn’t know it was there.  Still, I needed to change pants.

I grabbed my sweatshirt and wrapped it around my waist and sat on the floor and organised folders until lunch.  We were going to order lunch and thankfully the pizza place is near my flat, so I just had my colleague drop me off so I could quickly change pants.  I walked in the house to find Ben making lunch and he looked at me quizically as I dashed into our bedroom.  He came in and asked what I was doing home and it was then that I tossed my jeans at him for him to see how his advice had worked out.  This of course sent him into a fit of laughter and made me question if he had really thought I would make it a whole day in my pants, or if he was just hoping this exact scenario would occur!  As funny as the moment was (for everyone else), I found myself a little sad.  My favorite jeans had just died.  Right along with my dignity.  So much for my professionalism. 🙂

Belated Thanksgiving

This is one of my favorite seasons of the year.  Halloween kicks off the fall with pumpkin carvings, crisp nights, and cozy fires.  Thanksgiving rolls around and I am practically giddy with joy.  I love the food, the snow, the festivities that bring all those you love together.  It truly is a time to be thankful.  The fall season builds in wonderful anticipation for the pinnacle, the celebration of the birth of my Savior.  I find myself getting more and more excited as the weeks go by and my heart seems to be constantly drumming out a beat of thankfulness.  This season just brings an immense amount of peace and joy to me.

I spend a lot of time at bus stops.  Probably about an hour a day.  So I stand there every day in the FREEZING cold, wrapped in layers of scarves, mittens, and hats, headphones in, just smiling to myself.  It is pitch dark when I go home and pretty cold, but most nights, I am pretty content.  Not just content, I am really, really happy.  I am headed home to a husband I love and on a lot of nights, I get to look forward to spending time with people I love here in Cambridge.

We had a pretty amazing Thanksgiving this year.  That is partially because we had two of them!  We hosted Thanksgiving day at our new flat this year (and amazingly fit 14 people around our make-shift table!!) and it was wonderful.  Everyone brought a dish or two and it was a night just spent sitting around the table chatting and connecting…wo things I love to do.  Then just a few days later we hosted another Thanksgiving at the home of some of dear friends here in Cambridge. We had a large group of British students (21 to be exact!) who for the most part had never had an American Thanksgiving.  We assigned each of them an American dish and it was fantastic.  Both Thanksgivings were filled with fun, A-mazing food, and lots of wonderful conversation.  They were two very special Thanksgivings.

This Thanksgiving made me a bit more reflective and as I looked back over the last 6 months or so, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelming blessed.  Here are some of the things that came into my mind.

1. Our siblings weddings.  It wasn’t just the weddings of Zach & Stephanie, and Alex & Rachel, it was everything leading up to those beautiful days.  It was precious time with our families and their closest friends.  The four weeks we were in the states this summer will be some of the most memorable four weeks of my life.  Our friendship with our siblings is one of the greatest joys of my life.

2. My friend Cassie spending her savings to come and see me!  The two weeks that Cassie was here were beyond fun.  It was a whirlwind tour of Cambridge, London and Paris and my goodness it was a blast!  Getting to show one of my dearest friends around this beautiful city and just see our life here was so special.  She is one of those friends that just warms your heart.

3. Our brief but wonderful night with Sarah and Mark in London.  One of my old co-workers from PDS was in London for a few days and she and her husband invited us down for dinner.  We met up with them and enjoyed one of the most amazing meals I have had in England.  We ate at this absolutely phenomenal Moroccan restaurant (and I mean phenomenal) and spent the night just catching up, marvelling over how tasty the food was, and just sharing our lives with each other.  I have been so blessed by Sarah as she has made such an effort to stay in touch despite the distance.  The night was wonderful and is one that I think back on a lot.

4. The group of university students and older youth that we meet with.  We started meeting with these students about three months ago and they have just taken up residence in my heart.  They are such a joy to be around and I feel so blessed that we get to be a part of their lives.  The joy and laughter they bring into our home each Wednesday is something I look forward to each week.

5. Dream opportunities.  I never would have thought that I would have so many opportunities come my way that would make my dream career become more of a reality.  I have a good job, but it is what I do outside of work that makes me come alive.  I love planning events and connecting with people and I have been given amazing opportunities to that this fall.  I am so grateful to God for the way he makes un-realized dreams come true.

6.  Our parents.  I feel so fortunate to have the parents that we have.  They have become some of our closest friends and it has been such a joy to see how our relationships have grown in closeness since we have moved here.  We have gained a new appreciation and love for our parents being so far away.  I have felt especially blessed by the ways they have shown us love since coming here.  My dad has written me encouraging Facebook messages and sends me links to things that remind him of me.  Ben’s parents have recently sent us a box of American food that filled us more excitement than just about any other gift we could have received!  My mom has sent me the most amazing letters and cards that leave me feeling so special and loved.  We are truly blessed by the love and generosity of our families.

7. I have a great boss.  For those who know me, you know I haven’t had a great working experience here in the UK, but the redeeming factor has been my boss.  She is by far the best boss I have ever had.  She knows how to get the best out of me, and how to motivate me.  My job and salary are not ideal, but when you have a great boss, those things aren’t quite as important.  I am gaining new skills and being given opportunities that she knows I will be excited about.  That just doesn’t happen every day and I am really grateful for her.

8. My amazing husband.  There is nothing like two weeks apart that makes you acutely aware of how crazy you are about your spouse.  I don’t let too many days go by without telling Ben how much he blesses my life, but two weeks apart makes you aware of other things you are grateful for.  I am thankful for the humour and laughter he brings to my life.  I am thankful for how reliable and constant he is.  I am thankful for all the small ways that he tries to serve and care for me.  He makes me feel like a cherished gift.

9. A renewed sense of conviction.  We have been challenged a lot in our faith since coming here and we have spent countless hours talking through why we believe what we do, and why we hold certain convictions.  There are some areas where my convictions have lessened (rightly so I believe) and others where they have gotten stronger.  I am grateful for all the ways God has grown me, and I am so thankful for His closeness and nearness.

I could keep going, but I am guessing that most people have stopped reading by this point anyway.  Thanksgiving is a special time to reflect on how God has moved in our lives and all the ways He has blessed us.  I pray my heart would always see the beauty of our Lord and that it would rejoice in the goodness that flows from His hand.  Here are a few photos from the last few weeks…

Our American feast of goodness courtesty of Ben’s parents

The brits did good on their American recipes…so tasty!

Our generous host Kate!

Thanksgiving day…I love Johnny’s face here!

A few members of our Wednesday night group