This was one of those days....

We've been told that if you wait for a sunny day to explore England, you'll never see anything. Today was one of those days. We decided to head over to Portsmouth for the Victorian Christmas at the historic dockyards. It was worth the cold and drizzle and we really should have left the house much earlier. But it was still a good time. Here are some photos of our adventure.
They had snow machines and it was almost cold enough for real snow anyway. But it was very charming.All through the dockyards were people performing skits in Victorian costume. It was greatThere were two historic ships for us to tour. We only had time to see the HMS Warrior.

I think Victor is thinking he joined the wrong military branch!

Photo updates

This is the Weld and Down Museum near Chichester. It was a cloudy day but still fun. There was a Christmas Fayre the day we went and it was pretty cool.

Musicians playing Christmas songs. A little early in the season (it's not even Advent yet) but still nice to hear.
This was the Christmas Fayre at my church on Nov 22. I helped out at the Arts and Crafts booth. It was fun to be a part of a community.
Father Christmas was at our church and these were his little helpers. It's too bad I didn't get a photo of his grotto. It was almost scary.
Our church, St. Mary's, has it's own brew and held a contest to name it. A 17 year old won with "Ale Mary".
This is Blenheim Palace where Winston Churchill was born and sort of raised. He spent most of his life away at boarding schools but none the less, this is the family home. We learned quite a lot here!
And finally, me and Vic at the back of the palace. I was a chilly day but at least the sun was out. It only began to pour on our walk back to our car in the muddy field!! Good times.

All things new

Two new things today:
1) I got a JOB! I'll start in January at the Tile Barn Center in Brockenhurst as an instructor on the Aim High program. I'll be working with students who need a little extra help with becoming themselves. Of course we all could use a little help in that department but these students just need a little extra help. It's been such a success that they needed to hire more instructors: hense, I have a job. YEAH!! However, I think this means no more spinning on Wed mornings with my friends...boooo!

2) I started a new blog. It's sort of my spiritual side where I'll be reflecting on the weekly text. Of course now that I'll be starting a job in the new year, I'm not sure how long it will last. Plus, we'll be out of town for Christmas so I'm not sure if I'll be posting then either. Well, it's something to but on Google Reader. And if you haven't set up a Google Reader account you should. The new blog is: Lady in Waiting. So check it out and feel free to use it as a place to put your thoughts as well.

Tonight we're having tacos. I love tacos.

I haven't blogged all week!

What have I been doing? Well, lots of stuff. But maybe it has to do with the weather. It's been really weird all week and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

My sister and I were talking about Christmas presents this year and she told me the kids might enjoy knitted hats if they are Ohio State or Cleveland Browns colors. So today I whipped up some yarn and dyed it red with Kool-Aid. (sorry no photos yet) and it looks great!! I can't wait to make it into something the kids will love. But you never know with kids and hand made stuff. Hopefully they'll cherish these gifts when they are older.

This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen

Seriously Cool!

What do you think?

After playing Guitar Hero for a few weeks now, Victor and I have decided that we really don't know many of the songs and it's getting annoying. We've come to the conclusion that they need to come out with a new version of Guitar Hero. Let's call it the lighter side of Guitar Hero. Let's call it Guitar Hero: John Denver. Who's with us?

I have a job interview!

How cool is that? Next Friday I'll travel over to Brockenhurst to interview at Tile Barn Centre for the instructor position. I'll be pulling on all my past endevors for this job. I'm not sure if I'm what they're looking for but I have so much random experience that hopefully I can be flexible enough to fit in.

It's fun to think that I'll be working outside again and helping people with group building, wilderness survival and outdoor activity. I always loved the jobs I had that involved these activites. Plus, it will be a chance to get out of the house and be in the fresh air, rather than a office, or some sort of store. Of course, I will have to get through the interview first!

Working has been a strange journey since I've moved here. On one hand I've really been doing some creative stuff at home (spinning, knittig, quilting...) and work just means more time away from those things. But on the other hand I NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE!! So there you go.

Of course I cen get out of the house when ever I like but I think it's more the idea that I have such little purpose outside of my self. The things that I do center all around me and Victor. It would be nice to get away from working for myself, and back to working for others. I was reading about servant leadership today and it started my thinking wheels. I frequently find myself in jobs where I posess the role of the servant leader and when I'm not in one of those positions, I feel a bit empty. It's not that I need to be needed but I need to be in a position to help and guide.

So wish me luck on Firday the 28th and I'll keep you updated on the progress.

I finally finished this quilt I started in 2005! It's made out of scraps from skirts I made while in seminary and I pieced it together on the sewing machine but decided to hand quilt all the layers together. This is why it took me so long...well, that and I moved three times since I started it and didn't really unpack it each time.
Rather than the quick and easy method of quilt making I decided to go for the hand method to honor my great grandma Gladys. Of course, she would have made the whole thing by hand but who's going to tell her?
And while I was finishing the boarder I noticed that I forgot to quilt one corner. So rather than the old method I decided to quilt in the names of my mom's family as sort of a family tree also in honor of Gladys. I hope none of them read this because I'm sending it to them for Thanksgiving to celebrate my grandparents move to their new home. I'm sure I'll get it back some day but for now it will be like a reminder of the kids living in England.

It is such a relief to be done with it because I have so many other projects I would love to work on now that I have so much time on my hands. I'm really trying to get the creative juices flowing whilst I have some down time.

This is for all of my Bay Area friends

How cool is that?

Double Dipping

We'll see how this turns out! I think I'll even add some more colors just for fun:)

Another blog to be born soon

I've made the decision to start another blog that will hopefully fill some what of an empty space in my daily life.
Start date? Not sure yet. If I can get it up this week then that will be fantastic.
New Name? Well, I checked and Lady in Waiting is taken. But I think that Katie in Waiting is just as good.
I'll let you know what to look for.

In other news, I made a new friend down the street...well, not literally, but pretty damn close. Yay for cool people, seriously. I've been in need to someone to chat with and of course I met her through Ravelry: the best website on the face of the earth. Plus, I've been going to knit with a group in Southampton for the past two weeks on Thursday nights. I get to take the train and everything:) I love public transportation.

iCan'tbelieveit

This is the first photo I took with my iPhone. I'm not sure why I have one but I do and they are quite a bit cheaper in the UK than in the States. I think Victor sort of convinced me that I will get a lot of use out of an iPhone because it really does a TON of stuff. I like the idea of being in any city and having sat nav at my finger tips. Gone are the days when I wore a compass on my watch. That's how I found my way around the last time I lived in Europe. Oh how times have changed.

I think I'm going to start a new blog.

This video has nothing to do with the new blog I am thinking of starting but it does have something to do with new. You might think that these guys are old time dancers and dancing a dance that has been around for ages but you are wrong. Men dressed up in weird outfits with bells on their legs is not as old as you would think. So what does this have to do with new? Well, I think I'm going to start a new blog. And for clarification sake I should mention that I'm not closing down the one I have now, just adding another.

Back when I was questioning my spirituality (yesterday) I had a few friends suggest we get together on the internet for some lively discussion of theological topics. Now as much as that sounds like a good time to everyone out there, I must say that it got some wheels turning. I think I'm going to start a blog where I study the weekly lectionary and give a short reflection on the text. This might sound a bit boring to most of you out there but I promise for the ones who think this could be interesting, I promise not to be too far off the wall.

Not sure how this will all pan out, I'm thinking about having a different theme every week. Or for the month of December, try to relate every week to a theme in Harry Potter. On top of this I hope to start reading more books but staying away from websites (other than text week because I love it).

So, how does that sound?

And I'm thinking of calling it: Lady in Waiting

Kids need a mom and a dad?

I check in to my friend Kellen's blog on a regular basis and he always has something interesting to think about. To understand the rest of this post, check out this video he posted.

So, our country is coming to a point where gay marriage is becoming legal in various states (finally). Tony Perkins says that gay marriage would basically destroy the American family because all kids need a mom and a dad; not a mom and a mom or a dad and a dad. Ok, so if this is the case then shouldn't the courts outlaw divorce? If a mom and a dad are so important then don't you think that the courts should to everything in their power so kids get two parents of different genders?

It is just ridiculous to argue against gay marriage because it destroys the model family life. Why don't they just come out and say what they really think about the issue rather than hide behind the legal talk of the court system? Why are people so dumb?

I've been wondering lately about my own spirituality. Since moving to England I've been attending an Anglican church on Sundays and at least twice a week, morning prayer. It's a lovely church and I really like the people there but there is just something different about how this effects what I consider my spirituality. I've never considered my self to be "spiritual" but there are things that I miss from my past life as being directly involved with churches. I think that working for congregations has always helped me keep up with reading the Bible, studying theology and thinking about how this is working in my life. Now that I'm not responsible for Bible studies and the like, I feel the hole. And this is now my life. So what am I going to do about it? No idea.

Happy Birthday to me...

With a few bucks for my birthday I decided to go for a new spinning wheel. I have appreciated the loner I have now but I think that this is going to be a long term love enough to make the purchase. Plus, I found a used on online at a local dealer that is about $250 cheaper than anything I can get in the USA. This photo is just something I found online. The one I'm getting is a double treadle. I'm a total geek.

Ok, I had to add this one too

I had to add this one for all the math geeks out there who need to use their heart instead of their heads to find love. You know who you are.

PS- I married one so I know there is hope.

xkcd

I found this comic randomly on the internet while searching for guitar hero images. Most of the comics are funny but this one is a little on the funny-serious side. A new distraction...I always need more.

Just for fun

Kellen just posted a video that I love and it reminded me of OK Go. So if you've never watched this you should. They are great!

Salisbury

I totally forgot about photos on my camera from when my dad and step mom came to visit! Here are some great photos of Salisbury Cathedral. I would love to go back there!

You can see Dad, Martha and Victor standing in front of the door in the center...you might need to put your face up against the computer screen.

They installed this baptismal font last year. It is one of the most amazing fonts I have ever seen.

There are shrines all over the cathedral for people from the town who have died. This is one of the more colorful ones. Also buried in this cathedral are many knights from the crusades. Ah, history.

The steeple on this cathedral is very famous. It weighs so much that when it was finished, the stone supports on the inside of the church actually bowed. I have a photo of that and it's freaky but they reinforced it so it's safe...sort of.

And of course, where would we be without Starbucks. My sister Meghan said that she has photos of her mom in front of Starbucks all over the world. I guess we all think alike.

The best birthday present ever!

Last night I went to Southampton to meet up with a knitting group and left before Victor got home from work. I was gone about four hours and left him instructions on how to put together the pizza I prepared earlier that day for dinner. Victor does not really like to cook so I figured this was a really good idea. On my walk back from the train station he calls the cell phone wondering when I'll be home because he just put the pizza in the oven. I thought it was nice of him to wait for me to get home for dinner.

We ate dinner and watched back episodes of Heroes: good times. Then Vic clears the plates and asks if I want dessert. Well, I wasn't very hungry, but who says no to dessert? So he dims the lights and brings out a beautiful cake with candles! I just started to laugh because it was such a surprise. On closer inspection I notice that it's homemade...by Victor! He decided, since I was gone for the evening, he would have time to bake my favorite cake: red velvet. You have to understand that this cake is quite difficult to make and usually takes much time and effort. He had to go to the store after work and buy specific ingredients and even cake pans! It was wonderful and also tasted yummy. I was so proud of him for tackling such a feat of baking. And for someone who has most likely never baked anything from scratch in his life, he did a wonderful job. The only thing he got wrong was that he didn't add the right amount of food coloring and the cake turned out a little brown...but then again, I've been known to make my red cakes brown as well. I have the best husband in the whole world.

Post Election WHAT?

Last night we went over to Cosham for bonfire night and it was pretty fun. Fireworks, HUGE bonfire, trees almost going up in flames...you know, the usual. We met up with one of Vic's US coworkers and his local girlfriend. We had a pretty good time hanging out but what I thought was funny was our small conversation with the local about the election. She was wondering why the new president elect waits until January to take office. You know, I wonder the same thing? Why does it take so long for the USA to install it's political leaders? This is the short story of how they do it in England (explained to me my the spinners):

Step 1: People not happy with government/Prime minister term is up
Step 2: Hold election the next week
Step 3: New person (or same person) takes office the next week

Doesn't that sound so lovely? I vote we do it that way next time. They don't have political commercials like we do. Now that is a country I want to live in!! HA HA HA!!

My dad, the inventor

If there is one thing my dad has taught me it's never say "it can't be done". I have featured his invention in a previous post but this time it's the big time. It seems that telling my dad "it can't be done" has lead to something big. Way to go DAD!

Click here for the full story

The ancient city of Winchester

This Starbucks is in one of the oldest, if not the oldest, cities in England: Winchester. It was the original capital city of England. This street was the main shopping area of town but I just had to take a photo of this one! HA! Although, I will have to say that Starbucks in England is very eco friendly and socially conscious. I love living here.

I have been commissioned!

A friend of mine who has recently been ordained, asked me to make her a stole for Advent. Today I went to get some fabric for the project and now I can't wait to get out the sewing machine. It's nice to have a project to work on. Well, I have been knitting and spinning but I really like to have a project that is going toward something important. Plus I get to be creative and make what ever I want!

I should have enough fabric to create more than one so maybe I'll be giving out more than one this year. They are super easy to make and so fun to create. I made a pink one for my internship supervisor so that when I left, he could wear it to have some female representation up front. Pink isn't exactly a seasonal color, nor a color I identify with, but it was fun to make.

It's creative time!

Join the Army....of Women!

Unfortunately, there are some things I cannot do whilst living in England. But YOU can do them! Join the Army of Women and do your part to help researchers find out more about breast cancer. I plead with you, as someone who can't join for the next two years, do it for me! You could call it a birthday gift...since my birthday is coming up:)

Click here to join the Army of Women

Our first visitors!

Today my dad and step mom are coming today for a little visit:) YAY!! I love visitors!

I'm Dyeing...My Handspun!

Yum! Doesn't that look like a nice pot of purple noodles? Well, it's my first batch of Kool Aid dyed yarn. I used grape and black cherry. We'll see how it turned out soon enough! And my kitchen smells like fruit...well, chemically altered fruit.
This is my second batch and I used cherry, lemonade, and orange. It's on the stove right now. I think this one will go to my friend Kellen who was the first person to request my hand spun yarn. And I didn't even know he was a knitter! Brilliance.

This one is for Sarah...yes, that's you, Montana girl!

Take a look at this!

And a little closer just for clarification....
That's right! I found the grave of Jane Austen! Well, I had read somewhere that she was buried in the Winchester Cathedral but when I was there I forgot. But thanks to Victor for reading the brochure and finding this special occasion. So now, Sarah, when you come visit, we have yet another Jane Austen sight to see! And make sure you bring Kari and Katy with you.
And here's a photo of the Cathedral from the front:

I figured out a solution to my problem...ok, my dad figured it out

Yes I am a 29 year old independant woman but sometimes I do get good advice from my dad. I was talking to him yesterday about the outrageous cost of notarization in the UK and he wondered out loud if the nearest AFB could just do it for me. So I made the call this morning and even though I need to drive two hours there and two hours back, it won't cost me much more.

I really need to get into miliatry mode!

You're not going to believe this

I got my voting ballot the other day via email like I requested but that isn't the unbelievable part of this post. I have to get the ballot notarized in order for it to count. Seems legal, right? Well, to have anything notarized in the UK it will cost me 141.00 Pounds. Now let's do the math:
141.00 x 1.71949= 242.447

Yes. ladies and gentlemen, it will cost me $242.45 to vote in this November's election. And believe it or not, and exchange rate of 1.71949 is REALLY GOOD! So, should I pay up or succumb to the fact that my one little vote isn't really going to make a difference?

The Victorage

Well, I don't have inside photos yet because it's still a mess, but here are some outside photos of the house. We live in a semi-detached and our front door is on the side through a little gate.

Our front/side door.

This is our back yard (or back garden) and it's a bit overgrown in this photo but we have recently had it trimmed. Now, it looks nothing like this.

This is just one of the MANY spiders that hang around our house. I hear that they come inside during the cold weather!! The number one fear in England is spiders. However, none of them are poisonous but I wouldn't want them hanging around my living room either. YIKES!

Bristol, Bath and Nottingham

What a weekend! We went to a few places and they were all pretty fantastic. I have a few photos and I've been thinking that I should set up a photo gallery on one of those photo hosting site. I have a Flickr account but I only have knitting on it to upload to Ravelry. But I'll see what I can do. Here are a few of my favorite photos of Bath:
I didn't actually go into the Jane Austen center because I'm waiting for Sarah to come visit. But until then I'll be reading my first Austen novel:)

This was a beautiful day!

The Abby with Jacob's ladder on either side. It was ginormous.

And now Nottingham photos! We met up with a friend who spent the last two years in Germany for the Robin Hood Beer Fest. His sister and her husband live in Nottingham and they were great hosts. I have a feeling we're going to be meeting up with them on a regular basis.

Andrea, John, Katie, Victor and Robin

At the Beer fest! Victor, Katie, Bryan, Andrea, Penny and .... this is horrible that I can't remember this girl's name!!!

England's oldest pub: 1189! The guys would have a drink here before heading off to the Crusades...which is also sort of sad.

Yes, sir. Yes, sir, three bags full!

Ok, maybe not three bags, but yes that is a full fleece in that garbage bag. Apparently I am the new spinning sensation in Portchester. I joined the Spinners and Wool Crafters association at the Portchester Parish Hall on Wednesday mornings. It is fantastic and I just love spinning. Today was my second day and the ladies were amazed that I've been picking it up fairly easily. I don't know why, but it really does come to me easily and I really like it. Plus, I bought some Kool Aid to dye my first yarn and I can't wait to see what it will become. Here's a photo of my wheel (on borrow) and the first skein of wool I've spun:
My handiwork up close. If you know anything about yarn you see that I have a bit to learn about ply:)
So this blue bit of fleese is in the new bundle I got today from the fellow Lutheran in the group. It's fresh off the sheep and I'm just wondering what this blue stuff is? My job is to clean the whole bunch and then I'll be able to run it through the barrel.
That's what I've got for today. I really love spinning and if you have a request for some hand spun yarn I would love to be able to fill some orders...who knows, I might just start my own business?! However, for you knitters that I know and love, you'll just have to put up postage!!

The Big Knit and Mock the Week: good times

I've been knitting little hats for The Big Knit! They will go on Innocent smoothies to be sold during the cold months and they will help keep old people warm this Winter. It's so fun and wonderful because I have all these little left over bits of yarn and nothing to do with them. I highly recommend checking it out!


Victor and I have been watching British TV and it's pretty amazing....well, not really amazing but sometimes it's really funny. Our favorite show by far is Mock the Week. Here is an example of one bit that is dear to my heart.



If you want to see more just go to YouTube and search Mock the Week. We love them.

I realize that I've posted this video twice already but I just realized the other day that Balloon Fiesta is coming up and I'm going to miss it. Bummer.

Now that we've been in England for a month I'm beginning to go through all those moving feelings again. The ones that I hate the worst are the "I don't have any friends" feelings. I tried to join up with a football club last night but the directions I got were not great at all. It's a long story of me driving around a neighborhood for a half hour trying to find the pitch. I was so frustrated I almost broke down crying in my car. But really, I just wanted to be around people my age who are involved in things I like to be involved in.
I joined the Spinners group in Portchester and they are a really nice group of ladies but they are older than my parents and some even able to be my grandparents. They're fun, they're nice but it's not the same as having friends from my own era.
And of course I know that it takes time to make friends. When I was in Albuquerque I had a friend through the Air Force who lived down the street and that was great! But we don't really have that here. On the other hand, I really like that we don't live near a base because it is great to live away from all things American.
Do I sound like I'm complaining? Well, I'm not really downhearted about the whole thing, I just would like some friends:) So that means that YOU have to come visit!! Unless, of course, I don't know you then that might be a little awkward.

Today is one of those days...

One of those wonderful days! You know, when the air is crisp and you can tell that Fall is on it's way. I love days like today.

Ever since we've moved in to our house (photos soon, I promise) I have been doing my shopping at the village (photos soon, I promise). I ride my bike up to the shops and go from store to store with my shopping list. We have two grocery chains in town Somerfield and Iceland. Now I'm not quite sure but Iceland is not the place I like to shop. Somerfield seems more inviting and also stocks more organic, earth friendly products. Plus Iceland just sound cold. But I tend to get all of my veggies, meats and bread from their respective shops in the village. And on Wednesdays there is a market in the center where I can get all sorts of fresh fruits and veggies!

Today I needed to get milk and decided that the front basket on my bike isn't condusive for heavy loads so I went to the bike shop to get a basket for the back. So I am now officially equiped for full on shopping in my village of Portchester. I feel so local.