UPDATE

Hello everyone,

We've been in the UK for almost 2 months. Things are starting to settle down and our children are finally getting the stability they need to be at least moderately functional. Scarlett started kindergarten at Finborough(Which is basically Hogwarts, no big deal). It's a truly wonderful school with a lovely staff. She has made a lot of friends, and looks forward to the learning new things. Her favorite subjects are Art, science, and swimming. Plus, she is absolutely adorable in her uniform!
Eve really misses her while she's at school. Though, in the back of her mind she's probably thinking, "I would have made a fabulous only child!" Plus, Will hasn't actually started working so he's at her beck and call. Things are different here.  It seems to me that they're much more family oriented. Will finished one course and fully expected to be sent to another, and instead they said, "You should use this down time to explore with your family. Get them set up." Which has been nice. But Will is ready to get back to work. There was a conference in Germany that he attended 2 weeks ago, and in two weeks, he leaves for a fast tracked British version of flight school. Again, England is small, so we'll see him on the weekends.

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to do much traveling now that Scarlett has been in school for 3 weeks! We did get to spend 2 nights in London, but I'm writing a separate post for that. d

Our stuff was delivered 5 days ago. We have basically been without our household goods for 2 1/2 months. So far, NOTHING is broken. It's truly a miracle. I spent hours on the internet reading horror stories about military moves abroad. "MY TV WAS STOLEN! SOMEONE SHIT IN MY GRANDMOTHERS ASHES! WHY ARE ALL OF MY PLATES BROKEN?!" But none of that happened. Everything was in tact, and everything was accounted for. There was some mouse poop on top of my Keurig, but I'm not surprised. Crates and boxes on a boat for 2 months? Bring on the mice babies. The Housing company is picking up the furniture that they lent us on Thursday. But, for the most part, we're unpacked.

Scarlett and Eve just celebrated their 5th and 2nd birthday this weekend. It was uneventful. But we really needed that. Can't believe how much they've grown. Usually, humor is how I handle every event in our life, big or small, but I need to have a sappy mother moment: My sweet little puddings are turning into actual children.. I'm so honored to be responsible for their upbringing!

On a sad note, our feline child, Slicky, passed away in his sleep. He was 17 years old. I found him on the counter around 8 pm. Went to open a can of tuna and he didn't move. At that moment, it was apparent that Slick was gone. From what we can tell, he had a very peaceful and easy release. Our friends helped me bury him, and consoled me while it was done. Will came home from Germany the next day and together we told Scar. She is still incredibly upset about it. That furry man beast was there her whole life, and his absence, his furry cat void, is very noticeable. Almost every single day, we find ourselves asking, "Did you feed the cat?!?!" Because, if you didn't feed him in time, he'd poop next to your shoes, or bite your back fat while you slept. He was a kitten when I picked him (I was 10); we grew up together.

I know it's been a while since I've written anything. I'm a lazy beast and I've been horribly homesick! It's causing me to be irritable and anxious. Along with the lack of summer, and the significant time difference, it has me in quite the funk. However, I've made it a point to not think about the negative things. Everyday, we find another reason to love this town.

-ash