crazy? I was crazy once...

It's finally over. As many of you know, last weekend I hiked 100 kilometers in 22 hours and 40 minutes. It's strange that you train for something for so long and then it's just over. But trust me, during the last 20 kilometers it felt like it would never be over.

Overall it was definitely worth it. I feel a great sense of accomplishment to have finished it. I would even do it again...if I only had to walk the first 80 kilometers. The last 20 kilometers were about the most painful hours of my life. The race was divided into 10 kilometer chunks and those last chunks seemed to drag on forever. By that point I had serious blisters and my ankles ached every time I took a step. Much of the trail was rocky and uneven so my ankles were constantly having to adjust to maintain balance. Interestingly, the uphill parts were easier than the downhill parts because the impact on my feet wasn't as painful.

502 teams of 4 started the race and although 83% of individuals finished, only 287 complete teams finished. According to the provisional results, we finished in 94th place out of the 287 complete teams. However, they robbed of us our time so I hope that the final results have the correct time. Even so, we finished in at least the top 1/3 of complete teams and even higher if you consider how many teams started. The fastest women's only team finished in 20 hours and 46 minutes so if we were ranked among women only teams we would be even higher! I was very excited when I learned our ranking because we were really just trying to finish it and were shooting for around 24 hours. So to come in less than 24 hours and so well in the rankings was exciting!

At the beginning I couldn't get my mind around just how far we had left to go. Once we had 10ks under our belts it was easier to keep going. Those last 20 kilometers were all in the mind. I don't think any amount of training would have prepared me for that. I originally signed up for this thinking it would be easier than a marathon because it was walking, not running. However, I'm thinking maybe a marathon would be easier. I'll think about it. For now, I'm taking a break from walking and then setting my sights on the Grand Canyon.

I've almost fully recovered now. I won't show you the pictures of my feet underneath the tape. Suffice it to say I had a lot of blisters and I've been limping on my feet the last few days. But now I can put full weight on my feet and the swelling in my ankles is going down. Woo hoo!

Right now I have some pictures on Facebook, but I'll update my website soon. At the top of one of many hillsSunset...and sunrise...finally FINISHED!

Check out this note from the Queen of England. The jokes in it are jokes I hear ALL the time.

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocatio n of your independence, effective immediately.

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy) .

Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.

Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.

A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

(You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

1. Then look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour', 'favour', 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise'. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels (look up 'vocabulary').

3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as 'like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let M*crosoft know on your behalf. The M*crosoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter "u" and the elimination of -ize.

4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not ready to shoot grouse.

6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

7. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables.

Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

8. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.

9. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

10. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable as they are, pound for pound, the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of British Com- monwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

11. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

12. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies). Don't try rugby - the South Africans and Kiwis will thrash you, like they regularly thrash us.

13. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.

14. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

15. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

16. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

God Save the Queen!

new neighbors?

I think I must have new neighbors. I've never heard so much loud conversation out my back windows. It's not just the conversation though...it's the squealing and crying child. That is definitely new and I am not a fan. I will just have to turn my music up louder.

Speaking of Neighbours (notice the spelling)...I bet you were dying to know it's the name of a very popular soap opera here. Not that I am into soap operas at all but I've heard of it. Kylie Minogue used to be on the show before she began her music career. Just FYI.

Clarification

Just to clarify, there is a trail we will be walking on. It's called the South Downs Way. England is unique (vs. the US anyway) in that there are lots of public walking trails all over the place. You can see a map of the trail here. The full trail is 100 miles and we'll be walking 60 of it- from Petersfield to Brighton. Although there is a trail, it's definitely off road and although it's supposedly well marked we still need to make sure we follow it correctly. But, we're hoping the compass is not actually needed or we'll be in trouble...

3 days to go...

I'll be getting up at 4:30 am Saturday to start walking 100 kilometers at 8:30am. When we finish is the million dollar question but we're hoping to finish within 24 to 28 hours. We've got all of our equipment including a survival bag (which hopefully we don't need!) and a compass (which I don't know how to use). We'll be trying to rely on the detailed maps and a GPS instead of the compass. I'll try to post status updates and pictures on Facebook from my cell phone...and I might call you if we need help reading a compass :)

The link on the left doesn't reflect it but we've nearly reached our fund-raising goal. Thanks to those of you who supported us. You can also support me by calling or texting during the hike (especially in the middle of the night) to remind me there is something out there besides the 100 kilometers of trail that stretch ahead of me.

So far the weather on Saturday looks good but please pray that it doesn't rain and that it's not too hot...and pray that we can finish!!

What I'll love about heaven

There's a lot I don't understand about heaven (there is a big understatement!). I know heaven will be amazing for lots of reasons - most importantly that we will be fully restored to our relationship with God and find our fulfillment. But the purpose of this post is not to list all the reasons why heaven will be fabulous.

The main reason on my mind currently is that we will no longer be separated from those we love. I don't know exactly how it will be but when we are all in heaven together I expect we won't have that sense of separation or longing. It's long been one of the things I hate most about life (even more than rain) that people come and go in our lives. I get particularly attached to people so if someone is a close friend for a period of time, then moves away, it is very hard to handle. We still remain friends but it's just not the same. I wish I could be with everyone I love all the time, as impractical as that may be!

This can happen when you're living in the same country but for me the feelings are heightened since moving to London and trying to merge two seemingly different lives. I'm sad by what I'm missing at home but now that I've made friends here it's also hard to think about leaving.

My one comfort is that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and we will all be together in heaven.

rain rain

It's July 7th, it's raining and the high temperature today in London is 63. Add that to the list of reasons to move back to America.

Hard Rock Calling

Last Sunday I went to see The Police headline Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park. It was an amazing show! It was their last show in the UK (I'm sure they've said that before) so they were giving it everything they had. Sting's voice is still great and they sounded awesome. KT Tunstall, Starsailor and The Bangles also played. KT Tunstall is great live. I hadn't heard Starsailor before but they were pretty good. And of course, I enjoyed seeing The Bangles play "Walk like an Egyptian" live.The Police!!KT Tunstall

The Bangles

Isn't it ironic

Happy Fourth of July! Yes, I am a little late with my Independence Day post but I hope everyone in America is having a nice long weekend. Please have a barbecue and watch fireworks for me. Last night I went to the British Museum for an American Independence Day celebration. Hm...strike anyone as a little ironic? A fourth of July party at the British Museum. They were having swing dancing and jazz. They also had some basketball and football players outside. Interesting combination. No fireworks, but it was fun.

Wimbledon update

Exciting news for the British at Wimbledon. Andy Murray is now in the quarter finals of Wimbledon. He won an incredible match, fighting back from 2 sets down. Now he faces Rafael Nadal...

Another surprising moment for British tennis was when Chris Eaton qualified for the tournament and had a big win in the first round...he lost but he's cute. Maybe there is some potential for the future.Finally, Venus and Serena Williams are both in the quarter final...maybe it will be an all Williams final?

buy Fairtrade chocolate on July 1st

Today is June 30th and tomorrow is July 1st. Below is an important update from Stop the Traffik:

July 1st is a very important day around the world.

It’s the day when the chocolate industry promised to make sure that no children were being used as slaves on cocoa farms.

It’s the day when we could eat a bar of our favorite chocolate such as a Mars, Kit Kat or Dairy Milk knowing that no child has been used in the harvesting of the cocoa beans that went to make the chocolate we love to eat.

Sadly there will be no celebrations on July 1st.

Industry has failed to keep its original promises.

Today, children as young as 12 are still being used as slaves on cocoa plantations.

Here are the words of one child after being rescued from a farm. “I will tell you how I lost my arm. I tried to escape, but I could not. They caught me and tied me to a papaya tree and they beat me and broke my arm. I used to dream horrible dreams that they were beating me and about many other things: the hard work, my family … I still have these dreams today”.

Although the majority of farmers would not treat children in this way, there are some who do, and there are an estimated 12,000 children trafficked onto cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast into a life of slavery.

In our community, thousands of people are buying chocolate without knowing that these children are suffering for our sweet tooth to make fat profits for an industry that hasn’t delivered on its promises.

In 2001 they said they would certify that farms were slave free. Now they are saying that they are gathering data on some of the areas where cocoa is harvested.

This is not what they promised.

This is not good enough after 7 years of waiting for the freedom, safety and protection of these children.

We get to choose which chocolate bar to buy, at little cost to us when our chocolate is costing some children their lives.

I have to confess, I don't always remember to buy fairtrade chocolate so I thought this would serve as a useful reminder to everyone to try and make a difference.

free single of the week

For those of you in the US, I recommend the iTunes free single of the week: "Black and Gold" by Sam Sparro. It was released awhile ago in the UK and it's one of my favorites. You can tell he is thinking about some deep, spiritual stuff!

crying wolf...

Excuse my little rant about work-related emails...but I hate when people overuse the "high importance" marking for emails. If every email I get from a person is marked with a red exclamation point it's not going to make me react faster, it's just going to make me mad.

Check your periodic table

Last night I mentioned something about aluminum cans in conversation and they responded, "You mean aluminium?" No, I meant aluminum. I thought she must have been joking.

It turns out aluminum is spelled and pronounced aluminium in most other countries besides the US. Again, thanks to Wikipedia I have learned that both spellings are acceptable but aluminium is the preferred spelling. (Even though it shows up as an incorrect spelling on my spell-checker!)

It took me 2 years to discover that and it blew my mind.

crack down

Recent news of arrests in human trafficking - including Toledo, Ohio.

Apparently Ohio is a hub for human trafficking due to several factors. Also, all the articles I've found about Ohio say that Ohio still does not have laws specifically targeting human trafficking (as of February 2008) although legislation is pending. The Freedom Center website has some tips and referred to the Polaris Project which combats modern-day slavery in the US. Check them out here and see how you can help.

What is a sultana?

In the UK they have raisins and sultanas...but to me a sultana looks just like a raisin! So, I finally got around to looking up the difference between a raisin and a sultana. This article on Wikipedia should explain why Americans don't know what sultanas are.

Stifled by choices

I know it seems like a contradiction to say that choices are stifling but I don't think you can argue with the fact that they certainly complicate things. I know I am blessed to have lots of choices in my life and I am grateful for that. However, sometimes I think life would be simpler and I could be more content if I had fewer choices.

Think of it in the context of our consumer society. Do I really need 10 choices of orange juice? Wouldn't I be just as happy if there were only a few choices? Does another addition really improve my life? But I can live with this. The real problem for me is big life decisions. Being single and in my twenties I realize there are so many directions I can take my life - how can I possibly decide which way to go? It would be easier if I was choosing between clearly good and clearly bad things but I am struggling with choosing between lots of good options.

I went through a bit of a quarter life crisis (don't laugh, they are real!) when I graduated from college but now I feel like I am re-hashing the same decisions with a few more years under my belt and an ever-changing perspective. So far I've come away with one conclusion: whatever I want to do I need to be intentional about the choices I make to help me get there. I can't just float along waiting for things to happen. I'm not a big fan of 5 year and 10 year plans because I don't think we can actually plan our lives that much. But I still need to be intentional about moving in the direction I want to go.

Oh, and I need to pray a lot!

My current bookshelf

Here are some good books I've recently read:

"The Single Issue" by Al Hsu. I highly recommend it for single people and even married people. It gives an excellent Biblical perspective on singleness and the church.

"Talk to the Hand" by Lynne Truss. A hilarious critique of modern British manners- or lack of them. Again, I recommend it.

"Super Crunchers - How Anything Can be Predicted" by Ian Ayers. Yeah, I'm a geek, but you already knew that. This follows in the vein of "Freakonomics" but has a slightly different take. It is somewhat tied to what I do for a living so it's interesting to see all the other applications he talks about.

Here are some books that I've recently acquired and am looking forward to reading:

"Desiring God" by John Piper...a classic that I want to read.
"The Dawkins Letters - Challenging Atheist Myths" by David Robertson
"A God Entranced Life: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards" by John Piper and Justin Taylor
"The Reason for God" by Tim Keller - I've just started this and the first chapter is already very interesting!

Here are some books I've purchased in the past that I still need to read:

"Eat. Love. Pray" by Elizabeth Gilbert
"The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls

It looks like I should hold off on buying new books for awhile...

Tis the Season

Tis the season for strawberries and cream as all eyes turn to Wimbledon once again. Wimbledon is now overcome with tourists. Those annoying American accents are everywhere! Tonight Andy Murray, "Britain's only hope" won his first set. He's the British number one and it's just like the movie Wimbledon when all the Brits want their native son to win the Championships (although I'm not sure if Kirsten Dunst is around or not, I'll be on the lookout). It's only recently that they have had a hope again. Previously the British hope was Tim Henman. Part of the grounds of All England Club are even named for Henman.

I'm not sure if I will make it there this year or not but I'll probably be pulling for Federer to beat Nadal after his major loss at the French Open.

another walk

This weekend arrived and with it brought another 22 mile hike in preparation for Trailwalker. This time I didn't get quite so tired and actually really enjoyed it (except I have lots of blisters!). We spent the first 8 miles dodging cow patties and the remaining 14 miles walking along the cliffs. The last half of the walk was along the Seven Sisters. These are white cliffs, less famous than Dover, but more spectacular! You can check out some pictures here.

blah blah

Looks like Chad is back and trying to win back the fans...hmm.

It's no surprise

It's not news that attendance in the Church of England is declining. Peter Brierly's book, "The Tide is Running Out" includes the following statistics: In 1979, 5.4 million people in England attended church on an average Sunday. Ten years later in 1989 this had become 4.7 million and it fell to 3.7 million in 1998. In the nine years between 1989 and 1998 there has been a drop of one million. He says, "The numbers in this book show a haemorrhage akin to a burst artery," and because the trend is worse among teenagers he says, "we could literally be one generation from extinction." Of course it's not the attendance itself that is important; it is just a symptom of the real problem.

Given this next set of statistics you'll understand why this could be happening. These are rough statistics and I must admit my lack of journalistic integrity here as I cannot quote the source. However, I do believe them to be reputable. Of the clergy in the Church of England, 20% don't believe that God created the world; 25% don't believe that Christ died for our sins; 33% don't believe that Christ rose bodily from his grave; and 50% don't believe that Christ is the only way to salvation. Whether the percentages are 25% or 35% or 60% the point is that they are significant.

If the church is not teaching the good news that Jesus died for my sins to reconcile me to God and bring me hope then what is the point in going to church? If there is no good news then certainly I can do without another "set of rules" that take up my time on a Sunday. It is no surprise that attendance is declining.

To say that the church in England is on the verge of extinction seems to be a lack of faith in God's power and his message. But obviously this message must be preached or there is no power since the gospel is "the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." Perhaps that is why Brierly's book also reports, and this is still the current trend, that there is positive growth among mainstream Evangelical Anglican churches.

Just Arrived

Yes, I have gotten rid of the minivan. So I'd like to introduce you to my new baby: Oh wait, that is my dream baby- an Audi R8. However, in this case I have an Audi A3. Audis are much more common in the UK but I don't mind since I've always wanted one. My Mazda 3 was a good baby but this is definitely a step up in terms of driving. It looks a little less sporty (and a little more Audi) but it is very fun to drive and hugs the road. Don't worry, Mom, of course I am always going precisely the speed limit.

on God

This past weekend I went away on a conference with my church where we studied the character of God. The talks were around the topics, "God is Good," (Psalm 145), "God is Great" (Psalm 139) and ,"God is Gracious" (Psalm 103). The titles seems simple enough in themselves but the insights in the Psalms are rich- especially when you think about the fact that God is all his characteristics at one time. He never changes.

But perhaps one of the things that stuck with me the most was something the speaker said at the beginning of one of his talks. He said something along the lines that he was afraid we are too self obsessed to think learning about God is interesting. Wow. That got me thinking and I don't think I can make much of an argument against that. I think most of the times I am looking for spiritual insights that will directly help me instead of studying God just to worship him.

On the back of a book we received is a quote by Charles Spurgeon, "The proper study of a Christian is [God]. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God who he calls Father." Think about that.

newly updated

Check out my newly updated photo pages. I now have up the pictures from Rome and will try to add some pictures of friends and family soon. I hope to not post any new pictures from trips for at least a couple of months because I need a break from traveling! (I'll also be turning in my passport next week to reapply for my visa so I'll be stuck in the UK until I get that back) Maybe I'll have some photos from my life around London.

As a side note, it would be great if I could centralize all my communication on the web but I'm not sure I'm tech savvy enough to figure it all out. iWeb has a blog function but I don't know if I can move all my archives over from Blogger. For now I'll have to settle for two different web pages.

World's Best Places to Live

Switzerland tops the list of the World's Best Places to Live...based on traffic congestion, air quality, and personal safety reported by expatriates living in more than 600 cities worldwide. I'm sure if they used other criteria London and Cincinnati would be closer to the top! However, I'd say the fact that house prices in London are the most expensive doesn't help its cause.

2008 Rank	2007 Rank	City	Country	Points
1	1	Zurich	Switzerland	108.0
=2	3	Vienna	Austria	107.9
=2	2	Geneva	Switzerland	107.9
4	4	Vancouver	Canada	107.6
5	5	Auckland	New Zealand	107.3
6	5	Düsseldorf	Germany	107.2
=7	8	Munich	Germany	107.0
=7	7	Frankfurt	Germany	107.0
9	9	Bern	Switzerland	106.5
19	9	Sydney	Australia	106.3
11	11	Copenhagen	Denmark	106.2
12	12	Wellington	New Zealand	105.8
13	13	Amsterdam	Netherlands	105.7
14	14	Brussels	Belgium	105.4
15	15	Toronto	Canada	105.3
16	16	Berlin	Germany	105.0
=17	17	Melbourne	Australia	104.8
=17	18	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	104.8
19	18	Ottawa	Canada	104.7
20	20	Stockholm	Sweden	104.5
21	21	Perth	Australia	104.3
22	22	Montreal	Canada	104.2
23	23	Nürnberg	Germany	104.1
24	26	Oslo	Norway	103.7
=25	27	Dublin	Ireland	103.5
=25	24	Calgary	Canada	103.5
27	24	Hamburg	Germany	103.4
28	27	Honolulu	USA	103.1
=29	29	San Francisco	USA	103.0
=29	30	Helsinki	Finland	103.0
=29	30	Adelaide	Australia	103.0
=32	34	Singapore	Singapore	102.9
=32	33	Paris	France	102.9
34	32	Brisbane	Australia	102.4
35	35	Tokyo	Japan	102.2
36	36	Lyon	France	101.9
37	36	Boston	USA	101.8
=38	38	Yokohama	Japan	101.6
=38	39	London	UK	101.6
40	40	Kobe	Japan	100.9
41	49	Milan	Italy	100.8
42	41	Barcelona	Spain	100.6
43	42	Madrid	Spain	100.5
=44	44	Washington DC	USA	100.3
=44	42	Osaka	Japan	100.3
=44	47	Lisbon	Portugal	100.3
=44	44	Chicago	USA	100.3
48	46	Portland	USA	100.2
49	48	New York City	USA	100.0
50	49	Seattle	USA	99.8

Dreams

When I get stressed I start to have stressful dreams. I typically have one of the following dreams:

Usually I dream that I am late for a class and I am running through the halls of a building, that seems to be a maze, and I can't find the classroom. Second, I dream that I am running late for a class but also realize I have never actually shown up for the class before and will not get credit or won't be able to pass the exam. I really wish I could wake myself up by saying, "Emily! Don't be an idiot...you don't go to school anymore!" That would save me a lot of stress in my sleep. Sometimes I also dream more directly about my current job. That typically involves trying to solve equations that have no solution, or trying to put together excel sheets and presentations that don't make any sense. Yeah, I have serious issues.

Sometimes I'd just like to get a peaceful night's sleep with no thought at all! Please tell me I am not alone.

on the set

I didn't see him...but Tom Hanks was filming Angels and Demons in Rome while I was there!

traveling in Europe

There's one annoying thing about traveling in Europe.

Scaffolding.

Every time I go to a city, almost inevitably at least one of the big sites is covered in scaffolding. I appreciate that they want to keep everything in good shape and need to restore old buildings...but man, it really ruins pictures. Take this picture of the Spanish steps in Rome, for example. I sure wish I could see the beautiful cathedral at the top! I'll put some more pictures up (or you can see a few on my facebook page) when I get back from my next business trip from Geneva. Phew...

wake up call

It's been a busy week. I have only been home a few days since I got back from Cincinnati. When I arrived back in London I found out I would be going on a business trip to Rome this week...I am getting to be quite an expert last minute packer. (More on Rome later)

I got back from Rome last night and today we had a 22 mile hike as part of our training for Trailwalker. This is the longest I have walked so far and by far the most hills I have ever walked. I thought I was going to die! I hit a serious wall for about one and a half hours. During that time I kept wishing we could back out of the event and I kept saying to myself "You are crazy, why are you doing this?" Fortunately I got a second wind and then I ended up okay. I'll see if I can walk tomorrow. Here are a few pictures along the way. It was a gorgeous day, which also made it extra hot. You can't quite tell just how big the hills were from the pictures but you'll just have to take my word for it. In case you feel sorry for us (or better yet, want to help Oxfam fight poverty), you can sponsor us here.

home in Cincinnati

It was a busy but fun trip home. Among other things I got to visit some very cute babies and toddlers. Here are some pictures of Cate, Kaelyn, Fiona and Otis from my visits. Of course, I also loved visiting their parents but I don't have any pictures...plus they just aren't as cute!me and Baby Catecheck out those cute shades!brand new baby Fiona!Fiona's wonderful big brother, OtisKaelyn blowing dandelions in the parkme and Kaelyn :)

the good (?) thing about DVR

The nice thing about DVR is you can fast forward through a significant amount of the 2 results shows of American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. You can skip the commercials, annoying montages and other performances you aren't interested in that merely drag out the results.

The bad thing? This year on American Idol they kept talking so long that the final results slipped past the 10pm cut off. (I think I remember this happening last year, too) So Ryan Seacrest said, "the winner of American Idol 2008 is..." and on the recording stopped and a message appeared that said, "Would you like to keep or delete this recording?" So we were left to run upstairs to get on the internet to find out who won...and the websites are a little slow at updating!

Congrats to David Cook.

another dance weekend

After another dance weekend my current status is:

knackered - /ˈnækərd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[nak-erd] adjective. British Slang. exhausted; very tired

pear-shaped

Since I'm going away for the weekend I thought I'd leave you with another vocabulary lesson to hold you over. Have you ever heard someone say that something went "pear-shaped." Probably not.

To go pear-shaped means to go awry. "What is the origin?" you may ask. Good question. It seems to be like all the other British slang I've looked up - there is no clear origin. According to Wikipedia it probably originated in the Royal Air Force when referring to aerial maneuvers, such as loops, that end up distorted. However, it also provides a few other theories including normal distribution curves and balloons...

going to the theatre

Here is your British vocabulary lesson for the day. Here they call operating rooms, "theatres." So if someone asks you to go to the theatre you may want to clarify whether you're going to a West End production of Chicago, or to the hospital for surgery! But, they also call the regular doctor's office a "surgery." Did you follow that??

Also, if you want to go to the movies, be sure to say you want to see "a film at the cinema," since they rarely call them the movies or the theatre. That would obviously be confusing...

desperate

Britain's PM is considering appearing in a reality TV show to help boost his image?

home

I think a lot about home...what does it mean? Can I have two "homes?" How long will I stay in London? I don't think I could process all of this into one blog post but I rediscovered a Caedmon's Call song, "Faith my Eyes," which will be my song for awhile. It doesn't fit perfectly with my situation but I particularly like the lyrics, "I'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes." I tend to over-analyze every situation but I am just trying to offer those thoughts as prayers to God instead.

As I survey the ground for ants
Looking for a place to sit and read
I'm reminded of the streets of my hometown
How they're much like this concrete that's warm beneath my feet

And how I'm all wrapped up in my mother's face
With a touch of my father just up around the eyes
And the sound of my [sister's] laugh
But more wrapped up in what binds our ever distant lives

But if I must go
Things I trust will be better off without me
But I don't want to know
Life is better off a mystery

So keep 'em coming these lines on the road
And keep me responsible be it a light or heavy load
And keep me guessing with these blessings in disguise
And I'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes

Hometown weather is on TV
I imagine the lives of the people living there
And I'm curious if they imagine me
Cause they just wanna leave; I wish that I could stay
[not that those of you in Cincy want to leave!]

And to visit places from my past
But only for an hour or so
Which is long enough to smell the air
To tell the tale and find the door

But I get turned around
I mistake some happiness for blessing
But I'm blessed as the poor
Still I judge success by how I'm dressing

So I'll sing a song of my hometown
I'll breathe the air and walk the streets
Maybe find a place to sit and read
And the ants are welcome company

And I'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes
And I'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes

side effects

It will be no surprise to most of you that European style is slightly different than American...particularly for men. Today I had an unfortunate brush with this as a side effect to the hot temperatures. I saw two - count them, two - guys wearing white fish net tank tops. That's just wrong.

It's a wonderful weekend

This weekend the weather in London is fabulous...almost a little too hot for life without air conditioning! Yesterday I went on a three hour walk (part of my training) in Richmond Park. Richmond Park is a nature preserve near Wimbledon, just on the outside of London. For those of us accustomed to wide open spaces it's not quite as impressive. However, after living in London for awhile I appreciate it more. I had my iPod shuffle full of some of my favorite Christian songs so I was enjoying the music along with God's creation! (It has solidified that Rich Mullins' "My Deliverer" is one of the best songs ever). It was a beautiful day. Here are some pictures from the park.

Let me think about it

Did you know that the word "think" is a noun as well as a verb? Most of my English and grammar-fiend friends reading this probably did (which is a significant portion of my readership!). In the UK people often say, "I'll have a think about that." Whereas I would usually say, "I'll think about that." So, in an effort to uncover another weird British phrase I went to dictionary.com to prove that think was a verb...only to find that it is also a noun.

I learn something new every day.

back in the game

Shout out to my dad who got the Slingbox working again...I was able to watch a new episode of The Office! Wow. The cringe factor was definitely there on "Dinner Party" but I also laughed a lot. It's good to have everyone back. Although, I'm not sure I can call anyone "babe" again!

too much to hope?

Is it too much to hope that the weather in London has turned a corner and we are now in spring? At least I can dream. Last year we had an amazing April and then the rest of the summer was, well...pretty much non-existent. This last weekend was a bank holiday and we actually had sun 2 out of 3 days (you can't tell from the above photo but it was sunny!) and the rest of this week shows sunny and lower 70s on the 5 day forecast. I better get out and enjoy it in case it rains the rest of the summer!