I'm alive!

Sorry for the LONG absence. I've been busy settling in and enjoying my new life. Plus, it took until now to get my laptop up and running with the new system. Try to imagine my frustration over no internet! Actually, the last thing I wanted to do was be on a computer, so it really wasn't that horrible.

I watch the news everyday and marvel over my good fortune to have arrived just ahead of the new ash cloud havoc. The flights were long, but uneventful. Thankfully every connection was made perfectly and my seating assignments ended up being rather good. When I arrived in Heathrow airport I was a bundle of excitement and anticipation. My two carry on bags were SOOOOOO heavy, and the walk to immigration was (no joke) a mile long. My shoulders were nearly ripped out of their sockets due to hauling those two bags all that way! When I finally arrived at immigration, I showed the officer the visa page on my passport. He had lots of questions....mostly revolving around was I a victim of an arranged marriage. He seemed to get hung up on the fact that I was moving from Hawaii to the midlands of England. Surely no one would do that! I just kept a smile on my face and gave him all of the information he probed for.  (thank god I could remember Pete's birthday!) After a little bit of grilling, he finally stamped my passport for date of entry on my visa and sent me on my way. Then it was around the corner to collect my bags (which I just stacked on a handly little luggage cart), and another long hallway to go meet Pete.  I came out of the tunnel looking for him, anxious as all hell. And he was there.....smiling and waving at me! I rushed over to him and gave him a massive hug and told him "hello husband".  He said: "hello wife", and we were all giggling and happy. It was awesome.

So far life has been quiet but enjoyable. Pete goes to work everyday and I stay home taking care of household stuff and working on wedding reception crafts. Its strange going from a tiny studio apartment (let's be honest.....a closet, really) to a three bedroom, two story house. It's a lot of room. But it's a nice change.

I must say....living with my husband has been HEAVEN so far. Being able to talk to him at all times during the day is a new experience. Waking up next to him and going to sleep in his arms is beyond wonderful. A luxury payoff for all of the long months of long distance. We cook dinner together every night, and take walks hand in hand up to the local parks and shops. I couldn't be more happy or content. This newleywed business is pretty darn great.

I've walked up to the town centre a few times by myself while Pete is at work. Great shops up there! And Pete has insisted that I start driving, so I've been behind the wheel whenever we go anywhere. He had to twist my arm in the beginning and I was rather cantankerous....but I'm glad he insisted. I feel much more confident in the car and I am even planning on going out on my own pretty soon. I'll probably freak out everytime I get to a roundabout, but at least I will have mobility. Cross your fingers that I don't smack into someone on a zebra crossing.

We've gone over to my in-laws house for dinner a handful of times already. It is so nice having a family again! My new mom makes the most killer lamb roast dinner on Sundays. Complete with yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes. Yum to the E. They came over to ours for a curry dinner last week, but thankfully Pete did all the cooking for that. I'd rather wait a bit before I spring my kitchen inadequacies on them. I did try a batch of chocolate chip cookies yesterday (the same kind I've made literally thousands of times before in my life), but ended up with flat, oily bricks. Toyed with the idea of throwing them all away before Pete came home from work, but in the end decided he needed the laugh, so I left them on the counter.

I haven't started looking for a job yet. I don't want to think about that quite yet. I am just trying to settle in a bit more. The other day I was on the phone setting up an appointment with the bank so I could go in and create a new account. The lady asked me if I want a "current" account. I'm all....."yeah, I would like it to be usable, not closed!"  She laughed and said: "Oh, Current here means the same thing as Checking does in America". Hmmmmm. It's the little things here and there that remind you this really is a different country, and I think I might want to get my barrings just a bit more before I launch into the work force.

Thank you to everyone who wrote me while I was on my little sabbatical. Sorry it took so long to get back to normal....but I'm back now and I have lots of things to share. I'll try to remember to take pictures too!