That Lemon Fresh Scent...

Here is what happened to me last week:

Here in England they have lemonade but it is clear and fizzy - just like Sprite.

Chris and I were dying of heat the first few weeks here in England so we bought some lemonade and coke for refreshement.  When we were done with the bottle of drink we'd fill it up with water, freeze it and have it the next day.

A week or so after the weather turned cooler, I was getting ready for church in the trailer.  I didnt want to go up to the house and fight for the one bathroom with 5 people.  I needed to put some water in my spray bottle to do my hair.  I found an old bottle we had filled with water and poured that into my spray bottle.  I wet my hair down really well so I could achieve the style I was looking for and then proceeded to brush my teeth.  I didnt have any water left in the bottle so I just used the spray bottle instead.  I put the toothpaste on and carried on brushing.  When it was time to rinse I took a big swig from the spray bottle and began to wash my mouth out, but there was a problem. 

I got that taste in my mouth.... how do I describe it???  You know that taste of mixing LEMONADE and toothpaste????

I had accidently put flat lemonade all over my hair and just brushed my teeth with it.  I couldnt believe it. 

And what was I to do?  It was time for church so I just went and hoped everyone enjoyed my new lemonade hair styling product, and made a promise to myself NEVER to get ready for church in the trailer again.

Better Late, than never...... Right?

If I wrote on here everytime I thought about writing.... it would be full of stuff.... but, I havent.  So take this as my first blog from my new life in England.

I would love to be able to write a whole bunch of wondeful things about England (like I did in December), but the thing is... this is harder than I ever though it would be.  That is the real reason I havent written.  I dont want to sound too down or complain to much or give England a bad name :). 

It has been a hard adjustment.  I am living in a trailer (caravan) with Chris in the back yard (garden) of his parents house.  We are lucky that we've spent so much time together already, because, had we not we probably would have killed each other by now in the small space.  The first 2 weeks we got here the weather was awful.  HOT HOT HOT and no air conditioners.  I mean we're in England, who needs air conditioners?  AMERICANS!  And then after he heat comes the rain - and LOTS of it.  Much better than the head mind you, I'm not complaining!

Everything is different here - the scenery, the accent, the television, the words, the food, the people, EVERYTHING.  People here say 'blimey!' and 'fortnight'.

Everyone here has been really nice though.  I dont mind living with my in-laws (I can say that because it is short term). 

But through the good of England, all I can think about is home....  Utah.  I miss my family and my friends more than I ever thought possible.  It is like a part of me was left in America. 

But, I'm fine.  I always am.  I'll update on here more often.  Make sure you leave comments so I know its being read!!!

Life Takes Visa....

Well just a little update for those of you who care.... :)

Chris and I got back from applying for my Visa to the UK yesterday.  We took the train to NYC and spent a not so good day there, but the end result was great.... I got my visa and now can legally live and work in the UK -- ENGLAND HERE I COME!!!!

Second....  I will be leaving beautiful Pennsylvania for Utah on Monday.  Yet another week of LONG driving days, and this time I cant split them up with my mom - I have to do all the driving.  I am excited to get back to Utah but, I am going to miss PA like crazy. 

Well I just heard something scurring behind the desk....  I'm done with my blog for tonight.....

A Call to Repentance....

Daily I think..... Jamie, you should update your blog....

Daily I push that thought aside telling myself - It doesn't matter, no one reads it.

Daily I get reminded from good friends... that it does get read - so this is for you, with a promise of doing better.

This is officially my first entry as the new Mrs. Flattley.  I am getting used to using that as my last name - but it still throws me a little when people use the word "wife" to describe me.  There we definatly times that I thought I would never be anyone's wife and now it seems surreal that I am.... but, I'm sure I'll get used to that.

Married life is good.  We spent our honeymoon in Ocean City, MD and it was beautiful!  I got pulled over by the Maryland state police on the way there because I only had one working headlight.... needless to say Chris found it very entertaining.  We spent most of our time in our cute hotel - which was more like a nice condo with a great view of the bay, kitchen, living room, dining area, and bedroom.  We ended up staying for 4 nights and it was really nice.

As we made our way back to Hershey, Pennsylvania - we got the call that the room in the basement of the house I nanny for - that was supposed to be done - wasnt and so unless we wanted to kick one of the kids out of their room (no thank you -- newlyweds remember...) I would have to pay for a hotel.  I am nowhere near rich so we settled at the "Cocoa Motel" a.k.a. The Palace (it made me feel better to call it that).  Let me try to explain how it was -- you know the smell you smell when you walk into an old person's house, or maybe the smell you smell when you walk into a very poorly run nursing home?  That is what it was like... with soap, towels and shampoo stolen from various "nicer" hotels, wood paneled walls, awful carpeting, paper thin walls, and a bed that you could use as dry wall.  It was rough going for those few weeks imagine, being a ROOM with the same person for days on end and then having them at work with you too.  I love him, but it was hard for both of us. 

We are now in the basement, it isnt finished we are using a shower curtain with duct tape, a carpet remnant for flooring (not one that even beings to fit either) and the constant sound of the foot steps of 7 other people upstairs. 

As for the job..... I love the kids but HATE the situation.  After some really tough times with the bosses, Chris and I have decided to come back to Utah in a little over a week.  Where we'll live, how we'll live, or what we'll do it still anyones guess.... but being unemployed and homeless beats this any day. 

And how am I doing?  After a month of marriage I can say I am doing very well.  I love being married, I love WHO I married and I wouldnt change those things for anything....  Our life together has never been "normal" or easy, and I hope that one day we can get used to that, but for right now we just keep going....

10 Minutes of Peace

Today was a bad day at work.... running errands, grocery shopping, loads of laundry, dinner and general care of 5 children and one adult, but there was a small light at the end of the day.

As I lay there on the big bed with one child cuddling near me, her sobs subsiding just because, for that moment, she really felt like someone cared and someone was going to stick around.  Another child laying on the other side of me curled up in a ball - finally, CALMLY breathing and taking a minute to realize, that no matter how mean the kids are at school here in PA, the best parts of Utah are in the same house as he is, and the youngest laying next to his sister and on my arm, cuddling with her to make her feel better - I realized at that minute of calm and overwhelming family love that I needed that moment - just as badly as they did - maybe more so.   

And it was that one thing, that small time, that made this day one of the best I've had.

What Would I Do Without Mapquest????

Well I am now approaching the last half of March - thank goodness!!

My March has been painfully uneventful, except for the 5 fabulous days that my good friend came and visited me!

It all started with me picking her up at the BWI Airport.  As I was leaving the airport we were talking about how different the east coast was from the west.  I was telling her that, it was hard for me at first but I was finally getting the hang of things and was fairly confident at getting around - at that point we got lost.  I drove my mom and sister to the airport the day after I got here and got home pretty well... but at this point we were lost somewhere in Maryland.  It didnt take very long for HER to find a road sign and get us back on track. 

We stopped off at work to check on my nanny mom and see that the kids were taken care of since my nanny dad was out of town. 

We came back to my motel room and crashed. 

The next day we decided to visit Hershey World.  We drove through Hershey surrounded by the smell of chocolate - it really does smell great!  Then we headed to Hershey World.  The tour was closed, so there was no way I could push her into the chocolate river, but on the plus side there were also no scary Umpa Loompas, just a tour guide that tried his hardest to be excited about the 15 minute movie he'd no doubt seen millions of times.  Then my friend got to work in the factory (a pretend factory where you fill plastic containers full of kisses - cheap labor for the Hershey people, good for the kiddies).  Then she bought, I'd say, about half of all the Hershey gift shops.  We got back to my nanny house and somehow she ended up helping out with the dinner, while nanny mom "rested".  The kids were badly behaved and the girl wouldnt let go of my friend for anything, a habit that will no doubt be popular with the boys when she seeks attention, but is overboard with everyone else. 

The next day we headed to the Washington DC Temple.  She went in and I sat in the parking lot for about 3 hours.  Reading and practicing my "church guilt" ritual - it didnt help that there was a wedding party taking pictures right outside my car.  My friend and I decided that we had seen a sign that said:

 WASHINGTON 25 miles

so it couldnt be that far - and besides who gets to go see the Capital in their life.  We got directions from some people and they said, "Head straight down Conneticut Ave. and you'll be right there."  So we did - they were wrong - on many levels.  One - Conneticut Ave. stops being a straight street, you have to make a choice one way or another.  Two - you run right into downtown DC - not the Capitol.  Three - all of those things, those monuments you see in the movies and on the news - THEY ARE NOT CLOSE TOGETHER, and it takes Mapquest or a native, to find their way from one to another.  My friend and I got TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY lost.  Driving up and down streets, she "shady" ones, the familiar ones, and even the blocked off ones - right in front of the Capital.  Needless to say, we never got out, by the time we found the White House it was dark, and we had to settle for pictures from the window.  We drove around that city for about 45 minutes.  Finally finding some familiar street and HER finding our way out.  We finally got to the main highway and - can you believe it - we got lost AGAIN, on the freeway I'd driven on 3 times within the last 2 days.

The next day we headed for NYC.  In PA were were experiencing warmer than usual conditions, and in NY it was a different story.  It was POURING.  We got to our hotel and it was great!  It was very "artsy" and was like a little apartment with bright painting and pictures all over the walls.   We started to walk to Times Square and - got lost - and took a taxi to where we needed to be.  We decided to take an open bus tour of the city.  It was so great.  We were wearing white plastic ponchos and freezing but seeing all of the city, once again, never stepping off the bus, but taking pictures from the bus.  Our tour guide was so funny, but funny in a way that she wasnt.... she tried so hard to make jokes, but no one laughed, or maybe they were - but their mouths were frozen shut.  We got back to Times Square, and - beware of the most telling age sign ever - we went back to the hotel and had naps...you read it right, we were in NYC and we took naps.  But, in our defense, the people in the room next to us, back here at the Econo-Lodge kept us up til 2:30 the morning before.

***As a side note, the morning we were leaving for NYC, it was six-thirty in the morning and to pay the neighbors back, I started out the morning with a very LOUD alarm clock set on no paticular radio station, but static (it started bugging us in this room), then I proceeded to bang the bathroom door shut several times, and the worst torture of all (although pure heaven for me) I turned up my soundtrack of "WICKED" full blast for the rest of the morning.  As we left I slammed the door and smiled.  Then my friend turned to me and said something like - If they were drunk, like it sounded like , they probably didnt hear any of that - But, I hope they did!

Anyway back to the nap - I know - it still doesnt make up for the fact that we took naps.  At any rate, we woke up and headed back out to Times Square for more shopping and eating.  We ate at this pizza place that was great, but the stupid guy went to hand me my pizza and I tried to grab it through the glass - ha ha funny (not really).  Then we shopped some more and then went back and watched the season finale of Flavor of Love - starring FLAVA FLAVE... No, I have no idea who he is, but it was entertaining.... And I know with that last sentence, it makes the nap seem like a great choice.  We headed home Monday so I could get back to work that afternoon.

The next day was time for her to go home, but on the way to the airport we stopped by Amish Country... baffled by their way of life, and Trader Joes for her report for school.  We managed to get to all of those places just fine -- and good news - I didnt get lost AT ALL on the way home from the airport.

It was so great to have her here.  It was like I was on vacation from work for a while and that was the best feeling EVER!  I think I laughed more in those few days then I had the whole time here - and being happy again like that, was the best part of her trip!

   

It Keeps Going and going and going and going and going....

I know it has been FOREVER since I've updated my page... so here you go, for the few of my faithful readers...

I am doing alright here in PA.  A scale of 1-10? Most of the time a 4.  I called and spoke to my dad and he said, "How are you doing"  I said "alright, I've come to realize that on my best days - I'm alright, and you dont even want to know what I am on my worst days."

Am I sounding negative?  Sorry....  but I am. 

This is NOT how I thought things would be.  I am still in the Fab Econo-Lodge.  I have come to realize that I get a good 10 minutes of heat out of the heater, have to run the bath water for at least 5 minutes so the brown water can run out and I can bathe in "clean" water, have to hold down the flusher on the toilet, and I dont think that they have vacuumed my room since I "moved in".  But it is my solitude - and when the Econo-Lodge is your sanity - that tells you something. 

The other day at work I spent 2 hours sorting out my nanny mom's scrapbook by 16 different themes and 8 different colors -- themes alphabetized, colors in order from light to dark.  Where is the nannying work there?  Yeah, I dont know either! 

I have children constantly either loving me more than anything or hating me more than anything.  Everyone assures me that "that is what kids do", and I can appreciate that, I really can... but it gets tiresome getting told on a daily basis either "I hate you!" or "My mom is nicer than you!"

I am trying to tough and stick it out - and I will.  I have a friend coming for a trip this month, another friend's trip next and also MY WEDDING! 

But at the risk of sounding pathetic - I miss my friends - I had a little mini-break down the other night when I was watching Sex and the City and in the last episode when Carrie comes back from Paris and has brunch with her friends.... made me miss mine more than I ever thought I would.  I miss my family and there is little that doesnt remind me of them... and I miss the mountains, mini-corn dogs, fry-sauce, chili's, swings at the park with Kim, sing-a-longs in the car -- driving around with someone in my car other than children for that matter.  And I miss Chris... this wedding cant come fast enough... and if we make it through these next 6 months - I'm throwing a PARTY!

I do love the kids... their hugs, smiles, laughs and spirits help me more than I like to admit.

I am ready for my winter to be over and am waiting for spring. 

A Fever...

Said at the dinner table....

The little girl to her brothers - I have a fever... so does Jamie.

The oldest boy (12 years old) -- I have a fever too!

Jamie -- You do not - do you?

Him -- Yeah, a fever 'cause I'm so HOT!

Out of the mouth of Babes....

Today while me and the kids were watching Little Rascals.... we came upon a scene where the little boy - Alfalfa and the little girl - Darla kissed.  This is what was said among the children...

All the boys first booooooed.....

Then the only girl said to me....

"Jamie, do you think they really kissed or was it special effects??"

"Ab, they really kissed, they are actors."

"You mean those kids would kiss??!?!  Do you think they got paid to do it?"

"Yep, of course... probably lots of money to be in the movie."

"Yeah, they'd have to pay me A LOT to do something like that... like $50.00!!"

I think she'll be changing her tune in a few years....

Kids....

I swear to you, dear internet, I will NEVER have more than 4 kids.... and even 4 might be a little excessive.... I swear to you, dear internet, I will never have kids... well.... maybe only one.

Doing this mom thing is a hard job, I seem to have forgotten.  I love the kids but - ITS HARD!  Today for example:

7:00 Get to work

7:25 1 child leaves

8:15 next 3 children leave

8:15-1:00 laundry, dishes, cleaning, entertaining (the last child), lunch, cooking, planning a wedding, and errands.

1:00 last child leaves

2:00 1st child gets home (early out day - curse those school administrations for wanting to give the teachers a break!)

2:30 next 3 children get home

3:00 last child gets home

3:00-4:00 friends over -- "mom said!"

4:00 Church Activity

4:15 Scouts

4:15-5:00 Dinner - prep and eat

5:45 Gymnastics

6:30 Young Mens

I'm tired just from reading it.....  So I say again... no children... watching them - all 5 - is great birth control....