Weekend Camping Getaway

Well this weekend I have plans with Jen comming down and going to Breakneck Campground where I booked us a cabin for the weekend. We have plenty planned. Going to Living Treasures Animal Park aka LTAP Friday afternoon and then to my friend Debbie's graduation party for a little bit. She wants to go to the drive in at some point. I figured we could go mini golfing at some point, as well as go swimming somewhere be it Moraine or Schaffer's swimming pool or Ann's swimming pool. I plan to take loads of pictures this weekend and might post some here later.

What have I been up to lately?

Well, I been going to my counceling and stuff 2 times a week. Tonight I babysat my cuzins 3 children, Savannah-3, Aiden-2, and Logan 2.5months. We had a lot of fun today... and OMG are they cute.

I have to admit I sorta have been on a little bit of a shopping spree, but not out of control.

I made a new friend whom I met for the first time on Monday. We sat at Mcdonalds and had coffee and talked for a while then we drove around to Breakneck Campground, McConnels Mills, then South Shore Moraine then North Shore Moraine. It was nice to just sit around and talk and get some fresh air. Jenny is proud of me I have been more social lately.

Well I am just very excited about this weekend. It seems we will have a load of fun, will post later the details of how it went.

Until then signing off....
Donna

Rambling on and on..

Again a lot has been happening. Some of the great news is that Danielle finally broke up with Mike last week so YAY for that, she has a new boyfriend now who treats her like gold. and hes really sweet.

I got diagnosed with sleep apnea now I have to sleep with a CPAP on my face.. not very comfy they say it can take weeks to get used to... yay....

We got rid of the kittens, so now just have the dog Mariah, the 2 cats Spaz Ass and Fat Cat, and my ferret Rosey.

I got approved for SSI and Disability so got a lil cash on me now, which I got a 32" screen TV that I bought myself that I enjoy thoroughly, it rarely leaves animal planet though tee hee hee.

I am trying to get the trailer in my name so we can get it out of my older sister's.

The night before last, took little sister to her first "adult store". She of course was rather embarrassed, but it was all in good fun... I gave her some money that had to be spent in the store.. tee hee hee.

I am tenatively planning on taking me my mother and possibly my little sister somewhere nice this summer. we have talked about Niagra Falls.. Havent done that in 10 years, would be nice to revisit during the nice weather.

Renewed my permit, so watch out, back on the road again.. gonna save up for a car for when I get my liscense... if and when that ever happens.

well its late and I got an appt tomorrow morning so Im gonna put the CPAP on... and not sleep as I stare at the ceiling yet again lol

Goodnight xxx,
Donna

well lets see.. gram died unfortunately I miss her so much, more than I was prepared to. I have found a sorta new obcession over the past 2-3 weeks. they are called Reborn babys. they are SO realistic. I will post pictures sometime in the near future. their hair is real, you can see their tiny little veins. if you didnt know they were a doll you would think they were real. I got one today off ebay. she was not too expensive compared to some but to people who dont appreciate the art that is put into this baby, they would think it was expensive. I feel it was just right, though after seen Angela Lynn whom I got to name, I would have paid more. but thats just me personally. but its friday night game night here at the house so I will write more later.

until next time

Birthday and other

Well I had a slow start to my bday. it started out real crappy then ended real good. Unfortunately Gram died today. 2-22-10 at 3:30pm. she will be very much missed... sorry I cant write anymore today, maybe tomorrow or another time
*hugs*

What's New in My World

Wow I wasn't aware that so much time has passed since my last post, sorry.

We have been having "mandatory meetings" or parties for everyone here in the house and all grams caretakers that we have set up. they are saturdays bout 2 times a month sometimes more. We dance, tell stories, drink, play games. we have a blast. And we still have friday night game night.

This year me and Gramma bought Madre a fireplace, it is very much loved and very much used. it is rare to go into the living room and see it not on. it is electric with authentic flames but it is way kewl.
Santa came to our house this year. He visited Gramma....

Yes Gram is still here.. well sorta, she had to have surgery last Thursday so she is in a nursing home for 4-6 weeks then will be back. the temp roommate has been moved to perm roommate, at least until Danielle and Mike leave (which I hope is rather quickly). I cant stand their fighting any longer, I told Madre it is either mike or me that is going to leave, so she gave them til the end of the month to find a new place.

His latest outburst was SETTING HIS TRUCK ON FIRE twice... not just once but twice.

He was snow blowing a few driveways all was good and dandy, then he decided he was going to move his truck to another spot, he has no clutch.. so when he went forward he couldn't go in reverse and went straight into a snowbank in front of our house. He couldn't get it to move so he set it on fire. Then put it out with snow. Then got mad again and poured gasoline all through the truck, and set it on fire again. This caught some of he neighbors attention so a young kid came with a snow shovel as well starting to put out the fire. Then the neighbor Mike came down with a fire extinguisher. Our Mike said stop I don't want that goop in my truck.... (DUDE ITS ON FIRE!?!?!) well neighbor Mike told our mike that he is just trying to help, at this point our Mike goes after neighbor Mike with the shovel and goes to hit him and neighbor Mike knocks him to the ground (it was great hehe) and so our Mike jumps up and goes after him again when the kid also helping runs over and hits our Mike over the head with his shovel.. knocking him on his ass yet again. (really it was great... Mr I'm all big, bad and tough gets knocked down 2 times). The flames on his truck went at least 6-8 feet high above the truck.. I should have videoed it but I thought about it too late.. I was more interested in watching it.

The fire dept got there and also a state boy showed up, but they did NOTHING.. oh well.

Let's see... what else is going on...

James (4 years old) is more evil than ever *giggles* he started head start which is kinda like preschool, he seems to enjoy himself. it will be good for him to interact with children of his age. Ben (2 years old) is really getting an interesting personality. He thinks if he closes his eyes, he cant see you, so you cant see him it is so cute.. and that adorable little "pouty face" is great. Lilienne (11 months old) is crawling everywhere and she loves water and if you dont pay attention to her she has a ear shattering scream... definately gets you attention. but all are soo adorable, and I love them to death.

I have 4-6 appointments a week.. DBT (dialactable behavioral therapy) classes on Tuesdays, Counseling Wednesdays and Fridays, Case Manager Appointment once a week, these seem to be very helpful for me. And the Dr's every 3-4 weeks. I got put on new meds after my first hospitalization. I'm not sure if they are working or not. I got the shakes real bad, I can barely hand write which stinks.

Oh yeah, Christmas night, my father informed me and my mother that he isn't happy that him and Danielle's relationship is over and we tried to tell him its because he doesn't approve of her and Mikes relationship. He claims that it is due to what happened to me and Kenn when I was younger. We told him that isn't true, it was when he disapproved of her and Chris's relationship. (Chris is our step brother but not blood related.. Danielle dated him for over 2 years and my father made Chris's life hell for this relationship). That is what ruined their relationship between Danielle and my father.

I think I pinched a nerve or something in my legs. first it was my left leg and now it is both legs. they hurts so bad but I have tried all sorts of ways to try to alleviate the pain. I have found one way, but my counselor isn't real excited for me.

October 20th me and a friend of mines went to the Pittsburgh Zoo. it was a gorgeous day and we had a lot of fun. I was a little disappointed they didnt have an aquatic area, they had polar bears, california sea lions and penquins but no dolphins waaaah :( but they did have a wide range of critters around, a few exibits were closed down due to the animals need warmer climates, it was a perfect day, but days before and after were really cold and rainy. For the first time I got to try out my new camera I got off Ebay... I fell in love with it,it makes them look like they are right beside you. great!

Things constantly changing

Well yet again, things are always changing. I had another visit to the hospital for a week. I get out and Kelly and the kids (Seth and Cassie) moved out so they are no longer my neighbors. They promise to come visit though.

Wednesday morning we had a family mishap. Gramma Stella around 130-2am decided she wanted a cig, nothing out of the ordinare, but she fell asleep and with her being on oxygen she caught the house on fire. So until her house is done being rebuilt I have myself a roommate.

We are happy that Lacy, the dog, has adapted well to all our critters. Gramma was lucky that she only got a few blisters on her feet. Unfortunately all her stuff was unsalvagable. Sadly though a lot of the stuff is sentimental, but items can be replaced, she on the other hand cant be. If it wasnt for her granddaughter Chrissy she wouldnt have survived it. She ran in and grabbed her and took her outside.

Lacy needed 2 baths to get all the black out of her fur, she is normally white and grey, but after all the smoke and soot she was solid jet black.

Other than this nothing too much going on. The house is almost always busy, phones are always ringing. Hopefully things will start to calm down here soon.

Until next time,
Donna

Donna Daycare...

Well Saturday evening around 10:20pm, Sierra age 6 had a mild seizure, She went to the ER and everything was okay, then Tuesday went to Children's Hospital and she has epilepsy. It might be the kind where she has a few then never again, could be a one time thing or it might be a very common thing for her from this point on. So we are all keeping a close eye on her to see how she is. Hopefully it wont occur too often.

Other than this, Donna Daycare is well.. getting bigger, today there was 8 children. Luckily my mother was there to help me for the most part.

Leeland (almost 3), Seth (6) James (almost 4) Ben (almost 2) Cassie (4) Lilienne (6 months) McKenzie (4) and Sierra (6)

So as you can tell we had quite the time today, there were here from 12pm, til about 5:30pm-6pm. But we had a lot of fun.

Sorry most of my blogs are featuring the children a lot, but lately that is all that is going on is the children. So until new material arrives, you can continue reading or skip my posts for now *giggles*

Well we had good intentions...

Well we had good intentions... We got up early this morning... well early for me, but not so early for Shannon. We loaded up the truck with our bikes and the car with all of us and we headed off to Moraine Bike Trail. 7 miles in 7 miles back. Just Shannon and I with all the time of day to get these miles done. Well from basically the start Shannon's bike made a loud squeaking noise and it was very annoying. I looked at it and the back break was rubbing along the tire the entire time. we tried to loosen it but had no luck.

We dealt with it til about 4.5 miles and found a good spot where we could call Mike to come pick us up. (No Mike is not Danielle's Mike... Shannon is married to a Mike.. just to clarify). So we headed home and we are planning for another trip in the near future. I think we both could have gone further if it had not been for the annoying bike squeaking.

Oh and there was no problems with my hips so HORRAH for that. And I also remembered to eat a healthy breakfast, a bowl of cereal and a banana. We also drank plenty of water.

I thought and joked about taking before and after pictures. But didnt get to, and we really didnt go far enough to really have a difference in the end.

So that was my day so far. Things have been getting a little better for me in the emotional end of things, so that is good. Well I am gonna head off I have some DBT homework and a few other things to do, and we are all going to church tomorrow so yay!!!

Another week come and gone..

Well last week was rather very busy. A lot of ups and downs, eh everyone has those days. Friday was our new "traditional game night" where we all sit around the table and play LRC and have a few drinks. (some more than others.. lols).

Basically you are supposed to start with 3 pennies (we originally started with quarters but quickly ran out so now we substitute penny's instead but still call it "da twarter dame" as Cassie calls it. You have 3 pennies and you get to roll 3 dice, whatever the dice say that is where you put your pennies, L goes to the left, R goes to the Right, C goes to the center and if it is a blank you get to keep it. If you have 2 pennies you only roll 2 dice. Simple enough and the children LOVE this game and they are really "good luck charms" they always roll blanks. Now if you no longer have pennies don't fret, the game isn't over until someone wins the "pot" which is all the penny's in the middle, unless the pot wins and then you play again and the pot gets even bigger. The way you win the game is you are the only one with a penny and you roll a blank and not have to give away the penny, where you win the whole pot. After this happens we have a pee break, drink refill, round up more pennies and start over again.

This game is fun but its getting a little monotonous. So we need to find a few more games to play and switch them up sometimes.

Saturday it rained a lot of the day and so not a lot happened. Sunday we had a lot of fun playing with the kids. I really enjoy the kids (most of the time), and listening to Leeland "rev it up" is soo funny I will have to figure out how to post it on here cuz it is great. Whenever I need a good laugh I just listen to it and I bust out laughing.

Monday I babysat 5 kids all by myself. It wasn't too bad. Sierra, Mackenzie and Ally were here from 3:30-5:30 and Seth and Cassie were here from 4:30-8:30. I would babysit Sierra and Mackenzie anytime they are such angels. Ally was pretty good too as long as I held her just right. I am thinking she is colicky.

I love Seth and Cassie as well but lately they been getting on my last nerve and riding it hard. But they are gonna be getting another babysitter once school starts and Kelly gets another job. But it won't be like I won't ever get to see them anymore, they are my neighbors and they don't like to leave

"Donna Daycare" sign is going on the house. That is what I feel like a lotta times they all want to be around me, all the time. In the mornings before I go outside, I see them ride their bikes up and down the street and look in our yard to see if I am out. I go outside and I can not hide they all scream "DONNA" and run from everywhere. It feels good in a way to have such an interaction with the kids and they all love me. Makes me feel good. But I don't know why... I mean yeah I play with them, I chase them, I bury them, I play dolls with them, I set up the cabin into a house, I go down the slide with them "side saddle" my butt don't fit anymore *giggles*. But even before all that stuff... they loved me. and I don't know why.. oh well. Least we have fun and that's all that really matters.

I am going to be planning a trip soon to the Pittsburgh Zoo with a friend of mines. Should be a lot of fun and I am excited because I am hoping for some great photo opportunities with my new camera that I got for Christmas. So I will probably post a few of the good pictures in here.

Well All, I am tired, meds are starting to kick in and I'm about to sack out.

Goodnight xxx

A quiet end to a long weekend

Well we had lots of kids all weekend. My middle nephew Ben had surgery today, so we got James and Lilienne Sunday after church. We also babysat Seth and Cassie Sunday night, then again Monday morning so they just stayed all night along with James and Lilienne.

Sierra and Mackenzie were over a lot, they are so adorable little girls. We played in the sand box as last post shows. I buried them all Sunday so today, they all buried me up to my chin, no there aren't any pictures of this, but we had a lot of fun. But it is nice Monday night and all the kids went to their own homes and I can now sleep in my own bed. Last night Seth, Cassie, and James started out in my tent that I set up in the living room. Then they ended up in my bed with me. Even though I have a king sized bed, I had very little room so I moved to the couch out in the family room. Lilienne slept in "Gamma's" room on her bed so "Gamma" slept on the recliner. Then bright and early it was time to go outside ride bikes and play in the sandbox... it was a very long day. Tomorrow we are planning on not babysitting anyone, kids might come over, but we will not be "Donna's Daycare" for the day.

I have thought about putting up a sign cuz all the kids in the neighborhood seem to really like me. I think one of the biggest thing that helps is I love to play with them, my inner kid likes to come out, and though I can be the "grown up" when needed, I more or less just play with them and be their friend. Sometimes is a bad thing but most of the time we have a blast and that's what really counts, (along with no one getting hurt... *looks at Boo Boo 1 and Boo Boo 2 and giggles*).

Well, I really should say goodnight, I have 2 appointments tomorrow.

I think I am going to start writing in this every night or more than I did for awhile, use this time to vent what's on my mind and stuff. I take lots of pictures so every once in awhile post a few pictures.

Babysitting at it's finest

This was my day today, we had loads of fun. "Lydia" got to be out for a little while playing in the sandbox and going down the slide with the kids. It was a blast. All them got burried in the sand and we played house, and the princess game that the kids made up.. still not sure of all the rules, but I will have to get back to you on that next time I play and got more of the "rules" down pat. *giggles*

Other than that, things are going much better than last week, hopefully things will keep lookin up!

Long Overdue..

Well let's see. A lot has happened since my last post obviously. My neice is now 5.5 months old and is totally adorable *as shown below*. Ben my nephew is closer to his 2nd bday and he is the cutest little pouter I have ever seen. I will have to get a video of it sometime its soo adorable. and James is well... James. *giggles* He has his parents personality, stubborn, and knows everything *LAUGHS* ah just kidding I love ya Jamesy. The bottom picture is the 3 of them on my bed watching Ice Age 2. Lilienne loves Sid the sloth, everytime she heard his voice she giggled or smiled. it is great fun having them over, we had them over for a whole weekend, SO MUCH FUN!

Say Cheese Lilienne

BENNY WHAT ARE YOU DOING???

WUTTT?!?!?!? YOU GOTTA PROBLEM?

(Lilienne) Ben Ben, why do you always have that "B" upside down?

(Ben Ben) my favorite's Diego..

(James) Shut up Im trying to watch this movie and ignore Aunt Donna with that DANG camera

Yeah I love those little kids, they really are a huge part of my life, and I can have the worst day and think of them and they really turn my grey skies blue... what else has been happening. well I been basically a free nanny for my neighbors which definately has its moments where my patience and stuff is tested, every single day. Not completely the kids fault, but I would rather not get into that. They are gone til this comming friday or saturday. They went to colorado to see grand canyon and believe it or not I am missing them. They are like my kids..

Cassie-4 and Seth-6

And then there is my little Angel, she is the newest addiction to my family. I love her to death even though she can drive me nuts, like get right in my face and sneeze, she must have it timed or something. But despite that, she has a great personality and very friendly.

Happy Birthday...

To me...


ah well. just another day.. the family doesnt even acknowledge it anyway other than Madre. its family tradition to go out to eat on our birthday with the family. well when we made the schedule for work (my mother, older sister and i all work at the same place) we put a friend of ours on for tonight so that we could go out to dinner for my bday. well sandy and joe decided to take the 3 kids to get their pictures taken, tonight.. cant be during the day because joe works, so has to be tonight, cant be tomorrow night or friday night, tonight... its not like sandy is working all that much, the newborn is only 2 weeks old today. oh well. maybe i will just go get a bottle and celebrate myself. until next time...

Lilienne Elizabeth and rantz

A little girl was born at 8:08am wednesday morning february 4th 2009. Lilienne Elizabeth. 6lbs 1oz 17inches long. but then lost some weight as babys do and went down to 5lbs 11oz. she is totally adorable and I love her to death, I got to see her every day while she was at the hospital, but since she has been home I got to see her last thursday at Wal-Mart. We were supposed to get the kids friday-saturday, but those plans changed for whatever reasons.. then was going to go stay with them tonight-tomorrow, again those plans changed as well.

I am not in a great mood right now. Things were going well for me. On the 11th I finally got my permit! but I am scared to drive right now.. I cant concentrate and the traffic the past weekend has me discombobulated..

Then at work last night I made a few big mistakes and I feel horrible, so I am going to not real keen on going back for awhile.

My little sister is driving me nuts and I am begining to not like her right now. The older sister is kinda on the same page with me right now. I miss the kids soooo much.

This comming wednesday is my bday.. whoot whoot... its going to be hard though because 1 I am just not in the mood to do anything. and this family member dont wanna be around that one, this one dont like the other one.. I am tired of all this conflict BS! I just wanna dig a hole to live in for awhile, but its too freaking cold outside, and the snow keeps comming.. it hasnt been staying on the ground the past few days. but it continues to fall just the same.

Luckily I am going to counceling at a new place now. 2 times a week most of the time. except this week, because well unless an opening comes about tuesday I wont get to go in. and friday I am going to erie with a friend for my bday. and my councelor is only in tuesdays and fridays. ah well.

until next time....

Well, let's see, bunch of stuff has been happening. The snow is never leaving.. Ughs. Guess what? I sent some snow to England too.. *giggles* I told Stuart about a week ago, "I am tired of this darn snow, I am gonna send it to you..." to which he replied, "Sure! we would love snow!" Well there you have it... now what you gonna do?.. but we still got a lot more than you!


Steelers won the Superbowl on Sunday. It was a totally crazy close game. Kept you on the edge the entire time. This win made history for a few things. The youngest coach to take a team to the superbowl. The youngest coach to win the superbowl. The youngest Quarterback to win the superbowl. GOOOOO STEELERS! I am not normally a football fan, but I started watching this superbowl and couldnt stop. The last 2 minutes were extremely intense. Arizona Cardinals were in the lead and Steelers got the ball. They got a touchdown, putting the Steelers back in the lead, but not by much... then back to the Cardinals... with about a minute left to the game, they slowly but surely worked their way to their end zone, one touchdown would have won them the superbowl... 5 SECONDS left of the game, Steelers intercepted the ball. OMG I WAS SCREAMING at the tv, the dog was barking at me like crazy, and Sadly Stella fell asleep at 9:30 so she didnt get to see the last half hour of the game. But first thing she asked in the morning when she woke up is "who won?" HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GOOO!!


Let's see.. what else. Oh tomorrow morning at 7:30am my older sister is having her c-section/surgery and delivering her last lil baby. We dont know whether it will be a boy or a girl, but either way, healthy is what we want! if it is another boy, his name will be Eli Robert. If it is a girl, her name will be Lillian Elizabeth aka Lily. So by 8am February 4th 2009 we are gonna have a new addition to the family. I cant wait! Pictures to come within a few days!


Work for me has picked up quite a bit, due to my older sister having a baby, which is very helpful since I am planning another trans-atlantic flight this summer... hehe! This time though.. I know what to do, and what not to do. I will have the FULL address FULLY memorized before landing, and I will have phone numbers, names, addresses of everything. and I am going to try to have more money with me this time as well. But I really think what gave them red flag about me is because I didnt know all the info of the address of where my friend was staying... I wasnt aware I needed to know this, I gave it to my mother so she could somehow find me should anything have happened, by my plans were Stuart was going to pick me up on the other end, why do I need to know? lol.. WRONG!! But I didnt know this, I had only ever traveled once before this, but didnt leave the country..


Other than this, things are going pretty well. I am looking forward to my birthday on the 18th of this year. My friend is taking me to Splash Lagoon in Erie Pa Friday-Saturday. I cant wait! I will definately take pictures, Bob might come and visit us while we are there as well, which would be lots of fun. I havent seen him really since my last birthday.

Snow at Stella's 2-3-09

Snow in back yard/down the hill

Snow on car and roads

Snow on front porch

*is tired of snow already, and wants to move somewhere with less of it*

Well, a few things have been going on as of lately. Sorry I havent updated in awhile. Just in case you didnt get that the last post was a joke, it was. I didnt move. (yet) lols. Um lets see, well my older sister is nearing her due date real quick and in a hurry, she has been in the hospital a few times for different reasons. Last night she was having contractions and started to dilate. They gave her a drug to stop it, and she had an allergic reaction to it, so if it happens again they will just perform the c-section then. She isnt scheduled for it til Feb 4th, but the baby might not want to wait that long. I know my sister doesnt want to wait that long. Unfortunately she is pretty miserable.

On the 1st of the month we had a kick start to the new year. Most of you already know that Mike is no longer living in this house. Things are much calmer and relaxed since his dramatic departure. We feel it is only going to be a time til my little sister leaves as well. She just started her 2nd semester of her freshman year of college. I really hope things dont get messed up for her, but I fear that Mike is only going to get worse.

I have started working more fulltime now that Rhonda (aka Mom) has pulled out, at Stella's. She no longer wants to be responsible for things there so now Madre is in charge, we have taken on a good friend of ours Chamar who is doing well, tonight I will train her again for her 2nd time, then she should be good to go. Since Sandy is one who works at Stella's and she is near to having the baby we cant just go on me and Madre doing everything. Things are looking pretty good in this sense.

I am planning on heading back to Lincolnshire in the summer to spend more time if things go well. I am saving all my pennys that I can and hoping to make enough for airfare and stuff. I dont want to run into the dilema I had going over there with not as much money as they felt I needed. But if it is meant to be, then it shall happen. (please mean to be..!!)

What else... Oh, I have got to meet a few good friends of mine since I returned home. I really enjoy hanging out with my friend Melody. Her and I have talked for a few years now, but right before I went to England I got to know her a lot better, and since I have come home, she has come to visit me like 6 times. I probably wont get to see her again until February 19-20 She is taking me to Splash Lagoon up in Erie for my birthday. I cant wait.

Stuart is doing well in his classes, I try to talk to him most every day, usually every other day. He keeps me updated with things through his blog and through our calls. I am really missing him a lot, but I hope to see him when I return to England... well lemme rephrase that, IF I return to England, I WILL see him. unless he decides not to come home, then I will be hangin out in Lincoln anyways, if I go. I really want to.

I have found a new hobby (that so far the family is all okay with..) Guitar Hero. Danielle got me totally hooked on the game. It is real nice because when I play I forget about everything around me and I am totally in the game. and I love music. Now whenever I hear a song, any song that has a good beat I think, that would be awesome on Guitar Hero. I am fully encouraging Country Guitar Hero!!!

Well that is all I can really think of right now to write about, will write more later.

Living in Pennsylvania

Dear Diary:

Pennsylvania

Aug. 12 - Moved into our new home in PA. It is so beautiful here. The hills and river valleys are so picturesque. I have a beautiful old oak tree in my front yard. Can hardly wait to see the change in the seasons. This is truly God's Country.

Oct. 14 - PA is such a gorgeous place to live, one of the real special places on Earth. The leaves are turning a multitude of different colors. I love all of the shades of reds, oranges and yellows, they are so bright. I want to walk through all of the beautiful hills and spot some white tail deer. They are so graceful, certainly they must be the most peaceful creatures on Earth. This must be paradise.

Nov. 11 - Deer season opens this week. I can't imagine why anyone would want to shoot these elegant animals. They are the very symbol of peace and tranquility here in PA. I hope it snows soon.I love it here!

Dec. 2 - It snowed last night. I woke to the usual wonderful sight: everything covered in a beautiful blanket of white. The oak tree is magnificent. It looks like a postcard. We went out and swept the snow from the steps and driveway. The air is so crisp, clean and refreshing. We had a snowball fight. I won, and the snowplow came down the street. He must have gotten too close to the driveway because we had to go out and shovel the end of the driveway again. What a beautiful place. Nature in harmony.I love it here!

Dec. 12 - More snow last night. I love it! The plow did his cute little trick again. What a rascal. A winter wonderland.I love it here!

Dec. 19 - More snow - couldn't get out of the driveway to get to work in time. I'm exhausted from all of the shoveling.And that snowplow!

Dec. 21 - More of that white shit coming down. I've got blisters on my hands and a kink in my back. I think that the snowplow driver waits around the corner until I'm done shoveling the driveway. Asshole.

Dec. 25 - White Christmas? More freakin' snow. If I ever get my hands on the sonofabitch who drives that snowplow, I swear I'll castrate him.And why don't they use more salt on these roads to melt this crap??

Dec. 28 - It hasn't stopped snowing since Christmas. I have been inside since then, except of course when that SOB "Snowplow Harry" comes by. Can't go anywhere, cars are buried up to the windows. Weather man says to expect another 10 inches.Do you have any idea how many shovelfuls 10 inches is??

Jan.1 - Happy New Year? The way it's coming down it won't melt until the 4th of July! The snowplow got stuck down the road and the shithead actually had the balls to come and ask to borrow a shovel! I told him I'd broken 6 already this season.

Jan. 4 - Finally got out of the house. We went to the store to get some food and a goddamn deer ran out in front of my car and I hit the bastard. It did $3,000 in damage to the car. Those beasts ought to be killed. The hunters should have a longer season if you ask me.

Jan. 27 - Warmed up a little and rained today. The rain turned the snow into ice and the weight of it broke the main limb of the oak tree in the front yard and it went through the roof. I should have cut that old piece of shit into fireplace wood when I had the chance.

May 23 - Took my car to the local garage. Would you believe the whole underside of the car is rusted away from all of that damn salt they dump on the road? Car looks like a bashed up, heap of rusted cow shit.

June 10 - Sold the car, the house, and moved to Florida.I can't imagine why anyone in their freakin' mind would ever want to live in the God forsaken State of Pennsylvania!


I didnt write this, but thought it was funny.

Merry Christmas

Mike, Madre, Gramma Stella, Danielle and Me in front

Hello All, and MERRY CHRISTMAS

Sorry I haven't wrote in over a month, things have been extremely crazy for me. I had a safe but yet again very eventful journey back home December 10th. It was very hard and emotional for me to leave. I very much enjoyed my time in England and can't wait to go back soon! I made some great friends and whom I would like to consider family. I don't really want to get into ALL the boring details of the trip home but lets just say, EVERY flight got delayed and my original plan of traveling for 17 hrs was added 10 more hours. A grand total from Bath to Portersville was 27.5hrs long.

I have to admit that I do have a new outlook on home now. Things have been somewhat stressful upon my return. But that is just life I guess. I just was kinda used to the more quieter side of life for 3 months. But I am readjusting. I thought it would be more difficult to get used to being back on the right side of the road, since in England they are on the wrong side :P but I do admit a few times I caught myself going to the now driver side of the car, when I had trouble back in England trying to go to the driver side of the car (which is our passenger side of the car). It is kinda amazing about how spaced out things are here. Stuart told me he felt this way when he came over to the US over the summer, but I guess you dont realize it so much when it is all you know. Now driving around and things are so far apart and there is free parking.. We here just take that for granted. you go into a supermarket and park in a HUGE parking lot for free. (and for unlimited amount of time). It is a rare treat in England to have free parking, but even then it is limited 2-3 hour average, or you have to pay by the hour..

It is also much colder here. I have on my computer the temperature in Linoln and Bath and here at home as well. A few days ago we were like 5-10 F and Bath and Lincoln was like 45-50 F. But they think that is cold... luxery, when I was young,.... oh wait, I'm still young..ish lols! but no seriously. today is Christmas and there is no snow, this is the 2nd year in a row with no snow. I really dont like snow, but I have to admit it is rather depressing to have a green Christmas.

My mother is very happy this year for the only reason that she finally got her "Deer Horns" lols. I have to admit they are pretty nice. I never actually got to see it, but it tasted good.. I was living in Erie when she totalled the van with it. These "horns" would make any hunter jealous...

Vacation on my Vacation

Sorry it has been so long since I updated last. For the most part nothing new or exciting really happened. A few little trips, we went to Avebury which is somewhat like stone henge. But the biggest feature the past month was going to Lincolnshire. About 4.5 hour drive one way.

We left Sunday morning after loading as much of Stuart's stuff into the car as possible (in December Stuart is moving the rest of his stuff while he goes on his course at the Isle of Wight). We got there and I was given a tour of the house by Jo (Stuart's stepmother).

I totally fell in love with this house, it is huge and gorgeous. It used to be a horse stable and for the past 12 years they have been slowly but surely turning it into a house. The bedrooms are old stalls. Some of the walls have knicks from where the horses chewed it. The kitchen is huge. The living room is the size of my apt that I had when I was in Erie. The fireplace which was my most favorite part of the house was so big you could fit a double bed in it. It was 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom home. Okay enough of the house...

Now what to say about Jo and Ray........ Where to begin?.. *giggles* Well first, I should tell you... (just kidding).......They were soo nice and funny. They are great cooks too. Ray spoilt me most of the week when I woke up to breakfast in bed. mmm Thanx Ray! I enjoyed talking with them about a lotta different things, they are very open and easy to talk to. I had to introduce them to Blue Collar Comedy Tour. I think they really enjoyed themselves watching it. Especially 15 Degrees off Cool with Bill Engvall with the Thunderbirds.

We also got to take a trip on tuesday to Nottingham. Ray had to go to his class so Stuart and I walked around and adventured throughout the city. We got to see Nottingham Castle, which they have turned into a museum. And we also went on a tour in Galleries of Justice. It was definately an experience I will not soon forget. I dont really want to get into all the details here, but if you wish to know more about it, just ask, I have taken a few pictures and have quite a few stories and impressions. Then after this we got hungry so we decided to go eat at a Thai resturant. I was hungry for Pad Thai. But it was nothing like what I was used to, it was good, but not what I wanted. After this we went into a few neat shops and looked around then walked back to the bus and got a ride back to the Park and Ride where we met Ray at the car. I know that I dozed off a few times on the hr and a half ride back home and I think Stuart did as well.

We also went to a place called Donna Nook. Its where the grey seals and harbor seals come ashore and have their pups. According to the records they had there was about 99 pups on the beach at the moment. It was so neat seeing all the different ages of Pups and all the seals. I have seen seals at Seaworld or the Zoo but never in the wild untouched like this. Some were right up against the fence and you could almost touch them (but wouldnt advise it). They are the largest mammal in Britain. I found out a lot about them from this trip. It only takes a few seconds for a pup to be born, and they will nurse for about 18 days at which point their mothers will leave them to pretty much fend for themselves. The pups are all white and fluffy looking. I got to see one almost right after it was born.

When we got there we walked down the right side of the beach and then we walked up the left side, then walked back to the middle and had a lil picnic which Ray prepared. Tuna sandwiches and tomato soup which was very good. During the picnic we noticed that the Military aircrafts were flying overhead and doing pratice bomb drops. This didnt phase the seals at all. Sometimes it got very loud with the seals and the jets flying over head. But it was beautiful. Then we walked back to the left side of the beach and noticed a pup that was recently born. It was all wet still and very wobbly and the mother still had bloody stains from passing the baby. I got a few cute pictures of the baby and mother. I could have stayed there all day but we had to head back.

I fell in love with Toby and Billy (Billy didnt fall much in love with me though... especially my camera) they are Jo and Ray's dogs. So cute, they got to sleep in my room with me for the week. Billy slept at the foot of my bed, but by the end of the night took up more than just the foot (2/3 of the bed). But thats okay cuz I am used to that sleeping with Mariah. I wanted to take Toby home with me, but Madre said I would have to find somewhere else to live if I brought him home.

I also got to meet Stuart's grandparents. They were very nice and they were funny. We had some interesting discussions. Most of them revolved around the little skit of "Why when I was young....luxury.... and we were lucky.... we were happy" Quite funny! I also got to meet Ray's cousin Carol and her husband. They were really nice. We ate soooo much food though, wow. Great Food.

I just want to send out a very special thanx to Jo and Ray for having me over and for everything that they did for me during the stay. I will never forget your kindness. And I hope you were serious in your offer.. I may just take you up on that offer! If you ever need someone to take care of the place/dogs when you guys go on vacation, lemme know! hehe. I have to admit that it was hard leaving Lincolnshire, I did have a few tears in my eyes as we drove off. They truely were great people and I hope to see them again sometime. If you guys ever make it to the US, I want you to know I will try to accommodate you guys as you have done for me. I may not have a ton of little bits of useless information, but I am sure I can make some up *winks*

Isle of White and Fancy Dinners

Friday morning I am asked if I want to go down to the Isle of White to tour another school for sailing and such. Sure when? Saturday morning, we have to leave around 6am... Wait a minute.. you want me to wake up at WHAT time??... okay, I can deal with this. Friday night, I get talking to Madre and lil sister and Steve. I then realize it is 1am, I got to get up in about 4hours. So I say goodnight and then go to sleep. I am woken up at 5:30am and I jump in the shower and start getting ready. Its gonna take about 2 hours to get down to the ferry, and we have to be at this school for 10. We wanted to allow for 1 hour of getting lost (almost always comes in handy, cuz I am the one reading the map lols). So we leave the driveway at 6:15am and we get to see the sunrise.. I am not used to that.. sunset maybe.. but we are well on our way. We dont get lost, but we get to the ferry place in Southampton. A pretty little town, and pay for the ferry and Stuart got a cafe latte, and I got a hot chocolate. Then we were on the ferry for nearly a half hour. Soon as we got off the ferry there was a few people with jackets from UKSA (The school that Stuart wants to attend) United Kingdom Sailing Academy. So we got in their vans and was shipped directly to the school. We went into the room and watched about an hour of presentation. It was very informative and interesting, but unfortunately my head kept bobbing up and down and despite my interest in things I kept dosing off and on. After an hour or so of presentation it was tea time. I had an OJ (they also offered coffee, tea and pastries). Then back into the room for another hour or so of presentations.. Back to head bobbing again... for 2nd tea time I got myself a coffee.. I had no trouble the rest of the day staying awake after that (and I only put 1 tablespoon full of sugar.. wasnt gonna risk the strange looks again lols). Then another hour of presentations. Then we got to go on a tour of the facilities of the school and we got to play a simulator game type thing for sailing boats.. that was interesting. We got to see the living accommodations where you would live if you went to the school. There were 3 different types of rooms. 1 room had 3 beds in it. 1 bedroom had 3 beds in it but had bathroom accommodations with the individual rooms, and the 3rd bedroom the "suite" had 2 beds bathroom accommodations and had tv, vcr, and internet hookups. They were all "dorm-like" accommodations. They try to prepare you to small spaces on the boats. Then after this tour we went to the cafeteria where we ate lunch. It was very good. Then we did a little more touring and then we went up to the Bar for some 1 on 1 questions and attention. Stuart got to ask all the questions he had and decide if this school was for him. Needless to say, he starts Jan 5th 2009. He is taking the Ocean Graduate class. He will get skills in all sorts of aspects of things. The course seems very intense. 2 weeks in class 2 weeks on a boat, then 2 weeks in class 2 weeks on a boat. Not getting very much time off on weekends. The course is 23 weeks long. A few of the nice things about this school are that if you live on the property, you get free breakfast, lunch and dinner. And the food is actually really good. This school is very well known around the world. People from all over have come to this school to train. It is located on a little island south of England and it is just beautiful. And then much to Stuart and I's surprise... we got to see Gyspy Moth IV. I heard about it back in HS a long time ago.. but forgot a lot of the history and such. But I remembered the name... Stuart was like going into fits like he had been standing next to a celebrity. In the yacht world, he was... and you could even touch it. It was the real Gypsy Moth IV not just a model we learned. In case you are reading this and aren't up with yacht's which I am going to assume most aren't. Gypsy Moth IV is famous for sailing around the globe a few times. One of her most famous voyages was in 1967 when it took Sir Francis Chichester around the world. She was beautiful. We weren't allowed to get in, but we could touch it hehe. After all the tours and signing up, we were put back on the vans when we were ready and sent back to the ferry where we were taken back to Southampton. We saw an Oceana Cruise Liner and OMG it was huge... the world Titanic came to mind. I got a few pictures of this too. So beautiful. Then we headed back for home, but stopped off in Warmister to visit Stuart's mother and brother, they were not home, so we stopped across the street at Jean and Fred's who are Stuart's grandparents. Had tea and biscuits then headed back for home. We were both soo exhausted but neither of us could sleep. So we watched a few films and then finally went to sleep.

Tonight we went out to dinner. It was pretty incredible. Most fancy dinner I ever had in my life. The kind where you got more silverware than you know what to do with. 6 course meal. Im not sure what all we ate, but I tell ya what. it was good! I know we had pigeon, and lamb, potatoes and quite a lot of other things. It was kinda funny because I attempted to eat like everyone here does.. I am not gonna describe it in here, but I will tell you different than the way we do at our house, or what I have been exposed to. I find chopsticks easier.. but I am going to try to use this skill the rest of the trip, maybe I will get good at it. *smiles* I want to take a few things I learn here back home with me.. One thing I am gonna learn is how to make Pad Thai... my family is hopefully gonna like it, cuz I am gonna be making it as often as I can.

I have thought about what am I gonna take home with me... am I gonna want to have tea 3-4 times a day? Am I gonna get free range chicken and eggs... do we even get the option at our stores? Am I gonna want wine with dinner... or am I gonna just go back to the way I used to be? I am not sure to be quite honest. A few things I do want to change. I do want to try to be a little more conscious about my sugar intake. We have kinda figured out that my diet and exercize does affect my mood quite a bit (yes I know all my family and friends and doctors and everyone always told me this.. but I never really tried it for real).

Okay I cant think of anything else to write about tonight, so I will sign off.

Hope you enjoyed reading feel free to comment

Donna

One Month Reflection

Okay, so it has been one month today that I left home, it will be one month tomorrow that I arrived here. Time feels like it is going very fast, but also slow at the same time. I feel like I have been here a lot longer because of all the things we have done in a short amount of time. I kinda just wanted to do a little "reflection" of all the things, without talking about things that I already have. So here goes....

I feel that I am becoming more accustomed to the culture. For instance.. The other day we were in town and I just finished eating subway. It tastes different than back home, the meats are probably processed differently. Anyways so we were sitting on a bench just got done eating, and this couple walked up to me and asked where the subway is... my automatic thinking was, I have no idea... I am not from this country.. (I was thinking the "train" type subway.. not the food) and they looked at me very strange.. then it dawned on me that they meant the food.. That made Stuart and I just laugh. Back home you ask me where the nearest subway is and I can tell you 2 places within walking distance of my home, but it isn't the "train".

Gas prices over here suck, we complain all the time back home about this... but here, wow, they truly suck. The other day Stuart and I had to get gas, it was on "E" so we stopped. and bought some gas..That's 61.49 pounds... Now at the time our $1.00 was equal to their 0.56 pounds. so that is basically $120 for one tank of gas!!! He can get roughly 400 miles to the tank. They don't sell things by the "gallon" here its by the litres. And the bottom line that says 107.9 that means that it is 1 pound 7.9 pence per litre. I was totally confused because I would have thought it would have been like this 1.079.. that is the way it would be done in America. but here it is 107.9 So when I first saw this I was like its 107 pounds for a litre? OMG.. but they just place the decimal in a different spot. Okay so now I understand that.

I have got to eat a few very interesting dishes since being here. Nearly everything you eat here is home cooked.. it isn't fast food or delivery here. There are a few places over here that you can find back home such as KFC, Burger King, McDonald's, Subway, Pizza Hut. Anyways, So I had the pigeon that I believe I mentioned in an earlier post. That was really good. it was 3pounds for 2 birds, so basically $6. Stuart made them with a really nice sauce and put it over Mashed Potatoes. Really good. As seen below (and I think in a previous post as well)

I have had Pad Thai which so far is my most favorite dish. We have had it 3 times since I got here... each time though it gets spicier and spicier. We had it last night and it was like WOW.. that is hot. but I ate most of it, because it was just sooo good. Now I know why they drink white wine with it, it does take the burn out unlike water. I will have to get the recipe before I leave, cuz it will definitely be something I am gonna try to make when I get home for the family... Wont be as good as Stuart's but I will try. Also each time we make it, seems to have more of it. The first time there was this much (below), the 2nd time more and last night the bowl/plate was completely covered.. mmmmmm!

Okay, I have also finally tried the Haggis. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Though it wasn't a true Haggis because it was not in a sheep's stomach, it was in a bag. It tasted more like a sausage type with a different texture. The ingredients of Haggis is usually a sheep's stomach filled with lungs, fat, liver, herbs, and a few other things that I can not think of at the moment. But to see it, you wouldn't know that was all in there, because it is like all mixed in, I guess my thoughts were that I was going to see all the different parts inside, and I think that is what grossed me out more than anything. But it didn't look bad, smell bad, or taste bad. I admit it is not a favorite dish, partly because I have never really been a huge fan of "sausage" to begin with, I eat it, but I don't crave it. We also had mashed potatoes and swedes along with the Haggis. Stuart made a whisky sauce as well.

Other than the fact that there is no such thing as Mt Dew over here... I am getting used to the no sugar thing. I still joke about it, but it really isn't an issue for me anymore. So that is good and I have made progress!

Okay let's see.. what else have we done.. We don't just sit around and eat all the time. We have done quite a bit of cycling the first 2.5 weeks. The cycle to Bristol was the last time though. My bike is put back together now I will have you know... Stuart did it last night. I need to learn how to do it because we have been discussing the possibilities of me taking the bike home with me in December. (so when he comes back to the US we can cycle)

I have got to meet his Mother Beth, his brother Robin, his grandparents Jean and Fred. Some of his friends from work and Akido. We have gone to Akido 2 times, tonight we are going again I believe, its Thursday. I got to meet Madeline, Jason, and Rosa. Stuart's nephews and family. Been to the pub 1nce.

We have been to Stone Henge, Wookey Hole, Cheddar Gorge and Caves, Lyme Regis, and Redhill. We are planning our London trip the first weekend of November. I will get to see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, The Eye (But we aren't riding it... nooo way Jose), The palace, and we are going to eat at the School Dinner's restaurant (LOADS OF FUN) hehe. Then stay at Mike and Diane's house Saturday night and then come back home Sunday. The week of November 10th we are going to travel up to Stuart's father's house for a few days so that I can meet them. That will be fun, they seem very nice and I cant wait to meet them.

Of course we have seen a lot of Bath. We go into town quite regularly park in the Victoria Park which is free parking for 3 hours. Then we usually make our way to Pret a little place in the center of town. He gets a latte and a croissant.. I get a water and croissant. Then we make our way around to at least 1 book shop, and sometimes a few clothing shops just to look around.

Oh another neat story, I got to be in the Circus.. that was neat. But not what you people back home are thinking... there are no animals.. well maybe a cat or dog.. not sure. But the Circus is a group of 3 buildings that are in the shape of a circle. It surrounds one of the most famous "roundabouts" in Bath if I remember correctly. The Circus has 3 apartments per section. (Not sure how many sections per building times 3) But they are very nice apartments. Stuart has a friend who lives in the Circus so that is how I got to be in the Circus. hehe.

Types of vehicles are different here as well. I have seen a total of like 3 pick-up trucks here. You either have a car or possibly a van. The vans are even small by our standards. There are a lot of those "smart cars" riding around, they are soo cute, I would love to take a ride in one before I go. Not sure if that is possible. They have double decker buses that is kinda neat, haven't got to ride one of them yet either. I had my first train ride on the way back from the Bristol cycle we did a few weeks ago. That was neat.

I am somewhat sometimes getting a little home sick. But it isn't bothering me too bad as I talk to my mother nearly every day, my older sister nearly every day, my father and stepmother on Thursdays and Sundays, and then just the random friendly phone call to other people as well. I try to keep in touch with everyone. With my skype program it only cost me 2cents a minute to talk on the phone. Luckily a lot of the people I talk to have a skype account, so if I need to talk to someone I will call them and tell them to get on there. So that is free and saves me quite a bit of money.

I did have a little bit of a spell that lasted about a week, where I got quite depressed inside, but I tried not to show it, and it just stayed all bottled up until it finally surfaced. I couldn't sleep for a few nights and then one night I journaled all my thoughts and feelings and it made me feel a little better. I emailed my thoughts and feelings to Stuart, we talked about them, and now I feel great again. I just have a hard time sometimes expressing my thoughts and feelings verbally. But now I feel a lot better having got my thoughts and feelings down and then out. so Horray!

As far as Second Life goes.. I keep in contact with the important people in there. But Stuart nor I have had the urge to really go in and spend time. I have been in there maybe a total of 4 times. One it is kinda hard with the time zone difference. I feel bad that we don't get to spend any time with Gordon, Stuart gets to talk to Zeb occasionally on yahoo, but it is just soo late to be up to see them. That doesn't mean that I don't think about them. I miss them a lot too!

Ohh and another thing that has been a topic of my interest. I recently just found out, that the Queen Elizabeth.. she has no power, she is not allowed to vote or be political in any way. Basically she just has lots of money, has the title of being the Queen. Its the government that has all the power cuz like us they are a democracy. I was totally like whoa, wait the Queen has no power? what is her purpose then... Basically what it boils down to (IN MY UNDERSTANDING... I COULD BE WRONG) this country used to be ruled by the King and or Queen. That is bloodline... Now that they are a democracy the Government has the power. But they are not going to take the Queen's title from her. I believe there will always be a King or Queen or Prince or Princess whatever... Because they have family and stuff.. so it is basically only the blood that makes them have the title. (0r marriage). So yeah that was interesting I thought.

Something else I found kinda interesting.. there are some places in Bath.. prolly all of England where windows are bricked out. Because there used to be a "Window Tax".. so depending on how many windows your house has, you pay a certain amount of tax for it... so people started bricking up their windows. Then apparently there was a period of time where it just became kinda kewl to brick up the windows and when building a house they would make a spot for a window but brick it up the same way without ever really having a window there.. I will try and get a few good pictures of what I am talking about, its kinda neat.

There are no houses made out of wood or anything other than stone and that sorta stuff. Even out in the country side... the entire country there is no wooden houses.. everything is made from stone, brick, or some plastery looking stuff. You can find some houses with thatch roofs tho that was kinda neat.

Well I guess it is about time to wrap this up for now. That is pretty much it all in a nutshell. Hope you didn't find it too boring.

Until next time

Donna

Lyme Regis and Wookie Hole

Okay so basically since last monday....



Monday was a long day, Stuart was gone all day at work, and then most the night due to his sailing classes. I entertained myself with talking with my family, chatting online, checking my sites, and watching movies. Very glad to see Stuart when he arrived home!



Tuesday we went into town and walked around a little bit, and then went and had tea and dinner at Beth's (Stuart's mother's house) and Robin, (Stuart's younger brother). For dinner we had keesh, baked potato, and then for desert there was like a fruit pie. It was very good, and I had a lovely time getting to know them more, they seem like very nice people. Next time we go out, we talked about me teaching Beth some line dances, if she doesn't already know them. She goes to line dancing school, but I might know a few she hasn't learned.. She also has a greyhound named Eli. He is cute, but seeing him makes me miss Mariah terribly, but it is nice to enteract with another dog. We finally headed back prolly a little later than we should have, because we had to get up early on Wednesday for Lyme Regis, but we were enjoying the company very much.



Stuart had an interview for a Boat Building course Wednesday afternoon. Luckily we planned on getting lost, because we did, but we still made it on time. After we got a lovely tour of the school, and the residentual area he had his actual interview. That went well. Then after that we walked all along the beach and I got to stand in the ocean for the first time ever! That was totally amazing. We got to see all kinds of fossils. If you find them along side the beach you are allowed to take them if you wish, as long as you dont take them from the hillside/wall. Unfortunately the only ones we saw were ones that were in rocks that weighed at least 50lbs or more... so there was no way we could have taken those rocks.. but I got plenty of pictures of them. Then we went and got something to eat as it neared dinner time. We each got a steak. We ordered rare but it came back medium-well, but it was good none the less. Then it was quite dark and we walked around a little more then headed back for home.



We got home pretty late so we both just crashed out after watching a film.



Thursday neither of us were feeling above the weather so we stayed home and didn't do much of anything. Stuart picked Rosa up from school and she came over for a few hours and we watched The Dark is Rising. A pretty good film. Then on Stuart's way taking Rosa back home he passed his nephews Alexander and Finnin (hopefully I spelt that right, sorry if I haven't). They came to the house for a little while and then their family invited us to dinner. So we went over and had dinner. It was very lovely. Beef stew, fried squash, baked potato, and there was something else, I can't remember, and then for desert we had ice cream. Thank you Alice and Tom.



Friday Stuart went to work, again I entertained myself with chatting with family and friends, playing around online, and watching movies. I also cleaned up the kitchen and that sort of thing. When he came home we watched a few films. Stuart enoys Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy, Jeff Foxworthy and Ron White. I have been introducing him to them the past few weeks. He is getting pretty good at understanding them a little better everytime we watch them.

GIT-R-DONE!!!



Saturday mostly I was unconcious because I took my seroquil the night before and it knocked me out. I woke up and we went into town got something to eat, and did a little window shopping and then went grocery shopping then came back home, and I sadly fell back to sleep as I still wasnt feeling too great. But in between sleeping spells, we watched our weekly show Merlin. (Great show btw I will miss it when I go back to America). And then a few episodes of Beavis and Butthead... I am Cornholio.... anyways.. then we went to sleep.



Today we went to Wookie Hole. For real this time, last time we went to see the caves of Cheddar we thought we were in Wookie, and turned out to not be there, so we took Rosa today. We had a lot of fun and the caves were amazing. After that we headed to Beth's house to visit, but they weren't home so we stopped at Fred and Jean's (Stuart's Grandparents). We had a cup of tea and visited for a little while and then headed home. Once home we finished The Dark is Rising and started a little of Pirates of the Caribbean 3, At World's End. Then Stuart took Rosa home, and now here I am... So now I will stop talking and start showing pictures... hope you enjoy...

Lyme Regis

Standing in the Ocean for the first time... WOW! Wasn't as cold as I thought it was gonna be.

Stuart resting on a great big fossil. Some were HUGE!

Another neat Fossil

A Bunch of little Fossils

Wookey Hole Caves

Inside the caves. The lights made them purple!!! WHOOT!

Some more of the Caves.

And Again....

The Fairy Garden and Mermaid Statue with a pretty waterfall.