A New Beginning...

If we packed up and flew home tomorrow, i could already say that it's been worth it. very difficult at times but so worth it. i've learned more about myself, maybe a little too much about my children and even a tad about others around me. the thing that i love about traveling and seeing new things and meeting new people, is that i learn, every time, no matter what....we are all the same. we are. it's amazing. it's strange. it's beautiful. riding on the bus and watching the other mothers pull their children in close...or just pull their children. watching friends interacting over lunches or coffee. seeing business men scurry to work with their brows already beginning to crease. people. doing their thing. all over the world. it's the same where ever you go.

i've already had 3 weeks to adjust (somewhat) to my surroundings. it's not THAT different in most ways, but in a lot of ways, it is. there are moments that i feel really normal and fine and then something will happen and it hits me...oh crap, i'm in a foreign country. i'm the one with the accent! i try not to stick out too much, and thankfully, there are so many different types of people in this city, that i don't really stick out at all. as a matter of fact. i've felt pretty invisible on several occasions. sometimes invisible is good.

we've experienced quite a few things already. some good, some bad and some really ugly...

there have been lessons along the way that make us wiser, things that have made heath and me crack up laughing and things that have made me bury my head in his arms and cry until my tears no longer come out. yes, it's been an adventure already. if we'd hoped to be a stronger family because of this, a more adventurous and well rounded group because of this, well, that's exactly what we are going to get...and it's a good thing.

here are some of our lessons thus far:

*crocs are not the shoe of choice when crossing a busy, london intersection. when running across the street with the children on our second day, maddox kicked off a bright orange croc in the middle of the intersection. heath had to come to the rescue on that one.
*when moving over seas, be sure to ship your furniture over first. sleeping on the floor is cool in college and when camping out, however, not with a family of 6.
*know your nearest doctor's office and the hours they keep. waking up to a vomiting child and hacking coughs from two others, is not a peaceful way to start the first day in a foreign country.
*have more than 3 towels to share among six people...especially when one is vomiting.
*if you have picky eaters. there is hope. move to another country, strip them of all their favorite and most cherished foods and eventually, they will come around. we've never seen zane eat so many fruits and vegetables in all of his 3 short years. maddox doesn't stop eating over her.
*have a game face when walking in the city. people don't smile and say hello quite the same in a quick and busy city. "places to go and things to do". don't take it personally, just put on your own game face and walk those streets like, you too, have a mission.
*not all DVDs are universal. we brought over about 50 DVDs to find that only 3 of them work. bust.
*when traveling alone with four small children, carrying one in a body pack, pushing one in a stroller and manhandling two on the side, be sure to wear breathable clothing. you'll be one hot mess upon you arrival.
*instal sling-box before arriving to destination. foreign television is just what you would think it would be. foreign.
*washers and dryers (if you are fortunate enough to have a dryer) are tiny here, like many other things. tiny cars, tiny toilets, tiny sinks, tiny rooms, tiny, tiny, tiny. we've learned to re-wear our clothing. the good news, i haven't washed a pair of jeans yet and i've been wearing them almost daily. the bad news is, i haven't washed a pair of jeans yet and i've been wearing them almost daily.
* if you hear rapid gun-fire outside of your window at 10:45 pm, there is no need to panic, no need to turn off all your lights, no need to get down on the ground, simply open a back window, look out and up and check to see if it could be fire works. you might be pleasantly surprised at the beauty you see in the sky. yes, a beautiful and masterful display of fireworks over Kensington Palace.
*when living in a flat on the first floor, be mindful of the walkers outside your window. i've surprised one too many british folk outside of our window since moving in.
*all coffee is NOT created equal. america has it all wrong. these people serve actual SHOTS of caffeine. a mother's dream.....
*pay for the assembly of furniture, it may cost you a toe, if you don't. ask heath. he has a black and blue toe as proof.
*3 year olds on scooters can go fast. very fast. invest in a helmet quickly.
*5 year old boys think it's fun to put their hand out to "catch" cars that fly so quickly past the sidewalk. reign them in, parents, reign them in!
* "a walk in the park" is not quite like it sounds when you have four children. it's more like a work out.
*indoor picnics are really cute every once in awhile. not so cute when forced to do it for two straight weeks.
*i'm sorry...are those callouses on my feet after only 3 days of being here? note to self, where shoes for comfort, not for looks.

to answer some of your questions, we've attended a great church here, Holy Trinity Brompton, that we really enjoy. it is very different than what we are accustomed to but we feel that we can find a home there and we look forward to meeting the "family" inside of that church and becoming members.
the flat is coming along, we are getting more furniture delivered this week, some rugs, art, paintings....it will feel much more like a home very soon. no more echoing through the halls as the children run and scream (no pun intended, echo).
i'm doing really great with the public bus, not only do i not mind it, but i love it! it's so easy and so much fun.
yes, i truly love the food here. i really do. it's all so fresh. and yes, i'm cooking more. i'm forced to!
heath and i have heard that there is a "boot camp" here in Hyde Park (right behind our flat). hmmmm, i think we may have to try that out.

in the last 3 weeks, i've been brought down to pretty low places, very lonely places. i've missed my family, missed my friends. cried in front of my children, cried behind closed doors, sobbed at the kitchen sink and in the shower. but i've never once regreted coming over here. i have not once thought that it was a mistake. we knew that it was going to be difficult and uncomfortable at first, but we also knew that it was worth it. i knew that the whole time, but there were moments that took over me anyway. i'm not as strong as a thought. but maybe i'm a little stronger than i think. i emailed my mother-in-law a week or so ago and expressed the day to day difficulties of things going on. her email was priceless. and i hope that she does not mind me sharing a bit of it with you. it has words that stuck with me, stuck to me, transformed me. i decided to snap back into the mistye i know and get on with what i came here to do. live life. live life in london. and live it well.

"Mistye,
I feel your pain. I know how hard it is to move even without children and I know how helpless you felt trying to make sure they were not being too stressed, then adding sickness on top of all else, bless you!!! About the time you get everything figured out, it will be time to come back home! Just rem. to bloom where you are planted and if you are blue, be a very bright blue!!!"

i just can't say it any better than that. it still makes me cry when i read it today. you know, i've said it many times to many friends and family. it is at my lowest and most vulnarable times in my life, when i'm brought to my knees with sadness, grief or pain. that is when i crumble into nothing and i'm left to be rebuilt. so although this has been a difficult and intersting transition, i welcome it. i've been taken completely out of my comfort zone and placed somewhere that i can't rely on myself or others to get me out of it. but i can rely on my Heavenly Father. i'll be patient to see what He is going to do with us while we are here. until then, i will "bloom where i've been planted" and i will be a very, very "bright blue".


"For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything." Hebrews 3:4