Umbrella Shortage!

So here we sit in England. LOVING the weather mind you! It has, in some ways, reminded me of living in Miami Beach way back in the day. The "Daily Rain" as we'd call it. You could see it coming in from the ocean, you'd pick up your things, head inside, wait for it to leave and then go back out and continue with your day. Granted, we're not all tan and sitting around a pool in leisure all day long, but you can indeed see it cloud it up daily, rain or sprinkle a bit and then off it goes.
As I have mentioned, it does cloud up and then sun then cloud then sun and those small differences make a BIG difference in whether or not you are hot or cool. Yesterday and today, I hate to mention to my peeps back home as they are sweltering away in a good ol' fashioned August heat wave, that our highs have been about 65 degrees yesterday and today. Today it has rained almost all day and yesterday was intermittent, but more than we'd seen yet.
So this leads to my next question, if it rains in England so much...where are all the damn umbrellas???????
Yes, I'm shocked that there is not even a specialty store for nothing but umbrellas. The way its been made out to be here, you'd think there would be umbrella stands on the roadside, bright storefronts with an array of interesting umbrellas. Nope. I swear, one would fall over in exasperation at the idea of how much we've SEARCHED to no avail for a friggin umbrella!
Well, I mean we could look TRULY foreign and walk around with the one, ONE, that we found that clips on to a table. Clip be damned, at least we're dry!!!!!
Not that rain bugs me in the least. That's not the point. The point is that if it rains so damn much around here, one should have an easier time finding a damn umbrella. Damn it.

The house hunt.
So, we'd found a house, we saw online before we even got here, the first one we saw. LOVED it. Absolutely love it. 3 story 5 bedrooms w/ an enormous kitchen with nifty little built ins. Some of those things being very little. I would spend each and every single moment waking or not of the rest of my natural born life doing laundry at the size of that mini-miniature washering machine, not only was it a tiny washing machine, it also turned into a dryer. Well, they might not like the size of things that we do in America, but at least they're smart enough to make a washer/dryer combo.
It was a small little subdivision, private, in a tiny small village, absolutely adorable. The neatest thing? The family of peacocks that roamed freely through out.
We had all but made up our minds and could hardly stand to take the time to look at another home, as these were brand new. No previous tenant germs on it or anything.
We drove back out to check the drive, you know, without getting lost this time. Only to accidentally find the structure with constantine wire just in the back yard. There was a thick row of trees lining the gorgeous large back "garden" (not yard) and just beyond that? A men's prison. Now some have said, its likely safer there than another neighborhood because at least the criminals are locked up.
However, in most ways it does not concern me, Mike has not been all too comfortable with it. There are about 4 that are available there, so its at least our fall back. There is plenty of room for visitors there at least.
In the past couple of days we have visited a few absolutely GORGEOUS villages in the past couple of days. I'd show you some photos, but... yes, I'm still on the crappy laptop that won't let me load my pictures. So until Santa fesses up a Mac, we just have to deal with it. Okay, or until I get my desktop back in a couple of weeks.
Yesterday we visited Hengrave and Flempton, oh I was just in love with them! However, we could not find the house that was for rent in Flempton, it was the first village we'd been in where the first English person had waved back to us. I decided it was definitely the right place for us. However, it turned out the house we were seeking, was already let.
Today we went to Dullingham, which is just outside of Newmarket, which is the horse racing capital or some business. Yes, I was in LOVE with it immediately. Likely some of the prettiest country I've seen yet. Not b/c of the equine decorations all over the countryside.
Not to mention, Newmarket has SHOPPING!!!! Lots and lots of nifty stores all downtown along a strip. Great looking hair places too, you know I've been extremely concerned about my hair. I've been spoiled by Idalia way too long, I'm mortified to go to someone new. I think I might just color it myself and grow it out long and shaggy until I come home for the first time!
Okay, so not, but Mike laughed when I said I needed to interview some new salons. I wasn't kidding.
Anyway, today we made our way to Dullingham, that was a bust. I was absolutely and undeniably in LOVE with that little town. It was probably the most beautiful one of all to date, but the house was just not nearly enough to sway me. Next we hit Isleham and it was too cute. St. Andrews Church is the center piece for this gorgeous little village. What was better than that? The homes, the streets, the little businesses, the school, you name it... all adorable. What could be even better than that you might ask? Well, the fact that THREE people waved at us, and we weren't even the ones that instigated the waving, add in a few smiles and nods. Well that sure sounds like home to me.
I get the feeling more and more that Americans may be less liked than I'd originally envisioned or been told. With the military, I've gotten a mixed version of England. Half say they love it and would live here forever and the people were wonderful and friendly, the other half said it was dirty and ugly and people were hateful.
Thus far, I've found it to be extremely CLEAN, not sure where the dirty part comes in. Its OLD --- OBVIOUSLY, but neat and tidy for sure. People...I've not really come into contact with that many British people yet to get a true feel for it. Overall I get the feeling that we are unwelcome, but to be fair, I DO, indeed, talk pretty funny for them I'm sure. Our steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car, the car also sports a Texas Longhorn sticker (HOOK EM!) and Texas plates. Then there are the very few couple of times we've gone into public, and obviously had our children with us, nuff said there.
Okay, then there is likely that mass of Americans that come here and bitch about there being nothing to do and never get out and DO things (I have not gotten to do ANYTHING yet and I'm chomping at the bit b/c there is SO MUCH to do) and the ones that think all British people are rude and hate them, but never took the time to know any. I'm sure there are plenty of Americans that can come along and put a bad taste in people's mouths in any country that we military get sent to.
Seriously. I'm sure it would be just the same of us in America if we had certain towns that tended to get overrun with people from another country that often times might be rude or take US to be rude, when we truly weren't...
I don't know.
Thus far, I can't answer that question. Regardless, I shouldn't worry...who couldn't like ME???? ha!
Oh I should also add in, that I have noticed lately, just how often and how rude my "HUH?" could be taken. Sorry, but there IS a language barrier in England with Americans. haha! Perhaps not like it would be in Germany or Italy of course, but there is definitely a barrier nonetheless.
I've said, "HUH?" well more than I should already and have to now remind myself to have better manners and say, "Pardon" or "sorry, come again?".
It really is quite hard to understand some of the things that get thrown out at me. I feel stupid for not understanding because it is the same language, but um...still not.
So, for those of you who have not been here, are planning to come or may someday, please prepare yourself to NOT understand half of what is said to you in the beginning. The other half of the time I have to contain myself from giggling when someone from here speaks b/c its just so damn cute. I love it.

So.... I'll end with saying that yes, we do love the weather so far. No, we are not having fantastic luck with the house search. There were so many online for all the time we were waiting to come here, but we've come in on the ass end of a large influx I think. Not to mention, you just can't really comprehend how it is to drive around here and how much TIME it takes until you are actually here. If we wanted to be mean and make Mike spend the majority of his time here driving to and from work, sure we could have the house of our dreams but...that's just not cool.
So we are trying to stay within a certain drive time for him, in a certain price range... so basically the same drive time and price range as the other 500 families that have apparently just gotten here.
No, I'm not fond of the food at all. No, I've not tried the beer yet. Yes, I do think I will work on aquiring a taste for it. Maybe. Hey I did try a sip of a Heineken. That's a start right?!
Yes, I have already taken up cooking again. Good thing I'm good at it or we'd be in some real trouble.
Yes, I should simply blog more often so that each post was not a freakin novel.
Oh, and yes I'm telepathic and can read the minds of anyone that reads this!

We miss our people, but sure love it here so far too. We are all so very ready to find a HOME though, so that we can get cozy and comfortable and finally get some sort of a routine going. Also to get that binky back away from the Codester. He's gotten way too attached to it again as we've been so desperate we just let him have it. I cringe at the idea that *I* have a 2 year old with a flippin binky. Hey...you gotta do what you gotta do.
So I've stolen the idea of a friend, albeit her son was a bit older so much more likely to grasp this concept, but hey it worked perfectly for her, so I'm sure gonna give it a shot. I offered up a bike for the binks. Since Christmas is too far away, and I don't want to make it too soon so that we can try to be settled by then, I told him the (yes laugh away, I was grasping here) Great Pumpkin, ala Charlie Brown, was going to come on Halloween and he had to turn in his binks to get a new bike all for himself like a big boy.
We'll see.
I foresee a bike thrown at me and a billion tantrums ahead for a binky.
Oh I love that boy, but man oh man does he ever give me gray hair.
Kade, the blankie...well, I just don't know what to do about that one. I feel somewhat unfair, but it just doesn't bother me. I don't let him take it IN places, and I don't really even take it with us when we go anywhere, so I'm not sure what the problem is there other than the fact that when he does have it, he often sucks his thumb. Not always, but some.
Tomorrow we have to make an appointment with the ped. around here for the boys and I'm pretty nervous about that as well. We had such an amazing pediatrician and staff back home, I felt so uncomfortable taking the boys anywhere but them. I always wanted their email addresses and cell phone numbers to be honest, not that I blame them for taking a little time off, because I rarely trusted myself to administer more than tylenol without their consent. Now the thought of some stranger trying to take care of my babies is just too much. I hope we get a nice, caring dr. for them that can trust my methods. I had the greatest pediatrician ever and I just can't imagine anyone being nearly as good. (Don't think I did not warn him that I'd be e-mailing him though if I had any major concerns). ha!

Okay, seriously. I need to quit jacking around online and get out and make some freakin friends so I can stop droning on my blog for goodness sakes!
What a mess!

Once again I will close with an apology. Perhaps I'll come back tomorrow and finish out any thoughts from today that I forgot and try that more regularly so that I don't get so damn long winded as always.
That's for Jayne. hehe

Miss and Love everyone back home!!!!
XOXOXOXO