I love Wiltshire!

I really think we live in the coolest part of England, although there are many places that I love. I just love how ancient Wiltshire is, and whenever we go out on a walk we seem to find something cool that's a thousand plus years old. This time we decided to go to Longbarrow West Kennet, which is about a 10 minute drive from our house. We've always driven past it, but you can't see much from the road, so we didn't think there was much to it! It turns out that it's one of the coolest things I've seen here. It's an ancient tomb that's from about 500 years after the time of Adam. How cool is that! And even better is that it's completely free of charge! It has a proper tomb entrance and about 3 different rooms inside, which is a bit freaky when you're in there and start thinking about all the bones that were once piled up there. I just couldn't believe that it wasn't advertised more b/c I thought it was much cooler than Stonehenge (also near by), but I guess there always has to be the famous ones.

As a tradition for Easter, we always go out somewhere at sunrise on Easter Sunday and read the Easter story in the scriptures and sing a hymn. We were thinking that it would be really cool to go to Longbarrow this year, as it's a proper tomb and it faces the East. That would be cool!

Anyway, I do love living in Wiltshire. I'm happy that it feels like home to me now and I look forward to raising my children here.

Christmas...catching up!

I'm very behind on my posting, so I thought I'd catch up with a Christmas report. I have a picture of our stockings, because my mom always made stockings for us and I've carried on as the tradition for my children, and I'm making one for Simon, too. Sophia's is the one on the left, the one my mom made me in the middle, and Chloe's is on the right.


I'm very proud of Chloe's b/c I just finished it this year. The detail on it was impossible!! I've been working on it for a couple of years now.

I hate the amount of toys we have around our house, so we've decided to get one big thing each for the children, or just one big thing for all of them. This year the girls got a proper wooden doll house that I've always wanted for them to have. Their Yia Yia and Pops (my parents) got them all the people and funiture to go inside. They are having fun with it, and I can't wait to wallpaper and carpet the inside!

James enjoys the dollhouse, too! He got a parking garage and a bunch of cars to go with it, as he didn't really have any yet. His favourite gift is a £2 helicopter I got from Woolworths. Go figure!

We had a really lovely time, but I was eager to get the decorations down this year. Probably, because we finally got carpet for our lounge. Simon went mad and bought new couches, too! We've been saving up and they were all much needed. Below is a pic of the children with their reindeer and sleigh that they made. Sophia is Santa and Chloe is an elf bride (her own idea). I hope you all had a lovely Christmas!

Review...

I, finished the Twilight series a couple of weeks ago now and have seen the movie, too. So, here is what I thought:

Twilight - fantastic! Couldn't put it down!
New Moon - Not so good. I pretty much read it just to get to the next one.
Eclipse - Loved it! Another one that I couldn't put down!
Breaking Dawn - Alright, but not my fave. I thought it was very predictable and all the typos really annoyed me!
The movie - FANTASTIC! I've got to see it again!

Mormon Love. Okay, I'm as hopeless as the rest of you!

Before I continue with this blog, I'm sure some of you are wondering why I haven't blogged about my recent trip to America. The reason is simply down to the stack of Relief Society stuff that I had waiting for me when I returned...and because I can't seem to find the disk where I stored all my America pictures. That will all just have to come at a later date.

I probably wouldn't even be bothering to blog yet, but I keep getting bewildered by just how hopeless I have become. My mom gave me the 'Twilight' book when we were in the States. I thought, given the current hysteria that seems to have engulfed most of you with book and movie, that it was going to be rubbish, especially when I found out it was written by a Mormon, but at last I now knew why all of my Utah friends and family had blog entries on vampire love. I was confused there for awhile. Anyway, I knew that I'd get a chance for some reading when we went to Simon's parents for Christmas, so I took it along with me...not expecting much out of it. Boy was I WRONG!

I started to read the first couple of pages, very skeptically, and then I just kept reading and reading! If I had to stop, then I would just think about it every second. It consumed me for the 3 days it took to read it. It wasn't because I thought I was anything like Bella. I definitely would run if I ever had 4 dodgy men approaching me, and I have actually screamed when I thought someone was following me in London, before, although I think the guy was just normal and thought that I was the mad one! The one thing I could relate to is how my friend Candace would always remind me that if there was a weirdo or scary guy in a 1 mile radius of me, that I would have attracted them. Simon is definitely no Edward, either, (nor would I dream for him to be) although he does serenade me with beautiful songs that he's composed on the piano just for me. A talent that I will definitely be imposing on James and any other boys I have.

The thing that grasped my attention the most was all the (what I like to call) Mormon love! If anyone ever asked me what it was like to date the person you were madly in love with and not act on it, I would have them read 'Twilight'. It just brought me back to those dating days with Simon and all those overwhelming feelings of just wanting to kiss him forever, but then having to stop and compose myself before things got out of hand. And the electricity of the simplest brush of his hand on mine. I just have never read anything that described those feelings better. It just took me back!

So, at 5am this morning, I ordered the rest of the series, but I did make an effort with some self control in not paying for express delivery. That means I have to wait at least 4 days for them to be delievered. Ugh! I don't know why I'm letting myself get so consumed b/c I really don't have any time for them. I'm just going to have to stay up all night until I'm finished. I just hope that when I'm finished, that I'm satisfied and I can get it all out of my head. By the sound of the rest of you, that seems to be a hopeless wish.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm too scared it will disappoint me. The trailers look as if they changed too much, but I probably still will watch it.

4 TAG

I'm sure you've all seen this tag before. I was wondering when it was going to happen to me. It's your 4th picture file and your 4th picture on your computer. I was, unfortunate, that mine was one of Sophia when she was about 2 years old, with her pants on her head! This was typical for her, though, so I'm not surprised that it's the picture I landed on!

This is my last post before I go to America tomorrow...YIPEE!!! I'll, hopefully, be keeping up to date from across the pond.

I tag: Pam, Mandi, Maria, Sarah R. (Sarah G. never does these things!), and Tricia

Remembering...

This was meant to be posted yesterday, but I was having some technical problems with my broadband. I still thought it was an important post to include, as we should always be remembering.

I've never been a soldiers wife whilst her husband was away for months on end, struggling with children on her own, and the horrible feeling of not knowing if he would ever come home to her. I've never been a daughter or grandaughter, who's experienced what it would be like to have the closest men in her life in the same circumstance, although I am a daughter and grandaughter of a loving father and grandfather who've sacrificed the same in Vietnam and World War II. I have been a sister to a hero of a brother who did leave his wife and 2 children (at the time) to sacrifice his very life in Iraq. I know that, although, they've all come home safely, they have all sacrificed their lives in the sense that their lives would never be the same again, and they did it for me. These are the heroes I'm remembering today. Whether we agree with the wars or the politics behind it, the fact remains that our brave soldiers and their families are sacrificing all that they have so that I can enjoy the incredible liberties that I have. I'm so grateful to them. They are my heroes!

*I didn't have a picture of my grandfather, but the top picture is my brother Brett and his wife Beth. The bottom picture is of my mom and dad when they were engaged and he was off to Vietnam.

I Will Fight!!!

I didn't really want to write much about politics on my blog, b/c it's all so draining and everyone feels strongly about their views, but this is my blog and I feel that it's important for me to let everyone know just what I feel about the election today. I know it's late, as I won't be able to change any one's views before the election, but I did feel it was important to put it down on how I stand on things.

It's easy for me to avoid all the constant debating, commercials, campaigning, etc., as I live in the UK. I don't know all there is to know about the issues, but I try to educate myself the best I can. Some friends of mine posted a couple of items on facebook that have really shocked me and left me feeling frightened for the times ahead. Both items have to do with Proposition 8. I'm not a resident of California, although I have been in the past, so I don't vote as a resident of California. What happens in California does affect me for many reasons. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The guidelines for me are clear on gay marriage and that is that marriage is sacred and divinely appointed between a man and a woman. Does this mean that I hate homosexuals? No, but I will not in any way endorse their lifestyle as being anything other than against the will of our Heavenly Father. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I even went to a university that specialised in fashion, where I had many friends who were gay. I was able to express my views freely there in a manner that wasn't hateful, as I don't hate people who are gay, and I expect to be able to do the same here.

The impact on this issue in America is even greater than the impact here. If gay marriage were taught in schools here in the UK, I would have the option of taking my child out of the sex education classes. That option does not exists for residents of the United States. This doesn't mean that I wouldn't fight heart and soul against it here, if it were happening in my children's school. You can bet that I would fight it to the end. Who has the rights when the school gets to decide what's morally appropriate for your children over you as the parent?

It shocks me that some Americans who are supportive of proposition 8 would turn around and vote for Obama. Do they even pay any attention to what he has voted for in the past? If they would not want gay marriage to be legal in California, why would they want a President who has voted to legalise it in the past? If I have to say it clearer, I would not vote for Biden as our President, and I certainly would not vote for Obama. I know that when our forefathers wrote the constitution, they were inspired of God and for Obama to tell me it has flaws, offends me personally. For me, it was McCain all the way, although I wish it were Romney.

If you are curious to know more about Proposition 8, then check out this website:
http://www.whatisprop8.com/

The time is at hand where we will all need to be prepared and strong enough to make a stand against the immoral ways of the world we live in. Faithful members of the Mormon church and other Christian congregations have already had to do so in California. I've never felt stronger the need to be spiritually strong. You can guarantee that I won't be missing my prayers and my scripture study. My faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that will give me strength in the times ahead. I wish that we lived closer to a temple, too. When we lived in Chorley, and the temple was only a 15 minute drive away, I was there every week. I felt all worldliness disappear in me as my heart was turned even more to my Saviour, Jesus Christ. This election has made it more clear to me the times that we are in. I know that the divide between right and wrong will get wider and wider. I think of those pioneers who sacrificed so much in the beginning and the horrible experiences they had so that I could have the religious freedom that I have and it frightens me how likely I see those times coming...rapidly.

We can not afford to be ignorant to the impact of saying no to proposition 8 will have on the residents of California. I could only fight more if I were living there and able to wave the 'yes' banner, as well. I could go on all day about the issues and I'm sure this blog entry seems to jump all over the place, but I feel that I needed to tell the world that I'm up for the fight and I'll do what it takes. I want to reiterate what my Aunt Pam said in her blog in regards to her new favourite hymn, "Who's on the Lord's side, who? Now is the time to show!"