England trip, part 1

I'm in my parents kitchen cooking cottage pie and listening to Britney Spears' 'Toxic'. According to the album title, it's a good cooking song. My foot's tapping, so it must be true.

My trip to England has been perfect so far. The weather is a comfortable 55 Fahrenheit, the rain has been minimal and the flowers are out in force.

So far, I've been to the city of Lincoln to watch a great friend marry her Australian beaux, to Scunthorpe to see my wonderful New Life church family and then back to Essex, my home county, to see my parents.

When I attended New Life church on Sunday, I was given a warm welcome and an impromptu interview (!!!!). They wanted to know a little about Texas, so I told them that the people are lovely and the churches are beastie in size. Apparently, some of the congregation thought I'd called the people beastie, so I had to clarify. While in Scunthorpe I stayed with my best friend, her husband and their little baby, Archie. I loved being Aunty Rosie and fell about laughing every time Archie showed me his new facial expression, which can only be described as the face most people pull when riding a roller coaster.

Scunthorpe is a steel works town in North Lincolnshire, in the East Midlands. It's home to some lovely people and the site of our wedding at New Life church and Normanby Hall. I lived there for two years, and in that time I had my first book published, left the teaching profession, achieved my Masters, watched my best friend get married, worked in a women's refuge, reconnected with God, was baptised, went on mission, met my husband and got married. So it's a pretty special part of the country for me, and I loved going back!

Lincoln is also a very special place, as well as being utterly beautiful. I went to university there and made some ENORMOUS memories. The cathedral is situated on top of 'steep hill' (well named, as by the time you reach the top you can't feel your legs and need an oxygen tank) and is the best in the country (I'm biased, of course, but even my mother-in-law said she thought it was even more stunning than any of the buildings in Paris! And her husband took a ton of pictures and is an architect, so he should know, right?!)

Basically, the East Midlands are my second home and I would always recommend a visit.

Next time, I'll gush about my childhood home in Essex.

(While blogging and cooking simultaneously (I know, it's a skill) I have been snacking on frozen peas because they are next to me waiting to be cooked. You should try it! They're like healthy sweets! In fact, I'm pretty sure my best friend at school was told by her mother that they WERE sweets to stop her from going to the sweet shop and getting a sugar high. Genius or mean? I'm not sure)

(Photos to follow)

Bon Voyage

No, I am not being deported. But I am heading back to England for a couple of weeks to see family and friends.  

It's strange to think that this time tomorrow I shall be swapping my t-shirts for jumpers and letting the hairs on my legs grow for extra warmth (I'm just kidding. I don't really do that. But I've heard it works. Heard, not experienced.) 

I will be spending time in Essex with my parents, taking a trip to Kent to see my Nanna, to Brighton to see my sister, and to Scunthorpe/Lincoln to see my friends. So it's a country-wide tour! I will of course be blogging to share my home with my American readers. 

See you in England! Don't forget your flight socks! They are not granny-ish, they are just good sense.  

My surprise...

A Texas Rangers game (aka baseball)! My sneaky hubby slipped my Ranger hat into the boot of the car and took me to the stadium. He said he'd booked four seats because he wanted us to spread out, which I thought was weird. Had he developed a phobia of people? Were Ranger fans crazy? Would I wind up with mustard in my eye from sitting too close to a hot-dog bearing, die-hard fan? Where had he brought me?! It all made sense when two of our friends walked in to sit beside us. Sneaky hubby strikes again!

The game was great. I was the Queen of Questions, as it's pretty technical, but I got the basic gist. I won't try to divulge any of my knowledge here as I am likely to fall flat on my face, but basically, a run is good, and the more runs a team gets, the better. And 3 strikes , your out! But everyone knows that from the films, so that's not very impressive. I'm sorry. I will definitely be a pro a few years into marriage, though, as we plan to go to many games.  

The game is a lot more chilled than basketball, so I found it quite relaxing. Plus there was plenty of time to natter with friends and eat a hot-dog and peanuts. 

At one point the fans created a wave around the stadium. When I announced that in England we call it a 'Mexican Wave' I was told that I was racist. Is it? I thought it was more of a compliment. Who doesn't love a good wave? Mexico, if you did indeed invent it, thank you!        

My first American birthday!

At 6pm on 9th April my best friend text me to say that I had turned 27 in England as it was midnight there. I text back saying 'so, it could be said that I've made myself 6 hours younger by moving to the States!' Let's say yes to that. I am a time traveller.

I had a lovely day, starting with an early breakfast with the hubby, followed by a day of relaxation that involved a bath, The Swan Princess (if you haven't seen this film, why not?! A French frog (just realising how stereotypical that is), an Irish puffin and a turtle named Speed, what more could you want?!), painting, snuggling with the cat and a meal at Olive Garden. 

I was also able to Skype my parents and sister, which is always so wonderful. The funniest moment of the day was when my sister turned her screen around to show me her house-mates all standing round the piano to sing me happy birthday. It was made even more special due to the fact that one of her house-mates was dressed as a crayon (God bless you, Josh).    

Hubby has a birthday surprise for me on Saturday evening, which I'm very excited about! I'll let you know what happens. Stay tuned! 

Lets Go Mavs! Defence, defence, defence!

I went to my first Dallas Mavericks game last week, aka Basketball. My verdict - I want to be a Mavericks hooligan! I want the blue t shirt, the hipster cap, the oversized vest, the foam hand, the annoying slappy thing that all the kids had, and dang it, I want the mascot outfit! Which happens to be a horse, just further proving how perfect this team is for me. 

I've never really watched the game before, only once in New York and I remember liking it then too. It's fast paced, skilful, and attracts the most insane fans I've ever met. I got high-fived by a stranger (rather roughly, I have to say), and deafened by a mother of four. I watched with baited breath as two people went head-to-head in the foam fry tossing competition at half time (they were competing for a years worth of Whataburger) and nearly lost it completely at the end when the other team scored in the final few seconds, securing a loss for the Mavs. It was emotional.

In conclusion, it was one of those experiences where I just wanted to shout 'this is America' really loudly every five seconds. Loved it!