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)