December Events

Like most of you back home, December holds many extra opportunities for celebration. Here are some photos from a few of the special events we were able to take part in.

Julieanne ready for the Junior Christmas Ball. Anna Catherine

went as a Bega House Prefect as well.

Anna Catherine's 6th Form Christmas Ball was the following week.

Nathan was Gad in his Christmas play, 'Joseph and the

Amazing Technicolor Coat'. He's in the blue stripes with blue

sunglasses.

Meanwhile over at St. Bees School Anna Catherine was in the English traditional Christmas Panto which was a twist of

'Robinson Crusoe', 'Pirates of the Caribbean', and 'Treasure Island'.

She was a 'Victorian Tart' and Island Native.

Growing Up Is....Hard to Do

The day had finally arrived when the parts for the 5th grade musical, 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' were to be announced. Nathan had his heart set on being Joseph - he had been going around the house singing, even sang to Julieanne and one her friends visiting. He walked to the car, slouched in the seat and was 'gutted' as they say here when you are exceedingly disappointed. He had auditioned by singing a solo in front of 4 classes along with many other boys but this was not his moment. He was so dejected asking when it would be 'his moment'. He had also optimistically campaigned for student council and lost that race as well. It's fine line between letting someone feel the legitimate disappointment and helping them gain a true perspective. After consoling him, being disappointed with him and getting a MacDonald's hamburger I reminded him of all of his moments recently that undoubtedly left others feeling left behind. We talked about why the boy who got the Joseph part really needed that part and will do very well with it. He had such a long face - certain he had no solo or even a speaking part. A few days later he was given his script. He is Gad, one of the 11 brothers of Joseph and yes he has a few speaking parts but no solo. Out of 100+ kids to be one of the brothers is a privilege but he's not the big shot. It's all part of growing up.

Actually we've been reading the true account of the life of Joseph, his father Jacob and grandfather Isaac which Nathan has been fascinated by. He's into all the maps and which tribe got which land, particularly Gad. He's seeing all the lying and deceit in the family. It's been great to compare the real details of the Bible with the script. He'll say, 'wait, it says, _____, in the script but that's not quite the same as the Bible'. His first performance is the 11th. The school is so tight for space each family is only allowed 2 tickets and then if there are leftovers you can request more on a first come first serve basis.

For the girls growing up has brought it's challenges this term as well. Julieanne has had to find her voice to speak up in her band registering an opinion on what songs they do and do not sing. Her first response was just to quit which seemed like the less confrontational/easier thing to do. After spending an evening listening to the songs on her iPod that she likes that would be good for the band and her voice as well as contain lyrics we were comfortable with, she came up with "Eye of the Tiger" She was able to put her ideas and reasons forward and the band gladly accepted them.

This half term, Anna Catherine has been living at the Junior girls boarding house as a prefect or 'resident assistant in training' if you will Monday - Friday. There are two juniors, one senior and two adults each night tutoring, keeping in line, and relating with the girls who are boarding at the school. AC has faced the challenges of prioritizing all the studies and activities she juggles each term. In addition to her studies she's played varsity hockey, cello, been in the Jr./Sr. Christmas Panto, a leader in the Combined Cadet Forces, youth group, discipleship group and participated in a weekly Investment Team. Needless to say, she's been s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d! She's also been walking through some sad relational issues adding much strain. No doubt she will end the term exhausted but also having learned some huge stuff - some the hard way with many tears and others in a less painful way.

For all three, growing up has been hard to do this term.

Introducing Humperdink

Our front bedroom windows overlook the neighbor's house giving us a great view of their roof. One day last summer we spied a nest with dutiful seagull parents perched on top. Of course we watched for the new born seagulls with interest and watched them grow while safely nestled on the rooftop chimney. The fateful day came when the fledglings tried their wings and we noticed them grounded in our backyard. There were two - quite grey and rather large for babies. They seemed to hop around a lot and remained content to stay in the grass.

We came outside to view the action only to be dive bombed by the parent seagulls. While the babies were on the lawn, the parents were actively protecting them from the air. One even dropped a load (either by accident or on

purpose which made us run for cover) Somehow word was quickly spread by seagull transmit and aunts and uncles appeared to assist with operation dive bomb/scare the humans away. We took cover inside and watched the parents try to demonstrate how to fly. They brought food from time to time and kept circling overhead for protection.

It was sort of like watching a movie with a parallel meaning. We as parents meet our children's physical needs as best we can, we demonstrate how to live well, how to love and step out there but in the end you can't do it for them; they have to fly on their own. It's quite painful sometimes as a parent to just instruct, watch and cheer. Humperdink's brother flew back to the roof but didn't get enough height so he slid down the steep roof. It's all part of the learning; sliding, falling, being grounded and then hopefully soaring at some point. We've been in the process of giving our kids wings for a few years now and they are trying them out - there's some grounding, sliding and hopping with a little air from time to time; they are growing up.

Ups and Downs for 14!

For Julieanne's 14th we decided to ride the ups and downs on the roller coasters at Blackpool Pleasure Beach Park. You may recall that in the Thompson family we do a birthday party with friends one year and the next is a 'family party'. We try not to let the 'family parties' be the let down or bummer time so we have tried to be creative from time to time. Friday night September 18th, we drove two hours south to the "Myrtle Beach Grand Strand' style famous UK Beach Resort of Blackpool. It gives tacky tourist a new dimension but of course just like Myrtle Beach, there are some pretty spots too.

Saturday from 11-8 we went from roller coaster to roller coaster. What is it about a few seconds of a thrill that makes us willing to stand in a line with a bunch of smelly strangers? Crazy! Julieanne had a really great birthday weekend which was the whole point.

Her friends had tricked her at school. No one said anything about her birthday which was making her feel quite bummed as you can imagine. At lunch she was told by the office she needed to go to the art lecture hall for something. When she walked in her friends were waiting with cake, presents and lots of laughs! She thought they forgot but they were just trying to surprise her and that they did!

She's growing up. Of all the kids, she is the one who has changed most dramatically since moving to England. We brought an 11 year old girl over here and now have a 14 year old young lady. She's learning who she is and what she's about. It's a challenge to be 'you' in all situations of life but she's very aware of this and trying hard to be consistent. She is still a huge bundle of life, fun, energy and care. Happy 14th Birthday!

Grammy's Visit to England

Mom wanted to visit England when the flowers were in bloom and it was a bit warmer than her last visit in December 2007. For two weeks in August we showed her many places she hadn't experienced. We enjoyed a boat ride on Windemere Lake and a two day trip for Julie and Grammy to Edinburgh to see the Military Tatoo. Edinburgh is a very hilly city so Grammy got some major exercise traipsing from the train station to the Hop On Off bus tour all around the Holyrood Palace then up and down the Royal Mile.

The Palace is the Queen's Residence while she is on official

business in Scotland. Many palaces we've seen have been opulent and gaudy in my opinion but this palace almost seemed more homey and livable. The Scottish Crown and Scepter are proudly kept as part of Scottish history in the Edinburgh Castle as they now submit to the Queen's rule over all the United Kingdom.

They do have their own parliament as you've no doubt heard much about in the controversial recent release of the Lockerbee Bomber back to his home country of Libya. It's a

complicated, bloody story of their fight for self rule.

The Military Tatoo is an annual celebration by various military bands from all over the world performed at night in front of the splendid Edinburgh Castle. There were performers from Australia, Fiji, Germany, China and Scotland. The highlight was the 200 strong bag pipe band and the grand finale with all the military performers. Thankfully we enjoyed a cool, dry night but they perform rain or shine to sell out international crowds.

The second day we toured the Edinburgh Castle and searched the Royal Mile for a new black

cashmere sweater for Grammy.

I believe we saw all of the black size Medium sweaters available only to purchase the very last one we tried on!

One fun stop on the Royal Mile was the home of John Knox. Grammy even tried on a robe and hat in his house. She said it was for pastor George Robertson who is always saying, "For Christ and the covenant".

That weekend we all drove across the country to the quaint

town of York with Viking and Roman history. The city was one of my favorites as far as the charm factor is concerned. It has a famous cathedral, York

Minster which houses the greatest collection of stained glass in Europe.

To really tickle Grammy we bought tickets to hear an organ concert on Saturday night. Nathan was psyched about that!

The rest of the time we did normal life things like providing the taxi service for kids' activities, having people over for meals, washing clothes, cleaning up, etc. which is what a Grammy likes to see....day to day life for her grandkids.

We celebrated Grammy's b-day two days early but she didn't mind. A photo book from the 'Vacation to England 2009' was the gift. Lots of good photos and memories.

First Day of School

This is the beginning of our third school year in England. Anna Catherine started 11th grade, Julieanne 8th and Nathan 5th. The girls are still at St. Bees School while Nathan is in his final year at Jericho Primary School.

Each came home feeling positive about the new year - they like the teachers they got and the schedules for the most

part. Julieanne begins Cadet Combined Forces this year (similar to ROTC) but it's mandatory. AC loves the GI Jane activities they get to do and has continued on with it though it is

voluntary for her from here on out. She was even promoted to a Sergeant (maybe she's taking after Granddad in the army skills) Julieanne is continuing on with guitar and actually picking it up often on her own. AC was thrilled to learn that she made the Firsts' Hockey team which would be like a varsity team at home. She says there are girls far more skilled than her but she was in good shape and makes up for lack of ball handling with enthusiasm and effort. I've always told the kids that a good attitude and much effort speaks highly to teachers and coaches. Julieanne hasn't found out about her hockey team yet.

Nathan's still playing soccer - they combined two teams and will compete on a full soccer field for two 35 minute halves. He got to play as a striker this weekend which was a big change from the goalie. He's very fast but exhausts himself quickly with no reserve so we'll see how he holds up.

As a 'Lower Sixth' student Anna Catherine has the privilege of leaving the tartan kilt behind to wear a navy pencil skirt wearing her hair down and 'discreet' jewelry.

Na told her she looked like she was going to work. Ah the joys of being in the upper school. She received her grades for the nationalized GCSE exams. These are the exams that covered the two years of material. I didn't study as much as she did for these exams in all of my high school career probably.

She did very well...6 A's, 2 A*, and 2 Bs. She was a bit disappointed because she really felt like she aced biology and history but missed an A* by one point. She saved up her summer job money and some money we gave her for her great grades and bought herself a little laptop which she is very pleased with! It's a great feeling when you buy something you've saved up for.

Though we didn't plan to be here a third school year the kids are optimistic about the year.

"A summer without a holiday is like a year without summer"

I recently read that quote in the newspaper advertising a holiday at the beach in a warm climate. I must say that I, like the Brits, feel the need for a summer which northwest England does not generously grant. Though stunningly beautiful here in Cumbria, this summer has been wet and cool for the most part.

I set myself up for a major disappointment when at the end of the summer I booked us at what I was expecting to be a Hilton Head type of experience. All of the travel books said Devon had

a warmer climate, pretty beaches and tropical type plants. For the four day weekend right before school started we drove 7 hours to the warm beach because as you remember we live on the coast already, it's just not real warm. After checking the forecast which read partly sunny 70 degrees (welcome improvement from our 62 degree rainy weather) I packed my bathing suit, shorts, and flip flops. Dennis kept telling me I was going to be disappointed and boy was he right.

We arrived very late Friday night and checked into our '3* Mystery Hotel' Deal. Let

me just say up front it's a 'mystery deal' for a reason. Ugh. The curtains were shredded in places, the bedspread had stains, the walls had water stains and spakle putty, and holes in the sheets. The kicker was the signs everywhere that proclaimed that all valuables should be left at the front desk. (At one point in the weekend Na got this horrible look on his face and gasped, "Oh no, I left my watch in the room." We all smiled knowing the new watch from Grammy only cost 10 pounds and wasn't a high risk item; but he had taken the signs seriously.) It was also overcast and misty. I was just about in tears - where was my tropical beach summer weekend?

That night I lay still in the bed wondering what was I really sleeping on. I was having a talk with myself. Dennis had tried to give me the ole perspective talk but he felt bad for me as he knows that I miss the warmth more than anyone in the family. We had an 'Augusta' summer in

many ways with so many visitors from home - they just weren't able to bring the sunshine in their suitcases.

Saturday we went in search of the beach and though it was too cold for our blood we enjoyed a beautiful walk. The weekend turned out to be a great time - the kids were great

though we weren't 'entertained' in any way. We ate some

good Indian and Mexican food and

enjoyed each other. My family even humored me to drive an hour over to Plymouth to see the 'plaque' in memory of the Mayflower. (pictured left they are pointing to the 'Mayflower 1620 sign") I came away from the weekend glad to have sunny family relations and cloudy weather rather than cloudy family relations and sunny days.

A ridiculous side note is the two extreme pet owners we came

across in Devon while eating our scones with

Devonshire cream and jam. First we saw a cute

Bichon who reminded us of our little "Buddy" only to be repulsed by the owners. They had a dog stroller (see phot0) and throughout the day when we saw them the dog was getting more pampering than the spouse or children. It was sickening. Then as we were leaving we saw another dog owner putting raincoats and booties on his dogs to keep them dry. Please, people these are animals!!

After our beach cliff walk we all worked up a sweat and took off our outer layers. Nathan

convinced himself he wanted to give swimming a try but he changed his mind before he was up to his ankles. So I got my holiday but without scorching sun which is a disappointment to be worked through for a southern girl.

Maybe I would have to amend the quote to read, A summer without warm sunshine is like a year without a holiday. I didn't know I was so hung up about the weather...something else to work through in my life.

"I Came To England Just to be on the Blog"

That's what David said as he happily posed for many a picture when the West

ergreens came over the the pond to Merry Ole England.

Our first stop once they arrived Tuesday was the outdoor adventure center of England, Keswick in the Lake District. Derwent Water was gorgeous and the kids were just happy to finally be here after a very long 18 hour trip. All were hungry and wanted to try fish and

chips.

Dennis' boss was back in the States so he was in charge and had to be in the office Wednesday during the day but in the evening he and Jeff hit the Whinlatter Mountain Bike Trail. While the guys were riding,

Beth and the kids and I were at the laser tag

and bowling.

We enjoyed messing around at St. Bees beach

and walking them around 'the B' as Jeff liked to call St. Bees School.Having

4 teenagers and one ten year old boy requires tolerance for noise and motion so we tried to keep active. Anna Catherine's friend Josh came to give a rugby lesson so David could go home with a new sport. Being a sports family we thought they might like to see a Whitehaven Rugby match. (That was the match where Nathan lost his shoe, remember?)

We were all set on Saturday to go for a hike up Catbells once Jeff and Dennis finished the harder Bike Trail but all plans changed when Jeff awoke in pain. On the Friday prior to their leaving Augusta, Jeff had been grippe

d with the familiar pain of a kidney stone. He had one very painful episode 5 years back while they were in the Grand Canyon so this was not a new addition to their family vacations. Inspite of the medicines he came with, the pain would not subside so he

spent the upstairs in his room. Finall

y Dennis and I took all of the kids over to Keswick to give Jeff some more room in the house to wander around. We all enjoyed a good laugh during a competitive gam

e of pitch n putt which is a par 3 golf course. However, the laughing was over when we drive up to the house and were met by Beth who said Jeff needed to go to the hospital. Thankfully, Dennis was well acquainted with the hospital and knew just what to do.

Jeff got to experience something none of our other guests have 'enjoyed' ... an overnight stay at the hospital, and a taste of England's Nationalized Health Service.

After church, while Jeff recovered in the hospital with Beth to keep him

company, we took the boys

up

Catbells for a splendid mountaintop view. The video clip at the top gives a glimpse of the beautiful scenery.

Thankfully Jeff was released that evening before we were back from the hike so they took to the streets trying to get home. We all got home just in time to head back to church for the evening youth service which Anna Catherine had been rehearsing for most of the day. We are always glad to share St. John's Church with friends.

Jeff and Dennis were able to go on a tour of Sellafield Nuclear Site on Monday which they both thoroughly enjoyed since they are engineers hailing from Savannah River Nuclear Site. Meanwhile, the rest of us walked down into town to picnic on the harbor. The day ended with the adults getting to go out to eat leaving the kids at home watching Brian Reegan comedy clips.

All in all, the Westergreens got to enjoy a day trip

to Edinburgh (in the rain) several days in the Lake District, two days in London with a bonus trip to the hospital for Jeff and lots of Thompson Time. There was plenty of Guitar Hero, ball throwing, Swing Ball and laughing. We're so glad they made the trip and know that they left with lots of good memories and photos!

Jonathan and Crystal

While over in Dublin on an exploratory trip for Perimeter Presbyterian Church, Crystal and Jonathan 'stopped by' Whitehaven. This 'stopping by' involved a 4:30 a.m. departure from their hotel in Dublin, a plane trip across the Irish Sea and then a train ride up the coast but that didn't deter them from the visit!

It had been almost a year to the day that we were in Atlanta for their wedding. Never would we have imagined that we would get to have them over here a year later! The only disappointment in that was the girls were in the States while they were over here - crazy! The Stambergs were here long enough to experience the gorgeous but nerve wracking drive over hard knot pass as well as a picnic along Windemere Lake at Ambleside (one of my favorite Lake District spots and home to the best scone and rum butter I've had in England - not that I've tried them all or anything.)We were able to pick cherries, play croquet at St. Bees beach, have some feisty games of swing ball , Dutch Blitz and Mr. X, have some good talks and pray together. Nathan had asked me before they came if he would get some time alone with Jonathan. He said, "you know, he's really means a lot to me - he's important in my life - he's like my big brother." After having lived with us a year and a half in a way that really invested in us, our whole family considers Jonathan and the other guys as part of the family. Crystal got to see firsthand just how 'at home' we all were with one another - very goofy and at ease.

We were glad for Jonathan to get to go to a men's breakfast at church and then get to play two songs in the worship service on Sunday. How cool was that!! They especially enjoyed the service as it served to encourage them for what God is doing in this part of Europe.

We may actually get to see them over here again as they have agreed to be the coordinators of a support team to some pastors in Dublin. This involves keeping in close touch with these men and the needs of their people so that the team at Perimeter can come alongside to give tangible assistance and encouragement. Jonathan and Crystal are very excited about this opportunity.

We had left Augusta just as Jonathan and Crystal were getting more serious in their relationship so we really didn't know her very well though we had prayed much for Jonathan's 'future wife'. It was a treat to get to know her a little better while they were here. Dennis and I were both so grateful for the total compliment that they are to each other! Wow- they are a great fit for one another. We also were happy to see that they have been establishing good habits in their first year of marriage to be intentional and serving one another. A serendipity to have them!

An Augusta Summer

We have started the summer where we get to experience lots of Augusta. The girls flew back home for a delightful but exhausting two week catch up trip. AC got to spend lots of time with special friend Taylor and got to practice driving with brave friends John Barrett and Matt Willis! They celebrated Sophia's 3rd birthday all in pink, played with Buddy and got to swim with the Eldridges. They loved being back at church - a true place of 'home' for them. Julieanne was able to go the EDGE youth camp which was a real highlight. They returned to England with the Westergreen family on the 14th.

While the girls were back in Augusta, Dennis and I were able to meet Matt and Pam in Vienna! When we moved two years ago, Matt asked us if he qualified for the State Farm trip to Vienna in 2009 would we meet them there? We both had quite a few challenges to make it a reality but we made it! We always enjoy time with them as we share a love of the Lord, good food, laughing, exploring, adventure and encouragement.

Not speaking German and trying to figure how to pronounce words gave us much to laugh about. Here was a particularly funny one we thought our kids would get a laugh out of.

Vienna, of course was home to many famous composers for some period in their life; Strauss, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Brahms and Schubert but Mozart and Strauss seemed to be the city's featured composers during our stay. We did sample some of the musical heritage at a Mozart concert in the stunning Statsopper Opera House. Even though we were in the nose bleed section, we could still appreciate the gorgeous music and setting. It opened in 1869 with Mozart's, Don Giovanni. We also had a folk night with traditional songs and dances of Austria. Our last day, we rode bikes through the city down the Danube, mostly in the rain but it didn't stop us from laughing and enjoying the ride. I think Strauss must have had a romanticised view of the 'Blue Danube' because the part of the river we saw was mostly ugly mud colored not blue and lined with graffiti/ art style. The historic part of the city is wonderfully preserved and surprisingly free of lots of traffic. There are mostly trolleys, bikes, horse and carriages, pedestrians and buses. We were able to see the famous Lipizzaner Stallions at the Hapsburg Palace. Actually the stallions were on 'holiday' but the 'wild boys' and some fouls were in action as you can see.

Vienna Woods offered us a local experience of hiking through the forest for the day. The real kicker though was Dennis' 15 hour driving tour through Austria!! As he often does he looked at the map and found a few places that looked promising...never mind that they were hours away, a minor detail. It's kind of like people over here telling me they've been to America and when I ask where they've been they say Orlando and Las Vegas to which I reply, 'Oh, well you haven't really seen America - you need to go back and do the small towns'. So we took our own advice and didn't just 'do Vienna' - we did Austria. We climbed this mountainous walk through 14 gates to get to the medieval castle on top. Hochosterwitz Castle - somebody was thinking big when they chose this naturally fortified location. The castle is said to have been the inspiration of Disney's animated Snow White.

We then drove through pretty little villages -all with their standard catholic church steeple announcing the church's presence. We even drove through the scenic lake spot where our landlord currently lives. (I had tried for two days to find their little town on a map but had failed until we found ourselves driving right through it admiring it's pretty lake/mountain setting. I called them and asked them what was for supper but they were in Croatia.) The destination had been to reach the Hohe Tauern National Park which meanders through the Alps - complete with snow. The journey really was the destination.

Vienna was beautiful but the fellowship was the best part of the trip.

"Within the wider fellowship emerges the special circle of a few on whom, for each of us, a particular emphasis of nearness has fallen." Thomas Kelly twentieth century Quaker missionary, scholar and speaker.