Changes

We really tried to appreciate our "home sweet home" this month, since we knew changes were coming up quickly! Last week all of our furniture and household goods got packed up and shipped off to the states. Since it takes so long for the shipment, we'll be without these comforts for two months!

We have temporary furnishings to get us through, and there are some really nice things about living without much stuff. And it will feel like Christmas when we open everything up again in our new house! :)

We've really been trying to get out and enjoy all our favorite things about living here while we still can. We've gone on lovely walks and visited Jane Austen's house and spent time with our wonderful friends.


Now that things are in motion for our move, it finally feels real. We are excited about the changes, but that doesn't lessen the sadness about leaving a place we love. We are going to make the next two months the best ever! :)

Norway

We spent a few days in Bergen, Norway last week. I've wanted to go to Norway for a while now, and I'm so glad we made it happen! It has such a unique look to it - different than anywhere else we have traveled. It was pretty cold there, but we still enjoyed walking around and exploring the city!


We rode a little funicular train up the side of the mountain to this gorgeous lookout point above the city. The buildings are so colorful and it was such an amazing view from up above! The kids loved playing in all the snow up on the mountain.

We explored the city one afternoon while the sun was shining. There were lots of cute shops and colorful buildings and interesting things to see. We ate fish and chips and walked along the famous Bryggen street.

We took a fjord boat cruise and saw the most gorgeous snow covered mountains and lovely homes tucked in among the hills. It was so peaceful and majestic and we loved it so much!


We all fell in love with the houses and water and lovely views everywhere you looked. It was such a great trip, and I'm so glad we were able to enjoy it together!

February

February is more than halfway over, and we only have 90 days left in England before we move! Time is going by too fast. We had a tiny bit of snow in January, but the rest of the winter has been really mild and wet. Blossoms are starting to come out on trees and daffodils are sprouting up all over!


We've been busy with all the usual school, work, and church responsibilities, but we've also had some time to relax and regroup after the holidays. I am grateful that it is finally getting lighter earlier, so we don't have to walk to the bus stop in the dark anymore!

We had a fun night out to the Air Force annual awards dinner and we got to get all dressed up medieval style. I've been doing a bit of sewing - trying to finish up some left over projects, making new dresses for Anna, and piecing an England quilt as a special souvenir for when we leave!

The rest of our time is spent playing with Legos and reading, as usual. :) Now if only time would slow down just a little bit so we can fit everything in that we need/want to do!

Lake District

We spent last weekend up north in the Lake District. It is about 3.5 hours from our home, and we have been wanting to go for a long time! It is a beautiful place to hike and be outdoors, but we weren't really at the right time of year for that. It was really cold, but that didn't stop us too much. We stayed in Bowness-on-Windermere, a lovely town right on the edge of Lake Windermere, the biggest lake in the district.


The town was full of the cutest hotels, pubs, restaurants, and shops. I love places where you can walk wherever you are going. We ate the most delicious food and loved wandering around the cute town center.

One day we went on a boat ride all around the lake. We were the only ones on the boat, so the captain gave us a personal tour and told us all about the area while we went around. The view of the snowy hills in the distance was so beautiful! And thankfully, the ride wasn't as cold and windy as I'd anticipated!

The next day we visited Waterhead and Ambleside and made friends with lots of ducks. :) Everything was frosty and icy that morning, and our toes and fingers were freezing, but it was worth it!

The drive back home was beautiful! We stopped by the Preston temple on the way back to stretch our legs a little bit. We had such a wonderful weekend, we only wish we could have stayed longer! It was such a relaxing trip and we are so glad we were able to spend a few days there.