Way OVERDUE.....

with my postings that is ;) We are finally starting to figure out this whole living in a new country thing!! It hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be, but we are enjoying it. Yes, everyone here speaks English, but they have a completely different way of life...to include driving on the wrong side of the road (as far as I am concerned) and the wrong side of the car! That definitely took some getting used to, but now that I have my American Toyota here it has been easier for me. Here are just a few examples of some things that are different here:

Money- comes in pounds and pence instead of dollars and cents

Speed limits- national limits of 30 mph residential, 60 mph back roads and 70 mph highways.

Driving- the left hand side of the road and the right hand side of the car

Food- not the same at all...everything is served with mushy peas and you can't find ranch dressing anywhere!

Electrical Outlets- you can't use with american electronics unless you have a voltage converter and it's illegal to have outlets in bathrooms (makes getting ready a challenge)

Soda- not as sweet (although that might be a good thing)

English- besides the accent, they use different words than Americans use

push chair = stroller

take away = to go

garden = is a backyard

dual carriage way = highway

cot bed = crib

cheers = thank you/greetings

mobile = cell phone

nappies = diapers

give way = yield

lorry = semi-truck

pub = bar

quid = bucks (when talking about money)

Just to name a few!

One thing we have enjoyed about being here is traveling and seeing places that we have only heard of and seen in movies! London was absolutely incredible! We took an open top bus tour and saw all the attractions to include: Tower of London, Tower Bridge, London Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace!

Cambridge is only a 20 minute drive from us and that's where most of the Universities are located. We spent my birthday exploring the city and did some birthday shopping!

We went to Belgium a few weekends ago and stayed in Brugge. It was our first experience not speaking the language. Belgium did not disappoint! It is known for the chocolate, waffles and fruit beer....we definitely had our fair share (not the beer of course)!

We drove to Dover which is on the coast of England. That's where the white cliffs and Dover Castle are located. From there we took the ferry across the English Chanel into Calias, France and continued our journey to Belgium! Brayden really enjoyed the boat ride.

We plan to do a lot more traveling as soon as we can get out and about with the upcoming little one!

Johnny has been busy at work and hopes to get back in the air after all the groundings over here due to the volcano in Iceland. He is getting ready for a 5 week trip to Bulgaria and Turkey in May. Brayden and I will miss him very much and hopefully the baby will stay put until he gets home!

I am 31 weeks and feeling ok for the most part. Chasing Brayden around wears me out pretty quickly. We are getting very excited for the little one to get here. Brayden loves talking to his brother and often says, "can't wait to meet you!"

Brayden has sprouted since we have been here! He is speaking in sentences, knows how to count to 20, and recognizes all of his letters and colors! He started pre-school April 27th and loves it!! He actually likes it so much that he throws a fit when he has to leave. I am really enjoying having 3 hours to myself twice a week. It gives me some time to go to the gym and get things done for myself, like haircuts and medical appointments that are hard to do with him.

We sure do miss all of our friends and family in the states and if you're looking for a getaway come to Europe and you'll have a free place to stay ;)

I tried to upload the photos in order of what I wrote but that didn't happen as you can see, so sorry if it's a little confusing!