Thanksgiving in England

November 22- 29, 2009

When getting ready to go on this trip to see Hilary and Mark, I discovered that this is not only going to be my 2^nd Thanksgiving with them but my 6^th time to make this journey since 2003. That was a startling number to me even though it averages out to being once a year. As I try to explain to others, going to see them is like the equivalent of going to Grandma’s house once a year. It is a place that seems like another home that just happens to about 5000 miles away.

However, each time I go things are never the same. The last time I was there, only one child existed. This time I got to meet my nephew Casey. He is the cutest thing with a fantastic smile. Consistently a pretty happy boy but did manage to spit up A LOT. I managed to miss his aim only 4 out of the 7 days I was there. Hilary is just so used to it it doesn’t even faze her.

Lois, at 2 and a half, proved to be a different and more fun experience than last time. She is now at an age where her vocabulary is increasing daily. Her accent is adorable as I nearly melted every time she said “Please Auntie Heather.”

She also was old to learn how to use a camera. Her is some of her work.

As is tradition, we always try to do something outside of Coventry each time I come. This year we went to the Cadbury factory in Birmingham.

For Thanksgiving Hilary invited two of their American friends over. The food was AMAZING and Mark, being the only full-blooded Englishman in the room, thoroughly enjoyed the holiday.

To round out the week, I also did a little photo shoot for their annual Christmas card.

All in a Day's Work

November 13, 2009

New Frontiers

This semester I have been teaching a class entitled: Challenge Course Facilitator. The Outdoor Leadership program here is all about taking field trips. For as many different designs of a challenge course there are just as many ways to run one and facilitate. So, my students and I headed to a near by challenge course facility entitled New Frontiers. One of the great things about this facility is that the owner is also a skilled builder of ropes courses. Fortunately for us, we got to try out some of the great attractions. The Giant Swing was definitely one of the favorites although it caused some trepidation among the students pushing them to face fears. I, on the other hand, submitted to the Swing with great ease and little hesitation. After all, for me, this is all in a days work.