SO, i got an awesome phone call today from a dear family i knew in england. how fun it was to chat with some friends and have elise talk with a long-lost friend from her formative years.
this got me to thinking of my life back in england, and how much my love for that land grew while i was there. for me, the first year of living in a country an ocean away from my family and anything i knew, was the most difficult year i've had to experience in my life. but, this year was what shaped my life, and made me who i am today. i moved to lincolnshire when i was just 23 years old, with a 3 month old baby and a husband that i hadn't seen for almost a year. the mister and i learned to rely on each other for everything and this strengthened our relationship more than i ever thought. we were able to create our first home together with the desires of our hearts, how we were to raise our kids, run our house and deal with our families with no outside forces to distract us.
i learned how to be a mother and raise elise with such a love and compassion. she was my adventure buddy who would travel with me to all my destinations.
i was able to make such dear and wonderful friends, who we even now keep in touch. these families are soul mates to my family. i have such a soft spot in my heart for them.
our house was in a small village, smaller than i have ever lived in my whole life. the nearest gas station was a 20 minute drive and the nearest town was a 30 minute drive. because of this isolation, i truly learned to love the quietness that a small town brings. my spirit was able to feel a peace i've never felt before, nor felt since leaving for a big city again.
went on our first family vacation to greece of all places! what incredible experiences and travels we were able to do, let alone all the history we witnessed. we went to: scotland, france, germany, austria, greece, italy and most of england! not many young families are able to do that!
became a gourmet cook while in england. i desperately miss the open markets, the bakeries and butcher shops. i loved all the different foods and just how wonderful everything tasted. i also miss the weekly dinner parties i would throw. it's a bit hard to do that now with three kids!
my ancestry is from england and i was able to spend time with my mom traveling to different cemeteries and seeing grave sites of long ago relatives some as much as 350 years. it's just amazing to me to know my heritage walked the same earth that i did on those days.
i realized just how blessed americans are, and just how spoiled americans act. i too, like many europeans became irritated with the whining and complaining i would here from people back in the states. we are so lucky and have so much. living in another country brought that to full focus in my life. i also gained a stronger testimony of the gospel. i was humbled to see these wonderful people have such testimony for a church that is based in a completely other country. they can't travel to salt lake, most are converts, and have never seen or lived in a mormon community, they are so strong in their faith and don't take it for granted. that to me, makes me strive to live a better life each and every day.
i spent some time at abbymoore. this stay renewed my soul, put confidence back in myself, and i learned to trust others. they saved my life and to this day i will be forever in their debt.
well, i have rambled on for far to long, but i love england. it will always feel like my home. i hope that one day i will be able to live out my days in the quietness of it's hills, with my husband by my side.
