Day 6 in the house

So it’s not quite been a week yet since we moved in.  We planned to move in last Sunday, August 5^th, but I had a doctor’s appointment the next morning, and the house wasn’t quite ready yet for us as had no hot water yet, so we moved in on Monday.  I got up, got ready, got the kids ready, went to the doctors and came back to the new house.  Shane’s dad, John had been staying there all morning waiting for the gas man to come and put the furnace back on, but I guess “morning” out here in America to people that come out to your house for something, means the same as “morning” in England, it means the afternoon!  The gas man showed up at 4pm!

So after my doctor’s appointment, me and the kids stayed at the house and never looked back J  Shane came straight to the house after work.  I’d got our bed ready to sleep in, the kids bed ready, and all was ready to live in!

We’re not getting the internet hooked up until next Tuesday, so that means no Netflix either!  Which is fine, it gives us time to paint the kitchen etc. and I have time to write stuff like this in “Word” ready to copy onto my blog once we are connected.

It’s sort of refreshing, having no internet or TV.  I’m on Etsy all the time checking my shop and sorting it out, as well as Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter in order to promote my shop as much as possible, but of course being on those sites also leads to many distractions.  I find myself browsing people’s photographs or commenting on people’s status updates or responding to comments on my own photographs and status updates.  I never quite put the work into my shop that I could be, due to my own distractions.

So anyway, when I’m on a long flight or something, put aside my fear of flying, which I think I’m over now anyway, I like being disconnected from “the world”.  I like the opportunity to sit back, ready some trashy celebrity magazines, chill to a Sudoku book and do some “break from life” activities.  Things I wouldn’t usually have time to do in my day to day life.

So by having no internet or TV right now, I have no choice but to forget about my shop, forget about promoting my shop in any way I can.  I can’t even get Photoshop to work right now on my new computer.  While I found that extremely annoying at first, I’m somewhat pleased I can’t work on any photography for now.  The photographs I’ve been taking in the meantime, such as the Humming Bird that’s been coming to greet me every day, just have to sit on the back burner for now until I can get my Photoshop working again.  So I have some work built up for me when I’m reconnected, which I’ll be ready for by then.  Therefore, housework and fixing the place up aside, I’ve been using this opportunity to feel like I’m taking a break right now, like a super long plane journey.  I’ve been playing solitaire on my new computer, the only time I ever play that is when the internet is down, but I love the game, I always have!  I’ve loved the use of my Sudoku book.  And thoroughly enjoy relaxing in bed to a celeb magazine.  In fact I even treated myself to a $12 thick mag/book of celebs when they were younger.  I love all that crap haha!  I should use this time to read some of the novels I’ve not had time to read over the past few years, but meh, I’m lazy ;)  I’ll make time for my novels in the near future at bedtime.

I’m so mad right now about my first yard sale experience!  Around the corner (American corner, Shane will understand what I mean here, sort of an inside joke between us) there are a couple of girls having a yard sale.  I went over there to have a look at some stuff; as I approached I saw they had a futon! Fantastic! We needed a couple of those for the guest room (I can’t believe we’re going to have a guest room!).

So I’m thinking it may be $100 or so, so I started looking at some other bits and bobs they had, found some cool make-up then I realized they had two boxes full of make-up, so I’m nosing in there when some guy started asking them about the futon!  I’m thinking “oh crap! I didn’t get over there quick enough, stupid make-up distracting me!” again with the distractions!  He decides to buy it! Damn!  Like an idiot, I take a look at the price… $20!!!!  Double crap!!!  It was brand new too!!  I’m kicking myself now!  So I try to console myself by thinking “well, you want two futons, ideally black metal base, this was wooden and the mattress was an ugly green! You didn’t want this anyway, really.  It was just an amazing price for a brand new futon!”  Yeah I’m still mad at myself!

Well, at least I got 3 brand new lip liners, a brand new lipstick, 2 new nail varnishes and an xbox controller (regular xbox, not for the 360 we have… d’oh!) all for just $2! Score!

So that was the first yard sale I had a wander over to by myself, I’m not put off, I love having random “car boot sales” to go to out here J  In fact I look forward to having one myself one day!!!  We’re on a fairly busy road too, so it’ll be great!

Ewe, I just applied the lipstick, beautiful dark chocolate brown color, REALLY thick and hard to apply and it STINKS!  Not the nice lipstick smell either, it smells REALLY bad!!  It must be years old or something.  Shame, the color is lovely!

I really enjoy typing on here about stuff.  I was never much of a blogger; I set up my blog initially for this reason, to keep my family up to date on our life in America.  But I created the blog long before we moved, years before.  We decided to move in 2009, we didn’t move to America until 2012!  But this is nice for me because I don’t have many friends around here yet.  So typing on here about things is a way of expressing things I may say to friends I have face to face.  I miss chatting to Ali Turner who lives opposite us in England.  We used to catch up frequently over coffee.  We both shared a mutual appreciation for coffee, photography and avoiding housework.  That’s not the case for me now though since I love doing housework here, I really do!  But I’m open to expect this could be the novelty of having a new house that I appreciate, and the novelty may wear off.  I hope not, and I genuinely doubt it would wear off.

I miss catching up with Keely and her daughter Ellie.  Keely and I go way back.  If it wasn’t for her, I may not be here today with Shane!  She played a HUGE part in Shane and I getting together.  Neither Shane nor I had the money at the time in 2004 for a flight either way to meet up.  We’d spent so much time on the phone together, that Keely said she’s tired of seeing me pine over a guy I’d never met in person before, however she knew our feelings for each other were no joke, so she gave me her credit card to book Shane a flight to England.  Shane and I paid her back as soon as we could shortly afterwards.  She even took me to Heathrow airport to meet him.  We made it such an exciting time.  We booked us a hotel room at the airport so we could have a few drinks and pamper ourselves a little before we got him the next day.  I remember her doing my hair etc. ready to meet Shane in person for the first time.  It was amazing, and one of the best nights of my life.  The anticipation of knowing I’m going to see the man I’ve already fallen in love with before even meeting him in person, in less than 24 hours!  It was wonderful.  Shane and I knew long before we met in person that we were in love.  It was love before first sight! Haha!

The next day when we went to the airport to pick up Shane, we were both looking for a guy with bright post box red hair!  Shane of course was wearing a baseball cap, so we could’ve missed him but his skateboard in his backpack gave him away!  I couldn’t believe he was here!!!!  I ran over and we hugged.  Kind of a movie moment haha!  But I remember thinking his weird mint chewing gum almost smelt garlicky!!! Haha!!!

I remember him asking where he could get a bottle of coke.  Now that would make my dad laugh!  In the years since we’ve been together, my dad has always said “Shane always has a bottle or a can of coke in his hand, coke addict!” haha!!  As we walked over to the little shop in the airport, I remember looking over at Keely and giving her a HUGE grin, like “he’s here!!!”  She gave a mutual grin back, happy to see us together at last!

On the way back in Keely’s car, Shane put his arm around me.  If felt so natural and right, like we’d been doing that for years!  And I had known him for years, sort of.  We started chatting on yahoo chat 5 years earlier in 1999.  My yahoo name was miss_bungle_uk, his was bunglevolante.  We got chatting in yahoo metal chat as we both shared an equal love for the band Mr. Bungle.  I still have a few friends from those days now, on Facebook.  There’s Dan in California, I’ve been talking to him for years, and Shane does too now.   Also there’s Matt Thompson, who I’ve known for about as long as I’ve known Shane.  Only he lived in England.  Welwyn Garden City I think, and worked in Hertford, ever so close to where I lived in England.  Strangely enough though, we never met in person until after Shane and I were married.  Then we went to one of his DJ gigs in Camden.  Since then we’ve actually bumped into him a few times at some gigs such as Mike Patton’s Peeping Tom and such.

When we got back to the house I shared with Andy Morland, my sisters showed up straight away to meet Shane!  They’re a couple of pisstakers, so I’m sure they were there just to laugh ;)  While Keely, her daughter Ellie, my two sisters and my sister Pauline’s girlfriend, Sarah, were in the garden, Shane and I shared our first kiss together in the living room.  It all felt so right, as strange as the situation was, it was just right!

Seven years of marriage, a 6 year old son and a 3 year old son later, we’re still head over heels in love with each other!  I really couldn’t be happier.

It’s not always been rosy and full of blissful happiness.  We’ve had our fair share of fights in the past.  We’ve had some outstanding arguments!  We went through a very dark patch in 2008 which very nearly broke us for good.  But thankfully we got past that and it just made our relationship even stronger.  We still had some crazy fights since then too, but we rarely seem to argue anymore, and if we do have a disagreement, give it 10 minutes and we’re both saying sorry to each other and hugging again.  I love where we are now in our marriage, we’re extremely close.  He’s stood by me through thick and thin, literally haha, he still loved me when I was weighing a huge 259lbs!  Thankfully love really is blind J

I wish my Granddad could’ve met Shane.  He would’ve got on with him very well.  My Nan’s always really liked Shane too; she told me herself that my Granddad would’ve loved Shane!  He really would have, I can just see them talking together now in my mind’s eye.

My dad and brother get on with Shane very well too.  My dad’s hard to break so it’s clear he really does like Shane.  I’ve noticed his “shut the f**k up” face though in the past when Shane’s been talking in circles about things, especially after he’s had a few beers haha!  I remember my dad picking us up from somewhere once in Hertford or something, my dad’s been pissed off about something, and Shane’s talking his drunken dribble, and I’m thinking “Shane please stop talking, can’t you see my dad’s face!” haha!  But 9 times out of 10, you can see my dad laughing along with Shane, which is lovely for me to see!

My brother’s a miserable git, but he and Shane get on really well!  Especially after my brother’s had a drink or 8!  He was drunk recently and on Facebook, I think, my brother’s telling me he misses Shane, he wants HIS brother back!!! Haha!!  He said “Scott’s cool and everything, but Shane’s cooler!!” haha!!  Sorry Scott, his words, not mine! Haha!!

Linda and Shane used to clash a LOT in earlier years.  I never knew what was up with them, but in the last few years, they seem to get on a hell of a lot better!

Pauline and Shane get on very well too, but Pauline’s very sensitive, she doesn’t forget things very easily and they did have a big falling out some time last year.  They’ve since sorted out their issues with each other, but I know Pauline doesn’t forget a thing and I know deep down she probably holds onto a little resentment there.   To be honest, I can’t even remember what the disagreement was about, and they get on alright now so I’m happy to just move on, so is Shane, and for my sake, no doubt, Pauline’s happy to move on too, thankfully J

Ally was only 9 years old when Shane first came to England, so I’m sure to her; he’s like another older brother, only with an American accent haha!  She and Shane get on very well too; they have little brother and sister banter going on a lot.  In her teenage years, after arguing with our parents, she’d nearly always come over to me and Shane for some space, or she’d go to see Pauline.  Linda’s often busy with work, otherwise I’m sure she’d run to Linda also

And well my mum and Shane, they’ve always got along very well.  In previous arguments between Shane and me, she’d always side with Shane haha!  I think she always took into account that he has no one but me out in England really.  Although very quickly my family soon became Shane’s family also.  My mum’s a tough cookie to crumble.  She almost always doesn’t like a person on first impression, and it’s hard to change her mind if she’s decided she doesn’t like you.  She was dubious about Shane at first, some strange guy from another country suddenly shacking up with her eldest daughter, but she soon realized he’s just a normal guy and we were very much in love.  She likes Shane a lot, and it’s very obvious thankfully.

We are a very close family, my family are amazing.  It’s hard to believe that any of us could ever move away so far from each other.  In the past when family members move away, they tend to lose touch a lot.  My dad moved to London from Scotland.  He would rarely talk to his family back in Scotland and would rarely visit either.  It’s not that he didn’t care to; it’s just the way things were then.  It’s so much easier now for anyone to stay in touch, with new technology and new applications etc.

When my sister Linda went travelling 10 years ago, she’d stay in touch via email and telephone calls to my mum.  Now it’s even easier, there’s Facebook which is a great way for people to stay in touch and keep up to date with daily activities in people’s lives.  Every day I know how many steps my mum has done on the Wii fit and how long it took her, all the way from America haha!  Every day she can hear little updates on my boys, little things Draven has said to me etc.  And we don’t have to wait for an email to come through either!  Emails were once considered a super-fast form of communication, but look what we have now to stay in touch!  And of course there is Skype and Facetime!  Amazing tools for a situation like ours!  Since I moved, almost every night my sister, Pauline will Facetime me and the boys!  We got to see her new kitten when she got him; she showed me the snow outside her flat back in February.  I get to talk to my Nan regularly face to face through Skype when my sisters go and visit her, from their iPhones.

It’s good to see my parent’s faces and hear their voices. 
I strongly believe that has helped me with the move.  I miss my family a lot, but I’m sure I’d miss them a hell of a lot more if I couldn’t see and speak to them as often as I do right now, and for FREE!  I can’t imagine what it would be like living here without having the luxury of talking and seeing them as often as I do.  My sisters even Skyped me into my Nan’s 80^th birthday party last week.  It just made me want to be there really bad, but at the same time I was so grateful I was able to see her blow out her candles.  And catch her telling my brother “happy birthday to you too David” when he told her Happy Birthday, haha!!