I'm Back...

Well, it seems I've gotten myself into trouble from a number of readers for having not updated my blog. For this, I apologize. I want you to know that I am truly appreciative of your interest in our lives over here and I will try to catch up and keep up the best I can.

First, the Christmas trip! Of course, it went by way too fast! I arrived on a Tuesday evening and was picked up at the Austin airport by my best friend, Amber. I missed my original Houston-Austin connecting flight because my London flight was delayed and arrived late. Not to worry, though, there was another flight only one hour later and I didn't have to wait long at all. I made my first Sonic run in a year that night, eating a hot fudge sundae before I even had my dinner. It tasted very good and was the perfect appetizer for my chicken finger basket with tater tots. Keep in mind, the Brits don't do hot fudge, they do toffee, and they certainly don't do tater tots, only chips...which are really fries. I don't know how I keep it all straight! The next few days were filled with Christmas shopping, present wrapping, TexMex eating, and friend hugging. Edgar arrived on Friday night, only to head out again Monday morning to spend Christmas week with his family in Colombia. I was very sad to be separated during this time, but I am so happy he got to spend a fun, relaxing week with his whole family in Cali as well as Bogota. I spent Christmas at Shaila and Bill's house with my parents, Brody, and Uncle Wayne. You can imagine the fun we had with a 4 year old in the house! I think when Santa is in the area, there's nothing you can't get a 4 year old to do!

New Year's Eve was a blast. My parents opened their house to several of our friends, and we had so much fun catching up, hanging out and playing the Rockband we got for Christmas from Mom and Dad. James, Amber and Cade drove in to celebrate with us and we all toasted 2009 together, reflected on the past year, and smiled at the promise of the New Year. New Year's Day holds a special tradition for one side of my family. We all (about 25 of us) gather at my great Aunt's house in Elm Mott. We've been doing this for as long as I can remember...probably around 30 years now. The big order of the day is Chinese Christmas. It's like playing chess. There is much strategizing between families, couples, and/or siblings. Somehow, after the 3-hour battle, we all usually wind up with something we like.

Unfortunately, my fun came to a screeching halt on January 2. I was beginning to feel sick on New Year's Day, but thought it was probably just the usual allergies I get when I visit the area. However, I woke up the next morning with a very high fever that stuck around for the following 3 days. It seems that everyone either had this virus or had been struck with it sometime in the past 2 months. It is so sad, but I spent the remainder of my time laying in bed or on the couch willing myself to get better and strong enough to fly home. I don't get sick very often, and this one really knocked me out. I did feel well enough the last two days to do some shopping and finally eat that steak I had been dreaming about. The good news is that I was well enough to fly home. Mom, Dad, Shaila, and Brody accompanied me to Austin, and after many tearful hugs and goodbyes, I began my journey back to London.

I am now a week and a half post-Texas. The jetlag is gone, suitcases put away, and walking shoes back on. It's a little cold at night when the sun goes down, but, so far, the days are pleasantly crisp and cool. I look forward to keeping you updated on this, our final year, in London. There will be plenty of Tourist Days with Charlie, globetrotting (around Europe at least), and general shenanigans to report on. Thanks for reading!