and i wont return until 15 July 2010.
yup. 15 July 2010. that is the first sentence of my 'out of office' message at work. Today was my first day of maternity leave.
i laid at the pool, really it was just a wadding pool overflowing with toddlers, but still. i got some sun, talked to leah who is visiting, kinda cleaned the house a bit, went to the mall, had a starbucks. it was fantastic.
so fantastic that i have tan lines. thats right. the weather is nice enough in the UK at the moment that I actually have tank top and flip flop tan lines. we are having a real summer. it was 32 degrees this afternoon! thats Spain weather folks!! and i am on maternity leave to enjoy it all!
until 15 July 2010!!
ah....its times like this that i love the UK. i for sure wouldnt get paid maternity leave like this in america!
and you can bet that i will be enjoying every, single day of my glorious year off.
30 June 2009
29 June 2009
"I cant believe we are here!!"
that was the sentence that left my mouth at least a couple dozen times on Friday night. "I CANT BELIEVE WE ARE HERE!!" seriously. i was just in awe. not so much because it was the best performance by a band ever. not even because it was the best concert that i have ever been to. simply because i was seeing something i never, EVER thought i would. I was watching AC/DC live. and it was amazing.
the newspapers have said that the average age of the concert goer was 55. i agree with that statement. sure there were quite a few young people, but in a stadium that seats 70,000....the majority of those were in their 50's. which kind of made the concert a bit bizarre. I don't think i have ever been to a show that had such a variety of people. There were families there, entire families, with kids as young as 7 or 8. I probably wouldn't take a 7 or 8 year old to see AC/DC but an 8 year old a few rows back from us knew all the words and was rockin' out hard core. there were old rocker chicks...you know the ones who have faded tattoos and long stringy hair. the ones who you could tell were major fans back in the 70's. Then there were very respectable looking people, people i would have never put at an AC/DC concert. people in trousers and button down shirts, or women with long sun dresses. people who would fit right in at a Barry Manilow concert. although to be fair, rhys said if he didn't know me, he wouldn't put me at an AC/DC concert either. he said I looked more like the Coldplay type. slightly offended at that comment, but i forgave him.
Naturally there was quite a few people dolled out in leather. biker jackets with patches, leather vests, leather pants, ripped jeans, real vintage AC/DC concert shirts from the 70's and 80's. but real ones, not the kind you buy at target to be cool. by far my favourite concert go-ers were the two men at the end of our row. they were 6 foot plus, about 300 pounds each, wearing skin tight jeans, boots, and leather vests with no shirt underneath. just their big hairy chests. oh, and they both had about shoulder length hair. one guy was even wearing a bandanna around his super cool frizzy hair proudly displaying the name of another band he liked, twisted sister. you just cant beat old guys like that.
I kept looking, but its safe to say that i was the only pregnant person there. Ok, so i cant say that for 100% sure...but i feel pretty safe in saying that no one else at the concert was 9 months pregnant. I got quite a few looks and quite a few comments. One of my favourite comments was from a hard core rocker who commented that i was "smuggling an extra person in for free" didn't think of it that way, but i suppose its true. i did smuggle little eleri in. One lady in the bathroom however didn't take kindly to the fact that i was pregnant. whilst we were standing in line, she said to me "my concert better not be interrupted because you have your f*^$ing baby" hmm....even if i had gone into labour, they sure wouldn't have stopped the concert for me! i was so shocked i didn't even know what to say. another lady in the bathroom said "shut up you old cow" so at least someone wanted to defend me. But aside from crazy bathroom lady, everyone else thought it was great that pregnant kristina was there. i even got quite a few high fives. :)
Rhys bought a t-shirt, we got a souvenir program and were so close to buying eleri a child's t-shirt. the only one they had would have fit her when she was about 2. it was faded black with a a picture of a big canon on it. Emblazoned on the top was AC/DC and written underneath the canon was the sentence "for those about to rock". As much as i say i am not a 'girly-girl' i just don't think i could put my 2 year old girl in that shirt. so she got nothing but an ear full of classic rock.
and rock she did. it was funny because i was expecting her to move pretty much the whole time. granted we were sitting in the highest level possible in the stadium; and we were pretty far away from the speakers, but it was loud. very loud. suprisingly she didnt move around the whole time. she only kicked on her favourite songs. or maybe i should say the songs she recognized. the two of us listen to AC/DC in the car often as we are driving to work or the store, but mostly their older stuff. Back in Black is my favourite album. when that song came on, i thought she was going to jump out of my stomach. TNT, Thunderstruck, For Those About to Rock, and Angus Young's guitar solo....little eleri was definitely rockin' out. she can proudly wear her AB/CD onesie that we have for her. (get it? ab/cd in stead of ac/dc? clever eh?)
i took some video of Back in Black and Thunderstruck, but no matter what i try to do, i cant seem to upload the videos here. so instead i will put up a few pictures. but those don't really do the concert justice. it was fantastic. it was amazing. it was a very surreal moment for me. and i loved every second of it.
the newspapers have said that the average age of the concert goer was 55. i agree with that statement. sure there were quite a few young people, but in a stadium that seats 70,000....the majority of those were in their 50's. which kind of made the concert a bit bizarre. I don't think i have ever been to a show that had such a variety of people. There were families there, entire families, with kids as young as 7 or 8. I probably wouldn't take a 7 or 8 year old to see AC/DC but an 8 year old a few rows back from us knew all the words and was rockin' out hard core. there were old rocker chicks...you know the ones who have faded tattoos and long stringy hair. the ones who you could tell were major fans back in the 70's. Then there were very respectable looking people, people i would have never put at an AC/DC concert. people in trousers and button down shirts, or women with long sun dresses. people who would fit right in at a Barry Manilow concert. although to be fair, rhys said if he didn't know me, he wouldn't put me at an AC/DC concert either. he said I looked more like the Coldplay type. slightly offended at that comment, but i forgave him.
Naturally there was quite a few people dolled out in leather. biker jackets with patches, leather vests, leather pants, ripped jeans, real vintage AC/DC concert shirts from the 70's and 80's. but real ones, not the kind you buy at target to be cool. by far my favourite concert go-ers were the two men at the end of our row. they were 6 foot plus, about 300 pounds each, wearing skin tight jeans, boots, and leather vests with no shirt underneath. just their big hairy chests. oh, and they both had about shoulder length hair. one guy was even wearing a bandanna around his super cool frizzy hair proudly displaying the name of another band he liked, twisted sister. you just cant beat old guys like that.
I kept looking, but its safe to say that i was the only pregnant person there. Ok, so i cant say that for 100% sure...but i feel pretty safe in saying that no one else at the concert was 9 months pregnant. I got quite a few looks and quite a few comments. One of my favourite comments was from a hard core rocker who commented that i was "smuggling an extra person in for free" didn't think of it that way, but i suppose its true. i did smuggle little eleri in. One lady in the bathroom however didn't take kindly to the fact that i was pregnant. whilst we were standing in line, she said to me "my concert better not be interrupted because you have your f*^$ing baby" hmm....even if i had gone into labour, they sure wouldn't have stopped the concert for me! i was so shocked i didn't even know what to say. another lady in the bathroom said "shut up you old cow" so at least someone wanted to defend me. But aside from crazy bathroom lady, everyone else thought it was great that pregnant kristina was there. i even got quite a few high fives. :)
Rhys bought a t-shirt, we got a souvenir program and were so close to buying eleri a child's t-shirt. the only one they had would have fit her when she was about 2. it was faded black with a a picture of a big canon on it. Emblazoned on the top was AC/DC and written underneath the canon was the sentence "for those about to rock". As much as i say i am not a 'girly-girl' i just don't think i could put my 2 year old girl in that shirt. so she got nothing but an ear full of classic rock.
and rock she did. it was funny because i was expecting her to move pretty much the whole time. granted we were sitting in the highest level possible in the stadium; and we were pretty far away from the speakers, but it was loud. very loud. suprisingly she didnt move around the whole time. she only kicked on her favourite songs. or maybe i should say the songs she recognized. the two of us listen to AC/DC in the car often as we are driving to work or the store, but mostly their older stuff. Back in Black is my favourite album. when that song came on, i thought she was going to jump out of my stomach. TNT, Thunderstruck, For Those About to Rock, and Angus Young's guitar solo....little eleri was definitely rockin' out. she can proudly wear her AB/CD onesie that we have for her. (get it? ab/cd in stead of ac/dc? clever eh?)
i took some video of Back in Black and Thunderstruck, but no matter what i try to do, i cant seem to upload the videos here. so instead i will put up a few pictures. but those don't really do the concert justice. it was fantastic. it was amazing. it was a very surreal moment for me. and i loved every second of it.
25 June 2009
Europe....and a plug for a friend
ok. first...go to this site and read! My friend Matt is working for International Justice Missions in Cebu in the Philippines for the next year. His primary goal, as i understand it, is to make contacts and liaise with local business in an attempt to place woman in jobs that they so desperately need. he is doing some neat things over there, and whilst he is just getting his feet wet, i expect many heart wrenching and moving stories in the months to come. go read his blog, keep up with his experiences and there is even a link to support him if you feel like that is something you want to do. if nothing else, prayer support is always welcome.
Oh, and i am writing this without the knowledge of matt (hope you dont mind dude) so dont think this is a shameless plug from him. I just think that what he is doing is great and the word should be out there. when i talked to him yesterday he mentioned that he wasn't sure a lot of people knew what he was doing...so i just want to do my part to spread the word! good luck matt. we'll be praying for you!
ok, that said....i have been thinking lately about how this pregnancy has taken over my mind. I am not really sure what i thought would happen, as being pregnant really does change, well, everything. but the point is that since being pregnant i have forgotten quite a few things that i love and have instead focused on the negative. that is so unlike me. and i hate it.
for example, i used to view living in london as an adventure. i always said i would marry an international and live overseas. literally this is my dream life made into reality. but how have i been looking at it the past few months? As a restraint, as a place that is keeping me from 'necessary' comforts. i am not sure what i thought living overseas would be like, but apparently deep down i thought it would be america with an accent. I really hate to admit that, but i do think that part of me excepted all the normal aspects of life to stay the same, but instead of the oklahoma plains and rolling hills of northwest arkansas, i would have Big Ben, Tower Bridge and all of Europe at my finger tips. But you cant have your cake and eat it too. (don't you just love cliches?)
the thing is, everything about europe is different. and lately instead of viewing those differences as good and exciting things, i have been viewing them as negative and binding things. Which is unfortunate because it has made the last few months pretty difficult. remember the dream house post? i am not saying there is anything wrong with dreaming. heck, i'll be the first to admit that i live in a dream world pretty much 100% of the time. but its the comparative aspect that can become detrimental. All through our 'growing up years' people have told us to not to compare ourselves to one another. don't look at another girl and think she is fatter or thinner than you, more popular, smarter, funnier, more athletic etc... be content with who you are and with the talents that you have. So if i know those things about my person, why do i choose to ignore those things about my life? shouldn't they apply in the same way?
the answer is yes. i am an american, but i am also an ex-pat. (ex-patriot) Both of those descriptions are equally as important because it clearly demonstrates where i am. i am an american NOT living in america. therefore my life, my choices, and my circumstances will not be comparable. why is it just not occurring to me that that is ok? guess i am a pretty slow learner.
starting from about 8 or 9 months ago whenever people would mention how great and exciting it was that i lived overseas my default response was always "it has its ups and downs. not as exciting as you might think" seriously. that is what i said. now, as i sit back and read that sentence out loud, the image that comes to mind is one of misery; one not of joy and pleasure, but of annoyance and dislike. and that is not the picture i want to paint. every place you live has its fair share of ups and downs. no one likes their town 100% of time. people who live in the south complain about the weather being too hot, tornado season, rainy springs. people that live in the north and on the east coast complain about the long, heavy winters. my dear friend Leah who has recently moved to Denver absolutely loves it. Has she ever mentioned negative things about it? sure. has she ever mentioned that it has been difficult? of course. what does she say when someone asks her about living in colorado? she loves it; so glad she moved. that is an appropriate answer for someone who likes their city.
and i like my city. i like london. i don't want to live her forever, but i do want to live her now. and somewhere, in my crazy pregnancy induced freak out about america vs. the uk, i forgot that. but i remember now. no longer will my response be "yeah not as great as you think" but instead "yeah, its quite the adventure, and we love it for now" because that is an appropriate response for the stage of our life at the moment. rhys and i don't want to live in london forever, but we want to take advantage of it whilst we do live here.
in November we are taking little eleri to the Remembrance Sunday military parades and cenotaph in central london. we will tell her all about the World War One and Two veterans who are proudly marching down the street. Granted, my 4 month old may not remember everything we tell her, but she will be there all the same. and for the same price that american families go to texas and florida for holiday, we can take our little family to spain, or germany, or france. disneyland paris is in our future. :) the point is that there is good and bad to both. one side should not be the only focus. if i am going to look at the good of america, then i also need to look at the bad. and visa versa for the uk.
i also need to remember that i am claustrophobic. not in the sense of panicking if locked in a small room, but claustrophobic in the sense that i hate to stay in one place for too long. i start to crave change. i crave adventure. before i moved to europe, i travelled abroad at least twice a year. for several months at a time each go. i just couldn't bear to 'stand still' so to speak. i needed to go, to move, to experience life.
so here i am. experiencing life. and even better than that? I am experiencing life in a new culture, a new place and soon, with a whole new life. i hope that little eleri can grow up not only respecting and understanding different cultures, but having a love of travel, a love of the new and exciting, and a love of adventure. cause after all, europe is an adventure. and i really do love it.
Oh, and i am writing this without the knowledge of matt (hope you dont mind dude) so dont think this is a shameless plug from him. I just think that what he is doing is great and the word should be out there. when i talked to him yesterday he mentioned that he wasn't sure a lot of people knew what he was doing...so i just want to do my part to spread the word! good luck matt. we'll be praying for you!
ok, that said....i have been thinking lately about how this pregnancy has taken over my mind. I am not really sure what i thought would happen, as being pregnant really does change, well, everything. but the point is that since being pregnant i have forgotten quite a few things that i love and have instead focused on the negative. that is so unlike me. and i hate it.
for example, i used to view living in london as an adventure. i always said i would marry an international and live overseas. literally this is my dream life made into reality. but how have i been looking at it the past few months? As a restraint, as a place that is keeping me from 'necessary' comforts. i am not sure what i thought living overseas would be like, but apparently deep down i thought it would be america with an accent. I really hate to admit that, but i do think that part of me excepted all the normal aspects of life to stay the same, but instead of the oklahoma plains and rolling hills of northwest arkansas, i would have Big Ben, Tower Bridge and all of Europe at my finger tips. But you cant have your cake and eat it too. (don't you just love cliches?)
the thing is, everything about europe is different. and lately instead of viewing those differences as good and exciting things, i have been viewing them as negative and binding things. Which is unfortunate because it has made the last few months pretty difficult. remember the dream house post? i am not saying there is anything wrong with dreaming. heck, i'll be the first to admit that i live in a dream world pretty much 100% of the time. but its the comparative aspect that can become detrimental. All through our 'growing up years' people have told us to not to compare ourselves to one another. don't look at another girl and think she is fatter or thinner than you, more popular, smarter, funnier, more athletic etc... be content with who you are and with the talents that you have. So if i know those things about my person, why do i choose to ignore those things about my life? shouldn't they apply in the same way?
the answer is yes. i am an american, but i am also an ex-pat. (ex-patriot) Both of those descriptions are equally as important because it clearly demonstrates where i am. i am an american NOT living in america. therefore my life, my choices, and my circumstances will not be comparable. why is it just not occurring to me that that is ok? guess i am a pretty slow learner.
starting from about 8 or 9 months ago whenever people would mention how great and exciting it was that i lived overseas my default response was always "it has its ups and downs. not as exciting as you might think" seriously. that is what i said. now, as i sit back and read that sentence out loud, the image that comes to mind is one of misery; one not of joy and pleasure, but of annoyance and dislike. and that is not the picture i want to paint. every place you live has its fair share of ups and downs. no one likes their town 100% of time. people who live in the south complain about the weather being too hot, tornado season, rainy springs. people that live in the north and on the east coast complain about the long, heavy winters. my dear friend Leah who has recently moved to Denver absolutely loves it. Has she ever mentioned negative things about it? sure. has she ever mentioned that it has been difficult? of course. what does she say when someone asks her about living in colorado? she loves it; so glad she moved. that is an appropriate answer for someone who likes their city.
and i like my city. i like london. i don't want to live her forever, but i do want to live her now. and somewhere, in my crazy pregnancy induced freak out about america vs. the uk, i forgot that. but i remember now. no longer will my response be "yeah not as great as you think" but instead "yeah, its quite the adventure, and we love it for now" because that is an appropriate response for the stage of our life at the moment. rhys and i don't want to live in london forever, but we want to take advantage of it whilst we do live here.
in November we are taking little eleri to the Remembrance Sunday military parades and cenotaph in central london. we will tell her all about the World War One and Two veterans who are proudly marching down the street. Granted, my 4 month old may not remember everything we tell her, but she will be there all the same. and for the same price that american families go to texas and florida for holiday, we can take our little family to spain, or germany, or france. disneyland paris is in our future. :) the point is that there is good and bad to both. one side should not be the only focus. if i am going to look at the good of america, then i also need to look at the bad. and visa versa for the uk.
i also need to remember that i am claustrophobic. not in the sense of panicking if locked in a small room, but claustrophobic in the sense that i hate to stay in one place for too long. i start to crave change. i crave adventure. before i moved to europe, i travelled abroad at least twice a year. for several months at a time each go. i just couldn't bear to 'stand still' so to speak. i needed to go, to move, to experience life.
so here i am. experiencing life. and even better than that? I am experiencing life in a new culture, a new place and soon, with a whole new life. i hope that little eleri can grow up not only respecting and understanding different cultures, but having a love of travel, a love of the new and exciting, and a love of adventure. cause after all, europe is an adventure. and i really do love it.
23 June 2009
umm....no thanks
i went to a local cafe for lunch today. i asked for a chicken club baguette. the woman started to reach for the tongs and then sneezed. she covered her mouth with her hands, no gloves, so i assumed she would wash her hands. um no. she grabbed the tongs, picked up my sandwich and then instead of putting the sandwich directly into the bag, she transferred the sandwich from the tongs TO HER HAND (hands with sneeze on them remember) and then transferred it to the bag.
during this transferring process, about 2/3 of the bacon and salad actually fell out of the sandwich on the counter, floor or loosely hanging onto the rim of the bag. I looked up to point this out to her, just in time to see her wipe her nose with the back of her hand. and then sniffle a bit. and wipe her nose again. aklfjkladshfliawe!!! made me want to vomit.
I proceeded to tell her that about 2/3 of my sandwich was missing and she said "oh, i know" and then began to pick up the bacon and salad bits off the counter, floor and bag with her hands...hands that now not only have sneeze on them, but also have gross snotty nose wipe on them too!! she stuffed all the pieces together in the bag and then told me i owed her £2.50. I said "umm...no thanks. i think i will just pass on that today. thanks"
really? it cant just be me. that is disgusting! would any of you have eaten that sandwich?
during this transferring process, about 2/3 of the bacon and salad actually fell out of the sandwich on the counter, floor or loosely hanging onto the rim of the bag. I looked up to point this out to her, just in time to see her wipe her nose with the back of her hand. and then sniffle a bit. and wipe her nose again. aklfjkladshfliawe!!! made me want to vomit.
I proceeded to tell her that about 2/3 of my sandwich was missing and she said "oh, i know" and then began to pick up the bacon and salad bits off the counter, floor and bag with her hands...hands that now not only have sneeze on them, but also have gross snotty nose wipe on them too!! she stuffed all the pieces together in the bag and then told me i owed her £2.50. I said "umm...no thanks. i think i will just pass on that today. thanks"
really? it cant just be me. that is disgusting! would any of you have eaten that sandwich?
19 June 2009
two of my hero's
Harry Patch celebrated his 111th birthday on 17 June 2009. 111. And he celebrated by going to his local pub for lunch and a pint. Normally i am not captivated by the birthdays of people whom i do not know personally. But Mr. Patch is a different story.
Harry Patch enlisted in 1914, was involved in several major battles, managed to live through 14 of his enlisted mates being killed or seriously injured, and fought through to 1917. In 1917 he was seriously injured in a mortar explosion in western France that killed 3 of his comrades and sent him back to England. Mr. Patch is the ONLY surviving veteran of World War One who saw active duty in the trenches on the western front. To those of you not familiar with the First World War, this many not seem like a big deal. But it is. The life, and more often death, of the trench soldiers of the Great War was unimaginable, indescribable. My vocabulary does not consist of enough words, or the right words, to accurately describe the horror that faced these soldiers everyday.
There are no words.
But these brave young men went out and fought for freedom, for their country...for their lives. The world will never know warfare like these men experienced. No war is pretty. No amount of death and destruction is better than another. However, the archaic method of trench warfare--of men leaping over the parapet at the sound of a whistle, to struggle across the mud soaked, shell holed, mine filled fields in a desperate attempt to reach the enemy on the other side of the barbed wire, to be met with machine gun and artillery fire, to see comrades gunned down on all sides but still forced to trudge on--never reaching the goal, never really succeeding. the sheer terror of having to carry so much weight in supplies on their back that they knew one slip off the narrow piece of battered wood barely covering the giant water logged mud holes, would mean certain death. a slow sink into the mud hole, unable to pull out and others incapable of helping lest they be sucked in themselves. the horror of hearing fallen comrades screaming and writhing in pain on 'No Man's Land' but knowing that they can not be rescued as the enemy is waiting for any opportunity given to shoot a walking solider, medic or not. can you imagine? once these men are gone, this type of warfare, their experiences, the horror, the fear, the struggles, the pain, it will slowly fade away from our memory.
Whilst the type of warfare is hideous, it saddens me to think of the day when the memories will cease. There are so few men alive today who fought in the First World War. In fact there are only 2 British veterans alive . Harry Patch and Henry Allingham.
Earlier this year there were 3. Sadly William Stone died a few months ago. Harry Patch and Henry Allingham are alive and well. As already mentioned Mr. Patch turned 111 on Wednesday. And Henry Allingham? He turned 113 on 6 June 2009. and today Today, Friday 19 June 2009, he was officially named the worlds oldest man.
Mr. Allingham was born on 6 June 1896 in Clapham, South London. He has lived in three different centuries, seen six British monarchs on the throne, and has five grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great grandchildren and one great-great-great grandchild.
He was in the Air Force in the First World War, and saw duty in quite a few major battles. The Battle of Jutland as the most major. He served the duration of the war as well; 1914 all the way through to 1918. Few people managed that incredible feat. An even smaller number are alive to tell their story.
After the end of the war, Mr. Allingham was one of the founding members of the Royal Air Force as it is known and recognised today. He work tirelessly for years for the military, his country and his people. Even now, he tries to stay active doing what he can for his family, friends and community. at 113 he is a more courageous and stronger man that some young people i know today.
Both Harry Patch and Henry Allingham are true, living examples of bravery. They are legends in every sense of the word. It saddens me to think that the time is coming very soon when men such as these will no longer be alive. There will be a day when the epic story of life in the trenches and skies of the First World War can no longer told from first hand experience. there will be a day when these men will be forgotten. My children, even little eleri who is due any day now, will never be able to hear the voices of the courageous soldiers of World War One. That will be a sad day.
Until then,
Lest We Forget.
(from R to L: Patch, Allingham, Stone)
Harry Patch enlisted in 1914, was involved in several major battles, managed to live through 14 of his enlisted mates being killed or seriously injured, and fought through to 1917. In 1917 he was seriously injured in a mortar explosion in western France that killed 3 of his comrades and sent him back to England. Mr. Patch is the ONLY surviving veteran of World War One who saw active duty in the trenches on the western front. To those of you not familiar with the First World War, this many not seem like a big deal. But it is. The life, and more often death, of the trench soldiers of the Great War was unimaginable, indescribable. My vocabulary does not consist of enough words, or the right words, to accurately describe the horror that faced these soldiers everyday.
There are no words.
But these brave young men went out and fought for freedom, for their country...for their lives. The world will never know warfare like these men experienced. No war is pretty. No amount of death and destruction is better than another. However, the archaic method of trench warfare--of men leaping over the parapet at the sound of a whistle, to struggle across the mud soaked, shell holed, mine filled fields in a desperate attempt to reach the enemy on the other side of the barbed wire, to be met with machine gun and artillery fire, to see comrades gunned down on all sides but still forced to trudge on--never reaching the goal, never really succeeding. the sheer terror of having to carry so much weight in supplies on their back that they knew one slip off the narrow piece of battered wood barely covering the giant water logged mud holes, would mean certain death. a slow sink into the mud hole, unable to pull out and others incapable of helping lest they be sucked in themselves. the horror of hearing fallen comrades screaming and writhing in pain on 'No Man's Land' but knowing that they can not be rescued as the enemy is waiting for any opportunity given to shoot a walking solider, medic or not. can you imagine? once these men are gone, this type of warfare, their experiences, the horror, the fear, the struggles, the pain, it will slowly fade away from our memory.
Whilst the type of warfare is hideous, it saddens me to think of the day when the memories will cease. There are so few men alive today who fought in the First World War. In fact there are only 2 British veterans alive . Harry Patch and Henry Allingham.
Earlier this year there were 3. Sadly William Stone died a few months ago. Harry Patch and Henry Allingham are alive and well. As already mentioned Mr. Patch turned 111 on Wednesday. And Henry Allingham? He turned 113 on 6 June 2009. and today Today, Friday 19 June 2009, he was officially named the worlds oldest man.
Mr. Allingham was born on 6 June 1896 in Clapham, South London. He has lived in three different centuries, seen six British monarchs on the throne, and has five grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great grandchildren and one great-great-great grandchild.
He was in the Air Force in the First World War, and saw duty in quite a few major battles. The Battle of Jutland as the most major. He served the duration of the war as well; 1914 all the way through to 1918. Few people managed that incredible feat. An even smaller number are alive to tell their story.
After the end of the war, Mr. Allingham was one of the founding members of the Royal Air Force as it is known and recognised today. He work tirelessly for years for the military, his country and his people. Even now, he tries to stay active doing what he can for his family, friends and community. at 113 he is a more courageous and stronger man that some young people i know today.
Both Harry Patch and Henry Allingham are true, living examples of bravery. They are legends in every sense of the word. It saddens me to think that the time is coming very soon when men such as these will no longer be alive. There will be a day when the epic story of life in the trenches and skies of the First World War can no longer told from first hand experience. there will be a day when these men will be forgotten. My children, even little eleri who is due any day now, will never be able to hear the voices of the courageous soldiers of World War One. That will be a sad day.
Until then,
Lest We Forget.
(from R to L: Patch, Allingham, Stone)
18 June 2009
what if i give birth at the AC/DC concert?
So today I am "officially" 35 weeks pregnant. according to the floating baby on this page, i only have 35 days left. wow. but i think i am more like 37/38 weeks. i think i only have a couple weeks left. an even bigger wow.
I have been saying to Rhys for weeks now that I think I am further along than everyone says, that the baby is closer to being born than people think. I keep having funny 'feelings' and weird 'pains' and after lots of book, magazine and Internet research, I have concluded that i am in fact close to giving birth. that's right, i have diagnosed my self.
and yesterday it was officially confirmed.
I went to the midwife yesterday who did all her checks and examinations and told me that the baby's head was almost fully engaged. She said she was shocked as that usually doesn't happen so early. i explained to her that i thought i was further along and she agreed.she said that the baby was definitely coming early. she said we would have the little one within the next 3 weeks at the latest!
I called rhys and said "ha! i was right" and then it hit me... I WAS RIGHT. that means that in just a few short weeks I will be a mother! i will have a child that i am FULLY and COMPLETELY responsible for. yes, all those capital letters are necessary because I will be responsible for another human life. whilst rhys was really excited that he would be a dad sooner, i had a bit of a mini freak out. we don't even have the bedding yet! my mom is bringing that over with her when she comes on 15 July! we may already have a baby by then! we still have to wash baby clothes, get diapers ready, clean the house, dust...you know things like that. But whether i think i am ready or not, baby is coming. at least rhys thinks we are ready. that is half of the parenting team ready to go!
but strangely enough, i am looking forward to the birthing process. Perhaps interested or curious is a better way to put it. but the birthing pool and relaxing nature of the midwives is encouraging. after hearing some birth stories of late, i am looking forward to the water/natural birthing process. here's hoping i can stay this positive all the way through!!
aside from frivolous fears of the house not being ready, my one real fear is if this baby really is set to come early, is it still wise for me to go to the AC/DC concert? People have said all along that the show would put me in labour but to me that idea sounded a bit foolish. how can a concert really make you go into labour? The show is Friday 26 June. When we bought the tickets, we were going off my due date 23 July. basically 4 weeks of leeway. i figured that was fine. If the baby is suppose to come in the next few weeks, there is now a real possibility that little eleri could make her first appearance not to the soothing tones of Jack Johnson which is the majority of my 'labour CD' but instead to the ever so distinct guitar riffs of Angus Young and his fellow rocker band mates. I do love Thunderstruck but i cant say that is how i pictured my birth :)
although...perhaps if i did go into labour and actually give birth at the concert, perhaps the band would come visit us? we could have a picture of little eleri in her AC/DC onesie (yes, we have actually purchased one of those for her) posing with the band. that would be a fun picture to have. all the same though, i hope that is not the case. people who have actually birthed children...is this a real possibility? should i really twice about going to the show if i am really 38 or 39 weeks pregnant. I had no second thoughts when i thought i would only be 36 weeks, do the extra few weeks make that much of a difference?
I have been saying to Rhys for weeks now that I think I am further along than everyone says, that the baby is closer to being born than people think. I keep having funny 'feelings' and weird 'pains' and after lots of book, magazine and Internet research, I have concluded that i am in fact close to giving birth. that's right, i have diagnosed my self.
and yesterday it was officially confirmed.
I went to the midwife yesterday who did all her checks and examinations and told me that the baby's head was almost fully engaged. She said she was shocked as that usually doesn't happen so early. i explained to her that i thought i was further along and she agreed.she said that the baby was definitely coming early. she said we would have the little one within the next 3 weeks at the latest!
I called rhys and said "ha! i was right" and then it hit me... I WAS RIGHT. that means that in just a few short weeks I will be a mother! i will have a child that i am FULLY and COMPLETELY responsible for. yes, all those capital letters are necessary because I will be responsible for another human life. whilst rhys was really excited that he would be a dad sooner, i had a bit of a mini freak out. we don't even have the bedding yet! my mom is bringing that over with her when she comes on 15 July! we may already have a baby by then! we still have to wash baby clothes, get diapers ready, clean the house, dust...you know things like that. But whether i think i am ready or not, baby is coming. at least rhys thinks we are ready. that is half of the parenting team ready to go!
but strangely enough, i am looking forward to the birthing process. Perhaps interested or curious is a better way to put it. but the birthing pool and relaxing nature of the midwives is encouraging. after hearing some birth stories of late, i am looking forward to the water/natural birthing process. here's hoping i can stay this positive all the way through!!
aside from frivolous fears of the house not being ready, my one real fear is if this baby really is set to come early, is it still wise for me to go to the AC/DC concert? People have said all along that the show would put me in labour but to me that idea sounded a bit foolish. how can a concert really make you go into labour? The show is Friday 26 June. When we bought the tickets, we were going off my due date 23 July. basically 4 weeks of leeway. i figured that was fine. If the baby is suppose to come in the next few weeks, there is now a real possibility that little eleri could make her first appearance not to the soothing tones of Jack Johnson which is the majority of my 'labour CD' but instead to the ever so distinct guitar riffs of Angus Young and his fellow rocker band mates. I do love Thunderstruck but i cant say that is how i pictured my birth :)
although...perhaps if i did go into labour and actually give birth at the concert, perhaps the band would come visit us? we could have a picture of little eleri in her AC/DC onesie (yes, we have actually purchased one of those for her) posing with the band. that would be a fun picture to have. all the same though, i hope that is not the case. people who have actually birthed children...is this a real possibility? should i really twice about going to the show if i am really 38 or 39 weeks pregnant. I had no second thoughts when i thought i would only be 36 weeks, do the extra few weeks make that much of a difference?
17 June 2009
creepy things....
so two things have happened recently which have been a bit creepy. one of the occurances was EXTRA, SUPER creepy and if it had happened to me...oh, man! i would be freaking out!!
1. A friend from a baby class has recently moved into a new house. they were taking it slow, moving and unpacking for just over a week. When they were close to being settled, the couple ventured into the lounge for a rest and found a note taped to the window. It read:
"I've noticed you moving in. cant wait for you to have the baby....cause its mine after all!!"
yeah, that's a bit creepy. so they called the police and when they came out, the police said that a few years ago some neighbours of theirs received a similar note. the woman was also pregnant and they suffered months of harassment, break ins, threatening letters etc... so much so that they moved, afraid that some psycho was going to come and take the baby! the police took the note away to analyse for fingerprints, and told the couple to be careful. HOW CREEPY IS THAT!?!
2. I logged on to facebook this morning and my friend Stacey said hello in that facebook chat feature. Oh great I thought, i like Stacey, we can have a chat. So i told her how the midwife appointment that i had this morning went and then asked her what was going on. she said she was stuck in London because she had been mugged at gun point! WHAT?! so i decided to call her because clearly that is big news! Turns out the REAL Stacey was at the British Museum with her family and NOT at the computer. someone had logged into her facebook account, was pretending to be her, and telling people that she had been mugged!! CRAZY!! so i logged on for her and changed her password thinking that would kick the fake Stacey off. when i logged back in as me, they were still there!! still pretending to be her!!
then i got freaked out that perhaps they were trying to steal info from me....but aside from pictures, there is no personal information on my account. people can see where i went to school, and that i live in London...but lets be realistic here. London is a pretty big place. It would be next to impossible to find me here. but still creepy!! why do people do strange and creepy things?
1. A friend from a baby class has recently moved into a new house. they were taking it slow, moving and unpacking for just over a week. When they were close to being settled, the couple ventured into the lounge for a rest and found a note taped to the window. It read:
"I've noticed you moving in. cant wait for you to have the baby....cause its mine after all!!"
yeah, that's a bit creepy. so they called the police and when they came out, the police said that a few years ago some neighbours of theirs received a similar note. the woman was also pregnant and they suffered months of harassment, break ins, threatening letters etc... so much so that they moved, afraid that some psycho was going to come and take the baby! the police took the note away to analyse for fingerprints, and told the couple to be careful. HOW CREEPY IS THAT!?!
2. I logged on to facebook this morning and my friend Stacey said hello in that facebook chat feature. Oh great I thought, i like Stacey, we can have a chat. So i told her how the midwife appointment that i had this morning went and then asked her what was going on. she said she was stuck in London because she had been mugged at gun point! WHAT?! so i decided to call her because clearly that is big news! Turns out the REAL Stacey was at the British Museum with her family and NOT at the computer. someone had logged into her facebook account, was pretending to be her, and telling people that she had been mugged!! CRAZY!! so i logged on for her and changed her password thinking that would kick the fake Stacey off. when i logged back in as me, they were still there!! still pretending to be her!!
then i got freaked out that perhaps they were trying to steal info from me....but aside from pictures, there is no personal information on my account. people can see where i went to school, and that i live in London...but lets be realistic here. London is a pretty big place. It would be next to impossible to find me here. but still creepy!! why do people do strange and creepy things?
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