People, it's a very special day today. Jeff, Amelia and I all woke up with a feeling of gratitude and accomplishment. It has been one year since we arrived in England. To be honest, we were kind of a mess when we arrived. We had been through a lot, and England held so much hope for stability for our family. We needed this to work out, desperately! (It did.)
Want to know what the first picture I took when we arrived was?
Yep, even on the first day, I knew I'd want to write about it.
Just a few days later, we took our first drive, I got my camera out again, and took this picture:
And that's when we all started falling in love. With England, with the countryside, with all of the travel potential, the history, the beauty, the architecture....
And today, I love England because it's home. Little by little, we are being welcomed, getting settled and connected, understanding what is around us, getting more comfortable.
Can I make a confession? I have always had a long list of places in the world that I wanted to live. Believe it or not, England was never on that list. Nor was it even on my Top 50 Places to Visit list. I know, crazy. But we are happy here, and thankful. SO thankful. And we love England, and love living here. I am glad life keeps surprising me, that I am so caught off guard by thoroughly enjoying my new home. It makes me wonder about all the other things that I don't think I'd care for-- maybe those will surprise me, too!
And, thank you for discovering England with us, cheering us on and following along. That has made this year even more remarkable. Happy One Year!
Just a few days later, we took our first drive, I got my camera out again, and took this picture:
And today, I love England because it's home. Little by little, we are being welcomed, getting settled and connected, understanding what is around us, getting more comfortable.
Raising a glass to being back in Europe, on our first visit to Cambridge!
Can I make a confession? I have always had a long list of places in the world that I wanted to live. Believe it or not, England was never on that list. Nor was it even on my Top 50 Places to Visit list. I know, crazy. But we are happy here, and thankful. SO thankful. And we love England, and love living here. I am glad life keeps surprising me, that I am so caught off guard by thoroughly enjoying my new home. It makes me wonder about all the other things that I don't think I'd care for-- maybe those will surprise me, too!
And, thank you for discovering England with us, cheering us on and following along. That has made this year even more remarkable. Happy One Year!
Happy Anniversary! You've certainly handled the transition with a lot of grace. I hope your family has many more happy years here in England!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jenny! It's hard to believe all the stability we've had this year, and we definitely feel like we're just getting started!
DeleteYea for a year! I'm so glad you're liking it so well!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dana! It's been a good one!
DeleteHappy Anniversary .. pleased that all is going well .. I had to laugh when England was not even on your list ..:-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Anne! I know, life is funny like that, isn't it? ;)
DeleteHappy One Year! May you keep falling in love with your new home, and looking forward to reading all about it!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Liene. I also wish you well in your current transitions!
DeleteHappy Anniversary!! It is so fun to hear about your thoughts! We are thankful with you for how things have worked out in Jolly Old England! Love you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Grandma! We are also very thankful, and so glad it has all worked out so well. Whew!
DeleteAh - so happy for you lady!! What a difference a year makes - and it is fun when you have a genuine year marker as it allows you to really look back and see how far you've come. And just imagine what another year may bring? There is no telling and that is the exciting part! I can't help but think you will be all the more at home with real genuine friendships and a sense of community established. I look forward to cheering you on through year 2!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for tracking with us, Marisa! It makes it more fun to do all of the discovering, when others are sharing in it with us. And, yes, hopefully this will be the year for building relationships and integrating more socially. I'm excited about what's ahead!
DeleteHappy anniversary...I will have been here nine years in January and I still feel both amazed and lucky that I still love it like I never even suspected I would. Here's to new adventures!
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