I meant to get this up as a Christmas greeting, but alas that did not happen.  This Christmas break has been the most relaxed and unscheduled break I think I’ve ever had in my adult life.  We stay in our pajamas a lot, we watch movies at night and we sleep late in the mornings.  We go out when we are restless and we stay in when we’re lazy.  It’s been positively wonderful. 

That’s not to say that we haven’t missed the excitement of extended family Christmases of years past, or the excitement of traveling that we experienced last year.  We missed our families fiercely this year.  Tears were shed.  But we’ve made the best of our isolation, and it’s been quality family time.  (And a LOT of messes.  Spending so much time at home can be disastrous to order and cleanliness.) 

I asked the kids to each write a little bit about their year, what 2015 was like for them.  A year is a long time for a kid to recall, so take that into consideration as you read. (You can also tell they were copying each other’s ideas…) And lest we be hypocrites, Richard and I also reflected on our year. 

In their words.
Simon – 
I loved it when it was my birthday.  I liked playing with my friends at school.  Sports day at school was really hard because I was in Nursery. I was sad this year when I was a little bit missing my mom at school sometimes.  I was really happy when I went on a trip to see the firemen at the school.  My favorite trip was to the Canary Islands because I loved the sand dunes. 

Mim – 
This year I loved going to the Canary Islands and playing in the water.  When I acksudently [sic] dropped the harmonica on Eli’s eye that made me upset.  The most important time of all is when I listen, be kind, help people, be nice and do the right thing.  At school I loved playing with Eseosa, Isabella and the other girls.  My favorite place to go in the summer time was the playground at Greenwich Park where I played in the big sand pit.  

Eli –  
My favorite memore of 2015 was when I saw the parrots.  This is because my favorite animal is a parrot.  My favorite animal is a parrot because parrots can talk and can fly and are very smart.  There are two things that I thought were very tough this year.  The first thing was the Christmas colouring.  The second thing was sports day.  Christmas colouring was hard because colouring in the lines was hard.  Sports day was had because my legs were not as long as everyone else’s.  The happiest time was when it was my birthday because I got presents and we had a fun time. 

Cameron – 
2015 was an exciting but difficult year for me.  It was the year that marked a decade from the year of my birth.  I finished Year 5 and started Year 6 which was a happy but sad thing because I had to leave my old teachers and begin with new ones.  My favourite vacation of the year was “The European Tour”.  I loved the Eurocamps and I made friends from Essex; AJ and Dana, (nick-named Minion Boy) who I will always remember.  The hardest part of 2015 was seeing family members have to end their visit. Especially Charlie.  The most annoying part of the year was when I had to spend my whole birthday in a car.  

Jo – 
I suppose it could be said at the end of every year, but this year seemed to stretch me to my limits.  The travel was definitely the highlight of my year, visiting new cities and countries never stops enchanting me.  Experiencing just about every form of transport; airplane, train, gondola, tram, subway, bus, funicular, car, boat, bicycle gives just a sampling of the adventures I enjoyed (and endured).  I feel grateful for new relationships, strengthened relationships, and relationships that barely hang on. This pregnancy brought with it emotional upheaval I’ve never before experienced, and that has increased my compassion and empathy for the emotionally fragile.  I’ve faced loneliness and homesickness that seemed to incapacitate me.  And then I’ve had moments of joy and contentment that were equally overwhelming.  Looking back and pondering over the year’s struggles, I still can’t help but feel profoundly grateful for all God has done for me in my life, and for all this world has to offer in the form of delicious foods, remarkable scenery and best of all, wonderful, wonderful people.  

Richard – 
The year 2015 was our only full year in London, so making the most of it was one of our top priorities. One of the things that made it possible to do this was that my job was very flexible. Not only was I able to work a standard 35 hours per week during much of the year, but I was also able to use my payroll to purchase an extra week of vacation time, giving me six in total. And, as we’re prone to do, we burned all six weeks! There are two things I will remember most about 2015. First, of course, our many travels. We travelled through so much of Europe that I often have to stop and think carefully about all the places we’ve been or I forget about them. And it was all great (since the memory of all of the stress, weariness, and family fighting fade easily over time). Second, but at least as valuable as the first, would be the many wonderful people we’ve been able to associate with here. There have been so many eye opening experiences and conversations, all of which have had a significant impact on making me who I am. It wouldn’t be overly dramatic to say that 2015 has been one of the landmark years of my life.

We hope your Christmas season has been merry and bright, with minimal stress and drama and maximum love and relaxation.  And we wish you all a Happy New Year! 

Once we had a car again in October, we decided to have a day out of the city.  It’s impossible to choose somewhere to go in England, it feels like the whole country is bursting with scenery and history, but we picked something south of the city, since it’s so much easier for us to get to.  I saw South Downs National Park on a map and then did a little Googling to get more info.  The forecast called for a rainy day so I figured if it was too inclement we could just enjoy a nice drive from the warmth of the car.  

Saturday morning on our way out of the city we made a stop at Sainsbury’s for some picnic food and I discovered Tomberries.   The cashier told me that her grandchildren eat them like candy, and they were a huge hit with my kids as well.  Some farmer in the U.S. needs to get his hands on this cultivar…

Our first stop was the Seven Sisters cliffs, they are a lot like the White Cliffs of Dover, but not quite as high.  We walked out to them, walked along the beach and let the kids run in the hills.  It was windy and cloudy, and a bit chilly if you stood still long enough.  But the views were lovely.  

We walked back to the car and found a grassy place for a picnic.  There were no toilets anywhere around so I took Mim in the bushes.  She cried because she said she got stung by stinging nettle on her backside, and I didn’t believe her.  I got my comeuppance when I took my own turn in the bushes… Sometimes its just so much easier to be a boy. 

**Cameron curled up in the fetal position when I tried to take his picture.

After lunch we drove to Devil’s Dyke where we took a long hike and got lost.  

The hike started out in a pretty green valley, then wound its way through a forest/wood, then across another green valley and into a village.  It was in the village we asked for directions back to Devil’s Dyke Peak, and so we cut across a sheep pasture and climbed back up the side of the valley.  It took a couple hours, and it was really pretty, but it was more than I had bargained for and we were all tired! 

I didn’t take my camera with me sadly, because I was worried about it getting wet if it rained, but I did snap a couple pictures with Richard’s phone.  

Once we got back to the car we were all spent, so we finished off our snacks on the two hour drive back home.  It was a really fun day, and I wish we did these things more often.  

On Wednesday mornings my kids’ school serves tea and coffee to parents, while hosting a forum for discussion and communication with school administrators.  Sometimes there are specific topics to address or guest speakers are invited, other mornings we just sit and chat.  On one such morning a year ago I was chatting with some friends, including my friend Fatiha.  She is French Algerian, bright, extroverted and a fiercely loyal wife, mother and friend.  She also happens to be Muslim.  She was my first friend in London (outside of church).  On the morning of Miriam’s Reception Induction when I arrived to the school late, terrified and in tears from the trauma of my first driving experience, she was the first person I met.  She spent the morning with me, showing me around the school and helping me get the information I needed.

During this particular “Coffee Morning”, as they are called, Fatiha was telling me that she had shared with her sister that she had a Mormon friend.  She said that her sister responded by saying “Your Mormon friend moved to London? And her husband lets her out of the house?”  I laughed out loud, I couldn’t help myself.  Neither Fatiha or I were quite sure what her sister’s preconceived ideas about Mormons were, so neither of us really knew what to say next. But it broke the ice for a conversation about religion, and I nervously shared some of my own ideas about Muslims.  Fatiha laughed off some of the stereotypes I shared, but I could see another friend of mine was a little more frustrated, understandably.  It must be discouraging and exhausting to carry the burden of prejudice, stereotype and misunderstanding.  Mormons know this burden.  Every time a news story breaks about a polygamous sect in the U.S. doing something appalling or disturbing, and the journalist uses the word “Mormon” we throw up our arms in frustration.  “That’s not us.  That’s not what we believe.”

My Muslim friends are some of the people I relate to most in my community.  They understand me.  They understand the way my faith guides my decision making, my parenting, my every day choices.  They are thoughtful, kind, and principled people.  They are involved with the school and generous with their time toward their children.  They are disciplined, brave and yet also really humble. 

When I read in the news the fear-based accusations thrown toward Muslims back in the U.S. it gives me an uneasy feeling in my gut.  All of us, while pondering the Holocaust for the first, second or 100th time have tried to reconcile in our minds how an entire country could be turned against a race and religion. How did that happen?  I’m not sure, but I know that it began with fear, it began with leaders blaming an entire religion/race for problems that did not fall on the individuals who made up that race/religion.  Then, that fear of “those” people was turned into a hatred for “those” people. 

This morning after reading about Donald Trump’s latest assault against Muslims, I was torn between rage and sadness.  While spreading Nutella on crumpets for my kids’ breakfast I asked them what they thought about it.  Cameron’s immediate response was “That’s ridiculous.” 

“WHY?!” I hurled at my poor, unsuspecting 10 year old, misdirecting my anger but really wanting him to understand this.

“Because all the Muslims I know are kind.  Because they aren’t terrorists.  Because that’s not what they believe.” 

Three out of my four children have had a Muslim teacher while at their school, either this year or last.  All four of them have Muslim friends in their classes.  They know terrorism exists, they know it’s scary, they know that it is sometimes perpetrated by people claiming an Islamic faith.  But they don’t feel any fear from the Muslims they know.  None.

To be completely honest I feel ridiculous writing this post.  I feel ridiculous because if any of my Muslim friends read it, I’m ashamed that I have to say it.  But I feel like I DO need to say it.  I’m willing to acknowledge that my own ignorance allowed me to believe false ideas about a religion I hardly knew of.  And if I hadn’t moved here, and lived in a community with a lot of Muslims, and made friends with them, I would still be in ignorance.  I never thought that all Muslims were hateful or violent, but I wish I could say that I knew what wonderful people they are without having to know them.  So take my word for it.  Don’t buy into the fear.  Be wary of stereotypes and generalizations; doubt them, question them.  Be informed. 

I WANT Muslims in my country.  I want them in my life.  I want them around me.  But even if I didn’t, I could at least respect that my country was founded on ideals of equality, acceptance, tolerance, open-mindedness and religious freedom.  And although I find Donald Trump’s comments to be shocking and disturbing, I’m also concerned that his attitudes will make less extreme, more subtle forms of anti-Muslim sentiment seem reasonable or acceptable.  

This morning while Richard was taking a train to Birmingham we were texting about this and he said something I really appreciated.

                “There is this irrational fear that terrorists will destroy our way of life, and so we destroy our way of life, and the things that make our country great, trying to protect ourselves.  [And that is how] they win.”  ​

I was really excited for Lori and Sean to come visit.  I’ve mentioned this before, but sharing/showing our life here with our family is really fun for me.  And I knew that Lori would love it, I knew she would love everything, and I was so excited to be there and watch her love it.  There are some things sisters share, and there are things about London that I knew Lori would appreciate the way I do, and I was just aching for that solidarity.  

They flew in on a Sunday morning and we didn’t have a car so we couldn’t go pick them up.  I didn’t want to make them tackle public transport with all their luggage and no previous experience so we sent a car for them, and Richard waited at the house for their arrival.  (I was playing the piano at church.)  When Lori walked in after Sacrament meeting I was so excited.  How many times have I said how excited I was?! 

After church we did the same thing we do on the first day with all our visitors, a walk to Greenwich Park.  We had a picnic and let the kids play and then it was early bedtime for the jet-lagged that night.  

I can’t recall the chronology of the the events thereafter, but we walked as much of the city as we could, ate at as many of our favorite restaurants as we could, attempted a “Dessert Crawl” for Sean’s birthday, and stayed up late having good conversations.  It was just as wonderful having them as I hoped it would be, and I’m sure if they didn’t have kids and jobs and all that other stuff, they could have stayed twice as long and still not done everything we wanted to.  It was also really fun for our kids to have Lori and Sean’s undivided attention, and Lori and Sean were so generous with their attention and affection.  

A smattering of photos:

During the week that they were here, the kids were in school so i was able to go into the city with Lori & Sean every day.  That was such a treat!  Then I’d come home in afternoon to pick up the kids and Lori and Sean could continue exploring.  They also spent a day in Oxford and on Saturday we all met up at the Tower of London.  The Tower is a London must-see and so we’ve been there several times, but we did an audio guide this time which is always informative and interesting.  

After Lori and Sean left I slipped into quite a lonely funk, for which I had a brief reprieve when Adri and Charlie came, but then I went back into my cave (read: bed) for a few more weeks.  I’m going to attribute it mostly to pregnancy hormones, but it is the reason for my months of hiatus from blogging and other social media.  Hopefully now that I’m feeling myself again I can get caught up!

** I really wish I hadn’t gotten so far behind in blogging.  I wish I had written these posts when the experiences were fresher in my mind.  

It wasn’t until the end of the school year last year that I had any real idea of how nervous Cameron had been to start school at Lucas Vale.  And I know some of those nerves returned to him at the beginning of the school term this year as well.  I think he was the most reluctant to go back to school, I don’t think he has the same social needs and pleasures that Mim and Simon do, nor does he have the close friends like Eli does.  But I know him well enough to know that even if only on a sub-conscious level, he loves schedules and routines and predictability, and for those reasons I know he appreciated back to school.  

I think Eli was pretty indifferent to school, he was excited to spend time with his friends again, but also schedules and routines are not his cup of tea, so I think he could take it or leave it. ​

Miriam had mixed feelings too, an excitement about seeing old friends and teachers, but a reluctance to do the “work” of school.  She does love social situations, but is also easily tired, and those days can be long for a five year old.  ​

A few days after our return from our European tour we discovered this spider in the back window that looks out to the garden.  Fortunately she was spinning her web on the outside of the window so we just let her be.  In fact, we watched her spin her web and it was really something amazing.  It reminded me of this quote by E.B. White (author of Charlotte’s Web.) 

“Once you begin watching spiders, you haven’t time for much else.” 

Eli and I stood transfixed for several minutes, watching the spider meticulously but efficiently spin her web in this perfect pattern that was one of the most beautiful feats of nature I have personally observed.  I’ve never felt affection or attachment to a spider before, but I did after watching this one.  She lived in that window for months, and she probably spun a new web every week or so.  When I was lucky enough to catch her doing it, I would stop whatever I was doing and just enjoy the show.  It was really something.  

Then one day in November I noticed she was gone.  I was quite sad about it, after watching her endure weeks of rain and wind, and even sometimes watching her catch and wrap her prey.  I’m still not comfortable with spiders cohabiting with me, but I’ll miss our Charlotte.  

Saturday was the last full day of our epic roadtrip.  Our flight left early Sunday morning out of Geneva, so we had a day to get to Geneva, sleep at a hotel by the airport, and then we were on our way home.  Saturday morning the kids were sorry to say goodbye to their friends and the Eurocamp, but I think we were all ready to wrap it up.  

We took the long way to Geneva, and drove south around Lake Geneva, through France.  We drove past the Chillon Castle, which was a sight to behold,  even just from the road.  Then we stopped in a well-maintained medieval French village, Yvoire, per the suggestion of Adri.  It was charming, and Eli had one request in France. Crepes.  So crepes for lunch it was, and I went all out on behalf of my pregnant self, and ordered a sweet AND savoury crepe.  

We didn’t really have it in us to hit it hard touring Geneva, so it was nice to soak up the scenery from the car.  We checked into our hotel in the late afternoon, and I put cartoons on for the kids so I could take a nap while Richard returned our beloved VW to the car rental at the airport.  

We went into Geneva for dinner, and I really wanted to have something nice.  It took awhile but eventually we found a place and enjoyed some tasty Swiss food.  We strolled along the lake and had one last ice cream stop.  It was a gorgeous day/evening and the perfect way to end our European adventures.  

Goodbye dear mainland! Au revoir! Arrivederci! Auf Wiedersehen! Sbohem! 

It was another day for a run, and the weather was perfect.  There was a running/biking path that went from our camp along the river and toward the town of Interlaken.  I ran along there, and on the way back I watched the para-gliders come down off the mountain. At times I could count as many as 14 of them floating down into the big green field.  

After breakfast we decided to take the water bus into Interlaken, just to be out on the lake. We had just missed one, so we sat by the lake watching ducks and waiting for the next one.  Richard decided to run back to our trailer and get our swimming stuff so we didn’t have to make an extra trip back and forth.  

The river bus was huge, and the kids had such a great time riding on it.  I was completely enchanted by the color of the water and the sun on my face.  

There was an alpine coaster and playground just outside of Interlaken that we walked to once we got off the bus.  The alpine coaster was really fun, and probably the perfect length and steepness for the kids, but Richard and I were hoping for something a little more adventurous. 

Our ticket included two rides down the coaster, coming up via the funicular each time.  I think Cameron and Eli were nervous at first, but ended up really loving it. And Mim, who is usually the wild one, was scared on the first ride down so I sent her with Richard on the second ride, and I think he was a better driver because she had a much better time on her second go.  

After our alpine coaster adventures we walked back into Interlaken where we ate a quick lunch at McDonald’s (the most expensive McDonald’s we’ve ever eaten…) and then went swimming at the local pool which was free for Eurocamp guests.  It was warm and pleasant outside, but not too hot, and the pool wasn’t crowded at all.  

We had a great afternoon there, and Cameron’s friend Dana from the camp was there with his family too.  

After swimming the kids were anxious to get back to the Eurocamp and play with their friends, so we walked back into Interlaken, I grabbed some groceries at Migros, and we took a bus back to our camp.  The kids had another wild and free evening in the great outdoors with only one minor incident.  Simon vs the bee. 

This day was my favorite day of our entire vacation.  And although the Swiss Alps are remarkable and memorable, what made this day so wonderful were things that could easily be recreated in nearly every place we’ve lived, and likely will live.  Richard and I are Idaho people, we love the mountains, we love lakes, we love being IN them.  

We packed a lunch and left in the morning and drove to a little place called Isenfluh.  (See more amazing pictures here.) The drive to get there took us up, up and up into the mountains, and we didn’t see any other cars on our way there, which made me wonder if it was a real place.  But sure enough, we found the little cluster of homes, a restaurant, and the cable car.  

The older kids (especially Cameron who is not a fan of heights) were nervous about riding in the cable car, as you can see from their faces, but it was a Swiss must-do. The younger kids, were just excited as can be, as you can see from their faces.  So typical of our troop. 

So after driving up into the mountains, and then taking a cable car even higher into the mountains, we went for a hike, even HIGHER up into the mountains.  It was a tough hike, high altitude and steady uphill the whole way, but the kids were all-stars.  We only saw a few other people, and the scenery was distracting and invigorating. 

We only passed this one farm/house on our hike.  There were pigs, and of course cows for the cheese.  It was so quiet and serene. I know it’s easy to romanticize, and I’m sure it gets lonely, but it certainly seemed to me like the ideal place to live.

Finally we reached our destination, this peaceful mountain lake.  We ate our lunch, skipped rocks, and played hide-and-seek.  It was the most perfect afternoon with my family.  Absolutely perfect.  The kind of perfect I wish I could carry in my pocket and pull it out and relive it again and again.  

Despite the kids running down the trail at frightening speeds, we made it back to the cable car without major incident. And much to Cameron’s delight, our cable car ride back down the mountain was also uneventful.  The drive back to our Eurocamp was a quiet one, with exhausted children, but as soon as we were back in the camp the kids disappeared to play with friends.  We ate a quiet dinner, and Richard and I read and relaxed while the kids played until dark.  

If I was a better writer I would try to capture more of the details and heart-warming moments of the day, but it’s just too daunting of a task.  They will just have to remain tucked away in my memory, hopefully a core memory, that I will hold on to, just like this.    

Having not had anything to eat for dinner, I woke up ravenous. Cameron and I walked to the nearest grocery store to buy some things for breakfast, muffins, yogurt, and saltine crackers for the prego.  When we got back I ate a muffin and then went back to bed.  Richard did a great job of packing and gathering on his own, but we got a late start out of Milan.  

The drive from Milan to Interlaken was the most scenic drive of our whole trip.  We drove up over the Italian Alps, straight into the Swiss Alps.  It was cloudy and rainy again, so I couldn’t ever get any pictures to do justice to the beauty and majesty of those epic mountains.  But we would drive up and down switchbacks, and then from high up the mountain you could look down into the Swiss villages, it was straight out of a travel brochure.  

At one point we stopped to fill up with petrol in one of the villages and across the street there was a charming restaurant. The village was so quiet and still that I wasn’t sure it was open, but I walked across the street to ask.  I don’t remember what time of day it was, and we weren’t even sure how hungry we were, but I couldn’t pass it up.  It was really cold outside and the inside of the restaurant smelled so good.  We were the only people there for the first little bit, and after the chef cooked our food and the server brought it to us, they sat down with their family and had their afternoon meal together nearby.  

This meal.  Ohhhhh this meal.  It was my favorite meal during our two weeks in Europe.  I had rosti, which is basically Swiss hashbrowns, with eggs and bacon and the most flavorful cheese… Mmmmm it was so good.  I don’t even remember what everyone else ate.  The whole experience was just so pleasant. So quiet and intimate and delicious.  It was the beginning of the best days of our vacation.  Switzerland we LOVE you.  

On our schedule for the last leg of our holiday was another Eurocamp, near Interlaken.  We arrived there in the afternoon and settled our things in our trailer before driving into the town to get groceries at Migros. This grocery trip went more smoothly than the last one, but only after Richard dropped me off and I realized I didn’t have my wallet, so I had to wait around for awhile until he found me again.  (Which he only happened to do because one of the kids needed to use the toilet…) 

We went back to our trailer, cooked dinner and let the kids play.  

Since that’s just about all we did this day, I’ll take this space to rave about Eurocamps. 

Our experiences at the Eurocamps were the stuff that kids’ summer vacations are made of.  Particularly in this second camp, where the kids made friends quickly.  It was so funny because some of the kids Mim and Simon played with didn’t even speak English, but they didn’t care.  Any spare minutes they had they were at the playground (which was really close to our trailer) or at the football pitch.  Cameron became buddies with a boy named Dana who was also from England.  They were inseparable whenever they could be. And in the mornings Mim would look out the window to see if the two girls in the trailer next to ours (Maggie and Kate) were out to play yet.  There were also ping-pong tables and sports equipment you could borrow from the office.  The kids played night games and begged us to stay out late.  Parents drank coffee and read books, families played card games and badminton and took evening walks.   It was so relaxed, so family-friendly, so comfortable, and so beautiful. 

It was so fun for us to watch the kids do the kinds of things we did as kids.  I didn’t know ahead of time how much they would love it, and how much we would love the way they loved it.  Visiting the cities and museums and experiencing new cultures was amazing, I hope they don’t forget those things.  But I think their most memorable times were just playing and being kids and getting dirty.