It's the most wonderful time of the year. . .

It has been a busy couple of weeks here in England. My parents and brother arrived on the 23rd and flew back to Minneapolis yesterday morning. It was such a blessing to spend some time with my dad, mum and Josh. We enjoyed a lot of laid-back time together interlaced with some England site seeing. On Christmas Day Josh and I drug everyone with us to Kings College Chapel for the sung eucharest to hear the boys choir. We couldn't conjure up enough support to go to the famous Christmas Eve service that is televised around the world though (we would have had to stand in line in the cold beginning at 7am for the 3 pm service - on Christmas Day we only stood in line 1.75 hours :)

We enjoyed a day in London where Philip and I took everyone to the Cabinet War Rooms (where Churchill orchestrated WW2 from underground in London). It has been one of our favorite places to go so far (they left the rooms just as they were the day the war ended) and really enjoyed being able to share this experience. That evening, we went to a show (Zorro) in the West End - it was a LOT of fun.


I could tell that Mom and Dad really appreciated being able to see where both Philip & I work. We were able to take them around the APS (Aerial l Port Squadron), and I was able to take them to the clinic in Norwich.The time they were here FLEW by. It always happens that way during visits. It is likely that I may not see them for another year which is sad - however we continue to be grateful for affordable international phone calls and the beautiful thing that is the Internet, so that we can stay in touch.

It really a blessing to be with the ones I love as we celebrated the Savior's birth. Philip and I understand that holidays with family are not to be taken for granted but are instead a privilidge. We know there will be plenty of Christmases where we will be apart from each other and from family, so this year was really a special gift. At one point ,we weren't sure if he would even be here this year as he was called about leaving with a few days notice for Iraq at the beginning of the month. He had volunteered to go if needed so that someone with children could be with their kids for the holiday, but it worked out that he was able to stay in the UK. (much to my and my parents' delight even though we fully understand that when duty calls - we have agreed to answer).

Separation from family is always hard - but it is especially difficult during the holidays - I am grateful to all of the spouses, siblings, parents and children who woke up without a partner, brother, sister, daughter, son, mom or dad because they were defending our freedom on this Christmas Day. Thank you for your sacrifice. It is an honor to work and serve alongside of you.