Day to Day Life in England

That’s right, it has finally happened…I think things are beginning to settle in for us! Jonny spends every other day at the fire station studying his CDC’s (Career Development Course), learning how to drive the fire vehicles, and of course paying his dues as “the new guy”. Let’s just say he has been acquainted with buckets of cold water recently, and is currently scheming how to sneak car keys into a jell-o mold. On a more work related note, Jonny is usually on the crew assigned to the flight line, so there and available for the F-15’s, when they are needed during take-off or landing. And let me tell you, just being that close to the flight line tends to be hard work, because those planes are LOUD! Often around base as they are taking off you will see kids stop in their tracks to cover their ears from the noise while adults put their conversations on hold until the noises pass. But once you hear the first, get ready, because they usually take off, one right after the other, in sets of two, four or six. I’m still new enough to the base to find it fascinating when they are so close above you, so I’m always the one who stops and stares! I guess that is a good way to spot the new people =)
So while Jonny is working on base, I am currently trying to figure out which route to take in order to finally get our puppies home with us! Amy, a friend of mine, has a labradoodle (Lab/poodle mix) named Hunter whom Jonny and I just adore, so it’s nice to get our “puppy fix” every once and a while. But we hope to have them with us soon, fngers crossed! I have also joined the community of pet sitters in the Lakenheath/Mildenhall area. Not many people seem to keen about the idea of kenneling their pets while they go on weekend vacations, so ads are always posted for pet sitters. I am currently watching over a family of two dogs and two cats while they visit family up in Wales though this Sunday. It’s been a fun way to earn some extra cash while I’m waiting to get a job. I’ve also revamped my Mary Kay business on base and had a huge response! This morning I held a skin care consultation with a girl in her dorm, so it's been a lot of fun so far. I’ve also really enjoyed catching up on some long lost cooking of mine! I’ve even had a lady ask to purchase a Dessert Fruit Pizza –don’t worry, fire station approved- for next week. I guess I’m just playing queen of odd end jobs for a while, which works for now! I have been having fun with a friend from base Amy as we go to 7am killer spin classes at the fitness center, and even today a little site seeing! The day started out as a “dress shopping” afternoon; in November the CE Squadron will be having a formal Dining Out event, and funny thing is I just recently sold all my old floor length gowns on a site, lakenheathyardsales.com, so we were on a mission! We drove to a small Bridal/Special Occasion Shop in the town of Brandon, just about 5-10 minutes away from base, to see what they had. Luckily, the first dress I tried on was the one I put on hold for the week! Thankfully that was an easy task, and I even had the chance to apply for a part time job position! After that we had planned on then driving down to Bury St Edmunds, but had a bit of a hiccup in our journey when my Navigator decided to direct us in the wrong direction! About 45 minutes AFTER we should have been there, we finally arrived to find Bury’s Market Day still going strong, which meant parking was going to be a bit scary…luckily my car is the size o a toy, so it wasn’t as difficult! However, parallel parking would have been easier if I had power steering. We ended up in a department store that reminded me of something similar to Dillards, and really had a nice time. Unfortunately the closest mall is in Cambridge about 45 minutes away from our house in Downham, so I probably could have spent all day in there! After lunch we decided to go see the St. Edmundsbury Cathedral and Abby Gardens. I had been my first week or so in England this past July, but Amy had never been, so it was a fun thing for us to do together! So we got our warm Starbucks (the wind is getting quite chilly now!) and walked over to view the Cathedral and Gardens before the sun began to set. Even as winter creeps up on us, the Gardens were beautiful as ever. Not only where the flowers still thriving, but the leafs and plants where changing into bright colors of red, orange, and yellow, and covering the walkways. It was a completely different experience to see in the new season! We were having so much fun, we probably could have stayed all day taking pictures! But Amy’s batteries ran out and I left my memory card in my computer, so we were awfully limited! But all in all a very fun “touristy” day!
Jonny is loving his job and friends at the fire department, and I am making some new friends and keeping busy, still hoping a job opportunity will come my way, but all in all things are going great and life seems to be settling in quite nicely for us in England!

P.S. Unfortunately I am unable to take credit for the wonderful photos, they were all taken by my friend Amy!