Busy December!

Well its official, we got our first snow in England! Well, only if snow means frost =) Woke up this morning to a frosty car and frosty rooftops and grass. It was pretty chilly outside, and I think its going to stick around through Sunday with expected 5-10cm of snow throughout the London and Eastern areas. I’m wondering if the weather here is more predictable than it was back in Colorado…we shall see. I’m in this habit of not really paying much attention to the weather report, as usually they were only right for about 10 minutes!
Well where to start! I never knew I could be so busy without getting a paycheck! But while we may be going a mile a minute, things are well. We had a great Thanksgiving with friends and family at our house in Downham, as well as at the Fire Department with the other firefighters and their families. We hosted a small brunch at the house with a few friends, then together with Joanna and Jeremy, headed to base for a mid afternoon dinner. While we were there Jonny was able to show them around the departments bay, and then the whole crew came out to “play” with their new truck. I couldn’t tell you what its called, but it has a piercing nozzle for aircrafts so they can stick it through the top, side or bottom of a plane that’s on fire. They say they won’t ever use it since its designed for heavy planes and all we have are fighters, but it was neat to see all it’s suppose to do! Then back home we had a relaxing evening with ham and wine.
While Joanna and Jeremy were here to visit we also had the opportunity to see a few things in England we haven’t quite gotten around to. After we picked them up at Heathrow we drove to tour Stonehenge before driving back home. Then later on in the week we went up north to the Wash coastline. It’s November, so not many others around, but it looks like a great place to head when the weather is warm! Then of course no visit is complete to the 48th Liberty Fighter Wing Base until you spend a day (or night) watching the jets take off and land.
After they left for their missions trip to India, things just kept going for us! Amy, my good friend and EOD wife, and I accidentally volunteered to handle the creation of the centerpieces for the Civil Engineer Squadron Holiday Party back in October, and it was time to get crackin! We came up with edible centerpieces that ended up being Christmas trees made out of strawberries, cranberries, and raspberries, then drizzled in white chocolate. They were set on individual pedestals painted silver with a shimmery silver ribbon band. So we organized a get-together with other spouses to help up get those ready on the 3rd of December, so they were nice and fresh for the party on the 4th! But man, were those a lot of work! But when they were all done and on the tables, I think our hard work paid off. Needless to say, next years venture probably won’t be so involved =) Jonny was on shift that evening, however, they sent an engine to the party so a handful of the guys could go. And good thing they did, because Jonnys raffle ticket won us a new Blue Ray DVD player!
December 5th was Jonnys 26th birthday, and for that we had a handful of his friends come up to eat, drink, and play Xbox. I’ve decided that’s the best combination for firefighters .
Also I am VERY happy to report that December 10th, we have Bailey and Aspen home with us! It took a lot of stress and last minute running around in Colorado, but they are finally here! And we are just so glad to say that. Now it finally feels like home with Bailey dropping a slobbery ball in our laps every 30 seconds and always laying by your feet =) They were a little jet-lagged for a day and a half, but now are enjoying the weather and exploring their new environment. I’ve been walking them to a local pub and back, and we have a park just across the street that they like to just run free in. Needless to say, we think they are enjoying themselves!