Americanisms

Language is a tricky thing.

As one with experience now among three English-speaking nations, I continue to be shamelessly amused by notable differences in our great language.  From place to place and continent to continent, we 'Native Speakers' tend to customize English without realizing. (Or shall I say 'customise without realising'?) Time passes and our language lives, breathes and thrives in separate circles.  Then, some of us find ourselves together again hundreds of years later attempting to navigate our way through simple dialogue.  Hypothetically, let's imagine an American, an Irishman, a Scotsman, an Englishman and an Aussie... and, for giggles, let's toss a South African and a Canadian in there too. Suddenly we require a translator to mediate the conversation among 6 'English-speaking' individuals.  ....Oh, brother.... (Or is it 'Oh, bother'?)

I will say this:  It does cause some insecurity for this American English girl as I've been immersed in other English-speaking cultures.  I used to have unwavering confidence in my English abilities, both spoken and written.  I may not have always used proper English in everyday conversation as a young adult living in Texas (i.e.: "Hey, did you eat yet? I think I'm about to drive through somewhere and get somethin. You wanna come with?")  But when it really mattered, I knew how to switch on the suitable American English and I'm proud to say I have confidently conversed with several world-renown politicians and professionals.  (No prob, Bob.  I'm an educated, cool & composed English speaker after all... right?)  But nothing provided a more humbling reality than becoming a 'Texas transplant' in various English-speaking cultures worldwide... beginning in Oxford, England.  The common English used in any section of that beautiful little ancient town is rich and eloquent, as though somehow they've scripted their thoughts the night before and are currently reciting a well-researched response to my casual, conversational question.  They use words like 'precisely', 'quite' and 'fond', and they NEVER say 'Umm'.  (Even if they did get caught saying 'Umm', they spell it 'Erm' over there, which -let's be honest- is so much fancier.)  Suddenly, by comparison, even my most proper American English sounds about as formal as "What up, yo? Catch y'all on the flip side".  Even here in Australia, I have been bewildered when certain words or phrases I commonly use draw a blank stare at the receiving end. (Fortunately, my dear friends all over the world have usually, in their kindest and least-disparaging tone, said, "Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean?")  Eek.  It almost makes me want to carry around a wallet-size photo of my diploma to prove, if only to myself, that I have been educated by an accredited University in the States.

But that's the interesting point of it all, isn't it? The fact of the matter is this: Living things grow. They change. They adapt. They produce offspring, and that offspring is often an entirely new character of its own, with specific placement and purpose. American English is, after all, just as useful in moving mankind forward as any other spoken or written version of English, both ancient and modern.  (Still... there's a reason we're all glad that Downton Abbey doesn't sound like an episode of Modern Family.  We want both!  We love both. Thank goodness we have both.)

I stumbled on this BBC article from July of 2011 and found it to be incredibly interesting.  (My personal favorite, and the one that caused spontaneous laughter for me, was #35, but they're all pretty good.)  In reading through the comments it seems the article may have ruffled a few feathers amongst readers 'across the pond' from the BBC headquarters, but I hope any US readers will find it entertaining rather than offensive.  I personally enjoyed the not-so-subtle spirit of annoyance that's been woven into this article.  I liken it to the eye-roll of an older sibling whose younger brother has returned from Summer camp using the words 'wicked' and 'whatever' in every sentence.  It's a lighthearted dig at us, but all in good fun I'm sure.  (wink, wink) It would take an entire lunch break to peruse this in its entirety with comments included, but if you are similarly fascinated with the ways in which our English language is growing, you may find it to be worth your while.  If not... No worries, Mate. I'm sure I'll catch ya later with some kinda awesome post with my FAB bloggin' skills and lingo. It's all good.   Peace out.

Americanisms: 50 of your most noted examples

(click here to read the full BBC News article) 

 

 

Here are 50 of the most e-mailed:

1. When people ask for something, I often hear: "Can I get a..." It infuriates me. It's not New York. It's not the 90s. You're not in Central Perk with the rest of the Friends. Really." Steve, Rossendale, Lancashire

2. The next time someone tells you something is the "least worst option", tell them that their most best option is learning grammar. Mike Ayres, Bodmin, Cornwall

3. The phrase I've watched seep into the language (especially with broadcasters) is "two-time" and "three-time". Have the words double, triple etc, been totally lost? Grammatically it makes no sense, and is even worse when spoken. My pulse rises every time I hear or see it. Which is not healthy as it's almost every day now. Argh! D Rochelle, Bath

4. Using 24/7 rather than "24 hours, 7 days a week" or even just plain "all day, every day". Simon Ball, Worcester

5. The one I can't stand is "deplane", meaning to disembark an aircraft, used in the phrase "you will be able to deplane momentarily". TykeIntheHague, Den Haag, Holland

6. To "wait on" instead of "wait for" when you're not a waiter - once read a friend's comment about being in a station waiting on a train. For him, the train had yet to arrive - I would have thought rather that it had got stuck at the station with the friend on board. T Balinski, Raglan, New Zealand

7. "It is what it is". Pity us. Michael Knapp, Chicago, US

8. Dare I even mention the fanny pack? Lisa, Red Deer, Canada

9. "Touch base" - it makes me cringe no end. Chris, UK

10. Is "physicality" a real word? Curtis, US

11. Transportation. What's wrong with transport? Greg Porter, Hercules, CA, US

12. The word I hate to hear is "leverage". Pronounced lev-er-ig rather than lee-ver -ig. It seems to pop up in all aspects of work. And its meaning seems to have changed to "value added". Gareth Wilkins, Leicester

13. Does nobody celebrate a birthday anymore, must we all "turn" 12 or 21 or 40? Even the Duke of Edinburgh was universally described as "turning" 90 last month. When did this begin? I quite like the phrase in itself, but it seems to have obliterated all other ways of speaking about birthdays. Michael McAndrew, Swindon

14. I caught myself saying "shopping cart" instead of shopping trolley today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I've never lived nor been to the US either. Graham Nicholson, Glasgow

15. What kind of word is "gotten"? It makes me shudder. Julie Marrs, Warrington

16. "I'm good" for "I'm well". That'll do for a start. Mike, Bridgend, Wales

17. "Bangs" for a fringe of the hair. Philip Hall, Nottingham

18. Take-out rather than takeaway! Simon Ball, Worcester

19. I enjoy Americanisms. I suspect even some Americans use them in a tongue-in-cheek manner? "That statement was the height of ridiculosity". Bob, Edinburgh

20. "A half hour" instead of "half an hour". EJB, Devon

21. A "heads up". For example, as in a business meeting. Lets do a "heads up" on this issue. I have never been sure of the meaning. R Haworth, Marlborough

22. Train station. My teeth are on edge every time I hear it. Who started it? Have they been punished? Chris Capewell, Queens Park, London

23. To put a list into alphabetical order is to "alphabetize it" - horrid! Chris Fackrell, York

24. People that say "my bad" after a mistake. I don't know how anything could be as annoying or lazy as that. Simon Williamson, Lymington, Hampshire

25. "Normalcy" instead of "normality" really irritates me. Tom Gabbutt, Huddersfield

26. As an expat living in New Orleans, it is a very long list but "burglarize" is currently the word that I most dislike. Simon, New Orleans

27. "Oftentimes" just makes me shiver with annoyance. Fortunately I've not noticed it over here yet. John, London

28. Eaterie. To use a prevalent phrase, oh my gaad! Alastair, Maidstone (now in Athens, Ohio)

29. I'm a Brit living in New York. The one that always gets me is the American need to use the word bi-weekly when fortnightly would suffice just fine. Ami Grewal, New York

30. I hate "alternate" for "alternative". I don't like this as they are two distinct words, both have distinct meanings and it's useful to have both. Using alternate for alternative deprives us of a word. Catherine, London

31. "Hike" a price. Does that mean people who do that are hikers? No, hikers are ramblers! M Holloway, Accrington

32. Going forward? If I do I shall collide with my keyboard. Ric Allen, Matlock

33. I hate the word "deliverable". Used by management consultants for something that they will "deliver" instead of a report. Joseph Wall, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire

34. The most annoying Americanism is "a million and a half" when it is clearly one and a half million! A million and a half is 1,000,000.5 where one and a half million is 1,500,000. Gordon Brown, Coventry

35. "Reach out to" when the correct word is "ask". For example: "I will reach out to Kevin and let you know if that timing is convenient". Reach out? Is Kevin stuck in quicksand? Is he teetering on the edge of a cliff? Can't we just ask him? Nerina, London

36. Surely the most irritating is: "You do the Math." Math? It's MATHS. Michael Zealey, London

37. I hate the fact I now have to order a "regular Americano". What ever happened to a medium sized coffee? Marcus Edwards, Hurst Green

38. My worst horror is expiration, as in "expiration date". Whatever happened to expiry? Christina Vakomies, London

39. My favourite one was where Americans claimed their family were "Scotch-Irish". This of course it totally inaccurate, as even if it were possible, it would be "Scots" not "Scotch", which as I pointed out is a drink. James, Somerset

40.I am increasingly hearing the phrase "that'll learn you" - when the English (and more correct) version was always "that'll teach you". What a ridiculous phrase! Tabitha, London

41. I really hate the phrase: "Where's it at?" This is not more efficient or informative than "where is it?" It just sounds grotesque and is immensely irritating. Adam, London

42. Period instead of full stop. Stuart Oliver, Sunderland

43. My pet hate is "winningest", used in the context "Michael Schumacher is the winningest driver of all time". I can feel the rage rising even using it here. Gayle, Nottingham

44. My brother now uses the term "season" for a TV series. Hideous. D Henderson, Edinburgh

45. Having an "issue" instead of a "problem". John, Leicester

46. I hear more and more people pronouncing the letter Z as "zee". Not happy about it! Ross, London

47. To "medal" instead of to win a medal. Sets my teeth on edge with a vengeance. Helen, Martock, Somerset

48. "I got it for free" is a pet hate. You got it "free" not "for free". You don't get something cheap and say you got it "for cheap" do you? Mark Jones, Plymouth

49. "Turn that off already". Oh dear. Darren, Munich

50. "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less" has to be the worst. Opposite meaning of what they're trying to say. Jonathan, Birmingham

 

Settling in!

Having to make a decision among several good choices is always a good problem to have.  But after our International House Hunt was said and done....

••• Option #3 •••

....was our favorite.  The girls are loving their school and we are enjoying every aspect of this beautiful 'small town' within the city of Perth. The house 'decor' is still a work-in-progress (home decor sort of lives in a constant 'work-in-progress' mode for me) and we aren't allowed to hang pictures on the walls without hiring a professional, so we've had to be creative and use the three preexisting holes we inherited.  ...Ahh, back in the world of renters...  We don't own it, but we do love it.  Just a few of the reasons why:

House Hunters International - Poage Style!

Funny thing is that we actually did apply to be on the show.  We thought we had as good a chance as anyone until it dawned on us what a mess we must have sounded like.  Our application story went something like this:

...We've been living in the UK for the past year and we're moving to Australia in a couple of months, to a city I didn't really know existed until recently we have never visited.  At the moment we're living in Texas, but actually not living in the house we own.  The house we own is sitting vacant move-in ready, and we hope to have it sold or leased before we hop on a plane to move to the other side of the planet.  My husband and I with our two young girls have temporarily taken up residence in the entire 2nd story of my sister's home, along with her incredibly understanding husband, their two kids, and their very sweet, very blind dog...  Queue the circus music... (And all this during the height of the Holiday Season.  I can't imagine why HGTV wouldn't have contacted us to be on the show?)

But in the absence of the muscle of network TV, the details of our lives sorted themselves out through a series of what our family likes to call God things.  You know when those huge, looming problems on the horizon (that have the power to paralyze you if you let yourself think about them for just a second too long) are seamlessly solved in ways that couldn't have been more beautiful if you had scripted the outcome yourself?  God things.  For example: Our house in Texas sold in a matter of weeks -- Even in a down economy where perfectly-priced, beautiful property was sitting on the market for months.  We signed it over to new owners just days before our flight left.  God thing. 

Fast forward a few frames of our lives and we found ourselves in our temporary accommodation in Perth with just 2 short weeks until school was scheduled to start for the girls.  We needed to find a place to live.  PRONTO.  We desperately wanted to know where we would land, how much we would pay for rent, which area of town would we call 'home' and where the girls would go to school. The International house hunt was ON... and there were plenty of good things (and God things) in store for us. 

So... Here it is... Our own 'episode' of House Hunters International.  And just because we love you, dear reader, we're bringing it all to you today -- commercial free.  (But just a warning- you may still need a coffee break or two before you get to the end! This post is long.)  Here we go:

The first house we saw was very well priced for such a large space!  It sat right on the edge of Swan River in a suburb called Mount Pleasant.  Beautiful lake views from the windows of the house, and I especially liked the wrap-around balconies.  A paved hiking trail ran just between the house and the water's edge, and there were plenty of joggers & Mums-with-strollers getting fresh air and exercise along the trail.  The house was a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom with 2 living areas and plenty of garage space.  We liked that it included a refrigerator, a washer and some other useful pieces of furniture, but we were unsure about living south of the river and what that might mean for Collin's work commute.  The inside of the house was a little dated, but still lovely.  We meandered through the first level and immediately noticed something was missing... Where was the kitchen??  As it turns out, the kitchen was on the top floor with bedrooms down below.  ??  A little odd, but not necessarily a deal breaker.  Having the kitchen up high did give the best lake views to the dining and living rooms.  Perhaps that is what the architect had in mind?

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The next house was much smaller, but beautifully located just a short drive from white sand and blue waves.  This North Cottesloe 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom duplex was in catchment area for a great local school and looked very promising.  We loved the tropical look of the neighborhood, the gorgeous updates to the living area, and especially liked the idea of living in a quiet cul-de-sac where the kids could play without much interruption from cars.  But again...  something was missing.  Where was the bathtub??  Only one bathroom in the house and it had a sink, a toilet and a shower stall.  Hmm... Not ideal.  But a good, solid option for a place to live, assuming the girls could learn to shower at ages 3 & 5!

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Next, we visited a house that was a little less desirable 'on paper', as it was only a 2 bedroom/2 bath house, but we thought it might just have enough perks to overcome the space issue.  It was located in Shenton Park, which we had read was a gorgeous place to live, and was within walking distance of everything needed for life with kids: Great school, a beautiful neighborhood park with a playground and a lovely little lake, cafes, shops, bus/train stops nearby for Collin's work commute... But would 2 bedrooms be enough?  Our time was running short and this rental had yet to be listed on the market so we knew we had the inside track (God thing) if it turned out to be something we liked. In addition to the prime location, we liked that this house had an open floor plan, a modern kitchen, spacious bathrooms (both fitted with tubs and showers!) and huge walk-in 'robes', as they call them here, in each bedroom.  The only downside was the lack of any grass in the backyard which might limit where the kids could play, but then again... a nice green park was just one street over.  I did love that the entire side wall opened up to the paved courtyard with accordion-like doors. (Very unique!)  Another solid option.

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And, lastly... We traveled South of the river once again to a beautiful, leafy suburb called Applecross.  If not for the distance from 'the rest' of the city, this house seemed nearly ideal.  It may have looked quaint from the street, but it was actually the most space of any of the houses we had visited.  5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 2 living areas.  Unfortunately there was no outdoor space at all, but the kitchen was large and included an 'American style' pantry.  The only potential deal-breaker with this house was the issue of Collin's commute to work.  Since it wasn't conveniently located to the city center, or to a bus stop or train station, our family may have needed a second car in order to live here.  (We were hoping to be a 'one car' family.) The only thing lacking that I enjoyed about some of the other options was the opportunity for any sort of pedestrian lifestyle.  Still a viable option!

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So many good choices!  For our family, though, only one of them seemed to make the most sense.  We applied, found out we were accepted, signed a lease and through the course of several small miracles (God things!) the girls were given places in the local school that was thought to be 'full' when we moved in.

Having lived in our new place for a little over 3 months now, it's beginning to feel a lot like home.  I look forward to posting 'settling in' pictures tomorrow.  For today, which house would you have chosen?  

So, I've fallen off the face of the Earth. Literate-ly.

Embarrassing, really.

More than seven months since my last blog post. Seriously pathetic.  Especially in the world of blogging where if the writer skips a week or two, they might as well just create a new blog  and bury the old one because it is dead.  Sail off into the sunset, ye old blogger... And take your dusty laptop with you because your work here is squashed. You snooze, you lose.  (Readers, in this case.) 

But for the sake of experimentation, I'm going to attempt to breathe new life into this thing (again!) because there is MUCH to say, and I would love for you to come along with us on this newest adventure of ours.

First things first:  Where in the world are we?

So, newsflash :: We've moved.  To a land far, far, FAR away.  Across the globe and beneath the equator, then all the way out West where the land sinks into the Indian Ocean... to a fabulous (albeit remote) city called Perth.  That's where we are. Perth, Western Australia.  And it's beautiful.  So beautiful, in fact, that Julia, our soon-to-be-four-year-old, was drawing a picture last week and said, "Mommy... Do you remember clouds?"  :)  ...As if they are now just a thing of the past, like tex-mex and people who wear shoes... Do I remember clouds? :) I loved it.  

But in exchange for clouds, there has been sunshine.  Lots of sunshine.  And heat to match it.  (Who knew that a couple of 'born and bred' Texans could be so wilted by heat?!)  Fortunately, the seasons are starting to change and we are watching the brilliant transition of Summer sizzle dissolving into a cool Autumn breeze.  Leaves are changing colors and starting to fall, and I can't help but wonder what an Autumn without October and November will feel like. 

There isn't a single moment when we don't ache for our families and our sweet friends from home (and also from our Oxford experience!) but we are enjoying settling in and building new community here as well.  Perth has been beyond welcoming, and our hearts are all warm and fuzzy with the blessing of new friendships.  

Life is an adventure!  I'm looking forward to getting back into the routine of blogging about it.  I've missed this.   

P.S. -  I'm already working on a *second* new blog post (look at me go!) and a new blog header, as well.  (I heart this one we currently have because it reminds me of fun times in the UK, but new geography calls for new photography, so stay tuned...)

Metamorph-ing

In all fairness, it's a totally legit question even if it did come from the mind of a 3-year-old: How does something change from one very specific thing into something else, entirely? I've been pondering this very question lately as my 30-something self is so noticeably different than my 20-something self seemed to be, and I'm having to re-learn how to get along with... well... me. (Don't worry. I'm not suddenly getting deep and contemplative here, I'm taking this in a very literal direction so hang with me.)

As it turns out, 30-something Steph simply doesn't put up with gluten. Ugh. It even looks depressing reading it. But there it is... it's officially out there. "Hello, blog world: I'm over thirty and I can no longer handle my wheat." But it gets worse. In trying to sort out what it was that was waging war on my innermost being after each meal, I cut back to the bare basics to do a 2-week "detox" of sorts, and I used an established model that is rich in fresh produce and pure proteins. Before I knew it, I was actually volunteering to deprive myself of so much YUM in pursuit of protecting my tum.

I removed not only gluten but all grains in general (bye-bye rice, bread and beloved pasta), kissed all sugar goodbye (except for the very occasional indulgent dash, but only unrefined), sliced lots of my dairy intake (keeping only my cottage cheese, yogurt and skim milk), said Cheerio to cheese and chocolate (guess you could have figured as much from the low-dairy/no-sugar thing, but cheeses and chocolates were such a huge part of my life that they deserve their own shout-out on this list), and last but not least-- Corked the red wine. (I kept Coffee, of course -- She and I have a long, co-dependent history and it just wouldn't be right to let her go.)

Somewhere along the way, the 2-week detox turned into a bit of a lifestyle... and without any awareness of what I was doing, I have apparently climbed into my own self-made cocoon as a cheesy and chocolatey caterpillar, and have emerged on the other side as something entirely different-- a healthier eater. (Whaaaat?!) Truth be told: I've only been eating this way for a little over 2 months, so I'm no expert and still absolutely learning/modifying as I go. Another truth?... I feel better. I still don't know which of my little monsters was beating me up so much, but removing *it* has made me a new woman.

So I thought I would do a simply fun blog post to share some of the new foods that regularly tempt me and keep me from craving my old munchies. (I hope you like the new graphically-enhanced format I've tried... I just got a little overzealous I think, but what can I say? I'm a bit of a Photoshop fan.)

If you should ever find yourself in the middle of your own 'morph', perhaps these gorgeous glutenless go-to's will be useful:

"Hello... Is this thing on?..."

Hi, I'm Stephanie. Once upon a time, in a land far, far away... I used to blog here. It's true! I would actually sit down at least once a day (or maybe more like once a week) with my trusty laptop and would update the world wide web with the latest happenings in the Poage family. Just walking through my daily life I would mentally file noteworthy events that might make for an interesting blog post, and would even photograph said events to add imagery to future witty narrations on the blog.

Ahh, those were the good ol' days... :)

I know I owe you thousands of words to cover all aspects of the past few months, so let's get caught up. Pictures should do it! Or better yet... Video. :)

Enjoy! I'll be back soon...

*Song Credit: my High School friend, Dylan Sneed "No Worse for the Wear"
Dylan's music is FAB-- Check him out on iTunes.

Returning from "Holiday"!

It's officially my favorite time of the evening. The kids are in bed and my hero of a hubs is just finishing the last of the dishes. (Hand-washed, of course, since our British lifestyle isn't fitted with a dishwasher.) I've poured myself a cup of coffee and I'm sitting in the most comfortable chair we have with my laptop on my knees and my fingers ready to type.

Hello, sweet Blog. It's been a while.

Let's catch up by hitting the highlights... The Christmas Season in Oxford was absolutely beautiful. We enjoyed city festivals and Christmas markets, children's parties complete with gifts from Santa and (of course) face paintings, Christmas carol concerts, the traditional mulled wine and mince pies at parties, a Cookie exchange party, the Christmas Gala for the MBA students and several other Seasonal "get-togethers" among friends. To top it off, Oxford received the most snow it's seen in decades... What a treat!

In a brief window of good weather, our flight was cleared for take-off and our family hopped over to Holland a couple of days before Christmas. We got to spend a wonderful week in Enschede, Holland, with some of Collin's family in the childhood home of Collin's brother-in-law, Erroll, who is Dutch. Erroll's parents were incredible hosts! They spoiled us with their hospitality and the girls fell in love with them and their sweet Springer Spaniel named Jup. (Pronounced "Yoop.") We enjoyed walks to the market and bakery, strolling through the snow in the park and holding 2.5' icicles, sledding down the hillside, meeting "Sinterklaas" (Santa Claus) on Christmas Eve and having hot chocolate with him, shopping the village market, eating yummy things like Gormet, kibbling, kaassouffle, good coffee, good chocolate, some kind of amazing coated peanut things... and sharing it all in good company.

After spending some quality time in Holland (with a day in Germany for fun) we broke off as a family of four and took a trip to Barcelona. Just 24 hours before boarding the flight, we decided to be spontaneous and purchased tickets for the trip. We knew nothing but that we were going, and we would figure out the rest as we went. A completely fun thing to do!! ...borderline CRAZY to do such a thing with two kids in tow... but fun, nevertheless. Needless to say, it was a family bonding experience we will never forget. Barcelona is every bit as beautiful as you have heard. We absolutely recommend a visit.

And, since it's been a while, read on if you're curious about specific little updates on us as individuals. (I guess that coffee has kicked in... Click on the pictures to enlarge, if you would like.) :)

• Doing well and really enjoying school. He's loving the diversity and fascinating conversations between classmates who hail from 50+ countries, and he's also very impressed with and energized by the lectures his professors give. (He's in his element.)
  
• He's continuing to receive compliments on his leadership in the position of Consulting Club Chair within in the Oxford Business Network. He's supported by a great group of individuals whom he appointed as his team of officers at the beginning of term.
  
• Became a member of the Oxford Union Society and has enjoyed the unique culture of the group (a debate society) which dates back to the 1820's. It's humorous, he says, and debaters receive heckles from the crowd which only adds to the spontaneity and intensity of the debates. A wide range of guests Collin has seen so far include those such as the President of Columbia, a US Senator and Tommy Hilfiger. (Tommy handed out nice canvas tote bags with leather handles when he came-- I was sure happy when Collin came home from the Union that night with a gift in-hand!) :)
• Did well in Michaelmas Term and is geared up to begin classes for Hilary Term on Monday! (Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity are the names of the 3 terms here at Oxford. No clue why, but I'm sure I could google it.)

• Loving the adventures that accompany life abroad! I am still discovering new aspects of this small town every week and I love how Oxford unfolds and unveils new and interesting surprises the more I look into it.
• Enjoying the Monday Mums group I attend weekly at St. Andrews Church and have found it to be one of my very favorite things about this entire experience. The women there are lovely and their faith encourages me as a Mom and as a believer.
• Just recently, a friend of mine and I decided to do a little "Mom trade-off" with our girls, so she will take Avery and Julia once a week and I'll have her daughter, Annie, on alternate weeks! That way the girls get to play together and we get a few hours of hands-free time during the week. (Win, win!)
• I am working on getting the girls registered for preschool now/primary school for Avery in the Fall, and preschool registration obstacles HERE are every bit as challenging as they are in the States. Finding a good school, fighting your way up the wait list while praying someone moves to open up a spot and seriously considering bribing the Director are all common threads. (I'm hopeful about one or two preschools at the moment, and praying God works my girls into a spot! They need it as much as I do.)
  
• For fun, I am going to try my hand at gardening. I purchased a variety of bulbs at the flower shop around the corner and I am keeping an eye out for a place to buy seeds for herbs and vegetables. Excited to get planting. Maybe by Spring we'll have some color on our window sill, and by Summer, perhaps, some fresh veggies!

• Avery is 4 years and 3 months old, now.
  
• Loving life in Oxford, but still asks about Dallas on a regular basis.
• Enjoys attending the Creche (childcare) at St. Andrews Church while I go to the Monday Mums Bible Study, and she particularly enjoys her Tuesday afternoon ballet class.
• She is really getting the hang of her new scooter she got for Christmas and loves to take it for a spin any chance she gets.
• She still enjoys art and music and is really blossoming in both. She also loves to cook and helps in the kitchen whenever she's allowed. (However, small kitchen with a hot stove makes Mom a worry-wart, so I usually just let her stir!)
  
• She's interested in reading, so we're working on that a little at home. Nothing hugely regimented-- I'm just trying to take advantage of her curiosity while it's here! Last night she was sounding out the letters to "H-i-d-d-e-n V-a-l-l-e-y" on the Ranch bottle. (Thanks to our friends and family for recently replenishing our supply!) Today she sounded out the letters on my rain boots. I think she's enjoying the new realization that there are letters everywhere and they actually mean something. (How will Collin & I talk about them IN FRONT of them when they can spell?!) :)
• Encouragement is definitely one of her Spiritual Gifts. She is such a blessing in our lives.
  

• Julia is 2 years and 9 months old now.
  
• Loves pretending and roll-playing with anything and everything she gets her hands on: Dolls, markers, forks, spoons, leaves... Everything is suddenly personified, and usually looking for it's Mom. (Is my 2-year-old afraid I'm going to lose her?)
• Julia also enjoys the Creche and St. Andrews on Mondays and the fantastic Tuesday afternoon ballet class. She is the youngest member of the ballet class, but keeps up with the group very well.
• She has a spunky spirit combined with a very tender heart, and she is definitely a snuggler! Julia brings us to fits of laughter on a regular basis and there are often times when I'll cross the room just to give her a squeeze because she's being so stinkin' cute. (She's at that age, I guess.) She is a delight to our hearts.
  
• A recent milestone for Julia was learning to spell her name (she used to say it "L-A-R-G Julia", for some reason, but now she will usually say, "J-U-L-I-A Julia" when asked)
• She is really absorbing the British accent and it's too cute.

We are all a little amazed at how quickly the time is flying, and there isn't a day that goes by that we don't count our blessings. God has so faithfully paved the path ahead of us, and as we enter into a new term we look forward to the ways He will continue to do so as we continue to seek Him in all we do.

Pictures of an Oxford December, a Holland Christmas and a Barcelona New Year to come!
Hugs and Happy 2011!