Sunday- Stake Conference in Norwich

Today was a gorgeous, sunny day…the first we’ve seen in over a week. Melvin and Sharia, two ward members here, gave us a ride to Stake conference over an hour away. Sharia didn’t come because one of her children is sick, so we met Melvin and his 2 year old daughter. The drive was gorgeous. The kids stayed busy watching Dora the Explorer, which left time for me to really view the beautiful countryside.

The trees are all changing colors…vibrant golds, oranges, and reds. Little parish churches are set amongst the trees, and historic houses, making the whole drive feel like a painting. It was a joy to just sit and watch the fields and forests go by. Kevin and Melvin talked in the front seats while I took it all in sitting in the back.

Our stake seems like a good mix of British and American personnel. Our ward, we found out, is huge. 270 strong, 80 percent of those are American military personnel. Our primary is over 100 strong and the nursery is bursting at the seams. A typical military ward, it sounds like. I feel good about it. When we first thought about where we’d like to be, I thought I might like to be in a ward that was mostly British. But, we’re in a British neighborhood, and we’ll have plenty of time and ability to make British friends. It will be nice to have ward members that will understand the life of an American military member living overseas. I hope that many of them are glad to be here and can tell me about their exciting travels.

I’ve met too many military spouses on base who don’t like it here and have nothing but negative to say about being in the UK. Some complain about lack of conveniences. Some complain that everything is too expensive. Some complain that we’re just too removed from it all. Yeah, there are some inconveniences here…and yeah…things are expensive, to be sure. But, I’m hoping that when someone asks me a year from now how I like it, I can honestly tell them that this is a wonderful place and that I’ve taken a lot of good from the experience.

Kevin’s sponsor here is one of the few people I’ve heard who are totally positive about living in the UK. He has nothing but good to say about the Brits, the food, the travel, the countryside, and his house. He has a saying that has stuck with me and I hope to live by it. “Your stay here will be exactly what you expect it to be”. Basically, the UK is what you make of it. If you decide to travel, rub shoulders with the Brits, and enjoy the experience, realizing it’s not forever…you’ll love it. But, if you decide to dwell on everything you miss from home…you’ll hate it. The choice is yours. I hope to seize the opportunity to have a truly British experience and love every minute of it.

Speaking of British experiences, I made my first batch of scones tonight (Thanks, Janene for the scone mixes!). They were maple cinnamon flavor. We ate them with fresh butter and maple syrup and had some wonderful hot cocoa to go with it. Ahhhh.... delicious.