Where Do I Begin?

Our Christmas tree 2009

My sister, Deborah, made the Stanley Terrier Ornament Other ornaments are vintage and collected over time

This one, or one like it (I collected them to give to my children and do not know which one of us has the original) has been on my tree since I was a little girl

Should I say, Merry Christmas or Happy New Year?
Do I go way back to mid December to try to catch up - or - perhaps way back to February 2009?
It has been one long and crazy year!

Angel Pyramide

First of all, I would like to say that I hope Santa brought you everything you wished for and that this year, 2010, is all you dream it will be filled with happiness, good health, lifelong friends, and all the joys of family.

Our holiday was lovely spent quietly with family and friends.

Our collection of antique and vintage tree toppers - some right from Germany!

Our daughter, Elizabeth and her husband, Joe could not be with us, nor could our son Jonathan and his fiancee, Stephanie. We missed them desperately and hope that this year will be one where we can all share the holiday together.

Some of you may know that my husband lost his job last February. The recession was in full swing and his company was losing business every day. More than half of the workers and management were made redundant and Jim was one of them. His new job was to look for work and apply for jobs, every single day - which he did without complaint. It did get very depressing some days as nothing seemed to come of all his hard work. He had a few scattered interviews over long periods of time, but nothing came of them and the word was that there were as many as 300 applicants for every 'real' advertised job. And the harsh reality was that most of the hundreds of jobs he was applying for didn't actually exist.

Finally, the week before Christmas we had the good news that Jim was hired at a company in the south of England.

Now we live in the middle of England, and Jim was born and raised here so this move will be both an adventure and a bit sad for him, too. But oh what it means to us right now!
Jim is living two lives: one here with me and our daughter, Katie, on the weekends, and another in the south five days a week.

Of course I worry about him all the time and this recent rash of terrible weather doesn't help matters! I thought I had left snow behind me in Buffalo, New York!

A view of our neighbour's garden right after the first round of heavy snow

We found a lovely cottage to share with some wonderful people, a cat and a dog, who we lovingly refer to as 'holiday pets' even though work is far from a holiday for Jim! So he is all set there, living about a city block away from the sea, with all the comforts of home.
He will continue this commute until we find a place to move and live.
And there is so much to do and to prepare!
And all the while I am reminded of a time we spent, not so very long ago, in a similar situation.

We married in 2005 but our first year of marriage was spent apart while I remained in America preparing and selling my house there and settling my affairs before moving here to the UK.
The Internet kept us close. It was a place to meet and chat and send messages and photographs.
We both subscribed to International phone services and talked everyday. Surely if we could do this for over a year, across 3500 miles, we will be up to it again with only 150 miles between us?
So while I am keeping the home fires burning, Jim is earning the money for fuel, and this year will surely run it course with excitement and new stories to share.
Keep a watch of this space . . .
xxx
Maggie

Grounded!

Hello friends!

Jim and I expected to be home by now and I would be catching up reading your blogs and completing orders placed while I have been away, but nooooooo!
Jim has an ear infection for which the doctor seeing him has forbidden him from flying until it has cleared. We hope this will be by this coming Sunday, but one never knows. Jim is diabetic and might take a bit longer to heal than the average person.
So our extended stay is in Brooklyn, New York with our daughter and her husband.
Now these two have only been married for two weeks and we feel a bit like the guests who just won't leave, but they seem to be okay with it.


So much has happened!
We were quite busy our first week in America, helping Elizabeth and Joe prepare for their wedding. Then the rehearsal dinner and wedding came in a blink of an eye and we were oh-so-busy with all of it, and then before we knew it, the day was upon us and we were taking part in a beautiful wedding ceremony followed by a reception that was simply gorgeous with splendid food and fabulous company that included finally meeting a second cousin, Ed and his wife Janice, whom I had never met before! So much excitement for one day!


Elizabeth looked just gorgeous and naturally, Joe was at his best, too.
A vintage Rolls Royce delivered Elizabeth, her sister, and me to the church after dressing at the country club where the reception was taking place. Later, the Rolls took Elizabeth and Joe from the church to the famous Brooklyn Bridge for photographs, and then to the country club for the reception.
A five course dinner was prepared and served as well as all the cocktails you might desire, with plenty of appetizers, and desserts, too.


Before we knew it, we were saying goodbye again to the happy couple and heading for North Carolina for a visit with our son, Jonathan, and his partner, Stephanie.
We had a lovely visit with them in the Raleigh area, which is absolutely beautiful, and while there, we also applied for some jobs.
If someone shows an interest in either of us, there may be a move to the US in our future!


Some of you know that Jim was made redundant last February, and despite 'working' everyday at finding a new job, so far, he has been met with disappointment. The recession is so bad in the UK, for each job he has applied for there are at least 200 other candidates. It is depressing.
Jim is a manager of manufacturing, and we all know what has happened to factories in the UK. His years of production management do not seem to matter when there are candidates much younger with degrees, despite their lack of experience.


I am a teacher with a specialty in Educational Technology and never dreamed I would be unemployed. The teacher shortage in our area is high but our council does not accept my teaching credentials from the US despite coming from one of the most respected states in the the US, so it will be necessary for me to return to school or find different work. They won't even allow me to do supply teaching!

So we have been looking for work while visiting here across the pond.

Jonathan smiling at the Raleigh airport at 3:30 AM - he is such a nice guy!

After our visit to North Carolina, we headed northwest to Buffalo to visit family and friends. A dear friend, Jeanne, invited us to stay with her and her lovely daughter, in her beautiful home. She gave up her own bedroom and allowed us to have it during our stay with her.
She even gave us a car to use during our visit - such generosity is rarely found and we love her for it.

Our visit to Buffalo allowed us to visit family, including my sister who is ill in a care facility, and also allowed us to spend some time with another sister and my brother. It was so good to see them both. We had a lovely dinner on the river in Niagara Falls, with most of the family partaking of a Buffalo Friday night speciality - the Fish Fry - which is much like England's fish and chips.

We also had the opportunity to visit friends we hadn't seen in a couple of years. Mike and Judy, my former neighbors and our friends, Bob and Rosanne, too.
But with time running out, we never got to visit many nieces and nephews and more friends, too.
Maybe next year???

We were able to attend another wedding in Wilson, New York (on Lake Ontario). Allison is the daughter of dear friends, Maureen and Randy, and her day was just beautiful.
The church was a true country church and the reception was held at the family farm, outdoors, on a cool September evening. It was a beautiful day and evening with everyone looking gorgeous.

Our daughter and son-in-law were also attending the celebration so we all drove back to New York together, making it in record time - Buffalo to NYC - in only a bit over 6 hours.
It wasn't until the next day that we discovered that Jim's ear had gotten worse so we would need to remain here an extra week. Some vacations just seem to be endless!

xxx
Maggie