8 months

up to...

we are slowly adjusting back to life in the States.... the sheer pace of it all is shocking at times, but i'd say we are enjoying it... above you can see how we get around -- a great find mike came across & worked really hard for (long, cool story).

part of this is "reentry"stuff -- we're meeting with a great couple with overseas life experience, who is helping us with our personal and ministry transition back to the states. there's also plenty of financial organization & decision-making mike has been working hard to reserach & get into place.

baby stuff keeps us busy, too, of course... visiting the midwife, choosing doctors, birthing classes, registering**, etc. has kept us both on our toes, of course. it's all such a huge new experience!

OH! and just this last weekend, we finally joined our church here in Orlando. Summit Church has been a fantastic place for us -- we actually attended for about 2 years before moving to Thailand, but were never in town to join, so it was great to finally do that.

**we're registered at www.babiesrus.com & www.target.com .... please me know if you're going to be in Orlando on Sunday, August 12 & can come to my shower... i'll send you an invite if you haven't received one!

Dirk

meet "Dirk" (giver of the football jersey mentioned in the previous entry)... we had the delight of forming an acquaintance with him when he came to Orlando to work on a recording project with us a few years ago. he acted as our brilliant director and general entertainment during his time here. the gracious fellow he is, Dirk also hosted Carly & me at his home in Winchester during our last-minute-can't-believe-we're-actually-doing-this-trip-to-UK last New Year's. He was our tour guide (as you can see) for the day introducing us to Stonehenge in all its glory, as well as to random Jane Austen historical sites we HAD to visit. But that's not all... he & his lovely wife had us into their home, feeding us a delightful vegetarian meal and giving us a much-needed place to rest for the night. if you'd like to join the Dirk fan club, of which we are unofficially a part, you'll also need to know that he's a rock star drummer. check out his band at http://www.riotousbrothers.co.uk/index.htm.

Dirk's quote of the day:
"Weight on? Caryn looks EXACTLY THE SAME as at New Year's but with a soccer ball up her smock!"
gotta love him.

which reminds me, i am tardy in sharing any photos of my trip with Carly... i'll start with the other famous people we met during our travels...

Jane Austen:
"A woman, especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can."





Ann Taylor
(yes that's actually her name, though we don't honestly know if she is any relation to the brilliant retailer):
"Where are you going? ...I can take you there myself!"
(her response to our request for directions to the bus that would bring us to our B&B in the Cotswolds... gotta love the English)

Unknown Scotsman
(though we are quite sure he is famous -- doesn't he look important?):
"[unintelligible conversation in a thick accent]"

7 months

here we are...

caryn is quickly growing out of her maternity clothes* & mike is sporting a sweet soccer -- er, sorry -- football jersey courtesy of our good friend Dirk in UK.

*so much for "buy your pre-pregnancy size"... this only works if you haven't already gained 30 pounds with 2 months left to go.