Naughty blogger!

Goodness gracious, forgive me for my absence!

Last week my parents were in town and there was so much going on I barely had a moment to nap, let alone sneak away with my lappy to blog.  My apologies!

My parents decided to come a day earlier than scheduled to avoid delays that Hurricane Irene inevitably caused in the DC area.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but we were doubting its value when their flight was 12 HOURS LATE because of an unexpected stop in Iceland due to mechanical problems.  I find it ironic that I've made the DC to London trip many many times and have only been inconvenienced by lost luggage, screaming babies, malfunctioning entertainment units, and cramped seats.  But my parents, who only got passports in 2007 to visit me in London, and who are quite content with their yearly vacation on the Eastern MD shore, traveled to London Heathrow via Iceland.  I'm impressed, that's one passport stamp I don't have!

We had a lovely week together and were lucky to get decent weather.  It's been 90-100 degrees F in the DC area this summer so Sussex was positively freezing in comparison to them!  I was just glad we didn't get too much rain, as it's been pissing it down ever since they left!

On our itinerary was Sunny Worthing (and surrounding neighborhoods), Brighton, Arundel, and Rye.  We had a lovely BBQ at the in-laws', went antiquing in Arundel, saw The Lanes, Museum, and Royal Pavillion of Brighton (and got donuts on the pier...nom nom), walked and cycled around Worthing and saw the museum (yea my mom likes museums, she's a history nerd), saw "That'll Be the Day," a rock-n-roll revival show in Worthing, saw a Bank Holiday Weekend parade along the seafront, and took an incredible trip to Rye (Eastern side of East Sussex).  Plus, I had fun cooking for everyone and showing off my culinary skills to the man who showed me the way! 
Cheers to the hubby for taking the week off from work and renting a car so we could see all that and more!  It was great fun.

I sure hope they had a fun visit and will come back again so we can explore more of England together!  It was sad to say goodbye, but it won't be long before Thanksgiving will be here and I'll be there! 

EXCITING NEWS!

Last week I had an interview with a nearby domiciliary care/home care agency and it went very well.  On Friday I got the call that they wanted me to start ASAP!  I thought my eyeballs were gonna pop out of my head from excitement.  I'M AN EMPLOYED PERSON IN THE U.K.  This has been the missing puzzle piece in my settlement here and I'm so chuffed that things are falling into place.

The 411 on the job:

• Domiciliary/Home Care agency providing care and support to older and disabled adults in the community out of their own homes
• My role is a team leader/manager who will support and supervise the direct care workers and work with the local community residents and health/social care agencies to develop new referrals/business
• 5 MINUTE WALK FROM OUR FLAT.  Amazing! 
• That's all I know right now, I'm sure it will develop as the weeks go on!

I'm so chuffed, I start Thursday!  I'm nervous, y'all!  I left my last job in March to finish planning my wedding and deal with all the immigration stuff, I am SO READY to get back to work, but just anxious to find my place and settle in.  It's always a bit weird starting in a new place, I guess.

In other news, things are coming together with our new flat, we have a moving date now (3 weeks, eek!  Gotta find boxes!).  I'm pleased that we won't be going far, it's literally right next door to where we are now.  I just hate the process of moving, it's a pain in the ass.  But we'll get through it!

Suddenly last Sunday I had this feeling like things were finally settling in.  Since I moved to England and have struggled to find a job and find my place here, I always felt like I was just living in my husband's world sometimes.  Like I was just visiting.  But now I feel like I'm developing my own life, schedule, friends, goals, etc here and it feels good.  I suddenly feel kind of grown up for the first time ever.  That's weird to say.  But it's fun, I'm so excited to see where the next few months takes me and takes us as a couple! 

As always, thanks for reading. 

Amanda <3