A New Adventure!

It's time to dust this baby back off, because our family is heading for a new adventure- ENGLAND!

Yeah, we were just as surprised as you!  And we move a lot sooner than we would have thought.  We have to be there by the end of June.  That gives us just about THREE months to get everything figured out, and trust me, there is a lot to do.

We have already been asked quite a few of the same questions, so I'll just put it out there for everyone.

*Are you excited?
Totally!  This is such an amazing opportunity.  We get to experience a whole new country and travel Europe!  What's not to love??

*Are the girls excited?
Probably not as much as we are, but they are getting there.  When we told them Haley broken down in tears, while Emily was thrilled.  We told them that it's ok to be sad about leaving here, but we are going to have an amazing new adventure.  We've been telling them how silly England is, that they drive on the "wrong" side of the road, that they call French fries "chips", and that they call soccer "football".  It has taken some time for it all to sink in for them, but they are starting to get excited.

*How long are you going to be gone and when do you leave?
It's a 3 year assignment and we don't have an actual leave date yet.  We just know mid-late June.

*What is Zach's job going to be?
Not sure yet.  There are several openings that he could possibly go in, but I don't think we will know until we get there.  Whatever he does, because of his rank, his primary duties will be supervising a group of troops and more of an administrative role.  Sound exciting enough? 

*Were you expecting to go overseas?
Yes and no.  Zach had applied for the job, but we didn't know if he was eligible for it.  So we knew that it was possibly an option, but never really expected it to happen.

*Where are you going to live and are you going to live on base? 
The base we will be stationed at is about an hour and a half from London.  We will not be living on base.  Part of the fun of being there is going to be living out in town and really experiencing it all.   There are lots of little towns and a few larger "cities" near the base, so we are hoping to find a good rental house somewhere in the proximity.  We have already been online looking at homes and there are so many great options!

*Where are the girls going to go to school?
We are thinking they will go to the public British school.  There is a DoD American school on base, but for us, we think they would enjoy going to the British school.  We will definitely have to work on "correcting" their spelling when it's time ;)

*Are you taking the cat?
Yes, Luce will make the trip.  Not willingly (I'm sure), but she will be joining us. 

*It all sounds amazing, but what are you most nervous about?
There are going to be so many differences being there.  I don't know that we are nervous about it, just trying to embrace it all (even if it seems a little silly).  We are fortunate that there will not be a language barrier.  Driving there seems a bit daunting, but we will figure it out and hopefully make it home each day :) (Zach says they drive pretty crazy!).  We read an article the other day and it said that England is basically 50 years behind and on half days trying to catch up.  For example, there will most likely not be a dishwasher.  Also, probably no dryer.  It's called a clothes line and it's outside.  There is no doubt that we will have to scale back all of our American things.  A good portion of our household goods are either being sold off or stored until we come back.  Good thing we were already planning a garage sale!

Overall, we excited about it all and overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done before we go.  It's going to be an amazing adventure, but we will certainly miss everyone here.  I'm assuming we would only come back once or twice, but of course would welcome visitors! 

Stay tuned for all fun/crazy moments leading up to our departure and all the awesome adventures we have across the pond!