And finally the last day...

Today was our last full day in England.  Today was good because we got to try out our new suitcase, Mum and I crushed Kevin and Dad at Pictionary, Kevin and I got to see the Jo-Nathans at the pub and when we got home Peep Show was on the telly. So two more SIL & Mum stories because I just can't help myself. So Saturday afternoon when Kevin and I were just getting started packing, Mum came up and asked if we wanted to play a board game. Kevin started to say no, because we were packing but I cut him off and said "Sure!"  We head downstairs and into the dining room which just happens to be the ONLY room that you'd be able to play a board game in and who's in there all spread out with her 1000-piece puzzle but SIL. Mum sees her and asks her what board game would she like to play and SIL says none, she's just started working on her puzzle. So Mum says "But I just asked you if wanted to play a board game and you said yes." "Well now I'm doing my puzzle," says SIL. Mum replies "Okay we'll just work on your puzzle together then." SIL harrumphs at this and then gets up and walks out of the room and goes upstairs to her room. Leaving all her stuff behind and her puzzle spread out all over the table as well. Mum and I had to clean it up and then Mum went upstairs to get Pictionary. I kick A$$ at this game! Seriously, you want to be on my team if we play this during a game night! Oh and never go against me & Wiki (as a team) in any game cause we'll mow over you.  We've even been banned from being on the same team at certain friend's houses *cough*Trolley*cough* because of how good we are.

Second story involves Mum and SIL as well but this time SIL isn't the villain. So I go into the kitchen, seeing that Mum is in there alone.  She's usually never alone in the kitchen because SIL is always with her. Anyways, I ask Mum if there's anything I can do. She says no. So then I ask again if I can help and she says something about checking to see if the table has been set (it has). Then I ask her if she's sure there's nothing I can do and she says that she's got everything covered. So I finally give up and go into the living room. Not 5 minutes later Mum walks in and bends over SIL and asks her cut up the vegetables (carrots, parsnips and cauliflower). Seriously?!? I just asked you!  Do you really think I'm incapable of handling a sharp instrument? Mum does this all the time. The most responsiblity I ever get is setting the table and she has Kevin and SIL cutting and chopping and stirring. I mean I don't really like to cook but I like to help.  And meaningful help, not just something any ol' idiot could do.

Boxing Day

So EVERY time Kevin and I visit, Kevin's family loves going on big walks. Big walks with lots of hills, muddy fields and done at a brisk pace.  No not brisk, maybe more like power-walking pace.  Oh, and these walks usually last a couple of hours, with some even being almost a whole day thing. I am not a walker, I am not a fast walker, I don't like walking up hills just for the heck of it.  I've mentioned the pain that comes everytime I walk somewhere in England (even when I walk slow).  Kevin's family knows about this.  They have to know that I'm in physical pain when we go on these walks at their million-miles-a-minute walks. Pain that can bring on tears with every step. Yet every time the five of us set out for a walk this is what happens: Mum and SIL walk at their normal speed steadily increasing the space between us with each step. Kevin stays behind with me and walks at my pace, missing the time to spend and chat with his family. Dad varies in location from waiting for me to catch up, leading the walk (cause he's got the guide book) or falling behind because this portion of the walk "creases" him (his words). So if you can't tell, I don't really like these family walks. Before we went to bed on Christmas day, Mum announces that she wants to go for a walk tomorrow.  Great! So as Kevin and I were settling down for bed I told him that I wasn't going to go. I listed my reasons very clearly and said I would rather go into the village and do a bit of shopping, spending some time alone and giving Kevin time with his family without his having to worry about me. Very clear, very unemotional (I thought) and figured that was that.  Well, while I was in the shower getting ready for the day, Kevin announces to Mum that he doesn't want to go on a very long walk, nor does he want to go on any muddy walks (he didn't bring his hiking boots) and that he wants to go on a walk that isn't so strenous that they end up leaving me behind. This is not what I said! Of course Mum had already decided which walk we would go on and so this absolutely flustered her(Her and Kevin don't deal well with sudden changes to laid out plans). She goes on and on about how he didn't say anything they night before about any of his "requirements." I am in the dining room at this point, eating breakfast when they (Mum and Kevin) start arguing about where they're going.  Mum disappears for a bit and then comes back with Dad and rehashes the same argument with Kevin which upsets Kevin to the point that he storms out of the room.  Then Mum starts in on Dad about how he didn't back her up and that instead of telling her to just drop it - He did several times try to get her past the issue of Kevin's sudden requirements to actually pick a new walk - he should have gotten angry with Kevin because Kevin was being difficult and shouting at her. Well then Dad gets annoyed at Mum and he walks out of the room.  Then it's just me and Mum sitting there and she starts talking to me, wanting me to say that Kevin was wrong and that he shouldn't have sprung these sudden requirements. What am I suppose to do? Anyways we ended up going on a very boring walk along a field next to a motorway. Mum was very deliberate in her attempts to stay at the back of the group and go slow, so I'm pretty sure Kevin said something about them walking too fast. Ugh! The rest of the day went pretty smoothly, including some fun after dinner making balloon animals.

Happy Crimbo!

Hope you and your families are having a fantastic Christmas with lots of pressies and plenty of good cheer! Every time I visit I tend to pick up a new piece of slang and this year it's "Happy Crimbo!" Kevin's family is located near Liverpool (yes Kev's been accused of sounding like one of the Beatles) and did you know that Liverpudlians have their own accent and dialect? Five points if you can guess the name of it.

Blah

So today I've been in a bit of a foul mood. On most normal days I'm a happy-go-lucky kind of gal. I'm usually even-tempered and pretty upbeat. But there's just something about about being here that always gets me down. Maybe it's that the sun doesn't come up till 8 am or sets at 4:30 pm. It could be the poor pitiful excuse for a shower head in my IL's only bathroom. Or the fact that when you're taking said shower and someone somewhere in the house turns on the water, you're suddenly having an ice cold shower. Could it be the tension in this family? The tension between SIL and Kevin? Or the tension between Mum and her sister? Or the fact that we're stuck in the house and pretty much at the mercy of rides being given? And that it's always such a big hassle to get a ride, trying to schedule it between making dinner, going to get gas or run their own errands. Because of the way english insurance works neither Kevin nor I can drive anywhere in his parents cars. And there's been doozies on this trip as well. The lost/delayed luggage. The special outfits I bought to wear that were sitting in my suitcase at the depot. The damaged bags when they finally arrived. Mum not being as excited about her gift as I was. Added to this trip, could it be the recent failure of cycle 3 or the fact that clomid & the hcg trigger shot didn't work at all? As you see a bit of a mopey camper this week. I swear next week I'll be much better.

Update: So turns out today is the the first day of Cycle 4. Yes I'm sure you're probably writing off my funky mood to this, but I don't usually PMS. Ever. It's just this place.

Can it be repaired?

Kevin called the airline and they asked him if the bag could be repaired! He just laughed, so they gave him a number to call for a baggage service. When he did, they asked him to describe the bag including the maker and that they're coming by tomorrow at 3pm to replace it. Ooooh.

Nothing much going on tonight, we might go out with Mr. Deladubree if he makes into town, but Kevin doesn't think that's going to happen. He and the Mrs. are going to India for the holidays. Actually she's already there. I'd be scared to go right now, but maybe it's safer now because everyone will be on alert.

SIL has been better, kind of. She started a 1000 piece puzzle earlier today and Kevin asked if she need any help and she declined. So Kevin made me go on a walk. And yes, my legs started killing me about half way through the walk.

Password Found, Connects All-Around

So I had Kevin nudge FIL a little bit and it worked. He found the password. We tried it out and now both my computer and iPhone are online again. So good times. Of course the first thing that Kevin wanted to look up was my facebook account to see if SIL's post/status were still there. See, yesterday while he and Mum were out picking up SIL from the train station, I went onto the internet. I checked my facebook account and saw that SIL had posted a photo from the Cowboys game onto her account on Thursday(?). And her comment on it was "Look at my tragic brother." Then on Friday she changed her status to "SIL thinks her brother is a tool." At first I wasn't going to tell Kevin but then when they got home, SIL ran up the stairs to her room and slammed the door shut. I went to find Kev and he said that at the station when she arrived, she walked right past him without saying a word to him and didn't even hug Mum hello. So I showed him what I had found. I could tell he was upset about it. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.

After a bit of awkardness while Mum was opening her gifts (still with no words aimed at Kev or I from her), we went out to the stores to find outfits for last night's concert. When we got home from the shopping, SIL was a bit more friendly actually asking me about the baggage and bringing up our tea to Kevin's room. Since then she's been okay. Not great, but okay.

So anyways, when we checked this morning, the post/status weren't there. She would have had to unpost and delete them, so maybe she felt bad about it.

In other news, our bags have finally arrived! The brown bag was fine, however the grey bag was smashed to pieces. Seriously! It's a hard-shell case and pieces have been broken off of it like it's a piece of brittle. It's horrible! And all the presents were in that bag. I checked the contents of both bags and it seems that everything is still there.

Tonight we're going to dinner out to celebrate Mum's b-day. She's decided not to wear any of the jewelry given to her as presents because they don't go with her outfit. Whatever. I always try to wear birthday items right away (even if they clash), so that people know I appreciate them. Pfft.

There's just something about walking in England...

that does my legs in! Kev and I usually go on walks back home. But for some reason whenever we're in the UK and do a walk, I end up with really sore legs! And not my calves or thighs which I would know how to stretch out, but on the sides, next to my calves. It's the darndest place to be sore at! And it hurts like a b!tch! Even now, I just walked to the post box to mail some Christmas cards and my legs are killing me! And it's only a 2 minute walk each way!

So I just now mailed my Christmas cards. I was really bad this year, not sure why, but at least I mailed them before Christmas! The UK ones should arrive before Christmas, but the ones in the US will probably arrive early next week. Oops! I'm hoping that those people will be so excited about getting a card from overseas that they'll forget that it's arrived late. :D

So the in-laws have wireless internet access, however FIL put the password in such a safe place that he can't find it now. Now I'm not sure how I'm going to do IComWeLeav. I guess I should have waited till next month to do that. Didn't think that one through did I? But I'm hoping that he'll find the password soon.

Oh and the bags haven't arrived yet! They're coming to MAN on a 2:40 flight this afternoon, so who knows when we'll get our bags. Good news is that I get to go shopping for new clothes! Bad news is that I'm wearing the same clothes for the third day! Aren't you glad you can't smell me?

Where are the dolphins & whales?

So we're parked in a huge sitting area in British Airway's Heathrow Terminal 5 and I have to say, there are no dolphins, rays, whales or seals. I've looked everywhere! What there are a lot of are stores! Stores galore!

So the flight over was one annoyance after another. We arrived two hours before our flight. However the people who were on the 9:00 flight decided to show up 5 hours early and the people who were on the midnight flight showed up 8 hours early and so the line was HUGE! It took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to get through. And then we didn't even get seats together. So I asked the guy next to me if he would like to switch with Kevin (since he was sat farther up in the plane) and the guy said only if he was on the aisle. Kevin wasn't, so I settled in next to two strangers for a 6 hour flight. Nice! Mr. Aisle-Seat-Only entertained me by playing air guitar while listening to is iPod, not being able to open his tray or his video screen (we were sat in the front of section, so no seats in front of us), thinking that his show was so funny he had to rock in his seat and gesticulate grandly at it. Then when we landed (early), they weren't ready for us so they had us park away from the terminal and sent buses for us. Except they forgot to send the stairs truck for us to actually get off of the plane.

So yeah, annoying flight! I get to sit next to Kevin on the next flight and it's only an hour long. Should be better. Should.