A Celebratory Walk

Our first English friends, Sam and Emily, had us over for a celebration lunch for Nathan's completion of the PhD. After that, they took us on another lovely English walk with our friend, Katie. And... I can't figure out how to get the wide lens shot thingy off of my camera and get back to the regular lens. Enjoy the photos!

A Celebratory Lunch

I surprised Nathan! I did it! We had a little PhD party at Sam and Emily's, and they came to the door wearing party hats. In my excitement to get everything ready (drinks and cookies, really), I forgot my camera. Our friend, Katie, is visiting from Atlanta, and she was able to capture these moments on her iPhone.

Nathan wasn't sure how to use the iPhone and ended up taking this picture of himself. I love how you can see the tiny tip of his red party hat.

The sign says, "The Doctor."

Congrats to my love!

Earlier in the day, we went on a tour, and Katie took our picture on Palace Green. I couldn't keep my eyes open because of the sun.

"You can just call me Nathan... PhD."

He did it! He passed his PhD viva with flying colors! He's Dr. Parker! He said, "You can just call me Nathan...  PhD." That's a reference to the movie Meet the Parents, by the way. 

We celebrated straight away in our usual way, with Gilesgate Tandoori. Yum!

A little later on we celebrated with cookies and milk and ice cream and beer with good friends.

And we got our dance on! He's movin' pretty fast. He was excited!

I am so, so proud of him, and I can't believe that he's finished. 

Questions?

1. When will you be back in the States?

Well, I'll be in Atlanta in April for my dear friend Beverly's wedding. She gave me the honor of asking me to be a bridesmaid, and someone in her church anonymously paid for my plane ticket. How amazing is that? 

But you weren't asking about that, were you?

Nathan passed his viva with no corrections, which was a bit of a scary thought for this reason: When you complete a degree in England, you have 60 days to leave the country after the university notifies the UK Border Agency you're finished, regardless of when you visa says it expires (which for us is August 2014). However, his examiners were gracious and are allowing him to turn it in in three months' time, which means we can leave after my school year finishes on July 6th (three months + 60 days = July 11th). 

2. Where are you moving next?

We don't know. We seriously have no idea. We could be anywhere in the world. It would depend on if/where Nathan and/or I got a job. We could be in the States. We could be here in the UK if a job opened up for him... or if no jobs opened up and I keep my job while Nathan keeps looking. That would require us getting new visas though, which is a complete headache on a lot of people's parts. I don't want to think about that right now.

3. What kind of job is Nathan looking for?

Nathan's gifts include teaching and preaching (and dancing and dish-washing and lots, lots more), which means we're looking for jobs at universities and jobs at churches. We're in the beginning stages of a new phase of searching (the first phase was before Christmas, which culminated in a lot of closed doors), and I'm trying hard not to nag, annoy, and/or pester him about filling out applications every day. But I kind of freak out about the unknown sometimes.

4. So, what will Nathan do until July?

Besides look for jobs? Well, he teaches two classes at the university here. He'll work on trying to get some stuff published (book ideas, articles, etc.). We are involved with a weekly Bible study with college students, so he'll get to spend a lot more time with the guys on his table. He's been lifting weights with Cullen a few times a week, which has resulted in a lot of flexing in front of the mirror. I'm hoping he'll take this opportunity to learn a bit more about cooking and perhaps practice making dinner once a week. So far he's just suggested that the two Italian boys I teach come over to cook for us. That's actually not a bad idea...

Dr. Parker doesn't know where the camera is on the iPad, but hey, there are all kinds of smart out there. I LOVE THIS GUY!

Love Songs

Let's continue our journey to loving Valentine's Day and talk about love songs. I love love songs. 'Tis true. When we weren't listening to church choir music or Steven Curtis Chapman, my parents were instilling in me a love for Lionel Ritchie, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and others. In high school and college, I used to listen to Delilah on the radio (an ironic name for a love guru/soft rock DJ) and enjoyed hearing people's dedications and the songs she picked out for them.

This one always reminds me of Nathan's and my pre-marriage relationship, which was long-distance from the day we met to the day we married. It was my ring tone for him. :)



I remember my dad saying once that Jon Secada wrote the best love songs. This one of his is my favorite.



What an awesome 90s flashback!

And geez... this one almost always makes me want to cry, especially now that they're not making music together anymore. :(



What are the best love songs out there these days? And I'm not talking about ones that aren't for children's ears. What are y'all's "our songs"? Other favorites? I'm curious...

Happy 2nd Birthday Winnie!

This is very belated because I couldn't figure out how to get someone else's (my sister's) Instagram photo to load onto the blog, but IS SHE NOT THE CUTEST THING YOU'VE EVER SEEN?!?!?!?!

Happy, happy 2nd birthday, Winnie! Love, Auntie Coley and Uncle Nathan

Mumers Comes Through for Valentine's Day (Again)

It's no secret that we LOVE care packages. In fact, it's well-documented. The only care package I haven't properly documented since we moved to England was from my friend, Serena, who sent us lots of yummy food, Mary Kay samples, stationery, and a really kind note. Sorry, friend! I still remember everything though! Right? :)

Anyway, just like Valentine's Day a our first year here, we got one a care package from my mom. There was a huge faff with this huge box because we had to pay customs tax on it and then be home when it was delivered, but I paid the tax online and then Pamela was home to sign for it. Yet another bonus of having housemates.

What was inside but Taylor treasures! My mom was at my alma mater a few weeks ago and sent us some treats from my beloved uni. Nathan loves Taylor too... and golf. Hence the face.

He also got a sweet vest (gillet in British terms, pronounced like the French "zsheelay"). I had been on the hunt for one like it the whole time we were in the States, but I could NOT find one for the life of me. This was a great pick by my parents. 

Here he is in his new vest, posing with his extensive VHS collection. It's grown over the years, to say the least. For those of you haters wondering what we're going to do with them when we move back to the U.S., a friend here has already called shotgun on them (bagsied them, in British terms). All 80+ of them. VHS tapes are in high demand here, apparently.

I accidentally took a picture of my new boots, but I actually think it's quite artsy. Well done, me! They're gorgeous! Well done, Mumers!

More Taylor gear, boots (at the bottom of the picture), and some new gloves that allow me to play on my mom's iPad without my fingers freezing off. Yay!

Oh yeah, I French braided my hair for the first time the other day and was really proud. I feel like I'm turning into my dad.

And here are a few more snow pictures from around school...

The sun!

Me and my Narnia lamp post. If only it lead toward Narnia instead of my classroom...

Guest Posting/Thanks

I guest posted over at the Graduate Wife last week, but I forgot to tell you! Go on over and check it out if you'd like... I won't tell you what it's about, but the image below may be a small clue.

Credit

By the way, thanks to everyone who left us comments here on the blog or sent me e-mails, Facebook posts, cards, and private messages about our recent loss(es). As I'm sure you'll understand, it is emotionally exhausting to think about replying to everyone in a way that is thoughtful and personal, but I may get around to it eventually. Even if I never do, please know that we really appreciate your kindness. Like, really.

Thanks especially to those who have experienced infertility/loss/longing in a similar way and had the courage to reach out and tell me so. You are so brave!