Thursday, April 15, 2010

Still here!

Remember how I said I was going to try and commit to blogging daily back in January? Well, clearly I have not met that goal. Not even close!

But if it makes you feel any better (and I'm sure you couldn't care less), I do think about blogging almost daily. The problem is really finding the time. Work days are long days. And right now Mr. K is out of the country and Caleb is boycotting bedtime, both of which make work days even longer.

But I do think of you, my three-to-five loyal readers, often. In fact, I've even started a few posts to finish up the story of my brother's visit, but those posts haven't made it to the public eye because, quite frankly, they sucked. And I think you deserve better than that. So I'll shelve them for now, work on them later, and hopefully get back into the groove soon.

I haven't given up, I promise! (This is what I told myself in March when my diet and exercise plan fell apart for a bit due to illness and family visits. But hey, April has been good for that regime. Maybe it'll pick up for blogging, too!)

A volcanic plume is either a.) heading to England, or possibly b.) already over England. This doesn't affect me personally as I don't have any immediate travel plans. It did make my coworkers' day quite unusual and surreal, I'd say. But I did just want to say we haven't been struck by the apocalypse yet. Don't worry, though. We have plenty of canned goods and diapers should things get hairy. ;)
That's it for now, but no post is complete without a pic. So here ya go. Caleb enjoying a beautifully chilly English spring Sunday this past weekend. Here's hoping for good weather (that won't be clouded over by volcanic ash!) this weekend! :)

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Steve & Kim's Visit, Part I

Okie dokes! I seriously owe you (mom) a blog about our recent adventures with Steve (my little bro) and his family. And since occasionally other people stop by, I'll do my best to not just address my number one fan. ;)

So, my brother Steve and his wife Kim and their two kiddos (Ben, 3 and Katelyn, 5 months) came to visit us in March. Steve is my only brother, and we are only about 18 months apart. Since we grew up in an Air Force family, he's one of the few constants in my younger years, and he loved to remind me at every base, "I was your first friend here!"


The years have gone by, but Steve is still my dorky little brother who used to pester me when my friends would come by and read my diary. He make look like a professional at work, but we all know the truth.

Caleb was super excited to see his cousin, Ben. Being only about 10 months apart, they have very similar interests: trains and cars and various other modes of transportation. Oh, and french fries. They both love french fries.

The first day Steve and Kim arrived, we headed down into Thetford to check out the priory ruins. Caleb and Ben loved chasing each other around the place.


I, however, was pretty excited to notice this little plaque showing that this spot in the Thetford Priory is likely where John Howard, Duke of Norfolk was buried! As in John Howard, father of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk who was the uncle of Anne Boleyn who likely threw Anne in Henry VIII's path and changed the history of England forever! My Tudor sense (it's like a Spidey sense) was pinging. It's strange how once you get sucked into the Tudor history, all roads seem to eventually bring you back that crazy era.

After that, we went to Castle Hill, and Stephen climbed to the top. It's actually a pretty steep climb, and I've attempted it before, but I can't manage to get more than halfway up the hill because I always have Caleb with me. It's just too steep to turn back around and go down carrying a toddler. Some day, though, I will make it to the top!

Didn't I mention he's a dork?


Okay, it's getting late, so I better wrap this up. Next time I'll try and tackle our weekend jaunt our west where we saw Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Bath and Hampton Court Palace! For now, good-night!