June 12, 2006

Hi!

We finally have gorgeous summer like weather here with
temps in the 80's and lots of sun. It is wonderful.
I find it perfect, but Jim is out buying fans as we
speak.

The sun, coupled with the start of the World Cup has
brought new life into Cheltenham. First of all,
people are just as crazy about their soccer as we
think they are. Yesterday, Michael had a home cricket
match at the same time England played in the World
Cup. As we walked to school, it was almost eerie: no
cars on the street, no people, no noise at all (until
they won). We just needed some tumbleweed to complete
the effect. Two hours later I walked home (before the
cricket match ended-I'll get to that later) and the
town was hopping! Lots and lots of drunk English men
and women about! Mostly men without shirts. Everyone
complaining, that while England won, they did it
poorly. World Cup continues through the summer.

I left Michael's cricket match early because I
honestly could not sit one more minute. A boring
lecture in college still meant that you had pen and
paper to doodle. This was terrible. I left before
tea. (Jim said the parents had a nice spread for tea.
They make the kids eat at the other end of the pitch,
with lesser quality foods!) I'm thinking a cooler of
cold beverages could really help move the game along
for us next time. One dad we were sitting with said
that even the clapping for your team is done in a lazy
way. Specifically, he corrected Jim as Jim clapped
too enthusiasitcally, "No. Even the clapping is slow
and lazy. Don't put any life into it." Jim didn't
make the end of the game, either. Four or more hours
is just too long.


The best part of the weather is that I'm now observing
a most curious cultural phenomenon: ladies lunching.
This looks NOTHING like Devon and I racing over to the
hospital cafe in Prairie Crossing for the world's best
tuna melts and kettle fried potato chips every chance
we could. This is refined. These are lovely women in
floral dresses with matching shoes and purses. They
have perfetly done hair. They walk by our house and I
want to stare! Even if Devon grew her hair into a
suberbly coiffed bob (wouldn't you like to see that!)
and I traded in my comfortable Dansko and Birkenstocks
for slingbacks and strappy sandals, we could never
pull off "lunching". These women have it in their
blood. Like blue eyes or blond hair. They have the
ability to "lunch" because their mothers lunched as
did their grandmothers before them. I want to observe
them, but can't get too close. I pretty much eat cold
pizza and get to the next item on my things to do
list! All that preparation seems like a lot of effort
just to eat. Interesting to watch, but I'll have to
leave this one for the Brits.

Michael and Siobhan had a dance on Friday night. Very
cute. Very bitter Ryan stayed behind. I'm not sure
who wants to be older more Aidan or Ryan! M and S
each had friends over before hand. It was nice to
have a lot of kids in the house like we used to and
nice to get to know their friends. We'll have some of
Ry's friends over next weekend.

This week is Aidan's 3rd birthday. Without meaning
to, his gifts became quite British: a wooden double
decker bus, a plastic cricket set and his own tea pot
(for decaf tea-he loves it with milk and honey and
actually has become quite demanding regarding it!)

Have a great week and start of the summer for all you
with kids out of school. Additionally, I'd like you
all to know that my cousin Michelle who was diagnosed
with the brain tumor has received good news: it is
not malignant. Thank you for praying for her!

Love,
T