FALL LEAVES

 Here are a few recent randoms: we raked our back yard a few weeks ago, and the leaves were really beautiful. Just thought I'd share a few....

LAZY DAYS

These past 3 days have been incredibly cold and rainy, SO, since Mark is off of school (he has a catch-up week), we get to just hang about the house, studying, laundrying, laughing, eating, baking, putting up our new amazing IKEA shelves- pictures to come and THANKS again, Ma and Pa, reading, and just enjoying being at home together. Not too exciting, but I thought you could at least see a few pictures of our home life.

Last night we watched a few episodes of the Vampire Diaries (don't tell Mark I told you, but we are really hooked at the moment), ate PAPA JOHN'S (WHAT? Who knew they existed here? DELICIOUS!), and really enjoyed our fall-smelling candles and pumpkins.

PUMPKIN CARVING

This past weekend, we had a few friends (Dan, Anna, Julian and Mary) over for dinner and pumpkin carving- one of my favorite October activities (3rd only to celebrating the Mirs b-day and eating lots of chocolate candy). I wish I had taken pictures from that night, so that you could see the work in progress, but here are our creations surrounded by our backyard, which has become so Fally!

2 Weeks of Happy Chaos

SO, we are now living in a little town called Bookham, which is in Surrey. We finished our last days of work about 2 1/2 weeks ago, moved house on a Tuesday, left for France and the Pharaoh Parentals on Wednesday, and now, after a really wonderful 2 weeks with them, have returned to real life in England. I'm afraid I haven't taken many, but here are a few photos so you can see what we've been up to in pictures:

A few pictures of moving day. Our friends Suzanne and Greg helped us move for the whole day, and I think we would have died without them (literally, because I would have had to drive a massive moving van manually on the wrong side of the road, and I don't think that would have gone over well). Plus, they were very good entertainment. You can only see our back yard in these pictures, but I'll add some others of our house soon:

Jacob, this coffee shop reminded us of you, with your awe of all things delicious coffee. Pat and Ant have one of these too (I couldn't remember exactly what yours looked like except that you used little cartridges too), and I'm and now hooked. This shop makes you want to have millions to spend on cool coffee gadgets:

Ma, I am really not a fan of this next picture, but it is the only one I have of us, and I didn't want you to be disappointed:

This is in Pat and Ant's village and their market. I'd really like to live there one day:

Eze Village. I could happily live here too:

THANK YOU, Pat and Ant, for letting us come and visit you guys. We loved our time with you, and we love you guys like crazy.

Dan and Anna's Wedding

This past weekend, we loved getting to be part of Dan and Anna's wedding. We met them through our church and have been cheering for them as they survived their long-distance engagement, VISA issues, and finally get to be married and live in the same place (as you can tell, we have much in common). I loved getting to meet their friends and family and, as the Mama would say, be a witness to this happy day in their lives. So, here are a few pictures so you can see too:

Here is the happy couple (the baby is Suzanne and Greg's, not theirs- yet :) ):

This is Greg, our pastor, and his beautiful babe, who you've see before with her Ma, Suzanne:

Beautious Jessica and Side-swiped, Suzanne:

These are Dan's parentals (Dan has a pretty amazing story- he grew up in an orphanage in the Philippines, and this amazing couple raised him and at least 100 other children there. It is pretty obvious from the way they interact how close they are.):

Anna's grandma was such a beautiful little lady:

Hardis and Marissa (they're in our B-study, and we really like them):

Jess and Raj are in our study as well (and we really like them too!):

Their sweet cake:

And then the dance party began, and we were too entertained and busy boogying to take more pictures. Thanks, Anna and Dan for letting us be part of your beautiful wedding night. We love you guys.