Nick and James

Hi folks! I'm exhausted... I've been going through stuff all day to prepare for the big move. I love getting rid of stuff and wish I had had less in the first place! Moving is always a good reminder to live a simpler life (at least for me).

"Aspire not to have more, but to be more."
-Archbishop Romero


On the left here is my favourite coffee shop in Hull City Centre. No, it's not a Starbucks, it's a Cafe Nero! The coffee is stronger, and the atmosphere is more sophisticated.





Below is our friend James who came up from Bournemouth
with our friend Nick to visit me! We had such a nice weekend!












I made them pancakes for breakfast. Janie, I tried the healhty recipe you put on your blog! Thanks for that.







Oh, they were sweethearts, and such a pair! We played 5 games of Settlers of Catan... I was SO happy.











Cafe Nero is in the background. The boys are parked in front of our Maritime Museum. They couldn't resist the photo!


Ah yes, a picnic in the Westwood. A very expensive bottle of wine to celebrate the fast sale of my car for a very good price! We also had cheese, olive ciabatta bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, strawberries... and a frisbee to throw afterwards! It wasn't cold, but the mosquitos were out.


So... things are OK... I'm just trying to be overprepared so I'm not scrambling on my last day here. I'm still trying not to worry about finances, but the budget is just so unpredictable. I feel as though I have no control over it whatsoever. Our marriage seems to be a continuous opportunity to trust God for our finances... it's nice for our faith, but I just wish we could get ahead! Hopefully Australia will provide that opportunity. And if not, if we continue to scrape by... so be it. God has always taken care of us.

This coming week is my last week of work! I pleased that I'm able to leave things so well organized. Pray for good closure there.

This coming weekend (actually, starting Thursday night) I am going camping with my church just above the North York Moors somewhere called Sexham. That should be a nice time of fellowship, teaching, and time to say goodbyes. Then Monday I am going up to Newcastle to say goodbye to our good friend Neil, the one who got us connected with Australia in the first place! Wednesday night I'll be staying with friends. Thursday 30th August EARLY... I leave! That's the rest of my time here in a nutshell. Throw in hanging out with people almost every night, and continued efforts to pack. Pray for me =)

Love,

Rachel

Love, Birthday, Cookie-Making, Wedding, Hogwarts, The Lake District, Wales

Around England and back again, that's where I have been.

For some reason I thought I'd have more time on my hands when Mark left. Ha. Instead I am having to be conscious about not letting the stress of my situation get to me. On my drive back from Manchester today I tried planning out a daily routine to ensure low-stress for my remaining 3 weeks, 2 days here in England. This involves exercise, meditation/prayer and bible reading in the morning (I now don't have to be to work until 9am! Yipee for summer break!), healthy eating (including trying to finish all of the food in my cupboards!), chill-out time (hanging out with my friends one last time, or reading Harry Potter...), and going to bed early (well, at least on time!). In between I'll be doing all of those last-minute-before-the-move errands. I hope to have a good balance, but my tendency is to work work work.

If you're wondering why I was driving back from Manchester this morning, well, I'll suprise you even more by saying that I actually woke up in Wales this morning, and still managed to work almost a full day here in Hull! Yes, I'm a bit exhausted. My Aunt Jean has been here visiting. We toured all over England. Yesterday we went to Wales to visit very distant relatives. We spent the night there, and then early this morning we headed to Manchester Airport where Jean departed from. I then headed back to work in Hull. If you don't know the geography of England, I basically went from one coast to the other this morning!


A few photos...

No, Mark and I haven't reunited yet (but I'm counting down!!!). I just thought this photo was cute =) I miss him so much. I'm also unfortunately/fortunately? getting used to it, but I guess it means I'm better able to cope now. Mark shared some good news with me today: he passed his Australian Board Exams! ("Congrats Mark! We're all so proud of you!" -Everyone) This is HUGE sigh of relief to a lot of people, but especially Mark who has been studying so hard for months now.



This is from my little 'birthday-do.' There were about 15 of us that went out for Thai food and then to Pave, a popular bar, for drinks afterwards. (With my latest health-kick I've been avoiding alcohol.. mostly... and instead drinking sparkling mineral water. Do any of you know if there are any negative health effects from the carbonation?) Below Jo is on the left, and Anna is on the right. I am good friends with both of them!



Anna wanted to learn how to bake my mom's famous chocolate chip cookies. (Mom, you're now famous in England!) People are even asking for her Peanut Butter Ball recipe from when she sent back lots of tins of them with me last Christmas.



This is Keith, Anna's husband. I really love them both. They are a breath of fresh air, and so loving and thoughtful. Keith is an especially talented musician.



My friend Ros just got married (on my birthday, July 28!) in Oxford. Her father is Scottish, and wore the traditional Scottish dress for the occassion. The wedding day concluded with a traditional Scottish Ceilidh, sort of like a barn-dance. They are SO much fun for everyone. I've been fortunate to have attended a few now, including some in Scotland.



Look familiar?? I'm standing in Christ Church College in Oxford. They filmed parts of the Harry Potter movies here! So you could say I'm standing in Hogwarts. Now, my guess is that some of you out there think this is really cool, and others are thinking, "Rachel, what are you doing reading Harry Potter??" (for whatever reason). Well, besides enjoying the books and using them to de-stress, they carry a special significance here in England. Harry Potter is a HUGE deal here. SO many people have read the books. It's a craze. I like joining in with this cultural enthusiasm, and I enjoy all of the British lingo used (i.e. I enjoy actually having the inside scoop and knowing what's meant).



Ahhh, the lovely Derwent Lake next to Keswick, in the Lake District. Did you know that this is where the Derwent (art) pencils were invented?! They even have a pencil museum. Anyhow, Keswick was beautiful. The Lake District is another world from the rest of England, especially when the sun shines.



I went for a little run on my first day in the Lake District. I ran up a mountain, down through a forest (pictured below), next to the lake, and then up to our B&B. We were fortunate to arrive in Keswick for the tail end of the Keswick Christian Convention. It's a huge deal amongst conservative Christians around the world. Stuart Townsend and Phat Pish led worship/music. Jean was able to attend a meeting on the last night. She was very blessed by it.



No, not the Lake District anymore... Wales! This is Lake Vwyrny and the gorgeous old dam that made it a lake in the first place. The photo doesn't do it justice. The whole view is really breathtaking. I have very distant relatives from here. The town is called LLanwyddn.



These are the rellies. Is there any resemblance? Well, even if we got it wrong, they are about the friendliest bunch of people I've ever met. Mark and I actually first met them about 3 years ago now (has it been that long?). The two boys in the middle, Edward and Hywel, showed Jean and me ALL OVER their sheep farm. Their dad, Gwyn (in the back row) is a sheep farmer. He has over 800 sheep. Next to Gwyn in the back is his wife, Margaret. Next row from right to left is Aunt Jean, Edward and Hywel. Front row from right to left is Peter (Thomas's brother-in-law), Thomas (Gwyn's dad), and Amy (Gwyn's sister/Thomas's daughter).


Oh, what else to say... Jean had a full 10 days here with me. We first went to Stratford-upon-Avon and saw Shakespeare's house and saw a theatre production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. We then went to Oxford for Ros's wedding, and we did a bit of touring as well. In an attempt to save money (my efforts at securing free lodging from fellow church-goers were not successful this time around), Jean and I stayed at a youth hostel. It was her first (shocking) experience. We were in a 12-bunk 'mixed' (male/female) dorm room. The night we stayed they were having a fancy-dress party in the lounge! Jean survived =) Overall, her visit was very nice for me, especially at this time while Mark and I are apart. I cherish the relationships with my family members/relatives!

I'm pleased to report that work has been going better, and as my boss is away on holiday (to Turkey) for the next two weeks, I expect the office environment to be relaxed (though we will still get a lot of work done, as we have a lot to do!!!). Please pray with me that I will finish my job strong, and in an honourable way. Pray also that my co-workers would feel loved and encouraged by me.

I'm thankful that it seems as though summer has finally arrived (and it's only August!?!). I think we might have just had the third day of sunshine this summer... hooray! Pray that the sunshine continues... for my sake and the sake of the Brits!

Thanks for all of your prayers and encouraging notes during this difficult yet exciting time of transition.

Love,

Rachel

Sydney and Bondi beach

Some bridge. I couldn't tell you what it was called. ;)

Looking south to downtown across the bay.

The monorail. Short but allows you to see most of the city centre

The beach at Bondi. This is where the NIP seminars are held. Not too bad, beats some travel lodge on the M4.

Surfers 'aven it large at Bondi. Sorry about the blurriness. Our camera isn't so crash hot on moving images. There were even guys out there without wetsuits on that day. It is winter here don't forget, those Aussie's are tough.
It's been a bit more wintery here than up in Sydney. We had snow about two weeks ago. Generally it's pretty mild. Can't wait for summer, I've had winter for about 9 months now!

more pictures

Here are some more pictures. The first two are the clinic in Ballarat. The next couple of my free day in Sydney. It was really pretty there, hopefully we'll get the chance to spend some time there in the future.

Okay, so the sydney pictures don't seem to be loading. The connection seems really slow so I'm going to try again tomorrow. Sorry!

I come from a land down under

This is the airport in Shanghai. Surprisingly clean, modern and quite easy to get through without any knowledge of chinese at all!

This the clinic at Hoppers Crossing where Rachel and I will be living for the first two months while I cover a maternity leave for another Chiropractor. The building extends behind and all the clinic is on the main floor. Rachel and I will be living on the top floor. It's clean, new and there is lots of space. There is grocery store within walking distance.

I can never get my photos to stay right side up! Must be a rookie blogger thing. Anyway, this is one of the main streets in Ballarat. This is the pedestrianised area. There are lots of really nice coffee shops and restaurants here but I'm having to learn a new way to order coffee. Apparently I like flat whites and long blacks.

This is the other way down the same street.

A lot of the archetcture is between 100 and 150 years old and is quite beautiful and ornate. Rachel thinks that a lot of houses here leave something to be desired but I like the way the town looks. It's not pretensious but it has a certain charm that is remenisent of a time gone by.

Life here is going to be good. The clinic is heaving with patients and I'm going to be run off my feet. I am learning so much. I had no idea about treating kids before but I'm getting the hang of the whole thing. Learning the protocol is getting better too but they keep adding heaps more on to it!! It is so complex and precice but just watching Neil and the others is amazing. We are seeing babies with head asymmetry changing in a matter of weeks with only a few treatments. People come in unable to raise their arm above their shoulder and walk out able to raise it fully. We are already improving my examination skills and I can't wait to finally be on a level with the others that are here.

On the flip side, it's been really tough for Rachel and I to be apart for these three weeks. We still have four weeks to go. I'm totally looking forward to going to the states for a break in September and just having four weeks to spend with Rachel and family and friends.
More pictures will come soon, but blogger only seems to allow me to add five at a time.

St. Andrews, Scotland

Apologies for not blogging.

It has been an exhausting few months as we've been preparing for out move to Australia and had a visit from my parents. Now our belongings, Mark and my parents are... gone. Yes, I'm terribly sad without Mark. What were we thinking?! Well, theren't really weren't any other options. *sigh*

Anyhow, here are some photos for your viewing enjoyment.

As you can see, we recently took a trip to St. Andrews, Scotland. We went to celebrate the 60th birthdays of both of my parents. My dad got to golf on the famous Old Course, my mother had a spa day.














Edinburgh



Lots of sad goodbyes. Below: Mark and Earl Gooden

Weekend in Newcastle

We had a FANTASTIC weekend in Newcastle a few weekends ago. We visited our friend, Neil Cox. We have him to thank for sending us on this Australia roller-coaster! THANK YOU NEIL! Updated details on the Australia move below. First, Newcastle...

Lots of famous things in the background, including the Tyne Bridge and the Millenium Bridge.


The actual 'New Castle'


Is Mark pulling a monkey face, or did he just discover that his shirt was untucked??


Blue-Steel =)

Just a pretty main street with the Tyne Bridge in the background.

Finally, the latest Australia update (in case you didn't receive it by email):

We have a few new announcements in regards to our move to Australia! We are leaving a bit earlier that we had previously planned on, details below. We decided to do this by email so that you are all in the loop at the same time...

Some of you will remember that earlier this year I was in a difficult job situation and God decided to open the door to Australia for me to work in Pediatric Chiropractics, working with Kirokids. When I told my current boss I was moving to Australia to work, he asked me to stay on until our move. Well, earlier this week he came into my office and said that he has had things in motion since I said I was going to leave and that we should nail down an actual leaving date for me. We perhaps had had a misunderstanding at some point along the line. He was thinking 'end of July'. I was a bit shocked by this because I thought we had agreed that I would stay on until October, but he said that others were coming, arrangements had been made and that after July there wouldn't be a place here for me anymore. It makes sense business-wise, but it was unexpected for me. I've learned that in these situations that nothing is shocking to God and I felt a peace about it, though I wondered what would happen for those 3 months of unemployment for me!

Now, the other side of this is that Rachel's employment has had some changes. The company management has been re-structured, and though these are positive changes for the company, we are unsure of the company's stability. The management has assured Rachel that the company and her job is secure. We are trusting that it will be, but we can't help but be open to other options.

So, there we were. We were planning on leaving England together at the end of October/beginning of November. My new job in Australia wasn't starting until Feb 1, but I would be there from November to write my exams. Rachel's job was in question. That equaled a minimum of 6 months combined with no income and a move to a different continent! But as always, God provides. I called my new boss in Australia and explained the situation and he told me that one of the chiropractors at one of his clinics is pregnant and they have no-one to cover her maternity leave in Oct and Nov. They had thought about asking me to come early but didn't want to put the pressure on me. There is another time I can take the board exam, which I obviously need before I can legally work there, and that is July 31st. Having prayed about it and seeking the advice of our families, here is our plan:

I will be leaving on July 11th to go to Australia and write my exams. Rachel will stay in Hull until the end of August. Our decision for Rachel to stay is for a few reasons. First, this is so that Rachel can stay with her company through the end of the school year and appropriately hand-over to a new consultant to be ready for the new school year starting in Sept 2007. Secondly, Rachel's aunt is coming out in August and has already booked her non-refundable ticket, and Rachel of course doesn't want to miss the opportunity to show her aunt around the north. Finally, this gives us another six weeks of income from Rachel, and it also gives us more time to get things at this end organized. Then, August 30th, we will both fly to Arizona after 6-weeks apart! From there we will have a month with family and friends in the States and Canada, and then we will both fly to Australia on September 22nd in time for me to start the maternity leave cover. My time in Australia in August will give me the chance to really perfect the new technique that I've been learning by shadowing my new boss, something that I am really thankful for and excited about. This means, unfortunately, that we won't be able to return to North America for Christmas, but we are thankful we can at least see our family in September. For those of you we were going to meet up with in December (if you live somewhere from Arizona to Colorado over to California and back to Arizona, we were planning on meeting up with you!!!), please let us know if you are available in September, and when. Thanks!

Dates (again):
July 11- Mark leaves England to go to Australia
Aug 30- Rachel leaves England and Mark leaves Australia to meet up in North America
Sept 22- Rachel and Mark leave North America to go to Australia

Rachel says:

We don't exactly have all of the money we need for this move, but we have been blessed by many things, such as: Mark is able to stay for free with his new boss in Australia for July and August while he is out there to take the exam; when we both go to Australia on August 30th, Mark's boss has said that we can live in the second story of one of the clinics, for free, until December 1st (because at the time we should be able to start renting a place of our own); and his boss has also said that as he and his wife each have a car, they will share one and let us borrow the other until we can afford one. Praise the Lord! What a great boss Mark is going to work for! Our parents have also been generous and supportive in our situation. Please continue to pray for our finaces to make this move debt-free!

I know that this is earlier than we expected to go, and that many of you will be sad to see us go (and we will be sad to leave you), but this seems to be the right way and we are trusting God with confidence that he is taking care of us and watching over our every move.

The church 'leaving-do' will be a picnic at the Humber Bridge Park on June 24th, 2007. You're all invited!!!

We're thankful for your support and prayers during this time of transition.

Love,

Rachel and Mark

Mark's birthday

We just celebrated Mark's birthday this past Sunday in Leeds. His actual birthday was this past Tuesday, May 1, but we celebrated it on Sunday so we could have a day out with our friends! We first went go-karting (photos soon to come). Mark got first place out of our whole group. I got last place... but that's OK. I can't be a star at everything =) Afterwards we went to a lovely park called Round Hay Park and had a picnic (see below), played games, and generally chilled out. Everyone seemed to have a great time enjoying each others' company and the outdoors.








Me and my friend Jo (the one who's parents' sheep farm we visited).

I love little lambs

We went to our friend Jo's parents' farm this Friday/Saturday. Jo is married to Dave. They're pictured below. We know Jo and Dave from church. They're lovely. We went becuase Jo heard of my absolute love for little lambs. I think they are so cute and I've always wanted to hold and cuddle one. Her parents own a dairy and sheep farm. Score! Not only did I get my fill of little lambs (not literally...this weekend), we also happily consumed raw, unpasturized milk. That's a whole other story, but our ideal would be to drink/eat raw milk and cheese, as the pasturized stuff is void of all natural nutrients. It's difficult/illegal to get though... so this was a treat.










As Mark was petting this little lamb, it started nibbling his trousers!


This was one of many little lambs that I helped bottle feed. Mother sheep will have 1 - 6 lambs, on average 2 - 3. When they have more than 2, the extras are usually bottle fed as the mother doesn't usually have enough milk to provide for them all.


We were also fortunate enough to witness a 'lambing,' the actual birth of 2 little lambs. Within minutes they were both standing and walking! Amazing.

We ate lots of good food and played games on the green grass. It was a very nice and relaxing time. Thanks Jo and Dave!

The latest...

Enjoy the photos for now. We've both been SO busy.
Australia is still very much a go. We've already begun
preparations. We're still VERY MUCH excited about it!
We continue to feel confirmed about this huge decision.
Hope all is well.

At our good friend Keith's birthday dinner.


Aaaawwwww... such good friends =)


Our back garden after a freak snow storm! They say 'garden'
here instead of 'yard.' The back garden looks quite different now.
Besides not being covered in snow, Mark's parents helped me
tidy things up. I'll post an 'after' photo soon...


Mountain biking around Lady Bower Reservoir in the Peak
District. It's about 1 1/2 hours away, next to Sheffield.


The mountain bikers =)



Cambridge. While Mark's parents were visiting England, we
met up with them in Cambridge to visit the relatives. Above
is the river we went 'punting' on. Mark was our punter and
he impressively did not fall in, as many other punters did!
(The stick gets stuck in the mud while the boat keeps going...)


Cambridge. Kings College in the background.

Enjoy the photos for now. Mark and I have been SOOO busy.
We're still very much excited about Australia and we're
doing a lot to prepare for it. Hope all is well with you!



My good ol' buddy Danny Franz from Sierra Vista, living
in Cambridge... the day after his pirate party! They have
a sweet house, right across the river from Jesus Lawn.


Whitby. This photo doesn't do it justice. It's a very
picturesque costal town. We took the 'rents here for some
authentic fish 'n chips. They call those places "chippies."


Whitby Abbey-- one of my favourites! It's ghastly.


The beautiful Robin Hood's Bay. The houses you see are
the start a cute (and very steep) little village.



Mark and his canadian friend Kristen making silly faces.
She went to Trinity College with Mark, and now lives in
Salt Lake City, Utah. She's lovely! We had a great time,
and I discovered my latest favourite restaurant: Vanilla
Black. It's a vegetarian (i.e. fresh food) restaurant in York.