Movin' On Up

Hello Readers!  Much has happened since the last post and I will try to update you to the quite exciting details of our England adventures.

In August, Lee was contacted by a company in Southport to have an interview for an illustrator and motion graphics designer job.  He quickly got the job and plans were made to leave his place at Kukri.  As you read in the past posts, we really wanted to change our location for various reasons.  Although we both tried to make this happen by applying to various jobs across the country, the move we were waiting for came about because of a business social network called LinkedIn.

On October 6, we moved to our new apartment in Southport.  The apartment is called a 'bed sit' or a 'granny flat' in England, but it's basically just a four room, self-contained flat on the side of a family's cottage.  The moving process was extremely trying for us.  On the outside, it looked easy:  pack boxes, place in truck, drive, and unpack.  But, once we started packing and throwing odds and ends away, we realised exactly how much we accumulated over the past year.  The process was also a bit emotional as that was our 'first house' even though we only rented it, but overall the pros outweighed the cons and we knew the relocation would be beneficial.

Luckily, there have been no unpleasant surprises thus far at the new house.  The town is so much more motivating and when we leave the house, we have an ample amount of choices.  Within a 30 minutes' walk, we could be walking along the ocean and the 1950s carnival themed pier of Southport.  Or, the thriving downtown has much to offer with tons of stores, shopping centres, a cinema, and restaurants.  There are also a lot of nature trails from which to choose around our neighbourhood.  We feel a lot safer and more relaxed here.  The scenery is more uplifting and the people are friendlier in town.

At Wyzowl, Lee's new company, the progress is good as Lee gets to use up-to-date equipment and work with other people who studied motion graphics.  He walks to work, so he can stay in later and arrive home earlier than he used to do.

On my end, I still have my job in Preston as a teaching assistant and two weeks ago, the head teacher told me that the school could keep me until March 31st.  This is good news because my temporary contract was supposed to end on December 31st and I didn't know if I would be able to find another job for the new year.  Also, the deputy head hired me to be a math tutor for seven year four students (third grade) beginning this week.  Two nights a week, I'll get to teach the kids and I've found a boost of energy getting to plan lessons again.  The job title has shifted a bit because now I get to teach French to the year five and 6 students once a week, as well.

My commute is not as easy as Lee's.  I board the bus for Preston at 6:40 and after one bus change, I get to the school around 8:30.  So far, I have read three books on the bus rides and now I'm reading through Charles Dickens' Hard Times, a book based in Preston.

September and October brought about big changes for us.  We are very grateful for what is happening--all of the prayers from home must be working!  At the end of this term, we'll be travelling back to Ohio for a Christmas visit.  This will be the first time back since the wedding.  The anticipation is growing on this end to see all of our family and friends again, to play in the snow, and to eat all of that great American food.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.