Hello Dad and Mom!

Here’s a multi-part letter from each of us telling you all how our first week went! We love you!

[child 1]
Hi this week has been great. We took trains and the under ground. We also saw a military ship from Canada docked outside our flat. we took long walks and saw some different things. There skateboards are different from amereican ones. We walked in a tunnel that went under the river. It was very exciting. There was a ship we saw they dont use any more but a long time ago it was the fastest sail ship around. It could go somwhere around 360 miles in 24hrs. It took trades with China for silk and Africa for gold.Well thats me,i love you guys bye.

[child 2]
hey grandma we walked alredy alot of miles because we don’t have our car with us and we lost alot of pounds not the money kind of way. We saw alot things like the londen bridge,grass(lots of it),the mall,trains,and dirrent peolpe and accents it’s great here.We are all fine here and not dead.Well heres [child 3]. luv ya.

[child 3]
we walk alot. we rode a train! It was fun!

[me]
Hi all, we’re settling in pretty well. The weather’s been cooperating pretty well and [—] and the kids have done a great job getting acclimated to the newness of it all.

It’s been great having the family here with me. The living arrangement’s kind of crowded but we love each other so that makes it a good thing!

[wife]

One thing that kept nagging at the back of my head this whole time I’ve been here has finally popped into focus now that the kids are here.

Our kids have adjusted themselves to sleep schedules that follow the sun. That is, when the sun goes down they go to sleep. When the sun comes up they wake up.

Being from a roughly equatorial latitude, this means 6:30 am to 8:30 pm pretty much most of the time. Sunrise, Sunset in Houston, TX, USA

Not so here up in the Northern latitude. Currently sunrise is at 4:30 am, sunset is at 9:30 pm. 16 hours of daylight. Really messing with the poor kids. Sunrise, Sunset in London, UK

I noticed it but never thought about it. Pretty much I’m tied to the clock and I can sleep standing up, so the extra daylight never bothered me.

Kind of makes me wonder what’s going to happen when the pendulum swings the other way in the fall…

The family made it safe and sound! Yay!

We rode the Gatwick Express in to Victoria station and somehow a cabbie fit all of us plus our baggage into ONE black cab… and got us here for less than 25 quid.

Our path took us past Westminster and the Tower of London and the London Eye so it was very much fun. We’re heading out now to get groceries.

All the pieces are in place… the family journey has started.

My better half has turned over the cell phone to a family friend, and has has also turned over her PC to my father for his use (it’s too bulky to make the trip).

So that means we are no longer in communication. That is really weird after being in daily contact with each other for weeks.

It’s like in the ’60s when the astronauts’ moon orbit took then on the other side of the moon, and the radio link between them and us here on Earth was severed.

I’m holding my breath until tomorrow morning, when I get to find out if they all made it on the plane, past customs, and are happily waiting for me with smiles and hugs.

Wow it’s going to be hard to go to sleep tonight.

The nature of these posts will certainly change to be more family-oriented, although I will continue to report my personal editorials and work-related items.

My family arrives on Saturday morning! Yay! We are all so excited. Keep a close eye on this page (or subscribe to the RSS feed for news as it happens).

As we explore London together I’ll post our findings here. Part of my family’s homeschooling project will be to maintain this site (or a spin-off) so the kids will have some input here also.

To anyone performing commodity trading analysis, this subject is a basic one. It is as basic as saying, “To live, one must breathe once in a while”.

This is because future events and trends are found in past events. If for example on the first day of every year, electricity demand shoots up in Anytown, USA, then it is safe to predict that next Jan 1, demand for electricity will again shoot up.

So it seems to go with anything else… including human behavior.

For example, I was stymied by the average *native* Londoner’s avoidance of eye contact and casual chatting on the street or in the building lobby at work with strangers (namely me). However, those with whom I work are very friendly to me, more than I would expect.

Then I began reading Ivanhoe by Walter Scott. At first it was just a diversion; a way to force myself away from work at lunch. However, unbeknownst to me, this story also contains a treasure of historical English behavior patterns and speech.

Then it became clear to me what was going on. Centuries of behavioral training have taught the native Englander that one must be properly introduced (and family history known) before familiarity can comfortably take place.

Yes, I’ve read it in the preparatory articles I read before coming here but somehow reading a historical account told in story format made this more clear to me.

So, knowing the past (in this case, behavioral patterns) can help me to predict how my new-found roomates will behave in a given situation.

Pretty cool.

Hey darling if you look at your phone you’ll notice I called about the same
time you started writing this email.

I “heard” you calling to me…

I love you

Thank you for this email and for everything you are doing there. You are the
glue that holds our families together. Thank you.

Your Heart


 

[Heart] wrote:

IT JUSTS NEEDS A BATH.
I LOVE YOU!
IT COST 117.00 INSTEAD OF A LOT MORE LIKE I THOUGHT AND THAT INCLUDES THE
TIRE GETTING FIXED.

I AM GETTING SO EXCITED NOW!
WE ARE WRITING WITH [—], [—] APOLOGIZED, YOUR MOM IS HAPPY WE ARE
GOING, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

I HAVE SEXY UNDERWARE, [—]’S FINGER IS BETTER, [—] IS STILL CUTE, [—]
AND HER SISTER AND [—]’S WIFE FOUND [—]’S RETAINERS. I LOVE THEM. I
WILL HAVE [—] THANK THEM PERSONALLY. SEND [—] THE LINK TO OUR FAMILY
PICTURES, PLEASE. THEY WANT TO SEE US.

BRUNETTE. REDHEAD. BLONDE. WHICH DO YOU PREFER?

[—] AND YOUR MOM PLANNED A GOING AWAY PARTY FOR THURSDAY NIGHT.  WE WILL  BE AT THE AIRPORT HOTEL WITH NO CAR.  I TOLD YOUR MOM I WOULD COME UP WITH A PLAN AND MAKE IT WORK.  I NEED TO SHOW HER WE CAN BE FLEXIBLE.  I ALSO TALKED WITH YOUR MOM ABOUT HER PERSEPTION THAT WE NEVER CAME TO VISIT AND THAT WE WERE NOT BEING BAD CHILDREN.  I TOLD HER THAT WE WERE INSTRUCTED THAT SHE NEEDED REST AND QUIET WHEN SHE WAS ILL.  SHE WAS SAD TO HEAR THAT BUT YET RELEIVED.  SHE THOUGHT WE DIDN’T CARE.

I TOLD HER IT WAS THE OPPOSITE.  WE CARED ENOUGH TO LET HER REST.  WE LAUGHED OVER THE MIS-UNDERSTANDING.  WE TALKED ABOUT EVERYBODY’S DIFFERENT DADS AND LACK OF DADS AND ALL KINDS OF STUFF.  I THINK IT HELPS HER TO BE ABLE TO TALK WITH ME ABOUT THINGS THAT MAKE HER VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN OTHER PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THEM  .  LIKE YOUR BIO-FATHER FOR EXAMPLE.  I REALLY PUSHED HER ON LOOKING AT LIFE FROM OTHER PEOPLES PERSPECTIVE.  SHE DID A GREAT JOB WITH YOU, AND I WITH [—], ETC.ETC….  WE DID TALK ABOUT [—] AND [—].  THAT [—] SHOULD HAVE GONE BACK TO THE TRIBE.  SHE DIDN’T COMPLETELY SAY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER BUT WE WENT ALL AROUND IT WITH OUT ANY FREEAKING OUT, SHE SAID SHE ASKED YOU IF YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE DOING, LAWS, FAMILY ETC…  SHE IS MORE UNDERSTANDING TO IT THEN I THOUGHT.  GRANTED THAT WAS YESTERDAY, MAYBE NOT HOW SHE WOULD FEEL TODAY.BUT NONE THE LESS.  WE TALKED ABOUT [—] AND WAHT MY ROLE WAS IN YOU LEAVING [—].  SHE INSISTED THAT I CAUSED YOU TO LEAVE AND I SAID YOU WERE ALREADY GONE, SHE SAID NO, I SAID NOT PHYSICALLY, BUT YOUR HEART LEFT LONG BEFORE I CAME ONTO THE PICTURE.  I TOLD HER I HAD VOWED TO BE [—]’S FRIEND IF NEED BE TO SUPPORT YOU, AS A FRIEND, IF [—] WOULD MOVE DOWN HERE.  I ALSO TOLD HER WE HAVE A LOT OF DEBT TO PAY OFF AND THAT EVEN WHEN YOU WERE UNEMPLOYED WE SENT [—] MONEY AND THAT WE SEND HER EXTRA MONEY NOT THRU THE COURTS.  I HAD TO TELL HER.  NOT HOW MUCH BUT THAT WE DO AND WE HAVE ALL THE RECEIPTS.  SHE LOOKED A LITTLE SHOCKED BUT SOME HOW SATISFIED AT THE SAME TIME.  IT WAS GOOD FOR ME TO TELL SOMEONE.  WE TALKED ABOUT [—] NOT WATCHING HIS KIDS DURING THE COLORADO RENIUNE AND THAT IS HOW HE WAS ABLE TO VISIT HER ON HER DEATH BED AND YOU WEREN’T.  WE NEED TO TALK TO HER WAY MORE OFTEN.

SHE TAKES RESPONABILITY FOR US NOT KNOWING THAT THE KIDS MAYBE WANTED TO COME DOWN THIS SUMMER.  SHE FEELS VERY BAD SHE DIDN’T MENTION IT TO YOU AND THAT YOU REALLY HAD NO IDEA.  BUT SHE IS NOT MAD AT US.  AFTER ALL OUR TALK I GET THAT SHE WANTS TO SEE YOU REACH OUT TO THEM IN SOME WAY , TO HEAL HER HEART ABOUT HER CHILDREN PAIN.  THAT IS THE MAIN THING REALLY.  I TALKED ABOUT [—] AND HIS BIO-FATHER AND MY BIO-FATHER AND YOURS AND SO ON AND SO ON…  TIL SHE HAD TO SUBMIT THAT SOMETIMES IT “IS” BETTER TO MOVE ON….I TOLD HER, WE TALKED ABOUT GOING FOR CUSTODY EVEN FROM THE BEGINNIG IN EL PASO BECAUSE WE ALREADY KNEW THEN, THAT OUR LIVES WERE GOING TO BE BETTER, SHE SMILED, BUT THAT, THAT WOULD BE VERY HARD ON [—].  SHE AGREED.  SHE SAID [—] HAS TO HAVE [—] TO FULFILL HER NEED FOR UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.  SHE SAID BASICALLY THAT [—] IS A FREAK AND HER MOM, TOO.  I TALKED WITH YOUR DAD ABOUT PARENTS AND RESPECTING YOU ELDERS THE NIGHT BEFORE.  HE LOVES ME! HE IS SO MUCH LIKE MY DAD.  MOM WANTS HIM TO COME FOR A VISIT.  LETS ENCOURAGE HIM.  AND YOUR MOM TOO.  MAN, THIS VISITING HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL TO MY HEART AND TO THE KIDS HEARTS.  BECAUSE THEY SEE THAT I CAN LOVE THEM AND STILL BE FRIENDS EVEN WHEN WE DO NOT AGREE ABOUT THINGS.  WE DID COME ALOT CLOSER TO UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER YESTERDAY.  OK GOTTA GO NOW OR YOU WILL NEVER GET THIS!!!!

KISS KISS KISS AND ALL MY NEVER ENDING
LOVE,
YOUR LIFE

A newly-made good friend of mine attended his Oxford graduation ceremony this past weekend.

As he described the ceremony I could imagine how nice it was for him and his parents to celebrate this accomplishment.

It inspires me to do as well for my family and my parents.

good morning lovely

less than a week now!

it’s too long to wait

i love you my heart

come quickly but safely

i will kiss you all over

kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss
KISS kiss KISS KISS
kiss kiss KISS kiss KISS
KISS kiss KISS kiss kiss

kiss

your heart

well i was takin the garbage outside the door and my finger got caught in the door and it half way cut off my finger. 

I was outside the door sceamin and cryin then my mom came out the door and saw my finger then went inside the door with me and gave me a towel to wrap my finger off then started to call the hospital. 

[—]+ [—]went to the batherroom so they didn’t see the blood. Me and mom drove very fast to the hospital then when we got there they told us to wait in the waiting room so we did but it took us a long time to get to the room in the hospital.

Then i we were waitin for the people to come in and then the nurse came in and took my tempter then how much i weigh. Then they went out the room and they the came back in with a guy that told me about whats gonna happen.

Then a person came in and took me to get a x-ray and guess what? My finger is broken!!! i cant believe it. Anyway then i went back to the room and sat down on the bed thing and the Doctor came in and looked at my finger and then he turned on the TV for me and started to stitch up my finger with blue stitches and then when he was finished.

he let me go home and i was all better and thats my story so…well.. gotta go

hello lovely

it was fun playing on im with you yesterday

i want to always be here for you when you need me

i stay online when you are awake

because it seems like i’m right there with you

soon you will be here

i can’t wait…!

love
your heart

A point of sadness — a newly-made good friend has gone off to another floor of the building.

Seems like a trivial thing but he is a really fun guy to sit next to and has provided some very good advice.

I’ve promised to bring the family round to introduce to him when they get in.

Cool thing is that the day the family arrives is also his birthday.

From online chat between [child 1]and Dad, after the girls headed out to the hospital:
————–
Times are in London time. [—] time is -6 hours (i.e. first post is at 1:31 pm. [—]got hurt at 1:11 pm)

7:31:11 PM [Child 1]: hello dad
7:31:17 PM [Dad]: hello?
7:31:23 PM [Child 1]: yes
7:31:43 PM [Dad]: did mom leave right away?
7:31:53 PM [Child 1]: yes she did
7:32:36 PM [Dad]: hold on she’s calling
7:32:40 PM [Child 1]: one bad thing that happend when i called the doctors they said they were closed for lunch
7:51:50 PM [Dad]: hello
7:57:01 PM [Dad]: hello
8:11:23 PM [Dad]: hello
8:11:56 PM [Dad]: hello
8:12:03 PM [Dad]: hello
8:12:05 PM [Dad]: hello
8:12:05 PM [Dad]: hello
8:12:06 PM [Dad]: hello
8:12:06 PM [Dad]: hello
8:15:30 PM [Child 1]: yes
8:15:53 PM [Dad]: tell me where her finger was cut
8:16:18 PM [Dad]: first knuckle, second,
8:16:53 PM [Child 1]: above the seconnd close to the nail
8:17:08 PM [Dad]: ok
8:17:18 PM [Child 1]: yep
8:17:32 PM [Child 1]: :'(
8:17:47 PM [Dad]: i sent email to [—] amd [—] and grandma and grandpa with your telephone number there
8:17:57 PM [Dad]: i asked ten to call you boys to check in
8:18:04 PM [Dad]: them
8:18:19 PM [Child 1]: ok ya i just called [—] because mo said to
8:18:27 PM [Child 1]: mom
8:18:35 PM [Dad]: mom and [Child 2] will probably be at the emergency room for many hours
8:18:44 PM [Child 1]: yes
8:18:51 PM [Dad]: do you boys have food?
8:19:05 PM [Child 1]: ya enough for dinner
8:19:09 PM [Dad]: ok good
8:19:19 PM [Dad]: pray if you haven’t already prayed
8:19:30 PM [Child 1]: (A)
8:19:34 PM [Dad]: i sent prayer request to the church
8:19:38 PM [Dad]: and to friends
8:20:21 PM [Child 1]: 🙂
8:20:36 PM [Child 1]: okay
8:21:09 PM [Dad]: i tried calling mom but can’t get through
8:21:24 PM [Dad]: that’s actually good — it means she’s inside the hospital
8:21:35 PM [Child 1]: ya her call phone is acting up because of the hospital
8:21:43 PM [Child 1]: hey
8:21:49 PM [Dad]: did she call you after she left?
8:22:16 PM [Child 1]: yes with the hospital phone
8:22:21 PM [Dad]: what did she say?
8:22:55 PM [Child 1]: that it might take a while so just sit there and talk to you
8:23:11 PM [Dad]: ok
8:23:25 PM [Dad]: i will pray for both of them
8:23:29 PM [Dad]: how did mom sound?
8:23:34 PM [Child 1]: us 2
8:23:44 PM [Child 1]: plz do
8:24:03 PM [Child 1]: r u going to bed soon
8:24:05 PM [Dad]: how did mom sound?
8:24:19 PM [Child 1]: normal and worried
8:24:34 PM [Dad]: ok i was scard for her when she called from the car
8:24:38 PM [Dad]: scared
8:24:52 PM [Dad]: i’m glad she found her way to the hospital
8:24:56 PM [Child 1]: thats oka
8:25:00 PM [Child 1]: okay
8:25:05 PM [Dad]: boys please be very careful
8:25:13 PM [Child 1]: we will
8:25:14 PM [Dad]: no horsing around please
8:25:18 PM [Child 1]: (A)
8:25:28 PM [Dad]: thank you
8:25:34 PM [Dad]: what are you guys doing?
8:25:53 PM [Child 1]: playing on our g-boys
8:25:59 PM [Dad]: ok good
8:26:15 PM [Dad]: do you remember the stories of robin hood?
8:26:21 PM [Child 1]: ya
8:26:43 PM [Dad]: do you remember hearing about hello forest?
8:26:50 PM [Child 1]: oh ya
8:26:58 PM [Child 1]: im cul
8:27:06 PM [Dad]: it’s here in england
8:27:12 PM [Child 1]: no way
8:27:12 PM [Dad]: the actual hello forest
8:27:17 PM [Child 1]: ur kiddin
8:27:28 PM [Dad]: we can take a train to go see the forest
8:27:34 PM [Child 1]: cul;
8:27:45 PM [Child 1]: :-#
8:27:50 PM [Child 1]: shhhhhh
8:27:58 PM [Dad]: why?
8:28:27 PM [Child 1]: dont tell everyone already nos im cul
8:28:37 PM [Dad]: take a look at this tree living in the forest: http://www.eyemead.com/majoroak.htm
8:28:47 PM [Child 1]: okay
8:29:03 PM [Dad]: only look at that page though — don’t go to other sites ok?
8:29:16 PM [Child 1]: okay
8:31:05 PM [Child 1]: its not working
8:32:03 PM [Child 1]: it worked
8:32:07 PM [Dad]: ok
8:32:12 PM [Dad]: i’m going to finish my ironing and then i’m coming back to the computer. please send me a message if mom calls you or if you want to talk to me ok? the chat program makes a noise when you send a message.
8:33:13 PM [Child 1]: okay i will
8:33:19 PM [Dad]: thank you
8:36:10 PM [Child 1]: its really cool when you get back you can answer my question
8:36:18 PM [Child 1]: ill wait
8:36:28 PM [Dad]: yes?
8:38:50 PM [Child 1]: hav u gon to c it
8:39:06 PM [Child 1]: oic
8:39:07 PM [Dad]: no i just go to work and back to the flat
8:39:33 PM [Dad]: i’m sending another link of places here in london and in england: http://www.piccadillytravel.com.au/britain.htm#eng
8:39:44 PM [Child 1]: wats this
8:39:56 PM [Dad]: it’s places to see here in london
8:40:57 PM [Child 1]: okay
8:41:41 PM [Dad]: here is more cool stuff about the forest: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/sense_of_place/facts/hello_forest.shtml
8:42:10 PM [Child 1]: okay
8:42:38 PM [Child 1]: the last one didnt work
8:43:19 PM [Dad]: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/sense_of_place/facts/hello_forest.shtml
8:43:48 PM [Child 1]: okay ill try this one
8:47:26 PM [Child 1]: what now
8:47:34 PM [Child 1]: :S
8:47:54 PM [Dad]: did the page open?
8:48:29 PM [Child 1]: it wants my name email adress and error address
8:48:33 PM [Child 1]: :S
8:48:58 PM [Dad]: ok never mind — just close the page
8:49:10 PM [Child 1]: okay
8:49:46 PM [Dad]: you can go ahead and play on the g-boy for awhile. but let me know as soon as you hear from mom, ok?
8:49:55 PM [Child 1]: it said its not availible or was moved
8:49:59 PM [Dad]: it’s ok
8:50:09 PM [Child 1]: okay
8:50:18 PM [Child 1]: 😉
8:50:32 PM [Dad]: 🙂
8:51:04 PM [Child 1]: oh [Child 2] called and says they think her finger is broken
8:51:24 PM [Child 1]: if it is they will have to take of the nail
8:51:25 PM [Dad]: ok broken not cut off right?
8:51:31 PM [Child 1]: yas
8:51:36 PM [Dad]: nails grow back
8:51:37 PM [Child 1]: but cut
8:52:03 PM [Child 1]: itturned a little purple and there was blood
8:52:08 PM [Dad]: broken is better than cut in half
8:52:13 PM [Child 1]: the whole nail
8:52:34 PM [Dad]: she was probably bleeding a lot
8:52:41 PM [Child 1]: yes
8:52:50 PM [Dad]: is there blood there at the hotel?
8:52:59 PM [Child 1]: no noe
8:53:09 PM [Child 1]: none
8:53:17 PM [Dad]: ok
8:53:22 PM [Child 1]: mom got her a towel fast
8:53:38 PM [Dad]: i would ask you to clean up before it dried and stained the floor or something
8:53:49 PM [Dad]: mom is a wonderful mom
8:53:53 PM [Dad]: i love her
8:53:59 PM [Dad]: your mom
8:54:23 PM [Dad]: ok thank you for telling me what she said
8:55:05 PM [Child 1]: ur welcome
9:24:25 PM [Dad]: grandpa is on his way to get you boys
9:26:55 PM [Child 1]: [Child 2] is okay
9:27:01 PM [Child 1]: mom says
9:27:02 PM [Dad]: tell me more
9:27:10 PM [Dad]: no broken?
9:27:39 PM [Child 1]: they thinkthe tip is broken but nothing more
9:27:57 PM [Child 1]: and [Child 2] got an autograph from a boxxer
9:28:06 PM [Dad]: cool
9:28:14 PM [Child 1]: i know
9:28:29 PM [Dad]: did mom say when she will be able to leave?
9:28:46 PM [Child 1]: no they are still working with her
9:29:03 PM [Dad]: ok it may be awhile yet. grandpa is heading out to get you boys
9:29:13 PM [Dad]: just in case it takes a long time
9:29:59 PM [Child 1]: ya i just got off the phone with him 10 seconds ago
9:30:15 PM [Dad]: ok get your shoes on and be ready for when he gets there
9:30:15 PM [Child 1]: it will take about 30 min
9:50:23 PM [Child 1]: bye dad we love you
9:50:39 PM [Dad]: bye be good for grandla tell him thank you from me
9:50:46 PM [Dad]: i love you boys
9:50:51 PM [Child 1]: we will
9:50:53 PM [Child 1]: byew
9:50:57 PM [Child 1]: bye
9:50:59 PM [Dad]: bye
9:51:17 PM [Child 1]: ill leave it on for mom
9:51:23 PM [Child 1]: okay
9:51:24 PM [Dad]: ok thank you

We’re recovering now but it was a bit of a scare today.

[Child 2]’s finger got caught in a door and was nearly severed at about 1:30 pm CST. It was hanging on by the fleshy part of the inside of her first knuckle.

Many prayers later (by many many people in prayer chain) the damage was “downgraded” to a broken fingertip. That was truly a miracle.

I stayed on IM with [Child 1] until Grandpa came to the hotel to pick up the boys.

More later as I wait until [Wife]’ cell phone is out of the hospital zone.

[Wife] did a handsome job of keeping everyone including herself calm as she sped out to get [Child 2] to the hospital.