The Best Sunday EVER
Yesterday was a fantastic day. It started off great because we got to gain an hour since we fell back already. So, we woke up around our normal time, but had an extra hour to sit in our respective high-backed, comfy blue chairs (Clark Kent swiped one from the upstairs kitchen which NO ONE used to match the one that was already in our living room). I had control of the computer and went through iTunes playing Christmas songs and making Clark Kent guess who was singing. Jolly good fun!
We went to a beautiful Methodist church that was built in 1873. The building was the greatest as were the people, namely Malcom and Ruth who sat beside and behind us respectively. They both noticed we were newcomers and we enjoyed chatting with them both before the service (as we arrived 20 minutes early). Our plan was to try out Greyfriar's Church of England next week, but we're going to return to Wesley Methodist because Malcom told us that Sir John Marsh would be preaching, a former professor in the Dept of Agriculture and Food Economics (which is Clark Kent's very dept!). Malcom also informed us that the service would be totally different and much more formal, which I was glad to hear. (There was a terribly awkward man who played his classical guitar very poorly who tried to teach a long and complicated song during church.)
After church, we walked to Forbury Retail Park - where we felt like we were in America. It resembles an American strip mall - Staples, McDonald's, Toys R Us, and Hobby Craft Superstore (which is like JoAnn's times TEN - it's that amazing) are all in a row with the parking lot right in front of the stores - a rarity here in Reading. We lunched at McDonald's and then went to the Hobby Craft Superstore. IT'S TWO STORIES! And, they are currently selling Shrinkies on a 3 for 2 sale (a VERY common sale system here in the UK). Shrinkies are our Shrinky-Dinks - which I LOVED doing as a child. Of course, in the UK, you can get boxes of Wind and the Willows and Beatrix Potter Shrinkies! I have grand plans of procuring these Shrinkies and making Christmas ornaments! What Clark Kent did end up buying me was the provisions to make my very first felt project - a star garland for the Christmas tree! I can't wait to get started on it.
We passed through Toys R Us where the most amazing thing we saw was reversible Disney Princess costumes. They each ran 20 pounds a piece (and since we've stopped converting pounds to dollars, that is just like in the states where a princess costume at Target is $19.99). The Snow White costume is gorgeous AND when you turn it inside out, it becomes Aurora (Sleeping Beauty!). Cinderella becomes Belle! Can you even imagine the lucky girl who gets one of those. Clark Kent was even amused and said, "Wow! Now that's a very economical use of fabric." (I love him.)
Then we headed into town centre where we of course enjoyed our usual coffee and hot chocolate at The Coffee Republic before passing through some stores and spending a considerable amount of time in Waterstones photographing the covers of books we're too poor to buy just yet.
The greatest part of the day was dinner - with Kim, Joe, Oliver, and Jessica (Ollie and Jess). Kim works with Clark Kent and graciously invited us to dinner, and boy oh boy, I can't wait until we get invited back. Kim picked us around around half five!! (5:30) and it was fun to be in an actual car and seeing parts of Reading we've never seen. They actually live outside Berkshire (the county where Reading is) and in Oxfordshire. It was so great to see someone's home, and a lovely home theirs is! The dinner spread was great: pork, roasted potatoes, cheesy cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and peas - not a medley, all in their respective dishes. Dessert was homemade apple pie, custard, and vanilla ice cream AND a double layer homemade chocolate cake. I started with the apple pie fully expecting to go for round 2 with the chocolate cake, but I was so full...
This family is great fun. Kim and Joe met when they were 21, on their first day of work right out of university. They've been married over 20 years and have 12 year old Ollie and nearly 15 year old Jess. They spent 2.5 weeks in Florida this summer, so we had lots to talk about with the kids as ice breakers. Once Disney and Universal Studios were covered, I went ahead and asked about their schooling - and guess what? These kids LOVE school and are probably the best well read kids I've ever talked with. Ollie showed me his schedule for the Reading School (where it is the only all boys school in the UK with a chapel) - he's in year 7 (so, the equivalent to seventh grade - first year of secondary school) and he's taking: French, Latin, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Maths (where he's already finished up Algebra), Music (two different music classes - History and Keyboarding), History, Geography (which he loves because it's so easy!), Religious Studies, and several others - I think I counted 15 all together. He has about 2 hours of homework each night and he loves chapel because he sings old hymns. I love this boy. Jess is in year 10 (equivalent of 10th grade) and in two years when she just has four subjects, she wants to concentrate on Physics, Maths, Chemistry, and Biology. She wants to go to Cambridge or Oxford and studying medicine - hoping to be a surgeon one day. These are the cutest siblings I've ever known - and it's not just because they speak in an English accent.
It's time to tend to the laundry and then make Clark Kent's lunch! After lunch...I think I'll start my felt project.
We went to a beautiful Methodist church that was built in 1873. The building was the greatest as were the people, namely Malcom and Ruth who sat beside and behind us respectively. They both noticed we were newcomers and we enjoyed chatting with them both before the service (as we arrived 20 minutes early). Our plan was to try out Greyfriar's Church of England next week, but we're going to return to Wesley Methodist because Malcom told us that Sir John Marsh would be preaching, a former professor in the Dept of Agriculture and Food Economics (which is Clark Kent's very dept!). Malcom also informed us that the service would be totally different and much more formal, which I was glad to hear. (There was a terribly awkward man who played his classical guitar very poorly who tried to teach a long and complicated song during church.)
After church, we walked to Forbury Retail Park - where we felt like we were in America. It resembles an American strip mall - Staples, McDonald's, Toys R Us, and Hobby Craft Superstore (which is like JoAnn's times TEN - it's that amazing) are all in a row with the parking lot right in front of the stores - a rarity here in Reading. We lunched at McDonald's and then went to the Hobby Craft Superstore. IT'S TWO STORIES! And, they are currently selling Shrinkies on a 3 for 2 sale (a VERY common sale system here in the UK). Shrinkies are our Shrinky-Dinks - which I LOVED doing as a child. Of course, in the UK, you can get boxes of Wind and the Willows and Beatrix Potter Shrinkies! I have grand plans of procuring these Shrinkies and making Christmas ornaments! What Clark Kent did end up buying me was the provisions to make my very first felt project - a star garland for the Christmas tree! I can't wait to get started on it.
We passed through Toys R Us where the most amazing thing we saw was reversible Disney Princess costumes. They each ran 20 pounds a piece (and since we've stopped converting pounds to dollars, that is just like in the states where a princess costume at Target is $19.99). The Snow White costume is gorgeous AND when you turn it inside out, it becomes Aurora (Sleeping Beauty!). Cinderella becomes Belle! Can you even imagine the lucky girl who gets one of those. Clark Kent was even amused and said, "Wow! Now that's a very economical use of fabric." (I love him.)
Then we headed into town centre where we of course enjoyed our usual coffee and hot chocolate at The Coffee Republic before passing through some stores and spending a considerable amount of time in Waterstones photographing the covers of books we're too poor to buy just yet.
The greatest part of the day was dinner - with Kim, Joe, Oliver, and Jessica (Ollie and Jess). Kim works with Clark Kent and graciously invited us to dinner, and boy oh boy, I can't wait until we get invited back. Kim picked us around around half five!! (5:30) and it was fun to be in an actual car and seeing parts of Reading we've never seen. They actually live outside Berkshire (the county where Reading is) and in Oxfordshire. It was so great to see someone's home, and a lovely home theirs is! The dinner spread was great: pork, roasted potatoes, cheesy cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and peas - not a medley, all in their respective dishes. Dessert was homemade apple pie, custard, and vanilla ice cream AND a double layer homemade chocolate cake. I started with the apple pie fully expecting to go for round 2 with the chocolate cake, but I was so full...
This family is great fun. Kim and Joe met when they were 21, on their first day of work right out of university. They've been married over 20 years and have 12 year old Ollie and nearly 15 year old Jess. They spent 2.5 weeks in Florida this summer, so we had lots to talk about with the kids as ice breakers. Once Disney and Universal Studios were covered, I went ahead and asked about their schooling - and guess what? These kids LOVE school and are probably the best well read kids I've ever talked with. Ollie showed me his schedule for the Reading School (where it is the only all boys school in the UK with a chapel) - he's in year 7 (so, the equivalent to seventh grade - first year of secondary school) and he's taking: French, Latin, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Maths (where he's already finished up Algebra), Music (two different music classes - History and Keyboarding), History, Geography (which he loves because it's so easy!), Religious Studies, and several others - I think I counted 15 all together. He has about 2 hours of homework each night and he loves chapel because he sings old hymns. I love this boy. Jess is in year 10 (equivalent of 10th grade) and in two years when she just has four subjects, she wants to concentrate on Physics, Maths, Chemistry, and Biology. She wants to go to Cambridge or Oxford and studying medicine - hoping to be a surgeon one day. These are the cutest siblings I've ever known - and it's not just because they speak in an English accent.
It's time to tend to the laundry and then make Clark Kent's lunch! After lunch...I think I'll start my felt project.