Sunday 4 October 2015

Post summer transition

After a busy summer of activities and celebrations and with the boys completing their first week at college, it's time to get back into normal routines - so after a short break I'm back!!



This summer we celebrated our Silver Wedding anniversary - 25 years of married life.  We hosted a BBQ, which we combined with a last fund raising effort for Jacob's trip to Japan.  It was great to see family and friends and the weather blessed our occasion (although not as hot as the day we got married) so a BBQ was an excellent choice.



We spent the summer as a family in separate countries.  While Josh traveled Scandinavia, visiting friends in Norway and sight-seeing in Finland, Jacob jetted off to the  23rd World Scout Jamboree in Japan.  With the boys both enjoying scouting activity holidays, we continued the wedding anniversary celebrations with a cruise around the Western Mediterranean.

We sailed from Majorca to Corsica, Citivicia (to visit Rome), Pisa, St Raphael and Barcelona.  We returned to Majorca and had a week on the beach relaxing.  The cruise was a fantastic experience with on the Thomson Dream and something we will do again.

After both boys got fantastic exam results, they are now both at college together, Jacob starting his A-levels and Josh finishing off his.  So we start the UCAS form filling, finish visiting prospective universities for Josh and start the process with Jacob.

And so our year of transition continues.  We now have a different rhythm to the week which each of the boys starting and finishing college at a different time each day.  We are still working out how to fit in Tennis coaching, tournaments and league matches, as well as fitness sessions, guitar lessons, Beavers, Explorers, Bell ringing, supporting Swindon Town and fitting in time for family and friends.  I have found that having a session as a family on a Sunday evening to compare diaries has become invaluable in making sure everyone knows what is happening each week.



Craft has seen me preparing for Christmas.  Using the The Holiday Grand Plan this year I have made my Christmas Planner, ready to fill the lists over the coming weeks to keep me and the house on track for an organised Christmas.




The Bible verses for this week is a reminder that in all things we should be grateful to God for his blessings on our lives:

Rejoice in the Lord always. 
I will say it again: 
Rejoice!
Philippians 4:4 NIV

Our prayer this week as a family is for all those facing change at this time.  For those who have started a new school, college, university of job, that they may feel God's peace in their new surroundings.  We also pray for those who have change forced them and find themselves as refugees in a foreign country.  May they find a warm welcome and my we, the countries at peace, find room for these families fleeing conflict.

With God's blessings from my family to yours,

Jo x

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