Saturday, November 21, 2009

Family Time!

One of the great things we're finding about life here is that at weekends we're able to have some quality family time! When we lived in our little cottage we often had visitors or were away most weekends and so didn't have time to do the little bits and pieces around the house or go out and explore the area. Since we've been here it has been the complete opposite and we've been really enjoying it ... especially as Abigail is at the age where she's beginning to appreciate all we're doing!
Last weekend we were able to take a trip up into Charm in Holmes County (these first few photos were taken while we were there!) ... which has the largest Amish population in the USA. Millers bakery is known by all the MMS families as a little piece of heaven ... with freshly baked bread, pastries, home made pasta, spices and lots more ... it looks like a little wooden shed on the side of a hill but inside it's full of delights! It would have been rude not to stop in there and pick ourselves up some goodies!
We also visited Keim Lumber (www.keimlumber.com) ... a huge hardware store 'to die for' ... if you're into that kind of thing!! The Amish are known for their woodwork and there is a wood shed with some gorgeous looking exotic woods there. I think it's most DIY fanatic's dream store ... with everything you need, including a few things you might not ... like every version of Monopoly you never knew existed ... Pony-opoly, Christmas-opoly, Ice-Cream-opoly, Bible-opoly, DIY-opoly ... to name just a few that we can remember!!
While we were there we found the perfect school to enrol Abigail in when she's older ... Charm School!!! ... although some would say she started classes there a long time ago! ;o)!
The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing at home ... raking the leaves (which you can see below, Abigail loved!) and mowing the lawn. We also visited another church here in our quest to find one in a small town of 37 churches! We went to Coshocton Christian Tabernacle and were given the most amazing welcome that we've ever received in any church anywhere we've been in the world ... and really felt at home there! So it's official ... the search is over!
Although not even the end of November ... (and most here would say ... not even Thanksgiving!), last night was the Christmas parade in the town ... 'Miracle on Main Street'! It was a real eye-opener because there were loads of people there lining Main Street ... many more than we anticipated there would be in this small town!! We were treated to the delights of different marching bands, fire trucks, princesses ... the gingerbread man and Father Christmas (he isn't known as that here ... only Santa!).
Abigail really enjoyed waving as all the different things went past and we had fun with the Gettle family watching the parade and catching all the 'candy' that got thrown our way! Paul and Kristin Gettle and their 3 boys, Grant, Cole and Evan are another new MMS family who arrived from Alabama shortly after us ... so we're all getting used to Coshocton and MMS life together!

During the Week!

We have been here for exactly two months today ... it's unbelievable ... so much has happened in such a short space of time and we're feeling really settled ... in some ways it feels like we only said our goodbyes yesterday and in other ways it feels like we've been here ages! Every so often we catch ourselves looking at each other and saying things like 'we live in America now'!!!
During the week we're into our own little routines, Mark is continuing to enjoy his work in the hangar and having completed his Basic Training in just three and a half weeks is now 'hands-on' the aircraft! The photo above shows the guys in the hangar turning over the Cessna 206 that Mark is working on at the moment ... not quite ready to fly yet!
Each apprentice is assigned a team which includes trained mechanics and apprentices and then the team leader mentors those in training whilst they all work on the aircraft. Mark is in Ian's (pronounced I-an) team for the next 6 months and they are working on an aircraft for a mission called Asas de Socorro in Brazil. Some of the jobs Mark is already doing this week are repairing the fibre glass on the forward cowlings, fabricating a repair on the left wing and checking the fuel selector valve and gasculator. Not bad for a newbie! (The photo's above and below show the forward cowlings that Mark is working on!)
While Mark has been getting on with his work in the hangar, Jenny and Abigail have been continuing to sort out the house and take advantage of the end of the Indian Summer we've had here by going for walks into town. The cloudy weather seems to have finally arrived now ... but we definitely can't complain as it's been so nice for most of the time we've been here! Unfortunately this week Abigail hasn't been too well ... coughing, spluttering and snotting everywhere so getting out and about has been more limited ... but thankfully she's much improved now!
Last Friday, Abigail and Jenny joined the Coshocton MOPS group (MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers ... see www.mops.org for more information). It runs once a month and is a couple of hours where the mum's get together and have a chance to share the highs and lows, while their children are off playing together. There is always some kind of presentation and last week it was a cooking one, talking about the importance of good nutrition etc. It was a great chance to meet other mum's with little ones and the weeks that there is no MOPS meeting there are smaller groups who meet for playdates ... so Jenny & Abigail will be able to build some relationships there.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

At Work and Play!!

Mark has been enjoying his time in the hangar so far! All the guys do different tasks in the hangar to make it run smoothly ... and this week Mark started 3 months of 'opening' ... which means opening all the hangars, switching on the lights and heating etc before the rest of the staff arrive. Unfortunately Abigail hasn't clicked yet that she doesn't have to wake up when Daddy does ... so we're all up half an hour earlier for the time being!
Mark's training is divided into three distinct parts, Basic, Primary and Production. He has already nearly come to the end of the Basic training part where he has been learning and practicing the basic aviation maintenance skills. Below are a couple of photographs, the first with Mark in his uniform (with his name stitched in, in case he forgets who he is!) holding the spark plug tray that he made and the second with Bob Schwartz where he is learning basic electrical theory.
The Primary component of the training has an emphasis on establishing a solid working knowledge of aviation maintenance practices and procedures and will require Mark to do a lot of study at home to complement what he is learning in the hangar. He will also be required to take a written test every 10 days to consolidate all he has been learning. Production will be the final component and will use all the skills and knowledge he has gained in the first two sections of the apprenticeship.
While Mark has been working hard (and enjoying every minute!), Jenny and Abigail have been having lots of fun together! The boxes are all nearly unpacked now, although the car is not quite back in the garage! They have also been making the most of the mild weather and have been out walking most days and getting to know the neighbourhood on foot! Abigail has started to enjoy drawing too ... really concentrating on what she is doing ... she also concentrates very hard on putting the crayons back in the box which is very amusing!

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Christmas came early!

Well ... it has definitely felt like Christmas came early in our house that's for sure ... as our shipping arrived after exactly 7 weeks! We were really excited to see it all again as we can now put the final touches to our place and make it home! Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers with regards to the speed of delivery ... they estimated 8-12 weeks ... so we did really well! Every day we're opening more boxes and being surprised by what we find inside (especially as Mark's parents added a few little extra treats in some of the boxes without us knowing!) ... Abigail's very good at ripping off the packing tape and emptying things out ... she also wants to help as we assemble the furniture too! (See below, our garage last Thursday with some of our boxes ... and a little helper!) She had a few birthday presents that were shipped before she got to see them ... so she has been enjoying those ... just a month and a half late!
Most of our time this last week or so has been taken up getting ready for the shipping and then sorting through it all ... but we have had some fun too! On Saturday some friends invited to join us on their monthly trip to Columbus ... to shop in the 'big smoke' ... we didn't go into the city itself but the shops in the surrounding areas have a much better selection than in our little town! It was a fun day ... to spend time with them and also to see more new places too! It's only just over an hours drive away so we'll definitely be back there again! We also took some time out on Sunday afternoon to go for a walk at Lake Park ... the trees have definitely lost their leaves now but although colder it's still sunny, blue skies!
Abigail continues to be her cheeky but happy self (with the odd miserable day of teething ... but thankfully they continue to be the exception to the rule!!). She seems to be completely settled out here and has gone back into the two sleeps a day routine which has been great for getting things done around the house! Her latest tricks include unrolling the loo paper, putting our shoes away for us as soon as we've taken them off, brushing her teeth (which she would literally do all day if we let her!) and hiding behind the sofa until we say 'BOO' when she runs out giggling! A couple of cheeky pics to finish with ... the first one stealing some of daddy's lunch ... having just finished her own!!