July we had some fun! We took Lilly up to a neighboring town called March to a fossil museum. We weren't sure what to expect and overall the experience was just OK. Lilly got to dig in a sandpit to find real fossils, she got to keep a handful as well. She found things like shark teeth, plants, and vertebrae of sea animals. She also got to mine for gold.
March
River Bank in March
Panning for Gold
I also found it funny that our local Aldi was selling 'American' food around the fourth of July. They had things like hot dogs, grape soda and rootbeer, giant marshmallows, cinnamon toast crunch (like) cereal, maple syrup and some other things. We tried a few of the items, and the only thing that tasted remotely like the stuff back home is the marshmallows. British take on American food is never quite right. Like tacos, the flavoring for seasoning for the taco kits is BBQ or paprika. No thanks!
We also had a really hot day, where we just went and sat on the riverbank to soak up some sun. We brought books, a blanket and our sunglasses! Poor Anthony got burnt.. I got a mild (I mean minor,teen tiny) tan. I don't think the sun is as strong here, so even when I do get sun, my skin just doesn't absorb it like it did in the states. I also tried my first 99 flake. This incredible whipped ice cream with a flaky chocolate stick in it. So delicious!
On the weekend of July 1st, Anthony and I took a long weekend. We went up to a neighboring town called Leicester. Fun fact; Leicester's football (soccer) team won the premier league this year. This is a pretty amazing thing for a small town team. It was shown throughout the town how proud they were as they had banners all over local businesses showing support for the team. Here's a quick article highlighting the win http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35988673
During our time in Leicester, we went the the National Space Musuem. It was a pretty neat place, and we were granted a promotional season ticket pass.. which is great, we can now take Lilly up there. This weekend, we also had our friends Ryan and Alex come visit us in Peterborough. We went to our favorite pub Charters again, and soaked up some sunshine and cider as it was cider fest. Afterwards, we came back for pizza and games.
At Charters
On a much sadder note, July is also the month where we lost my beloved Grandma Grace. This was extremely hard for me, as I was far away when it happened. A huge thanks is owed to my parents for helping us get home for the funeral. But, it is still something I feel sad about. That I only got to say good bye to her over Facetime. My grandma was a great one, who loved us all without question. She never told me I was crazy for loving an English man and for moving, but embraced it. She loved the fact that I was moving over here, and embraced Jason (Anthony) and Lilly from day one. It was beyond sweet when she sent Lilly a birthday card with five pounds in it, and Anthony a card addressed to 'Jason'. Her funny wit makes us smile now. Needless to say, there were plenty of tears between the two of us, and also the sharing of memories. It was beyond a blessing for us to be back in America for this, and I am beyond grateful we were. I would have felt so much guilt if we were not there. And despite the circumstances, it was nice for Anthony to meet some of the family he never had. I know I appreciated all the love and support he gave me and my family during this time. I truly and a lucky one, and I think my grandma knew that about him.
When we came back from Missouri, we both went to work. That weekend Anthony took me to the beach. I think he knew I just needed a little peace of mind. It was beautiful, and just what I needed.
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