Are you going to throw your own Burns night next year?

Nana kept Master Jefferson for a night of pizza and movies.


I'm thinking about adding a child who plays bag pipes into our family. It would add such variety to our music. This gentleman was playing outside the Scottish club and we could hear his music echoing across the square as we were walking to the party.



My feet automatically go into a two step as do my husbands. My father paid a lot of money for me to learn a good two step at Texas A&M and I know he'll be glad he's still getting his money's worth.


This is our friend General Diab! He did a great job. There were WAY more men than woman due to so many gentleman not bringing their families for the shorter school course they are having this year. This made our girls quite popular as you will see.

Now this is my idea of line dancing. Standing in a line, yet meeting those men in the middle for all kinds of twirls, gallivants and stomping. They did a fantastic job of teaching us the dance and then calling it out for us as we went.

These are our dear Irish friends, Tonia Armour and her son Patrick. Notice Melanee Kate going for a twirl in the background.

Wyatt also does a great job dancing. Here he's waiting his turn patiently as he's up next. You should have seen the beautiful Brazilian woman who he danced with. Had I not known she is a lovely young lady I would have had to intervene.

The Thomas Troops and the Armour's minus Jefferson and Erin. Already having families in our own home made this night so special for all of us!

I think anyone could enjoy dancing under this ceiling. I would love a ceiling like this in my living room...my sweet Edward would have to dance with me every night.

Dear family and friends,

Why yes we are! A Robert Burns party will be thrown next February wherever we live and you are all certainly invited. Poetry will be read, accents will be a flyin', men and women will be dancin', and maybe we will even serve up some mighty Scottish Haggis.

The moment we find out where will be moving locating a great man who can blow the bag pipes will be a priority. Well, maybe not. I've never heard Amazing Grace played so majestically. It made me worship.

Love in Christ,

Dinah for The Troops

Can you make them short?

The parks are as beautiful as everyone always says. This is Saint James park which is in front of Buckingham palace.

Nana and General Diab join the troops for a little Texas BBQ. GREAT evening...Mother is always willing to jump into anything. Making new friends is one of my favorite things to do.

Dear family and friends,

I'm going to really try to start writing some short blogs! Is that possible? Only time will tell...

Mother is here, we still don't have Internet, we love where we live, we love Ed's school, lots of little overseas challenges, and we've been invited to spend Chinese New Year with one of the Chinese officer's and his family!

Have already had new friends over from Ireland, Australia, Lebanon, and two families from Texas.

We are taking the three older children tomorrow night to Burn's Night. We didn't know if we'd be able to take them to anything formal while in London. We are looking forward to an evening of friendship and Scottish dancing. Oh, and the children have been quite funny asking if we'll ride the bus in our formals.

Love in Christ,
Dinah for The Troops

Why is Wyatt feeling tortured?

Dear family and friends,

We did miss a few opportunities this weekend due to the fact that we were just tired. It's going to be year of picking and choosing like never before. I don't like that I can't do it all, but it's a good spiritual exercise now isn't it?

By God's grace, we were successful in getting Wyatt to the orthodontist yesterday. Hopefully he will be out of his braces in June. We walked past Tiffany's as we got off the bus stop and Wyatt didn't offer to buy me anything. Can you believe it?

We rode the bus both ways, then walked to Harrod's where I bought the children a huge playmobile set that was on 50% off. Possibly our only purchase ever to be made there and I can still hardly believe I got such a good price. Wyatt was more than happy to tote the large ackward box a little more than mile home, on foot.

Today Kate is going to take the bus to go and babysit for the afternoon. Wyatt is going to be her escort, both are excited as this will be their first solo outing. I am putting them on the bus, they will have a cell phone, and then they have about 8 blocks to conquer. Wyatt does not know yet that I'm going to slip him some quid so he can get a McDonald's hamburger on the way home.

Ed's hopeful to have a date of delivery today...the phone is still an opportunity of being cheerful despite confusion and little progress.

Tonight we head to the Royal Automobile Club. Wyatt is convinced that we are going to get to drive Porche's and Ferreri's and feels tortured that Edward's wife is going rather than his son.

As always...God is good!
Love in Christ,
Dinah for The Troops

What is so exciting?

Dear family and friends,

We were finally able to go to the British Museum today, it was our third try! Unfortunately we weren't there that long, fortunately we get to go back and now know how to get there.

There were a few things that just blew my mind:

The yummy pita's that didn't begin to fill my family's sweet tummies. Don't they look delicious though?

This was on a palace wall in NINEVEH...did you read that correctly? NINEVEH...are you thinking Jonah? This really blew my mind.

I took a picture of the description so I would get this correct, "This is the beginning of the inscription which was carved on the pair of human headed winged bulls which flanked the entrance to the throneroom of the king. It included the most detailed surviving account of the attribute sent by king HEZEKIAH." All that little scratching behind Jefferson's head...701 B.C.

Children in front of pieces of the Parthenon. Did you know that it was standing intact until the late 1600's when it became a tragedy of war?

Wyatt and Kate trying to be taller than me, Wyatt's about there. They are standing in front of the East Pediment (triangular gable ends to Greek temples...you know the top part of the upside down v that makes the roof) to the Parthenon. Never mind I'm just going to post the description and save us both time.

They were darling and funny, right there in front of the east pediment, although it did end with one of those "we are not in a park" discussions.

We barely skimmed the surface.

I had planned a picnic, but we got going so late, that we went ahead and ate before we left. We were all so tired this morning that Ed decided to let us sleep. We also have a fourteen year old who is growing and needing more sleep than he normally does. We peeled him out of bed at 10:30. His seven year old brother commented, "It's not that he's growing Mommy, it's all of that Math you've been making him do."

We ate the sandwiches and threw some yummy bars in the backpack. If we'd actually picnicked I would have added fruit, vegetable sticks, maybe crackers. I forgot all of that and not very far into our trek, not only did I have hungry children, but a hungry husband. So, like any good planner, out we marched to the hotdog stand just outside of the museum. 7 pounds and 3 hotdogs later, complete with sausage and grilled onions I might add, we were in for round 2.

A few issues with round two so we decided to stop while we were ahead and finish up an errand on the way home. On the way out one little one realized their hat was gone...well that little issue ended up including tracing our steps through the parts of the museum we'd viewed, asking questions continuously of all museum staff that we could find, consulting both cloakrooms, and a final 10 minute run back to the museum when they called us after we'd left to say that they had found it.

You know we've been studying and talking about irritations. There was a lot of victory today, to God be the glory. I hope that sweet child always remembers running back with their mother through London streets to retrieve their favorite hat. Daddy was making an important purchase for our family so the running came down to me...funny huh! I was SO GRATEFUL for the training God has had me doing as this time last year I would have died...physically and spiritually. Isn't our God good to prepare us for what He calls us to do!

In a few minutes a Navy Captain will be arriving with MEAT from the American Commissary. I never knew meat could be so exciting, on the other hand, Ed's always thought meat was exciting. We are so grateful for their offer...God's provision is so great, in the enormous and minuscule.

Love in Christ,
Dinah for The Troops

Why was one officer's story so special?

Dear family and friends,

We just had our Friday night pizza (1 pound a pizza from our local grocery), a week of school under our belts (great victory this week...taking writing by a storm with those middle two), the flat it clean (the upside of 1200 square feet, doesn't take long to clean with four children in tow), and we are ready for the weekend.

This week was filled with "overseas" moments. I was so grateful for our previous overseas experience and that God has had us focusing on humility and dealing with irritations in a way that pleases Him. You should just expect opportunities to practice when you are studying such things in God's Word.

We still don't have a phone line, Ed spent hours at the bank, I spent hours trying to get our Paypal accounts to work, Ed wrestled with his issued computer, etc, etc, etc.

We also had some fantastic highlights:

On Sunday we had a taste of what it's going to be someday to worship the Lord with the nations people from so many countries. It was one of those moments where you know the Lord is letting you have a minuscule glance.

I had so much fun watching Ed in his civilian clothes, I wonder how long it's going to seem like a sport?

We had SERIOUS victory in school with one particular child and one particular subject...I still can hardly believe it. I've always known it wasn't a concept issue.

A DEAR neighbor who has climbed right into our hearts let me call my mother for an hour and a half. We'd only talked about five minutes in over a month.

Ed had an amazing week at school...truly an experience of a lifetime! We have been very aware that we could have come this far, made all of this effort, and the school be okay. Certainly not the case.

I was able to go with Ed last night to the Royal Air Force Club, The food was fantastic (although we've not eaten outside of London, so far we are not buying this whole food in London is horrible as it just hasn't been our experience), the art mind boggling (laughing out loud last night about a German officer last year who was meticulously looking at all pictures hopeful for a German plane...wrong country buddy...we finally found one, but he was belly up and heading to the ground), but the company just couldn't be beat!

The Polish officer was quotable. In response that Ed was Public Affairs and works with the media he replied, "I just spent a long time in Afghanistan as an artillery officer , I'll face down the Taliban any day, but just don't ever make me face the media."

The Nigerian officer is a delight. His laugh begs you to smile.

The officer from another country, well I will never forget. He shared how he sent his girls to France after high school in order to make a better lives for themselves. He had to proclaim to them, there was nothing left for them in their country, and he sent them away. It's the reason he is so thrilled to be here, to be close to France, to see his girls.

At lunch I had a moment to share all that this Brigadier General had to say with our children. We've discussed for years how people make enormous changes in their lives, their geography, their very being...for their children. It made me think of all the immigrants who brought their children to America, with much danger and sacrifice, to give them something else, something more. It's been very thought provoking.

He also offered the most hysterical, quizzical, and confused face I'd ever seen when we explained to him that we tutor our children at home. "Homeschool" is not a word that is very understood across the nations, we are discovering. I've also never been quizzed and listened to in quite the same way. We can hardly wait to have him in our home, and for our children to meet him.

Next week is going to be quite busy. Hopefully we will get the rest of our belongings, Wyatt broke a bracket on his braces today so the orthodontist adventure begins on Monday, the children and I will be heading to Ed's school on Wednesday to have tea with the other spouses, and have lunch with Daddy. Ed and I have a function one night at the Automobile something or other club, and Kari Ray is going to be my bright Ray of sunshine Monday morning to stop and be in God's Word together at Starbucks. It will be the first time I don Starbucks since we now have Internet in our apartment.

There are so many little things I've been learning...I can't wait to show you my Brussel Sprouts picture, but I won't until I have time to tell you the infamous story!

Love to all...
In Christ Alone,
Dinah for The Troops

How far do you go to pick up the mail?

Dear family and friends,

This is going to have to be short as Starbucks is closing in ten minutes.

What a day...great day and one we'll never forget, although it was local travel, it was quite the trek. The children and I left at 9:30 in order to head to Ikea, the Ray's house, and to pick up the mail at our American mailbox which is an hour away. This may not sound like that big of deal in our American world, but in the world of not having your own car it meant 6 subways, 3 buses, and 8 1/2 hours.

We had mailed two dishpacks to our post office box back in December as we were quickly outgrowing our bags. So today we took four rolling suitcases and brought all our extras back, along with a new rolling grocery cart full of Ikea goodies. Remember we only have half of our household goods and I've been filling in a few holes like bowls, plates, and tupperware.

The children were FANTASTIC! I got so tickled at Jefferson on up and what troopers they were. Jefferson had the pink LLBean bag and did a "lovely" job.

We came home quite tired and full of victory to dinner in the crockpot. We ate off our new 69pence bowls and plates. Nice to not eat on plastic...a small treat in life.

Edward comes home tomorrow...we can hardly wait. I know that sounds silly as he's only been gone since Wednesday, but all the more being in a new place, we are really excited Daddy's coming home.

I can hardly wait to tell him about Jefferson's question on the tube tonight...from left field might I add, "Mommy, I know the baby looks like the Mommy because the baby comes out of the Mommy, but how in the world does the baby get to look like the Daddy?"

Love in Christ,
Dinah for the Troops

Why do you go to Starbucks?

Dear family and friends,

Just a quick update...we did move in on Monday although only half of our belongings that are coming are here. Little disappointing, but by HIS grace, we handled it well. Always a great reminder that they are just things!

Yesterday Ed and I celebrated our 19th anniversary. About eleven he announced that he was taking Mommy out on a date and the unpacking would wait. It did, and we had a marvelous time. We ended up at a little place called Bumbles. You can literally see the wall to the Buckingham palace gardens from their front door. Hard to believe this is where we live. We also ran a few errands trying to get a little of the never ending accomplished: light bulbs, new pin for Ed's watch band, milk, ect.

The children and I have also been back on top of finishing us Les Miserables. I'd forgotten how much we love it, how could I forget so quickly? Yesterday Marius proclaimed his love, today he lost her again. Poor Marius, it's really some hard going these days.

Ed left for Germany this morning at 3:30 A.M....BLAH! He had a great attitude and I missed Linda Whitlow DEARLY as she took such great care of him in Hawaii.

My treat of the morning was meeting with Kari Ray! What a bright "Ray" of sunshine she is. So much fun to have a sweet friend already. It was good to be in His Word with a friend just sharing where God has had me this last week. Can I just say I love Matthew 13?

I'm sitting here at Starbucks as we don't have Internet until next week. So grateful that Starbucks is willing to serve me on so many levels. I need to send off one more email and run upstairs for taco's. Melanee Kate was fixing them for me. Daddy proclaimed the children do all the normal housework while he's gone so I can get everything else accomplished. The taco shells at our local grocery are $5.00. So grateful to the Lord that I brought my own!

Love to all...In Christ Alone,
Dinah for The Troops