England through the eyes of an American - Going Home

Today is my last full day here in the UK. I am filled with Happiness and Sadness at the same time. How is it possible for two completely different feelings to occupy my thoughts and my heart at one time.

I have for the past 9 years waited for the opportunity to move back to what has been and always will be my home. But now that it is happening I have come to realise how much this is my home too. I have had so many wonderful experiences here. My children were all born here in the wonderful NHS system. I have made some very dear friends here who have showed love and compassion to me in times when I needed it most. Who have always been there and in most cases acted as substitute family to me. My dear in laws are here whom I love so much and who have always taken me in as one of their own and loved me the same as their own daughter or sister. Over the past 9 years this has become my home. I pulled out my journal from when I moved here the other day and was reading about how scared I was. And now 9 years later I have the same feelings about going back to the USA.

I love this country. I love all the quirky bits, all the beautiful and not so beautiful bits, I love the people, the little houses (most houses are little), the shopping, I love everything about it. There will always be a very special place in my heart for everything British. I will continue to carry on all the British Traditions so that my children will always remember this wonderful place and know that this was their home once too.

To my dear family and friend I love you. Thank you for the memories, for caring about me, for helping me when I needed it, for being a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. For all the laughter, for the smiles and for the memories. May God be with you and bless each of you until we meet again.

To all my family and friends and future friends in the USA, I cant wait to make the same memories with each of you. I love you and I am so excited for the future and to see what it holds.

May God bless each and every one of you.

This is likely to be my last post for a few weeks now until I can get set up in Texas. Until then all my love.

England through the eyes of an American - Some of My Favorite Places

Over the past nine years we have been able to visit some amazing places. Most the time when people think of England they think of London. In fact rarely do people think of any other places. Almost like the only place in England is London. Though I do love London and have been many times, there are some other places which I love just as much. I am struggling to find loads of pictures from all the places I have visited over here so I will share with you what I have found in the 10 minutes which I have had to find pictures between packing, throwing memories away and taking care of my three beautiful children. I hope you enjoy this little tour of some of my memories.

Me and two of my babies outside the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben in the back ground. London is beautiful.

This is me at Brough Castle. Brough is in the North East of the country. In County Durham. We have been to Durham on several occasions because my husbands mum and dad live near there. Durham is one of my favorite traditional Old Cities. With the Cathedral and the castle side by side. Cobble stone roads, tiny little streets and just absolutely beautiful.
This is Dudley Castle. We went here over this past Summer. It is a stunning castle in the middle of the country, we live in the midlands now, So much history at this castle. This castle was built in the early 700's AD. As you walk through there are signs telling you what each room is or what it used to be. It is awesome. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for things to do. Around the grounds is a Zoo too so it is a lovely family day out.
Lichfield Cathedral. We have spent many hours taking visitors to Lichfield and the Cathedral is a must see when people visit. It is beautiful. One thing I love about this cathedral is that it has three spires. I am a Mormon and as such I believe that the Godhead are three individuals. Most religions see them as the godhead or as one. But on this cathedral each spire signifies each individual member of the Godhead. Which I actually think is really cool. I also love that this was first built in 669. When I walk through the cathedral I try to imagine all those who have been in that building. It is amazing to me.
This might be an odd one to some but on this day we were at the Trentenham Gardens and the Monkey forest. We love it here. The monkeys run wild and come up to you. It is so cool to watch them interact with the people. My children especially just love it here.
Stonehenge is another place we really enjoyed visiting. When we got there I was so surprised at how small the stones actually are. But the history which surrounds these stones is amazing. It is in the middle of no where but it is so worth seeing if you are in that part of the world.

Last picture I could find quickly was of Myself, my daughter and my mom the one and only time she was able to visit. We are in York which I have to say is by far my favorite city. I like York actually better than I like London. It is so beautiful there with so much history. And I think it is such a gem because most of the tourists tend to spend their time in London. Not many travel all the way to the North of the country to see somewhere like York. The cathedral there is Amazing and walking down the shambles is like nothing you can explain. The homes were built so badly that they have started to lean over and the only thing keeping them up is other homes or buildings leaning into them. I love York.

There are so many other places I have been blessed to have the opportunity to visit. I hope that if you ever get a chance to visit this beautiful land that you don't spend your whole trip in London. Though there is lots to see and do there there is so much beauty outside of London.

England Through the eyes of an American - School

One of the things I am worried about moving back for it school for my children. Here in the UK children start reception, kind of equivalent to Kindergarten, at age 4. For the year before that they go to 1 year of half days in Nursery school. After Reception at age 5 they are in Year 1 age 6 year 2 age 7 year 3. My daughter is 7 and in the equivalent of 3rd grade. Where back in the US she would be in 2nd, we will be having her tested to see what grade they are going to put her in when we get there. Plus the children go to High school at the age of 11 here and finish school for good at the age of 16. Yep, that's different.

Here are a few of the things I love about Primary school in the UK

• There is no separation between church and state like there is in the US. So the children have something called RE (religious education) where they learn about different religions. At the Christmas plays it is actually about the nativity and at some point you will have a Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus.
• They have after school clubs for children as young as 5 years old. Last year my daughter had French Club on a Tuesday, Craft Club on a Wednesday and Keep fit club on a Thursday.
• The classes at the schools are small and typically you don't have more than 1 or 2 classes of each grade. My daughter has been in 3 schools here in England the school she is at now has 1 1/2 classes of year year and this is the biggest school she has ever been to.
• School Uniforms. I never have to worry about what the children are going to wear to school and I know exactly how much their clothes are going to cost at the beginning of each school year.
• Christmas, Spring and Summer Fair. Three times a year the schools we have been in have a family fun day. There are little carnival rides, Carnival games, and loads of other activities where the families go to and just have a great time. All the money goes back into the schools so that the children can do wonderful things like go to the space museum or whatever other outings they decide.
• Summer break is only 6 weeks long. Over here school is kind of like a year round schedule. The children go for 6 weeks and then have what we call half term where they break up for 1 week. Then 6 weeks later the term end. The first end of Term is Christmas so they have two weeks off for that. The second is Easter and they have two weeks off then and last term is end of July and they are off for 6 weeks then. I think the 6 weeks is just long enough because they don't get to bored. I love having my children home with me. I'm one of those weird moms so the fact that we have so much time together during the school year makes me one happy mommy.

I hope you've enjoyed my description of the school system here. I hope it wasn't to boring :)

England through the eyes of an American - Chocolate

This evening we got a knock at the door. When we opened it there was a great big bag of Cadburys chocolate with a lovely little note from some secret friend. And as I was eating a little bar of heaven, I mean chocolate, I thought oh man I am so going to miss Cadbury's chocolate. I know what you are thinking they have Cadbury's in the USA. But Cadbury's in the USA is made by Hersheys and it is not nice. Seriously once you try real European Chocolate you will never go back. I'm so afraid of missing it that I actually have packed 13.22 pounds of chocolate. Also I have looked up where my local British store is so that as soon as I run out I don't have to start having withdraws.

Have any of you ever had British chocolate? If so what do you think? Can you tell a difference. What is your favorite Chocolate bar?

England through the eyes of an American - Breakfast

When I was back home I used to love going out to breakfast. There are so many breakfast options in the US. Here in England you are not so lucky. There are no pancakes (except at McDonald's) No waffles, no french toast with maple syrup, no country fried steak I could go on and on.

If you are going to have breakfast out somewhere they have loads of cereal options or a Traditional English Breakfast. This consists of Bacon, Sausage, Fried Egg (And you don't get a choice of how you want your egg cooked, Its always runny) cooked tomato, cooked mushroom, baked beans, hash brown and toast. I was always OK with the Bacon, Sausage, Egg, Hash brown and Toast. But the first time I have a fried tomato, mushrooms and baked beans for breakfast I was a bit surprised. But I'll tell you what these British really know how to make fried tomatoes and Baked Beans. Man alive the baked beans here are so good we eat them at all times of the day (I'm bringing 12 cans of Baked Beans with me in our move)

In short they may not have your traditional American Breakfast, but the British Fry up is Very good!

England through the eyes of an American -A Fork and a Knife

Back home in the USA they have so many finger foods. I'm sure you can imagine my surprise the first time I went to Pizza Hut and everyone was using a Fork and a Knife to cut and eat their pizza. I was even more surprised the first time I saw someone eat a hamburger with a fork and knife. This is very common here in England. You ALWAYS have a fork and a knife with your meals and everyone knows how to use both. Even the small children.

I now love it and cant imagine not using a fork and a knife for all my main meals (not cereal of course). It is very rare that we don't use both a fork and a knife to eat our food. And I now feel very improper if I am not using both.

England through the eyes of an American - Public Transport

When I was living back home I could hardly bear the idea of walking anywhere and in the small town I came from we had no kind of Public Transport. Everyone ad a car even if it was an old clunker at least you had one. Last time I was home I needed to "nip" (another very British word) out to the shops. There is a corner petrol station just 1/2 a mile from my moms house. I expressed how I was going to walk up to the shop and you should have seen the surprise on my mom and sisters faces. It was kind of like what? How dare you! Walking is what teenagers do before they get their driving license or if they get in trouble. Its a punishment.

Things in England are so very different. We have quiet a few modes of Transportation.

Lets start with the Bus:



The buses in England are so regular. You can get almost anywhere on a bus. Our car broke at the beginning of June and at first I thought Oh. My. Word. What am I going to do. But I sorted out the bus timetables and have been going anywhere I need to on the bus when I can.

Buses are pretty cheap. I can get a Local Day Saver which allows me to travel anywhere in my county all day for only £3.80. Not to bad huh!

Next The Train:



If you need for any reason to go on a long journey there is always the option of the train. It is very reasonable if you look on places like Thetrainline.co.uk I can normally get a single (One Way) to London for about £9.00 of course I am not allowed to travel during peak times which are weekdays between 6 am and 10 am and then again from 3:30 pm and 6:30pm. During those times I can expect to pay well over £120 round trip. But it is very reasonable the other times.

The Tube or Underground in London or the Metro in Manchester (AKA Subway):



This is again another cheap form of transportation normally we add this onto our train ticket. In fact often you can get an bus/tube/train ticket for really reasonable. These run all day at very regular intervals.

Taxi:



There are Taxis everywhere here. No not the typical yellow cabs you see in towns like NY just normal cars which are now taxis or hackney cabs. They are a good way to get somewhere quick or if you have a lot of things to take with you. Taxis can get expensive but again at times are worth it.

The last form of transportation is not a form of any kind it is merely walking or bike riding. It always amazed me when I first got here how many people walk. You can see someone walking on most streets almost all the time. Not having a car for the past 4 months I have really grown to love walking everywhere. I have been having to take the children to school and back 3 times a day and it is 2 miles each way. But not once have I felt embarrassed about walking in fact there are probably more children who walk to school than who don't. Plus if there is one thing you should know about me its that I love to look people in the eye and smile or say hello. And this has been so much fun while walking to and from school. Never mind the fantastic exercise I have been getting.

So there you go if you ever decide to come and visit you now know the most common modes of transportation here in England.

England through the eyes of an American - Petrol & Deisel = Gas

Over the past few months so many of my American friends and Family have been complaining about the ever increasing fuel prices. To them I laugh. Here are our Fuel prices:



There are a few things to notice in the pictures. First we don't have unleaded or leaded gas we just have petrol, which is unleaded, and Diesel.

May I first point out to you that the prices are per litre. There are approximately 4 liters to a US gallon. Which means straight away I pay for my diesel car £5.43 per gallon. Next you have to convert this amount to Dollars £1 = $1.62 so that means for a single gallon of diesel I would way $8.80. Yep I think we win on paying the most. Over the summer when the exchange rate was higher it was even worse.

In the British defense I will say you can go a long way on a little fuel. Our car was 11 gallon take and it would last us a week or two easy. Happy Driving!!

England through the eyes of an American - Accents

To the average American people from the UK have two accents English (England) and Scottish. I too fell into the trap of thinking that all British people sounded pretty much the same. I mean how could they sound different the whole country is the same size as most states.

In the USA I never really noticed to much of a difference in regional accent. I basically heard 3 or 4 different accents. The West coast, Midwest, Deep South and the East Coast Mostly North East coast.

In England that is completely different. Not only are the accents based on the region you come from but they also use different words. For example based upon where you live if you want a sandwich you would ask for a sarnie, a barm, a butty, a sandwich, or a bap it just depends on where you live.

The accent also changes from one region to the next. In order to help you out on your next visit to the UK as to what to expect from where I thought I would share this regional accent map. Hope it helps :) It is so fun to listen to the difference!

England through the eyes of an American - Shopping Trolley Coin Lock

A word to the wise. If you want to go shopping in the grocery store and plan on getting a lot of stuff, make sure you have a £ coin. If you don't you wont be able to get a Shopping Trolley as we call them here because almost all trolleys have Trolley Locks on them and cost £1 to use it. Don't worry you can have it back at the end of your shopping as long as you return the trolley to its rightful place :)

England through the eyes of an American - Market Day

I love the market. I never experienced anything like this when I was back home. That doesn't say that it doesn't exist. Its just saying that it didn't exist in any of the places I lived or that I was to young to appreciate them if they did :)

In the town where I live market day is every Tuesday and Saturday. I often take the children to school and head straight to the market to walk around for a couple of hours, which is what I did today. I thought I would take you on a tour of the Market in my lovely town of Tamworth which is about 12 miles outside of Birmingham.

Here is what I see when I first approach the market. Loads of market stalls. They line the streets and are full of in expensive market goodness :)

Here are a few more stalls at the back of our market. If you click on the picture you can see how diverse the market is. At the front is a fresh produce. Next to that they were selling gardening plants. Back a bit further is handbags in one stall, clothing in one and cushions in another. Any one fancy some fruit? Any bowl £1.00

Ahhh yes all that fresh baked bread goodness. The British LOVE their bread. There are so many different types of bread. Man I am so going to miss this. Oh and by the way ITS CHEAP!! A loaf of bread will set you back 85p for the really nice stuff. Which is only $1.30 Yummy!

A trip to the market wouldn't be a trip to the market without the Butcher shouting out his wonderful prices on the loud speaker. "Hey you, there in the green top you need some sausages don't you? Awe come one fresh lovely British Pork Sausages 6 for £1.50 bargain" Yep that is the lovely butcher.
And the newsagents as we call them here. They sell all the magazines and newspapers available in the UK.

There are loads of sweets stalls. This one is one of our favorites because they sell yummy cakes along with loads of yummy sweets.
When the children come with me to the market this is the first place we have to go... DONUTS!! We get 6 donuts for £1.50 and they are delicious. He makes then right there in front of you. Oh man Krispy Kreme has nothing on the market donut man!
When I first moved here I loved walking to the market at the end of the day when the produce stalls were about to close. There would be 2 or 3 men trying to sell off everything because they knew it wouldn't be fresh come next market do so they would be shouting "BANANA'S GET YOUR BANANA'S 1 HAND 50p" or "MUSHROOMS, WHOLE BOX OF MUSHROOMS £1.00" Once I bought a whole box of mushrooms and then when I got home thought what am I going to do with these now?

Clothing is so cheap in the market. There are probably about 15 stalls in our market of just clothing. They sell everything from trousers, tops, skirts, socks and underwear even Lingerie.

Another one of my favorite things in the market is all the performers. There is always someone playing an instrument or a mime doing a performance. Sometimes there are animals from various charities. The children LOVE putting money in their pots.

A trip to the market is never complete for me without a visit to our charity shops. I never like charity shops until I moved here and I am certain that is because I am now a bit older and can appreciate all the crafty and lovely goodness a charity shop has to offer. It is so true when they say one mans junk is another mans treasure.

Well I hope that you enjoyed my trip to town today. I loved it and I am sad that I only have two more weeks to visit. I am going to have to make sure to make the most of the market over the next two weeks.

England through the eyes of an American - Kissing

When I was growing up I remember being in High School and from time to time giving a friend, a good friend a hug. But it wasn't an every day thing and we certainly never kissed each other on the cheek. So I am sure you can imagine my surprise and embarrassment the first time someone here, whom I had only just met, kissed my cheek. I wasn't sure what to do really. But now 9 years on I am worried about when I go home and go to hug or kiss someone. It is second nature to me now.

In England kissing is normal. You see someone you know in the shops you kiss and hug them, you go to someones house, you kiss and hug them. Your friend gives your child a biscuit you tell them "That was so nice of Emma, give her a kiss and a cuddle." A kiss and a cuddle is everything. Men kiss and give cuddles to the women. Women kiss and cuddle other men and women. It is normal. Where in the states you might give a handshake here we kiss and cuddle (BTW Cuddle = Hug). You know what... I LOVE IT!! What on earth will I do in Texas when a kiss and a cuddle is not acceptable? Well at least not to people you only just meet.

How do you feel about the whole Kiss and Cuddle culture? Am I wrong about it not being this way in the states? Have things changed in the last 9 years which make it more acceptable?

England through the eyes of an American - Language Barrier

When I first arrived in the UK never did I think that I would have a hard time understanding the language. After all we all speak English, don't we? Of course we do but the words we use in the USA are not always the same as the words used here in the UK.

For Example:

The other day we were watching an American children's program and someone said they were going to the restroom in a grocery store. My 7 year old got so excited that in the states they have actual restrooms in stores. She was envisioning a place to rest with nice soft couches, TVs maybe a few toys. I then had to explain to her that the restroom is the same as the Toilet or the Loo here. You should have seen the look on her face.

I thought I would share with you a list of words which are different.

English word - American word

Biscuits - Cookies
Headmaster - Principal
Spanner - Wrench
Courgette - Zucchini
Wardrobe - Closet
Lorry - Truck
Toilet / Loo / WC - Bathroom / Restroom
Flat - Apartment
Trousers - Pants
Pants / Knickers - Underwear
Queue - Line
Lift - Elevator
Rubber - Eraser
Chips - Fries
Crisps - Potato Chips
Holiday - Vacation
Boot - Trunk
Bonnet - Hood
Petrol - Gas
Shop - Store
Ring - Call
Jumper - Sweater
Nappy - Diaper
Dummy - Pacifier
Plaster - Band aid
Jelly - Jello
Garden - Yard
Pram / Push chair - Stroller
Torch - Flashlight
Trainers - Tennis shoes
Lounge - Living Room
Candy Floss - Cotton Candy
Primary School - Elementary School
Rubbish - Trash
Bin - Trash Can
Snogging - Making out
Car Park - Parking Lot
Motorway - Freeway
Slip Road - Freeway on or off ramp
Indicator - Blinker
Lolly pop Lady - Crossing Guard
Zebra Crossing - Crosswalk
Pudding - Dessert
Mobile Phone - Cell Phone
Engaged - Busy (IE. the phone was engaged)
Hire something - Rent something
Hoover - Vacuum
Revise - Study
Trolley - Shopping Cart


Can anyone else think of anymore?

England through the eyes of an American - Holidays

After 9 years Im not really sure where to start. I have been trying to decide what to share with you first. I thought I would share with you some of my favorite Holiday Traditions here in the UK.

Of course we have standard "Bank Holidays" here. But some of the things celebrated are not actual holidays. So Im going to share a mix of my favorite "Official" Holidays and "Unofficial" Holidays.




One of my first favorites is...... Drum Roll Please..... St. George's Day! St. George is the patriot saint of England. Most will have heard of him as the man who slayed the dragon. St. Georges Day is big deal here. In our town they make it a fantastic family day. We always go to the park where there are loads of 12th Century activities on. Our favorite is the Jousting and Sword flighting. They set up a big arena and have different knights joust each other. The Grand Finale being the Bad Knight against Saint George.


Easter - Of course we all celebrate Easter for the same reason, the Resurection of the Savior Jesus Christ, but the traditions are not the same. In the USA you have the Easter Bunny. In England there is no such bunny. Instead we buy HUGE Chocolate Eggs and give them to each other and our children. My children normally end up with about 10 - 15 of these eggs. Everyone is off work on the friday before Easter (Good Friday) and the Monday following Easter (Easter Monday). There are always family fun activities going on in the local parks but no people dressed up like scary Easter Bunnys. ;)

Halloween - Halloween is only really just taking off. Halloween isnt the fun loving holiday it is in the USA. When the children knock on your door and say Trick or Treat they actually mean it and if you dont give them some kind of treat then they will egg or flower your house. Last year our local grocery store refused to sell Eggs or flour to anyone under the age of 18 in the two weeks before Halloween. Many of the older generation see Halloween as celebrating evil spirits and ghost. Since having children I have always taken my children Trick or Treating and it has only been the past couple of years that people have really begun to realise that it can be just for fun with no harm intended. I would imagine that in the next 10 years the bad stigma which has always been around Halloween in England will dissapear and it will become the fun loved holiday that is shared by so many across the pond :)


Bon Fire Night - The 5th of November is Guy Fawlks night, AKA Bon Fire Night. When I first moved here and heard about this I couldnt believe that people here would celebrate a time when a man tried to set the houses of parliment on fire and as punishment was burnt at the stake. I was shocked at my first Bon Fire when they have a stuffed man on top of the Bon Fire and were burning him as a reminder of it. But I have grown to LOVE the traditions which come with this holiday. This is celebrated on the 5th of November so it is starting to get cold out. We always start with a nice hot dinner, chilli or a hotpot (known as stew in the USA) then we bundle up in warm clothes and head to our local Fireworks and Bon Fire Show. We Drink Hot Chocolate and eat Cany Apples, not covered in Caramel but rather in a hard candy shell or choclate covered with nuts or sprinkles. The kids wear glowing jewlery and we buy some kind of lighted toys from the local vendors. There are loads of people around, loud music and of course the Bon Fire and then finally after waiting an hour or so the fireworks start. They are done to traditional music songs like Jerusalem or Land of Hope and Glory and last about 20 minutes. I love this tradition and even as I write this my heart strings are being pulled and I am realising just how much I will miss this tradition.


Rememberance Day - Rememberance Day is similar to Memorial Day, but we dont have time off work. For weeks in the run up to Rememberance Day people wear plastic or paper Red Poppies. Rememberance Day is on the 11th of November. At 11 am there is 2 minutes of silence where ever you are you stop and for two minutes reflect on and remember those who lost their lives for the freedoms which we enjoy so much. Then the following sunday in church again at 11 we have two minutes of silence and everyone stands to show respect. It is a lovely way to remember those who have passed on before us and have paved the way for us. For the comforts and the Freedoms we enjoy.




Christmas - I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I LOVE the British traditions for Christmas. Christmas Crackers, Tins of Chocolates, Selection Boxes, Advent Calanders, School Christmas Fairs, School Christmas Plays and more food than you than you can "shake a stick at".

Boxing Day - The day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day. Originally an 'Alms Box' was placed in every church on Christmas Day, into which worshippers placed a gift for the poor of the parish. These boxes were always opened the day after Christmas, which is why that day became know as Boxing Day. Now we celebrate it watching Football (AKA Soccer) and eating as much as you possibly can. Mostly buffet food or left overs.

Where are you from and what are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

Your Going Where? And Doing What?

I cant believe that it has been almost a month since I posted anything on here. I must apologise and explain. As most of you will know I have been living in England for the past 9 years. Back in December my husband and I decided that we have enjoyed our journey here in England but that it was time to move back to the USA. Something that we had intended to do since we moved here 9 years ago. So we applied for his visa, he is British. He received his visa in August and since then things have been manic. In fact before he received his visa we were slowly clearing things out.

Well here we are the 1st of October and I am happy to announce we will be moving to Dallas Texas on the 24th of this month. Things are very crazy here as we have decided to sell everything we own and relocate with nothing but 4 suitcases, our lugage allowance.

I will be honest with you I am so excited to be closer to my family, we will still be a 21 hour drive from my home town of Good Ol St.George Utah but we will be a lot closer. At the same time I am really sad to leave the only home my children have ever known. And the beautiful place I have called home for the past 9 years.

I have been thinking a lot the past few weeks about this move and about how lucky I have been to live in the United Kingdom and to experience the culture and the people this wonderful land has to offer. I started to think about how so many of my wonderful friends and family, of which you all are, may never get to experience this beautiful place. So I have decided over the next few weeks, as I savor my final three weeks here and as I start taking millions of mental picture of things I never want to forget, Im going to write a series of posts all about this wonderful land. The many things I have had the chance to do and experience over the past 9 years. I think Im going to call it England through the eyes of an American.

This place has made such an imprint on my heart. It has been my home my entire adult life. My husbands family are all here, whom I love dearly. I just thought I would share this place that I love so much with all of you. I hope that you will enjoy this series of posts. I also hope I can find the time while preparing to move country to do the series of posts the justice it deserves.