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http://christycory6.blogspot.com

Better

Well after everyone else got well and back to school, I got sick and Cory stayed home to care for me on Tuesday. Wednesday he went to work and I slept most of the day. I was better but achy and tired. After being cooped up and sick I wanted to get outside and go somewhere and the sun had come back out for a few days. It is cold outside but bearable if the wind is not blasting you. We went to the movies Friday night to see Rise of the Guardians which was a good one we all enjoyed. Then on Saturday we went to Blenheim Palace which is the Churchill family estate near Oxford. Winston Churchill was born there when his grandfather was Duke of Marlborough. He also later proposed to his wife there. One of his relatives is the current Duke and lives there. It's called a palace but they are not royalty really, just honored like it. It's a pretty place of course and has lovely grounds, 2,000 acres. There were lots of pheasants. They also have a nice play area and a real maze which I had a hard time finding my way out of. I was starting to get a bit nervous. hee hee. Tristan and Avery visited Father Christmas in Santa's Grotto which they had set up in the stables. It was just a room with benches and cartoons showing and an elf and Mrs. Claus helping out. Father Christmas sits behind a wall so you can't see him unless it's your turn and once it's your turn you go talk to him and turn and look at your mom so she can snap a picture and then he gives you a present and you go. They do not sit on Santa's lap here. He asked the boys if they would leave him a mince pie and Tristan said that we would be leaving him cookies. The boys enjoyed their presents. Avery got a foam glider plane and Tristan a similar rocket. They probably come from the pound store and we paid four pounds each for them to do it but I believe the profits go to charity. They are big into charity here. Everyday I get a new letter from school or church or work or somewhere about an activity to raise money for a charity. They talk about it a lot on tv and such too, it's fashionable to do charity work it seems. It's rather pricey to visit Blenheim but if you go once they give you a pass to come back for a year for free so once the weather warms up a bit I'm sure we will go back. It's a nice place just to go for a walk and let the kids play on the playground and they have a butterfly house. It's not too far from base so it can be a stop on a day to visit the commissary. We did go to the base commissary after and bought some things but not as much as I planned to. They were a bit wiped out. Apparently it was pay day for the military. It was dark by the time we headed home and driving in the dark on these little dark roads really stinks. It was very stressful but I made it. Next time I will try to get home by dark.

I am watching the first presidency Christmas broadcast right now. Yes, it's late but it's nice to enjoy things live sometimes instead of delayed. I like the point of being a good receiver, that is definitely harder for me than giving. We will all watch it for family home evening tonight.

We are well and our trip is fast approaching. It should be good and very tiring. I think we all get a little homesick sometimes. Aiden was looking at Syracuse on Google maps the other day, he said he just wanted to look because he missed it. An added bonus is that it will likely be warmer there. I'm praying for on time flights. We are scheduled to get in at 9pm as it is and we hit the parks the next morning. I think we will try to do a smaller park Monday.