ENGLAND PART 1

I believe it was my first airplane ride from Oklahoma to England. At least that I remember. Well, I don't remember the airplane ride, but I remember driving to our new neighborhood. I don't know if we lived in temporary housing first or if we moved straight into the neighborhood, but I remember driving what seemed to be a forever drive, on a cloudy day. 

It was a military housing neighborhood, that was not on a base. It was located in a town called Northamptonshire. The town was about 2 hours northeast of London.

I remember all the houses looked the same, and they were mostly duplexes or side by side homes. The neighborhood had an old school with a playground and outdoor basketball courts and all the homes were surrounded by fields. Wide open! 

My memory of England is spotty - though, I have a lot of memories some good and some not so good. However, the timelines probably aren't very accurate considering we moved there when I was only five years old. 

I started school on the Air Force base Alconbury - Mrs. Tucker was my kindergarten teacher and I absolutely adored her. The next year starting first grade, I remember not liking it as much.  I had to bring "healthy snacks" for snack time. I had packed a chocolate snack pack, and my teacher took it away from me telling me that it wasn't healthy. I was not happy, and neither was my bonus mom. Next thing I knew, me and my middle brother moved to the British schools, and I started school at Higham Ferrers. We had to wear uniforms, and I remember being really nervous but making friends really easily. 

The start to life in England was simple, as I remember. Now looking back I realize my dad was in a brand-new marriage with his new bride, with four kids, living in England. Probably not so simple for him. 

Random story: my brothers, our friends, and I used to take the clippings of grass from around the fields and make "houses". My friends and brother, we would line up the clippings with our hands to create the outside border of the home, then inside the border make our rooms with clippings. Then, we would all playhouse. Love and miss that simplicity of the imagination! 

I remember sitting out in the grass with my brother Walker and him somehow convincing me to eat black ants with him..... Walker is the only person I think who could get me to do almost anything. (Black ants are sour by the way). 

My childhood was starting. What a great way - in a foreign country, at a foreign school, learning a new culture. 

England had a lot of firsts for me:
My kindergarten "boyfriend"
My first communion
My first pair of baby blue Mary Jane doc martins 
My first two-wheel bike
My first ferry ride 
so on and so on... 

Little did we know, England would bring one of the most life changing events to ever happen to our family.