Alright, so after Vienna (spoiled brat that I am) I flew off to England to spend the holidays with my sisters family who live in Nottingham England!
I had a slight catch along the way though- my flight from Vienna was delayed by several hours making my connection in Germany really tight. The guy who sat next to me on my Vienna flight happened to have the same connection and we walked to the gate together (in as much as two strangers who have already been sitting for hours within 2 inches of each other and realize they are going to the same place but don't want to talk can be called 'together'). The problem is that since I was leaving the EU proper, I had to go through security. The dude I was 'with' got by no problem so he must have been an EU citizen. Then I got held up and they were asking about my internship and stuff and I was an idiot and forgot to have my official document from OPCW with me in my carry on. Anyway, the lady let me through but by that time I had missed my flight and the German guy at the gate was NOT being helpful. So then I walked back up and had to go past through security but because I was in a foreign country and nothing was very user friendly (I'm not a total idiot guys) I walked back through security the wrong way. So then I REALLY got in trouble and people were saying scary things in German and I suddenly felt this intense prejudice for Germans (it was so scary!) and then just as suddenly they were all chill like "ok, it's fine you can go through."
It was rather unnerving and I was so tired I kind of wanted to cry.
Well, blah blah blah, got my bags, rebooked my flight and stayed at a hotel right next to the airport that night with a free meal (schnitzel!). My flight left at like 6 am so I didn't get much rest but I DID make my flight so huzzah. Dustin was there to pick me up from the airport and drive me the hour back from Birmingham to Nottingham where I was greeted by the rest of the Shipps!
They have a three bedroom house with both a front and back garden in a nice little area of Nottingham. It's not big but it's comfy. For the duration of my time there I got to be Ellie's roommate- that's my 5 year old niece!
It was a very kid-friendly christmas. Ellie and I made paper chains and snowflakes to decorate the house. I did a toffee treasure hunt for them and we made christmas tree brownies and "reindeer chow" (puppy chow). It was a very different pace than I have been used to these past few months so I had to adjust in that sense but it was great to be with family! Ellie and I especially bonded. Here are some pictures!
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| Christine (aka "Teeny" cause she's so....Teeny!) |
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I asked Ellie if we would be friends forever. She said, "I think so!"
I think so too. |
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Ready for Santa! That's the paper chain Ellie and I made on top there and then we all decorated cheap stockings.
Mine had my signature alien on it :) |
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I did a lot of pintrest research on fun things to do with kids before I got to England.
Can you tell that I want these kids to like me? |
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Laura being supermom
I basically came up with all the ideas and then made her implement them! |
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Roomies
Throughout my time there we couldn't decide whether I was the third parent or the third child.
Maybe a little of both :) |
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Ellie was VERY preoccupied with her cotton candy on the way back from the Christmas Market.
I did my best to keep her from getting run over. |
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The final Christmas Market of the year!
But not, funnily enough, the last time I went to it. |
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| The Shipps! |
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Ellie and I rode a carousel at the Christmas Market in downtown Nottingham.
Ellie's horse was named "Cloudshine"
Mine was named Rupert. |
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| Christmas morning! This is a present from my colleague at OPCW- little Dutch spoons! |
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I had a VERY Doctor Who Christmas!
I got a WHOdie (get it) and t-shirt from Laura and a onsie from Emily.
Onesies are cool. |
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| It was glorious! |
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| Ellie looked very cute in her Ariel towel from her parents |
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| I got Dustin a marzipan sausage. Because obviously. |
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We were lacking some of the necessary kitchen equipment for making mashed potates.
So I mashed them with my boot cup that I got in Austria! |
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Dustin made Christmas dinner!
We had Christmas Crackers and everything! |
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| Teeny was sad to realize that the Christmas Crackers weren't actually edible crackers |
Of course for Christmas Eve we also had the annual Hurst talent show and nativity play! We skyped home to STL to talk with my parents and the Johnson family. For my talent I was going to do "I saw three shipps come sailing in" since Laura is pregnant with her third baby but it was actually kind of boring musically. So then I learned "Edelweiss" in honor of my time in Salzburg on the uke. Milo did a piece on the piano, Teeny pretended to ice skate (she has this adorable part where she always pretends to fall down) and Walter threw a magic pinecone in the fireplace. My dad did an epic rendition of the Grinch accompanied by his own miniature Grinch doll. After we all did our talents and had hung up with the STL family we did our own nativity in England. I was both the inkeeper and the angel (as well as the Heavenly Host). That was really cute and I was pretty impressed at my own mastery of the lines.
Below are just some general ambience pictures from the Christmas period
