woohoo! our big news is that we bought a house today!
we have lots of building (remodeling) work planned so it may be a while before it becomes 'home'
we're really pleased and thank God for His provision and blessing
thank God for thanksgiving!
mags made a delicious turkey dinner with all the trimmings and we told each other (and God) the things we want to give thanks for
(sadly no picture of the meal as our camera has died)
we had a conversation at dinner time that went like this....
(phil) so skye, who do think will win the election?
(skye) you will, daddy!
(phil) I'm not in the election
(mags) obama or mccain?
(skye) banana!
well, 3 of us managed to climb 4 of the 14!
it was a weekend of adversity: gearbox failure on the way saw one car retired early, inhospitable weather with strong winds, heavy rain & low cloud made it feel more like march than august, one tent sunk & destroyed
one camping table crushed, one man went home early, five soaked through, finally jim & I fell ill with suspected food poisoning and were admitted to hospital in sheffield!
a great weekend, an epic, almost a classic!
we got up at 4am to climb all 14 of the welsh mountains over 3000 feet high
here's richard on crib goch around 7am
and yes, you guessed it, the weather was bobbins
off to sheffield today
phil's going on to wales to climb mountains with some of the men-folk in honour of jon's 40th birthday
skye had some fantastic mor mor & mor far time on a trip out to the lovely parcevall hall gardens today
I can't remember the last time I watched so much tv in the daytime...
I'm loving the olympics, shouting for nicole cook (and then crying when she won), even distracted from food by the us v china basketball
all with no commercial breaks, bliss!
the holidays have started! woohoo!
here we are (just woken up) with family who've dropped in too: adam & marianne, cousin gerald & his lovely girlfriend aise
despite the haircut, I've got to hand it to michael vaughan
he's not just a great cricketer, he's also a brilliant captain and a real star
I don't normally post twice in one day...
but this really is astonishing news from the d: boys
the kids favourite (indoor) game at the moment is building a house in the cushions on the couch
joseph had his first airplane ride today!
we took a family trip along with some friends to see an exciting young church in northern ireland
what a treat! phil got four days in portugal this week hanging out with some of the finest people in europe, sharing challenging conversations on church planting and a first round of golf...
we have this cool buggy board thing where skye can ride behind the push chair (translation for our american friends: stroller)
well she loves it and we wanted you all to see it!
about the new delirious album due out this spring
been singing and dancing to the videos with the kids...
phew! 2007 has been a big year for us
big changes, big adventures, big growth...
...here is a small collection of our biggest highlights!
sleepless in january
on new year's day mags and phil took a short break in seattle 
family in february
taking a team to the impuls gatherings in norway
meeting our gorgeous new neice (skye's cousin) kerstin in sweden
mumbai march
our lovely friends jean and francis visited from mumbai india
other big things were playing nertz at 306, andy and heather visiting from seattle and the dental trip to ecuador
expectant april
leading a week of prayer at church, seeing delirious live
and visiting oklahoma city with mal
and to top it off - finding out mags was pregnant again!
moving may
crazy packing, an amazing retreat, tearful goodbyes
we moved from america to england to join our friends in bristol and be part of a team planting new churches across the city and beyond
we spent a few happy days with eric and jill, exploring washington dc
home and holiday in june
we established home in central bristol - the ark - with fellow-returning-missionary-friends-from-sheffield neil, natalie and matthew
regardless of other things happening in britain (rain, flooding and terrorist attacks) we had a great family break in the highlands of scotland
climbing in july
the shipment of our things arrived safely
phil climbed the matterhorn of north america - the grand teton in wyoming
outdoors in august
more outdoor adventures - this time in scotland and norway
september is meant for starting
including year team bristol - a year-long training course for young adults - as well as part-time work in a local prison and the house at wick for prayer, retreat and teaching
october is for adventures
short visits to northern ireland and budapest
november is spelt j-o-s-e-p-h
nephew adam (skye's cousin) was born and then
our biggest highlight of the year - joseph's arrival!
also the one that got away - joseph and michelle's wedding
december is for chilling
we've had some really special family time and some serious festive food
it's also been a great chance to relax, read, reflect - resulting in this review!
happy new year!
are great aren't they?
we're enjoying having phil's mum and dad, richard and marion visit this weekend
it's been a busy november for joseph
the fan club is officially open
you know how to join...
