An Update
So you need a rather rapid update.
Recently, my Mom, Jose and myself have moved house. We went beyond the range of the BT Openzone hotspot, so I spent the first night scouring the list of connections. At present, I'm connecting to an open network called TP-LINK. I have two bars of connection, which is better than the BT one, and it breaks less frequently. On June 1st, Mom is having a BT landline installed, which will give us broadband back. God is very gracious.
For the next three weeks, my life is going to be intensely busy before I practically disappear offline for two months.
I will be taking my laptop and camera with me to the States, so watch out for updates, etc. :D Unfortunately, I won't be able to get a video camera, so you'll have to suffice with piccies. :)
I'm trying to sort out the details of my trip at the moment, so when that is finalised as much as can be with the families I'd like to visit, I'll update you. For now, I'm trying to visit Texas, Oregon and Oklahoma on top of Kansas, but money is very tight, so I'd like prayer on that, please. I may have to cut out one of them, but I'm hoping not.
I've changed Squadrons, so I'm no longer at 196 Squadron but at 425. I lost my rank with the transfer, so I'm just Cadet Jones again. :D I considered changing my rank on the various sites that my username is Corporal, but I decided that since I was one once, there wasn't really any need to bother.
My schedule for the next few weeks reads as follows:
Today 22cd: Lawnmowering, clean out the guinea pigs, general clean up, online.
Monday 23rd: Work in the morning, Lizzie phoning, Jane's internet in the afternoon, cadets on the night.
Tuesday 24th: Family things on.
Wednesday 25th: Heading to Nottingham with my family to meet Keifer, Addison, Rachel and Keifer's mom. (Red alert: Need to get a note on Facebook to my new Flt Lt that I won't be there. EDIT: Done.)
Thursday 26th: Taking a train to Stratford on Avon to tour with Keif, Addison, Rachel and Keif's mom. (Red alert: Need to let Lisa know I can't work Thursday.)
...
(Update continued): As the internet is now installed, the only reason my computer keeps dying on me is I've overused my battery to the extent that when it isn't run off the mains, it crashes. However, the electricity is run off a meter, and we can only afford so much, so I have to run it part on battery and part on electric. If you find me going offline suddenly in the middle of a conversation, please repeat what you last said when I get back online as my computer will have deleted it.
I leave for the United States in ten days, and my excitement knows no bounds. However, my calendar is...chock a block. :D Here is a rough run-down of my life since May 31st.
Monday, May 30st - Out all day with 425 Squadron on a 2.30 hour march (about 5 miles) playing the bell lyre for Staffordshire Wing - in the rain. Popping back in to my boss's to check on her tortoise.
Tuesday, May 31st - Work in the morning, picked up by the Boss at 12:30 to get to Aldridge for a drill team practice.
Wednesday, June 1st - Babysit Ayanna during the day, get to Sqn early on the night for another drill practice - from 6-7, picked up at just gone 7 to babysit my two nephews for my brother and sister-in-law, staying there overnight.
Thursday, June 2cd - Dropped off at work; afterwards, Lisa and I sort out a list and programme for the next few days, and I make a calendar to record everything to do on.
Friday, June 3rd - Officially my last free day until I reach the States.
Saturday, June 4th - Was supposed to be babysitting my Boss's son from 10-2, but ended up helping with Ayanna from 1-7pm instead.
Sunday, June 5th - Wing Field Day, an all day event of non-stop activity, one of the most important events in the cadet calendar where the 32 Squadrons forming Staffs Wing compete with each other. I was in the 425 drill team (whoop!) and playing with the Staffordshire Wing band.
Monday, June 6th - Maintenance man coming while Mom and Jose are downtown, exam date for GCSE Maths exam at 1:30pm, with Squadron on the night. That involves study, travel and travel, ironing, participation, coming back to Sam's, eating tea, going home.
Tuesday, June 7th - House sitting while Mom takes the cat to the vet. Dad being moved out of the house for one week so we can get our belongings - so during the whole week, around other activities, I'm dismantling and sorting my old bedroom very rapidly to bring it to the new place, and rebuilding and putting it back together there.
Wednesday, June 8th - Squadron on the night, but most of the day involved with moving house. Have to leave early for Sqn as we're heading up to Stafford. It's Wing Band's practice night. One week before I leave for the States. The Boss is coming around on the night with Mrs. B. :)
Thursday, June 9th - Work in the morning, mowing my boss's lawn, before walking back to my old home (they're twenty minutes' walk apart) to continue moving house.
Friday, June 10th - GCSE Maths Exam part 2. Very nervous about this one. Five days before I leave. I get the results five days after my return. Moving house.
Saturday, June 11th - All day with the Squadron Band. Don't know what we're doing.
Sunday, June 12th - Cosford Airshow with the Wing Band or church in the morning with moving house.
Monday, June 13th - Work in the morning. My boss is going to tint my eyelashes, pluck my eyebrows and darken them for my going to the States. Should be a new and painful experience...not looking forward to the plucking part. :P
Tuesday, June 14th - A day in which we find out a major event that could affect my mother's health considerably and also decides how much pressure we will be under when I return from the USA. The stress and tension will be considerable - much prayer requested, please.
Wednesday, June 15th - I leave the house at 5am for Heathrow Airport, Terminal Four. By late afternoon, I will have set foot on Kansas soil.
Bearing in mind that I still have to arrange my currency conversion, pack for the States with stuff we're bringing out the house, doublecheck my baggage weight, make sure I have the presents for my Yanks, sort my phone out, get a plug socket thingie, doublecheck my VISA waiver.
I think the Boss is sorting out two or three of that for me, God bless him.
But yeah, just so you're convinced I'm not completely being lazy and don't want to chat to you... :)
On my return from the States, I have several itemised things to accomplish so that I don't wax deep in depression. :P
These are, in importance order:
Getting a job
Learning to drive
Get on a sign language course
Learn self defense
Join a choir
I would love to do something with my voice someday, maybe, so hopefully a choir will be an opening.
Sign language has always fascinated me, and I have a natural flair for languages, so hopefully this is one way of using a talent God has gifted me with.
Getting a job and learning to drive will help my family immensely, so please pray for me on those.
Learning self defense is something I've thought of for a time, as I hate the helpless feeling as I watch someone I love get attacked or I get attacked. So it will be new, fascinating and hopefully train my mind and body to move faster.
On top of this, I want to get the Single For Christ site up and moving. Please pray for that, also.
So! I hope you're a bit more updated now and this will save any questions. :)
God bless!
~Janie
EDITORIAL NOTE: "The Boss" is my old commanding officer, Brian Beckett. "My boss" is my sister's friend Lisa, who I work for and who has been most generous to me with money and everything else. God bless them both, and everyone else who has helped me so much.
Recently, my Mom, Jose and myself have moved house. We went beyond the range of the BT Openzone hotspot, so I spent the first night scouring the list of connections. At present, I'm connecting to an open network called TP-LINK. I have two bars of connection, which is better than the BT one, and it breaks less frequently. On June 1st, Mom is having a BT landline installed, which will give us broadband back. God is very gracious.
For the next three weeks, my life is going to be intensely busy before I practically disappear offline for two months.
I will be taking my laptop and camera with me to the States, so watch out for updates, etc. :D Unfortunately, I won't be able to get a video camera, so you'll have to suffice with piccies. :)
I'm trying to sort out the details of my trip at the moment, so when that is finalised as much as can be with the families I'd like to visit, I'll update you. For now, I'm trying to visit Texas, Oregon and Oklahoma on top of Kansas, but money is very tight, so I'd like prayer on that, please. I may have to cut out one of them, but I'm hoping not.
I've changed Squadrons, so I'm no longer at 196 Squadron but at 425. I lost my rank with the transfer, so I'm just Cadet Jones again. :D I considered changing my rank on the various sites that my username is Corporal, but I decided that since I was one once, there wasn't really any need to bother.
My schedule for the next few weeks reads as follows:
Today 22cd: Lawnmowering, clean out the guinea pigs, general clean up, online.
Monday 23rd: Work in the morning, Lizzie phoning, Jane's internet in the afternoon, cadets on the night.
Tuesday 24th: Family things on.
Wednesday 25th: Heading to Nottingham with my family to meet Keifer, Addison, Rachel and Keifer's mom. (Red alert: Need to get a note on Facebook to my new Flt Lt that I won't be there. EDIT: Done.)
Thursday 26th: Taking a train to Stratford on Avon to tour with Keif, Addison, Rachel and Keif's mom. (Red alert: Need to let Lisa know I can't work Thursday.)
...
(Update continued): As the internet is now installed, the only reason my computer keeps dying on me is I've overused my battery to the extent that when it isn't run off the mains, it crashes. However, the electricity is run off a meter, and we can only afford so much, so I have to run it part on battery and part on electric. If you find me going offline suddenly in the middle of a conversation, please repeat what you last said when I get back online as my computer will have deleted it.
I leave for the United States in ten days, and my excitement knows no bounds. However, my calendar is...chock a block. :D Here is a rough run-down of my life since May 31st.
Monday, May 30st - Out all day with 425 Squadron on a 2.30 hour march (about 5 miles) playing the bell lyre for Staffordshire Wing - in the rain. Popping back in to my boss's to check on her tortoise.
Tuesday, May 31st - Work in the morning, picked up by the Boss at 12:30 to get to Aldridge for a drill team practice.
Wednesday, June 1st - Babysit Ayanna during the day, get to Sqn early on the night for another drill practice - from 6-7, picked up at just gone 7 to babysit my two nephews for my brother and sister-in-law, staying there overnight.
Thursday, June 2cd - Dropped off at work; afterwards, Lisa and I sort out a list and programme for the next few days, and I make a calendar to record everything to do on.
Friday, June 3rd - Officially my last free day until I reach the States.
Saturday, June 4th - Was supposed to be babysitting my Boss's son from 10-2, but ended up helping with Ayanna from 1-7pm instead.
Sunday, June 5th - Wing Field Day, an all day event of non-stop activity, one of the most important events in the cadet calendar where the 32 Squadrons forming Staffs Wing compete with each other. I was in the 425 drill team (whoop!) and playing with the Staffordshire Wing band.
Monday, June 6th - Maintenance man coming while Mom and Jose are downtown, exam date for GCSE Maths exam at 1:30pm, with Squadron on the night. That involves study, travel and travel, ironing, participation, coming back to Sam's, eating tea, going home.
Tuesday, June 7th - House sitting while Mom takes the cat to the vet. Dad being moved out of the house for one week so we can get our belongings - so during the whole week, around other activities, I'm dismantling and sorting my old bedroom very rapidly to bring it to the new place, and rebuilding and putting it back together there.
Wednesday, June 8th - Squadron on the night, but most of the day involved with moving house. Have to leave early for Sqn as we're heading up to Stafford. It's Wing Band's practice night. One week before I leave for the States. The Boss is coming around on the night with Mrs. B. :)
Thursday, June 9th - Work in the morning, mowing my boss's lawn, before walking back to my old home (they're twenty minutes' walk apart) to continue moving house.
Friday, June 10th - GCSE Maths Exam part 2. Very nervous about this one. Five days before I leave. I get the results five days after my return. Moving house.
Saturday, June 11th - All day with the Squadron Band. Don't know what we're doing.
Sunday, June 12th - Cosford Airshow with the Wing Band or church in the morning with moving house.
Monday, June 13th - Work in the morning. My boss is going to tint my eyelashes, pluck my eyebrows and darken them for my going to the States. Should be a new and painful experience...not looking forward to the plucking part. :P
Tuesday, June 14th - A day in which we find out a major event that could affect my mother's health considerably and also decides how much pressure we will be under when I return from the USA. The stress and tension will be considerable - much prayer requested, please.
Wednesday, June 15th - I leave the house at 5am for Heathrow Airport, Terminal Four. By late afternoon, I will have set foot on Kansas soil.
Bearing in mind that I still have to arrange my currency conversion, pack for the States with stuff we're bringing out the house, doublecheck my baggage weight, make sure I have the presents for my Yanks, sort my phone out, get a plug socket thingie, doublecheck my VISA waiver.
I think the Boss is sorting out two or three of that for me, God bless him.
But yeah, just so you're convinced I'm not completely being lazy and don't want to chat to you... :)
On my return from the States, I have several itemised things to accomplish so that I don't wax deep in depression. :P
These are, in importance order:
Getting a job
Learning to drive
Get on a sign language course
Learn self defense
Join a choir
I would love to do something with my voice someday, maybe, so hopefully a choir will be an opening.
Sign language has always fascinated me, and I have a natural flair for languages, so hopefully this is one way of using a talent God has gifted me with.
Getting a job and learning to drive will help my family immensely, so please pray for me on those.
Learning self defense is something I've thought of for a time, as I hate the helpless feeling as I watch someone I love get attacked or I get attacked. So it will be new, fascinating and hopefully train my mind and body to move faster.
On top of this, I want to get the Single For Christ site up and moving. Please pray for that, also.
So! I hope you're a bit more updated now and this will save any questions. :)
God bless!
~Janie
EDITORIAL NOTE: "The Boss" is my old commanding officer, Brian Beckett. "My boss" is my sister's friend Lisa, who I work for and who has been most generous to me with money and everything else. God bless them both, and everyone else who has helped me so much.
Hurray! You're coming to the States!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to meeting you at the OYAN workshop!
Praying for you with your busy schedule...
Blessings,
~Pippin
I don't want to creep you out or anything, but just as a word of advice, it's probably best if you don't put your day-to-day hour-to-hour schedule on the internet. I understand you want your friends to know what your whereabouts are going to be, but it could fall in the wrong hands. I doubt it will, but I've heard stories about things like that happening and they never ended too chipper. I just don't want to see another person fall victim to that.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
~Sister in Christ.
*laughs* I'm looking forward to meeting you too, Pipsie! Thanks so much for your prayers - although, as mentally predicted, the plans have already massively changed. Not that we're not as busy though. :D
ReplyDeleteLove in Christ,
Janie
Thank you so much for your advice, I really appreciate it. I tried to be fairly nondescript with the places I named, so that it wouldn't be too much risk...again, I will be more careful.
Thank you. :)
In Christ,
Jane