"1000 Oceans"

~Tori Amos~

These tears I've cried

I've cried 1000 oceans

And if it seems

I'm floating in the darkness

Well, I can't believe that I would keep

Keep you from flying

And I would cry 1000 more

If that's what it takes

To sail you home

Sail you home

Sail you home

It's the middle of the night, and I miss my son.

We went out and got Chinese food tonight from the Fast Dragon in Pekin. We opened our fortune cookies afterwards, eager to benefit from their wisdom and foresight. When Amy opened hers it said this:

"Simplicity and clarity should be your theme in dress."

I think we can all learn something from that.

From (left-to-right) Bloomington Pantagraph; Pekin Daily Times; Peoria Journal Star

Funny Story Time.

Tonight Jim and I were driving by the post office at like 9:30. This guy came running out of that alleyway next to the p.o. He was wearing no shirt and had sweatpants on. Jim acted all concerned and was like shaking his head, so I was like . . ."What?" He goes, "Nothing." So I said, "Just tell me, what??" And he goes, "Did you see that guy come running out of the Dojo?" For the next 10 minutes he goes on to argue with me that there was a Dojo in Tremont, or still is a Dojo in Tremont. We drove by so he could see there wasn't a Dojo, but he still kept insisting there was once a Dojo (above or next to the Post Office). I laughed so hard I seriously almost peed my pants. I totally kept picturing the guy with sweats going to work out at the Tremont Dojo, and then running out all worked up and upset. HAHAHAHAHA

Kreese: Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it?
Karate Student: No, Sensei.
Kreese: Pain does not exist in this dojo, does it?
Karate Student: No, Sensei.
Kreese: Defeat does not exist in this dojo, does it?
Karate Student: No, Sensei.

Well, I'm over the England thing. Portugal getting the French kiss-off in the semis helped, but I think it was the therapy that cheered me up most.

HAPPY JULY 4TH FROM JIM AND AMY!!!
.................................................................................

So yesterday was July 4th, a.k.a. Independence Day (it's not just a Will Smith movie, geniuses) and the day of the year when Americans let off fireworks and celebrate their independence from England. Given this fact, I thought maybe I should stay safely indoors, but Amy assured me it wasn't like that and so I celebrated my independence too. We had a really awesome day! At 8PM we went (back) to Hopedale (which was a little odd at first) to watch a really cool fireworks display. We took along a shopping bag full of cheese popcorn and ate lots while the spectacle unfolded. Seriously, you have to love a country where you can eat popcorn from a carrier bag, and where the sandwiches are measured in feet (and occasionally taste like them - ho, ho) We took Maddie and she was exceptionally well behaved and genuinely watched about half the display and HONESTLY sung the Star-Spangled Banner. Only one of those facts is true. Then we came home at about 11PM, and it was so warm we put on suits and went nightswimming (see below) and floated about with the moon on the water.

We took some pictures, but we have to get them developed (we've lost our digital camera - erk.) We'll get them put on a CD so I can blog a few of them.

CALL ME "SPECKLED JIM"
...........................................................

I've spent the day painting what will soon be our baby's nursery, and I have paint in my nostrils. But it's going really well, and I think it's going to look great when it's finished. There are pictures of that coming soon, too, but for now here's a very primitively described preview of our color-scheme:








Ooooooh, nice!










Painting the ceiling is going to be REALLY fun. :) If I don't manage to swallow at least a cupful of blue paint, I will eat my hat. Which would be ironic, and counterproductive.

Anyway, the hat thing made my tummy rumble which woke me up to the fact that dinner time is here again. Hate to leave you, but as we speak Amy is drawing me inexorably from the computer with dulcet song and the suggestion of eggs, and the Ore-Ida brand Hash Brown Patties are cooing seductively from the freezer so, frankly, what can I do? Hope you are all great, and speak to you again soon in one way or t'other.

Love,
Jim and Amy and Stupenderosa

P.S. - Apart from working too hard, Amy is doing great - she's feeling lots of kicks, and has got a nice big bump coming along, too!

P.P.S. - We're not really going to call the baby Stupenderosa. That would be Stupiderooney.

P.P.P.S. - 'Nightswimming' by REM - this song has always been a bit of a talisman for Amy and I.

Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.
The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago,
Turned around backwards so the windshield shows.
Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse.
Still, its so much clearer.
I forgot my shirt at the waters edge.
The moon is low tonight.

Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.
Im not sure all these people understand.
Its not like years ago,
The fear of getting caught,
Of recklessness and water.
They cannot see me naked.
These things, they go away,
Replaced by everyday.

Nightswimming, remembering that night.
Septembers coming soon.
Im pining for the moon.
And what if there were two, side by side in orbit
Around the fairest sun?
That bright, tight forever drum
Could not describe nightswimming.

You, I thought I knew you.
You I cannot judge.
You, I thought you knew me,
This one laughing quietly underneath my breath.
Nightswimming.

The photograph reflects,
Every streetlight a reminder.
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.

ENGLAND 0 - 0 PORTUGAL (1-3 on pens)

NOT AGAIN.

NEWS! NEWS! NEWS!

Yes, news.

Just looked at my 'case status' on the USCIS website, and for the first time since 3rd June when I had my biometrics done, my case has been updated. This is called a 'touch' and almost always bodes well - it means that my work authorization should not be long now! Which is a relief, as I have very little money. In fact, the same little that a cotton dwarf would be if it shrunk to nothing and then was put through the washing machine. The only thing it could very possibly be that would be a large f*rt (to put it sonically) would be an RFE - Request For Evidence - which would mean we didn't give them enough paperwork when we applied. Usually, though, these arrive much sooner, when the case is first checked.

Exciting stuff!

Jim and Amy

Hello!

Here I am, writing this from our new apartment. Things are still fairly chaotic - the house is quite a bit smaller than the one we left, and we didn't realise that the things we left in the closets of our old house would breed, and double in number by the time we left. Still, we're definitely getting there, and thank goodness all the lifting and walking up and down stairs with arms full of heavy boxes is done.

My tooth... ok. I went to the dentist on Wednesday morning, had an x-ray, and sure enough I had an infected root which has spread up to my cheekbone which is a little bit painful. So he asked whether I'd rather take antibiotics for a week and come back and have it pulled, or just go for it right away. So I got all manly and said "Go 'head, bub. Pull that sum-b*tch." Or words to that effect. So five injections, and twenty minutes later we decided my mouth was numb enough, and Dr. Loudermilk (yes, that's his name) got pulling and twisting and... PAIN!!!! He explained that it was the infection that was counteracting the anaesthetic, and gave me three more injections into my gum. Cue pulling/twisting, cue... PAIN!!!! Then he stepped back and told me that he didn't feel comfortable pulling the tooth. So, I left, $56.00 poorer, with a numb face and a wrenched, still there, still infected tooth. Still, I also had a prescription for the antibiotics for my troubles, which I have been taking. I just need to decide now if I go back to the same guy and have the extraction attempted again (which he said he was 'fairly' sure would be easier this time) or spend - wait for it - $270.00 to have it pulled under gas. Not sure yet what I want to do, but money may well decide the issue. Grrr. I really need a job and insurance, BAD.

We went and played poker at Keith and Ashleigh's house tonight - it was very cool, and I won, despite an earlier mishap where I bet almost everything on what I thought was a straight (10, J, K, A) only to realize upon showing my hand that I... er... didn't have a jack. I realized I like poker - you can win even if you're a dork.

Anyway, hope you are all great (and enjoying Cornwall, Rennie family! Send pictures!!)

Take care,

Jim and Amy

Hey all,

Move is going very well - I painted our whole bedroom (two coats!) today, and we cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed, and started moving some stuff in. We're hoping to be in our new place by Monday. Cool!

On a cack-er note, I have a toothache to beat the band. With a stick made of lead. It feels like someone is doing this to the left side of my face:






















Sorry to whine but I've been whining to Amy all evening and now she won't come out of the fetal position. Okay, slight exaggeration, but SERIOUSLY. Rude words don't even cover it. I'm going to try and get a dentist to see me on Monday, and maybe pay by installments. I have to exorcize this demon from my gob. Now. Grrr. Owww.

Love to you all!

Jim (and Amy!)

GUESTBOOK!

Just to let everyone know we have added a guestbook link to the links section on the right near the top. Seeing as the comments feature on here doesn't seem to work too well, we thought it would be a nice way of people letting us know they dropped in, and we'd also love to know who visited and when.

It's really easy to do - just click the button to the right and scroll down a little. You don't have to leave your email address if you don't want, but if you'd like us to write back you can. Just let us know who you are and send whatever message you like (so long as it's not mean!)

Anyway, speak to you all soon.

Love,

Jim and Amy x

Hey all!

Still packing...

Well, DEFINITELY reassuring news, but not the big 'male or female' news from our visit on Wednesday to Dr. Harrington. The baby looks GREAT. He has proper arms, legs and feet and even toes now! Not only is he growing at exactly the rate that he should be at this stage, but he once again decided to put on a dance show for us, and ALMOST sucked his thumb. Dr. Harrington said that as he was this active this soon, that by the end of the pregnancy Amy might be feeling some REAL kicks and prods. We think the fact that Amy and I spent over an hour singing a capella Beatles songs in bed the night before might have been something to do with it...

By the luck of the draw he happened to be lying very low in Amy's womb, so the ultrasound itself (hence the not being able to He or Her our baby!) but especially the resulting prints are a lot less clear than last time. Still, we'll scan them and put them up in the next few days. Because he wasn't able to tell the sex yet Dr. H has made another appointment for a more thorough ultrasound in four weeks, which is quite a nice bonus really - means we can have another little health check and "Ahhhhhhh! How cyoooooooot!" sooner than we had expected. :)

Anyway, we have a busy afternoon coming up. We are off to Peoria in a bit to meet up with Amy's friend April, who is a minister up in Rock Falls, Illinois, then right from there tio Eureka to have a cookout with Mark, Marsha, and the rest of Amy's family.

So, hope you are all really well - speak to you again soon!

Jim and Amy and Little One
x x x

Packing... packing... packing...

Moving is a load of crap. Which has to be put in boxes and driven somewhere new. That's why moving is a load of crap.

Hehe. More seriously, it's all good - I spent the day today packing kitchen stuff which I've decided is the worst part of all, but we're very close now! We have set, tentatively (but with determination) to move on Friday of this week, which is exciting.

Amy is feeling lots of pops and wriggles from the baby over the last couple of nights. She thinks it's just baby movements, but I think he may have World Cup Fever too. He totally got excited by Sweden's 0-0 tie with Trinidad & Tobago (I think he knew it made the group much easier for England) and was DEFINITELY more muted after the U.S.A. lost. Movements are a really nice sign though, and help Amy a lot in relaxing about the baby's health and well-being. I've tried to feel them too, but despite sitting next to Amy with my hand on her tum for fifteen minutes with my tongue poking out of the corner of my mouth (helps me concentrate) I think the moves are just too small at present to come through.

Aye well. Gonna go wake Amy and have some dinner with her - hope you're all good.

Love,
Jim and Amy

AMY'S HEALTH: COMICAL NAME, PAIN-IN-THE-BUTT ILLNESS EDITION

Shingles. You heard me - SHINGLES. Well, Amy has shingles, which, fact-finders, is a re-activation of an existing virus. When a person has chickenpox, the virus lies dormant for the rest of their lives in nerve roots. However, at times of stress, or due to illness, or any other factor that lowers the body's defences (tiredness due to work+pregnancy included) the virus can be reactivated, often by exposure to people carrying the chickenpox virus (chickenpox-y kids at Amy's daycare, for example) and - provided the adult has had chickenpox before - the virus presents itself as shingles. Early symptoms are a prickly/painful rash in localised areas, fever, and headaches. Then, if the illness gets more severe, nerve pain and neuralgia occurs, but we're hoping it doesn't come to that. Still, the not-easiest pregnancy is not-easiester, but Amy is doing really well, though she is pretty uncomfortable and running a constant low-grade fever. There is also no evidence that shingles is of harm to a developing baby however, which was a huge relief to find out.

JIM'S HEALTH

I also have had my health problems. It began when I awoke early the other day after a fitful night's sleep with the sweats, shaking hands, inability to concentrate on normal tasks, and a weird tic that made me whoop and punch my fist in the air. More worryingly, I had a loss of identity - specifically national identity - that bordered on schizophrenia. This manifested itself in the strange practice of pledging allegiance to one country one moment, then allying myself with Mexico, or the Ivory Coast the next. Often this occured within the space of an hour. I was so concerned that I dragged myself, on foot, the fourteen miles to our doctor in Tremont, whooping all the way, and after a brief examination during which I dived on the floor and appealed for a penalty, the doctor gravely confirmed to me what I had feared:

I have World Cup Fever.

Symptoms vary in type and severity, but perhaps the most classic - and severe - is making a date in your diary to watch Iran vs. Angola. Drooling upon hearing certain "trigger" words or phrases is also common. See below:




If you or anyone you know begins to display such symptoms, please treat them kindly. Buy them some cheese puffs, tell them not to shower for a while, and allow them to loudly curse the referee in Swedish. Just remember, inside the sufferer still cares about you, his world, and his life. Just not as much as the linesman's eyesight.

Anyway, hope you are all healthy, and wish us luck for our delayed appointment on Wednesday.

Take care,

Jim and Amy x x x

CRUDCAKES.

Well, we'd love to have some lovely new scan pictures, and news of our little one's gender to report, but maddeningly the doctor's office called TWENTY MINUTES before our appointment to postpone, which sucked quite largely indeed. Add some Grrrrr to that Crud. Even more maddeningly (we're pretty mad here) it was rescheduled for next Wednesday, so another whole week of waiting is in store. The reason - though we are a teeny bit cynical - was that four separate women whose doctors all work at Dr. Harrington's clinic all went into labor this afternoon, leaving no doctors at the clinic. We think that just possibly they may have overbooked. If not, I think those women are all a little bit selfish. I mean, I was in Wal-Mart the other day and I really needed to pee, but we were buying groceries and the bathroom was
the other side of the store so I held it in for HALF AN HOUR. Would that have been too much to ask of one of those ladies?? Huh??? Honestly. You'd think the world didn't revolve around us sometimes.

Other than that it was a good day. Amy's daycare has hit the summer season, which means lots of field trips (today they went to Pekin Park and fed ducks and swung swings and slid slides and teeter-tottered on the teeter-totter) and less kids, although they no longer have nap times which makes for a much longer day for Amy.

Our move is not too long away now - perhaps in the next few days. We are a little.. er... underpacked. Until yesterday we had packed:

- A candle.
- Some CDs.

But we've sent most of our clothes over now, all the ornaments and pictures from around the house, and today we packed up books and computer stuff. So, we're getting there.

Anyway, gonna head off now, but I'll write more in the next few days.

Sorry for the lack of news!

Love,Jim and Amy

PS: Doug and Clare - cool hearing from you! If you have any baby tips you have our email. Especially diaper advice, like 'How not to smell one'.

PPS: Any other babycare tips from anyone else always appreciated too. Unless Ozzy Osborne is reading this.

Yello!

Well, we're off in a little while here to Naperville nr. Chicago (by Cricket St. Thomas nr. Chard, English people out there) to have my finger prints and photos taken for my Employment Authorization. We're leaving tonight and staying in a hotel about 1/2 mile from the USCIS to make it a little easier to make the 8:00am appointment. Upside is, we get to swim in the hotel pool and have breakfast! Wahoo! It's really hot again today, but thankfully the van has EXCELLENT air-con. I'm so glad we don't have to drive up in Amy's old, albeit sporty, Ford EXP which also had air-con, except it was only in the form of windows. Not much help when it's 95 degrees outside. :) Anyway...

Wish us luck, a safe journey and we'll let you all know how it was when we get back.

Love,

Jim and Amy

Boo! - gotcha.

WOW! It's a hot, hot, hot day here today - as hot as something that's 93 degrees. It's a holiday weekend here - Monday is 'Memorial Day' - which means (kinda like U.K. Bank Holidays) that everyone gets Monday off! Read all about Memorial Day here:

http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

And it's luvverly! And hot!

We took Maddie for a walk (and little swim!) by the lake today, and then came back and pootled in the backyard for a while. Maddie was very hot, so of course the only option was to dump a bowlful of water upon her little beagle-head. Of course. And, of course, this moment needed to be videoed and blogged for all to see. I'm trying a new video hosting service, so hopefully this'll work okay. I think there might be some weird black borders on there, but other than that it's fine. Look....!




AAAAAAAAND, as if that wasn't enough value for your click, here's some footage of Jim Rennie's soccer genius, which still burns within him like a beacon of... um... genius. Years from now people will say "Look at what this guy did with his feet!" without ever knowing that I used to chew my toenails. Oh, and btw - Amy asked me to assure everyone that she does not have T.B. - the heavy breathing is caused by the camera being so close to her face as she filmed.
:)





And, here is a bonus picture of Sammy looking extremely picture-postcard in our flower bed.



Tomorrow we are going to Amy's parents for a Memorial Day cookout and lounge about, and may swim in their pool. If I am not too shy. Eeeeeek, etc.

Love you guys and hope the weather wherever you are is as good, or getting better.

Bye! Jim and Amy

Check out the storm we had! There was a tornado about one mile from our house - this was as it, and a bunch of other weather nastiness passed by...

Yo,

Well, I am back to step one on my quit smoking crusade - I messed up and had a cigar last night. I think it was worth it though - it proved a lot of things I needed to realize about how little satisfaction it brought me. I want my seven day quit back! So, off we go!

Secondly, there was a reason it was 93 degrees and cloudy yesterday evening: a bloomin' big storm was on it's way. For about 1 1/2 hours we had some very cool high winds, and major rain and lightning stuff. It was quite exciting until we lost power, and we started to panic that we might miss the finale of American Idol and Lost. Hehe. It left quite a mess in the street - a number of large branches had come off trees, and one from the tree in our neighbors' yard is now resting comfotably on a telephone line.

Anyhoo, I took some video footage, and I'm gonna try and see if I can get it online somehow for you all to see.

Take care!

Jim

Hey all...

HOLY CRAP! It's 93 degrees here today!!! And the sun is in!!?? Sheesh.

Anyway, excellently, I also got my biometrics (fingerprinting, photos, etc.) appointment letter today. It's on May 31st at 8:00am in... Naperville.

A suburb of Chicago.

2hrs45mins away.

So, a nice early start for that one, I forsee through my magic telescope (inner tube from used kitchen roll.) The more exciting part is that it seems that typically it takes about a month from biometrics appt. to issuance of EAD, which means I could be starting work within the next 6-8 weeks! I hope it gets a bit cooler by then. Seriously, 93 degrees WITHOUT THE SUN SHINING is HOT.

:) But kinda fun!

I had a massive test of my Smoking Quit last night, but I am very, very proud to say that as of this moment I have not smoked for 6 days, 9 hours, and 9 minutes or, in terms of my previous 20-a-day habit, I have not absorbed the poisonous crap from... wait for it... ONE-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT CIGARETTES. Isn't that insanity in foolish garb?

Anyhoo, take care everyone, and love to you all, and wish us luck on the whole being melted alive by the 93 degrees thing.

Love,
Jim and Amy x

Long time no blog!

Well, hello there! Well, it's almost a month since we posted here - hope you are all well, and weren't worried we'd been masticated by next-door's pitbull. We weren't, and we're still here and things are going really good!

FLIPPER DEPARTMENT...............

Note: Must stop calling he/she Flipper.

After our latest appointment on May 5th, all is still present, correct, and heartbeat-y. Amy's nausea has been, in the main, better, apart from, ironically, the day of our last appointment where due to a combination of a chest-cold and pregnant-itis she managed to waste a whole bowl of Golden Grahams outside the OB/GYN clinic, a crime for which she was not only forgiven, but given a big hug for. To add insult to injury the nurse asked if she was feeling 'sicky-poo'. Amy was restrained, the nurse lived, an ultrasound was carried out and everyone went home happy. Our next appointment is in about 2 weeks, when we have another video-type sonogram, so we'll put the pictures up for everyone. As much as us, you probably can't wait to see how much he's grown since the last one! Well, okay, maybe not QUITE as much as us. We are a little closer to deciding names now too. We are fairly certain we have decided definitely for a girl, but we still have a little list of boy names. AND DON'T ASK, 'cause we are keeping it a little bit of a secret until arrival. :)

POOPY HOUSE/LANDLORD DEPARTMENT............

Our landlord came 'round about 1/2 hour ago to fix our kitchen faucet, JUST at the moment I decided to visit the bathroom and 'lay my burden down'. The poor guy made a good show of it, but in a house this size - and given my unique abilities - the rudeness of the odor that accompanied our otherwise pleasant conversation was undeniable. Sorry, Matt. And WAAAAHOOOO! I feel strangely happy!

SMOKING DEPARTMENT............................................

Well, I don't know how, but I am part way through my FIFTH day without even a puff of a cigarette. Hoorah! Again, don't know how, but after the initial 48 hours during which I was tied for first on the anti-sociality index with the Stonefish....



The Stonefish, most poisonous fish in the sea. Isn't he a cutie?
Nope. But his Mom loves him just the same.





.... I don't feel I'm missing it quite as much as I expected. I am using Nicotine Gum, which I think is helping alot, less as a symptom/craving alleviator, rather more as an object to transfer the addiction to that is far less harmful, and far easier to quit than smokes. So, hooray! It's kind of become a point-scoring game to me - the more days I can rack up, the more excited I feel about quitting. Smoking is like falling into the bear enclosure at the zoo: It's not that you don't want to leave, it's just hard to say no when a bear says 'Stay awhile?" Keep ya posted...

CONGRATULATIONS TO AMY DEPARTMENT.................

On May 14th Amy celebrated her very first Mother's Day! We all had a lovely meal at Amy's parents, and I made Amy a card featuring pics of famous achievers as children, captioned with Future Composer/Physicist/Ladies Man (Bill Clinton) etc., followed by a picture of her captioned: Future Great Mom. 'Cause she will be. :)

WEATHER CENTER.............................

Nice! Has been cold, few rainy spells. Now sunny and pleasantly warm! Oh - we went to Minier (pronounced My-neer) to dry laundry about ten days ago and a HUGE thunderstorm passed perhaps ten miles east of us, and as we came back and drove through what must have been the surrounding weather phenomena we experienced some very bizarre conditions. It was sunny, save for the background of this enormous storm system, and quite breezy, but all around us were very localized areas of extremely high wind and pressure, lifting huge swathes of dust and debris from the fields and across the road. We found out a day or so later that there had been two tornadoes between Minier (Hold on...) and Hopedale (A-haaaa!) At the time Amy (sensible) was very concerned about the clear tornado risk, while Jim (man-child) kept saying "Let's drive back and see!!" In the end Jim relented and drove home, and once again, history will record that a wife saved a husband from being sucked up into the sky, blasted with lightning bolts, and deposited fifty miles away on the roof of a cow-shed. You know, that old story.

ORANGE JULIUS DEPARTMENT................

In recognition of my newly resurrected Orange Julius music-making hobby, we decided last night to make real Orange Julius-es (the drink). And, for some reason, we decided to take photos of the event! This is how you make an Orange Julius:

You need:

6 oz. can frozen concentrated orange juice
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 large ice cubes





First, put ice in blender.




Next, put lid on blender (important):





Blend for 30 secs. You may dance. :











Then serve, and enjoy! (Amy is saying 'Mmmmmmmm!')























Orange Julius-es are DELICIOUS!!!

LAST BIT VISA SECTION...........................................

We finally sent off our final bunch of visa/Employment authorization paperwork (for a year or so) on May 5th. We have got a receipt letter back already, and now the wait (again!) begins. Hopefully Jim should be working sooner rather than later, though. Send all prayers/good thoughts/crates of Red Bull to the USCIS, Missouri.

So that's that! We'll drop in again sometime soon. God bless you, and hope you are all very well indeed.

Love,

Jim and Amy and Flipper