Off to a conference

It's been a crazy week and I've got another ahead! Tomorrow morning I'm leaving at 6:30 a.m. for Haling Island, near Portsmouth. I am very excited to spend a week on the English coast, especially if the gorgeous, sunny, warm weather holds up (I doubt it). But Emma is from Portsmouth, and she tells me it's much warmer down there.

This week I:

1. Wrote 4 newspaper articles, including my BIG story for the Chicago Sun-Times Travel section. It should appear on Sunday, Feb. 10, and my public blog will launch on their site that day.
2. Helped a lot of people at the Arches, including several pregnant teenage girls. I was thinking a lot that day about what a difference birth control can make in a woman's life. I'm glad these girls are carrying their babies to term but ... anyway, I was told that English girls can get birth control from the school nurse or even a GP. Hasn't seemed to make much of a difference in these girls' lives. However, I was encouraged by one lovely young woman. She's just 18 and had been kicked out of the house by her mum, she doesn't really know how to cook and looks quite lost, but she clearly loves her two-month-old baby girl so much and has been given a new flat. Her brother and sister are helping her out, so maybe she'll be OK.
3. Got my visa extension application paperwork sent off! Please join me in praying I get approved for my final two months here and also that I get my passport back by Feb. 15, since I'm supposed to go to Norway on Feb. 17.
4. Did a lot of learning, growing and stretching in spiritual and emotional matters.
5. Taught kids and found out from some parents that that their kids talk about me (in a good way) at home.
6. Was given a gorgeous grey, wool cardigan by Anna; fun footless tights by Jules; and 6 STUNNING, beautiful, almost-new pairs of shoes, plus one pair of boots, by Carmen
5. Rode my bike to and from church A LOT!!!

(and now I need to go do it again, as I'm due at church to help with set up in 22 minutes. Ah, well, I guess my packing for tomorrow morning is going to have to wait until I get home at about 11 p.m. tonight. The joys of Discipleship Year continue).

Welcome to my private blog

Hello! In just a few short weeks, I'll be launching a public blog from the Chicago Sun-Times Web site, to appear in conjunction with an article I'm doing for the Sunday travel section about my year in England. The editors and I agreed that my personal blog should therefore go private, since I will need to maintain a modicum of professional privacy in my new Sun-Times blog. (When the new blog goes live, I'll post the link on here).

That means that you now must be added to my approved list before you can read this blog. I do know I have many blog visitors who are acquaintances, so if you know of someone who might like to get added to my list, simply ask them to send me an email at: stephaniefosnight@gmail.com I'd be happy to put them on it.

I've just posted a ton of fun photos from my Christmas holiday. I started out by flying to Phoenix for 8 days, which I spent happily with my family in Mesa, Tucson and Mexico. I then spent another week in Chicago for my dear friend Sus' wedding and to see other wonderful friends. I've posted several sets of photos below.

Here are a couple of pictures from my exciting day out this past Saturday. My sweet friend Emma and I drove to the National Peak District in Derbyshire (just about 90 minutes from Nottingham) to spend a day searching for natural beauty. We had a marvelous time, and as you can see from these photos, discovered some rather dramatic scenery. We picknicked and drank tea on the edge of the cliff, and even spent about an hour sitting by a (very swollen) river praying for one another. It was a chilly, misty, extremely muddy day, but as long as we kept moving we were fine. I still haven't managed to get all of the mud off my Doc Martens, but it was worth it!

Just in case you'd like to see even more photos from my recent Christmas fun, here are links to several public galleries on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76821&l=69efb&id=807395516

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76290&l=c5806&id=807395516

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=83656&l=4e982&id=807395516

Mexico

On the day after Christmas (Boxing Day to the Brits), Mom, Dad and I; Peter, Melissa & Isaiah; and my cousin Tanya drove about four hours over the Mexican border to the beach town of Rocky Point on the Gulf of California (Tanya's parents and brother decided to visit with my grandparents in Arizona during those days). We stayed in a luxury condo overlooking the beach and had a wonderful time playing in the sand and tidepools, playing frisbee and tennis, playing tennis, and eating delicious meals. (Playing and eating seem to be themes of my family). Here we have Tanya and I feeding lettuce to the ceramic turtle who was perched on the dining room table of the condo; Isaiah's little fingers in the sand; a shot of me while I'm playing frisbee with Dad at low tide; and Isaiah riding very happily on his daddy's shoulders. It was a wonderful, restful and very fun few days just hanging out with my family. The day after we returned, Mom & Dad took some quiet time while I drove Uncle Eric, Aunt Tammy and Justin and Tanya down to Tucson to visit Peter's family once more. Pete & Melissa made us a delicious lunch of spare ribs, then we all headed out to the Sonoran Desert Museum. I really felt like I got to hang out with my aunt, uncle, cousins and brother and sister-in-law, and I also spent five days with Isaiah and really got attached to my little nephew. It was so hard to say goodbye to him!

Christmas with Isaiah!

The Fosnights had a veritable family reunion this year. Not only was I back from England and not only did Pete, Melissa and Isaiah came from Tucson, but my mom's brother and his family came all the way from Minnesota to spend Christmas with us and my grandparents. We ate a marvelous Christmas ham dinner at Grandma's house and the place was packed with the Fosnights, Grandma & Grandpa Bower, Eric, Tammy, Justin and Tanya Bower (and their dog Riley), and also longtime family friends Shanti, Sopor and Nini. We missed having my older brother Shane there, however.

Of course, Christmas this year was all about Isaiah Peter Fosnight, my nephew, Peter's son, Mom & Dad's grandson, etc. Now eight months old, Isaiah is quite content to be the center of attention and happily charms us all. Here he is playing with his new duck that he got from Grandma Fosnight; enjoying a Christmas dinner of mashed fruit, and playing with Riley in the post-feast stupor. It was a wonderful day.

A few more wedding pix

I couldn't resist including these of Miss Cutie Kailey in the moments just before her mama's wedding. Then there's one of my fellow bridesmaid Whitney, jumper cables in hand, as we worked on jumping her dead car battery in the VERY cold Chicago night between ceremony and reception. You haven't lived until you've climbed through snow drifts in a bridesmaid dress and heels doing auto repair. Finally, there's a shot of me with the beautiful Miss Hillary Pranga. It was amazing seeing old, good friends at the wedding. I felt as popular as the bride, getting hug after hug from friends. If only I'd had time for a leisurely chat with you all over coffee...