Hello from Across the Pond

Hey there!
Anna here...sorry I haven't been better at updating...I don't have much computer time over here and my schedule is slowly getting packed out.
Just wanted to let you all know I fixed the link to my blog Thoughts and Daydreams so have a look if you want to see pictures from over here.
Hope your all well, keep in touch!
~Anna

OOOOPPPSSSS..........

I need to have Anna fix her's.....it doesn't just let anyone in.........sorry.

NEW INFO...........

I think I finally figured this out!!! Over to the right you will find links to Anna's blog, Janice's blog and Janice's online store. Thanks for checking in with us. Enjoy.............. :D

Final Update and Over to Anna................

Next thing you read on here will be from Anna, I will have her put the link to her blog which has pictures since she has left and will keep you updated on her happenings in England. I will also have her link you to the new Mayfarm blog and Janice's Etsy shop.

Our house is still for sale. This is one of those times of really waiting on the Lord. He has us right here for now and we keep doing what we can do and what he puts before us right here in Bend. If we could work it out, we would go for a shorter visit, like in August/September just until Anna came home and help as much as we could in that short time.

Dennis has shared at the Shepherds House a couple times. That is one of our homeless shelters here in Bend. That has been a blessing and gives him yet another chance to speak and share what is on his heart.

We want God's will for our life and God's will only!! So, we wait. Maybe this is a no, maybe it is a wait........only time will tell. Dennis is listening carefully to God and following His ways, so he will know when we need to do something different. And, honestly, it is a very hard time to "let go" of a house.....we probably could not replace it right now......that is something to think about, we certainly are not getting any younger.

Thank you for all who have been praying, continue to pray for Gods will, always. Pray for Anna and that she will hear God's voice above all else.

Adjusting.......

We are adjusting......keeping busy so the time will go faster.....ha.....

We have spent more time with friends, more time with each other, life is good and Anna is doing well and growing in ways she never imagined.

Dennis is busy working, he is remodeling a friends kitchen right now and has more work waiting. That is a blessing in these times........

This is the old kitchen, he has to tear this all out and put in new cabinets.....
Janice is keeping busy with different things, her new Etsy shop, her garden with WATER this year..... :)......happy, happy.......all of these pictures were actually taken in the spring....things are looking different now.
Very fun to have water this year!!!! God is Good!!!!!

The Final Farewell...........

Times with family.....times with friends..........time with mom and dad......We asked Anna, "hey, Anna, what do you want for your last American meal?!?!?" Without hesitation...."Red Robin!" So we found and checked into our motel and then found a Red Robin and enjoyed our last meal together........

Back to our motel and off to bed early as Anna's plane was leaving VERY early in the morning.

The next morning, June 2nd, a quick bite in the hotel lobby and off to the airport. We had to say good bye sooner than I had thought about, which made mom very sad.....I forgot you cannot go into the area once they go through that turnstile......very sad. So we said goodbye and hung out until her plane took off.....just to be sure she didnt need us.... ;)

The plane was off and mom and dad began their long, quiet journey home........only to arrive at a very quiet, empty house........it feels really different when that last child is gone.....

Up to Seattle.............

After visiting Bill and Deb we headed on up to Seattle to say good bye to sister Aimee..........

The girls went on a very long walk from Aimee's house one evening and ended up at this little beach just in time to see the sun set..........

Did a little sightseeing while we were there.................
Aimee took us down to show us where "THE" troll under the bridge was..........this is the troll in the movie "Ten things I hate about You".........

Not sure what they are doing here.....looks like Aimee is getting sucked up his nose.....?!?!?!!?


A fun time with Aimee, good food, good laughs, then time to leave..... :(

The Journey Begins........

A few days later, after that wonderful bonfire with friends we hit the road on our journey to deliver Anna to the airport the next Monday morning...........................

We stopped overnight at my sister and brother in laws.........The highlight of the evening was riding intheir little motorhome through the streets of Oregon City to go to Dairy Queen.....LOL Uncle Bill and Dennis ready to go get ICE CREAM!!!!
Safe arrival at Dairy Queen................
Then we drove to the falls to eat our ice cream.......... :)
Funtimes........Family..........who could ask for a better send off.....

Saying Good Bye to Special People........

Much time has passed since our last post, so very sorry.........I will try to catch us up and then I am going to send you all over to Anna's own blog.

After our tea party, the next week end we had a Bye Bye Bonfire for Anna. Friends came to spend one last time with her before she flew off across the pond not to be seen

for five whole months..................

Dennis grilled some gooood burgers............

The fire was warm and cozy, there was a little nip in the air that evening.......

Friends....................
And more friends........................

We were so happy that everyone came. It made it a nice time of fellowship and praying
for Anna and lots of hugs......

Tea and such............

We had our fundraiser tea for Anna, we had alot of fun with it. It was a "vintage" tea, so costumes and decorations were very fun..................

Do not come to tea too early, you may catch people in their work clothes, not looking

ready for tea at all!!!

All the early work getting done, and tea room is ready.........

Each table was just a little bit different.......this one was shades of green with green glass plates, an old feed sack with an old sifter holding the pansies..........

This table had pink plates, an old tin tea box holding the pansies that sat upon

an antique doily................

This table was my mothers old Franciscan "Wild Rose" dishes, which was fun since they are authentically vintage and that is my mothers vase holding the pansies.....

My mothers aprons and my little dresses!!!! How cute is that!!!

Decorating was fun as I have alot of my mothers things from the 40's - 50's......

Usually at the end of the hall right here, we put lattice up to hide all the pews back there. Well that lattice finally got put on my front porch!! LOL. Sooooo, I had to brainstorm about what to do........voila!! Vintage tablecloths.....that is the whole reason this became a vintage tea...it all started with these tablecloths and what a fun theme it was!!!

We had lots of helpers.....................

Here is Anna and her friend Becka Delery

This is Anna Daniels and Daisy Marsden, they helped with serving.....

Anna had a corner set up with a display of her England trip, with a map and some souvenirs and her pictures along with two letters she has written about what God is doing in her lilfe right now.

We did get some things made to sell and had a little store set up in the back corner, we did very well actually, sold quite a few things............

Anna was happy to sit and take peoples money!!! :)

Jenny Marsden also helped with serving and she also played the piano for the ladies which they thouroughly enjoyed.
Ladies enjoying tea...................
The tea was done, everyone enjoyed themselves and Anna raised some money for her trip......all in all I would say that was a successful day!!

ON ANOTHER NOTE...................

So, we were just ready to mow our lawn for the first time and the lawn mower broke!!! So, our kind neighbor, Nate, came and mowed it for us...................

This is pretty fun to have all that green right out our front door. See the dirt on the other side of the fence?? That is what it looked like before where the grass is!!

Just keeping warm on a nippy spring morning.....................

Plane ticket in hand..................

Seems like you can talk all you want but once that ticket is in your hand it is a for sure deal!! Tickets were purchased today! Anna flys from Portland, Oregon on Monday, June 2nd at 8:45a.m. Five hours in Philly and she flys out that evening and arrives in London at 8a.m. on Tuesday morning, June 3rd.

Then she will have the adventure of finding her way around in London!! She will meet up with a friend she knows from Bend, but that she actually met when she was in Cornwall last October. She will stay with her Tuesday night (she lives in London). Then Wednesday she will meet up with Heather, the other girl she is teaming up with. They will

try to find each other at Paddington Station in London. Have fun with that girls!!!!

At which point they will board the train and head for Truro.........
There they will meet up with friends who will receive them with open arms and make them feel right at home........

In the meantime, we are still keeping busy working on that tea fundraiser!!!! When that is over it will be almost time to go...... :(

Guess who is going to England?!?!?!

Anna is leaving for England on Sunday, June 1st. WOW!! Not much time left. But we have all been packed and ready to go, so really all she needs is to make sure her things she packed are what she still needs.

She is going for a 6 month stay. She just sent out a pile of support letters today. Turns out she will not be able to work there so she needs to raise all of her living expense. She has enough for a plane ticket and a little more.

May 17th we are doing a Tea out at the Alfafla Hall where we have done them in the past. This one is different in that it is a fundraiser for Anna and we are making things to sell there too.

Lots to squeeze in to just four weeks!!! (eeeekkksss)

Please pray for our last little bit of time together. It will be short and busy. But we are excited she can go and get started.

It will be different around here........................

5 Acres in Alfalfa!!

Here is proof that our house is really for sale!! :) So tell all your friends, 5 acres in Central Oregon!! WOW!! We have the greenest grass in Bend right now!! (oh, not the grass in this picture, up in our front yard you will find a lawn about as green is the

picture of England on this page.

It is kind of fun to be here right now, as soon as the weather warms up again we are going to plant some flowers and even some herbs in the garden. Maybe even some lettuce or something. Might as well feed ourselves while we wait. :)

Just do not know when it will warm up again......

Good Times with Friends.......

We had a bonfire a couple weeks ago. The forecast said it was going to be 78 the following Saturday. Hard to believe since we were in the middle of a blizzard at the time. But, we decided to just once have faith in the weatherman and go for it!! :) So, we had the first bonfire of the spring and enjoyed the special time with friends.

Younger friends thought up their own ideas of entertainment.....
How cute can you get...........


Ben was awesome on the guitar as always.......

Dennis BBQd hamburgers, yum..........
Nothing more relaxing than gazing into a fire with awesome guitar in the background a full tummy, topped off with a cup of coffee and those awesome Marsden Brownies!!!!!

We are grateful for friends and family..................