From Crowell Post

Boy did we celebrate! We'd heard from some members that we should check out a grocery store carrying some American goods. We were sort of expecting to see some "Jell-o" brands, Goldfish, or even Fruit Loops; but, what we saw were "typical" American foods all in red/white/blue packaging. We we're kind of surprised as to what was "typical": Package of 6 pre-cooked pancakes, bottled hotdogs, pancake shake-up mix, cinnamon-toast crunch cereal, various spices for BBQ-ing (Cajun, Texas, etc.), flavored syrups for the pancakes, boxed apple and cherry pie mixes, and...well, I think I've covered it. So the pie mixes, cereal, seasonings, and syrups weren't so bad...but the bottle hot dogs and pre-cooked pancakes??? :) We were happy to buy some Reeses--both the Cups and Pieces. Elsie held tight to her package of Pieces until they were gone (which lasted maybe ten minutes).

After our "outing" we came home, grilled some burgers, and lit sparklers with a huge hurrah. Well, we could only find like 4-inch ones. They must have been safety sparklers because a match wouldn't light those little guys--we had to run in the house and use the gas stove to light them. Needless to say, we hope our neighbors didn't think we were crazy Americans--dashing back and forth from the kitchen to the back--all in celebration of something they don't particularly pay attention to. :) But hey, we wanted to celebrate. So, we tried to celebrate big--even if the glory/stars and stripes only lasted for a few seconds.

Happy 4th.

Here's to a Splendid Six

From Crowell Post

Six years? No, this happened yesterday! Corey has never failed to make me smile and laugh in our marriage. We celebrated big by helping at a stake service activity! :) One sister--to whom Corey and I look up to--offered us a couple of extra bottles of water. As she was doing so, she said she'd wished we could have met her "Pete" who passed away within this last year. She said she loved his dry humor and that he was fun to be around, but even more so, he was quite the gentleman. As we walked away, I felt so empty when I thought about what my life would be like without Corey! He always makes me laugh, is always a gentleman, and always makes me want to be a better person. Here's to a truly, splendid six.

At the Beach

From Crowell Post

How we love the beach in Cadiz! Elsie definitely took her time walking towards the water and was certainly skeptical at first. Once she dipped her toes in the water a few times and discovered how to make sand castles with her beach bucket, she was a happy girl. The sandy toes weren't quite her fancy, so washing them off in the water felt nice. She must have stared at the waves for a few minutes or so continually saying, "Wa-wa, wa-wa." When we returned to our friends' home, they asked her what she did that day and of course she answered with, "Wa-wa."
How can anyone forget a day at the beach in Cadiz.

A Visit to Cadiz

From Crowell Post

It was so nice to visit Cadiz and enjoy it all together. Elsie was her normal self and enjoyed talking to every dog we passed on the streets. She would crouch down and bob her little head back and forth telling each dog about how her walk was going. Each dog's owner was so friendly and kind to Elsie. It seems like every Gaditano (person from Cadiz) we meet is friendly. How we love Cadiz! The people smile, the sun shines, and the food is delicious. Cadiz, Cadiz....

I Often Go Walking

From Crowell Post

Elsie just LOVES to go for walks. She simply can't leave without her stroller, i.e., pram, push-chair, buggy, etc. Both baby dolls (at least one for sure) accompany her, if not her doggie. Of course we can't leave out the purse.

a new post

From Crowell Post

The Crowell Family has begun a new post--The Crowell Post. As we've started afresh here in England we wanted to do something new and exciting. So, we've decided to send a postcard every week.
This week's postcard is one of relief. We are settled in...and we love it. We love being settled in and we love it here in Woodbridge. So, it is generally green here, but all the trees, bushes, and plants have really taken color. It is glorious! We have lots of trails around our home and Elsie LOVES to go for walks. There are plenty of dogs, birds, and bunnies to keep her entertained for hours. It really is quite lovely.

April Showers Bring May Flowers...

{A cliche very much true for the Crowells}.

While we were in Spain, we sent our passports to CA to complete all our visa work. Well, while they were in transit, the embassy in CA called Corey to make sure he'd sent all our biometric info. Corey was a little confused as the

{embassy never mentioned biometric info BEFORE we left the States}.

We completely understood we would be able to send our passports to CA from a foreign country, i.e., Spain. We asked the embassy if we could complete our biometric info from Spain--to which they clearly said no. The biometric info needed to be taken care of within our country of residence. Perfect. Now we needed our passports to fly back to the US, but the only problem was they were already arriving to CA.

{That weekend we just prayed our passports could turn around asap}

and arrive IN our hands BEFORE Spain's Holy Week started. This would require a miracle. That Wednesday EVERYTHING would be closing down for the holiday.
For some reason, that very same weekend, Elsie started drooling like CRAZY. At first I thought her teeth were coming in, but there was WAY too much drooling going on. Her mouth was half open and the poor girl would not eat a thing. She would not let me put her down. So, we decided to take Elsie to the hospital. No passports.
We showed up to the after-hours clinic with lots of other little sickies--the perfect place for hanging out for a couple of hours. Anyway, the hospital let us through thanks to our friends/hosts and diagnosed

{Elsie with cankers of the mouth. A virus. I felt horrible.}

They were all under her tongue and spread throughout her lower gums. How did I miss this?! The poor thing could only take ibuprofen and an oral gel to numb the pain.
Well, Tuesday brought Elsie nasal congestion and Wednesday conjuctivitus. Wednesday did, however, bring some good news--the passports were in transit to Jerez (30 min. from Cadiz). We drove to pick up the valuable booklets an hour before FedEx closed. This meant we

{could be home for Easter Weekend!! Most importantly, Elsie could see a doctor.}

Thursday morning I had to pull out the warm washcloth and everything---Elsie's eyes were sealed shut. She needed eyedrops. The only problem was, everything was closed down. I also went to change Miss E's diaper and realized she only had 4 diapers left. Like this was going to fly--literally. So, I took Elsie out for a walk. We looked in EVERY Chinese/Arab bazaar. Everything (pads, T.P., and even diaper wipes) BUT diapers were to be found. Thinking I would have no other option, I ended up buying night pads and thought I could at least put those in her diapers to spare the only four I had. Well, I finally

{saw a pharmacy with it's door half open.}

I poked my head in and immediately saw a package of size 4 diapers. I asked the pharmacist if they were open. He told me they were for sure closed--everything was closed. Like I was some dumb foreinger or something. :) I told him my story. No go. He was NOT going to sell me diapers. Fortunately, another man in the pharmacy (who maybe was helping with inventory or something) told me there were diapers at the gas station.

{Entered the gas station.}

Yay diapers!! Like 20 of them....for 27 Euros. Ya right. I commented to a woman next to me--buying yogurt, baby food, and baby formula--how ridiculous it was to pay that much for diapers. She whole-heartedly agreed. I then told her my story. I was SO relieved to hear that there was ONE pharmacy open and only a 20 min. walk away.

{Elsie and I were off. Bought the diapers. Bought the antibiotic. We were set.}

After 24 hours of travel, we were warmly greeted by family. Elsie was relieved to find herself so comfortable at home.

The next morning Corey and I took Miss E to the pediatrician. Elsie had an

{ear infection in BOTH ears. No wonder the poor girl couldn't get comfortable on the flights! Corey and I were both surprised she didn't scream the entire way.}

Needless to say, we are here at home for a couple of weeks. Our biometric appointment lasted an entire half-hour. :) At any rate, our visas are for sure being completed in CA and will be mailed to us in a couple of weeks. The laptop is STILL in the UK, so pictures may not be coming for a bit. Long story, but I had to write it down before it slipped my mind.

{We had some showers--at times it felt like it was pouring. Flowers are blooming--we're here with family, Elsie is healthy & happy, and we will finally have visas for England.}