MaustsOnToast » England http://maustsontoast.com Drew and Emily Maust Sat, 19 May 2012 20:02:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Kiss the Bride http://maustsontoast.com/2012/kiss-the-bride http://maustsontoast.com/2012/kiss-the-bride#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:07:10 +0000 Drew http://maustsontoast.com/?p=14968 Last week we had the joy of returning to the church where we were married–seven years ago this June–for a celebration of the wedding of Emily’s sister Sally to our new South African brother-in-law, Elrick. The wedding day was superb and packed with chatting, laughing, singing, catching-up, dancing, and eating and more eating. Since Emily was a bride’s maid and I was occupied with making sure flower girl Poppy made it down the aisle successfully, we weren’t actually able to take any pictures during the service. We did get some at the reception, but looking back we wish we had taken more.

What’s more, Poppy fell asleep in the car on the way to the reception and didn’t get crackin’ with the party until well after the main reception meal. At least Mummy and Daddy were able to sit and enjoy the delicious lamb though! But this also means that we didn’t get many pictures of Poppy looking like a perfect princess. Next to the bride, she and Emily were the two most beautiful ladies there!

We ended up partying until well after 11pm, with live music and barn dancing. All in all, it was a wonderful day and we look forward to getting to know our new brother-in-law more and more in the future. Congratulations, you guys!

2012-04-12_12 2012-04-12_16.02.37 2012-04-12_16.10.16 2012-04-12_16.12.00_4 2012-04-12_16.17.36 2012-04-12_16.20.41 2012-04-12_16.34.01 2012-04-12_16.34.24 2012-04-12_16.42.57 2012-04-12_16.55.16 2012-04-12_16.55.37 2012-04-12_17.21.24_2 2012-04-12_17.36.10_2 2012-04-12_19.00.47 2012-04-12_19.11.06 2012-04-12_19.17.04 2012-04-12_19.28.40 2012-04-12_21.58.26 2012-04-12_22.04.13 2012-04-12_22.33.38 2012-04-12_22.38.23_2 2012-04-12_22.41.52 2012-04-12_22.46.23 2012-04-12_22.52.53_3 ]]> http://maustsontoast.com/2012/kiss-the-bride/feed 2 Poppy’s British Easter Tradition http://maustsontoast.com/2011/poppys-british-easter-tradition http://maustsontoast.com/2011/poppys-british-easter-tradition#comments Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:15:20 +0000 Emily http://maustsontoast.com/?p=8141 When I grew up we didn’t get Easter baskets with toys and random goodies inside.  We cut to the chase and just got a whole bunch of chocolate!!  No one does Easter eggs like Britain does!  And I miss it so much.  But thankfully Aunty Han Han (my sister) did her Aunty duty and sent Poppy a Cadbury’s Buttons egg.  We held out for a few days until yesterday when we let Poppy devour the whole thing!!!  LOL.  Well not quite, she had a few mouthfuls and then we put the rest in the fridge for another day.  But I did get some photos.

Digging in

Poppy??? Is it yummy?

YESSSSS...its so yummy!!!

Can Daddy have some?

She loves her Daddy
]]> http://maustsontoast.com/2011/poppys-british-easter-tradition/feed 1 The United Kingdom Explained http://maustsontoast.com/2011/the-united-kingdom-explained http://maustsontoast.com/2011/the-united-kingdom-explained#comments Sun, 06 Feb 2011 15:50:31 +0000 Drew http://maustsontoast.com/?p=4895 Now that Poppy has begun pronouncing certain words more like Mummy than like Daddy I think it’s time to bust out this video and fill her in on her heritage. Enjoy.

]]> http://maustsontoast.com/2011/the-united-kingdom-explained/feed 2 Christmas Reflections http://maustsontoast.com/2010/christmas-reflections http://maustsontoast.com/2010/christmas-reflections#comments Sat, 01 Jan 2011 03:11:09 +0000 Emily http://maustsontoast.com/?p=4962 We had a spectacular time in England while we were there over Christmas. It was an especially busy time as we tried to fit in sightseeing around spending time with family and friends. A couple of days after we arrived England got a lot of snow, so needless to say that slowed us down a bit but by no means did it stop us having a lot of fun. While there we visited Wycliffe UK and saw some of our friends that we met at Wycliffe USA. They too are setting out to be translators and funnily enough the wife is British and the husband is American so we have a lot in common. Also while in England we were able to present our ministry to the church I grew up in. It was such a blessing to feel the support from Epping Forest Community church and a privilege to get the opportunity to stand in front of people who have seen me develop spiritually from such a young age in to adulthood and share with them our passion.

This trip was special for another reason: it was Poppy’s first time to England. She did well taking in to account the harsh time change that she needed to get used to and the hectic schedule she had to adapt to. We wanted to take her to London and take photos of her in front of all the popular tourist sites. It was rather cold and she got tired very quickly but we had a great time taking photos and running around the city.

We weren’t the only ones in my family to be travelling home for Christmas. My two sisters were returning home from being away for some time. My older sister Sally had been travelling around the world for six months and my younger sister Hannah had been doing an internship with a children’s ministry in New York City. My Dad had to make three visits to the airport to pick up his three girls in the space of a week.

Two weeks wasn’t nearly enough time so see everyone and catch up properly but we are hoping to go back for New Year’s Eve 2011 before moving to France in January 2012.

]]> http://maustsontoast.com/2010/christmas-reflections/feed 2 Poppy vs. Algeria http://maustsontoast.com/2010/poppy-vs-algeria http://maustsontoast.com/2010/poppy-vs-algeria#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:29:20 +0000 Drew http://maustsontoast.com/?p=1982 Poppy’s internal nap alarm went off at exactly 2:20pm today. She wasn’t going to miss England vs. Algeria in the World Cup. She also had all her cheer gear in place when the match started but only after a quick lunch of meat and three veg–the traditional meat and two veg wouldn’t cut it for such an important occasion.

Why isn't the vuvuzela making any noise?


Draping St. George’s cross (thanks to little Jake Waldron!) over the TV stand to create a sort of soccer altar Poppy raised her red vuvuzela high and physically supported her little English footballer as a sign of her inner support for Her Majesty’s footballers battling so far away in South Africa.

Rule, Britannia!

At half time the match was 0-0. Poppy will have to cheer harder!

]]> http://maustsontoast.com/2010/poppy-vs-algeria/feed 2 Britain is Repossessing America http://maustsontoast.com/2008/britain-is-repossessing-america http://maustsontoast.com/2008/britain-is-repossessing-america#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:47:34 +0000 Drew http://maustsontoast.com/?p=455 Ben Witherington, Professor of New Testament at Asbury Seminary in Kentucky, has posted a cute little ditty on his blog outlining a proposed repossession of America by Britain. Read it here.

When pressed for comment, Sir Nigel D concluded, “Quite right and jolly good show.  Let’s bring back the British Empire while we’re at it, eh, old boy, what, what?”

I don’t know about the Empire business, but Emily is most certainly my queen.

]]> http://maustsontoast.com/2008/britain-is-repossessing-america/feed 0 Green Card Expired http://maustsontoast.com/2008/green-card-expired http://maustsontoast.com/2008/green-card-expired#comments Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 Drew Don't worry. It's all been taken care of. Emily had to make an appearance in Charlotte today to have biometric testing done. When Emily immigrated in February 2006, her green card was good for two years because she had been admitted on a conditional basis because when she immigrated, we had been married less than two years. Phew! So, two years from the second anniversary of her immigration is the beginning of next month, meaning green card expired. But, don't freak out. This is normal. We just had to apply to get the conditions removed ($545!) and now, after today's biometric testing (finger prints + picture), she will be issued a ten (or maybe its fifteen) year green card. Nonetheless, my little resident alien is here to stay.

 

]]> Don’t worry. It’s all been taken care of. Emily had to make an appearance in Charlotte today to have biometric testing done. When Emily immigrated in February 2006, her green card was good for two years because she had been admitted on a conditional basis because when she immigrated, we had been married less than two years. Phew! So, two years from the second anniversary of her immigration is the beginning of next month, meaning green card expired. But, don’t freak out. This is normal. We just had to apply to get the conditions removed ($545!) and now, after today’s biometric testing (finger prints + picture), she will be issued a ten (or maybe its fifteen) year green card. Nonetheless, my little resident alien is here to stay.

Poor little Peanut had to drive the 2 1/2 hours to Charlotte today by herself because today was also the first day of the Spring semester at Southeastern. I would have skipped class but my Hebrew professor let us now that we were hitting new stuff pretty hard today. But, after being in class today and worrying about Emily driving to and from Charlotte, I wish I would have just skipped and worried about Hebrew instead of my dearly beloved. She made it though no problem! That’s my girl.

In other news, I’ve added 393 pictures from our Christmas break in England. That’s over 300,000 new words in our photo gallery! New albums include pictures from Christmas, goofing around after a pantomime, Oxford, some other randomness, and our canal boat experience over New Years (there’s also a new, not-so-exciting video from the canal boat on the videos page).

]]> http://maustsontoast.com/2008/green-card-expired/feed 0 25 December, Tuesday – Christmas Day with Pat http://maustsontoast.com/2007/25-december-tuesday-christmas-day-with-pat http://maustsontoast.com/2007/25-december-tuesday-christmas-day-with-pat#comments Wed, 26 Dec 2007 01:00:00 +0000 Drew Braving the cold and traffic of the M25 we made our way to Wales to visit Nigel's sister Pat. Boy, was that a hoot, complete with a intrafamilial talent show:

Check out some recordings of the festivities attached to this post, and of course, we hope that you had a very Merry Christmas! ]]> Braving the cold and traffic of the M25 we made our way to Wales to visit Nigel’s sister Pat. Boy, was that a hoot, complete with a intrafamilial talent show:

  • Nigel – carols and reading The Lion and Albert
  • Georgina – a dressed-up performance of Maud’s Dream
  • Simon – sleeping
  • Sally – flute action
  • Emily & Hannah – reading/singing of What Are We Gonna Get ‘er Indoors
  • Drew – a dramatic reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas

Check out some recordings of the festivities below, and of course, we hope that you had a very Merry Christmas!

]]> http://maustsontoast.com/2007/25-december-tuesday-christmas-day-with-pat/feed 0 18 December, Tuesday – Santa, Greenwich, BBC Radio 2 http://maustsontoast.com/2007/18-december-tuesday-santa-greenwich-bbc-radio-2 http://maustsontoast.com/2007/18-december-tuesday-santa-greenwich-bbc-radio-2#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:53:14 +0000 Drew Today was a busy day: Santa, Greenwich and BBC. In the morning yours truly played Santa Claus at a friend’s daycare, asking each child what their name is, whether they’ve been good this year, and what they wanted for Christmas. The girls overwhelmingly wanted Baby Born and it was Transformers for the lads. For the afternoon and evening Nigel, Georgina, Emily and I headed into London, but making a stop in Greenwich first: the home of the prime meridian, 0 degrees longitude. Then for the evening, after rummaging around used book shops (yes, please), we filled four seats of the audience at the BBC Radio 2′s Drill Hall, witnessing the recording of Clive Anderson’s “End of Year Chat Room” to be broadcast on December 27.

]]> http://maustsontoast.com/2007/18-december-tuesday-santa-greenwich-bbc-radio-2/feed 0 17 December, Monday – Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral and Burger King http://maustsontoast.com/2007/17-december-monday-stonehenge-salisbury-cathedral-and-burger-king http://maustsontoast.com/2007/17-december-monday-stonehenge-salisbury-cathedral-and-burger-king#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:34:32 +0000 Drew Today we've been to Stonehenge and Salisbury down in Wiltshire County, south west England (about a 2 hrs' drive from Theydon Bois). It was absolutely freezing walking around the rocks at Stonehenge. It was such an open and exposed area that you could feel the winds smacking your directly in the face. I regretfully report that while we were walking around the trail around the rocks, I looked to my right to see one youth doing the Souljah Boy Crank Dat dance while a friend filmed. Some things in life you just don't expect to see: someone cranking dat at Stonehenge.

 

After the self-guided tour there, we ventured into Salisbury which is just some 10 miles south of where Stonehenge lies. In this town is the famous Salisbury Cathedral which is celebrating its 750th anniversary next year. 750! The church was completed in 1257 and has the tallest steeple/spire in all the UK and the second tallest in Europe. Though Stonehenge did not strike us as a "spiritual" place as many pagans claim, Salisbury Cathedral, on the other hand, brought tears to my eyes. This was a connection to the church of the 13th century. They had raised an Ebeneezer for later generations and thanks to those who have perserved the cathedral these 750 years, we can enjoy it today and be connected in a tangible, experential way to the medieval church. That gets me fired up!

 

Check out the pictures in the gallery of both Stonehenge and Salisbury.

]]> Today we’ve been to Stonehenge and Salisbury down in Wiltshire County, south west England (about a 2 hrs’ drive from Theydon Bois). It was absolutely freezing walking around the rocks at Stonehenge. It was such an open and exposed area that you could feel the winds smacking your directly in the face. I regretfully report that while we were walking around the trail around the rocks, I looked to my right to see one youth doing the Souljah Boy Crank Dat dance while a friend filmed. Some things in life you just don’t expect to see: someone cranking dat at Stonehenge.

After the self-guided tour there, we ventured into Salisbury which is just some 10 miles south of where Stonehenge lies. In this town is the famous Salisbury Cathedral which is celebrating its 750th anniversary next year. 750! The church was completed in 1257 and has the tallest steeple/spire in all the UK and the second tallest in Europe. Though Stonehenge did not strike us as a “spiritual” place as many pagans claim, Salisbury Cathedral, on the other hand, brought tears to my eyes. This was a connection to the church of the 13th century. They had raised an Ebeneezer for later generations and thanks to those who have preserved the cathedral these 750 years, we can enjoy it today and be connected in a tangible, experiential way to the medieval church. That gets me fired up!

Check out the pictures in the gallery of both Stonehenge and Salisbury.

]]> http://maustsontoast.com/2007/17-december-monday-stonehenge-salisbury-cathedral-and-burger-king/feed 0