So, the car was NOT ready before Christmas - which means we drove a hire car home. Although irritating, we did not let this setback dampen our Christmas cheer... it's not been an easy holiday period, with all the memories of last year and all of us desperately missing Jane, but, we have made the best of it and it has actually been a very happy Christmas - Daniel's FIRST!

The packers arrived at 9am this morning and the house was clear by 3pm - it's outrageous to see the entirety of one's worldly possessions packed into boxes - it doesn't amount to very much - a very sobering thought! Daniel has coped admirably as his universe has been dismantled and invaded by sweaty Mexicans... he is now sleeping soundly, I am pleased to report!

Sadly, it looks as though the Lord is continuing to refine Ed and my patience (it needs a LOT of work!) - this morning, the packers informed us that they are unlikely to even SET OFF from the bay area with our van-full of possessions until NEXT MONDAY... which would mean we'd be unlikely to get our stuff until the middle of next week at the earliest. Yikes. We are praying that it doesn't end up taking that long, but, after a number of phone calls today, it is not looking very hopeful... oh well, it looks like Daniel will get his first taste of camping - IN our new apartment!

Ed will leave tomorrow morning to collect our car while 'DIY Dave' (as my father-in-law is affectionately known) and I set to work painting over any scuff marks and generally getting the house back to it's pre-Gilchrist condition!

We head down to San Luis Obispo (no idea if that's how it's written and I'm too pooped to check on the Internet!) tomorrow, once Ed arrives with the car. We have booked one night's stay there and then we head on down to LA the following day... we plan to take the scenic and enjoyable route along highway 1, through Malibu... Emily and David will be with us that evening and then fly back to SFO to catch their flight home on the morning of the 30th... I hope we've done the right thing... it seemed like a fun idea at the time, to do the move altogether, but now we're faced with the prospect, we're worried that perhaps it will not feel as much fun as we'd envisaged! We'll see!

Dearest friends and family,

In many ways we are having a wonderful time - it is lovely to be all together with Ed's Dad and sister - we all miss Jane very much, but the delicious smiles and cuddles with Daniel have kept our spirits from sinking too low... he is SUCH a scrumptious little man!

The cabin we are staying in is luxurious - warm, comfortable, spacious and spotlessly clean - so it is not too much of a hardship for Daniel and I, who are spending most of our time indoors. The reason for our being home-bound is twofold:

1) Baby it's cold outside! It has been snowing, blizzard-style since we got here - actually, I tell a lie, it stopped snowing and the sun came out yesterday morning - the ONE morning that we had arranged for me to have a go on the slopes - so my wonderful father and sister in law, having spent the previous 2 days skiing in horizontal, icy blizzard & wind, watched the blue skies from indoors as they looked after Daniel... meanwhile Ed and I skied in fabulous conditions - only to see the snow roll in again as we were having lunch! How guilty do I feel?!!!

2) Our car broke down on Saturday morning... this is turning out to be a bit of a nightmare actually. So, it broke down and, because it's still under warranty it has to be repaired at an Audi dealership. The nearest one is in Reno (50 miles away). The car was towed away on Saturday and then sat in the local towing station until this morning, because the weather was too hazardous for them to set out. We have therefore arranged for the car to go to Sacramento - which is further away, but at least it is on our way home. I just spoke to the Audi dealership in Sacramento and they close for Christmas, tomorrow evening at 6pm... they are 'doing their best' to get our car roadworthy before the holidays, but they can't promise, since there are already quite a few vehicles ahead of ours... Thankfully, part of our warranty agreement allows for us to have a hire car for 5 days in the event that our car breaks down when we are more than 100 miles from home - we only found that out yesterday, so at least we are no longer stranded, and we can drive the hire car to Sacramento... BUT if our car is not fixed by 6pm tomorrow evening, then we will have to drive the hire car home and then Ed will have to drive all the way to Sacramento (about a 4 hour round-trip) on Boxing day (otherwise known as 'my birthday') to pick up our car... as if we didn't have enough going on in these 2 weeks!

A few prayers on that subject would be appreciated!

The icing on the cake came this morning as Daniel and I drove home from dropping the Gilchrist skio-trio at the Gondola... I left Daniel in the car as I opened the front door, then locked it behind me and went downstairs to open the garage. I then drove the car into the garage, picked up my son and tried to re-enter the house... but the door had locked behind me... so there was no way for me to get back into the house! Daniel was already late for his nap and was therefore ever-so-slightly-not-so-nice-to-know, I didn't have the number for the cabin company and Ed was only intermittently in cell-phone range... after about 10 minutes, I managed to communicate what had happened to Ed, who thankfully had the number for the cabin company - he phoned them and they arranged to send someone out immediately. 1/2 an hour later (!) a ski-bum arrived and said (in Bill-and-Ted-esque drawl) 'oh yeah, sorry mate, I kinda forgot the address I was supposed to go to, bummer, yeah, it's freaky that garage locking mechanism, yeah, people get locked out all the time...' - needless to say, I found it hard to remain polite!

Anyway, Daniel is sleeping soundly and I have had lunch, so the World is looking slightly more rosy than it did an hour ago!

Sadly, we are still going to have to cut the holiday short to get to Sacramento for the car (PLEASE let it be ready!), but, despite these set-backs, we ARE actually having a lovely time together... and Daniel has learnt a new trick - yesterday he found out that he can suck his toes! By the looks of things, they are very tasty!

What with planning our move to LA and preparing for Christmas, I am afraid blog posts have slipped down our list of priorities recently! And this post is to prepare you for a few weeks of blog silence...

Ed's Dad and sister arrive TONIGHT (yeah!). We can't wait to see them.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of Jane's death. We can't believe it has been a year already, since in many ways we still feel we're only just coming to terms with the reality that she's gone. I am glad we will all be together. I am sure there will be lots of tears - but I'm hoping we can also remember all the ways Jane brought such joy to our lives with her sunny personality and ability to bring laughter into whatever situation she found herself - Ed read 1 Thessalonians 4 this morning and reminded us that we do not grieve as others grieve because we have the sure and certain hope that Jane is alive and well beyond the grave - what an amazing joy it is to know that although we miss her terribly now, we WILL see her again one day!

We leave to go skiing in Tahoe on Friday and will get back here on Christmas eve. We then spend Christmas and Boxing day (otherwise known as 'my birthday'!) together here before the packers come on the 27th! The hope is that they will be able to pack everything into the van on the 27th, travel down to LA on the 28th and then unpack on the 29th... they are currently saying that they can't guarantee delivery of our stuff until the 3rd January (which seems a mighty long time for a 7 hour drive!) - but we're praying it doesn't take that long! Camping in an empty apartment with a 10 month old does not sound a whole heap of fun!

It may well be that we do not manage to post again until we get to LA... although I might try and post a sneaky update from Tahoe... we'll see!

So, let me satiate your Daniel appetites before the likely post-famine with a few of the photos from the professional photo shoot we did as a family recently... get ready for a severe cute attack!

We hope you all have a very happy Christmas!

I have just spent the last 20 minutes with tears rolling down my face with laughter as my son initiated his first joke! He had what could only be described as a 'smirk' on his face and a twinkle in his eye as he repeatedly turned his head to avoid looking at me - the more I laughed and tried to meet eyes, the more he was clearly having to stop himself from bursting into giggles - but managed to maintain a mock serious expression throughout until, at long last, I managed to make our eyes meet - and then his face creased into the most enormous grin. He's incredible. And here he is in his new hat and mitts set...

Dear friends and family. Thank you to those of you who have been praying. The last two days have been significantly better! Not only have we seen some lovely homes, but Daniel has also been in an inexplicably better mood!



This morning we had breakfast on the terrace overlooking the marina, bathed in morning sunshine. I read my book while Ed was on a conference call. We then went to view some properties in the morning and then decided that the best place for lunch and for us to mull over our decisions was in the Hotel's pool and hot-tub! After lunch we saw a couple more possible places, but by 6pm we'd made our decision.

So, the BIG news is: we have signed an extendable 12 month lease on an apartment in Marina del Rey - footsteps from a pool, tennis courts and a gym as well as being just 2 minutes walk to the beach! We think we might JUST be able to cope with living here in Los Angeles! We're really excited and grateful to God for his provision.

Hi there! As I write, the LA sunshine is streaming through the hotel window and I can look out over the Marina and Pacific ocean beyond... it is NOVEMBER and yet I was out in a strappy top (complete with vomit splatterings - my new every-day fashion accessory!) this morning!

We drove down as far as Bakersfield on Friday night and then made the final push to LA on Saturday morning - it was pouring with RAIN for most of the way down, which felt very bizarre - but the sun has shone ever since!

On Sunday morning we went to Del Rey Church (www.DelReyChurch.com), which was GREAT and may well end up being our church home once we move!

We were invited to the home of Ed's new boss on Sunday afternoon, which was lovely - although slightly stressful since Daniel was NOT in a good mood! Being in one hotel room is a nightmare for successful napping - and the triple-whammy combination of being in a new place, in-and-out of the car seat all the time (as we view various properties) and his usual routine being messed up have meant that Daniel is in melt-down mode - I don't blame him - but it doesn't make for the best of first impressions!

Ed is at work today and Daniel and I are trying to have a bit more of a peaceful routine day - although we have squeezed in a few home-viewings... no one property stands out yet, but there are a few that we could live in - one is right on the beach-front! Now THAT would feel like we were living the LA dream!

Tomorrow, Daniel and I are getting driven around the area by the relocation consultant that EA has arranged - she is going to show us up to 6 properties that she feels are the best on offer at the moment in our price range - so I'm hopeful that maybe one of those will be a winner!

I have to keep reminding myself that the Lord already knows where we are going to live and He has prepared it for us, so I don't need to panic or give in to fear - but the pendulum between peace and panic has been in full gear! Especially when my little boy has been screaming more than usual so my nerves are feeling slightly frayed!

This is NOT easy - we LOVE our current home in the bay area - and we love our church - and our friends... although this move to LA is exciting, the reality of making a brand new start has made me feel like I want to burst into tears at times - BUT my Father KNOWS what is BEST for us to mature us and stretch us - but stretching is not always very comfortable!

Do pray for us! It would be wonderful if we had a forwarding address to give to people before Christmas - but even that I have to trust Him on!

Before I go to bed I absolutely MUST write a quick blog post! I have been meaning to write one for days but I always think of it when I'm in the middle of an activity that doesn't mix well with blog writing!

The ONLY down side to life in the Gilchrist family having settled down, is that our blog has become a lot less interesting to read! I am pleased to report that there continues to be no new drama!

Daniel is in a schedule, so an average day looks like this: - waking at 6.30am, feeding, playing, sleeping at 8.30am until 10.30am, then puree, feed, story time, play, sleep at 12.30pm until about 3pm, feed, play, walk, then puree at about 5.30pm, then bath time (Daniel's favorite time of the day - he is an expert splasher and takes great delight in emptying the contents of his bath all over me with violent flapping of his arms - I have to wash him quickly while there is still water to wash in before it all gets splashed away! Great fun - although I am thinking of investing in a set of full-length waterproofs!), then feed before bed at about 6.30pm... he then SLEEPS through until morning! Wahoo!

The only snag was that the hour went back last weekend - so for a few days we were waking at 5.30am (that's just not funny) - but I am pleased to report that this morning he slept until 6.30am - so I think we're back on track! Phew!

We had a lovely time away in Point Reyes - the weather wasn't great, but we still managed to enjoy some beautiful walks - and LOTS of much-needed rest!

Ed is in the UK for a 10 day work trip (combined with friends and family time at the weekends and most evenings). Daniel and I are missing him lots - but we're thankful for the IPhone 4 'face time' option & Skype - so we get to see Daddy every day! Yeah! I am using the time (when Daniel is asleep!) without my man around to catch up with some precious girl friends out here, fill our freezer full of puree for Daniel, do a spot of sewing and even a wee bit of song writing!

We have decided to try and find a home in LA before Christmas, so that we can then move in in January - so the weekend after next, we are driving down to LA for the week to house hunt! As part of the relocation package, EA is arranging for someone to book a schedule of home viewings for us - so all I have to do is turn up and choose! Your prayers for that would be really appreciated!

I am really trying not to think too much about the move at the moment - seeking to stay invested with the friends and things we're involved with here - I have made the mistake of mentally 'moving' too early in the past and have missed out on enjoying the last few months of living in a place because I'm already planning the next stage... I suppose it will all feel more 'real' once we have decided on where we are going to live...

I think that's enough of an update for now! I'm off to bed! I guess most of you are just about to get up (it's 6am in the UK!) - so enjoy your day!