There and Back Again - Tales from across the pond

Victory in Iowa

2008-01-05T21:46:00.000Z

Rock on!

Short-term memory

2007-12-12T15:28:00.000Z

Occasionally when I read the news I come across something which reminds me that principles in politics are rarely to be taken seriously: governance is more often about accumulating power than ensuring the rule of law. Rarely is this more blatant than this story from the New York Times.

Normally I would shrug this kind of thing off as the usual partisan bickering and conservatives complaining that they haven't yet become Masters of the Universe. But is there no one who can remember as far back as 2004?! Because as usual, Republicans are either too stupid or simply don't care. Let's reminisce together...

It's post-election, 2004. The right wing is on a serious power trip after re-electing Bush, expanding their majority in the legislative branch, and seeming on the brink of swaying the judicial. All that remains is for the emboldened commander-in-chief to appoint lots of conservative justices, and the ever-present dream of a single-party country will finally become reality.

But wait! The democratic minority in the Senate just won't die! Instead, they begin blocking Bush's judicial appointments with the power of the filibuster, which requires a larger majority to override. A principled politician might concede that political opposition is healthy in the long run and that the use of the filibuster has been respected and valued for 200 years. On the other hand, what will the GOP's response be? Of course: just change the Constitution!

So out came all the headlines about forcing "up-or-down votes" and "the nuclear option," remember those? If you really weren't paying attention, here's an article to prove I'm not lying, and that Republicans really did try to force their agenda by taking the Constitution hostage, putting a gun to its head, and demanding the confirmation of justices as ransom. I honestly don't remember how many of the nominees eventually were confirmed, but at least we were spared a nuclear attack on the Constitution (does that count as negotiating with terrorists?).

And now, here we are in late 2007 and, well, things have changed. Actually, the only thing that has changed is that Republicans no longer control the Senate. One might hope that Republicans would allow Democrats the same leverage that they enforced when they were in the majority, or at least disguise their actions to avoid exposing their double-standard, but that would only be necessary in the rare case of voter intelligence. Where have the up-or-down votes gone? How did the filibuster magically rise from disgrace to be used a record levels? Frankly, if I was the filibuster, I'd be pretty pissed off.

In 2004, the Democrats used the filibuster to put the brakes on a radical agenda and were demonised for it. In 2007, because they have the backing of the President, Republicans are quite literally ruling from the minority. Whether voters will call them on this in 2008 is anyone's guess.

I am always on the lookout for real, substantial differences between political parties, beyond the caricatures (Republicans are cold-hearted bastards, Democrats are wimps). In this case I don't think the contrast could be more clear: both parties whine when they don't get their way, but only one is prepared to sacrifice the common good and the rule of law for the sake of eliminating opposition. I certainly hope that people of conscience in both parties recommit to abiding by the principles of the Constitution and moral behaviour in general; but until Republicans show some glimmer of revival, I can say with confidence where my votes are going...

Can you taste it?

2007-12-03T17:23:00.000Z

I mentioned that there were several reasons I've been blogging less frequently (excuses, really!) Here's another:

Mmm, home-brewed beer. I have to say, it's one of my more successful experiments, winning over even the harshest of critics (Melissa!). And there's plenty to go around...

Brewing is a lot of fun. Besides the satisfaction of drinking it, it's great to hear it blurbling in the fermenter, knowing that billions of yeast are at work... kind of like having an art farm, but tastier.

This one is a mild ale, crisp and clean but still flavourful, low-alcohol and medium hoppy-ness. Next up will hopefully be a honey ale and/or a Belgian-style trippel. It's safe to say I'm hooked...

Baby Attack!

2007-11-20T15:43:00.000Z

Several things have been going on which have kept me from blogging. This is only one of them!

Let the hair-pulling begin...

2007-10-08T15:10:00.000+01:00

Well, it's 97 days and counting until the good people of Iowa single-handedly decide which presidential candidates will get the chance to (mis)lead the US for the next few years. On the other side of the pond, Gordon Brown has officially wimped out of calling an election, so it will be a little while before we see his slug-fest with David Cameron.

But hey, everyone knows US politics are so much more exciting anyway ;)

This is the first time, by the way, that I've bothered to follow primary race campaigns. Even in '04 I was still recovering from Democratophobia (yes, it's a real condition) to pay attention until Kerry had already won... *sigh*

And now, though I attempt to discern the real differences between Obama and Hillary, and try to find any signs of intelligent life from the GOP (ok, I actually gave up on that months ago), what interests me most is not the minutiae, but the larger picture: the relationship between the US and Europe, between them and the Middle East, and again with Russia, India, and China.

I don't have anything worthwhile to say about these things, except this: the United States had better realize that it no longer owns the world; and it had better realize that fast, because everyone else already has. The government and its people need to understand that civil liberty and justice are not "Made in America," but a universal standard to which all people have an equal obligation to submit and enforce.

This means that US interests must take a back seat to human interests. If the government feels it necessary to take an active role in the welfare of other nations, then it must do so under the authority of the international community: to do otherwise is not just unwise, it's immoral.

It also means that whatever standards the government holds other nations to, it must also apply to itself. Forbidding Iran to build nuclear weapons, while sitting on your own stockpile of Hiroshima-dwarfing bombs, is morally unacceptable. So is justifying your own regime-changing in practice while condemning others in principle.

In summary, the rest of the world has already rejected the tired line that the US is authorized to dictate global politics. It's only a matter of time (and maybe not that much of it) that the US will no longer be able to reach its arms that long. What then? If America ignores that reality it could lead to destruction, and the rise of another superpower. But if it works now to establish the international authority that will outlast it, we could see the establishment of the rule of law and of justice, which allows for peace.

If time permitted I would write a (lengthy) post titled "Why I'm not a Republican." It's something I feel the need to justify, because the Democratic position on abortion grieves me, and is not something to be put aside lightly. However, to vote Republican because of that one issue would be to neglect the larger issues at that I mentioned above. Abortion represents one life destroying another for its own supposed benefit. What Bush and his potential sucessors describe as "security" is the equivalent on a global scale. And, like many women who have abortions testify, when immoral means are justified to acheive desired ends, much is lost, and very little is gained.

Bouncy swings

2007-09-25T15:06:00.001+01:00

Need I say more?

End of week 1

2007-09-21T14:09:00.000+01:00

Well, Melissa has almost finished her first week of work, and Livi and I our time at home together. Both have been pretty successful, I think! Being stuck in the house during the rain is no fun, though :-P

[15 min. delay]

Cool, rain seems to have stopped!

We'll keep you posted with pictures and videos! But right now we're all settling into thisnew schedule.

Chris

2007-09-11T20:58:00.000+01:00

It's important to me that this blog contains a little more than just pictures (especially of you-know-who!), though it's difficult to find time and thought energy. In this case, I just want to highlight something that I discovered today that immediately went into my "everybody should see/hear/read this!" file. But first, some personal background.

I think that my ongoing fascination with art, faith, and politics is that they help me to understand, or at least come to grips with, the world that I live in. For me, artistic endeavour and political arguments take a step back from the daily business of living to address the "whats" and "whys" of existence: I can place myself within a broader narrative, and begin to categorise, explain, and critique the things going on around me.

Faith provides a great precedent for this in the form of the prophets. Unlike fortune-tellers, the role of the prophet is to provide a narrative for her followers: One that tells the story of the past, the condition of the present (along with God's judgement of that condition), and the possible futures which will result from choices made now. In short, prophets give us a kind of divine social commentary that is at the same time political, historical, moral, and, well, prophetic. I don't believe I have an extraordinary gift in this regard, but I desperately search for these narratives, woven by others, that I can trust and live by, whether it comes from Isaiah, Jesus, or Tom Wright.

Politics are, for me, about providing the raw material with which to apply prophetic judgement. Whereas I will become 100% captivated by a prophetic narrative (say, about the relational community of Jesus growing into the Kingdom of God), I tend to stay detached from political parties, or even philosophies, sifting each alternative according my principles, and ending up with a continually morphing patchwork of ideas with inevitable contradictions and ambiguities. The real purpose I have with politics is to be aware of what's going on: of movements and philosophies, trends and taboos. In short, politics provide the questions, but not the answers.

I mentioned art as well, but it's not quite so relevant here and more difficult to nail down, so I'll leave it :)

All this has led to an interesting path for me over the last few years. Starting as a born-and-raised conservative Christian, in the build-up to the Iraq invasion I began to question the compatibility of a Biblical faith on the one hand, and a patriotic, good guy / bad guy, us vs. them attitude on the other. This led to a serious rethink of both my faith (is it really about religious affiliation leading to an all-important afterlife, or rather about the working of God within history towards the complete redemption of this life?) and politics (is the United States really a global force for peace, freedom, and human rights? or is it an empire securing it's own interests under a guise of self-deception?)

If you've stayed with me this far, we're almost there :) After coming to the UK I discovered a book called "No Logo" by Naomi Klein. A praise on the cover described here as a sexy Noam Chomsky, so I was intrigued. The subject of the book had to do with the history of product branding, leading to today's attempts by companies like Apple, Starbucks, and Nike to brand attitudes, ideas, lifestyles, and entire cultures.

What gripped me about that book wasn't that it was meticulously researched and argued (though it was and more); it was that it created a narrative that made sense of something. Now, when I walk through a shopping mall or watch the latest iPod commercial, I have a lens through which I can understand, explain, and critique what I'm seeing. Could a political writer transcend the category I outlined above? Is it possible for me to believe in a secular prophet, who, like the spiritual kind, weave authoritative narratives to explain life as I know it?

At this point, my answer is yes. Which is why I was excited today to hear about her new book, "The Shock Doctrine." I haven't read it yet, but my understanding of her basic premise is that the spread of free-market capitalism depends upon nations experiencing the same "shocks" that torturers (in this case, the CIA) have discovered are useful in breaking down a subject's defenses. As any good prophet would, she retells the past in order to throw light on the present; and whether or not she states it openly, there are always implications for the future.

I hope to find time to read the book, as well as follow the website. I hope I can pique some others' interest to do the same... I know at least a few libertarian-leaning friends with whom I might have some dialogue! In the meantime, below is a short film: please comment on it, her website, my summary of her work, or my personal thoughts and life-approach.

Always pondering,

Chris

whaddayaknow...

2007-08-30T21:04:00.000+01:00

... Facebook does know a thing or two!

Safely home...

2007-08-24T20:14:00.000+01:00

It's been a great holiday, but we're both glad to be back in York. However, jet lag sucks.

The fun hasn't stopped, and we just tried expanding Livi's diet with some baby cereal! Thanks to video blogging, you too can get a piece of the action! ;)

Tired...

Chris

more pictures

2007-08-15T15:48:00.000+01:00

Time is flying, only a week left in the States!

Rough 'n' tumble with the boys:

Acting cool:

Bath time!

Pinky the monkey, our new friend:

Blue eyes:

Also, my cactus, George, decided to bloom for us:

Signing off for now.

Chris

Back in the USA

2007-08-03T13:44:00.000+01:00

Home sweet home!

Meeting new people...

Swimming in the pool...

themed dinner...

and takin' a break...

Daughter

2007-07-19T21:42:00.000+01:00

This one is just too good to not post :)

We'll be home to visit in less than two weeks!

-Chris

Summer sojourn

2007-06-20T16:28:00.000+01:00

That's right! Most of you probably know already, but here it is anyway: mark your calendars, we'll be back in good ol' Chester County from the 30th of July to the 22nd of August. It's about time...

We are having a shindig at the home of Mike & Sandy Bryan, 8 Dogwood Dell Dr, Coatesville, PA 19320 on Saturday 4th August from 12pm until 9pm. It is an open-house style, so come whenever you want and say hello. It should be good fun and good food so stop by and join us.

If you think you are coming could you RSVP by email to sandybryan-at-gmail.com or ethanandgail-at-gmail.com. (The @s have been removed to prevent torrential floods of spam) My wonderful sister-in-law is organising it, so it would be great to know how many people will be around.

See you soon!

Apple bread

2007-06-15T15:24:00.000+01:00

I've come close to perfecting the art of apple bread (or cake, depending on your point of view).

mmm...

I'm waiting for Olivia to fall asleep so we can watch a dvd, so here's the recipe for a small loaf.

1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
2 apples

Beat the oil and eggs. Stir in the sugar. Mix the remaining dry ingredients. Cut the apples into 1/4" pieces, and preheat the oven to 185c. Combine the wet mixture and the dry ingredients; the consistency should be like sticky play-doh. Fold in the apples. Scoop into a greased tin and bake until golden brown and firm.

To recapitulate:

mmm...

It's about time

2007-06-11T21:02:00.000+01:00

Less talk, more pictures! Click on them for larger versions.

Health care, continued

2007-05-27T15:49:00.001+01:00

I know you're all probably more interested in seeing how Olivia's doing more than anything I have to say. My teaching job has finished now, and I will find time to get some pictures up this week!

I just received a very interesting comment on my post regarding the possibility of a national health care system, an issue that has already been raised by the democratic presidential candidates. I don't think I know who the commenter is, so I'll assume it's a well-spoken Christian on the web who has time for these discussions with strangers :) I want to respond quickly, in case (s)he (but I'm guessing he) checks back.

I encourage you to read his response here, but I think I can summarise it by saying that he believes question is not about the desirability of a national health care system, or even whether or not it is possible in general (since it works in other places), but that it is not possible at this time in the US because of impending fiscal thunderclouds approaching. In his words, "we have some real economic problems coming at us." A partial list includes: the national deficit, already high taxes, the baby boomer retirement, increased cost-of-living, and general public apathy.

I find this quite interesting. My original post was aimed at conservative Christians who do not believe that social services should extend beyond private, charitable giving (while simultaneously believing that the US is somehow a "Christian nation.") The mystery commenter's thoughts, however, imply that, given a balanced budget, (remember those days??) universal health care could be both morally appropriate and financially feasible. As he says, "Providing quality health care at an affordable price can only benefit a government, a country and its people." Somehow I doubt that this point is as self-evident as we both would wish! I still believe that the main debate among Christians is about the moral value of such a system, rather than the specific applicability within the US in the next decade or so.

Nevertheless, his comments touch on a broad range of subjects that I think are interesting to pursue. Here we go...

Most working Americans are already paying a fortune in state, federal, local and property taxes, Unemployment tax, Social Security and Medicare taxes, nuisance taxes, sewer taxes, school taxes, etc., etc., etc.

Add to this the burden of private insurance!

Now imagine that burden of insurance replaced by a system in public control, with those who are more able picking up the slack for those with less. There's no guarantee that it would be more financially efficient; but it couldn't do much worse! It's weighted to benefit those who need it most, and law-makers are held accountable by the taxpayer for every dollar spent.

The United States currently has a MASSIVE deficit and a negative balance of trade. The personal savings rate of the average American is also a negative number. In other words, not only are we not saving, we are going further and further into debt individually.

This is, of course, distressing. By the way, I wish there were references for these numbers, especially about personal savings. It's never good to throw unqualified numbers around.

One would think that this would cause those in government, especially in a "conservative" administration, to a) carefully prioritise national spending, and b) encourage self-restraint among the public. How strange then, that one of Bush's most consistent messages in the past 6 years is for people to spend more, shop more, buy more (one example here here). And national spending? The war in Iraq alone has cost $500 billion so far (reference here, and you can check their sources). Let me repeat that: 500. billion. That's not the "War on Terror," just Iraq. So frankly, I don't want to hear people whining that it's just not possible to give every American access to a doctor.

I told you it was a broad range of subjects :)

You might think that all of the above items would cause Americans to become more involved in "the system" to straighten things out. That's the way democracy works. But, just the reverse is currently the case. Less and less people vote in every election. Less and less people understand civics, history, or how the democratic system is supposed to work. They are apathetic, hopeless, or simply not interested. People are greatly distracted by their techno toys in the USA today. They care more about American Idol than about the American Future.

This is an interesting trend, and hard to deny. Perhaps we have progressed from the deification of the state to the deification of the self. If so, what are the possible future implications of that? How might those in power manipulate the worship of self to further a social agenda?

Is the Church providing an alternative to the idols of state and of self... or has it already capitulated to both? What might a truly Gospel alternative actually look like? Would it confront society head-on, or simply bear witness as an alternative community?

What does any of this have to do with health care?

These things will continue to turn over in my head in the coming year. I am torn between being a concerned (though absent) citizen and leaving the faith-informed politics scene altogether. When democrats say that their Lord "is very important" to them (Edwards), and republicans that faith informs some, but not all, of their decisions (so what, like 80%?) (I forget who said that), what's the use? How can I expect a secular nation to think humanely about health care or foreign policy, or be surprised at the current inhumanity of both?

Life goes on, and we wait (wisely or foolishly?) for Resurrection.

-Chris

Smiles all 'round

2007-05-10T09:56:00.000+01:00

Coming up on Olivia's 2-month birthday next week, and enjoying the company of Melissa's mum. Melissa's Aunt and Uncle also visited on Tuesday.

We're both a little crazy, but trying to have fun as well. I'm in between starting one job and finishing another, so I'm doing twice as much work as usual... not to mention composing and my other job... so there probably won't be any blog dissertations for a bit. Maybe that's a good thing?

Anyway, enjoy the pictures.

6 week check

2007-05-03T19:55:00.000+01:00

Hello Everyone

As promised there are more pictures to post. Olivia is now 6 weeks and 4 days old. I can't believe how much she has changed. She is holding her head up off the floor and smiling and we even heard a laugh once. There is always some new cry or gurgle. My mom is here to enjoy her and experience all those things with us.

I have been at my wit's end with feeding though. Olivia just feeds all day long and I felt like I couldn't get a break. The health visitor who comes to the house was worried about her weight gain as she was only gaining 2-3 ounces a week. We have been getting differing opinions from different health visitors and were very frustrated. Olivia was constantly fussy when not feeding and it was a struggle to get her to sleep. The health visitor suggested to "top her up" with formula and we all thought it was a good idea. We went to her 6 week check at the doctor's yesterday and Olivia had gained 1 whole pound in a week. She now weighs 9 pounds. She also gained an inch in height, I guess this was her 3 week growth spurt 3 weeks late. I was very shocked that just topping her up with formula would pack on that much weight. I have to say she looks healthier and is less fussy and has more happy alert times, so it was worth it. It also gives me a chance to have a break and have Chris feed her. Last night she slept from 9pm until 5am and then again until 8am!!! We all felt better this morning. Right now it is 8pm and my mom is feeding her and we are hoping for the same tonight. Below are some pictures.

p.s. Chris is making doughnuts from scratch and they are freakin' awesome! see you soon

Love Melissa

Universal Health Care

2007-05-01T21:58:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! Things are well in the Bryan family, especially as Melissa's Mom is here visiting. We'll have more pics online soon... promise!

Last week I managed to catch the first debate between democratic presidential candidates, and am looking forward to hearing from the other side in a month. I wanted to take a moment here to highlight what I predict (and hope) will be a central topic in the 2008 election: universal health care.

Specifically, I'd like to examine the debate on this issue from a Christian perspective. Hopefully my non-Christian readers may also be interested to catch a glimpse of political disagreement "on the inside." More than ever, we are not a monolithic voting bloc!

There are two blog posts, the second responding to the first, that I would like to point out, and I highly suggest you read both in their entirety:

"Universal health care -- Unbiblical socialism"

Christian Faith and Universal Health Care

If you simply stop here and read the articles, that's fine by me. Think about how your own view (and vote) on this issue is guided by your moral principles. For myself, I largely agree with the second article. I can't offer much more in the way of biblical argument; however, living in a country that does provide basic health care to all tax-paying residents, I found some of Creech's fears quite unfounded, which I will point out below for anyone interested. Of course, I can't resist some general commentary as well...

Most Americans are completely unfamiliar with what the Bible teaches about economics.

I think we can all agree on that...

But even if every person currently paying taxes were willing to pay an extra $500 a year, that wouldn't begin to cover the great costs involved in such a program.

Really? Without breaking down our paychecks, I can safely say that we pay equal or less taxes here than we did in the U.S.: which is quite nice when you know that basic health care is thrown in. I couldn't tell you why, but there it is. And I've never heard anyone wish for privitisation, but I can't tell you how many people have said the opposite.

It would outlaw private health insurance ...

This is also not the case here. The well-off are free to purchase health insurance from private companies, which is in addition to their coverage under the NHS.

... and give government bureaucrats the exclusive right to set reimbursement rates for physicians, clinics and hospitals. This would not only create supply shortages, but would also likely produce a black market health-care system.

I can't say either of these are a significant problem here.

It would destroy professional freedom for medical professionals. The government would be the sole determiner of the number of medical professionals that could work.

This does seem to be a problem here. However, the democratic process means that pressure is on policy makers to find a solution. Unlike a private system that exists solely for the "bottom line," the NHS is compelled to serve the best interest of the public. Isn't this how a health system should operate?

Children with gestational issues of retardation, spina bifida, etc. would likely require abortion.

This has never happened here. Conversely, the knowledge that your hospital will be open to you, that you will receive regular checkups, attend birthing classes, and have a health professional visit your home during early days of parenthood (without paying out of pocket) does give low-income and single moms the confidence they need to go through the process without aborting their child. Having just gone through "the system," I can say this with confidence: it means a great deal! As someone who is strongly pro-life, I support a national system in the U.S. as an effective way to reduce abortions.

Instead of providing good health coverage for all, it will ultimately lessen the quality of care for all.

Tell me, how do you get less than none??

On the flip side, for the well-off, anything can be purchased. I can't see the problem.

"There is simply no other choice than this: either abstain from interference in the free play of the market, or to delegate the entire management of production and distribution to the government."

And yet, walking between these extremes is what the western world has been doing throughout modern economic history.

Whatever the solution, any plan fostering more dependence on the government is not only extremely dangerous, but immoral. Perhaps the country would do well to consider the warning of John Cotton, a founding father of the Massachusetts Bay Colony: "Let all the world learn to give mortal men no greater power than they are content that they shall use, for use it they will."

I get the feeling that the author thinks that the U.S. is some kind of totalitarian regime. A federal health care system puts power in the hands of elected officials who are answerable to voters, the very people who use the system. On the other hand, a private system gives that power to profit-makers who have no accountability to the general public.

Two questions:

1) Which would you prefer?
2) Which better serves the less fortunate?

I expect you'll hear more from me on this in the future.

-Chris

sleeping

2007-04-04T22:45:00.000+01:00

I'm writing this with one hand, while Olivia snores on my chest.

Thinking back over these past couple of weeks, I'm surprised more than anything by how natural it has felt to have Olivia with us. Not much shock or confusion; stressful at times, but always feeling somehow like this is how it is supposed to be. I don't believe in fate or divine will in these things, but it's a good feeling anyway. This is our child, a brand new person but already closer to us than most; this is our family.

And Olivia, despite having a very limited sense of her environment and means of expressing herself, nonetheless has a profound effect on us. Through our new roles as parents, we discover more of ourselves, and of each other; but even more than that, it is this new role that further molds and shapes who we actually are.

Recently I've been thinking about God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. We understand this as a "test" of his faith. Does God really need these experiments to see inside the human heart? Or is it instead that we need these experiences to become the people he is looking for? Strangely, it is the challenges that we find ourselves in that cause us to become people who are able to meet and succeed at them.

Or, to put it another way, the things I do are what determine who I become.

Having gone through many changes in the past couple of years, I think I have become more aware of how I define myself in relation to my world. The question who am I, really? is always floating somewhere in my subconscious. Maybe time will help answer that question; but for now I enjoy the uncertainty, even as I wonder the same about my daughter, who is (thankfully) still snoring soundly.

Goodnight.

2-week Birthday

2007-04-02T19:48:00.000+01:00

So, of course we've fallen into the "new parent trap" of taking way too many pictures of Olivia. It will be nice to look back in a few months to see how she's grown. Here are the best ones.

One-week Birthday!

2007-03-26T17:30:00.000+01:00

Little Olivia has made it through her first week in this big, scary world. She has a regular schedule of sleeping, eating, crying, and staring in wide-eyed silence. The midwife says she looks very healthy, and we agree. We've been for a couple of nice walks, which puts her right to sleep. And we've been getting sleep too, which is absolutely wonderful. We're looking forward to the next weeks and months of her growth. The biggest question at the moment is, will her eyes stay blue, or will they turn brown??

Enjoy the pictures...

Arrival!

2007-03-20T10:32:00.000Z

Most everyone reading this will have received our e-mail announcement. This post is just to get some pictures online of our little Olivia Frances :)

Last night was her first night at home. Bringing her inside and welcoming her into her new home was one of the real highlights for me! There has been lots of cuddling from then until now, and thankfully a few hours of sleep as well.

I have this week off for paternity leave, which is good because Melissa is very sore and having trouble getting up and down. Nevertheless we are both very happy, and not too many frayed nerves yet.

Enjoy the pictures!

p.s. Below is the original announcement e-mail.

-----

Hello to everyone,

News travels fast, but I wanted to send out the official announcement
of the arrival of Olivia Frances Bryan into our family!

Melissa began feeling labour pains Saturday afternoon. After reaching
the hospital around 3.30pm on Sunday, she impressed the midwives with
her stoic attitude and speed of labour. She remarked afterwards, 'It
didn't hurt as much as I expected.'

Olivia made her appearance at 8.16pm on Mother's Day, weighing in at
7lbs. 9oz., or 3.43kg. My first reaction? Point and yell 'there's
your baby!!'

She looks very healthy, and has already developed a strong grip on my
finger. She has been alternating between sleeping, feeding and crying
for the past few hours. Melissa is also doing as well as could be
expected, and is as happy and excited as I. Olivia fell asleep with
me for a while when Melissa was in the bath, and I have a feeling
we'll get along just fine :)

I am home now because they wouldn't let me stay the night. I will be
back at the hospital at 9am. You are welcome to ring us then, I don't
know whether Melissa will want to come home tomorrow, or what the
hospital visiting hours are. In short, I don't know much. I am very
tired and very happy. Please give us a ring tomorrow, especially if
you would like to come see us.

-Chris

Hodge podge of stuff

2007-03-10T16:01:00.000Z

Hi all,

This is Melissa and now that I am on maternity leave I have a bit of time to post. We haven't really done a proper post for some time so this will be a hodge podge of everything that has been going on for the past few months.

First of all I have been at my quilting again and made a quilted table runner/wall hanging as a Christmas present for our friends. Chris actually designed it and did all the drawings and measurements and I just cut the fabric and sewed it. We are really happy with it and it was a fun project to work on together. Here are a few pics:

More recently Chris has switched jobs again. He has quit teaching guitar in the primary schools. His last day is 13 April. He will be teaching a few students privately on a Saturday morning from our house. It is worth the few extra pounds a month and is not too demanding. He has also been hired by our church as the new worship leader for their contemporary 11am service. He is excited about this opportunity and it is part time so it fits his schedule. He has a lot of work to do but he has a few core people in the existing group that are dedicated and on board with him. He also has the back up of the leadership to make changes and make the worship service more meaningful. The job is great because he can work from home except for practices. The church currently runs 4 services a Sunday, which is typical for churches here. The services range from Morning Prayer to Evening Prayer with traditional and contemporary services in the middle.

Chris has also started working on campus as a music archivist. He will be working with a specialist in the field to digitise old recordings. This is something that he is really interested in and it is a great skill to know and master. Again this job is flexible and he can work at anytime day or night.

Next autumn he will change to part-time for his PhD and hopefully we will be able to balance everything. The plan is that I will go back to work full time towards the end of September and Chris will balance all the above and take care of the baby. This will be a challenge but we don’t want to put the baby in daycare. If it becomes a problem then I will have to change to part-time. So please pray for all of that, it will be a struggle no matter what happens.

I am now just a week and a day away from my due date (and my birthday)! I think we pretty much have everything ready for the big day. My hospital bag is packed and ready to go. The nursery is set up, we are just waiting.

I finished work on 1 March and have just been relaxing and reading and sleeping. I haven’t been too bored yet. It is nice to be home and have lunch with Chris when he comes in between schools. We celebrated my birthday early and Chris got me lots of things to do while being home. My favourite thing is a book on quilt stars. It is a great handbook. I found one pattern that I really like and have started another quilt. It is a wall hanging. I am excited about it – I think each one I do is better than the last so it is nice to see improvement.

The British don’t normally have baby showers. When I explained it to them they were mystified. So the girls from my work decided to throw me an ‘American Baby Shower.’ With the help of Chris they threw it in my living room! They all had excuses why they were leaving early from work (which happens occasionally) and then I got home and they were all in my living room! It was a lot of fun and very sweet of them to do. They got us a Moses basket (or bassinet as you may call it) and it is just adorable. Here are a few pictures:

I think the last thing is Chris and I went to London the first weekend in March. One of his compositions was being performed at a weekend ‘Microtonal Festival.’ Microtonal music is a bit hard to explain so all I will say is that it is writing music with notes that are in between the notes on the piano. If you need further clarification then Chris will have to do that. Anyway the festival was good, a little long for me, but his piece went well and he made a lot of contacts.

I will leave you with a picture of me taken a few days ago and some pictures of York over the winter. A few of all the flooding we had in December and the one snowstorm we had (well not really a storm more of a flurry). The next time we post we will be three!!! Thanks for reading.

Melissa