Column Update

Hey y'all!

The small local newspaper in Tennessee that will carry my "From Mama to Mummy" column doesn't have a full online edition at this time.  I've had some requests from my North Carolina friends to share it here, so I will begin posting it a week after it comes out.

Thank you to everyone for your support and feedback--  every comment and Like is noticed and appreciated!

The following was printed 2 weeks ago and was my first entry.

From Mama to Mummy

Cayce Pirtle Davis

I am the only Tennessean who didn't see the 2017 eclipse.

True, that might be a bit of an overstatement; but with schools closed, parties planned, and even eclipse t-shirts worn, it was evident that "The Totality" was an event not to be missed.

Too bad I was on another continent.

Let me give you a brief review of my past 12 months:

One year ago my husband Jonathan and I moved from North Carolina, where I had birthed and raised our 3 children for the last 10 years, to my home state of Tennessee.  At the time we had no idea that the next chapter of our lives meant moving to the United Kingdom only 9 months later.  But that's what we did.  

The move was a dream come true for my travel-loving husband and I, and even our kids have been happy and excited to embrace our new culture and experiences.  At 11, 7, and almost 3, they effortlessly use British words like “crisps”, “loo”, and “mum” after living only 2 months in England.  I still struggle to remember not to say “y’all” in mixed company.  

So far we’ve found and furnished a home, tackled the formidable school enrollment process, bought a car and started driving on the “other” side of the road, and accomplished many other tasks on our summer “To-Do” list.  Unlike our summers in the South, that list didn’t include any trips to the swimming pool because the temperatures usually hovered around 20 or 21 degrees.  That’s the Celcius equivalent of 68-72 in the American South!  (Learning the metric system is also on our list.)  So, there aren’t many swimming pools.  But on the bright side, there aren’t any mosquitos either! The milder climate also means everything is green and beautiful flowers are everywhere. Pots overflowing with colorful blooms even adorn the concrete barriers in the medians of the streets.

It wasn’t easy to leave family and friends in the States, but technology makes it easier than ever to keep in touch with the people we care about.  For example, right after I called my father from my home outside London to wish him a happy birthday, my sister did the same thing… from Alaska.  We were 9 timezones apart and thinking of our daddy at the same moment. He had England in one ear and Alaska in the other, with both feet planted firmly in Portland, Tennessee.

Our life in America was a good one, but in the end we only get a certain number of trips around the sun, and that is why we decided to take this leap of faith and embark upon our European adventure as family.  Yes, oceans and continents are vast and yet on August 21 I cast my eyes toward the same life and light giving star as my fellow Americans at home.

I just didn’t need protective eyewear to do it.