Living in Bristol, England (Williams Life Update)
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Friends, in case you didn’t know, I’m thrilled to share with you we have moved to the UK! Bristol, England, to be exact. On Monday, March 25th, we boarded a flight with our two boys and kissed Texas goodbye. While, yes, the move is temporary… we packed all we could into our three checked bags and started our travel across the pond. The boys did great, but I’ll share more about traveling with toddlers later. For now, let’s connect some dots. Since this Facebook post and this Instagram reel, questions have poured in. Really, since we began sharing news personally with close friends and family at the start of the new year. So, I’ve decided to end the post with a Q+A of sorts. But first, I’ll share how we even got to this decision:
When Calvin and I were dating while he was in college, I remember him telling me how he wanted to continue in school and get his master’s and his doctorate. That academic drive has persisted through location, family, and employment changes over the years. Before he graduated with his master’s degree from HBU (now Houston Christian University) back in 2017, he knew he’d be moving onward toward a PhD; the only question was where? So, when he finally landed on two schools to work under two different but equally brilliant supervisors, Trinity College in Bristol, England, UK was his final choice. I did not oppose this decision. Especially after hearing he’d have to travel to the UK for a week each summer, and I could tag along for some of that travel! Of course, I’d be supportive of my husband’s education. ;)
So, Calvin has been working towards completing his PhD and has been doing so part-time as a hybrid student since 2019. Late last year, during one of their routine Zoom meetings, Calvin’s supervisor suggested the idea of him doing a four-month intensive as a full-time student in Bristol to finish his PhD sooner. For months, we discussed, prayed, and upon deciding to go for it, we began to prepare.
It was finally decided in January. I still remember taking a picture of Calvin at the foot of our bed when he finally told me, "Babe, I think we're supposed to go to Bristol. It's Bristol. That's what's next." I quickly pulled out my phone and snapped a picture of him because I wanted to remember the exact day and moment it was decided. We each hear God in different ways, doing our best to discern His voice and His leading. But when Calvin approached me that day, I realized God had already given me complete peace about it in my own praying and seeking Him regarding a potential change for our family over the previous three months.
Determining when and for how long was what was next. Deciding on the end of March to August came easy for us because we knew we wouldn’t be leaving before my sister’s wedding in March, and we knew that it’d be best to return before the next school year began. Josiah was thrown a “farewell/early birthday” party at school by his teachers, and Abe also got to hug his teachers farewell. Josiah had his final speech therapy session (at Bluebonnet Therapy Services), and a cleft team visit at Shriners was scheduled before we left. Soon after our timeline was determined, we knew we’d need to book flights, find a flat to rent, and, most importantly, get our boys their passports!
God was really in the details. I hesitated to type that because I don’t often throw phrases around like that unless I mean it. One may think…
“Living aboard? That’s an easy yes! How dreamy! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
But as a young family, there was a lot to prayerfully consider and discuss amongst ourselves, as well as alongside Godly counsel. Once we said “yes,” we saw God work to align all the things that there were still big question marks about. He provided in so many ways once we stepped out in faith and just said, “yes” and took action towards that “yes”.
To step out in faith, to give God your “yes” without answers to all the questions or foresight into how it will all pan out, requires a trust and dependency in Him. We often want to control everything. All the details. All the parties involved. All the outcomes. All the plans and backup plans we want to keep safe in our back pockets. But the reality is stepping out of your comfort - in any capacity - and following God’s lead will require faith and action. And here and now, I can testify of the goodness and kindness of God to provide in every single detail, as He often does.
You see, Bristol has been a haven for Calvin and I over the past two years. First, in the summer of 2022, Calvin visited Bristol for a week alone. His school conference was being held during the month of June and I would meet him in London after he finished up in Bristol. From the moment he arrived, I received texts telling me all about Bristol and how incredible it was. During that week alone, when not with colleagues or participating in his school’s conference, Calvin had the opportunity, space, and time to himself. He would come back to share how God really used his week in Bristol to allow him to process life, grief, dreams, loss, faith, and calling. And, then I, as many of you may know, in the summer of 2023, after losing our daughter, Naomi, joined Calvin on his annual trip to Bristol so that we would not be separated during such a vulnerable and broken time for our family. You see, I had delivered Naomi (her birth story here) stillborn on June 14 and on June 19 Calvin had a flight to catch to Bristol. As I shared in my last newsletter, because of the generosity of friends and family to care for our boys, our dog, and our home and lastly, the love and support from my employer to give me time off to be away, I was able to join Calvin on his trip to Bristol before our already planned trip to Rome together.
While in Bristol, I too, experienced the safe haven that it was to grieve, to process, to lament, to pray, to be still, to seek God, to reflect, and to begin to heal. While I’d do anything to have our daughter with us still today, if last summer had not unfolded as it did, then I would have never had a prior context to Bristol for a move such as this.
I trust God knew then what we are experiencing now. He knew one day our family would call this place “home” for this time and He met Calvin here in a profound way, as He did me last summer. We trust He’ll now continue to meet us here, draw us near, and allow further healing and growth now that we will all be here as a family unit.
Our first week in Bristol has been wonderful. Not without hiccups - like all the rain and hail we weren’t expecting, a lost wallet, realizing we forgot josiah’s school book, and figuring out how to shop and cook when food choices are different and my trusted latin spices are scarce. The jet lag was tough on all of us, but we’re doing better each day. We miss family and friends and staying heavy on FaceTime with them. We’re visiting surrounding churches and hope to get connected somewhere soon. It’s new, it’s different, it’s exciting, and it’s an adventure we’re all grateful to be on! The boys have done incredible considering all the change. Our flat is perfect for us (few pictures of it below) and the location is unreal. We love everything about it! And while I shared this on Instagram, I want to also here:
Isn’t it kind of God to coincidently have had our flat’s master bedroom have this canvas of peonies beside the bed? That’s the side I sleep on. It’s like she’s with us. Naomi is here too. 💕
We have loved exploring all that Bristol has to offer! There’s so much! I wish I had the time to get into every photo, it’s location, a fun fact, why I felt inspired to take said photos, etc. For now, enjoy the beautiful sights we’ve set our eyes on during our first week! If you hover over, you’ll see a quick caption for each. :)
Let's end with that quick Q & A now! I opened up to questions on Instagram (where I normally hang on the internet, so be sure to follow along here if you don't) and y'all sent in some great ones:
What about Theo?
Theo is with Calvin's parents! We are so grateful that they are not only caring for our dog but also, that they have a pup of their own that Theo already knows and loves to play with. There's no doubt that Theo is having the time of his life with his buddy, Major, running and swimming all the live long day!Are you still going to work remotely?
Yes! My employer has been so incredibly generous and flexible with me. I get to adjust my hours to work more in the afternoon and evenings in order to coordinate with US time zones. London time (Bristol time) is 6 hours ahead. So my work days will now start at 3 PM.What about your house? / Is someone renting? / Are you selling?
To be honest, we weren't sure what we'd be doing with our home at first. We were open-handed with it, knowing that if it came down to selling it, we would. Of course, we would have been very sad, too, as we LOVE our home. But God provided! A dear, dear friend offered to rent our home resulting in us not having to sell or put it up for rent to strangers. It was a win-win that was an easy "YES" for us and another way we saw God laying things into place for us.Will you all need Visas?
No! Luckily, one only needs to apply for a Visa here in England when living in the country for 6+ months. We'll be here for 4 months.Are you homeschooling Josiah? / Will the boys be enrolled in school while there?
We pulled the boys out of their preschool mid March. I will be homeschooling Josiah from April to June, about 4 days a week. His teachers were incredibly flexible to have a parent-teacher conference with me earlier than usual in order to know how he had progressed this school year and what he could continue to work on in the coming months. They gave me things to practice with and I'm so grateful! I was also asked about his speech theraphy... and I'll be working with him on his speech, too. I'm thinking about an hour for school and thirty minutes for speech each day? (Also, I'm happy to have my homeschooling friends send all their tips!)Where will you all be living? An Airbnb? Apartment? Hotel?
We bought plane tickets and purchased a home for a short-term lease on the same day! And now that we are here, this little place is perfect for us. I thought it was a flat (apartment) but the letting company actually told us it's more of a basement home. And we LOVE it so far! Pictures later, maybe? ;)Can you share your experience of traveling with kiddos abroad with us?
Yes! I already shared a travel day recap + tips for traveling abroad w/littles, but I have so much planned content to share both on IG and on the blog. So stay tuned and follow along if you don't.
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Pray for us, friends/family! Through every transition, change, celebration, and hardship, you all have always been incredibly encouraging and supportive. Thank you! We’re thrilled about this adventure. We know this is what’s next, and this is the time to do it, and we’re expectant of what God will do in and through us during this time.
Thank you for reading! You know the comments are always open, as are my dms. I’m grateful for each one of you who makes the time to read what I write. I’ll keep on, and I hope you will, too.
God bless you and keep you.
He is good.
He is faithful.
And He always has a plan.
Crystal
