GEEK Squad

Day 14-I'm Going Home

2011-09-25T19:03:00.000-05:00

We left London today.

Sad day.

That's all I can say.

The end.

Day 13-The Globe Theater

2011-09-25T18:16:00.000-05:00

We got up a little early to call the Globe Theater for the 2:00 show of Much Ado About Nothing and they had seats! YAY! So we headed to the theater to get the tour and see the exhibition, very cool. Then we got to watch Much Ado About Nothing IN the Globe Theater IN London! Kyle and I agree that this was by far one of the best experiences of our trip.

So beautiful.

They did all they could to recreate it with the same means used in its original construction so there are no nails only wooden pegs to hold it together. Its absolutely beautiful and amazing to be in.

This was the view from our seats.

The show was AMAZING! It was a great way to end our trip. The actors don't really have a choice and have to interact with the audience and the elements since the theater is open and the audience is visible as well. There were a couple times during the show that a helicopter went over the theater and all the actors, as if rehearsed, stopped and slowly looked up. The first time it was very much a, "what the heck is that?" type of look and the second time it was very much like," Really? Again?!" It was brilliant!

We headed back to the hotel for a bit then met up with Julia and Jason for one last dinner together before we leave tomorrow. They were very gracious to treat us to dinner and we had a good time experiencing new foods and great conversation, as is the case with Julia and Jason.

We leave tomorrow. It has been such a great trip.

6 years in the making and not one minute of the trip has let us down.

Day 12-Busy Day & New Friends

2011-09-25T17:23:00.000-05:00

We did a lot today. We visited the Tate Modern and while I'm not a huge abstract artist fan I do appreciate some of the items on display. For example there was this pile of sunflower seeds but they weren't actual sunflower seeds. They were carved out of porcelain, well here...

Crazy right?! I wouldn't typically get all excited about a pile of sunflower seeds but the reason the artist used this medium and why they used sunflower seeds and why they had so many of them, it's brilliant. It's not as if the artist just wanted to make a bunch of sunflower seeds because it would be fun. The artist had a reason and a purpose for everything in the display.

After the Tate Modern we headed to the Globe Theater. While we were there we thought it would be fun to see the exhibition and take a tour of the theater. Looking in to it we found they were no longer doing tours of the theater itself because they had a performance that afternoon but the theater tours usually go from 9 - 12 so we decided we'd head back tomorrow. We happen to take a look at the performance schedule as well and saw that tomorrows performance was Much Ado About Nothing so we asked the ticket office if they still had some seats available. No go for today but she suggested we call back tomorrow around 10:30. We'll see how it goes.

Since we didn't do the tour at the Globe we headed to H&M to do a bit more shopping. I know, I know, we have H&Ms in Minneapolis but the volume of selection we have compared to here is so minimal. We bought a couple items, lost track of time, and headed out to meet our new friends Amy and Michael.

Amy and Michael are great! No joke! They were so nice to invite Kyle and I over for dinner with hardly knowing us. Amy was one of the other bridesmaids in Julia's wedding and we had some good times. The fun only continued at table 2 when the boys joined us. We had such an excellent time with them for dinner at their flat. Amy cooked a fabulous meal and the conversation was perfect. We wouldn't have been upset if we got stuck there. Anyway, Amy and Michael have already started to assist us in moving to England. Love it!

Only 2 days left!

Day 11-Paris

2011-09-24T18:15:00.002-05:00

Today was the day for Paris. SO glad we went. We left London around 7 in the morning, almost missed our train, and arrived in Paris around 10. One thing we learned while in Paris, they don't believe in public toilets. IF they do have public toilets, they charge you to use it. More on that later.

So we arrived around 10 and started our walk around the city almost immediately. I had to get some coffee first. One of our first photo ops was at Square de Montholon. It's just a cute little park, like they have over there, with a beautiful statue.

We then stopped by Eglise Saint-Augustine de Paris (Church Saint Augustine of Paris).

Isn't it beautiful!?!

We then tried to head down Avenue des Champs Elysees to see the Arc de Triomphe but unintentionally went a different way which still landed us at the Arc de Triomphe which is really all that matters.

From there we saw the Gardens of Trocadero (Jardin du Trocadero), the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Pyramid (Musee du Louvre which we lovingly refer to now as the MOOSE du LUVE! Or in English, the Moose of Love. LOL!!!!), and Notre Dame Cathedral. There are lots more pictures so just here. :)

Look at the stud I found again.

Kyle said, "I thought it would be bigger. Epic fail."

Joking! He's next to one of the small ones.

We enjoyed lunch at L'Obligado after we saw the Arc de Triomphe and they were very nice to us since we hardly spoke French. We took advantage of the toilets there. Since we were patrons we figured there would be toilets to use. So I walk down to the toilets and there is one vanity and three stalls, two with doors. The first door is marked for women and has a coin slot to use the toilet. The second one has a door marked for men with a regular toilet, no coin slot, and the third stall has no door and a urinal. What the....?! So the women have to pay to use the toilet and possibly watch the guys use the urinal?! I'm sure the authorities will come after me because I took advantage of the fact that the guy stall with the door did not have a coin slot and did my business as fast as I could before anyone else came around. Whew!

Anyway, very weird. After lunch we saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, a bunch of other stuff, and Notre Dame. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, the day we were there, which was a good thing because we likely would have spent the entire day looking through there had it been opened. The great thing about Paris, ignoring the fact that you can't find a public toilet, is that every corner you turn there is something beautiful there! I like how Julia put it. The French don't really care what they do or how they do it as long as they look good doing it and its so true! The city is so beautiful. We're so glad we went.

Part of the fun about running in to random statues and monuments and whatnot is that you have no idea what you're looking at but it sure is gorgeous. We would take a picture, then one of us would say to the other, "What is it?" The other would reply, "The Monument." Remember The Monument in London? (For a refresher check out If You Don't Have An iPhone, You Don't Have An iPhone.

We got back to our hotel in London around 11 and got to Skype with the kids and my parents. It was great to see them for a bit. I forget how hilarious they are sometimes.

Only 3 more days of Holiday then its back to the real world.

To see all our Paris pictures (we took just shy of 200) check out the Facebook album.

When the 'rents are away, the kids will play

2011-09-19T18:30:00.000-05:00

While Kyle and I enjoy London, and Paris tomorrow, the kids have been well looked after by Auntie & Uncle Rob, Aunt Deb & Uncle Stan, and Grandma Vicki & Grandpa George. Look at all the fun they're having without us!

Craft time with Aunt Deb & Uncle Stan.

They even got ice cream IN the car!

Miss Ellianna.

My mom MADE this dress. She can match Felicity now.

And Sheriff Woody of course.

Tea time in Colorado.

Aren't they the cutest? I'd say that even without spending a week and a half away from them.

Love you kiddos!

Day 10-Markets & Museums

2011-09-19T16:40:00.000-05:00

Today was the day for markets & museums. Since I wasn't able to give proper attention to the Covent Garden market we went back today. Dad, I found a shop you would have loved!

We got to battle through loads of people because this week is Fashion week so the Covent Garden/Soho area was slightly busy. We're so cool that way.

After surveying all the antiques, it was antique day, we headed over to the British Museum.

This was our view for lunch.

The Rosetta Stone. I know! It's not JUST a language program!

That was pretty much the extent of our day. Pretty laid back and easy. We got some ice cream on the way back to the hotel as well and enjoyed dinner in tonight.

Nice and quite since tomorrow, well tomorrow is Paris.

Day 9-If You Don't Have An iPhone, You Don't Have An iPhone

2011-09-19T15:52:00.000-05:00

After a busy day yesterday for the wedding Kyle and I slept a bit later than usual and enjoyed wandering with only small plans for the day. I took some of my favorite photos today. We visited St. Paul's Cathedral for real this time, not like the Midnight Vintage Walk. Then saw the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. Yet again it was a beautiful day. I'm making up for the posts earlier with no pictures so enjoy them now!

This is the closest we got to "being in our map." See how its upside down.

"The Monument."

Kyle saw "The Monument" on our map and wanted to see what it was so we stopped by.

It's a monument for the fire that took place in 1666.

We walked by "The Walrus and the Carpenter."

"Little oysters! Little oysters!"

The Tower of London and surrounding area.

Walk home in the rain.

The Victoria, one of our local pubs where we had dinner tonight.

Kyle enjoyed some fish and chips while I sampled the bacon burger. It was delicious! Off to another night of rest.

We were on the Tower Bridge trying to take a picture of the two of us together since we don't have many of those from this trip. After about 3 attempts I realized that my handy iPhone has a front facing camera. You know what they say, if you don't have an iPhone, you don't have an iPhone.

Day 8-The BIG Day

2011-09-19T12:01:00.000-05:00

Today was THE big day. Julia and Jason are getting married. What a great day it was. The weather was perfect even though it rained just a little during the service I think.

So, I got up "early" to meet Julia at the hotel/venue at 9. Kyle got up and went with me sweet guy that he is. It was great to be there with Julia while she was prepping and Kyle was even sent on a few errands. I was able to get some fun shots as well.

Here' the prep desk for Julia's hair and make up.

Hair and make up by Sally who had an excellent dress & hat for the wedding as well.

So hot.

The dress.

The shoes & hairpiece.

The hairpiece. So beautiful and fitting for Julia.

All the dresses.

It was beautiful! Perfect little touches of peacock feathers here and there. Julia had some in her bouquet and the bridesmaids had some in ours. There were larger peacock feathers in the centerpieces which were gorgeous! If I would have been thinking I would have snapped a picture but I didn't. They had REAL photographers for that. It was classy, glamorous and beautiful. It was PERFECT! The venue for the ceremony and reception was The Town Hall Hotel which seemed to match the atmosphere perfectly. The ceremony was a simple one but filled with tears from all corners of the hall.

Photo courtesy of http://www.townhallhotel.com

As we all hope for at a wedding, the dear groom struggled to keep it together when his beloved entered the room escorted by her father. Overcome with love of the beauty that approached, Jason let a few joyful tears slip out of his eyes. Both Julia and Jason prepared personal vows that neither of them were able to breeze through as should be the case and there is no doubt others in the vicinity of The Town Hall were aware of the joyous occasion as cheers and applause burst out at the moment of the introduction and first kiss of Mr. & Ms. Fitzpatrick. It was unlikely there was a dry eye in the house when we, the bridesmaids, were then expected to sing for the lovely couple! We choked back the tears we thought we'd be able to control and did the best we could singing The Luckiest by Ben Folds. If I can find a video of it, I'll try to post it.

It was an amazing ceremony and a beautiful reception. The food was great, table 2 was the best, Rose gave an AMAZING toast, and the dancing was hilarious! The bride and groom prepared a dance for their first and the party only continued after that.

Kyle & I feel so blessed to have been a part of this wonderful occasion, to have met so many great people and made so many new friends.

Anyway, Julia said she liked this last shot so I've cropped it for her.

Congrats again Julia!

Day 7-They're Gettin' Married In The Mornin'

2011-09-16T17:53:00.000-05:00

ALL day today I've had that song in my head...I'm getting married in the morning. Ding, dong, the bells are gonna chime. Anyway...

We got up a little earlier today to run an errand for Julia but didn't get out the door nearly has early as I wanted since I had to finish homework I meant to finish last night but passed out too quickly since I was so relaxed from the spa. Ahhhh.

We got out and headed to the printer to pick up Julia's order then stopped by her flat to drop her order off. She kindly made me coffee and we hung around for a bit there. Helped get some stuff together for her, experienced a crisis which was resolved eventually thank goodness!

Kyle escorted me to Rose's to rehearse the song the bridesmaids would be singing during the service. We were all a bit nervous since this was our first turn at singing it together. Rose was amazing and recorded all our parts individually as well as dubbed them together so we could practice since clearly we were unable to prior to this. It went surprisingly well.

After a bit of rehearsal at Rose's we headed to the venue for the actually ceremony rehearsal. All went well. We were a bit more nervous to sing since Julia was now hearing it for the first time. It went well. Then we headed to the Cat & Mutton for the rehearsal dinner. It was good fun at their local pub. We ate well, we had a good time and we left early. I was crashing and wanted to be rested for the wedding tomorrow so here we are now.

We're so excited to be here for their special day. Julia & Jason are so well matched for each other its almost sickening, but in a good way. Kyle and I are so blessed to be able to participate and even be here for the wedding. Thank you for inviting us. Thank you to those who let us leave the states. Thank you every one for your little part in letting us be a part of this special day for Julia & Jason. We are so happy to be here to support them in this new step in their lives. It's a great one and not in fact the end of the road as some might say, but the beginning of a new adventure that you get to be on with your best friend. The journey is a great one and you have great company! Enjoy!

Day 6-Hen Party & Other Good Things

2011-09-16T17:41:00.000-05:00

I went back to Top Shop and was successful. I managed a bag and some gifts for some people back home. YAY! Kyle stayed at the hotel as he didn't sleep well. That's right. I managed getting to the tube station, getting off at the right stop, and finding my way to the store. In all fairness the store was essentially right outside the station but still.

After a bit of shopping I weaved my way through Soho to Covent Garden which was having an excellent market and all I could think to myself was, "Mom NEEDS to be here!" You would have LOVED it Mom! Anyway, it was very fun wandering through this bit of London and had a girlfriend been with me we would have wasted an entire day going from shop to shop ::cough cough:: BIFF.

Julia's hen party started out at Boswell's in Covent Garden where we had REAL tea and all sorts of goodness.
I mean some great friends of Julia's, well we all met each other and it was great fun. After some deliciousness at Boswell's we headed next door for some bubbly and the Mr. & Mrs. quiz for Julia. It was good fun and we had loads of laughs. We didn't spend much time there though because we were headed to Sanctuary Spa. It was great. Loads of fun pools, one with a swing, a steam room, sauna's, wonderful smells; the perfect place for girls!

We left Sanctuary around 10 and headed back to our homes at which point I finished the ham & cheese in my bag, yes I did take away in London but only because one of the other girls did! Thanks Maddy! Then I CRASHED! HARD!

It was great to spend time with Julia and her friends. They are lovely women and I'm so glad I had the privilege of meeting them and spending just a bit of time with them this week! Thanks for a great night ladies and thanks for getting married Julia so we could have such a great night!

Day 5-Southbank

2011-09-16T17:20:00.000-05:00

Ahh Wednesday. Wednesday was a good day. They've all been good days, yeah. Well for us they have.
Wednesday we woke per our usual time (10/10:30) and visited Jason's (Julia's fiance) stall for some coffee.

Hard at work

Real drip coffee and some delish beans, the only beans I'll eat.

Kyle had a cup of hot chocolate and Jason provided a flat white then kindly followed it up with a mocha since I tasted Kyle's hot chocolate and it was amazing. Everything there was amazing! After a bit of coffee Kyle and I ran down to the south bank to run an errand for Julia and enjoyed a walk through some of the tourist locations.

The London Eye.

We didn't actually ride it since the line was insanely long. It was very cool to see though.

We walked by The Houses of Parliament.

And the Big Ben clock tower.

The Victoria Tower, which is opposite Big Ben's tower. Very beautiful.

We loved the architecture of course but the people! Oh the people.

WE are the tourists and couldn't stand the tourists!

One of the doors to Westminster Abbey Garden.

We took a nice back route around Westminster Abbey Garden and the school there, then through the Dean's Yard as well. It was absolutely beautiful and much fewer people.

But I did find this stud back there again.

Westminster Abbey.

Trafalgar Square for lunch. I LOVED Trafalgar Square and I'm not quite sure why but LOVED it. We sat around the fountains here and had lunch, at 4 PM. Well, I had lunch, Kyle couldn't find anything he was interested in eating. We, I, finished eating and headed over to Buckingham Palace just for kicks. Kyle wanted to see the Queen Victoria Memorial. This is what we saw when we got there.

Amazing that the same week Kyle and I get our salt scrub, silica wrap and plastic bag treatment, Queen Victoria did as well. We found it quite amusing.

Had to snap a picture of the palace while we were there.

We finished with a journey through the Wellington Arch on our way over to Hyde Park towards home. Yet again the sky was beautiful and it was a great day for walking. Kyle and I had some ice cream after walking by Buckingham Palace. When we got back to the hotel we were tired but had difficulty sleeping. To our delight we were able to Skype with Mom & Dad for a bit then caught a couple episodes of The Big Bang Theory. That was an excellent end to our evening.

As always check out the Facebook Album for all pictures. On to Day 6-Hen Party!

Day 4-SHOPPING!

2011-09-14T12:57:00.003-05:00

As has been our pattern while here, Kyle & I woke around 10 or 10:30 and got ready for the day. Just so we’re on the same page, it’s not as if we’re going to bed at 8:30 and sleeping until 10. We’re going to bed around 12, 1 or 2 and sleeping until 10. I mean its still a good rest an all but we end up waking quite a bit at night and so getting up around 10 has been good. There that’s settled.

I’m afraid day 4 was not nearly as adventurous as day 3, sorry. We did some shopping though! In fact that’s all we did. We took the tube to Oxford Circus and enjoyed H&M, Zara’s, New Look, Urban Outfitters and started Top Shop when Julia and her mom joined us. We put a pause on Top Shop and headed to M.A.C. where I picked up this stud.

We then headed to Debenhams for a bit. After a while at Debenhams it was about 5 or 6 so Kyle and I decided to head back to the hotel for some dinner and chill time. We ate and vegged the rest of the night away. It sounds like a low key day but shopping takes a lot out of ya! We’re not done with Top Shop yet! We will conquer that store!

Day 3-Around London & Back

2011-09-13T02:55:00.001-05:00

Today was a fun day. For two days in a row Kyle and I have managed to wake roughly around 10:30. Not too bad for a holiday. Today we took a walk down to Queensway to try to find the mobile carrier to work with my phone. I grabbed a shot of our street on the way out.

Then we got to Queensway.

Crazy right? Bayswater properties flooded as water main bursts.

So since that was all a bit crazy, after picking up some plaster (Band-aids) at Boots, funny story there, we headed to Paddington Station instead. I had a small blister on my heel and needed a Band-aid but didn’t have any and our hotel is so excellent we thought, “surely reception will have one,” and I’m sure they did except that we apparently had a language barrier.

We searched and searched for this alleged Orange shop to set up my phone but didn’t find it so we stopped for lunch instead at The Dickens Tavern.

Bangers & Mash and good ol' Guinness.

So good. Then we headed over to Hyde Park to meander around. We saw Peter Pan...

…and a pretty pavilion…

…and a horseman being blown over by the wind.

It was absolutely beautiful today. We checked out the exhibit at the Serpentine Gallery, Michelangelo Pistoletto’s The Mirror of Judgement. Then we saw the Albert Memorial…

…and Kensington Palace…

…and headed back to the hotel.

We then joined Jason and Julia and her family for dinner at their flat. It was an excellent evening with too much wine consumption on my part. Kyle and I got instructions on getting back due to train times and whatnot. We made the train just fine however, the tube was a different story. We got off the train at the Liverpool Street Station to grab the Central line to the Lancaster Gate Station. We turned to head down to the platform and it was gated and locked. We attempted another route and also locked. It was at this point we decided we should either take a taxi or consider walking. We initially thought taking a taxi would be best but the limited cash we had put us down the path on foot instead. We figured if it got to be too long we’d surely find a cash machine and hail a taxi then.

This next bit is what we refer to as “Eryn and Kyle’s Vintage Midnight Walk” mainly because we came across this sign…

It was a fun walk back to the hotel. Kyle was planning the route we would take and had said, “or we could just shave off this bit and…thread the needle at Threadneedle Street.” At which point we laughed hysterically because I was 3+ glasses deep in wine, it was midnight and we are funny that way.

We also got to pass by St. Paul’s which we will go back and see for real but couldn’t resist snapping a picture while we were there.

We also got to see the marble arch which was very pretty with the lights.

A few blocks away was our home for our trip and we snuggled right in to bed just after 2:00 in the morning. Unfortunately, I woke at 6:00 ready to go. Now it is 8:40 and I think I'll try to get another hour or so before we're set for the day.

Anyway, yet again there are more pictures in the Facebook Album, Happy Anniversary. 6 years baby!

Day 2-The Day of Nothing

2011-09-11T16:53:00.000-05:00

Today we did nothing, well not nothing. We slept til about 10:30 then slowly got ourselves ready, finished unpacking, of course, and went to the market down the way to get some food. One of the reasons we booked the hotel we booked was because they had a very nice kitchenette. Speaking of our hotel, here is our room.

Kitchenette.

Bathroom.

TV, desk and kitchenette.

Sleepyhead.

Workstation.

Terrace outside our window.

Our Hotel.

Anyway, we went to the market and got some basic stuff: bread, milk, juice, fruit, cereal, PB, honey, pastries, and then headed back to our hotel. We ate immediately we were so hungry. Kyle worked on some of his number/picture puzzles and I did some homework. About ½ way through my homework I was looking for my notebook which was right next to me and it was decided I would finish my homework for this week and then take a nap instead of also finishing my homework for next week as well since I was clearly delusional.

The nap was excellent, although I had a strange dream. I dreamt we left London immediately after Julia’s wedding instead of staying another week. We got back to KEF and realized this hoping Iceland Air would allow us to go back without charging us seeing as how they shouldn’t have let us on the flight anyway. It was horrible. Anyway, I woke up and it wasn’t true so thank goodness.

Julia stopped by to get us our oyster cards, pick up some ties, get our orders for the rehearsal dinner, and take us to an Orange Shop to arrange my phone. We attempt to go to an Orange Shop but it was closed so Julia brought us to a place for dinner instead.

Côte.

Julia had to go but Kyle and I enjoyed a delicious dinner-Thanks Jules! Kyle had a steak with fries (frites) and I had a grilled chicken with a garlic and herb butter sauce and fries (frites). It was so good.

Kyle and I headed back to our hotel after dinner and here we sit. Julia has given us some excellent recommendations for where we can go and meander, very excited for that, and Kyle has been studying the map like he’s going to bed tested, I love him for that.

I’m not sharing all our photos on the blog but if you’d like to see them you can check out pictures of our Happy Anniversary, 6 years baby! album on Facebook.

Day 1-MSP to REF to LHR

2011-09-11T16:15:00.003-05:00

Kyle and I left MSP airport at 7:20 PM CST, right on schedule. We enjoyed a few movies on our 6 hour and 50 minute flight to KEF-Reykjavik Keflavik International Airport in Iceland. I watched Avatar, fell asleep during Independence Day, and rested the remainder of the flight. Kyle also got to watch Avatar and I believe caught up on some Glee. We celebrated the dawning of our anniversary day in the air. Quite romantic, yes? We arrived at KEF on time and immediately purchased food.

Latte and banana bread with butter.

After which we bought our bus pass with Reykjavik Excursion to get us to The Blue Lagoon. We then wasted 2 hours at the Keflavik Airport. Do you know how much fun that is? Particularly at 7:00 in the morning local time…do you hear the crickets? We did. We tried to eat some more. Kyle had some juice, chips and a roll type thing with mini pepperonis on it. I had a package of pepperoni (yep) and some water.

At 9:30 AM our bus left to take us to The Blue Lagoon which opens at 10 and we had 10:30 appointments. The generous driver took the liberty of showing us some locations which were not on the scheduled route which delayed us and we arrived at 10:10ish. Did I tell you we were told to arrive at 10 to check in and allow time to change for out appointments? So 10:10 wasn’t bad except that there were about 15 people in line in front of us. Kyle had to keep telling me to breathe because we all know how I am with being late. Anyway, they were all very nice and in the end we were only 3 minutes late to the actual therapy.

So here’s how this works. We got a towel and a robe, went into the dressing rooms and as with all pool entry, you must shower before you enter. Typical. What we were told on the plane, and they do actually say this on the locker doors in the locker room, is that you should put conditioner in your hair before entering the pool because the white stuff, a.k.a. silica, will make your hair look like the scarecrows in The Wizard of Oz. Kyle, brilliant man that he is, did just that. I on the other hand, frantic because we were late, did not. Oops. No matter. We got out to the pool and there is a designated area for the therapies which is brilliantly called, “The Therapy Pool.” We crossed over 4 cute little bridges over other lagoon areas to get to our pool and were kindly greeted by one of the massage therapists. We were instructed to enter the pool in their excellent accent and they had us lie down on those blue foam floaty deals which was over a massage table in the water all including warm towels and wonderfulness. The treatment started with a salt scrub-AMAZING- then they put the silica on us. Here’s the fun part, they leave the silica on and put you in a plastic bag up to your neck. Sounds freaky but when then move you in to the water you have a neck float and a knee float so your are almost completely immersed in the water, WARM water, with the perfectly positioned neck floaty and knee floaty with a towel over you as well which is also immersed in the warm water. It’s so heavenly. It was a BEAUTIFUL day as well. The sun was shining down on us. It was absolutely perfect. We just floated in the water, supervised by our therapists of course in case it got to be too much for us and they would move us around a bit here and there so we could feel water current and, I just can’t even express how magnificent it was. Anyway, after about 20-30 minutes of sitting in the plastic bag doing nothing, which will forever be a joke for us now, they take us out of the bag and they stuck a fork in us and we were determined to be done. No, I’m kidding. They do take us out of the bag but then they do a 50 minute full body massage in the water. Ahhhhh. When they were done with that they kindly, in their perfect accent and massage therapist way, explained we can stay as long as we like just as we are and can exit when we’re done. SUCH a great 6 year anniversary gift to us.

We stayed for a bit then got out of the pool to grab some lunch. What do you know, my hair was like straw. Oh well, I figured I’d shower when we got to London. After we grabbed some lunch at The Blue Lagoon Café (Kyle had a grilled ham and cheese which pretty much turned in to a chip when they grilled it, some chips, and a PowerAde. I had a chicken and cheese and mustard sandwich, a blueberry smoothie and laughing cow cheese. Then we shared a Prince Polo.

After lunch we toured the gift shop and then went for a walk around the lagoon. It was absolutely beautiful.

Often times it looked very much like a lazy river.

So beautiful.

Love this sign.

A picture of us on our 6 year anniversary.

We're a bit bogged down with our carry on luggage.

After our walk our bus was waiting and we hopped aboard. Once again the kind driver extended the tour to show us additional places, thank goodness we didn’t have any luggage to check or checking in to do (luggage was transferred and our check in for our MSP to KEF flight checked us in for our KEF to LHR as well). We were one of the first to arrive at the gate (that’s more like it-nice an early) so I took the opportunity of washing my hair with hand soap in the bathroom. Don’t worry fellow Americans, I wore a sign while doing this that said, “No worries. Not all Americans wash their hair in airport bathroom sinks with hand soap.” We were all clear.

We then continued our journey on our 2 hour and 50 minute flight from KEF to LHR. Kyle slept the whole way, or tried to sleep the whole way. I attempted to at first and did a bit but once they came around with that beverage cart I had to have some tea and decided to watch another movie; The Adjustment Bureau. I enjoyed it.

We arrived a little late at Heathrow and had to circle over head a few times before landing. We finally landed, grabbed our luggage (my fear of our luggage falling apart did not come true) and headed for the exit. No problems through customes and was greeted by the dear Julia. YAY! We made it!

Julia kindly escorted us to our hotel where I immediately, yes, washed my hair with soap meant for hair, oh and conditioner, dear conditioner. I changed then Julia took us out and we grabbed dinner and Bella Italia; great place and quite the chain here. It was excellent to be with Julia and my hubby of 6 years (AH!) in London.

After dinner we all went home and crashed. Okay, you know I unpacked first but I couldn’t have slept if I didn’t, and I only unpacked most of my stuff not all of it.

Anyway, that was day one for us! We miss the kids of course but we’re not thinking about it because that would just cause trouble. We’re enjoying this once in a lifetime chance we’ve been given and we are SO grateful for those watching our kids!

Stay tuned for more!

the red balloon

2011-07-29T00:25:00.004-05:00

picnic

2011-07-29T00:19:00.002-05:00

cooling off

2011-07-29T00:16:00.002-05:00

brinner

2011-07-29T00:10:00.000-05:00

Sunday School

2011-07-29T00:07:00.002-05:00

child labor

2011-07-29T00:04:00.002-05:00

enchanted garden

2011-07-29T00:02:00.000-05:00

slip'n slide

2011-07-28T23:59:00.000-05:00

just chillin

2011-07-28T23:55:00.000-05:00

healthy cheat

2011-07-28T23:51:00.000-05:00

just play

2011-07-28T23:48:00.000-05:00

brown-eyed baby

2011-07-24T23:19:00.002-05:00

secret clubhouse

2011-07-24T23:15:00.002-05:00

i love you because

2011-07-24T23:03:00.002-05:00

career trajectory

2011-07-24T22:58:00.002-05:00

fish lips

2011-07-24T22:47:00.000-05:00

Jamiroqua wanna be

2011-07-24T22:42:00.002-05:00

Princess Camp

2011-07-24T22:36:00.000-05:00

haircut

2011-07-24T22:32:00.000-05:00

stop and smell the flowers

2011-07-24T22:27:00.002-05:00

goodbye #103

2011-07-21T00:25:00.003-05:00

girls can be pirates too

2011-07-21T00:25:00.000-05:00

nap time

2011-07-21T00:24:00.002-05:00

Princess Hair

2011-07-21T00:23:00.002-05:00

fireworks

2011-07-15T01:20:00.002-05:00

fries & a shake

2011-07-15T01:16:00.000-05:00

newer friends

2011-07-15T01:12:00.002-05:00

storm chasers

2011-07-15T01:07:00.002-05:00

getting settled

2011-07-15T01:01:00.002-05:00

packing up

2011-06-29T23:01:00.000-05:00

growing up

2011-06-29T22:47:00.002-05:00

what sibling rivalry?

2011-06-29T22:44:00.002-05:00

superman

2011-06-29T22:42:00.000-05:00

Regulars

2011-06-29T22:39:00.000-05:00

If you want more...

2011-06-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

I do my best to post the daily picture on a daily basis, but let's face it, stuff gets in the way. So if you want to take a trip over to NoemiPhotography you can peak at the Mini Session photos she got of our family.

Noemi is an amazing photographer, as is evident from the photos, but not only that, her amazing-ness (yep I said it) expands to motherhood, woman of God, friend, the list just doesn't end. She's just awesome! Check her out for fun, for getting your own great shots taken or if you're wanting more education behind the camera she offers these great, so I've heard, Focused Photography Workshops. Great right!? She's even on Facebook. You should "like" her.

I've told her this before but I would get married again just so she would do the pictures. Of course I'd remarry Kyle!

Happy blog surfing!

cartoons

2011-06-24T22:02:00.000-05:00

cousins

2011-06-24T21:59:00.000-05:00

spilled milk

2011-06-22T21:46:00.000-05:00

"gween wanturn"

2011-06-22T21:41:00.000-05:00

signature required

2011-06-20T21:07:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day-2011

2011-06-19T23:41:00.003-05:00

breakfast

2011-06-18T21:20:00.002-05:00

reddi whip

2011-06-17T21:24:00.004-05:00

rehearsal night with dad

2011-06-17T21:24:00.002-05:00

i see you

2011-06-17T21:08:00.002-05:00

toothbrushin' time

2011-06-14T20:56:00.000-05:00

clean babies

2011-06-13T21:34:00.000-05:00

happy birthday

2011-06-13T18:30:00.002-05:00

s'more

2011-06-13T18:23:00.002-05:00

sick bug

2011-06-11T00:52:00.000-05:00

fencing lessons

2011-06-09T21:33:00.002-05:00

summer

2011-06-08T22:28:00.000-05:00

102 degrees

2011-06-07T20:52:00.002-05:00

reading couch

2011-06-06T23:35:00.002-05:00

family circus

2011-06-06T23:26:00.000-05:00

baby take a bow

2011-06-06T23:25:00.000-05:00

time of my life

2011-06-06T23:04:00.002-05:00

tandem slide

2011-06-06T23:01:00.000-05:00

play dough

2011-06-01T23:09:00.002-05:00

lunch

2011-05-31T22:55:00.001-05:00

splash

2011-05-31T22:36:00.003-05:00

run

2011-05-29T21:55:00.002-05:00

early bedtime

2011-05-29T21:37:00.002-05:00

afternoon tea

2011-05-29T21:34:00.000-05:00

different stages

2011-05-26T22:50:00.000-05:00

stuck in a tower

2011-05-25T23:50:00.000-05:00

flying monkies

2011-05-24T19:57:00.000-05:00

park play

2011-05-23T23:39:00.002-05:00

helping in the kitchen

2011-05-22T21:22:00.002-05:00

dance class

2011-05-22T21:20:00.002-05:00

Unc'yan

2011-05-22T21:18:00.002-05:00

sleeping beauties

2011-05-19T23:49:00.000-05:00

"cuddle me?"

2011-05-18T22:06:00.002-05:00

Business Causual (a.k.a. Bus Cas)

2011-05-18T22:01:00.001-05:00

Monday through Wednesday this week we have customer visits at our office which means we must look decent which means we dress is business casual, or as I lable it on my calendar, "Bus. Cas." A month ago you'd probably hear me groan when we got the email. Now, every day is Bus. Cas. day. Except for maybe Friday when I will try to be creative with jeans.

Yesterday was a fun one for me for two reasons: 1) I loved my outfit and 2) when I read the day's Wild Ruffle there was a theme going. Black and white and red all over.

Check me out...

Short sleeve turtle neck sweater, $6 from Clothes Mentor.

Black wide belt, $6 from Payless Shoes (I know!).

My husband pretty much had to force me to purchase the belt.

Black Ann Taylor Loft pants, $16, also from Clothes Mentor.

Isaac Mizrahi red shoes from Target. My mom bought them for me. :)

Red necklace and matching earrings from Clothes Mentor. I think they were like $8?

I do have to say the shoes killed my feet but in true shoe-lover fashion I do believe that it in no way is the fault of the shoes. It is my own fault for not loving them and wearing them enough.

letters

2011-05-17T21:57:00.002-05:00

soaked

2011-05-16T22:21:00.000-05:00

bedtime

2011-05-15T21:59:00.002-05:00

little hands

2011-05-14T23:38:00.002-05:00

pizza & movie night

2011-05-13T22:09:00.002-05:00

the princess & the dinosaur

2011-05-13T21:40:00.000-05:00

puzzled

2011-05-11T18:30:00.000-05:00

"awfully fancy"

2011-05-11T18:13:00.000-05:00

Recently I have been a bit more interested in "girly" things. Jewelry, dressing fancy, etc. Thanks to some fancy friends and the courage wildruffle has given me I'm slowly becoming more comfortable being "fancy.

Check her out! She's got some great, practical tips.

Typical...

(we were playing Kinect)

So it's not bad but its not adventurous in the style department. This is what I would typically wear, well, anywhere.

I got pretty today!

Pink wrap is from Charlotte Russe, last season. I don't remember the price.

White tank top is from Express and was given to me from a friend.

The shoes, also Clothes Mentor for $14-Apostrophe.

The skirt was $6 from Clothes Mentor-Merona.

Earrings from Target I think? Quite awhile ago though.

Normally I don't wear skirts, or earrings or heels! I was fancy today!

reflection

2011-05-10T21:01:00.002-05:00

Balanced Meal

2011-05-09T21:22:00.000-05:00

Love is all you need

2011-05-08T17:33:00.007-05:00