home

It was tough to say goodbye. One never knows how much time will pass between visits. It had been so long since I last saw these cheeky nutters and I definitely don't wish for that to be repeated. As you have seen in my travelogues, I had an amazing time and truly lived it up while I was there. I did so much in such a short period of time but it was only a fraction of what England has to offer. Hopefully I will be able to return sooner rather than later and maybe the husband will be able to join me. If I let him...  ;)

Here I am saying my goodbyes:




I just realized the excess of make-up I had on that morning gives me away. I was a bit nervous about the impending flight and transfer. Plus my bags were stuffed to the brim with souvenirs and goodies. 50% of my carry-on was HobNobs, Digestives and Cadbury sweets. Do you know how much all of that weighs? Was it worth the sweat and stress of making it fit in those 5x5 overhead bins? A resounding yalp! (YES!)

After my goodbyes, I was then on my own to get to the tube station and ride back to the airport. I honestly wasn't worried except that when I stepped outside it was pouring rain. Guess who came to the counrty of rain minus an umbrella? I waited at my sister's flat for as long as I could and even debated hailing a cabbie. The expense would've been too much. So rain it was and I made a run for it. 15 minutes and a gallon of water later, I was at the tube and sitting uncomfortably wet on my train. I somewhat dried by the time I got to the terminal. I met up with my good friend, who was also flying out that day on business. We chatted it up for a bit and he was even nice enough to buy me a hot cocoa to warm me up. I soon was on my plane and headed back to the good ol' US of A.

The husband and kids were excited to see me. I was sure they were having as much fun as I was and they had forgotten I was even gone. Of course they weren't really looking forward to having me be home to ruin their fun. But they did miss me and couldn't wait for me to come back.

Mo said, "You said you were going on a trip but didn't say you would be gone that long!"

It is always fun to see their reactions; realize how much I am loved and was missed! As a surprise and a welcome home present, the husband cleaned the whole house and even did the laundry. It was the best present! For me, doing laundry is a nine-step process:

1. moaning and murmuring
2. separate the clothes and start the washer
3. putting said clothes in the washer and then whining because of the strain on my arms
4. waiting 30 minutes for the clothes to finish washing and "accidentally forgetting" I even put clothes in
5. moving said clothes to the the dryer 2 1/2 hours later and then moaning because of the strain on my arms AND my back
6. very patiently wait for the clothes to dry and pat myself on the back for actually finishing a load
7. next day, toss it in a basket where it waits patiently to be folded
8. survey load of un-washed clothes waiting to be clean and debate on whether or not my arms and back can handle the strain
9. decide there are more pressing household duties that cannot wait and resign to attempting another load of laundry tomorrow

As you can see, the fact he folded all the clothes AND put them away made my heart skip-a-beat. Obviously it doesn't take much to impress me! No fancy diamonds or presents need apply. Just fold the laundry and put it away...I'm yours!! Well...and a trip to London but we can discuss that later...  ;)

Here are the kids with their loot:


Dear England,
Do you miss me yet? I sure miss you. I don't miss the rain and cold. And constantly being cold. But I do miss you.
P.S. I am fresh out of chocolate covered Digestives and Maltesers. Care to hook me up? I knew I could count on you. Cheers!