I'm Back!

Hello there! It's been a while, but I'm back and have lots to tell you.

Where have I been? See if you can guess.

A land of pomp and ceremony.

A land of afternoon traditions.

A land of beautiful cathedrals . . .

. . . and historic theaters.

A land where old meets new . . .

. . . but where the old usually wins out.

A land of amazing vistas . . .

. . . and real, live castles.

A land that I love . . . almost as much as my own.

I'll share more of my trip with you throughout this week, perhaps with some travel tips that can help you plan your own trip to the United Kingdom. It's such a great place to visit!

****

P.S. Here's what you're looking at:

1. Guard outside the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.
2. Scones with clotted cream and jam at The Orangery, Kensington Palace.
3. St. Paul's Cathedral, London.
4. The Globe Theatre, London.
5. The London Eye and Big Ben.
6. Minster Lovell in the Cotswolds.
7. The Cotswolds.
8. The Palace of Holyrood House, Edinburgh.

Kicking the Bucket List in Europe: Part 3

When last I left you, we were just finishing up the cruise portion of our trip. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to my sister, Jodi, when we docked in Basel, our last stop (actually, she left in the middle of the night, so I'm not sure we properly said goodbye to her at all!). Jodi has a baby (have I mentioned that?) who needed to see her mama. Or maybe it was the other way around.

At any rate, Jodi had planned to stay for a week, then head home.

Sorry, Jodi. You'll have to save Switzerland for another time.

***

So, yes, Switzerland.

If it weren't so danged expensive, I would live here. Truly. It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

And I've been to a few places.

As I said, we docked in Basel, sorted out the luggage situation between those who were staying with the group (like us) and those who were heading elsewhere (I honestly don't know how they do that), and boarded a bus to take us into the Old Town.

Here's where I have to stop and say that our guide was lovely, the town was, I think, lovely as well, but I didn't take many pictures because a) I was getting tired and b) it was so. blasted. HOT.

(Are you sensing a theme here?)

Truth be told, we kind of dragged ourselves around Basel, as any good been-on-a-ship-for-a-week-and-we're-getting-a-little-tired-of-arranged-tours kind of tourists would do. Once the tour finished, we sat at an outdoor cafe for as long as we dared and basically just waited until we could get onto our air conditioned bus again.

Lame, I know.

Here's what I got out of Basel.

They have a beautiful medieval church.

In the summer, the church square is used as a huge outdoor movie theatre. I would have actually liked to stay and check that out at night--it looked very cool.

And, as in many places in Europe, nannies drag children around on leashes. On cobblestone streets.

Aren't these some of the most adorable children you've ever seen? That face!

And that's pretty much what I got out of Basel.

Except for Swiss Francs which I got out of the ATM.

After a half a day in Basel, we finally got on to our air conditioned(!) bus to drive about two hours to Lucerne.

Ahhhh, Lucerne.

I had never been there before, but I am fairly certain I will be back. What a beautiful town. Smaller than Zurich, easily walkable, and truly, truly gorgeous.

The famous wooden bridge--lots of history there. Mom, Jenn, and I walked the length of it one night after dinner.

Speaking of dinner . . . this is the restaurant where we ate, Pfistern. Historic and touristy--just how we like 'em! But the food was really good, AND we got to sit right on the water. So fun!

So many of the facades of the old buildings were painted--even the fascia! I was astounded by the Old Town as street after street looked just as they probably looked hundreds of years ago with cobblestone streets and painted buildings.

I really need to go spend more time here.

On Saturdays there is a wonderful outdoor market right along the river, filled with every kind of delicacy you can imagine--from flowers and fruits to fresh vegetables and cheeses. I am convinced that Heaven will have some sort of market like this for us to wander around.

On our second day in Switzerland we took a trip up Mt. Pilatus on the world's oldest and steepest cog wheel train. Just think about that for a minute. Me, who is terrified of heights, stepping on to, not only the steepest climb on a train that you can take, but also in the oldest train cars. Yeah, I was a little scared.

But not as scared as one guy in our group who decided just to hoof it back to Lucerne as fast as he could.

His loss.

Because here is the reward we received when we got to the top.

No, it's not a postcard, even though it looks like one. Truly breathtaking.

Especially at 8,000 feet. (Get it?!)

Three of the most beautiful women to ever grace the top of Mt. Pilatus. :)

Finally, I could not stop taking pictures of this tiny, tiny church sitting up on top of a nearby mountain peak. How I would love to be able to hike there and spend a day worshiping there.

Can you see the cross at the top of the peak?

The next day we boarded a little boat which would take us from one corner of Lake Lucerne to the other. I tried to take some pictures, but they really didn't do it justice.

And, besides, it was just too hot to take pictures. (Good grief! You'd think we were in Death Valley, not Switzerland, by the way I keep talking about how hot it was, but that's how it felt, y'all. It was so surprising and so unusual for Switzerland.)

Once we reached the shore, we boarded busses which would take us on a very memorable drive through the mountains and villages of Switzerland until we reached our final destination, Zurich. On our drive we rode past the Victorinox factory where Swiss Army knives are made--cool!--and the area which inspired Johanna Spyri to write the famous book, Heidi.

You can just imagine how gorgeous that was.

The last stop on our wonderful, amazing trip was Zurich. I had been to Zurich before--for about four hours on a Sunday night before catching a flight out the next morning--and knew how beautiful this city was. It was a special treat to be able to spend a little more time here.

Sadly, and probably because I had been here before, I didn't take many pictures here. It was pouring rain on the day of our tour, so the camera had to stay hidden underneath my jacket. And once the rain stopped, I was just too tired to even bring it out.

Suffice it to say that Zurich is definitely a place you want to put on your bucket list. It is beautiful. What more can I say?

I absolutely fell in love with the way they decorate with herbs and green plants there. Isn't that cool?!

Plus, they have fondue. Which is delicious. And made with my favorite food. I could eat it every day.

Go to Zurich. See it. Experience it. Walk your socks off and eat it up. Zurich is wonderful.

Finally, reluctantly, we got on a plane and headed home.

When I say it was the trip of a lifetime, I really mean it. Never again will I be able to experience just this trip with these special people whom I love and meet the new friends we met and see the exact things we saw. It was absolutely magical, and I'll never forget it.

Thanks, Mom, from the bottom of my heart.

xoxo

Kicking the Bucket List in Europe: Part 1
Kicking the Bucket List in Europe: Part 2

Kicking the Bucket List in Europe: Part 2

After the beauty of the castles and vineyards of the Rhine Gorge, a place I had always wanted to see, I wasn't expecting much on the rest of the trip.

I do that sometimes--I keep my expectations low so I'm not disappointed. I know, it's dumb.

Sometimes, though, I'm surprised. Pleasantly surprised.

On this trip, that's exactly what happened. I loved the beauty of the castles--the views that morning on the top deck of our ship were stunning and special and I'll never forget them. I really didn't think that scenery could be topped.

I was about to be pleasantly surprised.

Day 5: Heidelberg

I had heard of Heidelberg--who hasn't?--but I knew very little about the town aside from knowing that they had a castle and a university. That could be interesting, given my profession, I thought, but, again, I didn't know what to expect.

Expectations exceeded. Heidelberg was lovely.

Rain threatened that day, and it rained a bit on our drive to the town, but it didn't keep us from trudging around the castle grounds.

Heidelberg castle is definitely worth seeing, if anything for the views.

Check out this sweet little guy peeking around the tree. Don't you just love that?

Heidelberg may be known for having the largest wine cask in the world . . .

(this is in the castle grounds and it holds about 60,000 gallons of wine!)

. . . but I know Heidelberg for having the best iced coffee in the world.

(at Cafe Konditorei Knosel)

OK, we had cake too.

Day 6: Strasbourg, France

Now, unlike my usual self, I did not do much research prior to this trip. (Sensing a theme here?) I had had kind of a busy summer and, truth be told, I was tired. I knew we would have guides everywhere we went, so I just decided to go along for the ride.

I did, however, look up Strasbourg before I left because I thought I had heard something big about it before. Honestly, I didn't know what I was in for.

Yes, Strasbourg is the home of the EU (the European Union).

(Apparently the EU won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012. They're kind of proud of that.)

And, yes, it hosts one of the largest and most beautiful cathedrals in all of Europe.

But what I didn't know was how absolutely charming every street of Strasbourg would be.

Even in the pouring rain.

Our day started out a little rough as it was truly pouring rain--a deluge, if you will. Our guide persevered, even stopping in a restaurant to borrow a couple of umbrellas, but even with the umbrellas we were soaked to the skin. 

But we were in Strasbourg, so we weren't about to stop. The longer we walked, the more enamored I became. Ancient timbered roofs, cobblestone streets, narrow passageways. Everywhere I turned, the city seemed to take me in.

Eventually the rain stopped, thank goodness, and I was able to really enjoy the beauty of this city. 

After the "official" tour, the four of us looked around the Cathedral for a bit, including a viewing of the Astronomical clock. Once that concluded at 12:40, we were hungry, so we found a small cafe where we could sit outside and enjoy a tarte flambee, a truly Alsatian delicacy. (We all agreed that it tasted just like the Trader Joe's flatbread pizza, only better.)

We had a little time after lunch to wander before our canal tour, so Jenn and I walked through the little streets where we stumbled upon a real French market complete with a butcher, a fruit vendor, a cheese man, and a foie gras dealer. The best, though, was the huge booth full of French linen clothes. (I bought a dress. Fun!)

I think I could have wandered the streets of Strasbourg for days, if not weeks. Every street, every door, every window was different, holding unique stories behind them. 

(I think this is my favorite photo of the entire trip.)

Even the shops were surprising, as one pottery shop we found had wide plank pine floors and old wooden ceiling beams that looked like they had been unfinished and scuffed by weary feet for hundreds of years. I could only imagine who had lived there, walked there, read there, cooked there. Such a beautiful little place!

Later, we took a canal tour around Strasbourg, which was even more beautiful. I could have stayed in Strasbourg a long, long time.

Strasbourg completely captured my heart, and I was sad to leave.

Day 7: Colmar and Riquewier, France

Just when I thought things couldn't possibly get any better . . .

we landed in Colmar, France.

Honestly, I didn't know much at all about this part of the trip. (Big surprise, huh?) I had never heard of Colmar, and I certainly had never heard of Riquewier. Again, my hopes weren't very high.

This ended up being, quite possibly, my favorite day of the entire trip.

The Alsace region of France is known for its wine, something I did not know before we left. I mean, I had heard of Alsace, but, again, didn't know much about that region. Now it has moved way up on my list of places I'd like to explore further.

But on to our day in Colmar. . . .

All I can really say is cute. This gorgeous city, known as the capital of Alsatian wine, is charming from north to south, east to west.

(Their largest church, complete with stork's nest in the upper right. And there was an actual stork in it!)

Colmar was where I became obsessed with window boxes. I just love how they dress their windows with herbs, succulents, and boxwood.

One cool thing I learned about Colmar: Bartholdi, the guy who sculpted the Statue of Liberty, was born here. As he was trying to figure out just exactly how to make the statue, he created several prototypes which dot the landscape throughout France. Just outside of Colmar, we came upon this:

She's much shorter and, I think, a little more stout than our own Lady Liberty, but it was neat to see that this symbol of freedom shines in Europe too.

We left Colmar and drove a short distance through some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen.

Riqueweir (pronounced Rike-veer)

"I feel like I'm on the set of Beauty and the Beast . . . only in real life!"

I think I said this more than once during our visit to Requieweir. This picturesque little village is set right in the heart of the vineyards. Its one main street heads straight up a hill where a church and steeple sits at the top.

That must be where these folks were heading.

On a Thursday.

Strange.

[edited to add: Guess what! It really WAS strange that people were getting married on a Thursday. Someone from our trip wrote to tell me that these were actually models on a photo shoot. Ha! Thanks, Paul!]

Anyway, as I said, this beautiful little village is set right in the vineyards and boasts several wineries.

We didn't have a lot of time here (sure wish we had had more!), so we looked around a bit, then found a restaurant to sit and relax and enjoy some of their local specialities.

All in all, it was a great day full of pleasant surprises.

Up next . . . Switzerland!

Kicking the Bucket List in Europe: Part 1

Last month I got to cross a few items off my bucket list: I went to Europe. As in, real Europe. Not just England. Not just Paris. No, I got to visit the heart of Europe: The Netherlands (the home of my husband's ancestors), Germany (the home of my ancestors), France, and Switzerland.

To say that the trip was amazing would be an understatement. 

It was a blessing. A huge, huge blessing.

The best part? I got to take this trip with my mom and my sisters. We've traveled together before, but this one was big. Special. The kind of trip you dream about and hope you can experience someday, but somehow never really think will happen.

But happen it did, thanks to my mom, because she is having a big birthday year and this trip was part of the celebration.

(Happy Birthday, Mom!)

So here we go. I want to share as much as I can with you, but there's just so much to say, so I'll try to keep it brief.

The main part of our trip was a River Cruise on the Rhine River. We started in Amsterdam and finished the cruise portion of our trip in Basel, Switzerland one week later.

I know most of you are thinking that we took a Viking River Cruise, what with my affinity for Downton Abbey and all, but you would be wrong. We took Viking's lesser-known (in the States, anyway) competition, Ama Waterways, aboard the AmaCello. Now, since I've never been on a Viking cruise, I really can't compare the two, but what I can tell you is that Ama was spectacular. The ship was small (it only held 148 people), beautiful, and clean.

Here's a picture of the home-away-from-home that I shared with my sister:

The food was . . . oh my! Every meal was a feast, and the service throughout the ship was top-notch. We really enjoyed it.

A lot.

Days 1 & 2: Amsterdam

I was excited yet apprehensive about visiting Amsterdam because, you know, the Red Light District and all. Growing up, whenever I thought about Amsterdam, aside from hearing about Corrie TenBoom and Anne Frank, I thought the city was only filled with unseemly people and that every night was a huge party.

I was wrong. They also have bicycles.

(This is one of my favorite pictures--do you see the little sign that's on the window? Can you say irony?)

Lots and lots of bicycles.

 They also have tippy houses that, I learned, are built right next to one another for a reason: support.

Amsterdam is built on a marshy swamp with miles and miles of man-made canals flowing through it. It's absolutely gorgeous, but it wouldn't surprise me if some morning we turn on the news to find that Amsterdam has been swallowed up by the sea.

All-in-all, I found Amsterdam to be a lovely city with lovely people. Everyone we talked to was warm and gracious (and they all spoke perfect English!), and I'd really like to take my husband back there someday.

As to the Red Light District . . .

My sisters and I did walk through the RLD one night--we just felt like we had to see it. Once. It's one of those things I can say I've seen, but I never need to go back there again.

It just made me sad.

On our second day in Amsterdam we took a beautiful tour of the city, which included a canal tour. So pretty!

The tour ended with a visit to the windmill made famous by Rembrandt, who was from Amsterdam. The date on top of the windmill says 1636. NBD.

 Day 3: Cologne and Koblenz, Germany

So in the afternoon of Day 2, we set sail (like the sailor lingo?) down the Rhine River out of Utrecht, Netherlands. (I want to say Holland, but I learned that "Holland" is actually two states within the Netherlands. There is North Holland and South Holland, which explains where my husband came from, but the country is called The Netherlands.)

That day and night we were on the boat for 18 hours.

The next morning we docked in Cologne, Germany. I had never really heard much about Cologne except for the famous cathedral, which was truly beautiful, but aside from that, I felt like the city was thoroughly unimpressive.

My sisters and I took a bicycle tour through the town--that was fun--but we didn't see much that I'd want to come back to see again.

I'd say that the best part of Cologne was this:

Enough said.

Things do get better, trust me.

Later on that day, we "set sail" again, docking at Koblenz, Germany after dinner that night. Just a week or two before I left I found out that our adopted "son," Matt (very long story for another day), was living in Koblenz, so we made arrangements to meet that night.

When Matt suggested meeting at the Deutches Eck, the German Corner, which is a famous monument in Koblenz, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find it.

I shouldn't have worried. That thing is HUGE!! Probably the biggest monument I've ever seen in my life.

And Koblenz is absolutely lovely. We only had a few hours in that town, but I wish I could have stayed a little longer. Matt was a fantastic tour guide, showing me the older section of town, which, by the way, looked exactly like Epcot.

I'm so glad I got to see Matt!

(We're cracking up in this picture because the little German lady we stopped to ask to take the picture just couldn't figure out my camera. Matt, in his broken German, kept trying to explain, but she kept not understanding. 

I think this is the 7th or 8th try.)

Day 4: Cruising through the Rhine Gorge & Rudesheim, Germany

This was the day we had all been looking forward to, and the day did not disappoint. Our cruise manager, Darinka (who, by the way, was exceptionally lovely), told us we should be up on the top deck around 8:00 a.m. because as soon as we left Koblenz we would start seeing castles. 

Thankfully, the day was sunny and warm. Actually, it got a bit TOO warm as the day and the week went on, but who were we to complain? We were cruising the Rhine! 

Can I just say right now that you need to put this section of the Rhine River on your own personal bucket list? I could never do justice to the amazing beauty that we experienced in those few hours, slowly crawling along the river. Castles, churches, villages, and vineyards everywhere you looked. It was like living in a fairy tale!

Here's the view from the top deck of our ship:

Those are mostly Riesling vineyards down there--those Germans make some of the best wines in the world.

I'd say we all enjoyed every minute.

Rather than bore you with a million pictures of castles, I thought I'd show you one of my favorites. This one is so cool because it looks like it's just emerging from the side of the mountain.

What smart person thought of that way back in the 12th century, I'd like to know?

After several hours of floating down the Rhine, checking out castles, my neck was getting tired from swinging left and right, so it was with mixed emotions that we put the UNESCO heritage site behind us and docked in Rudesheim.

Rudesheim is a picturesque little village known mostly for its vineyards.

We know it mostly for its oppressive heat.

As the day went on, the sun grew hotter and hotter. We were scheduled to take a vineyard tour and wine tasting in Rudesheim, but once we got up to the vineyard the heat was blazing and we were feeling like it might just be too much to traipse through the vines. We thought we'd much rather traipse through some shops, so we left the tour and walked through the town.

Absolutely charming.

Absolutely stifling.

Bye bye, Rudesheim. Maybe next time.

Up next: Heidelberg, Strasbourg, and the Alsace region of France.

Your thoughts? Have you ever seen the Rhine Gorge? What's on your bucket list?

"What I Did on My Summer Vacation"

Hi all!

Just checking in from a life that just seems to get in the way of the blog.

We just spent two glorious weeks in the Northwoods. You remember last summer, right? When we spent a month up there? We liked it so much that we decided to go back, but without the luxury of a sabbatical we had to “settle” for two weeks. I’m not complaining.

One week of vacation is delicious, but two weeks is sublime.

 The first week of vacation is usually spent unwinding anyway, so after you’ve unwound, you get to practice relaxing for a while. And it does take practice. If you’ve never taken a two-week vacation, you really should try it.

I came back feeling like a blob of jello.

So what did we do on our vacation?

We made s’mores. Over the lamest fires you’ve ever seen. You’d never know we have spent thousands of dollars sending our girls to summer camp to learn how to make a fire. I think we need to get our money back. Still, the s’mores were yummy.

We slept. A lot. Something about all that fresh air made us all tired. One day, after waking up around 8, I felt like I needed a nap . . . at 10. But there’s just something nice about not needing to be anywhere and nobody caring one way or another if you decide to take a nap two hours after you wake up.

We tanned. Oh yes we did. I will shout it from the rooftops that I spent as much time in the sun as I could. Because when you live in a place where you barely see the sun from February through April, you’re pretty excited to finally bask in it for a while.

We boated. B has his little canoe/kayak combo thingy, which is really fun. So much fun that one day we took off in his little boat, leaving the kids behind, and headed out exploring. Three hours later, after running into some pretty windy conditions on the lake which may have involved whitecaps, we finally made it back to our dock. I may or may not have kissed it.

 We watched the Olympics. Four years ago we were on a missions trip in Switzerland when the Olympics took place, so we really didn’t get to see them. In fact (embarrassing confession here), until a few weeks ago I honestly had never hears of Ussain Bolt. Truly! That’s how unOlympic-savvy I am. So this time around we were all excited to take in as much Olympic action as possible. Favorites so far? Gabby Douglas. Jordyn Wieber. Missy Franklin. I have a thing for teenage girls.

And after this morning’s Today Show interview with Lolo Jones, I think she may very well be making the list too.

We went on adventures. Caroline really wanted to show us a place she had been to in the Upper Peninsula, so we drove three hours to find it. Only when we got there she said it wasn’t where she had been. Thankfully, the forward-thinking mother of this family suggested that we bring B’s iPad along with us, and we were able to actually find the remote island that she wanted to see.

Little Presque Isle. Not just your average, plain old, run-of-the-mill Presque Isle.

 It was worth every tense moment of frustration.

We fished. Well, some of us fished. Some of us just watched from the dock while we baked basked in the sun.

On this trip, Julia learned how to bait a hook AND how to take the fish off the hook. I was so proud of my little fisherwoman!

In fact, she got so good at it that she caught this:

 Right after that, B thought he’d get in on the bass action, so he threw in a line and caught this:

 He may or may not have thrown it back.

We had a great vacation, and we loved every minute of just being together. We missed Kate, who was busy working at the camp across the lake, but we got to see her a couple of times.

Now real life rushes in. It’s time for me to head back to work and see if I can find my office again. It’s time for the girls to get ready for school.

And it’s time for Kate to come home!

How about you?? What have you been doing this summer? I'd love to hear from you, so leave a comment!

What To Do When Your Vacation Doesn't Quite Go as Planned

They say there are two situations we can't control: death and taxes.

This week I've been reminded that there is one more: the weather.

As I write, I'm bundled up in a sweatshirt--the same sweatshirt I slept in last night. My feet are freezing because I've gone through every pair of socks I brought (guess we'll have to resort to wearing dirty socks for the rest of the week!). And I'm listening to thunder roll in the distance.

Ah, yes, the Spring Break beach vacation.

Here is our little troupe on the beach yesterday. Note the jackets, hats, and long pants. At least is wasn't raining, which is more than I can say for the other days on our trip.



To say that this vacation has gone South (figuratively speaking) would be an understatement. The weather just hasn't cooperated. Winter has decided to give it one last go here in the Southeast.

Bless its little old frosty heart.

Now, the weather and me, we're on a love/hate basis for sure. When the weather cooperates, it feels like all's right with the world to me, but when the weather is gloomy, so am I. It's just the way I'm wired. I've worked out some strategies over the years to cope with our nasty Chicago winters, but I've also realized that this is a part of my DNA. I'm wired to need sunshine. And I know many people who are just like me.

But what do you do when things (like the weather) go terribly awry on your vacation? It does happen. People get into car accidents. Kids get sick. All while on vacation.

So this week I've been listening to a running commentary in my head saying things like this:

Get over it, it's only one week out of your life.

Deal with it, it's spring.

Shape up! Your kids are watching!

For the most part the little pep talks have been working, but I've needed to remember a few more things this week that I thought I'd share . . . just in case you ever find yourself bundled up on the beach, dodging raindrops and scrambling to find just one more jacket to wear.

Keep a proper perspective. If it helps, remind yourself that it really IS only one week of your life. It's not the end of the world. Things could be much worse--like being in 28 degree weather at home.

Remind yourself that the point of your vacation isn't (necessarily) to get a tan. The point is to be together as a family. And when you're stuck in a townhome in the rain, you are definitely together. Rejoice in your togetherness.

Try a new--indoor--activity. Sure, it may not be what you have planned, but check out the local bowling alley or movie theater. Find a local museum to learn more about the area. Go shopping. Just get out and DO something rather than sitting around moaning about the weather.

Remember that this will add to your family memory bank. Just like all those road trips we've taken over the years, this week of dodging raindrops and adding layers of clothing will be something to look back on and laugh.

Which brings me to my last point . . . LAUGH! There's nothing you can do about the weather so you might as well laugh about it. You might as well make happy family memories. You might as well have fun. So laugh and enjoy being together.

We're looking on the bright side--the weekend is supposed to be gorgeous. At least we'll have good weather for driving back home!

Spill it. Do you have a vacation disaster to share? Come on! Make me feel better!

This post is linked to Amanda's Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now and Amy's Finer Things Friday.

Whatever Happened to the Road Trip?

"Mom," our youngest came to me just before Spring Break. "Everyone at school keeps asking me if we're flying." Friends and teachers alike just couldn't believe that we would actually get in the car for the 15 hour trip to our Spring Break destination.

The same thing happened at Christmas when my husband's co-workers were incredulous that we would actually attempt to drive 900 miles to get to Dallas where our family lives. He said that more than once people asked him, "You're flying, right?"

Wrong.

This family drives most places, and I think we've become somewhat of a rarity. Don't get me wrong--we're not opposed to airplanes. They come in handy sometimes. In fact, I've been on a plane six times already this year for various reasons.

But when you have a family of five, airplane travel becomes very expensive. And we figure, if we can make the trip in a day (or sometimes a day-and-a-half), we might as well drive. It's better than staying home! So from the time our girls were very young, we just got used to packing up our car and hitting the road . . . Jack. *tee hee*

And you know what? We've had a great time doing it. All three of our girls seem to like a good old-fashioned road trip. And B and I love it too.

We've made some really happy memories along the way. Who could forget packing up our car in a driving rainstorm at the end of a vacation? Some great bonding there! Or the time (it may have even been the same trip) one daughter sat quietly in the back seat of the van eating the entire contents of her Easter basket, only to have us pull over just in the nick of time? Good times!

Seriously, though, we have more jokes, more memories, more family lore from road trips than from anything else we've done together as a family. Road trips bond you together like nothing else.

We've seen some amazing parts of the country. If we had flown on this trip, we never would have enjoyed the beauty of the Smoky Mountains in their twisty-turny loveliness. We also would never have enjoyed the beauty of Yellowstone if we had just flown over it. And who could forget the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota which we stopped to see on our way out West one year? You just don't get to see that . . . interesting sight . . . from an airplane!

Our country is huge and wide and diverse and beautiful. You just can't get a sense of its grandeur unless you travel its roads.

Even the hard times bring you closer. I'm not gonna lie . . . not every moment of a road trip is spectacular family bonding time. We fight. We yell. We cry. We forget about it. And then there was the Great Vomiting Incident of 2005 that I've already mentioned--more than once did that happen! Sure, there are tense moments, but in the end, even those moments become part of the fabric of our family. A patchwork quilt that has sewn us together in some rich and wonderful ways.

Even now, we will often sit around the table and reminisce, laughing mostly, about various events that our family has experienced--and usually these events have something to do with a road trip. I have a feeling that even when our girls are older and have families of their own, we'll still be laughing about Ted, the bison, who very nearly got into our car out at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. It just wouldn't have been the same in a rented car.

And best of all, if we didn't take road trips, we'd never get great pictures like this!



So tell me, are you a road trip family or a flying family? Why or why not?

Travel Tuesday Thursday - New York City, Part 2

Welcome back to New York! You can find the first part of my New York trip report here.

Day 3 of our New York City Adventure began all the way at the south end of Manhattan at the Statten Island Ferry.



I had read about the ferry--how it gives you a free (catch that? FREE!) 30 minute ride across the Hudson River to, where else?, Statten Island.



I think it's the best way to catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty (for free) . . .



. . . and some pretty good views of the Manhattan skyline.



It was cold and windy that day, but the trip was fun.

After the ferry boat ride we walked down Broadway to Wall Street.



And on to Trinity Church, most famous (in our household anyway) for the part it played in the movie "National Treasure." We joked about asking if we could just take a quick peek inside their vault, but the guy at the door didn't look like he would think that was funny at all. Their noon service was just starting, and he asked us to take a seat. Or head over to the room to our right to have ashes put on our foreheads (it just happened to be Ash Wednesday when we were there). The girls' eyes got as big as saucers at the thought of that, so we turned around and headed out.

The glimpse we got of the church, though, was absolutely beautiful. Every afternoon at 2:00 p.m. they offer a free tour which would be very nice, I think. Next time.



Next time I also want to take time to stroll through the graveyard that surrounds Trinity Church. This marker dates back to 1750. Can you believe that?!



Standing in that neighborhood, you just can't help but think of what it looked like on September 11. All of that chaos. All of that ash. It must have been amazing to be there.

Speaking of September 11, our next stop was Ground Zero. There's not a lot to see there yet . . . a huge hole in the ground and the beginnings of a couple of buildings . . . but I thought it was really important for the girls to see the site.

Right across the street from Ground Zero is a fire station--the first to respond, I'm sure--and on the side of the station now is this copper frieze, depicting scenes from that terrible day.

"Dedicated to those who fell, and to those who carry on."





"May we never forget."

Indeed.

Next stop was Chinatown--the girls' request. We hopped in a cab and got dropped off near Canal Street, a paradise for purveyors of cheap, stolen, gaudy handbags. And t-shirts. And sunglasses. And magnets.

And whatever other I ♥ NY paraphernalia you'd want to buy.

It's insanity down there. And I think I may have been just a little insane to take three beautiful girls down Canal Street, but thank goodness we were safe.

These pigs, however, are another story. Somewhere in Chinatown some pork is being roasted . . . and boiled . . . and fried. I should know--we had some in our dim sum. For lunch.



Here's a crazy sight--this is a parking garage on a street in Soho. Apparently they move the cars around on a platform to get them in and out. I don't know about you, but I was mesmerized by this sight.



After lunch we spent several hours walking through SoHo and Greenwich Village, shopping some, gawking mostly. By the end of the afternoon our feet hurt and we were exhausted, so we ducked into a small French cafe in Greenwich Village to warm up. As we were walking out, one of the girls in our group recognized someone famous--an actor who had been on Gilmore Girls for a while and had a fairly big part in one of my personal favorites, "Sydney White." Unfortunately for us (but fortunately for him!), we decided against our better judgements to NOT run back inside the cafe and ask for his picture.

I totally would have done it. They held me back.

After a rest in our hotel, we ended our evening at a sushi place the girls found. They had to find it because I was going to have no part in tracking down sushi. True confessions time . . . I had never eaten sushi before. It scared me. I thought I wouldn't like it. But the girls all convinced me that I just had to try the right kinds of sushi.

And you know what? They were right! I ended up loving the sushi we had at The Loop restaurant. Because, as you can see: "It's Japanese!"



I realize this is getting kind of long and maybe kind of boring if you have no interest at all in New York City (but then, why are you still reading?), so I will end my report with Day 4. The day we were heading home anyway.



The girls had one thing at the top of their list of things to do in NYC and that was to visit the Today Show. Thankfully, not that many people want to stand outside for hours in the chilly, nearly-raining, March weather, so we had a front-row stand (not seat--we stood). We got to shake Al Roker's hand (he's a very nice, very funny man), wave at Matt Lauer (apparently Matt had better places to be than outside with us that morning), and meet Meredith Viera.



Can I just say that Meredith Viera was a completely pleasant surprise? She was so nice! We politely asked if she would take a picture with the girls and she politely said yes. And after the picture she turned to them, asked them where they were from (we told her they were all on Spring Break from Wheaton College), and she took about five minutes to talk to them about college, ask questions about what they were studying, and generally showed sincere interest in all of them.



I think that was one of the highlights of our trip.

In the end, I'd say the trip was a huge success. Every minute was so much fun, and I felt it was such a privilege to spend that much time with my daughter and her friends. I know I will never forget it. I hope they won't either.

Wordless Wednesday - Doors of the U.K.

"Behold! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20

Remind me to never complain about a delayed flight

Remember how yesterday I was telling you about all the responsibilities Kate graciously handled while B and I were away? And about how Maggie was so sick the night before we left to come home? Kate wasn’t the only one to not sleep that night. I didn’t sleep a wink either. Worry doesn’t even begin to explain this mama’s inner struggle.

The next morning, I was up early, showered, and ready to go before anyone else in our group, of that I am certain. When you don’t sleep the night before, you pretty much can’t wait for the morning to come.

And I figured, silly I know, that if I got up early and got myself ready, that we could get on the plane just that much sooner and head home to where I really needed to be.

I know. I know. Those darn planes don’t leave a minute before they’re ready to leave. And for some reason, ours decided it didn’t want to leave on time. It wanted to sit a spell before we took off.

Apparently “a spell” is exactly two hours because that is the amount of time our flight was delayed. Two hours!

Now, Heathrow airport is a haven for duty free shoppers but since 1) I don’t like to shop and 2) I’ve never been one to stock up on liquor and cigarettes and 3) I’ve never been able to think of “duty free” as anything more than a scam, I basically sat in the airport biting my nails and getting mad at the gate agent for not letting us on the plane RIGHT NOW! DON’T-YOU-KNOW-MY-DAUGHTER-IS-SICK?!

Apparently they didn’t care.

Finally, FINALLY, they called us to our gate, and we waited to board our plane. As we stood in line, my phone rang. Weird. My phone had not rung the entire trip, and now, just as we were about to board the plane, my phone was ringing.

I had a sick feeling this was about Maggie.

“Hello?”

“Mom?!” I can hear the panic in Kate’s voice. I begin to think the worst about Maggie.

“Yes? What’s wrong?”

“Mom, it’s been raining all night and we’re starting to flood!”

Now this is NOT what I was expecting at all. First of all, our basement is double, triple, quadrupally (is that a word?) protected from flooding, and only because we have flooded so many times in the past. Three, to be exact.

Let’s just say that Allstate and us aren’t such good neighbors anymore.

Even though we have four sump pumps (that’s right, four) and a back-up generator for when the power goes out, we still sometimes need to use an ejector pump in the laundry tub where all the yucky water from our sewers comes up.

And that was the case that Saturday morning. Even though the power hadn’t gone out, the water was still coming up through the laundry tub. I guess seven inches of rain will do that.

Poor Kate, who had not slept all night long because of worry over her sister and now the soaking downpour we were getting, was up to her armpits in sewer water. And she was worried sick that our basement would flood yet again.

Unless you’ve been through it, you have no idea how traumatic a flood can be.

Thankfully, B was able to calmly (a miracle in itself!) talk her through how to find the ejector pump, how to hook up the hose and then open the window to put the hose out, and finally, how to plug in the whole contraption (dry your hands and feet first!). Kate, miraculously, was able to follow B’s instructions and get the pump working, saving our basement from certain catastrophe.

Let me tell you, I could not get home fast enough. After all the trials my poor daughter had encountered that week, this topped them all. Handling a flood is a terrible thing, even for an adult, but for an 18-year-old just on the cusp of adulthood, this was a bit much.

People have asked me if I was proud of my daughter for all she handled while we were gone. Proud doesn’t even begin to cover it. I am amazed by her strength. I am in awe of her grace. I am thankful for her cheerful attitude.

She taught me so much.

And let me just say an obvious word about God’s timing. If our plane had been on time that morning we would have been already in the air by the time Kate found our overflowing laundry tub. She would have had no idea what to do, and would have probably done her best to bail water as quickly as she could. But in the end, she would have felt guilty if our basement would have flooded, somehow taking on the responsibility for the flood herself.

Thanks be to God for delayed flights, that’s all I have to say.

I was reminded that morning that there is always a reason for those delays. None of the people on our flight knew that the delay was just for us (*wink, wink*), but I know. I am so thankful that Kate was able to get through to us, and I am so thankful that God’s timing was perfect.

And I'm so thankful that my daughter is ready for anything.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Part 4

If you're here looking for a Fabulous Friday Food post, come back next week. I'm sure I'll have started cooking again by then. . . . Maybe.

Well now. It seems the sistahs were none too happy about the pictures I posted of them yesterday. Haven't they yet learned that this blog is not about being perfect in any way? I mean, seriously, whose backside got posted here a few weeks back? Hmmmmm?

Anyway, my sisters are beautiful women, and just to prove it, I thought I'd post another picture of them. This is one of my favorites of the entire trip (although it would have been better if my mom was in it too).



Happy, girls?

*ahem*

Back to the day trip. Remember the Cotswolds? And remember how I told you there was a surprise at the end of the day?

Surprise! Welcome to Oxford!

Now, Oxford is one of my favorite places because I spent a summer--waaaaay back in 1984--studying in Oxford when I was in college. (Before you get too impressed, you have to know that I stayed at some rinky-dink college on the outskirts of town and was taught by professors from my college . . . who were wonderful . . . just not Oxford dons. Just to be clear.)

I have some really, really fond memories of Oxford, starting with the bicycles.



Oxford is a city for bikers. No, not biker chicks, although if my husband had his way I would become one of those too, but just plain old bikers. The kind with the wicker basket on the front. It's the best way to get around this town, and as a college student I rented a bike for a month and used it every day to explore the little streets and alleyways of this gorgeous place.

My only regret is that I wasn't more adventurous. I wish I would have had the courage to explore a little more outside of town. Oh well. Next time I'm a college student studying for 6 weeks in Oxford I'll remember to do that.

We started our tour in the middle of town, next to this statue dedicated to three martyrs whose names I don't remember. Details, details.



We walked all over the place, looking at beautiful buildings like the Bodleian Library . . .



The University Church tower . . .



Some really old windows in the divinity school . . .



Some really scary faces . . .



And, of course, pubs . . .



Richard explained that sometimes the old decorative pieces on the facades of the buildings just decay and fall off, which then need to be replaced. Here's one that was recently made to resemble Aslan from the C.S. Lewis books. Lewis lived, wrote, and taught in Oxford.



Toward the end of our tour we got to go inside Trinity College. Who knew that inside the walls of each individual college lies this much beauty?



Dorm rooms with flower boxes--can you just imagine?!





We did a lot of walking on the day of our excursion outside of London, but it was so worth it. On the way back to the train station we saw this sign, and I couldn't resist taking a picture of it. Kind of sums things up nicely, I think.



No, we didn't stop, but it was tempting.

I may have more to say about our trip next week, but I'm off this weekend. Kate is leaving for college on Monday, and she has a friend coming to spend the weekend, so we'll be enjoying the girls this weekend.

Enjoy your weekend . . . Darling!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Part 3

Hold on to your hats . . . this one is going to blow you away. Plus, you said you wanted pictures, and I aim to please my readers, so pictures you shall have.

Before we left, I asked everyone what one or two things they would most like to do or see on this trip, and my dad said he wanted to see the countryside. He was a farmer, after all, and if he couldn't get onto a real British farm (believe me, we tried), he at least wanted to see what their farmland looked like.

I found a tour that seemed to fit the bill for all of us, and so we headed out to the Cotswolds. But there was a bonus at the end of the tour, too. You'll see . . .

First, we took a train about an hour outside of London where we immediately hopped on a coach ("bus" in Brit-speak).




(Exciting bunch, aren't they? Guess the theatre was too much for them the night before.)

About 30 minutes later we arrived in the lovely little village of Minster Lovell, a tiny little Costwold hamlet that anyone in their right mind would sell everything they have just to live here. It's that lovely.

Breathtakingly lovely.



Heartbreakingly lovely.



*sigh*

Sorry. What was I thinking? Oh, yes, you would indeed have to sell everything you have to live here--it's that expensive. Our tour guide, Richard (who, by the way, was outstanding and made our day even more special), explained that the "cottages" you see lining the streets actually sell like mansions in the near-1 million pound range.



One can dream, can't she?

Anyway, back to Richard. He took us walking through the street of this village (I really think there was only one street), telling us about the thatched roofs of the cottages and explaining how the muckity mucks of London come there on the weekends (think the Hamptons) when we reached a farmer's field.

Dad was a happy man!



We walked through a gate (at this point, Richard told us how the name "kissing gate" got its name, but it's too long to go into here. Google it.) and into the field. Yes, in England there are thousands of miles of public walkways, so you can just wander into farmer's fields whenever you want.

Farmer's horses greeted us.



We walked a little further, trying unsuccessfully to avoid the cowpies, until we saw a church in the distance.



Richard explained that in Medieval times, these villages were centered around the church (a.k.a. the "Minster") and the Manor House. All of the little cottages were built for the servants of the Manor.

Give me a bucket and a broom, I'm movin' in!

We walked a little further, through another gate, where we came upon this pond.



Words cannot describe it. *Ahhhhhh*

We walked around the pond when suddenly, right before us, stood this sight. . . .



I swear, it looked like something from the set of a movie, just plopped right there, on the edge of a tiny river, for our enjoyment. Apparently it's also there for the enjoyment of the residents of Minster Lovell, too, because families with children were hanging out near the ruins, eating picnics and playing near the water. Too cute, I'm telling you. Too . . . English!

Anyway, we wandered around the ruins for a while, Richard telling us interesting stories about the family who lived there. This was the Manor House, the place that employed people like me who lived in the little cottages in the village.





I honestly cannot imagine how much it would cost to keep that place in operation today. Probably why they had to let it go to ruin (get it?!).

Next to the Manor House was the church, which is still being used today, thankfully.



Isn't it lovely?

So after that breathtaking little stroll, we wandered back down the street (remember, there seems to be only one) to our coach.

I snapped this one as I was walking past someone's kitchen window.



Our coach then took us just a few minutes away to another village called Burford where we had exactly one hour to either walk around and see the place or sit down and eat lunch. Some in our group just needed to sit, but you can probably guess what B and I did. We walked.

Richard had mentioned that Burford had a beautiful church, a fine example of Medieval church architecture, so B and I decided to head down there for a little look-see.



The church was beautiful, but once you've seen one medieval church, you've pretty much seen them all.



We had fun looking around, but the best part, for us, was when we checked out their bookshelves. There we saw books by authors we actually recognized and some we even knew!

Here is "The Big Picture Story Bible" by our friend, David Helm . . . right there! . . . on a bookshelf! . . . in Burford, England!



And here's "Disciplines of a Godly Man" by our former pastor, Kent Hughes. Just sittin' there, waiting to be read . . . in England!



I don't know why, but I got such a kick out of seeing those books by people we actually KNOW sitting on a shelf in England. There is just something too cool about that. (The only thing cooler would be seeing one of MY books sitting on a shelf in England. Ha!)

We left the church and quickly toured Burford's High Street, grabbing some pastries to take back on the bus with us for lunch.

All-in-all, we LOVED the Costwolds. Even though this was my sixth time in England, this was a region I had never before seen. Not that I hadn't wanted to go there before, it's just that there are so many wonderful places to see and things to do in England that you just can't see or do it all.

Here's one thing I know, though . . . I will be back. This is an area that deserves much more of my attention.

Once again I've gotten long-winded, and I'm probably boring you to death, so I'll stop my rambling now. You'll have to come back tomorrow to find out the surprise at the end of our day trip. It's worth a blog post of its own anyway.

Now, I'd love to know . . . of all the places I've posted about so far, which would you most like to see in person? Leave me a comment and let me know.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Part 2

It was with deep sadness that we left our little B&B in Scotland and travelled across the Firth of Forth (don't you just love that? The Firth of Forth. Just slips over the tongue, doesn't it?) to catch a train to London.

But first, a trip to the loo in the train station where we encountered our first pay toilet, heretofore to be known as "the 30p pee."



You should have seen us scrambling for change.

Anyway, after a perfectly hellacious 5 hour train ride (now that's a post for another day) we arrived in London and made our way to our hotel in the Victoria neighborhood.

Now, Victoria is not a neighborhood I would normally stay in in London. I prefer Kensington with its gorgeous homes and quiet streets, but God really had other things in store last February when I put in my pie-in-the-sky Priceline bid and actually won it. In Victoria.

And you know what? God was right! For this trip, Victoria was exactly where we needed to be--just a couple of Tube stops from everything, close to restaurants, and just down the street from the theatre.

Here's a picture of our room, just in case you're into that sort of thing, which I'm not, but I'll post it for you curious ones.


If it seems like a large room to you, especially by London standards, it is. (And no, that's not a bottle of vodka sitting on the desk over there--it's water. Fancy water.) Enough about that--let's get to the good stuff.

Hampton Court. (One of King Henry VIII's palaces.)

I had not been here since college which was, well, a while ago, and I didn't remember much about the place except for the Great Hall. I'm so glad we spent part of a day here because the place is beautiful . . . and historic . . . and massive. And it has a hedge maze which we didn't get to see on this trip, but that's why there will always be a next time.








Oh, Henry!



The Victoria and Albert Museum. This is one of those places that I've always intended to visit, but for one reason or another it just didn't happen. But this time it did, and I am so glad. What a beautiful museum!

Even before we stepped inside the doors we got a sense of how important this place is. I mean, it didn't even fall down during the blitz! They kept the bomb marks on the outside of the building to prove it.



Famous sculptures everywhere. I know I've seen this one in a textbook somewhere, but even if I haven't I think he's awfully cute.



We mainly went to the V&A to see their wonderful collection of historic textiles, specifically historic samplers which my sister, Jenn, is really into. It's kind of her hobby.

You can go into this big room that looks like a library and pull out these frames that hold all sorts of old ("antique" just doesn't seem to begin to cover it. Is it an antique if it's over 600 years old?) fabric samples.



The biggest thrill, though, was finding the many cross-stitched samplers that they had because, like I said, my sisters' into that kind of thing. Here she is examining the work of some 7-year-old girl. Amateur.



And here's a close-up of another sampler that I thought was lovely. You can see by the advanced stitches here that this girl was probably something like nine when she stitched this one.



The biggest thrill for me that day was seeing the handwork of Mary Queen of Scots. This was exciting to me because last spring I read "The Other Queen" by Philippa Gregory which was about Mary Queen of Scots, and in the book it talks a lot about how she loved to stitch. And then I stumble upon some of her handiwork. Her actual fingers stitched these pieces!



. . . in the 1500s!!!



I don't know, something about history and historical fiction coming together in one place just made me have to sit down for a while and ponder.

And since this post is getting veeeeery long, I'm sure you'll need to sit and ponder a while, so I'm going to end our history lesson/travel post for today. Be sure to come back tomorrow, though, when I'll tell you about one of my very favorite days of our trip.

I can't wait!!

Travel Tuesday - How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Some people like beaches.

Some people like historical tours.

Some people like cruises.

Some people like lake houses.

But my family? We like golf. Is that weird? (Wait. Don't answer that.)

Last week, my parents, my two sisters and their husbands, and B and I spent time in St. Andrews, Scotland at the British Open golf tournament, and did we ever have fun. Five years ago, four of us went, but this time all eight of us made the trip. Not all of us are golfers, and not all of us were interested in the Open, but we all spent some time enjoying the atmosphere and the tournament.

Here's B and our brother-in-law, Tom, pretending that they just played the famous 17th hole. Looks to me like they lost their ball in the rough.



And check out that bunker on 17! You could get lost down there. (That's my mom and dad--the benefactors of all this fun.)



Today I got an email from my college roommate who said, "I think that if I were vacationing in Scotland on my second day in the gallery I’d be thinking more about all the other stuff in Scotland that I’d like to see and was missing while I was watching golf."

Well, Jen, you'll be happy to know that we did NOT spend all of our time watching golf (the tournament itself was kind of a snoozer this year anyway because the guy who won, a South African, was the leader the entire time. It's not as much fun to watch when it's not even close and you pretty much know who's going to win going into the last day. Zzzzzzz.).

We did manage to spend one day in Edinburgh, a city that I love every time I've been there.

This is Edinburgh's famous castle.



And here's a beautiful view of Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh's famous peak in Holyrood Park.



After four days, we said goodbye to Scotland and headed for England, specifically to London, where many adventures were had by all. You'll have to come back tomorrow for the London portion of our trip because my old pal jet lag is kicking me in the gut and it's time for me to sleep.

Road Trip, Part 2 -- All this . . . and Jason Castro too!

Ever wonder where you can get Emu oil? (Apparently it's good for arthritis.)

How about an artistic armadillo for your yard?

Or some long horns?

Or any manner of Texas items?

Need a little something for your man cave? (I know someone who does!)

All of this and more . . . so much more . . . can be found in Canton, Texas, the home of the world's oldest and largest flea market. Canton is one of the reasons we got in the car last week and drove 15 hours both ways. Yes, 30 hours in the car for a flea market!

But it was worth it, friends. I'm here to tell you, it was so worth it.

Just look at this pie!

Worth it?! I'll say.

Canton is a treasure trove of flea market finds. Some funky and weird (see the armadillo above), some pure Texas, some just plain tacky. But in the midst of all this funky weirdness, there are treasures to be found and adventures to be had.

I can't count the number of times I've been to Canton, but one particularly memorable trip involved four of my girlfriends, a trailer, and a sale back up here in Illinois. We were young then.

Since I've just remodeled a bathroom, I decided that I needed something from Canton to fill it, so that was my focus. Along the way I got sidetracked . . .

. . . by fake pomegranates in a cool wooden bowl.

. . . by more fake fruit and apothecary jars with little birds on top.


. . . and by more apothecary jars and candles.

But I did find what I was looking for--a cabinet for our "new" bathroom (ignore the fact that I don't have a toilet paper holder yet) . . .

. . . and some pretty glass jars to go in it.

Oh, and I also found a vintage mirror that is going to look perfect over the sink once I paint it black (the mirror, not the sink).

What I didn't find was a hairdresser. That Texas humidity is just like everything else there--BIG! (Nope, no pride left at all, folks.)

Speaking of hair . . . here comes the highlight of my day. Do you know who this is??

Yes, my friends, it's Jason Castro, my all-time favorite American Idol contestant EVER! You can imagine the squeals of excitement when, just as I was deciding whether to buy that mirror pictured above, my niece, Kira, says, "Aunt Shelly, turn around!"

I whipped around to see Jason. Cutie patootie of American Idol fame. Buying a lamp! Jason Castro buys lamps! With his wife (!) no less.

We whispered frantically, debating whether or not I should ask him for a picture, but in the end we decided to leave him to his shopping. After all, shopping is serious stuff at Canton.

And that lamp looks a little heavy for wee Jason (he's so tiny!).

I guess I'll just have to settle for a quickly-taken picture and a close-up of the same.

So there. Canton. I hope you've enjoyed your stroll through one of my favorite fun places. And if you're ever in the Dallas area around the first weekend of the year, you should check it out.

You might just see Jason!

Road Trip, Part 1: Driving through Missouri - What Could Be More Fun?

A few weeks back, I toyed, out loud, with the idea of a road trip to Texas to visit my sisters. Kate immediately jumped on that idea since she’s pretty much “stuck” here working all summer until she leaves for school in August.

I think it was Kate who came up with the idea of heading down there for First Monday Canton, the country’s largest and oldest flea market. Yep, I’m blaming Kate.

And while I’m at it, I’ll blame B, too, because he encouraged us to go by telling me that it could very well be the last time I get to take a road trip with Kate. Thanks, honey, for that reminder.

So, this past weekend those of us who were home and available (meaning that B and Abby did not come with us) packed up and headed to Texas. I was a little worried about going to a flea market in July in Texas of all places—I mean, heat stroke is a definite possibility—but we decided to be brave and headed out anyway.

I’ve always loved a road trip, and we’ve taken many of them over the past 25 years. B and I took our first driving trip together, I think, the summer we were married when we went out East for the wedding of some of our good friends. After the wedding weekend, we spent time in Washington D.C., Annapolis (great city!), and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Good times.

Over the years we’ve taken lots of trips to Wisconsin and South Carolina, and one very memorable two-week road trip to Yellowstone and Colorado.

But the one road trip I can pretty much count on taking place once a year or so is to Texas. I think I’ve pretty much worn a track in Route 44 through Missouri, I’ve taken that trip so many times. And I think we’ve visited pretty much every bathroom on Route 69 in Oklahoma (we have three daughters, after all!). I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve made that trip between Chicago and Dallas . . . and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve grown to hate and dread that trip.

It’s long. It’s boring. And have I mentioned that it’s boring? Oh, so boring.

Which makes it all the more special that I put on my big girl panties and made the long trek down there last weekend with two of my daughters. Because I knew we’d make some memories.

Life does not disappoint. Memories were made. Fun was had. Emotional breakdowns did occur. But all-in-all, I’m so glad we did it.

A few highlights of the drive through Missouri. . . .

Did you know that Missouri boasts the “World’s Biggest Rocking Chair”? I kept wondering if that was for the “World’s Biggest Butt.” But that’s just me. My mind goes strange places sometimes.

And if that isn’t enough excitement, you can also see the Vacuum Cleaner Museum. Seriously! Check it out--it's there.

Of course, there’s the Precious Moments Chapel and Reptile Land. And don’t even get me started on Ozark Land (complete with buck knives) which, as everyone knows, is “Worth Stoppin’ For!”

Those Missourians really know how to party.

On our way down, we broke up our trip into two days because of, well, a restaurant. If you’ve ever driven through Springfield, MO, you have definitely seen the billboards for the place with the “Throwed Rolls” called Lamberts.



Many years ago (I think it was one of the many trips I took with my mom when my kids were little), after seeing those billboards about a thousand times, we decided to stop at Lamberts for dinner on our way through Springfield, and ever since then it’s been our go-to place for really greasy, down home, Southern-style meals on the road.



It was a bit of a bribe for Maggie who really didn’t want to stop overnight—she is a true Wildman and wanted to make the trip in one day, but we told her that she’d get the best meal ever if we stopped overnight. I think her curiosity got the best of her.

Lamberts is a bit of a landmark. It reminds us a little bit of Cracker Barrel, only on steroids. And they make the most amazing rolls which they do actually throw across the room to you, unless you’re like me and drop the roll on the floor.



Thankfully, Lamberts sells their rolls by the dozen, so we took some to the cousins, because, believe it or not, I’ve even taken my nieces there a time or two.



Ah, yes, the road trip. For the sights, the food, and the memories, you just can’t beat a good road trip. The best part? Time together. Time to talk, to laugh, to just be in the same car for 15 hours. It bonds you.

B was right--this very well might have been the last road trip I take with Kate for quite a long time. (Since she's going to college right down the street, the trek to school can't really be considered a road trip.) We had some good conversations, lots of laughs, and, as I said, one rather scary almost-accident that took its emotional toll on me.

But no road trip would be complete without a bump or two, would it? Believe me, the bumps were small on this trip, and I'm so glad we went.

Tomorrow: Road Trip, Part 2: Canton

A Few More England Photos

O.K., I have probably about five minutes before my computer crashes again, so I thought I'd sneak on here and show you a few more pictures from my recent trip.

This is one place I always make sure I visit if I'm in London on a weekend. And if you ever find yourself in London on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, you must--MUST--head to Borough Market. Just because I love it there so much.

I mean, really, where else can you get the world's best cheese? I tasted this Stichelton (which is really just Stilton) and . . . oh my. Mmmmmmm.



This is the Royal Albert Hall. Every Good Friday for the past 132 years, the Royal Philharmonic and the Royal Choral Society have performed Handel's "Messiah" and this year I got to be a part of this rich tradition. The audience part. But, still, it was one of the most amazing performances I have ever seen.



As we were waiting to enter the RAH, I turned around and this is what I saw . . . the Albert Memorial. Amazing. Queen Victoria built this as a tribute to her great love, Prince Albert, after his death. Makes me wonder what B is planning for me!



One thing I love about England is their signs. They just don't mince words over there.

I'm thinking this sign might be good to post in my parents' Arizona community. (Just kidding, Mom and Dad!)



And this one I just loved. I might need one for my own yard.



Here's me, smiling like a silly person, in front of one of my favorite touristy spots in London--the Tower of London. My imagination just seems to take off here as I hear stories about beheadings and attempted coups that took place right here on these very grounds.



And one more. . . . Isn't this just so pretty? This is NOT London Bridge, although many people think it is. London Bridge is a fairly non-descript bridge spanning the Thames; it looks pretty much like any bridge we have in Chicago. No, this is Tower Bridge.



I have so many more pictures and so many memories to share, but we'll have to have a cup of tea together if you want to see them all. Suffice it to say that this was a special trip with a special girl, and our memories will always be special to me.

I am . . .

blessed.

Snapshots of England

I'm back from 10 glorious days in one of my favorite places on earth. I feel like the most blessed woman in the world for being able to take this trip with my daughter.

Today I'd like to just give you a few snapshots from our trip. Even though they say a picture is worth a thousand words, these still wouldn't be enough to tell you how special this trip was.



"You can find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London, all that life can afford." Samuel Johnson

"England is a nation of shopkeepers." Napoleon Bonaparte
(Liberty of London is now at Target, but hardly the same thing.)

"Let not England forget her precedence of teaching nations how to live." John Milton

"When it's three o'clock in New York, it's still 1938 in London." Bette Midler

"Oh, to be in England now that April's there!" Robert Browning

"A man builds a house in England with the expectation of living in it and leaving it to his children; we shed our houses in America as easily as a snail does his shell." Harriet Beecher Stowe

"Europeans, like some Americans, drive on the right side of the road; except in England where they drive on both sides of the road." Dave Barry

"And now the time returns again:
Our souls exult, and London's towers
Receive the Lamb of God to dwell
In England's green and pleasant bowers."
William Blake


"By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show." Samuel Johnson

"The only legitimate artists in England are the architects." Benjamin Haydon (English historical painter and writer, 1786-1846)

"I'm leaving because the weather is too good. I hate London when it's not raining." Groucho Marx

If you give a college kid a trip to England . . .

. . . she'll fall in love with the country.

She'll leave a piece of her heart there and feel a profound need to go search for it every couple of years.

She'll probably want to take her husband there someday, hauling around backpacks and staying in Youth Hostels as a way to save money before they have children.



She'll read books that take place there.

She'll peruse travel websites regularly, just to get a feel for what's going on there.

She'll bore her friends to death with her talk of her beloved country.



She'll take her husband a second time, not staying in Youth Hostels, but castles instead.

And then she'll have children and want them to experience this place she loves so much, so she'll concoct a plan--a very special plan to brainwash her children into loving England too. (Good thing she has a really wonderful husband who goes along with this plan.)

And if she's really lucky, her kids will get to study in England someday too.



In just a couple of hours my dear friend, Amy, will pull into my driveway. I will lug a big suitcase to her car. Amy will drive Abby and me to the airport for what I know will be a very special week together.

Since I won't be around next week, I'll post a few of my old favorites for your reading pleasure. And if you're new to my blog, maybe you'll get a sense for this wild life that I lead.

Travel Tuesday - The Top 5 Best Things About Getting Away for the Weekend

Shhhh. We snuck (is that a word?) away for the weekend. Nope, I didn't tell you I was leaving. I need to keep a few things a secret around here, don't I?

B and I had the good fortune to be invited to Park City, UT last weekend. We went with three couples from our small group (but we sure missed those who didn't come!). And no kids. Enough said.

The weekend is hard to put into words, so I'll just list the top 5 things about sneaking away to Park City for the weekend.

1. Skiing with my hubby. We have really only done that once before, and this time was so much fun. I especially enjoyed talking to him as we meandered down the hill (and believe me, meander is just about all I can do on those slopes). He encourages me to keep trying, even though I feel like I can't ski very well. I love that he does that.



2. Spending time with friends. We've been in a small group with these friends for over 15 years . . . some for over 20 years. We've watched each other's kids grow up, and we've been through a lot together in that time. It's always great to be together and to celebrate God's goodness to all of us.



3. Enjoying the great outdoors. I thought a lot about this this weekend: I don't consider myself that much of a nature girl, but I really feel closest to God when I'm outside. And on the slopes I really felt close to God as I cried out to Him for help getting down the mountain.



4. Watching Olympic athletes train for competition. Oh. My. Word. We went to the Utah Olympic Park where we got to see actual Olympic aerial jumpers train for the actual Olympics which will actually be taking place in two weeks. It was amazing. That's pretty much all I can say about that. Amazing.



And I can't wait for the Olympics.


5. Coming home to an immaculately clean house and dinner on the table. What can I say? I've trained my children well. And I loved them even more when I saw what they could do this weekend.

All in all, it was great. And kind of like a fairy tale in many ways. I had to keep pinching myself to make sure it was real.

But it was indeed real. And now I'm back to reality. *sigh*