England #5

Well we are back in London tonight which means that the family history tour is officially over. It has been such a great experience meeting everyone and learning about where the people I know and love come from. I have been asked many times over the past week or so "is it what you expected?". Well if I am being honest the answer is no! That is neither a good or bad thing, it is just different. I have learned that just because someone has an opinion of something (or someone) that you will probably not share the same one. I have learned that although the two countries seem very similar they are in fact 2 different worlds and although we both speak English we speak 2 completely different languages. I have always had a picture in my head, created by me over the years from hearing stories and seeing pictures, about what England (and my family over here) would be like. It is so nice to finally have an accurate picture to go off of from now on.

I am also so thankful that I was able to take this trip with my grandpa (and just the two of us). We have always been close, that is no secret, but I feel like we are much closer now on a whole different level. I will always be thankful for the information and stories he has given me and I am thankful that I will be able to pass it along to Tiana to keep the stories alive.

Anyway that is about as deep as I am going to go tonight. Here are some pics from the last few days.



Church in Long Eaton where my mom would attend as a kid



House in Long Eaton where they lived before moving to the US




Me being a dork




On the beach at Mablethorpe




Rupert bear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Grandparents cutting the wedding cake!




With Aunt Edna and Uncle John




Peterborough Cathedral

Well that's it for tonight. Tomorrow it is off for some more exploring of London.

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England #4

We have been very busy the past few days. Lots of time spent with family and seeing sights. It has been a wonderful time. It is very late here so this will be a short one with lots of pictures.

The highlights of the past few days: Loughborough Market, Lunch with family, visit with Aunt Jean, visit to Long Eaton (where my mom grew up), Bradgate Park, dinner with family friends, Nottingham and Sunday dinner (on a Monday) with family.




Janet and Peter




Uncle Eric and Georgina




Steve, Jenny, Chris




Aunt Jean (love this woman) So good to see her again




Steve, Jenny and Andy




At Bradgate Park







Dinner with the Lavre's





Nottingham Castle




Major Oak in Sherwood Forrest





Haha oops!!!!

Anyway that is it for tonight. Tomorrow it's off to the coast. Mablethorpe and then down to Skegness.


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England #3

I was so exhausted last night that I went straight to bed. So this one will be about the last 2 days (Thurs and Fri)

Our driver, Pete, picked us up at our hotel in London Wednesday morning. We then headed to Northampton and Kingsthorpe where Nan-nan grew up and where she married Grandpa. I was able to get a quick look at where she lived and the pub that her Grandfather owned. The Highlight of the area is the church where they got married. We arrived at the church to find it locked. But Grandpa, being Grandpa, found someone to come open it for us. So we also got to go in which I did not think we would be able to do. Very awesome.








We then drove into Brixworth where my Great Uncle Les and Great Aunt Anthea own The Coach and Horses Pub and Inn. We took a look around the area and then met up with Les' son Ricky and his Brother Steven. It was a very fun night and the rooms there were great!











Tis morning we drove to Burton Latimer to meet with John wo I think we decided is my second cousin and his family.






We then drove into Leicester where my grandparents went to college. We also explored the local market, which they used to go to when they were there.






We then drove to Loughborough where we are staying for 4 nights.

Tomorrow's plan........ Morning at the Loughborough market, then meeting more family and finally off to see Aunt Jean :)

On a funny note the waitress messed up and put salt I. The sugar dish this morning so my coffee tasted wonderful. Also I had to go see the "Chemist" to get some Zyrtec (spelled Zirtek here). This place has way too much vegetation!


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England #2

Today was another busy day spent exploring London. Today we saw the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral and Kensington Palace. We also spent quite a lot of time on the underground.

The Tower and Tower Bridge were the 2 things I had my heart on seeing in London and they did not disappoint! They are both massive structures and all around very cool to see. The pictures do not do it justice but here are a couple anyway.









St Paul's is also amazing! You cannot take pictures inside and words cannot do it justice. It is absolutely beautiful inside. From all of the hand carvings to the paintings on the ceilings to the stained glass everything is so detailed there is also a crypt in the basement (similar to Westminster Abbey) where "important people" including the architect and builder of St Paul's are buried. This place is so big I could not get it in one camera shot!






Last a fun picture from the underground where you hear "mind the gap" about 100 times a minute :)






That's it for tonight. Tomorrow is going to be an awesome day. We leave London fir Northampton, Kingsthorpe, and Brixworth.




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England #1

Well..... I have been having the worst time with the wifi at our hotel so I haven't been able to post anything. But I have been having a ton of fun and staying out of trouble for the most part :)

Yesterday (Monday) we got a late start because our flight was delayed (we had to de-ice before leaving Denver) but we took a nice walk through Kensington Gardens. Then we went for a pint (on an empty stomach of course) and then for some authentic fish and chips.










Today (Tuesday) we started the day with a trip on the underground. So this thing is like the light rail but on steroids! Seriously crazy! But Grandpa made me navigate and by the second time I think I got the hang of it. Of course by about 11:00 we were done with the underground and I think we walked about 20 miles AT LEAST! We toured pretty much the entire city of Westminster. We actually went into Westminster Abbey, a beautiful and creepy place all at the same time. We also saw major sights like Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace. The Queen wouldn't see us but what can you do right?










We had dinner in a pub and now it is time for bed. Anyway hopefully I can post again soon and they figure out their wifi issues. Tomorrow we go to Tower Bridge, Tower of London, and St Paul's.

A Few Memories Before My Trip............

So it is Friday and I leave Sunday night. We pick Grandpa up from the airport tomorrow night. While he is here I was hoping to look at some old pictures with him so Tiana and I looked through a bunch the other night. I pulled out these 4 because they brought back such special memories.

I am so thankful I get to take this trip with Grandpa and wish Nan-nan was here to join us. But I know she will be there in spirit. I love and miss you Nan-nan!

Video of Tiana's Piano Recital

She got flowers!

With her Teacher Amanda

She did such a great job! We are very proud of her!