Happy Anniversary to my thoughts and working on my tact...

7/16/15

According to my Facebook "you have memories to look back on today" notification, I am pleased to say that one year ago today I officially launched and posted my first blog announcement! 

I am amazed at how many posts I have actually made over the last year. So many changes, mostly good, so I'm not complaining at all. Vacations have been taken, babies have been born, moves have been made and new friends have been found. Thanks to each and every one of you for whatever contribution you have made!

One of the things that I promised myself was that I would try to post fairly and honestly. I have had to take a good look at my audience and realized that I did need to filter myself a smidge. I tend to lack in the tact department and I knew that some people would have their feelings hurt if I wasn't careful. Of course, I have been called out on a few things but for the most part, I've made more friends than enemies.

I'm working on the tact part and occasionally, I am successful. I have come to realize that no matter what you say, how you phrase it, or how much you believe in something, there is always going to be someone who will find the negative. Being a bright and sunshiny kind of girl, those folks will just have to deal. If you don't like what I have to say or how I say it, go read someone else's blog!

That being said, I still hate Sam's Club and I still love cruises. My life still revolves around my 4 (soon to be 5) grand-babies and I still cook like crazy. Rachael Ray purple still dominates my kitchen and one of the best parts of our new house is the abundance of huge cupboards! The kids are still hanging around and are determined to find new hidey holes in the new house (stuff in the way? knock it down). Or, just hide under the blanket, no one will know you are there. And best of all, I finally have a Crepe Myrtle tree!

I didn't forget about the next installment of vacay, this was just a slight intermission!!

Vacay, part one!

7/14/15

Wow, seems like forever and a day since I posted. Joe and I have been very busy kids! We'll make this post (and maybe a few more) about vacay and put the house hunting and moving into a separate entry.

Decided to extend our trip with an early visit to see family, then a few days in London, and then onto the cruise ship. Went to see some amazing relatives (and I don't use that term lightly)! My first time meeting them and I'm certain that we'll be planning some future meets. What a great way to start off a trip!! And a very special thanks to them for introducing us to the Fractured Prune Donut Shoppe, yum! Best of all, 2 new nieces and a nephew to spoil. Fun!!

Next stop, British Airways. Our first double decker plane and I must say, they certainly do like to feed their passengers! We had a drink, then dinner, then another drink with biscuits, then a snack pack (sandwich and fruit).

Nothing like a bottle of wine served with dinner...

We knew that there was a time change but what we didn't take into account was that upon arrival in London we would have to kill several hours prior to checking in to our hotel. At this point, we have been awake for about 24 hours. It was kind of gray and drizzly out so we bought our hop on/hop off bus tickets and with luggage in tow set off to find our hotel!

Several hours (and about a hundred pictures) later, we found it! Luckily, the manager had our studio ready and let us in. We dragged our soggy selves in, changed into dry, warm clothes and promptly fell asleep for four hours!! We woke up famished and decided to explore the neighborhood. Found a cute little pub on the corner and off to dinner we went. 

I think my favorite thing about the pubs was the open feel. Doors are open, tables both inside and outside. The servers were very friendly and determined to have us try every type of beer and ale that they had. We ended up here a few times during our stay and enjoyed ourselves immensely!

Please note that there are 2 beers on the table, I actually drank during this trip! First wine on the plane and now beer. Joe was amazed. What a great way to start off our adventures. Loved that we stepped outside of our comfort zone right off the bat.

The next few days were a whirlwind of hop on/hop off fun. We hit tons of tourist spots and a few off the beaten path spots. We rode, walked, and even hit a few cabs. Due to the stairs, we did avoid the underground and due to Mrs. Obama we had to miss the changing of the guards as well. We did get to do a drive by of the palace on our way to the bus.

Every morning we started off here, Joe liked the full English, I liked the Sherlock. We weren't quite sure why people kept coming in to take pictures of the walls but on our last morning we found out that it is related to a tv program called Sherlock. Seems they film scenes from it here... for us, it was a few doors down from the apartment and delicious! 

A few of our trip highlights were:

The Tower of London and we did go see the Crown Jewels. Surprisingly it is much more than jewels 

Parliament and the clock tower featuring Big Ben

St. Pauls and you are not allowed to feed the birds!

Butlers Wharf, think Oliver Twist...

Saw this on the Thames River Cruise

I could post pics all day but I think I'll stop here. Next stop was the National Express Victoria Bus Station. Found a great deal on bus fare to Southampton. One final breakfast at Speedy's and we loaded up our bags, grabbed a cab, shot a few more pics on the way, picked up our tickets at the window and settled in to wait!