Happy to Be Home

My husband John and I returned from a six week trip last week. We had an amazing time but were oh so happy to get home. Our journey consisted of several "legs" each exciting and fun in its on way.

First we drove to northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. This was home to us for 45 years, where we raised our children and where eight of them still live. While there we babysat for our oldest daughter Terri's children and dog. It was fun to be with them and do a few things too. Of course, they were in school so time was limited though we did manage to take them to the Air & Space Museum on Saturday. We were able to see and visit our other children and a few old friends. All in all a great week.

The next leg was a trip "across the pond" with our oldest son, Patrick. We flew to London for six days. John and I had been to London several times before but Patrick had not. It was great fun to show him some of our favorite sites and see some new things too. There is so much to do it is hard to pick and choose. A few highlights of London were, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Winston Churchill's War Rooms and Museum, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, the London Eye, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Tower of London. We also took two day trips, one to Hampton Court (Henry the VIII) Palace which is about thirty miles outside of London, and a trip to Portsmouth see the HMS Victory (Admiral Nelson's Warship) and the Mary Rose (one of Henry VIII's warships in the 1500's). Both were fascinating!

After six days in London we boarded a bus for a fourteen day tour up the east side of England into Scotland then across the Irish Sea to the Republic of Ireland and then back to Wales and across England and back to London for two days. The weather was cool with a few showers but no washouts.

Among the things we saw were Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford on Avon. Stratford is a lovely little town along the Avon River in the Cotswolds. It would be wonderful to spend more than a few hours exploring this place. We went to York and toured the Shambles (the old part of the city) and the Yorkminster a beautiful old cathedral. We were able to spend an afternoon and full day in Edinburgh, Scotland visiting the castle and then walked down the "Royal Mile" to Holyrood Palace where the Queen spends a few weeks every year. We also attend a Scottish Festival and meal with a Haggis Ceremony. We drove through the Highlands which is miles and miles of breathtaking scenery and then back into England's Lake District. There we visited the town of Grassmere where Henry Wadsworth lived and is buried, Beatrix Potter's farm is also nearby.

Crossing the Irish Sea by ferry we arrived in Dublin in the evening and spent the entire next day in Dublin on our own visiting Trinity College where the Book of Kells is housed. We also went to the museum to see the "bog bodies". It is amazing that these bodies found in the peat beds are hundreds of years old and yet preserved so well. The skin is like old leather. In some cases there are still a few strands of hair and fingernails. Leaving Dublin we visited Waterford and toured the crystal factory.

We took a longer ferry ride and crossed into Wales for a night in Cardiff. Unfortunately, we only had about two hours to visit the "new castle" and the ruins of the old one. The castle is beautiful and we were not able to do it justice. Then we were back in England where we were able to visit the Roman Baths and the Bath Cathedral with a short walk in the city. The final visit was to Stonehenge which is something everyone should see and then we were headed back to London. Returning to London we had a day and a half to do some shopping and see a show before returning to the states.

Once home we spent four days with our daughter, Terri. We did not get a chance to see her when we were there before since she and her husband were at a conference in California while we stayed with her children before our trip overseas. We also shopped at my favorite quilt shop and visited a retirement community to see how it was coming along since we had considered buying there before moving to Florida. Our visit there confirmed what we already knew, the move to The Villages was definitely the right decision!

We left Virginia to drive to Atlanta for our youngest daughter, Bridget's wedding. This is a second marriage for both and they are combining families. Bridget has a five year old son, Tucker. Her husband Gibson has two children, Sophia (14) and Ian (9). We are excited to welcome a new son-in-law and two new grandchildren to bring the total to fifteen.

Although the drive to Atlanta was only about a ten hour drive we made it a leisurely affair and stopped for the night completing the trip mid-day.Our entire family did not make it to the wedding but there was a good representation, five of our six girls were there along with all four sons. There were two girlfriends, one son-in-law and six of the grandchildren. We missed the ones unable to attend. The rehearsal dinner was a great affair with the two extended families meeting for the first time. Though it was October 11 the weather cooperated beautifully and we were able to share a delicious meal outside. The adults enjoyed meeting and sharing stories of the bride and groom and the children got along well and had a great time running and romping.

Wedding day dawned and again the weather cooperated beautifully for a 5:00 o'clock outdoor celebration. The ceremony took place in a field beside daughter Angie and her husband's home which is located in a fly-in community where all of the homes are built along a grass airstrip. The bride and groom along with their children arrived by helicopter. I have to admit to a tear as John walked our beautiful daughter down the aisle. Vows were exchanged and the ceremony was perfect. Afterwards there were hot air balloon rides and a short airshow by the residents of the fly-in community. Dinner was served and there was dancing and mingling. John and I left about 10:00 o'clock but the young adults were there sharing stories and enjoying each other's company until after midnight.

The next morning we began the last leg of our journey home. Believe me after six weeks living out of a suitcase we were ready for home! The miles passed quickly and by mid-afternoon we were back in The Villages. We are very grateful for a every portion of our journey with many wonderful memories but also happy to be home and ready to settle into our normal routine.