A top 10 Trivia

I'm a reading person- I like to do research and am always looking for more things to learn about. I came across this story and had to snicker. The more I read the more I was intrigued. The Article is about the top 10 appliances that we can't seem to be able to live without read about here HERE it's Over on "How Stuff Works" (owned by the Discovery Channel).

So here's the run down
♥Clocks
♥Toilets
♥The Refrigerator
♥The Washing Machine
♥The Telephone
♥Recorded Sound
♥Television
♥Air Conditioning (my personal favorite)
♥The Microwave Oven
♥The computer

Now go read the article and find out why these items made the top list. I have to agree, I use all of these items on a daily basis,okay minus the air conditioning. To be honest though, I could not see myself ever buying a car or a house for that matter that does not have air conditioning.

Quote of the Day

The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.
-William James (1842 - 1910)

What's on your Work Desk Wednesday

ME! May sound weird but I'm going to be on someone else's work desk per-say...going in for a 1 hour Swedish massage, a 1 hour facial and a full pedicure! Yes I am some one's work project today...got to love life!

Quote of the day

One of the things that keeps you from dropping them in the nearest volcano is that you had to work too hard to get them. You had to cry, you had to scream, you had to sweat, you had to cuss out health care officials, and when that's all over with, you'll be willing to put up with a lot more from your kids.
--Barbara Hall

a day in life...

Not a day goes by where I don't hear construction noises going on around me. Heck it's been like that for me in every house we've lived in since 1994! I'm so tired of dirt clods and nails in the road, seriously I've been living with this kind of thing for 15 plus years and frankly it's getting a little old.

Hopefully we'll have some new neighbors here on our little street now that all of the houses have been renovated and that those renovations have been completed (or so I've been told). The sod (grass) has been laid and now for us to get some new neighbors!

We've been busy making this place look like a home- you should see our flower beds, they are so pretty and bursting with color! I need to get out there and take some pictures.

Quote of the day

People who reach the top of the tree are only those who haven't got the qualifications to detain them at the bottom.
- Peter Ustinov

Sandie's Fabulous Pottery Tour- the details

It's the little things that one does for ones friends that end up being the really big things. On this trip there were 4 women, 1 Honda Odyssey minivan and an ice chest full of treats! We were driving down the road by 7 am -yes, we really were!

♥ Our first stop was the Wedgwood factory Shop and we were there by 8:45 am! This time around we were able to take our dear sweet time shopping as the shelves were fully stocked and for the first 30 minutes were were the only customers! everyone found something that they liked, and we found some prizes for our bingo event for the spouses club.

♥Next stop was the Burleigh factory Shop Oh my word were we ever to find some great items in there! I found a few rare pieces done in retired colors. Oh I think we all found a little something something at Burleigh! I bought an entire place setting in the Dark Blue Felicity pattern now that makes 8 place settings and I'm done! Okay not done as in done buying any more Burleigh period, more like done with buying place settings.

♥Onward James to the next stop...Portmeirion! Holy Catfish did the others go wild in that shop! Granted I came with a list and an idea of what I was interested in buying. I have to say that I was VERY pleased with what I came home with :-) I was able to get the 50th anniversary Parrot Tulip Teapot , to be honest,that was the #1 thing on my list! I was able to pick up the Spode dinner plates for a friend (she's now on her way back from Texas after being stuck there for a little over a week). More Bingo Prizes from here too!

♥We were trying to get to Churchill pottery but after driving around in circles for 40 minutes we figured out that this outlet was no longer in business at this location so we decided to go to Aynsley China and along the way we stopped at yet another Portmeirion outlet shop. Every place carries different items and here was no different! I was able to find the ever elusive Portmeirion measuring cups (they're new) and a 2 cup measuring pitcher (another hard to find item) and this one had American measuring lines as well as metric!

♥Number 5 on our tour Aynsley China what a lovely shop! I read up a bit on Aynsley and knew that they were acquired by Belleek China (Irish bone china) back in 1997. We all found a little something here! I came out with a Belleek bread plate and a Belleek Templemore Vase at a price that I couldn't resist! Needless to say, I left there doing the happy dance!

♥Last but not least on our Fabulous Pottery tour we found Churchill China! We were not disappointed in this shop in any way shape or form! We all found more goodies to bring home. I'm in love with Churchill's Eden pattern and bought a few serving trays. Nothing like having serving trays to help you bring loads of clean or dirty dishes to and from the kitchen! And after months of searching, I was able to find a Brown Betty Teapot HERE for my Mom! I also bought one for our Bingo event and will pair it up with some PG Tips Tea (that would make a sweet prize).

For lunch- Well I packed a gourmet picnic basket. There was Flock of Geese Chicken salad, marinated Italian Pasta Salad, Caprese Salad, Babybel Cheeses, croissants, baguettes, yummy herbed olives, mini almond poppy seed muffins, Ghirardelli Chocolate brownies and mini New York Cheesecakes! Evian bottled water was the drink of choice! We never touched the bag of kettle chips- probably too full of the other stuff to worry about it, LOL!

I'm assured by my girlfriends that they've never had a picnic lunch like that before. I'm glad that I was able to give them a happy shopping and dining experience :-)

Quote of the Day

You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are!
--Alice Kingsley

Sandie's Fabulous Pottery Tour (with lunch)

I like to think that I have a good sense of humor, I try to laugh daily and today is a day that I hope to be laughing nearly every minute of the hour!

In about an hour we're setting off to go to Stoke-on-Trent. Oh as it is, I'm the one driving. Distance wise it's not that far but the crazy road system here in England makes it a 2 hour adventure (one way). Off we go!

Quote of the day

Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.
-Albert Einstein

Heaven on Earth

I wrote this to my friend René and I thought to myself why not share this on my blog. Our friendship dates back to nearly 20 years ago from our first military assignment in Maine. René hails from the Mississippi/Louisiana border and me being from all over but I claim California as my home. We hit it off right from the start! We've been dear friends ever since! Enjoy the read...

Here I am putting everything together for my chick food chicken salad and am taste testing- talk about a little bit of heaven on earth! I decided to go with the salted cashews instead of the toasted pecans and I’m glad that I did! The cashews gives just the right amount of salt that this dish needs w/o having to add any salt…got to love that!

The Caprese salad is simple enough, basically it’s tomatoes, olive oil either mozzarella or feta cheese and some salt. And it’s so true, the better the quality of the ingredients the better the food! I’m so glad that I roasted those chickens myself, I put just the right herbs on them to bring out the flavor.

Now to whip up the little treats- that will go quickly enough. I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoy cooking…especially when my husband and children aren't around to bug me-HA! I feel as if I get so much more accomplished. I do wish you were here though, you could keep me company and we could laugh and enjoy the sunshine and sit on the patio and have lunch. Today is going to be a perfect day to have lunch on that patio!

Count down to FUN!

I've got a busy day planned for myself...I've got gourmet cooking on the brain (that’s why I’m up so early). I’m making the following for our trip;

*Caprese Salad –tomato slices drizzled with olive, a little fresh ground gray sea salt (it’s a moist salt and it’s yummy), herbed feta cheese That’s it and it’s soooo yummy!!! I also make this with fresh sliced mozzarella but right now I'm on a Feta Cheese kick.

*Marinated Italian Pasta Salad- twisty pasta with marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red bell pepper, red onions, finely chopped black olives, some fresh parsley and some made from scratch Italian salad dressing.

*Chicken Salad- it’s got a dressing made from sour cream and mayonnaise with a dash of lemon juice, there’s roasted chicken (of which I did yesterday), seedless grapes (bought these huge dark purple ones), celery and topped with roasted cashews. I've had this several times made by others and it's to die for- yes it's a total chick food item!

*Marinated green olives- I get these at Tesco and they come in a pouch(bag) oh my gosh they are seriously addictive! I almost ate an entire bag the other day- good thing the bags are quite small, LOL!

*Baguettes (for the chicken salad- no I'm not making these I'm buying them)

*Almond poppy seed mini muffins- morning snack on the road (now I am making these)

*Brownies- afternoon snack on the road (and these too)

*New York Cheesecake- hey a girl has got to have dessert! (and yes I'm also making these).

*And of course Evian bottled water ♥

So do you think that my girlfriends will like their lunch? Two of them are PCSing (one to Turkey and the other back to the USA) and this trip is like a big final farewell to England. So I’m sure that they both will be loading up on china, crystal and pottery of all sorts!

Meanwhile in-between all of this cooking I've got to take the hubby to work, do some grocery shopping, gas up the shopping mobile, call a couple of Portmeirion stores to see what their in store specials are, get the exchange rate of the day, finish up my pottery quiz, get some more GPS coordinates for a few more pottery places in Stoke-on-Trent, clean the house, fold a mountain of laundry and squeeze in a nap ;-) Wish me luck!

Quote of the Day

If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk?
- Laurence J. Peter

Thursday already?

I went to be tired, I woke up tired, I am tired. It's Thursday and I've got a long way to go until Sunday.
Yesterday was spent at Lakenheath- yes another orthodontic appointment for Hannah. That medical shuttle program may be free but I tell you it's like revisiting childhood... with carsickness! I had to make the driver pull over so I could vomit on the side of the road! To be honest, I've been getting car sick every time I ride with this guy and yesterday I couldn't hold it back- I threw up! It was horrible! Hannah has the right idea with sleeping on the shuttle, but I can't, this guy drives like he's an ex-race car driver and to be honest I want to be awake when he gets into an accident (trust me it's only a matter of time). So here I am cringing at the thought of having to ride in that shuttle again. So I'm debating driving there myself. Would I rather be sick all day long from that van ride OR just suck up the gas costs and drive there myself and be stressed for a little while but feel good all day? Hmmmm, I'll go with the 2nd one.

Quote of the Day

Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken.
--Jane Austen

Tea Anyone?

Today's adventure is...
Going out with group of friends for High Tea. I've tried on at least 6 different outfits and I THINK that I've stumbled upon THE outfit that I want to wear. Keep in mind that "think" is the key word here. I'm between 2 blouses and 2 different skirts- same shoes though (wink wink). To wear pantyhose or not...that is the other big question. I feel as if my legs are rather pale and I think that wearing hose lends to an overall more finished "look" per say than not wearing hose. Oh the choices I have- then we're on to the choice of handbags, I've got the accessories (aka jewelry) picked out, that's not a problem. Oh to wrangle a pair of pantyhose. Other things to contend with- full makeup or simply eyeliner and mascara? Hmmmm. I dare say I better get back upstairs and check out my magic mirror and see what it says to me ;-)

Pretty in Pink?

For a person such as myself who loves the color PINK... I paint my nails pink (fingers and toes), have numerous t-shirts in various shades of pink, I have pink Crocs, pink slippers, pink jammies, I love pinks flowers and I even have a Fuchsia colored coat and look at my blog- pink is everywhere! My daughter swears that pink is my signature color (I suddenly feel like Elle on Legally Blonde with that latest statement). But for whatever reason, I simply find it impossible to warm up to the pink Burleigh dishes. A close friend suggested that maybe it's the shade of pink that makes me cringe. But honestly, I have some pink Fiesta-ware and it doesn't make me cringe so why does the thought of eating off of pink flowery china make the hairs in my arms stand up?

Could it be that I'm not as "foofy" as I thought I was? Oh say it isn't so!

I love all things girly, from headbands and hats, jewelry, shoes, and handbags! I have throw pillows on every bed and even the sofas, flowers in every room and pretty British tea-sets. I don't own any dress trousers (that's pants for those in the USA), when I go out if it's not jeans casual, then I wear either a skirt or a dress- I've been that way since- well for forever. So what it is about those pink dishes that make me cringe when I look at them? I love my Portmeirion dishes with the pink flowers, heck I'm having coffee right now and my mug has lovely Pink Dog Rose blossoms on it and looking at it makes me happy. Maybe it's nothing more than I don't care for Asian inspired drawings done in baby pink, change the color to black yeah maybe, pink? No!

Quote of the Day

If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.
-Jane Austen "Emma" Mr. Knightly to Emma

Volcano? What Volcano?

Iceland has an active what? Yes that was my first recation how about you?
It's crazy that a volcano can effect world wide travelers and yet it does. I can't believe how many friends I have that are effected by this natural disaster.

*One set of friends ended up driving the 19 hour trip to Venice so they could make their cruise. Apparently the trip insurance didn't cover the volcano erupting- nice!

*Some friends are currently stranded in Germany after a family vacation.

*And a third set of dear friends (also traveling with their teen son) is stranded back in the states.

*Friends and neighbors of ours currently have company from the states and I doubt highly that they are able to travel back home until next week at the earliest.

Makes me kind of glad that I'm just toodling around England, seeing the sights and having tea in garden settings :-)

Off to get ready for my day...it's been a long weekend of fun in the sun and well it's time for me to get to working on some research that I've been having on the back burner.

Quote of the Day

Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity, to what we would have others think of us.
-Jane Austen

Is it really Spring?

Yesterday's weather I dare say was delicious! It's funny how it takes our bodies a while to get acclimated to the weather after we move across country or across the globe. How 67º felt very warm to me. While I was on the phone talking to my mom yesterday (she lives in Northern California) I was telling her how delightful the weather was and how we were turning down the radiators in the house because of said "warm" day. She shuddered and sad "OOh Sandie when did you start thinking that 67º was warm?" I let her know that 67º has been warm for me for YEARS! Living in the Midwest with it's harsh winters will do that to a person.

I wish that my Mom could see England and that I could take her to the many wonderful historic places I've been. Heck I want my friends to come out here as well and experience the country...not just London, anyone can do London. It's here where people really live and do things, the grand historic Estates are truly the heart of England. If I had a choice to tour the country side of England or London, I'd choose the country hands down! Wait- I did that before back in 2006 when we came here for a family vacation- and I've never regretted that decision either!

Now to get ready for church- I can wear a dress and NOT feel like I'm going to freeze my legs off :-)

Quote of the Day

It is happy for you that you possess the talent of flattering with delicacy. May I ask whether these pleasing attentions proceed from the impulse of the moment, or are they the result of previous study?
Jane Austen - Mr Bennett to his cousin Mr Collins- Pride and Prejudice

All things Jane

Yesterday was spent reminiscing of the great time I had with my husband visiting the historic country estates. I talked with friends about the trip and have sent e-mails to friends with the post codes of the places we visited so they can plan their own trips. I think that I found the hidden romantic in many of my girlfriends here in the UK and back in America.

I love the Jane Austen Centre that is in located in Bath, it sells All Things Jane! I adore this shop and am on their e-mail list (yes, imagine that). There is a woman who makes up counted cross stitch kits with quotes from Jane Austen's novels- I have many of them on my wish list! The Sampler Girl You MUST go check out her stuff...I dare say it's seriously cool!

I'm filling my home with things that will remind me and my family of the wonderful years we've spent living here in England. Be it in the dining room with my lovely England dishes or the artwork and books that will be throughout my home. No matter where you look, you see bits and pieces of what makes a house a home. Things one has collected from their travels.

How could one live here for any amount of time and not have one (or more) teapots (of which are made in England of course). The most elusive teapot is of course the Brown Betty. Why on earth this is so hard to find is beyond me! I've found places on line where I can get them but no one local sells them! I'm going to look on line and see if someplace in Stoke on Trent sells them. I want to introduce my friends here to the lovely art of drinking tea and tea time.

Picture it- a Tea Party and everyone must dress up in costume from Jane Austen's time. What fun we could all have!

Quote of the Day

My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.
-Jane Austen

How to tell if you are a Janeite-

Pride and Prejudice- Hands down this is my favorite book of all time! I've read the book countless times, have more than one copy of it and have many stories/book that are spin-offs from Jane Austen's novel by various authors. I also have modern day versions of the 200 year old Classic. I've read numerous biographies of her life, my 2nd favorite of her novels is a toss up between Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion,

Those things I just listed- well those are clear indications that if I am not a Janeite, then I am well on my way to being one! Well that and the fact that I recently went on a trip with my husband to see the grand country estates that were in the film versions of Pride and Prejudice. Oh my word they were breathtakingly beautiful homes. I've got way more pictures that what I posted here...they will go in my on line photo album over at webshots. Now for me to start working on uploading to that website. Enjoy!








This is a french inspired garden , the flowers were remarkable! We actually did get closer to the garden but this was by far the best view of it! This Garden being at the house that was from the 1995 BBC versions of P&P
The back side of Pemberley- or more over where the carriages would bring you. There's a courtyard in the middle through the arch where you would actually enter the home.

Here we are on the side of Pemberley, the side that faces the lake, stream and of course the beautiful gardens. This place was AMAZING! IN the green house is a Camellia plant that is 185 years old and is still blooming like crazy!

This is where the interior scenes were filmed for the movie- this is the back side of the home- facing the lake.

Here I am...loving every minute of this tour!

Netherfield Park- okay it's not the real name of this house but it was place that was filmed as being Bigley's country estate. I was surprised to find out how close I actually live to this place. I'm not going to spill the beans about where it is because it's an actual private home with people living in it.

Quote of the Day

"An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. --Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do."
- Chapter 20, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

Quote of the Day

I think there are few places with such society as Highbury. I always say, we are quite blessed in our neighbors.
-Miss Bates in "Emma" by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice

Of all of Jane Austen's books Pride and Prejudice is my all time favorite! Today I'm off on a little road trip to visit/tour the houses from the BBC version of the movie with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. Will be back tomorrow with hopefully oodles of pictures to share. Oh I can only imagine the scrapbook layouts that I can make with them!

Quote of the day

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, first line

Trips and Tours

Have you ever wanted to do something nice for your friends? I mean truly nice and from the heart. Ever since a group of us went on that pottery buying trip to Stoke-on-Trent we've all talked about how we would love to go again. we looked into going again but the cost was going to increase by a third because it was considered a private chartered trip. I said no thanks to that, it was too much to pay just to go shopping. So I thought to myself...I have a Honda Odyssey minivan with split fold down rear seats, I have a deep trunk area too! I can take several of us up there, cater the trip and have it cost less than what we would have been charged for our "private" trip.

So here I am, I've got the trip all planned out, my girlfriends have RSVP'd yes to the trip, the date and time of departure and set, and the menu for my catering has been selected. I've even got a pottery trivia game planned with prizes! A couple of ladies in our party will be moving within the next couple of months and I would dearly love to give them pleasant memories of this shopping trip and time spent with good friends. If this indeed goes well, I could be doing this every other month!

Quote of the Day

The average person thinks he isn't.
- Father Larry Lorenzoni

TGIF

Thanks goodness it's Friday! I've got all sorts of things in the works...counted cross stitching projects, projects with beads, cooking projects, quilting projects oh my word I'm full it them! Having such a delicious spring day yesterday (it actually got up to 67º! My daughter and I took a leisurely stroll to a mini Tesco located within walking distance to our home. Since walking there I feel confident that I can send her to the store for me when I need bread, milk or anything else. And it's not like a 7-11 or a Quickie Mart back in the states where the prices on everything is 50% more than in a regular retail grocery store, this is just a smaller version of Tesco with the same prices on merchandise as it's regular sized grocery stores-sweet!

It was such a beautiful day yesterday that we decided to have lunch outside on the patio!

Now I'm off to enjoy a quite morning as my family sleeps in and enjoys a holiday from school and work :-)

Quote of the Day

Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife.
The first question was, "Did you bring joy?"
The second was, "Did you find joy?"
--Leo Buscaglia

Quote of the Day

"A bargain is something you can't use at a price you can't resist."

-- Franklin P. Jones

another busy day

I'm off to spend a good portion of the day on the road traveling to and from my daughters orthodontist. There's nearly no end to what I don't do for our children.

Quote of the Day

Hitch your wagon to a star.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

So many things to do and so little time to do them in...

Quote of the Day

We cannot really love anybody with whom we can never laugh.
--Agnes Repplier

Our Road Trip

Our road trip took us all over the place. First we dropped off our boy at the Heathrow airport to go spend his Spring Break with his friends in South Dakota. Nothing makes a child more unhappy than being thousands of miles away from his BFF's and his girlfriend. So after the airport on we went to Dover to take the Channel Tunnel also known as the "chunnel" to Calais, France. It was a brief 30 minute trip on the train in our automobile- this is the only way to go if you ask me! No chopping water, no seasickness, no being cold. Just hanging out in your car for 30 minutes reading a book or doing a crossword puzzle. Life is GOOD!

We basically drove through France and didn't spend any true time sight seeing there (note to self- actually do some touristy thing in France in the future). Belgium- on the way back we spent the night at a B&B- lovely place in a wooded area, so peaceful and restful- would truly recommend it to friends driving through the area).

Germany- Have you ever looked at pictures in a book or on line and wondered if the place is as beautiful in person as the pictures make it out to be? Well for me it was all that and MORE! It's amazing how lovely the places we visited were/are. The word 'picturesque' sums up Heidelberg for me. It's lovely there. We stayed in a hotel that was within walking distance from Heidelberg Castle, our room looked out onto the plaza. When we arrived we checked into our hotel room and sat in the plaza drinking a beer soaking up the sun. It was delightful to sit there looking around seeing people going here and there going about their daily business.

Now for the shopping aspect of it all...(this is for my American military friends). Ramstein Air Base has this PX/BX complex that nothing less than a shopping mall. Picture the biggest BX you've ever been to then times it by say... 5 and that's the BX at Ramstein. It was everything you could ever want or need. For me, I liked the shopping to be something like shopping at Kohl's with little extras like Clinique, Estee Lauder, Vera Bradley, Coach, Dooney and Bourke, and there's a selection Yankee Candles like you're at a Yankee candle store in Massachusetts! Clothing selections were great and so were the shoes, housewares, furniture bedding and basically everything else! So that was the stuff available in the BX store it's self, now for the mall part of the BX complex...The Clock Shop that had such a vast variety of Cuckoo Clocks, Grandfather Clocks, Mantel Clocks , German dolls in authentic dress and Beer Steins galore! There were at least 2 different shoe stores, of course there was an AFEES Book Store (it's size and selection rivals Barnes and Noble), a Candy Store that sells all things Gummi Bear (m'm), a Cinnabon (another yummy place) a Romano's Macaroni Grill (yes we ate dinner there), the food court was awesome! Tons of great places to eat there. There were 2 hair salons, there was also a day Spa there...I only wish that I had more time there because I sooo would have gone in for a day spa treatment! The Turkish Rug Store- this place would have you oohing at everything! Every rug in that shop was like looking at a work of art. When my husband asked me if I wanted to go into the shop I didn't hesitate. We looked at the pretty rugs that were in so many lovely patterns and colors. When he asked me if I wanted one I thought that he was joking...then he said "pick one" oh my gosh my heart leapt for joy! I've always wanted a Turkish rug for our formal dining room- but always saw them as being too expensive. But since all of the rugs were trucked in to this shop from Turkey the prices were seriously reasonable! So here I am, the proud owner of a beautiful Turkish Rug! I didn't buy a German Cuckoo Clock on this trip, I will do it next time though! There are a lot more stores there in that mall that I've listed, a lot more these are just the few that I went into ;-) Hannah was in heaven, she got all kinds of clothes suitable for a teenager in Europe. Oh I didn't mention the movie theater! There's a big movie theater there on the 2nd floor of this mall! There's also a pub, a German Style resturant the Polish Pottery Store Yes I bought a few pieces of pottery there). I'm here at home doing the happy dance with my purchases not to mention That I'm also cleaning the house, doing laundry, putting things away and catching up on my e-mails. Now for me to get the floor dusted in the formal dining room so I can get my new rug out on display!

Quote of the day

The smallest feline is a masterpiece.
-Leonardo da Vinci

We made it to Germany!

The train is the only way to go from England to France! 30 minutes and you're there on the other side! We drove through France and Belgium and finally Germany! It's so beautiful out here, it's no wonder why settlers from France and Germany settled in Wisconsin the geography is very similar. I look forward to meeting up with friends, shopping and touring my childhood homeland.

going on a road trip

No quotes today- sorry! I'm headed off to Germany for a few days. I'm bringing my camera. Our bags are packed and we are ready to go! Hopefully we'll have internet where we are staying so I can keep in touch :-)

First stop London Heathrow airport to drop off our son- he's going to SD to visit his friends and then we drive off to to catch a train!