the Tower of London

While Mary Frances was here we ventured out to the Tower of London. Wil and I loved it when we visited London for interviews, but we had not taken Wiley there yet. I knew he would love it with the "beefeaters" and castle/knight stuff, not to mention the guards. It was perfect that Wiley and MF could see it for the first time together!

Watching the guard, who looked so young! He barely smiled when Wiley waved goodbye. Wiley could watch guards all.day.long.

{Hate history? Skip this paragraph! And if I got it wrong, I'm going from memory and remember, I'm not English.} Our lovely, totally refreshingly, un-P.C. Yeoman Warder (a.k.a. Beefeater) tour guide who periodically would casually mention how they would throw unwanted children at intruders or how he didn't like children, and Wiley immediately was paying attention to what children's involvement was at the Tower. You kind of think he is kidding, but in the end, it might have been the truth. He also threw in a few jokes (or insults) about the Scottish and of course the French. If you visit the Tower of London, do wait around for a Beefeater tour! These men (aside from being great military people; it is quite an honor to be a Yeoman Warder) are hilarious and all have a passion for English history that is quite contagious. This man in particular harbored a great hatred for Anne Boleyn that I haven't heard before in this country. Most dismiss it as "oh, yeah, Anne Boleyn" as you question them about what you learned from Philippa Gregory...they just don't seem to care either way. This guy though totally believed she had it coming and deserved what she got as he reminded us of the 7 affairs she had. He also felt strongly about the modern art that is a bit of a tribute to those beheaded in the Tower (including Anne and Kathryn Howard, I believe, who he felt sorry for as she was 19 and Henry was 49). "We should not have a tribute to those convicted of treason, they should be forgotten." Again, he certainly didn't hide his feelings. He did add too how after Henry split from Rome that More said it was too much power for one man to be head of the Church and King (More was executed as well). After I believe Kathryn's death, Henry had her remains destroyed (sorry, is that too graphic?) so that she would be unable to stand to be judged and thus enter heaven. It is at that point, our beefeater pointed out, that King Henry VIII became tyrannical. He had crossed the line. Hearing such bits of history from a true Englishman with such a passion for his country and its history that even the Scots, Welsh, and apparently those from Cornwall, don't quite measure up (all in jest...I think?) all while in one of the most historic places in the country, and perhaps world is really quite amazing! Again, if in London, put the Tower at the top of your list!

Whew, he didn't throw Wiley out!

Just having some fun with a crossbow!

Happy 4th of July!

I looked a bit online for quotes about our country. They were all great, but not quite right. On this 4th of July more than any other, I am so thankful for our country and those who have fought and continue to fight for our freedom. The things and liberties we take for granted would be cherished in any other country, yet I think our generation has lost sight of the importance of the principles for which our founding fathers fought. And as for a quote, I don't think it can be said any better than...

God Bless America!

Wimbledon

On Monday morning, Mary Frances and I decided to queue at Wimbledon for tickets...queue meaning "line up." Queuing in this country is a serious thing, and some say a sport. If it is a sport then the queue at Wimbledon is the Olympics. We arrived around 10 a.m. and received queue cards numbered 8,657 and 8,658. Meaning there were 8,656 people in front of us! Look below for a view of this colossal queue. After speaking to the Honorary Stewards (who were so nice...absolutely the best "customer service" I've ever had in this country!) as well as my sweet husband, we decided to leave and come back the next day.

When we came back on Tuesday, we woke up at 5:15, left the house by 6, and were at Wimbledon at 7 a.m. There was hardly any queue and within 15 minutes were were snaking our way towards Wimbledon (a mile and a half away). Our queue card numbers were 897 and 896...much better prospects. When it started raining, we were surprised but the fact that we could see the front of the queue and were dreaming of centre court kept us happy. A Metro paper was an umbrella for me and MF's fedora hat kept her dry...sorta.

We persevered through the rain and around 9:30/10 we got our wristbands for our court, went through security, picked up our tickets, and were in to the legendary All England Lawn and Tennis Club.

Oh, and we got Centre Court tickets. 3 rows back. For the women's quarterfinals.

In front of our court, enjoying Dutchees (like a hot dog) and one of us enjoying a Pimm's.

Kim Clijsters playing Vera Zvonareva. Vera upset Kim and is now in the finals!

And then we saw Serena Williams play Na Li. Serena was much more emotional than any of the other players we saw that day. I also think her dress should be a bit longer. Girl can hit that ball though. I always assumed that men hit the ball really hard, duh, but never really thought that the girls hit it that hard. Well they do.

Bye Serena!

After Serena, the Bryan brothers from the States came on and beat their opponent. Doubles was so much fun to watch especially since the points went so much faster! Towards the end of that match, Wiley and Wil came in! They didn't have any line (it was around 6) and paid a lot less. I gave Wil my ticket, and took Wiley around to the side courts where juniors were playing. We returned to Centre Court, hoping to convince the guards to let us in without tickets and with one underage for the show courts. Luckily, it was a lot quieter, and he let us in!

The next match was a women's invitational doubles match with Martina Navratilova, Jana Novotna, Conchita Martinez, and Nathalie Tauziat! It was so much more relaxed and Martina was really pretty funny.

Mary Frances and Wiley during the changeover of the doubles match!

Wiley did fantastic in Centre Court! He was quiet during play, and he only yelled "Go Martina!" once...unfortunately it was slightly delayed and a bit after everyone else did it! A ground crew worker even gave Wiley one of the balls from the match !

Wimbledon was absolutely amazing. To see such legendary players play at such a legendary place was a huge treat. We were surprised at how much smaller it is in person, too. On TV Centre Court looks huge, but in real life, it isn't as big as you think it is. Wimbledon was such a well run event that is truly open to anyone willing to stand in line and pay as little as 17 GBP to simply be on the grounds. If ever in London in late June, Wimbledon is a must. Just be prepared to queue! However, the strawberries and cream...not so much. Unless you like your strawberries swimming (and getting mushy) in thick milk. Pimm's on the other hand...that is a whole 'nother story!

let's start back

...with a little taste of home over in London.

After an amazing almost 4 week long vacation in the States, Wiley and I boarded our plane (Wil was already back, poor chap) back to the land of Wimbledon, afternoon tea, and no air conditioning. Fortunately for us, Brad Paisley decided to come across the pond and play at a venue similar to Wake's Ziggy's but a bit bigger. I think the venue holds 2,000. There were no super fancy lights, fancy videos, nothing. Just Brad and his band. While I could mostly only see him from his shoulders up, it was a phenomenal show. He is so talented. And listening to a bunch of Brits listen to or sing country music might be one of the most bizarre experiences I have had here. I decided they can't really understand all of those songs because really, do they have places "way down in the sticks" here? Perhaps? Is that Scotland? Or Ireland? Which are they funny about? However, an enthusiastic bald man in front of us was clever enough to bring an American flag which Brad liked quite a bit. I was super amused by Brad's (yeah, we're on first name basis, hah) quips using "British" words like "cheerio" and "jolly good time." His thoughts on the USA Soccer team win was equally amusing as he tried to explain how we don't really keep up with the soccer very well in a very blase voice. Typical American. Soccer? Oh, we won? Cool.

There is so much from our vacation to share, but chances are I talked to you or saw you, so maybe I'll share some pictures soon--a bit of a highlight reel. I just wanted to say that I'm back, and I'm hoping to do a better job than I did this past month...oops. Guess that is a preview of what's to come when I come back to the States?

{note: while my weight gain in the above picture could be and should be partly blamed on the amazing food of the South (my mom's cooking, Zoes, Miss Myra's, Hamburger Heaven, Milos, and legit Mexican food...I'm drooling now), I will also blame part of it on the fact that Wiley is going to be a big brother in early January.}

Birthday Wrap-Up

Well, turning 4 is apparently exhausting...for the mom.

After our big Diggerland adventure, we spent the next week preparing for Wiley's first birthday party with children his own age. Our previous parties had included our friends from Wake (all aged 19-22) with the addition of 3 Teasley children + Wiley. That is like at least quintuplet, probably sextuplet, coverage of children by adults. Not to mention, that getting a cake, balloons, lemonade, and a table was not exactly the most strenuous birthday exercise for a mom. (Although, I do remember hard-core deliberating at Harris Teeter over Mickey or Animal themed birthday cakes.)

A birthday party with 18 or so 3 and 4 year olds + their parents who you don't exactly know super well is downright intimidating. I mean, you don't want to have thrown a totally lame party. Thankfully, we co-hosted this shindig with Wiley's friend Fabian, so I had the benefit of 2 brains are better than one. Allison, F's mum (because they are English), was so great and laid back, and thus fun to chat about parties with. In true London fashion, our garden party was, of course, rained out. But thankfully, a rain location was found and booked a mere day before the party.

The night before, 3 dozen cupcakes were baked and icing made. The morning of the party, sandwiches were assembled (no cucumber sandwiches...thank goodness), and the icing was re-whipped and put on the cupcakes. Whew. And that was before 9:30.

Somehow I did not end up with very many good pictures. Was I in a fog the entire party? Most likely. The kids, however, were on complete sugar highs which resulted in a major crash, at least for us, about 45 minutes post party.

The only good picture I have.

This is how the party ended. I thought this was funny because Wil is in a choke hold by a 4 year old.

Mmm Cupcakes. Mmm Bad Haircut. Mmm We're in the Army now.

Busting the pinata...which was eventually busted by us because there is no way a 4 year old was going to crack that thing in under 4 hours.

Look, Mom, more sugar!

Here is(are) something(s) I have learned: don't schedule a single thing the rest of the day after your child's party. Unless that thing is a family-wide enforced nap time. Because that is all you will want to do. After you have a stiff drink of course. (I kid, I'm being dramatic. But I'm serious about the nap.) It is also a fun social opportunity to hang out with other parents or meet parents for the first time. If it's the weekend, suddenly all the Dads appear! I think that lollipops falling from Buzz Lightyear's derriere might be a safety hazard to 4 year old noggins and I found myself deflecting the hard candy from assaulting the poor, unsuspecting kiddos (who were too hyper focused on nabbing candy to care if they had a goose egg from the strawberry flavored lollipop that landed square on their head). So maybe stick with softer landing candy...like Starbursts. Oh, and candy kept in cardboard box containers do not withstand the fall from B.L. (Buzz Lightyear, not Bud Light)'s derriere very well, and whatever chocolatey goodness was in there will now be spread and crunched all over the floor. After which the younger siblings of the party goers will scavenge as their own treats. Ew.

a little bit crazy

we are moving in 2 weeks.

we aren't packed.

no, we aren't moving back to the states...yet.

wiley's birthday party is in 2 days.

that's 36 cupcakes to make (to be on the safe side).

one bouncy castle rented.

4-5 large balloons to be ordered and either walked home, or take on the bus home.

20 (give or take) 3 and 4 four year olds to be entertained for an hour and a half.

a weather forecast that says "light rain", 70%.

endless prayers sent up for a weather change and strength to get through the weekend.

can i even explain to you how badly i miss my car right now?

or wal-mart?

i could fit a million cheap-o balloons and other birthday stuff from wal-mart in my oversized SUV and be done with that in like 30 minutes. for way cheaper and way quicker than here.

we call these growing experiences, right?

so, if i don't write for a while it might be due to that phrase, "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

my lips are sealed.

Four

I can't believe it. We have a four year old! We had a wonderful time celebrating yesterday with pancakes for breakfast with Allyson, a trip to Diggerland, and pizza and cake for dinner! Wiley loved playing with his new remote control helicopter too. I have only been hit by it once, and I am considering myself lucky. Both Wil and Wiley are trying to earn their wings.

We started our morning lounging around after opening presents and having pancakes.

Counted how old Wiley is...

and took a group picture before leaving for the train station...

We took the train out to Diggerland. It is this small little park with just enough diggers and bumper cars to keep you busy but not overwhelmed. You can dig and move dirt, lift up (pretend) ducks, drive small ones, and go on a train. We could not imagine this ever happening in the States...too many lawsuits.

Scooping some dirt!

Driving the helicopter!
On Friday, we took brownies to Wiley's school to celebrate his birthday. We played games with the children, including Duck, Duck, Goose. Yes, I was even the goose. We loved having Allyson here to play and celebrate with us!

Happy Birthday Wiley!