African Safari in England

Just after exiting the

chunnel and entering

England we took

a little detour

on the way home.

The watering hole!

My little photographer

snapped this one.

That is the end

of our latest adventures!

Stay tuned...

West Coast and Paris, France

Staying home didn't last for too long.

Off to the west coast of France.

On a very small island right

near the bay of Biscay.

Cruising on the Eurotunnel

train.  It only takes about 30

minutes to get from

England to France.

At the Beach.

This little one has

no fear of the water.

I got my workout

chasing after her

back and forth!

Waiting for the train

heading to Paris!

Yes, that is a cast!

Yet another injury

for this child.

A fractured

Humerus bone near

his elbow.

Hopefully he heals

well!!

Has it stopped him at all

from living life as he

knows it?

NO!

But his mom

has put a stop to

a few activities during

the healing process.

He is one tough kiddo!

He handled the pain

impressively well,

and I'm not just

saying that because

I'm his mom!

Teaching the boys

their first lesson in wheeling

and dealing.

Proud of their

hard earned purchases
(keychains).

Cruising around

on the tour bus.

Trying to take

pictures while

driving by...

It's always

fun in Paris!

Au revoir!

Edinburgh, Scotland

Beautiful Edinburgh Castle.

In front of the Castle.

Shelby with

some soldiers.

Can't pass up

an ice cream stand

even if it's not

exactly hot outside.

(It IS summer time

though, isn't it?)

With their new

bow and arrows.

Don't ask me why I

got those for them!

Shhh!  Don't remind them,

they're still in the trunk

of the car! (I think they've

forgotten already).

Two little Scottish boys

playing by the waters that

lead to the vicious North Sea.

LOVE getting to stop

by the coast,

even if it's just for a little bit.

This looks fun!
I would love to go out
fishing sometime.
I wonder what kind of
fish are out there?!

Time to be serious,

driving home safely

is important.

 
Edinburgh?
It would most
definitely be # 1
in my list of places to
visit and see in the UK.
I do love Scotland!
To be fair,
I still have many places
to travel in the UK.
I can't really imagine Edinburgh
being topped by anywhere else.

Oh, favorite restaurant there:
http://www.thaiorchid.uk.com/

No, it's not a local
Scottish cuisine.
However, it is
probably some of the
most delightful Thai food
I've ever had.
Only eaten there twice.
I'm ready to drive the 6
hours just to go back to the
restaurant.
Plus, the people
who work there
are incredibly
nice and friendly.
They love kids too!

Glasgow, Scotland August 2010

First time to Glasgow. 

It was cool to

go there and check

it out.

Stayed here:

http://www.premierinn.com/en/homeQuickSearch!execute.action

(George Square in Glasgow, Scotland)

If I had it to do again,

I may have found a hotel

not right in the city. 

I could hear

cars driving by

most of the night,

and the Premier Inn

sign was right outside

our window. The light was

really bright, shining into our

room through the small cracks

in the curtains.

It was nice staying

right in the city.  We just woke

up and walked around.

However, it was

quite easy to find parking

in the city.  If you stayed

out of the city,

and drove in, you would

find parking easy enough that

it doesn't matter

whether you stay in or

out of the city.

(just my opinion)

The breakfast was just as

good as I always expect from

their hotels.  Great, healthy,

and tasty options.

You do have to pay extra

for the breakfast, but

it is very convenient

knowing what you will

do for it.

Kids under 15 eat free,

so I guess that could

balance out

if you were to eat

somewhere else.

Also, friendly workers with

good customer service skills,

as we usually experience

in our stays there.

Where to Live?

Have you ever thought

about moving?

I think about it

all the time.

It would be no

surprise if you caught

me on the computer

researching online

about the best places

to live for families.

Articles always seem to come

out with the top 10

places to live

 in the US.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2010/

What are they basing

this off of?

I mean, how can

you say that one place

is better to live then another?

I don't understand.

Okay, I understand

they are taking

many different

factors into account.

 

Maybe not everyone

finds what these articles are
considering as a priority to be a priority

for their quality of life.

Today (and often) I'm dreaming

about living out in the country.

With enough land to have

a few animals, definitely a horse

would be one of them.

Where is the best place to live

with some acreage in the USA?

Somewhere that is not

outrageously expensive,

not completely in the middle of

nowhere, beautiful, not too far from

a river, or the ocean,

and that still has decent public schools.

If you could

live anywhere

in the USA,

where would YOU live?

Boogie on the phone with dada!

Hey dada!  This is what I

look like when I'm talking to you!

There is no mistaking

a little girls love for her dad

and it goes both ways!

Family Photo

Thanks to our good friend,

we were able to snap a much needed

family picture. 

We squeezed it in

just a couple days before

Luke took off.

Thank you friend, you rock! :o)