England, March 2011

So here are my long overdue pictures from my trip to England with Leia. We had the most fantastic time and the only bad thing about the trip was that it was too short. Leia was a total Angel the entire time and was so much fun to travel with. ENJOY! On the plane from Denver to Charlotte. Leia loved flying and while I don't mind it, she had such joy in the experience that it rubbed off on me. We looked out the window together, she drew pictures for the flight crew (on the flight from Charlotte to London) and we ate our not too nice plane food with as much enjoyment as if they had been our favorite restaurant dishes.

Jet lagged Leia taking a bath after the long voyage. Baths are so much better in a claw footed tub, don't you think?

My brother in law Ben helping my sister make a delicious Sunday dinner. I do love to see a man in the kitchen.

My sister's stuffing wrapped in bacon. Seriously the most delicious morsel you'll ever taste. And she had also saved a Christmas pudding for me which she served for dessert that day. I hate to say that going to England is all about the food but sometimes it just is!

My gorgeous sister who also is my go to girl for shopping advice - I mean can you blame me?

My best friend.

Me with both my best friends. SO good to spend time with them!

Leia with her cousin Cate. Cate is seriously the funniest little girl. I couldn't stop kissing those cheeks.

Here's one of her favorite funny faces. It looks like she is about to swallow you.

Leia and Max on the ipad. The ipad was quite the hit with everyone.

I love this picture. Cousin Max was so thrilled that Leia was visiting him. She played with Max and Cate every chance she got.

Leia and Great Nan Foster. It was so good to see my Grandparents on my Mum's side. They loved seeing Leia as well and even though Leia doesn't remember them so well it's as if they were never apart.

Leia and Great Grandad Foster

One thing I'll always remember about my school days in the UK was making daisy chains on the school field at lunchtimes. I couldn't wait to show Leia how to do it as I've never seen those tiny daisies in America. They'll always be one of my favorite flowers.

Leia playing with Cate at a playground in my Grandparents neighborhood.

On the train to London with Auntie Rachel. Going on the tube was a thrill for Leia. She made sure she always had a map with her and knew exactly where we were going and how many stops we still had to go.

In London, getting ready to go on a trip on the London Eye.

Leia taking a picture of Big Ben on the London Eye. Her camera was full of pictures of Big Ben, double decker buses, post boxes, telephone boxes, dishes we ate, English currency and Max and Cate pulling faces.

Enjoying the views on the London Eye.

Me and Sissy. Waiting for The Lion King to start. So exciting. Leia had the best time as she was seated in the aisle. She got a book with pictures in from the show and ice cream in the interval. She says it's her favorite part of the trip. Eating out after the show. The food was excellent but each and every wall in the toilet was mirrored. NOT such a fun experience! Leia was so pooped after our day in London. She loves writing down how she feels. This is a napkin in the restaurant.

A tranquil walk through the woods where my Dad is buried. Such a beautiful place that I actually want to go to. I only wish I could go more often.

Leia hanging out her smalls to dry. In England, hanging out your washing is nothing short of a righteous endeavor, something to aspire to, yet here in America it carries a stigma. Of course this is the land of the Hummer and fridges that you can fit an entire person inside of!

Cate and Rachel.

Leia with my brother Simon. Leia and Simon are kindred spirits.

Auntie Sarah, my brother's wife with Leia and I in a shack by the beach. The only bad weather day of the whole trip is the day we set aside to go to the seaside. At least hot chocolate and a full English breakfast in that heat free shack was very fun.

Waiting for our full English!

Frozen Cate. The rain chilled us to the bone.

Going on the bumper cars with Auntie Sarah warmed Leia up a little. We also went on the world's oldest roller coaster, one we've all been on many times in our lives before and it never gets old, from the creaking wood, to nothing but momentum keeping the thing going!

The three Boycott kids. How I love my siblings!

The trampoline Max got for his birthday and which me and Rachel spent three punishing hours putting together one afternoon. At least we forgot about that when having fun bouncing on it.

Having a camera that can take multiple shots a second comes in handy once in a while.

Showing off the nests she made with Auntie Sarah. In England you can get shredded wheat in large size and you crumble it up, mix it with melted chocolate and form it into nests. Then you put Cadbury's mini eggs in the nest - REAL Cadbury's mini eggs, not the ones Hershey makes under the Cadbury name. YUM YUM!

While I had the most amazing time I missed my boys quite a bit. Gary shaved their heads while I was gone, spilled something pink on the carpet and spent loads of money on blu-rays and board games, and ate way too much pizza. They needed me home after 10 days, that's for sure. I'm already trying to cook up plans for all of us to go next time. Summer 2012 would be perfect. Now how can I rustle up about $10,000. Ideas????