We went to Grease!

Lucy and Tyler saw their first big theater performance. We saw Grease and Lucy totally loved it!

Lucy's Stories

Lucy was crying in her sleep so I gently woke her. She told me she was having a sad dream: There was a family of little people living in a house this big (showing with her finger a teeny tiny circle) they were really small and they could get into their little house. One day the Big Daddy in the big house with a green face put the little people outside and they couldn't get back in. I told her that was sad, and that I was sorry that happened....I later told her Dad in front of her about her dream and she then added...but the Daddy let them back in and it was all ok.....

Kew Gardens

One of my friends from college, Carol had a friend who was also living in London temporarily. Our schedules didn't match up until right before she was heading back to the states but we were able to enjoy a lovely day at Kew Gardens together. The Tropical Extravaganza was going on while we were there. We were able to see so many beautiful tropical plants much of which were Orchids...not that exotic seeing as you can get them in all major grocery stores these days. Lucy really enjoyed the huge cat fish in one of the hot houses....watched in for quite a while! There was an indoor play area which Lucy loved as well.

Northern Ireland

Lucy getting her hair clipped with old fashion sheep sheers...it can't be worse then what she has already accomplished on her own with scissors!! Here is a link to the photo's from this trip: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/HeidiandLuLu/NorthernIreland#

Tyler took this photo of Lucy at Bishops Gate, on the coast of Northern Ireland. This is my favorite picture of Lucy ever!

As of now the BEST place on Earth (excluding OR...of course!)

From the minute our plane touched down in Belfast Tyler and I felt a sense of attachment for Ireland. After living in a concrete jungle on the outskirts of London through the coldest months of the year, Northern Ireland was a breath of fresh air. I got in the car and there was a steering wheel starting at me...Tyler got in on the left, key in hand and we just started laughing so hard! Once Tyler got the hang of driving on the opposite side of the road and we headed out of town the view from our car was breathtaking! We headed from Belfast to Omagh, a town which housed a living interpretive museum which tells the tale of how Irish lived at the turn of the century. It explains how life was and why they had no choice but to flee after the potato famine. Traveling with their families to major port towns to board what was called a "coffin ship" they played the odds. You either stayed in Ireland and your family starved to death or you sailed to a land of an uncertain future! It was a great museum and we learned so much! We kept thinking about the McKay clan and how hard life must have been for Tyler's distant relatives. After the museum we headed to a great B&B. You could see for four counties from the view at the B&B! And every morning we got served a hot breakfast...little did we know when they say they are going to serve you a "traditional Irish breakfast" it means the same thing everywhere, one egg, weird toast like bread, two sausages and TONS of ham/beacon, a half of a baked tomato (which is weird because they don't grow in Ireland) and whole baked mushrooms! We had that EXACT dish every morning at three different B&B's dispersed throughout Northern Ireland. The best part of the trip for all of us was the coast line in the North East corner. Old Castles, great beaches that made us feel at home and AMAZING countryside. The Irish are so friendly and we made more friends in four days then we have in the two months we have been in London! Tyler met a fellow Dad at a park while Lucy played with his daughter. He was a potato farmer and he says even still they have to spray for the fungus that ignited the potato famine every seven days!!! I met a massage therapist was was most interested in my information on traditional cooking methods so I gave her my email and some websites! What friendly folk! So all we need now is a little plot of land, some sheep, an orphaned red head, a brick house painted white, and two visa's!!!

One Cold Cold Day in London

<----- Lucy's new home, Tower Castle Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Down... Tyler and our Bratwurst at yet another great Farmers Market down the hill from London Bridge station!