A Beautiful Wedding

The church in Stirling, Scotland

After getting caught up on much needed sleep, we got back on a plane and headed to Scotland for the wedding of one of Jonny’s roommate from college, Adrian Lobley and his lovely bride Dot. I generally dread going to weddings in the UK because frankly I can’t keep up with the drinking and usually have to deal with a very silly husband. I also very self conscious of what I wear to the wedding as everyone dresses so gorgeous for weddings.

The bride was absolutely gorgeous and the groom was as handsome as ever. I always thought Jonny’s friend Adi was a cutie, but there is just something about men in kilts!



Adrian and Dot

I would have to say that the wedding was the tamest I have ever attended, in the UK that is. We have all aged, so no one is able to party like rock stars anymore + most everyone has small children and the thought of having to care for your kids with a hangover is not appealing in the least. We were delighted to see all of Jonny’s friends from University. They always seem to pick up from where they left off. It was also great seeing everyone’s partners too. I always feel so welcome! Of course everyone looked fabulous and stylish.



From the left: Big Paul, Murray, Cogs, Jonny, Murph, Ban, Sean, and Quiet Man
(Can you guess which guys are Scottish and which are Irish???)



Adi the handsome groom!



The beautiful bride and her Dad

The service was beautiful and then we went on to the reception at the University in Stirling. We all met up for drinks before the dinner and had a great time catching up. Instead of talking about our careers we were all having a ball talking about our kids. Everyone seemed to be sad that the kids weren't able to attend the wedding, so they all could play together. We had a lovely dinner which included an appetizer of haggis, tatties and neeps, which I passed on (generally I would have passed on it, but they also offered potato leek soup!), but had a bite of Jonny's and it was fabulous! The main course was salmon or chicken and pavlova or creme bruleedessertesset. I know many people in the US don't think British food is good, but I have to say the food I have had in the UK is probably the most creative, flavorful food I have ever had and this meal was very yummy. After dinner the drinks kept flowing and the band started. I was able to get pictures of Jonny's friends and their partner to share with everyone.

Jonny and me



Sean (one of our groomsmen) and Rachel



Murray (one of Jonny’s roommate from University) and Sue



Murph and Melanie



Quiet Man and Joanna



Ban and Sam



Cogs and Nicola

We also did a bit of Ceilidh dancing. Jonny and I don't know how to Ceilidh dance, but it is a bit like Square Dancing. Most of the us went out and tried to dance, but we weren'tsuccessfulessful. We were hosuccessfulessful in ticking off a few more serious dancers. We had a ball trying and I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time.


feeble feble attempt at Ceilidh dancing!



Murray in his kilt (I managed not tanyone'snyones family jewels this wedding!)



Ban and his hair (one of my avid blog readers!)

All in all the evening was a ton of fun! Jonny and I were safely in bed by about 2 a.m. and slept in until almost 10 a.m. We look forward seeing everyone again in the next couple of years. Hopefully we will some of our friends will be visiting us in China!

Arriving in Northern Ireland

We arrived safe and sound in Belfast on Monday afternoon. We were greeted by very happy Grandparents. Everyone was very happy to see one another. We were also greeted with the news that Jonny’s sister Karen was going in to be induced to have her baby! We were all exhausted so we headed to Limavady for some much needed sleep.

Nanny Caroline and Angus

Papa Cyndy (he, he!) and Gemma

We all went to bed around 8 p.m., but Gemma, Angus, Caroline and I were all out of our beds around 3 a.m. We were unable to sleep. The kiddos were very hungry and I was excited because my dad was arriving around 7 a.m. I went in the kitchen, which was fully stocked with our favorite Irish breakfast foods. I fried some bacon rashers and toasted some potato bread. Let me tell you how yummy it was! The kids and I went back to bed until 9 a.m. Not too bad!

My Dad made it back to the house around 10 a.m. and he was so happy to see everyone, especially the kids. I was so happy to see him and very excited to show him around Jonny’s homeland.



Angus and Papa Steve

Travelin’ with the Kiddos

I don’t really like to back blog, but as I said in my earlier post, I hate posting without photos. I think my photography is way better than my writing style. I really wanted to share some of our photos from our trip so you can see the beauty of Northern Ireland and Scotland.



Gemma with some kids she met at the airport who were on their way to Greece.



Angus crawlin' around the airport.



Gemma getting ready for sleep.

I have to say that the kids traveled very well. I have no complaints. They slept most of the way to London and then napped again on the way to Belfast. It was quite relaxing. Jonny was also able to sleep most of the way. I on the other hand didn't sleep a wink and the movies on the flight were crap! Anyway, I think the key to traveling with kids especially at long distances is to not stress out about it. I was more focused about being upside down when we arrived I didn't even think about the plane journey. Hopefully that will apply to our upcoming move to China, which includes a 1 hour flight to LA, 12+hour flight to Bejing, and a 2+hour flight to Chengdu!

Home Sweet Home!

We have arrived home safe and sound. We had a marvelous trip and we really enjoyed the time we spent with our family and friends. A special thank you goes out to my Father and Mother-in-Law, Sister and Brother-in-Law, our gorgeous nieces and new little nephew for taking care of us while we were in Northern Ireland. Also, a special thank you to John and Inez Girvan and Jen, Nick, and Charlie Ball for looking after us while were in beautiful Scotland! Thank you for making us feels at home! We love you all!!! To those of you who have been reading my blog and are starting to read my blog I hope this helps bridge the gap between us all!

Tagged in the UK and posted in the US

My new blogging friend VeryAZ Ape tagged me and wants me to list ten songs that I am currently diggin'. I must admit, the currently playlist is very much influenced by my 3 year old daughter, but here it goes....

1. Mama Mia by ABBA
2. Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson
3. Cool by Gwen Stefani
3. A Whole Lot of Rosie by AC/DC (na, na, na, na, na, na ANGUS!)
4. Vehicle by Bo Bice
5. One Week by The Barenaked Ladies
6. My Doorbell by The White Stripes
7. Don't Cha by the Pussycat Dolls with Busta Rhymes
8. Don't Lie by Black Eyed Peas
9. Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani
10. Vincent of Jersey/Leaving Song by Big Head Todd and the Monsters

Beautiful Northern Ireland

Today we were able to visit the most beautiful and popular sites in Northern Ireland. We were in Co. Antrim enjoying the majestic view of the Antrim coast. Imagine every color of green you could think of, hexagonal stone pillars of all shapes and sizes, teal ocean water, and lots of cows and sheep and that was our day.

We started our day at the Giant's Causeway. The Giant Causeway are incredible rock formations that were formed by lava over 60 million years ago. My dad and Gemma really enjoyed the Causeway. My dad, who is known to be a little camera happy (He has had 3 camera strapped to him this entire trip!), took hundreds of shots of the rocks while miss Gemma used them as her personal playpark. We had a lovely lunch at the Causeway which was much needed because our next stop was the Bushmills Whiskey Distillery.

Bushmills is the worlds oldest licensed whiskey distillery receiving their license in 1608. My dad and I took the tour and I have to say it was very informative. At the end of the tour they asked for 2 female and 2 male volunteers. I thought it was to pass out the whiskey sample at the end of the tour, but it was to do a whiskey tasting. Jonny loves whiskey and has quite a collection, but I never touch the stuff. I went ahead with the tasting and I still have not acquired a taste for whiskey. I would have to say the Bushmills Single Malt 10 year was the best in the taste test though.

After the tour we all headed down to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. I have been to N. Ireland 8 times now and have managed to miss this tourist attraction mainly because I am kind of a chicken. The way Jonny and my inlaws always described the bridge is two ropes and a board over the sea and a bunch of rocks. Sound appealing to you? In 2000 they have made some improvements to the bridge and it seems to be quite safe so I took a chance along with Gemma and went over the bridge. It was a perfect ending to a perfectly scenic day. I am looking forward to sharing pictures most likely when I return from Northern Ireland.

Posting without Pictures

I really don't like to post without pictures, but unfortunately until I find an internet cafe with high speed internet over here that is how is going to have to be. I have some great photos of the wedding we attended in Scotland, fabulous pictures of Edinburgh Castle and very scenic pictures of N. Ireland to share with you all.

We are having a great time on our vacation. We had only one minor mishap. On the way to the airport in Scotland, Jonny managed to miss the exit to the airport and we missed our flight due to a traffic jam, an accident, stalled car, and a road construction. Fortunately enough our dear friends Jen and Nick Ball put us up another night in their gorgeous Victorian home. (Have pictures of them and the home! It is over 140 years old!)

Since returning to N. Ireland we have been visiting with our family and hanging around the house visiting, drinking gallons of tea, eating tons of biscuits, and relaxing. Jonny has been been appointed my Dad's tour guide and has been showing him the great sites of Northern Ireland. We have also been minus one little girl while we have been here. Gemma has spent the last two night at her cousin's house. She is having the time of her life and I really don't know how she will manage when we have to come back home. She just loves them to pieces!!!

I am very happy to say that I have been knitting up a storm! I started my clapotois and it is coming along quite nicely. I didn't even need to email anyone for help! I also have been working on my new nephew Ethan James Porter's blanket (stay tuned for pictures!). While I was in Scotland I also managed to get a new project. Our friend Jen tried to take up knitting after I sent her a gorgeous little sweater for her son Charlie. She got her project cast on, but then decided she didn't like knitting. She gave me the yarn and I am going to knit it for her.

Tomorrow we are doing some more touring around N. Ireland. I hope to have some pictures by next Monday.

P.S. I have been tagged by Diary of a Sane Man to make a list of the songs that I am diggin'. I am working on it, does Peek-a-Boo I Love You count?????

Bonnie Scotland!

We arrived in Scotland this afternoon. Jonny's Aunt Inez and Uncle John met us at the airport. It was lovely to see them and the beautiful Scottish countryside. On the flight from Belfast we met one of Jonny's friends from college who will also be attending the wedding with us tomorrow. Small world.

We are really looking forward to our first night away from the kiddos. I have had mixed emotions, but it has to be done. I have been trying to get enough milk supply for my mother-in-law to feed the little man, but I think I will be waking in the middle of the night to pump. My inlaws and Dad are going to come and 'view' the wedding, something I have never heard of, but apparently it is quite common for uninvited (not in a bad way) to come and view random weddings. It will give me a chance to feed the little man a couple more times before they head back to Perth.

As for the wedding, wish me luck! If you have ever had a chance to attend a British wedding, it is quite the drinking fest. I will be very lucky to get my husband to bed before 5 a.m. Thank goodness Saturday will be a day of rest...Will give you all an update after the wedding! I should have some great kilt shots!!!

We have arrived!

We have arrived safe and sound. We had a great flights, in fact it only took 8 hours, 30 minutes from Phoenix to London. The kids were fantastic! Angus slept most of the way and Gemma was just such a trooper. She was just so excited and kept telling everyone from the security guard at Phoenix Sky Harbor to strangers getting ready to board the plane that she was going to go and see her Nanny and Papa. We only had one mishap on the trip. We forgot Angus' bag at London Heathrow. We didn't even realize it until we landed in Belfast that we were missing a bag. It probably had to do with the fact that we had a total of 8 bags + 2 car seats with us! (For those of you familiar with Heathrow airport, try taking all of that stuff between terminal 4 and terminal 1, NIGHTMARE!!!!)

We also had great news on our arrival. Jonny's sister Karen was heading to the hospital to have her baby. She delivered a little baby boy at 4 a.m. this morning. We are heading down to Belfast tomorrow to see the baby and we hope to have pictures sometime soon.

I also wanted to make you Phoenicians jealous. The temperature is in the 60s and the sun was shining this evening + it is light until 10 p.m.! Whoopee!