Day Six: A Minion's Day In

I have GOT to start going to bed before midnight, so the blog is taking a back seat to my sanity tonight. More for this entry later!

Ok , so I'm back to blogging after a crazy weekend, but I'll backdate so my 'flow' is uninterrupted (aka-posterity will never know :)

After our 'royal day out' it was time let slip the dream of royalty and get down to the business of being a modern-day minion. Both the laundry and the grocery situation needed some serious attention.

Day Five: A Royal Day Out

After my late night updating my blog, getting up this morning was extra hard. I think the only reason I made it out of bed by 9 AM was the fact that bright sunshine and a cool breeze were streaming in from the window, advertising another perfectly gorgeous day going to waste! However, after arising we were confronted with the unfortunate fact that the sewer had backed up during the night.

Day Four: Cycling, Sun, and Dodging the Bobby

On Wednesdays Richard has an early class, so we were out the door by 7:30 AM (late), and hauling it thru the tube stations.

Day Three: Hyde and Seek

As I have been struggling to get the blog for Day 3 posted I find myself torn! I mean, we did ALOT of awesome stuff in that one day! And chances are we will, at some point, have some sort of uneventful day in which I will really want to still have an awesome picture to insert! However, in the interests of chronological accuracy and posterity and all that, I have decided to post it all as it happened, on Day 3, and in one massive blog.  So brace yourselves!

Day Two: Back to School-In Baker Street!

Bright and early this morning (well, Richard was bright, and it was early) we headed off to take the tube to London Business School. Pushing and shoving were required to get on the train, and I was relieved to see that the Brits handled it with the same equanimity as the Chinese in Hong Kong. (The tube even has the exact same recording of a women stating "please mind the gap between the train and the platform." lol.)

On the way to the tube station we strolled casually by Tower of London and Tower bridge-just a part of our daily commute. Wowser.

Day One: Tight Timing for Tired Adventurers

Starting out on the 33 hour journey!

At the Heathrow Airport-just a couple hours away from being able to collapse at our new home!

Leaving St. Louis at Dawn

So we're here! We started very early Saturday morning (I did not go to sleep Friday night) when our good friend David Walker showed up at our house at 5:45 AM to take us to the train station in St. Louis. Unfortunately we left our poor house looking like a hurricane hit it, and my complete inability to leave dirty dishes in the sink for 10 weeks (inadvisable) made us VERY late. Poor Richard managed to hustle me out the door by 6:10 AM.  We got to the train station at 6:30 AM-got our tickets and sprinted for the platform.  Well, hobbled our luggage along at a respectable trot.

And while I sleep, per'chance to dream...

I'm struggling to go back to sleep and catch a last few desperately needed minutes in the grey twilight of what promises to be another glorious autumn morning.  Instead my to-do list of shopping, packing and work projects that must be completed before leaving for England are running through my head in the peculiar (and unwanted at 6 am) energy buzz unique to overwhelming stress. Is it unusual to be leaving on a 2 1/2 month trip in less than 72 hours and not be packed yet? Apparently so, from the reactions of people I talk to.  But then, the pants must be hemmed and the clothes must be CLEAN before being packed-outcomes yet to be achieved. And it is also highly recommended that one pack climate appropriate clothing specific to one's destination. I have a permanent puzzled frown outdoors these days, as I try to guess...how cold is 60? Do I like 60? What about 50? Sweater, jacket, coat, parka? (The average in England for Oct-Nov is 45-60 degrees). Not to mention the brutal triage that must be practiced on all of my lovely, newly-fitting clothes. Since I lost weight I am in love with the way I look in everything (59 pounds off your butt can make you a faulty judge of which pants looks best...as they ALL look MUCH better!). Ergo, I want to pack all-of-them, and have resorted to using my sister in Alabama as the triage enforcer via face-time. It's just that this unwieldy packing method takes yet more time. I'm starting to have nightmares about missing our transatlantic flight. Meanwhile, Richard has nightmares of his own. I finally surrender to the stress and rise, although my angst-filled tossing has already awoken him. Upon my return from the bathroom he turns to me and says "I was dreaming I was dying of exposure! Then I woke up and looked over, and all the blankets were wrapped around YOU."

Baby-Luv (It's the Nieces this time)

We had a fun chance to see our two latest nieces on Richards' side of the family in the last couple of days. Leah and baby Kate have been staying with us, and Moira and baby Emily came with her big brother Joseph and Grandma and Grandpa Goering for a quick lunch stop yesterday.   Emily and Kate were 3 days apart according to their due dates, but Emily came 2 1/2 weeks early, and Kate came 3 weeks late, making them exactly 6 weeks apart, to the 10 minutes! Emily is very unusually small for her age, and Kate is very unusually chubby for hers, making them an adorable, but unexpected pair.

Baby Kate (younger), Aunt Letty, Baby Emily (older)

Rich and Baby Kate

Check out the video of Richard and baby Kate playing 'plague victim' at the following link!
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150825121310173&saved'

Emerson Checks Out Grandma Preston

It only took a hot-minute for the first-time Grandma to make it to Texas! I think she probably got out and pushed the airplane. Just a few more quick pics, because I can't get enough of my 

AWESOME NEPHEW
Mr. Emerson Dean!

Seriously Algot, making Mom this happy probably earns you brownie points for the next million years.

Mr. Emerson Dean!

Emerson and Tired Daddy

Mr. Emerson Dean in his Sunday Best!

 

My 1st Nephew: Most Adorable Baby EVER!!

My brother Algot and his wife Alisha just had the most adorable baby boy in the WORLD!! I'm sure I will probably think my future kids are cuter when they finally arrive...but until that time-Emerson wins it for me hands down! Emerson Dean Preston entered the world September 9th, 2011. He weighed 9 lbs 6 oz and was 22 inches long. Just goes to show us Preston's are good eaters!! He's starting out life right as a southern boy! He lives with his Mommy and Daddy and big sister Avery in Dallas, Texas.

As the very first Grandbaby on our side of the family he is destined to be irreparably spoiled and cosseted. He might even become the very first infant dictator. His aunts (myself, Ann and Rose) are already nuts about him and can't get enough pictures! The measly five included in the post are all we have up to this point. After watching me turn the pictures into my Ipod and Desktop screen savers, and whip my phone out to show people at every available moment, my husband cautiously inquired "Um, sweetheart, you do understand that he is not YOURS, right?" Sigh. So speaks the man with 10 nieces and nephews of his own already.















I can't WAIT to hold him and kiss those chubby cheeks! But I will have to wait until I get back from England, as he was so inconsiderate NOT to make an early appearance (probably busy eating) and showed up a mere two weeks before we head out for Europe.