Sister Lindsey is MARRIED!!! Part 1

My little sister Lindsey decided that she was going back to where it all began for her and Tom and got married in SCOTLAND!!!!!!!!! And since we just so happened to be in Europe, of course Teage and I HAD to go hang out in London for a while! And what an amazing trip the whole thing turned out to be!!!!! My mom and Dale stayed home with the kiddos (THANK YOU MOM AND DALE!), which was actually really hard for me, but we knew it was the right choice. 

So, in early May, we boarded the plane and landed in gorgeous and exciting London for a few days stay until we traveled up to Scotland. It was fabulous! Teage and I wasted no time at all. The minute we were off the underground and checked into our hotel, which was right in the heart of Trafalgar Square, we went out on the town! We started at the National Museum right in Trafalgar Square where we saw the famous Monet sunflowers painting and many others! Then we took a self-guided walk around the square and through the famous St James Park on the way up to Buckingham Palace! Neither one of us had slept much on the plane, but even with the time change we didn't care at all! We wanted to fit everything in while we could! 

After walking around Buckingham Palace we decided to walk over the bridge on the Thames (fun in and of itself!) and go over to the London Eye! Beautiful!!!

The next day we took a Thames boat cruise down the river a ways and went on a tour of the Tower of London which was an amazing experience. We had the most amazing tour guide! He told us all of the stories surrounding the gates of the tower, crown jewels, Anne Boleyn, St Johns chapel (beautiful!), and the history of the Tower itself! It was truly fabulous! The tour guide was none other then a Yeomen Warder himself! He told us all about the Yeomen Warders, how they are chosen, and the honor it is to stand guard at the Tower. It was a wonderful day!

On the way home we went the long way to see the famous Big Ben! And then that night, dinner at the Sherlock Holmes and the play WICKED!!!! 

 The last day in London (well, half day) was spent on a double decker red bus seeing the sights that London had to offer. So fun! And then a race to the train station to catch our train up to Scotland! I am not sure what I was more excited about, Kings Cross Station itself or the train ride along the countryside. :)

Kings Cross-

While on our 4-5 hour train ride up to Edinburgh, Teage and I sat next to a wonderful man named Steve that we became instant friends with. We used our time well, Steve teaching us and guiding us through Scottish customs (a "tenner" is a 10 dollar bill by the way). Steve got off in Edinburgh with us and showed us around a bit before we had to board our next train over to Stirling. We all agreed that the outcome of him missing his first train was a blessing in disguise so we could all meet each other. You know when someone comes into your life and you instantly know that you have a connection with them? That is how it was for us and Steve, we just loved him!

Bubble Run

Awesome 5K bubble run with the whole family! We made a weekend of it, stayed in a hotel and just hung out with the five of us! Emery thought it was hilarious that her entire stroller was covered with bubbles, so much so that she couldn't even see out of the screen for a while! I think blue was her favorite. :)

Grandma Turns 90!!!

My grandmother is one amazing person. And on April 25th of this year she had her 90th birthday! My grandma truly amazes me every single day. After my grandfather passed away a few years ago, we were all worried about her moving out of her home of 55 years and starting over. But she really showed her strength and is thriving in her new assisted living building. I can't believe what a social butterfly she has become! Every time I talk with her she is off to exercise class, craft club, game night, etc. Just love her!

And on her 90th birthday we all came together and had a big party for her on the top floor of her building. She was totally in her element, smiling all day. :) We celebrated her and her life, laughed and cried and joked around, and had a great time catching up with the whole family. It truly was a wonderful day!

GO ANGELS!

It’s a little strange and hard to believe that the boys have completed ANOTHER little league year. I don’t want them to grow up….EVER!

This year marked some amazing highlights for the boys. First, Teage was able to coach their team! Jeff (coach from last year) asked Teage to help out, and he was happy to do so. There were other Dad’s that also stepped up and helped out, but I think the boys enjoyed having their very own on the field with them.

This marked the last year for coach-pitch, and the boys took full advantage. Going into the season, they were a bit apprehensive about their team. Half of the years previous team moved up, and the new kids on the team didn’t quite have as much experience. They thought they weren’t going to win any games at all (a great teaching opportunity by us about team sport J).

So the season began, and those that had never played showed amazing ability throughout the season. Dylan and Lucas both made some amazing, jaw-dropping catches in the field, and numerous times their poor coach had to dive out of the way because of the line-drives that they hit back up the middle. Dylan and Lucas even turned a double play together, and closed out a few games with a groundout / toss over to first base to brother. The highlight, however, was to see how quickly the team came together and played as a team. In the end, they went undefeated!

Next year can’t come soon enough, and it’ll be interesting with player-pitch. It is awesome to see the boys and their growth, their love for the game, and the passion that they play with as well. GO ANGELS!!!

Time Out

As always, a weekend with the girls is good for the soul! And some inspiration to go along with it, priceless!