Where Did Summer Go?

Summer break is the fastest six weeks in history! Getting released the end of July seems way to late to be starting summer. Especially since the warm weather was back in June! In true British fashion, as soon as school let out, the cold and rain front showed its ugly face. Oh well; we didn't let it spoil our fun. 

Mom Goals

I signed up back in April to run the Oxford Half-Marathon (my third half). I was just starting to get back into my fitness and running routine since having a baby, moving overseas, and yada yada yada...life basically settled down in January, and I found myself making regular appointments with the beautiful trails England has to offer. Things seemed to be going swimmingly, but a nasty pain in my right hip persisted. My doctor seemed to think I had a bit of bursitis in the joint. 

As the months crept by, my hip seemed to be getting better. Great! I went out for a long run one Saturday morning to only find myself in bed for days after. I could barely put weight on my foot without extreme pain and knew I had done some damage. I went back to the doctor to find out I had torn the tendon in my hip. OUCH! No running for me for 10 weeks. No squats, no side lunges, and no more walking the kids to and from school either!

My race training was supposed to start in exactly 8 weeks. I thought I was done for; I was so disappointed. I stuck to other types of exercises that wouldn't disturb my hip and maintained the cardio I had built up from running. After 10 weeks of specified "rest" and intense strengthening of my posterior chain, I jumped into "week 2" of my training. I just completed week 6 and ran 7 miles at a pace I could have never maintained before in my life! Which begs the question: "What if the best shape of your life is ahead of you?" I know we often stress over getting older, our bodies sagging (among other things), life gets a little bit busier, and we look back on our younger years in wonderment of times gone by. 

I'm living proof that some things get better with age, like run times! Ha. Here's to October 8th and living the dream. I am chasing down a PR. Let's hope I make it! 

Some Chill Time

One of AJ's teachers gave me the best advice when it comes to summer holiday. She said to make sure the kids have time to just sit and be bored. She said that often times parents jump straight into holiday with travel and visits, and before you know it, their six weeks are up and kids go back to school without having had a "break". 

So that's exactly what we did. We stayed home for two weeks and did nothing but played outside, went to the park, read loads of books, and spent quality time together home as a family. 

Zombie Apocalypse

One of my favorite photos. This captures AJ's absolute love and protection of his little sister, Channing, perfectly! 

Caught in the act of racing snails on my dining room table! 🙈

Sister story time.

Hurst Castle

Aaron's birthday was around the corner, and we decided to make a quick day trip to the coast and visit Hurst Castle, a ruin from Henry VIII's time that also served as a defense during WWII. 

Driving in England can be very frustrating. It doesn't take much traffic to delay driving times. This two hour trip turned into a four hour long drive very easily. I can't decide if our road systems are better and more efficient in America, or if I just need to learn to sit back and enjoy the ride? 👍👎

Eventually, we arrived at our destination, but before arriving at the castle, you must first take a ferry across Keyhaven Lake. The kids really enjoyed that!

Here are some great shots of our time at Hurst. Check out the captions for more information:

While Aaron and I take in the history, our kids were busy puddle jumping. 

A 38 ton gun! One gun required 12 men and took 6 minutes to load and fire each shot! 

The cannon's bullets! They are almost as tall as Paisley!

The original castle during King Henry VIII's reign.

Hurst Point Lighthouse

AJ overlooking the English Channel.

The theatre inside the castle. Many actors got their start here performing for
British troops stationed at Hurst.

Beth Comes to England

My life-long childhood friend, Beth, came to visit from Montana with her husband, Kurtis. Kurtis is a huge Arsenal fan so the moment I picked them up, we hit the underground and headed straight for the stadium and museum. He was not disappointed. I am not up to speed on English football, but I must say the stadium was most impressive. I wouldn't mind taking in a game or two!

Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare country was next on our list. Stratford is a quaint little town with a fun High Street. We went there to check out the birthplace of none other than William Shakespeare. 

Living in England lets you live history that almost seems unreal and untouchable. What 8th grader in a small town in Montana, reading Romeo and Juliet in their Literature class, ever thinks they will walk the halls of Shakespeare's home? Certainly, not this girl! 

Here's a peak of our afternoon in Stratford:

An impressive ferris wheel in the heart of Stratford. 

Overlooking the River Avon. The Royal Shakespeare Company building in the background.

AJ saw Lady Macbeth's fist outstretched; so naturally, he gave her a fist bump. 

Shakespeare statue.

The kiddos spotted a knight!

Shakespeare's birthplace.

There is his basinet!

Watching Shakespearean actors play out various scenes of any given story. Quite entertaining!

Next, we headed to the Church of the Holy Trinity to see the burial plot of Shakespeare.

Beautiful window.

Burial plot for W.S.

Baptismal Font for W.S.

Wonderful World of Windsor

Windsor Castle, so far, is my favorite castle we have seen. It's a fully functioning fortress still in use by her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. How cool is that? Her flag rises on the tower when she is in residence. We visited during a time outside of her stay, so we got to tour inside the grounds and all the state rooms. 

I only wish they would allow you to take pictures of the inside. In a word...In-cred-i-ble! It was glorious beyond description. I guess you will all just have to come visit us and see it for yourselves. Guest room available, first come, first serve. 

This beauty is only an hour away...on a good traffic day in Britain. 

Approaching the Main Gate.

Castles are cool and beautiful, but I always appreciate the thought behind the design and the practical use for defense. Triangular windows allow a wide angle range for bow and arrow defense. The tower on the mound goes well into the ground and provides storage for water and food. At one point, folks were held up in the tower and lasted through the battle because of the design.  

There are two things I love in this picture: This castle and that belly!  👸

Outside St. George's Chapel. One of the most stunning and marvelous chapels experienced. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let us take any pictures of the inside.
We learned a lot, too. For instance, there is a large shrine dedicated to the late Princess Charlotte. After her death, the crown went to Victoria. A drastic shift in the Monarch occurred based on this one life event. 

Our family in front of the mound where the tower sits.

Windsor from the outside featuring the statue honoring the late Queen Victoria. 

Deal or Bust

We loaded up the van and set out for the southeast coast. Dover Castle was at the very top of Aaron's "must see" list when moving to England. I received an advertisement in the mail about a jousting tournament during the same weekend that Beth and Kurtis were visiting and knew it was too perfect to pass up! 

We found the perfect apartment to rent just upon the fringes of the coast in one of Dover's neighboring towns called Deal, a mere stone's throw away. We spent our evenings tossing stones into the seaside, walking the boardwalk, putting our feet in the tides, and treating ourselves to fresh ice cream cones. 

I even managed to find some delicious fish-n-chips while we were there, too. I'm not one for the British cuisine, but this fish was on a whole other level. I was told by many before we left to get some F-n-C when I finally made it to the coast. That dish made up for all the tasteless morsels I'd eaten in the last 12 months! 

Enjoy our intimate experience of Deal and Dover, UK:

Southeast Coast of England next to Deal Pier. You can see Belgium from here.

Gorgeous coastline. I loved the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks. 

Deal Pier. We ate at the restaurant at the end, "Jayson's". Best fish-n-chips!

Even Channing got to put her toes in the ocean for the first time. The water wasn't nearly as cold as I anticipated. Still, Channing wasn't all too keen. 

The other two couldn't help but dive into the ocean at their first opportunity.

Dover Castle

This kid refuses to wear shoes.

 Cooking in the Castle's kitchen.

Atop Dover tower.

Jousting tournament. This was so cool to see in person.

Overlooking the English Channel. We could see France!

WWI War Rooms.

Officers' quarters at Dover.

Deal and Walmer Castle

There are two of the original seven forts still standing that were built in 1539-1540 to keep enemy ships from landing on the beaches and protect the ships anchored in the Downs. Thankfully, they didn't see much action in their day, but the kids certainly enjoyed their exploration. 

Deal Castle

Paisley stands at the ready.

Ready, Set, FIRE!

Window wells always give you a good idea of the thickness of the walls.

The kids had a good time defending the castle with their toy muskets.

Walmer Castle

An impressive moat.

Castle Gardens

Paisley has decided she likes to take the pictures herself. Not a bad shot, sis! 📷

White Cliffs at Dover

We closed our evening with a quick hike up to the White Cliffs at Dover. This will go down in history as one of my favorite things. I always appreciate seeing ruins and castles and reading about their historical impacts, but nothing compares to the natural beauty that simply can't escape your gaze. 

The white rock in contrast with the crashing multitude of waves bursting with a vivid collection of blues and greens will forever be in my mind's eye! 

London Bound

Kurtis only had one more request for his time abroad...that we visit 221B Baker Street. For those less familiar, that is the residence of Mr. Sherlock Holmes. This was a fun adventure for us. Aaron and the kids stayed home so the rest of us could board the train in Oxford and head for the capital without little ones. 

Holmes' make-up kit used for camouflaging.

Holmes with his trusty assistant, Dr. Watson. "Elementary, my dear Watson!"

A Week in Wales

Aaron had a conference at Bangor University so we decided to make a family trip out of it. His conference only lasted two days which left us plenty of time to explore Northern Wales. 

I don't say this lightly. Snowdonia National Park is on the same level as Glacier National Park. It is an epic beauty that just doesn't exist elsewhere. I've never seen anything like its breathtaking landscapes!

While Aaron was working, however, the kids and I didn't plan on staying in the hotel the whole time. We found a trail that led us down to the shore for more stone tossing and bird watching. 

The tide was out so we were able to get down pretty far. The change in tide in their town is CRAZY! 

After our seaside excursion, we found a local petting zoo complete with two parks and a bug museum. That sounded like the perfect destination for my own curious critters. 

 When Aaron was finished for the day, we went out as a family and found ourselves on a small island in Anglesey known as Church Island. There was an ancient church building erected in 630 A.D. accompanied by a grave yard. Since moving to Britain, I have found cemeteries to be extremely fascinating. Check it out!

The Castles of Wales

Penrhyn Castle 

A modern-day castle with all the bells and whistles. This one was almost as impressive as Windsor. Every inch was a work of art including jaw dropping antique furniture. See for yourself!

 Beaumaris Castle

A ruined castle with some charm for the children. Dragons anyone?

The Master Mason behind Beaumaris Castle.

Caernarfon Castle

Fun Fact: This was the location of Prince Charles' investiture, crowning him Prince of Wales in July of 1969.

Conwy Castle

South Stack Lighthouse

As I said earlier, I'm a sucker for God given beauty. This lighthouse is set upon the most remarkable scenery! I was so glad Aaron found it on Google Maps. Sunday's hike:

Chirk Castle

On our way home, we counted up all the castles and palaces we had seen and it came out to an astounding 19! To make it and even 20, we dropped by Chirk Castle to stretch our legs on our return trip home. 

Reuniting in Yorkshire

My very closest friend from America has moved to England. What are the odds, right? She got here a month ago and lives up in Yorkshire. The kids and I couldn't wait to go see them. Aaron had to stay behind, unfortunately, but I managed the trek alone. It's roughly a 5 hour drive, but we did it. 

We had a smashing good time! Look at those faces though! Our family is complete again. 

The Sanders family took us to see Fountains Abbey, a large ruined monastery. Man, would I have loved to see this location in its prime!

School Starts Tomorrow

Summer is behind us now and a new year begins. My kids are ready. That is how you know you had a good summer. AJ starts in year 3 and is crossing over into Key Stage 2 which means button up shirts and ties. For fun, we've decided to try out martial arts classes. AJ took to them during PE, so we are going to give it a go.

Sweet Paisley is now a big girl facing year 1, the American equivalent of Kindergarten. She has been begging to take piano lessons and start back up swimming. She also plans to enroll in martial arts class along with her big brother. This ought to make quarrels a little more interesting. 

Stay tuned for new adventures! 

TTFN Ta-ta for now,

~K