Apparently we went to Utah...

Here are the highlights from our Utah/California Vacation:

The hubby, his parents and kids went camping in Moab. I stayed in SLC to help with wedding things, and missed the Southern Utah adventures.
My main job for the wedding was to over-see the making of 200 cookies.
Matt and the kids drove back from Moab to Heber where I picked them up so we could all drive to Logan for the wedding. Heather was beautiful and we all had a great time!

After a night and a day in Logan we drove back to SLC for a night and headed to California the next morning with a lay-over in Vegas. We had celebrated Mr. N's birthday before we left but it turned out that we went to Disneyland on his actual b-day. It was quite a celebration!
One of our traditions is to get Balboa Bars on Balboa Island in Newport Beach. We are always a spectacle with all of the kids lined up on a bench enjoying their treats. Last year we were photographed for the travel channel.


We like to go to a couple of different beaches. Newport Beach is fun for the boardwalk and shops, Corona Del Mar has great sand and the best bathrooms but the most fun is Crystal Cove which is pictured below. There are lots of tide pools where the kids find all sorts of things including crabs and starfish (and did I mention the shake shack?).



It was a BUSY week but tons of fun. I miss spending time with my family but I am SO glad that we have such a good time together. As the Hub would say "they are the awesomost"!

Apparently my son does not care for my cooking...

This afternoon whilst making grilled sandwiches for lunch I was ignoring Mr. Z. The reason for this purposeful disregard was that he was being ultra-high-maintenance concerning his lunch request. In case anyone thinks I was exhibiting negligence in my mothering this is what was being asked of me:

"I want a peanut butter sandwich, nothing grilled. But I do want some ham slices on the side. And I want them rolled up and stuck with a tooth pick. And I want an orange that you peel. Don't just start it and put in on my plate - you peel the whole thing. And I want two slices of apples. WAIT! I actually want peanut butter on my two apples and I DO want a grilled sandwich. The kind with lines on it (panini) and I want the lines to be criss-crossed, not just going one way but I still want my ham on the side and just cheese in the sandwich.........."

Before long Mr. Z realized that I was not paying attention to his lunch order at which point he exclaimed in frustration:

"Are you paying attention to me or are you just wasting my time?"

Sounds like my work is cut out for me. Both in the kitchen and in the child rearing department.

Apparently I went to London...

Over the past two years my oh-so-insightful husband has repeatedly told me to update my passport - just in case I had a last minute chance to travel with him. I honestly had every intention of doing as he requested, but..................there were so many other things of immediate import which had to be done that my passport has lain dormant in the file drawer.

FORTUNATELY, A few weeks ago the Hub called me on a Monday morning and asked if I would like to go to London with him. Of course, the answer was an unequivocal 'YES'.

UNFORTUNATELY he was leaving on Wednesday and I would need to depart on Sunday - BUT MY PASSPORT WAS EXPIRED!!!

FORTUNATELY as a man 'in the know', my hub was able to figure out how I could get my passport updated overnight, which is not possible in many locations but luckily residents in the vicinity of Washington D.C. have this capability. And so, within 24 hours I was able to get a passport and a babysitter (thank you Courtney) who was recently home from BYU.

UNFORTUNATELY, 15 minutes before I was supposed to leave for the airport, Mr. Z tripped on his way up the stairs. I really wanted to ignore the gushing blood and fatty tissue that I could clearly see exposed in the gash in his chin but clearly, I was going to take a trip to the E.R., before any other trips were possible.

FORTUNATELY the E.R. was not too busy and they had me in and out in eighteen minutes, a Loudoun County record.

I admit, I left my stitched up little boy with the babysitter and tried to make my flight but UNFORTUNATELY that eighteen minutes, plus the twenty on each end to drive to the hospital were ten minutes too many. Or so I was told by United Airlines.

(I was at the airport a good 50 minutes before my flight was scheduled to depart but apparently you need a least one hour before international flights).

FORTUNATELY I was able to schedule my departure for two days later (and extend my trip by two days) and was still able to join the Hub in London!

What an awesome Hubby I have! We had such a great time. He felt bad that I had to spend so much time alone but I kept reassuring him that for full-time-at-home Mom being alone in England is a magical and wondrous thing!

And did I mention that though Mr. Z was very glad to have me unexpectedly home, when the other kids realized that I missed my flight Miss A said "Oh, rats! I was excited to hang out with Courtney", and Mr. N said "What! You are here? That stinks!"

I silently agreed.

The fateful split chin.

I highly recommend buying the 24 hour bus tour. You can hop on and off the bus
through out the city at the different attractions over a 24 hour period.
I went with the Big Bus Company, if I ever go back I will go with
The Original Sightseeing Tour - they have a LOT more buses in operation.

The Hub had to work whilst there, but he grabbed a few moments whenever possible
as seen with me in front of the Clock Tower. Contrary to popular understanding,
the bells within the tower are called Big Ben, not the tower itself.
And 'yes', this is what an International Man of Mystery wears whilst working.

Here we see the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square. Just before I took this picture
I was asked out by a French Man who did not care that I was married (which I had to keep telling him). Had I been unmarried perhaps this tale would have a different ending.
Or had I been attracted to a 50-something short man who worked for the Big Bus Company.

I loved seeing all the red phone booths but did not love it when
I had to use one as they are frequently utilized as urinals.

Guards in front of Buckingham Palace. The last time I was in London we were able to
walk up to the guards and get pictures with them.
It would seem that the 9-11 terrorists continue to effect life here and overseas.

Picadilly Circus

The White Cliff of Dover - where US and Allied forces set sail on D-Day.

Canterbury Cathedral

Tower of London

The Tower Bridge

Leeds Castle

Westminster Abbey

The Flower Garden at Hyde ParkThe Dining Hall at Christ Church, Oxford - to Harry Potter fans this might look familiar...

The 'Harry Potter Stairs' at Christ Church

The Cottswolds - a picturesque 'suburb' of London where we had lunch.

Shakespeare's House at Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Warwick Castle