Happy Halloween

Halloween has always been one of my most favorite holidays. I think the fact that you can be a grown up and still put on a silly costume to be a kid is priceless. When we left Charlotte, it was hard to enjoy Halloween because we never get any trick or treaters out here in the boondocks. In Charlotte, I'd have to buy bags and bags of candy. There were so many kids.

Hillsville had an event they held in town, but Cass soon outgrew that. Two years ago I had the great idea of hosting a party. They were so much fun to plan and prepare for. The first year was great, but the second year was a BLAST!! I think next year I'm going to have an adult party. It will be on a Friday night, so that will be perfect. I should start planning now!

On the way home tonight, I thought back to the days when I was a kid myself going out for Halloween. Our little gang was pretty mischievous. We egged cars and rolled toilet paper. Last year when I saw one of my friends from back then, he reminded me of a vegetable garden fiasco one Halloween.

We all threw rotten veggies from the garden at passing cars. I happened to pick up a ginormous melon of some sort. Sure enough, we hit a car and caused a lot of damage. They stopped and we all scattered. This one guy got caught and took the rap for all of us. My melon probably caused the worst of the damage, and that poor guy got all the trouble. Sure we were just stupid kids, but I feel badly I participated in letting him take all the credit. And even worse, I had completely forgotten about it all happening. I still don't remember much about it, but it rang a vague bell when he told the story. UGH!

Then I started thinking about the girls when they were little. Some of their costumes were adorable. I made a lot of them. Jen decided she wanted to be an elephant one year. That one was interesting to turn out. I wish I had kept it. But I'm sure it was sold in a yard sale along the way. Thankfully we have pictures of it.

I have great memories of Halloween. The gobs of candy we'd get. Costume contests we always wanted to win. Carnivals we went to bobbing for apples, doing cake walks, and eating lots of food. Haunted houses we screamed in. 

So, here's to Halloween. The holiday where you can be a crazy kid no matter how old you are. I hope you found your inner child and didn't eat too much candy. And if it's possible, let a little bit of that kooky kid follow you into tomorrow and every day following.

Sad Sacking

I can't believe it's been over a week that I've been home from the whirlwind trip. I got a day of rest and then it was back to work. It wasn't too busy, but my body decided to get sick. I think I just ran on fumes for too long and it retaliated.

I came home Saturday from work and haven't been out since. I think it was just an allergy attack that progressed into my usual fall sinus infection. The joys! I'm on the mend, but I think it will take a few more days to finally work through my system like it normally does.

I've had the added measure of missing Tony like crazy. The two weeks he spent home and then my trip over proved to attach us at the hip for the better part of a month. We did our usual bickering like an old married couple, but for the most part we had a wonderful time. And now I feel like a bicycle without a front wheel. And I don't like it!

Tony, probably a little more than most men, is like the wild horses that run out west. Throughout his career, he's always traveled to some degree. The last 7 and a half years of being here part time and in Charlotte the other have been manageable. But this gone 24 x 7 for weeks at a time is NOT working. Something has got to give, and I'm hoping it's not my sanity.

Until such time that he gets home, I'm going to have to find a way to pick my lower lip off the ground and get back to life. I've let him know loud and clear this isn't working for me. We'll see if he listens. There is a long list of things that need done in the mean time. I just need to get focused and get them done. Please say a little prayer for us as we work through this. I know God has a plan, and I'm trying to follow along nicely. Trying is the key word!!

That's all she wrote

Getting up bright and early is something I haven't had to do much of in the last two weeks. I decided to avoid rush hour tube traveling to the airport and be four hours early for my flight instead of being frazzled dealing with the crowd. Once I got checked in and such, I was only 2 and a half hours early.

Airport security is a LOT less stressful in Heathrow than in the states. However when we reached DC, we had to go through TSA between flights. I nearly gave myself a coronary running through the airport to make it. Of course my flight would be the furthest gate away. Oh well, I made it. That's all that matters.

In looking back on my stay in Europe, there are so many wonderful memories. I'm thankful I have visited other big cities to remove the intimidation factor of coming into a big airport, riding on a subway, and interacting with the gobs and gobs of people. I know there are a ton of things I missed seeing in Europe, but what I did see was beautiful. And those left unexperienced are reasons to return one day.

The time spent with Tony was great. There is always an adventure where he's involved. We fortunately skipped any big issues like flat tires or car accidents, but our roundabout circling and "hopelessly lost" memories will bring a smile for quite some time. It's amazing that I was lucky enough to find my soul mate at such a young age. We constantly challenge the box that each other lives in knowing when to stop once an edge is reached.

I have also appreciated the countless emails, texts, and FB messages of support in my journeying. I have enjoyed sharing it with you, and it's been great having your words of encouragement. I know a few of you will be glad I'm home to get back to my massage duties!

I left London at 12 p.m. and got back home at 9 p.m. After getting up at 6, 14 hours of traveling, and a five hour time difference, exhausted doesn't cover it. I have tomorrow to recuperate and plan to do just that. It will be a busy three days at work I'm sure, and then Sunday I plan to vegetate yet again. If I don't blog for a bit, you'll understand why.

P.S. I started smelling home when I got off the plane in Charlotte. I made a beeline and when I opened the door, it smelled like Heaven. It just might take a miracle to ever get me to leave again!!

London day five - Winding down

The excitement that I had when I first landed in London has mostly diminished. Today it was a struggle to get up and go out sight seeing. There is so much more to see and do in the city, but my energy level is shot. The crazy week of work and training I had before I even came, on top of two weeks of nonstop going, has finally caught up with me.

I slept in today but did manage to get out to see the two places I was interested in. But when I got there, I discovered they were closed. They are only open Wednesday through Sunday. As I was making my way back to the tube, I heard horse clops on pavement. It was the people involved in the changing of the guard from Buckingham. It rained today so they didn't actually do the ceremony. You just never know what you'll see at any given moment in London.

I came back to the hotel to try and have lunch with Tony, but that didn't work out due to his work schedule. So, I thought it would be a perfect day for a massage. I lucked out and found a place within half a block of our hotel. It felt great and was just what I needed to rejuvenate me for my trip home tomorrow. A cat nap before he got in from work was icing on the cake!

I think all the sight seeing has gotten to Tony, too. Last night I woke up to what I thought was him talking on the phone. It turns out he was reporting that he had a fireplace that was partially caved in and he had no idea what to do to fix it. It let me know that instead of just looking at the castles and the beauty of them, he was thinking about how to reconstruct them. Only a man!

I asked if he remembered it this morning and he said yes. And that he's been having the same dream now for three nights. The strange thing is he doesn't dream nor does he ever remember if he does. Maybe he can get all these ruined castles fixed while he's over here.

This evening was bittersweet. We went to dinner with two guys from Tony's work so I could meet them. Afterwards we walked around a bit. The weather was very mild today and carried over into the night. While I'm ready to go home, I sure wish he was going with me. I don't look forward to managing the five hour time difference and the technology challenges of staying in touch. It's just so much better having him in person.

I've had a wondrous time these last two weeks exploring Europe. We have seen and done so much. We've made so many amazing memories. I will cherish them forever. I've taken nearly 2500 pictures as proof.

London day four - Back to the beginning

We made it back to London safely. We decided to drop off our luggage at the hotel before we dropped off the car. We just thought it would be easier than fighting through the tube with it. Boy, was that a mistake. We spent 45 minutes fighting traffic to get here, and then another 45 minutes back out to the airport.

We put just over 1200 miles on our car in 5 days. It was a really fun experience, but I was glad to let public transportation take over navigational duties. We never would have seen the beautiful countryside we did if we weren't as brave (or stupid) as we are. They are memories that we'll never forget.

On our way out to the airport, we saw a cool restaurant - Sherlock Holmes. We decided to stop back there to eat for the night. We got off the tube and made our way in that direction. We wound through the streets and happened upon this area where a guy came and stopped us. He said they were filming. We asked what it was. He said he couldn't say. I asked if it was British or American. He said we'd recognize some of the actors. So we decided to stay and watch.

There were cool cars, people dressed in overcoats and hats, and women dressed in the dresses and veils of India. We couldn't really make heads or tails of what was happening. Finally, we saw an actor come across the street. It was Billy Bob Thorton. They told him to hurry across the road. He flipped them the bird! Everyone laughed. We had no idea who the rest of the actors were. But when I googled it, the movie is London Fields. We'll have to see that one for sure!!

We finally found the restaurant and it was really good. We made our way across the river and to The London Eye. It's a giant Ferris wheel sort of thing that has pods that you can stand up in. It fits probably about 20 or so people in each. It spins all the way around staying level the whole time as the wheel rotates. It is a beautiful view of the city as it's 443 feet high.

Tony is back to work tomorrow, and I'm back to exploring. There are a couple of places I can see from the English Heritage passes we bought. I may as well get my money's worth! Now if my feet will hold up.

Scotland day three - Long roads

At our breakfast this morning the owner was very inquisitive about us and America. He wanted to know what Virginia is famous for. We told him many of our early presidents were from there. And then we told him it was the capital of the confederacy. He knew all about that. And said we're known for being losers. Oh joy!

He kept wanting to talk to us and finally happened upon the topic of motorcycles. He and his mate do a lot of traveling and riding in other countries. He was telling us about their various adventures along the way. From the sounds of it, he and Tony are brothers separated by the Atlantic Ocean!

He was telling us how the GPS had settings for things that you could avoid. One he set was for traffic. He thought that meant traffic jams. Turns out it meant the most scenic route even if it took you around your nose to get to your big toe. He said he took a lot of u-turns until he figured it out. His mate said that if they don't do at least three u-turns a day, she felt incomplete. I was crying laughing by the time we left. It let me know that I don't have the only man in the world that seeks adventure on the crookedy path versus the straight and narrow.

We took the slow route to Glasgow. The countryside looks a lot like the Shenandoah valley back home. There are fields and fields of sheep separated by low rock walls. We hit a mountainous area that had beautiful streams flowing down the crevices where they met. Simply gorgeous.

Glasgow wasn't much fun. We would have skipped it other than the fact we needed to get some souvenirs. We parked in a garage and set out on foot. We got lucky and were close to the tourist area. We got our gifts and headed on our way. I found yet another back road and we were off.

To give you an idea of the extra amount of time it took us on the lolly gagging route, what should have taken 4 hours took 12. We've spent the last 90 minutes looking for a hotel. My golden rule was that we had to be checked in each day before dark. That didn't happen tonight for sure! We are currently sitting in the middle of the road because there is some sort of accident or something. Our hotel is right beside us. But we cannot figure out where to park. My patience barometer is running on fumes. That and I need to pee! UGH!!!

I've already told Tony tomorrow we are finding the most direct route from here to London. I don't think he will argue. Now if we can just get into our hotel.

Scotland countryside day one - Scrambled

Today we saw Edinburgh Castle. It is more of a fortress built on top of craggy rocks. An amazing place for sure. As we were making our way further North, we went to Linlilthgow Castle, too. It is where Mary Queen of Scots was born. It's just sheer coincidence that we happened upon it. But it's neat that we did those two particular castles tied to her.

We've seen so many castles that they are all running together. Tonight we tried to pick our favorite. We've listened to audio guides at each. There is so much information about each. I'm glad there isn't a quiz at the end because we'd surely get the questions and answers mixed up. We couldn't really decide which was our favorite either because when we'd remember something about one, we figured out it was really another. It's been a wonderful trip.

We are staying in yet another place called Callander. Tony is bound to start an argument tomorrow with wanting to go three hours North of here which means the trip back to London will have to be done all night tomorrow night and into Sunday. And just when we've been doing so well in getting along. Oh well. It's not been a complete trip without a knock down drag out between us!

I think I'm officially fried. It's 8:53 and it feels as if it's at least 2 a.m. I'm about to turn the light out and be done for the night. I'm not sure what the itinerary will hold tomorrow, but I'm sure it will be just as exciting as all the rest of the journey has been.