adventures in gliding

last month my husband tried gliding, also called soaring. i think he's been missing flying since he's been working on his master's degree. have you ever heard of gliding? because i hadn't. i was expecting something more akin to hang gliding. when i arrived at the husband's bosworth airfield i saw what looked more like airplanes, without the engines. how cool is that? i have to admit i have major flying envy, not of my hubby, who can fly commercial planes, but of animals that can take flight. over the years i have had many dreams about soaring. i can't wait to try gliding when i'm not pregnant. a possible meredith family hobby??  

tomorrow we're off on our annual pilgrimage to the states - the sunshine state to be exact. excited to spend time with family and friends, including at my baby shower!!!! (hosted by my bestie), relax by the pool and beach with the hubs, eat lots of yummy americano food, and recharge my preggo batteries. see ya in two weeks!

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travel diaries: weekend in wales

the wedding

the purpose of our road trip was to attend the wedding of my husband's cousin. the destination was a small town outside of swansea. this was my first wedding in the uk, and i was excited to meet more of my mother-in-law's side of the family that includes irish, english and now some welsh family members.  

my husband posing with his two favorite ladies, me and his mum. and lets talk about how handsome he looks in a suit.

the happy couple, helen and kieran!

our adorbs place cards!

barry island

on our way home we stopped by barry island, which regained fame thanks to a popular television series here in the uk, gavin and stacey. think kitschy seaside town past its prime. my husband, also named barry, turned me onto the tv program while we still lived in the states. its available on netflix, and i highly recommend it, the writing and acting are, to use a british phrase, spot on.

okay, so the lighting is poor, but we're BOTH smiling people!

for gavin and stacey fan's you'll remember this as nessa's workplace. if you think this photo-op is cheesy, we spotted an entire tour group dedicated to gavin and stacey, including a cardboard cut out of the couple for photo-ops. we're dedicated fans, but not THAT dedicated.

 for gavin and stacey fans, you'll recognize this bus (or coach). believe it or not i was not the only one taking pictures.

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(mis)adventures of besties in england

i'm so thankful for anytime i get to spend with my bestie of 15 years (gulp), jen. but i was thrilled for the opportunity to share my new home, across the pond, with her. not only was it was jen's first time in europe, it was our first time travelling abroad together. she left her husband and 3 kids behind to come and hang out with me in england! playing tour guide for visitors gives me the chance to relive experiencing the beauty and history of england for the first time.

london calling

we spent two days kickin it in london, just me and my bestie. i impressed jen with my navigational abilities and dazzled her with my tour guide skills. a lot of fun was had.

hello there big ben (psst, don't foget to click on the link for more info), you're so, well, BIG.

westminster abbey.

when jen was visiting we had just learned that i was around 4 weeks pregnant. i loved sharing the early stages of pregnancy with my bestie, in spite of struggling with fatigue and morning sickness. we were both moved by the sanctity and beuaty of the abbey.

my experimentation with red lips continues....

the london eye.

our london pad. ok, not really. apparently its where the queen stays when she's in town, i think its called buckhingham palace.

i love this windswept look of jen's standing underneath the victoria memorial located outside of the gates of buckingham palace.

great reminder.

 

'cheeeese' from piccadilly circus.

the british history museum. we didn't visit during this trip, its definitely worth a day of exploring. 

hehehehehehe. another reason i love this city!

rushton hall

located in northamptonshire, its become a regular stop for high tea on our visitors' itinerary.

cambridge

another popular destination stop. next time i'm hoping to convince our visitors to explore oxford for a change.

ok, i suck, i can't remember which of the university of cambridge's 31 colleges this is.

or this one. 

exploring the vintage finds of the outdoor market.

a punting we will go, a punting we will go, hi ho the merry oh, a hunting we will go.

the day we visited, the university was closed to the public in preparation for the annual end of the year balls that each college hosts. i'm a sucker for papered lanterns.

windsor castle

per jen's request we took a day trip to windosr. barry took a break from his studies and joined us!

father's day on the farm

we spent father's day on the farm with my father-in-law. it was a special day for my husband who shared the news with his dad that he was going to be a grandfather. 

in addition to pigs, they keep sheep, chickens, and cattle. i'm obsessed with their curly tails, and floppy ears. obsessed. oink.

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