Britain Family Vacation!

We fetched home our boy after semester number two! He got A's and B's except that he has one more final to take (because he slept through it), but a very kind professor let him take an incomplete and he's scheduled to take that final in June. Then it was Mother's Day morning... I got a sonnet again and, the pet sitter picked-up (and, spoiler alert, spent two weeks spoiling) the dogs, and then we flew to Britain!

Flat #1:Gray's London

Doesn't Cameron look snazzy is this jacket! We saw Andrew's 80+ year-old Minecraft friend in Felixtowe and I checked off the bucket-list-item of visiting the cliffs of Dover! I goofed on a date, so we also took a surprise trip to Cambridge instead of staying a second night in Grays... oops, a bit of drama around midnight when we thought they'd double booked the flat, but lots of lessons learned! 

Well, considering we'd arrived at 2:30am, it's not surprising that we got a late start but we had a delightful few-hours in Cambridge while Cameron slept in the car. We also had more than hour conversation during the drive north during which we revamped how we're going to plan vacations in the future... super loving and valuable process for handling mistakes!

Flat #2 (as far as planned and really staying): Yorkshire

So excited at my first sight of the Yorkshire moors and we had a glorious dinner at the local pub called the Wheatsheaf... we went back lots!

First day we spent in Whidby! What a fun little Yorkshire-coast town with lots of yummies to sample and little boat trip too. We went back to the Wheatsheaf for dinner again. Nom nom!

Second day, we explored lots of Yorkshire spots via the on-off-tickets on the North Yorkshire Moor Railway! So much fun! Pickering Castle was the one place we got rained on all vacation but it had stopped by the time Andrew set up his tripod. I loved visiting Goathead (Hogsmead) station and seeing the fields of yellow flowers (rapeseed). "The Secret Garden" does not exaggerate the beauty of the Yorkshire moor!

Flat #3 Wales:

Andrew wanted to drive via Liverpool as a super Beatles fan and the Beatles museum was one of Cameron's highlights of the vacation. The place we stayed in the countryside of Ross-on-Wye was so idyllic!

First day, Cameron delighted in tackling a quadizzila and then delighted in teasing me when I was trying to get a picture of him tackling the final layer. The mine we wanted to visit was closed so we mostly just saw countryside this first day.

Second day started with mellow morning games and enjoying our little courtyard (shared with some very happy bees). Then Raglan castle and then back to enjoying the area around our "flat", actually a converted barn.

Third day, Cardiff and home via Chepstow followed by so much fun with a games evening. A neighbor did knock on the door and let us know we had a flat tire... so we wound up spending much more time hanging out in that glorious location the next morning!

Flat #4 London

When we got on the road, we headed toward to Chew Magna, original home of Andrew's ancestor, Thomas Minor, who came to Connecticut in 1629 and founded several towns. During our drive the company switched the flat we were renting but we had an address by the time we finished returning the rental car and took an Uber across London, quite the experience. The whole trip, I was really glad I wasn't driving!

First day, British museum plus tea! Baker's Street and an amazing church and park on the way back. Such a full day! It was so exciting to walk into that church and hear these seven people practicing for a show that evening... heavenly moment! (That evening we found this incredible tapas restaurant right by our flat (and we returned there our final evening.) A bonus while enjoying heavenly wine and nibbles was that ComicCon was going on within a block of our flat and the people watching was seriously fun!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9WylrnW8h8

Second day, sky-tram then boat to Tower of London, then walking all over the place including St. Paul's and Covent Gardens!

Third day, we started with a visit to the Dr. Who hidden museum and then walking along the south bank and visually visiting everything from the Globe to the London Eye to Buckingham Palace.

Homeward bound... that's the south border of Britain from the plane! We got home around 2:30am London time but 7:30pm local time. We're re-acclimating after such a wonderful adventure!

 

New family member: Four months in to adopting Alfie

 It has been quite a journey! Alfie arrived with lots of anxiety and lots of love.  

Things he's learned so far:

- Dogs do not get on our furniture.

- Dogs sit (or down) during human meals.

- Dogs don't need to bark at every squirrel/deer (but most still get alerting)

- Dogs don't need to bark at all melting snow thumps (but most still get alerting)

- He will survive if he isn't petted every moment of every day. (First night, 12/30/22, it didn't seem like he believed that and my teenager struggled with the effects on his game-play:  https://youtu.be/e5gf1h-5xo0)

- Sit, down, and stay aren't that complicated.

- He can sleep on a comfy dog bed instead of a human bed.

- Licking human faces is a no but elbows and ankles are fine (and we've learned he seems to find about ten minutes the minimum).

- Licking Tracker-dog is almost always patiently tolerated (and the same time minimum applies).

- Snakes aren't that interesting and they run away when you lick them.

Things we have learned. 

- It was worth the teaching. He's a sweetheart.

- The kitchen counter is not safe for leaving food and massive GI upset results! (Tissues are apparently also delightful to eat and have the same result.)

- This dog can hamster wheel a pop up crate!

- We can make progress against the barrel-Lab shape.

- His tail is a powerful tool for thwacking everything (and he doesn't care).

- He likes guys best... Cameron and Andrew are much more fun than I am (but I'll do in a pinch because petting is petting and it is required often).

I'm sure we'll learn more about this sweet puppers who has found a forever home.

(Alfie is about four years old and was adopted from https://www.safeharborlabrescue.org )

Mellow Month: First College Break

For the most part, this was a visit of a mellow-month. I liked that Cameron got to choose what kind of relationship he wanted over this month: child-parent, respectful house-guest, renter, other? 

We chatted beforehand and he picked respectful house-guest. I'll admit it was slipping a bit by the end... chili-splattered microwave is fine?!?! But, really we had a lovely time.  He's ready for semester two of his junior year.

Ice cream treat seemed reasonable after all the lugging of stuff back up the stairs... he's a keeper :)

2022 Holiday e-card and latest

We all have those years and I've decided this is one for us... so, here are family photos and well wishes from our family to yours!

Happy holidays!

May your year be filled with cozy times... as delightful as double mochas!

Here is our latest family update so you can see the latest at our home.

12/24/22

Hello everyone,

What a packed week! Lots of news and I’m including larger pictures this week… here we go!

Very carefully decorating… of course, Cameron had shattered a lid of oven-safe glass all over the kitchen that morning which might have made him a wee bit more careful with these baubles. He did crack me up by admitting to a decorating flaw, “I swear I’m over-thinking this!”

Cameron’s glee and Andrew’s horror at finding this preschool ornament

Ah, the friendly teasing… as Andrew put Cameron’s gifts under the tree, “One, lump of coal. Two, lump of coal. Three, lump of coal. Four, lump of coal. Five, lump of coal!” (Naturally with all different accents and cackling glee.)

I’m so excited that I’ve made it into the original roll-out for this device to treat migraines… could still be 6weeks away though before I get one: https://www.relivion.com/why-relivion/relivion-safety-and-results/

My child got a scholarship letter in the mail for… out of state students? Apparently, he didn’t check the box for in-state-student on the application and used $10k more of his college fund for his first semester than he needed to. We’ll see what Andrew can do to help address the issue during business hours. I know this isn’t life or death, but I admit this kind of thing really shakes me up and makes me question again if I’m making the right independence-choices. Parenting is tough. By the way, three A’s and two A-’s for his first semester at a 4-yr-college. The asynchronous challenges continue… he’s 14 and 24 at the same time depending on the situation and some life-situations are so complex!

At work, we kept up with all the coverage of students through staff sick-calls and I’m loving my cozy, new desk set-up

Yep, he loves them and Cameron is amused

Center closed today (Thursday only) due to dangerous temperatures! Poor puppers came back from going out limping and Andrew set up a bonus heater for snakes. Now that pets are cared for and all morning chores done… cozy times for humans 🥰

Awww, look at tracker peeking through to tell me on I’m on the wrong side of the fireplace

Doggie eye-roll. I did so much wonderful Qi Gong in-front of an all-day fire and both felt so good!

So many beautiful visitors over the day… big and small

(These two came today, but same spot.)

That would be my sweet boy shoveling again, unasked… I warmed some milk on the stove and sweetened it for him to enjoy when he came back-in (traditional treat from when he was living at home and came-in from the cold)

He got signed up for classes next semester too:

And I got so many mental warm-fuzzies in addition to all these wonderful physical-moments over the day… I read a lovely card from my manager who is leaving and I received this note from my chorus director regarding the award from a few weeks ago. Talk about a day filled with warmth of all varieties!

The Joy award is given from me to the singer in Skyline who exhibits Joy, and shares Joy.  

This year's recipient manifests joy all the time.  She leads from the risers, and always has a joyful smile and greeting.  She sings with joy and seeks harmony while always looking for the good in others.  Her positive and gentle spirit wraps the chorus in love.  She is keenly observant of the many often unseen contributions that make our Skyline village successful, and is quick to express sincere gratitude for these efforts.  This years award goes to Rachel Miner.

Vickie

International Speaker, Coach, & Author

Master Director 700, Skyline Chorus

Sweet Adelines International Board of Directors

Judge Specialist, Expression Category

Certified Expression Judge

Certified International Faculty

Manager note excerpt:

Thank you for being the heart of our center. You are the first person to celebrate a victory or notice when someone needs one. Your steady growth and willingness to seek and accept feedback are wonderful models for your colleagues. I am so grateful to have had you working alongside me as we rebuilt Denver to its former glory…”

And, even though it’s finally made it above freezing… I admit this made me laugh!

And this made me laugh too…

Here’s to holiday smiles!

Rachel

P.S. Some of Andrew’s photos from his first photo-shoot at a ski resort and renting a studio: