Another year, another birthday

Not only is today a pretty fun date - 10.11.12 - it's Mr. B's BIRTHDAY!!

Can you please all take a minute and wish him a happy day? He might not ever admit it, but he secretly loves this blog (maybe more than I do?) and I know your comments would make.his.day.

This year, the birthday celebrations around here will be pretty low key compared to previous years. Partially, because I'm beyond pregnant (yep, it's reached that point) and partially because it just the way it goes some years. Tomorrow, we'll (being me, baby and puppies - duh) bake Rich his favorite cake: German Chocolate and celebrate his special day.

In a sign of things to come, Mr. B will be spending this evening at Disney on Ice with his Little Brother, B. (Oh you didn't know? In addition to being an amazing husband, father, friend - he also volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters.) Disney on Ice folks. Love it.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so instead of me trying to explain Mr. B's awesomeness in words, I'll just leave you with a few photos of him to celebrate his special day.

This was a huge hit on Facebook:

"That moment when you're watching men's gymnastics and your husband decides "I can do that too".

 

You know someone is going to be a great father when he practices reading bedtime stories to the puppies - and they actually listen.

 

Teaching Clem-kadiddle-hopper to swim this summer in Dallas

 

Happy Birthday love - it's been a fantastic year. Can't wait for the next...

 

Nursery Update

Leave it to us to leave this nursery business to the last minute, but I can assure yall, we're almost there!

We got a little behind with the addition of some crown molding (it's a long story but Mr. B insists that if Baby is going to be staring up at the ceiling, it needed some extra decorative woodwork) and several weekends of other home projects that set back our timeline.

However, with Mama H. here this past weekend, everything is nearly complete. The only thing left? Hang it all on the walls and arrange it. Seriously. Just put it all where it goes and we're done!

I promise I'll share complete room photos when it's done, but here are a few pieces that came together this past weekend. You'll see these little bits scattered throughout the room in the final pictures, but at least you can have an idea of what we're doing over here!

Not sure this particular framing company could have taken ANY longer but at least it's done.

Notice the "Clerkenwell" sign below the second "O" in London.

That's where Mummy and Daddy met. At a bar. How romantic.

 

I was short a couple of frames for some pictures so scored some cheap white ones at TJMaxx.

And it's true: this is our family routine. Wake Up, Be Awesome, Go to Bed.

 

Excuse the unedited picture and the setting - the middle of the kitchen is not a normal place for a rocking chair, I'm aware.

We went in CIRCLES about a rocking chair but found a perfect workaround solution for this one.

This, btw, is the rocking chair that my brother and I were rocked in as babies.

 

And what to do with some of our leftover fabric?

Make a kite! (The room has a little bit of a kite theme!)

 

Okay, that's it for now. The room is nearly there and I can rest easier at night (as if there is such thing these days) knowing we will bring a baby home to a finished project and not a work in progress!

 

Happy Anniversary!

September 27 is a special day around these parts. Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband!

Four years ago, we said our I do's and made a promise that no matter what life threw at us, we'd walk the journey side by side.

We were honored that people had come - literally - from all over the world to celebrate with us

 

Pretty sure this face was because I'd dropped the rosary the priest had just blessed.

 

You know how they say the day flies by? I think this is one of the few moments I really remember

 

Two years in, we decided there was no better way to celebrate a wedding anniversary than to purchase your first home together. It'd been a long time coming. We signed our lives away on a million dotted lines and I smiled each time I dated the papers 9/27. It was meant to be and a special day indeed. I'm pretty sure once we had the keys to the house, we popped a bottle of champagne and drank it out of plastic cups sitting on the floor. Not quite the fancy candlelit dinner most would celebrate with, but then again, if you know us, we're not necessarily your conventional couple.   

 

And last year, it was the first anniversary of The Anniversary Home. We celebrated by reminiscing on how much we'd accomplished together in the house. We'd spent a year focusing so much on the physical home - all the blood, sweat and tears (and there were plenty of tears) were certainly worth it - but only learned in hindsight that we were really investing so much in us. The house had become a physical metaphor for what we'd built in our relationship and what we hoped for as husband and wife.

 

But little did you all know that on this day last year, Rich was living in another state, starting a new job, and I was tasked with selling The Anniversary Home. Talk about a 180. It wasn't an easy decision, but as we've reflected on all the changes this past year, we know wholeheartedly, without a shadow of doubt, we made the right decision.

 

So, once again, we spent last night reflecting on everything we'd accomplished together this year:

 

Mr. B started a fantastic new job and is loving it

 

Survived - even thrived - while living apart for 3 months

 

SOLD The Anniversary Home and made out pretty well considering the circumstances

 

Made our way to a new town, met new friends and established a new life

 

BOUGHT a new home

 

Found out we'd be welcoming Baby B in 2012

 

And adopted these two precious puppies

 

2012 has been good to us and we're grateful for the many blessings we've received this past year.

 

So how will we celebrate this year? Like I said, we're not your typical couple. Today, Mr. B is off to Spain for a boys golfing weekend. I told you I'm a GOOD wife - but all jokes aside - he's more than deserving of some R&R and it's the Kinsale Cup for goodness sakes! And on this side of the pond, Mama H. and I will spend the weekend working on the nursery, resting at home (hello swollen ankles!) and being generally entertained by Clemmie and Dixie. I really wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Happy Anniversary Mr. B. I can't wait for what the next year has in store for us...

 

 

 

 





A House Update and a Coincidental Anniversary?

Wooooweeee it's been a little bit of a crazy week. A little finals, some crazy baby biz-nass and some house chaos is just enough to make a girl pull her hair out. Or take a nap. If you know me, I definitely did the latter. A lot of the latter.

We had the appraisal this week on the new house and well, as you can expect, nothing can just go perfectly smoothly with these things. To make a long story short, the numbers were a little off but we all came to a resolution. <Insert happy endings sigh. Wait, let's not forget the stress and angst that got us to the "happy ending". Let's just move on.> The new deal was all signed and sealed this afternoon. I think? Mr. B is managing that actually.

(BTW - as a side note - I'd seriously like to know how one "becomes" an appraiser? Honestly?! Because it seems like the strangest profession. You just go out there and tell people what their house is worth? But there's about a million and five different, unique variables for each and every house in this country. Who's to say a couple thousand here and there will really matter in the long-run? And no, I'm not talking tens of thousands...I'm talking a drop in the bucket when you think about the total transaction. I'm all for appraisers who are getting a ballpark figure, but I don't quite buy this to the exact dollar approach. Gimme a break. Or sign me up for a class.)

So, yes, we still have a house and we're still on track to close at the end of May. Want to know something pretty neat-o about our closing date? We're closing on the NEW Anniversary Home four days before my parents 30th wedding anniversary. I mean, it's not quite exactly the date, but if you all will indulge me, I think that has to be a good omen right? 30 years is definitely something to celebrate!

Happy Birthday Mr. B!!

The secret is out: Mr. B. is another year older today!!

Happy birthday to youuuuuu, happy birthday to youuuuu. Fine. I'll stop there.

(Here's why. Last year we had to meet with our parish priest in order to register for our church. You know the story, here's all the wonderful activities you can get involved with, the priest says to me: we also have a choir. And Mr. B., without missing a beat, and dead serious, says to him: My wife has the voice of an angel...drowning. To which the priest roared with laughter, and I did too, but now only save my singing for when I really want to annoy him.)

35 years ago today, the world was punished graced with an incredibly funny looking (see above), caring and charming man. You never cease to amaze me with your sense of humor, ability to consistently function on 4 or 5 hours sleep, and most of all, your eternal English optimism. (Sometimes to the point of living in la-la-land, but I love you anyways.)

This photo proves just that: laughing your tail off, probably on only a few hours sleep from the celebrations the night before, in full-on English wedding goodness.
Remember 5 years ago when I surprised you at your offices with a singing transvestite Dolly Parton inpersonator? And you wanted to absolutely kill me because your European Board was visiting that day and you thought your career was over? How you underestimated me.... Not only did I clear it with everyone at the office, but they loved the idea so much they chipped in to double the humiliation....

Lucky for you, I don't have anything like that up my sleeve today. Just this post which rekindles those feelings of embarassement - that I've now shared with the entire world.

You're not off the hook that easy though. I've instead gathered four fantastically funny photos of you from over the years. I could have picked 50 - honestly, there are that many - but hopefully you'll smile at these and remember all the fun we've had over the years....

1. Only you would visit Independence Hall in Philadelphia, wearing your Great Britain shirt, and give a thumbs down to the whole America concept.

2. Looking lost (or drunk?) and miserable at Glastonbury, most likely scolding me for eternally wandering off and getting lost. It also appears you're holding my poncho too.

3. Holding a rainbow umbrella and a hot pink Longchamp bag while talking to a goat in rural Kenya. Enough said.

4. The infamous pink boa shot of you just minutes before you were swiftly kicked out of the bar - the weekend of our wedding no less. You decided to attempt to serenade me while standing on a table. You fell off. And I took you home.

Happy Birthday!!

Eventual Disclosure

Listen up ladies. I'm about to let you in on the greatest secret of all time.

First of all - before I continue - you need to know something. My mom is awesome. She's the reason I'm the woman I am today. And I'm pretty awesome too. Which makes her double awesome. And she knows a thing or two about decorating and home-fabulousness.

So when I was "of age", Mama H. shared a little secret with me. It's called "Eventual Disclosure".

You're probs thinking: "Kate, what the haich are you talking about." Patience.

Mama H. has an eye for a bargain and for the "must have" piece for the home which may, or may not, break the bank. Whether it's flea market or Saks, well, that's here nor there. But Senior, my dad, he's not so up-and-up on decorating/home fashions/nesting. That's just the difference between the X and Y chromosome. Did you know you were also getting a biology lesson?

So over the years, Mama H. has adopted a little tactic to offset or distract any potential reaction from Senior when she brings home a new home decor piece. Like I said, it could be flea market, or Saks, but Pops still asks: "Where's that from?" and "How much did it cost?" Even if it's a darn mason jar from the barn.

This tactic? Well it's called Eventual Disclosure.

You ask: "What is Eventual Disclosure" and "How does it work?"

Eventual disclosure it exactly what the label says. It's the practice of introducing new pieces/objects/ideas slowly over time. Eventually. Get it? You're disclosing it, eventually.

For example: When I was a junior in college, Mama H. and I made a pilgrimage to World Market. (If you don't have a World Market, you're missing out.) I was hosting a dinner party for a bunch of friends at the house. We decided it was a perfect occasion to buy some new dinnerware. (In hindsight, Mama H. was darn smart. She wasn't leaving the good stuff to a bunch of college kids, so she found some cheap and cheerful stuff as a substitute for when things got sloppy. Which they did.)

Well, Mama H. didn't run home and tell Senior about the new dinnerware. In fairness, it wasn't anything that would break the bank, but she knew he'd freak if she told him she bought a new set of dishes for my party. So she waited. And then a few months later, she laid the table with my dishes. And Senior asked, "Are these new?" Mama H., without missing a beat, said, "Well I've had these for a while."

You see? She'd had them for a while. And really, when was the last time Pops looked in the china cabinet?

That's eventual disclosure.

Example 2: One time, when Mama H. came to visit me in London, we made another pilgrimage - this time to Stoke-on-Trent, where all the old English china manufacturers are based. (In case you haven't noticed, we have an sick obsession with china and dinnerware. Like, sets and sets of it.) So Mama H. and I hit up the factory outlets. I found our wedding china on clearance - hello, Waterford! - and Mama H. found the most perfect set of Spode Thanksgiving china. Like, perfect.

Well, of course, from here on out, no Thanksgiving meal would be complete unless we had these plates. You see a theme here? So we bought them. On super clearance. Like a dollar a plate. For Spode. And shipped them to Texas.

And then, when Thanksgiving came around and Mama H. set that beautiful table with those plates - what do you know? Senior was asking if those plates were new. And Mama H., without missing a beat, says, "Why honey, I've had these a while....help yourself to some turkey." Issue. Avoided.

Don't get me wrong. My mom and I are honest and truthful about our expenditures with our husbands. We don't lie. Money is split even and there's no secrets. And to be fair, Mr. B. doesn't miss a beat. He's got some alert set up on the credit cards so when I spend over a certain amount he gets a text!!! But eventual disclosure still comes in handy.

Like the rugs I bought this week.

And with that, you'll have to read more.....

PS: Did you enter the giveaway?? Do it now!

First Giveaway & Random Friday Thoughts

Stay tuned for details next week! I've never done one of these bad boys before - heck, I've never even won one when I've been on the other side - but there's a first time for everything. I'll be teaming up with my friend Lenzi over at Homemade Happiness to spoil some lucky winner with a special treat. But, like I said, you'll have to check back next week!

I can't get over how beautiful the weather is today. The leaves are starting to change, there's a crisp breeze in the air and October is just around the corner. I'll be honest, it's days like this when I don't miss Texas. Fall is my favorite season.

Last Friday, we went to Kirk & Susie's wedding up in NYC. Kirk and Mr. B are colleagues and we were so happy to spend the day with them. As it was getting close to ceremony time, it started to rain (that's all it's been doing around here lately it seems) but it made for a really romantic and intimate wedding.

Have you ever seen wedding flowers this beautiful?

Please pardon the "self" picture with an iPhone.

We walked out of the reception and when I looked up, all I could think was:

Holy Batman, We're in Gotham City!



Lastly, remember a while ago when I told yall about the Toilet Paper Graffiti Artist? Well, lo and behold, she struck again. Except this time, it was a team of artists, and they made a special toilet paper face to celebrate our anniversary. I actually laughed so hard I cried when I saw this work of art. It's now sitting on a bookcase shelf for all to see when they stop by my office.

Nothing says Happy Anniversary from your colleagues like a decorated roll of toilet paper.

I love my work friends.

I hope you all are enjoying beautiful fall weather too and have lots of fun plans for the weekend. Mr. B and I have a few house projects to tackle. It's finally time to say goodbye to the crazy green 70's carpet upstairs. I hope to have some before and after's to share with yall next week.

And don't forget the giveaway!

Vacation/holiday Part II: The Lake - Amended

Oooooh, yall, Mr. B is cross with me!!

He finally got around to reading yesterday's post about our lake vacay tonight, and when he finished, he had nothing to say, which was rather odd as he's normally quite opinionated.

I tell a lie. First, he commented on the comments. "Tell Woodsy when I'm not sleeping on a plane I'm throwing turkey at random passengers." "Tell Lenzi you took golf in college as a BS class too. Is that a normal American girl thing or what?" "Tell Jenna she always has the nicest things to say about your posts. Go to her blog. I want to see it." You get the point.

And then, the kicker: "I can't believe you forgot."

My stomach dropped. What the haich did I forget? That was a pretty comprehensive post - thank you very much - and how dare you comment on my blogging because if you want something included then you darn well can blog yourself....you see where I'm going here.

And suddenly my high and mighty, defensive train of thought was brought to a complete stand still: "The TCU flag."

And, oh dear, I did forget.

I love my husband because he loves TCU as much as me, probably more, and he didn't even go there. (Shout out to University of Birmingham, UK, his alma mater. Love you too.)

Mr. B. takes Purple Fridays to heart. He represents everywhere and anywhere. He flies the flag on game day from our front porch. So it was only natural that when we traveled to the Lake and Colorado, he'd pack the flag with us, because he'd obviously find somewhere to fly it.

On Friday morning, the first gameday of the 2011 season - that would be the season following the 2010 season when, in case you forgot, we were ROSE BOWL CHAMPIONS - I awoke to this beautiful sight:



Reason bajillion and change why I love my man: He got up at the crack of dawn to change the flags so we would all be surprised when we woke up. (Or, when I woke up. Cause that was late. I told you it was vacation.)

He caught the wind at the perfect time to get the flag in its glory, then posted it on facebook tagging every friend - and foe - who would appreciate this sight.

Nevermind that we lost that night. A heartbreaking loss indeed. We were loud and proud up there in the middle of nowhere Minnesota cause that's what Horned Frogs do.

So, yall, do me a favor pretty please? Tell Mr. B how much you loveeeeee his flag a'flyin. He loves the comments and he'll love hearing from you since I.....forgot.....

Vacation/Holiday Part II: The Lake

So you can imagine after our whirlwind, amazing weekend in London, we were pretty spent. The type of spent where all you want to do is go home, unpack, cuddle up in your own bed and read a Sunday paper. But that's not how Mr. and Mrs. B. travel. We prefer to pack as much in as possible - you can catch up on sleep on the plane - and get there as soon as possible. (See below for sleeping tips.)

To spare you the logistical nightmare details of our trip back from London, I'll just set the scene up this way. I was "home" for 12 hours for class and to change out the suitcases and Mr. B had a whopping three hours in between his international flight arriving and our Minnesota departure. (Yes, we flew back separately.) Like I said, we live on the edge.

For once, the travel gods blessed us with good travel karma and we didn't have a single hiccup or hitch with our ri-donk-u-lous itinerary. (Horrible flashback to Christmas 2010 when we were stuck in Ireland for three days and then I flew from London to JFK to Los Angeles with the flu.)

I told you we catch up on sleep on the plane and I wasn't joking. Poor Mr. B had been awake for goodness knows how many hours at this point. And I, the loving wife, couldn't miss a photo opportunity like this.

He's going to be really mad I posted this. HAHAHAH.

We arrived in Minnesota on time and "relatively" rested. We were greeted by beautiful sunshine, crisp late summer air, and best of all, Mama H and Mr. H. Commence family vacation (minus one member of the family, Junior, who arrived on Saturday.)

In the land of 10,000 lakes, our lake was - and no disrespect - pretty much like a lot of the other lakes in the area. But it's special to my family as it's where we spent some summer vacations, my father summer vacationed as a youngster and my Aunt and Uncle met there working one summer at a resort. You could say we know the area well.

My Aunt and Uncle were generous enough to share their amazingly beautiful lake house with us for the week. How could you not relax with scenery like this:

I wish I could say we did all kinds of adventurous, outrageous, wild and crazy things, but sorry to disappoint you friendly reader, we didn't. The purpose of this vacation was to r.e.l.a.x. Not an easy thing for me to do since sitting still for me is about as fun as watching paint dry. We spent lots of time reading, fishing, golfing, sleeping, eating and staring at the scenery. Perhaps the most "active" part of the day was the evening booze cruise.

This was Mr. B's first time fishing and he did a pretty good job. So good, he's named himself the Fish Whisperer and thinks he has a legitimate shot at one of those ESPN bass fishing competitions. You may make your own judgements when you see the "fish" we caught.

Mr. B, Me and Junior. Perhaps we ought to take Mr. B to a more reputable fishing lake before we quits his day job and buys a boat. 

We spent lots of days and evenings cruising around the lake with some solid tunes and refreshing beverages. Miss Annie, the pup, made the traveling team and enjoyed the wind in her face too, when she wasn't asleep.

Dad, our trusty navigator, and if you look closely, you'll see Junior doing what he does best.

Me and the pup enjoying the wind.

And then her passing out.

Mr. B giving us full throttle in what was most likely a no wake zone.

Considering we were far, far removed from civilization, the golf course was surprisingly challenging and in excellent condition. For those of you wondering, yes, I do play golf (really enjoy it as a matter of fact!) so it was great to play with the boys.

Mr. B and Senior teeing off.

The view from the ladies tee.

Senior with his tee shot right next to the pin. Don't be deceived by the proximity to the pin - it was perhaps the ugliest tee shot of all time and he'll readily admit he got lucky. (It bounced off the cart path but Pops defends it well: "Doesn't matter how it gets there as long as it does.")

We sampled some of the local brewskis too. Dad has a mild obsession with the way beer used to be made in the heartland so it was thanks to him we were introduced to some new brews (and subsequent reminiscing). Taste aside, extra credit goes to Schmidt's for their ridiculously outdated, yet highly effective packaging. I'm sorry yall, but nothing says 'Merica like a beer with a grizzly bear or huge bass on the can and box. Don't need the mountains to turn blue or a wide vent for gulping. Just a wilderness scene. It's a real treat to reach into the case and guess what outdoor adventure you'll score next.

We spent a chilly evening by the bonfire with some Robert Earl Keen and James McMurtry and a bottle of red. I've been bugging Mr. B. to make us a bonfire in the backyard for a while now and I think that project is going to have to get bumped up to the top of the honey-do list, especially now that fall is in full effect in our neck of the woods.



After writing this post, it feels like we didn't really do anything, but that was the point. And in case you're wondering, Mama H. and I were actually on this trip, despite the photos telling a different story. She took lots of pictures - including some family shots - but since she just had shoulder surgery - I'm not going to pester her for those pictures now. Promise I'll share them another day.....

All in all - it was a wonderful week at the lake. I'm thankful for time spent with family and I hope we can do it again next year. (Which means we'll need to start coordinating a date, say, last week.)

Our Vacation/Holiday fun didn't end in Bay Lake though. From there, we traveled to Fort Collins, CO for Whit and Nate's wedding. But that's another post for another day!

College Educated

But can't follow directions.

The kitchen, friends, is getting a test drive this week. I owe you updates but I need to take better pictures (story of my life!)

For now, I'll leave you with this sneak peek of Chez Mr B hard at work on tonight's masterpiece: Stovetop Chicken courtesy of our besties at Southern Living.




The new stove/oven is a real treat - once you figure out how the heck to use the damn thing. We are college educated but apparently "following directions" from a manual is a little much to ask.

Ta ta for now. Me and my full belly are headed to sleepyland.

Vacation/Holiday Part I: London

Three weeks we headed across the small pond to England for few days to visit family and friends. Each trip home is like a step back in time: things are the same, but they're different. It's comforting and weird at the same time.

Despite the fact we were only there for a few days, we had a blast and made the most of every day.
The highlight of the trip was the wedding for our dear friends, Mike and Naomi. They made the trek to Dallas for our wedding a few years ago, and there was no way we were going to miss their special day. In case you've had your head in the ground this year, or forever, English weddings are quite the affair. Royalty or not, it's a big, all-day celebration with plenty of drinks to keep your spirits up.

We started the day early with brunch in Bermondsey - we'd obviously need full bellies to keep us going all day long. But let's be honest, when you walk in at 11am dressed to the nines, and most everyone is still in their pjs, it can feel a little awkward. And its more awkward when you ask for the wine list and your waiter has to tell you he can't serve it to you till noon. Well, fine, bloody mary's for the next hour will do.

Donald & Donald. I don't think they even know why they call each other Donald.

Thanks for never taking any picture too seriously Donald.

In typical London fashion, it absolutely chucked it down with rain while we were enjoying our brunch. (Oh, it's raining? We should get another bottle while we wait it out.) And in one of the strangest weather phenomena I've ever experienced: from our table we could see one side of the street where it was raining and another side of the street where it wasn't raining. And I promise that wasn't the wine making us see things. It really happened. Upside after the showers? We were treated to glorious sunshine for the rest of the day.

For you architecture buffs, this was from our table - The Shard of Glass.

Construction is coming along nicely...

And then us walking directly beneath it. Let's talk about how Mike and Adam look like my personal security detail here. Thanks lads.

And the wine is kicking in. And we're not even at the bloody ceremony yet.

Undoubtedly, I said something ridiculously stupid or we were planning our dance floor moves for later in the evening. Probably both.

Despite many drinks, getting lost and a minor shoe crisis (Notice the flips girls. Don't even try to walk long distances through the streets of London in your heels.) we made it to the cathedral on time. And yes, cathedral, cause the bride and groom have connections with godly types. A beautiful service - take my word for it - but no pictures cause I'm not that tacky. But outside of the cathedral, it was fair game.

Sometimes life's so bright you gotta wear shades. Except Mr. B.

Sans shades cause we're cool like that.

So here's what you need to know. From the cathedral, we had to walk a short distance to a pier on the Thames to catch our river cruise. (Yes, river cruise, but more on that later.) Well after a good hour in the church, we were, shall we say, sobering up a little, AND England was playing Ireland in the Rugby World Cup. So would you judge us if we made a quick pit stop in the pub on our way? I didn't think so. Thank you friends.

Photographic evidence that, really, there was sports on that we needed to watch.

And watching sports without drinks is lame. Bulmers, Lager and Wine.

So maybe a little too much time passed at the pub and we had to hustle it to the boat. And we were the last ones on the boat. (Oops. Thanks for waiting though!) The bride and groom had catered to our every need on the boat which meant we were greeted immediately with more drinks. Our crew decided to head to the back of the boat and soak up the sunshine and some amazing views. Prepare yourself for a few of my favorite pictures we've ever taken in London.

Mrs. B + full security detail.

Have no idea what we were laughing at, but if you don't know us IRL, this pretty much sums it up.

Always laughing.

Donald, Big Up, Mr. B and hubs with the London Eye.

In case you want to know the story of how Mr. B and I met, blame thanks Donald and Mr. B.

But that's another post.

My fantastically pathetic attempt at getting a group shot in front of Ben. Fail.

Mr. and Mrs. B with Ben and the Eye.

So, fast forward an undetermined time later. (I say undetermined because at this point I have lost all track of time. It was at least an hour? Maybe two?) We arrive at the other end of the arrive and head for the reception at Fulham Palace. Yep. Palace. Cause again, the bride and groom have connections.

Mr. B attempting to get artsy with the iPhone and I just have no idea what is happening.

More drinks in the garden but the threat of showers chased us inside. By this point, we'd had our fill of English sunshine and it made complete sense to position ourselves as close to the bar as possible. Again, loss of time keeping and we're on our way to dinner. The food was amazing. And that's not just because I'd been drinking all day.

Shepherd's pie and mash at a wedding?. Yes please. Delish.

Soon enough it was time for dancing and that's where things started to get a little hazy. If my pictures are anything to go by, the wheels were starting to come off. We left around 1am, at which point Mikey had an absolutely epic (drunk) temper tantrum about the rest of us being (insert choice word) losers for not wanting to go to some seedy, nasty disco to dance and drink the rest of the night away. For once in my life, this was probably a wise decision because we had to be up in the morning, and in decent health, to travel down to Rich's parents. (Some of you may recall a previous wedding where I did not heed this advice and spent much of the train trip home in the bathroom. Thanks Marie.)

We spent a couple days down on the south coast with Mr. B's family. Our visits home always seem to fly by - when does a trip home not feel that way? We spend a lovely English Sunday afternoon at the local fair. I guess for us Americans it would be a cross between a local 4-H gig (but more civilized) but not quite like a state fair (smaller in scale.)

The nephews and I immediately went on a quest for donuts. Mmmmm. We walked around the entire area before we finally found them and they were well worth the wait. And yes, I am the auntie who feeds sugar and sweets...



We wandered around until we found Mr. B and his brother, Matt, up to their usual, highly-competitive, tricks. This iteration included a coconut throwing contest and believe it or not, ended up in a tie!

Playing "Paper, Scissors, Stone" to start the game.

You and I call it "Rock, Paper, Scissors".

Either way its official.

Matt with his coconut throw. Excellent form.

Mr. B following through with his coconut throw.

To finish off the visit, we went for a family dinner (Nanny, Grandpa, Auntie and Uncle, plus Matt & Helen and the boys.) Of course, I didn't take a family picture. Nothing new there... But I did snap this adorable picture of my little nephew with his after dinner dessert. A cappuccino and ice cream. (But the cappuccino is really just frothy milk.) How adorable is that?? So proper!

I headed back to the States on Tuesday (darn MBA class ruins all the fun) and Mr. B came home the next day before our big adventure to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.... stay tuned for more!