UK, here we come!

Sunday morning we got up and cleaned up bathrooms, made beds and packed. Naturally I was in big trouble because I have bought too much so far and we still had18 days and many presents from family still to come. Why can't I just live with 2 outfits and not ever buy anything? Maybe one day I will learn. As you can guess, this frustrates the fire out of the man I love. 

At any rate, we got everything in the car, barely, and headed out to breakfast at Harry's Cafe. Cathy, Craig and Linda met us there and although we had to sit at booths back to back, we were still able to visit a bit before we headed to Kansas City to catch our flight. 

As always, leaving was not fun at all. Millie has really started to understand the leaving process and has cried at the last two goodbyes; first with Morgan and Emily, and on Sunday with Grammie and Pop. Naturally, I always cry. We talk to them on Skype nearly every week, but it's not the same as being down the road from them. It's possible we spend more concentrated time with them while we are home, or at least the kids do. But knowing they are right down the road, whether we would see them everyday or not, will be nice when we return for good in a few years. 

We headed on our way just before 11 am. We had to return the rental car by 2 pm and our flight was due to leave at 4:30 pm. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time, as we always do thanks to my time management husband.  Stuart dropped us off at the terminal with some of the bags while he returned the rental car. It was raining when we got to the airport so I was a perfectly fine not going to the rental car place with him. Once we were all checked in with our 4 bags that were at their weight limit, we had a bite to eat and then went through security. The kids just sat and waited for the plane while they snacked on vanilla wafers and nutter butters. 

The flight from Kansas City to Toronto left about 30 minutes later than scheduled. Since our layover in Toronto was only an hour, we knew there was a possibility of missing our flight to England. Once we were off the flight we had to go through customs and make it to a gate one hallway down from where we exited. When we landed we had 20 minutes to get on the plane. We took off running, even Millie was hoofing it. The gate had changed when Stuart and Jack arrived. We were redirected to another gate and got there before the gates closed. It turned out that the flight had been delayed a bit, which worked out nicely for us.   

The flight to London was uneventful. We tried to make the kids sleep but because the flight was only 6 and a half hours, they didn't get a great deal of rest. Once we arrived in London everything went rather smoothly.

We headed to pick up our rental car, and I'm proud to report we got all of our things in the car. The kids and I snoozed on the 2 hour journey to Hastings. I woke up just in time to see the detour our google maps took us on. These tiny roads actually expect two cars to pass each other at some stage. 

The picture is a bit blurry, but you can see how narrow the lanes are. 

We arrived unscathed and were able to unpack before Grandma and Grandpa got home from their morning errands and appointments. Once they were home we had a bite of lunch and the kids played outside in the garden. It was chilly which was a nice break from the heat and humidity we had in the Midwest. 

Stuart and I headed to Sainsbury, which is as much fun for us as Walmart of Target, to buy some gifts for our nieces. While we were gone Grandma and the kids painted. Jack may have gotten a bit carried away with his lainting and somehow he managed to get some on his face. 

They had fun and I didn't have to clean him up, so no harm was done. 

Once Stuart and I were back from the supermarket I repacked one of our bags for our trip to Spain. Why is it that I can't just stick to the plan and not buy too much when we travel? 

I bathed the kids before dinner and then we ate around 7 pm. The kids went to bed just after 8 pm and we followed closely behind them. We decided that jet lag is not nearly as bad when you are coming from a 6 hour difference. I'm happy to report that both of them woke up one time and ended up sleeping at least 9 hours a piece. Of course we had to wake Millie up to get her to go to breakfast with us, but that's pretty normal. She loves her sleep. 

I was awake before the alarm went off, but we were all up by 7 am to go down on the seafront for breakfast at the Mermaid with some of our UK friends. It has rained all night and was definitely weather for a 'light sweater'. 

The Mermaid was closed so we went to the yacht club instead. There was a lovely full English breakfast and several cups of coffee with the few friends who were able to join us. Because our visit in England is so short this time and we have to divide it between Stuart's mum and dad, it becomes challenging to see everyone we would like to see. This was indeed a great and we were so pleased that those who could, came out on that rainy Tuesday morning. 

Mike was a year 6 teacher when I did my exchange. He has always been a true supporter of Stuart's and has been very lovely to me through the years. It was wonderful to visit with him. 

From left to right: Daisy, Sam (Daisy's mum), the four of us, Nathan, and Maria. Maria and I didn't teach together but she was a dear person to me when I lived in the UK. Sam and Nathan came to Arizona when we got married and Nathan was a groomsman. He was my London pal when I lived in England. 

We headed to Sainsbury's after breakfast to get a French stick and a pair of leggings for Millie because it was so chilly outside. Oh, the waist was far too big so Granny, who was at the house when we returned, took a needle and thread and put a dart on each side, causing them to stay up. Below you can see that Granny is putting them on her. 

Millie got birthday presents from Granny and Hope. 

Almost everything she got was on the theme of Frozen, which was fine by her. 

The kids played around for a few hours and then had a bite to eat for lunch. Just after lunch the kids settled to watch Nanny McPhee until Bella, Sofia, and Eliza, their cousin, arrived to play. 

It was manic from then on. There were bubbles and musical instruments, as well as performances from Jack (singing) as well as Bella (gymnastics). All 4 of the kids got along really well. Eliza makes the 5th grandchild, but she's just over 1 year old and requires a great deal of attention, so is less likely to get involved with the others. 

The kids played with bubbles outside while Grandpa and Stuart grilled the food for dinner. 

Once dinner was ready we were all in and at the table. 

We had cleaned up a little and remembered we hadn't taken a picture of the kids together. As we were taking this picture Karen was speaking to Granny on the phone who apparently had car trouble on the way home. Stuart and Barry were rushing out the door to help Granny, and Anna and her kids were also leaving. I ran mine upstairs for a bath, finished helping clean up the dinner dishes, folded a load of laundry, got the kids out of the bath, and put them to bed. I retired to the sofa and waited for Stuart to return from helping his gramdma. 

Grandpa and Stuart returned just before 10 pm, having delivered Granny's car to the Honda shop and Granny back to her house. We all retired around 10:30 pm, but I wouldn't be asleep for long because Millie was awake and stayed awake for nearly 2 hours. She kept turning and twisting until I finally had to get cross with her. She then fell asleep and I went back to my bed. 

I didn't wake up until almost 8:30 am. I can only assume Jack had been up for a couple of hours by that time. Once we were all awake, which was 10 am for Millie, we got dressed and headed over to Eastbourne to get Granny. We headed to Berling Gap for a coffee and a look around at the cliffs, which are falling off each year, moving the land back. 

It was a windy one for sure. 

We headed back to Granny's and walked to Bibendums to have lunch.

I just love watching Jack take care of Millie. 

After lunch we walked back to Granny's then headed back to Grandma's but not without hitting Sainsbury's first, a trip to Grandma's doctor to pick up some medication for her to take to Spain, and then a visit to the garden centre, one of my favorite places in Hastings. I didn't purchase anything because as Stuart would say, 'We are way over our weight limit. Stop buying things!'  He may have a good point. 

Once we were back at the house the kids decided to watch the rest of Nanny McPhee. Millie played in the bath for a bit while Jack continued with the movie. Both kids ate leftovers around 7 pm because Grandma and Grandpa were leaving for Spain early Thursday morning, and we had to get rid of everything in the fridge. 

Millie ended up going to bed before Jack because of her behavior at the dinner table. However, she was exhausted and fell right to sleep. Sometimes I think she pitches a fit so I will take her straight to bed because inevitably she drops right off after an incident. Poor thing has been dragged all over the world. She handles it pretty well, except she has not slept through the night since we arrived in the UK. She seems to wake up each night around 11:30 pm and is awake for about two hours. Wednesday night was no exception. Although on Wednesday night I told her she needed to go back to her room and I would be in there after 5 minutes. I just ignored her until she left. I ended up going into her room after 5 minutes and laying with her. I felt since she actually went back to her room, I should honor my end of the deal. Sadly, it meant another 2 hours of laying with her. I suppose this stage won't last forever and one day I will actually wish she asked me to come and lay with her. So I will no longer complain. 

Grandma and Grandpa were up and gone by 2:30 am, heading to Spain to get the house ready for our arrival on the 8th. We had a list of things to do once we were awake. The house had to be locked up for two months and we needed to make sure all lights were off, wet towels were hung to dry, and the fridge was emptied. 

Once the kids were up and the house was ready to be closed up, we packed our things in the car and headed to Eastbourne to take Granny to lunch. We arrived at her flat and immediately headed to the seafront to walk along the pier. The pier was burned down last year and a sheikh came in and rebuilt it, renaming it Sheikh's Pier as opposed to the Eastbourne Pier. Shame, really. I think the owner is having a laugh of sorts. 

It was a windy day on the pier, but quite warm, actually. 

Granny was a trooper and walked all the way to the end of the pier and back. She's quite active for 86, me thinks. 

Granny paid for the kids to play in the bouncy house down on the seafront. After they played their £3 worth we headed to the Holiday Inn, which was a  restaurant, not a hotel, that featured fish and chips. When we walked in, the four Telfords, the average age in the place went down by a few years. It was apparently a popular place amongst the retirees. 

Once lunch was finished we took Granny back to her flat and headed towards Maresfield to see Grandad and Grandma. Our UK tour was on its last leg. We arrived just before 3 pm and had a cup of tea. Stuart and Andrew unloaded our bags and then took the kids for a little outing. Lyn and I talked in the conservatory (with the knife by Col. Mustard- ha!) while they were gone.

Forever a monkey. 

Monkey see, monkey do. 

They returned with sticks and tales of their time at the park and walking through the woods. Their feet were filthy and they needed them cleaned before they could walk through the house. 

Grandad loves taking the kids on adventures. 

The kids played outside for a bit and then it was off for a bath, dinner, and bed. While the kids slumbered we sat outside drinking our beverage of choice and then went in to eat dinner ourselves. We sat around the dinner table until nearly 11 pm, just talking about everything under the sun. We finally decide to clean up the dishes and straighten up the dining room and kitchen. 

After that it was bedtime for all. The plan was to be up and out around 8 am, but I doubted that would actually happen. 

We did wake up around 7 am. Grandad and Stuart went to Tesco with the kids while Grandma and I had a second cup of coffee. 

Once we had breakfast, we headed off to Groombridge Place Enchanted Forest and Gardens which they had turned into Neverland. The Peter Pan characters were about and we saw a few presentations with the characters. It was brilliant. It reminded me of a Chritmas pantomime. There was a lot of humor that was directed towards adults. 

Peter, Wendy, Michael, John, Tinker Bell, Jack and Millie posed for a photo. 

The boat ride down to the amphitheater was a quiet, delightful ride. 

Hook and the pirates were performing when we first landed from our boat ride. 

We had lunch at the picnic tables, which Grandma had made and packed. After we ate, the kids played in the maze opposite of where we were sitting. They had a great time calling out to each other trying to find their way out or to each other. 

We went into the gardens to see one more performance from the actors. They really were superb! After the short play we went to the trampoline bouncer where the kids were bungeed up and did flips. The actors came over and spoke to us and confirmed what we had thought, that the guys who played Tick Tock and Hook ad-libbed most of their lines, which made them that much funnier. 

We left the gardens and headed back to Derrybank (the name of Andrew and Lyn's place). The kids played in the garden for a bit, while we drank tea and sat on the patio. Around 6 pm I took the kids up for a bath, which was followed by their supper, Ice Age, and bed. We had dinner a little later and then headed to bed. We had a big day planned for Millie's birthday on Saturday. 

As usual, Jack was up before anyone else. We had our little routine of coffee/tea in the conservatory and anxiously awaited Barnes, Anna and the girls' arrival to Derrybank. They were coming for the birthday party. 

I was the last one to rise and did so to this beautiful face, saying, 'Say happy birthday. I'm 5 today.'  She such a spunky monkey. 

It's hard to believe she is 5 years old. In many ways she is well beyond her years, and we love every spicy bit of her. 

Once I was up and dressed, I sent the kids off with Daddy and Grandad in the Mercedes, top down. It was an absolute treat for the kids.

 I'm sure Daddy loved it as well. 

I went back upstairs to complete my beautifying process, which becomes more challenging with each passing year. I then came down for tea with Lyn in the breakfast nook. A relaxing morning it certainly was, and strangely quiet. 

The noise started up again once the kids returned with the shopping. There was breakfast and then the presents were opened. 

The birthday girl picked out her own pink donuts. 

A Lego and My Little Pony was just the ticket for fabulous birthday gifts. 

Jack also got birthday gifts, early. He was pleased as well. 

Both kids spent some time putting together their Lego, but one little one was less inspired. 

The lawn was set up with croquet and Jenga. 

Daddy and Grandad put up the tent for loads of afternoon fun. 

The cousins were a bit delayed in their arrival, as they lost their keys to their car at the beach. They had gone to see Anna's mum on the lake and Anna sat her keys down. Someone found them and turned them in, but a couple of hours passed and my kids thought they would never arrive. They ended up getting to Grandad and Grandma's around 2 pm. They ate and then the games began. Grandma had prizes for each game and the kids loved it. 

Pass the Parcel was a crowd favorite. 

Twister was enjoyed by Jack and Bella while Millie and Sophia looked on. 

And sweet baby Eliza LOVED the ice cream. 

The Atkinson crew left around 6 pm, and my kids went for a play in the bath. Once they were finished they came downstairs to watch Paddington. They only watched about 45 minutes of it before it was bed time. They had both had a full day and were really tired. Millie didn't want to go to bed, wouldn't tell me what song she wanted me to sing, and pretty much threw a fit when, after asking her multiple times what song she wanted, it was decided she would not get a song. That was not a popular decision, but I stuck to my guns, and she did eventually settle down and go to sleep. 

Dinner was just after the kids were asleep. We talked in the dining room for a while after we were finished eating. I then decided I needed to put a load of laundry on so that we could have it dried by Sunday afternoon as we would leave early Monday morning for Spain. Then it was sleepy time for us as well. 

Our England adventures are coming to a close. We will miss the mild weather, but all good things must come to an end, I suppose. I can't believe we start back to school in two weeks. Our holiday has been such fun and has seemed to last forever. That's the marking of a great holiday, one that you want to continue and could live in forever. 

The whole family is here!

Sunday porch coffee drinking is my favorite new pastime. I wish we had a porch in the UAE and I wish we had to weather in July to be out on a porch. Ah, but we can always do that when we come back for good and are visiting Branson. 

The kids like the porch as well. 

This is a Katydid. There are all kinds of critters in my parents' yard and on their porch.

We all got ready for church and left just after 10 am. 

Here we are in our Sunday best. 

The kids went to children's church while we went in the auditorium and listened to a speaker who was my niece's leader when she did Link year in Branson the year she graduated from high school. He was very entertaining and actually made sense on some ideas regarding the upcoming election. He stated that God was in control no matter who won the election, which is so true. So I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to do my part and vote and then handle what happens, when it happens. 

After church of course we had to go to Walmart for some items for dinner. I made crock pot chicken nachos. We got home and stuck all of the ingredients in the crock pot in order for dinner to be ready at a reasonable time. We all just ate leftovers for lunch and I ended up getting sick because I ate too much and I had spicy food, two problems. I ended up sleeping for about an hour. 

We went to the lake after I was up and feeling better, but Russ and Mitch decided not to go with us. The kids and Stuart got in the lake, but Grammie, Pop and I decided not to. It was super sweltering. 

Walking down to the sandy beach to find our spot. 

The kids and Stuart were nice and cool. 

Jack and Millie got a little silly with the rocky sand just at the water's edge. 

Once we had enough of the lake, the kids changed their clothes and we went up to a local resort and had some ice cream and coffee. It was a beautiful hotel with shops, one of which sold refreshments. 

When we got back, Russ and Mitch were cutting the grass and our chicken nachos were ready. The kids got cleaned from the lake and were all ready for bed. We all ended up taking showers before we ate, and didn't eat until after 8 pm. Millie ended up falling asleep in my lap around 9 pm, and Jack went to bed shortly after that. 

The weather was nice and cool out on the porch Sunday evening, which could only mean rain for Monday. 

Once we were awake and porching it on Monday morning, it was evident this would be a cooler day than we had experienced thus far. Silver Dollar City would be way more fun in the cooler weather. 

Not only does this show the front of my parents' house, it also shows the dark clouds that set in for the day. 

We went to breakfast before heading to SDC. The skies were dark and there was sprinkling. When we came out of the diner, which had a live entertainer at 9 am might I add, it was still super dark and cloudy, but we forged on for our day of fun. 

The traditional selfie outside of SDC. 

It rained for most of the morning and initially the big roller coaster were closed because of lighting being in the area. However, once they opened we abused them. We ended up missing only one roller coaster, mainly because Jack didn't want to wait in line because he was wiped out. 

The boys were 'rockin' outside of the General Store. 

The kids have really enjoyed their time with Grammie and Pop. 

We left Silver Dollar City feeling we had really gotten our money's worth. We stopped off at Panera to have coffee. The kids had conned me into buying them a stuffed animal at the park so they were entertained for a bit. They got restless before everyone was ready to go, but since we had driven separately it was easy to just leave before the rest. 

Because Julie, Morgan and Emily were to arrive in Branson around 10:30 pm, the kids had to get a bath, eat and get to bed so that when the cousins showed up they could feel free to wake up Millie and Jack. By that time, we hoped the kids would have had a little bit of sleep and there wouldn't be much damage for our day at White Water, the local water park. 

We all had a bite to eat from left overs, and retired to the porch just before the sun set. 

The view at sunset was spectacular. 

The kids went to bed around 7 pm. Everyone showered and we played pitch. Morgan, Emily and Julie arrived just after 10:30 pm. Prior to that, Jack was wide awake and upstairs at 10 pm because he knew the girls would be there soon. He ran out to greet them when they arrived. Then, in turn, the girls went to wake up Millie. Once the kids were awake, they were absolute maniacs. I have never in my life seen them act so crazy. They were wired beyond belief. It was shocking! They finally got settled but still didn't go to sleep until almost midnight. 

Tuesday morning my family was awake when I returned from my walk at 7:45 am. It seems Jack felt the need to wake up Millie when he got up, which is a big fat no-no. He also woke Stuart up. He was still very excited about the girls being there. We had to hold him back from waking them up as well. 

The kids had breakfast on the porch, while we had coffee....again. 

We watched the kids play and perform for most of the morning. Emily and Morgan played with the kids. Morgan painted Millie's nails and then played the Wii with Jack. 

Pretty nails. 

Jack was giving it his all and Morgan was playing, but chillin' on the sofa all the while. I think she might have beat him. 

We headed to White Water around 12:30 pm. 

The entire Pennell clan. 

These are 4 of my favorite children in the world. 

Dad and the kids were up for the afternoon of fun to be had. 

Mother and daughter hit the waves. 

Lightning and thunder closed the park just before 3 pm, so naturally we headed to Danna's BBQ joint for an early bird dinner. 

It was back to the house, a change of clothes, then a trip to the outlet mall for some retail therapy. We left all the children with Uncle Mitch and Pop. We might have been gone a bit longer than intended, but it seemed that no one was damaged once we got home. In fact, Pop had Jack shower and Morgan had given Millie a bath. It was a treat. 

I attempted to put kids to bed at 8 pm. They didn't seem interested so I just waited until almost 10 pm. It was too hard to fight it when they were only going to be able to spend two days with Morgan and Emily. 

We all headed towards bed at 10 pm, but Stuart and I chatted with Russ and his crew until almost 11 pm. 

I was up and out for my walk at 6:30 am. It was foggy and a little drippy. About halfway through my walk two deer ran across the road about 50 feet in front of me. Naturally, camera was not ready....again, so this story will just have to be believed. 

Stuart and I made a run to Walmart to return a bag we bought in Queen Creek that lost its wheel once we got to Branson. We also picked up some sodas and looked around for a bit. 

When we got back we couldn't find anyone. It seems that most of the family had gone for a walk, including Jack. When they returned Jack told us what a trooper he was. He was certainly sweaty. He had begged me all week to wake him up to go walking with me, and I just couldn't do it. However, he seemed to love it, so maybe I will reconsider it once we get to Spain in a couple of weeks. 

Emily and Jack were showing their 'guns'. Jack's whole goal on his walk was to have a sweat-covered back of his shirt, like Pop's, when he was finished. His shirt was pretty sweaty, but he still doesn't sweat like Pop. He was so proud of himself. 

We sat on the porch for a while as we did each day we were in Branson. After a while we decided we should do something with our day. So half of us went to eat sushi and the other half went to eat at the Farmhouse. After we ate, we met at Dick's 5 and Dime, and then walked down to Branson Landing again to walk around. 

Pop tried to show Millie how to ride a horsey out in front of Dick's 5 and Dime. 

Pop and Emily were bonding over social media, out on a bench at Branson Landing. 

Mom and Dad went to Walmart to get some lunch meat for sandwiches that evening, while the rest of us hit Starbucks before heading home. 

We pretty much just sat around the rest of the evening. Morgan power washed the back porch, I bathed the kids, we all ate when we were ready, and then watched some brainless television before watching the Democratic convention. The kids were not in bed until around 10:30 pm, but since we were driving to Pittsburg on Thursday, I knew they could nap if they needed to do so. 

I finished some packing and hit the bed shortly after the kids were asleep, but not before doing two loads of laundry. Being in Pittsburg would mean we would have to drag three days of dirty clothes with us to the UK, so I wanted to make sure I got everything washed that I could. 

I was up by 6:30 am, got ready to avoid the bathroom rush, and went upstairs to put the coffee on. Mitch was getting ready to leave so he sat on the porch with me for a cup of coffee. I will miss these mornings of wildlife sounds and silence. 

We stripped the beds, cleaned the bedrooms and bathrooms, and packed our stuff to go. Everyone left mid morning and there were a lot of tears. Since we are not coming home next summer, I think that made things worse. 

We headed to Pittsburg and hit the athletic shop for some Pitt State gear before heading to Lynda Nelson's, where we were staying for the weekend. 

We drove around the town with Lynda showing us the new parts of the university. It's amazing how this town has changed in the last 30 years. I guess that's to be expected. 

We returned to Lynda's for a bit and then headed to Chicken Annie's where we were met by my parents and my best friend from high school, Cathy, and her mother, Linda. There are two famous chicken houses in southeast Kansas, and Chicken Annie's is one of them. The food was as wonderful as I remember. 

We headed back to the house to watch the Cardinal's game and then turned in for the night. I actually fell asleep on the sofa, which I don't normally do unless it's my own sofa. 

We were up Friday morning and Lynda and Millie made brownies. We ate breakfast and then Cathy came out to visit with us. She brought Legos for the kids, which they totally appreciated. She helped Millie make hers, while Jack made his on his own. 

We went to the Mall Deli for lunch, which is an iconic deli and a must when you come to Pittsburg. Before that we had walked the mall, which has all of about 10 stores, a far cry from the Dubai Mall. Stuart couldn't help but take a picture of himself pointing at the map. 

He's so silly!

We went back to Jock's Nitch to buy more Pitt State gear since Cathy had brought me a gift card. I also got a t-shirt from my high school. Once that shopping was finished we headed to Starbucks for an afternoon treat. Cathy and her husband, Craig, came back to Lynda's with us for a bit of a reprieve. 

We headed to Brickyard Grill just before 6 pm, leaving Grammie and Pop in charge of Jack and Millie. They all ended up going to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, while we ate dinner at the grill. What a night we had. There were people who showed up from my class and I had no idea who they were. Some had changed a great deal and some didn't look any differently than when they were 18 years old. I had invited two people from the class below me because I actually hung out more with people the class below me. 

Here are the classmates that were at the bar on Friday night. 

Cathy, Brian and myself were bestest friends. They were in the class below me. 

We left the bar and got home around midnight. I was wiped out. It is exhausting telling your story again and again to people who don't really care and you probably won't see again for another 10 years. There were some surprises, some people I went to school with that I didn't really know, but chatted with and found out about what they are doing now. Many of my classmates still live in the town we grew up in, but others moved away. Clearly I came from the farthest distance. 

We met some classmates at Bob's Grill for breakfast. One of our classmates owns the hot spot. We sat at the counter and enjoyed a country breakfast. 

After breakfast we walked to the farmer's market next door because we had some time to kill before the softball game that was scheduled for 11 am. 

Not a lot of people showed up so my dad was all time pitcher and even Jack played. We only played three innings because it was hot, we were old, and most of us were out of shape. We had a great time. Stuart got an injury before the game even started. 

Jack threw the ball when Stuart wasn't looking and it hit his sunglasses, causing the nose piece to cut into his nose. Oops!

Jack got a base hit on a pitch from Pop. Jack had the most fun of everyone. 

Here we are in action. 

The motley softball crew. 

Once the game was over and we had all sweat our socks off, Cathy and her husband, Craig, showed up and went for lunch with us to Jimmy John subs. 

We then rushed to Brian's salon to get the hair cuts the kids desperately needed, especially Millie. And he did not disappoint. He even put in a semi-permanent color in Jack's hair. 

Thank goodness this is not forever. 

Millie's turned out so cute and it made me realize how damaged the bottom 4 inches of her hair was. Ick! It was a big improvement for sure. 

We went back to Lynda's to clean up for the evening event. The banquet was really nice. Clearly we were all in control and civilized. It still was amazing and a little disappointing to know some of my classmates that lived in town couldn't be bothered to come out. 

We had a lot of people asking about the UAE and were genuinely interested in what we were doing. Not only had we come the furthest for this event, we were also the people with the youngest children. I felt we should have received some prizes, but we didn't. 

I'm so glad I have a husband who is game for anything. He was a trooper and I think he had a nice time as well. It was funny to hear his perspective about some of the people I graduated with. 

It was so fun to catch up with everyone, but the kids I went to elementary school with were the best to see. This was the George Nettels Elementary gang. 

Our trip to this point has been way more fun than I could have anticipated. We still have 18 days on our summer tour. Next stop, England!