Sunday morning it was raining. We got up and went to church. The kids decided to go into the main church with us. After the service there was ice cream for everyone, which Millie totally appreciated.
When we got home we had leftovers. Going out to eat with more than 6 people is a pain, so it was just easier to have something at the house. Cathy and Craig arrived around 11:30 and brought Pitt State shirts for the kids. Then Russ and Julie got to the house a little after noon. It rained most of the day so it was a good excuse to just drink coffee and sit on the porch for the afternoon.
Cathy and Craig headed back to Leavenworth around 4 pm. Then Donavan left about a half hour after them. We ended up having dinner at a place down on Branson Landing. We did a bit of shopping and then returned to the house for our usual dominoes match.
We were up Monday morning with a tentative plan to go to Silver Dollar City.
Our last SDC day.
A child umbrella.
A cookie bigger than her head.
He enjoyed each bite.
Unfortunately, it started raining. I decided this would be a good time to go and have coffee with my dad. We do this each year. It’s our ‘check-in’ time together. We headed down towards Dick’s 5 and Dime, knowing that the rest of the crew would follow shortly after. We all needed one last trip to Dick’s 5 and Dime. We bought a Mexican Train set to take back with us to the UAE.
We ended up having lunch at Qdoba, the Mexican Grill. We went home for a bit and did some packing. We decided to head to Silver Dollar City in the late afternoon. Mom, Dad and Mitch opted out. So the die hards carried on. They did join us later. Sadly, the rain didn’t allow us to ride many rides. We decided to go to Danna’s BBQ for dinner. It rained while we ate. It was back to the house and everyone decided to turn in early.
I was up before 7 am. I had my regular coffee on the porch, and then went to TJ Maxx to shop a bit with my mom and Mitch. Of course we had to get another carry-on bag for our trip. I know Stuart just loves me for my shopping obsession. He has also done his fair bit of shopping this trip.
We went back to the house for a bite of lunch and then off to play miniature golf. Jack had difficulty with it because he is so competitive. The fortunate thing is he is able to express his frustration and most of the time we can talk through it with him. Russ was able to give him some sound advice as well. He wants to be perfect in everything he does. Bless him!
Russ, Julie and Morgan left around 5:30 pm to go back to Arkansas. We had such a great time with them. After they left, the kids had a water balloon fight in the front yard, then they were off for their last bath in Grammie and Pop’s big bath tub.
For dinner we had brats, hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches. There was a bit more porch time, and then it was time for our last dominoes evening. This time, Millie played with us. She was hilarious! She didn’t stop talking the entire two games she and Jack played. We were all cracking up at her.
I took a shower after our many rounds of Mexican Train, and then decided to try to catch up on the Bachelorette. Of course I fell asleep midway through episode 7. I have to get this finished before that other trashy show starts the first week of August.
The morning came way too early. We were up sorting out the rest of our luggage, cleaning bathrooms and stripping beds. We were off to the airport around 9 am. Mom, Dad and Mitch followed us there to help us with the luggage. After we checked in to our 50 seater plane, we said our goodbyes, with some tears, and headed through security.
The flight to Dallas was really just up and down. It was short and sweet and I slept for most of it. Once in Dallas we got some lunch at an Irish pub. Our layover in Dallas was a little over 4 hours. We walked around a bit, but there was a maze in front of our departure gate where the kids could get a bit of energy out. So we just stayed around there so the kids could play. It was great.
When we boarded the plane, we were pulled aside and they took our passports. When they brought them back, we had been upgraded to premium economy. Once we were on the plane, we headed to our seats, only to discover we were sitting at the bulk head. These were the best seats ever and Jack was especially excited. The flight was a bit bumpy from time to time. But all in all it was a wonderful flight.
We landed just before 9 am. We were through customs, collected our bags, had purchased our EU SIM cards, and got the rental car by 10 am. Of course we had difficulty getting our bags in the car. But the car was amazing!
We got to Grandma and Grandpa’s just after noon. We unpacked and started reorganizing for our trip to Spain. The plan was to not take all of our bags. We only wanted to take two carry-ons and one checked bag. We would also have Hope’s bag. Hope’s mum had told Stuart we could leave our extra bags at their place while we were in Spain.
Once we were a bit settled, the kids played in the garden and we sat on the patio. We then decided to play a game of Charades. The kids wanted to take a bath, but that produced conflict as it often does and resulted in me going upstairs to sort them out. We had dinner on the patio and then I put Millie to bed around 7 pm. I laid down with her and awoke to Stuart telling me it was 7 o’clock. I thought he meant 7 am. I was a little confused, but snapped out of it quickly. Traveling can be dreadful on the body. Jack watched a movie and fell asleep just before 9 pm. We were hopeful they would both sleep through the night. We went to bed just after 10 pm. Millie woke a few times in the night, but it wasn’t as bad as when we had first arrived in the states. Jack didn’t wake up at all, or so I thought. I discovered Friday morning that he had had a nose bleed in the night. He handled it on his own, but there was blood on the sink and a couple of towels, as well as his bed. Oh well, it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be washed out.
Millie slept the latest on Friday morning, waking just after 9 am. I relaxed and had my coffee while Stuart headed to Eastbourne to collect Granny. The kids watched a movie and all was quiet and peaceful.
Once Granny was in the house, we had a coffee on the patio. We then went to my favorite pub in all of England, The Queen’s Head, in Sedlescomb. We had a light lunch in the garden of the pub. It got a bit toasty, but we were shaded most of the time. After our lunch, we stopped at the garden center to look around. This is another stop I like to make while in England.
We came back to the house and the kids played in the garden, watched some Netflix, and then went into the wood around 5 pm.
Dinner was in the oven while they were gone. They returned and had a shower. Then it was time for dinner. We had fish pie, which Millie would not eat. Jack, on the other hand, ate 4 servings and was still able to eat the jello Grandma had made. I think we are in the ‘summer beef up’ stage with him.
Stuart took his grandma back to Eastbourne while Barry and I cleaned up from dinner. We then sat in the lounge and I sang while Grandpa played his guitar. We attempted to sing ‘By the time I get to Phoenix’. I love to sing when Grandpa plays his guitar.
The evening of sleep was especially hot. We couldn’t hardly sleep. I tossed and turned most of the night, only to discover Saturday morning that Millie had a fan in her room. So guess who placed the fan in my room as soon as this fact was discovered?
Saturday morning we set out for Eastbourne. Stuart and Grandma were going to paint the bench that sits in the garden where Granddad Tom is buried. The kids and I had a walk around the shopping center on the harbour. We tried to find Jack his school shoes, but we had no luck on the harbour.
Once the bench was painted, Stuart and Grandma picked us up and we headed to Granny’s house. Stuart ended up dropping Jack and me at the shopping center in town so we could go to the Clark store to get his school shoes. I didn’t really want to spend that much money on his shoes, but they are quality so I shouldn’t complain. We also bought an iPad cover for his iPad, but when we got home it was the wrong size. The chances of us going back to replace it is very slim. Jack was very disappointed.
We got back to the house just before 5 pm and tried to sort ourselves out for the rest of our time in England as well as Spain. Stuart and I may or may not have had a bit of a row (rhymes with cow) over the bag situation. Same crap, different year!
We spoke with Hope on Skype and then the kids got showered and were ready for bed. Then we had dinner and sat outside in the coolness of the evening. It was a normal evening and a wonderful week for sure.
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