The End of the Garden!!

So - this was the summer of the Combe's first garden. Lauren got it in her mind that she wanted to plant a garden - so Matt cleared out a section of the backyard and planted a garden. All that I can say is that it was a very good learning experience - since we were never actually able to EAT anything that was planted. The corn we planted ended up being some weird variety and we couldn't convince anyone to eat very much of it. The birds pecked holes in all of our watermelon and we only got about 3 strawberries off our bushes. Oh well - as you can see from the pictures, the sunflowers grew well. They were over nine feet tall and Lauren is holding the biggest flower. I think it weighs more than she does. It was fun to see the whole process and maybe next summer we will have you all over for a big BBQ to help us eat our home grown food. (hmmmm . . . we'll see if it happens!)

ok - so another LOVE I discovered was the English Bakeries. Oh my - it was pretty funny - any place we went, when a bakery was discovered - almost everyone from our tour (all 90 + people) would descend upon the bakery and pretty much buy them out. I probably gained 10 lbs. just from eating their Iced Fingers - but oh were they good.

The Lake District in England - one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. This is the place that I want to take Matt back to and spend a week just enjoying ourselves. Maybe once the kids are older . . . .

The Scottish Highlands - and the Lochs (this is Loch Lomond). Another one of those places that are so beautiful - you can barely take it in and realize that pictures will never do it justice - but we try anway. We just drove throughout the Highlands and listened to amazing stories of the people who lived here.

This is a castle ruin along of the coast of Ireland. It was so beautiful perched on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. So - what else can I say except that this was a trip of a lifetime - one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. I am grateful a million times over to a great and understanding husband who survived for 2 1/2 weeks without me - I think I will owe him for many years to come.

The British Isles!!!!

okay - so I had the opportunity to go on a trip to the British Isles this summer with my mother in law Joan. Here we are standing in front of Buckingham Palace in London. What a trip this was - I have never had an experience like this in my life. First off - I left my husband and four kids at home to fend for themselves for 18 days - talk about a once in a lifetime opportunity. Then I was able to tour all through England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland with an incredible group led byMichael Wilcox (who is amazing). Every stop we went to, Michael would tell us the history involved, personal stories of people who lived and died at these places . . . and since I am an absolute history lover - this trip couldn't have been any more wonderful!!!

one of my favorite stops - the Tower of London. Here we heard the stories of Anne Boelyn, Lady Jane Gray, Sir Thomas Moore and others who were taken to the tower and beheaded by the kings command. I am telling you - English history is better than any fiction I could ever come up with.

okay - so since I love Harry Potter - I had to get a picture at Oxford - this is the stairway used in the first movie when the kids first enter Hogwarts. I know - kind of silly, but I love this stuff.

this is the pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein used to sit and discuss their books - again - there was something so cool about being at places where historical figures did great things.