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.