Thank You, Thank You!

While I have written handwritten ones I want to also write a little thank you to those people who made our UK trip possible.

First of all, to my good friend Sharon and her boys. They left their home, and their dad, and their stuffed animal and toys to spend three weeks in our house taking care of it and our dog. They walked him, played with him, fed him, pooped him, and loved him with all of their hearts. Sharon also gave us updates via text so that we knew all was well and that Elliot was still alive and kicking.

When we got home my house was clean and spotless. We had breakfast rolls waiting and fresh milk in the refrigerator. We had a pie, wine, and flowers on the table. We also had a sweet note from the boys and welcome home posters!

We can not thank them enough for all that they did. It meant the world to us that they would do this for us. Knowing that our home was lived in and our E taken care of it by people who loved him made our trip a much more relaxing one. Thank you Sharon! Thank you Ben! Thank you Henry! And thank you John! Much love to all of you!!

Secondly, a GIGANTIC thank you to my mother-in-law Grandma Mary Anne who took us on this lifetime adventure. She offered Madison a family trip for graduation and she put it all together and made it happen. She put up with all of us for three weeks. She shared rooms with my kids. She hiked miles. She got along with all of us.

I asked everyone this question when we returned from our trip: "What, if anything, did you learn or discover about anyone in the three weeks we were together." I learned that my mother-in-law was not only young and spry at the age of almost 85, but that she has lived an interesting life prior to marriage and motherhood. I enjoyed hearing about her UK trip sixty years ago and seeing her amazement and enjoyment in the changes and the remembrance. I heard stories of her for the first time that had me seeing the girl she must have been; a girl I never would have imagined had I not taken this trip with her. The adventures she had as a young girl out of school hitchhiking across the country and flying to countries around the world gave me more insight into who she is today. I saw the fun, sly side of her, and she made me laugh more times than I can count. I always knew her to be regal, generous, and strong, but on this trip I learned more about who she is inside as well as outside.

Thank you Grandma. Thank you Mary Anne for the most wonderful trip of my life. I will always remember this experience. You gave me a chance to mark things off of my bucket list, and you gave me confidence to march out now on my own. Watching you now and hearing of your experiences sixty years ago makes me feel like I too can go forth to discover my own adventures. Thank you for that. Thank you too for a trip with my girls and my husband. Sharing these travels with them was even more special, and it wouldn't have been possible without you and your generosity. We love you to the moon and back!

Lastly, a thank you to my husband. While I use him quite a bit for entertainment on this blog (and in life) I am always grateful for him. Thank you Tom for driving us around three countries and putting up with four women. Thank you for taking the criticism of your driving, for ignoring our whining, for carrying our passports, and for getting us everything we needed at any time. As Maria sang in the Sound of Music, "For here you are standing there loving me, whether or not you should. For somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good." xxoo