Good morning all from a lightly rainy day in Aberdeen! :-) It seems I have been quite busy as of late. On Good Friday, Brian, the kids, and I hopped a flight to London to meet my in-laws, Bill and Jan in London for the weekend. On the flight we were treated to a traditional English breakfast which consisted of egg scrambled, soft bacon, sausage, steamed tomatoes and mushrooms. It was quite delicious and even Aubrey thought so.

When we arrived in London, we took a hired car to our hotel, The County Court Marriot which is located next to the London Eye. Incidentally, it is named this because it used to house the County Court before it was converted into a hotel and museums (which house a Salvador Dali exhibit and a Movie Museum). The building itself is quite beautiful and sits along the Thames River. On our way, we happened upon the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. We also passed the Museum of Natural History where there were literally thousands of people lined up outside waiting to see the Darwin exhibit.

As we arrived to the hotel we saw a beautiful silver Rolls Royce exiting. We checked into our room and met Bill and Jan, whom we were delighted to see after a week of near solitude and strange faces. The rest of our first day, we spent dining in and resting, swimming, and enjoying the company.

On Saturday, after feasting on a rather large English Breakfast buffet in the hotel, we ventured out onto the street outside of our hotel. There we took in the cool misty air of London, along with thousands of other people on holiday. Just down the way was Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament (which are separated by color, red & green), Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Street (which houses the Prime Minister), The Old Scotland Yard, MI5 and much more. It was a lovely site, though quite a bit of walking for my mother-in-law, so after a few hours, we returned to the comfort of our hotel.

On Sunday, Brian, Bill, Aubrey and Bryson took a ride on the London Eye while I stayed in with Jan and Sadie to pack up our things for our departure. After their return, we all took a tour on the River Thames, seeing the replica of The Globe Theater, as well as it's original location, The Anchor Pub, London Bridge, Tower Bridge and so much more. It was an amazing ride and Brian filmed the entire tour while I took photos. As soon as I get those photos downloaded, I will post them on my Facebook page to share with you. :-)

After completing our river tour, Brian and Aubrey toured the Movieum while the rest of us took time out for High Tea in our hotel where we enjoyed traditional finger sandwiches, fruit scones, tea cakes, and of course, tea. It was delicious and quite filling. I look forward to sharing a High Tea with Aubrey when she returns from holiday with Bill and Jan.

The end of our stay crept upon us quickly and soon it was time for Brian, Sadie, and I to say goodbye and to journey back home. Aubrey and Bryson stayed on to enjoy more sights in London with their grandparents during Aubrey's Easter break.

As side note: Easter is well celebrated in GB, but not in quite the same manner as in the states. Easter is celebrated with decadent chocolate eggs (not bunnies), given as gifts to all and used in egg hunts. There are no cheesy colorful plastic baskets with fake grass to be seen anywhere, much to Aubrey's dismay. Brian and I searched about for plastic eggs to give the children a belated egg hunt when they return and could find none...So, they shall hunt chocolate eggs instead!

We of course arrived home safely in Aberdeen Sunday night. Monday morning, bright and early, the movers arrived with the rest of our belongings and spent the morning unloading and unpacking; commenting on the amount of kitchen stuff I have! LOL They went upon their way and I set to the task of putting my house in order. I did quite well and as a result have the first floor squared away quite nicely. Today, however, (after I finish procrastinating by writing) I must finish the second floor in preparation for the family's return in a few days.

As you can see, life here is going quite well, as I am enjoying the newness of it all. I look forward to, however, meeting some people and getting to know more about life in Aberdeen!