To market, to market...

The last couple of weekend, Josh and I have spent our Saturdays at a few of the many open air markets in London.  Each one is unique in its own way and all have been a treat to discover.  Last Saturday, we made our way to the Portobello Market in Notting Hill.  The Portobello market was insanely busy, with people everywhere.  A lot of the stalls were dedicated to antiques, such as silver, dishes and maps.  Farther on down the road, the market turned into fresh fruits and veggies, and even farther down were stalls selling sample clothing, surplus military gear and cell phone accessories.  There really is a little bit of something for everyone.

Portobello Market in Notting Hill, London.

Fruit and veg stand at the Portobello Market.

Josh and I did not go away empty handed.  Josh scored a cheap cover and screen protector for his Iphone and I bought a cute green dress for 5 pounds!  After spending a couple hours wandering the market, Josh and I decided to head to one of the many free museums in London, the Science Museum.  On the way there, we skirted the west end of Hyde park, and came across this monument.

Albert Memorial.

It is the Albert memorial, built by Queen Victoria.  It was pretty impressive up close, all gilded and shiny in the sun.  From there we continued on to the museum.  Dad and Sam would LOVE the Science Museum, a place I imagine I will drop them off while Mom, Amanda and I go shopping.  Ha ha!  It really was an interesting museum, with a floor dedicated to flight and another floor dedicated to the space program. 

The Antoinette, a distance world record holder in 1909.

It is strange the stuff you learn, that should probably already been known.  I had no clue that Stephan Hawking wasn't American.  I guess it is the synthesizer that gives him an American accent, but truly, he is British. 

After the Science Museum, Josh and I continued to walk around the Kensington area.  We were looking for a place to have dinner when we came across a huge Catholic Church, the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  It is the second largest Catholic church in London.  We noticed that mass time was at 6:00, so we headed off to dinner and came back in time for mass.

The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Side view of the church.

The church was huge inside, very impressive.  We couldn't take photos inside, so if you come visit us in London, we will have to take you for a visit, because it was amazing.  The mass was a typical Catholic mass, but they had a boys choir singing the hymns and that made the whole experience magical.  We wandered around all the little alcoves after mass and then headed home.

This Saturday, Josh and I set out to explore south of the river.  First we stopped by "The Monument", which is a tall monument in memory of the Great Fire of London.  There are 311 spiral steps up to the top and a great view of the London skyline. 

The Monument, finished in 1677.

The spiral stairway up to the top was narrow and made me dizzy!  

The spiral staircase.

Part of the London skyline from the Monument.

As we wandered after visiting the monument, we came across the ruins of an old church...I love things like this!   

The church was destroyed during the 2nd world war.  Now the space is a beautiful public garden.  It is the kind of place that I would love to come back to visit for a few hours with a good book on a warm summer day. 

A surviving wall at St. Dunstan-in-the-east.

We finally made it past the river Thames and into the Borough Market.  This Market is a food lovers paradise.  There were stalls selling all sorts of delicious smelling prepared foods, cheeses, wines, beers, fruits and veg, and desserts.  Josh's first order of business was to attack a huge brat from a German food vendor.

Josh and his brat.

We found a french cheese vendor and bought some Brie...that ended up getting thrown away today because our day progressed much differently than we thought it would when we bought it! 

The market!

Bread for sale at the Market, and no, I would never eat stuff that is just hanging out in the open like this...people sneeze and cough and dogs and children getting all up in it...no thanks!

Josh and I came across a beer stall that had a ton of different varieties.  One of our biggest disappointments in London has been the lack of good beer selection.  The grocery stores have a very limited selection and its all the same.  We thought that we would have tons of options due to the proximity to so many different countries.  So, happily, we both picked out a couple new beers to try.  Two of them actually made it home :)  We then had another bite to eat, Josh wild boar sausage on a bun and I had a pork one, it was very yummy.  We wandered the area  a bit more and then decided to head towards the Ye' Old Cheshire Cheese. 

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.

The "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese" is one of the oldest pubs in London.  There has been a pub at this location since 1538 and had to be rebuilt after the great fire of London.  The inside of the pub initially seemed quite small, but there are actually quite a few little rooms and floors as you go down steps.  The upstairs had a bar and a chop room with a cozy fireplace.  Josh and I headed down to the lower level and bought a few beers.  We got lucky and found a table within a little alcove.  It was busy so we squeezed close together so that there was room for other people to sit down.  Three Aussies found their way to our table and we quickly got to talking about all sorts of things.  One of the Aussies, had lived in London for a few years and was a teacher.  The other two were recently married, about our age and just moved to London a few weeks ago.  Instant friends!  We ended up having more beers at the pub and joined them for dinner at a restaurant in SOHO.  In the process, one of our beers we bought earlier in the day broke and our cheese went bad (yucko smelly).  But, it was totally worth it, we had a great time and hopefully will see our new friends again!

The Wedding of the Year!

So, Sam and Amanda have been married for one week now.  And while they are soaking up the Jamaican sun, I'm sitting in my tiny, dark, hovel of a flat reliving the glory from seven days ago.  (It is quite dim in my flat, but it really isn't a hovel, and don't feel bad for me, Josh and I spent all day out exploring London again!) 

I believe I left off on Friday, after the Rehearsal dinner.  I woke up the next morning and for the first time all week, I was alone in the Holbrook house.  Mom was off getting her hair done with her sisters and Dad, Sam and Josh had left early to have breakfast at Hemingways.  I headed out shortly to have my updo done at my hairdresser's, it was nice and relaxing and I almost fell asleep.  By the time my hair was done I only had 45 minutes to get to the church for our Bride imposed 11:00 am arrival.  I rushed home to grab my dress, shoes and gift and high-tailed it to the reception site to check on some things for Amanda.  Luckily, everything looked good at the hall and I was able to make it to the church only five minutes late. 

Beautiful Bride!

And what did I find when I rushed in late to the church?  A beautiful bride waiting to get married...getting ready all alone in a big room with only her photographer for company.  Poor Amanda!  I can't believe that no one else was there with her.  I'm really glad I was only late by five minutes, because no one else showed up until almost noon.  Amanda seemed to take everything in stride and remained calm and collected.  And luckily, by the time the photographer was ready to take some pictures of her putting on her wedding dress, a few of Amanda's other bridesmaids had shown up and were ready to help. 

Amanda getting dress help from Stephanie.

Isn't she pretty?  The time until the wedding started was a whirlwind.  I was running back and forth from the guys room delivering water and pizza and checking on things for Amanda.  Amanda and Sam had their "first look" and had a ton of pictures taken together (that I can't wait to see!)  All of a sudden it was 1:30 and I needed to get my dress on and help Sarah get Hazel ready.  I managed to get her dress on, but the tights were up to Sarah...

The flower girl is ready...minus the flowers for her hair!

Me, Mom and Sarah ready for the wedding!

As we lined up for the walk down the aisles, my dad caught sight of Amanda in her wedding dress.  Tears rolled down his cheeks.  I'm not sure exactly what he was thinking, but I imagine it was pride in Sam's choice for a wife and love for his soon to be daughter.  I also imagine it is a good feeling for a father, to know that your children have all made good spouse choices, because all they have ever wanted for us, I think, is to know that we are happy.  Seeing dad looking so proud, made Sarah and I tear up also, and the actual wedding hadn't even started! 

I was kind of busy during the wedding, so I didn't get any pictures, sorry!  But it was beautiful and sweet and they both said "I do".  Hazel did really well when it counted, a total reversal from the craziness of the night before.  Everything was lovely and the exit out of the church was great.  Nothing says "welcome to being an Air Force wife" like a slap on the butt with a sword! 

After the ceremony it was pictures, pictures, pictures.  There are a few that I can't wait to get a look at.  Come on Preston Dial!  Then, Josh and I took a quick trip to the hotel that everyone was staying at so that we could meet up with Josh's parents and our besties, Ben and Jamie.  I'm go glad that Ben broke his arm so that he could come to the wedding!  He he! 

Lt. and Mrs. Holbrook.  Aren't they adorable?

The Diamond room looked great, of course, I did help with the decorations, so I may be a little biased.  I was bothered by the hydrangea situation though...why oh why didn't someone cut them to fit in the vases???  I'm not sure who thought they looked okay hanging a foot out of the water, but whatever, I didn't have scissors on me so there wasn't anything I could do about it.  Sigh.  This is why I have a hard time delegating...things just don't get done to my specifications.  Anyway, everything looked lovely and the food was amazing.  And the bar was amazing.  They ran out of my special concoction of Dr. Pepper and coconut rum, but I was introduced to a new drink made of banana rum, pineapple juice and cherry grenadine.  YUM!  Thanks mom and dad for that open bar!   After dinner, things started to get a little crazy...

Aunt Peggy and Aunt Terry getting down at the reception.

Josh and I dancing at the reception.

Not sure what Kevin is doing...kind of looks like he's touching Cathy's boob, LOL!

Sam's "right to bear arms" shirt...these guys were so funny!

It was an epic night.  Lots of dancing, lots of laughs, lots of boozy drunk people (you know who you are).  Even my Granny got some hot Air Force guy action!

Granny T. with her new friends.

Amanda and her new father-in-law!

Thanks Amanda and Sam, for bringing our families together and getting married.  I love you guys!  And thanks to Pam, Amanda's mom, for the wonderful reception it was beautiful and the food and cake were awesome.  And thanks (again) to my parents for the open bar, you guys rock! 

Sadly, with the wedding coming to an end, it meant that our time in the States was also coming to a close.  Poo.  I wish I would have stayed another week!  It was so hard to get everything in that I wanted to do and very hard to see everyone I wanted to see.  But I am thankful for the time we had and thankful for every minute I got to be with my friends and family.  Miss you all so much! 
Rachel

Fun before the wedding!

Underwear cookies for the Bachelorette Party...how cute are these???

The wedding festivities for Sam & Amanda started on Thursday, with Bachelor and Bachelorette parties scheduled.  The girls started the day by getting our nails done, pedicures and manicures all around, while we snacked on the cute "underwear" cookies Sarah and I made.  The boys started their day by freezing their butts off at an outdoor gun range.  I think the girls had it much better!

Amanda and her big sis Shauna getting nails painted.

Bridesmaids Nicole and Rachel getting their pedicures!

After getting beautified at the nail salon, we all headed off to Cheddar's Casual Cafe (Amanda's favorite restaurant) to have dinner and a few drinks.  Amanda is really going to miss Cheddar's when she and Sam move to England in September.  My sis, Sarah, had a few alcoholic beverages...she was feeling gooooood, ha ha!  The boys had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, were I believe there was a lot of drinking going on...I'm not even sure they even left to go anywhere else...

Amanda in her Bachelorette wear.

Amanda was forced to wear a lovely crown complete with the tiniest veil I've ever seen. Amanda was given a few gifts at her party, most notably, the cute his and hers trucker hats from family friend, Tara.  How cute are those???

Mr. & Mrs. hats from Tara.

 A few of the girls were spending the night at a hotel with Amanda after the Bachelorette party, so after dinner we took a drive over to check out the room, have a few drinks and play a few games.  We won't talk about the games or some of the food...what happens in the hotel room, stays in the hotel room!

Bride-to-be Amanda with my sister, Sarah.

Amanda starting off one of the games.

We had a blast playing the games and for a while there, I thought we would just end up staying in the hotel room all night, but the girls decided they had to take Amanda out on the town for some excitement.  You just can't hide that Bachelorette ensemble in a hotel room!  The girls had written up a "to do" list for Amanda, full of embarrassing tasks to complete before the night was over.  Amanda was a good sport and completed everything on her list except one..."Take a picture with a cop"...and that was only because we never found a cop!  

Cheers to Amanda!

One of Amanda's "tasks"...dancing on a pole on South Street.

We ended up going to Dublin's pass, where we received a few free drinks (yay!) and then to the MudLounge in downtown Springfield, one of my favorite places!  Some of the girls shared a huge "fishbowl" a huge blue drink.  I had tea with milk and sugar, like a proper British girl, since I was a DD.  It was nice and warm and helped keep me awake while the other girls closed down the bar!

I made the drop off rounds and finally crashed into bed at 2:30 am.  I was back up again at 7:30am so I could go visit with some of the family that had arrived from Quincy the night before.  It was great to see my aunts and cousins and their children.  Totally worth only 5 hours of sleep!  Later that morning, the bridesmaids and Amanda gathered at Beth's Bake shop for a Bridal luncheon, given by Amanda's aunt Bobetta.

Amanda with her mom, sister, cousin-in-law, aunt and a bridesmaid.

Sarah, me and Anna at the luncheon.

The luncheon was lovely and the food was really yummy.  Amanda gave all her bridesmaids their gifts during our meal.  Each of us received a pretty pearl necklace, bracelet and earrings to wear with our dresses on the Wedding day.

After our lunch, a few of us ran off to the reception hall to start decorating.  We were able to pull it together pretty quickly with few problems.  Of course, it wouldn't be a wedding without some problems, and we did have a few, but overall, it went pretty smoothly.  I thought I might be able to catch a nap that afternoon, but decorating at the church took longer than expected, so I had to run from the church to home to change, back to the church for the rehearsal.  It was worth it though, the church looked great!  The rehearsal went very smoothly and we were off to the dinner in no time...

Sam and Amanda at the rehearsal dinner.

Sam's birthday present from Josh and I...Aero bars from England!

The rehearsal dinner was at the same hall as the reception, just in a side room.  The theme was Asian.  The food was really good, sushi, stir fry, fried rice and some of the best cheesecake I have ever had.  It was Sam's birthday as well, so we sang to him and he opened presents from us.  Sam gave all of his groomsmen their gifts, a pocket knife engraved with their last names and a cigar.

Sam and they guys smoking their cigars.

I stuck around a little while to visit with my Grandma's and more family.  I didn't get to see my extended family that much when we lived in the States, since it was a five hour drive, but we did get back at least once every couple months.  It is weird knowing that I won't be seeing them as often, maybe once or twice a year if I am lucky.  I am extremely glad for the experience of living in London, but I'm also glad knowing that it is only temporary, and someday we will be living closer to family again!

My Grandma D and I at the rehearsal dinner.

We left the dinner earlier than expected, thankfully, because I was exhausted from the days activities.  I think that has been the theme for this week, pure exhaustion, but I've enjoyed every minute!  The big day is next...stay tuned!!

Coming home...

My sweet niece Hazel.

Josh and I have been traveling quite a bit in the last few months, but no trip has made me as excited as going back home after being gone for five weeks.  The trip revolved around my little brother's wedding, set for 6 days after we landed in Springfield. 

I was bursting with excitement as our plane approached the Springfield airport.  I couldn't stop smiling!  Mom and dad came to pick us up, it was so nice to see their faces.  We loaded all our luggage into the car and headed home.  My parents had soup and bread waiting for us, so we ate, chatted a bit and then promptly crashed after our 16 hours of travel. 

The next day I borrowed mom's car while she, dad and Josh went to work.  I've never been so grateful for a car!  While I do like the ability to walk anywhere in London, I miss the freedom of cruising down the road with the radio on and my packages flung across the back seat, instead of having to kill my arms hauling stuff around until I get back to our flat!  My favorite shopping stop of the day was Hobby Lobby, where I stocked up on a few items I've been having trouble finding in London.  Oh, and I also enjoyed my stop at the FM Store, where I picked up some coordinating fabric to match the tartan we picked up in Scotland.  I have big plans for the fabric in our new flat!  I met my sister downtown for lunch, we had a nice talk, it was so good to see her!  Josh was able to make it to his old basketball time, he really misses playing every week.  I was lucky enough to be able to meet my friend Amanda for coffee/tea at Starbucks on Monday night, we had a great time catching up.  I miss stuff like that!

Sam being "Gaddafied" by me and Amanda with his fancy Air Force sword.

On Tuesday, I ran around helping the bride-to-be, Amanda, get some things done for the wedding.  I also got to enjoy some sweet Qdoba action for lunch...mmmmmmmm....Sam came home later on Tuesday and right away we got to playing with the swords he brought home for the wedding, super fun!  I finally got to see my cute niece Hazel on Tuesday night as well, I brought her a few books from England, "The Gruffalo" and "Freddie and the Fairy", she loved them! 

Hazel, practicing being a flower girl.

Hazel practiced being a flower girl for the first time.  It was so cute!  She would either walk and hold the basket, but forget to throw flowers, or she would stand still, throw flowers and then promptly pick them up!  So funny to watch her. 

Later on Tuesday night I went out to dinner with my good friends Marla and Sapphire, and Sapph's little guy Freddie.  We ate at a Mexican restaurant and then they took me to Target (yay!).  I miss places like Target, where anything you could want are all in the same place.  I found a few things I couldn't live without, like Carmex.  So much cheaper in the States than it is in England.  I stocked up.  After Target we went to a Springfield staple, Andy's frozen custard.  Yumminess in my tummy!  It is funny the things that you really miss when you are away from home.  Custard is definitely one of those things!

Me helping Miss Hazel with the flower girl basket.

That's all for now peeps...wedding stuff later this week!  Rachel

If it's not Scottish, it's crap!

Josh and I on top of Camera Obscura with a view of Edinburgh

 We left for Scotland the day after Christmas, otherwise known as "Boxing Day" here in the UK.  Our plan was to take the tube from our flat to the airport...at least we had a plan, until the tube drivers decided to stage a strike that day!  Luckily, a few tubes were still running and after about 2 hours, and a lot of stops, we finally made it to the airport.  Our flight from Heathrow to Edinburgh was pretty short, about an hour, and all went well until we started our final descent.  Scotland, I've learned, is very windy!  The final ten minutes of our flight were probably the scariest I've ever had on a plane.  We were knocked around and dropped a few times, but thankfully, made it safe to the ground.  Thank goodness for good pilots!

After settling in at our hotel, Josh and I walked down to a local pub called "The White Lady" and had a nice dinner and a few beers.  We made plans for the next day and went to sleep, excited to see Scotland in the light of day!

Josh and I at Gilmerton Cove

Our first activity was a visit to Gilmerton Cove.  The cove is a series of underground rooms and passageways carved out of sandstone.  They have dated the structure back about 300 years!  They are not really sure why or by whom the cove was created.  The theories include witches, miners, bootleggers and secret societies.  There is a bedroom, fireplace, well and other random rooms.  They think that there may be more rooms past were the tunnels are back-filled, but they can't get to them yet because it would damage the road structure above it.  It was a really neat tour, very unique!

What they think was a meeting room in Gilmerton Cove.

Josh on the "bed"...or is it a sacrificial altar?  Who knows?!?

Hallway

After our Gilmerton Cove tour, we took a bus to the Royal Mile.  This is the area of Edinburgh between the castle and the palace.  There are plenty of Scottish themed shops and tons of restaurants and monuments in this area.  The Royal Mile is also considered "old town" because it is the site of the original buildings of Edinburgh.  There are really neat, narrow "closes" between buildings.  Edinburgh grew "up" instead of "out" for safety reasons "back in the day", so there are many tall buildings in the area.

Josh on the Royal Mile

Looking towards the castle.  Love the brick streets, but very uneven!

 

Our next stop was to Camera Obscura.  They are a museum dedicated to optical illusions and altering photography.  We had fun playing in the mirrored maze and all the hands on displays.  Plus the view from the top of the building was amazing!

View from Camera Obscura

He he he!

Proof that I have cold hands!

After Camera Obscura, we had a few hours to kill before our next tour.  We had dinner, walked around the Christmas fair and took a look at the castle (we didn't go in yet!)  The tour was a "Terror Tour", about the underground vaults and the ghosts who lurk there.  Spooky. 

Underground vaults.

The vaults were built when the town built a bridge to connect "Old Town" with "New Town" Edinburgh.  Eventually, the vaults were closed up and used as storage for shopkeepers.  Unfortunately, the vaults get pretty damp when it rains, so it didn't work well for storage.  During rough times in Edinburgh, people would actually live down in the vaults, with little or no light.  Many people also worked down in the vaults at one point.  As far as I know, the only people who use the vaults these days are tour companies and a witch coven.  Yes, really. 

Where the witches hang out.

The tour guide also told us a story about how the term "shit faced" came into existence.  Josh and I aren't 100% sure this is the truth, but it does sound convincing.  Apparently, "back in the day", before running water, Edinburgh had a rule that your "nastiness" could only be thrown out your window after dark.  When the bells of St. Giles would ring, it was time to throw your bucket full of yuckiness into the street.  The evening bell just happened to coincide with closing time at the bars, so on numerous occasions, the drunk men staggering home would look up when they heard "Gardy Loo" instead of get off to the side of the road.  They would then have "nastiness" all over them, hence the term "Shit faced".  I am sooooo glad we live in a time of indoor plumbing!

The next day we went to the zoo, which was kind of sucky because it rained the whole time we were there.  Actually, it rained pretty much every day!  We did see some monkeys that were really fun to watch, and we had a nice bowl of soup at the zoo cafe to warm ourselves up, so it wasn't a total loss!  We went on another tour and to Dynamic Earth.  For dinner we ate at a pub and ordered a haggis appetizer. 

Eat at your own risk!

The haggis was...not my cup of tea, but Josh liked it.  Later on in the week, Josh also tried blood pudding.  It looked like a dried out hockey puck with chunks.  I wouldn't try it.  It is made of blood!  Gross!

By far, my favorite part of the trip was our trek up to Arthur's Seat.  It was a tough climb to the top, but it was totally worth the effort.  There are no words for how beautiful the view is from the top.   The only trouble was it was VERY windy at the top...40-50 mph gusts!  

On our way up!

Josh near the top of Arthur's Seat...see his scarf blowing in the wind!

View from the top...can you see the ocean?

Love this place!

After our hike down, we were quite chilly!

We spent the rest of the day walking around the shops in the Royal Mile.  We were able to find a lot of Baird things, and we bought a meter of the Baird clan tartan.  I'm hoping to make some pillows out of it.  I never did get Josh in a kilt.  Guess we will need to go back! 

The next day we visited Scott Monument and the Edinburgh Castle.  The Scott Monument is in honor of Sir Walter Scott, who wrote novels and poetry.  He is also honored on Scotland's currency.  The monument is 200 feet high and there are stairs inside that bring you to the top.  The stairs spiral and become more narrow the higher you go.  Josh had to duck most of the way and at one point, had to remove his backpack so he would fit through! 

The Scott Monument

Josh squeezing through.

View of Edinburgh from the top of Scott's Monument

Edinburgh Castle was an interesting visit as well.  We were able to find a few Baird references on our walk through.  General Sir David Baird was honored for his battles in India in the late 1700's.  We also found the Baird name in books honoring those who had passed away in Scottish wars. 

Josh next to the display of items from General Sir David Baird.

Cannon at the castle, overlooking the Royal Mile.

Edinburgh Castle

After the castle we took a bus out to Ocean terminal, which ended up not being as exciting as it sounded.  We thought we might be able to get a look at the coastline, but it was mostly just a port for big boats.  It was getting dark and it had rained all day, so we headed into the mall nearby and tried to dry off for a while.  We had dinner and I bought some new socks to replace my wet ones, and off we went to join the crown on the Royal Mile for Hogmanay.  Hogmanay is the Scottish word for the last day of the year.  In Edinburgh, they kick off the Hogmanay celebration with a torch light procession, followed by fireworks.  We started out standing near the front of the line, and we listened as over a hundred people in kilts played the bagpipes.  It was awesome!

Some of the bagpipers.

The first torches are lit!

The procession!

Sadly, our camera died shortly after this (Josh didn't charge the camera!  Ugh!).  The procession took us about a mile and a half up to a higher section of Edinburgh where they shot off a great fireworks show.  It was truly a great trip and I'm so glad that Josh and I had the opportunity to visit Scotland.  If you ever get the chance, do it!

Josh and I at the torch light procession.

Cheers!