Check One Off of the Bucket List!

I've wanted to go to England since I was very young.  We had an ancient set of encyclopedias in our basement that I used to sit and read the "E" for England and the "S" for Scotland books, dreaming of the day I'd visit.  Well, out of the blue, I got to cross the "E" for England off of my personal Bucket List.  Dennis had to work in England Monday through Wednesday on two consecutive weeks so his boss gave him the option of flying home on Thursday and returning to England on Sunday or having the company pay for his hotel and food while he just stayed put for the weekend.  Well, it's obvious which option we chose, All I needed was a plane ticket to London.  Wahoooo!   It was a chance of a lifetime and we had four fabulous, sight-seeing packed days.  A big thank you to Grandma Nance for dropping everything on short notice and coming to stay with the kids.  We are VERY appreciative! xoxoxo

 Do I need to label it?!

 A Beef Eater at the tower of London

 One of the guards at the Tower of London

 The Tower Green where Anne Boleyn and others lost their heads

 "Early each day on the steps of St. Paul's the little old bird woman comes." We have a Disney TAPE that we've been listening to this song from Mary Poppins since Chi was tiny!  Alas, there was no bird woman at St. Paul's--just birds.

 Dennis was in his element at the Imperial War Museum

Westminster Abbey.  Soon to be the place of marriage for William and Kate!

 I really liked this plaque on the outside of Westminster Abbey.  No photos were allowed inside, darn it.  It was probably my favorite.

 In the courtyard at Westminster

 I loved this quote on the wall at the Churchill War Rooms but my flash made it a rotten photo.

 This is my official Bucket List photo

 We ate dinner in the crypt of the St. Martin in the Fields church.  Kind of creepy but fun!

 I loved the key hole on the church

 If you liked the letter format of the book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society..., you'll like the book 84 Charing Cross Road!

Hampton Court Palace.  This was one of Henry the VIII's many palaces, which later also became the palace of William and Mary

 The gardens at Hampton Court Palace.  Ahhh.  The smell of the hyacinths was amazing!

 I had a moment of silence in the Egyptian wing of the British Museum for the many years I taught ancient Egypt!  The Rosetta Stone! It was the real Rosetta Stone, for crying out loud!

 The Magical Seeing Eyes on a sarcophagus.  Wow!

 I liked this monument to all of the firefighters who died during The Blitz

 We even went to Hyde Park!  It wasn't home but it was still great.  I could almost see President Hinckley teaching on one of the corners of the park.

Buckingham Palace

 This one's for Chiara.  Surprisingly, there was no Harry Potter mania in London. This is the only Harry Potter souvenir we could find--a quick photo of the sign for King's Cross Station!

 I feel truly blessed to have been able to go on this trip.  It really was a dream come true. Now it's back to the daily grind of life, but as President Hinckley has said,

"Life is just like an old time rail journey ... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."

Four days in London truly was a beautiful vista with a thrilling burst of speed!