It's beginning to feel a lot like....

Every year, at some time during the summer, I can hung up on this Christmas peg.  I don't know what it is. Maybe I just need an escape from the bugs, humidity, and heat.  But at some point each summer I pull out the Christmas music and spend a few days listening.  It gives me the warm fuzzies for some reason.

I know why this started.  My mom was the music director at my home church for 12-14 years (something like that) and she led a great church choir.  Each year she'd have to pick out a new musical for the choir.  All of the music samples always came out in late June/early July and she'd put them in at home and we'd all listen to them all afternoon.  Or sometimes we listened to them while on the road driving to vacation.  So it's really all Mom's fault that I love Christmas in the summer.

Two years ago (2008) is the year we got married.  I hadn't heard much/if any Christmas music that summer for whatever reason.  A day or two before the wedding I was getting ready to set up the fellowship hall for the reception by myself.  Mom had done something to her back and couldn't lift over 10 lbs and Dad had pnumonia.  Marah was at work and so was Spencer and clan so it was me and like 25 of those heavy old school round tables.  Then, here comes my mom with my favorite Natalie Grant Christmas CD, a CD player, and a tub full of chocolate chip cookies!  Aren't moms the best?  She knew that I was stressed and treated me to some of my favorite things!

This year, I'm listening to Christmas musicals again... trying to find one that the kids at StoneBridge could do.  That's all it took.  Now I sit here typing my blog while Natalie belts out another good Joy to the World!

So Merry Christmas to all and to all..... a GREAT summer!

Ingredients for a great Saturday

1.  Sleeping in!  It doesn't happen super often and is precious when it does.

2.  Doing laundry- knowing that you have company coming!

3. Making parts or all of almost all the meals we'll eat in the next two weeks.  Gotta love freezer day!

4.  Baking a new cookie recipe and finding out how delicious they are!

5.  Making a spaghetti sauce recipe that's been passed down for generations.

6.  Refining the budget.  Ok that part isn't fun, but knowing we'll have more money available is!

7.  Having my precious dog follow me everywhere around the house while I do laundry and cook.

8.  My husband getting to go to a movie with his friends.  Because I know he loves that.

9.  A day off!

Everything you need to know about our trip to the UK

So we're back.  We've been back.  I didn't even think to blog about this until my friend Hannah told me she was waiting for my post.  So I'll try to hit the highlights.

Spencer and I spent 5 hours at Denver International Airport sitting in between terminals right in between 4 college hippies trying to recruit people to "save the whales".  I'm not joking.

We finally met up with my family.  My dad ordered my international plane ticket in my maiden name.  I'm not joking.

I cleared check-in, checked luggage, security, and sign-in at my gate without anyone noticing my ticket didn't match my passport.  I'm not joking.

We spend 9 hours in a plane to England.

We hang out in London for 2 1/2 days doing all the sight-seeing things.  We rode the London Tube (city subway) for 2 hours every day (one hour to our destination and one hour back).  I got separated from my WHOLE family on the tube, by myself.  Yeah we were getting on in rush hour.  I stepped on first and the doors close.  Nothing like an elevator where they open if they hit something.  Nope!  The doors close and you better not get stuck in the middle.  I rode the subway to the next station and got off to wait for my family.  It's a good thing I knew where we were going!  My mom freaked out that I had gotten "lost".  I'm not joking.

We went to Scotland and spent a few days with my Granny.  We went shopping, to a museum, to Granny's church (the preacher told us the Holy Spirit was a woman) I'm not joking.

We stayed in a trashy motel there.  Not kidding.  29 UK pounds a night= $45.00.  First night- good sleep, nothing happened.  Second night- I had blown a fuse in our room trying to use my electrical convertor with my straightener.  We asked for maintenance to fix it, got to our room around 11:00pm and had NO power.  So at 11:30pm we have to swap rooms.  We get situated in our new room, fall asleep, and then at 2:00am a whole bunch of teenagers pulled the fire alarm.  The ENTIRE hotel has to evacuate until the fire brigade arrives.  I'm not joking.

We spent the next 4 days at my dad's cousin Peter's estate.  Peter is a millionaire- for real.  We stayed in his 8 bedroom 8 bathroom house.  His private chef made our meals every day.  We went hiking, played tennis on a grass course, went out on Peter's boat, touched Winston Churchill's slippers, and enjoyed EVERY minute of our time at Glenstriven.

We went back to the London airport to fly out.  At check-in the lady notices that my airline ticket does NOT match the name on my passport (remember my Dad booked it in my maiden name).  I find out that if I can't find something with my maiden name on it we will have to buy another ticket to get me home.  I dig and dig and find my original driver's license.  Phew!  We go through security.  No problems.  We go through the second check point.  The lady notices that my passport doesn't match my ticket.  Problems.  Then she tells me to go.  I got out fast only to find out she wasn't supposed to let me go.  She never came to find me.  I go through the 3rd check point... that guy doesn't notice.  Praise God!  I finally got on the plane.

We flew into Denver.  Our plane to Omaha got delayed 3 times.  We arrived an hour an a half after we were supposed to.

We had an incredible time.  I can't believe all the things we got to do and see.  I just wanted to tell you all the funny, stressful, and unusual things we got to do!

Wanna see pictures?  Facebook.