1. Seeing Auntie Kath, Uncle Walt and Leighton and Julie Aug:31st.
Kim's Perspective: I felt like a kid again on Christmas morning when you wake up, but you know it's not quite time to see what Santa brought..... I couldn't wait for that car to pull up. It's been 5 years since I had seen Leighton and Julie and much more than that for Kath and Walt. I was pacing the parking lot and driving Drew nuts because I couldn't stand still. I couldn't wait to introduce him to them. They finally arrived and after a few minutes of getting reacquainted it felt like no time had passed at all. I love that about my family. We live a half a world away and we are as close as if we were neighbors. Drew fit in perfectly - like I knew he would and it set the tone for an amazing visit!
Drew's Perspective: Well I was really looking forward to meeting Kim's extended family as most of them couldn't make it to our wedding. They didn't disappoint. Everyone was so friendly and warm. The hardest thing was understanding the accents a couple of times, but other than that it was lovely to meet everybody. I felt like a part of the family right away.
2. The Wedding: Sept 1st
Kim's Perspective: Wow, beautiful, stunning, gorgeous - you think of the cliche term and that's exactly what it was. The church was incredible - something that we as Americans only see on TV. It was in the heart of Oxford and you couldn't have asked for a more beautiful setting. Carrie and Bruce made for quite a lovely couple and were beaming all day long as you can imagine. You expect the Mother of the bride to be ecstatic all day and she was, you expect the proud Grandmother to not be able to take her eyes off the beautiful bride and she didn't :) but the best part of the whole day for me was watching my cousin Cheryl (Carrie's Sister) filled with so much joy for her sister. If any of you have been in a wedding you know what an honor it is to stand up for someone and be a part of their wedding party, but Cheryl gave that a whole new meaning. She was giddy all day long and so incredibly happy for her sister. I loved that!! The reception was more hanging out with family and getting to play around with Ben and Rachel. We had so much fun hanging out at our table with my parents, Leighton and Julie and our cousin Chris that sat with us. We laughed, took goofy pictures and were just my typical fun family that I adore. The head tables are a bit different that what we are used to. They consist of the bride and groom and their smaller wedding party as well as the parents of the happy couple so that was fun to see. Carrie and Bruce added some very personal touches to their reception as well. They brought is a band and Carrie actually played the cello with the band. It was a beautiful day.
Drew's Perspective: The wedding was great and Oxford was great. I didn't realize that Oxford was actually a collection of colleges, and not one university. The town was very cool because of the oldness of it and the college atmosphere at the same time. A lot of fun, I could have spent another couple of days there. The wedding was fantastic. Everybody all dressed to the 9's. It is always fun to see a ceremony like that in another culture. All very, very different, and fun.
3. Our Time in Wales Sept 2nd - Sept 6th
Kim's Perspective: We arrived in Wales at about 1am (after an adventures car ride back) to see my cousin standing out front waiting for us. That was awesome! He and I are 7 days apart and close friends - We are very much alike and Greg and Helen are very much alike - funny how that works out.....anyway, we spent some time with him before crashing out. Darren pretty much has his house finished and it looks amazing!! They have done such a great job! We woke up later that morning and it was my dad's birthday. We got to see Auntie Betty and all went out for supper and we finally got to meet Helen's husband Mark. Seriously - one of the nicest guys you will ever meet so I am so thrilled to have him as part of the family. Drew got to meet them as well and it was great to see how everyone got along. I think that Helen and I have made some great additions to the family :). Monday we headed off to do a mini version of the Mumbles Mile - hard to do it in the day...most everything is closed during the day. After that we ventured up to Cardiff to Helen and Mark's house for Mark's surprise going away party before he headed off to France for the Rugby World Cup. We had a great night of BBQing and getting to know their friends and Mark's family. Mark spoiled us all rotten with Welsh Rugby and Scarlett's stuff. Tuesday we were off to the the Brecon Beacons and the damns and then made a stop in Mark's hometown of Builth Wells where Helen and Mark got married and where Darren played his first international rugby match for Wales - so that was fun! After that we headed to the Jones family farm and spent some time exploring - can't even begin to describe how beautiful it was. Wednesday we headed out to Llanelli to see Stradey Park (Home of the Scarlett's) and pick up some well needed Scarlett's gear. We toured the facility and watched the team practice which was awesome. Standing there it hit me how talented my cousin's are. Both Darren and Mark played Rugby for Wales and Helen played Netball for Wales. That's three nationally ranked people in one family. Greg has always been talented in that area too.....and then there's me. We also showed Drew around Neath and took in a bit of shopping and then took a hike to the water falls spent our last night in Wales just being lazy and hanging out. I never like saying goodbye to them. I seriously can't get enough time there. I love it that much!
Drew's Perspective: Absolutely stunning. Wales is a gorgeous country. We set out everyday on another trip, to see another part of the country and meet new people. We saw everything from a busy town, to a quiet farm, to the Irish sea and their beach, to the mountains, waterfalls and dams. I really enjoyed Mumbles, and not just for the mile. It was a great beach town that was small and quaint. I could so see having a house there. Visiting Old Stradey was a lot of fun. Stradey is like the Wrigley Field of Rugby. It was fun to see the stadium and have the opportunity to go behind closed doors and see the history and trophies of this ancient Rugby Club. We already know that next time we go back we have to be in much better shape as Leighton wants to take us hiking to one of the tallest peaks in Wales. Reason alone to start exercising again. I can't wait to go back again.
4. Back to London: Sept 6th - Sept 9th
Kim's perspective: I have been to London several times now and I would have just assumed stayed in Wales for the reminder of our trip, but it was Drew's first visit. I was so focused on taking him back there and showing him where my family roots were that I completely forgot that England is a big part of HIS family roots. I had so much fun watching him see everything for the first time and take everything in. Watching him experience everything for the first time and realizing how much I took it for granted.... It made me really appreciate London again. We did just about every touristy thing you could do from Big Ben to The London Eye, Kensington Palace, the Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, an open air Double Decker Bus tour, St. Paul's Cathedral, The London Bridge and just about everything in between. In one day we took that city by land, air, sea and underground and had a blast doing it! The last night we went to Chime and had dinner with our cousin Gaynor (mother of the Bride) and seriously couldn't think of a better way to end the whole trip that at a kitchen table over a feast with Guinness Stew. We laughed and talked about the wedding and all made our bets as to where the happy honeymooner's had gone. Perfect evening, awesome food, great family and tons of love....perfect.
Drew's perspective: My first trip to London so we did a lot of touristy thing for my benefit. Everything that Kim mentioned and more. Such a great time. Now that I have seen just about everything, I can't wait to visit again and immerse myself in the culture and leave the touristy stuff to the tourists.
We had an amazing trip and I can't wait to get back there!!! :)
You can see all of our photos at: http://drewandkimspictures.snapfish.com/snapfish
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