Mom's visit

In early June, my mom (Diana) visited us for about ten days. She had just completed her masters in social work at Long Beach State University. Hooray for mom!!!!!

She was here for my birthday, which was really nice. We had a party at our house, at which Meade cooked a sit down lasagna dinner for sixteen people. It was the first time he had ever made lasagna and of course it was delicious. See photos above.

Mom was also here during the Royal Ascot, which is a week of horse races in honor of the Queen, which the Queen attends. Each day, she travels via car through Great Windsor Park from Windsor castle to a certain point in the park, where she (and her entourage) switch into horse-drawn carriages to travel the remainder of the way to the racecourse in Ascot. So, we (along with lots of others) picnicked in the park, staking out our spot while awaiting her arrival. She passed by us in her open-top carriage and waved at Linnea and Aaron, then turned her head just as I snapped this photo. It was quite exciting for the kids, especially Aaron, who had been dying to see the Queen. His only complaint was “that was not a very fancy dress.”

Also in Great Windsor Park, which is about a mile and a half from our house, we watched the final match of the Queen’s Cup polo tournament, which the Queen also attended. (She really gets around for an 84 year old!) The posh people were out in force, with their top hats, feathered hats, carriages and picnics with crystal and champagne. Yes, we had walked there with shorts and tees, but it was ok, they did not seem to mind.

Mom and I spent a day and evening in London together, which was wonderful. We visited Westminister Abbey, and saw Wicked, which was fantastic. We also drove out to Hampshire to visit Jane Austen’s house, which is set in a beautiful garden in the small village of Chawton. She is my mom’s favorite author, so it was very special for her. You would not believe the table that she used to write all her novels. It is a small round table about the size of a large pizza, on which she somehow crafted her genius works with a dip pen and a little bowl of ink, incredible.

Lindy's visit!

At the end of May, my friend Lindy and her family (Scott and Ariella), who live in Seattle, visited us for several days on their way to Israel. Ariella is the same age as Linnea and Aaron and they have been friends since birth. They played as if they had just seen each other last week, and played and played. We spent one day in London, where we did the “princess tour,” visiting Buckingham Palace and the Town of London. We also visited Windsor Castle, went on some walks, and just hung out. It was fantastic to see them.