Stoke-on-Trent Weekend

There are a million tiny villages all over England that are just waiting to be explored. My friend Wendy & I were feeling a little restless, so we decided to take her girls (Cara & Sydney) to one of those villages...Stoke-on-Trent. I have been once before with some other girlfriends, and was amazed by the wonderful deals on pottery & china. There were outlet & factory centers galore and we were in the mood to find some great pieces! We went to the Spode, Wedgewood, Royal Daulton, Emma Bridgewater, & the Portmerion factories. Wendy bought some beautiful Christmas dishes for her family, and found some unique gifts as well. I wasn't really looking for anything specific, but found a rediculously good deal on china that I just couldn't pass up. I got 12 regular plates, 12 appetizer plates, and 2 serving dishes in the Old Britain Castles pattern for about $60. Yes, I said $60!! Now this might be an okay deal in the States, but here in England...I was blown away! I'm super excited b/c Chris and I didn't register for china when we got married b/c we couldn't find a pattern that we just loved. This particular pattern is red (my favorite!!) and actually matches my nice dishes that we did register for! They will also always serve as a reminder of our time here in England...I love them!

The girls did such a good job on the trip that we also decided to visit the Monkey Forest in Trentham on our way home. This place was so cool! The monkeys just wandered around on their own and got within a foot of us on certain trails. We watched them getting fed by one of the workers in the forest, grooming each other, and carrying their babies on their bellies. The girls loved it, and so did Wendy & I!! Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend...

The Lion King

Wow it's been a long time since I've posted!  Hmmm, what have I been up to?  Not  a whole lot to tell you the truth.  I've been spending some great "girl-time" with my fabulous friends, I've had a few movie/game nights at my house, I've done lots of fun shopping, and today I did something that I've been wanting to do since we arrived here over a year ago...I went to see The Lion King in London!  Oh my gosh, it was absolutely brilliant!  The costumes, oh I don't even have words.  I seriously got tears in my eyes when the music started and all the "animals" walked down the aisles.  It was insane.  

Two of my friends, Ashlee & Wendy, went with me.  We rode down on a bus (not the most fantastic way to travel, especially in the London traffic!) which dropped us off in Covent Garden, where all the theaters are located.  We walked around the corner to a fabulous eatery before heading to the show.  I cannot even tell you how amazing it was...very different than anything I have seen before.  I would highly recommend going if you haven't seen it already! 

Rain, Rain, Go Away

You know, there's only so much you can do on rainy days. Snuggling up on the couch in my pj's, watching old movies, and drinking hot cocoa can start to get old after a few days. Yes, I did say hot cocoa! It's freezing here...well, not literally, but my heater IS on. I know, it's crazy! My feet are warm and toasty in their socks, when they should be nice and tan from all the sun they are getting in their flip-flops! I'm counting the days until I return back to Texas and feel the sunshine on my face at last...this British tan is a wee bit too pasty for my taste :)

I hope you all are having very sunny days wherever you are! Send some of it my way, would ya?!

Cheers,
Amy