Our London trip

It's almost been 15 years since the Monroe kids started popping up on the scene and Chad and I finally took our first trip without kids.   Chad's sister lives in London with her family and she has been trying to get us to come visit for some time now.  Since buying eight plane tickets wasn't really feasible we opted for two tickets and convinced my parents to come watch the kids!  We are really grateful to my parents for taking on such a feat - we couldn't have made the trip without them!

Chad and I headed out on a Wednesday for a thirteen day trip on the other side of the pond!  Our adventure began with a long day of airports and airplanes.  We went from Evansville to Detroit then on to London.  Chad braved coach with me (he's usually in business class) and I think he got more sleep than I did!  The flight to London wasn't too bad.  I didn't sleep all that well, but it seemed to go by quickly!

We landed in London mid morning.  I had been warned that getting through customs could take a while, but we were quick to exit the plane and we were able to breeze right through!  Shannon picked us up at the airport and took us back to her house.  I have never been to London, so the drive to Shannon's house was my first taste of London.  It was very pretty and charming.  Lots of greenery everywhere.  I was amazed at hour small the streets were.  I don't think my Yukon would fit inside the lane lines!  I was also amazed at how well everything flowed.  I don't remember seeing any stop lights, but traffic kept moving and it worked.  I must admit it was a little weird driving on the opposite side of the road. I think it would take me a long time to get used to that!

The rest of the day we spent touring the little town where Shannon lives. It is really cute and charming.  Chad has been there once before and he kept telling me it was like being in a Harry Potter movie!  I can see what he is talking about.  It was fun to see it first hand!

We also got to check out the kid's school.  It looks like a great school.  The best part is it houses all grades, so Shannon only has to go to one place to pick up all the kids!  It was fun to see our niece and nephews again!  The first thing they asked us was, "Why didn't you bring your kids?"  We wish we could have brought them.  Maybe someday!

That night we had one of our first London treats - Sticky Toffee Pudding!  It is a special treat in Shannon's house.  It was really yummy!

Shortly after treats we all headed to bed.  I was tired, but I wasn't feeling overly tired.  It felt like a normal day for me.  I felt like I do on the nights I have stayed up late to finish a project and then still had to get up at the normal time the next day.  I knew those late nights would come in handy sometime!