Friday & Saturday, July 17 & 18--Settling in

Went downstairs for the breakfast buffet, which was very delicious. Just hanging out in room, watching TV, trying to get my ear to feel better.

Katie arrived just before 10, and it was so good to see her. She looks very tired and very thin, and I so wish she could go ahead and have the surgery. Russ landed soon after and headed straight to the apartment while Katie spent the night with me at the hotel. I only found out later that it was because he wanted to get it cleaned up for us. He is such a sweetheart. He even bought me M&Ms and apples at the grocery store!

He came to pick us up at the hotel around noon after we had had breakfast. Now we are here at Russ and Katie's apartment, just hanging out. Katie is taking a much needed nap, I am catching up on the blog and emails, and Russ is catching up on work and school.

I will blog when I can over the next few weeks.

Thursday, July 16--Arriving in Atlanta

Had to get up at 5 to get us both to separate airports with all our bags. My flight was delayed and once onboard, I was surrounded by children who thought we were at a party! The didn't stop screaming, changing seats, fighting with each other, and jumping around in their seats for the entire 9 1/2 hours--all while their mothers sat there oblivious. The stewards/stewardesses were cranky, the flight was bumpy, and my ear ached the entire time.

Arrived in Atlanta and had to go through the whole crazy security system. First you go through customs and then wait an interminable length of time for your bags to arrive, then you get the bags and push them over to ANOTHER carousel and have to give them up again!!! Then you go through the security system with the whole taking off the shoes bit, then you get on the train to take you to the OTHER Baggage Claim, where you wait AGAIN for the bags to miraculously appear. Then I headed to the hotel phones to see if I could find a room for the nite.

I called Sheraton becase I love their beds. I asked for the room rate and was told it was $149. Then I asked her if there was a special deal if you stayed 2 nights. While she was looking I told her the whole story about why I had come home. She came back with a rate of $54 a night for 2 nights!!! Incredible luck on my part and I was so thankful to her. When I got here to the hotel, the receptionist told me I had been given the airline employees rate. : )

The room is on the 10th floor with a view of airplanes taking off andlanding in the distance. The beds are so comfy and I am now just waiting for Katie to get back from Mayo. Room service was excellent and I fell asleep watching an ABC special on J. K. Rowling.

Wednesday, July 15--Headed South then West

I will miss the land that calls cupcakes "fairy cakes." I will miss Ray calling right "left"--the English left as he now refers to it. We had breakfast at the Playfair Pub then went to see Harry Potter so we could see it in the land where it was actually set. It was excellent. Followed the book closely, which I liked. And the acting gets better with every film.

Next was a stop off at the storage building to download some items then off to London. We stopped for lunch at Gretna, which is the tradtional place to get married for the English couples who would cross the border to the nearest town of Gretna Green and get married "over the anvil" at the Blacksmith's Shop here in the olden days. It is still a cool thing to do today. Jane's son, Steven, and his fiance, Gemma, were married here, and the pictures were lovely.

Driving along and saw a sign that said "Adverse Camber." Will have to look that up, although it probably means uneven surfaces as that is what we encountered. We drove through Lake District with its many-shades-of green rolling hills, which is where Wordsworth and his wife had a home. Would love to come back here for a visit.

Saw signs for queues likely for Manchester. Being in Britain, we have experienced our share of queues and are used to them by now, but this was quite a queue--it slowed us down to a crawl for over 45 minutes as we inched around the perimeter of Manchester.

In Birmingham, there was a sign that said "Delays Possible until Winter 2009." It made me think of Oregon Trail--like we were in a wagon train and would be stuck here until then. But the classic was the sign that said "Signs Not in Use." ??? If they are not in use, just don't mention them. It was very funny to see.

Got into the hotel at Gatwick at 10 and found a surprise--it has air conditioning!! Only the second hotel we have stayed in on this trip that has had it and we have stayed in SO MANY hotels. It was a welcome change and I slept very well.