Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Old Friends


Since being back in the States I have seen lots of old friends and boy has it been fun. Here I am with my friend Jessie (who introduced me to Buddy, you'll meet him later) and my Auntie. They stayed with us for a few days, so I got extra quality time with them. They spoiled me and bought me clothes, like the "Sleep is for the Weak!" shirt.



I showed off for them, giving them the ONE MAN SHOW everyday. I think they enjoyed it and would have even payed money to see that. he he

Yesssssss...Dad is finally Home!



My Dad is finally home from Wales. His flight was delayed 3 hours, which means his flight wasn't scheduled to land in Minneapolis until 8:30 at night, which is way past my bed time. So mom thought! he he I had to go to bed at 7:30 and just settle on seeing dad when I woke up in the morning...not fair! Mom came in to check on me right before she went to the airport and I surprised her and was still awake, although I had been extra quiet so she thought I was sleeping the last hour. I am so sneaky, but can you blame me? I just really wanted to go to the airport to see my dad AND the airplanes!


We made signs for dad around the house and threw him a little party. I think he liked it.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Wales Farewell


Wales is a country often over looked on the world stage. It hasn't been promoted by Hollywood like other British countries (Scotland and Northern Ireland most notably) and many people don't even know that Wales is it's own country with it's own language and it's own glorious history.

When we arrived in Wales nine months ago we had no idea what to expect. We had never heard of terms such as mobiles, teles, or boots. We didn't know we would be asked "Y'all right?" nearly every day or be addicted to a T.V. show called the X-Factor.

Despite these differences we were quickly taught the world of speed cameras, rugby, and lamb, and eventually became accustomed to the simply baffling cost of gasoline (although dad still goes into cardiac arrest when passing a 'petrol' station). Driving on the 'wrong' side of the road came easier than expected even though the only time dad had seen a round-about was on European Vacation.

Within weeks we were taking regular trips to castles and other historical sights in Wales. We discovered little known (at least internationally) cities such as Bath and Cardiff and visited major cities like London and Edinburgh. Wales was also used as a platform to visit the rest of Europe such as our trips to Ireland, Norway, The Netherlands, and France.

Now that it is time to leave we will miss things about Wales that have become like home to us. Things like chocolate covered digestives, Haribo candies, and Joe's ice cream, just to name a few.

But more than anything that we leave behind we will miss the Welsh people and the friends we have made in Wales the most. We feel we have really got to know the Welsh people and gained some understanding of Welsh life and Welsh history.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Continuation...

Me, Mom, and Dad, have been receiving lots of requests to keep this blog up and running even though we have returned to the United States. At this time we are deciding whether to continue this blog or start another one. Within a few days dad will be home and we will post a final farewell to Wales. After that we will decide what direction to go with the blog. Check back often!

Monday, June 05, 2006

Back In America

Well I made it! Mom and me landed back in Minneapolis a whole hour ahead of schedule! KLM did their best to make us miss our connection in Amsterdam but thank goodness my mom is in such great physical condition she ran to the gate and got us on the airplane just in time. I'll write my farewell to Wales in an upcoming email but for now I need to rest. Travel is so exhausting.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Fly Boy


Another weekend, another flight. I am getting pretty used to flying. Look at all the places I have flown.

I have flown to...
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Minot, North Dakota
Pensacola, Florida
Dublin, Ireland
Chicago, Illinois
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Nice, France
Kristiansand, Norway
Edinburgh, Scotland
Bristol, England
and of course Cardiff, Wales

And I am only 19 months old!

New Tricks


You should see some of the stuff I can do now. One of my favorite things is to dunk cookies in milk. And then...


...drink milk out of a glass cup. Some of the other things I do is to point out when there are 'two' items or when there are 'more' items. I can also say almost any word I hear. I can't wait to get home and show everyone all the things I can do!

Love That Ice Cream


At the beach today Emma bought me some ice cream. Ice cream is pretty much my favorite food. Plus, it's the only food I don't stuff in my mouth as fast as I can. With ice cream I savor every bite/lick. Yummm.

Last Minute Repairs


Before I left I needed to take care of some of the things I broke while in our house in Wales. Here's a picture of me repairing the patio door. Not sure what happened here but I think me and dad had to take the panel off to get out some rocks that someone decided to stuff through a whole in the panel. I better get going since I have a lot of repairs to take care of before I leave.

Sad Last Day


Today was my last full day in Britain. Tomorrow my dad is taking mom and me to the Cardiff airport and we are flying home to America. I haven't been to America since Christmas. I sort of forget what America is like since I haven't been there for so long.

Even though it is exciting to go to America today was the last day we will see my best friend Emma for a while. We went to Langland beach while dad was at work and hung out with Emma for the day. Emma gave me a lot of presents to remember Wales. She gave me a stuffed Welsh dragon, a Welsh rugby ball, even a Welsh wall ornament to hang on our wall in Minneapolis so we never forget our time in Wales.

We will miss Emma and all our Welsh friends so much and can't wait to see them again in near future.