England. 2nd go 'round.

I didn't go into great detail about everything that happened in England last year. It was my first visit there and I was met with friendly people while experiencing one of the worst events of my life. We lost our first baby while I was in England and it was heartbreaking, devastating and gut wrenching.

So to say that I was nervous to travel there again would be a bit of an understatement. I knew that this baby was growing happily, kicking and punching, dreaming and hiccuping but it didn't prevent me from worrying a bit.

On the other hand, I knew that this trip was my last chance to go away on my own without having to worry about Tater Tot. It was an opportunity to reclaim England as a good place for me and our family.

Away I went after a long weekend and I am so glad I did. My first few days were spent with Phylecia and Eddie and there darling little Jacob. Phylecia is an old high school friend and she, her husband and mother-in-law were amazing to me last year. This time, we decided it was time to really see where she lives and enjoy our time together.

It started with a day of staying home and cuddling Jacob with a quick trip into Otley for lunch. The next day, we went into a nearby city and had tea at a local tea room called Betty's. 

 Eddie took the day off work on Thursday and we headed to an old castle about an hour away. On the way, we stopped in Aygarth Falls for a quick walk and lunch. On the way to the falls and to the castle, we saw lots of beautiful English countryside. It was still so cold and snowy but typical England in March.

The castle was really interesting though tricky with some narrow stairs and icy courtyards. We spent about an hour there with Jacob in tow and then had tea in the cafe at the castle.

     

We returned home and had dinner out that night. It was sad to only have a few days with the Sutherlands but I was happy to have the time that we did. On Friday, I headed to Leicestershire by train and then, on Saturday we had a meeting with the Friendship Force clubs.

It was nice to spend time with the club leaders who had been so sweet when we lost our little one last year. They were overjoyed to see me with a big belly and to know that Tater Tot was kicking around in there. 

While in Leicester, I hit the 29 week mark and had to document it with the standard belly shot.

On Sunday, I headed to a London suburb where I spent time relaxing in the home of a Friendship Force leader and meeting with the local bank. The ride to Hertfordshire was interesting seeing how I was riding in a tiny little car with my 80 year old friend down a snowy highway.

By Monday, I was more than ready to head home, see Andrew and scratch Lizzey's belly. I was so over it all that my suitcase became a mess that I had to reorganize before flying back.

The flight back was uneventful. I watched lots of movies, ate some airplane food, walked around after each film to keep my blood circulating and baby happy. 

Tater Tot apparently loves traveling because there was lots of kicking and moving around throughout the trip. We arrived home to the beautiful new International Terminal at Atlanta's airport and Andrew waiting for us outside. It was so great to hug Andrew and have my feet on home ground again.

Traveling is always great and it makes me appreciate home even more. 

Ready.

My last two weeks have been crazy.

Saturday, March 9 was Laurel's first wedding shower. That Sunday, Christina and I threw her a shower as well.

After showers were over, I drove home and spent the night packing for England. On Monday evening, I left for England and arrived in Leeds airport at 9am (5am my body's time) after only a little sleep on the plane.

After a wonderful week in England, I returned home this Tuesday night. I was able to work from home Wednesday and then I flew to Jacksonville, Fl on Thursday.

After a meeting and dinner in Jacksonville, I am now sitting at an airport in Jacksonville waiting for my flight home.

Did I mention that I am 30 weeks pregnant today?

I am ready to be home and not living out of a suitcase for a while.

The next 5 weeks will be busy with wonderful celebrations. 3 showers are being thrown for Tater Tot by amazing friends and family. One of my favorite people is getting married to one of my other favorite people in a sweet, wonderful wedding at the farm.

And in the midst of that, Andrew will take his second board exam, start preparing for audition rotations and begin the process of applying for residency programs.

Once May comes, I will truly be able to nest and prepare for Tater Tot's arrival.

More updates to come but I wanted to take this time to capture how crazy and awesome this time of my life is. International travel, wedding and baby all wrapped into a 3 month period.

Whew.

Here's a small taste of what my last two weeks looked like.