Our first houseguests!

Saturday Mar 12

Today Sister & M arrived to see us – we were so excited to see them and to have our first houseguests. They were quite exhausted, but we managed to keep them awake all day – sort of. We rode the train out to Windsor Castle where we took a short tour and then stayed around for Evensong at the church. The special music was performed by a boy’s choir from up the road. It was a nice journey back in time.

We had hot drinks to warm us up at a small café – yummy for carmel steamers. After getting home and eating pizza and pasta, there wasn’t much done before bedtime. Hopefully the girls won’t be jet-lagged in the morning.

Sunday Mar 13

We blasted some Shane Bernard to wake the girls up after we got tired of waiting on them – apparently they slept pretty well. Thanks Jeannie for the airbed – it’s working quite well.

We sauntered down to the church down the road again. I think Sister & M found the people quite friendly.

It was a pretty eventful lunch since the oven cut out in the middle of cooking our baked potatoes. But eventually we finished them off in the microwave. It was our first meal hosting people in our own home.

Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park made for a very pleasant afternoon. Apparently the girls brought sunshine with them from Texas.

At night, we visited a large church with lots of young people – St. Helen’s. It was a very pleasant experience and Sharon and I had an opportunity to try to speak a little French with one of the girls we met.

Monday Mar 14
Surprise! Whether they wanted me to be there or not, I’m not sure, but I took the day off and hung out with Sharon and Mindy. By hang out, I mean walked a lot. We went to the Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Shakespeare’s Globe, Millenium Bridge, Parliament, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square among other things… We ate fish and chips and shepherd’s pie – too of the most British meals you can get. We missed Bree, but picked her up from work and took her home to watch an episode of, you guessed it 24.

Tues Mar 15
Back to work. Sharon and Mindy cooked us a WONDERFUL meal, complete with chocolate covered strawberries. AND they let us lick the chocolate bowl. They actually got to see the Queen today and apparently really enjoyed Westminster Abby and going to Harrod’s.

Wed Mar 16
Another day off work. The young pastor took off and hung out with us. We climbed to the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral and then ate lunch with Bree at Covent Gardens. We toured the British Museum, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by how much stuff is there. From Egyptian mummies to ancient coins, there’s quite a collection of artifacts. My favorite thing to read about and see was the Rosetta stone. I always had wondered how people figure out languages that aren’t used any more when no one is alive to explain them. We capped off the night with The Producers, the first stage comedy I’ve been to. I must say I laughed a fair amount, but there was a fair amount I didn’t find that amusing either. But either way, it was Sharon and Mindy’s first experience with a Broadway/West End show. I think they enjoyed it. Maybe next time they’ll see a more classic show.

Thurs. March 17
Alas, our guests left us this morning. And as far as we know, they made it home. It was so much fun having them. So then I had to work long hours to catch up. We watched 24 and made a couple calls on Skype. Congrats to Jake who finally called us with a microphone – the first time he called he could hear us, but he would just talk to us through IM.

Friday March 18
Without the girls around, our lives aren’t quite as exciting. We worked, ate, watched tv, and slept.