God save the queen(s)

     Well so begins our 2 month journey! First I will NEVER fly anything but British Airlines again, Delta can suck it after the AMAZING customer service BA gives! (ok the seat, although ample legroom thanks to Tim and seatbuddy.com, still was a wee bit small, but that's Boeing for you, everyone else with a normal size arse will be fine,at least it wasn't like the Boeing we took back from New Jersey, THAT was like squeezing toothpaste back into the tube.)
    So far everything has been top notch, from the Kitsap Airporter, which for the first time our driver was not over 100 years of age, to the TSA which we breezed thru....although I swear half the people in wheelchairs who get to cut to the front of the line were faking it (but that's my guess, I mean c'mon, you can have 4 kids with you but you can't walk?) the food they served on BA was actually good, no needles in the sandwich's (Delta reference) the movies first rate and a endless supply of drinks (ok that is more of a benefit for Tim really). We made it in only 8 hours.I will fess up though, thanks to xanax, I slept for 7 of the hours and NO for those who know me I did not snore. It felt like the universe really wants us here!
     I was dreading going thru customs because of all the Olympic crowds making it a 2 hour process, but luckily we landed at Terminal 5, Heathrow's newest edition, and happily it only took 5 minutes and we were out the door!! They did a amazing job with this terminal! So pretty! It really compares to Shipol in the Netherlands!
     Our dear Jane was waiting for us and off we went to Oxshott. We just had time to unpack and immediately went for nibbles in Esher at a quaint restaurant called Layla. It was kinda Indianish (dot not feather) which I loathe but nothing we ordered had that 'smell' most Indian food has, you know, 'armpit' to be nice, but 'taint' is more spot on. For those of you who just loooove Indian food, your sick and wrong and before you start the whole 'but you just haven't had real good Indian' just stop now. It sucks..
     After we went back home and was joined by Lydia's friend Hannah who's picture I will try to get later cause we are going to stay with her in Brighton at the beach later in the trip. This girl is beautiful! Great work ethics especially with her young age of 19, I hope we do see more of her.
Jane slaved all day making us spagbog, which is spaghetti bolonaise, AND from scratch my favorite, sticky toffee pudding.....This is where I must fess us, with my diabetes most alcohol wrecks havoc on me, Gin is not one of them, especially Hendricks, and before I knew it, I was throwing up and passed out on the bed BEFORE this meal, which I feel so guilty about. It had to of been the Indian food, certainly NOT my resilient age of 42.......or the 10, yes 10 Gin and tonics (the cucumber instead of lime is brill by the way, totally takes off the juniper edge)
But, when I woke up my blood count was only 132, so nee ner nee ner!
     Today was a little grey with some rain and bouts of sun, so we ate and just hung in the garden. Frank, Jane's husband, is the quintessential Englishman gardener, these pics are just some of his handy work....check out the train he carved out of hedge!
     Well tomorrow we work on my UKM forms for duel citizenship plus I offered to help Frank in his garden. I told him if I lose 50 more pounds (or 4 stone as they say here) that my doc said I won't be diabetic anymore and I have a gut feeling Frank is adopting this as his personal mission to help me lose it. Crap. Oh well, as long as eventually I can look like Jason Stathom in 'the transporter' movies by the time he is done and not like I just ate Jason Stathom it will all be worth it........won't it? I'm kinda fine being the fat FUNNY one of the relationship, I mean, if I become fit AND funny, what ever will poor Tim's role be? :-) 

Anyway, Tim and Frank are off to the pub (the old vic) and I stayed to keep you up to date thus far......stay tuned, it's only been 2 days.
*wink* Lisa Cha-Cha-Chavez

A return home, 50 years in the making.....

Before I blog anymore about this trip, I would like to give you the background of it's importance and cathartics.
Every person who had ever met my mother loves her. She is the proof for me that God exists and she is a woman. Time's that I was sick either with a simple cold, or chicken pox, I remember the healing comforting hands of her stroking my brow. Sometime in a fever I would swear it was her wings doing it, because I just knew she was an angel in a mothers body.( but aren't all mother's?) During these times she would tell me stories of when she was a girl growing up in  magical land's called Scotland and England. Stories that including her using her brogue ( that sing song way scottish people have) that would and still has me smile. Exotic food's, well exotic to me being 7, I mean, sourdough bread slathered in butter and chocolate sounded like heaven compared to the Special k crap she had me on. Or still gross food's like 'Black pudding" which ended up being fried blood. My whole existence has been these stories, and my love of everything anglophilic.
I have always wanted to share these experience's with her, but her fear of flying would never let it happen. So I had to come to the resolve to start this blog so she could read of Tim and I's adventures abroad and somehow relive them thru our eye's and words. Imagine what I felt when she did in fact dug down and despite her crippling fear, said she would go with us this time, with my father. They say you can never go home again. They are wrong. My mother was and did go home, while I found mine.
So thank's to Nancy Nystrom, perhaps the best therapist in the world (her office is in Illahee, Bremerton if you ever need one, she is the only one I would ever recommend for anything) and thank's to medical mild stress leveler's, and thanks to my father for being the constant rock to her that he is, we had lift off.

The next blog entries will include everything I got to experience with my mother and I hope you enjoy them. Both thru my eye's and her's, this was the most amazing and healing trip. Thank you Tim for all the planning you did that made this what it was. Also I would like to thank the staff of Sugardaddy's Salon who survived and thrived without us. I could not leave my salon to any other group of amazing people and not worry.

Valentine's Day in Cobham, Surrey

After arriving at our dear families home in Oxshott, we combatted the jet lag with a case.....yes a case, of champagne. The next day after the appointment with an immigration lawyer in Servington, ( Tim was right, I need to fill out the UKM form, and let bureaucracies take it from there for duel citizenship) we got ready to celebrate Valentine's Day at my beautiful cousins restaurant where she works called Strada in Cobham. This was just one of many culinary delight's we encountered in the U.K. Whatever you have heard about british food, you will need to rethink it, it was amazing. Far from bland, my tongue has never been happier......Sorry Tim.
From the vegetarian risotto with soybeans and asparagus, the charred yellow fin tuna, spring vegetables, and beef cheek's, everything was scrumptious. Experiencing  english lovers nibbling their meals exchanging secret glancing made for  fun people watching, and the restaurant itself was beautifully designed. Tim and I loved the odd shaped lighting fixtures and clean lines of the place all the while retaining it's warmth.
I also loved the fact that my parent's now having bragging right's to say they celebrated Valentine's Day in England, how romantic. I will include a supplementary blog regarding this trip and what exactly it meant for us, hell maybe that will be my next one so you can read this with that frame of mind.

Thank you so much dear Lydia for sharing this with us. It was, hand's down, the best Valentine's I have ever had. If you are ever in Cobham, Surrey, England you must try out Strada restaurant. It is right downtown Cobham. The staff is beautiful and friendly, the food is rockin', and they take American Express.( One huge note to those traveling regarding gratuties. They really do not believe in them, more than 10% would actually insult them. So if you are like me, and believe in heavy tipping, you must restrain yourself. They will respect the 10% fully. In fact a lot of the credit card transactions DO NOT include a tip line so you must tell them to add it when you give them the card.)

last week checklist:

When international traveling, here are some check list items you might not realize you should do. It will also explain the crazy look in my eyes and lack of tolerance for people asking me questions, Seriously, ONE MORE QUESTION AND I'LL BLOW!!!
But we're all friends here, it's all good, so if you need to ask a question, ask away......
1.  Order any medications I'll need from pharmacist.....check
2.   Inform bank of travel plans so I can use ATM card ( this gives you the best exchange rate, but some        
        banks bend you over with "international fee's" so check on your rates........check
3.   Inform all credit cards of travel, include dates, and every country planning on visit. In a time of
      identity
  theft and fraud, for this pain in the butt chore really is necessary. For one you don't wanna be caught in
   a  foreign country, their security measures denying you authorization, and then have to get someone on
    the phone and sort it out is really just a pain..........check
4.   Passport ready and secure in my Rick Steves passport under the shirt bag.........check
5.   Kitsap Air-porter reservations made..........check
6.   Someone to check in on 22 year old stepson, cat, and house............check
7.   everyone at work aware of breakdown of who's who while gone..........check ( on a personal note, if
      the plane goes down, I trust all my employees to keep the standards we have built up and to follow
      the lines of your cut and color we have done to you. You will be safe, keep Sugardaddy's alive in
       Tim and I's honor)
8.    Bills sent out or auto pay set up for while gone so no late penalties assessed..............check
9.     Emergency contacts left and also a copy taken, cause you know if there is a emergency oversea's
        like I am gonna remember the important things like numbers
10.   Copy of itineraries printed and put in travel folder in order of events. O.K. this sounds really anal,
        and in fact Tim's idea, but it totally will pay off in all the hub bub! An ounce of prevention, plus
         honestly, it takes 2 bloody seconds extra every time you make your reservations whether for lane,
          hotel, ect.

Ok, these 10 steps will be your 10 golden rules once you try them once! Learn it Live it Love it.  Now we are at 3 days and a wake up! Just breathe.........

SURPRISE TRIP!!

So this February an unexpected trip to the U.K. presented itself. What makes this more special my mother, whois from there, if finally going with us and seeing home for the first time since the early 60's. I have wanted this moment my entire life, seeing her home thru her eye's. I cannot wait to share all these moments with you guys!
We will be working on my duel citizenship, so cross your finger's!

Stayed tuned: SUMMER 2012

We are planning to spend 2 months across the pond again, July thru Sept! We really wanted to spend christmas in dear Oxshott again with our family the Batty's, but figure we will have a butt load more money to spend if we save that litte bit more for the summer.
The plans are :
1: what our dear girl Lydia calls "inter railing" which we take as getting a train pass and slumming country to country
2: avoiding the Olympics like the plague......unless, I would love to see the horsey stuff being raised watching " International Velvet"
3: Getting my duel citizenship
4: THE FRINGE FESTIVAL in EDINBURGH!!!
5: popping over to Holland and see our loved ones in altmaar and amsterdam
6: maybe squeezing in a trip to spain to stay in Xaviera's spanish b&b

So up til then I will be adding little posts leading up to all this, the flight arranging, getting places to stay, hopefully "apartment by Castle" again, papers in order, all the little vital things you need to do before international travel in case you yourselves are planning something and need help, you can follow the boy's!

Now THIS is a festival of chimes and light's!

If you are looking for suggestions to put on your bucket list, going to Edinburgh Scotland during the holidays, heck, ANYTIME, should be at the top of the list!

From Christmas time to the first of the year, the whole city celebrates what is called 'Hogmanay' It is festivals, carnivals, live music ect. They fence the city off and you must pay to get in unless you already live inside the city or staying there. Unfortunately they charge 3 times the going rates, but when 80 thousand people descend into your city you can. Their goal this year was to get the largest assembled group to sing 'Ol lang syne' and they did it! Good on you!

So we arrived Jan 3rd cause you know I am a cheap bastard, but the carnival was in full swing, and there is nothing like Princes Garden (which is situated below the castle and High Street) all lit up with the multitude of colors and music. From vendors booth's, ferris wheels, bungie balls, this carnival had you covered for entertainment. I am old now so we only did the ferris wheel (I think I am too old for even that, if you remember my success on the 'eye of manchester', I didn't learn my lesson)

The apartment Tim found was called 'Apartment By Castle' and it was jaw dropping amazing. The castle was literally a stones throw from it and right there in view from our window! With 20 foot high ceilings and real ornate crown molding, comfy leather couches and flat screen tv, I was in heaven, the wonderful owner Moira even had real Edinburgh crystal to have our drinks in. From the 2 HUGE bedrooms we could see the boy's school that inspired J.K. Rowling to create Harry Potter, and boys school turned into Hogwarts! More on THAT later! The apartment even had a full kitchen with washer and dryer and dishwasher! Upon arrival she took the time to explain how everything worked, what restaurants had received great reviews from past guests and which tour companies to use. (remember the Timberbush tours in the last post to Loch Ness, her suggestion!) Moira even had a welcome basket that contained coffee, fresh baked bread, tea's, cookies to dunk, and the BEST jelly I ever had! It is called Roses, and its a lime marmalade and I could have mainlined it. She even stocked the fridge with butter, water and other goodies. Only in Scotland I swear to God! We all think we even had a ghost who really liked Destini. (pillows thrown, picture crashing to the floor, nothing scaring, just a 'what's up' from the other side, but what can you expect from buildings 300 years plus old?)

The people of Edinburgh and Scotland in general are hands down the nicest people I have ever met, they even try to get out of your way when walking. I can still feel the 1000 year old cobblestone on my feet where we walked. The history of that stone in imprinted with the bazzilion people who have walked it before you and I swear retains that energy.

The food was amazing, but I think I will post separately on that, it was that note worthy. Anthony Bourdain would be proud, we made quite a dent.

If you have ever valued my opinion and word, then believe this, Edinburgh hands down is the BEST place to vacation (or move to..........) From butch guys with tattoo's in kilts yet no 'alpha' retentiveness, a language spoken in beautiful brogue, food that warms the gullet and NOT depletes the wallet, visual grandeur at every turn, quality shopping for the most discerning diva and smiles and friendliness abounding, Edinburgh, you are my home!

Here is the info for Apartment By Castle if you take our advise and stay there

abc@ednet.co.uk http://www.abc-edinburgh.co.uk Tell Moira we sent ya!

*wink* Julia "diva" Brink