Birthday Fun and a Bon Voyage

On Saturday we celebrated Birthday's and said Bon Voyage to Chris and Amy as they left for England on Sunday.

Dad relaxing and having some coffee before he rips into his gifts. Looking mighty thin Dad...you look great!

Well Shirley, it's no surprise that it's your Birthday too!

While they may look cute and happy, I know half of them was extremely nervous about the trip. We should hear something in the next day or two about how it all went.

We had a busy day on Sunday too. We stopped by Chris and Amy's to pick up some stuff, then headed to Bloomington to get Nolan some ice skates (he starts lessons this week). Then we went to Burnsville to have dinner with Mom & Dad H. and Jon, Heather, Logan and Luke. It really felt like winter yesterday, so it was nice to get home to a warm house and relax for the rest of the evening.

Chris in England...Chapter 2

Here is part 2 from my brother Chris in England (dated 9-27-08):

"So, last Saturday I took the bus down to Shrewsbury town center. Shrewsbury is the largest city near my village, and has roots going all the way back to mid-evil times. The town center was bustling with people, and now is home to a lot of shops, restaurants, and hotels. It’s also the birthplace of Charles Darwin. There’s a great big, beautiful park there called The Quarry, and in the middle of the park is a garden named The Dingle (oh grow up!). The weather was perfect, and as I walked around the city I took a few pictures. I also snapped a few of Hillcrest, the house I’m living in."

Darwin

The Dingle

Welcome to Hillcrest

The backyard

Chris's pet...he named him "Kitty"

An Excerpt from my Brother Chris's Memoir (as "Remembered" by Me)

"I explored my surroundings today, and visited a local pub called The Romping Cat (as seen to the left), where I chatted up the bartender and shared a Shandy with the Locals. As you can see, the sun was actually shining and I enjoyed the walk and took in the views of the beautiful countryside. The surrounding area is very rural, and with all of the rain it is very green. As I was not familiar enough yet with the area, I decided to head home before it got dark. On my way I realized that I may have had one too many Shandy's (the Local's were very generous and kept buying another round), and seemed to have gotten slightly lost on the way home. I soon found myself wandering through what was thought to be a grassy knoll. To my surprise, it was actually a field in which the bulls enjoy their dinner, which I found would be me soon if I didn't begin to run. I snapped this picture shortly after I jumped the fence. If you look closely, you can see the smoke still coming from the bull's nostrils. I must have been running at least 25 KPH (that's fast right?). But, in the end, I made it home safely with all limbs in tact. Next time I will remember not to wear red on my walk around town."

(Reading between the lines and liberties may have been taken in relaying this story)