Back to England We Go! Visitng Alnwick Castle

There was one thing we had to accomplish this year...and that was to get to England before the Kirschenmann family moved back to the US.  Well, that was going to happen sooner than later, so thankfully we both had the same free weekend before they head home.  It's amazing how much two CAT wives can accomplish in one morning when it comes to trip planning. :)  We got our Ryan Air tickets purchased to fly to Manchester (16.99 each way per person :)) and Christie booked our three hour train ride from Manchester to Durham.  

We took the kids out of school on Friday (gasp!) so we could leave on Thursday night.

This is how we all felt around midnight near the end of our train ride.

 But the long travel route was worth every minute when Christie was standing there waiting for us at the platform.  They live in Hartlepool which is maybe a 25 minute drive from Durham, so it was off to bed as soon as we arrived to rest up for a full day of fun on Friday.

Off to Alnwick Castle!

Pronounced ANNICK....this castle is located in Northumberland.  Alnwick is home to the Duke of Northumberland and is very much a living,working castle (for the last 700 years.)  We were able to tour the inside (no pictures please,) and my favorite part was all of the family pictures around the house.  It felt a little strange to be walking around their home, but at the same time I was so thankful for the opportunity.  We were standing in a grand library when I noticed there was a large TV at one end with two beanbags in front of it and a stack of movies.  This was definitely the place they call home.  I wonder what it is like to pretty much live in a museum???

You can see how far north we were in England.  

Of course, this is an amazing medieval castle, but what my kids cared about was that scenes from the first two Harry Potter movies were filmed here.  Important stuff I tell ya!

It really is impressive!

So excited to go in and check it out.  I didn't hear one complaint about seeing another castle.

The grounds on the inside were just as impressive as the outside.  For the Potter fans, this courtyard was used to film the whomping willow scene.  Just insert fake tree.

The Union Jack proudly flying atop the castle.

England and its wind....

Before the official "Battleaxe to Broomsticks" tour, we thought we had better eat something, so we walked back to the gardens for sandwiches.  We were a bit early in the season, but the gardens were still beautiful.

Our fabulous hosts! 

Then it was back to the castle for the tour and that fabulous English misty rain.

I could have used a wide angle lens...right, Christie? ;)

Standing at the castle and looking out, there is this small clump of trees.  Warner Bros. used that as the entrance to the Forbidden Forest.  It's not creepy at all in person. :) 

Quidditch matches were held out there in the countryside just beyond the castle

Madam Hooch taught the broomstick class and flying lessons in this courtyard.

So naturally, we had to do the broomstick class.

The instructor was so funny.  The kids got such a kick out of him.

That face is saying, "I can't believe I am doing this...but I love it!"

He just has to win at everything he does....even broomstick races.

Still cracking up!  This picture absolutely makes me giggle.  I love watching them have so much fun!

I keep telling them they are the luckiest kids.  I mean...look. at. that. setting!

UP!  Just like in the movie. :)

Maybe a little too demanding??....

Off they go!!!!

Future Quidditch players

Family pic!  Thank you, Kolin!

 The best part of the castle was how kid friendly it was, and this area was just too cute.  First, you could choose your medieval outfit.  Thomas was all over that.  Allison took a little encouragement (when in Rome, right?)  

There were games to play like throw the rats at the people in the pillory.

My little knight in shining armor just before he battled the dummy behind him.

Ring toss with Dad

I love the way the little girl is admiring the princess.

This kid got him good.  LOL!

I just love her so much.

Ring toss with Kolin

Okay, just one more of my knight. :)

Poor Dad, but what a good sport.

Probably the highlight of the kids' day.

Please stop growing up.  This will all be over too soon.

 Sprinting across the bridge before we head back to the Kirschenmann's house.

 The highlight of the adults' day!  Kolin makes the BEST margaritas.  Yum!!!

You boys can keep your whiskey...even if it is the good stuff...bleh!

Cheers to a fabulous first day!  More adventures to come tomorrow.

Until next time,

Wendy

One Direction ~ Antwerp!

I had been watching the online sales for weeks.  Tickets for the One Direction concert in Antwerp, Belgium were sold out, but online second-hand sellers were making loads of money on the overpriced tickets they were selling.  As a mom, I wanted to make my girl happy by taking her to this concert, but doing that would make the husband very unhappy. I had given up hope that I was going to be able to take her to see her favorite group....that was only 40 minutes from our house.  I kept telling myself it was okay.  She just saw them in London in February.  That was the most terrific weekend, but there was a part of me that just wanted to be able to do it again.  The morning of the concert, the price of the tickets had dropped significantly.  Now I'm not saying these tickets were inexpensive...but I'm saying that it was more feasible.  I promised Chris this would be her birthday present, and we decided she would pay for part of her ticket.  She was just going to have to be okay with it.  And of course, she was fine with it.  We gave her the tickets, and it was followed by screaming, laughing, tears, lots of "Thank you Mom and Dad...you guys are the best," and hugs.  It was a great surprise!

So, it was time to get working on this concert that was just a few hours away.  Allison made a great sign to have at the concert.

Ready for the big event!

We found out when we got to the concert that posters were not allowed.  They took it from her at the gate and told her they would give it to the band.  Yeah right.....

She just got these shoes for a future trip to London in June.  They were perfect for the big night.

She cracks me up!

What could make this even better???  Allison's friend Preslee got tickets too!

Allison and Mom of the Year! :)

Everything was going great until we entered the concert venue.  They scanned my ticket and called me back because it didn't scan right.  Allison's looked okay (they thought) but there was a problem with my ticket.  Lucinda and Preslee's worked fine too (all tickets were purchased through the same seller.)  So, I had to go to a ticket window and wait with a bunch of crazy people trying to get tickets or complaining their tickets wouldn't work.  People all around us were yelling at police and girls were crying.  They kept closing the blinds of the ticket windows because the people were out of control.  Finally, a woman tried to help me but told me my ticket had already been scanned into the venue and was oversold four times.  I had a "black market" ticket, and there was nothing she could do.  By this point, Allison is starting to freak out.  She just kept saying, "We can't go to the concert??"  This was a total nightmare!  Long story longer....I call the company we purchased through, and they can do nothing but offer me a refund.  That is not going to help the crying 11 year old at my side.  So, I decide I would just send Allison in with Lucinda and Preslee if her ticket worked, and I would wait at a restaurant (I admit I was really disappointed I wouldn't get to see the concert with my girl.)  We had the man rescan Allison's ticket, and it was fine.  He said he would give mine a try again, and it WORKED!  I don't know why, and I don't care.  It worked!  The seats were probably "oversold" because they had tried scanning my ticket at least four times.  Turns out it was their fault all along.  Crisis averted!!!

Allison about ready to burst with excitement!

Ahhh...there they are.  We had great seats!!!

Allison's boy Niall.

The moms

A peaceful end to a perfect night....One very tired and happy girl.

The shrine in her room.

I thought I would add these pictures of her room all decked out in 1D.

 It turned out to be a perfect night.  We were so lucky to share it together.  It was one of those nights the two of us will always remember.

Until next time,

Wendy

Celebrating Thomas

We celebrated Thomas's birthday with friends a few weeks after the big day.  His birthday falls just before spring break, so it makes it a little tricky for planning.  Thomas was very specific about what he wanted for the party....just three friends and playing "The Hunger Games."  The three friends was fine by me, but "The Hunger Games?"  Would there be slayings in the yard??  He worked for quite some time on a list of rules for his Hunger Games event.  He was beyond excited for the big night!

They had to be well fed for the games, so Pizza Hut was on the menu for these growing boys.

This present came in handy for the games.

Some of the very specific rules.

The battling was intense, and I am happy to report that no one was injured, and they all had a marvelous time!

So, when I bought the "Happy Birthday" banner, all you could see in the package was HA.   Turns out this banner means a Hardy Congratulations in Dutch.  It didn't even occur to me that it would be in Dutch.  I don't usually make that error here!  Well, congrats on turning 10 big guy!

The yummy cupcakes!
The cupcake cups were bigger than usual, so I arranged them in a 9x13 pan instead of a muffin tin.  Turns out when they bake, they expand and formed squares.  They looked kind of cool.

What a crew!  Don't they look so tough!?!

They are just the sweetest!

I could just gush all over this picture....but I am a biased mama. :)

And, of course we had s'mores on this beautiful evening.

Happy 10th Birthday, Bubba!  We love you more than words can express!

Until next time,
Wendy