THE ROYAL WEDDING

Our plan for the wedding was to wake up early Friday morning, around 4 or 5 and go find our spot on the street, wherever that may be. We had accepted the fact that we may not even get a glimpse of Wills and Kate, but we were going to do our very best!

We had dinner and decided to walk around for a little bit just to see what the crowd was looking like so far.  We stumbled upon a crowd and camera crews outside of a hotel and stopped to see what the fuss was all about...

The hotel where Kate stayed the night before the wedding!

We walked around by Buckingham Palace and noticed that people were camping out, but there were still a decent number of spots open in front of the Palace with a good view of the balcony. We started to talk about whether or not we should go ahead and get a spot while we could. What did we decide?...

...to camp out of course! We debated what we should do, for just a minute, and then went straight to Harrods!


Why did we decide camping out was worth it?
.... THE VIEW!

So we waited, and waited, and waited for the whole wedding extravaganza to begin, not knowing exactly what was going to happen, where she would drive by on the way, where the carriage would bring them on the way back, how close we would be able to get once they let everyone go to the gate... we just knew we were excited to be there!

It was 100% worth our last minute decision to camp out. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Thank you Lord for a zoom lens :)

 Still amazed that this was our view!!

 We got to see her on the way, and him on the way back :)

 The Queen and Prince Philip

 Mr. and Mrs. Middleton and Prince Charles and Camilla

This is only posted because it's THE hat!

And the moment the whole world was waiting on!

Our trip was already a success!! Excited about a few days full of traveling in Scotland and Ireland!

LONDON DAY 1

WE MADE IT TO LONDON FOR THE ROYAL WEDDING!! We arrived this morning at 7am London time which is 1am at home in Alabama. Despite the chatty British kids on the plane (I am obsessed with their little accents so I couldn't help but to eavesdrop) we were both able to get a few little naps in on the flight. When we got to our hotel around 9:30, we checked into our room, showered and got out to go get some breakfast. After we ate we walked around for a little bit until we went back to the hotel at 12 to take a nap for a couple of hours so we would be rested up for our big afternoon/night!

At 4pm we attended a Sapphire Tea, in honor of the Royal Wedding, at the Podium Restaurant inside Hilton on Park Lane.

 Leaving our hotel, Charring Cross, on our way

to Tea.

The stairway in the lobby.

 Cocktail we received when we got to Tea.

 Eating our sandwiches :)

 The important stuff. 3 layers of nothing but sweets!

 Heaven!

 Bottom Layer: Chocolate Chip Scones

 Middle Layer: Cupcakes

 Top Layer: Lots of little goodies. The white tray, is white chocolate!

 Super sweet Brazilian lady next to us was there by herself so we

ended up making a friend and taking turns documenting the experience.

 In the lobby at The Hilton on Park Lane

Tonight we went to see "All's Well That Ends Well" at Shakespeare's Globe Theater.

 Our view... front row balcony. Perfect!

 Getting ready for the play to start.

London getting ready for the wedding!!

 That green building, isn't really a building. It's scaffolding with a 

"building" built around it for the media, across the street from Buckingham Palace.

People already claiming their spots!

In front of that statue, behind that white wall, is stairs... already packed.

London is EXTREMELY flat so steps are your only chance of being elevated

enough to see over people.

We are loving being here already! It's not crazy right now but by tomorrow afternoon it should be intense! Check back tomorrow night to find out!

I would also like to ask for your thoughts and prayers for our family and friends at home in Alabama. They are in the middle of a crazy storm right now that has produced multiple tornadoes, some as big as a mile wide at the base. Parts of Alabama are flattened and the death toll is rising. Please take a moment to pray for the safety of those in danger. Missing them lots and hate that we are so far away with so much going on.

ASPEN

February 2009 mom and I decided to take a trip to Aspen. I had never been to Colorado and she had been once before with a friend and loved it. We flew into Denver and drove out to Snowmass, which is where we stayed, just outside of Aspen. The drive was absolutely breathtaking! Like every other vacation planned by Mama D, the adventures began immediately. This trip consisted of dogsledding, snowmobiling, and a hot air balloon ride that unfortunately was cancelled the morning of, due to high winds. I was sad to come home... combination because we had so much fun and I returned home with a sinus infection and double ear infections - I couldn't hear for a week, but over all it was such a fun trip!!

 Driving from Denver to Aspen.

 More of the drive.

 The view from our balcony in Snowmass.

 Mom and I on our balcony.

 View of the slopes from our balcony.

 Walking around downtown Snowmass.

 At the top of Aspen Mountain.

 The lodge at the top of Aspen Mountain where we had lunch.

Taking the gondola back down the mountain.
A little scary.

 Dog sledding!!

 All bundled up and ready to go!

 Taking a break :)

 The amount of clothes they put on you is a bit ridiculous - but

we never got cold.

 These dogs LOVE their job! After about a 5 minute break 

they were ready to go again!

Watch a few seconds of us dogsledding!

 Beautiful Aspen trees!

 We survived! Headed into the cabin for lunch.

 Krabloonik: Fine Dining and Dogsledding in Aspen.

 Getting ready for a day of snowmobiling!

 Here we go!

 Taking a break from snowmobiling. The mountains

in the background are the Maroon Bells.

 They treat you to hot chocolate for a break from the bumpy, rough

ride through the mountains. SO fun!

 We took a tour of the homes in Aspen to see where all the stars 

stay when they visit and this was the view of town from one

of the stops.

 Downtown Aspen.

 On top of the mountain by our hotel in Snowmass.

 Downtown Aspen at night.

 The entrance to our hotel, The Silvertree Hotel.

 The lobby with a gorgeous view.

Another view of the lobby.

Aspen is such a neat place to visit! There is so much to do and the scenery is amazing! If you ever get the chance to visit Colorado, DO IT!!