Fun in the Sun in the USA

Scott took the FitzGeralds to the airport at 4am on Sunday and I woke to wash clothes and pack as quickly as possible for our month in the USA. We left early Monday morning excited to see family and friends but sad to leave Scott behind to work a few more days.

Our first stop in the USA was at "Camp Polly" in North Dallas where we were able to relax for a few days and nights. Polly spoiled us rotten while we were at her house! We spent most of our waking hours in her pool or eating the yummy comfort foods she bought for us! The boys woke at 3am the first morning and 5 am the second morning, so I was so thankful to be hiding at her house where we could nap when we needed to or just veg out without any distractions. The first morning Christopher said, "can we come to Polly's house every summer???" As we left and I tearfully hugged Polly goodbye, I realized this trip "home" was going to be a little tougher than I'd planned.

Thank you Polly, Maggie, and Charlie for a fantastic few days! We miss you already!

Ethan had the opportunity to drop in on his Dallas Book Club while we were staying at Polly's house so that was a very special treat. He surprised his friends and enjoyed catching up while talking about one of the great books he's read this summer. Thank you as always to Michele and Laura for organizing it and Jodi for hosting! I wish I'd had more time to catch up with you all!

After leaving Polly's, we headed south towards our old neighborhood. Christopher's friends Ford, Ryan, Jack, Brooks and Zachary all met for a swimming playdate at the Buckner's house for the afternoon! What a special time to catch up with our friends and relax in the Texas Heat. Christopher and I boo-hooed as we pulled away and realized that it might be awhile before we see these friends again. It's bittersweet to see our favorite people and so hard to say goodbye. We'll just say "see you again soon dear friends." *Thank you to Robyn for hosting us on a day when you had more importanta things to think about.

Next we headed to Meadowknoll Drive to the Elliott's house where we enjoyed 3 nights and days of great friends, fantastic food and new memories that we'll cherish a very long time. The Elliotts graciously welcomed us into their home and were so flexible to catch up around dentist appts and visits with other friends. Our time there went too fast and once again, I found myself in the ugly cry saying goodbye! Susan and Todd, your hospitality is a gift from above and we thank you! Here are a few of the pictures of our kiddos.

We could not stop on Meadowknoll Drive without a visit with the Hendersons and the Hawkins. Terri opened the Hawkins Pool to our little rascals and we caught up while playing in the water! As always, we loved seeing the Hendersons and we miss having them 2 doors down! And Terri, thanks for having us and we'll see you in Glasgow in October!

And we made one last stop in Dallas on our way to Arlington! The Wieters Family had us over for lunch and we had a wonderful quick visit with their family! It was so good to see them (we missed you Madeline) and to catch up since our last visit. We were already making plans for our next visit so it seemed a little easier to leave!

We loved catching up with all of you that we were blessed to see and to those friends that we missed this time, we'll see you soon! And our door is always open in Glasgow if you fancy a "wee Scottish Trip!"

The FitzGeralds in Scotland

At the beginning of July, my brother Todd and his family arrived for 2 weeks in Scotland. We spent one week in Glasgow exploring things close to home and one week in the Highlands exploring the great wet outdoors!

Our sister-in-law Amy is pregnant and gets extremely car sick so she graciously endured many winding roads and outings that are horrible when you are car sick and pregnant!

Our niece Stella put up with hours of sibling squabbles and noise that she does not have at her home or for that matter on her vacations!

And my brother Todd, one of the world's best communicators, helped us all discuss/digest what a 2 week extended family vacation looks like when one family is active, loud, dirty, all boy, and 3 children versus one family that is intellectual, not-so-active, clean, all girl, and 1 child! The stark differences between our families only helped us to appreciate each other more.

When I hear the boys talk about their visit with their cousin Stella, it's all fun, adventure, laughter filled memories for them. I just hope that Stella, Todd and Amy feel the same!

Here are highlights from our 2 weeks:

Isle of Arran:

Pollok House, Pollok Park and the Burrell Museum

Botanic Gardens and Park, Kelvingrove Park and Museum

Edinburgh Castle, Vanity Fair Exhibit, Castle Park

and other highlights in and around Glasgow: Glasgow Academy, Swim at the Gym, Play in the Garden, Wagamama, Date Night, Shish Mahal with Pippa and Neil, Buchannan Street, and chats to catch up!

Then we were off to the Highlands (Spean Bridge to be specific):

A 3 hour drive turned into an 8 hour drive because the only highway north was shut down because of an accident. Argh! Along the way we tried to trace a bit of Amy's McGregor family history and had an impromptu picnic at a beautiful spot in Glencoe:

Jousting at Fort George and the Nessie Mueseum at Loch Ness

Exploring the Bog and Burn behind our Holiday Home:

Fishing the Roy River (no luck and notice the thrill on Charlie's face about sharing the fishing rod with Stella) and cycling around the house:

Glenfinnian Monument, Neptune's Staircase (Caledonian Canal Lock and Dam System where we watched an commercial boat and 2 private sailboats come through the swing bridge and "staircase" and the boys helped the operator open the lock), Jacobite Steam Train (sighting), and the aqueduct in the Harry Potter Movie:

Mountain Biking and the Highland Wildlife Park:

And last but not least, Tea Cakes are the best!

Whew! I apologize for the extra pictures and the condensed words but as you can see, we had a wonderful visit and great memories that will last a lifetime!