UK Trip 2019 - #3 - Build Up to the Wedding & a Birthday

Saturday July 6th - July 13th, 2019 
Our time was spent ensuring everything was ready for the wedding, although I didn't have to do anything except be there to offer encouragement, and hopefully help to settle the inevitable butterflies that come with hoping that all the arrangements go to plan.
Ian & I were continuously looking at weather predictions and they were all over the place.  Different weather stations were reporting different things but ultimately they were all saying there would be some rain.  So we just conditioned ourselves to expect the worst but hoped the rain would occur early morning or later in the evening.  I told him the weather forecasts are never right and no matter what the weather, we were going to have a fabulous day.  He agreed.

I did go to see a clairvoyant.  Kris had been to one and said she was very good, and so they paid for me to go as a birthday present.  I was there for quite a while and I believe Mum was with us and possibly some other people.  She told me things that only Mum & I knew and I don't see how that is possible without some sort of sign from Mum.  It made me feel better, as I was worried that I had let her down in the last days of her life, although realistically I knew that I had done the best I could at that time with all the unknowns.

In the States, Bryan left his moms.  He stopped at Blue Angel in a cabin, one of our favorite parks, for a couple of days, and then arrived back in Jacksonville and stayed with Ryan & Christina.

Sunday July 14th, 2019
We also had a birthday to celebrate.  Kai was 7.  I attended his birthday party which was a lot of fun.   The kids played soccer before singing Happy Birthday and eating cake.

Blowing out the candles

We went back to the house.  Kai loved holding his new cousin.

Monday July 15th, 2019
The next day was his actual birthday, and we had fun watching him open his presents.

We bought him an Andy Murray racquet :)

Tuesday July 16th, 2019
I went and watched the boys swimming.  They both are doing very well.

Wednesday July 17th, 2019 
Bryan, Ryan, Christina & Trystan got on the plane from Orlando to London.  We were all getting excited for the upcoming wedding.

Thursday July 18th, 2019

Bryan and the kids arrived in the morning at Gatwick Airport in London.  After some fun and games, they managed to get their rental car and drove to Wales.  

While I was waiting for them this butterfly came to visit.

They arrived late afternoon understandably exhausted.  I went to pick Kai up from school, and Trystan came with me. He had fun watching the kids all come out of school and seeing his cousin for the first time.  Ian met us there and we walked back to the house.

After a short visit, as the visitors were exhausted, we left Ian and headed to our hotel for the night.  It was lovely to have my two boys together.  I will make the most of the next couple of days.

The hotel was in the middle of renovations in the lobby and hallways, and we had to step around them.  The hotel staff and workmen were very nice and apologetic about it, and it didn't affect the rooms. After dinner, everyone was in bed very early.

Friday July 19th, 2019
We got up and all went for breakfast.  As it was raining we decided to go to a local shopping center and have a look around.  I needed to get some nail polish and I think Ryan & Christina bought a couple of things.  We headed back to the hotel for a rest, before Bryan & I went to pick up Ray & Julie from the train station, and take them to the wedding hotel where they were staying.  We talked with them for a while before going back to our hotel.
We were all in bed early as we had an early start tomorrow in order to get ready for the wedding.  I couldn't wait!!!!!!