Off to Wales!

This trip, so soon after school end, has kind of taken me by surprise. My step-brother is getting married in Wales! And so, after deciding to take only our biggest boy, we've packed the little kids to stay with Grandma and Grandpa in Niagara, and packed the L-man with his very own suitcase, to tag along with us, to experience a place filled with castles and gorgeous countryside - a place an almost 8 year old will hopefully remember, and be awed by.

Alas, our travel day was punctuated with lots of vomiting. On the grandparents' couch, in the parking lot of the airport, then a handfull of times on the plane. (I will always, always make a point, from here on in, to check my seat front pocket to ensure there is a plane issued barf bag tucked in). Luckily, we only had L-man to manage, and no other needy kids, so we didn't lose our minds. And those barf bags were pretty well made, to my relief.

We arrived, bleary eyed, in Manchester, found our rental van, and headed off to Llyn Gwynant, the farm where my future sister-in-law's family lives in the summer months. My nieces kept reminding Paul to stay on the LEFT side of the road, and his driving was great (sorry for doubting you, baby). We were using a GPS to get there, which took us along some very scenic roads. Not sure if it was the fastest way, but hey, who cares when the scenery is breathtaking, the sun is shining (highly unusual for Wales, so I hear), and it's so bloody early in the morning that there's really nobody on the road. Just sheep - lots and lots of sheep.

Our arrival at the farm house, Hafod Lwyfog, woke up most of the family, I think. We met many of Sally's siblings and extended family, who graciously served us tea, toast and coffee, which we wolfed down.

(I realize, as I'm running through our day, that I'm compressing two days into one entry, because when you miss a night of sleep, that's what you get!)

We got a tour of the old farmhouse, then the campground, where the wedding is to be held, called Llyn Gwynant. (Welsh are clearly more fond of consonants than vowels.) Sally's entire family was working on fixing up the wedding barn - and there was still a lot to do! L-man and Becca were star helpers and had a blast painting the stone walls and the wood in the bunkhouse. We were all thrilled to find our house in Beddgelert, which felt like heaven after such a long day. We chose our rooms, walked around this unbeleivably cute town, tried really hard to stay awake, and then ended the day with homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Tummies full, eyes barely open, we crashed into our beds shortly after 7pm. A bed never felt so good.