Cameo, Cameo, Where Art Thou Cameo?

So besides peacocks and all things related to being Miss Bee, I also collect cameos. This is the collection I've had going the longest. I've been collecting cameos since I was about 7 or 8 years old. When my mom would travel to the Midwest and out east for antique trips when I was young, I decided I needed something to entertain myself in these shops. I found cameos. I developed an eye for them, and much like riding a bike, it easily came back to me a couple years ago when I picked the habit up again.

I'm not sure the exact number of cameos I have now. Many of the ones I collected as a child are still in my bedroom in my parent's house in Amarillo. However, the shadow box of pendants, earrings, and bracelets found a place on a wall in my bedroom here.

While antique shopping in Bath, I came across some of the most amazing cameos I have ever seen. They were gigantic compared to anything I've ever seen in the states, and they had entire lava "muse" bracelets. Lava cameos were some of the first and are some of the most rare. I was enthralled!

A little information about cameos: http://www.victorianbazaar.com/cameos.html

I saw a things like this in Bath. I'm having Buyer's Regret...except that I regret NOT buying them.

Town Mouse, Country Mouse

We made our way from Edinburgh to London by train...without a reserved seat. That was a mistake. I've never travelled by train without a reserved seat, and that was quite annoying. However, we made it to London without my having to drive more English countryside. Thank goodness.

Welcome to London!

Stopped for a picture across the river

A quick stop at the historical site of talks with Texas...back in the good ol' days when Texas was independent

We checked into The Langham London on Mother's Day. The place is amazing, pure luxury near Oxford Circus and all that shopping! We enjoyed some more pub food for dinner and then took a Black Taxi Tour by night. London is a beautiful city at night. The thing I love about all of Europe is so easily portrayed by London itself--history, and stories, and romance, and diversity, and the hustle and bustle of a big city. I love that. On the other hand, Mom hates that kind of thing. However, I was able to get her out to see Buckingham Palace and to tour Westminster Abbey, as well as Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. We walked by the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben and basically called it a day with one more meal of traditional English pub food.

The Abbey. A week late for the wedding.

Buckingham Palace, again just a wee bit late for the wedding...and the flash mob that occurred here earlier that day.

Good ol' Big Ben

Then back to our super comfy and luxe beds at The Langham for one last night before catching the flight back to Dallas. I wasn't sure if I should be excited or sad. Oh, mother country, how I love thee.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

It's no lie. I really am Irish. At least 1/32nd anyway. My family is about as American as it gets. People on both sides of my family have been on the West Bank since the 1600s. However, my most recent ancestor to immigrate to the United States was born in Longford, Ireland. His father is buried in Longford County. My mom and I tried to find their old township and even their cemetery sites but didn't have any luck. It doesn't help that they were actually listed as having lived in Glannagh, Ireland. According to the 1906 census, this township only had 11 homes. And today, the only thing I know that is in Glannagh is an archery club. That's about it.

We rented a car in Dublin, so I spent two days driving from the right side of the car on the left side of the road. Awkward to say the least, but we survived without any issues. However, after two days of driving in Ireland, all I can say is...it's green. Otherwise, it as hypnotizing how similar it looked no matter how many miles we covered. All the way from Dublin to Cork, to Limerick, to Longford...and then on to Northern Ireland where we flew out of Belfast.

Northern Ireland is also very important to my family's heritage. Northern Ireland was formerly known as Ulster Plantation. It was settled by the Scots and the Brits about 400 years ago. My mom's side of the family has roots in Ulster, linked to the Duke of Atholl (in Scotland). More about that later. Anyway, the last people to immigrate to the United States on my mother's paternal grandmother's line came from Ulster Plantation (i.e. Northern Ireland) by 1732 and happen to related to Scottish royalty. Fantastic, isn't it? Too bad genealogy so easily becomes an obsession, it means lots of time wasted figuring out exactly how our ancestor that immigrated to the US was related to the Scottish Royalty (why didn't he stay in Scotland?). However, once that definite link (and by definite, I mean the documentation backing up what we thinking we know) is obtained, we will have that line of the family traced back to at least 1065. How awesome is that?

On the map, I outlined all my driving. The blue outlines all the driving we did on our first day, the yellow outlines all the driving we did on the second day (not counting the mindless driving around Longford looking for Glannagh). Finally, the black line is the route I took on my trip back in April of 2009. I have to admit, the black line was a much more awe-inspiring drive than all the green, and more green, and more green along the other two lines.

Castle (and I Don't Mean the TV Show)

As I mentioned, First Class was amazing. We jumped off the plane and then met our chauffeur. That's right--a chauffeur. It was high class all the way...to Bristol. After reading many recommendations not to drive in Britain immediately after arrival, we decided to hire a taxi driver to take us from London Heathrow to Stonehenge, then to Bath, then to Bristol. It was a great way to recover from the flight (with multiple nods on the drives between our stops). Chas, our taxi driver, was awesome. He apparently lived in the area we drove through, so was very educated about the area.

Our first stop was Stonehenge. It is extremely interesting and mysterious. Most of all, I was just in awe of the ability of man to drag a multitude of five ton stones across a waterway and another long distance of hilly countryside. Amazing. I witnessed a couple girls doing cartwheels while their family was taking pictures, and I couldn't help but copy them.

Stonehenge Cartwheels

After witnessing the mystery of Stonehenge, we hopped back in the van and went on to Bath. Even Chas asked what my plans for Bath were, but honestly, it was just because multiple people have told me it was a must-see. I have to agree. Bath is a beautiful city! My mom and I really enjoyed the shopping as well.

Bath Abbey

Then it was one more drive to Bristol airport to jump on over to Dublin where we stayed at Clontarf Castle. Clontarf is a beautiful place. The original castle makes up the lobby, restaurants, and public areas. The rest of the hotel is a modern era add-on. It's not centrally located, but very easy to get in and out of the city and to get to downtown only takes a couple minutes by car. The fresh fruit and chocolates awaiting our arrival were just another lovely detail.

Clontarf Castle, Dublin, Ireland

Princess In Waiting

Yeah, yeah. So Will and Kate have been the subject of hundreds of articles and blogs and videos and everything for months. Many people don't care about the Royal Wedding and anything it meant for tradition, the monarchy, or even just for the idea of true love, itself. This Royal Wedding was NOTHING like Princess Di's. They KNOW each other and seem to be very in love. Yes, a Prince CAN fall in love with a commoner and make her the next Queen of England.

While I have great respect for the monarchy, I really have respect for the two individuals themselves.

Firstly, Kate is just another one of the girls. She comes across as very genuine, and very confident (but not overly so). She is comfortable with herself, and obviously comfortable with Will. Her family consists of self-made millionaires, so she knows a thing or two about ambition and success. She has fabulous style; although, her natural beauty could mask any lack in the fashion department. She seems fun, but respectful. She seems born to be royal. Every time I see a picture of her, or a story about her, I just think to myself, "I don't want to be Kate Middleton, I just want to be her friend!" Even if she was nicknamed "Princess in Waiting" while in boarding school, she obviously has a poise all her own. I do believe she has found someone she truly loves, and the feeling is mutual. That's a rarity these days!

Then there's Will. Yes, he is quite charming. He has been through quite a lot in less than 30 years. I had someone ask me today, "What do the Royals even do?" That is the great thing about William and Harry. They do quite a bit. They do not just sit around and mooch off everyone else. In fact, William has a very generous heart, most likely inherited from his mother. He also volunteered during his gap year (and changed his life) rather than just traveling abroad. He has served in the Royal Air Force, as a search and rescue pilot. And all of this, he has accomplished without his mother for the last 15 years and served as an excellent role model for his younger brother.

Needless to say, I was very happy to see a day full of love, romance, magic, and fairytale dreams come true. Yes, the Brits really do know how to do a ceremony with plenty of pomp and circumstance. Princess Catherine was stunning and her Prince absolutely charming. I'm excited to see what Kate and Will can do for the monarchy. I hope their current approach is something that they continue, and I can only hope that others will follow suit.

I still can't get enough of the Royal Wedding yet. I may really have to make some effort to move to the UK just to enjoy the new monarchy to the fullest.

Happy Wedding Day! (Just 11 days after my parents celebrated 30 wonderful years of their own marriage!) All my best wishes to the couple!

Picture via People.com