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.

Hen Parties

We took the short flight from Belfast to Edinburgh accompanied by at least two large Hen Parties. One group of girls really looked terrible. In fact, they looked like they had caught the wrong plane. Had they been heading to Boston for the SlutWalk, I would have expected their attire. On the other hand, the other group of girls was pretty cute...t-shirts and all. Nicola's Hen Party 2011...One Hen, Lots of Chickens, and No Cocks! Brilliant, I think.

Mom fell in love with the UK upon arriving in Edinburgh. We stayed at a fantastic little B&B in Edinburgh called The Hedges. The owners Heather and Ian are amazing. Heather is precious! And Ian makes a killer breakfast! Not only did we love our B&B, we loved Edinburgh's architecture. It really is a beautiful, and VERY lively city.

Our first real day in Scotland we spent driving to Blair Atholl, home of Blair Castle. This is where our link to Scottish royalty comes in. Blair Castle is an extremely neat place, surrounded by peacocks as well. (I collect those, remember?) Blair is a very different kind of place, even from the outside its far different from any other castles I've seen but no less resembles those of fairytales. Thank goodness the walls were covered with pictures of the Murray family to whom my mom finds her linkage to Scot Royals.

Blair Castle

We also stopped by Pitlochry for a quick snack and Dunkeld (where our ancestors were married and buried).

Dunkeld Cathedral

Then back to Edinburgh we went in time to catch a fabulous dinner at Conan Doyle Pub where I experienced "haggis" for the first time. After dinner, we had tickets to see Grease (the musical) at the Playhouse. It was the most entertaining thing I've seen in years. Multiple Hen Parties joined us for the show, and every single one of them sang along. They knew every word to every song, just as we did. People were even dancing at the end...forget a standing ovation, just dance to the Grease Remix (yes, the one we hear on the radio on this side of the pond every summer).

Grease is still the word!

Before leaving Edinburgh we took a bus tour, just to make sure we had actually SEEN the sites we were SUPPOSED to see. We also spent some time talking with Heather before exchanging friendly hugs and off we went to catch a train to London.

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.

Across the Pond

On the plane to the UK! And so very excited. My mom and I are like four-year-olds in a candy store. I never knew flying first class, internationally, was so fabulous.

I scrubbed a case today with a plastic surgeon that told me the only reason you actually go on vacation is to gloat about it. So I'm going to start gloating now. The first class cabin on this flight is one of the "Flagship Suites". It reclines to a full bed and has all sorts of gadgets. My mom and I are gadget nerds, so this seat is right up our alley.

Features I have discovered (with help of the inflight "Seat Info" video):

1. The chair turns side to side
2. The chair reclines all the way to a "bed"
3. I have a very large table for dinner (and breakfast later)
4. I have my own TV with far too many movies and TV shows...I plan on watching The King's Speech and possibly No Strings Attached next
5. A night light
6. DC Power
7. Bose Noise Canceling Headphones
8. An amenities kit with toothpaste, toothbrush, socks, eye mask, chapstick and lotion (Burt's Bees), ear plugs
9. A copy of the NY Times
10. Blanket and pillow
11. Far too much storage for one person
12. A fabulous place to land--with an Arrivals Lounge!

It's show time...The King's Speech is on and my Sauvignon Blanc and dinner are waiting. :)

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