Thursday, July 30, 2009

Whirlwind Winddown

As our time in England drew to a close, we packed our days with farewell gatherings and other fun-filled events. Here is a smattering of happenings:

Noah's School Musical

The kids in Liv and Noah's school put on a musical, which consisted of 150 kids performing skits, songs, and dances. Parents queued early for tickets as there were limited seats, which consisted of sitting at a table and being served dinner family-style (including wine), while watching the kids perform for 3 hours. We actually didn't get a ticket for Liv, they were out by the time we got to the top of the queue. However, she did manage to see the show. Rachelle (the family law-abider) owes me (the family maverick) a hundred bucks for the feat of smuggling the youngest Cohen in. It wasn't a challenge because another ticketless youngster shuffled in with her. The musical was hilarious ... to the Brits. Of course there was the bread-and-butter Brit humor - boys dressed as girls (e.g., Noah and a pack of boys were dolled up for an aerobics routine - Noah is in orange). The rest of the show consisted of skits taken from 60's and 70's sitcoms - Brit sitcoms - which (no surprise to Rachelle and me) never made it across the pond. Nevertheless, we were proud that Noah had the guts to dress up, sing, and reveal his adorable midriff.

Rat Race

Roughly 6 months ago, I agreed to join Kevin and Miles in the Rat Race (http://www.ratraceadventure.com/bristol/), which is a 2-day adventure race through and around Bristol. We named our team '2 Yanks and a Limey'. Kevin convinced me to commit by letting me know we had 6 months to get in shape and we had Miles, a Bristol local who would guide us through the city. Well, with just weeks before the race, Miles let us know he was abandoning us for the Glastonbury music festival. Thus, we became 2 Yanks in a foreign land facing a grueling race. On each of the 2 days, we were given a large map of Bristol and the surrounding countryside and a list of clues for roughly 20 check-points. We were given 90 minutes to map out our course. Then we spent 3 hours on Saturday and 8 hours on Sunday running and biking many, many miles; rappelling off the 6th floor of a parking deck; kayaking in the minging Bristol harbor with no paddles; racing through a mall looking for clues; jumping off of a 50-foot bridge into a river; and engaging in a number of other scary, difficult, humorous, and exhausting challenges to earn points. Phew! Although it was grueling and exhausting and at times frustrating, it was also an extremely fun time.

Final Travels

As Kevin, Janet, and Kaidyn moved to Stoke-on-Trent in mid-July, we drove up for a weekend to see them and their new abode. Rachelle really wanted to see Chatsworth House and gardens (the manor house/palace shown in Pride and Prejudice (Pemberley) and The Dutchess, as well as a few other films), so the merry band (including the Vowles family) toured it together. It was truly amazing, a sight to behold, and, according to Rachelle, the finest palace/manor house she saw during her year in England. The gardens were incredible, including the kids favorite maze. Liv was also quite fond of climbing in the rock garden. There were many waterfalls and water steps, which were created in the 1700s! We stayed with the Vowles for 2 nights and tearfully left our dear friends on Monday morning. We sure are going to miss the three Vowles. On our drive home, we stopped at Warwick Castle, near Birmingham. Rachelle remembered going to Warwick many moons ago (1980) and wanted us all to enjoy this largely intact castle. It was much more commercialized than she recalled, but nevertheless, we had a great time watching some live jousting and other reenactments.

The kids were thrilled that we finally got around to their long overdue Christmas/Hanukkah present from Grandma Andrea and Grandpa Jerry - a trip to Legoland in Windsor. The park had rides, shows, 4-D movies, cities made of Legos (fun fact: over 250 million legos were used in the park), and other fun-filled activities geared to the 6- to 13-year-old. It was actually fun for Rachelle and me too, and it is always great to see your kids gleeful over little bits of plastic.

Although we should have been packing, we decided to take a final trip on Sunday to Lyme Regis in Dorset. We drove through what have now become familiar little villages and made our way south to the coast. Lyme Regis was having a regatta festival, so the Brits were out and the little beach town was packed. After exploring the beach, Noah and I had what we figured to be our final fish and chips. We then headed home.

Farewell Gatherings

We have had a dizzying array of emotional filled goodbye events. The kids last day of school was July 22, and the school and parents organized a number of farewell events. There was a touching "leavers" ceremony at the church, with Noah and his cohort singing and then receiving candles and bibles. There were also class picnics and fortunately the weather cooperated for the full 2-3 hours we were in the park. Noah's class had yet another "disco". Finally, Noah and Liv had their own symbolic goodbye to the school and uniform by dying their hair blue when they got home.

We planned some goodbyes of our own, and had a dinner with 3 other families and their 6 kids, which was a blast. Only 2 days later we organized a 'Farewell Foreigner' party for 13 of Noah's and Liv's mates. This party involved a massive 4-square game (Noah and Liv converted dozens of Brits to the game and we expect it to take hold and spread throughout Europe); a capture the flag marathon; pizza and cake; and then a huge water fight with pistols, buckets, and water balloons. Needless to say, by the end of the party, the kids, Rachelle and me, and any unlucky undergraduate bystanders were exhausted and soaking wet.

I had 2 goodbye Belvedere football team gatherings with my mates at the pub, which consisted of lots of laughs, ales, pool, and dancing. Each lasted into the wee hours and the booze allowed these Brit footballers to open up by the end of the night/morning with hugs. The Belvedere pub presented me with some fab Bath Ale pint glasses, which remained unbroken through the night and will be making the trip home.

There were a few other pleasant gatherings and goodbyes, and each one was laced with intimacy and sadness. Liv summed it up when I picked her up from a sleepover at one of her closest friends. As we were driving home, she said, "Daddy, It feels funny to say goodbye. I wanted to really say goodbye but all I could say was the word goodbye." It is truly bittersweet as we will miss our new friends and experiences in England, but we also look forward to getting back in the groove in Atlanta.

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