Wales Holiday

We'll Keep A  Welcome in the Hillside.

This song title always runs through my head when I get to fly home to Wales and finally after 6 years, we got to go home for a long overdue visit. Mind you, this song always chokes me up and I can't stop tears from welling in my eyes :/ It's a song that we would sing whenever visitors/ loved ones leave Wales with the hopes that one day they will come back to Wales again.

I digress. 

I finally went home for a visit - sound the trumpets :) We went as a family, Jason came for the first week with me and the girls, Seren and Carys, and boy, was it a busy first week.

We tried to cram as much as we could even though it rained! Typical lol and divide our time with my older children who live there, my father, sisters and visiting the sites. So with that, I hope you like my little picture montage ;)

 HERE WE ARE READY TO TAKE OFF - MIND YOU, JASON DIDN'T TAKE LONG TO FALL STRAIGHT TO SLEEP

WE GET TO MY HOMETOWN OF LLANELLI AND GO VISIT MY DAD

 SEREN WENT STRAIGHT TO HER GRANDPA FOR A HUG THEN CARYS FOLLOWED SUIT.

I COULDN'T GO HOME AND NOT VISIT MY MOTHERS GRAVE :( 

 WE WENT TO CYFARTHA CASTLE IN MERTHYR TYDFIL BUT FOUND OUT IT IS CLOSED ON MONDAYS! LIKE SAY WHAT BUT WE DID GO BACK THE FOLLOWING WEEK WITH MY ELDEST DAUGHTER JODI AND HER CUTE FAMILY.

CASTLE COCH

ASHTON, SEREN, AND CARYS IN THE LORD BUTE'S BEDCHAMBER

CARYS DIDN'T WANT TO SIT IN THE BATHTUB LOL

WHEN YOU TELL YOUR CHILDREN NOT TO DISREGARD THE SIGN YET, THEY STILL STEP OVER THE ROPE!

 CARDIFF MUSEUM

DAN -Y- OGAF CAVES

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING.

TO SEE ALL THE STALICTIES AND STALAGMITES IS PRETTY COOL

CHECK OUT THE ONE THAT LOOKS LIKE STREAKY BACON! 

THE CATHEDRAL CAVES

MY FAVORITE CASTLE

CARREG CENNEN CASTLE

I JUST LOVE THE VIEWS 

IS THAT A CHILD IN THE CASTLE OVENS! SAY WHAT! :)

THE GIRLS DIDN'T WANT TO VENTURE DOWN TO SEE THE WATERING WELL. MIND YOU IT WAS PRETTY WET, SLIPPERY AND VERY DARK.

THE VIEW OF CARREG CENNEN ON THE WAY BACK DOWN

PARC HOWARD

WE DIDN'T GET MUCH TIME TO VISIT PARC HOWARD AS IT WAS CLOSING.

THIS IS A PLACE I'D COME ALL THE TIME AS A CHILD TO PLAY WITH MY FAMILY.

THE GRAND STAIRCASE WAS SOMETHING THAT I SLID DOWN QUITE A BIT.

THE BIG PIT 

SEREN DOESN'T LOOK TO PLEASED TO BE GOING DEEP UNDERGROUND LOL 

RAGLAN CASTLE

THE DAY WAS YET AGAIN A RAINY ONE :( SO IT WAS A PRETTY MUCH QUICK DASH AROUND RAGLAN CASTLE

HANNAH AND SEREN

SEREN AND ALICE

AND BELOW, ALED MY GRANDSON

HANNAH AND ALICE ARE SISTERS AND MY GRANDDAUGHTERS

LEFT TO RIGHT - JODI, ASHTON, CARYS, SEREN, AND HANNAH

OUR SECOND VISIT TO CYFARTHA CASTLE

LET US OUT! LOL

 AND WHO WOULD LIKE THIS BEDROOM SET FOR THEIR NEW BEDROOM!

ERM...NOT US LOL

 CUTE ALICE COULDN'T RESIST USING THIS AS A SLIDE :)

SEREN YOU'VE GOT A FEW MORE INCHES TO GROW BEFORE YOU REACH THE TOP!

              WE GOT TO SLEEPOVER AT MY BEST FRIEND, EVE'S HOME WITH HER DARLING CHILDREN, JAMES AND MILLIE

ST. FAGANS

MUSEUM OF WELSH LIFE

 WHERE'S SUPERMAN?

 IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT 'SIOP LOSIN' MEANS

IT MEANS

'SWEET SHOP' OR 'CANDY SHOP' IF YOUR AMERICAN

ME AND MY GIRLS

RIGHT TO LEFT

ASHTON, JODI, ME AND LAURIE  

                                I SPY CARYS :)                                           I SPY SEREN :)

PEEK-A-BOO ASHTON!

I SEEM TO HAVE LOST MY HEAD

OH, THERE IT IS LOL

LEFT TO RIGHT

ASHTON, KAYE MY YOUNGER SISTER, ME, ALSION MY ELDEST SISTER

AND OF COURSE SEREN AND CARYS X

MY DAD, WITH ASHTON, SEREN, AND CARYS

THEN ME WITH MY DAD XXX

MY NEXT ELDER SISTER JUDITH AND ME

JUDITH, ME AND ASHTON

ITS GOOD TO LAUGH SOMETIMES :) 

LEFT RO RIGHT

HANNAH MY GRANDDAUGHTER, CARYS, AND SEREN

MY GIRLS SLEEPING OVER AT JODI'S

AND HERE ARE ME AND THE GIRLS READY TO FLY BACK TO UTAH.

Read more >>

HURTS

Last year, I stumbled upon a band called, HURTS.

They are a British, Synth Pop group, Theo Hutchcraft & Adam Anderson.They have quite the diverse mix of sounds. A mash up between, Depeche Mode, Muse and even a few bars that remind me of a song by Micheal Jackson, yet, a very distinctive sound and clothing style of their own.

You might have heard one or two of their songs. 

They have even paired up with 

artists like Kylie Minogue on the song, Devotion

and Calvin Harris' Under Control

and Ecstasy

I must admit, I've had HURTS songs on repeat for months and have even got three of my older daughters to love them too. Two of my daughters,  Laurie and Ashton even got to go see them in Concert last December at the O2 Apollo in Manchester, in Great Britain. 

Can I say - I was uber jealous :) But living in USA, makes for going to see HURTS in concert rather hard lol

This is the song Lights

One of mine and my daughter, Ashton's favorites

But I did get a a mug and T-shirt that Ashton brought over for me  when she came fro Christmas. Ashton also did a documentary on HURTS for a project at College and I must say I think she did a great job :) Even her sister, Laurie was kind enough to take part in the question section.

This is Hurts on BBC MUSIC on Dec 8th 2017

Anyway - I would say to listen to all of HURTS songs and maybe you'll become hooked on them like me :)

Here is the video documentary my daughter, Ashton made. 

Read more >>