Looking Ahead to Our England Visit

This will be the year I drop 50 lbs and stop drinking. Yeah right, I've said that every year for a decade. But this WILL be the year I go to England, if I have to blow up a dinghy and paddle there myself.

I know that it's a lot of money to get there. I know the weather might be crap. I know it's expensive. I know we won't have time to relax. I know I'll be going as an American citizen, and that makes me catch my breath and feel sad. Not sure why.

But I'm going and I'm so excited to take the boys and show them London and my childhood home and all the places I got up to mischief.

I'm going to let them play the arcades in Southport, run down the dunes in Formby, ride a donkey on the beach, pull goofy faces at a Queen's guardsman to try and make him laugh. We'll pretend to steal the crown jewels and hitch a ride up Blackpool tower.

I'll make them eat fish and chips and pork n' pickle pies and bacon butties and rock. They'll learn new words, many of them very rude and funny.

It's been 7 years since I went with work and to my friend Sue's wedding. It's been eight years for Craig when we took Jack home for Christmas in 2007.  It's definitely time we went.

I've been chatting with the boys for months already and they are excited to see certain things. Jack is very excited to go to Blackpool and I don't blame him. I'm 45 and I'm still excited to go there.

Vegas of the North. Tacky but Beloved.