LYNMOUTH ADVENTURES

Alright Darlings! (alright means whats up in England)

Soooo.... we are really liking Denise now (our B&B landlord.) She is so sweet to us. We made the mistake of looking at another room at the B&B and we both went green with envy...we moped all the back to our small box of a room. Yesterday morning Denise asked us if we would like to stay in the bigger room overlooking the river for the last night of our stay here. We both were SOOO excited and gladly accepted. It has a bathtub and cute decor.

Yesterday we went on the cliff railway up to Lynton (a small town close to where we are staying.) We came across this AMAZING little coffee shop where we had our morning mochas and an excellent view of the coast. We continued on our way to some shops including, a antique shop (totally my thing!), a candle maker named John who loved us (He said he was in Heaven when we took a picture with him) and a few other little shops with unique gifts.

We walked along the coast path through the Exmoor Forest and saw some wildlife along the way. Did I mention....WILD PONIES!!??!! yeah, we were hangin with the Ponies (aka PONES.) We also saw some geese and locals playing cricket.

For dinner we enjoyed some fish & chips, of course, and our last dessert of the trip. We made a pact that we will eat NO MORE fish & chips and NO MORE desserts....for fear of us being over the weight limit on the plane like our luggage.... Our waitress said Nessy's fish was VERY happy to see her....can you see why in the pic??

Don't know when our next post will be since we are off to Bath tomorrow!! Miss you guys tons.

Also.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOB!!!!!! I love you soooo much and wish I could talk to you today. I am so excited for your and Jon's trip to Vegas. You are going to have a blast. I cant believe you are only 30 ;) love you!!! xoxox

Cherrio!

Elise & Nessy

"WE SURVIVED"

Hellooooo darlings!!

Me & Nessy here, updating you this time from Lynmouth, England! You will understand the meaning of the title of this post when you watch the video on my facebook. It was about a three hour drive here, with about....60 roundabouts....ahhhh

Lynmouth is so beautiful. Our B&B....hmm.. lets just say...small. As in, our room in about 10 feet by 10 feet (midget feet) lucky I like my Aunt Nessy or one of us might end up dead by the end of this trip. We have gotten to know a lot about each other, like that I am a cover hog. That's ok because Nessy lived up to her nick name (Winey.) She was so happy that she got us here safely that she celebrated a a little to much with two LARGE glasses of wine...followed by 4 Advil that night. She is slowly recovering with much coffee :)

I come to the conclusion that I packed a little too much. My first hint was at the airport when my luggage was 14 pounds over the limit....it all got figured out and me, Nessy and my wardrobe made it safely. My second hint was yesterday when our English couple that run our B&B helped us with our luggage. We insisted we could do it ourselves...but Denise had other plans and made her husband drag up Nessy's bag, followed by my 64 pound hot pink bag.... Then I overheard Denise ask her husband if our bags were heavy, he responded with this "The first bag was light....this one (mine) is RIDICULOUS!!!" ....oops... and when he made it up the stairs, sweating probably, I kindly said thank you...and got no response.. We had a nice English breakfast this morning, cooked by Denise and her husband, we will find out soon if he poisoned me.

Today we are doing a little shopping and will find a place for lunch. Tomorrow we are headed to Clovelly, a little town my grandparents went to when they were in their twenties.

Thank god we made it safe. Keep you posted on our next adventure to Bath.

Cheers!

Elise & Nessy

LET THE ADVENTURES BEGIN!

Helloooo!!!

This is the third installment of the Nessy & Elise England extravaganza updates.

This morning we are packing up our stuff and are getting ready to leave Bournemouth, England. We are sad to be leaving Chris, Terri and Andrew, but excited for the adventure that lies ahead. We are renting a car today and driving to Lynmouth, which is about a 3 hour drive northwest of Bournemouth. We are staying at a nice little B&B for three nights. After that we are taking another drive to Bath which is more toward the middle of southern England. We are staying there for 2 nights I believe. Then, next Wednesday we are headed back to Bournemouth to stay a night with Chris, Terri and Andrew again before heading to London! Lots ahead of us, and today kicks off that road trip through England.

We have had a great few days, yesterday we drive to Salisbury and had a nice afternoon drinking coffee and looking at the shops. We then went to see the Salisbury cathedral, I have never seen a more amazing church in my life. It was just breathtaking. The amount of detail in the 400 foot tall cathedral was unbelievable. Pictures don't even do it Justice. I can't imagine what an accomplishment it was for people to build that with such little tools and technology. It was built in the 1200's. We even saw an actual copy of the Magna Carta which was on display at the church. We had a nice lunch at at restaurant called the Lemon Tree and then continued on our way. Next stop was Stonehenge! We had a great time learning the history of the rocks and why they might have been placed there. I had no idea how big the actual rocks were!!! Amazing!!

Last night we then went to a local pub with Chris and Terri called the Curlew. It was a perfect meal after a long day of driving through the England countryside. We had some wine, amazing pub food and dessert! Yum!

Last night when we got home, Andrew and I went to a pub so I could see some of the Bournemouth nightlife! He took me to a place called 60 Million Postcards. A cool little bar not too far form their house. We had a fun time grabbing a drink and chatting. Great music and atmosphere too!

Alrighty well we are off on our little adventure! Here are some more pictures from the past few days!

Cheers!

Elise Diane

TEA TIME WITH ELISE & NESSY

Hey Americans!

It's time for another England update coming to you from Bournemouth, England! The last few days have been non stop adventure and fun! Yesterday we had a visit with Auntie Vera (my great grandpa's brothers wife, aka my great great great grandmother), and also Auntie Valerie (my grandpa's sister, aka my great aunt.) It was so nice to meet family who I have never met in my life. Also we got to hear about Nessy's cousins who she has never met. I understand this is hard to follow along with..... to help us, we have written down a family tree with names to all of our family members.

Last night we also got to meet Chris's son, Nick and his wife and daughter. Ella is their daughter, the most adorable 4 year old with a British accent!!! It does not get much cuter than her. I was playing hide and go seek with her all over the house. We ordered Chinese "take away" also known as take out, and had a wonderful meal around the table.

Today we went ALL over the place. An 11 hour journey.... with Nessy, Chris, Terri, Uncle Tom and I. We went all over the south of England. We first stopped in Milton Abbas, which is the most unique little town. All of the houses have thatched roofs. Then we were off to Dorchester, traveling through the back country roads. This was my favorite part, just seeing the open countryside, with the brightest green hills I have ever seen. There were many properties with horses and sheep grazing. Our nest stop was at The Cerne Giant.. if you have seen this before, you will know why Nessy and I couldn't stop laughing. Its basically an outline of a naked guy on the side of a mountain! Private parts and all! haha. After we finished making jokes and took some pictures, we were off to eat lunch at a local pub. Where I of course had a glass of white wine and some fish and chips. After that, we stopped at Lulworth Cove, one of Uncle Tom's favorite places he said. He walked all the way down to the beach with us. Where he bought Nessy and I each a painted rock. If you know our family, we are very big on painted rocks, it is just kind of a thing that we have done as a hobby for a long time. After we picked out the rocks we liked, the local artist painted on the back the date and "to: Elise Love: Uncle Tom" on the back. It was so sweet and special. I will have that rock for the rest of my life. Our final stop was at Colfe Castle (I don't know if I have the spelling right) but we had afternoon tea here before heading back to Bournemouth. A long day, but SO many memories and amazing sights.

We have just gotten back to Chris and Terri's house and are having a glass of wine before go out to a local pub. I have noticed that the British have this great sense of humor. Everywhere we go people are cracking jokes, and laughing constantly. It really shows me part of who I am, and my roots. Our family is so funny/sarcastic/joking that I feel like I understand it a lot better coming here! Nessy and I have nick names for each other now...she is "Winey" because we tease her about drinking wine (not like she drinks any more than I do) or sometimes I call her "Windy" because the chair she always sits in makes a farting noise. She calls me "Porky Pie" because last night Andrew said I was telling a "Porky Pie" which means lie, but since I love the little pie pastries they have here, Nessy has stuck with the nick name Porky Pie now....yey thanks Andrew!

Here are some pictures from the last few days! ....enjoy!!

(Nessy, Me, Auntie Valerie and here husband Dave)

(Nessy, Auntie Vera, and me! She gave me my birth announcement that she had from 21 years ago)

(me & Nessy at 22 Kinson Park Road)

(me and Uncle Tom at the Church Grandma & Boppa were married)

Cheers!

Elise Diane

WE'RE IN ENGLAND!

Hello!!

This is my first post coming to you from Bournemouth, England!

Nessy and I made it safely to England. The flight went smoothly, we just talked and laughed the whole way here. We even figured out the seat-to-seat messaging on the plane and had some fun with that too. We are having a great time traveling together and really getting to know each other.

Once we arrived we had no problem finding Chris and Terri. They spotted us right away and we we're so happy to finally be here with them after all of these months anticipating the trip. It was about an hour and a half car ride to their home in Bournemouth, and we ALL had so much fun laughing about our difference in accents. Nessy and I have learned some new words, the ones we have learned so far are: "Chippy" which means, Carpenter (Jon you would be a Chippy) "Sparky" is an electrician, "Bricky" is a brick layer.....I wondered if "Roofie" would be a roofer...but the answer was no ;) haha. We had a wonderful dinner last night with Chris, Terri and Terri's son Andrew, who is an amazing guy! He even plays guitar...so we are going to try and get him to play for us. After a few glasses of wine we went off to bed.

Nessy and I woke up this morning and we're recovered from our jet lag and ready to start the day! We went to 22 Kinson Place Road and saw where Boppa used to live. I absolutely love England, and feel that coming here is so necessary in really understanding the culture. I have seen pictures at home and heard stories about Grandma & Boppa's childhood and how they met, but being here I feel so much more connected to that time in their lives and find it so special.

We then picked up Uncle Tom, what a SWEET man.. I instantly connected with him and we just chatted about all kinds of things. He thinks I look like Ethel, Grandma's mom when she was younger (when she was about 18 he says) and he also says every time he looks into my eyes it brings him back to a different time. We then went to Saint Andrew's Church in Kinson, where Grandpa & Boppa got married. There was a woman outside gardening who actually let us into the church! Once I walked in I could just imagine Grandma walking down the isle toward Boppa waiting in his tux and glasses. After just recently seeing the pictures from their wedding it was not hard to imagine. Nessy and I did a little reenactment and pretended we were getting married! Uncle Tom gave me and Nessy a few words of advice, 1) You only find one true love in the life and you will know who that is when you are older... 2) Directed at me, marry a rich guy! haha. He is very funny. We are just finishing up lunch about going to a show tonight with Uncle Tom.

I will update again soon! Grandma & Boppa, I thank you so much for sending me on this trip. I have barely been here a day and I already feel like I know so much about our family. It is so amazing and beautiful here, the horses, green countryside and brick buildings are just gorgeous. Love you guys!!

Elise Diane

Wide open spaces

"Who doesn't know what I'm talking about? Who's never left home, who's never struck out, to find a dream and a life of their own, a place in the clouds, a foundation of stone." -Dixie Chicks

Hey sweet blog readers :)

Only 6 DAYS until I leave for England with my hot aunt Nessy. YEAH! I could not be more excited. My grandparents grew up in England and this will be the first time I will visit their home land. This is something I have dreamed about my entire life...and it is finally becoming a reality.

Every time I write a blog, it's always some new crazy idea...but that's just me :) a little spontaneous....just like my mom was at this age....

I am not sure how to explain this next part... haha, but I will do my best. The past few weeks since returning from Hawaii I have spent a lot of time thinking about my life. I have done a lot of soul searching. I am kind of at a crossroads in my life...newly unemployed (by choice), having my best friend move 3,000 miles away, and being newly single....some things in the life of Elise have gotten a bit turned upside down....but in a good way. I have had a LOT to think about. To be honest, I am so happy with this new sense of freedom, adventure and independence. Sometimes I feel like, is this really my life? I've always been the "Santa Clara faithful" chick. Never having moved away to explore different cities, friends, jobs... I am finally ready to spread my wings. Things I would have been nervous about in the past, I am eager for now. Things that would have scared me in the past, I am ready to take them on! Thinking about leaving is not longer a fear, but a NEED.

Where I am at right now is...what do I want to do? Where do I want to go? What places do I want to see? It really came after the whole Hawaii moving thing didn't work out, my best friend asked me "If you could move anywhere, where would you move?" I honestly couldn't give her an answer....where would I move? Where would I fit in? ...moving to Hawaii is Liz's dream, a beautiful place that I know she will thrive. It brings out the best in her. This whole experience, thinking I was moving to Hawaii, then not moving...really was the best thing that could have happened to me. I need to discover myself...and follow MY dreams... I am a country girl at heart, even growing up in California I have always had the dream of moving to some country town, USA. In high school I dreamed of moving to Texas....For me, moving to the country, to a country music town, is EXACTLY where I need to be. This is my dream, my roots. My parents both lived in San Antonio, Texas for a few years and absolutely fell in love with country music and those perfect sunsets. Not to mention the awesome night life, country bars, and genuine people.

"She's gone country, back to her roots, she's gone country, look at them boots"

I thought about moving to Hawaii, because it's easy, my cousin lives there, my best friend is there..and it is amazingly beautiful. (hot guys too!) I have realized that it's time to follow my goals. With that said...I have 5 cities in mind. Two of them are the top contenders for where I am potentially going to move.
1) Nashville, TN....the country music capital of the world. aka the LA of country music.
2) Austin, TX....the live music capital of the world.

First, I have these non-refundable tickets that need to be used to go to Hawaii. Since I did not move I have a free round trip that needs to be used within a year. So I am going to Hawaii on September 27th to stay with my cousin David for awhile. Maybe a month...my Dad is going in late October so since I have no job. Might as well go hang out, enjoy the island, and all of what Hawaii has to offer. Relax and enjoy being 21, and soak in this time of transition. It will give me some time to plan out, and figure out, where my next step or destination might be.. I can't wait to hike, go to beautiful beaches, and meet some new faces. After that I will come back to California, save up a bit of money, pack up my jetta, and move to a new state, a new city and a brand new beginning :)

I have already started looking in Nashville & Austin, HOLY COW rent is cheap haha I am living in the most expensive place in the US. jeeeez!! All of the people I have met so far through contacting jobs, and places to live, are SO nice. I couldn't believe it. I have already made some friends haha.

I know one thing for sure, England is going to be AMAZING!! I have just started packing. There are so many things to remember to pack. Who knew I would need a "foreign electricity converter kit" ?!?

As my friend Ashley put it...."One GIRL...5 cities. A former- brunette- now- dazzling blond on a mission...to EAT PRAY LOVE."

On another note, I got to spend some time with my blondie cousin Christy!! I love her so much and we are always traveling, and all over the place that we rarely get to hang out. The other day we got a chance to spend a day together in santa cruz! It was so great to catch up with my newly 21 year old cuzzy. She had some great tips for me about to embark on this trip to England. She just got back from London not too long ago. So we had PLENTY to talk about. Love you cuz!


Thanks to everyone who is a supporter, encourager and motivator in my life :) I love you guys.

Elise Diane

the best year ever!

Aloha friends :)

I am updating because I just got home from Hawaii a few days ago! My second trip of the year so far, and it was completely amazing. I finally got a chance to see my best friend Liz who I hadn't seen since June. The last time we saw each other, she was dropping me off at the airport to go on my cruise. The five hour flight had me on the edge of my seat just waiting to re-connect with my best friend in the whole world. We had a blast the 6 short days I was there...and made the most of it! I knew instantly we would get back to our joking, laughing, and dumping out ALL of our clothes for the other to see.

My Dad was with me on this little trip to the island. He stayed in downtown Waikiki (at a really nice hotel I might add) while I stayed with Liz in her beautiful apartment. Most days Liz would go to work and I would cab it down to meet my Dad and do a little shopping/drinking ;) Then when Liz would get off work, I'd meet back up with her. One of the days when she had the day off, we went to the north shore to Sunset beach. The four of us went snorkeling in crystal clear water. Then lounged on the beach until we decided to move to our next stop, SHAVE ICE at Motsumotos. Yum. What a perfect day.

Another day I went with Liz on a drive. It was a little rainy that day so we decided to look for the "Black Pearl" ship that was used in filming of the newest pirates of the Caribbean movie! We ended up finding it with a little help from our IPhones. Even though there was no Johnny Depp in sight. It was still awesome to this this cool pirate ship docked so close.

I also got to visit with my cousin David! He came out to dinner with us on the first night, but that was the only night we got to hang out. I will be seeing a lot more of him on my next trip out there...

I had a wonderful time. I loved seeing my best friend who I miss dearly. I fell in love with Hawaii

all over again, and finally got to see other parts of the Island that weren't so touristy. Of course regret my decision not to move there when I had the opportunity. but things can change though right? .................;)

Soon I will be off the ENGLAND!! A little less than 3 weeks and Aunt Nessy and I will be on our way. My very third trip of the summer, but very first time to Europe! Finally I get to see where my family originated. I am in LOVE with 2010, and feel like I am growing and learning so much about myself every day. I can honestly say that I have discovered more about myself this summer than I have in my entire life. It has been a roller coaster of fun, adventures, lessons, and even hard decisions...but overall I am so happy to be exactly where I am. Not knowing what the future holds.

My cards are still in production...just trying to find time for it all! More updates soon.

Loves!

Elise Diane