We're heading home Sunday — if the ash moves on

Hi all. Well, we're coming to the end of our journey — and an amazing one it's been. Last night was our farewell dinner in Guildford. Friends from Horsham, Arundel, Chichester, Worthing, Burgess Hill and Reigate and Redhill were there. It was great to see everyone and to meet the GSE team from England who will be heading our way in about a week. Today were our last vocational visits (though Cam had his last one yesterday). Tomorrow we will again visit London (Westminster Abbey, here we come!) and then providing the volcanic ash has disbursed, we'll head home Sunday morning.

I think I can speak for everyone when I say that it has been busy, tiring and absolutely amazing. We have been overwhelmed by the hospitality and the amazing things everyone has taken us to see. I will be sad to go, but happy to see Corey and Moxie. I will be going home with TONS of pictures, a new love of tea, coffee and clotted cream, and new friends — friends I met here and four friends who traveled with me all the way.

Some highlights I haven't yet discussed: Jane Austen's writing desk. As a writer and English major I can't even begin to describe how much it meant to me to see where she wrote. It's amazing that such a small piece of furniture could have led to some of the best books in the English language.

On Wednesday Scott, Jim, me and hosts Malcolm and Kate went to Windsor Castle and Hampton Court. To stand where Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare stood was awesome. The queen was in at Windsor (hence the flag flying in the picture at the beginning of this post), but we only saw someone walking one of her dogs.

Also at Windsor, we watched the changing of the royal guards. It was complete with a band, and quite impressive. As any tourist, I had to have my picture taken with one of the guards. It was so weird, because it actually felt like I was posing with a statue. What a weird job. They stand there motionless for a while and then suddenly yell and march for a bit, then march back to their place, and then stand motionless again.

Well, it's time for me to sign off. I'll say goodbye the way most of the Brits seem to: "Right."