i'm a royal wedding geek

Okay, so I've watched every royal wedding televised. I'll admit it.  I love them. I love the pomp, the gossip, the goofy interviews, the shots of London, and on and on.  I got up early to watch Charles and Diana tie the knot. Same thing for Fergie and Andrew. I even think I might have seen a bit of Princess Anne's wedding. I've seen the newsreel clips of Queen Elizabeth II's wedding.

So, of course I will be watching when William and Kate say their "I do's".  It is must see TV for this gal.

I want to get back to England in the worst way. My childhood pen pal and I found each other on facebook and to be able to see her again along with her family would be an amazing treat. We wrote each other regularly for years as we grew up and when I was able to meet her in person in 1988, it was incredible.  I know I've harped a bit on how the Internet and the web and all the tech stuff  negatively impacts our communication. BUT, without the Internet and facebook, Donna and I wouldn't have reconnected. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have that relationship again and to see her daughters grown and to see pics of her grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

So, while I watch the royal wedding, I will also be thinking of my trip to merry old England and the family who welcomed this "Yank" with open arms, plenty of tea and lots of conversation.

small world

The wonder of the Internet was brought home to me again yesterday. I sat down for a moment while cooking supper and looked at my emails. I had a facebook notice from a young lady asking whether or not I was the "liz" who was pen pals with her mum.

Back in the 70's there was a TV show called "Big Blue Marble." You could write into the show, yes, write on paper and then post the letter via the USPS, to obtain the name of a potential pen pal from overseas. I requested a pal in England and that is how my correspondence with Donna began. We wrote letters back and forth for years until, when I graduated from college, I was able to afford a trip to England. I hopped a train in London and traveled out to Hertsfordshire and met her and her two daughters, toddlers at the time. While I was there we spent a wonderful couple of days together, chatting and drinking LOTS of tea. Her parents and sisters came over one night and picked my brain about all things American.

Once I came back, we exchanged a few more letters and I learned she was engaged. She was divorced and a single mum when we met in person on my trip. She was now expecting a third child. The letters came further apart until they stopped all together....life intervenes at times.

So, having Donna's daughter, the youngest of her three, contact me was sort of a miracle. Donna had been thinking of me too and had tried to find me several times. On a lark she had her daughter look for me on facebook and voila....Twenty years have melted away thanks to technology.

We've exchanged lengthy emails already and I hope that we can resume our long distance friendship.