Dave and Vera's 40th Wedding Anniversary

Back in Basingstoke (5 August)

After our taxi ride to Basingstoke we quickly freshened up and headed over to the Basingstoke Golf Club to celebrate Dave and Vera's Wedding Anniversary. It is their Ruby Wedding (40th). Everyone was in black tie attire. I wore the lovely dress Emily's mom had found for me at an estate sale. This was my first time wearing the dress and I was very excited to see how it would go over.

It was so nice to see them again. It appears that Vera and Dave had already told everyone who I was and why I was in England and introduced me to many of their friends. I loved that the question they would always ask me when I was being introduced was how much studying I was doing versus going out. It seemed to rear it's head at every twist and turn of conversation. Haha! But it was all in good fun. They always love taking the mickey out of me. 

They were very happy to see my family as well. My mom realized that this year it has been 25 years since she was in Basingstoke doing her student teaching with Vera. Both Dave and Vera mentioned my parents in their speeches. It's very sweet that they think so highly of us and include us amongst their close friends. 

I enjoyed playing with all the grandchildren. They are all such fun and each very different characters. I think it must be such great fun for them to all play together and grow up together. The two boys (not including the new baby) and two girls are each less than a few months apart in age. How brilliant to have people your own age to grow up with! Towards the end of the night, after dinner, they were getting very tired so they went home. Which meant...it was time for dancing!

The DJ was a lot of fun. He played music that was age appropriate for the majority of the people in attendance. My parents knew nearly every song. It was great dancing with the Cottrell family, especially all the wives of the boys. They were a hoot and a holler. I also realized that maybe I should learn how to dance more like my parents so that I don't stand out like a sore thumb on the dance floor. My mom likes to tell me that I should stop dancing like I am at a club. I suppose it is all this clubbing I have been doing at Cambridge!! 


I think my favorite dance was when the men lifted Vera in the air "Dirty Dancing" style. I thought they would drop her! But they didn't and she was safe. The Welsh family that drove over were really funny. They were the life of the party for sure. 

The next day we went to lunch at Dave and Vera's. Annie played with the little ones and kept them entertained. It was really nice to catch up with them some more. Always a pleasure seeing their family. 

On Monday my dad and I went to Lloyd's of London to have a tour around the place. It was a very unique building and I've found that I would really like to come back and do an internship there. FACTS: They insure J-Lo's butt there! Also because it is the 100th year of the sinking of the Titanic Lloyd's (who used to ring their bell every time one of the ships they insured sank) has put out their book of lost ships and put it on the page where it marks the Titanic. How crazy is that!!