Let me start off by saying that I am a total hypocrite.  Before I had Sloan I used to roll my eyes at mothers that said they “couldn’t bare to leave” their kids to go on a vacation.  I would think to myself, “These moms are so bizarre.  I won’t bat an eye when Zach and I decide to go on a trip after we have kids.”  I was so naive.

My family started planning this trip over a year ago.  Long story short:  My parents discovered a forgotten account they had started for my brother and I’s education fund.  They split it and gave us each the money they had accumulated.  We tried to refuse it, to give it back, but they insisted it was ours because they had saved it for US.  We both felt guilty about taking it.  So what did we do with the money?  Bought them an all expense paid trip to Europe.  Well…not really.  Because technically they paid for it.  But you get the thought behind it.

We narrowed down our destinations to London, Paris, Venice, and Rome.  We booked airfare, hotels, train tickets, and so on and then just counted down the months until May.  We were going to be gone for two weeks and we were taking Sloan with us.

Only a few months back – Zach told me he didn’t think it was a good idea to take Sloan on the trip anymore.  He was worried about the time change [8 hours is pretty intense], no opportunities for her to nap, and not to mention the fact that select restaurants and other facilities don’t have the resources we would need for a baby:  changing tables, high chairs, pack and plays.  I had already done so much planning with Sloan in mind, even purchased some things for her to use abroad.  He told me to really consider the option of her staying home – and I told him I would.   I thought long and hard about it and I still wanted to take her, but he was adamant.  So I gave him an ultimatum:  if he could find someone that I knew and trusted to watch Sloan for two straight weeks, I would agree to do it.  It took him 2 hours.  The sweet girl that babysits Sloan on Saturday nights for us agreed to take work off to watch her for 14 days.  Ugh, I hate when he is right.  He’s usually right.  Looking back on our trip now, we definitely could have done the whole trip with Sloan – but it was so much easier and more comfortable for all of us [including her] for her to stay home with Hayley.

Anyway, enough of the back story.   May 11th seemed like forever away, and then it came.  I had been so busy packing for myself and getting everything prepped for Sloan that the time got away from me.  The logistics of the trip and all the prep at home I had to do kept me distracted from the fact that I would be away from my baby for two whole weeks.  Hayley dropped us off at the airport to meet my family and I was a rock until I had to get out of the car and kiss her goodbye.  I lost it.  She lost it.  We were both crying – but she had no clue why.  I had to shut the car door on my baby while she was screaming for me to pick her up and take her out of her car seat.  It was awful, but I did it.

We took the new nonstop Delta flight from SLC to Heathrow.  It was smooth, Zach and I slept for the greater part of it.  When we arrived in London we had a full day ahead of us.  So we checked in to our hotel, freshened up, and set out.  No one but Zach and I had been to any of these cities before, so we got to show them all the big attractions and relive our glory days on our Study Abroad.

We hit up Buckingham Palace…

…where my uncle managed to make two ladies dressed in their tea party best VERY uncomfortable.

Then Westminster Abbey, Big Ben…

We made our way over the bridge to check out the London Eye and then hopped on the Tube to dine at Steak & Co.  It was a great first day.  We were all a little exhausted and tired at the end with full bellies, but none of us fell asleep so I’d call that a win.

The next day I had scheduled my family to visit Windsor Castle, which both Zach and I love, but stayed back to try something new instead.  We took an Uber to Shoreditch where we had brunch at the Cereal Killer Cafe.

Every possible cereal you could think of – they had it.  Along with every possible option of milk.  And I paired my Protein Cheerios [I am obsessed] with some almond milk and a Diet Coke.  Zach got a concoction that even he can’t remember exactly what was in it.  I was just as pleased with the 90’s vibe the place had:  pictures of JT and Britney, posters from hit series like Clarissa Explains it All, and in lieu of benches, they had beds to sit on with Bart Simpson sheets.

Afterwards we roamed around Shoreditch.  It is the Brooklyn of London.  Vintage and specialty shops, trendy restaurants, street art.

Then we did some shopping at BOXPARK, a little shopping area made of shipping containers.

Then we made our way over to Trafalgar Square and popped in the National Gallery.

We had lunch at Shake Shack afterwards in Covent Garden.

After my family was done at Windsor, we all met up at the Tower of London.

Then off to St. Paul’s before dinner.

We had dinner at Bread Street Kitchen, one of my favorite meals of the whole trip.

On Friday nights only, the British Museum is open late (until 8:30 pm) – so we rushed off so my family could check out the Rosetta Stone before it closed.

Like I said, we really packed it in on this trip.  We walked back to our hotel to rest up for the next day.

Day 3 my family went to Blenheim Palace.  It’s almost a full-day trip (including the train ride to and from London) so Zach and I stayed in the city.  Zach took me to House of Vans – an old Underground Station that had been converted into a skate park.

He obviously didn’t bring a skateboard with him – so he borrowed one from a 10-year-old boy.  It was honestly the highlight of my day watching him.

I had a little inkling into my future watching the little kids in the skate camp.  I have a feeling one day my mornings will be spent watching my kids learn to skateboard.  If Zach has his way, I mean.

We had lunch and then stopped at Borough Market.

It was amazing – and the first time for both of us!  There was fresh fruit, cheese, bread, olive oil, freshly squeezed juice.  Like a Farmer’s Market on steroids – and with a British accent, of course.

Then we met up with my family at a Fish and Chips restaurant [my Mom’s only request of the entire trip].  

The ladies went shopping afterwards on Oxford Street and then we all made our way over to Picadilly Circus.  

It was our last night in London – so we made our way back to our hotel in Holborn to pack our bags for Paris the next morning.