Mind the Gap

all you need is LOVE

2010-05-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday March 27th

We woke up super early to go to Abbey Road this morning. We took tons of pictures on the famous crosswalk where the Beatles took their album cover.

I also signed the famous wall!

on the way back, I went out to breakfast with christina and laura. We were really tired from waking up early, but we decided to pull out all of our energy and run to big ben. We had been wanting to do it for a long time, so we just put on our running shoes and went. It ended up being one of my favorite things I've done here! It was so much fun, and I got to go with two of my favorite people.
here's what we saw on our run....
kensington gardens
hyde park
hyde park corner
wellington monument

Buckingham Palace

St. James Park (we took videos of us running through daffodils. I can't get videos to post though ah!)

Princess Diana Memorial Walk
Trafalgar Square
National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery
Buildings of Parliament
Big Ben

The thames
and the London Eye.

That night, I went to a missionary fireside because they needed help with a musical number. My ward also was having a baptism, so I was able to see this cute old man get baptized. I came back and went with Kellen and Sarah to get treats for our ward. We also got some cereal for a midnight snack in the servery.

such a cute little family

I had such a busy day, and when it was almost over...
I remembered that I had a talk to write and a song to prepare for sacrament
ahhh! days in london are so crazy. we don't sleep here much:)

back to london we go

2010-05-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

now that I am officially home with nothing to do.....

I am going to update my blog on everything missed while my laptop was MIA.

just to warn you, this is definitely going to be blog-overposting! (not sure if that's a word???)
I'm going to go straight from my journal, so I won't miss any details!

here we go....

"expect me any day now real soon"

2010-04-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

I heard this line from the michael buble song the other day with laura.
I'm coming home very soon:)

Here at the centre, we have started playing sports in hyde park to pass the time. On monday we played soccer and today we played football. On monday I also saw Billy Elliot-- we used the tickets that I was supposed to use with my parents:(
oh well! I wished my parents could have been there, but christina and macy were pretty fun too:) We went to Zizzi's for dinner before the show. The volcano erupted again on monday, so my flight for tuesday was cancelled. I had no idea when I was going to make it home.

On tuesday, I went to camden market one last time.
I ate some yummy chinese food, fresh orange juice, and donuts.
I also got some presents for the fam

I stuck out like a sore thumb with my french braids and white collared shirt
(the locals in camden usually sport black platform boots with huge spikes)

That night, I tried to see the movie premier for the Last Song with Miley Cyrus. It ended up being cancelled because the stars could not fly in!! (volcano ruining plans once again)
Since we couldn't see the premier, Anna, Sarah, Margaret and I decided to go Nando's and Dear John at Westfelds.
I LOVE NANDO'S! For the past four months, everyone here has been obsessed. I didn't see what the big deal was, but now I have started to become addicted. Nando's and Dear John were a perfect combo because I loved them both. I also got another flight booked for friday, so I was feeling pretty good.

That brings us today.

The day that my flight got changed to thursday.
I get to go home TOMORROW!!

I can't believe it. It feels so surreal.

I spent all morning playing soccer at hyde park and then running to my favorite spots, such as the peter pan statue, the prince albert memorial statue, the italian fountains, the round pond, and the serpentine. After showering, I went back to hyde park again for a lovely picnic of KFC.

afterwards, we walked over to the Serpentine to go on the paddle boats! I have been wanting to do it all semester, so I was excited to finally do it.

d

I went to Nando's again with a bunch of the girls here, and my friend's purse was stolen. Our group has gone this entire time with nothing stolen or hurt until today. A day that we aren't even supposed to be here anymore! haha oh goodness. I felt really bad for her. What made it even worse was that it was her cath kidston purse! ahh heaven forbid.

Right before the thievery, I called my dad, and he told me that flights were opening up for tomorrow. He was able to get me one, and all of a sudden I'm here sitting on my bunk bed for the last time ever.

I went to Ben's cookies and Food & Wine for the last time to get treats for my family.

All my suitcases have been packed and weighed. It took a number of times to repack everything and get the right weight amount! (I was not going to have a repeat of my flight over here. I sure learned my lesson)

I helped christina pack. ha:) what an adventure.

I just wrote on my bunk bed.

Writing on the bunk seals the deal. That means I'm really done here. The spring term people also get here in four days, so it's time that I get out of here (some of the students here don't have flights til tuesday)

My flight leaves in 10 hours, and I will be home in 24.

I am so happy that I get to be home tomorrow with my family, but I am so sad to leave London and my friends here.

I LOVE LONDON:)

stranded on an island

2010-04-18T15:17:00.001-07:00

I can officially say that I have been stranded on an island now!

London is technically an island, and who knows how long I could be here.

however, London is probably the best place to be stranded.

This morning, Christina and I took Laura to the train station. She's taking lots of trains to get to Madrid-- she needed to fly home for her brother's wedding asap. It was sad to part, but all of us will be reunited very soon! Laura will be in provo for her brother's reception, and christina and I are going to run Ragnar together this summer.

matching crown charms from portobello

After laura left, we stopped at platform 9 3/4 to cheer us up.

we are going to take hogwarts express home!! who needs dumb airplanes anyways???

I went to the singles ward for church, fell asleep in hyde park, and did kitchen crew. Macy and I helped Christina wax her legs too! It was quite the night. She has been growing them out all semester, so it was a big task.

I'm anxious to get home to my family, but I'm trying to make this week a good one. It's hard not knowing how all of us are going to get home! We will eventually all make it back though. I'm trying to be patient and stay positive.

Fun fact of the day- this is the biggest air space closure since WWII. I am becoming apart of history! haha how insane is all of this. I'm not even sure where the dumb ash cloud is. The past three days have been the prettiest, sunniest days since I've been here. People at hyde park have started wearing their swim trunks and bikinis to lay out in the park. I guess that is the hot thing to do here.

to everyone who has been affected by this volcano- good luck!

to everyone back home- I hope to see you very soon!

FINALLY!!

2010-04-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

HELLO!!!!

hooray for the people at apple! My laptop back, better than ever. They didn't even charge me because my dad got me apple care:)

it is so good to be back again. I have missed this!

I know I have much to catch up on, and I will definitely update everything (probably in the next few days).

In the past fews days, I survived finals (barely), and a volcano in iceland, Eyjafjallajoekull (yes, that's its real name), decided to erupt. My parents had to cancel their flights out here, and I'm not exactly sure when I'll be getting home now. I have a flight for monday afternoon, but it could very well be cancelled. I could be stuck here in london for another week! It feels like one huge dream.

I was pretty bummed that my parents couldn't make it here, so I had a fun filled day to take my mind off it.
Prof. Macfarlane called a mandatory meeting this morning to give info about getting home, and then I packed all morning.
This afternoon, I went to the Dutch party at Trafalgar square with Laura, CJ, and Macy. We walked around and took our lunches to St. James Park. We basked in the sun and enjoyed no homework! I guess there are some perks to being stuck in London.

We decided to hurry over to Covent Gardens to get tickets to Legally Blonde. When we got there, there were only two really expensive tickets left, but the man informed us we could enter a drawing for the last tickets.
We entered....

and we won! It was destiny.
We had front row seats to Legally Blonde, so we were just a few feet from the actors.
It was like my favorite show I've seen here. wait, all of them have been my favorite. I can't choose!! It was really funny and cute but also inspiring. It was all about being yourself and working hard to make dreams come true. so uplifting and fun!

Today is also my mom's birthday!! Happy Birthday mom. You are the best mother I could ask for!

I wish you could be here with me, but I will be home soon:)
(cross your fingers that the volcano stops erupting)

I love you mom!

sad news

2010-04-02T16:35:00.001-07:00

my laptop is currently having problems.

it keeps making these funny beeping noises and then shutting off.

I'm just on the student computer at the centre, and I can't upload photos:(

I got back from our trip north this evening, and I went to the apple store to make an appointment. My appointment isn't until next wednesday, so I will have to delay blogging even furthur. I'm very sorry! With finals coming up and everything, I might just do a massive update right after they are done.
I will write in my journal faithfully every night so I won't forgot any details to blog about!

Even though I'm bummed about my laptop, tomorrow should be pretty fun. We're having a big easter breakfast tomorrow morning and then I'm going out to visit wimbleton. Then it is all homework and conference after that.

I think that is about all. I will try very hard to update soon!

ps. in two weeks, I will be completely done with finals and taking in the city with my parents. I can't believe how fast time comes and goes. I'm learning everyday just how precious time is.

whoops!

2010-03-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

I promise I am still alive! I'm just in the middle of nature staying at a youth hostel in the lake district. I forgot to mention this, but we left on monday morning for our five day trip to the north! We have seen some awesome sights already, and I will blog all about them when I get home. I will also tell all about the happenings of last weekend.
tonight should be an interesting night staying in the woods....wish me luck!
I will be back on Friday, just in time for easter/conference weekend.#

love
Jenny

public speaking??

2010-03-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if it's my thing.

"worry is the anticipation that the outcome will be bad. faith is the anticipation that the outcome will be good. faith in christ is the understanding that whatever the outcome, it will be for our eternal good!"

Christina shared this quote with laura and me while studying scriptures a few nights ago.

I'm writing my talk right now for church, and I'm taking a one minute break to post this blog. I'm speaking about sustaining our leaders. I'm so excited for this talk because it's making me more prepared for conference. I love conference!

wish me luck with my talk tomorrow. The last time I spoke was May 2008, so I'm a little rusty. I will need all the help I can get!

oh, and I'm also singing with sarah in sacrament meeting tomorrow. We're singing in two different meetings because our accompanist, the lovely caitlin, is in the other ward. She wanted us to perform in her ward too, so it should be a busy sunday.

I'm going to have faith that my talk will go well and that I will someday figure out my life!

well, back to my talk. goodnight all you lovely people!

a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

2010-03-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

of london town!

I can't believe how great today has been. I have loved every second of it.

First, we went as a program out to Hampton Court. Henry the 8th lived there, and he was married to Kathryn there. Did you know that Henry's diet was 75% meat? He also had six wives, and he was a crazy man. We walked around all the different parts of the palace and saw where he used to live.

My favorite part was the gardens outside. There were beautiful fountains and cute triangle trees. We saw a group of young kids running around the crazy playing games. We were inspired by them, and we all held hands and spun around in circles laughing until it hurt.

On our way to the maze, we stumbled upon beautiful fields of daffodils! I love that they grow all over England. It's such a great sight to see after all the weeks of dead plants and rain. We had a little photo shoot in the daffodils after running around the maze, singing and being crazy, and getting lost.

Then we made our way back to the train station, barely missing our train by a few minutes. We walked around down for the next half hour, and I bought a new umbrella for 6 pounds. what a deal!
We got on the next train and made our way to my favorite place to eat, borough market.

I got a kangaroo burger and a big chocolate brownie. I don't think you could find a place with more yummy foods packed into one market. I couldn't find the flapjack man, so that was kind of sad. But! we found our friend, the patte mushroom man, and tried some more samples.

On the way home, rachel and I stopped at Primark. As normal, I was overwhelmed by all the people, cute clothes, and ridiculously low prices. I know some of the stuff will fall apart soon, but how could I pass up such good deals?!

Then I came home, ate dinner, practiced my song for sunday, and then went to the National Portrait gallery. Laura came with me because she wanted to go to the national gallery (they're right by each other), and we had the funniest experience on the tube ride over.
it went kind of like this...
laura pulled this disgusted/surprised face at something she saw behind me.
I looked behind me and saw nothing in particular
I was really confused and was like "laura, whats the deal?"
I did a double take
and then I saw this man with something moving around in his jacket pocket
to my horror, it was....

a ferret! (minus the hat)
The guy started coming towards us, and he sat in the seats right across from us. I politely asked if we could snap a pic of his little friend, and he said no jokingly. We asked a few questions about the ferret and then suddenly he was handing me his furry friend. I took him into my arms (what was I thinking??), and laura snapped a few pictures. To our horror, she tried to kiss both of us with her little mouth. I gave our friend back to her owner, hoped off the tube, got hand sanitizer, and laughed my head off with laura.

At the national portrait gallery, I saw a bunch of cool paintings of past and present famous people in england. While I was looking at pics of the princes, I ran into Kellen. He walked back with me to trafalgar square, where we met laura. We looked at the beautiful fountains and then headed back home. We stopped at Marks and Spencers and tesco, looking for a treat. I found some yummy british cereal that we came back and devoured, and we made our way upstairs for bed. I got distracted by my friends watching new moon in the classroom, so I had to pop in and watch the last half.

Now here I am blogging, smiling at how happy today was. It really was a beautiful day in the neighborhood (we even sang the mr. rogers song today). I love everyone here. I love every second of my time here, even if it's spent cooped up in the classroom or our tiny dorm room. I love people. I love life.

Trials will always come into our lives, but our Savior always is there with open arms, no matter what.

I'm learning that life is all about learning to love like He does.
His love can heal anything and everything.

anyone who may be reading this, have a beautiful day!

blast from the past

2010-03-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

I was sorting through some pics last night, and I found these treasures.

They are from when I was in Europe with my family forever ago. Little did I know that I would be back ten years later!

My camera is back in tip top shape now. Don't worry, I won't have to post anymore random old pics in an attempt to spice up my blog.
My camera battery charger was hiding in my closet, and it finally hit me today where it was. I just have silly moments where I temporarily lose my mind. But all is well now.

I had two great field trips for class today. We visited the Albert memorial statue for Civ and then the Tate britain for british literature.

I must be off to read the Iliad now. But before that, here's a great quote that my friend reesa shared at devo a few nights ago.

"The Lord doesn't expect us to work harder than we are able. He doesn't (nor should we) compare our efforts to those of others. Our Heavenly Father asks only that we do the best we can—that we work according to our full capacity, however great or small that may be."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

sweet dreams!
xoxo

cambridge

2010-03-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

today we went to st. albans, the cambridge american cemetery, and cambridge.
The american cemetery was a great sight to see. We joke here about wanting to be european, but I'm so thankful to be american.
I went punting with annie, michelle, jen, and liza. We had a tour of nine different colleges along the river in the sun.
I would post pictures, but my new camera charger seems to be a fluke. Maybe I will work out my issues with the battery one of these days.

I came back and skyped raquel.
you know those people who are so down to earth and real that they simply make you want to be better? they remind you that the world is a wonderful place, and that you don't need worldly possessions to be happy.

well, that is raquel.

the world could use more people like her.
love you raquelly!

I love home

2010-03-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

I love london, but I love home just as much.

I love being at home for...

special occasions

baking with mom

old memories and new memories

and...

my room!

with sasha on my bed

I swear london is trying to tell me to go home lately! I just can't seem to stay healthy here. This place just wants to keep me sick or something. I had a little scare with the flu today. Thankfully, I do not have it!
And trying to balance school, sight-seeing, sleeping, exercising, staying healthy, blah blah blah is so hard. It causes much stress. My body is mad at me for not taking better care of it over here.

but what is there to do?! nothing.
all I can do is run around like a crazy woman trying to get everything done. I had a good chat with my dad tonight, and he told me to just relax and try my best with balancing everything.

relax.
that is a new word for me.

work hard, plan everything out, and then relax. that is my new goal!

today I went to the Sir John Soane museum. lots of crazy, random artifacts thrown together in a little flat.
I walked down to queensway with laura to get flapjacks (yummy granola bar-ish snacks). The middle eastern guy at tesco loves us. As well as the one that I bought my camera battery charger from. He asked for our numbers, and we ran away.
haha. we flatter ourselves. I know it's just because we are american!

I have to go to bed right now...I only have 24 more days of london centre. I want to make the most of my last days here.
cheers!

Queen Victoria

2010-03-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the Queen's art gallery at Buckingham Palace with rachel. The display consisted of paintings and artifacts of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The queen had this picture painted for her husband. She's wearing a locket in the painting, and the locket has some of prince albert's hair. Queen Victoria painted, sang, played the piano, and loved going to the theatre and throwing balls. She was an extremely influential monarch, especially with culture and the arts.

Rachel and I walked around Buckingham Palace before the gallery and took some pictures. My camera was having issues, so I will post rachel's later. Before going to the palace, I showed rachel V.V. Rouleux, and she fell in love! just as I expected.
We had a very classical oriented day. As if ribbon, the palace, and the art gallery weren't enough, the program bought all of us tickets to a violin recital this afternoon. It was at Wigmore concert hall, and it was beautiful.

It's so magical being here.

I'm falling asleep while listening to iron and wine right now. I think that's my cue to end this post!
goodnight world!

a few confessions

2010-03-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

if you're ever in london, go here.

it will change your life!

confession: sarah, kellen and I forgot to pick up food for the munch and mingle at our ward.
another confession: at the train station, we decided to pop in real quick to marks and spencers to get some food for it.

we made it to church, I taught my lesson, and sarah and I conquered sharing time with plato. Our belgium cookies were a hit at the munch and mingle, and we successfully mingled with many of our friends in the ward including the missionaries. I love my ward so much. They have been so warm, open, and welcoming. All of the ladies there always give me hugs even though they hardly know me.

one more confession: we stopped at marks and spencers again to buy a few more biscuits and snacks to hold us over til dinner (we're kind of in between normal life and trip life. it's so hard to eat normal here!).

We got off the bus at marble arch and then walked down to speaker's corner. It's this big corner of Hyde park where a ton of crazy, random people go to preach/argue/be crazy. It was really interesting to hear all of them, but it was neat to feel the spirit tell me once again that our church is the only true one. We sat on a bench at the park, popped open our snacks, and enjoyed the sun and the daffodils.

I forgot that I had a huge blister on my toe from paris. I guess it was a bad idea to wear high heels! After a few seconds out the door, I took them off. I walked around barefoot in the city london and hyde park today. lots of people gave me funny looks. I guess people don't do that here? who knows!

Sarah, kellen and I may or may not have eaten the entire box all by ourselves.

Then we walked down hyde park along bayswater and looked at all the art for sale.

it was a very successful and uplifting sunday! I loved it.

mon amour

2010-03-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

ok I promised I would blog about paris, so here it is!
paris in a nutshell.

on monday morning, we woke up bright and early. I was planning to pack that morning, but my alarm didn't go off. I woke up about an hour late, so I just threw some clothes in my north face backpack and headed out the door. I was kind of a frantic mess, but thankfully I made it on time onto the eurostar on time. We started off heading out to Chartres. We also found this fun merry-go-round.

that night I went to the eiffel tower, got a crepe, and ate some french onion soup. The eiffel tower at night was INCREDIBLE. It was probably one of the pretties sights I've seen, hands down. it was too late to go up, so we just took some pictures in front.

The next day started off at versaille and then the musee d'orsay. Versaille was cool--it was kind of similar to the vatican in a lot of ways. I loved the musee d'orsay and all the beautiful art! It is in my top three art gallerys. After that, Karalyn and I got separated from our group at the museum, so we tried to meet up with them at the pantheon. It closed just a few minutes before we got there, so we just walked around a little. I was super tired and not feeling well, so I grabbed a sandwich and pastry and went to sleep by 9:30. I was bummed to have to go to bed early, but my body was about to shut down.

The next morning, I felt much better! I had slept for approximately 11 hours, and I felt almost completely better from being sick. It was also st. patrick's day, and I completely forgot until Macfarlane tried to pinch me. Little did I know that it would turn into the best st. patrick's day ever! it was probably one of my favorite days of my life actually. I saw like 20 sights in paris, walked my feet off, and had an amazingly fun day with the dream team.

first on list, notre dame. Walked to the very top, saw the beautiful view, found my inner gargoyle, and snapped a pic with the bell.

next, saint chapelle and the cluny museum. Saint chapelle had gorgeous stained glass windows, and the cluny museum had the unicorn tapestries. loved the beautiful windows and fell in love with the tapestries. didn't see that one coming!

then we took a nice long walk down to La Rue Mouffetard. It was so fun for me because I started to ask lots of french people (in french) how to get there. I simply got up the guts and just starting talking. I remembered more than I thought, and I was so happy to be able to speak to the people. some of the nicest people ever!
on the way there, we walked through the latin quarter and luxembourg gardens (in the madeline stories). The mouffetard had the best savory crepes I've had in my life, and we also had amazing ice cream.

continuing on, I led the group of ten to the louvre, where we walked little kids play with the boats and then walked up the champs elysees. I had my first macaroons ever at La Duree. Then to the L'arc de triomphe! beautiful view of the city and eiffel tower.

what we did at the top of the arc

next up, louvre.

Rachel and I stayed together and wandered around, mostly looking at the highlights. We have similar taste in art, so it was perfect. We decided to take a break and eat dinner there, so all of us just got sandwiches in the cafe. I spoke french to the people who took my order, and they kept asking me questions so I could practice my french. They even gave me a free sucker!
When I went to throw my trash away, one of the guys started talking to me in french again. I couldn't understand what he said, so he switched to english and asked what I was doing that night. He then proceeded to give me a napkin with his name and number on it. Sadly for Baba, I did not give him a call that night! we all got a good chuckle out of that little incident.
I did something more fun...looked at more art. and then looked at the gorgeous fountains outside the louvre.

the next day was just as great.
It started off at the musee d'orangerie, where I basically cried while in awe of monet's water lillies. (lets get real, I wasn't basically crying, I was just simply crying. I was so happy)

Then I directed the group across the river to the musee de rodin, and we just happened to find an amazing pastry shop on the way. The sculptures at the museum were beautiful, and I found a few appreciation for them. We went to the catacombs afterwards (very stupid). I hurried through and went to a chocolate shop, Jeff de Bruggs, while waiting for the others. I talked to the chocolate lady for like ten minutes in french, and a sweet old french lady came in and spoke with us as well.
side note...I counted the number of times I talked to people there or asked for directions. guess how many there were?! 35.
Then I got some underwear and croque monsieurs with kira and brittney.

We walked back to the mouffetard, where I got one last crepe of nutella and banana, and then walked back in the warm sun to our hotel.
My trip to paris was complete bliss. I feel like I left a part of my heart in that wonderful city. All the french people were so sweet and nice to me as well.
I can't wait until I go back to the land of love!! (hopefully in will be in a few short weeks with my parents! cross your fingers)

Paris, I love you!
I love your amazing food, rich culture, kind people.
I loved the amazing memories I made here with unforgettable people!

happy saturday

2010-03-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

today was just great.

how can any day in london not be great?!

and it was relaxing.
just what I needed after being sick and traveling!
I slept in a little and then went out to breakfast with macy. We went to le pain quotidien, where I got oatmeal and fresh squeezed oj. Then we walked across the street to portabello.

I bought some plums and that beautiful ring! This little old lady (in the other pic) sold it to me for 13 pounds off the original price. This ring is perfectly me! I love it.
I came back and took a great little power nap and then went to tuk tuk (thai food) and frog (yummy frozen yogurt) with macy again. We came back to the centre, where annie and michelle shared british treats with me, and now we're watching Young Victoria in the classroom. We just watched our favorite part twice! I may or may not have cried.
seriously, if you guys didn't take my recommendation from the last time I blogged about this movie, go see it! so good.

Well, I am off to work on my primary lesson!
I hope everyone had a fabulous saturday:)

perfect ending to paris

2010-03-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

I made it back safely from paris last night. I was so sad to leave, but it was nice to be back at my lovely flat in london. I found another piece of me in paris, and I completely fell in love with the city.

I double pinky promise cross my heart hope to die that I will blog all about paris tomorrow, including all the ends and odds. I will also update the missing pictures from my recent blog posts. If anyone out there is reading this, you can hold me to that promise.

today was an awesome because I saw Les Mis. what a great way to end my french exposure this week. It was incredible, as always.

I went right after class to buy tickets with laura and christina, and they only had side tickets on the balcony left. We decided to just buy them because we don't have much time left here! On our way back to the theatre tonight, we decided to stop and get cookies at ben's. We always underestimate how much time the tube will take (it always takes forever. everything here is so spaced out!), so we were running through covent gardens to make it on time. We ended up being a few minutes late to the play, but it was no biggie. We were a little smelly during the whole play, but we were happy to be eating our cookies.

We were planning to go to portabello after getting our tickets this afternoon, but sadly, it was raining. We just went to Whiteleys instead and did a little shopping at Zara and H&M.

that's about it for me today. I was super tired after traveling last night and going non stop in paris, so I'm pooped now (hence the lack of pictures and everything) . I've just been in the kitchen discussing plans for tomorrow.

so much to do, so little time!
I always want to do everything and hang out with everyone here, so it's very difficult to decide.

All of us are starting to feel like siblings here. It's crazy how much time we all spend together (not to mention all the time with the faculty too. it's a bit strange sometimes actually) I love it most of the time though. I will be sad to part with all of my dear friends here!

....my own big bed is starting to sound kind of nice though!

Bon Voyage

2010-03-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

Paris holds the key to my heart.

In the next few days, I will see if that statement rings true! I will be there in a few short hours.

I've been so busy taking tests and writing papers that I haven't even had time to get excited about it! I just finished taking my religion test, and I still have to go pack. ahhh can't wait!!!

It will be such a nice break after the past few days.
I didn't go to church today in order to rest more . My primary kids sang in church, so I was really sad to miss that.
But!
kellen just told me that cute missionary asked where I was today. I think that is the only thing of importance that happened today.

I'm probably not bringing my laptop to paris, so I will update when I get back!

warning: jenny on meds

2010-03-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

This morning, I woke up with a ton of pressure around my nose and eyes with a massive headache.
oh no! I know that's what all of you must be thinking.
thank you sinusitis (aka sinus infection. haha I googled it today and I'm not sure why the doctor just didn't say that. It was so funny when he declared in his middle eastern accent, "you have tonsilitis and sinusitis")

today was supposed to be devoted to me staying in all day in hope of getting better and studying. That was the plan...but then remembered that I needed a new camera! And it all just went down hill from there.
instead of staying indoors all day, I....

got warming granola at Pret

got a new camera just off Edgeware road

explored the huge Marks and Spencers there (new favorite store. I love grocery stores) and got oj

came back and studied for about 4.5 hours for my british lit test

took yet another nap (see, I wasn't out all day. don't worry mom, I'm resting)

was easily convinced to leave the centre yet again. but it was for a good cause! food.

went to TukTuk with Laura and Ally and got the second best mussman curry (first being thaidrift).

got ben and jerry's at tesco (a girl has got to have her chocolate ice cream when she's sick)

Then I came back, hoping to study the rest of the night away and take my test. Laura and Sarah helped me eat my ice cream that I was supposed to save for after my test, and then somehow I was walking with them to H&M and Zara. They are both in this big mall, Whiteleys, which is just down the street from us. I love that we can just walk there. Anyways, I bought this cute light pink british dress and then came home, for real this time. I studied for another two hours, took the test, and then wanted to die from exhaustion!!!

And that was my day in a nutshell. I feel like a crazy woman right now.

It's probably the meds.

Or it's just me??
I'm not sure I want to know!

I love being here and I love all the people here. They inspire me to be more passionate, grateful, loving, understanding, and just overall better. I'm starting to have such torn feelings about only having a few weeks left here. There is still SO much that I need to do here, yet nothing feels quite like home when you're sick. My mom sent me the best email and it made me feel much better.
I'm so happy to be here even though we have to stay cooped up for days during midterms! there are definitely some major ups and downs from being across the ocean from home and family while also living with so many people, but it's worth it. I've learned so much about life. I'm not even sure what, I just know I've learned a lot.

my thoughts are all over the place right now, so this is all for tonight. I need to get some sleep or I'll just get more loopy.

sweet dreams where ever you may be in the world

love jenny

beautiful day

2010-03-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

today I have not left the centre once. can you believe that?? I have no idea what the weather was even like. I love being outside and taking in the city, so that was definitely missed.
It's probably good though because it was much needed. I slept the afternoon away, just like the past few days. I got into bed this afternoon feeling so stressed and so sick, so I emailed my professor asking for a blessing.
I was nervous to ask because it was just for some dumb sicknesses and stupid stress that I shouldn't have in London.
I got up the guts and just asked.

We went down into the Schuler's flat, and Professor Schuler anointed me followed by Macfarlane giving the blessing. He said everything that I needed to hear and more. It ended with hugs and tears all around.

I was able to start and finish my King Lear paper. I have no idea how I finished or let alone stayed awake to finish.
Now I'm sitting here blogging wondering how it all happened. There is always hope and light. A new day will always come.
I'm so thankful for priesthood blessings, and it was beautiful to see the priesthood working in my life.

I know it's real.

moms know best

2010-03-11T16:29:00.000-08:00

After skyping my mom last night, she made me visit the doctor today. It was quite the experience.

Macfarlane helped me set up an appointment this morning at the medicentre. I hurried right on over because they were able to get me right in. I filled out some paper work and ate some refreshments (all doctor offices should have refreshments. why don't they do that in the states?? it was a very nice touch) The doctor listened to me breathe and checked my mouth, ears, and throat. He proceeded to tell me that I have tonsillitis and sinusitis.

What?!?

I did not see that coming at all. I wasn't even sure I was going to visit the doctor this morning. good thing I did! I guess bronchitis or whatever I had a few weeks ago turned into this, because this is definitely something new. He said that I have just been too stressed with school, sight-seeing, working out, and balancing everything. I know, I know, I should have listened to my mother the first time when she said, "Jenny, you need to go to the doctor tomorrow. why don't you ever listen to me?"

Moral of the story: moms are always right

anyways, he prescribed me penicillin and I was on my way. The health system here is so strange. They basically only needed my name and my credit card to get me in with a doctor. After that, it took like two minutes after that to fill my prescription at Boots.

After class, I slept the afternoon away and then met up with a friend for dinner. We weren't friends before the dinner, but now we are definitely friends! Her name is Esohe, and my cousin Holly met Esohe on her mission. (Holly came to London on her mission). We went to this great restaurant called Sophies, and we talked about our favorite aspects of London and America and just everyday-life stuff. She's so fun and nice! New friends are the best. seriously.
We ate lobster avocado sandwiches. yum. She wanted to try the restaurant because she had seen them making that sandwich on a cooking show. I took her to ben's cookies after that because she had never tried them. To be a true local, that is a must.
Holly- thanks for introducing us! :)

I think that's about it for today. I know, I have been slacking with uploading pictures. I will update everything soon.

I must go to sleep right now...doctor's orders (and mother's).

I love doctors and mums. They make everything better.

real life pride and prejudice

2010-03-10T13:29:00.000-08:00

"A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment."
-Jane Austen

all of us have been talking about our future weddings a lot recently. You can't blame us when we have days like today.

not one, but TWO of my dreams came true today!

first off, I saw Stourhead.
does anyone know what was filmed there?

I will tell you!
So, to all your pride and prejudice lovers...
remember the part in the most recent movie where Darcy professes his love for Elizabeth? It's raining outside, and they have a heated discussion almost ending with a kiss.
Well, that place is Stourhead! It was filmed at the temple of Apollo.
It was so beautiful there, even though it was chilly with no flowers. We took a stroll around the lake there and followed some of the cute ducks.
It was a little sad because the temple of Apollo was under construction with scaffolding.
oh well! I will just have to go back.

Second....
we went to Jane Austen's home!
We saw her desk where she wrote many of her books, her bedroom, her kitchen, and her garden. Right when I walked into the house, Kira was playing on Jane Austen's piano. She was playing music from the new movie! It was so magical.
At the gift shop, I bought an amazing copy of Pride and Prejudice.

ok so true confession from jenny.

I have never read P&P all the way through from cover to cover. don't judge!
I have seen the movie hundreds of times (literally), and I remember many nights sleeping over at my grandma's watching the six hour version. I love the new version, but the old one is classic! Nothing will beat it.
I also just love Collin Firth.

did I mention that I'm watching the new pride and prejudice movie right now?
as i sit here in the classroom blogging, we're watching the movie... and that scene in stourhead just happened!
All of us screamed when it came on.
It was fun to know we had been there just a few short hours ago.

We also went to Winchester, where Jane Austen was buried.
My camera was dead, so I didn't get any of my own pictures. A few of my friends took some pictures for me, so I will put them up later.

"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

walk in the countryside

2010-03-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

my walking staff that cameron got for me. Dr. McF in the background with his indiana jones hat. very classic

we walked by a lavender field. I need to go back during june sometime--they harvest all the flowers then.

at the gift store, I bought some lemon curd and horseradish. The lady there gave me a ton of this pretty wrapping paper just because. I loved it so much that I had to take a picture of it

after our ten mile (I was wrong yesterday...it was not eight), I went to see 39 Steps with a few of the girls here for Michelle's birthday. It was this funny alfred hitchcock-type play.
I have loved getting to know all the girls here. I feel like I have a friendship with each girl here, and it's so much fun! I can hang out with any of them whenever, and I love getting to know them even better. It has been really rewarding to me, and a handful of them have asked me to live with them next year.
I love how heavenly father answers prayers through others!

For some of the hike, I walked with President Chittock's brother, Ron. He told me all about his wife and family.
wanna hear a cute story??
He met his wife when they were teenagers in a dance class. They started dating, and they got engaged right before he went to Cyprus for the army. He was gone for six months, and they were married a month after he got home. They were married in Surrey, England (yes, the city where the Holiday takes place).
I love old people!
They always seem to have the best advice and the best love stories.

I keep meeting people who make me more passionate for life.
I keep seeing beautiful nature that reminds me of God's great creations and his love.

my contacts are getting fuzzy, and I can barely keep my eyes open. I think that means I must go to bed very, very soon! I'm going to get ready for bed really fast so I can get back into my covers asap!

goodnight!
xoxo

a play about a horse...and war?

2010-03-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

This is what I have been watching for the past two hours of my life. We saw this play called warhorse. The title of the play is pretty self-explanatory.

It's about a horse.
and war.

need I say anymore??

It was a very controversial topic here at the centre. Some people loved it so much that they cried while others would rather die than watch it again. I agree more so with the later perspective, but I appreciated certain aspects of it. The horse costumes were pretty cool, and they looked pretty similar to real horses.
I think a big part of this experience is becoming more open and cultured, and tonight I realized that even more. Even if I don't completely love a show, museum, or experience, there is always something to be learned and something to be appreciated.

I'm really glad that I grew up with parents who were so open and accepting of other people, cultures, and places. I'm willing to try all kinds of kinds of food and talk to all kinds of people. That is a huge part of the experience to me! I love people, cultures, and places that are really unique or authentic. I don't like eating at places here that we have back in the states because there is so much to try and enjoy here.

I think I can thank my dad for me being that way. He has always loved traveling and being in big citites, finding yummy authentic restaurants, talking to all types of people, and working internationally on a regular basis. He has worked in places like china, argentina, singapore, amsterdam, scotland, new york, san fransisco, england, belgium, india, etc.

I love how he is so cultured and accepting. I hope to be more like him that way.

A few fun facts about today...
macfarlane had a mandatory modesty meeting with all the girls in the centre today. he was so funny and nice (and a little awkward) about it. I love him as a professor, and he is a top notch man. A few weeks ago, we were talking about The Aeneid and King Priam's death. He started crying a little when he talked about a king having to watch his son die. He related it to his worst fear--having to watch his family die. It was especially touching because his daughter, leslie, was in the class as well.
I wrote a poem for my english class about tinturn abbey. who knew I liked writing poetry? we were supposed to combine nature with a past experience. I got really into it and everything. I spent most of the afternoon writing it in my pjs after class.
I drank diet coke at warhorse and now I am soooo wide awake. bad idea

I just got back from the play and had a wonderful, long chat with some of the girls in the servery. We somehow ended up telling crazy/sad stories for like an hour. Time flies when you are having fun.

I sure do know that. Where have the past nine weeks gone???

I have no idea!

tomorrow we are going for an 8 mile hike through the countryside with president chittock. I'm so excited!! I love being out in nature, and I also love exercising (I know, weird thing to love). it should be a perfect afternoon.

becoming (somewhat) more cultured with my family in mexico!

and that is all for the night. I need lots of energy for hiking in the morning. yay yay

a few thoughts for the day

2010-03-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

I'll just be straight forward with this blog post....

there are no exciting pictures and no exciting news for the day.
I'm very sorry!
it was still a good day though.

Right now I'm just watching Antony and Cleopatra for my shakespeare class, and I'm all snuggled up in my big snuggly comforter.

Calvin spotlighted me the other night at devotional, and he asked what my favorite parts of london have been so far. it was hard to decide, but here are a few of the top favorites

1) runs in hyde park
2) walks through the pretty green scenery
3) borough and portabello markets
4) shows...hairspray, lion king, phantom
5) national gallery and somerset gallery
6) all the different cultures and yummy food

I've also missed some of the comforts of home such as...
my own big bed!
sunday dinners with fun cousins, crazy siblings, cute grandmas, mommy's food, card games
watching grey's anatomy every week (I have only seen it once since being here!)
driving
my gym pass
drinking fountains
my sister (and not to mention sharing clothes with her:)
being able to call my mom every day

Every day, I wake up and I'm so grateful for this experience. I have become much more street smarts (I had no skills in this area before. it's still not saying much), I've found out more so what I want from life and who I want to be, and I'm more accepting of others and their ways of life. It has opened my eyes to how much the world offers. I've learned so much about people, different cultures/religions, myself, and my Savior.
Laura and I were just talking about how sad it will be when this is over and how we will cry every night!

My ward was great today. This non-member got up during fast and testimony meeting, and she proceeded to tell us that the missionaries (yes, elder garner) had found her that week. It was her first time to church, and she was so excited to be there that she had to get up! how cool is that? She said that she prays for the missionaries every night since she met them, and that we should too. I was really impressed with her courage to get up there on her first sunday. From now on, one of my goals is to bare my testimony more.
I also taught primary about abraham and lot ( I don't know how they expect me to teach it when I barely understand myself!). It was crazy as usual, and the rest of today has just been filled with yummy food and naps.

I love you all! I'm so happy for sundays, especially sundays in london. I hope everyone had a wonderful sunday.
If you have the comforts of home, enjoy them for me:)

and I will enjoy london for all of you back home!

new boyfriend

2010-03-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

look who I found today....

(note his beautiful red hair)

one of the princes! no big deal.

he just happened to be wax as well. close enough to the real thing, right?

today we went to Madame Tussaud's wax museum. It was so fun! I liked it much more than I thought I would. It was cool because we saw people (well, not really people...wax figures would be a better term) like the queen, shakespeare, king henry 8th, princess diana and her sons, the obamas, the beatles, ghandi, justin timberlake, zac effron and much much more!

For some strange reason, we had class this morning. I'm not quite sure why....but it wasn't that big of a deal because I go to go to the orangery right after! And not just any old orangery. the orangery at kensington palace. Laura and I ended up having another date this afternoon because we got separated from the other girls.
The tea was so good! I got this rose/flower tea and a fruit scone.

after the wax museum, I decided to come back early to study and get my lesson ready for tomorrow. The circle line was closed, so it was a little tricky to get home and it took awhile. I had some good time to think about my summer plans and my possible new major. I will figure out all of it eventually. I'm learning every day that you can't plan out life exactly. It doesn't work like that. Today I'm thinking that I will major in home and family life and then go to culinary school in a big city. That would be so fun! That would also go along with my love for nutrition and food. but who knows...I'm always changing my mind!
I talked with laura earlier today about how it seems like professors and other adults seem to have their lives all figured out. They make it seem like life is perfect with no problems. We talked about how it's cool to see professors in a whole different environment since we live with them. We get to see that are just normal people like us. I've also realized that no one has life completely figured out. All we can do is make our best effort while having faith that it will all work out.

I stopped at cafe diana on the way home and had a hot mozerella and tomato sandwich with hot chocolate. Cafe diana has pictures all over the walls of princess diana, and it's a fun little cafe to go to.
It's nice to sometimes go off alone since we're always with tons of other people here. It's actually pretty relaxing. I love riding the tube and just being able to think.

keats house and kenwood

2010-03-05T14:23:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Keat's house. It was this beautiful, open, free house where Keat's wrote "Ode to a Nightingale". We saw the plum tree where he wrote the poem, and we took pictures by it.
Keats died from tuberculosis before he was able to marry his love, Fanny. how sad is that?? she had a ring and everything.
Then, we were off to hike through Hampstead heath. We got a little lost, so we ended up walking for an hour and a half. Hampstead heath was where C.S. Lewis was inspired to write "the lion, the witch and the wardrobe". Picture the forrest in the movie...that's what we walked through all afternoon! It was so beautiful. One of my favorite parts of london has been taking walks through the gorgeous scenery. My wellies came into use because it was super muddy.
Our walk took us to Kenwood. Remember that part in the movie Nottinghill where julia roberts films her movie at the end? it's by that huge, beautiful white house with the amazing scenery. ok yeah, that is kenwood! some of nottinghill was filmed there. I loved walking through the house because it had an amazing view of a pond plus some great art.
Then we went to camden market where I got yummy chinese food and homemade donuts! yum
I swear we walked at least six miles today, so it was great to get back to the centre. My kitchen crew also got ben and jerry's tonight because we just finished our last week of it!

so yeah, that's all for tonight.
I have to read wuthering heights and take two tests before we go to paris, so I have lots of homework! I have been the most tired today since I got here- they keep us so busy! I also haven't been taking care of myself enough to get over my sickness completely. So those are my goals this next week...focus on homework and get completely better.
wish me luck!

by the plum tree

keats house

hampstead heath

kenwood

two words

2010-03-04T13:40:00.000-08:00

euro

chic!

somehow today turned into euro chic day.
we even visited Samuel Johnson's house in these great outfits.
we fit in perfectly on the tube.

we are locals!
what more could we hope for?

fun story for the day...
I had one and a half waffles tonight from the nicest waffle man. When we first got there, he had no strawberries left. He said he could go get some more, and I said that all five of us would buy some if he did! after eating my delicious waffle with chocolate, banana and strawberries, I chatted with him for a few minutes. I learned that he took a course in belgium on waffle making. now that's an idea- maybe that will be my back up plan if I can't choose a major.
all five of us plopped down against the wall by the stand to eat our waffles. The waffle man even took a picture of us eating our waffles, and then more people started to get in line- they saw how yummy ours were! we were good publicity, and he said he'd give us a discount next time.

emma mentioned today that we only have 43 days left!! ahhhhh
how did this happen? we have big things the next few weeks also, so it will go super fast.
in 10 days, paris.
a week after that, scotland
another week after that, finals
and then the last day of finals, my parents get here!

I have such mixed feelings already because I'm so excited to see my parents and friends and be at home, yet I don't want to leave this town that I have grown to love so dearly.

Spotted: Hedwing

2010-03-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

YES, it's true my friends. I found Hedwing from Harry Potter!! HP lives!!
Here's a pic of me and hedwing hanging out on the grounds of hogwarts.

Ok, so believe it or not, that's sadly not the real hedwing.
however, we did find this cute "falconner" who let us fly the owl:)
christina came up with the clever nickname, "bird whisperer" for him.
ha!

Being typical, silly american girls, all twenty of us attempted to flirt with him amidst owl-flying.
(apparently it worked because he wanted us to add him on fb!)

Let me tell you how we encountered mr. falconner and his owl.

We went to Warwick (pronounced war-ik) castle yesterday to start off our sixth day trip. It was a mix between disneyland and a typical, old english castle.

There were people dressed up in costumes with interactive activities and everything. We had to go to the toilets (as always) and ended up finding the beautiful owl on display! Just as we were about to head off, mr. falconner came out and started feeding the owl. We chit chatted for a few minutes, and to our surprise....

he asked if we wanted to fly them!
and of course we said yes.
He put a huge glove on my hand, threw some dead chicken on it, and the owl flew down from the tree onto my arm. We were instantly friends!
Dr. Howe found us while we were flying the owl, and she was so excited. She said that it was a must to see an owl while in London.

The rest of the day was pretty top-notch as well.
first, we went to Anne Hathaway's (shakespeare's wife) cottage. We saw what would have been a beautiful garden if it were june. Sadly, it was mostly just dead plants...but! a few plants were starting to emerge. We toured the tiny cottage while very dramatic guides (hoping to make it as actors) gave us some interesting information. Did you know that shakespeare was married at 18??? He had to get permission by his parents to marry so young. Anne was 26 when she got pregnant and then they were married. Our tour guide also threw in some obvious sexual jokes/facts to add to the whole experience.

We then went to Shakespeare's house, Stratford-Upon-Avon. There were people dressed up in costumes there as well, and it was very touristy. Then we saw where he died, and we walked to the cathedral that he's buried at.
By the time we were done with all of our scheduled sites, we still had three hours to kill until King Leare was supposed to start. We walked around the little town and went to Poundland to get candy and caffeine for the play (most of us only had 4 hours of sleep, and we heard the play was almost four hours long).
Then we found a really old pub, and I ate dinner there with macy, kallyn, sarah, shar, and margaret. We still had loads of time after finishing our fish and chips, so we got bread pudding and chatted the evening away. We asked funny questions and then everyone had to go around and answer.

our fish were so so huge! apparently they liked each other too

King Leare was an amazing production. It was the first tragedy I had ever seen by shakespeare, and I was really impressed. It was really moving, and I will probably remember that experience for the rest of my life. I'm so grateful that I get to learn about different subjects and see things that I would normally never see on my own. Then we got back on the coach, drove for a few hours, and got home at one...just in time to get a few hours of sleep before early morning class!

ah, what a fun day full of memories

spring is in the air

2010-03-02T15:55:00.001-08:00

Sighting:

first flowers in London town!

after class and a run with christina this morning, I headed to Regent's park with a few other girls. The sun was out and the flowers were blooming. It made me so happy! We took a stroll through the park and then stopped at the Sherlock Holmes' museum and the official beatles store. I also remembered my camera today, and I was glued to it!

I know, I look a little sickly and white. I'm blaming it on the bronchitis! It didn't help that my hair was wet and that I didn't bring a coat (the sun is deceiving here). Laura lent me her cute orange coat for the afternoon.

I want to take wedding pictures in purple flowers like this. sooooo pretty

I snapped a few shots of the tube station on our way to get tickets to....

hairspray!

This is another tube stop right off where we live. I'm sure you have heard of it! pretty cool.

Christina and I basically had a little date night. A few other girls went to the musical also, but there tickets ended up being on the other side of the theater. Christina had a meeting that I didn't want to interrupt, so we didn't leave for the show until 7:20pm. It was going to start in ten minutes, so we got another little jog in for the day. We ran to the tube lightening fast, rode it down the central line a few stops, and bolted off to the theatre. Luckily, they still seated us even though we were a few minutes late. I seriously loved the play so much, and I'm way happy I went. I wasn't originally planning to go because I had previously seen it with my parents in New York, and I didn't care for it too much. This production was much more fun! All the audience, including myself, was singing and dancing by the end. The actors were having so much fun that they were even laughing and couldn't keep straight faces. I laughed and smiled like crazy.

I just found a flax seed granola bar-type thing in my purse that I bought at borough market. There was this cute boy selling them at the market, and I was desperate to talk to a cute boy...so I went up and bought one. How desperate is that?! we are all starting to feel the desperation! the granola bar was pretty yummy though. I will have to go back to that stand to get another one:)

well, another great day in London. And tomorrow will likely be a great day too! We are visiting Shakespeare's house and seeing the play King Lear.
Days go so fast here. I feel like I'm some kind of whirlwind. I wish I could slow them down!

hot showers and clean sheets

2010-03-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

beware...long blog post!!
So tonight I was supposed to start this rule where I would only blog after ALL my homework was done.

your favorite girl is here to blog again...yet her homework is not done yet!!! ahhh
I made it about an hour, and then I needed a quick break! haha so here I am, blogging away. Maybe someday I will get good at that rule. I'm not sure what it is about blogging, but it's strangely addicting. Maybe it's just that I like writing, and I like my life. Combine the two, and that equals happiness for me.

Ok, I don't think I ever blogged about this, but Prof. Shuler taught us about culture shock at the beginning of the semester. We all kind of just laughed and shook it off, but I have seen it in action now. People here at the centre have been missing comforts of home, family, boyfriends, boys in general (remember how there are only 35 girls here? haha), etc. People here have also been a little uptight and tense.

I'm the first one to admit that I have been involved in this whole "culture shock". I'm not sure if that's what I would really call it, but it has definitely happened. The past few days I've been thinking, "what's going on with everyone?! and me??"

Thankfully, a beautifully sunny day came our way and brightened everything. Just what I needed. Even though there are many things from home that I miss, I know I need to make every day here count! I really do love it here, but I will be ready to come home at the end of this.

Tonight I had a little glimpse of home. I've been on kitchen crew the past few days, and we get to help Terry cook in the kitchen. It's so fun, and we love helping her. She's so sweet and nice, and she seriously makes the best food ever. We all chat and have fun making and eating food. Last night, we even got to have a little party in the kitchen with the extra cheesecake. Anyways, Terry asked me to cut the strawberries for the salad. It reminded me of cutting strawberries for some kind of sunday dessert during the summertime at home. I love strawberries and I also love my mom's cooking! Terry also takes requests for dinner, so tomorrow we will be having our favorite meal...enchiladas!! We are so spoiled here with all the yummy food.

Today I went on a run, went to class, visited a local church, ate lamb kebabs, and went to the Somerset House (another art gallery) with laura. On the way to the gallery, these funny guys from the czech republic sold us really cheap fruit. We talked to them for a few minutes, trying not to be awkward (we haven't talked to boys in two months. give us a break!). However, the cute little man at the kebab house did wink at us earlier, so maybe we aren't all that bad. Oh, and today emma went to the doctor. We have all had this terrible cough, and he said she had bronchitis.
So I'm pretty sure I have bronchitis. haha how did all this happen?!?

van Gogh's self portrait. I can't believe I got to see this today!! I also saw some Degas, Renoir, Seurat, Monet, Manet, Michelangelo, and Botticelli.

I have realized lately some specific things make me super happy. More than just happy...they are emotionally healing to me.
just silly little things like...

running
eating healthy (especially warm oatmeal)
making to do lists (and crossing things off!)
cleaning
listening to Bon Iver and Dave Matthews
heart to hearts
blogging (obviously)
journal writing
super hot showers
herbal tea
praying
clean sheets (I have some in the dryer as I write)
emails and notes from dear friends
making people feel loved and being their friend

and...walking down the streets in a skirt with the sun shining down on my face!!

OK...so I have finally written everything in my head/heart tonight. Sometimes it just feels so good to write down everything. I'm sorry to anyone reading this that was hoping for a thrilling and life-changing post. It was just simply me.

I feel very peaceful and ready for bed now. sleep sounds divine!

goodnight world. I love and miss all of you back home.

wellies

2010-02-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

exciting news for yesterday....
I got new rain boots (aka wellies).
hooray!
I also went to borough market earlier in the day and ate the best food ever...a little fish and chips, a little curry, and some carrot cake. I bought some yummy fruit there also.
Most of the tube station hasn't been running this weekend, so I had to conquer the bus last night. I was by myself, so it was quite an adventure. After walking around in the rain and taking multiple buses, I finally made it home!

Today just consisted of church, kitchen crew, ysa fireside, and yummy cheescake.
The end.

Here are a few more random shots

welcome to wales

2010-02-27T16:04:00.000-08:00

It only took a few moments for me to fall in love with Wales. I loved the green hills and the cute village lifestyle. I loved the unique language and the friendly people. I love that the early church members from Wales greatly strengthened the newly formed church. I love the people from Wales. I love Wales!

Wales has never been a place that I was dying to see, but I am so happy that I was able to visit. What if I had never discovered that wonderful place?! That would have been a terrible lose because wales contains much to love.
It was also neat to visit where some of my ancestors are from.

First, we visited Tinturn Abbey. Wordsworth wrote famous poetry there, and Susan had us "become one with nature" at the abbey for an assignment.

Next stop....

Coal mine and Wales Life Museum. The coal mine was sweet because we got to wear the hard hats and head lights. Our welsh tour guide was very lively, and he even made fun of my cool boots! He called them "passion killers". Who knows what that's supposed to mean??? How can these boots possibly be passion killers? He also made fun of me because I was wearing a rose headband. Here's a fun fact...apparently the Welsh don't like roses because it's the english sign- the Welsh sign is a dragon or a leek. He wanted me to put one of those on a headband instead.

At the museum, there were a bunch of cute old houses and stores that we walked through. We had yummy fudge and then we found the beautiful gardens and a little pond. Those have been some of my favorite places here in England. Just the simple gardens, ponds, and beautifully green scenery.

That night was amazing because of two reasons
1) we ate yummy spanish food called tapas.
and even better...
2) we got our own beds at the hotel, and there was even a tv! It has been months since I have flipped through the channels.
It didn't last for long though- I stayed up chatting with my lovely roommate, Karalyn. She is so sweet, and we both share a love for gilmore girls and grey's anatomy.

The next day was completely wonderful. It couldn't have been any better.
I was in a fairy tale at this amazing castle and then I saw great church history sites.
We went to Caerphilly Castle, and it has been probably my favorite site so far. It was this amazing medieval-like castle with a moat surrounding it. (don't mind my greasy hair and thrown together look- mine and karalyn's wake up call forgot to wake us up!)

I never wanted to leave because I loved it so much! I even sat on top of one of the towers overlooking the village and wrote in my journal.

After saying goodbye to the beautiful castle, we jumped back on the bus and an LDS tour guide jumped on too. He took us to Benbow Farm, Herefordshire Beacon, Gadfield Elm Chapel, and a few other church history sites.
Benbow Farm-Wilfred Woodruff baptized lots of people in a small lake
Herefordshire Beacon- Willard Richards, Wilfred Woodruff, Brigham Young all prayed on the hill together and received revelation. Wilfred would ponder and meditate there
Gadfield Elm Chapel- first LDS meeting house.

windiest hill ever

We ended at Gadfield Elm Chapel where the tour guide finished up his tour. We then sang "The Spirit of God" and Prof Macfarlane gave an awesome prayer, followed by me crying my eyes out. I love my church, and I know it's true. My ancestors sacrificed so much, and they were very courageous, loyal, and true.

Then we drove home while I listened to coldplay and talked to Karalyn.
What a wonderful little trip-all in two days also! whew. It was crazy. talk about a crazy two days!

Now I'm home in the wonderful london town, and I'm so happy to be back. Nothing says home quite like palace court 27 just off nottinghill gate.
I will blog about today's adventures tomorrow because I have stayed up too late (as usual). This time it was for a good reason though... I had a wonderful heart to heart with laura, and we enjoyed chocolate while talking about enjoying life. love you laura!

London is the best city

2010-02-24T17:29:00.000-08:00

Today I went to the Tate Modern and saw some cool Picasso and Andy Warhol art. I appreciate modern art, but I still can't get on the same page that it's on. I liked it more than I thought I would though!

We also saw 12th Night tonight with everyone. It was my first Shakespeare play that I can remember seeing, and it was a fun night. Except for the part when half of my drink leaked out into my purse!

Today I also realized that I love living in a big city. Being a Utah native, I never thought I would truly fall in love with big cities. They have always seemed thrilling yet terrifying, but not anymore (well, at least to the terrifying part). There is ALWAYS stuff to do in this sweet city! This city would be the best place to be an avid dater. There are so many free museums that you would never run out of fun things to do. Provo may have some great food, but it has nothing on London (shocking, I know) I would love to have a job where I would work in the city. Anybody have any suggestions??? I guess it's good that I'm back to an open major!

London is the best city.
Would you like to know why??
I will tell you!
There is such a rich history and heritage, yet fun modern additions and activities. Their history gives people so much to learn from, and the entertainment and museums are amazing! The tube is also a wonderful addition.

It would be even better if my family and some friends could experience all of it with me. My friend who studied abroad last semester told me that I wouldn't get homesick but that I would simply wish my family could tag along.

Anyways, tomorrow morning we're leaving for Wales at 6. I have to be up in 4 hours....

so that is all for tonight!

part 2

2010-02-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

In honor of aunt tina, I went to V V Rouleaux this afternoon.

It's this beautiful ribbon store with rows and rows of unique, fancy ribbon. I bought some different ribbon to put in my London scrapbook (I am determined to make one even if I don't like scrapbooking!) and to make headbands with. My friends were very happy that they came along, and we unanimously decided that we will return there soon!

Macy, me, Britain and Katy in front of store with our ribbon.
We were very happy girls.
I just wish I had the tools here to make my headbands!

a few more things from the day....
today I also went to the V&A with my civ class and Professor Macfarlane. I don't think I like museums as much as art galleries!
I tried a cookie monster from ben's cookies (double chocolate cookie with vanilla ice cream) for the first time.
everyone got an email from our professor tonight addressing a current problem in the centre...the boys are upset about how much the girls complain about "food babies" and "love handles". I guess that's what happens when 35 girls live under one roof!

also,

thanks tina for the recommendation!

I know, I just blogged twice in one day. don't judge! haha

I hope whoever reads this enjoyed:)

part 1 for the day

2010-02-23T02:33:00.001-08:00

last night I fell asleep on accident at 10 pm. I should have known it would happen because I couldn't fall asleep until late the night before.
so here I am blogging during my religion class. Don't worry, we just took our first test so we aren't doing anything too productive in class today. we just started talking about the church history in Wales, because we are going there....
in TWO days!

yesterday I went to the Imperial War Museum. I went to the Holocaust section and stayed there for almost two hours with christina. It was very sobering.
I'm very happy to live during this time with democracy, my religion, and freedom. I take it for granted too often, but I am so grateful for everything I am allowed to do.

That night, I decided to skip out on half price movie night in hope of making a dent in my homework.

Somehow I ended up paining nails and dancing in undies with laura, britain, and laura.
yes, I know. we are a little crazy. but we had fun!

gnothi seauton

2010-02-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

this means "know thyself" in greek.

1) do you know God?
2) do you know Christ?
3) do you know yourself?

President Phillips from the Hyde Park stake presidency gave a fireside here this evening. He is this young british guy who married an american woman, and they now live in London where he works. He made everyone feel like his friend tonight during the fireside, and it made everything feel very personal. He talked about the three previous questions and how Christ came to know who He was. President Phillips was so sweet and in tune with the spirit, and everyone here just loved it. It was really meaningful to me because I'm learning more so every day who I am! It's a lifelong process, and I'm so glad to be me. He said that we will come to know ourselves more as we become closer to our Savior. I loved the fireside. I love my Savior.

Church today was great as always. It was definitely another Sunday that I won't forget.
It started off kind of like this...

It was raining on our way to church, so sarah and I put these extra plastic bags on our heads (sarah forgot her umbrella and mine is still broken). Kellen made us run to the train station from the bus stop because he had no umbrella or bag. Just imagine this while you read, and you will laugh. It must have been quite a sight!

Today I sang "be still my soul" in church and then taught primary. I'm not sure how I made it through both of those because I sounded like a frog when I woke up this morning. The primary kids did a good job at making my voice almost leave completely! They were all combined today, and someone must have fed them all 10 lbs of sugar before they came to class. I had to end my lesson super early because they wouldn't be quiet and my voice wouldn't work! I was grateful when Sarah took over and saved the day with "follow the prophet". After church, we interviewed the missionaries in our ward for religion class. Why are all missionaries so dang cute? I don't get it. they can be any average joe but then become a missionary and every girl wants them. It is a mystery that I am determined to find an answer to.

We left church more like this...

As we put these on our head to leave the building, most of the ward saw and laughed, including the missionaries and bishop. It was awesome.

Tonight I feel very optimistic about my future. I have no major, no set plan (anymore), no commitments. Why should i feel so great about having so many decisions to make?! I'm not sure why, but I'm really happy and excited about all of it. I have so many options....
nursing, family life, journalism, culinary school, art history/art, mission, nannying, others summer jobs, being a professional craft woman/blogger/traveler
who knows?!
NOT me!
I love it.
I normally love having my whole life planned out, but I'm realizing no one can do that. It always turns out different than expected without fail. Being here has already opened my eyes to things I've never considered before.

I seriously need to stop this. I always take a nap right after church, so I don't get tired in the evening. Then somehow it's 2 am and I'm still awake, blogging about nonsense. This nonsense is almost done for the day, don't worry. just a few more of my silly little thoughts...

I like to blog, skype, and do homework in this little closet at the bottom of the stairs. I promise I'm not some hermit weirdo.
There are normally people everywhere around the centre, so I like to come here where it's nice and quiet. I don't like to bother people when I skype either. I feel kind of like I'm in Harry Potter, so it's actually kind of fun. I'm sure people think I'm crazy when I enter the closet and stay for 2+ hours. haha I love it.

My parents are so amazing for supporting me in all of my dreams. They are my best friends and my biggest support. They are always so understanding and loving. I want to be like them.

thanks parents, laura, raquel, and lauren for the skype dates tonight! i love love love you guys.

cupcakes and antiques

2010-02-20T14:34:00.000-08:00

highlights of the day

1. ate breakfast at the Wallace Gallery

2. learned a Jane Austen style dance (check off bucket list) at the Wallace Gallery-they were celebrating King Louis' birthday so they had interactive activities!

3. danced the dance with emma, audrey, and people in 18th century costumes

4. saw beautiful artwork

5. went to portobello road for the first time

6. saw lots of antiques that I want for my future home!

7. ate famous hummingbird cupcake for the first time. wanted to eat five more but restrained

8. learned that red velvet is a type of chocolate with vinegar

9. bought a mini cath kidston wallet/card holder for my tube pass that I always lose

10. went to zizzi's for sarah's birthday dinner-happy birthday dear friend!! thanks for going to church with me and being patient when I lose my tube pass multiple times. I love teaching primary with you and talking about the cute missionaries in our ward.

11. got dark chocolate digestives that will probably be gone by tomorrow night

12. went to bed early to ward off this sickness!

dicken's house, middle temple, mosque

2010-02-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

first off, I am sorry for not blogging yesterday.
I don't like it when I miss a day of blogging because now I can't remember many details from yesterday.

This is basically what happened (well at least what I can remember)...

We went to Middle Temple and then Charles Dickens house.

The Middle Temple was built by the Knights Templar about 500 years ago. We were given a tour of the great hall, and we learned about the Inns of Court, members of the bench, the Master Treasurer, and Honorary Masters of the Inn. Prince William of Wales is the current Honorary Royal Member of the Inn (if this sounds familiar to any of you, it's probably because I copy and pasted from other blogs. My tour guide also talked really quietly, so it was hard to hear everything!) It was really cool to be there, but I didn't retain much information from the excursion if you couldn't tell. I'm just going to blame my lack of attention on being sick!

I do remember the part where we ate though...of course! We had this fancy luncheon in the huge hall there. It was included in the program fees, but I do know it was worth a pretty penny. They even put our napkins on our lap for us! The meal consisted of tomato and mushroom tarts with holladay sauce, pork medallions with mashed potatoes, and apple cinnamon crumble. The meal also ended with coffee, but they brought us some lovely herbal tea instead. I'm feeling very spoiled because I got to eat two wonderful meals in two beautiful places within 24 hours.

first off, I am sorry for not blogging yesterday.

the best part of middle temple were these flowers. b-e-a-utiful!

Then we made our way to Dickens' home. We got a little lost and we were about to be late, so we decided to take a taxi. It was my first time in a taxi since being here, and we definitely arrived in style. I can't believe it has taken me so long to get in one of those classic taxis. But honestly, who needs taxis when the tube is just so great? Utah needs something like the tube. I can only dream! Anyways, we watched this movie once we got to the house. It was fun to see where Dickens wrote famous novels, such as Oliver Twist. They had these old books at the gift shop there, so I bought a book to add to my little (very little) collection. When I get home this summer, I want to read a ton of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen books after learning so much about them.

I came home and wrote my Shakespeare paper in the evening (hence the no blogging last night). I wrote my paper in my favorite little closet at the bottom of the stairs. My family teased me when I skyped them from there. They said I was turning into Harry Potter. Merry Wives of Windsor took over my life last night, but I am happy to say now that my paper is finally finished! hooray.

and that leads us to today!

This morning I was feeling sick still so I didn't go to class. I finally emerged from my bed to go on a field trip for my religion class. We went to the Mosque, and we had another guided tour through the building. We didn't get the memo to bring scarves, so this Islam guy came running towards us to direct us back outside until we found more scarves. I only was wearing a hat and no scarf, so I got to wear an authentic black head scarf. I was also wearing no socks with my shoes (don't judge, I was wearing snuggly boots that don't need them), so I was hoping we wouldn't have to take our shoes off! But of course, we did. It was interesting to see the differences between the Hindu temples we saw a few weeks back and the Mosque. This Islamic guy did a q&a session with us, but sadly I fell asleep on Rachel's shoulder and once again did not retain much information. I did learn a few cool facts though. They believe that if an act is done with sincerity, it is a form of worship. They also believe that Mosques should not be quiet, but rather they should encompass every aspect of life, including the social aspect. I thought that was pretty neat. They also take off their shoes to emulate Moses!

Then we hit up this cool restaurant called Giraffe. yum

And then Macy and I stalked up at Boots on cough medicine. I tried watching King Leare with everyone in the classroom for my shakespeare class, but I got distracted by blog stalking. I have found this new love for cooking blogs and wedding blogs. I secretly just want to make crafts, cook, bake, take pictures of it all, and then...blog about it! (I guess it's not so much of a secret anymore since I just blogged about it) I can't wait to have a normal kitchen again so I can pretend like I know what I'm doing while I cook.

For now I'm enjoying eating anything and everything and not having to cook any of it!
I love London.

Hello Harry Potter

2010-02-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

Today I experienced something that any Harry Potter fan would die to do.
(you will have to keep reading to find out what! how's that for an intro?)

Our day started off with Blenheim Palace. It's this huge palace in Oxfordshire, and Winston Churchill was born there. Many famous Dukes have also lived there. Just outside of the palace, there were beautiful fountains and extended grounds with a river. We took a nice little stroll around the grounds after our tour of the palace.

they made us wear our backpacks like this so we wouldn't turn and knock things over. We were very good mamas for a few short hours. I also learned how to "skinny" pose today, but I will spare you the pictures.

I forget how amazing these sights truly are because I see fabulous things every day! It was a gorgeous palace though.

Then we headed off to Oxford! Oxford is actually a small town, and the University of Oxford is within it. It was really different than I imagined it. Oxford is broken up into dozens of little colleges scattered along the town. Oxford has been in use by scholars since the 11th century, so many of the colleges are really old. It is an exciting town though, and I've never been anywhere like it before. It was cool to see college students there and to realize the similarities and differences between us and them.
Right when we got there, we walked around until we found an Oxford store. I bought an authentic Oxford crew neck sweater, and I feel very smart in it. We walked around some more, and we found this little college where some of Harry Potter was filmed (that's not the exciting part, just wait). We saw the hall where Gringotts was filmed.

my intelligent sweater

Then we went to the Covered Gardens, and we got milkshakes from Moo Moo's, the best milkshake place in England. They had every imaginable kind of milkshake, including all types of British chocolate. I got a kinder Bueno milkshake. Best milkshake ever! We also found where love began...the original Ben's cookies.

After a few hours, we met up with the whole group at Christ's Church College of Oxford. The manager of the place was this really nice mormon guy, and he gave us a tour of the whole place. He informed us there was much to learn about the college besides Harry Potter facts.

But lets get real, what's cooler than Harry Potter facts?! Does anybody recognize this place from the Harry Potter films? Various scenes from Harry Potter were filmed at this college in Oxford.

But do you want to know what's even cooler than Harry Potter facts?

Having high tea in the Great Hall! Yes, the Great Hall from the movie. I drank hot chocolate and ate little sandwiches where Harry Potter drank and ate. And Ron and Ginny. I saw the Professor's table where Dumbledore, Hagrid, and McGonagall sat. It was life-changing. We felt like VIPS because we were the only ones there! Some other tourists came in and took some pictures, but they weren't allowed to have tea. I think my professor just had a sweet connection with our tour guide and was able to arrange that for us. I have never heard of ANYONE ever getting to do that. Other study abroads have gone to that same spot, but I don't think we were allowed to drink high tea there. All was missing was the pumpkin juice and treacle tarts. It was a memory that I will never forget!

We had lots of fun pretending like we were students who went to Hogwarts, especially with Anna's stick wand.

Then a master's student from Oxford came and answered questions for us. She graduated from BYU, and she told us about her experiences. Then we got on the bus and came home! What a wonderful day.

Now we're sitting in the classroom watching Harry Potter 1! I just saw this same staircase today that's on the movie (it's at the beginning right before the sorting hat gives them a house). The movie is also the legit version of Harry Potter. It's called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone instead of the Sorcerer's Stone (the name was changed later on).

I'm so happy to be living my dreams!! Life is so great. Thanks to everyone who makes my life feel like a dream.

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live"
-Albus Dumbledore

rain rain go away

2010-02-16T13:05:00.000-08:00

today was a very rainy day

every tourist is at the National Gallery when it rains

my rain boots have a hole in them!

new rain boots by Cath Kidston would be wonderful

my zebra umbrella is broken:(

everyone in my dorm is getting sick, including me

I just want to be at home when I'm sick

on a more positive note...

hot chocolate makes everything better...especially the kind from Pret A Manger

Monet has become my new favorite artist!

I bought this awesome art book about the top 50 artists

I'm enjoying reading the Aeneid for class

and I love missionaries!

what the world needs now

2010-02-15T12:45:00.001-08:00

is love, sweet love.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

ok fine, so I'm a day late...
but I hope everyone had a fabulous day of love!!

I love Valentine's day because it's all about love and happiness. It is not single's awareness day, no matter how much people say that. It is a wonderful day to be festive and express love for everyone.
Tonight we had a fun little v-day party here at the centre. It was not just any normal party, it was a mandatory v-day party. We dressed up in pink, red, and purple and had a lovely night of games and cookie decorating. They were gourmet, homemade sugar cookies with fancy sprinkles and yummy frosting.

Oh and we also had our cute valentine exchange! When I got back from church yesterday, my valentine surprise was waiting for me on my bunk. Emma had my name, and she got pretty tulips and ben's cookies. She is a sweetie, and she has found the way to my heart. I had Katie, and I got her yellow daisies and chocolates.

Yesterday/today has been the best valentine's. I have some funny stories from yesterday, just wait.
So, Sarah came into my room early yesterday morning to inform me that Kellen's flight had been cancelled (Kellen goes to my ward and teaches gospel doctrine). Since he wasn't going to be there for church, they needed someone to teach his class at the last minute. Guess who was next in line?
ME!
I agreed to do it, and I started getting ready. Once I was almost ready, I realized that I could not find my oyster card (tube pass)! Sarah came up to my room, and we looked for it for twenty minutes. Sarah finally found it, and we hurried to the bus. When we got to the bus, I realized that I had not bought my month's pass. We had to get off the bus and buy my stupid pass. We ran back to the bus stop, and I realized that I had lost my pass. again. again?! who does that kind of thing?? I couldn't believe it, and I felt bad that Sarah was stuck with me. I went looking for it and found it on the sidewalk. relief! By this time, we were running about forty minutes late. We rushed to the bus and then the train, and we somehow made it to church right on time. I prepared my lesson during sacrament meeting and then went off to teach my lesson.
After my lesson, the missionaries gave me a really nice note telling me thanks for teaching at the last minute. It gets even better because it was on a pass along card. They were so nice to me, and it made my day! Then we made valentine's in primary for the bishoprick and the missionaries.

We had a wonderful valentine's dinner with chocolates and cards from the Schulers (Brother Schuler is the resident director and Sister Schuler cooks for us every night). I also skyped my family, and they were having a huge vday party/birthday party for Brandon.

Happy Birthday Brandon! I miss you and love you.
I hope everyone shared lots of love on this wonderful day!

Roman Holiday

2010-02-14T13:41:00.000-08:00

6 italian gelatos
5 fun american girls
4 hours of sleep (on hard airport ground)
3 pizza sandwiches
2 seconds away from Trevi Fountain (from Hotel)

1 happy girl and 1 amazing trip

day 1

On wednesday night, we left the centre at 10pm to make our way to the airport. We got there around midnight, and I took half an ambien so I would be able to sleep on the ground at the airport. We joked about how we felt like homeless girls sleeping on the ground. We woke up at four am to catch our flight and made it safely to Rome after three hours. We missed our bus stop, so we got to see all of lovely Rome! Then we got a little lost trying to find our hotel, but we found the Trevi fountain and got fresh Italian ravioli!

After we found our hotel, we walked around the main shopping areas and went to the Spanish steps.

Then we went to the best little italian restaurant, La Bruchetta. I got my first kiss from an italian man! haha don't worry, it was just on the cheek. It was from our middle aged waitor, Bonafache, who was obsessed with americans. We asked if we could get a picture with him, and after the picture he called us beautiful and kissed caitlin and me on the cheeks! It was really funny. I ate spaghetti carbonara and yummy thin crust pizza with mozzarella and cured ham.

Fell in love with the food in Rome

day 2
We got a bright and early start, beginning with a free breakfast of yummy croissants and nutella.
Our first stop was the Vatican.

We started at the beautiful basilica and then went down to the crypts. We saw where many popes and other famous people were buried. The basilica was the most beautiful, decorative building I have probably seen in my whole nineteen years.

we also did not anticipate what came next....

Snow in Rome?!? who would have ever thought. I didn't even know it snowed there. It snowed probably two inches while we waited in line for the Sistine Chapel. We should have been wearing our ski outfits! We were not prepared, so we got completely drenched and frozen. I had to play twenty questions to keep my mind off the cold! It was miserably cold. But it was worth it! The chapel had the greatest artwork. There were halls after halls of art all over the walls. My favorite part was the very end with Michelangelo's art. I also got separated from my friends in the halls, and we had no way to communicate and meet up! I was separated from them for about a half hour, and I was just about to freak out until I ran into them at the coffee shop. Jake still was no where to be found, so we had to meet up with him later.

We took a nice little walk over this beautiful bridge and then saw the Four Seasons fountain

Then it was on to the Pantheon! By this time, it was only raining. It was crazy because about a week earlier, someone had asked in my classical tradition class..."What do they do in the Pantheon when it rains?" (there is a huge hole in the top of it). It was raining through the roof when we were there!

Can you see the rain? probably not, but there was a big puddle at the bottom

By this point, we were wet and tired. It was time for a hot shower! On the way home, I found a beautiful plate with the Trevi Fountain on it. I fell in love with it! I realize more and more that I am turning into my mom. Then we went to this Roman/Italian restaurant, and while walking there we passed the Circus Maximus.
By this point, we had learned that all Italians try to take advantage of americans. They charge you for bread you don't eat at dinner, flowers they "give" you, and taking pictures with them dressed up as "romans". We went back to our adorable hotel, and I had a lovely sleep snuggled up next to emma and macy.

day 3
My favorite part of the trip came next! We saw the Colleseum, and the weather had done a complete 180. It was a beautiful, sunny day...I haven't felt the sun like that in months!
I was amazed by everything the Romans had accomplished. I was in complete awe of their history and influence.

We grabbed some more pizza and gelato, and then I sat down by the Forum and soaked in the sun. We shopped some more and then we were off to the airport. We got back around 11:30pm, and I was overjoyed to be back in London. It has become a second home to me.
Ok, so it is official...I must go back to Rome someday! Preferably in the summer next time:) I would go back just for the food, but all the cool monuments made it so fabulous.

After six times of trying different gelato, the top three flavors are:

cioccolato fondente
bacio
nocciola

so sad to leave Rome!

Roma

2010-02-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

I'm off to Rome tonight! I will be there in a few short hours. Our flight leaves at 6:30am, so we're just going to get there tonight and sleep at the airport. We're going to watch the Lizzie McGuire movie (she goes to Rome it in) tonight.
I will be eating lots of gelato, pizza, and pasta! yum

this will be me in a few hours

I will update you all when I get back. Don't miss me too much:)

cold bones

2010-02-09T16:41:00.000-08:00

Weather here is more unpredictable than crazy utah weather.
It's always a constant battle of taking off my jacket and then putting it back on.
Today I also had my first real experience with the bone-chilling kind of cold.
The sun was out, but it was just a trick. The wind was so so cold! The kind of cold that you don't realize until you are completely frozen. When we got back from our day trip, I showered for like a half an hour...my bones still felt cold! In fact, I'm still a little chilly in my cozy bed right now.

I didn't mind though. I loved today.

Our fourth day trip consisted of...
(crazy that it's already the fourth one)

Runnymede
Windsor Castle
& Stoke Poges

Runnymede is cool because the Magna Carta was signed there (first real democracy). It was no big deal to most Britains back then, but now it's world famous.

JFK Monument

Then we went to where the queen stays!! Windsor castle.
I'm pretty sure she only lives there during August though. However, other royalty lives there during the rest of the year. We learned all about the knights and chivalry-there are 24 knights at all times. No more, no less. Knights can also have their name erased. In the castle, we saw beautiful rooms used for entertainment, housing guests, and dining. There was also beautiful artwork and weapons. We also saw St. George's cathedral within Windsor castle. Henry the 8th is buried there.

I walked around the town just outside of Windsor with Sarah and Mary. We walked all the way down to Eton College (the Princes went to school there). We also ran into the Thames.

Our final destination, Stoke Poges, was completely picturesque. It was a tiny little church with an old school cemetery around it. Sir Thomas Grey wrote famous poetry at the church. The sun was also about to set, and it was so pretty. Our tour guide then took us around the rest of the grounds. I have fallen in love with all the little green hills here.

Then we came home. And I ate my favorite sandwhich, pb&j
OH man, I'm realizing how much time blogging takes! It takes forever, so I hope someone out there in blogging world appreciates my attempt at this.
I need to warm up some more and get some sleep before my shakespeare presentation tomorrow!

Angel of Music

2010-02-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

The phantom was my angel of music tonight.

He had an INCREDIBLE voice. It has been a long, long time since I have seen Phantom of the Opera, but it was just as entertaining and bewitching as ever. I am still not sure how I feel about the Phantom! It is such a complex love story, and I almost want Christine to end up with him. oh, the drama.
My dad also came with us (he flew back through London on his way home from Brussels).
He took us to Ben's before the show

We were planning to go back to Rules after the show, but it didn't work out. We just went to this Italian restaurant and got desserts and bread. Thanks dad for taking all of us!
Macy and Audrey both said you are their second favorite dad, just after their own dads!

At Her Royal Majesty's Theatre for Phantom. Random Macy in the back

Tomorrow we are going to see Windsor Castle. I also have to do my entire Shakespeare presentation ahh!! (I'm supposed to present on Wednesday. And naturally, we haven't started on it yet)
Oh, and did I mention Rome in three days?!? Caitlin has a nice little itinerary set up for us, so we will be sure to see everything and not get lost:)

We have the snuggliest bunk beds here. I'm on the top bunk, and I haven't fallen off yet (surprisingly). Audrey sleeps right below me, so I can just pop my head down whenever I feel like it. i know she just loves it.
I love my cute little bed. I'm all snuggled up with Phantom songs stuck in my head...
Talk about a great combination

xoxo
(I know, very gossip-girl-esque)

who needs to grow up?

2010-02-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

Like I said in my last post, I forgot my camera yesterday. I borrowed these pictures from Emma and Audrey. Thank you for the beautiful pictures!

Today has been my best week at my ward so far. I'm starting to really feel like a member of the ward, and everyone there is so friendly. I taught primary again today, and I used plato in my lesson that my mom sent me. I only had three kids to teach this week, so they were really well behaved. We also had a great fast and testimony meeting. I felt like I needed to formally introduce myself to everyone, so I got up and did just that! And I also bore my testimony. I really like that the wards here are so small. Everyone has to be really involved to keep the ward going. It's also easier to get to know everyone- it feels more like a big family.

Kellen, Sarah and I are starting to interview people in the ward for our religion class (we are supposed to interview five people in the ward). I had my first encounter with the missionaries today, and they are really awesome. One is from Canada and the other is from Herefordshire, England. He has a sweet accent, and he's pretty cute too ;)
I'm really excited for next week because we are making valentine's in primary for the bishop, the missionaries, and the parents. Two of the girls in primary are getting baptized on Saturday, and I wish I could be there! I will be flying home from Rome though.
As always, I came back after church and fell asleep instead of doing anything productive. Normally I don't like naps, but everyone here is always so worn out! They keep us really busy. Church also is pretty tiring because it takes about six hours out of the day with commuting and then the meetings. I love it though. I'm realizing how much people sacrifice for the church. All the members here are so strong! They are great examples to me.

This is starting to feel like home now, and I'm so happy I'm here. I thought I would be more homesick, but I'm not. I'm loving every minute here, and I'm so grateful to have this opportunity. I have already grown so much, and I've only been here a month. It's the best feeling to be able to look back and see changes and growth. I feel like I am maybe starting to become a grown up. How crazy is that? haha I still have a long ways to go though.

For right now...I am young, and I am loving it!

charm

2010-02-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

Today was another charming day.
London has charm like no other place I've ever been.

We went on the London eye around sunset. It was so beautiful with the sun setting behind Big Ben and the parliament buildings. I was able to pick out the National Gallery, Buckingham Palace, the Banqueting House, and Trafalgar square from the top of the ferris wheel.
The London Eye is not your typical ferris wheel. It's the biggest ferris wheel I've ever been on, and it takes about a half an hour to go all the way around. We took lots of beautiful pictures, but of course I forgot my camera. I'll steal some from my friends and add them later! It was so gorgeous! It was one of the best moments since being here. I know I keep saying that, but I'm being serious this time. We changed our plans at the last second, and decided to go earlier in the afternoon. By the time we got there, got our tickets, and waited in line, it was dusk. I'm not sure how it all worked out quite so perfectly. It was meant to be. I have never experienced anything like that before. I looked out over the beautiful city with a new appreciation and love. It was absolutely breathtaking, and it was something that I will never forget!

Also today, I...
ate at the wafflehouse with my dad before his flight
bought phantom of the opera tickets
took a long walk around Picadilly Circus (while looking for where to buy tickets. as usual, we got lost.)
got a cute little Paddington bear
ate a candy cake (cutest mufcake I have ever seen. Muffin/cupcake)
went to Pizza on the Park for dinner

I also came back to find a lovely purple "I love London" hoodie. Christina and Laura got matching sweaters today, and they surprised me with one too!

Today was such a wonderful day out in the city. It was also the first day that I truly felt like a tourist. We spent most of the day in tourist areas, so it was fun to see all the other visitors.

I get no sleep here, so I'm falling asleep while blogging. Sorry for the lack of pictures! I need sleep! Goodnight

circle of life

2010-02-05T17:55:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start off with the best part of my day first...

LION KING!

I saw it tonight with my dad, and it was AMAZING. The singing, costumes, sets, dancing, story line, everything was just fabulous. I love all the music from it also. If you ever get the chance to see it in London, that is a definite must. It has been my favorite play here by far. I was smiling during the whole play cuz I liked it so much.

It also has really moving and beautiful words to the music.

This morning we went to the Banqueting house.

looking at the beautiful ceiling

they weren't ready for us at first, so I wandered over to the National Gallery.

Before going to Lion King, I went to this interesting Italian restaurant with my dad. We were mixed up about what time it was, so we hurried and ate our semi-disgusting food. We rushed over to the theatre to find the doors locked! We thought we had been scammed or something, but we realized that we had the time mixed up. We decided to make reservations at Rules, and we got some hot chocolate at Pret a Manger. We saw the fabulous play, and we were even a half hour early! I don't think I have ever been able to say that before.

The second best part of my day came next! We went to Rules, the oldest restaurant in London. I had been there when I was about 10, and I have faint memories of the fancy pub. We couldn't decide what type of bread pudding to get, so we got sticky toffee, chocolate, and spotted dick bread pudding. We attracted much attention by getting only three desserts and no entrees. It was really fun though. I love bread pudding. Try it. You'll fall in love.

(there was a cute Greek couple next to us)

On the way home, my dad wanted to stop at this Lebanese restaurant because he was still hungry. I tried some of it- I will definitely be going back there! Today was completely crazy with many random little things. It was definitely a day to remember though!

I love Lion King, Rules, and my dad!

give me some lovin'

2010-02-04T16:59:00.000-08:00

It is the month of love!! I can't believe it's already time to get ready for Valentine's day. It will be magical for the following reasons...

Phantom of the Opera on Monday, Rome the few days before Valentine's day, and drawing names last night for our "valentines" in dorm 4 :)

I put all the names in a hat, and we made a list of everyone's favorite flower and chocolate. How cute is that?
My valentine should be very excited!!

Today was not too eventful, but it was nice.
I had three classes, starting off with Shakespeare. We talked about the play Measure for Measure. Our amazing teacher enlightened us about the play, and told us it was all about "judging not that ye be not judged". We talked about having mercy in our judgments and having love as our primary motive. I really loved what she said because I have learned a lot about that since being here! There are all types of people here in London. They are so different than the people in the states. There are also many different personalities living in the tight quarters here at the centre. I'm learning how important it is to accept people as they are and love them unconditionally. It doesn't matter where people are from or if they are different than "normal".

Today I went on a run with Christina. I love having friends here to run and eat nutella with (I swear we're not all getting fat! we run off some of the nutella:) Running in Hyde park is easily one of my top three favorite things here so far. The other two are probably St. Paul's Cathedral and the National Gallery.
I also had my first encounter with Poundland. I went there with Macy tonight and got chocolate for my family for Valentine's (sorry family for the spoiler). Oh yeah, and my dad is coming tomorrow!! That should be really fun.

The lovely Emma also made me into a blogging pro tonight. She helped me with my new picture. Thank you emma:) My night came to a nice end with watching engagement videos with audrey, laura, and christina. We also booked our hotel for rome and put together a nice little itinerary.

another picture from yesterday that I stole from Laura

I LOVE THIS MONTH!!

Dover Castle and Canterbury Cathedral

2010-02-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

Last night, I went to bed by 10pm!! It was a miracle. I got a full 8 hours of sleep since being here. My room is the "late night" room, and some of us still try and get up early to run. It's all finally catching up with me ah!! I love all the girls in my room though. We have lots of fun together. Nutella+laughter=lots of fun. Oh, and we also had our first mice spotting in our room. We are starting to get very cozy with them. We joke that they are going to be sleeping in our beds with us by the end of the semester.

Day trip #3- today we went to Dover Castle and Canterbury Cathedral. At Dover Castle, we took a tour in the underground war tunnels. We also saw the white cliffs of Dover. They are supposed to be really famous apparently. During the war, Dover was the busiest sea port. We saw the coast of France from the cliffs.

On the very top of the castle. It was so beautiful to look out over the entire city. It was also a work out because there were lots of steps! Laura and I wanted to "get lost" in the castle so we could live there as princesses.

Then we went on to Canterbury Cathedral! In my British Literature class, we read Canterbury Tales and Murder in the Cathedral. Both stories deal with Canterbury Cathedral, so it was really interesting to see the place included in the stories. If you don't know anything about Canterbury Cathedral, google it! It's really cool.

I climbed up to the arch all on my own! Well, not exactly. My friend Calvin helped me climb up it, and then I had to jump off. It was almost too much excitement for one day. Do you see how high that is?!

Here's the cathedral

We spent about an hour in the Cathedral. Professor Howe showed us where Thomas a Becket was murdered. The building has also been around since 500 AD. How cool is that?

After seeing the cathedral, we had a few hours to walk around the cobblestone town. And of course, there was a Starbucks right next to the ancient Cathedral (there are starbucks and Mcdonalds everywhere here). We got hot chocolate there, and then I found my new favorite store! It's called Topshop, and it's very british- one of the designers is Kate Moss. If you are reading this, which I don't think many people are haha, google that as well! You will love it. I found a shirt that I loved in the sale section. What can get better than that?

We got back tonight, and I tried a waffle from Whiteleys. The debate has begun...Waffle house waffles on Queensway or Whiteley's waffles? There are so many waffle stands here! They are divine. Many of us at the centre are kind of obsessed with waffles.
Whiteleys waffles are the winners for the night.

I am full of waffles and ready for bed!
Goodnight

every day counts

2010-02-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

I stole this picture from my friend's blog. We live in the red! Next to Jude Law. Yes, Jude Law.

Today was my first trip to the national gallery. It has artwork from many famous artists, such as Van Gogh, Da Vinci, and Michelangelo

I really like art. Who knew I would like it so much?! I'm excited for the next time I go back. I'm grateful that I have another seventy something days to go back whenever I want! I can't believe I have been here almost a month. I'm realizing that I need to make every day count because soon they will all be gone!

A few nights ago, my friend Sarah gave the spiritual thought at devotional. She read two quotes that were written at the top of her bunk....

1) Did you make today count?
2) Did you pray?

whether in London or good old Provo,
make your day count:)

Sweet Oliver

2010-02-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight we saw Oliver! (yes, it must be said with the exclamation mark). It was so fun because we just finished reading the book in my British Literature class. All of dorm 4 fell in love with Oliver, so we were so excited to see it tonight. I really loved all of the music and dancing! It has been my favorite so far. It was also cool because the entire play took place in London and showed what life was like then. The set was amazing. Audrey and I also got matching Oliver! shirts. So excited to wear them.

Okay, so I know I said my birthday blogging was over. This is the last part I promise!

I got this picture today from Elder Oviatt:)

Oliver and birthday pictures made today just wonderful.

Cheers!

round two.

2010-01-31T17:31:00.000-08:00

a little more birthday love

Remember how I ate too much chocolate cake last night? I felt not so good afterwards, so I didn't blog about everything that I wanted to!

First thing I forgot...After experiencing a new religion yesterday, it made me much more grateful for my religion. I loved learning about the Sikhs and Hindu religion, but nothing hits home quite like my religion does. I love it very much, and it has become who I am.

Second, I'm so grateful for dear family and friends. I have been blessed with the best family in the world, and I missed spending my birthday with them! However, my new friends here made me feel so loved and special:) I have only known them for a few short weeks, but they already have a special place in my heart! I also miss my best friends back home, and I'm thankful for their love and friendship over the many years. I have so many amazing people in my life. How does a girl get so lucky?

Ok... I promise I'm done with all the birthday stuff now.

Today was a great day. I started it off as usual, with banana, yogurt, and the best cereal. Audrey and I rave about the breakfast here...breakfast is possibly the best meal of the day. The yogurt is completely divine, even the fat free kind. I could eat it for dessert (and I probably should). And the cereal. Well, nothing tastes quite like it back home!

I went to my wonderful new ward this morning, and I was so happy to be there with Sarah and Kellen. They are gems. As usual, the primary kids were terrors. They were completely reverent during Sarah's lesson, but then snack time came. We let them loose into the cultural hall, and of course the cute missionaries come in while we're chasing them.

President Chittock came this evening to give a fireside at the centre. He was the cute little british man who said he was a "simple londoner". He spoke about London during war time and what it was like. I can't get over how adorable he is!

I then skyped with my lovely family. I even got to see Sasha and baby Sienna. Have I mentioned that I love my family?

Well, as usual, I have spent much more time blogging than anticipated. Sweet dreams from London.

two decades

2010-01-30T16:14:00.000-08:00

This morning there was snow on the ground, but not a cloud in the sky. It was a birthday miracle.

My first day of being twenty started off with a run with laura. We did the four mile loop and then ran to Pret A Manger for oatmeal, meeting up with Christina and Audrey. We ate my favorite breakfast. Oatmeal! yum yum.

I loved the Indian culture activity today. We had to wrap scarves around our heads and take our shoes off in the temples. There were a lot of similarities to their religion and LDS belief, so it was really interesting to compare the two. I love different, unique cultures, and I really enjoyed today. At the temple of the Sikhs, they give out free meals after you worship. We ate curry there after we bowed in front of the alter and observed.

We visited three Indian temples and walked around the main street there. Some of Bend it like Beckham was filmed there. We also went to this really nice Indian restaurant for my first birthday dinner of the night! haha.

My lovely friend Laura invited me to a second birthday dinner with her parents! (her parents are currently visiting here) She knew that I would miss being away from family for my birthday, and it was so sweet of her. Thank you Neilsons for the dinner!! They even brought dessert with a candle and sang to me.

My birthday ended with two adorable cakes from Marks and Spencer. Everybody sang to me, and I closed my eyes and made a wish. And of course, more birthday kisses from macy, audrey and kellen.
oh and did I mention another Ben's cookie from Audrey? This time it was coconut. I think I'm going to have to ban sweets for the next week after this weekend.

After my second piece of birthday cake, I could not make it up the 65 stairs to my room. Kellen and Calvin piggy-backed me all the way up. Now that is true friendship.

The rest of my pictures won't load right now! more to come tomorrow...

thank you to everyone who made my birthday fabulous. I love you all:)

goodbye 19...you have been good to me

2010-01-29T16:27:00.000-08:00

i love my life.

first of all, my birthday is tomorrow!

second of all, i have the sweetest friends.

i would be completely content if my birthday ended right now. I got back from the Victorian Albert museum to find a lovely present waiting for me. Laura was in the kitchen and asked me to get a piece of bread out for her. I opened the cupboard to find a box of ben's cookies! She had got me a dark chocolate and a double chocolate cookie. I ate the dark one immediately (mind you, I had already eaten frozen yogurt and chocolate. but who cares? it's birthday week. calories don't count)

Then I came up here to blog. The clock had struck midnight and I hadn't even realized it! Audrey came in singing to me and gave me chocolate covered coffee beans. and macy gave me birthday kisses! (on the cheek) does life get any better?
Thank you dear friends.

Tomorrow should be pretty sweet too because we are going to the Indian community for the whole day (it's apart of our culture class).

The rest of today was pretty great too. I went to Camden market this morning and bought some sweet button earrings. There was also left over curry from dinner last night, and it's the best homemade curry I've ever had. Life is all about food here!
A few of us went to the Victorian Albert Museum for the evening, and there was this awesome masquerade ball going on. We just happened to go on night of the ball- we had no idea what was going on for the first few minutes. Everyone was dressed up in fabulous costumes with great masks. There was all kinds of music and performing groups.

I also received a tender mercy from my Heavenly Father today. I know He is watching out for me and is aware of me, even in the seas of people here. He answers prayers through others, and I was the grateful recipient tonight.

goodnight world

:)

Brighton, Battle Abbey, and Rye

2010-01-28T07:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our second day trip. I keep falling in love with every new place that we see here! We left bright and early and took a two hour drive down to Brighton...and guess what's at Brighton? If you haven't noticed yet, it's the beach!! Well, not exactly a beach, but the ocean. The beach only consisted of rocks mostly (like the ones from the previous post). We stopped and saw the Royal Pavilion before hitting the pier. Once we got to the pier, it was freezing! There was a ton of wind from the ocean. I have already decided that when I go back to London, I will have to go in the summer so I can see Brighton then. There were also all these rides at the end of the pier, but they aren't open in the cold.

can you tell that my hair was just loving the wind?

Then we made our way to Battle Abbey. I didn't really know what it was, so I wasn't too excited about it. It's this really famous battle ground where England lost to the Normans. By the end, I was so happy that we had taken the time out to go there.

This field is the field where the battle was fought. We probably should have been more reverent, but we couldn't resist. Audrey, Calvin, and I skipped along in the grass.

Then I took a hike around the entire battle ground. I felt like I was in a Jane Austen movie out on a little walk. It was so green everywhere! And there were a ton of lambs in the fields. I tried to pet one, but none of them would let me. As always, it was a little gloomy and rainy. There was a ton of mud everywhere, and my boots barely survived yesterday.

Laura and me

this scenery could have come straight from Pride and Prejudice. gorgeous.

We got back on the bus and headed to our last destination. Rye! It had already been a really long day, so none of us were quite sure why we even went there. It was a cute little town, but nothing too cool. We finally made it home around 8 pm, and I was starving. They gave us 5 pounds again since we were too late for dinner at the centre. I went to Khans, a popular Indian restaurant right by our flat. It was my first time getting Indian food here, and it was so yummy. Not quite as good as thai, but right up there. Wednesdays are easily becoming my favorite day of the week. We get to see awesome sights, and they give us money to go out to eat haha. It was also the longest day of being here so far.

It's starting to hit me that I'm not going home anytime soon. It's a strange feeling since I've never been away like this.

I'm currently missing

cafe rio
the mountains
my mom

But my dad will be here in a week! He's coming for business, and he's also bringing me a suitcase of things I forgot:)

DEATH by CHOCOLATE!

2010-01-25T13:26:00.000-08:00

Let's just say this cake has been one of the best moments of my week so far. Laura, Audrey, Emma and I took two extra pieces of cake on Sunday and hide them at the bottom of the fridge. We were going to save it for this Saturday for my birthday cake. However, I should have known that we couldn't last that long..we only made it one day. Big surprise there! So we pigged out on this chocolate cake, and it was definitely worth it.

On Monday, I also had another little adventure. I decided to venture off to Harrods by myself to pick up some make-up I had run out of. It was my first time going anywhere by myself since arriving here (we are ALWAYS with other people). I must have looked like a native because two people asked me how to get around while on the tube. I accidentally got on the wrong train home, but! I eventually made my way home safely.

That night, I attempted to give my blog a make-over. It didn't turn out that well since I'm still a novice at this whole blogging thing. It is kind of hard! The format got all messed up, and I got discouraged! I sorted all of it out tonight, and I am confident that I will be better now at blogging daily. That's my new goal:)

I also have finally figured out a good schedule for me. The days are flying by so quickly, and I"m already worried about getting through everything I want to do. That is why I have to...
1) go running in the mornings
2) study in the evenings (in the library so I actually get stuff done)
3) see the city in the afternoons

Yesterday, I saw the Tate Britain museum. It is one of the most famous art museums in the world. It was an amazing art gallery! Hopefully I will be able to make it back there. And guess what else happened? The fire alarm went off while we were there.

But it gets even crazier than that. The night before (Monday night), we all awoke at 2:30 am to the London centre fire alarm. It was like some terrible nightmare. There is this little old lady who lives at the bottom of the centre, and she turned on her oven to heat up her flat. She forgot to turn it off and almost started the building on fire. Luckily we were ok and quickly hoped back in bed.

Anyways, back to Tuesday. I saw another show... The Lady in Black. It was our third attempt to see the show (we had been late and then tickets were sold out on other days). It was supposed to be really scary, but it was kind of a dud.

We were also informed yesterday that the terrorism level in the UK was raised to severe. That is the highest it has been in the past few years, and the prime minister will address the UK this weekend. Sounds a little sketchy huh? But we don't really have anything to worry about. The directors just told us to avoid protests and such! (like we would attend those anyways)

This week has also been my last week of being a teenager! I can hardly believe it. My birthday is on Saturday, but we are having birthday week basically because we will have a class trip on that Saturday. What can get better than birthday week?! haha I'm really excited for my birthday this weekend. Tomorrow night we're going to see Phantom of the Opera to start out the festivities. I feel like I need to do something crazy before I officially leave my teenage years...I guess being in London will have to be enough!

Today was our second day trip. I have to get up early to run, but I will blog about it all tomorrow! Here is a sneak peak....

I stole these rocks from the side of the ocean in Brighton (yes, this is place where Lydia runs away with
Wickham in P&P)

love

2010-01-24T17:05:00.000-08:00

My first primary lesson ever is over!! It went alright haha. The kids were terrors. And it didn't help that nursery, junior and senior primary kids were all combined into one big clump for me to teach. There were two baby girls running around during the lesson and three wild boys climbing all over the room. I taught about the fall of Adam and Eve, and I told them how Adam and Eve were commanded to multiply and replenish the earth after leaving the garden. One of the boys asked, "If there were only two of them, how did all of these thousands of people get on the earth today?" haha I avoided the question and ended my lesson right there. I asked one of the girls if she liked my lesson after, and she said "Nope, but I like my new dress!". I guess you have to have a good sense of humor to teach primary:) I know I will learn to love the kids though.

Today was the perfect sunday. It included three of my favorite things
1) Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. oh and chocolate cake!
2) Sunday nap
3) Skyping my family

I love skyping my family on Sundays! I'm already looking forward to my parents visit at the end of my semester here. I'm very grateful for all of their love and support. I am who I am because of them. Thanks mom and dad for letting me be here! I love you and miss you!

No pictures today:( sorry! hopefully tomorrow.

positive eating+positive living

2010-01-23T16:35:00.000-08:00

I did some positive eating tonight! We went to this place called Wagamama for dinner. The restaurants theme was "positive eating+positive living" haha. We have been doing a lot of positive eating here! The restaurant was this cool noodle/chinese food place. People in Europe don't tip, and I was originally really excited about that. Then I found out that most waitors are mean, don't split your checks, and never refill your drinks. I miss the good old service in the states! But they do have great food here. I got some yummy chicken curry tonight.

Me, Audrey, and Caitlin at the restaurant

We also discovered the Waffle house tonight. And it's only a two minute walk from our flat! We don't even have to take the tube.

I had another first today... I did my laundry somewhere other than at my parents house. There has been horror stories about clothes ripping in the dryers here, but my clothes thankfully made it safely through! Laura also took me and Christina on her special run through Hyde park this morning. I've been really grateful because my hip hasn't been hurting after running!! knock on wood.

And tomorrow I'm teaching primary for the first time, so wish me luck!

Young Victoria

2010-01-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

Today we saw Westminster Abby. Many of England's kings and queens are buried at Westminster Abby, so it was really cool to see all of it. Once again, the architecture was so beautiful. Today was also a classic London day...rain. and lots of it! There were huge puddles everywhere. I got to use my sweet zebra umbrella again. Our professors thought it would be a good day to take a long walk through the city from Westminster Abby to Trafalgar square with umbrellas and all. It was quite the outing, need I say more.

So today was also round deux at Borough market. I had my first ostrich burger, and now I will never go back to a normal one. We also walked up Oxford street and ended up at Primemark. Imagine H&M, target, and forever all mixed into one huge store...that's basically primemark. Except it's even better than that. The first time I went in, it felt like black Friday. I asked a British girl if it was always like that, and she said, "yep, all the time". I got two jackets and a shirt for 15 pounds (about 25$). It was unreal.

A bunch of the girls set up mattresses in the classroom tonight, and we watched "The Young Victoria". I completely fell in love with the movie, and if you have never seen it...go watch it! It has the sweetest love story ever. It was cool because the movie took place at the Buckingham and Kensington Palace (Kensington Palace is about a 2 minute walk from here). Westminster Abby was also in the movie, and we had seen it earlier today!

Here are a few shots for the day

Westminster Abby

Trafalgar square

I am happy. The day started off badly with lots of rain and no desire to be with the entire group all morning. But then it turned into a blissful day of ostrich burgers and sales at primark. Nothing spells out happiness quite like those do. There are different ups and downs of being here away from family and living with a bunch of girls, but the city has a way of making everything better. It is magical:)

A stroll through the park

2010-01-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

OK, so I stand corrected. I said that Sunday was the most beautiful day, but it was actually today. I was stuck inside most of the day for class and studying, but I was able to sneak out for about an hour to run and take pictures at Hyde park. My friend Christina accompanied me on this lovely adventure.

The Peter Pan statue

I get to run through this scenery several times a week! The park is completely enormous, and I have taken different routes every time. This park is every runners dream. That's about it for today. As normal, I have been blogging instead of reading Oliver Twist..so now I am off to read!

2010-01-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

We got back on the bus and drove for another half hour until we came to Salisbury. On the way there, we passed many pigs and horses that were wearing coats. It was a little strange. When we got to the cathedral there, I was amazed once again. I can't believe all the great cathedrals that still exist here in London! The Salisbury Cathedral was built in the 1200s, and it's still being used today. There is nothing similar to this in the states, and it's a completely different world. London has such a great history, and I love learning about it. We also saw the original Magna Carta. The real deal! We weren't allowed to take pictures though. Here's the cathedral...

Then we made our way onto Bath! Just imagine a snooty english person saying "Bath" in their british accent. That's the correct way to say it. Professor Howe told us that Jane Austen hated Bath, and she fainted when she found out she had to live there. I was expecting not to like it at all because of this, but I loved it! Austen didn't like the city because poor people would go there to marry their daughters off. We first visited the Roman Baths and then the place where the novel Northanger Abby occurred. Bath was a cute, old-fashioned town with cobble stones. We also passed Nicolas Cage's flat that he has in the middle of Bath.
Here are the baths of Bath...

And here is where Jane Austen was! This place was so fun to go to because I LOVE her and her books/movies. I have watched all of the movies at my grandma's house while growing up, so it was great to be there.

Here are a few last images of the adorable town

oh, and couldn't forget about good old ben's cookies. It was fate last night...we just happened to find them in the little town, and we couldn't resist going in. Before we leave, I will have tried all of them!

So I'm sorry to anyone who might read this blog, but I'm turning this blog into part of my journal! So you will probably get a lot of info you don't really care about. I'm doing it because I forget everything so easily, and I really love blogging now.
so... continuing on with my day, we got back too late to have our normal dinner schedule. They gave us 5 pounds, and we ate at this thai food buffet. It was pretty greasy, so I will probably not be going back. I went with some kids that I haven't spent very much time with yet, so it was fun to get to know them better! I really like all the people here, and I've already made some great new friends.

Stonehenge, Salisbury & Bath

2010-01-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our first day trip. Here's how it works...every week we have class three times a week, a day trip once a week, and then London study once a week. For our first day trip, we went to Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Bath. I couldn't have asked for a better day trip! It was seriously so long though. The bus left at 7:20am and we didn't get back until 7:30 pm. I didn't get to the bus until right at 7:20am, so I got stuck in the very back corner of the bus for the entire ride. But! I made a new friend, so it was actually pretty fun (he is the one in the "engagement pics" below haha).

It took about an hour and a half to get to Stonehenge, and I was really surprised when we pulled up to one of Britain's seven wonders. It looked like someone had just thrown the rocks in the middle of highway. They were pretty small too! It was raining/snowing, but luckily we had cute umbrellas to keep us dry. We had a fun little photo shoot! We got really wet and cold, but it was worth it.

laura, me, macy, audrey, emma, and christina. These are some of my fabulous roommates.

Here is my lovely engagement pic with Calvin

Don't we look so happy?!

Kellen and me

2010-01-21T11:46:00.001-08:00

Tuesday was my first outing to the British Museum. We went there for my Classical Tradition class. We also experienced our first time getting stuck on the tube, so we were late and had to take the bus. It has taken me about a week and a half, but I'm comfortable on the tube now.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow"

2010-01-18T17:01:00.000-08:00

This title of this blog is my favorite quote from Shakespeare for the day. Today was very much filled with Shakespeare because we visited the beloved Globe! We went on a great tour of it with my professor, Sister Howe (favorite professor ever) and the kids in my Shakespeare class. This funny little British guy gave us an hour long tour, and then we went through this exhibit with costumes and such.

Pictures inside the Globe

Here are some random pictures by the house connected to the Globe

And a few on the walk back across the The Thames River

I already know that parting with London will be so sad! I am in LOVE with London.

I also discovered another love today....a British candy bar called a Kinder Bar, also known as a Bueno Bar. I know I will be taking home a whole bunch of those treasures.

And finally, to end another fantastic day in London, I had BEN'S COOKIES with Laura and Emma! There are a ton of them here in London. I'm pretty sure it was started here, and they are mostly non-existent in the states.

You are called to serve as....

2010-01-18T16:25:00.000-08:00

I was called to serve as a.....

Primary teacher in the Clapham Common ward in the Wandsworth Stake!

I have been waiting for this moment all week! I was so excited to go out to my new ward and get my calling.
On Sunday morning, we had quite a little adventure getting to our ward. I met up with Kellen and Sarah around 9am to get to our ward on time. We first got on to the bus and rode for about a half an hour. It reminded me of when Harry first gets on a bus in the first book, especially when the sign read "Night bus". Life cannot get much better when everything reminds you of Harry Potter haha. After the bus, we had to figure out how the train system worked also. We finally figured it out, and got seated. Once again, I was reminded of Harry Potter! Remember how they take those trains to Hogwarts? yeah, it felt like that.

Our train finally arrived, and we were in the cutest little town I had ever seen. It seemed like a typical suburb of London, and there was a cute park with little cafes and flats everywhere. This is also where our directions became vague. We walked around this adorable little town for about a half an hour before finding the LDS church building. We were ten minutes late to church, but they were so happy to have us there.

Here are a few facts about my new ward:
1) There are probably about 50-60 active members
2) 80-90% of them are not British- mostly from Africa
3) There are only about 10 kids in jr. and sr. primary combined
4) There is this darling British girl in primary who reminds me of the little girls on The Holiday, accent and everything

Right after sacrament meeting, we met with the Bishop. He immediately gave us callings and said "you guys are flipping awesome" in his sweet British accent. Sarah and I went to primary for the next two hours, and it was my first time back to primary since I was in it. The boys were terrors haha. Two of the little girls loved the necklace I was wearing though, and they wouldn't stop playing with it.

Me, Kellen and Sarah

It was such an amazing Sunday, and I really felt like that was where I am supposed to be. It was also the first day that the sun came out since I have been here. It was an absolute gorgeous day.

People selling art at Hyde Park

It was the perfect day. Then we had a huge dinner of potatoes, roast, rolls, salad, dessert, etc.(we are all kind of obsessed with food here), and then I skyped my family and laura. It was kind of hard to be away yesterday because all of my family was together at Zermatt and my cousins had a grandparent pass away, but I knew that I was supposed to be here. I already miss my family, but I am so happy to be here! I loved my new ward and everything about yesterday.

OBSESSION

2010-01-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

I have found my new obsession in London. I basically find new obsessions in London every day, but my obsession from Friday was particularly cool. It was this sweet market called Borough Market! After the Tower of London, we took a nice little walk over to my new favorite place. I had no idea what to expect at this market- Sister Howe just said it was really cool and fun! And to not eat before going. Right when we got there, so many colors and yummy smells surrounded us. There were all types of things- authentic curry, ostrich burgers, fresh fruit and veggies, bread, pastries, nuts, chocolate, and all other types of authentic food. I was in heaven! Especially since I love authentic food and trying new things. I quickly filled up on all kinds of things because of all the samples everyone gave out. My friend Christina and I had lots of fun trying crazy foods and enjoying the awesome atmosphere.

They filmed a scene from the first Harry Potter in this pub. And yes, I did walk through it. Love HP!!

They also had beautiful flower markets all throughout the place. I had to resist from buying some for my dorm room (we have seriously no room for anything in our rooms). But, hopefully we will go back around Valentine's and buy some for each other!

I also fell in love with cinnamon-chocolate dusted hazlenuts (oh, and the chocolate covered coffee beans). They are probably the best things I have ever eaten in my life, considering my love for nutella flavored anything. If you ever go to London, this is a definite must! We plan to go back like every weekend that we are here in London...can't wait for the next time we go!!

We didn't get back until around five, so we ate dinner quickly and then jetted off to see Chicago. I was really excited to see it, but I was super exhausted from all the other awesome things we did that day. So I was falling asleep during the entire show, and I didn't really love Roxie or Thelma. I am hoping the next production I see will be better.

Bloody Tower

2010-01-17T15:24:00.000-08:00

Friday was probably my favorite day here...wait, yesterday and today were pretty good too. I still can't believe this is actually my life here in London. I will tell you all about the past few days, don't worry:)

Friday was the Tower of London...dun dun dun. On the way there, we found the famous Tower Bridge! I had been waiting for that moment ever since getting off the plane. I was super excited when I saw Sherlock Holmes with that bridge in the movie. Here is the beautiful bridge...

Then we waited for awhile outside the Tower of London while Professor Macfarlane found our tickets. So we just decided to take a lot of pictures.

My favorite parts were the crowned jewels and the Bloody Tower. The largest diamond on the earth is found there, and it was extremely massive. All of us joked about how we would steal the diamond and make our wedding rings out of them. There is such a rich history behind all of England, and it's so interesting to learn about. I loved being at the Tower of London and getting a deeper look into the history of everything. The coolest part was the Bloody Tower, where two princes were suspiciously murdered/suffocated...kind of disturbing also haha.

Some of us crammed into one of the towers

When I was about twelve, I took a picture in this exact spot! I was excited to replicate that photo.

Classic Tower of London man. I seriously chased him down a stone road for this pic.

Emma and me preparing for battle. We are buff.

This is only part one for the day! The best is still yet to come....

"Simple Londonner"

2010-01-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

So classes started on Tuesday. I was so excited and busy getting ready to come that I practically forgot that I had to take classes. I am taking British Literature, Shakespeare, London Walks, Classical Tradition, and religion. We are going to see a bunch of sites with the literature classes, so I'm way excited to read the texts. For my first class period, we had to find these two buildings and describe them.

Hagia Sophia

St. Matthews

I've already discovered just how hard it is to study while living in the city of London. It's painful to sit at the centre and read while the huge city awaits me, but it must be done! I guess I am here to study as well. Who would have thought? Beats me!

On Tuesday night, a member of the Stake Presidency came by and gave us our callings. I will be serving in a ward that is about twenty minutes away from here, so that should be nice (some of the kids are 2 hours away). He was a very cute little British man, and in his adorable accent he said, "I'm just a simple Londonner". I still can't get over the sweet accents here. I feel like I'm in some kind of Harry Potter land 24/7.

That night we also went to see Big Ben for the first time. That's when it truly hit me that I was truly in London...and I'm not just here for a few days. I am studying here! And I have completely fallen in love with the city. completely. I remember walking into the London centre just a week ago and thinking "what in the world am I doing here?". After the first crazy week of adjusting, I am so happy and blessed to be here. I keep learning that you can never just plan out your life and expect for it to be perfect. It always, without fail, turns out different than you expect. It always turns out better than you could have ever imagined though...that's the best part. Just two months ago, I would have never thought I would be in London. And I'm in London!! The greatest city in the world. For the next few months, I am "a simple Londonner".

Here's the London Eye. Cool picture huh?

Fish and Chips anyone?

2010-01-14T14:23:00.000-08:00

I know I just started this blog, but I am already getting behind! I promise I will try and be better at updating it. Monday was a fabulous day because I got to have fish and chips (american translation: fried fish and french fries) for my first time! We went to a classic British pub by the British Museum, and it was simply divine. I will definitely go back to that place!

Before getting fish and chips, we went to the British Museum. Not much to say about it...haha but afterwards was the highlight of my week so far! We went to St. Paul's Cathedral. It was BREATHTAKING!! It was such a beautiful building with amazing architecture. Princess Diana was married there, and people like John Donne are buried there. There was this huge dome at the top called the whispering chamber. If you walked all the way to the other side and whispered something into the wall, someone on the other side was supposed to hear your secret. Pretty cool.

The street from St. Paul's

more firsts

2010-01-10T18:42:00.000-08:00

SO...I forgot to write about another first for me yesterday. It was my first time on the tube! I keep wanting to call it the metro or subway, but I am quickly learning that I must call it the tube to be socially accepted here. My friend Audrey has been taking us around on it because the rest of us feel very lost on the complicated system. Thank goodness for her!

Getting on the Tube

Today was really great because we were able to go to the Hyde Park ward. I'm really excited for the callings we'll get this week and then going to our new wards.
outside of our flat

Hyde Park

Neverland

2010-01-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

I started off my adventure in London with seeing Peter Pan! It was really fun to see here because the play takes place in London. It was fun because they used Hyde Park and Kensington Park in the play as well. They had a really cool set up in the theater, and it felt like we were flying with Peter Pan! We also ate at a great restaurant called Nando's with some of the other students, and we all got to know each other better. London also saw it's biggest snow storm in 30 years...we got caught in it while trying to get tickets to the show. There were bigger snowflakes here than in Utah!

The group at Nando's

In the snow buying tickets

Before my adventure to Neverland (not to be mistaken

with Michael Jackson's), I went on a run through Hyde Park. It was gorgeous with all the snow, and all the buildings were gorgeous and simply classic. Hopefully I will become very familiar with Hyde Park so I can avoid the dreaded 10 lbs of living at the centre!

Proof that we really did work out

pinch me!

2010-01-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

So here it is... my first blog post ever!! And it gets even better because I am officially in London now. I never thought this day would come. I am a temporary Brit. I am very jet-lagged and exhausted, but as of today I am an avid blogger (at least for the next four months), so obviously I couldn't miss the first day.

After hours of and packing and preparation, I was told at the airport that not one, but both of my bags were overweight (ideas like weighing your bags before hand don't occur at 2:30am). I gave some things to my mom, said goodbye, and headed on my way to Chicago for another surprise. As I walked off the plane, my dad was there! He was doing business in Chicago the day before, and his flight had been cancelled. I didn't think I would be able to see him before I left, so it was a great surprise. Funny how everything always works out better than you could imagine.

I arrived in the beautiful city of London, and we were greeted with harsh wind and snow. (apparently snow is very rare here- I thought I would be escaping the snow! boo) We unpacked all of our stuff into our new home- a cute, little flat right by Hyde Park.

Here are the fun facts for the day

1. Pedestrians DO NOT have the right away here... drivers are mean and they will hit you

2. Mice and rats often reside at the London Centre

3. You will be fined for leaving "rubbish" around the city

4. Today was the first time officially leaving my family and saying goodbye.

To top off my day of traveling, my room was on kitchen duty! So we got to do dishes for like two hours after dinner and orientation. Everything is crazy different here, and I can't believe I'll be here for the next 15 weeks. Wish me luck!

Much more to come soon (and pictures)!