all you need is LOVE

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

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"

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

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!!

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

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!

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??

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...

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

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

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

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

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!