eye see you.

Today was one of my favorite days so far. We all slept in and finally got going around noon. Audrey, Caitlin, Jenny, Emma and I first went to go get tickets for Monday’s night showing of Phantom of the Opera and got pretty lost around Piccadilly Circus for about an hour then found the theater right by where we exited the tube. We then went to a cute little touristy shop and I finally got a cute little alarm clock that says I love London on it and some postcards. Next it was off to the London Eye. We got there in perfect timing to get our tickets and board the Eye to see a beautiful sunset over the city. I hadn’t realized until today just how huge London is or how beautiful it is. There is so much history here, even in my flat. a little excited?

The group of us in front of the London Eye.

After we went to a place called Pizza in the Park for dinner and I had a margarita pizza that was delicious! Me, Jenny and Emma came home after and I did laundry.

I LOVE this city!

dance dance dance.

Thursday was extremely casual. I had class and then took a short walk down Kensington Palace Gardens Road that has some beautiful houses and a few embassies on it to Wagamamas, which is a wonderful an amazing Thai restaurant. I went with my friends Caitlin and Emma and our favorite professor Dr. Howe who we call Susan! She is the most amazing teacher I have ever had and I absolutely love her! I had chicken katsu curry that was gooey and so yummy. We then walked back home and I started on some homework that I had needed to do. That night my friend Jenny (we call her jerry for laughs) and I went to Poundland and got english candy to send to our families. When we got home I watched the sixth Harry Potter on my lap top by myself cause I needed some alone time.

Friday was a day out exploring with our group. We went to the Banqueting house where Charles II was beheaded and where they have hosted royal parties for hundreds of years.

We then Went to lunch at a cute little Italian restaurant and had some pizza. Next was the British museum for the second time. We looked at some of the same stuff because Caitlin had to see it for her class but we also saw a lot of new stuff. My favorite was the (drum roll) money room… surprised? Hahahaha. I loved it! They had these huge stones that ancient Indians used as money hundreds of years ago and even a few credit cards to show our day.
Me outside of the British Museum

Friday night was the best! I had been waiting for this night for about two weeks. We had a stake singles dance to attend. It was so much fun! We all danced around with our group and the people from the singles ward. I must say when we first got there I was a little disappointed but about half an hour in it started to get much better.

castles, cliffs and cathedrals.

Wednesday was a day trip with the whole group. We went to Dover Castle and Canterbury. Both places were beautiful. First was the castle. It used to be a naval base and we went through the old tunnels they used for their base in several wars. Our guide was the most memorable part of the tour. At one point we were in the section where the soldiers slept and she said, “Sometimes in the night a soldier would wake up and there would be CONDENSATION LITERALLY TRICKLING down the walls”, with the worlds in all caps very emphasized plus a thick British accent. It was hilarious! We then walked around the castle and took lots of pictures. Then we say the white cliffs of Dover (the cliffs of insanity).

Dover Castle

On the roof of the Castle.

We then drove to Canterbury! I was excited to go here because in my lit class we ready the Canterbury tales by William Chaucer and I wrote a paper on the Pardoner’s tale and his pilgrimage to Canterbury. We first went to the ruins of St. Augustine’s Cathedral; I swear this was a forty five minute photo shoot because that was all we did.

We then walked to Canterbury cathedral which was beautiful. The inside seemed not as dark as the other cathedrals we have seen. After seeing the cathedral the girls and I went into starbucks to warm up with a mouth watering hazelnut hot chocolate. If you have never tried this I highly suggest you do! Then we walked around some shops, got back on the bus and headed for home. It was a very rewarding day.

I had to snap a photo of the asians... :)

oliver, oliver.

So I have decided that my goal of writing everyday on my blog hasn’t panned out very well so I have made a new goal of writing 2-3 times a week. Now having that said I have a few days to catch up on.
Monday, back in the swing of things and as the usual day here goes, class, homework, dinner. Then as a whole group we went to see the play Oliver! This was very exciting to most of us because we have just finished reading the novel by Charles Dickens. The play was the same story but which a lot left out. But none the less it was wonderful, and there was some adorable little boys playing orphans. All my flat mates have been singing the songs for the past few days too.

Me and Audrey after the show.

our Oliver shirts!

Tuesday was a new experience for me. After class all the girls and I went to an adorable stationary store called Paperchase. I got a few postcards that are very unique. Audrey, Jenny and I went to the National Gallery to see some amazing classic art. Jenny and I walked around and looked for paintings we were assigned to look at for class and Audrey walked around just enjoying. After spending about two hours there we walked around Trafalgar Square and took a bunch of pictures. We then went home for dinner of amazing dinner of light pesto pasta and bruschetta chicken. After dinner a group of us went to get dessert at an adorable French patisserie. I had a chocolate mousse that was divine.

Trafalgar Square

At the Patisserie.

Yummy!

my adventures in hyde.

Once in a while when I go running I take my camera. Here are a two of my favorite pictures I have taken.
enjoy!
At the circle pond.

Cutest thing I have yet to see.

weekenddddd.

This weekend had been a memorable one. I’ll start with Sunday and work my way back.
Sunday= A day of rest and peace… not so this week. It’s seven forty five the phone rings up in our little flat, quite the abnormality for a Sunday morning. Maddie, an adorable little thing that goes to church in the Catford ward with me answers it, says a few yes’s and hangs up. I as well as Emma, another wonderful girl that goes to the same ward as us anxiously wait to see what whoever was on the phone had to say. An hour before church starts we are assigned to give talks, serious topics and all. I am assigned faith, Emma gets hope and Maddie is left with charity. This is not the greatest way to wake up. I am not going to lie, I was peeved. I have attended my ward at BYUI for about a year and a half and I have yet to be called upon to give a talk and here I am three weeks into the program getting a telephone call to give a talk the morning of. Wonderful! So we each wrote up a few notes as quickly as we could, got ready and headed out for the hour and a half journey to church. [Reminder: Never complain about getting to church again.] I was extremely surprised on how smoothly my talk went. I have never been more comfortable to speak in front of so many people in my life. There is a wonderful spirit that my ward here has. After church we came home and went straight for the kitchen and proceeded to feast on leftover Brazilian lasagna from Friday and nutella on bread. As I often do after church, I walked upstairs and plopped right into bed to take an afternoon nap… which eventually went into the evening. We had dinner and then were given an interesting devotional by a man in my ward named George Chittock. He is the cutest old man I have ever seen. I will have to take a picture with him one Sunday coming up. He has been the bishop four times and stake president once. His devotional was on World War II and I enjoyed it very much. Then it was off to do homework and sleep.

Saturday was one of the craziest days I have had so far. We went to a part of London called Southall, which is an Indian/Pakistan borough. We spent a few hours in a gurdwara, which is a Sikh temple. We sat in the temple and then went down to the langar and ate a free mean that they provide for anyone who comes to the temple and wants it.

After leaving a few of us went to a Hindu Temple, to another Sikh gurdwara, walked around the town and got mindi henna tattoos. We then met at a Pakistan restaurant and ate some very spicy authentic food. Personally I was surprised at how much I actually liked it… noted that I did not like it so much the next morning.
Our dinner at the Pakistan place. Friday was wonderful because we had nothing planned. I woke up at 8:30 and went down to breakfast and then fell back asleep. I was then woken up by Audrey telling me to wake Emma and Caitlin up to go actually do something and not sit around our flat and sleep. So we all got ready and headed out for the day. We walked through Portobello Market until it started pouring so we did what we always do when we want to get out of the rain… we ate. There is a famous cupcake place in the market called Hummingbird Bakery and got cupcakes! It was fantastic, I had a carrot cake one with vanilla frosting, the only thing I didn’t like was that it was full of walnuts. Something that I love here is that they ask you if your food is “take away” or “eat in”. The first few times I was asked this I have no idea what the person was asking.
I need this couch!

For Lunch we ate at a café called Giraffe. I had a salad with feta cheese. The cheese here is so good! I love it here. We have so much fun even when we just sit around in our flat. This is going to be a four month, nonstop party.

a day of adventure.

Today was to put it simply, a dream. We woke up at 6:30 to be ready to leave by 7:30. I ate breakfast and made my lunch for the day of a croissant and chicken salad with grapes in it like we always eat on the boat, fruit and a muffin. We got on the coach and were off to Brighton to see the Royal Pavilion. It took us about two hours to get there but a two hour drive has never been more worth it to me. Brighton is most likely my favorite place that I have gone so far. The royal pavilion was a beautiful Indian and Chinese inspired house of George IV. The décor was so extravagant and very expensive. I wouldn’t mind having a house like that to vacation and party in. We also went to the Brighton Pier which was quaint and fun but also fringed and windy.

My lovely ladies an I.
hahahahahahaha...
Next stop was Battle Abbey in Hastings. We walked the grounds and had a little photo shoot with all the girls. My favorite part was watching Jenny and Calvin walking in the fields being sheep herders; it was quite a funny site.
Once we were done there we drove about half an hour to a tiny town called Rye, where we stopped for dinner. Audrey, Emma, Caitlin and I walked up the road and found the most adorable bed and breakfast and had a light dinner. I ordered a pot of raspberry tea, a bowl of fantastic pepper and tomato soup with a cheese scone all for six pounds. We all met back up at the coach and started the three hour ride back to London. It was a wonderful day!

I cherish all the memories I am making.

Things I have noticed:
The English are obsessed with black currant.
Everything tastes better with nutella on it.
I prefer wearing leggings over pants.

i eat and i eat.

I still have a few days to fill you in on and there is so much to tell so bare with me.
Sunday was the second week Emma, Maddie and I went to our new ward. We, again, got lost on the way there and were half an hour late... oops! I got my calling this week… [drum roll]… I am a new YSA Sunday school class teacher. I am quite nervous for this one because there are about four YSA’s in the ward and they have never had this class before. It took us about an hour to get home and just like we have been the last two weeks, were the first home from church around two. I instantly fell asleep for my beloved Sunday nap the second my head hit the pillow. Four hours later I woke up for a delicious dinner of turkey and mash. YUM! Teri is quite the cook. After dinner was homework and bed.

Monday was "sit at home and chill out for once" day. I went and ate waffles with Caitlin after dinner. I had a mouth watering chocolate dipped waffle with a scoop of fresh strawberry ice cream on top. It was just about the greatest thing I have tasted here. Caitlin is obsessed with the Waffle House; I would be too if my butt were not affected by everything I put in my mouth.

Tuesday was mellow as well. I had class, went for a run and then took a shower. I then proceeded to fall asleep in my towel out of the shower and most likely gave some of the roommates a peep show. I then got ready for the night at my leisure, which I love to do. After we ate mexican food for dinner Emma, Audrey, Caitlin, Jenny and I went to go get Ben’s Cookies (mom- you would LOVE this place) and see a play called The Lady in Black or as I like to say the black lady. This was our third and final attempt to see this play and it was good! I hate not knowing what is going to happen and it was pretty jumpy. The plot is about an old man trying to tell this experience he had as a young man to his family. His acting coach helps him and they tell us the tale about a creepy lady haunting a house he has to visit and then appearing back in his life and killing his son and wife (very depressing ending). Audrey screamed and jumped at almost everything remotely jumpy, and I was next to her so naturally I also jumped.

After the play we came home and went to sleep for our big day tomorrow. That's it for now! Cheers!

a foggy day in LONDONtown.

I was a stranger in the city
Out of town were the people I knew
I had that feeling of self-pity
What to do? What to do? What to do?
The outlook was decidedly blue
But as I walked through the foggy streets alone
It turned out to be the luckiest day I've known

A foggy day in London Town
Had me low and had me down
I viewed the morning with alarm
The British Museum had lost its charm
How long, I wondered, could this thing last?
But the age of miracles hadn't passed,
For, suddenly, I saw you there
And through foggy London Town
The sun was shining everywhere.

Michael Buble had it right when he sang these words. I listen to this song daily and think of how blessed I am to be in such a wonderful place!

Saturday like all Saturdays I slept in because I swear I get no sleep throughout the week. After showering and getting ready we set out for Camden market. The tube stop that is right in the market was closed so we had to get off two stops away in the sketchiest place I have been yet. But after a short walk we were to my new favorite place in London. It’s like Venice Beach mixed with a New York flea market but amazing! I am in love with everything there. Saturdays we are not fed meals… we joke and sing “it’s a hard knock life” and pretend we are on Annie on these days. But Saturdays are when we get to go out to dinner!! We chose Wagamamas to eat at this weekend and it was quite good. Its Asian cuisine and I had chicken and noodles in a vegetable broth. It was flavorful and spicy because of chili oil I put in it. After dinner we came home and just hung out and had a pretty calm night. I live for those nights!

catching up.

I am in big trouble… I know just two entries ago I said that I would not miss another day and of course it got to the weekend and I got busy and here I am almost a week later with no entries for this week… so I am going to do a few now to make up for my lack of entertainment for my parents.

Friday we woke up early to rain, rain and more rain. But despite the rain we were off to see Westminster Abbey! It was absolutely overwhelming, dark but beautiful, and full of dead people. We saw tombs of so many nobles, kings and queens. We also saw the coronation chair where all of the kings and queens have sat in to be crowned, it looked like the kings and queens had all carved their initials into the chair, a kind of medieval graffiti. We walked through the transept where writers and poets are buried and I did a little tap dance on Charles Dickens face.
As we were walking out of the Abbey we saw a whole bunch of young boys going from class to class right next to the church. I just thought to myself how sweet it would be to go to school next to such an amazing building that we read about in our textbooks. Those boys are sure lucky. After leaving we walked down past Parliament and Big Ben to Trafalgar Square where we sat in the rain for about a half an hour listening to a brief history about Napoleon and we all went out separate ways for lunch and site seeing. For lunch we went to Borough Market and I ate an ostrich burger with cranberry sauce and German mustard on an amazing roll! It was so good! I also bought the best hummus, mushroom pâté, pitas, Turkish delight, and heavenly chocolate covered cinnamon dusted hazelnuts that literally make me melt! Friday night was mellow; we stayed in and watched Young Victoria, which was so adorable! I can not describe how much fun I am having and what amazing relationships I am creating! I have the greatest friends in the world here and I couldn't imagine this trip with out each and ever one of them! Love you girls!
The 5 of us!

this is where i belong.

here comes the sun... do do de do.

Today has been fantastic! I woke up and as always, ate the usual breakfast, took a shower and had class. After most of my classes I went for a walk with my friends Laura and Jake. We walked through Kensington Gardens and went to a lovely pond and watched/played with the various ducks, geese, pigeons and other birds. Today’s weather was the best so far, I didn’t need a jacket most of the time and the sun was out and shining! Sitting in class when it is sunny out is going to be hard when it starts warming up.
After my walk we all had our last class of the day, London Walks. We learned about the stages of culture, distribution of ethnicities and culture shock. It was interesting! Then it was dinner time which consisted of some of the best soup I have had in a long time. And then… WICKED! Yes, I went and saw wicked for the 5th time but in LONDON this time!! It was hilarious to see it with their accents… which were a little annoying at first but I loved it! Their acting was hilarious and almost better than some of the ones that I have seen in San Francisco. This is a quick entry because I am getting off to go see the National Gallery and Westminster Abbey!

Me and Emma seeing Wicked!

Caitlin and I in front of the theater!
Cheers!

Quotes:
“You could flush a whole bucket of po…. GOLF BALLS down these toilets!”

the countryside where i wish to reside.

Dear future husband,
Just so you know I will only marry you if we eventually move to the English countryside. I want a quaint little house with an adorable garden and chimney that billows smoke in the winter months. These are my requirements upon accepting your proposal!
Love,
Your future wife!

Today we spent the day driving around in the “coach”, not bus, to three of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I am in love with England! Sorry California, you may have everything bigger but everything is older here and in my opinion a little better. Well everything but the weather!
This morning I woke up at 6:30 ate breakfast and was off by 7:30! Our first stop was Stonehenge. I was thinking it would be this massive sight on the edge of some cliffs overlooking water but to my surprise it’s in the middle of a field and not that big. But it is extremely old! My bishop warned me of this, he said it was something I’ll look at and say, “I could have done that.” None the less, it was a beautiful sight and I was amazed to be in a place where I have seen so many pictures and read about in textbooks.

Stonehenge! Me and Jake.Next stop was Salisbury Cathedral. We walked through some gorgeous houses and then BOOM it was right in front of us. I love seeing all the cathedrals, abbeys, and churches here. We got to see one of the last four copies of the Magna Carta and various tombs in the cathedral. Our tour guide was lovely as well.

Us girls at Salisbury.

Then was my favorite stop, Bath! I love it there, everything about it. We first drove by the royal crescent where many notable people have lived over the years. Then got off the coach and walked around the Roman Baths, got some amazing Fudge and went to see the upper assembly rooms that Jane Austen spent time and wrote about is her book Northanger Abbey.

The girls and our role model... SUSAN!

Me at the Roman Baths!

Tomorrow is classes and then Friday is Westminster Abbey! Cheers!

first and last time i am getting behind on this.

Yes, it is already Tuesday… and yes, I know I haven’t written since Thursday. This will be the last time that happens. This weekend was the craziest time here so far. Friday consisted of diamonds, lots of food and massive ravens. Saturday was sleeping in, sushi and Harrods!
Sunday was getting lost, hungry and quaint. Monday was classes, classes and the globe. Today was classes, classes and the British museum!

So… Friday! I woke up for breakfast and get ready to go and see the Tower of London. We left separately from the group and didn’t know exactly where we were going but found it pretty easily. We had to wait for our tickets and took pictures in the mean time. We then went inside and headed straight for the crown jewels… the Brits sure love their diamonds. I have never seen so many carats in my life. 535 to be exact and just a thin sheet of glass keeping it from me… luckily I am not a greedy person like the British who have in their history looted many places, but I say more power to them!

Our adorable group in front of the Tower of London!

Jake and I by the Tower Bridge.

Darling Darling Caitlin and I doing the pose.
Susan! Henry thought a lot of himself!
This one is for you daddy. The Ravens were HUGE!
The whole time we were at the Tower there was a certain someone I was looking for, right at we were leaving I found her! My parent’s favorite beefeater! I don’t exactly get the name of them but I would guess none of them are vegetarians.

After leaving that great plot of historical marvel we walked across the very cold and windy London Bridge to a slice of heaven I like to call the Borough Market. It’s like a farmers market mixed with Costco that you would find in Beverly Hills. Amazing!! I got a sandwich that consisted of lots of bread a thin slice of cured ham… and being a fat American it did not fill me to the brim. So naturally I opted for the ostrich burger next (dad, you would have loved it) with cranberry sauce and lettuce smothered all over it, proceeded by many, many bites of all kinds of treats. I got some heavenly chocolate covered cinnamon dusted hazelnuts and a divine cup of hot pear-apple cider. Can you tell just how passionate I am about my food, I take after my father! Needless to say we will be going back to that glorious place many times.
After traveling on the tube home I took a shower and got ready for a night out on the town. Me and the girls had gotten tickets to see Chicago and it was wonderful besides the chubby chorus guy in a fishnet top with his gut dancing over the top of his pants to a different tune than he was! We ended our night by walking by a club full of boys… wondering why there were no women there we soon realized that sadly it was a gay bar. The men kissing in front kind of gave it away!
Ready to see Chicago! Since we had such a late night, I slept in on Saturday. Probably more that I should have but I am pretty sure I am still trying to make up for jet lag or at least that is my excuse until it wears out. Once all of us girls were up we went to Primark, Harrods and Sushi for dinner. The place we ate was amazing, the food way great and I had some delicious chicken. I cannot say so much for the service. Audrey, Caitlin and I had a little baby of a waiter who gave us a calculator to split our own check. I understand that being a waiter in the UK is much different than in the US but it does not give them the right to not do anything.
It was my first Sunday in my new ward, which happens to be the Catford ward. It took Emma, Maddy and I two hours my underground, train, bus and walking to get there. It is in the quaint suburb of Blackheath and the majority of my ward is African. I feel awful because I know everyone here is speaking English… but it is so different from “American” English that I find myself unable to understand most of the people. My bishop in my new ward is extremely caring and helpful; he is also 6’6” and twenty-seven years old! Haha! One thing I know is that the church is true wherever you go, sure they might do things a little different here but it is still true!
Monday came too soon as it always does and I sadly slept through breakfast which set off my whole day! I had Shakespeare today and after class we went on a little field trip over to the Globe Theater. I have the funniest tour guide who had many insights to Shakespeare and the globe. We walked across the Millennial Bridge which is in the sixth Harry Potter movie. It is a sweet bridge! Dinner was the most amazing chicken enchiladas I have ever had, sorry mom you have been out done. Then we went to see a flick in the theater. We saw Nine and it was good but a little weird, I hadn’t read anything about it or seen any previews so I didn’t know what to expect. I was exhausted after the movie and I proceeded to fall asleep in my clothes at 8:00. I think that is a record time of falling asleep for me since I was six!

Today has been a very long day. I woke up at 5:30, this never happens. I think it was because I 1 fell asleep so dang early and 2 I was paranoid about missing breakfast again because I woke up with food on my mind. More class and then we were off to the British museum, or as Dr. Macfarlane would say the “museum of loot”. When we first got on the tube to get there we were delayed because of goodness knows what and had to get off and take a bus. I have no idea why we haven’t taken the busses before because you can see everything. I love those double deckers! There are so many things at the British Museum that I have looked at in textbooks for countless history classes, I was overwhelmed! We came back just in time for dinner which was hamburgers. Helloooooo home! Or at least that’s what it reminded me of. After dinner I came upstairs wrote a paper, opened the book I am reading for Shakespeare and instantly was put to sleep by the calming words of that great playwright. I swear I am a zombie! Tomorrow is Stonehenge and Bath! Should be a wonderful day if the weather permits it!
Cheers!

Quotes:

"study abroad my aaaaaa, this is fat camp"
"Macy enjoys a good ram every once in a while."
"maybe those cookies do really work"

"I am a sick person."