.

It Is Official!

2011-12-11T23:20:00.003Z

For those of you not well versed in the profession of athletic training, let me give you just a little insight. As medical professionals, we are required to take a board examination before we are permitted to practice. This test is called the BOC and it is talked about from day one in most athletic training programs. I had the opportunity to take the BOC on November 18, just days before I went home for Thanksgiving. Taking the test was not that bad. Waiting for my results for more than two weeks was a little excruciating. This Tuesday, there was an email in my inbox telling me that the pass/fail results had been posted. This statement could not have been more true. Upon logging in to the BOC website I saw my name, status- passed. That was all, no confetti, no fireworks like when you win solitaire, just PASSED. This was all I needed to know. Although fireworks would have been nice, passing was all I needed to do! I am a certified athletic trainer, pretty cool feeling if you ask me!

Now I can help kids like Trevor for a living instead of just clinical experience. If you are wondering, Trevor is on his knees in this picture so I can better stretch his injured shoulder- something that would be extremely difficult for me to do if he were standing at his normal height of 6 foot something!

In Other News...

2011-11-08T03:53:00.002Z

One of my very best friends, Christina, married a boy we all knew from freshman year in the beginning of September. It was a wonderful day complete with me driving my manual transition car while holding Christina's million pound bouquet in one other hand and trying to keep the other two bouquets standing up straight with my other hand... adventure, I think so! I recognize that this was a long time ago but the pictures were just posted and I wanted to share this one with everyone because I think it is a great picture! Congrats, Christina and Jackson! I love you both!

Pleasant Grove and Pink

2011-10-23T23:43:00.004+01:00

I have spent a good chunk of my time this semester at Pleasant Grove High School participating in the last internship of my undergraduate education. Working out at PG has been so great! I love my Clinical Instructor there- her name is Kristin and she is pretty much the bomb. I love what we do there. I love seeing kids- like the boy in this picture- come back from injuries and get to be able to play again. This boy broke his collarbone the second game of the season and was able to come back and play the last four games, something not a lot of people thought he would be able to do. There is nothing better than seeing these kids return to full play and love it. I also really grew to love my kids out there at PG. High school kids are so fun and I am so grateful to have gotten to work with them and know them and pretty much love them!

Our last game was this last Wednesday and it was definitely bitter sweet. So sad that it is over but so rewarding to get all the hugs and teary thank-yous from my boys.

For our Senior night we let the guys spat. Spatting is what it is called when you tape over your shoe. Not only did we spat but we did it with pink tape. For those of you who follow the NFL you would know that October is breast cancer awareness month and that the cool thing to do is to wear pink. We have a couple of guys on our team who's moms have battled breast cancer so, this one time, we let them spat, in support of breast cancer awareness. It was a ton of work but, I have to say, it looked pretty sweet.

I am so thankful for all the awesome experiences that my education here at BYU has afforded me and I look forward to taking the next steps in my career and my education!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2011-10-23T22:59:00.007+01:00

This post is a little bit late but, a couple of weekends ago I had an incredibly fun weekend and I feel like it needs to be blogged about so, here it is! For those of you who read Annie's blog, you know that in the Ditto family when you turn 8 you get to come to Utah for General Conference. Addison turned 8 in August which qualified him for a Conference trip! Kelly and Addy got to Utah on Friday just in time for a sweet tour of the BYU football team's athletic training facilities. This brings me to my first couple of favorite things. Kelly and Addison are some of my favorite boys in the whole wide world and, Kevin and Jeff and the rest of the football athletic training staff are some of my favorite people... Ever. I showed Addy and Kelly the training room and everything that goes along with it (the cool under water treadmill and the storage room with all the tape and Powerade and everything else there was to see.) One of the hosts that I got to know last fall took us up to the offices and showed us around, that was pretty sweet too! We ran into a couple of players which made the tour a little more exciting. We talked to Jamison Frazier for a while (#48) and, on our way out, we ran into Cody Hoffman (#2). Pretty sure Kelly started drooling, that was a little bit embarrassing but pretty cool!

This is the door to the training room. I spent such an incredible amount of hours there last fall that it still feels a little like home to me and I find myself missing it sometimes- especially the people that reside there (or practically reside there).

Saturday was Kelly's birthday. To celebrate we decided to go to one of Kelly's favorite places, nature. We went out for a yummy breakfast at Magleby's and then hiked up to Stewart Falls up above Sundance ski resort. This leads me to yet another favorite thing, FALL! I love fall! I love the weather and the colors and fall. We had such a blast hiking and looking at the colors. It was seriously breathtaking. There were a couple of times when I made everyone stop hiking so we could simply look at the colors and admire just how blessed we are to experience fall! We might have missed the morning session of General Conference but Becca and I both decided that communing with nature was a wonderful way to feel the spirit. It might sound like I am joking but I really am not. Taking time to really appreciate the world and notice the beauty is an excellent way to feel the Spirit and the love the our Heavenly Father has for us as His children.

Another favorite thing- Sisters!

I lucked out this year and got to go to two sessions of Conference in the Conference Center. I loved it! I love being there in person to hear the prophets and apostles and to feel the spirit there. I hope that one day I can have a kind of spirit around me that could fill up a building like the Conference Center. I saw Saturday Afternoon's Session and Sunday Morning. This has got to be another favorite. I love hearing Conference and knowing that the messages that are shared are what my Father in Heaven would have me hear. On Sunday Morning we (Addison, Kelly and I) we walking around the Conference Center trying to get wiggles out and we ran into a man with a camera and a press pass that asked if he could take a picture of our family. We told him that he could definitely take a picture of us so, keep your eyes open when the Ensign comes out... you might just see us somewhere in its pages.

Such a great weekend! So many great things, people, places, and experiences! I am so blessed and I know that and I hope that with every passing day I can become a little better at showing my gratitude for the blessings I receive.

Down and Dirty... Literally

2011-09-25T06:03:00.004+01:00

I did something today that I have never done before. I ran a race where the goal wasn't so much winning as it was getting as dirty as possible. That's right. It was a 5k course laced with all kinds of obstacles- the obstacles all involved mud. The race started up a hill that had been sprayed down with water all day long. We had to run through puddles that were up to my thighs. We had to crawl through tunnels that were buried in mud. We had to jump walls into mud and crawl under walls in mud- there was a lot of mud! It was crazy but so fun! I was with good, my amazing little sister came to be our official photographer, it was a beautiful day and I ended up with a free shirt after getting punched in the face by the race coordinator. The mark from his hit matches the cut on my eye I got during my intramural Frisbee game this week (don't worry, we won the game). Just to clear up any kind of confusion about my injury... we were lining up to take a picture in front of the Dirty Dash truck (the race was called the Dirty Dash) and, as we were grouping ourselves, the race coordinator came and jumped in our picture. I was completely ok with this because I find him very attractive and he runs ultra marathons- talk about really attractive- anyway, he jumps in our picture and goes to stick his arm in the air to strike a pose but, instead, his hand met my face, hard. He felt really badly about the whole thing so he gave us a free entry to next year's race and, after I told him that a free shirt would probably help my face feel better, he got me a shirt! The worst part about the race was having to go to work when I got home. I had a great time getting in touch with my 'pig' side today! Here are some pictures for all to enjoy!

We really were clean before we started... Here is proof.

We were not quite as clean when we ended... These are our pig faces...

This was the final obstacle before the finish line, a GIANT mud puddle!

Classic jumping picture. Unfortunately, Kelsey's old man knee was not letting her jump at this juncture.

This would be right after I got punched in the face- note the scared/hurt face.

This would be the devolution of running- Kelsey represents a human and I would be the pig.

We were clean and then we were the opposite of clean- really, really dirty! It was a blast running through the mud and wading through puddles up to my waist (they weren't up to anyone else's waist but they were there on me). Thanks for inviting me to be on your team Kels! Fun day girls, fun day!

Remembering...

2011-09-11T23:35:00.002+01:00

Once upon a time, ten whole years ago, I was sitting in my middle school art class and our principal came on the PA system and announced to all of us that we were being sent home early due to a national emergency. There had been rumors flying around school all morning that airplanes had crashed into buildings in New York but I did not want to believe they were true because my Mom, older sister Becca and my Dad were all flying that day. I didn't know what to think in my 12 year old mind- I was terrified. I eventually got in contact with my Dad who's plane never took off and he had simply gone back to work. That made me feel a little better and then we heard that Mom and Becca were safely on the ground in Omaha, NE.- not where they wanted to be since they were headed to Provo to take Becca to the MTC but they were safe.

Today, ten years later, I think back on this same day when I was twelve years old and I am so grateful that day went the way it did. I am also mindful of the families who did not receive good news like I did. So many lives were changed that day and I am sorry for those who's lives were changed for the worst. There is a scripture that comes to mind every time I think back on September 11, 2001 and it is Jacob 3:1. I read this scripture that day and it says that, ' He (God) will ^bconsole you in your ^cafflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down ^djustice upon those who seek your destruction.' This scripture comforted me then and continues to comfort me today. I am so thankful for the gospel. I know there is a plan and a reason for things that happen to us in our lives. I also know that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and wants what is best for me in my life. It is this knowledge that inspires me to continue on even after tragedies like that of September 11, 2001.

Running Southern Utah

2011-09-11T18:53:00.008+01:00

I have been looking forward to this weekend with anticipation and a little bit of dread since my friend Kris asked me to run on his Red Rock Relay team in early May. The Red Rock Relay is a running relay that goes from Cedar City to Zion National Park. We started at the top of Brian Head ski resort and ended at the gates of Zion. The race is 175 miles (or something like that) in all and we ran with a team of twelve people. The picture above is a shot of the "Snow" van. Teams were divided into two vans with the first being called the Snow van since it started at the ski resort. Not long after this picture was taken, our first runner jumped on the lift and rode to the top where the race began with a nice jaunt down the ski hill at 11,000 feet- talk about thin air!

Since it was a relay race and we all took turns running there was a good amount of time when each individual was not running. Our van was the first van so, the six of us in the van ran our legs and then we got a break while the six in the other van ran their legs. While the runners in our van were running we acted as their support car. We would stop ever mile or so to give them water and cheer them on. One of my favorite things about this race is that all the teams cheered for each other. This picture is our team and a couple of other teams making a tunnel for a runner to run through- it was so fun getting to know the other teams and cheering for them!

One definite perk of being in the support vehicle most of the time was the scenery. Southern Utah is definitely beautiful country! This was a view along on of my friend Hilary's routes- Lauren and I could not pass it up so we put on our best Asian tourist faces and took a picture!

If I told you this picture was taken at 3:30 am would you believe me? You better, because it was! After getting about 2 hours of sleep in a church parking lot it was our van's turn to run again. The worst part about this was that I was having a wonderful dream about being asleep in a nice soft bed when the other team called to say they were coming in and the realization that I was not in a nice soft bed was pretty harsh!! While I was trying to fall asleep in our van in the parking lot I thought to myself, 'why in the world would anyone sign up to do this?' The thing was, it was not just crazy college kids running around southern Utah and sleeping in the grass outside of churches, it was grown ups, moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas- intelligent people who probably don't usually do crazy things. There is just something about running, and I think about this race in particular, that calls to normally sane people like myself and makes us do borderline insane things, and then tell all our friends we had a blast doing them.

Here is a quick summary of my three legs...

Leg One: I ran my first leg in a hail storm. I currently had a large number of tiny bruises on my legs from where my legs and the hail met. I do not recommend running in hail. My first leg was also almost entirely uphill. Running uphill for 5.8 miles in hail at 8,000 feet is not my idea of fun and I love running so... that is saying something! I managed to finish and pass seven people on the way. How did I do this, I have no idea.

Leg Two: My second leg was about as different from my first leg as it could have been. It was not hailing, it was all down hill and my shoes were completely dry the entire time! I ran my second leg at about 10:30 pm in a reflective vest and a head lamp, two things I have never before worn while running. During this leg I passed ten people and managed to run 5.6 miles in about 35 minutes but, like I said, it was all down hill so don't be too impressed.

Leg Three: My last leg was a breeze. It was only two miles and it was mostly flat. At this point (6 am, running on 2 hours of sleep) I was feeling incredibly grateful to only be running two miles! Before running my last leg I was tied for the most kills in

our van with one of my teammates. (Kills are what we called it when we passed someone while we were running) For those of you who don't know, I am a little on the competitive side. This competitiveness is what made me have the desire to get at least one more kill during my last run so I could be the kills leader in our van. During my last leg I got two kills and ran my two miles right around 14 minutes which was a pretty satisfying way to finish off my Red Rock experience.

The picture above this section is Hilary 'marking' me. We got to put a mark on our leg for each leg of the race we ran. That particular mark was put on my leg after my 5.6 miles that I ran down hill the whole way. The picture directly below this section is me and our van's kill count. Since I was the leader in kills, our van affectionately christened me 'The Slayer'.

The girl in the blue shorts is Kelli, she ran our last leg and just happens to be my dad's cousin's daughter so that makes her my second cousin (or something like that)- we found this out one day at work, really randomly, but we have ran with it and now call each other' cuz' and are pretty much planning the next family reunion! Kelli is a beast of a runner and ran our last leg into Zion. A couple of us started to run with her and we were all able to cross the finish line together- it was a pretty sweet experience. I really think that finishing the Red Rock is definitely on my list of times that I have felt most legit, in my entire life.

Incredibly enough, by the end of the experience, this is what our van looked like, all smiles. Ok, there was definitely some soreness and body aching situations but, other than that, everyone was pretty happy at the end! It took us just about 26 hours to finish the 175 miles and we finished somewhere in the first 40 teams. Most importantly, as cheesy as it sounds, we all had a ton of fun! Even through the hail and the rain and the hills and the lack of sleep and everything else that came our way, it really was a blast! If you are ever wondering if you should run the Red Rock, do it! It will change your life... ok, maybe not quite change your life but it will definitely be worth it!

Hello Seattle

2011-09-04T16:11:00.004+01:00

Directly after the fake graduation festivities we jumped in the car and headed to Spokane. It was a big weekend in Spokane! Addison got baptized and Maren got blessed- like I said, big weekend! It was definitely fun to be there with everyone and to celebrate those two great events.

The group was pretty large and consisted mostly of Dittos but we tried our best to represent and the Dittos aren't so bad :)

After the baptism and blessing festivities were complete, we jumped back in the car (there was a lot of time in the car) and drove over to the west side of the great state of Washington. So many good things happened on the opposite side of the state, maybe not quite as good as baptisms and blessings but I went to Panera (twice), I got to see my parents new house, I got to see grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins, and I got to lounge around at the lakehouse for a solid three days doing only things I wanted to do- best vacation ever!! I also got to spend my whole time at the lake with my amazing older sisters and their adorable children and one of my very best friends, Katelin, who I dragged along! The highlights include, reading an entire book, laying in the sun (yes, it was sunny), running around the lake, playing with the kiddos, helping Laynie jump off the highdock for the first time and being the designated jumping in the water-catcher. It was a wonderful week that ended with a date with my parents and Katelin to see The Help in the cute Edmonds Theater, get frozen yogurt and walk along the beach. I think, with this vacation under my belt, I will be able to successfully survive my very last semester at BYU.

I wanted to provide photographic evidence that Laynie and I both did some serious highdock jumping!

Ungraduation

2011-09-04T16:04:00.003+01:00

Just as the title suggests, I did some fake graduating a couple of weeks ago. BYU does not have Commencement Ceremonies in December when I am officially graduating so, I decided to walk in August with some really good friends of mine. It was a little bit of a crazy time between trying to get finals done and working, starting my internship for the fall and having my family here but it was fun! Thanks to my Dad and his awesome photography skills we have great pictures to document the fact that all of us, minus Sam who actually graduated for real, fake graduated!

He Got Her

2011-08-05T00:36:00.009+01:00

To quote my best friend Jill, who was quoting Colbie Calliat, while singing to her new husband, Mike, at their wedding reception, "He Got Her". Last weekend was full of fun and love and happiness as my best friend Jill married her Mike. They are a great couple and this event was a great excuse for all of the original Fugal girls to reunite. We were all there minus Sarah who is in Colorado on her mission. She was certainly thought about and missed! Especially at our girlie sleep over the night before the wedding- I am so thankful to have to have the friends that I do!!! It was so so fun to see everyone and to be there at the temple to see Jill and Mike emerge as a married couple!! After the temple there was a dinner at a stake center near by- catered by Cafe Rio- yum! The next day (Saturday) was the road trip to Lyman, WY for the reception. It was a great party and, with a lot of praying, we even managed to hold off the rain that wanted, so badly, to fall on us. Thanks Mike and Jill and the Hansens and the Jaggis for a wonderful weekend! Can't wait to do it all again in September for Jackson and Christina!!!

Here it is, the girlie sleep-over. We painted our finger nails and toe nails, we watched a girlie movie and talked until too late- perfect night!

This was the next day, at the temple. It was real hot outside- just to throw that out there! Just to show how small the world is, or how many people get married in Utah County, especially over the summer... While waiting for Jill and Mike's sealing to end I walked outside the temple and ran into one of my football players. He had just gotten sealed that day in the very same temple as Jill. It was fun to be able to congratulate him and even to receive a proposal from one of the coaches- He said to me, "When are you getting married?" I replied that I didn't know, upon my reply he grabbed my hand and said, "Let's go" as he walked toward the temple- pretty funny.

Here we all are, minus Sarah. I know that I have already said this but, I LOVE these girls! I am so blessed to have them in my life and I am so glad that we are all going to be friends from break-ups to babies and beyond! Just to make a public apology- Katelin, I am really sorry for stomping on your foot in my spikey heels right before this picture- I love you.

Lyman, Wyoming! A little piece of heaven! The party was beautiful with lights and paper laterns- it really was gorgeous!

Me and Kathe being good bride's maids, helping to tear down the party. I really am so thankful that I got to have such a wonderful weekend with so many wonderful people that I just love!!!

Happy Birthday America!

2011-07-07T01:55:00.003+01:00

My Fourth of July was very low key but, that was just the way I would have had it this year! Between taking a full load of classes and working, low key is definitely appreciated! I had to work a double on Saturday and the Monday morning shift but, this weekend proved to be very profitable at work. In two days at work I made right around 200 dollars- not bad if you ask me. My weekend also provided me some time to spend with Becca and her family. The Youngs had me over for dinner on Sunday and let me hang out with them for the entire evening! I love having family around and other people's family who treat me like family. Thankfully I also had a little bit of time to squeeze some fireworks into my weekend. We watched the Stadium of Fire fireworks from the grass in front of the Hinckley Center on campus and they were pretty incredible. So, my low key Fourth weekend was pretty great! Happy birthday America!

My Spokane Family

2011-06-27T06:34:00.003+01:00

I have been a pro vacationer lately. St. George last weekend and this weekend was spend in Spokane with the Dittos! I am so glad to have such wonderful family members and friends who fill my life with happiness and love and make it all worth while! To hit some highlights of this weekend- we made sweet tye-dye shirts, now that I am a pro from my St. George trip, I shared my knowledge and skills and every one's shirts turned out pretty awesome! On Saturday, I got to go out to lunch with a good friend from PA and her husband. Brandi and Ashley were out here because Ashley did the Couer De'Alene Ironman- he was pretty awesome, I know, I went and saw him race (well about 30 seconds of his race) on Sunday morning, before church. To top it all off, my dad and little sister came over on Saturday night so I got to spend some time with them which is great because Emily is running away to Ecuador to change the lives of all kinds of Ecuadorian orphans and my parents are so busy with their remodeling that I won't see them again until August when I walk at graduation. This was another great weekend, filled with family and friends and some pretty sweet memories! Thanks Dittos!! I am so glad I was able to come stay and especially glad I was able to meet new baby Maren!!

Disclaimer

2011-06-22T07:35:00.001+01:00

Reading through my last posts, I found some typos... I posted my last post with a concussion, that is what we will blame it on!

Fun in the Sun

2011-06-22T05:25:00.009+01:00

This was the weekend! I spent this weekend in sunny St. George, Utah. It was a great trip, incredibly fun! I am so thankful to have friends like Sam and Jason and I am so thankful for their families' hospitality! The trip went from Friday to Tuesday, morning, very early! There was mountain sight seeing, mountain biking, fun on the lake and a hike through Zion National Park! Amazing weekend!

So, after a sleepy drive (at least for me) we arrived in St. George. Hannah, Sam's little sister, was wearing an awesome tye-dye t-shirt so, we decided to make our own. Mine and Sam's shirts turned out pretty awesome, they will be featured later!!

This was activity number two. This train, the Poppy Trail, is practically in Jason's backyard. It was a really fun trail to ride. I was even able to manage it and I have not ridden a bike in years! As you can see, the sun was setting as we ended our ride. It was sure beautiful! St. George is beautiful and so entertaining!

This was Saturday morning's activity! We headed out, pretty early, to Sand Hollow, a reservoir not too far from St. George. The blue water looked pretty incredible next to the red rocks. I did some wakeboarding, cliff jumping and learned how to wake surf- good day if you ask me! The last picture is to illustrate exactly where I spent my time when I was not behind the boat, sprawled out in the bow, soaking up the Sand Hollow sun!

Saturday evening, after our naps, we did some sightseeing! St. George is really beautiful! I love the red rocks!! I especially love the temple against the red rocks- such a beautiful contrast! We walked around the temple and then hiked around the Sugar Loaf- that is where the view is from. I had a really great time getting to know St. George a little bit better!

Monday was the big hoorah!! We did a hike in Zion National Park. The most legitimate hike I have ever been on! It involved wet suits and harnesses and ropes, very equipment intensive! The scenery was incredible!! We hiked, rappelled, swam (through freezing cold water) and I saw some of the most amazing nature I have ever seen! I also felt more extremes, temperature wise, than I have ever felt in such a short period of time! One minute we were freezing, then then next we were sweating- quite the adventure if you ask me! Highlights- I learned how to safely tie myself in before rappelling, I now have great memories of Jason's 'toga', Sarah and I (Jason's little sister) sang Disney songs while we hiked out, I free rappelled 100 feet, and I had a brush with death (literally) but that is another story entirely!

In conclusion, this weekend way A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! Thank you so much to Sam and Jason, the Burton's and Stacey!! It was the best!

Sorry for this one, Jason. I needed to show off my completely awesome tye-dye shirt! Thanks, Hannah, for showing me how!!!

The Smartest Dad in the World

2011-06-15T17:43:00.004+01:00

Today is my Dad's birthday. Sunday is Father's Day. This week in June has always been a busy one in our family. I have been taught from a very young age that my Dad is the smartest dad in the world! This is true, he is the smartest and the nicest and the most loving dad in the whole wide world. I am so thankful to have a father like I do. There have been so many times that my dad has come to my rescue and seen me through a number of difficult times. I love Love LOVE my dad and am so glad he is mine, forever.

Practice Makes Perfect... Eventually

2011-06-13T22:13:00.006+01:00

SO! This weekend I am headed to southern Utah with my friends Jason and Sam (pictured above). Sam and I are in the athletic training program together. Thanks to the BYU football team last fall, we became really good friends! I am really thankful to have friends like these two. On Thursday we decided that in preparation for our trip we needed to go rock climbing. We hiked it up Rock Canyon and did some climbing. Not only was it active and fun but peaceful and good to feel like we got away from Provo for a minute!

It was an incredibly beautiful day! I am so glad that I have such beautiful surroundings to enjoy! I recently discovered the Bonneville Shoreline Trail up in the Provo Canyon and I love Love LOVE running on it! There is just something about being outside in the summer time that calls to me- I just can't resist!!

So this is the pre-climb picture. I was excited!

Here is a during climb picture. Climbing shots are not very good for the bum... Sorry.

Here is the top! I made it all the way! Higher than Marc, not that that really matters.

And, what goes up, must come down! Thanks to Jason for belaying me safely to the ground!

I got a little bit of practice belaying myself. I belayed for Jason which was not exactly the best idea...

This is how we handled the situation. Sam and I were tied in together... just in case! Thanks, Jason and Sam for a great night even if I should have been studying for finals!! I am so looking forward to this weekend!

21 and 363/365ths

2011-05-17T04:58:00.008+01:00

It doesn't get much closer than that!! Two days before my twenty second birthday, my incredible older sister drove all the way to Salt Lake with her family, brought me a delicious dinner and helped me ring in my twenty second year! It was a beautiful day (a little windy but other than that...) and so fun to spend an afternoon with the Young's!

These are my birthday cupcakes! Carrot cake, of course! Becca took all my requests for what we had to eat so we ate macaroni salad, wraps, cantaloupe and carrot cake cupcakes! It was the best birthday meal a girl could ask for!!

So, we spent our eating time at Ensign Park up above the State Capitol in Salt Lake City. It was beautiful! The wind was blowing kind of hard, that made blowing out my candles a little easier, but other than that, the day was beautiful! We played at the park for a while and even made friends with a dog named River! Clay got me a bag of Reese's Cups- one of my favorite treats! I also received a pack of Trident Tropical Splash gum- my favorite flavor and, my incredibly talented sister Becca made me the coolest headband! She knitted a super cute bow and put it on a headband, I can't wait to wear it around! It will go especially well with my Brick Oven Apron!

Not that this picture is especially flattering but, I wanted

to show off Becca's awesome bow making skills!

After our meal at the park we headed to Temple Square! The grounds were incredible! Becca and I decided that the temple grounds were like our own private tulip festival! It really was beautiful! We decided that we probably got there right in time as the tulips will most likely be removed in the next little while. The ground's crew must have known I was coming for my birthday and that tulips were on of my favorite flowers- it was nice of them to keep them there for me!

This may be my favorite picture of the day! I just love this little family! I love that Becca wanted to make my birthday special! I love that Jake can tell me the name of any plant or tree anywhere! I love that Clay can tell me about any animal in the whole wide world! And, when he tells me stories, he uses phrases like 'vast plains' and talks about places I have never even heard of! I love Ella's attachment to her baby and the great care she gives to her- she is a pretty good momma! I am so blessed to people like these in my family! Thank you guys, so much, for helping me to have a great, almost birthday! I love you!!

Dear Mom

2011-05-08T19:48:00.004+01:00

You are the most beautiful woman I know. I admire your strength, your determination, your spirituality, your ability to love and so much more. I am so glad that I am blessed to be your daughter. I am so thankful for your example. I am thankful for your patience on my behalf. I am thankful that we love each other and enjoy talking, laughing and being in one another's company. I am so thankful for all the wonderful memories we have together! Trips to London, driving too fast through Wyoming because it is ugly and we needed a restroom, and over coming seemingly impossible trials, together. I look forward to all the wonderful memories to come. I also look forward to the many, many things I know you have yet to teach me.

I love you, a lot. Happy Mother's Day!

Weekend Wonderland

2011-04-25T17:51:00.003+01:00

The opportunity presented itself to me to get away to Washington for the between semester break and, even though it involved fourteen hours in the car, I took it- happily! Sometimes, it is necessary to get away from the places that you associate with stress. Provo, from the beginning of my days at BYU has always been associated with some degree of stress. Washington, on the other hand, I don't think I have ever felt stressed here. This weekend was no exception. Lounging around, walks on the beach, running trails, hanging with the fam- stress free weekend. I loved every minute of it and my only regret leaving is that I am not spending more time here.

As you can see, beautiful weather, beautiful family faces and a pretty talented photographer make for some pretty awesome pictures (Dad, those are in no particular order, I just want you to know). I will definitely be missing playing on the beach with some of my favorite kids next week when I am back in class.... Actually, tomorrow, my first spring class is tomorrow. Oh school, you did not give me quite enough time to miss you.

Things You Probably Didn't Want to Know

2011-04-17T17:32:00.003+01:00

My life lately has consisted of studying, studying and more studying! Oh, the life of a college student! The end of the semester has got to be one of my favorite times and least favorite times all at the same time! I thought, just for fun, I would share some things that I know that you probably don't want to know- here it goes!

1. T.S Elliot's the Hollow Man draws from four sources, The Gunpowder Plot, Heart of Darkness, Julius Ceasar and Dante's Inferno.

2. Joseph Smith spent the night of June 23, 1844 on an island in the river in front of Nauvoo.

3. When dealing with a suspected elbow injury you should check both radial and ulnar pulses and the capillary refill of the nail beds.

4. Mode of exercise, frequency, duration and intensity are the

variables that are controlled when writing an exercise program for an individual.

5. Licensure provides more strict guidelines than certification for athletic trainers.

There you go- in case you were wondering, these are the kind of things that I have floating around my head at this very moment which is bad because it is Sunday and I should have my Sunday school lesson floating around my head! On a more interesting note, I visited this week with my academic advisor. Mr. Ferris Child and I planned out my graduation and it is really going to happen! I am set to walk in August and officially graduate in December of 2011. Pretty exciting! I guess all this studying really has done something for

me... maybe...

Graduation will look something like this except I will be a little bit older, I think we wear blue and, unfortunately, there will be less of Jess Raliegh but, thankfully, there will be good friends!!!

Blogging.... For All the Wrong Reasons

2011-04-08T19:38:00.006+01:00

So, recently I have been pretty good about finding something to blog about each week. It is not that I have not had anything to blog about in the past couple of weeks but I have not made the time and now, when I should most definitely be doing other things, like preparing for finals, I have decided to make the time... good decision, probably not. The last couple of weeks have been pretty busy so I will go over the just the highlights!

In the last little while I have reconnected with an old friend from my Brick Oven days. This friend of mine happens to work at Sundance and can get his friends into the resort for free. A couple of Fridays ago it snowed like crazy and we decided it was a perfect day to go boarding! The powder was AMAZING and we got first tracks all day long because our tracks kept getting covered up- it was kind of like magic! The next day there was still new snow and it was sunny so, we decided to go boarding again- it is a charmed life I lead! This picture from a previous snowboarding experience, Brad and I did not take any pictures, unfortunately, but

this one was taken at Sundance so I figured it would be an acceptable visual aid!

This is a car stereo, for those of you who might be confused. For the last long while, the radio in my car has not been the most reliable radio in the world. I think if there were a competition for the most reliable radio in the world, mine would not even be in the running. Not only does my friend Brad get sweet Sundance hook-ups, he also has pretty great car-fixing skills. Brad installed a new stereo in my car that even has a USB plug so my iPod doesn't just play through my stereo, it charges while it plays through my stereo. Pretty sweet if you ask me! Brad is also the reason that I now know how to change the oil in my car. I will be honest, I never imagined that I would ever lay on my back under a car and actually do things to help the car but, days ago, I did just that. Go ahead, call me a mechanic!

This picture is also a throw-back. It was taken at the end of fall semester 2008, right before I left to spend a semester in London, the greatest city in the world!!! Although I love the girls in this picture, that is not what this section of my post is about. It is more about the sign. Brigham Young University has been a big part of my life for the last four years but will not be in it much longer. I graduate in December and then will venture out into the world to make a name for myself. What that name will be, I am still not entirely sure. Unfortunately, before December comes I need to survive the rest of this semester. With a large amount papers and finals coming up and a very small amount of motivation, this could be one difficult task. Cross your fingers for me would ya?!?

To end, I wanted to hit a happier note! All of the people in this picture, minus baby Zoey, were here, in Utah, last weekend! It was so much fun to have everyone around even though it was a little crazy at times! I love Love LOVE my family and I am so thankful they can be mine forever! I am thankful to have bright spots like them in my life when other things (like finals) look like rolling black clouds on my horizon!!

Logan Lessons Learned

2011-03-20T23:58:00.005Z

I spent my weekend in Logan this weekend and I loved it! My sister Becca and her family live in Millville which, I learned this weekend, is where country living happens at its finest. I am not exactly sure by what standard this is measured but, they put it on their sign so it has got to be true.
Here it is, country living at its finest! This is not the only thing that I learned this weekend. Some other important lessons I learned this weekend include...

1. Orca Whales are actually the largest member of the Dolphin family.

2. Kangaroos stand on their tails when they fight.

3. My sister Becca makes the coolest hats

in the world!!

4. Tangled is just about the cutest movie I have ever seen!!

5. Jake is Jimmer's biggest fan... ok maybe not.

So I spent Friday and Saturday in Logan and loved it! I learned more about sea creatures than I have ever learned before thanks to the fact that Clay is a walking encyclopedia. I got to shower with sea creature toys in the shower with me- that was new and exciting. I saw pretty much the whole of Cache Valley as we drove to Lewiston to see Tangled and found out it was sold out so then we had to drive back home. As a souvenir, my sister Becca made me the coolest hat ever and I love it!!

This is my amazing hat! It is so cool! I told some friends that my sister made it and they didn't even believe me because it is that cool! I am a lucky girl to have such a talented sister and, not to mention, such a cute niece!

Here we are, about to watch Tangled! We tried two different theaters on Friday night and they were both sold out so we had to go to the Saturday mantinee instead. Even for a twelve o clock showing of Tangled, on a Saturday, it was practically sold out! I know why though, it was so so so good! I really feel almost silly that I loved it as much as I did but I loved it!!!

In summary, I think the most important lesson I learned this weekend was that spending the weekend in Logan is always a good idea!!! Thanks so much to my big seester Becca for putting me up for the weekend!!! I sure do love my Cache Valley fam!

All Good Things Come to an End

2011-03-13T17:23:00.003Z

Not to rag on BYU basketball or anything- Jimmer is amazing, anyone who can score 52 points in one game deserves some praise- but, it is BYU football that will always hold a special place in my heart. I might even like Bronco more than I like Jimmer... Don't tell Jimmer! This last Wednesday my sojourn with the BYU football team came to an end, a real end, a real, sad end. I know the season ended in December but we always had the end of the year banquet to look forward to. Now the banquet has come and passed and I am out of things to look forward with my football family. I am a little sad about it. I am sure glad that I had the opportunity though.

The banquet was a fun night! We got to get all dressed up, eat a fancy dinner and be together. I sat at a table surrounded by my athletic training crew and I loved every minute of it! Coach Mendenhall made a stop at our table and joked about how Kevin (our head athletic trainer) probably could not keep our table under control if he wanted to, it was funny! There were even butterballs for our rolls which, of course, made my night complete. (That is a TCU trip inside joke- Kevin called me butterball for about a week, thankfully, it did not stick!)

I love my program! I love the opportunity it affords me to make new friends, associate with athletes and get to be in the same room as people like Andy Reid and Chad Lewis. I lead a sweet life and I am thankful for it! I am also thankful to have gotten to know and work so closely with my football family! I love you guys!!!

Maybe we were not the most coordinated group all the time but we sure did have fun!

Thankful

2011-03-07T00:40:00.004Z

As I was contemplating what to write about on my blog for this week, I was struggling just a little. Then it hit me! Today in Relief Society we had one of those lessons on marriage and families which, get a little old in single's wards but, this one was pretty good! This lesson got me thinking about my family. I love my family! I am so incredibly blessed in that area of my life! I have incredible parents who are strong in the gospel and loving even when I probably don't deserve it. I have a handful of siblings who have all been on missions and married in the temple and are doing their best to raise righteous families (Em, I know this does not include you just yet but I am certain that it will one day!). I have felt for some time now that I get little glimpses of what Heaven is going to be like when I am surrounded by my, incredible family!

My family is incredible- exciting, but incredible!!

State Champs!

2011-02-27T17:11:00.003Z

My clinical assignment this semester is with Springville High School. I love love love working with the high school athletes and all the things that I get to do while I am there! This week was particularly exciting because my girl's basketball team won their second state championship in two years- that's right, back to back state titles! They are pretty amazing!! I felt pretty cool to just be a little part of it all!

This was our most exciting injury of the tournament. In a physical game with Skyview (a high school in Logan) our player took an elbow to the eye and did some good bleeding. Faces bleed a lot when insulted and hers was no exception. We managed to fix her up enough to play the rest of the game but further attention was needed after the game was over. In our game of 'guess how many stitches' I was only one off- felt pretty good about that one! Congrats Lady Devils! You girls definitely deserved this one!

Weddings, I Love Weddings!

2011-02-25T04:02:00.004Z

Ok! For those of you who did not get my Pirates of the Caribbean reference, I apologize but, due to recent events, it was completely warranted! This weekend was my cousin Kelsey's wedding. To be honest, unlike Jack Sparrow, I do not love weddings. This one though, was exceptionally enjoyable. The sealing happened at the Salt Lake Temple with a luncheon that followed. There was a little bit of inclement weather but, other than that, things went rather smoothly. We did have a bit of a wait between the sealing and the luncheon but we passed the time catching up with family and... bonding.

This is a picture of me and Katalyn. We are doing some serious

bonding in the Joseph Smith Building during our sealing/luncheon layover.

The luncheon was lovely and yummy and after it we were able to head home for about a second. To be honest, I was feeling quite awful (health wise that is) so I used my second at home to get into my sweats and lay in my bed. This experience did not last half as long as I needed it to and then it was back to work, at the reception! The reception was lovely also and it gave me an excuse to see some friends that I had not seen in a while which was so fun!!! So, I guess what I am trying to say is, thank you Kelsey and Trevor for getting married and allowing me to have a crazy weekend filled with family and friends because that is the best kind of weekend there is!

Here are some friends that I haven't seen in a while and I don't see enough! Sure do love these girls!!!

Feeling the Love

2011-02-14T20:06:00.004Z

I took up new residence this semester with my brother and my sister in law. We live in our other brother's house in Springville while he is away at basic training for the Air Force. I have to give a shout-out to Casey and Katalyn. They are so good to me! They make me feel so loved! They make me dinner, they pull my car into the garage on cold nights- what more could a girl ask for!?! Well, today on Valentine's Day, they pulled out all the stops. We have a tradition in our family. Our Mom always makes giant sugar cookies on Valentine's Day with our names on them and lots of X's and O's. The cookies are always waiting for us when we wake up in the morning. Today, when I came home from school there was a cookie waiting for me. It was made with love by my wonderful brother and sister and I am sure Owen had a hand in there somewhere :) Thanks so much guys! Happy Valentine's Day everyone- I hope you all feel loved today too!

Cheeri-O

2011-02-13T01:27:00.003Z

I do believe that is the nickname by which I will refer to my newest little nephew. I am still trying it on for size (the nickname that is), I will keep you posted! I can't say enough about how much I love this little guy and I have only known him for a couple of days. For those of you who don't know, he came on February 9th. Little Owen (that is his real name) was 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 21 inches long. He is just a happy kid and so fun to snuggle with! I am so glad that he is here and that he and Katalyn are doing great! I am also glad that I get to live with the kid for the next couple of months and will get to spend lots of time snuggling with him. Snuggling with Owen is quickly becoming one of my favorite activities. So! Welcome to the world Owen Rodger, we are all so happy to have you!

I know all of you can tell from the pictures but I will take this opportunity to say- Owen has got to be one of the cutest babies I have ever met! Just sayin'!

From Break-Ups to Babies

2011-02-06T18:45:00.003Z

It being Sunday and all I feel totally justified in talking about a major blessing in my life! In the fall of 2007 I was randomly paired with five INCREDIBLE girls who wound up being my roommates for the next three(ish) years. There is Jill, Katelin, Sarah, Katie and Christina. We are no longer all roommates and at very different places in our lives. Katie is married. Christina is working a grown up job in Texas (way too far away if you ask me). Sarah is on a mission in Denver, Colorado. Jill and Katelin are both about to graduate and move to who knows where to do who knows what. Then there is me, on board with school until December of 2011 and then out to do... well I don't know what but, it is going to be good! The title of this post in the motto of our friendship. From break-ups to babies, that is how long we all plan on being friends. So, pretty much forever! Last year, in March, we all went out to dinner at this place called Wallaby's and we got to put our hand prints on their wall and sign our names. Yesterday, Jill and Katelin and I went back to Wallaby's and reminisced about being there just a year ago and all the things that have changed between then and now. It has been a ride, that is for sure. It is far from over, that is also for sure. I am so thankful for the five best friends a girl could ever ask for, that is definitely for sure!

Oh, the Life of a Has-Been

2011-01-23T17:27:00.003Z

Thanks to a good friend of mine I got to play field hockey yesterday for about an hour. Yes, I am sore from just an hour of hitting around (I am getting so old) and yes, I still miss playing just about every day of my life!

A Change of... Style

2011-01-22T21:06:00.004Z

Just a little visual teaser to keep you reading!!

So! I have come to the conclusion that I would like to start posting on my blog again. I think it is a fun thing to do and I recently (today) overhauled my blog and I think it is a lot cuter now so who wouldn't want to look at it right?!? (If you have a mean answer to that question, I would rather not hear it!) Anyway! For my first post back I figure I will try and update on the last semester of my life. Last semester was a good one! A BUSY one but a good one! I worked with the BYU football team through my program and spent approximately 40 hours a week with them while still managing to pull a 3.9 GPA out of somewhere... don't ask where, I don't know. There were adventures to be had that is for sure. Some of the highlights. I traveled with the team to USU, TCU, U of U and Albuquerque. I also attended all the home football games. I got to know the guys on the team and the coaches but even more importantly I got to be great friends with the other athletic training students that were also working football. We kind of became a family and now that it is all over I miss them dearly! Words are boring so I will get straight to the good part, the PICTURES!!!!

This was taken before the game in Salt Lake against the U. For those of you who know- this was a sad day.

This was taken the same day and I think it is kind of funny. My friend Sam says it was like we were all looking at the person to our right to know when to jump.

This one is from The New Mexico Bowl. If you ever have to chance to get to Albuquerque- think it over or at least don't go in December- Trust me.

Welcome to the World Zoey Jane!

2010-11-13T18:21:00.004Z

So! I figured that the birth of a new, beautiful niece was cause enough to post on my blog. I have been more than a slacker in the blog department, that is for sure!!! I feel obligated to share these pictures of little Zoey Jane due to the intense cuteness factor! She is tiny, 6 pounds, 2 ounces and has a mess of dark hair which the nurses combed lovingly into a faux-hawk. She wears it well!!! Mother and baby are doing well!! Dad is enamored with his little girl and Casey and Katalyn got some good practice today! Here she is....

Primary Shout-out!

2009-04-18T23:50:00.004+01:00

I was blessed with the opportunity to attend church at the Catford Ward of the Wandsworth Stake in Blackheath, England while I was in London. I was hesitant at first to attend a ward where I knew absolutely no one and had to take a 20 minute overground train ride to get there- I was intimidated. To my surprise, I fell in love with everyone in Catford. I especially fell in love with the children in Primary. I was called into the Primary before I even attended the ward and was asked to play the piano and do singing time. This was hard at first but I eventually got into the swing of things and fell in love with that too! It was so fulfilling to hear the kids sing songs that I had taught them. I just loved them! It was espeicially fun for me to take my family to church and to have them meet all of the members there whho I have come to know and love. I was blessed to have associations with wonderful children, failthful people and an espeically wonderful bishop and his wife Nicole. I won't lie, church was one of my favorite parts of London!

A little collage of the Priamary kids!

The Catford crew on the way home from chruch.

The BYU girls with Jenny's mom, President Pemberton and Br. Chittock

The Priamary organization of the Catford Ward. Nicole (far right) is the President and we were there to do whatever she needed us to do.

Two of my favorite kids- Malachi (left) and Amaddi (right). I just love them!

The silly group shot. Don't let this picture fool you, it was taken on Easter and there were a lot more kids at church than normal.

A little less silly group picture...

Me and Esther... so cute!

MALACHI!!!!

Bishop Newton-Williams and his wife Nicole and their new baby Nannette Louella! I could not have asked for a more supportive bishop and wife to work with- I just love them!!!

Family Lovin' in England

2009-04-16T13:42:00.003+01:00

I got to share my last week in London with my parents and my little sister! I have come to love this city so much and was so happy with the opportunity that I had to share all the things I love with some people that I love very much! Of course, with dad in London we now have some pretty sweet pictures so I thought I would share some Pickett Family London pictures with all of you!

Emily looking a little seductive almost in the phone booth...Sweet shot Dad took of London from the London Eye!

All the Pickett girls in Holland Park (well the ones whose last names are still Pickett.)

Me and Em on the escalator riding down to the tube!

St. Paul's at night from the Millennium Bridge!

Hever... In Pictures

2009-04-14T23:14:00.003+01:00

My desire to type a lot about Hever and Chartwell and Knoll is not very intense so I think I will just share the pictures that we took at Hever because that is really all I have got!

This picture describes exactly how I felt at the end of our trip on Wednesday and am still feeling... I don't get enough sleep here, there is just too much to do all the time! It was a good trip though, really it was!

The Last of Paris... I Promise!!!

2009-04-13T08:31:00.005+01:00

So by the last day in Paris we were all pretty dead... Maddie likes to say that Paris killed us but we died happy- it is so true! With this being the case, we took it a little easier our last day in the city of lights. First we went to a big cemetery where a number of famous people are buried. Next we went to the Orangerie and after our group split up and my group went to try and climb the tower at Notre Dame but the line was too long so we went to the Luxembourg Gardens to soak up a little bit more Parisian sun before we headed back to London.This is Maddie at Chopin's grave

Me checking out Monet's Water Lilies at the Orangerie- they took my breathe away, it is so cool to see paintings in person that you have seen in books all you life.Au Revior Paris!

Take 3!

2009-04-12T16:53:00.007+01:00

So day three was a little more chill than days one and two. We went to Versailles for the first half of the day and then hit up the Rodin museum upon getting back to the city. After the museum we found a cute side walk cafe to have dinner at that was in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and after dinner we camped out in front of the tower and talked and laughed until the light show and after the lights we headed back to the Ibis Hotel to fall into bed.Me and Maddie outside the PalaceThe Hall of Mirrors where the treaty of Versailles was signed that ended the First World WarA group of us outside the back of the Palace as we were making our way into the gardensBoats were 11 Euro a boat and split between four people that was not bad at all. The sun came out as we were rowing, it was perfect although, I am not a very good rower- Just ask Melissa or Maddie, they made fun of me the whole time!We discovered I was better at sleeping in the back of the boat than rowing so I stuck to my guns in this situation...

This is the thinker...We wanted to think too...This is what the Rodin looks like... cool museum huh?

This is a check on Maddie's life dream list- she wanted to drink hot chocolate at a side walk cafe in Paris with the Eiffel Tower in view- CHECK!

Me and Maddie just checking out the Eiffel Tower. This was right after I sat in bird poop, just thought I would throw that out there.Oh la la!

Paris Part 2!

2009-04-08T07:21:00.010+01:00

Day two in Paris started early. I got up so I could go running and then be ready for breakfast by 7:30 so, for those of you who might have thought this was a vacation- not quite :) Our second day was occupied by climbing the Eiffel Tower, seeing the Catacombs, sitting in Luxembourg Gardens, visiting the Pantheon, meeting Mona Lisa, walking through the Tuillerie Gardens and down the Champs Elysee and ended with the light show at the Eiffel Tower. It was jam packed and a little bit tiring but so fun!!!

A look at Paris from above 1000 feet!

Melissa and me at the top of the tower- getting to the top was a little rough for me, the elevator made me a little nervous but once we got up there I was fine!This was taken down in the Catacombs- might be the creepiest place I have ever been but I just loved it! I am such an anatomy nerd!! I loved seeing all the different bones and telling the girls I was with which bones were which bones and what the different parts were called- I had a blast. Over one million Parisians have their bones in the Catacombs due to the fact that the cemeteries were all cleared out to make way for development in Paris while the city was still... developing...

So we were a little bit tuckered out and on our way to the Pantheon we saw these beautiful gardens and decided it would be a good idea to take a little break. After a half an hour nap in the sun we were all ready to go again!!!!

There was a protest on the street leading up to the Pantheon- kind of different, kind of exciting.The Pantheon was really cool! We got to see a lot of famous people who are buried in the crypt like Victor Hugo, Louis Braille and Marie Curie- just to name a few.

We headed off to the Louvre after the Catacombs and I have never been to a larger museum in my life!! We were inside the museum for multiple hours and I think I saw about 1/32 of the collection that is housed there. We saw the Mona Lisa, of course, and this statue is the Venus de Milo- pretty cool!I just had to put this picture up because it is so CooL! I also have to give a shout-out to my friend Kiely who was the expert photographer!!

We walked through the gardens in front of the Louvre en route to...THIS! The Arc de Triumph via the Champs Elysee!

This day ended with crepes and the Eiffel Tower light show... again! It was a crazy day but so good!

Big Ben's Dark Night

2009-04-06T00:13:00.005+01:00

So with the G 20 Summit that just happened here in London there were a lot of groups wanting to get their messages out there for the people to hear or in this case, for the people to see. Earth hour happened last Saturday and the lights in 3,200 cities landmarks went out in order to conserve energy and fight against global warming. A couple of girls and I thought it would be cool to be there to watch as they turned off Big Ben- we were right, it was cool. The funniest thing was when this guy walking by us asked if we would like him to take a picture. We said yes and he said to us as he was taking the picture- "Sorry, it really is prettier when the lights are on." We just laughed with each other since we were there to see it with the lights off...Lights on...Lights off and in black and white...Us in front of dark Big Ben... Sepia Style!

Displaying Our Talents

2009-04-06T00:09:00.003+01:00

I bet you didn't know that there are girls here at the London Centre who can play the harp, rap, make dance routines, rewrite lyrics to songs and do many other incredible things. Truthfully, I did not know these things either until we had our talent show last week. It was fun to get together and show each other what we do best!Abbey and I signed a couple of songs for everyone- it was fun!!

Paris... Part 1

2009-04-04T23:38:00.015+01:00

I made the executive decision to blog about Paris in parts because it would just be too much if I tried to tackle it all at once and since I am the executive of this blog I feel entitled to that decision :) I have to start off by saying that Paris was a blast! I do not think I could call it my favorite city but... It is Paris and that is reason enough to have a good time there.

We left super early Wednesday morning and took the Eurostar under the Channel and in a couple of hours we were in Paris. We took a little bit of time to get to our hotel and get settled in but after that it was into the city for the girls of the London Centre and we took Paris by storm.

Wednesday was jam packed for me and the group that I was with. Our first stop was the Musee d' Orsay. This museum was converted from a train station into a museum so the building was really cool. The art in the building was pretty cool too. I discovered in Paris that I love impressionism. There was a whole room in this museum was nothing but van Gogh in it and I love van Gogh. I also really enjoy Monet and there was an entire room dedicated to him as well so I was as happy as a kid in a candy shop, before coming to London and Paris I was not aware that art could make me that happy- thanks Europe for teaching me that important fact about myself!This is what a museum in a train station looks like, it was pretty cool.This was my favorite Monet painting.This was my favorite van Gogh painting... I love van Gogh!

Ok! After the museum we decided to walk in the general direction of the Eiffel Tower. It was a good walk, we saw some of Paris and eventually made it to the tower. We took some pictures there and then headed of to Saint Chappele. Here are a couple Eiffel Tower pictures. What did you expect, we were American tourists in Paris, of course we needed pictures with the Eiffel Tower!Capturing one of the earliest sightings.Me and the Eiffel Tower!

From the Eiffel Tower we headed to the Saint Chappele. This is hands down, the most beautiful church I have ever seen. The windows were stained glass from bottom to top and I gave an audible gasp upon entering the room where the windows were- I could hardly comprehend what was in front of my eyes. Me talking about it does it know justice so I will put of the pictures and you can look for yourselves. Keep in mind though that pictures that I take, don't do things the justice that they deserve.I let out an audible "wow" when I saw this at the top of the stairs...Me and Melissa in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

After having my breathe taken away by Saint Chappelle we headed across the street to Notre Dame. Notre Dame was pretty amazing to see. I mean, it's not like I haven't seen it before in the Hunchback movie but it was even better in person :) I didn't get to see Quasimodo though unfortunately...It was pretty amazing to see this live and in the fleshI thought this kind of looked like a post card picture minus the lady in it...

Yea we just kept going after this stop. The next thing we did was hike up the hill to the Socre Cruer which is a big church on top of a big hill. The church was cool but the view from the top was cooler, here it is!

After the Socre Cruer someone in our group decided that it would be fun to go and see the Moulin Rouge... this was not the best decision because it was pretty sketchy but we got our pictures and got out of though so it all worked out.Hiliary and I are trying to show our disapproval...

So after walking down Sketch Street we decided it would be a good idea to watch the sun set from the top of the Arch de Triumph. This idea proved to be much better than the last one- it was beautiful. The sprint up the stairs to make sure we didn't miss the sun set was a bit of a challenge but nothing we couldn't handle! I loved the views and the sunset and the fact that I was in Paris!!!A Parisian Sunset!This is me and the Eiffel Tower... no big deal :)

We ended this day the best way we knew how. Crepes and the Eiffel Tower light show. There is a light show at the Eiffel Tower ever night on the hour every hour until 1 am- it is the most beautiful and captivating thing I have ever seen. I could watch this show every night for the rest of my life and not get sick of it, I loved it!!!!Not quite as good in the pictures but... it is BEAUTIFUL in real life, I promise!

"I want to go to Brighton Daddy!"

2009-03-26T08:19:00.005Z

For those of you who have seen/read anything by Jane Austen you will know that Brighton is "where the husbands are to be found." This is why, of course, Kitty who is the speaker of the title of my blog wants to go there so badly. I had different reasons for wanting to go to Brighton yesterday and, I will have you all know, there were no husbands to be found.

We actually made two stops before we got to Brighton. Our first stop was at a castle called Bodiam Castle. Unlike some of the other castles we have seen, Bodiam was exactly what you see in your head when you picture a castle. The building was practically square with towers at each on of the corners and the best part was that it was set on a large, deep MoAT which, I decided, is definitely going to be a feature of my future home- I just want a moat, is that too much to ask for :) We explored the castle for a while and then it was back on the bus, heading off to Battle.This doorway was just my size.

Battle was our next stop and was the site of the Battle of Hastings which occurred in 1066 and was where William the Conqueror beat Harold, the previous kind of England and became the new King of England. We mostly just wandered around and looked at the battle field and also the ruins of Battle Abbey. There was a little bit of excitement when we reenacted the Battle of Hastings and when we found a bobsledding course outside of the Abbey- all in all, it was a pretty sweet stop.Me and Melissa in front of the battle fieldThis is us bobsledding in a five man sled...

After our bobsledding Battle adventure we headed off to Brighton. Brighton is on the southern coast by the sea and has been used as a get-a-way town in England for centuries. The first stop we made there was at the Royal Pavilion which was King George IV's seaside home. The Pavilion started its life as a farmhouse and then as George gained money and power was turned into and ornate palace fit for the King of England. Unfortunately there was no photography allowed in the Pavilion so you will just have to take my word for it when I say that it was pretty amazing!!!

Upon finishing at the Pavilion we were given the rest of the time in Brighton to simply explore. Most of us saw the pier with the rides and decided that is where we wanted to spend our time. It was so fun to feel like we were at the BEACH for the afternoon. We walked around the pier, took pictures and watched some of our brave friends ride a ride that took them way high over the water and spun them around- not exactly my idea of fun. It was a nice day and I got to see the ocean and that is my idea of fun! Thanks Brighton for providing us with such a great get-a-way even if there weren't any husbands found!The view of Brighton from the PierMe and Maddie just getting ready for summer

NoRthEN EnglAnD!

2009-03-22T21:23:00.010Z

Some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen came into view during our five day trip to the north that spanned from last Tuesday to Saturday (yesterday). It was a long trip but there was so much to see and the Professors planned a full schedule for us and kept us extremely busy! Relaying the entire trip would take far to much work on my part and would be far to boring for all of you so I will just hit the highlights and show the pictures!!

I saw Bronte country on Tuesday and, appropriately enough we watched Jane Erye on the bus that day. I liked Bronte country and the movie much more than I thought I would.This is a shot of the Bronte's home which is located by the church in the village of Hayworth where their father was the Parson. It all had a little bit of creepy feel to it- definitely not somewhere I would want to go in the dark but very cool!

Another highlight from Tuesday was getting put in the stalks at Bolton Castle- it wasn't as bad as you might think :)I couldn't go without throwing in a picture of the countryside- it was AMAZING! The landscape actually reminded me very much of Pennsylvania and I loved that about it!

Ok so that was Tuesday in a nut shell and I have a total of one picture from Wednesday due to the fact that I spent most of the day in bed (in a hostile, if you can call that bed...) because I had a pretty intense fever. I did get to kind of enjoy Fountains Abbey in the morning which is a large garden that has the ruins of an incredibly large abbey within its boundaries. We walked around the gardens and saw the water gardens and the ruins and I tried really hard not to pass out! Here is my one picture from Wednesday...
Thursday was a little bit less rough which was much appreciated!!! We traveled to the town of Durham in the morning where we saw Durham Cathedral and I climbed to the top of the tower- 325 steps- so I could see the view and this is how it looked!

After Durham we went to Chester's Fort which is the location of some of the ruins of the ancient Roman division between Scotland and England, Hadrian's Wall. It is no longer the actual border but it was fun to see it anyway!!This is just a couple of us walking on Hadrian's Wall- no big deal :)

After Hadrian's Wall we drove to Ambleside which is located in the heart of England's Lake District. If you have the opportunity to go to the Lake District before you die, take it! This was so beautiful! I loved looking out the window as we drove around the Lake District and just seeing what there was to see- it was AMAZING! Our hostile was right on the water and the window in my room look right over lake Windemere to the mountains beyond- talk about beautiful! If you don't believe me, see for you self!
Friday was another day of struggle for me. I had a fever all day so that accounts for the fact that I have absolutely zero pictures from this day of our trip- I apologize!

Saturday was a good day. We drove from Ambleside to Preston and while in Preston we got a tour of the church's historical sites. Preston was the first place that missionaries preached when they came to England and it is also one of the cities that President Hinckely served in while in England on his mission. It was cool to see the sights and to learn the history of the church in England! My favorite part of the day was our last stop. We stopped at the Preston, England Temple and got to explore the grounds a little bit. It is pretty cool that no matter what temple you go to, they all have that wonderful spirit about them. Even in a foreign country being at the temple felt like coming home. As we were waking around the grounds my friend Maddie said enthusiastically, "I'm getting married in the temple!!" It was nice to hear her say that and then to know that I also am going to get married in the temple, I made the decision long ago to settle for nothing less!

Henry the VIII and Tennis

2009-03-12T11:52:00.010Z

This Wednesday we stayed fairly close to London but saw some pretty cool sights!!! Our first stop was Hampton Court Palace which is where Henry the VII lived and married his sixth wife. The palace was really beautiful! The best part was as we walked in, this lady asked me and Melissa and Maddie and Janna, "Would you like to wear a robe today as you tour the Palace?" Being the kind of girls that we are, we answered yes without a second of hesitation. We looked pretty stupid but it was fun. The palace was complete with characters dressed like Henry the VIII, Lady Katherine Parr and other assorted figures from the time period. It was a different kind of palace experience but a good one!

This is what happens when we have to wait too long to go inside- yea, we are holding up Dr. Crisler...So these are the robes we wore around pretty much the whole time we were in the Palace. It kind of made me feel like I was in Harry Potter, sometimes I wish I were a wizard :)This was in the gardens, Melissa become very attached to her robe...This view is from the outskirts of the gardens looking back at the Palace.On the way out we ran into King Henry himself and his brother in law, Sir Thomas Grey (brother of Lady Jane Grey who was Henry's 4th wife I think)

Ok! So after Hampton Court we boarded the coach and headed to the town of Wimbledon which is home to one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world! The town of Wimbledon is a small, quaint, English town but near to the heart of it is the All England Lawn and Tennis Club which hosts The Championships at Wimbledon each year for about two weeks in the summer. So we got an extensive tour of the whole facility and it was so cool! We didn't get to see centre court unfortunately because they are building a new retractable roof on top of that one so there can be live tennis going on at all times throughout the whole tournament (this is sometimes a struggle at Wimbledon die to the weather). That was a bummer but we got to see so much besides that. We went to the top of Henman's Hill where fans sit and watch the over sized screen that is attached to the walls of court number one. We got to see the BBC broadcasting room and the press conference room. I sat in the same chairs as the players do when they sit for their press conferences- yea my bum and Andy Roddick's bum in the same chair. We finished our tour on court number 1. I learned that the courts are ripped up and reseeded at the end of each season. I also learned that no one ever plays on centre court or court number 1 except during the tournament. It was such a cool experience! We finished off our time there at the tennis museum learning all about the game through the ages. The museum was complete with a hologram of John McEnroe whom, I might add, is the only player to not be offered an honorary membership to the club upon winning Wimbledon on account of his horrible manners. Mr. McEnroe now has an excellent relationship with the club but it has also been a long time since he spoke to any officials there with his charming Manhattan phrasery (that's definitely not a word). It was another great Wednesday today- only four more left in my London experience, time is kind of flying by!

Welcome to Wimbledon!!

That is Centre Court behind us which we did not get to see.Me and Maddie and Court 18. The grass is perfect on each of the 19 courtsMaddie, Hilary and Me checking out court number 1.Just attending a mandatory post-match press conference. Players can get fined up to 20,000 dollars for not showing up.Stoked for Wimbledon '09!

Spring is Coming!

2009-03-12T11:48:00.003Z

For those of you still experiencing snow and cold I thought I would share some London spring with you! I know I am nice, you don't have to tell me :) These little flowers are starting to pop up all over London. I found these particular flowers in St. James' Park and I just had to document them! Enjoy!

A Weekend Get-a-Way

2009-03-08T17:35:00.010Z

One of the coolest things about living in London is being able to travel to so many different places so easily. This weekend we decided that it would be fun to go to Scotland and see what Edinburgh had to offer us. We left the centre after classes on Thursday and were headed up the coast before dinner time! The train ride was so fun! It was about 4.5 hours and was full of beautiful scenery! At one point as we were riding along the ocean suddenly appeared, almost out of nowhere! It was so beautiful! I loved to watch the countryside and the seaside go by!

We got to Edinburgh at about 6:30 and set out to find the hostile that we were staying at. This was probably the sketchiest and scariest part of the trip. The hostile was kind of a little hole in the wall of a back alley but the inside was a lot more... or a lot less scary. The funniest part of the hostile situation was our roommate- his name was Arno. Yea, HIS name was Arno. At first this was a scary prospect but, when I came in after eating dinner and he was sitting on the floor with a bunch of the other girls and playing cards, all my fears vanished and I was suddenly ok with sleeping in the same general area as this skinny little french boy who had just moved to Edinburgh for an internship.This is what we came upon our first night in Edinburgh- it looks a little better in the day time. Imagine night time, a gang a few hundred feet away and having no idea where we were- that is how it felt.

So the first night really just consisted of getting there, finding the hostile, eating dinner and doing just a little bit of exploring. The next day was pretty jam packed. At the risk of this being too overly boring I will try to just give the highlights although the whole trip was kind of a highlight in itself so... we will see how this goes :)

Friday morning I woke up and ran around Edinburgh, I saw the castle and the Royal Mile- yea, running on the Royal Mile, not a big deal :) After coming back to the hostile and doing my best to clean myself up, we headed out to go see the castle. Edinburgh Castle is one of the biggest landmarks in the city and was pretty much amazing! It sits up high on a big rock formation over looking the whole city and makes for a pretty amazing sight to see!This is the back of the castle way up on it's rockThis is me and Hilary on a different side of the castleThis would be the front of the castle- hence the entrance :)

Ok! So the castle was cool! After the castle we walked down the Royal Mile which is the stretch of road leading up to the castle thereby making it royal by association I guess. It is a cool, shop lined street that is just old and full of history and so fun to be on and look at- in conclusion, it was a pretty great walk!! At the bottom of the Royal Mile we found ourselves at the base of Arthur's Seat. Arthur's Seat is a big hill, I don't think it is quite big enough to be termed a mountain- but it is a big hill that, if you hike to the top, you can see the whole city and everything else in the surrounding area. The view from the top was so amazing!! The hike up was a little bit of a struggle due to the mud and the overly heavy back pack that I only ever took off this whole weekend while I was sleeping. It was an adventure though and that is what this trip was all about!!!The view from about half way up... it gets betterWelcome to the top of the world!!!! So BEAUTIFUL!This is the whole group on top of the world- this was a great adventure to have together!

Ok, so getting down from the mountain was a little exciting but we did it and it was so worth it!!! Our next stop was the National Museum of Scotland. The museum was fun! It was a good break, sitting down was very very worth it!! I got to take my backpack off for like 10 minutes and that was pretty much heaven! After the museum we headed out, had dinner and then I headed back to the hostile because I was so beat! Clay- I took this picture for you in the museum because it made me think of you!

Ok, so day two! I went for a really good run this day since I knew better where I was going- it was incredible!! I then went back to the hostile and tried to clean up again for the day without really showering because showering in hostiles kind of scares me. So- we went out today and got some breakfast and then headed to the spot where we were supposed to meet our walking tour guide. The walking tour that we took was so good! It lasted 3.5 hours and took us all over the city and I learned so much! Some of my favorite stories include Maggie Dickson's story- she was convicted of hiding her pregnancy which was illegal and sentenced to death by hanging. When they hung Maggie she was simply knocked unconscious, not killed and so, on the way to the cemetery in the back of the hearse Maggie popped up out of her coffin and scared the driver out of his mind! She argued that they couldn't try her twice for the same crime and technically she was already dead so she opened up a pub on the grass market which was where she was "hanged" and every time there was a hanging she would go outside the pub and heckle the person on the gallows saying things like, "Don't worry, it's not that bad!" The pub- Maggie Dickson's Pub is still on the grass market today and it sure does make for a good story! Another story I liked that is not as positive is the story of the covenenters. The covenanters are the people who changed their religion and then were severely persecuted for it. There was a group of 500 of these people who were imprisoned by a man named "Bloody George McKenzie" in a completely open space with no cover at all in the dead of winter in Edinburgh. Even with the horrible experience that this was none of the covenenters went back on their new found religious beliefs- talk about dedication, this was a pretty inspiring story, sad, but inspiring!This is the Royal Mile where our walking tour started.This is the back of the coffee shop that JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter in. The top middle window is the window she would look out of and see...This school which was her inspiration for Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.This is inside the pub that we stopped at for lunch, the very pub where I ate haggis and drank a delicious hot chocolate! It was also just fun to be in a Scottish pub!This is where the tour ended. This is Prince Street Gardens which used to be a lake but was drained and turned into a beautiful park!

After the tour we did just a little bit more exploring and then it was pretty much time to go to the station and catch our train back home to London. The train ride home was even nicer than the train rider there- our train was newer and the seats were more comfortable and there was more leg space- glorious! I discovered on this trip that I love train travel! I promised Clay a picture in front of a train so here it is and a couple more train pictures! Scotland was beautiful and the trip was amazing! I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to experience all of these amazing places!Here it is Clay! This is what the train looked like that I rode to Scotland!This is what the inside of the train looked like. There were regular seats like these and also seats that faced each other with tables in between them.

Just a Boat-ride Away

2009-03-08T16:17:00.006Z

This week's trip was to Greenwich, a town that is located apporximately a 30 minute boat ride down the Thames. We took this picture on the boat which was on the river- it was an exciting prospect!!! The ride was pretty fun!! It was really cool to float right under the tower bridge and to see the city from a new perspective!

The highlights of Greenwich include, the National Maritime Museum, The Royal Observatory, The Royal Naval College and the Prime Meridian. Our first stop was the National Maritime Museum which was full of the history of sea travel. It was cool to see so much about boats and the ocean and the impact that the water has on England. I often forget that Great Britain is one big island but it surely is. You know you are in a Maritime Museum when the man and woman on the bathroom sign have sailor's caps on.

So after the museum, our whole group got together to see the show at the planetarium. I have discovered that I really like planetariums. It was cool to see the sky from a different point of view than I usually do. After the show we set out to find the Prime Meridian which is the line that seperates the eastern and western hemispheres. It didn't take too long to find since there were signs pointing us to where it was we needed to go. Even though it was just a line in the ground, it was pretty cool to straddle it and know that my right foot was in one hemisphere and my left in another- talk about being two places at once!The Prime Meridian sign and the clock that keeps time for the world which can't be seen because it is digital and I guess digital clocks and digital cameras don't really mesh well.This is me being in two places at one time- this was almost as cool as the picture that we took of us playing tug-o-war in two hemispheres.

After our pictures at the Prime Meridian we walked down the big hill and went to the Queen's House which was a pretty cool art gallery set up in a gorgeous old building that was supposidly used in some version of Sense and Sensibility- that was cool to know :) Next we walked over to the Royal Naval College which is now part of the Universtiy of Greewich but it was such a beautiful old campus. We made sure to see the painted hall which was a large room that was painted with a mural from floor to cieling, it was amazing. Another memorable stop we made was in the chapel where they were having a singing class and so not only did we get to see the amazingly beautiful chapel but we got to hear a pretty impressive free concert.This arch seperated the Royal Naval College from the banks of the Thames- it was right on the water, what a beautiful setting!

This marked the end of our Greenwich exploration. This Wednesday was a little different in the respect that it was up to us to get ourselves back to the centre. Today was the first time I have really utalized London DLR or dockland's light railway. This line took us all the way from Greenwich back to central London. It was a cool ride because I got to see some scenery that I have never seen before! Mom and Dad and Em if you guys liked the stuff you saw in this post or if you have the desire to stand in two hemispheres at once all you have to do is let me know because I can make that happen for you :)

"Thou smellest of mountain goat"

2009-02-27T18:58:00.010Z

For our Wednesday trip this week we traveled to Stratford Upon Avon which, some of you may know, is the birthplace of William Shakespeare. The title of this post is an example of how you might insult someone... Shakespeare style. Janna and I read some insults and some love lines during bus fun so all of the girls could be up on the local speak while we were in Stratford. The trip started out pretty early on Wednesday morning like usual and made our way to Stratford. The first day of our trip, Wednesday, consisted of seeing Mary Arden's home (Shakespeare's mother) and Anne Hathaway's Home (Shakespeare's wife who, I learned, was eight years older than Shakespeare and pregnant when they got married). We then went to see Shakespeare's birthplace and the house that he bought upon returning to Stratford from London. The last site we saw was Shakespeare's daughter's house. By this point we were pretty hungry so Melissa, Maddie, Hillary and I made ourselves a little picnic in the garden of Susanna Shakespeare's home- it was pretty picturesque.This is outside of Anne Hathaway's cottage.

This is after our picnic in the garden of Shakespeare's daughter's house.

We were given the rest of the afternoon to just explore Stratford. Our first stop was the river Avon. Avon would be the river which Stratford is set upon (hence Stratford Upon Avon). Upon reaching the river we decided that feeding the birds would be a nice and quiet activity. How wrong we were! The birds were crazy! It was like feeding the five thousand- I got bit by a goose, it was quite an experience.This is me and not the goose that bit me on the finger, this goose was nice!

After exploring the town we went to the hostile to settle ourselves in a little bit. This hostile was so so so much nicer than the one we stayed at in Wales. I felt a lot less dirty in this hostile than I did at the one in Wales and I appreciated that a lot! After getting settled into the hostile we baorded the coach and headed back to Stratford to have dinner and see The Tempest preformed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Dinner was ok but the play was so so so good!!! Well I think a big reason why I liked it so much was because the actor who played Ferdinand was really really attractive and there was part where he acted without a shirt on. I think most of the reason why this excited me so much was because I have been boy deprieved for about two months- pretty sure that is the problem. The night at the hostile was not bad, not bad at all. The worst part of the stay was that it was freesing in our room but other than that it was wonderful! I even got to go for a half an hour run in the morning which was a wonderful blessing!!

We took this at the play before they told us we weren't allowed to take pictures... whoops!

Thursday was a pretty good day! We went to a beautiful Palace called Blenhem Palace and I loved it! This palace is the birthplace of Winston Churchill and where he proposed to his wife. It was such a beautiful place. The inside of the palace was grand and beautiful, it is still the home of the Duke of Marlborough so it was fun to think that people still live there. I had my "living in a fancy palace" fantasy again- I just couldn't help it. The coolest part of the palace was the grounds, the grounds were INCREDIBLE! I don't really have the wrokds to describe them so I will just show some pictures instead!This is the outside of the Palace, it looked like it belonged somewhere in Jane Austen's novels to me.This picture was taken in the "secret garden"This is the secret garden's gazeboThis is the secret garden's treeThis is the view from the bridge over then lake that is in front of the palace.This is the back of the Palace, it had beautiful water terraces!

On the way home from Blenhem Palace we stopped in two little towns in the Cotswalds. One was called Chipping Camden and the other called Bourton on the Water. They were quaint little towns that I am glad I got to see but they were not all that special so, they were nice stops on the way back to our home in London. The London Centre is starting to feel more and more like home every time I go away and come back so it was nice to get back here on Thursday night and sleep in "my own bed".

This is a telephone boothe in Chipping CamdenThis is the water referred to in the town name of Bourton on the Water

All My Children

2009-02-22T15:13:00.003Z

So today my primary kids sang in Sacrament meeting. I am the singing time extraordinaire in my ward. I am not saying that because I think I am extraordinary but more because I am expected to play the piano, teach the songs and conduct all in the same singing time- it is a fun juggling act and I LOVE it. I love my calling almost as much as I love the children in the Catford ward primary- they are so wonderful... they are crazy, but they are wonderful! Today, while they were singing in Sacrament I felt the spirit so strongly, I also felt a nice sense of accomplishment knowing that I had taught them the song they were singing, those were both very good feelings. Working with these kids strengthens my testimony of the fact that Heavenly Father loves all of His children. I have fallen in love with these kids and I have only known them a couple of weeks- Heavenly Father has known us all much longer and I know He loves us all much deeper. I am so thankful for the gospel and for the ties that it forms in our lives. Through the church I get to have a more meaningful relationship with so many more people here in England that I would not have met any other way- what a wonderful institution! Here are some pictures of the children that have strengthened my testimony and captured my heart.This is Muffaro, he is from Zimbabwe.Here is Malachi- I don't have words for him, I just love him!From left to right, Sariah, Muffaro and Nathan with the pictures they colored today.

Wednesday in Windsor

2009-02-19T14:10:00.006Z

Another Wednesday has come and gone! I can hardly believe that February is almost done, it is a little bit crazy but I guess that's life! Today we went to Windsor to see the castle and some other sights along the way. I won't lie, the castle was my favorite part of the day! We got to the castle and the guard was just about to change. We watched as the band marched in and the guard changed, it was a pretty cool thing to see- granted, it was not the most exciting thing but I was impressed with how much tradition and nobility there was in the whole thing. I was a little taken aback when the royal marching band started to play the theme from Austin Powers... pretty funny.

Next we walked around the castle and found a bench on which we ate our sack lunches. While we were eating I saw something that made my day. Off in the distance there was a park and in the park there was a field hockey goal- it made me so happy! After lunch and my exciting field hockey goal sighting we went in and saw Queen Mary's Doll's House which was in between the size of a doll house and a real house and it was fully functional. The model was Buckingham Palace and there was an electric vacuum cleaner, the plates on the table were real silver and the plumbing actually worked. Talk about a doll house- it was impressive! Next we went to see the State Apartments which were my favorite part of the day. The rooms in this part of the castle are only open part of the year because during the rest of the year they are being used for state functions. The rooms were amazing! The walls were decorated all in gold and the paintings were incredible- everything was so noble and decadent, it really amazed me! I found myself wondering, somewhere in the middle of it all, what it would be like to live there and to come downstairs with my jammies and socks to get a bowl of cereal in the Royal kitchen... it was a fun fantasy! Upon exiting the State Apartments we got a really good view of where the Queen lives when she visits there and we were informed that she had just left two days before and would be there again on Friday- pretty cool!This was right after exiting the State Apartments and I felt like we needed to take a picture to try and capture the moment!This is the residence that the Queen had been in just days before we got there.

My next favorite part of the day came when we were leaving the castle. As we were leaving we saw a guard standing all by himself and we decided that since we were in London we needed to get a picture with a guard of course! So we all took turns taking pictures with this poor guy who could do nothing but stand there- that must be a weird feeling. You know that myth about the guards never smiling or laughing... not entirely true. I don't know if this guard was new but he lost it when we started taking pictures with him. Granted, we were being a little ridiculous and it just got worse once he started losing his composure but it was so funny! I hope we didn't get him in any trouble- I would certainly feel bad if we did.He was doing pretty well at this point.What a fun group!My apologies to Maddie and Melissa but this is the best picture of the poor guard totally losing it.

All the World's A Stage

2009-02-19T13:56:00.003Z

Today we got to tour the globe theater and it was a pretty cool experience. I learned a lot about Shakespeare that I had not known before and really enjoyed it! The guide that we had that took us around was an actor and director and so funny! So here are some interesting facts... plays were rehearsed for approximately 3 hours before they were preformed that is all. They would start rehearsal at 10 and break for lunch at 1 and that was it. There were no full scripts, all that actors got was a scroll (a role) with their part on it and that was it. All that was given to them to cue them was three words so they didn't know what happened in between their lines- it could have been three lines or thirty minutes- crazy! I enjoyed learning all these fun facts and feeling a little bit more cultured :)

Introducing... The Green Boots!!

2009-02-17T19:48:00.005Z

Well, here they are, the much anticipated green boots! Ok, I know they probably were not really anticipated but they make me happy. This is the purchase that I made in Chester I mentioned it in the Wales post and said it would later get its own post- I wasn't joking. I have never felt so happy about an article of clothing in my whole life, I put on the green boots and they make me happy- it works like magic, almost as good as reading scriptures :) (just wanted to throw that in there so no one out there in blog land worried that I was getting sacreligous over a pair of shoes) Really this post is mostly for mom because when I tried to describe them to her she said they sound like something I would only wear in London- false, these will be worn long after London! I do have to give credit to my friend Alyssa for the fun pictures. She is hoping to get accepted to BYU's photography program and I think she would fit in just fine, see for yourself!

Valentine's Day... With 40 Girls and 0 Boys

2009-02-16T18:31:00.004Z

So we had Valentine's Day London style this year and the style was very feminine, I think that was mostly due to the fact that there are 40 girls and no boys in our program- just a guess. There was a group of girls that took it upon themselves to plan a pretty awesome party for the rest of us. The shindig was '40s themed and turned out really great! We all dressed up- we did our best to look like we were from the 40s and then we spent the evening together. The girls who planned did a wonderful job decorating, the centre was a great setting for our 40s bash, it was like a blast from the past! We all wrote down our favorite memory with a boy and then read them and had to guess whose was whose- it was pretty fun to get to know more about all the girls, some of the stories were pretty surprising... that is, it was surprising to find out who the story actually belonged to. After story time we exchanged our Valentine gifts. Earlier in the week we drew names and then bought gifts to give at our party- it was nice to get a little gift and it was fun to see how well we are all getting to know each other, some people were right on the money with their gifts. After the gifts we broke it down with a sweet dance party and yummy snacks- this party had all the elements of a good party (food, music, dancing, friends- I guess it missed one... boys) and we all had a wonderful time. Even one of our professors came with his wife, it was fun to have them there for a little while and to hear about their courtship and marriage. All in all, Valentine's was a good day, it was especially good when you take into account that I don't think I talked to a male under the age of 50 all day. I do believe that this was a one time thing :)Dr.Crisler wore a bow tie which he learned how to tie on Youtube. He and his wife also made us cute Val enti ne s .There was dancing for sure!There were also definitely pictures taken...Told you there were pictures taken... the cool backdrop is courtesy of our kick butt party planning committee.

Wale Watching

2009-02-16T09:37:00.014Z

No, I didn't spell Wale wrong... ok, I did leave off the "s" at the end but we are talking the country, not the large ocean mammal. This week we traveled to Crymu (that is Wales in Welsh... I learned just a couple very important words :) and it was beautiful!
Our first stop after a pretty long drive (don't worry, Janna and I did some bus fun to help keep everyone entertained) was the Museum of Welsh Life. This was an open air museum that featured different eras of life in Welsh history. In this picture, Maddie and I are in the door of a hut that we found in the "Celtic Village" portion of the museum. It was fun to see how life was in Wales so many years ago. This was really neat to me because, of course, I know American history and how people in America lived when the country was just getting started but I will admit my Welsh history is a little rusty... or was never actually in existence so it was fun to learn about!

After wandering around the part of the museum that looked mostly like the picture you see above- it was wooded and there were different models of houses and farms and some animals, we realized that on the other side of the museum there was a castle complete with beautiful gardens. With about 10 minutes left before our coach was going to be pulling out, we booked it to the castle and it was so worth it! There have been a couple of places that we have gone where I have just had to stop and let everything sink in because I go into sensory overload, these gardens were that kind of a place. See for yourself.Melissa and I were just adding to the decor.I tried my best to capture the over-all feel of the place in a picture...

After the Museum of Welsh Life we got back on the coach and headed to the Castle Coch (pronounced coke). This castle has been extremely well preserved and was very open in terms of what parts of the castle we could explore. The interiors have obviously been redone rather recently but I think they successfully kept the feel of the old castle even with the renovations. The grounds around the castle were wooded and reminded me very much of good ol' Pennsylvania and made me want home just a little bit.

So after the castle, we made our way to the place where we were going to stay for the night- the Cardiff Youth Hostile. Talk about an experience! The hostile was not too yucky but it was yucky enough for my first experience. The beds were kind of little. I could lay down flat but I can't speak for everyone there. The food was ok... the salad dressing was mayonnaise, I will let you pass judgement there. I have never woken up more times in one night then I did while sleeping here. I don't know what it was. I could have been that my body felt like I was abusing it by sleeping on the rock that I will sleeping on but, I am not sure. The morning was pretty alright- we ate some breakfast and got back on the bus for what turned out to be pretty much the longest ride of life. We drove from Cardiff to an island off the northwest coast called Anglesey. The scenery throughout the whole drive was pretty incredible. The rolling green hills were dotted with sheep everywhere you looked and the mountains were covered in snow. Eventually we reached the coast and drove along that for a long time and that also afforded some incredible views if you can imagine!

Upon reaching our destination we got to explore Beaumaris Castle which was pretty cool. This is the first castle that I have seen here with a real moat so that was pretty exciting! I actually did not see very much of the castle because not too long into our exploration we found what used to be the chapel and our director, who works in the college of music, asked us if we would sing a hymn there to test the acoustics. Long story short- they passed the test. Everything sounded so good when sung in the chapel so we stayed there and sang for a long time. The spirit in this old castle was amazing- it felt so good. There was a cute lady who came in and told us that our singing made the castle seem alive, I guess you could hear us from just about every part of the castle. I am sure that I will never forget this experience, it was incredible!

This was post- singing, in the chapel of Beaumaris Castle

The night we spent in Anglesey was nothing short of amazing. We stayed in the Buckeley Hotel which is right on the water. The views out our windows were breathe-taking! I went for a run that made me feel like I was in one of those Pontiac commercials that happened in the hills of some European country and had the little boy that said "zoom zoom"- it was really amazing! We also go to eat in the restaurant, sleep in comfortable beds and I even got to take a bubble bath- it doesn't get much better than that!

Friday was spent mostly getting back to London but we did make three stops. We stopped in Chester which is a small town in Wales that still has a fully intact city wall. I loved Chester! It was the cutest little town and the people there were so kind and friendly. That was a nice change from London, not that Londoners are mean, I think they are all just so busy that they forget to be friendly. I made an incredible purchase in Chester that will shortly have its very own post- stay tuned :) Our next stop was Shrewsbury where we saw the Shrewsbury Abbey which is responsible for the British House of Commons in Parliament because it was the site of one of the first meetings of Parliament. Our last stop was in Coventry. Here we saw the Coventry Cathedral which was mostly destroyed during the bombing in World War II so they built a new cathedral right by the ruins of the old cathedral but left the ruins standing as a reminder of what happened.

Maddie and me with our purchases on the streets of Chester.

Shrewsbur y Abbe y .This was on the floor of the Chapel of Unity in Coventry Cathedral... I like Africa...

Getting home was pretty long and kind of stretched some of the girls to the limit but, we made it! I was surprised at how good it felt to come "home" to the centre. This will never replace home with my family but after 3 days gone it was a pretty good substitution.

London Bridge is... Still Standing

2009-02-10T10:30:00.004Z

Don't let the popular children's rhyme confuse you, I promise that the London Bridge and the historic Tower of London are still standing and doing quite well! Yesterday, all of us went to the Tower of London and had as much time as we pleased to simply tour around and enjoy the history of the tower. I was impressed by the crown jewels (more bling that I have ever seen before in my life) and the towers where famous prisoners were held, prisoners like the Boleyn sisters and others. I saw the site where the execution of many of those prisoners took place- people like Lady Jane Grey and some of Henry's other wives. I am always just in awe at all of the history that is here, I love it. Even though today was rainy and cold, I loved the Tower of London and everything that it had to teach me.This is the Jewel House where are the crown jewels are held. The security inside this building is greater than anywhere in the Tower of London.This fountain is a memorial to some of the people who were executed near this spot. This list includes the Boleyn's and Lady Jane Grey.A nice shot of the London Bridge on a typical London day.

That was TOTALLY WICKED!

2009-02-08T16:54:00.006Z

I finally caved and went to see a show. A group of girls was going to see Wicked and I found it hard to say no, so I tagged along. Ticket sellers are more understanding here than they are in New York. I say that because in London there is a student ticket price and it is sweet! We payed 25 pounds (which is approximately 37 USD) to see Wicked- pretty good deal! It was fun to go out on the town and see a show. The production was pretty good. I do not think it was the same caliber as it is on Broadway but it was pretty good. I had a fun time being out with the girls and falling in love with Fiyero... again! It was especially fun to hear all the lines and songs with accents. My favorite had to be Dancing through life which was more like Doncing through life, it was excellent!

Our fingers are supposed to be W's... for Wicked...Maren, Maddie, Melissa, Mary... it was kind of an M thing.

Blue Birds Over the Cliffs of Dover

2009-02-05T12:47:00.015Z

Sorry for the week long delay in the posting effort- we went to St. Paul's Cathedral on Tuesday and I thought for sure I would be able to post about that but you are not allowed to take pictures inside the cathedral so you will just have to take my word for it when I say it is beautiful and that the Whispering Gallery really does work- you really can whisper from any one point in the dome and hear it at any other spot, it is really cool! One more thing before I tell about this week's trip and that is that I want to make a little bit of a birthday shout out to Grandma Lucy!!! Happy Birthday Grandma, I wanted to call you on skype yesterday but you were never online when I was online so I will try again soon! I love you!!

This Wednesday's trip was to Dover and Canterbury. For those of you around during the second world war or interested in the music of that era might recognize my title as a line from a popular war-time song that I heard for the first time yesterday. Dover is located on the southeast coast of England and is a beautiful town! It is positioned right on the channel so yesterday as I stood for this picture, I could practically see France- pretty cool! This picture was taken right outside of the war time tunnels just prior to our tour of the tunnels. There was no photography allowed in the tunnels or I would for sure have some pictures to share because I thought they were amazing! The tunnels here were used during WWII as a command center. When I say tunnels you need to think bigger than what you are thinking- I promise. This was more like an underground community with lodging and a cafeteria and many different control centers and even a hospital- it was amazing. I liked to try to imagine what the tunnels would have been like during the war when they were hustling and bustling with all kinds of activity. When we were walking through the hospital and the lights kept flickering, I tried to imagine operating on an injured soldier in the dark, probably not the easiest kind of operation. I really enjoyed the tunnels and learning more about WWII history!

This is as good as it gets of the tunnels... sorry!

After the tunnels we explored around Dover Castle which has been very well preserved. There is a large portion of the castle still standing, unlike Portchester last week. Unfortunately, a lot of the castle was not open for us to walk around in but it was still fun to see! I would have been content just to see the views that being up so high on the hill there afforded us- it was BEAUTIFUL!!! See for yourself :)

So after the tunnels and the castle and the cliffs we hopped back on the coach and headed to Canterbury. While in Canterbury we saw the remains of St. Augustine's Abbey which was as cool as a whole lot of rocks protruding from the ground can be... we did find some fun activities like jumping some gaps between rocks and pretending to be Zelda... it was great! After the remains of the Abbey we went to Canterbury Cathedral which is beautiful and it is the martyrdom site of St. Thomas Beckett. It was cool to see that memorial and to learn more about the story. Pretty much the King instituted Thomas Beckett as the Arch Bishop of Canterbury (one of the most powerful positions in the church) because he and the King had been pals for a long time and the King figured that Beckett would have no problem backing him in every decision he made. Either the power, or the gospel (we'll say the gospel because I have faith in Beckett) went to Beckett's head and he no longer wanted to do whatever the King said, he wanted to do what the church said. For this reason, the King wanted to be "rid himself of this meddlesome Priest" and on that command men came to Canterbury, right into the Cathedral where Beckett was praying and they killed him. Just an interesting tid bit... for your information! So after the cathedral we were given some time to wander around Canterbury and then we headed home. Just like every other Wednesday, this was a great day! It was incredible to see all of these places and think of what went into making them and how they might have functioned in their prime- it was pretty awesome! In case you were wondering, Janna and I did bus fun today and it went great!Playing Zelda at St. Augustine'sOutside Canterbury CathedralSaw this in Canterbury and thought of you brother! Love you!

I love you... Most ardently.

2009-01-28T20:40:00.009Z

So I found paradise today! It is located in Stourhead Gardens somewhere not too far from London in a place called Andover. We only spent about an hour here but I could have spent all day here or the rest of my life. A large amount of the excitement that surrounded the visit to these gardens stemmed from the fact that is the location where a scene from the new Pride and Prejudice was filmed. The scene is the one where Darcy confesses his love to Elizabeth, in the rain, under the cover of a structure in which I stood today! He first explains to her all the reasons why he should not like her and then says that he does like her that in fact he, "Loves her, most ardently." It is kind of the best movie line ever. Being there made me almost feel like I needed a Mr. Darcy to be in love with me most ardently but then I remembered that I was fine just the way I am but, it was fun to feel like Elizabeth Bennett for the day. I loved being in the gardens. I felt like everything was right there and nothing could go wrong! I had this funny feeling that even if something did go wrong that it would be ok because I was in the most beautiful place that I had ever been been in my life! It was also fun to take fun pictures and to pretend to be part of a Jane Austen novel.
The next stop we made on our trip this Wednesday was in Winchester. Of course, my friend Janna and I did our bus fun for everyone today. We wrote poems about some of the girls in our programs for the other girls to figure out and we sang again and we gave some news from home. I enjoy doing bus fun I won't lie. I think there might be something about the microphone, I have always kind of liked attention so it is a great job for me :) Winchester was kind of the low point for me today. It was cool and all but I was really tired and we saw a cathedral (which we have seen a lot of) and some ruins of a castle that were cool but I was so tired so it was hard to pay attention. It was fun though and I am glad that I had the opportunity to see it!!

The next part of the trip was really fun! I had my doubts because I was so tired and we were going to more castle ruins but these ruins were way fun! They were also located right on the water, the harbor which leads to the ocean, which made a pretty incredible back-drop. We climbed to the top of the ruins of the castle and looked out over the water and it was amazing! I was delighted to see how open and available the ruins were. We were allowed to pretty much climb around on whatever we wanted and just play among what was left of the castle that once stood there. I feel so lucky to be here and to have the opportunity to see the things that I am seeing. Today, as I was walking along the water by Portchester Castle, I had this amazing feeling of just loving where I was. I really am just thankful to be able to be here! I hope you all enjoy my pictures from Portchester almost as much as I enjoyed being there!Just posing on some ruins...Janna and the view from the top of the castle ruins.The beach?Right outside the castle wallWe got kind of artsy towards the end, I like this one mainly because it is black and white.

A Bird's Eye View

2009-01-27T18:00:00.006Z

For those of you who have ever been to London or have ever seen a picture of the London skyline you have most likely seen the large ferris wheel structure that sits on the bank of the Thames. Even though this picture looks a little bit like a back drop, I promise we were there today and, since the sun was shining, we decided to take a flight. The tickets were a little pricey but I figured that this is an experience that I can have no where else so I dished out the 15 pounds and got into the little glass capsule with my friends Maddie, Melissa and Hillary.
The ride was nothing short of breathe taking. I am not sure exactly what was taking my breathe, the height or the views. I never knew that I had any kind of a height problem but while I was in the eye and approaching the top I was feeling just a little bit nervous. Don't worry, everything was ok! My capsule didn't spontaneously break off and fall into the Thames or anything so, all in all, it was a success!
It was incredible to see London from the point of view that we did and on such a beautiful day! We were able to find Big Ben and Parliament (I would be a little worried if we couldn't :) we also saw Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey. It was cool to be able to point out all those places and know what they were and where they were, I am starting to feel a little bit more like a Londoner!
I will share some more of the pictures that we took from the eye so everyone can get the full experience... or as full of an experience that you can from a blog :) It was tricky to get good shots because of the position of the sun- I am not as good as Rodg so, bear with my amateur pictures. Enjoy!

Recent Happenings

2009-01-26T17:41:00.003Z

So here is an update since I have been such a slacker- I apologize immensely to those of you who enjoy reading this, I am not sure how many people that applies to but, I am sorry! The reason for my absence is that I have not taken many pictures since Wednesday so this post in going to be a lot more words than pictures but I guess we will see who the faithful are from who actually reads this post :)
Some quick updates! Thursday I found my souvenir, I bought a sweet rugby jersey, it is an English national team jersey and it is way cool! That purchase pretty much made my Thursday until our whole group went to a concert at Royal Festival Hall Thursday night- it was amazing. We heard the London Philharmonia play and they played Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto with this pianist who was amazing, I do not have words for just how talented he was. I had a perfect view of his hands and I could not take my eyes off of them, it was amazing!
Friday Maddie, Melissa and I went to the biggest mall in all of England- it was huge. This mall was so big that is felt overwhelming and I got very tired very quickly. This was the first time in my life that I have seen a Prada store. I also saw Versace, Dior and Tiffany's- I think there was a wealthy person part of the mall but there was also a regular person part of the mall and that is where we spent most of our time.
Saturday was pretty much a resting day, I did some homework, watched The Office and went for a run to a new park that I really liked called Holland Park- it was beautiful!!!
Sunday was pretty exciting! On the way to church, our train was cancelled so we had to find another train to church which was an adventure but we conquered! The three girls that I go to church with and I all spoke in Sacramet this week (so if we wouldn't have made it to church that would have made church pretty exciting for the bishopric :) Our talks went well! A member of the ward told me that he calls the girls from BYU "Brigham's Angels" because we make everything so much better! It was precious! I am the primary pianist/singing time organizer so I did that this Sunday. Singing time went well and I am really excited to get even more comfortable with my calling and the kids! All the kids in our primary are African and they are all wonderful, a little wild, but wonderful!
Today I went to the National Gallery for an assignment and then my friend Melissa and I decided that we wanted to walk home from there. I love the tube, don't get me wrong, but I find that since I do most of my traveling underground that I have zero sense of direction overground so today we decided to tackle this problem! Melissa and I walked home from Trafalgar Square today and I am counting that as a big accomplishment! On the way home we saw Green Park, Buckingham Palace and the gardens surrounding it, it was a beautiful walk and we got all the way home. This is what I saw on the way home and I had to take a picture. I think this is the first sunset I have seen since I have been here and it made me so incredibly happy!!

No, I didn't bathe at Stonehenge but I did go to Bath

2009-01-21T19:58:00.014Z

Today, being a Wednesday, we took a group excursion! Today's trip was to Bath and Stonehenge and Salisbury. The day started early. We had to be on the bus and rolling by 7:15, the supplies for our lunches, which we put together ourselves, were out at 6:00 which means that I was up at 5:55. I do believe this is the first time I have seen a five as the first number on the clock in the year of 2009. Getting up early was pretty much worth it. With views like this one from the bus, it really was worth it! The views that we saw actually reminded me a lot of home, this is kind of what Pennsylvania looks like and, ironically, we passed through a hamlet called Pennsylvania. For the record, a community is a village when it has homes, a church and a pub. A community is a hamlet when it lacks either the church or the pub... just an FYI. Driving through the countryside also makes me think of Jane Austen novels like the part in Sense and Sensibility when Marianne is running through the fields and falls and is rescued by Willoughby who later turns out to be scum or in Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy meet in the field and confess their love to one another- nothing like this happened to me today but I thought about it all the same.
Turns out that Bath is called Bath because there are really baths there. There are remains of ancient Roman baths in the town of Bath so I learned today that the name of the town makes complete sense. I felt like this town was kind of what I envisioned when I pictured England in my mind. The streets were lined with buildings everywhere. We walked across the famous Plutney Bridge which is a bridge that has shops built right on it, it was pretty and there was a really cool Rugby shop from which I wanted to buy a rugby jersey but, they were really expensive, so I restrained. It was hard though!

So we left Bath and headed to Stonehenge. The drive was about an hour or so which brings me to some exciting news. I was recently made co-chair of the bus fun committee. As easy as this may sound, it is pretty intense. My friend Janna and I are in charge of planning activities to keep 40 girls and around eight faculty members happy and entertained. Today Janna and I gave news from home just weather and sports and stuff and then we did a couple of spotlights on different girls through music. We re-wrote a couple of Disney songs and then sang them for everyone and had them guess who we were singing about. It was fun and people enjoyed it so, stay tuned for more installments of Bus Fun!!
Getting to Stonehenge was a little less exciting than I expected it to be. The sight is set right next to the road and it is not quite as big as I thought but, it was fun to see. I feel like it is one of those things that I can say I have seen and feel really cool about it. Here is a couple of pictures from Stonehenge, they are pretty self explanatory.
Salisbury was nice but, unfortunately, at this part of the day I was pretty tired. We had this adorable British man give us a tour of the cathedral there. This cathedral is the highest point in England. The spire reaches to 404 feet and it amazes me that things could be built that high so long ago. Today's trip was wonderful. I feel like I learn so much here everyday and I am so thankful for this experience. I will leave you with a picture of the cathedral so you can experience Salisbury with me!

Guess Who I Met Today!!!!

2009-01-20T20:47:00.012Z

I was going to lie and try to get everyone to believe that I met all these famous people today but then I decided that I didn't want to compromise my morals :) As today was inauguration day Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum decided that they would give free admission to Americans because the British people love Obama. So we all grabbed our passports and headed to the museum.
The museum was really fun! There is no way I would pay the normal price of like 25 pounds to view a large number of rather eerie looking wax figures but free was good! Free is my favorite price! We had a really great time taking funny pictures with all the figures, pretending to be famous and making fools of our selves. It is really fun getting to know the girls in my program better, getting to be better friends and getting to be more comfortable here. Here, on the right, is me and Maddie and Melissa with Zac Efron, aka, Troy Bolton from High School Musical 1, 2 and 3. They had an entire room dedicated to High School Musical and they took pictures of this scene and tired to sell them to you just like they do on amusement park rides... I guess standing by a fake Zac Efron is kind of like an amusement park ride, ok, maybe not :)
I felt as though I had to post this picture of me and Ringo and George and Paul and John. The Beatles seem even cooler in London, I am not sure why that is but that is how I feel :) So here are a couple of my favorite pictures from the day, I met some pretty famous wax figures.

There is the evidence, me giving advice to Tiger on a tough put and taking a victory lap with Lance. I only stood in a long line for one picture and that was this one with Barack Obama. We figured it was an appropriate thing to do since it was inauguration day and all. We were able to watch the inauguration ceremony today at the center. It felt good to be in touch with something that was going on back home. I won't take sides here but I will say that I have faith. I have faith in people and faith in our country. Things are in the Lord's hands and whatever needs to happen will happen. With a president that makes as good a wax statue as Barrack, we should be great right? I sure hope so.

Taking a Walk on the Wild Side!

2009-01-19T16:29:00.018Z

So thanks to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we, the students at BYU's London Centre, did not have class today. Even though Martin Luther King Day is not really recognized really at all in England we are still Americans (although if you heard my accent you might question, it's pretty convincing :). A couple of girls and I decided to make the most of our day off with a trip to the London Zoo. We hopped on the tube and rode it to Cambel Town on the Northern line, walked a little bit and there we were- well after getting lost in Regent's Park, there we were :)

The zoo was a great choice for today! the only thing that would have made it any better would have been a little bit warmer tempertures, but it wasn't that bad. We saw pretty much the whole zoo which was a pretty cool zoo and we had a great time doing it! It is so fun to be making new friends and enjoying so many different aspects of this study abroad experience! Here is a pictorial representation of our day. Enjoy!Maddie and Melissa, on the way to the zoo, we were a little excited.Practicing our fish faces- there are fish behind us if you can't tell.Just wanted to let everyone know it's ok to stop looking for Nemo... I found him.If you notice, Dory is in the background which explains why we all look forgetful- like Dory.This is the same reptile house as seen in Harry Potter, yea, pretty sweet!This was right before glass vanished...Me, just trying to fit in.Family portrait with the Giraffe family. Geoffrey is standing and Gemimia is seated :) I don't have words for this...Simba and Nala... obviously :)This was at the end of the day- all in all it was a great day!!!

"Do you think if we get stuck in here they would bury us here?"

2009-01-16T14:53:00.006Z

(The great north door of the Abbey)

This is the question Maddie asked me when we were trying real hard to find our way out of Westminster Abbey and not doing so great. The whole situation was really my fault because the door we were supposed to go through was surrounded by a bunch of people with name tags on who looked very official and I have never been one who has liked to be disciplined so that made me a little nervous. We eventually did find our way out and we got to have a great conversation about what it would be like to be buried in the Abbey as Mary and Madeline; The Wanderers.
The Abbey was incredible. I know I use that word a lot to describe things here but it really was. The thing about the cathedrals around here is that they take centuries to build. This church has been a work in progress for centuries! That is something I can barely even comprehend. The Salt Lake Temple took 40 years to build and I thought that was a long time. There were generations of people who worked on this Abbey and did not get to see the completed project in their life time and that amazes me. We were not permitted to take pictures inside the actual Abbey so I cannot show just how intricate everything inside of the church was but you will have to take my word for it, or google it if you don't believe me :)
The other thing that really amazed me about the abbey was all the famous people who have been laid to rest there. Of course practically all of the monarchs are there but so is Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, The Bronte Sisters, Jane Austen and almost William Shakespeare but he wrote in his epitaph that if anyone tried to move his bones there he would curse them so no one had the gumption to do it. The aforementioned is kind of an all star list that I felt really humbled to be in the same place as them even if it was just their bodies.
Something that I thought about while I was in the Abbey was how scary it must have been while Britain was getting bombed during WWII. It just seems that if one of the buildings that is part of the face of the city, like the Abbey, had been hit that it would have been nearly impossible to repair. I really don't think that this Abbey could be replicated simply because of it's history and everything that went into its coming to be. So, in summary, I spent the morning in awe of Westminster Abbey and all of the work that has gone into bringing this one of a kind church into existence.

This is the stained glass windows in the chapter house- I have come to really love stained glass, it is beautiful!

More stained glass that we found in the corridors of the cloister.

In case you can't read the sign, this in Britain's oldest door- that's a pretty big deal.

Me and Maddie in the gateway of the Chapter House, if you don't know what that is you should really brush up on your Cathedral terminology... or something :)

Some of us in the corridors of the Cloister waiting to get inside the Abbey.

Outside, just waiting to get in.

These are the great west towers and over this door, they are kind of cut off, are about 14 notable Christian martyrs including Martin Luther.

Wednesday Excursion!

2009-01-14T21:49:00.013Z

So one of my most favorite parts of our program is the fact that every Wednesday we go on a group trip, I like to call them excursions because excursion is a cooler word. So today's trip was to Cambridge and on the way we stopped in St. Alban to see St. Alban's Cathedral and the remains of an old Roman city that was named something Verulamium. The remains of the city were way cool! The people who lived there and who had built it did a lot with mosaics in their decorating and they were so amazing. Whenever I see something like that I can't help but think of all the work that went into making them and I just have to be amazed so today was no exception.

This is an example of the mosaics that were used by the people who inhabited this ancient city, this was the floor of an ancient roman bath that they had warm water in by using a hypocaust- pretty smart.

So we went to St. Alban's Cathedral and we walked there from the museum that we were at. It was a perfect England day today with fog so dense you could barely see in front of your face. It kind of reminded me of Pride and Prejudice for some reason, it was really cool. Here is an example of the fog, it was hardcore... See if you can see the building in the picture, I promise there is one!

The Cathedral was pretty incredible. It was built in honor of Alban who was one of the earliest converts to Christianity and was then killed for the fact that he decided to convert so he is noted as England's first martyr- that warrants a Cathedral in my opinion. The magnitude of the buildings here really impresses me. When I think about them being built with mostly people and tools, no machinery or anything fancy it just makes me feel so impressed. The intricacies that are involved in these buildings lie the carvings and the stain glass are so incredible to look at, I LOVE IT!!! I can feel something special in these old churches like the people that were building them knew they were doing something important and they built it with that in mind.

This is the front of the Cathedral, pretty awesome, it was so big that I had trouble fitting it in the picture, I am not as good as Rodg :)
This is Me and Maddie- it's a Cathedral, we are praying of course!
This is just one of many example of the beautiful stain glass that is all over this Cathedral and pretty much every cathedral in Europe but I thought I would share

So on our way from St. Alban's to Cambridge we stopped at the American World War II memorial cemetery. This cemetery was given to America by the British due to the high number of people who died there. There are approximately 3000 people buried there, men women and children, soldiers and civilians. There is a white marble cross for each body. They each have a name and an origin and what service they were inscribed upon it except for the unknowns that are buried there. It is a sobering experience to look across the field and to see all of the crosses and to realize the sacrifice that was made. There is also a long wall that contains over 5000 names of people who were declared missing after the fighting in this area. This was a pretty humbling experience.

This is a shot of the cemetery to try and convey just how many crosses there are.
I thought this would be one of the few places in England I would see an American flag so I took a picture.

Ok so we finally got to Cambridge and were given the opportunity to just wander- my favorite thing!!!! We visited the Fitzwilliam Art Museum, I have come to realize that I really like museums, who knew? After the museum, Maddie and I began to do what we do best and that is simply walk around. It was so cool to walk around Cambridge and to see all the old buildings and to see all the colleges. Important Fact!!! Cambridge University is not simply one university. Cambridge is made up of 32 different colleges and hence, it does not have school colours because each college has its own colors and insignia. Remember this is you are ever there and want to buy a shirt that is the school colors of Cambridge, it will save you an embarrassing question. We were able to go see Evensong sung at King's Chapel. This was a really cool experience. The singing was incredible, the acoustics in the chapel were amazing! The kneeling and talking and amen-ing was hard to keep up with but I gave it my best shot. I am just glad that we don't stand up and sit down and recite things in our church that often, I would probably have to practice.

This is the front of King's College- Pretty impressive!
This is me and Maddie in front of the quad at King's College. P.S you cannot walk on the grass unless you are accompanied by a senior member of the college... just to let you know.

Since this was the longest post of life I am going to end it by saying that it was really nice to get back to to the center and eat some real good left overs for dinner!!! Life is great! It is bed time in London for sure!!!

Just Wandering

2009-01-13T16:26:00.009Z

So today, I went on an awesome run this morning and then went to class and then had London at my fingertips just like every other day (tough days huh :). Anyway, I went with a group of girls down to Piccadilly Circus so they could check on prices for shows. We then just wandered around Piccadilly and China Town and then went over to Trafalgar Square. Since Maddie and I had already been in the National Gallery and it was a nice day, we decided to go over to Big Ben to see the houses of Parliament. I am amazed, every time I see the buildings here and think about how old they are and how much went into building them. I am glad that I have this attitude about it, I am glad I have never been here before so I can feel that fresh excited feeling about everything! I am in awe with the beauty of the city! Here are the pictures of today's wandering adventures- and I hope you all know while looking at these how completely content I was just wandering. I don't think that feeling is going away anytime soon!

A Foggy Day in London Town

2009-01-12T18:00:00.005Z

So here is what we do on a foggy day in good ol' London. Outside activities were really not that attractive of an idea today so we found a great inside activity with which to occupy our time. I love that so many of the museums in London are free, it is a great arrangement for a pretty poor college student like me. The Natural History Museum is another one of the free museums in London. This museum is located walking distance from the center and the walk is right through Hyde Park so it is a fun walk! The walk there today was a little bit wet but it was totally worth it!!! I guess I will stop blabbing and just show some pictures :)

This is me kissing a camel, this picture is for Kathe because she kissed a real camel this summer

This is me being a rhino, just to feel what it feels like to be a rhino!

This would be me and Maddie fighting just like the dinosaurs in the pictures- we are fierce!!

This is my jaw and a t-rex's jaw, I think I could take him :)

Saturday's Story...

2009-01-11T19:03:00.008Z

This is Portobello Road. I know, I know some of you have only heard of this from Bedknobs and Broomsticks but it is real, a real, live road which is located just a short walk from our London Centre. Well, the walk would have been short if Maddie and I had known a little better where we were going. Of everything I have heard about people in London it is that they are really not all the friendly and out going so I was scared to ask for directions but Maddie, being the brave girl that she is, stopped a policeman and asked him to point us in the right direction. He said something like, "What you want to do is walk down this street, all the way to the bottom and you will see it." Yea, it was a totally different direction than we were going so it was good we talked to him, he probably got a good chuckle out of us :)

We saw this sweet sign while we were walking on Portobello Road and just had to take a picture... we thought it was funny :) So to get a picture of what Portobello Road is like, picture Roots Market, put it on a real road and minus most of the farm stuff and make it a lot more English looking and you would about have it. It was a little bit like China Town in New York in the way that every other stand had the same stuff but it was really fun to be there and to look around. It was a good, cultural experience and if Mom and Dad are here on a Saturday I think mom would really love to see it if you haven't already.
These buildings were on Portobello and I thought they were cute. Sorry there are not too many pictures from this adventure, it was kind of too cold to get my camera out, my fingers were not working very well. The walk back was much worse than the walk there, Maddie and I got super lost this time but, eventually we found our way and I think we are better for it- it sure was exciting to see a street that we recognized at the end of that experience :)
I am loving doing new things every day and meeting new people and enjoying the experiences that London has to offer. This is a great city and I am so thankful to be here!!!

Getting Down To It!

2009-01-09T16:06:00.010Z

Here is our first view of what Maddie and I called "real London" although this is probably farther from real London than other things we have seen but it felt more real because we see this kind of stuff in our minds when we think of London, so it felt really exciting to see "real London". This picture was what we saw right as we were getting off of the tube at the Temple tube stop. Let me just say, I love the tube- it is like having a ride home from anywhere in London- best invention EVER!!! We rode down to temple and tried to follow this walk in one of our guided tour books but it didn't go too well so we decided to just explore instead.
We ended up in Trafalger Square in the shadow of the National Gallery. The National Gallery is free (excellent when you are a poor student) and it houses some of the most wonderful paintings I have ever seen. Da Vinci and Van Gogh and Tition just to name of few of the men whose works have been immortalized there. It was a wonderful experience, I felt very cultured as I walked through and looked at all the paintings and thought about what it would have taken to paint some of them. I was also impressed at how much of the art in the Gallery was based off of Christ and His life, I liked that about the painting that we saw.
I am feeling like I am getting a better hold on the city and the transportation system especially. Like I said, I LOVE THE TUBE!!!!

Day 2!

2009-01-08T16:17:00.007Z

Day 2 of my time in London has been pretty great! Today was our day to just explore and get to know the city a little bit better. I LOVE IT HERE!!!! Oh my goodness! I am so happy to be here and to have this experience! Today we all got up and had breakfast together because the center feeds us breakfast and dinner every day. It is nice to have those meals set in our schedule so that I at least get some healthy food in my body.

So this is what I did with my day today. This picture is from King's Cross Station which is where Harry Potter and all of his friends get on the Hogwarts Express to go to Hogwarts of course. I think it is funny first that they put this sign up and second that they put the cart sticking half way out of the wall. Thankfully we were not the only people taking pictures there so we weren't too touristy looking, we were touristy but not too much so it was way fun.

So I am really horrible at adding pictures here, they never come out the way I think they will- I will try and get better, I promise! I was able to go running today and I love running in London. I wore my black tights and my black shirt so I felt like I fit in. I ran around the part of town where the centre is and it was way fun! I got my first real smile from a British person today, it was from an old lady right outside of Hyde Park, it made me feel real special and accepted :) I ran through Hyde Park and it was so cool! All the little boys and girls from the schools around here were in the park with their parents and with their school uniforms still on. The boys where little knickers and matching coats and the girls wear matching coats and hats- they are so cute!!!! Hyde Park was also just incredible in itself. It is kind of like Central Park just bigger just like the Tube is almost like the subway just cleaner and it smells nicer :)

The picture at the very top of the page which was supposed to be at the bottom of the page (hence the, I am horrible at getting pictures where I want them to go comment) is a picture of me in front of the centre. The street that we live on is beautiful and I am so happy to be here!

I AM HERE!!!

2009-01-07T10:22:00.006Z

The adventure began January 6 as my wonderful mother and I departed for the Newark, New Jersey International Airport. We made a couple of necessary stops along the way (most important one being that we stopped at costco to buy me my own box of 48 sweet and salty bars) then we continued on to the wonderful state of New Jersey. Sorry to anyone who is from there or who feels affectionately about the place but they are horrible freeway markers. Hands down, the worst "signage" that mom and I had ever seen. So to make a horribly long drive a little bit shorter (or the tale of the drive) we ended up in downtown Newark- lovely city, dirty, run down and all in all, a little bit frightening. Here is a little bit of what conversation sounded like in Newark-
Mary- "I would roll down the window and ask someone for directions but I am a little nervous to look at people, let alone talk to them..."
Mom- "There's a guy in a Verizon truck, he has got to be safe... Besides, I work around these people all the time, I am not afraid.
.... A couple minutes later.....
Mom- "I think next time I go somewhere I will put the GPS that dad got me for my birthday in the car so this doesn't happen."
So the two most important thing we gleened from the car trip are, downtown Newark is not the most desireable vacation spot and mom is now going to use the GPS to get to the grocery store.
Checking in with Air India was a very cultural experience. I was the minority for sure and I discovered that the last name Patel in India is the equivalent to the last name Smith in America- just to throw that out there. So I got checked in with pretty much no problem and then mom walked me to the security check point. I hugged her goodbye there after taking a couple of pictures but I couldn't talk to her because I knew if I opened my mouth that I would start crying. So I let my tears out when I was on my way to security and got that all out of the way. Security was a breeze except for having to get half undressed but that is nothing new really.
Flying on Air India is an experience in itself. If you ever have the urge to go to India but can't get up the nerve to fly yourself all the way there just fly on Air India to somewhere else like London. The life saving procedures were given in Indian so it was a good thing that I am well versed in where my life vest is and how to wear my oxygen mask or I would have been out of luck. The highlights of the experience included watching Jingle All The Way in Indian, eating curry and getting glared at by the overly aggitated stewardess- it was great!
Customs was really fun. I got a pretty easy officer, he asked me a couple of questions and then stamped my passport. I got my bags without a whole lot of incident and then proceeded toward the exit. Luckily I ran into the girl that I was supposed to be sharing a shuttle with so that was way good because then we were able to go and check in for that together. (It is great how God provides little miracles every day like finding someone you don't even know in the biggest airport in the world!) The shuttle was the nicest vehicle I have ever ridden in. I sat in the back at a table, that's right, there were tables in the shuttle, it was pretty sweet! All the way to the centre (that's how they spell center in Brittish :) I just stared out the window and tried to take in all the scenery.
Arriving at the centre was really exciting. It is beautiful here! I think I am really going to like it. I made my bed and should now probably work on unpacking my clothing, or napping, they are both pretty high on my priority list right now.

And so it Begins....

2008-12-29T14:00:00.000Z

Here it is! This is the blog that will tell my tale for at least the next 4 months. I am going to London so this blog might actually be worth reading, if not at least the pictures will be worth it