.MEG. and .THAYNE.

Mawiaaage!!

2009-08-27T18:15:00.004-06:00

It's about time I blog again... especially since we're married now! August 11, at 11am Thayne and I were wed :) It was such a wonderful few days of celebrating and I'm happy to announce that everything went really well! Now, if I only had pictures to post! My wonderful photographer Duston Todd only shoots film, which mean It will be awhile before I see the images (boo!). But, I've stolen the two pictures that I've seen from our BIG day off my mom's blog - and am so excited to see more!!
Fresh outta the temple!
Our first dance :)
BRIDALS! Thanks to my wonderful team of hair makeup and dress crew (Mom and Britt), the Salt Flats was such a fun place to shoot! Plus we had like 10 ginorm balloons and tiny Britt had to sit in the back of the suburban surrounded by them on all sides. Good times!

Mexico "Swine Flu" City

2009-05-06T13:56:00.015-06:00

WARNING: anyone who is stressed/concerned about getting the swine flu should stop reading this post because the author was in Mexico City from April 24- April 26.Dun dun dun......

So Friday, April 24 - we all flew down to Mexico City and arrived around lunch time. The first thing we notice as we're coming out of our gate and walking through customs are BLUE MASKS (scary!). My dad asked the lady who was checking our passports why everyone who was working in the airport was wearing one of these masks. She mentioned something about something going around. Nearly an hour later, as we're safely nestled in the City, CNN breaks the possible pandemic and outbreak of something called the Swine Flu... or in Mexico called Influenza de Porcina. Before we got on the plane down to Mexico, there had not been a single news flash, article, or warning about the swine. Why were we headed to Mexico? Click here.

As we pulled into Benemerito, the wonderful and promising High School located in Mexico City (owned by the church), classrooms were empty along with the campus. The President of Mexico and the Secretary of Health canceled all schools and major public events as a precautionary. Naturally, I was a concerned about the whole thing, because now my family, Thayne and Muy, and the rest of our crew were right in Mexico City, where everything was ordered to be shut down, and people were wearing blue masks. Not only this, but my brother Stephen is serving in Mexico City, and I was worried about him too.

Anyway, all of this didn't stop the school from serving us a wonderful dinner and providing excellent entertainment. Benemerito is famous for many things, among them is the Ballet Folkoriko. It is an amazing performance of about 25 dances all together, which include many costume changes, and musical numbers. The costumes are all so bright and colorful, and very intricate. We all enjoyed it, except for I think Adam and Muy may have slept through some of it, and I don't know how because the dances were accompanied by some of the most powerful speakers I've ever heard. It was a lot of fun!After the ballet, headed for taco-mania. I enjoyed some of the best tacos ever here. The whole crew enjoying a late night taco stand.

After the performance, we walked around the block to a little taco place for a midnight snack. Tacos de Habeneros was more like a midnight meal. Queso fundito, and nearly 20 other dishes filled our wobbly table on the side of the road in true taco stand fashion. We all hungout there for about an hour, and had so much fun! Thayne was a champ, and ate enough tacos for me and him, so I didn't have to. That night we slept at Bene, Muy and I bonded. I borrowed her shampoo, she borrowed my blow dryer, it was great.

The next day we got on a little bus provided by the people at Bene and headed to Cholula. Cholula is at the base of Xalizintla, the village that we originally came to ten years ago. Up in Xali, were a very grateful group of people who had been in need of wheelchairs for a long time and received them. While my parents spent the afternoon up in the villages... Thayne and I, and Adam and Muy began a day of walking and lots of eating...like four meals for dinner eating. We stayed at Club Med, right near the base of the very famous pyramid.Awesome shoppers.
I don't speak Spanish, therefore I blame these beer flavored suckers on these two that DO speak the language!Me and Thayners at the base of the pyramid. Pastry break! 12 pastries...for $3 , delish.Cold chocolate foamy drink. We thought Adam knew what was good since he lived here for two years, but this certainly was not good. The end of the night. The forth and final meal, Muy has to spoon feed Adam.

Before we knew it, the next morning, we were back on the road headed into the city. As we passed through the main toll to get into the city, they handed enough masks for everyone in our bus to wear. To be honest, I felt like we were in a movie trying to escape to somewhere like the movie I Am Legend or Outbreak. Thankfully, we all made it back into Salt Lake safe and sound. What a fun trip! Inside the airport straight from church.Nothing Burger.Kinda ready to get back to the states.

Thanks for the awesome trip!

.....e.n.g.a.g.e.d.....

2009-04-22T10:50:00.008-06:00

On Friday, April 17, 2009 Thayne Morgan and Megan Marie (of course) got engaged!! Yep, that's right. It's official. ---Thayne did a great job picking out a ring that I love, and I think it rocks. Anyways, we're SO SO SO excited!

The plans so far: we are getting married August 11, 2009 in the Salt Lake Temple. So everyone SAVE THE DATE! Yep those are all the plans so far. Which pretty much means I need to start planning.

ANYWAY, of course I'll write about the engagement story, and the plans as they come along, but for now...I have to study! Oh, and don't worry, more pics of Evie coming soon.

We love Evie!!

2009-03-19T10:58:00.004-06:00

I'm a little confused as to what we all talked about before Evie was born, and even more confused as to what we all DID. Her adorable face, and sweet disposition has taken over everything...and I love it.

Baby Eve

2009-03-08T22:26:00.010-06:00

Today at 1:34 pm, March 8, 2009, Brittany and Bryan had baby Eve. She's quite the punctual little one, being born on her due date and all. More importantly... I'm an aunt! Adam, Daniel, and Step are uncles! And my parents are now GRANDPARENTS!! Crazy! Oh yeah...and Brittany is a mom, and Bryan is a dad. I just needed to clarify each and everyone of those things, because they are all so exciting! Congratulations!! She is such a beautiful baby, and I can't wait to play with her, and to teach her mischievous things....like any good aunt would.

Most importantly, the babe and the mom are both doing well and are happy and healthy. We're so glad she's finally here!!

Crew!!

2009-02-28T11:24:00.003-07:00

Day 1: Thayne and the CREWster
Up to Midway
CREWious
CREWton
CREW
CREWser
CREWtyliscious
Freddy CREWger
CREWby dooby doo
George CREWney

the CREW

2009-02-23T10:44:00.001-07:00

On February 14th, Thayne met his new best friend. We went and picked up Crew. Crew is a German Shorthair Pointer. He was born on December 27th, which makes him just barely 2 months old. He is one of the best dogs (I didn't say the only best dog) EVER! Crew loves to chew on shoes, especially slippers, he loves to run around the living room in circles, and loves sleeping on laps. Getting Crew has reminded me how much I really love dogs. I especially love his puppy breath, his puppy smell, and the way he looks when he sits and stares at me. Crew lives with Thayne, which means Thayne gets up with him once sometimes twice in the middle of the night to let him out. He has a nice kennel where he spends his nights. Thayne and I made him a blanket together, and he is learning to recognize it as his territory.

Crew comes from a great and extremely proud pedigree. Both his mom and dad are champion pointers in both time trials, and pheasant hunting. He is one of eight from the litter, and in my opinion... the best one!

So far the funniest moment with Crew: I was not in the room, and Thayne didn't quite have his eye on Crew when he peed...on my UTAH sweatshirt that was on the floor. Apparently it was hilarious, and Crew didn't get in trouble, because "of all the places Crew could have gone pee, he chose the Utah sweatshirt"... "this dog is smart" - Thayne. I didn't necessarily think it was funny, but someone else thought it was hilarious. We'll see what happens when Crew accidently pees on ANYTHING that says University of North Carolina.

Anyway, I really love Crew. In fact he already has a few nicknames. Crewton (pronounced Crouton), Cruiser, Crewbatron, Screw (if he's being bad). He hasn't even been around that long, so I'm sure there are more to come.

I have taken A LOT of pictures, and will post them shortly. It would be in everyones best interest to meet this dog... he is officially part of our crew.

Thanks Soj for the Tag!

2009-02-11T22:52:00.007-07:00

TaDa!! My first tag-

something that makes me happy right now: the bag of London candy specifically REVELS sitting on my bed when i got home work!

favorite item on my Valentines menu: Oreo shake (on any menu)

looking forward to: being an AUNT for the first time!

something I don't want to pay for right now: Gas

something I dread: my laundry

currently reading: five textbooks, and the Historian.

Favorite trip in the last year: London/Ireland/Paris/Germany

something I wish I could master: Photography
best hair conditioner: Pureology Color Care (purple bottle)--totally agree Soj!

best thing in my mail today: A Nordstrom bill with credit :)

Love or Hate Valentine's Day: LOVE it!

I am on a kick of: TurboJam

a luxury for me would be: Torrey Pines vacation every now and then

time of day I look forward to most: Being done with school, and headed home to relax!

current favorite song : SnowPatrol

if I could go shopping right now, I'd buy: A new handbag (petunia pickle bottom, or MARC by Marc Jacobs yellow tote (in my dreams), inspiring swimsuit, and always SHOES, and a few v necks)

something I want to do more of: ski, snowmobile, and workout

least favorite thing of the past week: 5 tests in 3 days.

glad that: I have a new computer!

love: Oreo shakes and working out - - it's gotta balance out

TAGGED: Mom, Eden, Britt (start your blog already!!)

My first creation

2009-02-05T00:14:00.001-07:00

Torrey Pines weekend

2009-01-22T18:43:00.004-07:00

Christmas Wish List

2008-11-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Dear people who really love me: This is what I love this year...

The bag that SCREAMS Megs

This can be found at ANTHROPOLOGIE :)

Blackberry Storm

Canon 24-105mm Lens

7 For All Mankind Straight Leg

And as always, peace on earth.

The BIG (sad) GAME

2008-11-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Dear BYU, I regret to inform you about the absence of your football team Saturday night. Apparently you were unaware your team had a game. Please do not let this happen next year. Don't forget, Meg

One of the hardest things a BYU fan could possibly endure is going to a BYU/UTAH game, cheering in the student section at Rice Eccles. Not only were our tickets in the MUSS, we had to dress appropriately so we weren't heckled (hence all the red). Even though I attend the University of Utah, my love for the Cougs can't be surpassed by the U.Thayne, Lauren and I all watched the game amidst the drunken frat section. It was pretty funny at first, and then it just got annoying. It was a fun game to go to, and after we went to Cinegrill for dinner. Delish!The MUSS passing Swoop up the crowd in the 4th quarter!Thayne and Me, disguised as U fans.

Thayne and Craigy...such a stud!
I found Randi and Becca at half time while I stood in the longest line ever for hot chocolate.

2008-11-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

HIP HOP ABS

2008-11-20T11:46:00.001-07:00

For the past few weeks I have fallen in love with workout DVDs to do at home. Thanks to 'Shaun T', or should I say crazy ab man, I should be able to see my abs in 30 days...if I do it everyday, and eat right. Hmm..what a concept. But yes, I'm going to try it. The workout I did this morning was 40 minutes long, and it definitely burned! I loved it. The hardest part about the workout are the stupid/cheesy/motivating comments he makes the entire time...yes, I can't wait to have abs like yours Shaun T, and when I see you on the street I will come up and show you my abs...

Hopefully I'll start to see some results pretty soon. I still love running, but the problem is my knee hurts from time to time, and this is one of those times. If for some reason you walk past the workout room in my house, and you hear loud music and cheesy comments, it's just me and Shaun T, working out my abs. And now that I'm blogging this, I feel like I really can't slack off!

FALL FAVS

2008-11-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

The rollout of Christmas music
Dad's chili
Girl's baking
Hot choc with extra marshmallows (preferably the tiny crunchy ones from sev)
Sitting by the fire
Fall leaves
Mom's wonderful festive house decorations
Seat warmers
Mom's desserts
Going to movies
Family gatherings
Crisp morning walks with Mom
Dad getting everyone outfitted with new coats
Festive OREOs
Carving Pumpkins
Thanksgiving dry run
Roasted pumpkin seeds
Seasonal clothes
Pumpkin pie
Stuffing (both Mom's perfected recipe, and StoveTop)
Being with friends and family!

Halloweeners 5K

2008-11-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

This year, Thayne, my mom, Adam, and I all ran in the East Millcreek Halloween 5k! Last year Adam won the whole thing, and this year he came in 2nd. What happened Ad (just kidding :) )! Dad came to cheer us on and was the designated photographer. What would we do without him?
If you look carefully, I'm just barely ahead of Thayne. Actually, we ran the whole 3.1 miles together.

Mom beat her time last year by four minutes!
After the race we all headed to Sharon's for a classic Saturday morning breakfast with Amy as our server. We love Sharon's on Saturdays!

Last Day in London

2008-04-25T15:42:00.000-06:00

This morning we got on the tube and went over to Borough Market. Borough is home of the world's best cheese and onion grilled sandwich, among other amazing food. We shared a sandwich, and walked along the Thames eastbound to the London Bridge and Tower Hill. The Bridge celebrated it's 100th birthday in 1994. We went all the way to the top, and all the way to the bottom where the engines used to power the bridge up and down. From there we made some final rounds at Westminster, Regent Street, over to Carnaby and Oxford Circus, and ended in a little plaza for dinner.

I've had so much fun in London, and will definitely miss it! Having Mom and Dad here as been the best way to end the adventure. We've had so much fun together!

LONDON BABY!

We LOVE Paris in the springtime!

2008-04-25T13:47:00.000-06:00

In two days, and one night, we conquered Paris! We saw Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter, walked aloong the Seine, consumed a few baguettes, saw the Royal Opera House, Galeries Lafayette, went to the Musee D' Orsay, The Orangerie, Walked from the Louvre up along the Champs Elysees, saw Napoleon's tomb in Les Invalides, the Rodin Museum, and enjoyed the beautiful weather!
Saint ChapelleOut front of Notre DameParis baby!On a bridge by Notre Dame overlooking The SeineNotre DamePadre and the Mona LisaGood thing Mom and Dad were there to hold up the Eiffel!Walking up the Champs... just before our feet fell off I was able to snap a shot of the sunset.Me and Mom in the middle of the road!In the Musee D' OrsayThe Thinker, Les Invalides, and Mom and Dad all in oneMonet's Waterlilies at the Orangerie. Part of the two oval shaped rooms that display his murals.

We had so much fun on our little jaunt to Paris. The weather was perfect, and so was our hotel. We loved every minute of it!

Three Londoners

2008-04-22T15:56:00.000-06:00

We started the day off at the British Museum where we saw the Rosetta Stone, Ram in a Thicket, Standard of Ur, and so much more. We walked over to Covent Garden and ate lunch out on the patio. It was delicious! After lunch we walked all the way to St. James Park, through to Buckingham Palace. It was such a great day we ended up sitting in sun chairs in Green Park. We topped off the afternoon with some shopping along Piccadilly and went to London Bridge where we enjoyed overlooking the River Thames. Lunch in Covent Garden
On our way to BuckinghamOn the bridge in St. James ParkBeautiful Mom with beautiful tulips at BuckinghamAt BuckinghamEnjoying a coke, while Dad works on his blackberry in his "fort"On the Millenial Bridge after dinner

We had a lot of fun exploring London today!

A Wicked Day at Cambridge

2008-04-21T16:58:00.000-06:00

This morning we got tickets for the Broadway play Wicked. From there, we went to King's Cross station and caught a train to Cambridge. Forty Five minutes later, we were in the heart of Cambridge! Knowing Dad, I wasn't surprised when we ate a nice lunch, where we shared traditional fish and chips, and then went into each of the separate colleges of Cambridge. My favorite was King's College. It was such a nice day for walking around the city and soaking in the college life at Cambridge. We made made our way back to London, and stopped in at the British Library for a look. From there, we went back to Victoria and ate lunch at an Italian restaurant and made it to Wicked just in time. I love Wicked! We had a great day, and had so much fun, and walked ourselves silly!Welcome to Cambridge!Trinity CollegePunting at Cambridge, one of their favorite past times in the city, it's famous!Enjoying the view from one of the many bridges.King's College groundsGrounds at Trinity College Absolutely WICKED!

Love, Set, Match

2008-04-20T14:03:00.000-06:00

We have been all over London today! This morning we started off with a walk in Hyde Park. As we were walking over to Speaker's Corner, the most disgusting thing happened! A pigeon full on nailed me! GROSS! Luckily, we had napkins, and cleaned it up out of my hair, face, jacket, jeans, and shoe! We walked along the Serpentine River over to Kensington Gardens and Notting Hill. We got on the tube and headed to Wimbledon. Wimbledon was probably the highlight of the day. Once we got off the train, we walked for about fifteen minutes until we found ourselves at the gate of Wimbledon right in the middle of a neighborhood. We spent some time in the Wimbledon Museum, and had lunch at the cafe. From there, we headed to Kew Gardens. There are three hundred acres of botanical delights grace Kew Gardens, which lies on the south bank of the Thames River between Richmond and Kew in the suburbs of south-west London. The gardens are Royal because for many years the estates that now form the gardens were owned by members of the Royal family. Eww! Cleaning up after the pigeon disaster!In Kensington Gardens at Mom's favorite cottage.Actual plates and cups of Wimbledon!Hangin' out at Wimbledon.Mom having the traditional strawberries and cream at Wimbledon!So cute!Venus, Serena, and Sampras.Kew Gardens.Green house fog.
Papsk and me on the tube, we spent a lot of time on the tube today! We had so much fun!

Mummsy and Popsicle

2008-04-19T16:47:00.000-06:00

They're here! They're finally here! It was so exciting to go meet Mom and Dad at Victoria Station. They didn't even look tired! After we checked in at our hotel, we were off! We had a fun filled day of browsing around the National Gallery we walked around Piccadilly and eventually found ourselves at Harrods. We spent some exciting time inside Harrods, and also had a delicious dinner in the famous Food Halls.

Just outside of Harrods after we came up out of Knightsbridge

Enjoying some gelato!
Yum...
We'll take one of everything please!It may have been slightly embarrassing for Mom and Dad when the gelato worker at Harrods gave me a hug, and asked me if they were my parents. It may be a sign that I spend too much time there, but that's just impossible!

This morning we got up and went to Borough Market over by Tower Bridge. It was so much fun! We had some great food, and all three of split a steak sandwich, tried chocolate of sorts, and of course Dad had some olives. I thought it was going to be the highlight of the day until we walked ourselves down Tottenham, through Foyles, up Leicester Square, into Covent Garden, over to Piccadilly, up Regent Street, and in to Carnaby Street (a wonderful world of shopping). Somewhere in there we ate lunch at Wagamamas. We had so much fun together, and I quickly remembered what great shoppers Mom and Dad are!Mom and me standing in front of a giant brownie at BoroughHungry?

Me and Padre at Wagamamas
I love ya bro!
The best parents ever! Just crossed Millenial Bridge, and headed to St. Paul's Cathedral
London baby!

Final Days at the Centre

2008-04-19T16:19:00.000-06:00

This past week has been so busy, fun, relaxing, and also hard to say goodbye to the centre and all my friends. Finals ended on Wednesday, and so we celebrated from Wednesday until everyone left Friday morning. We went to Harrods, did a farewell walk, ate too much chocolate, and tried to help each other cram twice the amount we came with back into our suitcases. Living in London has been an experience of a lifetime! I have loved making new friends for life, and learning how to live in a big city! Everything about this experience has been nothing short of incredible. Now, I get to travel with my parents, YAY!

Loving London and Friends!

2008-04-12T16:39:00.000-06:00

Today was the last Saturday that all the girls are here in the center together. We decided at the beginning of the semester we would splurge one night for dinner and go somewhere really fun! Tonight we went to Beach Blanket Babylon - a swanky, cosmo, hoppin restaurant/bar. The food was delicious (it reminded me of eating out with the fam), and so was the atmosphere! Earlier today Kaitlyn and I went out with our cameras to get some shots of London, and work on our final conceptual art projects. We didn't let the random bursts or rain, and hail ruin our plans, we charged through London anyway! Rocky and I have also been working on a few of our art projects as well. It's a good thing I have two cameras...because I use them all the time! I've made so many awesome life long friends here, I feel so lucky! A lot of these pictures are for final projects I am working on, and the other ones are from dinner. I had such a good time today, and after finals next week, we plan to do a little bonvoyage London party. I am really excited for my parents to get here too!

More Art finals...

2008-04-10T17:44:00.001-06:00

Well, here are two more of my six art finals. Mom - this does not even come close to how beautiful you really are! The other one is Me! Watch out Adam...

Art Finals

2008-04-10T04:07:00.001-06:00

My drawing class final is 6 sketches of whatever we feel inspired to draw. Many people have chosen landmarks throughout London, but I chose people! Here are my first two sketches. It's Daniel and Step - I figure it's safe to draw them, because they're out of the country, and therefore there is nothing they can do about my sad skills. But, these two inspire me!

Imperial War Museum and Phantom Of The Opera

2008-04-10T03:44:00.001-06:00

Yet another fun filled day in London! Becca and I went to the Imperial War Museum to work on some drawings for our art finals. I ended up spending an hour in the Holocaust Exhibit (just as good as the one in DC), and an hour in the War Posters room, and two hours in the cafe with a diet coke and my sketch book.The Imperial War Museum My favorite war poster! I love Winston Churchill. "All great things are simple, and may can be expressed in single words: freedom, justice, honor, duty, and hope." -Sir Winston ChurchillOn the tube on the way to Phantom in Piccadilly!Think of me...Think of me oft -
Me and Rocky in Piccadilly Square after the play!

Dinner and a Movie!

2008-04-08T02:29:00.000-06:00

The other night we went to the Old Coronet Theatre, the oldest movie theatre in London. It's the movie theatre in Notting Hill where Hugh Grant wears his swimming goggles while Julia Roberts is eating popcorn at the theatres. It has to be the best place I've ever seen a movie! Before we left, we had Indian food at the Centre. I've grown to love Indian food being here in London because you can get it everywhere! It is so good!The Old Coronet Theatre!Me and Kaitlyn!A common occurrence for me: melted chocolate on my clothes. Mmm..please pass the Tatziki sauce.We ate off of banana leaves, and used our hands to eat the food. I don't know where that fork came from.

I LOVE LONDON!

2008-04-03T17:00:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite things to do when I feel like I could use a little time away from the Centre, is go to Foyles. Foyles is probably the most famous bookshop in London. It used to be the world's biggest bookshop. The rows of books are endless!This is my station, and this is my friend. Yes, I realize that it's in the kids section, but it's so comfortable! I love Foyles!
Me and Rocky Tonight after dinner we decided to go to Caffe Concerto on Regent Street for some dessert. We thought it closed at 11, but it definitely closed much earlier, so instead we took a nighttime bus ride around parliament and came home!

Blenheim Palace and Cotswolds

2008-04-02T12:47:00.000-06:00

Today we took our last day trip together to Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds. Blenheim Palace is currently the home of the 11th Duke of Marlborough. Blenheim Palace is also the birthplace of the famous Sir Winston Churchill. The Palace is surrounded by 2100 acres of parkland and gardens. Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace by a mistake. His parents didn't live there, but they were part of the family a lot of time at the Palace. Winston's was not expected for a few weeks, but went into labor early on November 30, 1874. Unfortunately they are updating the facade of the Palace and so there is scaffolding everywhere. We were able to go through the Palace on a tour, and I have to say the best part was our tour guide. Blenheim Palace.The gardens are part of what makes the Palace so famous.

From Blenheim we headed to Cotswolds. Cotswolds is known for its' small towns and villages built of Cotswold stone. It is very quaint, and has a pristine feel about parts of it. However, most of Cotswolds is very touristy.
Stopping for a treat!
Homes along the river.
The town is filled with several shops like this!
Alyssa, Soj, Me, and Kaitlyn on the bridge.
Welcome to Cotswolds!

Today was yet another fun trip with the group. That was our last trip outside of London, and I must admit, I'm SO happy to be done with coach drivers and rides! It's been so much fun!

Oxford Circus and PIccadilly

2008-03-31T17:16:00.000-06:00

Today I went two the Oxford and Piccadilly area twice. Why? Because that's where all the shopping is at, at least a lot of it. Oxford Street intersects with Regents Street, and together it makes up one of the busiest major upscale shopping areas of the world. This is the view of Oxford street from a double decker. This is one of the four corners of Oxford Circus, Niketown! All the shops on Oxford are amazing!Carnaby street is an offshoot of Regent Street. It's a very old street that has been updated, and is now home to several shops and fun boutiques. Some of my favorite shops are on this street. This is the view of Piccadilly Square coming down from Regent Street. The famous fountain which lies right in the middle of Piccadilly.

London has the best shopping in the world!

Oxford Football Game

2008-03-30T04:31:00.000-06:00

Yesterday a bunch of us went to the Oxford and Cambridge football game. It was down off the Putney Bridge stop in Fulham. The tickets we got were in the 'mixed section' of the crowd, which made it really fun! There were Oxford and Cambridge alumni sitting all around in their bright suit jackets and scarves. I should have known that it was going to rain, it always rains! Luckily, most of the stadium was covered, but it still was cold! Jen, Alyssa, Alysia, Me, Liz, and Britnee before we left for the game. Go Oxford!
It took me all of two seconds once I sat down before I was really cold.
Cambridge is the light blue team, and Oxford the navy blue team. Getting warm at half time. Check out the guy in the background, he's Cambridge alumni and proud of it.#9, Toogood was my favorite player-I'm pretty sure he looked at me after I yelled his name!

Cambridge won 5-3. They scored those last two goals within the last two minutes of the game. After the game there was a boat race down the Thames. It too was between Cambridge and Oxford. I was shocked to see what a big deal the boat race was. We were too cold and not prepared to wait for three hours for the race to start, so unfortunately I didn't stay. It was still quite the experience!

STOMP

2008-03-29T12:34:00.001-06:00

Last night me, Rocky, Tori, Hannah and Erin went and saw Stomp. The theatre is down right in Leicester Square, which means it's in a crowded part of town. We dressed up a little stomp-ish ourselves, and had front row seats. It was so much fun, and we made an extremely fun night out of it. I have so many plays, and they have all been a blast!
Me and Rockystar
If you want to see an amazing dance cast that can make music with almost anything, see Stomp!

London at Night

2008-03-26T17:17:00.000-06:00

Today was another great day! Tonight Liz and I decided to take the #11 bus, which dropped us right in Parliament. I was planning on taking pictures with both cameras, but I left the battery of my 40D plugged in, and so I couldn't use it! I am planning on going back with a tripod and that camera to take some fun night pictures!

A night out on the town!

The London Eye in the background.

Big Ben baby!

How fun is this?

Another day of F.U.N.

2008-03-25T17:55:00.001-06:00

I had a long list of things I planned on accomplishing today, like going to the bank, the post office, returning something, homework, and a few loads of laundry. I must admit - absolutely none of that got done. Instead, I went after breakfast to St. Martin's Theatre with some girls and purchased tickets to Mousetrap. It's in Leicester Square, which is next to Covent Garden, which means lots of shops and surprises. On my way home from getting tickets, Betsy and I ran into a unique little bead shop and ended up spending three hours making even more unique London charm bracelets! We were proud of ourselves for being so spontaneous. I was proud of myself for having the patience to finish the bracelet.Sometimes, when you don't plan on making a bracelet beforehand, you're not showered and ready for the day.I know, it looks like a million bucks.Let's play a game - how many times can Meg drop her beads? Answer: twice. The sad part is my bracelet didn't even entail the use of beads.The finished product! Each charm has a special meaning or memory of London.

Tonight we went to Mousetrap. It's London's longest running play ever (yes I've heard this before, but this one has been running 56 years), and was written by Agatha Christie. I really enjoyed it, as I do all murder mysteries.Britnee, Alysia, Amanda, Kaitlyn, Me, Liz and Betsy at Mousetrap.

EASTER Sunday!

2008-03-23T12:20:00.000-06:00

Today I woke up to snow in London on Easter! Instead of walking through the freezing cold park, Betsy and I decided to figure our the bus schedule to Exhibition Road where the church is. About an hour later, and two bus changes later, we were probably farther away from where we needed to be than when we began. It was definitely an adventure. After sacrament, I went to St. Paul's Cathedral and went to Easter EvenSong. St. Paul's was a great experience, and very different from anything I've ever been to!Mom and Dad: this is one of two Easter dresses you got me - Thanks! The other one is much cuter. Once I went outside, I realized my church outfit needed a major makeover; socks, boots, jacket, and an umbrella.I met Liz at the front of St. Paul's just before the program. We sat on the front row even though it was absolutely packed. The choir made their way out of the Cathedral after Mass, around the side of St. Paul's.St. Paul's.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Good Luck Elder DAN!!

2008-03-22T08:14:00.001-06:00

Daniel good luck!! We all love you and are so excited for you to serve in Taiwan! Good luck and we love and support you!

The WEST Coast!

2008-03-22T03:39:00.001-06:00

I just got back from the West Coast, which means a long drive up to Clovelly, Penzance, and Cornwall! The trip was scheduled for last week, but because of the hurricane it got moved to this week. We're lucky it was moved because it was great weather along the coast these past few days. Our first stop was at Clovelly. Clovelly, is a quaint little town along the coast that you have to walk down in to. This is where I had the best scoop of ice cream ever, and put my shoe, not my foot, in the Atlantic Ocean. Obviously that wasn't on purpose.Welcome to the small town of Clovelly.Meg and Sabrina walking down to the coast of Clovelly. Me, Betsy, and Liz climbinb down a sketchy ladder to get to the coast.The best ice cream EVER! I got honeycomb something, and it was so good!Hooray for the Atlantic Ocean, and wet shoes!Making my way to Tintagel.After Clovelly we went to Tintagel. Tintagel is located in Cornwall, England. Tintagel is linked to the King Arthur Legend, marking it at his birthplace. How exciting! The ruins along the hike of Tintagel.

After we finished hiking, I got a famous Cornwall pasty. It was really good, and also really hot, and therefore burned my mouth. That night we went to our hostel in Penzance. Hostels are always interesting, and this one wasn't too bad. I felt like I was sleeping in a crib because my bed was so small, but other than that we had a lot of fun there. The next morning we went on a five mile hike along the coast of Penzance (where Pirates of Penzance was filmed). It was so beautiful and so much fun! The hike took a few hours, and ended at Land's End.
After Penzance, I went to the Eden Project. The Eden Project has more than 1,000,000 plants in one location representing over 5,000 species from different climatic zones throughout the world. Eden has two gigantic biomes, one is a rainforest biome, and the other a Mediterranean. They are the biggest conservatories in the world.The Biomes!Inside the Rainforest Biome.
The next morning, before we headed home, we stopped at St. Michael's Mount. St. Michael's in an island that you can walk to when the tide is low. On the island is a medieval castle. We walked along the causeway, but did not go up to the castle. It was so much fun!The island of St. Michael's.Me and Soj, playing on the beach!I can't lie, it was really cold the last morning along the coast and at St. Michael's. I was happy to get back on the bus. This was a jam-packed, fun-filled, busy trip, and I had such a great time!

Bath, Stourhead, Exeter, and Stonehenge

2008-03-15T15:26:00.000-06:00

It feels like I've been gone from the centre much longer than just a few days because I saw so so much on our most recent excursion! Yesterday we went to Bath, The Dart Moors, had a great nights sleep at a local YHA, and this morning went to Stourhead, Stonehenge, and Salisbury, and then made our back home. Welcome to Bath!This is the main bath, there are smaller baths on both sides.
Apparently this is what the men wore way back when it they went to the baths.Stourhead, England. Part of Pride and Prejudice was filmed here, it is absolutely beautiful!I spent an hour just walking all throughout the estate, that has now been turned into a National Park.Stourhead.Mike, Liz, Soj, Me, Alyssa, Ann, Kaitlyn, and Betsy enjoying the walk through the park.Enjoying some more Stourhead.Stourhead.Seeing Stonehenge was most definitely a highlight for me! Stonehenge rocks are exactly this big. Me and Liz hanging out on the bus, except for that we didn't because I was sleeping.

Rain drops keep fallin' on my head

2008-03-13T17:38:00.001-06:00

Today for one of my art classes, we went and hung our 'graffiti' posters that we made on Brick Lane. At least we tried too. My professor thought that a certain wall on a bridge allowed anyone to display art on it or near it - he was wrong. Just as I was taping up my poster, the London police came and questioned us , saying that we needed to immediately take down our art or else we would be arrested. We took it down obviously, and therefore were unable to have an art opening of our own. That's okay though, because I didn't even want to have an art show to be honest. Does this look like someone that could get arrested?
The famous Brick Lane.

I decided as long as I'm on a play high, I may as well go to Grease tonight! Me, Kaitlyn, Betsy, and Hannah left early to the Piccadilly Theatre to see if we could get tickets. They sold us the very best seats in the house (normally 75 pounds, for a student price of 20 pounds)! It's always fun to see a play when you know all of the songs that are in it! Me and Hannah did not plan this, sadly, this is what happens when you only have a limited amount of clothes at your disposal.We go together like shanananananananana dippity doop doo bop
Grease Lightnin'!
Yes, this is me, and Danny Zuko. We may have talked for a little bit after the show!
Us girls with Sandy!

Windy Day!

2008-03-12T17:33:00.000-06:00

This morning Soj and I walked pretty much all of London! Okay, not all of it, but a good portion. We started in Covent Garden, where I picked up a gorgeous pair of shoes (London loves the word gorgeous), and from there we walked to Trafalgar Square, down the road to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, across the way to St. James Park, past Buckingham Palace through Green Park, over to Hyde Park and home. It was so much fun, despite the extreme wind!Buckingham Palace down the river.

Soj and me in St. James Park
Bridge in St. James ParkSportin' my new shirt from TopShop.
Tonight I went and saw an incredible dance performance called Insane In The Brain. It's a hip hop rendition of the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Basically, it was two hours of unbelievable dancing and talent.
Getting prepared to go inside!
Liz, Kaitlyn, Amanda, Hannah, Betsy, Soj, Me and Anna

The Wonderful World of HARRODS

2008-03-10T15:07:00.000-06:00

Today I woke up to a nice wind and rain storm, which continued throughout the day. I decided that meant I should spend the day indoors, and therefore immediately thought of Harrods. Harrods is home to over one million square feet of selling space and over 330 departments! Naturally, this makes it the largest store in the UK, and one of the biggest in the world. One of the things Harrods is most famous for are the exquisite food halls. They are absolutely amazing!Harrods is most famous for their food halls. They have a room that is just lined with chocolate!This is not real fruit, it's chocolate too!More food! If you follow this path, you'll find yourself enjoying the best gelato in London!

Harrods is known for having absolutely anything! If I really wanted to, I could purchase a garden from the roof of Harrods. A few years back, a man came in to Harrods, and put them to the test. He asked if he could buy an elephant from the store. The employer asked him to hold on for a moment and within minutes the store was making arrangements to purchase an elephant, so they in turn could sell it to the man...and they did! If you ask Harrods for something and they don't have it in the store, they'll get it!I love rainy days!There is a famous Egyptian room in Harrods that is on the first floor. One flight down is a memorial to Princess Diana, which has her engagement ring on display along with the last glass she drank from.

Harrods motto: Omnia Omnibus Ubique —- All Things for All People, Everywhere.

Good luck Elder Step!

2008-03-07T18:15:00.001-07:00

Hey, I just want to wish Step GOOD LUCK as he leaves the MTC on Monday for Mexico City! We all love you and are SO excited for you to serve! Keep up the AWESOME work! Can you believe this was almost six months ago that you were opening your call?!

WICKED

2008-03-07T01:17:00.000-07:00

Last night I went and saw Wicked! Once again, we got front row seats the day of the show. The seats couldn't have been better. It's playing at the Apollo Victoria theatre, and it's absolutely huge! This Wicked definitely has a London flare about it, and I loved it!The theatre!This is the curtain, we were so close!Just before the play was about to start. Liz, Me, Soj, and Vanessa (she's a friend of Soj's, who is visiting London.)Riding the tube home. I really enjoyed the play, and I feel like seeing another one tomorrow night!

Tower of London, the Prime Meridian, and Billy Elliot

2008-03-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

It was another busy day for me in London! This morning the group met at the Tower of London. Since I've already been there before, me and a few other girls made a rather quick pass through. My favorite part of the castle is most definitely the crown jewels, and the beefeaters of course. I hung out in the Tower Hill area for awhile and got some lunch, and then headed to Greenwich. Greenwich is home to the Prime Meridian Royal Observatory. The White Tower, also the most famous tower within the Tower of London. On the hill in Greenwich overlooking the National Maritime Museum and more of England. The Royal Observatory. GMT is mean solar time, with midday defined as the time at which the sun crosses the Greenwich Meridian, 0 degrees longitude. I'm standing in both the Western and Eastern Hemisphere!Hanging out in Greenwich!Me and Soj trying to decide which hemisphere we like better. This is the clock which overlooks the Royal Observatory.

I got home just in time for dinner. We had Indian food tonight, which I have decided I really like! Right after dinner a bunch of us decided to dress up and went to Billy Elliot. I saw another great play tonight! Off to Billy Elliot in Victoria Square!Me and Soj at intermission. We all got front row seats!

A Day of Adventure

2008-03-04T15:02:00.000-07:00

Today after history class, Liz and I conquered a few more walks about London. We took the bus to Chalk Farm, and from there we walked until we found our way to Primrose Hill. Primrose Hill is another posh area of London where many famous Londoners live. The Hill overlooks the city, and more closely Regents Park. I walked all throughout the park, passed the London Zoo, and along Regents. Primrose Park used to be part of the great chase appropriated by Henry VIII. We had such a great time enjoying peppermint tea and sitting on a bench, as we did some serious people watching. This is Primrose Hill...actually this is part way down Primrose Hill.Yeah for spring and flowers!There is a reason for this picture: this Perrier that I'm holding was never purchased. I was in a little grocery store trying to grab something for lunch, and as usual, I was indecisive and could not choose what to get, but, I did know that I wanted that drink so I just set it in my purse. When I realized that I didn't want anything from there for lunch, I walked out, got on the bus to Primrose, and two minutes later found a nice cold Perrier in my purse! I need to go back and pay for it!Primrose flowers in Primrose Hill.Regents Park.This is in Regents Park along the stream that flows through the center of it.

Tonight, the criminology class, and anyone else who was interested (which was me) went on the Jack the Ripper Tour! Scary! We met at Tower Hill tonight, just as it started to rain, and proceeded to make several stops throughout the creepy parts of London. We saw where many of his victims were found murdered, the where abouts of where he possibly lived, and lots of other creepy sites!Welcome to scariness.I don't know what's more scary...the tour, or my bangs. This is a freaky pub near Spitalfields Market, the area and pub where Jack the Ripper is believed to have met his fifth and final victim.

Countryside Hike

2008-03-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

Today has been one of my favorite days here in England! We got on a train early this morning t to Kent. When I first got here in January, one of the members of the Stake Presidency announced that he wanted to take anyone who wanted to go on a ten mile hike through some of England's beautiful countryside. Kent is known as the "Garden of England". It is absolutely beautiful! It definitely was more of a walk than a hike. We walked ten miles through fields, hillsides, farms, golf courses, neighborhoods, and little neighborhoods. For a minute I felt like I was in the canyon!Just getting started.Me and Rocky enjoying some sun.Yay for the only U students: Soj, Anna and Me!A golf course, this is for you dad!Endless countryside.We ate lunch at some very old castle ruins along the way. Betsy, me, Kaitlyn, Soj, and Alyssa enjoying lunch.More beautiful countryside.Yet another old castle we came across.Someones backyard that we crossed through.We stopped in a small local boutique shop, and got ginger beer (don't worry, our Stake President here had it too). Everyone loved it - but me!Enjoying some frozen fruit.Absolutely everything about this walk through Kent was lovely. I loved it!

We finally got home around 6, and to make a good day even better, me and some friends went to Wagamamas for dinner. Yum!

Stratford-Upon-Avon

2008-02-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Our day trip this week was to Shakespeare's birthplace. Stratford is about three hours outside of London. We left bright and early, and pulled up to Anne Hathaway's (Shakespeare's wife, not the actress unfortunately) cottage around 10. We took a tour of her home. Although they were married, Shakespeare worked and lived in London, and she remained in their home town. After a tour of her cottage (which took all of 1 minute), we went to Shakespeare's birth home. In case you were wondering, Shakespeare was born in 1564. Soj, Me, and Liz, just around the corner from Anne Hathaway's cottage.Liz, Kaitlyn, Soj, Me, and Alysa in the garden of Anne Hathaway's and Shakespeare's.Shakespeare's home.Inside Shakespeare's birth home. Me and Soj having such a great time!

The entire town thrives on Shakespeare's life, and all the tourists who come to pay tribute to the legendary playwright. After I walked around the town, we met at one of the theatres there and saw Henry IV. I'm going to be honest, it may have possibly been the longest play I've ever seen. Also, I brought my camera, but left the battery charging in the wall, so I got these pictures from other people. I hate not having my camera with me! Oh well, it was probably good to give it a day off!

The National Gallery

2008-02-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

Drawing class met at the National Gallery today. The Gallery is located right in Trafalgar Square. One of the coolest parts of the Gallery is the interior which lies in the overall layout and architectural quality of the building itself.

Another thing I love about the museums here is almost all of them are free admission. My favorite painting in the Gallery is Van Gogh's Sunflowers. I would have taken my own picture of it, but it was being closely watched. Trafalgar Square!Statue in the Square. This was on the cement in front of the Gallery. Several chalk artists sit in the Square and work during the day.

It was such a nice day in London today. In other news, the London Police called me twice today regarding the theft of my purse. They didn't have any great news to tell me other than that if they find anything of mine they'll give me a call. So far everything is working out to be okay!

Bad bad bad day turns out not too bad after all

2008-02-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

Last night after family night, me, Rocky, and Sarajane went out to get hot chocolate. We walked down to a Starbucks, and I hadn't been in there too long before my purse got taken right from under me! Some creepo decided to steal my purse right off me. Naturally, I freaked out - I ran home (practically flew) and called my parents. Within minutes everything had been canceled and taken care of. After they calmed me down, and my dad reassured me that I would be fine without an actual credit card for a few days, everyone here said a prayer and then went to see if they could find any parts of my purse/wallet near the Starbucks. Although there was no luck, I still appreciated the effort. Before I knew it, my favorite candy, hobnobs, and cookies were showing up on my bed from all my friends! Several people offered to lend me money until I was able to get my own (which has already been taken care of :) )

This morning after class, I came back to my room to see a brand new Diesel purse, exactly like the one that got stolen, sitting on my bed. Rocky, Sarajane, and Liz went and got me a new purse right when the store opened this morning! Oh wait there's more - they stocked the inside of it too! Something so horrible ended up to be not so bad after all. I feel so lucky to have such great friends here, and especially amazing family at home. It could have been much worse - my passport or my camera could have been in my purse as well. I am lucky, it could have been worse! I bet the person who stole it probably looks like this.

Ireland

2008-02-23T15:55:00.001-07:00

Thursday morning, seven other girls and I left at six am for Ireland! The minute we arrived, we started seeing the sights. Our hostel, The Bunkhouse, was located just off O'Connell Street. We were within walking distance of everything. For lunch, we ate in the Temple Bar District. I quickly realized that Dublin is a town of beer and of people who drink beer. After a delicious meal, we went and saw Christ Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and then walked a ways to the Guinness Factory.The Ireland girls at the train station headed for the airport.Welcome to Dublin!Inside the St. Patrick's Cathedral. Christ Church Cathedral.Welcome to the Guinness Beer Factory!The end of the Guinness Tour ended at the bar on top of the factory. It is said to be the best view of the city. Instead of enjoying my free pint of Guinness, I opted for a refreshing Diet Coke.

The next morning we woke up bright and early and left at six for our tour and got back to Dublin at 11 that night. A train took us about three hours out of Dublin, and from there we hopped on a bus. Our first stop was at Bunratty Castle. This was one of the coolest castles I've seen! I walked all throughout it and saw secret passageways and banquet halls where they still host huge Irish feasts and only use their hands to eat. Sign me up! From there, we stopped in Doolin and ate lunch at a pub. We ate only the best fish and chips with Irish oat bread. Yum!

After lunch we were on our way to the Cliffs of Moher. The Atlantic Ocean hits up onto the Cliffs which made for an extremely windy and misty experience. I have to say seeing the Cliffs was a highlight for me. They are absolutely beautiful. On our way back to the train station we stopped in Gallway, we were able to walk much closer to the coast here. Ireland Railway Tours was the way to go!The official entrance of Bunratty Castle.Yeah that's right, I'm in charge.Eating lunch in Doolin.Gus O'Connor's was delicious! It's a little walk up to this point on the Cliffs, but it was worth every step!The Cliffs of Moher.The Cliffs is probably the windiest place I have ever been! We took PLENTY of windy pictures!
Meet my twin, Eskimo Meg.Kristen and me, trying not to blow away.Hello... is anybody in there?Me and Liz, looking for a hairstylist. This is Gallway, Ireland. Every April flowers sprout through the cracks of these rocks, and is said to beautiful.

Saturday, we walked around Trinity College, and hungout in Temple Bar. There was a huge Rugby match this weekend between the Scots and the Irish, so Temple Bar was flooded with Scots in their kilts and flasks. After lunch, I did a little souvenir shopping.Welcome to Temple Bar District.One of many pubs.This is the real deal, THE Temple Bar.
No need to worry, I decided on a different souvenir.

Ireland was an absolute blast! I loved every minute of it!

Hampton Court

2008-02-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

This morning I got on a train at Waterloo train station, and went to Hampton Court. Hampton Court is home to Henry VIII's State Apartments. Today was absolutely freezing cold and foggy, but it was still so much fun!Crossing the bridge from the train station over to Hamtpon Court Palace. Foggy!In Hampton Court, about to start my exciting audio tour!You would think that we asked for a picture with her - but no she asked if we would take one with her.Henry VIII's dressing room.The Center of the Palace.The foggy gardens.Me and Soj on the train ride back.

We hurried back from Hampton Court because this weekend everyone has free travel, and that means I'm headed to Ireland in a few hours! I'll blog about it all when I get back!

Hands down, best Abbey I've ever seen!

2008-02-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this was the last day in London for Britt and Mom! We had another fun filled day together, but I must admit, it is sad to see them move on to Paris...good luck girls! I loved having them here, and hanging out with them has been absolutely amazing! Thanks DAD :) -

Today we saw Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, High Street Kensington, Kensington Palace, Hyde Park again, Oxford Circus, and the movie Juno. Can you say tired feet? After having walked ALL over London the past four days, I don't know if I'll be able to walk for the next week! But I better be, because I leave for Ireland in two days!Just came up out of the Westminster tube stop.At the Abbey, aren't they beautiful?I was quite surprised with how many people were at the Abbey today, it was pretty crowded!The Girls!
Waiting for the tube to High Street Kensington.Lunch at Wagamamas - a London favorite for lunch or dinner (at least in my opinion!).A wee bit chilly walk by Kensington Palace.Leaving the department store Selfridges, a kind lady took quite the powerful straightener to my hair and my moms!Me and Britt in the movie theater right before we all saw Juno.

The past four days have been such a blast! I love you guys! Thanks for tolerating my crazy tube excursions and food suggestions - you're the best!

Cornelius Style

2008-02-18T16:47:00.000-07:00

It's been another fun-filled, jam packed, Tirb-O charged, crazy day in London with Mom and Britt! It is so much fun to have them here! Since there is so much to see, we got another early start this morning! After we walked up and down Regents Street (only because I got us lost) we bought tickets to see Sound of Music at the London Palladium Theatre. We got there right when the ticket booth opened, which means we got front row tickets at an awesome price!Britt and Mom being super patient with me as I took them down Regent Street not knowing that we were walking farther and farther away from the box office where we needed to buy tickets.

From there, we headed up to the British Museum, where we saw the Rosetta Stone, among many other impressive pieces. That was by far the most impressive thing we saw there. From there we headed up to King's Cross where we walked to the British Library. Yet another highlight! We saw original manuscripts of Leonardo Da Vinci's journals, Shakespeare, Jane Austen's Charlotte Bronte, the original Alice in Wonderland, the Magna Carta, the Beatles songs, and Handels Messiah. Cool! If you can guess Britt loved the library!The British Museum welcomes us!The Rosetta Stone.Trying so hard to get to Hogwarts!These are the originals scraps that the Beatles wrote lyrics on from some of their most popular songs!

We went to Wagamama for lunch, and we took a quick pass through Camden Town so they could see where the big fire was. As if we hadn't already seen enough we went to South Kensington and stopped in at the V&A to see the famous fashion exhibit. We walked from there along Brompton Road to Harrods. Harrods was just as we left it the day before, so that's good news. Since all of us could barely feel our legs, we went back to their hotel and took a little power nap before the play. Giving Britt a nice look for taking tired tube pictures of me.

Sound of Music was such a great play! The front row was such a fun place to be, I didn't even fall asleep. My mom especially enjoyed the play, but then again...she always enjoys everything! We accomplished so much today, maybe tomorrow we should just shop!Walking around in Oxford Circus just before the play.The hills are alive...Bundled up and ready to shop!

The FUN has arrived!!!

2008-02-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

It is my privilege to announce some guest bloggers: Please welcome..... Mom and Britt!!!!

Actually, the FUN was already here in London; that's who we came to see! After a long but not-so-bad trip, we were greeted by our resident tour guide, Meg. She came with gifts and a plan.The wonderfully small hotel room!

Her plan was to keep us awake, which she did by alternating snacks and sights (and a little shopping). Portobello Road, lunch at The Orangery in Kensington Gardens, browsing in Harrods, and Covent Garden. We liked the strategy and stayed up all day.

This morning we headed straight to Hyde Park to exercise. Then, we got ready and went to the Tower of London. The highlight was definitely the Crown Jewels.

Then we embarked on a "short walk" to the Globe, which meandered a little bit more than we were expecting.

After we saw the Globe, we crossed the Millennial Bridge, over to St. Pauls.

Finally, we ended up in our favorite place to hang out(so far)--Covent Garden. We browsed, then had a delicious meal at Bella Italia.

Meg has been a wonderful guide/hostess and we love being here with her!Obviously we needed a Ben's Cookie! Or maybe two...Hooray for Harrods!Mom and Britt.. very scared of the crack!This meal actually was very good...I just made it look gross.

Happy Valentines from London!

2008-02-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

The BYU Centre is the place to be on Valentines Day! Yes, I wore my new red pants in honor of St. Valentine. I had class today in the V&A and apparently so did Antonio Banderas. There is a temporary exhibit up "Out of the Ordinary" that I drew in for a few hours, and for Conceptual Art we met on Brick Lane. Brick Lane is full of art shows and expressions on buildings, fences, the street, basically anything outside is fair game to display artwork! Aside from the fact that it was freezing cold, it was fun to venture up there! Plus, I had chicken kerma and nan from Sweet and Spicy, and I liked it!Happy V Day to my pants! Meg and Nicole waiting for class to start in the V&A.A random wall on Brick Lane where the sophisticated art of BYU Conceptual Art students will be spray painted and tagged on this very wall. We'll see how that turns out.Me and Kaitlyn freezing on Brick Lane.My cute roommate Anna made me a Valentine, and the biggest Cadbury egg EVER! It sealed our friendship. This is where we all eat each morning and night, and we decorated for Valentines!

Runnymede, Windsor Castle, and Stoke Podges

2008-02-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday, so that means group trip! Today we went about twenty minutes out of the city and made our first stop at Runnymede, from there we headed to Windsor Castle where I spent most of the day, and finished it off with a stop at Stoke Podges. We crammed a lot in, but it was awesome!When we were first got out at Runnymede, one of the professor's little kids ran out into this huge field, and I thought it looked like a perfect picture opportunity!It would have been nice to know that we were going to be trekking through the mud to get up to a monument. Our shoes and pants got soo muddy!The first group picture we've ever taken! And now I know why...We hiked up to this monument which is dedicated to the British Royal Air Force. Their motto: With difficulty, through the stars.Meg and Sojlaroo at Runnymede!Windsor Castle is huge!! Driving up to it was the best view because it's soo big. Once I was up next to it, it was impossible to see it all together. I got to go inside where I saw how the Kings and Queens used to live and entertain. These days, the Queen comes to stay here usually on the weekends, and she enjoys spending her summer holiday here. While the Queen loves her Windsor Castle, she prefers her Castle in Scotland (I would too, obviously). This is the "backyard" view of Windsor, which overlooks Eton College.Me and Betsy just outside the castle. So excited to be in London!This is Stoke Podges, home of the poet Thomas Gray. He wrote the famous poem Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, which happens to be about this churchyard! I know it really is so exciting, just take a deep breath. Me, Sarajane, Amanda, Kaitlyn, and Alyssa in Stoke Podges just outside the church. We went on a beautiful walk while we were in Stoke, along the Thames River, a very very calm side of the Thames.

Camden Town

2008-02-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

After class today, I decided to venture out on one of London's famous double decker buses. Ann and I got on the 27 to Chalk Farm, where there is supposedly a huge grocery store (one of the biggest in London) and some fun shopping. We were almost there when the bus line was forced to end because of last weekends fire in Camden. I ended up walking all through Camden Town and saw a lot of the damage caused by the fire.Me and Ann on the double.The Tube Station at Camden Town - now under construction after last weekend.
From the LondonTelegraph:

...Police have said that parts of Camden Town, in the north of the city, will be closed for three or four days as engineers inspect buildings in the area for structural damage. It is not known when the market will reopen for business.
The fire raged for three hours before the London Fire Brigade (LFB) declared it had been controlled.
Storage areas for the famous market took the brunt of the fire damage, along with popular local pub the Hawley Arms - a regular haunt for musicians such as Pete Doherty and Amy Winehouse....

Damage is estimated at over 50million pounds

If you want cheap food of any cuisine - Camden Town is the place to go.

Several parts of Camden are blocked off for the next week or so, as the details of the fire are worked out. After we wandered through these streets we walked up Chalk Farm road, and didn't see anything too exciting, so we got on the tube and road it over to High Street Kensington. Our original plan turned out to be quite the adventure, and it was so much fun!

Hampstead Heath

2008-02-11T09:46:00.001-07:00

Today I went to Hampstead Heath! Me, Kristen and Betsy headed north of London, and spent the day in walking in hilly grassland, woodlands, playlands, and in a former stately home. It's a very nice area of London, just 4 miles north of Trafalgar Square. It is said to be one of the best points to overlook the city. Welcome to Hampstead Heath!We walked for the entire green area of this map!"The Heath" as it's known to Londoners, covers over 800 acres. This is the famous Kenwood Estate. If you recognize it, it's because in Notting Hill there is a whole scene on this hill! The house dates back to the early 17th century. Inside there was many paintings by Vermeer which hung throughout the house.Me, Betsy, and Kristen about to eat lunch (a nutella sandwich) on the hill and do some homework.One of the many ponds.There are just over 25 ponds in the Heath, and of those, two are swimming ponds. The men's swimming pond open in 1890, and the ladies' pond opened in 1925. I'm going back when it's a little warmer to experience swimming in a pond!

The Love Run

2008-02-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

I ran the 10k Love Run today in Battersea Park! It was a such a gorgeous day to run, I didn't even need a jacket. There were about 2500 people who signed up for the race. The race started at 10, which was nice. Joe, one of my professors came with me and Kristen to cheer us on. The park runs along the river Thames, and is right near Chelsea Bridge. The course was three laps around the park. I'm not the biggest fan of laps when it comes to running a race - but it was such a fun time I didn't care! Kristen and me just before the race. The finishing point, even though it says START. Obviously, this is right after I finished. I couldn't see my time, but Joe said it was barely under 45 minutes. Running this race was such a fun experience!

The Theatre

2008-02-08T02:23:00.000-07:00

This week I have seen two plays! Tuesday night, we went and saw Woman In Black. It has been running in London basically forever, and it is said to be winding down pretty quickly. We wanted to see it before it ends. The theatre is right in Covent Gardens, so we got our pre-play dessert (Ben's Cookie), and were off!Hannah, Kate, Me, Soj, and Liz - little did we know we were about to scream so much!
The plot: When a friendless old widow dies in the seaside town of Crythin, a young solicitor is sent by his firm to settle the estate. The lawyer finds the townspeople reluctant to talk about or go near the woman's dreary home and no one will explain or even acknowledge the menacing woman in black he keeps seeing. Ignoring the towns-people's cryptic warnings, he goes to the house where he discovers its horrible history and becomes ensnared in its even more horrible legacy.

Thursday night, I saw Othello! This is hands down the best play I have ever seen, and I will probably ever see! Although it's not my favorite Shakespeare play, the actors were phenomenal. Iago was played by the one and only Ewan McGregor, and Othello was played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. I was ten feet away from Ewan McGregor for over three hours. The Donmar is a very very small theatre, which means every seat in there is a good one. I was surprised at how small and compact the actors, stage, and audience were to each other.Right before the play, enjoying some bubbly water and a lime. Look how creepy my hand is!Me and Soj, at intermission. After the play, we hung around hoping to get a few signatures, but the big stars 'dipped out' the back immediately after the play ended. This is the guy who played Cassio.

Oxford

2008-02-06T14:19:00.001-07:00

I went to Oxford today! It's about an hour and a half bus ride north of London. It was so much fun! It is a beautiful campus, unlike anything in the States, and incorporates a fun atmosphere for college students in the small town. Christs Church. One of the largest, and most famous of Oxford colleges, has the reputation of drawing the most aristocrats.
The outside of the Great Hall that's in the Harry Potter movies.
Along Christ Church Meadows... the boys are the director's sons, Sarajane, Me, Kristen, Brittney, and Lindsay.
The streets of Oxford are almost all cobble-stoned.More cobble stones!The Radcliffe Camera, the most famous part of the Bodleian Library, the main university library. It's the the single most-recognized building in Oxford. Another ancient beautiful building in Oxford. The covered market is the perfect place to combine history and shopping. It's filled with British chain shops, but has unique stores as well. You enter Covered Market through a little alley called the Golden Cross Arcade. It's basically a maze of shop. Balliol College. This is the most prestigious of all the colleges, and the hardest one to get into. To be a "Balliol man" in British culture means to be the top of the intellectual elite.We climbed to the top of St. Mary's church in the ancient centre of Oxford known as Carfax. Oxford is filled with rows of and rows of shops like this.Standing at the entrance to the Botanic Gardens. Kristen, Me, Soj.Finally, I found my boat!

This was such a fun day trip. A few of us are going to go back and spend some more time walking around. I was surprised at how much there is to see and do in Oxford. It's so much more than a University.

Art in the Park

2008-02-05T08:00:00.001-07:00

Today I went out and did one of my art assignments for my Conceptual Art class. The assignment is to create something in nature, using only things found in nature or around the project. With the requirements in mind, I headed to the park. Because I like to run in the parks, I decided to incorporate foot prints into my project.

Luckily for me, it has recently rained, which made it easy for me to find foot prints. I used some newspaper that I found in the park, sticks, and leaves to fill up the shape of random footprints. For the footprint with sticks, I was quickly gathering all I could nearby because it was starting to rain. What I didn't realize is one of my 'sticks' was a worm. Gross! I hate worms.

The very last of Paris

2008-02-04T02:57:00.001-07:00

The last couple of days I had such a fun time just walking around the streets of Paris, we went back to a few shops that we thought we'd never find again, and I ate more excellent food, and went to a few more museums. This trip to Paris was absolutely amazing!

MUSEE D'ORSAY One of my favorite parts of this museum is the building itself.The Bedroom by Vincent Van GoghThis is one of a few by Vincent Van Gogh called Starry Night. A little close up on the Starry Night. These were only a few of some of the beautiful oil paintings I saw in this museum. Musee D'Orsay was my favorite museum!

MUSEE RODINThe Thinker by Rodin. There are two versions, one inside and one outside. It was raining so hard outside, so I only snapped this one. The one outside in the gardens is much bigger, and is surrounded by beautiful landscaping.The Kiss by Rodin. Sarajane and me, having yet another fromage and jambon (ham and cheese) baguette before we head back to London. Delicious!Paris was so so so so much fun! But as you can see, I was excited to get back to a nice hot shower and some clean clothes! Au Revoir!

The rest of Paris - literally

2008-02-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

If you didn't get enough of Paris from those pictures, hopefully this will do the trick! Some more museums, paintings, sculptures, and more! Thursday morning started off at the Arc De Triomphe (A patriotic focal point). The Arc was built from 1806-1836. It was built to glorify the armies of the Republic and the Empire.

ARC DE TRIOMPHE I don't remember it being this big the last time I was here!Climbing more and more stairs to get the top!At the top, overlooking the Champs. Isn't it such a beautiful day?Hannah and me at the top!

From there, we shopped on the Champs for a little bit. I got a few things I'm pretty excited about (thanks dad!). It started to rain so instead of taking the walk to the Louvre, we took the metro.

LE LOUVREThe Louvre triangle. Thanks Britt for the great directions and advice for getting around.There she is! Mona herself.Mona and me. We're such good friends.Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix The Winged Victory of Samothrace - this was my absolute favorite!The Dying Slave by Michelangelo Venus de Milo, and me hanging out together.Hammurabi Law Code - The text contains a list of crimes and their various punishments, as well as settlements for common disputes and guidelines for citizens' conduct. The Code does not provide opportunity for explanation or excuses.Napoleon III had an apartment that is part of Le Louvre. It reminds me of my own room.
I had a little fun of my own out in the courtyard of Le Louvre.So close! After we were done there, we headed to dinner and crepes.
One of the best parts of Paris was all of the great food! I got the best crepe ever inside this little shop. We were in the Latin Quarter of Paris, where As if crepes weren't enough for the night, Liz, Sarajane, and me went back to the Champs Elysees and into a store called Laduree. This store has incredible macaroons. The vanilla is by far the best flavor. The four in my hand were actually bought by the man in front of me in line. He overheard me say to Liz that the vanilla was my favorite, and they had five big vanilla ones left for the day (it was ten o'clock). He said to the lady he wanted all the vanilla she had left, and then bought them. Then, he gave them to me! What a nice man! I'm pretty sure it was a big roller like Armani or Valentino. What a great night in Paris!

PARIS - the first part of the week

2008-02-02T04:47:00.000-07:00

This last week has flown by! Paris was absolutely amazing! It was an adventure getting from the train station to the hotel, and little did I know that was just the beginning. Tons of walking, lots of stair climbing, using the metro, spending time in museums, brasseries, pastry shops, creperies, the Eiffel Tower, more museums, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, and so much more! I took an embarrassing amount of pictures, and here are some of them!

SACRE COEUR
Right after we got settled in our rooms, a group of us headed to Montmartre. This cathedral is Sacre Couer. It sits way up on a hill in Paris, and it is said that at the top of the dome of the cathedral is the best view of the city.
We climbed to the top! A tiny spirally staircase, and about 15 minutes of climbing got us a beautiful view of the city, Eiffel Tower, and the smog I must admit. This was a such a fun way to start off the trip.The view from the dome.Another view.

EIFFEL TOWER
As we were heading out of the dome, the sun was setting. We hurried to what we thought was the nearest metro stop (there is absolutely no way the closest metro stop is an hour walk from the Tower). However, I made it just in time to climb 688 stairs to see the sunset!
This is from the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower, I couldn't go to the top because it is closed during the week.This was taken right when we got up to the 2nd level. The colors of the sky were changing so quickly.
This is Paris baby!By the time we got down, the sun had set and it was completely dark outside, so the Tower looked beautiful!This picture doesn't do justice to the coldness!This night was such a blast. When we were done here, we walked along the Seine River to find a spot for dinner. Two hours later... we sat down in a tiny bar/cafe, and ate a great meal.

SAINT CHAPELLEKnown for it's beautiful and most impressive stained glass located in the Ile De La Cite. It is perhaps the high point of Gothic Architecture.Inside the Saint Chapelle.

NOTRE DAMESarajane and me in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral. It's beautiful!The top of the Notre Dame, which one is the gargoyle? I climbed into the room where the bells are on the top of the cathedral. This bell is HUGE!

THE PANTHEONOut in front of the Pantheon. . It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve, but after many years it has become a famous burial place.One of the many famous people buried here is Voltaire. In case you were wondering, he is best known for his novel, Candide. I was most interested by him and his works, more than others buried here.

LUXEMBOURG GARDENS
These gardens are the the gardens of the French Senate. I'm sure they are absolutely beautiful in the spring time, but we were pretty cold.Trying to have fun in the Gardens, and succeeding. It doesn't matter that it was cold!

LES INVALIDESOutside the Les Invalides. The building consists of a museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France. The most notable tomb here is Napoleon Bonaparte's. Napoleon was initially buried at Saint Helena, but the King arranged for his remains to be brought here in 1840. The people in the background give some idea of how large this tomb really is.Les Invalides is also the burial site for some of Napoleon's family and several military officers who served under him.This part of Les Invalides is dedicated to Louis XIV.When we were leaving the courtyard, a few of us decided it would be fun to take some candid shots of each other for fun (and also to kill some time) - this was fun!

Sunny Sabbath

2008-01-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today was South Kensington's Branch Conference. To be honest, I can't say that meant too much to me, because the majority of it was in Portuguese. However, it was neat to see a larger congregation at sacrament, and meet the Stake Presidency. The Stake President's wife invited me and Betsy over for dinner tonight, but we have our Religion on Sunday nights. It would have been fun to go eat dinner with them! I am quickly learning that having a calling in Primary is not as easy as it sounds. There are three kids in my sunbeam class; Pedro, MariaEduarda, and Winifred. They are so much fun!Taking pictures was the only thing they wanted to do once I showed them my camera. Taking pictures was their reward for being good!MariaEduarda, Pedro, and Winifred.I look so stylish when I walk to and from church.

The walk on the way back was so pretty. The sun was setting, and the weather was great.
The walk on the way back was absolutely gorgeous. The last few sunsets here have been awesome.
This is a small area of the park that was filled with rollerbladers and people having picnics.

High Tea Anyone?

2008-01-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Every day is a new adventure in London. Today we went to Portobello Road. One of the most famous markets in London, it took us well over an hour to make it from one end to the other! The street was crowded with people, antiques, booths, fresh fruit, fish and chips, all kinds of food, vintage clothing, and so much more! I can definitely say one of my favorite things here are the markets, especially on Saturdays. This Portobello Road on a Saturday afternoon!This is a crowded pub down Portobello, and I didn't even know they served my wine!The Hummingbird Cafe - located in the market, sells their famous red velvet cupcakes, which rival Sprinkles and Magnolias. I changed my mind, nothing beats Magnolias. Rhubarb. Londoners love rhubarb... and so does London. They sell it fresh at markets, and in yogurt and candy and pies. I'm not quite sure if I like it or not.

After we made our way out of the market, a couple of us decided to go find T.S. Elliot's home. We walked in circles for awhile, but finally found it! Had we not gotten lost, we would not have seen his wife Valerie Elliot come out of their flat, just as we were taking pictures under the sign. That was especially cool!
This is the home where T.S. Elliot lived, and wrote Wasteland. It's a really nice area, and just to the right of me are the front doors where his wife came out.

We walked back through the park, passed Kensington Palace, and made the brilliant decision to stop and have noon tea at the Orangery Cafe which is located directly behind Kensington Palace. This was so much fun! The Orangery is an old beautiful building, and was full of tea drinkers, and pastry eaters. FUN!The walkway up to the Orangery Cafe.Now I feel like a Londoner. Peppermint tea with an English Scone.

The local markets

2008-01-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Today was freezing! However, it's okay, because the rain has held off for a few days. We went back to Spitalfields Market today. It's one of the many bustling markets here. Spitalfields is filled with rows of fun dresses, purses, food, t-shirts, jewelry, and all of it's extremely unique! We found a fun little sandwich booth and bought lunch.

After Spitalfields, we got on the tube and made it over Oxford Circus. Oxford Circus has so many fun shops! The biggest Nike Town, Urban Outfitters, H&M, and TOPSHOP (The funnest store to shop in here) are all right next to each other. I actually got tired of shopping. I didn't make any purchases today, I'm holding out for the weather to get a little warmer.

Tonight, me, Liz, Kristen, and Sarajane snuck into the kitchen and made cookie dough! It was so much fun. We couldn't find brown sugar, so we ran around the corner, and purchased what we thought was brown sugar. The Local Food&Wine does not have brown sugar, they have brown sugar cubes for coffee. We still made it work!Secretly making cookie dough in the mini kitchen upstairs. Actually, the cooks here gave us all the ingredients they had, we just had to grab a few things. I agree, pictures of the market would be much more fun to look at, but I accidentally left my cameras home. I'm usually the one with a camera around here.

Is it ART?

2008-01-24T09:37:00.001-07:00

It's Thursday - which means art class all day. My drawing class was held in the British Museum. We worked on our gesture and contour drawings. Everything went well except for that I lost my new eraser in the Museum. Drawing until 12, and my other art class started an hour later. I grabbed a quick pb and honey sandwich, which has become a regular for lunch, then headed off to the Tate Modern Museum for my conceptual art class. The Tate exhibition brings together three of the greater figures of twentieth-century art; Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, and Francis Picabia. These artists and many more are featured here.
This is the Millenial Bridge. It goes across the Thames River. It is very modern looking. In the background is St. Paul's Cathedral.Kristen and Me walking across the Millenial Bridge. It was so cold!Thames River. Outside of the Tate.This giant crack in the floor, is the first piece of art you see when you walk in the Tate Modern. Strange? The artist hopes it will encourage us to confront discomforting truths about our world and about ourselves with absolute candidness and without self-deception. Me, laying across the crack! I know, it's an extremely clever picture.It is a big crack, really!

The Wonderful World of Harrods

2008-01-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

This morning a bunch of us went and played a game of American soccer in Hyde Park. One word - MUDDY! It was so much fun! After the game, I decided to take a small break from all of the recent museum going, and instead took the day for wandering around Covent Gardens and Harrods. This is one of the smarter moves I've made. CG was filled with Londoners enjoying their lunch break at the many fun cafes and restaurants. After an exciting purchase in The North Face Store (thanks dad :) ), I stumbled upon many other exciting stores (Mexx, Camper, Paperchase, Whistles, Ben's Cookies, etc.) before we went to Harrods. I've decided that Harrods is a museum itself, and therefore should be revisited several times. Instead of walking through different time periods or galleries, you walk through different departments and fitting rooms.This guy was holding on to this rail, standing over the ledge, leading down to the bottom level of Covent Gardens. He was singing opera, and was actually pretty talented.We stumbled upon the "Chocolate Bar" on the second floor of Harrods on our adventure. Of course we stopped in for some hot chocolate, which was delicious!The menu is simply inspiring.Mom and Britt, your sack is on the left. The one on the right is mine.

Tonight the whole group went to the opening night of The Importance Of Being Earnest. This is probably the funniest play I've ever seen. I didn't fall asleep either, which says something too! Just before we went into the play.This is me and Megan during intermission. She also happens to be my bunk mate.

Here comes the sun...

2008-01-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Trafalgar Square.

I saw the sun today! It was so great to go outside and not have to worry about the rain. After class today, we went to The British National Gallery. It's in Trafalgar Square. It wasn't too cold, so I sat out on the steps and sketched a fountain for art class. My drawing looks nothing like the actual fountain, but I'm okay with that. It was just relaxing to sit and watch the people. Eventually my hands got cold, and so I finally went inside the Gallery. It's one of the many places here that you can not see everything it has in one day. I spent a few hours there just walking around.
I sketched the fountain behind me and Kristen (fyi).
That's Big Ben in the way background. And that's me on the steps of the National Gallery.

I quite fancy the British Museum

2008-01-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

Today me and Kristen went to the British Museum. I felt like I was walking through an encyclopedia. This is by far the most amazing museum I have ever been to. You could probably go there every day for the rest of your life and look at something new (not that you would want to do that though). We actually got sidetracked a few different times on our way there. We were almost to our tube stop when we decided to walk down Portobello road and look for jewelry. An hour later (and no purchases), we continued on our way. It wasn't until we got off at the right tube stop for the Museum that we saw a new clothing store we haven't been in. Another hour later, we left the store (again with no purchases) and we finally got ourselves in the museum. This is right inside the Museum. It was pretty crowded, I can only imagine what it must be like in the summertime. I sat and stared at this for an hour while I tried to sketch it.

For FHE we watched a movie. A Lion In Winter...ever seen it? When you have five hours of time and you don't know what to do with it, you should watch it. It wasn't bad actually, just a bit long.

Abejitas!

2008-01-20T09:44:00.001-07:00

Just as I was sitting down for sacrament today, I was asked to come up and speak for a few minutes after the sacrament was given. Excuse me? No hablo espanol. During the sacrament, I tried to think of some things I could say to the congregation in Spanish. Before I knew it, I was up there speaking. I talked for about five minutes, and probably one minute of that was an attempt at Spanish.

They decided to move me to primary as well. SUNBEAMS! Hyper sunbeams. So from now on, I'll be in primary. There are three kids in my class; Pedro, Winnie, and Eduardas.

Lost in London

2008-01-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the 2008 Temple Festival, celebrating 400 years - Because of the special anniversary, we were able to go inside The Temple Church (which is supposedly a rare opportunity). It's one of the most historic temples in London. The Church was built by the Knights Templar, the order of crusading monks founded to protect pilgrims on their way to and from Jerusalem in the 12th Century. It was a neat experience. I sat in the temple and sketched for an hour on assignment for one of my art classes. At 12 o'clock the Master of The Temple gave an hour history of the temple. A lot of the filming of The Da Vinci Code takes place right in this temple and in a few surrounding areas. It was an amazing temple to visit.
Welcome to The Temple Open Weekend 2008 - 400 year anniversary!This is a Knight's Effigy which is located in the circle part of the temple.Sarajane, Me, and Kristen about to learn why the temple we are in is so special.

When we left, we decided it would be fun to walk back instead of taking the tube. What we thought would only take around five minutes, ended up being an hour long journey, going in several different directions. Eventually we gave up and found a tube station, and went home. Maybe next time!

Tonight we had our first London pub experience! We went to a pub nearby our place called the Phoenix. I can already tell that it's going to be a favorite. We were there quite early so it wasn't too crowded. The food was great, and we had a good table for watching the football game (soccer). I'm pretty sure the yellow team won! No worries, it was a non smoking pub, and we just got water to drink.

Just outside the Pheonix.

Hakuna Matata (It means no worries)

2008-01-18T16:47:00.000-07:00

Today was another great day! This morning Kristen and I went on a jog all through Hyde Park in the pouring rain. It was a fun because we didn't really know where we were going, but we just kept running. We ran ourselves right to the box office of The Lion King at Lyceum Theatre. We were the first ones there at 10AM and decided to purchase tickets for tonights show. I would definitely say it was one of the better decisions I have made so far. We got back to our place around lunch time. Hobnobs, and a Zone bar... doesn't get much better.

A little later, we made our way to King's Cross. What's at King's Cross? Platform 9 and 3/4. Yes, it really exists! It took around 30 minutes to get there, but we made it worth it. For some reason I thought it was going to be this magical, perfect little platform (like it is in the movie), but it's not. It's your average train station. We decided not to spend any more of our time seeking out other sites where Harry Potter was filmed, because we'd probably be disappointed. Don't get me wrong, this was still fun!The platform itself. They've put that cart there, but it's only half a cart, so it looks as if the other half has already gone through the wall (the way they do in the movie).Trying to get to Hogwarts!

There is nothing like the West End on a weekend night in London. We got off the tube at Covent Gardens, and before the play just hung around there. Ben's Cookies was delightful. There was a band playing right in the center of the CG, and they were actually pretty good so we stayed and watched them for a little bit.

Lion King was amazing!! I absolutely loved it. My favorite part was the costumes. They are simply incredible. It started at 7:30 and got out right around 10:45...pretty long. Kristen, Sarajane and I had a blast. Getting back home on the tube was absolutely packed, which made that fun as well. We had so much fun tonight. Hakuna Matata!Just outside the Theatre, close by Covent Gardens.Just inside the Lyceum Theatre.

Artsy Fartsy

2008-01-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

I had art class all day today. I'm starting to wonder if this was a good class to pick for my schedule. It's art class or Shakespeare....I think I'll go with art. This morning we met for our drawing class at the V&A Museum, where I had to do two 15 minute sketches, and one 30 minute sketch of some Medieval Casts. Maybe I'm confused, but I didn't know that drawing straight for that long without being able to lift your pencil, or look at your paper (I could only look at my subject), was art - but it is. Although a little frustrating, this class is going to be fun. Next week class is held in the Tate Modern, that should be awesome.

In between lunch I went on a hunt for drawing pens. I stumbled upon a store called Muji's where I found all my art supplies. I made it back just in time for my conceptual drawing class - which will be hard. My first assignment is to create some sort of art piece in a natural setting somewhere in London, using only the supplies in that particular environment. Good luck to me!!!
Because I didn't go anywhere too exciting today outside of class, I just thought to post a picture of all these delicious pastries I see daily. Every single one of them is soo good. Okay, I haven't had them all yet... But I will.

Canterbury, Rye, and Beachy Head

2008-01-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

CANTERBURY
The Canterbury Cathedral

Fieldtrip!!! Today was so much fun! We left the Centre really early, and loaded our coach en route to Canterbury. What's at Canterbury? Glad you asked. It's an ancient city, more than 2000 years old. The Canterbury Cathedral, contains a thousand year record of English culture and achievement. Canterbury has been the fountainhead of English Christianity and also the murder of Thomas Becket. Ever heard of the Canterbury tales? Those are the tales the Pilgrims made on their pilgrimage to Canterbury. In the Cathedral is a spot marked where Thomas Becket fell.

Inside the Cathedral

Stained glass window... with the sun actually shining through!

RYE
What's in Rye? Just a quaint little town; cobble streets paths, a small community, and a few very old churches. This was such a fun stop. We just walked around the streets and enjoyed the view. There are only about seven streets. Mermaid Street was my favorite.

Up a random alley way- Meg, Betsey, Kristen, Sarajane, Michelle, Amanda, and Liz

Mermaid Street.
A sad attempt at clicking our heels on the cobble streets of Rye.
The edge of Rye, behind me is endless countryside.
BEACHY HEAD

The place where the White Cliffs are highest is at Beachy Head. It rises 530 feet above the English Channel, the rock is chalk so it's always crumbling.
Sarajane and Me.
In 2000, a huge chunk of the Cliffs just crumbled into the sea...even if you are not right on the edge, it's still can be very dangerous.

Yes, this is me scaling the White Cliffs of Beachy Head! Impressed?

School is in session

2008-01-15T09:34:00.001-07:00

I had class today from 9-12 - The History Of Britain. I'm glad I'm taking this class because I feel like it's very relevant to everything that I'm seeing here each day. After class, a few of us walked through Hyde Park to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The V&A has an incredible fashion exhibit, with all sorts of clothing from the 1700s-Present. Yes, there was everything from corsets to a Juicy sweatsuit. It's incredible.

A little view of Hyde Park.

WE'RE TWINS! I am surprised at how well I can imitate this cow, and there is more to this cow than you think. Actually it's an ox, carved out of marble and wood, and somehow made its way into the British portion of the V&A dating back to the 17th century.

Running around and around

2008-01-15T04:09:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed a nice run Monday morning in Hyde Park, in the rain and wind, with several swans. I learned today that people also run on the other side of the path. I figured that out when I kept running into people and then I realized what my problem was. I'd have to say running here beats running on Holladay Blvd.

Yesterday was the first day I was able to go run errands. I don't have class on Mondays, so it's a good day for me to catch up on things like laundry, piano practicing (eww), any homework, and anything else! This picture is Whiteleys from the inside. This is just a few blocks from where I live. Fun fact: Whiteleys is reputed to have been Adolf Hitler's favorite building in London, and had he been successful in taking London in WWII, it is said he would have made it his headquarters (I bet his office would have been where the H&M is currently located).

Don't mind me... just running my errands. Face wash, a notebook, some pens, a towel, skim milk (everyone here drinks 2% so that's what they buy for the center) and perhaps a giant bar of Cadbury chocolate.

Hyde Park Stake, South Kensington Branch, Spanish/Portuguese speaking

2008-01-13T10:53:00.001-07:00

Today was quite the adventure. We were all told where we'll be attending church, and I am attending the South Kensington Branch Spanish/Portuguese one with one other girl. Church is from 12:30-3:30, and so we left an hour early to make sure we could find it on time. It's a good thing we did, because we had two changes to make on the tube in order to get there, and two of the major lines were closed for maintenance today. On our second change, we stepped onto the wrong platform which ended up taking us right back to where we had just been (at High Street Kensington Station). We realized when the tube started going in the exact direction we'd just come from once we were on it. That was about a half an hour delay.

We finally got to church, where the Branch President had us come up in sacrament as he introduced us. He was speaking Portuguese (he's from Portugal, which sounds different from Brazilian Portuguese) so I have absolutely no idea what he said. I really enjoyed sacrament. After sacrament, we met with el Presidente, and I got a calling. Right now, they have no one in the branch who can play the piano in Relief Society, but they do now. Carlitos Illuera gave me the calling with two hymn books, one in each language. During Sunday School, I'm going to be in primary. It should be a great experience.

Relief Society was all in Portuguese this week, which means next week it will be in Spanish. I sat next to a sweet lady named Maria. She is from Spain, and is living here working at Sainsbury's. Sainsbury's is like Rite Aid, they're all over here. She works all the time, but her favorite part of the week is church and she travels quite a ways to get there. We planned to sit by each other from now on in Relief Society so we can get to know each other and she will help me with Spanish, although she doesn't know English, which is perfect! The lesson was on Joseph Smith and the first vision - luckily I've heard it enough, it was okay that I didn't understand.

I was really surprised to see how happy everyone was at church and how friendly they were with several nationalities under one roof, in one meeting. Today was a great experience, but I have to admit three hours of not really knowing what's being said, is a long time. Good luck twins!!

My Sunny Saturday

2008-01-12T08:53:00.001-07:00

This morning when I walked out the front door, it was so great to see the sun shining everywhere. It was still around 40 degrees, but at least it was sunny. We got on the tube, and got of at Westminster where we started off another walk. The Abbey is just across the street from Big Ben, and also a huge statue of William Churchill. We didn't have time to go in today, but it would have been a good day to go because not many tourists are here right now. However, we did go into St. Margaret's church.
Why would anyone want to go near this horse when there is a sign like this right next to him? Me, and a lot of other people apparently.

This is Portobello Street. On Saturdays there is a huge market that runs down it for more than a mile. There were so many neat things to look at and see. We didn't even walk down the whole street. It's not too far from where I live.

Here we are on the backside of the Abbey on our way the Imperial War Museum (don't get too excited) and St. George Cathedral.

Here we are at the front gates of Buckingham Palace, and yes the queen was in! How do I know? Because the flag on top of the building was up and waving proudly, when it's not up, the Queen is not in. Everything about the Palace is grand, including the journey up to it.

This is me and Sarajane with our maps en route to the Prime Minister's home.

Nothing like a night out in London! Actually, we finished our last walk tonight, and then walked all around Covent Gardens, and through to Picadilly Square. It was a lot of fun, the streets were filled with people either headed to pubs or plays. We did neither of those, but we did eat some great Italian food at a fun restaurant called Zizzi's.

Every great city has to have a ChinaTown.

These are our happy faces, celebrating the fact that all eight walks are done!

Ladies and Gentleman... may have your attention a puhluheese?

2008-01-11T10:33:00.001-07:00

Hi... we need to use the phone.

Sweeney Todd and the Demon Barber of Fleet Street... that's me! It's nothing like I thought it would be, I couldn't find Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie's. But I did find the Temple Bar, a monument in the center of Fleet Street, which officially marks the western edge of the City.
This was taken near the Temple Church. The area between Fleet Street and the Thames is know as "the Temple", because it was orginally owned by the Knights Templars.

Just keep walking...

2008-01-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, all of my English teachers would be very proud, today I saw Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. In case you were wondering, it uses no microphones, no sound system, and no stage lights. All of the building materials and methods used in the renovation of the theatre date back to Tudor times.
Along the Thames we ran into this really unique wall filled with graffiti. It's a huge wall and there were 'artists' working on parts of it.

Here is a glimpse of the London Eye, and in the background is Big Ben himself. The sun came out for a little bit today, and everything looked so beautiful!
Sarajane, Me, and Amanda crossing the bridge to get to Big Ben. A little Big Ben history: Constructed in 1859, technically, the term "Big Ben" applies only to the bell on top of the tower, not to the tower itself-so technically one does not see Big Ben without going inside the tower.

London Bridge is not falling down

2008-01-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

We got off to an early start this morning, and headed straight to the Tower Bridge! It was really rainy again this morning, but lots of fun. January is not a popular tourist month here in London, so all of these fun sights are practically empty, only Londoners. It's been around since 1984, and was painted red, white, and blue in 1977 in honor of the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

Aliysa, Amanda, Liz, Krisen, Sarajane, Betsy, and Me just along the Thames Path, which runs parallel with the river.

Seeing the sights

2008-01-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

This is a market I came across on one of the walks. It was lots of fun, plus it was covering me from the rain! Right next to this place were some fun shops and eating spots.
The Tower of London
Downtown London

London Walks...

2008-01-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

Today has been great! I started the morning out with a walk through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. It was a little bit cold, but nothing too horrible. Everyone walking through the park had a dog. I met two dogs, Cheech and Onslo. Even the dogs are proper here! After breakfast, a bunch of started on walk 2 of 8. That took us to the Tower of London, the financial district, some little churches, and we also found our lunch spot. Not only has it been cold and rainy, but it's windy too. My umbrella is completely useless in this wind/rain. The 3rd walk was long, and tough because of the weather, but it was really neat to see some old temple ruins that are practically hidden right in the middle of London. Each walk took about 2 1/2 hours. We made it back just in time for dinner. Now for the best part... after dinner we took the tube to Harrods! No worries, I found the chocolate bar. I also found a lot of cute clothes too, but they appear to be more expensive here than in the states. I had a blast today, lots of walking but lots of fun too.

27 Palace Court

2008-01-09T17:11:00.002-07:00

Today was quite the day of traveling... consisting of planes, trains, taxis, a shuttle, the tube, and A LOT of walking! We got into London Gatwick around 10am this morning, and experienced quite the adventure getting two 50lb bags through the airport, train station, tube, and into the taxi. Once we got to the BYU Centre, I found my bed for the semester, and unpacked.

Kristen, Liz, SaraJane, Betsy, Amanda and I completed our first London walk. Out of nowhere, it started raining, and so we hurried back. After dinner, we took off to Picadilly Square and found our way to Les Miserables. It was great, even though I slept through half of it, okay almost all of it. I'd have to say today was a great day to start out life in London for the next few months!