I cant even begin to tell you how much I want to go to bed right now but I know that will not help me get over the jet lag at all so I will resist the temptation. So I got home-well to my aunt and uncles- at 9:45 last night and it felt so good to be able to just fall into my own bed and not have to worry about waking up to someones alarm at 5 in the morning.
The last couple of day in London were amazing and I just loved being able to spend some free time with everyone. On Saturday we went to the temple which was so much fun and was such a nice relaxing experience. After that we headed back to London and tried to get tickets to Lion King but we did not succeed but it was probably for the best because we were all so tired. On our way back to the center we stopped but the British Library which was truly an amazing experience. We saw stuff by Jane Austen the original Handles Messiah, the magna carta and lots of stuff from the Beatles. It was really cool and defiantly worth it. On our way back to the tube we stopped but Kings Cross and I went and saw Platform 9 3/4. I was expecting the really grand platform and what not but it was just a wall with a sign on it! I was really sad but it was fun to take pictures. After Elizabeth Stuart and I went back to the center and fell asleep in the sitting room for about two hours. After that we headed to dinner at some Thia place that was amazing!!!
Sunday was pretty normal. I taught the young women again and it was alot of fun and we took lots of pictures with the girls and it was great. We didnt have any major happenings on the way there or back which was nice. That night we stayed up and played spoons and had a dance party in the servery. It was so much fun and a perfect way to end the trip. Ilarene, Gerret, Danney and I left for the airport at the six in the morning and it was a really interesting experience taking the tube with two really heavy suitcases... Anyway we made it there fine and we didnt have any problems with our flight. When we got to JFK the first thing we all did was to head for Wendy's. It was so good!!! Anyway now I am just hanging back in Utah trying to get over the jet lag and procrastinating unpacking. And tomorrow I go back to work and get my wisdom teeth out. Should be great fun!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Big Brother Is Watching!!!!
So any of you have not read 1984 Big Brother will mean nothing to you.... But I swear the Big Brother is here in London, disguised in the from of CCTV. So about an two hours ago Elizabeth Stuart and I went down to try and get tickets for Phantom of the Opera again and while be were waiting for the central line tube at the Queensway station I decided to take a picture in the tube for memory sake, since I am there all of the time. Well I forgot to turn my flash off and well it flashed when I took the photo. Less then two seconds later an announcement comes on... "Your attention please, we would like to remind all London Underground costumers that there is no flash photography in any of the London Underground station, thank you." Can I just say that really freaked me out. I know that there was a video camera in the station but the response time was just scary... Anyway we got on the train and when we got off at the next stop another announcement came on "Your attention please, we are experiencing delays on the central line due to the actions of a customer." It really freaked me out and I was just waiting for people to jump out and grab me and drag me off for accidentally taking a picture with my flash on. Oh well, it makes for a good story and fun memories.
This week has been really fun but also full of stress. My last paper for English was due and I really had a hard time writing it. I just couldn't seem to get the ideas in my head onto paper and it was really stressing me out. Eventually I got a pretty decent paper gave up and just turned it in. We also had finals this week. I thought they were going to be pretty hard based on the study guides and so I study really hard and did all the study guide and held a group study session. The test ended up being really easy and I finished my English one in 30 minutes and I finish my history one in 15 minutes. I was the first one done both times and I honestly think this is the first time that I have ever over prepared for exams. Also I have found that wearing a turban while taking exams really helps you focus... haha.
Tonight I think that we are going to watch movies and play poker all night and just hang out and enjoy the time that we have together.
This week has been really fun but also full of stress. My last paper for English was due and I really had a hard time writing it. I just couldn't seem to get the ideas in my head onto paper and it was really stressing me out. Eventually I got a pretty decent paper gave up and just turned it in. We also had finals this week. I thought they were going to be pretty hard based on the study guides and so I study really hard and did all the study guide and held a group study session. The test ended up being really easy and I finished my English one in 30 minutes and I finish my history one in 15 minutes. I was the first one done both times and I honestly think this is the first time that I have ever over prepared for exams. Also I have found that wearing a turban while taking exams really helps you focus... haha.
Tonight I think that we are going to watch movies and play poker all night and just hang out and enjoy the time that we have together.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Death by English Paper
Ok, so I would have posted earlier but we didnt get home from Stratford upon Avon until 1 this morning and then we had class and for history we had to go to the imperial war museum and then culture class stuff and I just dont know where the time went...!
So yesterday we went to Stratford upon Avon and that trip helped to reaffirm my hatred of Shakespeare. We first went to this little farm sort of thing were the home of Shakespeare mother was... and it was interesting. There were a few good things though and one of the them was actually quite amazing. So you remember the killer swan from Scotland??? Well Elizabeth Stuart and I were talking and we saw a goose and we thought well I wonder if geese speak killer swan. So she went over and hissed at it like the swan did and guess what?!?!? It hissed back, hahah!!! Another thing that was kind of fun was that there was a lady there that was a falconer and she was flying an Owl around for a little while. She had an extra glove and a few of us had the chance to hold and feed the owl and I was one of them!!! It was really cool and the owl was so big but didnt weigh a thing and I wanted to hug it but I decided I didnt want my eyes to be gouged out. But other then that we saw lots of gardens and a pig that was peeing and got to try milking a cow...
After that we went over to the place where Shakespeare and his wife lived. It had a Mid summers Night Dream theme to it and well... it was all very odd. But the lady who did our tour was really nice and we had a nice chat with her.
We then headed to "The Birth Place"... everyone acted like we were going to see Jesus and the manger. We visited the home where Shakespeare was born and got to see where his father would have worked. It was interesting but very anticlimactic.
After that we had like 4 hours before the play we were supposed to go to and since there was nothing else to do both Elizabeth's and I went to the local library to do homework... We were there for about an hour and a half and then we went to the park and eat dinner and just talked about everything, funny stories from when we were kids and what not. It was really fun and there was a lot of laughter.
After that we headed up to the play. We went and saw A Winters Tale but the Royal Shakespeare Company. It was a very... well... interesting play. The second half was pretty interesting/ funny and the acting was great but altogether I dont think that I would ever read that play even if someone had a gun to my head!
After that we headed back to the bus and had a 2 hour ride home and got back just before 1am :(
I have spent almost all day in class and we had to go to the Imperial War Museum for History and that was really cool! They had some really cool exhibits about the children in WWII and the Holocaust and it was a wonderful learning experience. But other then that I have pretty much died today because I am trying to write my paper for English and I keep hitting a wall and I just cant seem to get past it! Oh well, I guess I will just go keep trying.
So yesterday we went to Stratford upon Avon and that trip helped to reaffirm my hatred of Shakespeare. We first went to this little farm sort of thing were the home of Shakespeare mother was... and it was interesting. There were a few good things though and one of the them was actually quite amazing. So you remember the killer swan from Scotland??? Well Elizabeth Stuart and I were talking and we saw a goose and we thought well I wonder if geese speak killer swan. So she went over and hissed at it like the swan did and guess what?!?!? It hissed back, hahah!!! Another thing that was kind of fun was that there was a lady there that was a falconer and she was flying an Owl around for a little while. She had an extra glove and a few of us had the chance to hold and feed the owl and I was one of them!!! It was really cool and the owl was so big but didnt weigh a thing and I wanted to hug it but I decided I didnt want my eyes to be gouged out. But other then that we saw lots of gardens and a pig that was peeing and got to try milking a cow...
After that we went over to the place where Shakespeare and his wife lived. It had a Mid summers Night Dream theme to it and well... it was all very odd. But the lady who did our tour was really nice and we had a nice chat with her.
We then headed to "The Birth Place"... everyone acted like we were going to see Jesus and the manger. We visited the home where Shakespeare was born and got to see where his father would have worked. It was interesting but very anticlimactic.
After that we had like 4 hours before the play we were supposed to go to and since there was nothing else to do both Elizabeth's and I went to the local library to do homework... We were there for about an hour and a half and then we went to the park and eat dinner and just talked about everything, funny stories from when we were kids and what not. It was really fun and there was a lot of laughter.
After that we headed up to the play. We went and saw A Winters Tale but the Royal Shakespeare Company. It was a very... well... interesting play. The second half was pretty interesting/ funny and the acting was great but altogether I dont think that I would ever read that play even if someone had a gun to my head!
After that we headed back to the bus and had a 2 hour ride home and got back just before 1am :(
I have spent almost all day in class and we had to go to the Imperial War Museum for History and that was really cool! They had some really cool exhibits about the children in WWII and the Holocaust and it was a wonderful learning experience. But other then that I have pretty much died today because I am trying to write my paper for English and I keep hitting a wall and I just cant seem to get past it! Oh well, I guess I will just go keep trying.
Friday, July 31, 2009
A weeks Review
ok, so I have become horrible about posting in the last couple of days and so have a lot to catch up on.
Monday I discovered the joys of Primark! Primark is a store in london that sells everything for ridiculously low prices! It had that most wonderful clothing and coats and I really wish that they had on in the states becuase I would go everyday and buy the whole store!!! anyway it was so much fun and I spent way to much money but it was worth it and I am going to come home dressed like a London girl!
So on Wednesday I officially learned how to play Poker. Elizabeth Davey and Elizabeth Stuart and I played for several hours and it was about 3 in the morning before I finally went to bed. It was so much fun though, we were eating popcorn all night and laughing. We didnt have anything ot bet with so we were using the butter and jam packages that were in the kithchen. Before we played I had made the mistake of eating a whole pint of Ben and Jerries half backed icecream and so I was really hyper. I had a scarf wrapped around my head like a turban and had made myself a paper cigerette! Needless to say that by the time that we stopped that I was winning... beginners luck!! It has definitly been one of the best nights by far.
Thursday night we went to Her Magesty's Theater and saw the Phantom of the Opera. It was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen in my entire life!!! The person that was playing the Phantom had the most amazing voice that I have ever heard in my entire life. He made the phantom from the movie look like he didnt know how to sing. He was so good that by the end of 'the point o fno return' I was crying!!! The girl that was playing Christine was not the most amazing though. We found out later that she was the understudy which explained things. It was still amazing though and I cna not get over it. I have been singing it all day and I bought a shirt while there and I slept in it because I just wanted to remember everything about it!
Today we went to Greenwich! It was really fun and I got ot stand on the the Prime Meridian, the beginning of time! It was really interesting and fun to walk around the muesums and learn about how clocks were invented, space and then vistit the marintin musuems. During this time we walked into and explored an astronomy area and I touched an asteroid that was about 4.5 billion years old!!! It was so cool. Later in the day we ran into Dr. Evans and he told us that we need to go visit the building that ahd some really cool painted ceilings. So after walking around for a while we walked over to go see these paintings. When we got there though we noticed that there were people everywhere in costumes and there was all sorts of stuff for lighting and then we saw a guy walk past with camera stuff. So we stopped and talked to a lady and she told us that they were using the building with the painted ceiling in the film of Gulivers Travels. Not only that but they were filming inside as we spoke and the star in the film was none other then Jack Black!!!! We didnt get to see him cause they wouldnt let us into the building and that was really say but we go to see everyone dressed up in their costumes and what not and it was so amazing. Fancy randomly wondering onto a film set where Jack Black was!!! Haha, it was the highlight of my day because it was just so random.
Tonight we are going to be playing some more poker and I am headed off to the store to go get starburst that we will be using for our money this time! Only a few more day in London and I am so very sad to think that this is going to be ending soon...
Monday I discovered the joys of Primark! Primark is a store in london that sells everything for ridiculously low prices! It had that most wonderful clothing and coats and I really wish that they had on in the states becuase I would go everyday and buy the whole store!!! anyway it was so much fun and I spent way to much money but it was worth it and I am going to come home dressed like a London girl!
So on Wednesday I officially learned how to play Poker. Elizabeth Davey and Elizabeth Stuart and I played for several hours and it was about 3 in the morning before I finally went to bed. It was so much fun though, we were eating popcorn all night and laughing. We didnt have anything ot bet with so we were using the butter and jam packages that were in the kithchen. Before we played I had made the mistake of eating a whole pint of Ben and Jerries half backed icecream and so I was really hyper. I had a scarf wrapped around my head like a turban and had made myself a paper cigerette! Needless to say that by the time that we stopped that I was winning... beginners luck!! It has definitly been one of the best nights by far.
Thursday night we went to Her Magesty's Theater and saw the Phantom of the Opera. It was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen in my entire life!!! The person that was playing the Phantom had the most amazing voice that I have ever heard in my entire life. He made the phantom from the movie look like he didnt know how to sing. He was so good that by the end of 'the point o fno return' I was crying!!! The girl that was playing Christine was not the most amazing though. We found out later that she was the understudy which explained things. It was still amazing though and I cna not get over it. I have been singing it all day and I bought a shirt while there and I slept in it because I just wanted to remember everything about it!
Today we went to Greenwich! It was really fun and I got ot stand on the the Prime Meridian, the beginning of time! It was really interesting and fun to walk around the muesums and learn about how clocks were invented, space and then vistit the marintin musuems. During this time we walked into and explored an astronomy area and I touched an asteroid that was about 4.5 billion years old!!! It was so cool. Later in the day we ran into Dr. Evans and he told us that we need to go visit the building that ahd some really cool painted ceilings. So after walking around for a while we walked over to go see these paintings. When we got there though we noticed that there were people everywhere in costumes and there was all sorts of stuff for lighting and then we saw a guy walk past with camera stuff. So we stopped and talked to a lady and she told us that they were using the building with the painted ceiling in the film of Gulivers Travels. Not only that but they were filming inside as we spoke and the star in the film was none other then Jack Black!!!! We didnt get to see him cause they wouldnt let us into the building and that was really say but we go to see everyone dressed up in their costumes and what not and it was so amazing. Fancy randomly wondering onto a film set where Jack Black was!!! Haha, it was the highlight of my day because it was just so random.
Tonight we are going to be playing some more poker and I am headed off to the store to go get starburst that we will be using for our money this time! Only a few more day in London and I am so very sad to think that this is going to be ending soon...
Monday, July 27, 2009
Scotland + Lake District = Longest post EVER!!!
Ok so I have not blogged in a whole week because our group went to Scotland and I didn’t have access to the internet while we were traveling and so I have a lot to write about.
July 20
My day started at 4:30 in the morning because we had to be on the bus by 6am or you were going to get left behind. I was glad that we were traveling on a coach and not something else because by the end of the day my butt hurt so badly I wanted to cry.
We spent most of our day in York visiting places like the Jorvik Viking center, The Shambles, York minster abbey. The Jorvik Viking center is on top of this old Viking village that the English excavated in 1980's and over 13 million people have visited the village by now. It was really cool but it smelled so gross!
After the Viking center we toured through York minster Abbey. It was really pretty and the stain glass was so beautiful but we have visited so many abbeys and this one really reminded me of Westminster abbey. Oh, well... We did climb the tower though and from there you could see over all of York and that was really cool. I had a hard time with the winding staircases though and by the time I got to the top I was sick. Rebecca got scared at the top and so I went down early with her but it was so hard to walk down a bazillion year old stone staircase were the steps where not the same height and everything was really narrow, and trying really hard not to fall. Ugh, I was really glad to be out of the staircase when we got back down.
We then loaded onto the bus again and headed for Fountains Abbey. This abbey was a lot cooler because it was destroyed by Henry VIII and it’s all in ruins now and we could walk among the ruins and the landscape was amazing. Allison and I walked around as much of it as we could visit the water gardens and an old mill that was still there. It was really cool and so beautiful, especially because there was not a big city around it so it was a lot more peaceful and you could just relax and enjoy it.
After Fountains Abbey we then loaded on the bus again and traveled in to Durham England and stayed in an old Castle there that has been converted in to a college. It was really cool but unfortunately we were miss informed and it was not Harry Potters Castle :(. After we had settled into our rooms Ilarene, BJ, Allison, Elizabeth Stuart, Elizabeth Davey, Sammie and I went to a small Italian restraunt and it was really good and they were playing really fun music and I want to just get up and dance but I resisted! After that we headed back to the castle and what we thought would be a very unexciting night. It was really cool though and my room was in the Keep which is supposedly haunted. When it got dark a few of us went and explored the castle and an old student ran into us and took us up onto the terraces and it was so cool. You just can’t beat exploring a haunted castle in the dead of night!!!
July 21
This morning we headed for Edinburgh Scotland. Along the way we visited a section of Hadrian’s Wall.... except for the fact that none of us actually saw the wall. We saw the old barracks and the bath houses but there was no wall to be seen!!! It turned out to be ok though because as we were leaving we saw the wall from the bus. It was a sad day though because it rained all day and I didn’t have an umbrella cause mine had broke and I hadn’t yet purchased a replacement. So I spent all day pretty much soaked but it was all good.
After Hadrian’s Wall we went and visited Abbotsford which was the home of Sir Walter Scott. It was really cool and I learned a lot about Scott and the Scottish Enlightenment period. The grounds were really pretty but it was still raining so I didn’t go exploring much but it was still fun and a great learning experience.
We then finally made it to Edinburgh Scotland. Ilarene, Danny, Dillon, Allison, Both Elizabeth’s, Sammie and I went to dinner at this really good burger place. Can I say that I got the biggest burger and was the first one to finish, haha!! After dinner we went and explored a little and went to this place called Chocolate Soup. It was the greatest place that I have ever been to and I am totally in love. If they ever put one of those in Provo they would make a killing! We got the best chocolate drinks that I have ever had and some of the girls for this brownie ice cream sandwich that came with melted chocolate to dip the stuff in and it looked positively divine!
After that we headed up to go on a tour of the vaults which was supposedly really scary and I was so excited. We had to wait for a while during which time the heavens opened and dumped all of its rain on us plus some and by the time our tour guide got there I was soaked to the bones! Our tour guide was amazing and she was a really good story teller but I dint find myself scared at all on the tour and I was really disappointed. The best part of the whole thing was when Danny screamed in our tour guide's face and it scared the crap out of her and it was so funny that I just laughed for almost the whole tour.
After the tour we went back to the hostel and hung out for awhile and just talked. Our intention had been to do homework but that didn’t work out so well. I didn’t end up going to bed until almost 2 in the morning and then I didn’t sleep very well because we left the window open and the seagulls were being so noisy. I only got about 2 1/2 hours of sleep and so I was pretty much dying all day.
July 22
So on Wednesday we went to the Scottish National Museum in Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle, Lady Stair’s house and tons of Shopping!!!
The museum was cool and we concentrated mostly on the more modern history and stuff and it was all really interesting and Allison and I found a terrace on the top of the building that looked out at all of Edinburgh. It was really fun and we got really cool pictures of the castle from out on terrace.
After the museum we went and got lunch and saw the Elephant cafe while we were walking. For all of you who don’t know the Elephant cafe is where J. K. Rowling first writing Harry Potter. It was a fun little thing to see. We then headed up to the castle and as we were walking it began to rain again and I really just wanted to cry because I wanted to be dry! Oh well, the castle was amazing and I got to see the crown jewels of Scotland and were Mary Queen of Scotts was born and lots of other stuff. By the end though it was raining so hard that I put my foot down and said that I was not going any further until I had an umbrella. So on our way back down we stopped in a store and got umbrellas and other stuff. We then headed for Chocolate soup to dry out and drink hot chocolate. By the time that we were done it had stopped raining and we headed out to do some shopping. I got presents for a lot of the family and got myself the most amazing ring!!! I really wanted this cashmere purple sweater but it was 200 pounds and I was like heck no!!! Oh well it was a lot of fun and we all got some really nice stuff. Latter I went back to the hostel to try and blow dry my shoes dry and eat dinner. After dinner we went to an organ recital at St. Giles cathedral. It was really cool and the guy that was performing was one of the best in the world! Elizabeth Stuart, Becky, Jessica and I went on another tour of some different vaults because we really wanted to find something scary. It ended up being even less scary and I was so sad :(. after we headed back to the hostel but I only got 4 hours of sleep because someone's car alarm went off at 4 and it stayed on for almost 40 minutes before someone turned it off!!! By then I was really awake and I could sleep anymore. So pretty much I was dying and looked like crap the next morning.
July 23
We left Scotland and headed down into the Lake District on Thursday. We stopped in a town and went to Dove Cottage where William Wordsworth wrote most of his poetry and it was such a cute little place and the landscape was amazing. The Lake District is the most beautiful place that I have ever been and I wish that I had more pictures! After Dove cottage we headed in to Ambleside. We had the afternoon free to our selves while we were here so Ilarene, Allison, both Elizabeth’s and I went out on row boats onto the lake. It was so much fun and the lake was wonderful! We could see a castle and some really nice homes from the lake but we couldn’t get any good pictures of them because we could get close enough.
When we got back to shore we went and got ice-cream and were sitting there and watching some ducks and swans. Well the momma swan came in and while she was two babies and I decided that I was determined to touch the baby swans. The only problem was that the daddy swan was supper mean and we had seen it attack ducks that had gotten to close and when a dog had walked by it spread its wings stuck out its toung and started hissing!!! It was so weird. Well luckily some kids came and started feeding the ducks and so the daddy went off to go eat and turned its back long enough for me to touch the babies!! They were so soft and I have decided that I really want a swan baby to cuddle with!!!
Anyway we went back to the hostel after chilling in a park to eat dinner. Dinner was... well... disgusting!!! But it was food and kept me from starving so I guess that is a good thing. After that we sat around and had girl talk time and then played ERS for quite a while. We played with 8 people and one deck??? It was so much fun and of course I won only after Elizabeth’s Stuart's nail cut my hand open!!! After that everyone else went to go play another game but Stuart and I kept playing for quite a while during which time we collapsed several time into fits of giggles. At one point we went up stairs and I decided it would be fun to knock on Dillon’s door and run away but as I was running down that hall way I turned the corner and my socks slipped on the carpet and I did like a baseball slide down the hall way after which Elizabeth and I died laughing. We had such a wonderful time and I don’t think that I have laughed that much in a very long time!
July 24
On Friday I was so tired that frankly I didn’t care what I looked like and so didn’t even make it all of the way out of my PJ's. We left Ambleside and went to Preston to learn about the church and how it was introduced into England. We even went to the site where the first LDS members were baptized and then we headed over to the Preston temple. It was really cool it learns about the churches early days in England.
After the temple we got on the bus and headed for an old textile mill. I was so mad that we went to the mill because we were supposed to go visit places from Pride and Prejudice but instead we went to some crazy mill!! I was feeling so sick on the bus from being cooped up and from not being able to sleep. Sammie and I ended up leaving the mill early and we fell asleep on the bench for 40 minutes. It felt pretty good but then we got on the bus again and I thought I was going to die!
When we stopped at a rest stop to get dinner I was feeling so sick and I just wanted to lie down and sleep. But we got into the stop and the smell of food was so sickening that I promptly went to bathroom and tossed my cookies twice!!! I was miserable and Elizabeth Davey told me that I "looked like crap." haha, it was funny but I really wanted to cry.
Back on the bus we watch North and South which is an amazing movie and I loved it!! by the time that we got back to the center Ilarene told me that I looked like a ghost because I was so tired and sick and when I got to my room I fell in my bed and didn’t move. Ilarene ended up taking my shoes off for me and getting me medicine.
The week was wonderful and I don’t think that anything could ever beat all the fun and amusingness of this experience!
July 20
My day started at 4:30 in the morning because we had to be on the bus by 6am or you were going to get left behind. I was glad that we were traveling on a coach and not something else because by the end of the day my butt hurt so badly I wanted to cry.
We spent most of our day in York visiting places like the Jorvik Viking center, The Shambles, York minster abbey. The Jorvik Viking center is on top of this old Viking village that the English excavated in 1980's and over 13 million people have visited the village by now. It was really cool but it smelled so gross!
After the Viking center we toured through York minster Abbey. It was really pretty and the stain glass was so beautiful but we have visited so many abbeys and this one really reminded me of Westminster abbey. Oh, well... We did climb the tower though and from there you could see over all of York and that was really cool. I had a hard time with the winding staircases though and by the time I got to the top I was sick. Rebecca got scared at the top and so I went down early with her but it was so hard to walk down a bazillion year old stone staircase were the steps where not the same height and everything was really narrow, and trying really hard not to fall. Ugh, I was really glad to be out of the staircase when we got back down.
We then loaded onto the bus again and headed for Fountains Abbey. This abbey was a lot cooler because it was destroyed by Henry VIII and it’s all in ruins now and we could walk among the ruins and the landscape was amazing. Allison and I walked around as much of it as we could visit the water gardens and an old mill that was still there. It was really cool and so beautiful, especially because there was not a big city around it so it was a lot more peaceful and you could just relax and enjoy it.
After Fountains Abbey we then loaded on the bus again and traveled in to Durham England and stayed in an old Castle there that has been converted in to a college. It was really cool but unfortunately we were miss informed and it was not Harry Potters Castle :(. After we had settled into our rooms Ilarene, BJ, Allison, Elizabeth Stuart, Elizabeth Davey, Sammie and I went to a small Italian restraunt and it was really good and they were playing really fun music and I want to just get up and dance but I resisted! After that we headed back to the castle and what we thought would be a very unexciting night. It was really cool though and my room was in the Keep which is supposedly haunted. When it got dark a few of us went and explored the castle and an old student ran into us and took us up onto the terraces and it was so cool. You just can’t beat exploring a haunted castle in the dead of night!!!
July 21
This morning we headed for Edinburgh Scotland. Along the way we visited a section of Hadrian’s Wall.... except for the fact that none of us actually saw the wall. We saw the old barracks and the bath houses but there was no wall to be seen!!! It turned out to be ok though because as we were leaving we saw the wall from the bus. It was a sad day though because it rained all day and I didn’t have an umbrella cause mine had broke and I hadn’t yet purchased a replacement. So I spent all day pretty much soaked but it was all good.
After Hadrian’s Wall we went and visited Abbotsford which was the home of Sir Walter Scott. It was really cool and I learned a lot about Scott and the Scottish Enlightenment period. The grounds were really pretty but it was still raining so I didn’t go exploring much but it was still fun and a great learning experience.
We then finally made it to Edinburgh Scotland. Ilarene, Danny, Dillon, Allison, Both Elizabeth’s, Sammie and I went to dinner at this really good burger place. Can I say that I got the biggest burger and was the first one to finish, haha!! After dinner we went and explored a little and went to this place called Chocolate Soup. It was the greatest place that I have ever been to and I am totally in love. If they ever put one of those in Provo they would make a killing! We got the best chocolate drinks that I have ever had and some of the girls for this brownie ice cream sandwich that came with melted chocolate to dip the stuff in and it looked positively divine!
After that we headed up to go on a tour of the vaults which was supposedly really scary and I was so excited. We had to wait for a while during which time the heavens opened and dumped all of its rain on us plus some and by the time our tour guide got there I was soaked to the bones! Our tour guide was amazing and she was a really good story teller but I dint find myself scared at all on the tour and I was really disappointed. The best part of the whole thing was when Danny screamed in our tour guide's face and it scared the crap out of her and it was so funny that I just laughed for almost the whole tour.
After the tour we went back to the hostel and hung out for awhile and just talked. Our intention had been to do homework but that didn’t work out so well. I didn’t end up going to bed until almost 2 in the morning and then I didn’t sleep very well because we left the window open and the seagulls were being so noisy. I only got about 2 1/2 hours of sleep and so I was pretty much dying all day.
July 22
So on Wednesday we went to the Scottish National Museum in Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle, Lady Stair’s house and tons of Shopping!!!
The museum was cool and we concentrated mostly on the more modern history and stuff and it was all really interesting and Allison and I found a terrace on the top of the building that looked out at all of Edinburgh. It was really fun and we got really cool pictures of the castle from out on terrace.
After the museum we went and got lunch and saw the Elephant cafe while we were walking. For all of you who don’t know the Elephant cafe is where J. K. Rowling first writing Harry Potter. It was a fun little thing to see. We then headed up to the castle and as we were walking it began to rain again and I really just wanted to cry because I wanted to be dry! Oh well, the castle was amazing and I got to see the crown jewels of Scotland and were Mary Queen of Scotts was born and lots of other stuff. By the end though it was raining so hard that I put my foot down and said that I was not going any further until I had an umbrella. So on our way back down we stopped in a store and got umbrellas and other stuff. We then headed for Chocolate soup to dry out and drink hot chocolate. By the time that we were done it had stopped raining and we headed out to do some shopping. I got presents for a lot of the family and got myself the most amazing ring!!! I really wanted this cashmere purple sweater but it was 200 pounds and I was like heck no!!! Oh well it was a lot of fun and we all got some really nice stuff. Latter I went back to the hostel to try and blow dry my shoes dry and eat dinner. After dinner we went to an organ recital at St. Giles cathedral. It was really cool and the guy that was performing was one of the best in the world! Elizabeth Stuart, Becky, Jessica and I went on another tour of some different vaults because we really wanted to find something scary. It ended up being even less scary and I was so sad :(. after we headed back to the hostel but I only got 4 hours of sleep because someone's car alarm went off at 4 and it stayed on for almost 40 minutes before someone turned it off!!! By then I was really awake and I could sleep anymore. So pretty much I was dying and looked like crap the next morning.
July 23
We left Scotland and headed down into the Lake District on Thursday. We stopped in a town and went to Dove Cottage where William Wordsworth wrote most of his poetry and it was such a cute little place and the landscape was amazing. The Lake District is the most beautiful place that I have ever been and I wish that I had more pictures! After Dove cottage we headed in to Ambleside. We had the afternoon free to our selves while we were here so Ilarene, Allison, both Elizabeth’s and I went out on row boats onto the lake. It was so much fun and the lake was wonderful! We could see a castle and some really nice homes from the lake but we couldn’t get any good pictures of them because we could get close enough.
When we got back to shore we went and got ice-cream and were sitting there and watching some ducks and swans. Well the momma swan came in and while she was two babies and I decided that I was determined to touch the baby swans. The only problem was that the daddy swan was supper mean and we had seen it attack ducks that had gotten to close and when a dog had walked by it spread its wings stuck out its toung and started hissing!!! It was so weird. Well luckily some kids came and started feeding the ducks and so the daddy went off to go eat and turned its back long enough for me to touch the babies!! They were so soft and I have decided that I really want a swan baby to cuddle with!!!
Anyway we went back to the hostel after chilling in a park to eat dinner. Dinner was... well... disgusting!!! But it was food and kept me from starving so I guess that is a good thing. After that we sat around and had girl talk time and then played ERS for quite a while. We played with 8 people and one deck??? It was so much fun and of course I won only after Elizabeth’s Stuart's nail cut my hand open!!! After that everyone else went to go play another game but Stuart and I kept playing for quite a while during which time we collapsed several time into fits of giggles. At one point we went up stairs and I decided it would be fun to knock on Dillon’s door and run away but as I was running down that hall way I turned the corner and my socks slipped on the carpet and I did like a baseball slide down the hall way after which Elizabeth and I died laughing. We had such a wonderful time and I don’t think that I have laughed that much in a very long time!
July 24
On Friday I was so tired that frankly I didn’t care what I looked like and so didn’t even make it all of the way out of my PJ's. We left Ambleside and went to Preston to learn about the church and how it was introduced into England. We even went to the site where the first LDS members were baptized and then we headed over to the Preston temple. It was really cool it learns about the churches early days in England.
After the temple we got on the bus and headed for an old textile mill. I was so mad that we went to the mill because we were supposed to go visit places from Pride and Prejudice but instead we went to some crazy mill!! I was feeling so sick on the bus from being cooped up and from not being able to sleep. Sammie and I ended up leaving the mill early and we fell asleep on the bench for 40 minutes. It felt pretty good but then we got on the bus again and I thought I was going to die!
When we stopped at a rest stop to get dinner I was feeling so sick and I just wanted to lie down and sleep. But we got into the stop and the smell of food was so sickening that I promptly went to bathroom and tossed my cookies twice!!! I was miserable and Elizabeth Davey told me that I "looked like crap." haha, it was funny but I really wanted to cry.
Back on the bus we watch North and South which is an amazing movie and I loved it!! by the time that we got back to the center Ilarene told me that I looked like a ghost because I was so tired and sick and when I got to my room I fell in my bed and didn’t move. Ilarene ended up taking my shoes off for me and getting me medicine.
The week was wonderful and I don’t think that anything could ever beat all the fun and amusingness of this experience!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Look, Feel, Touch, Try, Love, Buy
Haha, the above it the Fringe logo around here and I thought it was so funny because just before we had been in a cashmere store and it totally exemplified what I was doing.
Anyway I am in Scotland and so I cant do any major updating of my blog because it costs me money to be on here. Anyway just to give you guys an idea of what I have been doing, I am currently in Edinbough Scotland and loving life!!! We have visited so many places and I have taken more pictures then ever before. Anyway Ill update this for real as soon as I can and pictures should appear soon!!
Anyway I am in Scotland and so I cant do any major updating of my blog because it costs me money to be on here. Anyway just to give you guys an idea of what I have been doing, I am currently in Edinbough Scotland and loving life!!! We have visited so many places and I have taken more pictures then ever before. Anyway Ill update this for real as soon as I can and pictures should appear soon!!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Black Lung
So I have officially been named Black Lung after this terrible cough that I have that just wont seem to go away. It is making my life very difficult seeing that I am trying to have fun but instead am spending a lot of my time feeling miserable and coughing all the time. I just wish that it would go away so that I can enjoy all of next week. Also we have a new addition to out dorm... his name is Fredrick of Freddie... and he is a mouse. He scared the crap out of me yesterday when I was talking to the girls and I saw this little black thing scurry across the floor. Professor evens came up and tried to catch him but Freddie got away and now we dont know where he is.
Yesterday and today were pretty good. I spent all of yesterday doing laundry and laying in bed coughing my lungs out. It wasnt so fun but I got stuff done and Ilarene went and got me Thai food for dinner and that was really good.
We didnt get lost on our way to church today!!!! I was so glad because if we had I probably would have died right there on the side of the road because I was so tired. But life went well until we got to church and found out that one of the girls in young women's has swine flu, she wasnt contagious anymore but still it freaked the other girls out, I really didnt care, I am already sick and so I felt bad for her. After that I came home, went to bed and resumed coughing my lungs up. Anyway, tomorrow I have to up at 4 to leave for Scotland. I am so excited!!! We are staying in Durham Castle, where they film most of Harry Potter and then we are traveling down into the Lake district. I cant wait and I hope that I am ok by then so I can enjoy myself!
Yesterday and today were pretty good. I spent all of yesterday doing laundry and laying in bed coughing my lungs out. It wasnt so fun but I got stuff done and Ilarene went and got me Thai food for dinner and that was really good.
We didnt get lost on our way to church today!!!! I was so glad because if we had I probably would have died right there on the side of the road because I was so tired. But life went well until we got to church and found out that one of the girls in young women's has swine flu, she wasnt contagious anymore but still it freaked the other girls out, I really didnt care, I am already sick and so I felt bad for her. After that I came home, went to bed and resumed coughing my lungs up. Anyway, tomorrow I have to up at 4 to leave for Scotland. I am so excited!!! We are staying in Durham Castle, where they film most of Harry Potter and then we are traveling down into the Lake district. I cant wait and I hope that I am ok by then so I can enjoy myself!
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