harley

class. homework. then fun.

tonight i went to a steve harley and the cockney rebel concert with the loyds. it was so much fun, as always.

david is an absolute music expert and was a little disappointed but i went into it with no expectations and had a great time! i think me, rupert and emma were younger than everyone there by about 30 years, but that made it all the better. we had listened to his music on the trip to marlborough and i really liked it, so it was really fun to see him live and sing along. i also got to meet david's goddaughter katie and her husband tom who are expecting a baby, and they were so cute it was a blast. it reminded me of the creedence clearwater revival concert my family went to years ago. gotta love the classics.

amaze.

we spent the morning in hampton court. its a massive palace on the thames, and my favorite part was the gardens. it was such a huge area with fountains, and roses, and tons of trees. we had a blast looking around and enjoying the great view! they had a great exhibit of Henry VIII. they also gave us cloaks to wear along with our headphone tour and we had way too much fun being wizards.

after hampton court we all decided to head to harrods... and it was SO much fun!! we spent at least two hours there, eating cupcakes, playing in the toy section, and daydreaming of 3000 pound watches. it was like a fairytale! i didn't want to leave, but we headed over to Selfridges for makeovers and salads. ideal? yes.

then we went to the play oliver. SUCH FUN! i loved it. i had no idea i knew just about every song from that play! apparently i'm quite cultured...

all in all today was a perfect day.

wild horses

this morning we had class again, and afterwards went to the Banqueting House on Whitehall. the banqueting house was so incredibly beautiful, with an entire ceiling covered with paintings.

we spent the night at the play Warhorse. it was all about a boy and his horse during WWI. they had amazing puppets for all the animals and their body behavior was so spot on by the end you completely forgot they weren't real!

white cliffs

we woke up this morning and boarded the coach (my favorite thing ever) to head to Dover. but to be honest, this ended up being my favorite thing ever. Dover was absolutely beautiful. we visited the lighthouse, castle, and church right there on the cliffs. the view was gorgeous and it was a sunny morning, so that made it all the better!



our next stop was st. augustine abbey. look at these amazing ruins.



lastly we went to canterbury. we read canterbury tales earlier in the term, so it was fun to see what it was written about. this is the martyrdom of thomas a becket that people would pilgrimage to.



we got back pretty late, but i was so happy i was able to meet up with emma, rupert, and his parents for dinner at hache! it was so so so much fun to be able to see them all again. it felt like a family dinner- something i've missed the last 6 weeks! they have been way too good to me here in london, and i'm going to miss them all so much when i go back home!!

3 trains.

church can probably be summed up like this... 2 closed tube stations...3 buses... 3 trains... and 3 hours later we arrived just in time for sunday school.

after church we had lunch at a newly married couple from scotland's home. it was so much fun because the husband, leigh actually did his undergraduate at byu and is now finishing up his last year in dental school, so we had a lot to talk about!

this evening we were lucky enough to have a local stake president who lived in England during WWII come and talk to us. it was absolutely fascinating. i learned so much about the war, and it was amazing to hear it all from the perspective of somebody who experienced it first-hand. i cannot fathom living during that time of so much fear. he remembered, and showed us pictures of everyone carrying gas masks everywhere. he showed us a picture of the church down the road from where he grew up that was bombed and literally destroyed. he said that the memories of spending all night in an anderson shelter, listening to bombs go off all night will always be a part of him. i was honestly on the edge of my seat the entire time. i'm so so happy our professors arranged for him to come talk to us!

[you may think we are doing a peace sign in this picture.. and although we are gangster, we are actually holding up 2 fingers to document the two trains we had been on at that point.]

im a dreamer

i've spent the last three days on a trip. a trip up north.
first we stopped in Haworth at the Bronte Parsonage. it was my favorite cottage visit we've made so far this trip! i learned so much about both emily and charlotte bronte, and it was really fun because we just finished reading wuthering heights in literature! although the novel makes you imagine dark, foggy hills, we were there on the warmest day ever! SO HOT.


then we arrived at the lake district- where we spent the night. it was absolutely gorgeous! our hostel was literally right on the water, with gigantic windows overlooking the lake. it was such a fun way to spend the night! we went for walks, sat on the dock, tried to skip rocks, and had a great time.



in the morning we visited Beatrix Potter's cottage. (she wrote the peter rabbit stories) what was really neat was that you could see some of the books illustrations were replicas of her own furniture, etc.

MY FAVORITE PART OF THE DAY was when we stopped at the Preston, England temple on our way to Liverpool. you could just feel the spirit the moment you saw Angel Moroni from the highway. i am so so so glad we were able to make this stop and see this beautiful temple!

we arrived in liverpool, and the big news was that we were staying in a hotel!! yep. two people per room and no communal showers.. i felt somewhat out of place, but more so i was just ecstatic.

we went to the Beatles Story museum. it was such a fun museum!! i'm kind of a poser when it comes to the beatles, but i really do love some of their songs, and now i've actually visited where they're from! so that makes me more legit, right?


the next morning we visited two castles in Wales!

the first was beaumaris. it was a castle the english used to threaten the welsh people. it had two different walls lining the castle for defense and was never successfully conquered. i looked at it and thought... i could probably jump that and only sprain my ankle.. maybe.




the second castle was caernarfon. this was a more extravagant castle than beaumaris, and kind of more what you would picture when you think of a castle from that time period.

our last stop on the way back to london was the coventry cathedrals. this was the most amazing thing. during the blitz, the english knew if the germans continued to attack their airforce they would be defeated, so they tried to bait the germans into attacking their cities instead. they sacrificed their people so the military could stay strong and defend the country. during the blitz this cathedral was bombed and destroyed. but instead of tearing the remnants down, the country decided to leave it's remains and build a modern cathedral next to it. it now stands as a symbol of the necessity for good relations between the two countries.


all in all the past three days have been crazy busy, and crazy amazing.

schumann

class again. homework again.

gosh this pattern is getting old!

but today was fun because our group went to Wigmore Hall to see the Vienna Piano Trio! lunch-time concerts are really common here in london, so it was really fun to see them perform. the violinist was amazing, and i LOVE listening to the cello. it was kind of different listening to a trio arrangement with a piano... they played some Schumann that i loved.

after dinner, katelin-jane and i went to meet up at emma's for a movie/homework/sweets night.

after missing our tube stop, having the tube break down, taking a bus... the wrong bus... tesco being closed for bank holiday, walking an hour in the wrong direction, buying sweets off the street from jihad, and flagging down a taxi, we FINALLY arrived at her home sweet home. and of course had the best night ever. we watched made of honor and i got to lay on a couch- i didn't even realize how much i missed that!

this picture isn't from today.. but looking at it made me smile. (a certain bunkmate of mine may have thought she wasn't in the photo?)

mustang.

i taught the entire wards youth sunday school again. today's lesson was so much better!! i'm starting to get all their names, and i honestly love them all. my favorite comment as we were talking about quick judgements was, "yeah, like sometimes when i see a guy walking down the street in a hoodie i'm like... he's a gangbanger for sure. but he could just be going to the gym" bahahah. i tried so hard to keep a straight face. these kids have had such different upbringings than me, and it is so fun to hear their insights into the gospel. we had a combined relief society and priesthood meeting and it was insane when the bishop asked whoever was born into the church to raise their hand it was me and aubrey (from byu) and the two missionaries! the ward is made up entirely of recent converts, and so its such a different experience from my wards back home. and as you can see from this picture, we are also the only white people.


emma was nice enough to be the greatest english host and have us over for an amazing sunday dinner! it was such a fresh and delicious meal i loved it!! i couldn't believe she knew how to cook so well. one more of her amazing talents...





not to mention this hoodie is my most recent purchase and probably the greatest thing that ever happened to me.

tonight we had a music devotional with everyone in the center. it was absolutely amazing, and it really made me feel at home. we had some great singers, and then people stood up and requested a hymn, telling why they like it so much. it was just such a comforting meeting and i am so glad we were able to do it!! the church is true.

cinderella lost boys.

i know i always say things are amazing here, but in all honesty today was the best day of my life.
first we woke up way too early to get pictures on abbey road like the beatles album! it was funny because we got lost, and after walking for an hour we found out we had actually passed right by it! classic.



there is a wall right by the crosswalk that everyone signs! ours said, "all you need is love"



afterwards we went all around town looking for breakfast, but apparently london doesn't wake up till 9 on saturdays... not even starbucks? what?

did you think my day was over?? not even close.

in the afternoon, Katelin-Jane and I met up with Emma in Covent Garden. we went to the Royal Ballet's performance of Cinderella at the Royal Opera House. it was absolutely epic. i felt like i was in my own fairytale inside the disney castle. there was glitter EVERYWHERE, costumes to die for, unbelievable dancing, and the most amazing orchestra pit i've ever heard. and, thanks to ruperts amazing mom Anabel, we were on the third row!!! the two evil step daughters were played by men and it was absolutely hilarious.
i can't even put into words how beautiful this opera house is, and how much i loved sitting in it to watch the best ballet of my life.









we ate dinner right near the opera house at a french restaurant called Cafe Mes Amis. for the first time in my life i tried both halibut and mussels. as if the day couldn't be any more perfect, the food was just to die for.

i rushed over to barbican theater to meet up with some girls from the center to see the play Peter Pan. i loved it. it was a scottish interpretation of the story, and just having been to scotland it made it so much fun! the scenery was insane and tinkerbell was a ball of fire that they managed to trek all over the place. i honestly never figured it out the entire play. captain hook wore a kilt, peter pan had red hair, and bag pipes were involved.. it doesn't get much better than that!

today was perfect.

rocket summer

class... again...

difficult... again...

its just way too hard to try and stay inside studying when there is so much to do in the city!

after class for literature we visited keats house, where the poet lived before he died really young.

tonight a big group of us went to the rocket summer concert in camden. as we were waiting in line Kaitlyn said, "why are we the only normal ones here?" haha the crowd was definitely more emo than us, but we had SO much fun.

the concert was amazing, and i love the band so it was lots and lots of fun. after the show we were able to talk with the band who opened for them. after a good thirty minute conversation with the band i got two personally signed messages, and stories for a lifetime.

so much fun!

elliott

after class in the morning and our afternoon walk through the south thames, our whole group went to Macbeth at Shakespeare's Globe. it was the most ridiculous thing ever.. there was more fake blood than anything i have ever seen. everyone on stage was just coated in it, and had huge gashes all over them.. gross.

NOT to mention, we were 'groundlings' so we were standing right in front of the stage. they covered us all with a tarp so that we wouldn't get blood on ourselves. gross. it was a gigantic fabric pulled across the audience with holes for us to poke our heads through. ridiculous? yes. here are some pictures to show this fantastic setup. and as if that wasn't enough, the three witches from the play would come under the tarp and grab you with their blood coated hands. i may or may not have had 13 heart attacks.




*on a positive note there were tons of attractive actors and that's the only reason i didn't walk out.

jihad.

i just got back to london from a little excursion to scotland. i absolutely loved edinburgh. we stayed in a hostel right off the royal mile, so we pretty much wandered around that area the whole time.



we went to a 'writers museum' and edinburgh castle. the castle was so cool because it was literally built from the mountain.

apparently our london sunbathing was short-lived because it got really cold and wet in scotland!
luckily i was able to purchase an XL edinburgh hoodie from "jihad" to keep me warm. not to mention he threw in this LOVELY magnet. i couldn't have asked for anything more!

we would get back to the hostel by 10 because apparently scotland at night is a little sketchy, so the basement was our little hang out. we were able to meet tons of people from all over the place. the bartender even gave us these mustaches to put pictures on their website.
we kind of loved it.

my favorite part of the entire trip was our visit to the scottish parliament. we had one of the 129 members who is LDS give us a pretty thorough tour of the place and teach us a ton. i loved learning about their system, and comparing it to the things i learned while interning in DC.

day of sun.

church is beyond hilarious. relief society is the most strange thing ever. now that everyone has callings, it's only me and aubrie who go to relief society.. and the entire time we sit there confused beyond belief.

but sunday school was good! i teach the class for all the youth in the ward between 12 and 18. they're pretty talkative and its a little intimidating since there is a 15 year old with a two-inch beard, but they're so nice and i love them all! i just hope i can get something across to them. (today the lesson was on the reign of judges... oh great..)

after church we went to hyde park again because the sun was shining even more than yesterday!! i think i might be the only one in the center without a sunburn!

this evening we had a fireside with President Bassett, the second counselor in the hyde park stake. he brought alex boye with him!! it was such an amazing fireside. i've never felt more committed to be the best i can be. i'm so grateful they came and we could listen to their message!

tonight the nice weather dragged us outside once again for a little walk and it was just perfect.

drums and frisbee

everyones getting sunburned. that's how nice the weather is here today! after my walk through kensington gardens, a bunch of us got lunch and then Victoria and i went to hyde park and laid out by the pond. we did some reading for our literature class and both took a much needed nap. the park was jam packed with everyone in the city gathering to enjoy the weather. i woke up and realized i was in heaven.

i also got called as a sunday school teacher for my ward while i'm here! i'm really excited, i think it will be fun! they asked me to teach tomorrow in fact...

tonight a bunch of us went to a movie premiere with a question and answer by the directors and cast! it was a blast.

lawnmower.

today we went outside of london. our first stop was runnymede. this is where the magna carta was signed in 1215. it was in an absolutely stunning area!
the weather all day was beyond beautiful. the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! mind you, i was misinformed that it was going to be cold so i layered up and melted all day. joy.

windsor castle was our next stop, and it was great. but the entire time i couldn't stop thinking about my trip a few years ago with annie and kim! my favorite part next to the changing of the guards was the gigantic dollhouse made for all of Queen Mary's miniatures. it was so cool. it even has electricity and a plumbing system! my friend ryan looked at their backyard and said, "the only problem is you also have to mow the grass"... i honestly laughed so hard i cried.
after windsor we went to John Milton's home. he wrote paradise lost, and was a famous poet who we are studying in english. it was hilarious because within 3 minutes of getting there our entire center was asleep lying in the shade in the garden. i woke up completely confused as to where i was, but it was heaven.
our last stop of the day was at stoke poges. this is where the famous poet thomas gray was buried. it was my favorite cemetery i have ever been to.

for dinner i went with katelin-jane, natalie, and victoria. it was so much fun!! we had such good conversation and laughed all night long. i'm really loving it here, and i'm already not looking forward to leaving all these amazing people!

all that. jazz.

noooo sleep again last night. its starting to get to me too. i can feel it!
well, we had class this morning, and took a midterm in politics... THANK goodness that is over.
after class my politics professor took a group of us to the Imperial War Museum. i honestly loved it! i hate how little i know about history, so taking this class is fun because just about everything we learn is news to me. we mainly stayed in the WWI and WWII exhibits and i really want to try and go back there before i leave since i liked it so much!
after dinner a group of about 10 of us went to the play Chicago. it was phenomenal! the dancing and music was just beyond belief. we were front row, and only paid 27 pounds- we are SO lucky to get student tickets all the time!

*ps. if the final is between celtics and LA i refuse to participate. just ridiculous.

camera kidnap