Going Down South

Saturday we took a tour bus for a day of fun in some of England's historic tour sights. The bus picked us up outside our flat because we made up more than half of the tourists going. Our first stop was the mysterious Stonehenge, an ancient burial and some kind of religious structure. No one knows exactly why it was built or what purpose it served. It appears to have been some sort of sacrificial altar surrounded by columns and burial mounds for tribal royalty. Because of some stupid people desecrating the sight, they've closed the actual henge to visitors so the only way to access it is by a pathway about 15 feet away that goes all the way around. The weather was really cooperative and the sun shone quite brightly giving us the perfect day for being tourists. Our second stop was at the Salisbury Cathedral wherein lies the best original copy of the Magna Carta. We didn't spend very long there but one thing I noticed and absolutely adored was the architecture. Salisbury has the best assortment of random architecture from many different time periods and they all work really well together. There's Victorian, Georgian, Medieval, and Modern all rolled into one cohesive little village. The final stop of the day was Bath, a small city nestled in the hills. Jane Austen lived here and wrote two novels - "Northanger Abbey" and "Persuasion." The city itself was built upon a natural hot springs that the Romans built a luxurious bathing house upon. The water bubbles a little and you can feel the heat just by standing near it. There are plenty of signs around the bath telling you not to drink or even touch the water. Not that I'd want to drink ancient green water. At the end of the self guided audio tour you get the opportunity to try a glass of the water (treated so it won't kill you). Supposedly it has healing properties to those who drink it. Because I'm a tourism sucker I bravely took a sip - YUCK! Talk about drinking sulfur hot tub water. I couldn't drink the whole glass but Daytona Lips did. It's one of those things that you just have to do for the bragging rights. I did - won't do it again. The drive home lasted 2hrs, 1hr of which I slept. Traveling definitely takes it out of you especially when the warm sun is beating on your back and the bus has a slow, soothing rythm. Perfect day!

Country Walk Turned HIKE

We spent the day out in the country enjoying the gorgeous scenery, sunshine, and smog-free air. We wandered for hours on end just breathing it all in - with a few sneezes here and there. Just when we began to enjoy it, the terrain took a turn = UP. At the very top there were 35 very tired people, but overall we loved it. It was really great to get out of the city and have a wonderful day relaxing and enjoying something other than papers, plays, and other stresses. As soon as we stepped off the train I thought I'd gone home. The landscape reminded me of home. So many fields and rolling hills covered in green grass, wheat and trees to separate the two. It was beautiful!! We came to a small village with a bridge over a "Crick" (as they say back home). There we had two options - cross the bridge in small groups because it just wasn't wide enough for people and a car, or cross through the ford barefoot. I picked the later. The water was cold but very refreshing and fun. We ate lunch in some old Norman castle ruins, then continued on towards the train station. There was so much to see and so little camera battery power. Among the other oddities we encountered were an eagle reserve, a bridge reminiscent of the one the Hogwarts express crosses in Harry Potter, Poppies, a small lavender farm, and drank non-alcoholic Ginger Wine (ouch!). Our group got split at one point, but luckily we had two guides and everyone made it back safe and sound - and everyone fell asleep on the train. Overall, quite a fulfilling day!

Waiting for Godot....More Like Sir Ian McKellen

Tonight we saw the Samuel Beckett play Waiting for Godot starring Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen. The play is an absurdist play with no plot....literally. After the play we went to the stage door to get autographs - the first time I've ever done so...Disney characters don't count. We waited for about a half an hour and I was right up front. When the door man came out, he gave us certain criteria for when they come out:

1. They have their own pens
2. Don't shove
3. They will only sign things having to do with Waiting for Godot...no contracts, lawsuits, prenups, etc
   
4. Don't talk to Partick about the score of the World Cup Finals

So we waited and out they came. I not only got Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart's autographs, but Simon Callow who plays the Theater owner in Phantom of the Opera. It's odd how people treat celebrities like objects. As soon as they had the autograph, everyone dispersed immediately as if they'd never come.

My List of 20.....because I'm 20

1--- I love music (whether it's listening, playing, singing, or watching musicals...I'm there) I'm always listening to some kind of music. I don't feel like I have one particular music style. If I like the song or artist, I'll listen to it. If not, I won't. I grew up on musicals. Both movies and plays. A couple of my favorites are Phantom of the Opera, Jersey Boys, Starlight Expresss, Music Man, Bye Bye Birdie, and Into the Woods. Shley hates them which makes me her exact opposite and also enhances our unique bond.
2--- Games are fun - okay that's an understatement. I love playing games. That's a common pastime in my family forever and ever. I love card games especially when I can challenge and beat my dad at Cribbage. Word games are the second favorite category. Scrabble and Boggle are fantastic and usually I can beat everyone...USUALLY!
3--- The number of crazy London buddy videos we made yesterday...goofiness galore!! Those, however, will be saved in a hidden file where only the truly worthy may enter.
4--- When I sleep I always lay as close to the wall at possible and always have something next to my cheek (pillow, blanket or my hand). And it's hard for me to fall asleep with other people in the room. I always fall asleep on my back
5--- I love the outdoors. I'll go walking, hiking, camping, etc anne-time, anne-where. SIGN ME UP!!!
6--- What time I woke up today to go to the London temple. The temple is one of the oldest in the world. It was so small that it took us about 5 min to walk all the way around even while stopping to take a plethora of pictures.
7--- Ever since I was little I've always updated people on exactly where I'm going and what I'm doing. Since college, my roommates have had to de-train me so I'm a work in progress.
8--- It takes me awhile to open up to people and even then, I don't tell people what's going on in my mind. It's a habit that I've been beginning to break and so far so good. I hate being the center of attention in any situation. Recently a blind old woman spoke in church and she mentioned that she feels uncomfortable speaking in front of people because she can't see them and it made me think "if she can't see the people and it makes her uncomfortable, how can I not like it when I can." Being in a small ward where everyone has to do multiple jobs at once I've learned to step out of myself and be more in the spotlight...and I'm getting used to it. I still use my worry stone to boost my confidence, but I'm more willing to do things in front of/for other people and feel a little more confident.
9--- I'm allergic to bee stings which I unfortunately found out the hard way my senior year. Band camp was practicing outside and we were all at attention when I felt a poke on my arm. When it started swelling and itching I panicked. Into the nurse I trudged and had ice on it for the rest of the week.
10--- I have had a different room roommate every semester at BYU. They always stay one semester and then leave the next. Once, I'd like to have one last for awhile. Someday! I have the best roommates ever. The core 5 of us have been together since our very first semester at BYU and we've become such great friends. Slowly, we're losing people, but we'll always be friends.
11--- I hate talking to businesses/strangers on the phone. And I don't like to leave phone messages so don't expect any when I call and you don't answer. Sorry!!
12--- My favorite movie treat is hot chocolate and popcorn. Especially homemade hot chocolate and flavored popcorn - peanut butter especially. (Anything with peanut butter is perfect)
13--- I love to travel. Someday I want to travel to Venice Italy, Wall of China, Sao Paulo, and Alaska. I'll go anywhere if I've got a good travel buddy who won't complain when I take tons of pictures or just want to wander with no real destination in mind.
14--- I'm an English major which means that I have to read read read and write write write. Of all the authors I've read my least favorite by far is CHAUCER. He can be reincarnated and then die again. I despise him with every fiber of my knitted sweater and he viciously inhales of all middle-age authors. I never ever ever want to come in contact with that man again. This hatred is founded upon a class dedicated solely on him that I did NOT like at all.
15--- Baking bread is a family tradition that I love. It's always great to come home from school in the winter when you're frozen stiff and smell freshly baked bread wafting from the kitchen half-way down the block.
16--- High School Marching Band about killed me. Almost froze to death Freshman year, cut my head open when I lost my rifle in the sun Jr year, and got stung by a bee and discovered my allergy to it Sr year.
17--- Chocolate is chocolate no matter where you go....only some places it's better than others. Cadbury beats Hershey hands down...ark tops Milk which tops White (icky)
18--- My favorite season is fall because of all of the colors that nature uncovers. The weather is almost perfect because it isn't too hot nor too cold and there are plenty of rain storms to keep me on the edge of my seat. It's not the best camping season because it gets rather cold at night, but it's still my favorite. Being from a Podunk state of fields and forests galore, I am always discovering new colors and scenes that open up the mind to imagination of the wondrous possibilities of nature.
19--- I love the smell of rain and the sound of thunderstorms. Growing up, my dad and I would sit on the porch and watch the storms and just listen to nature. Those are some of my fondest memories.
20--- How old I am as of today and, so far, I think I like it. Really, there's no change in how I feel or what I did but now I'm no longer a teenager which puts me up a notch on the "coolness scale" as would put it.

Travel Weekend

Travel weekend (Wed-Sat) has come and I've decided to remain in London and see whatever I want whenever I want. There's sooo much to do here that we couldn't cover half of it in the 6 weeks we're here. Dayton, Briggs and I have all stayed and dubbed each other's permanent "travel buddies." Wednesday -- Our first stop was Kensington Palace, the former home of the monarchs which is literally right across the street from our flat. Why we haven't gone there before I still don't know. It is fabulous! We saw the King's apartments and gardens as well as an exhibit about the Debutantes of the 50s. We wanted to go to the London Eye to take a view of the city from a higher elevation (not my idea of fun AT ALL but they talked me into it). We didn't meet back up when we thought we would so Dayton and I just observed the Eye itself which is really really REALLY high and amazing in construction. Then we went to see "Jersey Boys", a musical about Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.Thursday -- We went to the changing of the Royal guard at Buckingham Palace. (Yet again, a VERY short distance away - only a 5 min walk). When we stopped to ask some Taxi drivers for directions we were offered a chance to sit in the driver's seat with the official Taxi badge on. Such a sweet little old man - by far the nicest person we've met in London thus far. We got to the Palace with 20 min to spare before it began. The flag was high meaning that the Queen was home - meaning we weren't going to get to go on a tour inside. When the parade started there were tourists everywhere and we felt a little out of place (weird huh). Because we didn't get there at the crack of dawn, we didn't get really really close to the gate, but we did have a pretty good view. The army band played ABBA songs, Singing in the Rain, Loch Lomond, and "As Zion's Youth in Latter-days." Kind of a random compilation but it was amazing.Friday -- Administrative day....aka Shopping, homework, cleaning, recooperating, and planning. Because the Royal Band got us on an ABBA kick, we decided to end the week to watch "Mamma Mia" and sing along to each and every song. Of course we started it late so part of our trio dropped off so she went to bed. Then the last two of us got a little side-tracked thinking about "stuff" so we just turned the movie off and went our separate ways...ended up staying awake WAY to late chatting online.Saturday -- Running in the Park, Yoga, and bird-feeding in the park...what else could be a good end to the quiet week (nobody in the flat). We fed the birds at the pond/lake in Hyde Park. No pooping problems, but I did get bitten on the foot by a pigeon and still have the red mark battle wound (BIRD FLU!>!>!!). Dayton lead us in some relaxing Yoga which put me into a fit of giggles for some reason. And of course we HAD to finish "Mamma Mia"...further behind than we left off because we loved that one song. Our day finished off with everyone coming home from their Travel week in various parts of Europe so we got to hear stories and see pictures. Had to practice a piece of Portuguese for Church so I webcamed with my expert who laughed and made fun of me the entire time. Up way late/early (2:45am) in a room with horrible lighting making hisses and growls in all the wrong places and laughing each time I said a word with the wrong pronunciation so it meant something completely different. Definitely should've gone to bed when it got a too fun. But, it all paid off in the end and my speaking went really well (and I got a lot of compliments on it).Such a fantabulous week and I wouldn't have traded a million out-of-town trips for these 4 days of perfect memories!

Jersey Boys

"A definite must-see!!" That's what they said and it really was. Dayton and I went and saw the musical about Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - a 60s boy band. Everything about it was fantastic! As soon as the curtain went up (even though there was no curtain TO go up) I had the biggest grin and couldn't stop smiling the entire show. Singing along...well mouthing along was equally fun because every other audience member was doing it too. The audience was full of people who had grown up listening to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons so we really had the essence of fun in the air. The singing and acting was phenomenal and the Jersey accents were flawless. We left singing and humming every song and it only continued when we got home. By far, my favorite show we've seen...so far! It's great to have a student discount to get into this kind of thing really really cheap ($25) yet sit in the more expensive sections - we had 4th row balcony. To top it off, before the show we found a little diner and had some amazing food.

Recipe You Should Try - Multicultural Fajita

Leftovers come in handy quite often and this time I decided to mix and match and see what happens. It turned out to be a pretty tasty dish. I call it "BBQ Alfredo Fajita" or as my flatmates like to call it my "Multicultural Fajita". My original plan was to make a normal Fajita of chicken and cheese and "soured cream"(Mexican-ish). I bought some Del Paso fajita seasoning that turned out to be BBQ flavoring (US). Odd! Then, I had some instant rice (Asian) that I didn't necessarily want to eat plain so I microwaved it and stuck it on top. The only cheese I had was Gouda (Dutch) so that was the topper. The final ingredient was some homemade Alfredo sauce (Italian) that was going to go bad within the week so I poured that on as well. The result - a really good fajita of weirdness. AND it's good!!!!

Bedknobs and Broomsticks Adventures

We went to Portobello Road today. Following a walking tour guide through the Notting Hill area we learned all kinds of interesting facts and stories. We saw the famous "Traveler's Bookstore" (made famous by the Hugh Grant/Julia Roberts movie "Notting Hill"), Pop star Robbie Williams' house, the house of the fashion designer for model Twiggy, Annie Lennox's house, and finally ending in Portobello Road Market. The market - seen in the Angela Lansbury Disney movie "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" is not the same as it used to be. Originally an antiques and book market, it has expanded to include fruits/vegetables, jewelry, clothing, and all kinds of odds and ends...even incense and Shrooms (not the veggie kind...the drug kind). Quite an interesting compilation of things, but a really interesting market. I left with some really funky earrings. I've never had weird earrings because I never thought I could pull them off and I'm not really stylish so I don't own any. Now I have 4 and they're pretty much amazing! I've worn them everyday since and love them.

The Rain in Spain CAN STAY IN SPAIN

After being in London 2 1/2 weeks the rain man has come to visit. Tonight after mostly everyone had called it a night to do homework, it began to rain. I, on the otherhand, had to do laundry so I grabbed my guard jacket and umbrella and trudged my way to Metrogate. I loved feeling the rain and puddles tickled my bare toes. I especially loved the SMELL of the rain. I've always loved the smell of the earth during and after a good rain storm, but walking down a deserted London street just made it all the more exciting. As long as I'm inside doing something it can rain as much as it wants. When I decide, however, to go out of doors it had better clear out. That's an order!

Sam and Anne STRIKE Back

A day full of wind and adventure awaited us as we caught the Tube to Westminster, bound for fun. Intending to find a Citi to solve my problems from Wed, we got off and immediately started looking. It wasn't too far, but tucked into a little alley out of the way. The Tube comes up right outside the Houses of Parliament so that became our first stop. It is GORGEOUS!!! The architectural detail is beyond words. We wanted to go in and watch a session of Parliament, but they weren't in session again till Monday. Continuing down the street we came across Westminster Abbey which only rivaled Parliament in size, but not in beauty -Ii had it's own! Sad to say, it was too expensive to go inside (costing a good $22) and the line ran around half of the Abbey. Still, the building itself was fantastic. We walked around the city simply taking in the beauty - and being blown to Timbuk Tu. Things are a lot closer when you walk and there are so many little jewels that you can find when you're just wandering.

The Process from Friends to Dating

Guthrie has a wonderful definition of the life of love on her roommate blog. It was so great in fact that she sent it to the group of us who were discussing it and now I'm going to share it. Here goes:

• FRIENDS - The stage when everyone gets along and the world is fun and no expectations
• FRIENDING - The first few steps before dating. Spending loads of time together with and without other people around
• FRATING - The awkward stage between friends and dating. The world doesn't know, but time is dedicated solely to that one person.
• DATING - Obvious to the world! Enough said! Life is perfect!

London Loving

Going places is a lot more fun when you can enjoy the sunshine of the top of a double-decker bus or walk as opposed to a dark, smelly Tube station.

• The phrase "Mind the Gap" will drive you insane after one day.
• British accents do NOT automatically make a boy more attractive. I know, it came as a shock to me too. They might not be the automatic aphrodisiac I thought, but seriously, they sure do help. Just not always.
• Theater students are not always the wacky, insane, creepy people they were in High School. Most of the people in the program are theater majors and they're are sooo amazing. I've learned so much from them and I've learned to come out of my shell. In fact, I may recite my Shakespeare passage in front of the entire program (thanks to one theater major who's helping me practice in front of her using a lot of emotion)
• Funky earrings are pretty ok. I'm beginning to warm up to them. It makes me think of Em-J everytime I see a really odd pair dangling off someone's earlobes.
• The UK voltage has miraculously healed my dying computer. Back home a full charge was only 64%. Now - 82% and counting. Each day is a new surprise - not only for exciting emails from friends back home, but to see how long my computer will last.
• Markets can be scary when merely glancing at an item they crawl up your back and try to get you to buy it. "Tventee quid, tventee quid...low price...bist in whole city...promiss" I just want to wander and enjoy, DON"T BOTHER ME.
• Coins make more sense when they are sized according to value (definitely not the case in the UK). With the exception of the dime, the US coins are so logical compared to these UK nuggets. The 2p coin is bigger than the 50p which in turn is bigger than the 1 pound coin. The 5p is the smallest followed by the 1pm and then the 20p. Getting used to this odd assortment of metal took awhile and often still doesn't make sense.
• Cheese is sooo much better when you can pick and choose what chunk you want. Especially when there's about 40 different kinds in a one foot square.
• Sights are a lot closer together when you walk than if you take the Tube.
• Wandering the city with nothing in particular to see is a lot more fun when you bring a friend.
• English children are a lot more fashionable than I will ever be.

Wuthering Heights...Bollywood Style

Tonight I saw an interesting theatrical performance of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. The only real difference is that this version was BOLLYWOOD. Okay so that's a BIG difference and it was quite an experiment. The ending was tweaked and a couple key parts of the story left out, but the bulk of it was true to the book. The play was lively, colorful, and musical. Every so often, the characters would break out into song and dance. The costumes were phenomenal and the set was quite amazing. I can't say that I'd go see it again, but it was definitely worth the cheap tickets we found. Not having read the book beforehand, I went in with an open mind and a smile and came out with jiggling shoulders and interesting hand gestures. Overall, it was a fun experience and I'm glad I went (once). Amundsen was the one who I went with and she made the event even more entertaining. Her laughter was infectious and her insight fantastic. When leaving the theater she found the script and purchased it. Now she can relive the excitement anytime she wants. I, on the otherhand, left only with memories and a song stuck in my head.

CuRsEs

Curses is SOOOOOO much more fun with Theater majors. They are amazingly good at it and teach you lots of tips and tricks to making it more fun. And if you play anything like me and are not in any way funny, they enhance your challenge and make you feel so comfortable with whatever you're doing. I love it! We played this as a sort of get-to-know-you game....oh BOY did we get to know one another.

Late Night + Long Day = Problem

QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:

• "I won the award for most boyfriends...better than Best Reader or Most Improved"
• "He totally just oochie-cooed you"
• "I feel bad for any animal that ever came into our house
• "British chocolate really turns me on"..."I hate to break it to you, Anna, but anything after 9pm turns you on"
  

As everyone else in the flat had left for a night on the town, Daytona, Big Briggs, and I sat around the table in the Common Room having fun discussions and showing pictures. Somehow we got on the topic of their boyfriends and downhill we went. The conversation went like this (including photos and stories): London adventures - summer fun - Hawaii trips - making out. How you ask...had to be there. Girl 1 talked about her boyfriend. Girl 2, all the guys she's kissed. Girl 1, how many? Girl 2, let me count. Girl 1, 14. Girl 2, 16 and counting. Girl 1, let's compare locations because I've got you beat - roof, barn, stairway... Girl 2, elevators are a favorite. (WOW!! It was quite an eventful evening. We have officially adopted the term "ish") DISCLAIMER: These girls are not what you may be thinking. They're amazing.

National Portrait Gallery

Today Dayton and I wandered around London and found the National Portrait Gallery. Inside was a treasure trove of amazing pictures of amazing people. We spent about two hours walking through halls and halls of floor to ceiling history. There were Tudors, Stuarts, Politicians, Royalty, Musicians, Astronomers, Poets/Writers, etc. Shakespeare, Queen Victoria, Darwin, Tennyson, Henry VIII, etc. Then, we approached the modern art. I was expecting blotches of paint, bundles of straws, balloons tied together, and other bizarre pieces of art. I was wrong! We found black and white photographs, sketches, and paintings of famous modern figures - Princess Diana, Paul McCartney, Judi Dench, Patrick Stewart, Lily Allen, Michael Frayn, etc. And they were cool! My favorite was a collection of pictures about Saint Fabiola. The two rooms were filled wall to wall with different renditions of the same picture of a woman with a red shawl. There was needlepoint, sketches, oil on canvas, photographs, beans glued on, mosaics, and a whole bunch of paintings each with their own personality for this Saint. It was truly stunning!! We weren't allowed to take pictures in the gallery so I found a small portion of it online.

No Dried Figs!!

You read me right - no Dates. We're not allowed to date in or out of the program. (I'd like to see Ruthie Baby go through these weeks without a single date. It'd be tricky because she's just so fabulous.) There are only 3 guys in this program so the odds aren't so great so the only real testosterone we get to interact with is at Institute. Too bad that now we know everyone is off limits. Sorry girls, no foreign fling or gorgeous English man to bring home.

Archuleta in London - for Ruthie Baby

One of the girls in the program sat in front to David Archuleta at church on Sunday. She didn't realize it until the testimonies when she turned around to listen to someone. SURPRISE!!

Chandlers in Town

The Chandler crew stopped in London and invited me to come spend some time with them. Off we went to Westminster Abbey, Churchill Museum/War Rooms, and the National Gallery. It was really nice to spend some time with familiar faces and get away from the sometimes crazy hectic group. I really enjoyed the Churchill Museum because it had to do with World War II and had a lot of interesting and interactive displays and an audio tour which was really interesting. The National Gallery was fantastic and I think I've found my favorite artist - Vermeer. There was sooo much there to see that you really could only skim the surface of the surface in an hour.

Church Excursion

We were assigned to local Wards/Branches in an around London. My small group was assigned to the London North branch. Our journey was predicted to be 1 1/2hrs, well today, it took 2hrs both ways. We got to the little town without a hitch, but then didn't realize that the bus only came every so often instead of regularly and we just missed the bus because our group was going a little slow. We looked and saw that the next bus wasn't due till 10...the exact time church was to start (so we had 25 min till church started). Having the map on hand, we decided that walking would be quicker as the church building was only a 5 min bus ride (about a 10 min walk). Oh how wrong we were - 50 min later we arrived; just in time to take the sacrament. The branch members is AMAZING!!!!! I was asked to play the piano in Primary and help out with the teaching. By the end of the hour I was needed, I had beautiful little shadows clinging to me. Relief society was equally fantastic. I can't wait to be with them again next week. The trip home took 2hrs only because it was a Bank Holiday weekend and some of the lines were closed. NO GOOD!!! Next week we'll be more prepared and know where we're going.