FALL ing for London

     As you can tell from my pictures, Fall has arrived and I love it.  There is just something so great about the crisp autumn air, the changing leafs, and throwing on a scarf/boots that makes Fall my favorite season.  I got to experience London in the Fall first hand on Thursday when we went to Hyde Park for my Humanities 440 class.  The class focuses on landscapes, so we went and sketched in the park.  It was such a lovely day and so nice to get out of the center, especially since we are in class on Thursdays form 9-4:30.  I'm not a very good sketcher, but am working on it and starting to get a little better.  Once classes were over, it was pretty much time for dinner.  After dinner, most people went out to various places.  Therefore, Abby, Kacey, Annie, and I took full advantage of this by making a big couch in our room and having a "GGDC" (Gossip Girl & Diet Coke) Night.  It was very needed and a lot of fun.  I fell asleep at 10:30PM and slept until 8:30AM Friday morning.

Sketching in Hyde Park

A few shots of Hyde Park

     On Friday, Abby, Kacey, and I went for a run in the park.  We then came home and showered/had lunch.  After lunch, Abby, Kacey, Annie, Laura, Kristin, and I went to Harrods.  We picked up a cupcake at Lola's Cupcakes in the Food Halls and then roamed through the entire store.  My favorite section was the Wedding Dress and Evening Gown section.  The workers kind of glared at us since we didn't have an appointment, but the dresses were amazing and totally in my price range.  After shopping we headed home for dinner which was delicious Chinese food.  After dinner we did a little homework and the Cambria Evans showed us her children's book and all of the design work she has done for Martha Stewart.  She does the coolest stuff and already agreed to do my wedding invitations.  We then had a DC with Jaelyn and Cambria.  In celebration of it being Queen Day, we projected The Queen in the classroom and watched it with a big group of girls.    

     Saturday started by running in the park with Kacey, Abby, and Annie.  At the end of our run Abby and I decided to join in on a game of "football" in Hyde Park.  Dr. Evans came and played and was so into it.  He played in the back and literally kept diving down in the mud to block the goal.  It turns out he played for BYU in college.  After football, I took a much needed shower and then headed to Borough Market with Abby, Annie, Kacey, Laura, and Megan.  Borough Market is a huge food market with everything from fish to turkish delight. As you walk through the market, you can sample food at most of the booths.  It was fun to go with a big group because we would buy one thing and then each taste it.  Below is what I tasted and what I thought about it.

Good:

-Crumbled Fudge

-Pesto

-Mushroom Spread

-Balsamic Vinegar #8

-All of the cheese

-Strawberries w/Jersey Cream

-Feta Dip

-Jams

-Chai Tea

-Chocolate-filled Eclair 

-Brownies

Gross:

-Turkish Delight

-Misshapen Chocolate

Borough Market

     After Borough Market we headed to Lillywhites to pick up some running pants to wear when it gets cold.  It was very crowded and somewhat stressful, but we found what we needed.  We came back to the center and made some arrangements for our trip to Ireland and then went and got Panini at Cafe Diana for dinner.  The remainder of the night consisted of an evening stroll, prank calling, and blogging. 

9-Mile Country Walk

  

     Today was a rather rainy and strenuous day.  We left at about 8:30AM to catch a train to Kent.  While waiting for the train, SiCong was worried about the dirty/smelly air and kept her mouth covered the whole time and it was so funny (see photo).  Once there, we met these 3 older men that took us on a 9-mile country walk.  It was very green and beautiful, but rainy and a little cold.  The walk wandered throughout villages, castles, and forest.  We ate lunch in a little castle called Eynsford Castle.  While there, Mary-Celeste decided to climb up into a hole and we were all certain she would fall or get stuck, but luckily she made it down.  We all had to bundle up, thus we ended up in quite random clothes.  Most unforgivable of was our running shoes with regular pants.  Annie made the comment that we totally looked like “Disneyland tourists with their kid on a leash.”  It was the sad truth. Annie and I listened to my ipod on the way home and fell dead asleep.  We then hurried home to our warm/dry so we could sleep for about an hour before dinner.  Dinner was ok.  It was a chicken stroganoff, but I opted for leftover soup.  After dinner I did homework, went on a walk with Kacey, and talked with girls in the servery.  A few girls are starting to get sick, so I really hope we all don’t get sick.  I must add…even though it was a rainy day, Fall is definitely here and all of the leafs are starting to change into such pretty colors, which reminds me why Fall is my season of choice.  

SiCong @ the train station and Mary-Celeste in her hole

Pictures from our Country Walk

Lunch inside the castle ruins

With our guides

Inside the Castle

Darling Flower Display

Fancy a Snog?

     Today I had Biology for about 2 hours.  We had a trial for Galileo and I had to defend him.  Our side completely destroyed the prosecution.  After Biology Kacey, Abby, and I went running and then for frozen yogurt at this fun place called SNOG.  It was similar to Spoon Me in both taste and atmosphere, but not as good.  I then came home and trapped myself in the Library for 4 hours so I could get a bunch of homework done.  I also skyped Abigail for a little while which was fun.  We then had some delicious Broccoli & Cheese soup for dinner.  I then did more homework and attending a movie night for my Humanities where we watched the first hour of the six-hour Pride and Prejudice.  After the movie a group of us (Bev, Marge, Renee, Gladdus, and I) had some DC in the kitchen.  We then did some homework, an Ab workout, and started Gossip Girl season 2.  

Happy 20th Birthday Gladdus!

Today is Kacey’s 20^th birthday.  I am so excited to be celebrating it with her in London.  She really is the best friend one could ask for.  We have so many fabulous memories and have done so much together.  Not everyone can say they have grown up with, lived with, gone to school with, and literally traveled the world with their best friend.  However, I am lucky enough to say I have.  I can’t think of a birthday we haven’t spent together, so it’s a good thing we came here together since we both turn 20 while here.  We also got to celebrate with her parents, which made it really fun. 

     To start the day off, we went on a run slash walk with Nata in Hyde Park.  Kacey and I then went to Humanities, but decided to take the day off the rest of the day from school.  The remainder of the afternoon consisted of lunch at the Italian place in Harrods and shopping with Kirk and Nata.  At about 4:30PM, Kace and I came back to do a few things and get ready for the night.  At about 5:45PM, Kacey, Abby, and I went to dinner at Zizzi with Kirk and Nata.  I gave Kacey her present (a necklace with a little crown, short rain boots, and a scarf) and she loved it.  We then headed to the theater district to see “Jersey Boys.”  It was a really fun musical and a great way to celebrate Kacey’s birthday.  We then headed home and attempted to do some homework slash hang out with the other girls.  Kirk and Nata leave tomorrow, but it was so fun to have them here and the closest thing to having my parents visit. 

Kacey's New Rainboots

Lunch @ Harrods

Jersey Boys

Conference Sunday

     Today was a very enjoyable day. Kacey and I woke up and went on a long walk (about and hour and a half) through Hyde Park with Kirk and Nata.  We then came back and showered and then met back up with them.  Because it’s Conference weekend, there was no church so we had a lot of free time.  The four of us walked down Portobello Road and then went to St. Paul’s Cathedral.  It was fun to go in on a Sunday and see it in use as a church more then a tourist attraction.  I then came back and helped Jay Lynn Evans with some of the cooking she had been working on all day.  She made us the most amazing brunch with a total of 10 different dishes.  Every single dish was completely homemade, intricate, and artistically prepared.  A few of my favorites included the cranberry white chocolate muffins with cinnamon crumble on top, cream cheese and chocolate filled French Toast, toasted bread and egg cups (filled with broccoli, feta, bacon, and cheese) topped with tomato and avocado, a quiche with feta cheese and sweet potatoes, and delicious cinnamon rolls.  It really is a crime what an amazing cook she is and it’s good she only cooks once a month or every girl would come home obese.  Brunch lasted from 4PM until 5PM.  Kirk and Nata came to the center and ate with us and then stayed to watch the morning broadcast of Conference with everyone at the center.  It was fun to experience Conference projected in the classroom, with all of the girls, at 5PM (as opposed to 10AM which is too early), yet still in the comfort of my pajamas.  After Conference we had more of the food and sang “Happy Birthday” to Kacey.  I then did homework and Kacey and I had a sleepover in my bed/watched Two Weeks Notice.

Helping in the kitchen

The beginning of our feast

Singing to Kace

Stratford-Upon-Avon

     Today we left at 9:45AM for Stratford-Upon-Avon.  The drive was a little over two hours, but very pretty.  Once there, our first stop was Mary Arden’s Farm.  Mary Arden was the mother of Shakespeare, thus he spent many years on this farm.  We observed a traditional Tudor Meal, went to the Falconry, and visited some of the farm animals.  I hate slash am terrified of birds, but I was brave and held an owl.  I first held a chicken leg in my hand, then the owl came and landed on my hand, ate the chicken, and finally it flew away.  We left the farm, leaving Mary-Celeste behind since she wasn’t on the bus when it was time to go, and then headed the Anne Hathaway’s Cottage.  This was my favorite stop of the day because I thought the gardens were so pretty and the house was quite charming.  After the cottage we headed to Shakespeare’s Birthplace. Because Shakespeare’s dad was a glove maker, hey had a guy inside the house demonstrating how to make gloves.  I also learned that the phrase “goodnight, sleep tight” comes from Shakespeare’s time when people slept on ropes instead of slats, therefore if the ropes were tight, one would have a comfortable sleep.  There was a cute shop that sold anything you could ever want relating to Shakespeare and in it there was a section with love quotes from different plays.  My favorite was: “they do not love that do not show their love.”  

The Asian that showed me how it's done

Pig Sty @ Mary Arden's Farm

Tudor Meal

Outside Mary Arden's Farm

Anne Hathaway's Cottage

Shakespeare's Birthplace

     After visiting all of the places, we had about four hours of free time.  However, it was pretty cold and windy so we didn’t really want to wander around outside.  As a result we went to Marks & Spencer and had some soup.  We then flocked to McDonalds (they are super nice here) and did some homework/camped out until it was time to go to the theater.  We then went and saw “A Winter’s Tale.”  It was well done and probably my favorite Shakespeare play we have seen.   At about 11PM we loaded the coach and didn’t arrive home until 1AM.  It was a long day, but still fun.

A Familiar Face & My 1-Month Anniversary of Palace Court

     Today was a fun day.  I slept in until about 8:15AM, had some breakfast, and then decided to do my balance ball workout DVD.  I kept the sound off on the DVD since some were still sleeping and it was funny to watch their faces as they awakened because they thought I was just randomly doing a routine in the middle of the floor.  Believe it or not, it was pretty challenging and a good workout.  Kacey left at about 10 AM to meet her parents at their hotel.  About an hour later she and Nata came over.  We gave her a tour and it was so good to see someone from home.  Nata brought a huge Vera duffle full of stuff for the two of us.  My cute mom sent me all sorts of things from clothes, to fiber bars, gum, DVDs, and my favorite V Chocolate Toffee Popcorn.  I felt like it was Christmas.  Kacey went off with Kirk and Nata for the afternoon and I went to the National Gallery for my two humanities classes.  We met Dr. Soper there and toured through the gallery discussing and observing many different paintings.  For my 202 class, we saw everything from Degas, to Monet, to Van Gough. For my 440 class, I had to pick a painting by J.M.W. Turner and write a paper analyzing the aesthetic choices and connections within the painting.

     Courtney, Abby, and I left the National Gallery together.  When we got off the tube Abby went back to the Center, but I went with Courtney to run a few errands.   I then came back and got ready to go out for the night.  Kirk, Nata, Kacey, and I went and had dinner at Covet Garden, got a Ben’s Cookie, and then went to The Lion King.  The show was amazing and I couldn’t believe the costumes.  It was such a fun night and it’s so fun having Kirk and Nata here. 

The Lion King!

Tube Ride Home

     Today also marks the 1-month anniversary of living here at 27 Palace Court.  I honestly love being here more than I ever could have imagined.  In reflection of this day…here are my “TOP 5” favorite things thus far:

1. Fountains Abbey

2. Coldplay Concert in the pouring rain @ Wembley Stadium

3. Daily runs in Hyde Park

4. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

5. Late nights and laughs with the girls I have met