Dear London,

Thank you for teaching me the person I want to be- and also the person I do not want to be. Thank you for showing me Indian food. I am in love. Paris…. need I say more. I am also in love. You taught me to LOVE TO LEARN- I had to take classes I would have never ever taken if I had the choice, but I had to learn to work hard, and that wasn’t easy. It was all worth it. I learned so much.Thank you for teaching me time management, and to do homework. Thank you for teaching me tolerance and patience. It is roughing sharing a house with 50 other people… I would do it again. You taught me to love public transport. Tyler and I share that love. I am now tube literate. Nutella… enough said. Markets- I have always loved the farmers market in salt lake, but it does not even come close to the London markets. Rosemary and Ossaro- my sweet primary children- thank you for reminding me the basics of the gospel. Also- for making me play the piano in primary… I want to get better, and then maybe I can play both hands at the SAME time. Thank you for teaching me how to soak up every experience, and to never miss out on any opportunity. I learned to love that library- I spent countless hours in that place. Thank you for introducing me to Pink Lady Apples- they’re amazing. Thanks to Political Science… it taught me where all the countries in the world are. It was my favorite class! Thank you mom and dad. This was a LIFE CHANGING experience that I will never ever forget. I learned came to better appreciate so many things- art, culture, technology, school, friends, learning, the church… the list goes on and on. Most of all- I came to appreciate my family, and those I am close to. I missed them all so much and was reminded how special they each are to me and how much I love them. London… you will always have a little piece of my heart! Thank you for everything you taught me… until we meet again. (I hope it is sometime soon)

tracks...

guess what i saw today... airplane tracks!!!! most people probably think, wow why are you so excited to see an airplane in the sky?? and i would tell them, well you see- planes are in the air today leaving tracks, so that means i can be in the air tomorrow. yes- tomorrow! i am going to finally be home tomorrow- just as long as everything goes as planned. i have been on the phone with american airlines for the past 48 hours pretty much shuffling flights around. just in case you need to call american airlines, the number is 1800-433-7300. i have it memorized, and i know all the loopholes to get through the annoying voice automated crap. all my roommates have heard me say for the past few days is "agent" that the best way to get what you want. i have had probably 6 different bookings itineraries and finally- hopefully this one will work out. i love london, but i am very excited to be home. my fingers are crossed.

eat...

today i went to eat (that is the name of the cafe) and had the best panini-cranberry, brie, turkey, and rocket. it was sooo yummy. i was there for like three hours reading by book- the wedding... and i finished it... yay! i love the feeling of finishing a book. (it doesn't happen very often)

tulip festival...

we got to go to the tulip festival at trafalgar square. it was a giant i love holland party, and everyone was in orange except me! oops. there was a lot of fun things going on , but not as many tulips as i had hoped. we spent most of the time watching pole vaulters, but we also sat on the stairs and listened to the live band and enjoyed the sun. my favorite part was the tulips made out of balloons. i really wanted one but the line was far too long. it was a very enjoyable afternoon.

Eyjafjallajokull....


believe it or not... that is the name of the volcano that has been erupting in iceland since last wednesday, and has prevented me from going home. i had a flight home saturday, but it got canceled along with hundreds of other flights in europe because the ash from Eyjafjallajokull has ruined the air quality and poses a threat to all aircrafts. luckily, i got resceduled to leave today at noon. i was expecting my flight to get canceled- but it jsut got delayed until 7:30 tonight. because of the delay, i would get to salt lake 15 minutes after my flight left for hawaii for school. mom did some hard work, and found a flight leaving dallas, that had a three hour layover in SLC, so i could make a bag swap and be on my way to hawaii on schedule. i woke up this morning just to find out that there was another explosion during the night, and that the volcano is showing signs of intensifying activity. i couldn't and wouldn't believe it! but then i got the friendly email notification that my flight for tonight has been canceled. i can't believe it! everything worked out so well despite the first cancellations. since i will not make it to hawaii in time for classes (they started yesterday) i will most likely have to withdraw. it is such a bummer, but i know that there is nothing i can do about it. thank you mother nature. i have been on hold with american airlines for the past hour, but i still have faith. i hope i can get back to the states soon! wish me luck!

cribs, london centre addition...

my time is up in london, and i have been meaning to post pictures of my "flat" this whole time- so forgive me... but better late than never. welcome to 27 palace court...


this is the parlor, where we have devotionals, and sometimes read. it is a designated "quiet area"


this is the formal dining room where the faculty eats dinner...

these are the doors to the classroom... yes, the classroom is right underneath my bed.

the stairs leading to my room....


dorm 3.... side one. it is a bit messy- but everyone was trying to pack and stuff. in my room there are a total of 14 girls.


this is our bathroom... with sinks and showers

these are our royal thrones... aka toilets. up the next set of stairs is dorm four and five. dorm one is on the main level, and dorm two is by the classroom!

the is the servery.... where we eat and have late night hangouts. and the lovely toaster... there is always toast, PB, jelly, and nutella for snacks. it is the best thing ever.

a night at koko...

right before finals, i went to a club called koko and saw the band of horses. oh my it was the perfect way to relax after working hard getting ready for finals. tyler ramsey opened for them- he was fabulous too. the band of horses has a song called "the great salt lake" and they played it! it made me feel like i was at home a little bit. the venue was so cool! it was in an old theater, but instead of seats, it was all standing on all the different levels. everything was red and gold and way fancy... of course it was way cool since they named the place after me. i am obsessed with that place, and this band! i can't stop listening to them. i got a cute koko shirt to remind me of the night! (there is a short clip of the great salt lake)