great expectations

on my mind...

2010-11-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

i was reading a byu devotional given by elder neal a. maxwell the other night while i was at the gym. it is called "but for a small moment" and this part in particular struck me, and i want to share it with you lovely readers.

The gospel's truths are too powerful for us to manage on occasion...That is why we are so in need of the Spirit–so that knowledge can arc like electricity from point to point, aided and impelled by the Spirit—aid without which we are simply not articulate enough to speak of all the things which we know.

i love the language that elder maxwell uses, it is truly beautiful. this devotional is published in a book called the "inexhaustible gospel," and i would highly recommend reading it. elder maxwell's messages are captivating--they make 45 minutes on the elliptical go by so fast.

i had a sort of spiritual nudging from the Spirit the other day. this happens to me a lot--thoughts pop into my head and suddenly i feel a sense of clarity that i hadn't known before (thats what elder maxwell meant, knowledge can arc like electricity with the spirit...lightbulb). it was after one of my professors told our class about serious health problems that he has struggled with for half of his life and then i went to my new testament class and my professor told a story that went something like this: his neighbor works for the church publication system, and is the head of a particular office. the neighbor's son had gone on a mission, served for three months, and then decided to come home because he couldn't quite handle the stresses of it. his father got him a job in the office, and tried to help him have the desire to go back out on his mission. he really didn't have that desire. one day, president monson was scheduled to visit the office for exactly ten minutes to check up on a special project. as he was leaving the office, he stopped to talk to the son. he inquired about how long the son had worked in the office, what his plans were for his life, and asked if he had served a mission. the son told president monson about how he had decided to come home early. president monson proceeded to spend another twenty five minutes talking to this boy about going on a mission. by the end of the conversation, the boy had promised to again prepare himself for a mission and to write to president monson when he was ready to go out into the field again.

i thought about that amazing story and then i thought about the course of my life for the past year. i would never have deferred school for a semester without being forced. but, my heavenly father knew that i needed to learn a few things and i guess that january to august 2010 was the time to do it. i know that the boy struggling to go on a mission and my professor who constantly struggles with health problems are both children of a heavenly father, who knows them personally and knows when they need spiritual and emotional uplifting. i think heavenly father knew i needed to take a break from my frenetic pace. i needed a physical and emotional rest, among other things.

to reinforce one of the important lessons that i learned, heavenly father reminded me again to maintain balance in my life a few weeks ago. i was set apart for my calling on the activities committee along with five other people. so, we each sat and listened to each person's blessing. my blessing was the only one that mentioned striving to keep balance in my life, and that is pretty much all that was mentioned in the blessing. tender mercy from my heavenly father right there: he knows me personally. he knows that i have no time to waste in my day. he knows that i worry about getting everything done that needs to be done. and he is also there to remind me to do those things that i want to do...even when it doesn't seem that there is time to do them. what a wonderful reminder.

seriously not ok.

2010-10-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

i am taking a class called money and economics (i won't tell you the number, it scares me). i harbor bitter feelings towards economics after taking kearl's infamous class, but i have made a valiant effort to leave those feelings behind and learn/complete the material for this class without discrimination.

the class is slightly unorganized and the professor is aged (i would say ancient, but thats a little rude). everyone experiences something like this during their college career--but this professor gives sufficient effort and is always positive, and i haven't given up yet. as people leaked into class this afternoon, the professor casually asked, "so where is everyone?" to no one in particular.

this one kid (sitting as far as you possibly can from the front of the class and as close as you can to the back door) said loud enough for everyone except for the professor to hear, "disinterested."

seriously?

not ok.

professionalism points just vanished.

a review of the summer

2010-09-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

really, my summer started last january. being at home in california for the winter was wonderous, let me tell you. here are a few things i did...

1. we went rock climbing as a family. we were looking for something fun to do for martin luther king day, and this is what we did. it was so fun! even little liza could climb the walls all the way to the top!

2. i made a goal to utilize my disneyland pass--i went on average every other week until my birthday. liza and i made a few trips together. highlights: the disney animation studio (one of my favorite places), toy story mania, the haunted mansion (i coaxed liza to go with me a few times), space mountain, collecting smashed pennies, and captain eo starring michael jackson

3. rachel and liza starred in arroyo vista elementary's production of willy wonka and the chocolate factory. liza was a squirrel and rachel was a reporter. so adorable! rachel looked so grown up in her costume--she wore my glasses to look older. liza's dance in the play was quite possibly the cutest thing ever. and their costumes (made by my mother with a little help from me) were so cute! big bushy tails, purple hi top converse, and their squirrel faces--love.

4. my roommate from my freshman year, kiri, came to visit! she flew all the way from england to the united states and had to make a stop in sunny california! we had so much fun together--we made a trip to the beach (cold), disneyland (of course), the newport beach and los angeles temples, wandered around los angeles, and visited in-n-out a few times. it was so fun to have her visit--i wished she could have stayed longer so that we could have toured southern california more!

5. i volunteered to be a chaperon for liza's field trip to the santa ana zoo. the last time i went to the santa ana zoo, i was probably six or seven, just like liza. i had no idea how small it was! we saw monkeys, a possum, a few tropical birds, and lots of farm animals. the kids loved the maze more than the animals. go figure.

don't look too closely at this...13.1 miles doesn't look so good.

6. i ran my first half marathon! my dad and i trained together for about four months, and maddy and avery ran with us in the laguna hills memorial day half marathon. maddy and i finished together--right at two hours, which was what i was hoping for. for the last five miles, i kept telling myself that i didn't need to use my legs for the rest of the day after i finished--i literally put all of my strength into it! i may or may not be addicted to running halfs now...

7. maddy, rachel, liza, and i went strawberry picking at grams and pa's house. this past year, pa is leasing most of his land in fallbrook, california (aka the avocado capital of the world, also a bountiful producer of strawberries) to a strawberry farmer. all summer, there was a plentiful supply of fresh strawberries like you have never seen before. have you ever tasted a fresh strawberry? i mean, one that has never been refrigerated, ever? sun-ripened, straight-off-the-plant strawberries might be the most heavenly thing i have tasted. i could have sat in the fields for hours picking and eating strawberries. good thing the strawberry farmer signed a six year lease...i am looking forward to five more summers of delicious strawberries. and strawberry field photo shoots with my beautiful sisters.

8. one of my best friends got married! nikki and i met in preschool, and i am so happy for her that she found her soul mate. nikki and james are adorable together! i had so much fun participating in their big day. interesting fact: i made my bridesmaid dress, and it inspired me to sew some other things as well. i have made three skirts for myself so far, and they are adorable. many people think they are from this place, which i take as a huge compliment because i love everything that they do. so thanks, nikki! for including me in your special day and for inspiring me to become a better seamstress. if only i had more time to sew.

9. maddy graduated! i am so proud of her--she is now at byu-i and loving life.

anna, abby, laura, and rubie

10. my dear friends from study abroad, abby and addison, got married to each other! of course, i couldn't miss the event, so i made a trip up to utah for it. i love them together. so much. while in utah, we spend a day on the water of the jordanelle reservoir. i learned to wake board earlier this summer, so i tried that a couple times, and then spent the rest of the time on the tube with rachel. it was a fun day with just the girls of my family and boom, my grandpa. of course, we couldn't go home before getting ice cream. love boom and his ice cream addiction.

11. catherine, one of the students that came on the german exchange program that i coordinated a few years ago, came to visit our family! we made sure to go to the beach a couple times. we also brought her along with us on our family camping trip in yosemite! we had so much fun! we made great camp food (love mom for bringing such delicious things), went on a few beautiful hikes (although we didn't do half dome--its on my list for next time), waded in the river, fed the local animals, survived a bear sighting in our campsite (after that, we were a little obsessive about putting everything in the bear locker), and took one shower each. it was a great vacation, and it was fun to be able to bring catherine along with us!

i had a pretty spectacular 8-month-long summer. plans for next summer? i think another trip to yosemite is a must. i am thinking right after finals would be the perfect time, and we could camp and hike half dome and do other fun/crazy things...who's in?

cedar city half marathon

2010-09-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

i made a little trip down to cedar city this weekend to run a half marathon with my cousin-in-law. she had invited me a while ago, and i thought it would be good to be training for a half when school started so that i could get in the habit of running early in the semester. so, the event came near, and i headed down with my cute roommate, savannah. savannah was just going to come down to play and take pictures of me at the finish line (which, let me tell you, i did not necessarily desire--i mean, it was really sweet of her to want to do that, but i do not look very pretty at mile 13). but, she ended up running the race because we had an extra (free) registration!

so, we drove down friday night, picked up our registration, and got to bed early-ish so that we would be able to wake up at five in the morning. it was pitch black when we arrived at the start line. we took a bus up the canyon, and they had campfires going for up to warm our muscles up for the race. by the time the gun went off, it was mostly light and we headed down the canyon with the patter of 500 other pairs of feet.

the run was gorgeous! it was the perfect temperature and we were in the shade for the large majority of the run. the first ten miles were mostly downhill, and savannah and i kept up a pretty good pace. i finished in approximately one hour and fifty-three minutes. i was pretty excited about that--i beat my last time by about eight minutes! savannah came in ten minutes after me and i was so proud of her! can you believe that? she didn't train one bit and she ran a half marathon in two hours and three minutes! she is such a stud!

both of us are pretty sore...we have been walking around like old ladies today. savannah said that she is going to leave for school twenty minutes earlier than normal tomorrow because it will probably take that much longer to walk to class. i feel pretty good when i am walking uphill, up stairs, or on level ground. walking downhill or down stairs is significantly more difficult. i will certainly be using the elevators in the tanner tomorrow. just when i have to go down...how pathetic is that?

we had so much fun this weekend. it was so fun to stay with my cousin grant and his family and make some memories with them and with savannah. it was cedar city's first half marathon, and savannah and i have decided we are making this an annual trip--we are going to run it until we can't anymore!

now for my next half marathon...maybe this one. or this?

an update on the first week of school

2010-09-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

since i didn't have the weekend to prepare for classes, i have had so many hours of homework that i have had to cram between classes, work, running forty miles, (minimal) socializing, meet the firms, and preparing applications for internships. i have been on a tight schedule, to say the least. but i just wanted to share one source of light in my life. its a place i go to when i don't have time to cook myself dinner. when breakfast every morning is a protein shake that takes thirty seconds to magic-bullet. when lunch is the same three items every day for a week.

its called tastespotting.com.

i just look at all the wonderful food that other people make every day, and count the days until i can do the same.

seriously, it will change your life.

chicken pot pie

2010-08-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

its been forever since i have blogged...mostly because the only thing of significance that has gone on in the past eight months of my life involves an eye problem and lots of doctors. i mean, there have been other significant things, but that was the most significant thing for a while, and i really don't feel like talking about that more that i am already forced to. if you really want to know what happened, feel free to ask me--i would be happy (ish) to tell you. but i can't really stand the thought of documenting the whole saga in cyber print, if you know what i mean.

so, i have recently moved back to provo and it feels wonderful. to get prepared for the first week of school (and because i was totally craving it), i decided to make a chicken pot pie. i put most of it in the freezer, but i tasted some of it and it was delicious, so i thought i would share the recipe. it is super simple, and makes about eight servings. instead of making a crust for it, i topped it with my grandmother's recipe for biscuits...also know as the best biscuits in the world--no joke. its all about the technique though, so follow the directions for the biscuits carefully.

chicken pot pie a la gramsy biscuits

for the chicken soup:
1 tbs butter
1/4 c chopped shallot
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 c chopped onion
1/3 c dry white wine (use cooking wine, or i would suggest a bottle of kendall jackson chardonnay)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
2 c chopped roasted chicken (i used 3 cans of costco chunk chicken, drained two and left the water in one)
2 bags frozen mixed vegetables
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
2 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs water
1 c half and half

for the gramsy biscuits:
2 c flour
2 tbs baking powder (its a lot, i know)
2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 c shortening
2/3 c milk

melt butter in a skillet. add shallot and thyme and sauté 2 minutes. add onion and sauté 2 minutes. add half of the chicken and white wine, cook until evaporated. stir in dijon mustard and chicken broth. bring to a boil and cook 4 minutes. stir in rest of chicken, vegetables, and salt and pepper. cook 1 minute. combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl. add cornstarch mixture and half and half to pan. reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. spoon mixture into a 9x13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. cover with biscuit batter. bake at 425 for 20 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.

for biscuits, sift all dry ingredients together. cut shortening in with a pastry blender. add milk and stir with no more than 20 strokes. using your hands, dump batter out onto a cutting board, knead once or twice to combine everything, and flatten to a half inch thick, handling dough as little as possible--don't worry if it is not all combined. cut into rounds. (if just making biscuits with this recipe, place the biscuits close together--we like to call them "cosy"--in a 9x9 pan. bake at 450 for 8-12 minutes until golden brown.)

pictures to come soon!

the tailpipe of my (dad's) beloved blue rav4

2010-01-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

this is an actual conversation that happened just last night...

maddy: anna, can i drive your car to school again tomorrow?

anna: [chuckles]

maddy: why are you laughing?

anna: because you think that my car is dumb.

maddy: i know, but after driving it yesterday, i realized that the inside is really nice. i mean like really nice and it is nice to drive a car that does not require hard manual labor to drive. even though the outside of your car is ugly, the inside makes up for it.

anna: i know this. so how did you get out of tesoro without your student id card yesterday?

maddy: oh juan, the really nice proctor, just said, "its ok sweetheart, you can go."

anna: [laughs] oh i like him. he is the one with the ponytail, right?

maddy: [laughs] i made up that name, but yah, he is the one that is balding and everything.

anna: i know but i knew who you were talking about. he is the only nice one.

anna & maddy: [laughs]

anna: remember that time when the tailpipe fell out of the rav in the tesoro parking lot?

maddy: what? how does that happen? did anyone see you?

anna: i don't know but i was late for school. like maybe three people saw me and juan. i was driving into the parking lot and i heard a scraping noise on the pavement and then the car got really loud and stopped working. so, i turned it off and turned it back on again to see if that would fix it. nope. the car still wouldn't work and it was still really loud. then juan came over and said, "honey, your tailpipe is dragging on the ground." so he pushed my car as i steered it towards the closest (red) curb to park it on. then he told me to call dad.

anna & maddy: [uncontrollable/hysterical laughs]

the fundamental attribution error

2009-12-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

yesterday, my sister told me that i look like this:

(a skunk from bambi)

you see, i have this eye problem. dont ask what is wrong...four doctors and i dont have a clue. my right eye (specifically) is currently protruding from my head thanks to a lot of swelling and at best opens halfway.

i remember in psychology learning about the fundamental attribution error. it is the tendency to attribute situational things, like behaviors, to the disposition or personality of a person. we all do it--you have to a little bit to be able to relate to people. let me give you an example. when people see my eye, they probably feel sympathy for me because i am a retarded person, obviously, because my eyes are not normal. not because i have a temporary eye problem caused by an allergy or something like that. nope.

it is something to think about. how many times have you made the fundamental attribution error in the past week? probably a lot. the holidays can make people behave in strange ways...

thanksgiving highlights

2009-12-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

i am thankful for all of the wonderful things i did over thanksgiving break, like...

(1) i went to disneyland. there is no better place in the world, i think. I am grateful for the happiness that radiates from the atmosphere there. its contagious. i am grateful for the family time that i get to spend there. and i am grateful for my annual pass. it is a very tragic life without it.

(2) i played with the dog in the gorgeous california weather. i am grateful for reggie's companionship. basically, she is the best. and the smartest. and i will miss the sunny weather profoundly. i was not made to live in climates where the temperature dips below forty degrees and snow falls from the sky and subsequently stick to the ground for long periods of time. nope, thats not for me.

(3) i played with my camera. i am grateful that i can capture precious moments like this one.

and (4) i played with my sisters. thats really my favorite part about going home. i am so grateful for my three sisters. i love them lots. from going to concerts with maddy to seeing new moon with rachel to chasing liza around the house. love. love. love

bubbles

2009-12-11T13:52:00.000-08:00

my littlest sister liza is six. she loves to play, most of the time by herself. she is easily amused and finds some creative things to do.

she likes to collect things from around the house. any old thing will do. she gets all of these little things together and plays with them under the dining room table. when she is done playing, she puts everything back in its place. so if you ever lose anything at the house, maybe you didn't really lose it. liza probably knows where it is.

when i was at home during thanksgiving, i found liza in the kitchen one day doing this:

she was kind enough to let me take a few pictures...this is my favorite...

photo shoot over. "anna stop. annnnaa. what are you doing? you did not just take one more picture."

one more little gem from liza the other day..."mom i dont want anna to go to the emergency room. then she is going to have dr. house."

the story of the mustard ring

2009-12-02T13:47:00.001-08:00

let me tell you a little story about a certain mustard ring that caused great suffering and anguish in my life.

first, lets explore what a mustard ring is. have you ever heard of it? essentially, it is a mustard-flavored jello that is set in a small bundt, and thus shaped like a ring. i am pretty sure that it was a popular garnish for ham in the fifties, but has tragically gone out of style. i am also pretty sure that very few people under the age of thirty would venture to taste a mustard ring...it doesn't sound all that appetizing. this is what it looks like:

would you try that? no thank you.

so on to the story.

a few years ago, my mother was preparing for our annual dapper family (after) christmas party. this involved a lot of food, naturally, because everyone in the dapper family has a hearty appetite (unlike the other side of the family). unfortunately, mom's stomach was taken over by a vicious virus that caused her to be confined to the bathroom and unable to prepare any of the food for the family. luckily, i am a pretty good cook and i wasn't at all daunted by the task. with the help of booma, my mother's mother, i was convinced that i would be just fine.

the menu was all planned out. all i needed to do was throw everything together. the day of the party came, and i was ready for the marathon cooking day...i thought. booma had her own ideas about what should be on the menu. to be specific, she thought that our spread desperately needed a mustard ring. so she worked for hours (literally) making her mustard ring while i struggled and subsequently failed to get all of the food on before the family arrived.

while i warmed the ham, she prepared the mustard ring. while i peeled the potatoes, she prepared the mustard ring. while i baked the cookies, she prepared the mustard ring. while i set set the table, she was busy...preparing the mustard ring.

by the time that the family arrived, i was dead on my feet. but, thank goodness that we had that mustard ring (that no one touched...really). what would we have done without it? oh yes, we would have had the exact same meal. not one person would have missed it.

ever since that experience, i have harbored intensely bitter feelings towards mustard rings. (a) no one likes them and (b) they taste disgusting. and i love mustard. just not in a congealed form. eww.

anyways...last night booma informed me that for the dapper family christmas party this year she is going to make baby sausages in a mustard sauce. hmmm.

my christmas wish

2009-11-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

this is was i want for christmas. donations will be accepted through december 24.

another thought gleaned from les miserables

2009-11-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

"Thenardier was one of those double natures which sometimes pass through our midst without our being aware of the fact, and who disappear without our finding them out, because destiny has only exhibited one side of them. It is the fate of many men to live thus half submerged. In a calm and even situation, Thenardier possessed all that is required to make--we will not say to be-- what people have agreed to call an honest trader, a good bourgeois. At the same time certain circumstances being given, certain shocks arriving to bring his under-nature to the surface, he had all the requisites for a blackguard. He was a shopkeeper in whom there was some taint of the monster. Satan must have occasionally crouched down in some corner of the hovel in which Thenardier dwelt, and have fallen a-dreaming in the presence of this hideous masterpiece."

i hope that i will never find someone that i can think this of. i hope i never meet anyone as unctuous / depraved / foul / loathsome / repulsive / vile as thenardier. i hope the same for you too.

preview of my new halloween tradition

2009-11-02T10:45:00.001-08:00

this is what i did on halloween...more to come later.

hello my name is anna and i like accounting.

2009-10-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

when people hear what my major is, their comment is always "so you really like numbers"or "so you are really good with numbers."

yes, but no.

as my finance professor clarified, "numbers are just numbers." really, i am interested in the story of those numbers.

yes, i am really good at adding and subtracting and i have a ten-key that makes me moderately excited because of the time savings involved when that ten-key is working in conjunction with excel.

however, i don't consider myself a "numbers person." i look into the numbers and figure out what they mean. accounting is the language of business, so i guess you could say that i translate income statements and balance sheets and cash flow statements into something that actually makes sense, aka into something that is useful to people in general.

so please don't make the mistake of assuming that every accountant is "really good with numbers." yes, they are, but there is more--so much more--to it. i mean really, the numbers part is not that difficult. its everything else we do that sets us apart.

that is the end of my rantings on the perception of accountants. yes, i know i am the worst kind of accounting nerd (i mean really, who would choose to spend hours and hours researching the internal revenue code--oh wait, i do that on a regular basis). just please be kind, accept and look past that about me.

i love fall, particularly because of pumpkins.

2009-10-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

fall makes me happy, not only because of the beautiful colors that mother earth paints the trees with, but because it means plentiful fresh produce. apples and pumpkins are my favorites, especially when they are together. i love cooking with pumpkin. i love the flavor...pumpkin pie golden spoon is perhaps my very favorite. so the other day, i felt like spending some time in the kitchen (aka i actually found some free time in my life) and decided to try out this recipe i had saved--it is quintessentially fall. it was delicious...i am convinced that you can never go wrong with pumpkin.

apple crumble pumpkin spice cake

sauteed apples:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large granny smith apples (or a combination of your favorite baking apples), peeled and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

streusel topping and cake (made together and then divided)

1 1/4 cups (pastry, if you want to be fancy) flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

to start:

butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan or 11 x 13.

preheat oven to 350°

saute the apples in the butter on medium heat, just until they start to soften. remove from heat and add the sugar and cinnamon. set aside.

in a stand mixer combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. add the 1/2 cup butter and blend well.

measure out 2/3 cup of the mixture into a separate bowl to make the streusel. add the 3 tablespoons sugar to this separate bowl, blend, and set aside.

add the baking soda, pumpkin, sour cream, and eggs to the flour mixture left remaining in your mixer.

blend until smooth, about 2 minutes.

layer the cake batter, then the sauteed apples, and finally sprinkle the streusel over the top.

bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour. allow it to cool. serve with vanilla ice cream and an apple chip for decoration. it is delicious hot or cold.

(to make the apple chips: slice an apple with a mandoline or as thin as humanly possible. spreas the slices our on a greased cookie sheet and sprinkle them with sugar. turn off the oven from the cake and put the sheet of apples in the hot (but turned off) oven. allow the apples to dry out for about an hour before opening the door. if they are not crispy, try it again--heat up the oven and stick them in. they should pop right off of the cookie sheet.)

i am trying really hard to be positive...

2009-10-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

How beautiful is youth! how bright it gleams

With its illusions, aspirations, dreams!

Book of Beginnings, Story without End,

Each maid a heroine, and each man a friend!

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

thought for the day

2009-09-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

since i have recently taken up commuting from salt lake to provo on a daily basis, i figured i might as well enrich my mind during that time rather that turn it to mush. so, i started listening to les miserables by victor hugo. it has been on my book list for a while, so i am going to knock it out in the next two months, give or take. it is one of those stories that is close to my heart. anyways, i was listening to it the other day and i want to share with you something that monsieur myriel (aka the bishop or monsiegneur bienvenu) said:

"let us never fear robbers nor murderers. those are dangers from without, petty dangers. let us fear ourselves. prejudices are the real robbers; vices are the real murderers. the great dangers lie within ourselves. what matters it what threatens our head or our purse! let us think only of that which threatens our soul."

president monson comes to byu!

2009-09-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

for the devotional yesterday, president monson spoke. rather than brave the masses of people that were congregating around the marriott center, i decided to listen/watch the devotional from the comforts of my office...like i normally do. for those of you who did not get to hear him speak, go online and find his talk. better yet, go online and watch the video of the devotional. it was so good. he talked about the prophets that he has known and told some really funny stories about them. when i was watching it, i felt like i was the only person in the room with president monson. it was so intimate and personal. i loved it. go to byu.tv and look it up. it is so worth an hour of your time!

school and other such activities

2009-09-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

the last three weeks have been a whirlwind like no other i have ever experienced. i cannot believe that three weeks ago i was in europe. and now i am well into school. wow.

tonight starts the second phase of the recruiting process. two weeks ago, i turned in all my applications to all of the big four accounting firms (if you do not know what those are, google them. you should know who they are--they are kind of a big deal). for the next week, i will be interviewing for a winter internship with all four of them and i am really intimidated/excited. the whole process is just really time consuming. and tiring. i don't know about you, but talking for hours on end to people really wears me out.

other significant things that have happened in the past couple weeks...

i went to disneyland with my fam right before i came up to school. i couldn't quite fathom not going, so i indulged myself and made my family stay one more day at home with me. it was wonderful. the fall is my favorite time to go to disneyland because you don't have to wait longer than fifteen minutes for any attraction. fyi, the new innovations building is completely redone and really cool. the first floor of it is a "house of the future" with a computer system that maintains the household. i am kind of excited for when that is the norm for all houses. anyways, if you haven't been yet, i recommend it, especially when it is really hot outside.

on our way up to utah, my family decided to make a little pit stop in zions national park and hike the narrows for a little bit. it was really fun--freezing cold water up to your waist. and since it was like a hundred and seven degrees outside, it was perfect. liza especially loved it. she thought it was pretty much the coolest thing. i, on the other hand, was the slowest one navigating through the river. having absolutely no coordination correlates with having sub-par balance, and i struggled to keep myself from being submerged in the water.

the first couple weeks of school have been wonderful and crazy busy. i still adjusting to things, but it is really nice being back at work and in a familiar place. this semester has a much better outlook than those of the jr. core--much more relaxed, much more variety, and a lot more fun!

p.s. i will get to posting about paris someday soon...i am working on photoshop-ing some of the photos--i am really excited about them.

almost home-bound

2009-08-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

so i know it has been a while since i posted anything, and i have lots to tell (like paris--it was brilliant), but i have been on vacation. like real, lazy, do-nothing-all-day vacation. it has been wonderful. i spent a week in luxembourg with my sweet ex-exchange student catherine and now i am back in england for a couple days with my ex-roommate kiri. basically, my life has consisted of sleeping, eating, watching movies, and a little bit of shopping and wandering around fun european cities/towns. i love it. i haven't had a vacation like this in so so long! and now i am getting really excited to go home...

oh sweet america, how much i miss you! your bottomless diet cokes, fresh mexican food, and friendly, smiling faces. what a joyful day it will be when i can pop into my car and drive myself where ever i want to. there are so many other reasons too, but i will save that for later. oh the comforts of home...only a few days away.

a visit to parliament

2009-08-07T06:32:00.000-07:00

we had the unique opportunity of visiting parliament this morning. i couldn't help but think of my visit to the capitol building in washington dc and comparing/contrasting the two ecperiences while i was there. parliament is run very much through tradition, silly things like slamming the door in the messenger's face. removing the club in the house of commons in order to stop the discussion (argument), "locking the vote" in the yea and nay corridors on either side of the house of commons, and the stark contrast between the red house of lords and the green house of commons. it just had the feel of always being concerned with propriety adn tradition. it was a beautiful building, with detailed gothic architecture in parts and heavy tudor-style wood panelling in others. there were two different thrones that were shining with guilted paint, which also adorned the decoration around those rooms. it was interesting to see the divide beteen the house of lords and the house of commons--one formal, the other more open to the common person; one that seats the queen, the other that does not allow the queen to grace their floor.

it just had a very different feel from the capitol building. i feel that the capitol building was a much more reverent, even sacred place. now, of course, i felt more of a connection to the capitol building. in the parliament building, there were statues, busts, and paintings of kings, queens, and significant political figures from england's history. in the capitol building, there are statues, busts, and paintings of people from all over the world that left a stamp on history. it is just interesting that in some ways, we are much more liberal than the british, but in others, much more conservative. another interesting note: next to the bible in parliament, there is an qur'an. as tolerant of religion as america is, it will be a very long time, if ever, until that happens.

we took group pictures in front of parliament too...enjoy :)

flying to neverland with peter pan

2009-08-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

after hours and hours of studying and writing papers, i am still no where near prepared for finals on friday. but that aside, i went to a play tonight. because this is london and i really do not care about biology or the significance of nature in wordsworth's poems. rubie went to get tickets this morning before i even talked to her. i had told her a week ago that if she decided to go to peter pan and she didn't buy a ticket for me, i would be seriously offended. well, she remembered that threat and bought four tickets, bless her heart.

as you probably already know, i am obsessed with anything disney. it is just in my nature. so of course i wanted to see peter pan in kensington gardens. not only because it is a special place to see it (the lost boys were stolen from their prams by peter pan in kensington gardens), but because disney can never do anything wrong . i had heard unenthusiastic reviews about it, so i had moved the play from a must-see to a second-string. my review of the play, however, could not be more enthusiastic.

the play was in a tent that is set up in the middle of kensington gardens. the stage was circular, with amphitheatre seats almost all the way around it. there was an imax screen that also went all the way around the tent above the heads of the people in the top row and up to the hole in the ceiling that provided the backdrop for the play. throughout much of the play, peter pan and tinker bell, and occasionally wendy and the boys, were flying around the stage. when they flew over london, the imax screen was flying over tower bridge, trafalgar square, the thames, and other fun london monuments. there were holes in the stage that people popped out of and props that appeared and then disappeared beneath the stage, like beds and the mound of holes that lead in to the lost boys' home. i loved the crocodile--it was a long contraption operated by two people, with a long snout, reminiscent of a chinese dragon.

i loved the play. the actors were amazing and did a fabulous job drawing the audience in. the childish humor was endearing, and the frequent flying was so entertaining. my favorite part was when tink drank the poison that captain hook had left for peter pan. as tink lay fading fast, peter pan incited the audience to whisper "i do believe in fairies." the volume of the incantation grew, and all the little kids with bells rang them fervently. finally, tink arose and started running around the lost boys' tree trunk opposite of peter. they took flight and circled the stage for probably two full minutes. it was brilliant. i loved tink's character. she was a little rough around the edges and sassy as anything. and peter--so self-confident and always right. it was a fabulous production.

after the play, we waited outside like fourteen-year-olds for the actors to come out. the man who played captain hook, jonathon hyde, was in titanic, jumanji, and other various movies and such. we got an autograph and abby got a picture with him. we talked to him for a little bit and then waited for peter pan, who was really attractive and bare-chested for the entire play. we got an autograph and picture with peter pan, as well. as we were walking towards home, which is near the opposite corner of kensignton gardens from where we were, captain hook came up behind us again and started a conversation. we walked and talked with him for about ten minutes. it was pretty cool. we talked to him about his previous roles, and he told us about how jp morgan bought the titanic. he thought that was quite amusing. i was the only person who understood that comment. he said that there is a good chance that this production of peter pan will go on tour in america. anyways, it was a great little study break. now...about that studying...

shakespeare's stratford-upon-avon

2009-08-05T03:43:00.000-07:00

on monday, we trekked out (two and a half hours on the coach...puke) to stratford-upon-avon, where shakespeare and his wife were born and raised and lived for some time. we visited the houses of shakespeare's mother and wife (i would never recommend that to anyone) and then spent some time in the town center. really, there was not much to see there. one of the highlights (i am pretty sure there was only one) was our good thirty-minute-long chat with the man that owned the christmas shop. he was scottish and owned the christmas shop that is on the royal mile in edinburgh as well. he was really sweet and enlightened us on the differences between the british and the scottish. we already knew. but we just really liked listening to his accent.

the redeeming event of the day was going to see the royal shakespeare company perform "a winter's tale" at a theatre that was modeled after the globe, but it was indoors and much more comfortable. the set was very dramatic looking. first of all, the stage was in the middle of the theatre. towards the back of it, there were two giant bookcases filled with old books. part way through the play, these book cases dumped over and all of the books tumbled out, along with a few of the shelves. there were trees that would come down from the ceiling, and at the end, delicate chandeliers of all different styles dropped down for the closing scene. the actors were incredible. i have never studied or seen this play before, so i am sure many things went right over my head, but the actors did an excellent job. my favorite part was the fertility dance. i don't think i will ever be able to forget that...haha.

london town and what surrounds

2009-08-01T15:47:00.001-07:00

it has been another crazy week in london. we are all feeling the pressure of the end being near, and we are trying to live up every second we have left here together. on sunday, i attempted to recover from our trip around the country. i left for church at 8:30 and got home at about 4:30 (you have no idea how excited i am for the day that i will be able to drive to church in less that 15 minutes again). there was another birthday party after church, so we stayed and ate finger sandwiches and shared the digestives. then i went home and slept for three hours. it was wonderful.

monday i spent in class for what felt like all day. it wasn’t really. laura and i went to st. paul’s cathedral in the afternoon. it was so beautiful. unlike westminster abbey, it had the feeling of being completely master-planned and carefully thought out. i loved the checkerboard marble floors, the massive mosaics, and the beautiful paintings on the walls and ceilings. it was the brightest, lightest cathedral i have ever been in. we walked up the stairs to the whisper gallery the sits around the bottom of the dome. it was a beautiful view of the painting around the dome and aerial of the ground floor of the cathedral. we went down into the crypt and saw memorials and tomb stones for many famous people and others not so famous. once we were done there, we walked across the millennium bridge (love) and into the tate modern. i am always skeptical of modern art museums, but i had heard that this one had some good impressionist painters (my favorite). well, turns out there were like two impressionist paintings and the rest was really modern art that i wasn’t really interested in. we walked through one exhibit in particular that kind of turned me off to the rest of the museum. we went back to the other side of the thames and just wandered through the city, stopping in shops along the way. we made it back for dinner, skipped out on family home evening, and had a fun night just playing with each other.

on tuesday, we had a field trip to the natural history museum for biology. we are studying evolution, so we went through the exhibits on the evolution of monkeys and the human biology exhibit. i have never really understood the statement that we evolved from apes, but going through that exhibit and asking questions about it really opened my eyes. really, all that we know is that thousands of years ago, humans and monkeys had a common ancestor. we don’t know what/who that common ancestor was, but after learning about it, i believe that it was a species like both a monkey and a human—short, maybe hairy, with a brain that could accommodate higher learning like languages and other skills. who knows...i will probably change my mind about that tomorrow.

the human biology exhibit started with a cell and progressed through human development, birth, and such. there was a room with a six-month-old (plastic) fetus that was eight times normal size...that was interesting. kind of gross. there was a room that showed the birthing process and a video on fetal development. it all just solidified my decision to be an accounting major. i could never be a biology major or anything that stems from that. eww.

the last exhibit that i went through was the dinosaur one. when we walked in, we were directed up a flight of stairs onto a sort of bridge that ran through the middle of this long gallery. on either side, there were skeletons of all different kinds of dinosaurs. my favorite was the triceratops, with its huge crown-looking bone that framed its head.

i liked the stegosaurus, too, with its triangular boney spikes all over its back. can you imagine trying to eat that thing? it would be like getting a spear right in the tongue. there was a t-rex skeleton, too. it was massive, but with puny little arms. they might as well have been cut off, because they sure didn’t help any. right after the t-rex, there was a life-size model of the dinosaur, complete with fog machines and life-like growls. as we walked past, we could hear little kids crying because they were scared of it. i laughed. after going past that, we booked it out of the exhibit because there were a million families with little kids streaming into the museum.

we grabbed lunch and then headed back for culture class. i spent the rest of the day cleaning and doing homework, things that i really resent when there is a city to explore.

on wednesday, i opted out of the day trip with the program. i am so sick and tired of being on the bus, so we planned a day out in london. we left early for a quick run to primark, where you can get sweaters and cardigans for five pounds and jewelry for one. it is a wonderful place, however you have to go early to avoid the mobs of people/tourists. after a couple of hours there (yes, hours), we wandered over to covent garden and had crepes (love) for lunch. in the evening, we went on a walk through chelsea. all that stood out to me there was that there were a large amount of expensive cars. laura and i experimented with the bus for the first time to get back home. although it is terrifying to look out the windows, the buses are easy to use and can be a lot faster than the tube when you are traveling in parts of the city that are not mobbed with tourists. i have no idea how the bus drivers manage to not hit cars or stray people, because it sure feels like they should be. anyways, it was a fun adventure. it is nice to see where you are going, as opposed to going on the tube and just emerging at your destination.

we ventured out on thursday to the science museum, which is right next to the natural history museum. it was fun—very hands-on. there was a cool exhibit on genetically modified foods that talked about the whole debate on whether or not to use them. there was an exhibit on human biology and medical technology that was really interesting. i liked the display on organ transplants and how scientists are working on making it possible to transplant hearts with the heart from a pig. there was a whole floor dedicated to the evolution of the science of medicine, starting before roman times. basically, it was a series of scene of typical beliefs of the day, like one from medieval times with a doctor performing blood-letting on several patients. there was a display room of a pharmacy from the late 1800s that was adorable, with all of the antique display cases and hundreds of jars that housed different remedies. the last display was a full operating room with a man on the table that was getting open-heart surgery. it was a fascinating exhibit.

one of my favorite rooms was the one that recorded the history of airplanes. basically, i just really liked taking pictures of/with the planes. especially the old ones.

when we were done at the science museum, we decided to run over to the lyceum theatre to try and get tickets for the lion king. we got standing tickets for £12.50, which is an amazing deal because the disney plays never discount their tickets. we had a full view of the stage, and really i liked standing. it was better than having your legs completely squished.

i absolutely loved the play. i loved the stage—it moved and transformed in ways that i have never seen before. the costumes were beautiful and so creative. i wish i could have seen them closer. the music was amazing. my favorite parts were the opening scene and the “he lives in you” part. i wasn’t a huge fan of mufasa and simba, because they kind of had girly, whiny voices with heavy african accents, but everyone else was fantastic. the little simba and nala were adorable, with their british accents. the next time i have the opportunity to see the lion king, i am taking my sisters and we are sitting in to front row. i am quite sure that it will be worth every penny.

yesterday, we visited the cabinet war rooms and the winston churchill museum. it was one off the museums i really wanted to visit, but wasn’t sure that i wanted enough to spend ten pounds to go. i am so glad that i did. churchill was an amazing man, and i loved learning about his life. because he lived in the recent past, we know so much about him. let me just tell you what i learned there. winston grew up in a wealthy family, and basically his parents were more interested in their social lives than they were in their two children. he went to boarding school, and he always wanted to have a career in politics, just like his father. in contrast to his childhood, he had a wonderful family. he was happily married for over fifty years to his wife clementine, and had four children. throughout his lifetime, he was in and out of parliament. he was a passionate man, and he sometimes picked the wrong issues to be passionate about. winston knew ten years before world war ii that hitler was bad news. the british thought he was kind of crazy to think that, but as hitler started causing problems in europe, they soon fell in behind winston. i think that was very instrumental in bringing him to the position of prime minister during wwii. heavenly father must have inspired him. winston was a great writer, wrote his own speeches, and had a great way of motivating the masses. he had his own funky sense of style. my favorite wardrobe item was his alarm jumpsuit. it was the ugliest thing i have ever seen. he had a bunch of them made for the sole purpose of being able to throw them on in the event of an air raid during the night. but he wore them for other things too, because he liked how comfortable they were. that sounds like something my dad would do. winston also had his signature bow tie, navy with cream polka dots. that also reminds me of my dad. i could go on for hours about what i learned there (i spent over three hours in the museum itself). needless to say, if you ever have the chance to spend a couple hours in london, go there! you will not regret it.

last night we went to see the fifty-seven-year-old play the mouse trap, based on the agatha christy novel. it was interesting. a classic mystery that was totally british. i cannot say that i would necessarily recommend it. the theatre was hot, i had no place to put my legs, and i was falling asleep. but i guessed who the murderer was. it was well done—good actors, a nice set, and great sound effects. not my favorite.

today i did lots of homework/procrastination and then went out for a couple of hours to camden town. that was an experience i will always remember. abby, who had already been there, took us straight to a store called cyberdog that was through the middle of one of the markets. it was incredible, like nothing i have ever seen. techno music was blaring and there were two robots about fourteen feet tall on either side of the entrance. there were strobe lights and all of the employees had crazy hair and crazy clothes. there were dread locks, bright pink locks, gothic clothing, and platform shoes. it was amazing. they sold clothing. think zenon, the disney movie, or the jetsons. those were the kinds of things they sold. it was fun. the rest of the market was pretty fun, too. lots of fun jewelry, clothes, and such. all stylish, all pretty cheap. there were hoards of people there too. before we left cyberdog, abby and i took on the motherly role of our little posse--abby because she is the mom and me...i had a little bit more of a self-interested motivation. i did not want to be left wandering around in camden by myself--it reminded me of high school and the reason why i refused to take normal classes. there were about eight people all together, and we made everyone pair off. more like we assigned everyone partners, because they needed a little bit of prodding. and then warned them that they would turn into pillars of salt if they left the ten-foot radius around their partner. you know, we were just making sure that no one got lost in that sea of...scary people.

hamlet

2009-08-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

last saturday morning, laura, katie, and i woke up bright and early (5:45) to get in line for tickets to see jude law in hamlet. we figured that we were already exhausted from the past week, and we may as well just compound it a little more. we waited in line until ten am when the box office opened and got box seats for the evening show for twenty-five pounds. then we went home and pretty much slept all day.

that night, we got all dressed up, grabbed dinner at nando's (the only restaurant around that does bottomless refills on sodas), and headed off to the theatre. we were pretty excited (because jude law is beautiful/amazing) and took pictures in front of the posters for the play/jude law. we were shown to our boxes like were some pretty special stuff. laura and i sat together, and we had our own private toilet and back exit. our box was roomy and the whole theatre was gorgeous. it was small--the actors did not use microphones. and we were sitting about ten feet from the front of the stage.

jude was even more beautiful in person. he was a bit distracting, actually. it took some effort to concentrate on what he was saying instead of...other things. he put so much energy and passion into the character of hamlet. it was the best rendition of the play i have ever seen and probably the best i will ever see. it was much better, even, than the three hour long kenneth branagh movie, which is fantastic. the set and costumes were all very simple. the set was stone on each side, like a castle, that opened in the back middle of the stage. jude wore semi-see-through clothes the entire time. most of the costumes were black, but everyone had their own particular style. it was all very simple and i loved it.

all of the actors did a fabulous job, but none were quite as good as jude. every move that he made was purposeful and in character. his posture, his way of speaking, sense of humor, everything contributed to his character as the ultimate hamlet. it was enthralling. i have never connected/understood a shakespeare play as well as i did with this one. it was absolutely amazing and i loved it.

after the show, we waited outside the back stage door for jude. there were probably two hundred other people there, and we were right at the front. it was pretty exciting and by the time jude actually came out, we were kind of being creeper/stalker giddy girls. we got two signatures, a bounty of pictures, and jude used my pen. we were pretty much freaking out. it was so much fun. love love love.

a week of zig-zagging around the uk

2009-07-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

oh wow...so much has happened in the last week. we drove up to scotland and i had absolutely no internet access the whole entire week. so sorry for the long post...feel free to take snack breaks :)

we headed out bright and early monday morning to board the coach and begin our travels. our first stop was in the city of york. we went to the jorvik viking center first and went back in time to the viking city. it was a peter pan style ride through the city, complete with genuine sights, smells, and sounds. it was the smells that got to me. i had to plug my nose for most of the time. especially when we went past the pooping man and the hole of human excrement in the ground. that was sick. the rest of the place smelled like a combination of poop, b.o., and dead animals. despite the smell, i thoroughly enjoyed it. it was something that i probably would not have done otherwise. laura and i took pictures with the viking helmets on and saw a real specimen of human feces from viking times. they made a big deal of that; apparently those are really rare. come to think of it, much of that tour (or what i gathered from it) was about poop.

we walked around york for a little bit, down the shambles, and through markets. it was a fun little town, with cute old buildings and lots of pubs.

our next stop was fountains abbey, a gorgeous church that had been torn apart by king henry viii for its valuables that were then handed out in exchange for pledges of loyalty. it was a beautiful place of peace and i had my camera glued to my eye as i wandered around and explored the grounds. i loved it. i get tired of going to castles and cathedrals, but i don’t think i could ever get tired of going to ruins.

our final stop for monday was in durham, where we stayed the night in a real, genuine castle. that was fun. seriously. a castle. it was like harry potter. so fun. we got to the castle at about seven pm, and booked it out to go forge for food. in case you were not aware, everything in the uk closes around eight pm. except tesco, the grocery store. anyways, so we ate at a little italian place and had a little entertainment from the italian waiter there who really liked our american accents. jordin basically got a lap dance. it was quite funny.

breakfast the next morning was in a large dining hall. think long tables and tall windows. it was amazing. right across the street was durham cathedral, and a few of us went over for the end of the services for the morning. i did not really understand what was going on, but it was fun just sitting in the cathedral and being in that context. my favorite part of the services was the prayer at the end. much of the prayer was expressions of gratitude, and it reminded me to be more grateful on a daily basis. there are so many things that i have to be grateful for, and i am pretty good about the big things, but i need to stop and be grateful for the little things more often. one other interesting thing about the cathedral—there was a sign at the entry that said it cost over £60,000 per month to keep up the cathedral. can you believe that? that is more that $100,000! it makes you wonder how much it costs westminster abbey and st. pauls cathedral, the ones that get immense amounts of traffic.

on tuesday, we continued our coach ride up to abbotsford, the beloved home of sir walter scott, the writer (among other things). the house and grounds were beautiful and we had a passionate tour guide that made it even better. sir walter scott had two large rooms with books coating the walls from floor to ceiling. one of them was just like the library in beauty and the beast. i aspire to have a room like that some day. in that room, there were displays of objects that sir walter scott had collected over his lifetime, like napoleons notebook and pen case. that was pretty cool. scott also had collections of guns, knives, armor, and other odds and ends. i loved learning about his life and his influence on scotland.

we drove past hadrians wall and up into scotland, and finally reached edinburgh. we ate at a little pub on the royal mile. jordin and addison tried haggis (a traditional scottish dish of various parts of lamb that is boiled inside of a lamb stomach), while the rest of us got cheeseburgers. it was the first time i ate a cheeseburger since i have been here, and it tasted delicious.

that night, we decided to go on an underground tour of the city. in case you did not know, that is the thing to do in edinburgh because it is the most haunted city in the world. it was terrifying. let me explain why. we started the tour walking around the town and our guide told us various facts about life in edinburgh hundreds of years ago. apparently, there were a lot of accused witches in the city, and they were dealt with horribly. they were doomed to either being burned at the stake or drowning in a lake of sewage and dead things. not too appealing either way. we then went in to a small torture museum, and our guide described a few of the devices and told some stories about them that made my stomach twist around. finally, we descended into the vaults. now, originally these vaults were used for storage for merchants that owned stores on the main road. however, someone was really smart and made these vaults out of a porous stone that leaked water every time that it rained...which is like every day in scotland. so they were deserted and then began to be shelter for the homeless, and eventually criminals as well. some scary supernatural occurrences have been documented there. one room had a spirit that was trapped in a ring of rocks. one had a poltergeist. everything she said was very convincing and i was ready to get out by the time the tour was over.

wednesday was spent running around edinburgh to complete all of our assignments. it was a rainy day, but luckily, we had our handy dandy umbrellas that we have learned never to forget. we started off at the national gallery of scotland and saw some great impressionist works of art (my very favorite). there was a room of impressionist landscapes from gauguin, monet, and others that were stunning. i just wanted to take them home with me to display in my future house.

we visited the lady stair’s house, a museum dedicated to the beloved scottish writers scott, burns, and stevenson. it was fun to learn about their backgrounds and how that influenced their works.

for lunch, we stopped at the elephant house, the birthplace of harry potter (as described on the mug). it was a cute café/pub with good food and good prices. the walls were painted red and there were elephants and other safari paraphernalia everywhere. i loved it. one wall was full of newspaper clippings about edinburgh’s writers and another one was covered with clippings about elephants. it was unique, and i would have loved it almost as much if jk rowling had not written the first harry potter book on their napkins.

we went over to the history museum of scotland where dolly the sheep stands today as the first successful animal clone.

it was a fun place—i especially enjoyed an exhibit there about scotland today. it documented the happenings in scotland since wwii. there was a display on technology, posters of famous people that grew up here (like ewan mcgreggor), and other stuff like that. they had a room about the beginnings of their parliament and problems and issues that they have to deal with. the most interesting i thought was that a huge part of their economy is tourism, because so many people have ancestors from scotland. viewing edinburgh in that context opened my eyes to see through the tourists and into the history of the city and country itself. edinburgh is such a cute city and i loved it. i wish i could have had more time to explore the whole city and to see more of the culture of the scottish people.

we headed up to edinburgh castle later in the day. it had a great panoramic view of the city from all sides of it. it was fun to see the scottish crown jewels. they were much simpler than those of england, but beautiful still. the castle was one place where you could definitely see the how the country caters to tourism.

in the evening, we attended an organ recital in the st. giles cathedral. the talent and skill was amazing. i could not believe how many different things were going on at once. it was beautiful.

a few of us attempted to hike up king arthur’s seat, but i think we took the wrong trail. we ended up getting a great view of the city at night and seeing how far the city extends. it was a fun night-time stroll. did you know that it does not get dark in scotland until about 11 pm? so we left for our hike just after 10 and were on the trail until about 11.30 and could still see the path just fine. how wonderful is that?! i thought it was pretty cool. talk about milking a day for all its worth!

thursday morning we got back on the coach (barf) and drove towards the lake district. i was asleep for much of the ride, but for the parts that i was awake, the landscape was breathtaking. there were waterfalls every couple of miles and tons of happy sheep. we did a quick stop in grasmere, where i got some of the famous gingerbread there (it was delicious). our final stop was in ambleside, where we stayed in a hostel for the night. a few of us took a hike up a large hill (about 2 ish miles). at first, we walked past a waterfall and spent a lot of time there taking pictures because it was so beautiful. we continued up the climb (each time we turned around it was more beautiful than the last) to the tip top of a hill that had a 360 view of the land around.

one side looked over the town of ambleside, the other over a lake and many miles beyond. it was stunning and well worth the long trek up. i did a little “the hills are alive” moment, took a bounty of pictures, and then returned down the trail.

there were about six sheep grazing over our path on the way down. as people approached, they scattered off a little, but when i came down alone, they started coming near me. i pulled out my camera and started snapping pictures, but they scattered away again at the sound of the shutter.

the whole hike was gorgeous. the countryside here is so lush and green. there are ferns and undergrowth everywhere, and mossy rocks like you have never seen before. i love it.

on friday, we did a tour of preston, england, the site of the first international mission in the church. we walked around the grounds of the preston temple for about an hour and took lots of pictures there. the landscaping around the temple was beautiful—a mix of ancient trees and bright new flowers. it tied the modern-style temple into the land surrounding it.

we got back on the bus for a few more hours. by this time, i was super sick of the bus...and just sick. we stopped at an old cotton mill to observe the effects of the industrial revolution on england. however, after a week of traveling, i have to admit i was not all that excited about it. the first two rooms were interesting, but then my attention span was destroyed and all i wanted to do was get out. abbey and i got a little hysterical and booked it through the rest of the building (which actually was like five buildings put together—there were times when we felt like little mice trying to race to the end of a really long maze). there was a little rejoicing when we reached the end.

we had about five more hours of diving ahead of us. reader’s digest version: our whole group was falling apart at the dinner stop, and we were really really happy when we could finally step off the bus in london. it was a wonderful week. i loved it. but i was really happy to be back in london.

h. p. and les miserables (sigh)

2009-07-17T08:41:00.001-07:00

last night we went to harry potter and the half blood prince. now let me give you a little background...i love the harry potter books. i have read them all multiple times. when i read them, a movie plays in my head and i love that. however, i am not a big fan of the movies because every time i see one, it seems to shatter the image in my head. but, we are in london and a new harry potter movie came out. so basically, i was peer-pressured into going.

the movie theatre was interesting. the screen was honestly one fourth of the size that we have in the us. the movie was fantastic though. i laughed (at the hormonal teenager scenes), i cried (when dumbledore died), and i even screamed (when the inferi came out of the water, even though i was expecting them to pop out at any moment). anyways, i really enjoyed it and i think it was very well adapted for film.

we visited hampton court palace this morning. it was made by king henry viii and many of the exhibitions there were centered around him.

the gardens were amazing, of course. we got lost in the maze, made it to the very center, and actually found our way out. it was pretty fun. they had a little exhibit on king henry and all of his wives...those poor women. we walked through the extensive kitchens. there was plastic meat and fresh vegetables and herbs out that was supposed to show how much was prepared for a typical day. there was about seven times as much meat as anything else, and a large variety of it to choose from. it was sick.

tonight we went to les miserables.

ohh my holy shiznit. it was so amazing. we got restricted view tickets for fifteen pounds, and some seats were better than others, but i sat on the first row of the second balcony, and if i leaned a little bit over the rail, i could see everything perfectly. i was pretty happy with it--it would have been worth it just to sit and listen to the music. i had never seen the musical before and i was not that familiar with the music. i have seen the four-hour movie of les mis with gerard depardieu (which i love and subsequently purchased when we got home from the show because i love it so much), so i was familiar with the story. it was just so good. i teared up a couple of times and walked out of it singing the songs with a huge smile on my face. comparing the movie and the musical, the musical is definitely a wonderful work of art, but i missed the character development that is in the movie. if you love les mis the musical, i absolutely recommend that you see the movie. you grow to love the characters so much and it is so beautifully done. anyways, definitely the highlight of the week! i might even attempt to read the book...i do have a lot of travelling ahead of me...

traveling to church: attempt three, and some other happenings in london

2009-07-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

on sunday, we made a new record for how many modes of transportation it took us to get to church. i think last week lulled us into a false sense of security because we made it to church on time. this week we were thirty minutes late...again. here is how it went:

1. walked to the tube station

2. got on the central line (usually we take the circle line because then we don't have to switch lines, but it was closed of course)

3. switched to the victoria line and got off at victoria station

4. took a train a few stops out (our normal train for church was not running, so we had to take an alternate route)

5. took a bus to the train station that we normally stop at

6. took a tram to mitcham

7. walked across the junction and into church (late)

now we know...never expect the travel to church to be easy. it makes me appreciate the luxury of having a car and being able to get to church in under three minutes. oh how wonderful that will be when i get home.

on monday we went to see oscar wilde's play, the importance of being earnest, at the open air theatre in regent's park. it was a fun play. i love oscar wilde. he is so sassy and cheeky and sarcastic. i love it. here are some of my favorite lines.

"The amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous."

"The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her if she is pretty and to someone else if she is plain."

"I have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury, in order that I may be able to go down into the country whenever I choose."

"Of course the music is a great difficulty. You see, if one plays good music, people don't listen, and if one plays bad music people don't talk."

"When a man does exactly what a woman expects him to do she doesn't think much of him. One should always do what a woman doesn't expect, just as one should say what she doesn't understand."

"I hope you're not leading a double life, pretending to be wicked while being really good all the time. That would be hypocrisy."

"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train."

"If I am occasionally a little over-dressed, I make up for it by always being immensely over-educated."

"To speak frankly, I am not in favour of long engagements. They give people the opportunity of finding out each other's character before marriage, which I think is never advisable."

"Thirty-five is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years."

today we visited portsmouth, england's main naval base. we saw some big ships. some were old, some were new. i was kind of in a bad mood. basically, i was not really interested in the five hundred-year-old ships and what happened in england's naval history. the ships smelled bad and i hit my head like a million times because the ceilings were so low. the museums were tiny and not very interesting. and i hate the bus. with a passion. we took a lot of grumpy-face photos. but i will spare you from those and from more whining (i apologize for that now). the end.

clubbing in cambridge

2009-07-11T13:10:00.001-07:00

not really. but apparently, that is the thing to do in cambridge. our punting guide told us so. anyways, we went on a day trip to cambridge this last wednesday. the first thing we did was go punting on the little river that goes through the university and has great views of the different colleges.

our guide had an uncanny resemblance to fred and george weasley and he enjoyed telling us about life as a student in london (where he attended school) and cambridge (where his family lives). cambridge university is pretty spread out and all of the colleges has a unique building. it was really fun just to walk around the town.

we visited the botanical gardens there and took some amazing pictures.

basically, we just played with our cameras the whole time.

yesterday, a bunch of us went out to brighton, the vacation spot for all people british. the first thing we did was walk down to the pebble beach. except the pebbles were more like rocks, but they were smooth and it felt good to sit or lie down in them. and i didn’t get sand in everything that i own, like i usually do at the beach. we wandered down the boardwalk, the carnival-style pier, and around the town in and out of shops. it was windy and cloudy, but a really fun place to play.

it has been rainy and dreary today, a perfect day to stay inside and do homework...not. but we did anyways. we went out to eat at this mexican place, which i was a little unsure about because there are no mexican food places here. after a torturous tube ride on a delayed and crowded line, we made it there. it was delicious. benito’s hat tasted just like chipotle, and i have never been more happy to eat mexican food. i mean, i love mexican food and eat it all the time, but after a couple of weeks of eating out at pubs and whatnot, fresh mexican food made my tummy very happy.

wicked: an unreal adventure

2009-07-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

this week has been slightly uneventful, due to the fact that we have had hours upon hours of class...or at least that’s what it feels like. however, today a few girls went early in the morning and bought tickets for wicked for a bunch of us. front row. dead center. twenty-five pounds. and i just needed to write about it. now.

i saw wicked for the first time last summer. it was in the pantages theatre, which is pretty small. we were near the top, but we still had a great view of the stage. however, sitting in the front row is a whole different experience. it was unreal. in the front row, you feel connected to the actors in a very personal way. i swear to you that elphaba was looking right at me for like five minutes when she was singing “what is this feeling.” you could see every minute facial expression on every single person on the stage, and while we missed the view of the dragon framing the set, there were so many other things to look at. the costumes were, as usual, amazing. i loved galinda’s blue dress—it’s like a cinderella dress. love. and there was one girl that was wearing a vintage style dress in the second act with a high waist that was tight all the way down to her knees and then flared out with a bunch of frillies. she had a wide-brimmed summer hat on. it was adorable. you could see the characters spit every once and a while and watch it descend into the pit. and one of my favorite things was watching the conductor. he was really getting into it, singing and everything. and we thanked him for the show just after it ended...since we were sitting right in front of him.

my favorite part was hands-down “dancing through life.” i am pretty sure all five of us were staring open-mouthed, with maybe a little drool dribbling out. seriously. it was that good. elphaba was played by a black girl, and her soulful voice was perfect for the part. she was brilliant. galinda took a little warming up, but she gave me goosebumps too. it was funny to hear everyone’s accents coming through in the music. it was such a different experience from the last time i went. so worth the money to sit in the front row. and although i do like the second act because it adds depth to the play, i think they could end the play at “defying gravity” and i would be totally happy. there are not words for how incredible that was. i loved it all. i would even consider spending another twenty-five pounds to do it all over again.

henna tattoos and the pouring rain

2009-07-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

one of the trips that was planned for our london walks class was a visit to southall, the indian part of town. while we were there, we visited a sikh gudwara and two hindu temples. it was so fascinating, especially because i just finished a class on world religions. i understood a lot more than others did about both religions.

all throughout the sikh gudwara, you could hear the singing of a woman, i think singing the words from the guru adi granth, the sikh scriptures. we had to take off our shoes and we went up into the main hall where the shrine covering the adi granth was. you could put some coins in the box in front of the adi granth and then sit in the large room (men on one side, women on the other) to ponder and pray. we ate a meal there, what the sikhs call langar. it is a free meal that is open to anyone in the community. it was a vegetarian meal with curry and other indian-style food. we talked to a guy just outside the temple for a while. he was about our age and he enjoyed telling us about the inspiration and guidance he found in the sikh religion. he said that his family is not very religious and he clearly sees the way it helps him in his life. it was fun to talk to him and find similarities in our religions, like not drinking alcohol or smoking.

the hindu temples were much more ornate. when you walked into the main room, there were representations of 15 or 20 gods surrounding the room. in the center of the ceiling hung a bell that people rang to send good vibrations to the gods. hindus would come in and pray to the gods that they wanted to, and then go over to the priest and collect an offering (a piece of fruit) and a blessing. we had hindu men that were working at the temples speak to us at each, but i could only understand about one tenth of what each of them said, but experiencing what i learned last semester was amazing.

we ate dinner at an indian restaurant, heavy on the curry. it was yummy, but super strong. we had roasted cheese (interesting, but surprising not flavorful) and lentil soup. my favorite part of the meal was probably the diet coke, no offense to the restaurant.

we looked around the town, bought bangles, looked at the sparkling sarees, and got henna tattoos. it was a fun day—definitely something out of the ordinary!

we celebrated the fourth of july by getting american fast food and having a picnic in the park. i kind of miss all of the celebrations that go on during the fouth at home. some italian guys came up to us while we were eating and asked what we celebrated the fourth of july for...sticking it to the british basically. that was my answer.

at church on sunday, i was assigned to the primary and my services happened to be needed in the nursery. there were three sisters there, ages one, two, and three. they were the cutest little things ever. their mother is from ghana, and they all had beautiful black skin and adorable hair. i love them. they took a little while to warm up, but when we left, they wanted to give us like fifty high-fives. i am so excited for next week in primary. and by the end of the term, i will have to take my camera to church and get photos for sure.

it was rainy all day today, but i did go running. i went all the way through kensington gardens, past the princess diana memorial fountain, around half of the big lake in hyde park, and then back through the flower walk. it was lightly sprinkling at first, and then got sunny at the end. it was so beautiful, and i am excited to do it again. one funny story: people were actually swimming in the lake. next to ducks. and no doubt algae, fishies, and other lake dwellers. gross.

this afternoon we went to the national gallery (again) to do a quick assignment on landscape paintings. it was interesting to go through these. the later the paintings, the more the lighting in the painting was totally natural. i had never noticed that before. older paintings have light in the background and a light source from the audiences’ view that shines on the foreground. we also went through the impressionist areas again...ahh. love.

and the rain...love.

our first trip out of london: stonehenge, bath, and stourhead

2009-07-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

the last few days have been incredible. we are now well in to classes, which is weird—i am not used to going to school in the summer! we went on a day trip the other day to stonehenge, bath, and the stourhead gardens. stonehenge was (whisper) boring. i remember going when i was ten and doing the audio tour and i thought it was the worst thing ever, and i would like to believe that i was very cultured for my age thanks to my mother. this time was not much different. we really don’t know anything about the history of stonehenge. we have no idea who carefully cut the stones out, how they transported them hundreds of miles, and why they built them in to this formation. when i go to a historical site, i want to learn about it—about the true history of it. i want someone to tell me something that makes me feel a connection with the site. i left stonehenge truly wishing in my heart that merlin dropped these stones and many formations just like it. that is my favorite theory.

we visited the roman baths and the surrounding town, which happens to be home to a few celebrities namely johnny depp and nicholas cage. the roman baths, or aquae sulis as the romans called them, were fascinating. the intricate piping system that maximized the hot spring in the area was amazing. the romans used lead to seal the pipes and keep water from leaking. the water in the baths today is over ten thousand years old! the baths were used by all kinds of people that came to wash and make sacrifices to the gods. in one particular area of the structure, romans would write and throw supplicatings to the gods to curse those that had stolen something from them. for example: “to minerva the goddess of sulis i have given the thief who has stolen my hooded cloak, whether slave or free, whether man or woman. he is not to buy back this gift unless with his own blood.” great, huh? there were many of them...i am pretty sure the tour would have been worth it even if you had just seen those.

we had a little time to walk around the town for a bit, so we ran up to the jane austen center and looked around in the gift shop there. there were some great things there—first editions of her books, props from her time period, sets of all of her works, books about her books, and a plethora of mr. darcy paraphanalia. i swear, it is all about the gift shops.

stourhead gardens were beyond breath-taking. the gardens were designed to be as nature, with everything purposely place like the strokes of a painting. look familiar? it has been setting to many movies, the most important being pride and prejudice. every step was filled with another natural delight. there was a grassy, moss-covered bridge, a few colonnades, and genuine grotto, and a snow white cottage. we could not stop taking pictures of everything, it was so beautiful. honestly, stourhead should be on your list of top ten things to do while you are in london. it is so beautiful and relaxing, the perfect setting for a stroll. and maybe a re-enactment of that famous scene from one of my favorite movies.

westminster abbey was the main attraction this afternoon. that is a place rich with hundreds of years of history. not only is the abbey intricate on the inside and the outside, but it houses the bodies of many who have made an impact on the world. much of british royalty is buried there and there are many shrines commemorating them. i saw the tombs of chaucer, dickens, shakespeare, darwin, newton, and so many others. there were ornate paintings on the walls from the 1400s with gold-leaf decoration. one thing that i found particularly interesting were the stained glass windows with the coats of arms of those who were benefactors to the abbey at certain times in history. every one and a while, you would see one with the garter around it that signifies a knight of the most noble order of the garter. the audio tour mentioned a few tombs that belonged to knights of the order of the bath, which is the second highest honor for a knight. it was mesmerizing and fit in perfectly with what i learned at the tower of london.

tonight we went to the play “the woman in black.” it was a horror story (but very mild, just fine for children). it was a two- man show with lots of talent and it definitely invoked your imagination. the script was brilliant, with vivid descriptions and a load of suspense. my favorite part was when one of the characters was describing the thick fog he was running through as having fingers that were grabbing at him. isn’t that what you feel like when you are in a thick fog? like there are people all around you, if not grabbing you, then at least watching you. i highly recommend it—it has been in the west end for over 20 years, so how could it not be fantastic?

the wandering days

2009-06-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

the greatest thing about summer is that you can do whatever you want to. the greatest thing about summer in london is there is a lot to do. the last couple of days, i have been running all over london and having the most brilliant time, as londoners would say. last wendnesday, our first real day to explore, we had a quick assignment to do over at the british museum. we spent about an hour and a half there, and i am pretty sure that i will spend at least another whole day there. we explored the couple of rooms that covered the history and findings of the people who inhabited the british isles, and although i am not really interested in that, i learned a ton of fascinating things about that time period.

after finishing our assignment, we grabbed lunch and headed off to piccadilly circus, and then on to trafalgar square. the sight of the red banners that adorned the colonnade of the national gallery lured me in. i spent about three hours looking at the fantastic collection there. paintings by reubens, who loves to sneak in any speck of red paint that he can, the iconic waterlillies of monet and sunflowers of van gogh. we saw so many fantastic works of art—it was slightly overwhelming. i absolutely loved it.

on thursday, we had class in the morning. i sort of forgot that this was a study abroad trip, because the first couple days of the program have felt more like the best vacation i have ever been on. but, thus is life. after class, we dashed over to the victoria and albert museum of design. i spent a whole hour going through a room filled with house wares from the middle east. colorful pottery, massive oriental rugs, delicate silver spoons, and ornate pieces of furniture. i was shocked at the amount of detail that was in these works of art that were hundreds of years old. the room of sculptures was amazing too. there were a few rodans, many pieces of greek sculpture, and that famous bust of albert einstein. we went back there on friday night and explored other areas of the museum. the jewelry collection, iron works and room of ornate locks and keys, to name a few. and i am pretty sure that we spent just as much time in the museum gift shop as we did exploring it.

on friday we visited the tower of london.

we went in to the crown jewels first. it was fascinating to learn the history behind all of the pieces. like that the imperial state crown is worn by the queen each year at the opening of parliament. it has on it the second star of africa (second largest diamond of africa), the black princess ruby that belonged to king edward in the 14^th century, and st. edward’s sapphire. and that there is a crown that is only ever worn at coronation and it weighs over five pounds! we also went in to the white tower. while we were in there, one of the girls asked an usher what was symbolic about the knight of the garter. this particular usher happened to be a history buff to the max and told us all about it, plus more. he said that the order of the knights of the garter is the highest honor that a person can get in the uk. the garter can be seen around the royal coats of arms and is alluded to in “sir gawain and the green knight”. he took us to the chapel in the white tower and told us about some things that happened in that room. it used to be where records were kept. it was where george washington came to obtain a copy of the magna carta, which is now kept beside the constitution in the national archive building. how cool is that? moral of the story: when you go to places rich with history, ask questions! you never know what kind of special treatment you will get because of it.

that night, i wandered around with a couple of girls. we went around big ben and westminster. the area around there is beautiful. i found a peter pan house with a window just like the one that wendy and the boys flew through on the top.

saturday morning we went to the market on portobello road. it was like nothing i have ever been to. on one end of the road, there were stands with fresh food, baked goods, and ethnic foods. on the other end, there were endless amounts of antique stands and stores. they had the most interesting things there—antique purses, camera, furniture, prints, teddy bears, tools, jewelry, hats, and so many other things. it was a great saturday morning activity and i am sure i will spend many more there.

we went to church out in mitcham, and it took us about two and a half hours to navigate our way there. these were the directions: go to the victoria station, take the train to mitcham junction, get on the tram and get off at the first stop, walk up the hill and the church looks like an old house. so we got to mitcham junction easily, and then to the tram. however, the tram runs in two directions like it should. when we finally got to the correct first stop (it took a little trial and error), there were, naturally, two slopes to get out of the tram station. after a little trial and error there too, we found the church building and walked in about forty five minutes late. i loved the ward. most of the members were black and many of the families were from south africa. i am really excited to get to know more people there and serve in the ward.

yesterday, we had the opportunity to see a paly in the globe theatre. like the actual one that shakespeare originally directed plays in...well not really but i like to pretend that it was. as you know, the original globe burned down, tragically, but this one looked exactly the same. we saw “as you like it.” it was amazing. the production was so good, for a play that is not as famous as others from shakespeare. i loved it. if you ever go though, spend the extra pound for the seat cushion. your behind will thank you later. trust me.

p.s. here is a picture of me inside the globe theatre, one of abby and me making the drama faces outside the theatre, and one of abby with her montague and capulet panties that she bought in the awesome gift shops (i swear, they have the best ones here).

finding my way in london

2009-06-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

i am now sitting in byu's london center. finally. it has been a long journey. let me tell you about it.

i had every intention of sleeping on the plane. i figured that if i was tired enough, i could sleep from when the place departed around 5:30 pacific standard time until the plane arrived in london around noon. wrong. i knew that i was not very good at sleeping on planes, but now i have proved that it is nearly impossible for me. i was so tired. after 3 nights of sleeping on an unbelievably uncomfortable pull-out couch for only a few hours each night, i thought i was set. i was exhausted. i got into the airport and was pretty content just to sit. you know, when you are so tired that you don't want to do anything. that was where i was. then we got on the plane. i tried so hard to fall asleep. i only picked movies that i had already seen to watch on the plane. then, i thought, i could just fall asleep to a movie. after half-watching, half- resting through 4 movies, i gave up. i think i got about 30 minutes of sleep in.

i had to wait through the customs line for about an hour. then i went to pick up my bag that i had checked. for some stupid reason, it took me about 15 minutes to get the handle to pop up so i could roll the bag. i was so frustrated with it, i almost started crying. i said a prayer, got the handle to work, and was on my way to the tube, the most adventurous way to get to the london center (and by far the cheapest). it was a harrowing experience going on the underground with my two heavy bags. i had to drag one of them up the stairs a couple of time ( and was sometimes aided by random gentlemen). it took good maneuvering skills and rapid reflexes to get everything off the train when i had to change lines. i probably squished a few toes in the process. finally, i made it safely to notting hill gate. by this time, i was literally dripping sweat. i rolled all the way up to 27 palace court and promptly unpacked so that i could take a shower. best shower ever, let me tell you. after being awake for over 24 hours wearing the same clothes, spending half that time in an airplane, and then lugging my stuff half way across london...i was so ready.

i am quite proud of myself for navigating all the way through london on my first day here. alone, too. pretty good, huh?

favorite place in the world

2009-06-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

since i was leaving for london soon and since it was the last day before the summer blockout period on our passes, my dad, sisters, and i decided to go to my favorite place. you guessed it, disneyland.

i had to bribe liza in order for her to let me take pictures...a large lollipop, that is what it cost. it was worth it though. she is so darn cute. we had fun taking pictues while we were waiting in line for the newly revamped peter pan ride.

liza likes to make funny faces for the camera. her favorite is the monkey face.

she and rachel did like fourteen different poses on the flying elephant.

it was a busy day at the park, but it was a lot of fun. i am excited to go back in the fall when there is hardly anyone is there!

the dapper ranch in fallbrook

2009-06-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

i seriously suck at blogging, journaling, and pretty much anything that has to do with regular writing. but, i am working on it. i am really proud of myself--this year i have written in my journal more times than ever before. so, now that i have a camera (that takes amazing pictures) and i have a reason to record my life (a study abroad program in london), i have decided to commit myself to blogging. so here it goes.

this past weekend, we went down to visit my sweet pa (like we do every saturday) in fallbrook. my aunt, uncle, cousin, and his family were there and i had a great time taking pictures of his cute kids, elliot and emmitt. elliot is five and emmitt is two. those two boys have so much energy, you would not even believe. and they love getting dirty. the dapper ranch is totally the perfect place for them.

emmitt loves pa's old tractor. this is him and rachel. see his sneaky little hand around the key? he was trying to start the tractor and had plans to drive it just like his daddy.

here is silly elliot. he was liza's little pal. he liked me too. he loved playing restuarant with me. liza was the waiter, rachel was the chef, and elliot and i were the customers. then he and liza played tag with the tub of forty-year-old jelly beans for twenty minutes. seriously, those kids could not be worn out.

finally, here i am in grams and pa's gorgeous house. this weekend, i realized that their house is so beautiful. i think i kind of knew that before, but i guess i was really looking this time. grams had a kind of eclectic collection of really cool things. like in this picture, on those sixty-year-old monster speakers, there is a real live cuckoo clock. there is a key to it, and if you wind it up, a little birdie pops out of it and makes the real cuckoo clock sound. and all of the lamps in that great room upstairs are tiffany style lamps. i love those. and the windows. there are not really any walls up there. it is all windows that look out through giant trees over fields of strawberries and avocados.

there is a unique comfort in the homes of grandparents, and even if you are positive that there is a family of mice sleeping in the room that you always sleep in, you feel safe. it is not exactly like home, but rather a place of everlasting childhood. that is what i feel when i visit there every week. even though my grams has passed on, i am gently reminded of her nurturing spirit every time i walk onto the ranch. she was such a special woman and i will always remember her for her unconditional love.