So many changes

As most of you know, I came back early from England just a month ago. I snuck out of the country on a Sunday and then emailed the family to let them know I would not be returning. There were many reasons for coming back and if you have read the book or seen the movie "The Nanny Diaries" I believe that a lot of that book relates to my life. But I am home and living back with the rents and I got a job as the permanent substitute teacher at FJH! Junior high kids are in 7th and 8th grade and most are taller than me but it is fun and challenging, but I like it.
Last week was Fall Break and I went down to IU Monday evening to watch the Colts game with Grant. It ended late so I stayed there and came back Tuesday and hung out with my dogs and Dad. Friday morning I decided to drive down to Alabama and see Sarah down in Auburn so I made the loooong drive and got there at night and stayed up talking to my mom and Sarah and Kylie tried to eat me. Saturday we redecorated Sarah's house and then went to the Auburn/Miss St game and Auburn won! My mom and Danny and the Moorheads left after the game but I stayed and Sarah and I went to a Halloween party as scuba diver/dolphin trainers. It was so much fun! The next day I had to drive home which was a bit boring but worth it to see Sarah. But I started feeling quite sick in Indiana and felt awful again today so I took a sick day to feel better.
Thats pretty much it. The only other thing is that Grant and I have broken up. But if anyone knows of places my mom and I should go with her ticket she bought to come visit me, please let me know! Have a great day.

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UPDATE...I'M AN IDIOT

My mother just informed me that the picture I took of the mice are actually baby moles. And my great idea of flashing it to blind it was a bit silly as moles are blind already...uuugh any ideas on how to get rid of them? Thanks!

My fish, the mice and soccer...

So this week has been pretty fun with the boys back to school it gives me time to myself and I don't feel like a full time single mom so much anymore. Tuesday was a big day because Theo started Year 1 and Henry started Year 2 and it was Pernille's birthday! I had a lot of housework to do but it was nice to have the house to myself. After collecting the boys from school, Andrew and I took them into Farnham to buy diamond necklaces for her. The boys picked out two lovely simple necklaces, one heart and one cross which she loved! We also gave her the cat baskets and I gave her the mug the boys and I made! We went to a ceramic shop in Farnham and painted it for her the week before and she LOVED it! We had a really lovely supper as well :)
The other big news from Tuesday is that I joined a football team! Obviously I am talking about soccer but I am so excited! The team is a local women's team called the Guildford Saints and we play in the premiere league in Surrey which is supposed to be pretty good. We normally practice Wednesday nights from 9-10pm which is perfect with the boys and then games are on Sundays. This week the practice is on Thursday and I cannot attend because I am babysitting but I will start next week! I am very excited and will keep you posted on how we do!
Today I went to the library and checked out loads of books! The ladies there know me now so I love going in and getting new books! I also forgot to write about my new fish! I have a really fantastic fish bowl with three little guys! One of them I call Edward is a bit bigger than the other two. He watches me and we are buddies. The other two are a bit smaller and they are silver and a bit dodgy! They like to chase each other and one really likes the plant I put in and the other one likes to swim near the top (but not float because she would be dead). I don't have names for them as they are so similar but I just call them 'the Twins' and I think they are girls. As for the mice, I hate those dreadful animals. I have at least three that have taken to my bedroom at night time and will run down my curtains and then run around my room. They are disgusting and creep me out and I hate them I hate them I hate them. They kept me up for hours last night and every time I would fall asleep they would come back in my room and wake me. It was terrible. But I got poison and I hope they will be gone soon. I captured one of them in my rubbish bin and put it in the shower until the horrible beast got out and ran around my shower and then I took pictures trying to blind it. I hate it.
Anyways! We are actually picking up the kitten on Saturday! I don't know if I am going to go into London this weekend or not, but we are planning a trip to Ireland for the weekend of October 5-7! This is Chiomunga weekend which is obviously where I want to be and I am so sad I am missing it but I have told everyone to please bring some camoflauge so we can have our own mini Chiomunga...haha I miss my girls way too much!
Ok a bit of reading for me then hopefully catching up on sleep from last night!
Have a wonderful day :)

XX

Meeting up with Dominic!

Last weekend was so much fun! Friday night was not much fun because Lauren and all the girls went out for Kiera's birthday and I had to babysit :( But it was ok to relax after a long week, so I wasn't that upset! Saturday the boys woke me up early as they decided to run through the house screaming and making as much noise as possible which was annoying because its my day to sleep in! But I helped out with the lodge for a bit and did a bit of cleaning before packing my bags for London!
I took the train into the city to meet up with Dominic! I was so excited because I haven't hung out with Dominic in like 7 years and I was so excited that he is living here this semester because I miss seeing familiar faces and I knew that it was going to be a fun time! He lives in South Kensington in a flat with the other people in his program, all from the University of Wisconsin.
It was so fun to see him and we stopped by his flat to drop off my overnight bag and then went on a walk through Hyde Park and went over to Portabello Market for some crepes and catching up! We decided that everyone here is still obsessed with Princess Diana and maybe we would be too if we were British, but its getting a bit excessive with all of the memorials and dedications and on and on and on. But it was fun to talk about people from home and what they are up to and what we have been up to since we last saw each other. After walking back to his flat, we watched the USA/England Rugby game with his 5 flatmates, all really cool guys from Wisconsin. They are all sophomores/juniors and it was strange to be one of the oldest people! When it was time for dinner, one of the girls from the second floor called Nora came with us to a pub down the street. Nora and I clicked really quick and I had a lot of fun talking to her/hanging out with her while I was there.
We headed back to the flat after eating and hung out and got ready to go out that night for Dominic's 22nd birthday! Nora let me borrow some jewelry and I gave her advice on her outfit haha she said that maybe having a sorority friend was useful. It made me miss my girls and wish I was home for soph/senior night with my favorite roommates :)
We went to a pub down the street and just chilled and everyone kinda ended up breaking up and doing their own thing in little groups. Nora, Kate, Dominic, Bill, Dan and I didn't stay out late and ended up going back to the flat and just hanging out there. It was funny to see all of the people that came down to the basement flat throughout the night. It was so random but there was one guy who met one of Dominic's flatmates the night before and he and a girl came and they were from Pepperdine so naturally I asked if he knew Jon C and he did! Jon was his RA at school and Jon was my prom date sophomore year of high school! haha what are the odds :) But we all had fun staying up and talking until around 5am and then I slept on the couch by Nora's room. The next morning we went and woke Dominic up and then he and I went on a walk to find this tree in Green Park where the branches are cool and touch the ground. I forgot to take a pic of it! We also saw elephants made of sticks and went to Buckingham Palace as well as Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. We must have walked at least 10 miles but it was fun and mostly through parks. On the way back we sat in Kensington Park for a while. I don't think we stopped talking for more than 5 min the entire time I was there :)
It was nearly 7pm by this time so we walked back to the flat where all the guys were getting ready to go out to dinner so I grabbed my overnight bag and we went to a Thai place down the street. It was fun and I really liked my food! I got green vegetable curry with steamed rice and it burned my mouth but it was really good! I really like the guys Dominic lives with and we are going to plan a weekend trip to Ireland for all of us and some of the girls! After dinner Dominic walked me to the tube station and I went back to Waterloo to catch my train. I ran up as the doors were closing and just made my train! I was so glad because I would have had to wait 30 min for the next one (um no thanks!).
I got home and read all my emails (I love checking my IU mail and getting all the chi omega emails so I kinda feel in the loop still) and then I was so tired I had to go to sleep!
It was a fun time and I am glad Dominic is going to be here this semester!! We go pretty far back from T-ball and soccer with my dad coaching and middle school/junior high and the beginning of high school before he moved away. I'm excited to have a friend/familiar face here and I can't wait to go back and see them again!!
Tomorrow is going to be almost as good as Christmas because it is Pernille' birthday AND THE BOYS START SCHOOL TOMORROW!!!! No more 13 hours days and I am excited to get on a schedule of working out instead of just when I can fit it in, as well as read ahead for the classes I will have when I get back to home/school :)
So excited for IU being 2-0, good job Bill! and good job to Grant for his hard work with the IU Mini! And go Danny against Harrison this week and on your 1/2 day and the big Midterm this week! Miss everyone and its so weird that I have only 3 months left here!!
Have a wonderful day!
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Dad came back!

My time here has not been very eventful since Grant left until last weekend. The boys are still out of school and the weather was still terrible. Andrew took a holiday week the week after Grant left which was nice to have a bit of a break and not be the only one here with the boys. On the 22nd of August we bought a kitten and we get to take him home next Wednesday! This should be interesting seeing as I am such a dog person and have never had a cat! We are also getting donkeys and a cow, but now it might now be until Christmas because we have to have stables! But then that weekend the boys went to Andrew's parents' house and Pernille and Andrew went to Spain for a friend's birthday party so I had the house to myself for the weekend which was nice and relaxing. I hung out with Lauren a lot and made some new friends! On Saturday night I went to see the Bourne Ultimatum with Lauren and Sarah and it was so good!!! It was cool to see the bit at London Waterloo station because that is the train station I take into London!
Monday the 27th was a Bank Holiday which was fun! I love how Americans need excuses to have a holiday, like President's Day or Labor Day or MLK Jr. Day, but here they feel like having a holiday so they just call it a bank holiday and thats it! They don't need to justify taking time off :) Last week was a bit full on with the boys, because I had them the whole week like usual only Pernille's dad was also very sick so Pernille and Andrew were not around much at all. We went to a park by a canal on Tuesday, then Wednesday we went to Farnham park for the entire day and had a picnic. Thursday I took the boys to a play zone with massive slides! Then Friday Dad arrived from Germany!
Andrew got home Friday around 6 and I immeditely left for the station! I missed my train so I had to wait 20 min for the next train into Waterloo, and then took the tube to meet dad! We stayed at the Holiday Inn on Oxford Street, near Oxford Circus which was an amazing location! It was so fun to see him! We went to eat at a cute Italian place down the street and then went back to the hotel to relax. Saturday we went to the National Gallery and we saw the show WICKED!!! Dad got the most amazing seats, only about 20 rows back in the dead center! It was so good and we decided that we could easily become addicted to shows if given the chance! Sunday we saw the movie Breach which was good and funny to watch with English people and hear what they laughed about since the movie was about the American government! It was sad to say goodbye, but I am glad Dad got to come for the weekend!
Sorry this is short and rushed, but I wanted to update a bit quickly and I will try to be better at it! Congrats to Danny for a great opening season with soccer! And happy birthdays are in order for Sara, Kelly and Lisa!
Have a wonderful day :)

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Grant's Visit!

The past week has been one of the most fun weeks I've ever had! Grant came to visit me and we did a lot of travelling as well as hanging out with the boys. We have several albums on Facebook so stalk me!

Wednesday August 8th

I didn't sleep much the night before because I was so excited!! Grant's flight got in at 8:05am so I left the house at 6 to arrive and waited until just after 9 for him to show up! I way overplanned for his visit and had three backup plans typed out that he printed out in case anything went wrong in the airport with his flights or if we missed each other (perhaps I was paranoid from my trip over...) but everything went well and he came walking up after easily passing through customs and baggage! After a massive hug and kiss we found my car (I am rubbish at remembering where I park) and then started driving home! It was funny to drive Grant on the wrong side of the car and road because I am completely used to it now but it was strange for him. I didn't get lost at all, and an hour later we were at my house! The boys were in summer camp again last week so it was just us and the worker men working on the lodge when we got to the house which was nice because Grant was tired and the boys are very full-on. I gave Grant the tour and he laughed at the size of the boys' beds and was OBSESSED with the kitchen, which really is one of the most amazing ones! Grant took a bit of a nap while I cleaned the house, did some laundry (still have to work!) and then woke him up after just under 2 hours. He took a shower and then we went into Farnham so I could show him around. We walked around for a bit and then went up to the castle and went on an 'official' tour of the grounds with a cute elderly man who told us everything we ever wanted to know about England's history and the castle. It was fun and as soon as it was over it was time to go pick up the boys from summer camp! Grant waited in the car while I collected them so they didn't get overexcited. The boys were immediately obsessed with Grant and we went home and showed him around the garden! We took a walk to our tree hut and the super bouncy tree. We climbed trees and then all had a bounce on the tree before we went back to the house for some supper. I had promised the boys pizza and it is usually just us so we were all planned for supper when both Andrew and Pernille came home just in time to eat so we threw together a very random supper and talked. The boys had some dancing and then went to bed at the normal time. Grant was exhausted so he went straight to bed and I watched a movie before going to bed.

Thursday August 9th

Pernille took the boys to camp because she was meeting with some of the parents so Grant and I both slept in. When he finally woke up I made some lunch and then we went into Guildford and walked around the castle there and did a lot of window shopping, especially looking at every single watch. We didn't buy anything but it was fun to see the difference in the clothing! We stayed there for a few hours and then left and drove home for a bit before deciding to drive into Shere, one of the towns where the movie 'The Holiday' was filmed. It wasn't far away and we drove through the town for a bit but didn't leave enough time to explore because it was time to collect the boys from camp! We did some reading with the boys and played for a bit and then Grant and I made supper together while rotating playing with the boys. We were practically out of food at the house and the shopping wasn't arriving until 7:30pm that night so we ate a very random collection of food! Andrew got home for the end of dinner and we watched a movie before going to bed.

Friday August 10th

Oxford day! I woke up early and took the boys to summer camp while Grant slept in (big surprise) and then came home and cleaned the house while Grant got ready. We left the house with our map to Oxford and started our road trip! It took just over an hour to get there but was confusing once we got there on where to go/park so that took awhile for us to figure out! Once we did figure it out we were starvinggg so we decided to eat! We went to the pub called 'The Eagle and Child' which was the pub where J.R.R. Tolkin and C.S. Lewis used to get together and eat, drink and talk. Grant was SUPER excited about going here and I think he felt smarter :) It was really a nice English pub and the food was good! After eating we walked around and tried to figure Oxford out. There are so many colleges, we didn't know where to start! We walked around and found some shops and did a bit of tourist shopping before deciding to find Trinity College. It was easy to find and we decided to do a tour. The grounds were gorgeous and we decided that this was probably our favorite thing we had seen! There are only 230 undergrads and 80 graduate students but the buildings were all old and the gardens were extensive and beautiful! We then walked to Christ's Church but we did not go inside, we just kept walking all around Oxford. After staying for several hours, we decided to head back home. On the way home we went to Godalming, which is a town just past Guildford. It is the other place the movie 'The Holiday' was filmed when Cameron Diaz was in the town. When we got there, it was around 6:30pm and the town looked like a ghost town! There weren't people anywhere! It was so strange!! We took some pictures of the town and of the church that can be seen from the cottage and then went to a pub in town for dinner. After eating we headed back to the house and then Grant and I took a walk down to the village of Seale which is practically in the back garden! The path was marked with a hot pink sign warning us of foot and mouth disease and we should not be walking on the paths because we were inside the 'danger' area. It was fine though so we kept walking! The village is not very big and we took lots of pictures of ourselves at the church and had a good time walking around the buildings. The sun was setting so we headed back to the house and watched a movie before we went to bed.

Saturday August 11th

Today we went to London! We got up early and got ready and our stuff together and then left the house at 9am to catch our train from Guildford to London Waterloo. Our day was really full on and we saw a lot of things! We started off taking the tube to Westminster and got off straight in front of Big Ben and then walked over to the Houses of Parliament and then across the street to Westminster Abbey. We went inside Westminster with all of the other tourists and did a tour which was really amazing! Westminster Abbey was our favorite place in London. We then walked down to James Park and to Buckingham Palace. We saw the changing of the guards and took pictures in front of the palace before walking down the road to Trafalgar Square. While walking we saw a lot of damaged cars on the side of the road and because Grant is obsessed with cars, he started freaking out and taking pictures. There were four of five range rovers and several of the new Mercedes that hasn't come out yet all destroyed with the windows knocked out and bullet holes and such. There was a van called 'Movie Makers' nearby so we are trying to figure out what movie is being filmed that can afford a chase scene like that! Trafalgar Square was nice and there was an Indian Festival going on with music and dancing that Grant got into! There was also a strange statue of a naked pregnant lady with no arms that was HUGE which we found hilarious. We took some pictures and then went inside the National Gallery Museum and saw some of the big name paintings but then left because we wanted lunch. We went to Picadilly Circus and then pushed our way through the crowds on Regent Street to go to Cheers for lunch! Cheers was fun and there was a soccer game playing and it was really nice to rest our feet and plan out the rest of the day! After eating we took the tube to Notting Hill so we could get some pictures for Grant's mom who loves the movie!! We also stopped by Portabello Market and looked at antiques and all the old spoons and of course took more pictures. After that we took the tube to St. Paul's and then walked across Millenium Bridge to the other side and went to Shakespeare's Globe to try to get tickets to the show but it was all sold out so we walked next door to the Tate Modern and went inside to look at the art. There was a really fascinating display about cities around the world and comparing them with facts and photos and we looked at that for a long time. We then looked at some of the modern art and realized that we don't really get it. There were some really odd things like urinals and plain grey paintings and a bubble fountain. It was fun to look at it all with Grant but I am not sure we are really the 'modern art' kind of people. By this time it was just after 6:30pm and we decided to walk along the Thames River to the London Bridge and Tower Bridge to see the London Tower. The London Bridge was a big letdown for Grant because it was the most plain, boring bridge on the entire river! haha We then walked by the HMS Belfast and finally made it to the Tower Bridge with our aching feet and hobbled across to take some pictures of the London Tower. Thank goodness the tube stop was right next to it and we finally got to sit down while we traveled over to Oxford/Regent Streets to find a place to eat. As we walked down Regent Street we saw Brooks Brothers!! Grant's favorite store!!! We took some pictures and then ended up near Picadilly and found a nice looking restaurant to eat at! We were so happy to sit down and eat and had a fun time talking and eating and then ended up with some great special treats! haha. After eating we went back to Westminster and took some pictures of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey at night before taking the tube back to Waterloo to catch our train back to Guildford. We were so tired when we got home and our feet were throbbing, it felt amazing to go to sleep!!

Sunday August 12th

Today we slept in a bit and then headed to the station to get on a train down to Portsmouth Harbor, and then a ferry to the Isle of Wight. We were going to drive, but with the gas, parking and ferry tickets, it was a better deal to just take a train! I have to say, it was nice to ride the train! We packed light, in just one suitcase, so it was easy to travel! The train ride was nice and peaceful and it was fun to sit and talk and look at the countryside. When we arrived at Portsmouth Harbor, we got onto our ferry called the 'Fast Cat' which got us over to the island in just under 15 minutes!! We then waited at the end of the dock which was half a mile long for the train to take us into the town. We did not realize that our stop was literally a half a mile down the tracks and felt silly getting off after a good 30 second ride! It was confusing why the dock was so far out until we arrived on the shore and saw that there was no water anywhere!! For most of that half a mile all of the water was gone and the only thing you could see was the bottom of the sea! Even the boats in the harbor by the shore were literally sitting in the mud. We took pictures (big surprise) and seriously did not understand what was going on. We were hungry though so we walked up the giant hill about a mile to our bed and breakfast and checked in to the cutest room with seriously the cutest beds and the biggest bathroom! haha it was really nice and owned by the sweetest family who was very nice and happy :) After dropping our bag off, we were starving so we walked back down the High Street (like the main street of a town) to explore and find food. By this time it was around 4pm so the timing of eating was really awkward since it was kind of our lunch. We read in a book that there was a good place to eat called Appley Manor and tried to find it, but after walking around for 20minutes and not seeing anything we decided to go back to the town center and eat there. We got our food and a small glass of Pimms and also water. Pimms is an English drink that everyone here has told Grant he had to try so we split one so he could try it with our meal. It was ok but he will probably never have it again because it is something you have to get used to and not Grant's style. But its good he tried it! After we ate we walked all around the town of Ryde and then walked out really far on the sand where the water should have been and tried to figure it out. We sat on a bench for a few hours and talked and watched the sunset as well as the tide come back in and the water return to normal. Around 10 we decided to have dinner so we went to a cute little Italian place and got a pizza. The nice thing about European places is that they wait for you to ask for the bill and let you stay as late as you want so we stayed until midnight and then headed up to our place and went to bed.

Monday August 13th

The next morning we got up at 8am for breakfast and then got ready for the day and figured out our plans. We checked out and headed to the car rental because Grant was itching to drive a car. There were no problems and we were able to hire a brandnew Volkswagon Polo for the day! It was a manual which Grant loved and we headed off to Cowes, the town just a few miles away that is famous for sailing and had just had a massive sailing competition the weekend before! Grant drove really really well and we had no problems except for my navigation trying to find parking... Once we did we walked all around and were in complete awe of this town and all of the sailing things going on around us! There were private clubs everywhere and pubs and shops and we could not get enough. We walked around for a long while then found a nice cafe/pub to eat in and then walked around some more and looked at all the boats and people on the docks fishing. Grant was really good at self pics and threw my camera on the ground but luckily it did not break and was fine! We stayed at Cowes for the entire morning and afternoon but drove back to Ryde around 5 and drove to try to find the Appley Manor that we were determined to eat at. It was the most confusing thing EVER. But after finally calling them, asking around and then a 10 minute hike up a hill after ditching the car we found it. The food was good and it was a nice place and we were happy that we finally found it. After eating we walked around and sat in a park for a bit before turning in the car and heading out to the dock to catch our ferry back to Portsmouth Harbor for our train. We got on the train just after 8 and watched some of 'Casino Royale' before arriving at Guildford just over an hour later. We were exhausted from all our travelling and finished the movie before we went to bed.

Tuesday August 14th

Happy birthday Shana! Today I got up early because the boys were not in summer camp so I had them all day. Grant slept in, and so did Theo who was awake for a lot of the night with bad dreams. When the boys woke up and joined Henry and me we played some games, played some video games, cards and watched some movies. It was horrible weather outside so that was not an option. Theo attached himself to Grant the whole day and would not stop cuddling him and hugging him. It was a fun time and the day went by quickly with the boys acting the best I have ever seen them since I arrived in May. I made supper for us and the four of us ate. Andrew came home and one of his old friends Karen came by with her two children who played with my boys for a bit. After they left it was time for Henry and Theo to go to bed so they gave Grant big hugs and kisses and said good bye and then Grant and I left to go to an English pub for our last night together. We found the cutest place called 'The Jolly Farmer' right down the street from me and sat for a while with all the locals, who averaged around 60 years old. It was fun and we didn't stay very long because we had to get back to pack up Grant and go to bed early because we had to be up at 5 to leave at 6am for the airport. We had fun packing and talking and laughing and went to bed late.

Wednesday August 15th (today, happy birthday Heather!)

We set a million alarms to wake up and we both did and got ready. We left at 6am and go to the airport in just under an hour. I parked and went in with him and helped him check in and everything which was very fast and then had to say see ya later since I am staying here. Definitely not fun at all, but I am very glad that he came and I got to hang out with him!! I got back to the house just after 8:30 and then I have been with the boys all day but they have been playing outside like crazy and really miss Grant as well.

Well that was basically my last week! Amazing time, loads of pictures, lots of memories and a whole lot of fun :)
I hope everyone had a wonderful week and I am so jealous of all my pledge sisters moving into the house next week!! Adrianne don't get blown away by the storm and Danny congrats on the big win on your first game!

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Shakespeare on the Castle lawn/Girls Night Out!

Last week was long and it was nice because the boys were in camp some of the days which was a nice break. Friday afternoon Lauren, a girl who works for Pernille (she is 24) texted me to see if I wanted to come to the castle in Guildford and watch a Shakespeare play-The Wives of Windsor with her and some friends! Obviously I said yes since I now have no friends in this country :)

I met up with Lauren and her two friends Kira and Sara and the four of us had a picnic in the lawn and watched their friend Jessica who was in the play. It was funny but sometimes we couldn't hear what was going on so we weren't always sure what was going on, but we had fun and it was great to be with girls and just hang out and laugh! When it was over 3 hours later, we had a cake for Jessica because it was her 27th birthday and then we all went back to her apartment with the four of us girls, Jessica and her cast. We hung out there for a bit just sitting around and talking, but we were definitely outsiders so after a bit, we left and went to a nearby club called Fahrenheit and danced and pretty much just had a fun girl's night! And any time anyone (guys) tried to talk to us, we switched names and it was funny trying to remember which name you told who. Around 2:30 we decided to call it a night so we all split a taxi and dropped them off first and then the driver took me out to the house.

The next day (Saturday) Pernille took me into Guildford to get my car and I ran some errands for a bit in Guildford then went back home for a cookout! One of Pernille's oldest friends from when she was seven and at boarding school came over with her family. Barbara, her husband and their two boys all drove down from London, and Barbara is very pregnant-her due date was actually the next day, on Sunday!! We had a lot of fun and one of Andrew's friends also came with his two children. It was a full day but it was fun to have so many people around! I went to bed early that night!

Sunday I went for a walk and ended up laying out and reading my book on one of the hills around our house for about 5 hours. It was so nice and peaceful and the day was the best day of summer so far!

The only bad thing about the weekend was the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease because it is in Normandy which is right down the road from me. Only a few miles away. It is actually really scary, click on the link to get the latest info about it if you want!

I have been busy cleaning and getting organized because I pick up Grant from the airport tomorrow morning at 8am!! I am so excited, we have a lot of things planned such as visiting Oxford, London, Southampton and the Isle of Wight. I will try to update while is he here but it might have to wait until he leaves.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday and I miss you all!

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Busy Summer!

Now that the boys are out of school, my job has started before 7am and now I have the boys all day long by myself until I put them to bed around 7:30, and I am sorry for not posting more, but I am exhausted! I am going to try harder to update more a bit at a time so it is easier :)

Theo's birthday:

Theo's party was two Sundays ago and we had a blast! We had around 30 5 year old children over for 2 hours! We had a bouncy castle with a slide which might be the best invention ever created! The kids played in there, we also played games like pin the tail on the donkey, musical statues, pass the parcel, a dance competition and running races (up the hill, it was hilarious). We made wraps to eat and then I made a ton of desserts! I made a chocolate cake, brownies, cookies, chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate covered bananas. I bought a pinata that morning also because no one here does that! The kids had all seen it in the movie 'Over the Hedge' (which is funny...) so it was fun to teach them! All the parents came at 4:30 and most of them stayed for a while and Andrew made Pimms for all the grown ups while I cleaned up the party, and managed to finish quickly! I was absolutely exhausted after the party and just wanted to go to bed!

Last week was a long week because of the horrible rain that forced us inside every day and we were running out of things to do. It was seriously really hard because they got really grouchy. I tried to break things up and had play dates for them for two of the days, and one of the days we went to the Guildford Lido which is an outdoor swimming pool (called open air swimming) and then another day we baked Pernille brownies and took them to her office to surprise her! Andrew's parents came and collected them just after lunch on Thursday and I went into London shortly after!

When I got to London, I met up with a friend for a bit while Christy went to tea with some of the girls in her program and her professor. After they were done, I joined up with them for an Ale Trail, which is the same thing as a bar crawl in the states. I forget the name of it, but a man owns something like 30 pubs around London and has organized them in groups of 6-9 that are close together. They give you a map and a stamp card at the first one you choose and then you had to get food or a drink at 6 different pubs and collect stamps and then at the end you got a shirt! It was really fun and the girls in Christy's group were a lot of fun to hang out with. My friend Chris from NY that I met randomly with Scott and Scottland came and met up with us and had a lot of fun buying all the girls drinks and took a lot of pictures!

After we were finished we went to Trafalgar Square and took pictures and split up. Some of us went to a smaller pub on the way home because it was still early and most of the group went to Tiger Tiger which was the nightclub that the bomb scare was in front of which is why Christy and I didn't join! We stayed for a few minutes at the pub and then left and went back to her dorm at the University of London. We had fun and emailed our pledge class telling them that Christy had met Prince Harry and they were secretly dating, and the funny thing is that some girls believed us! We talked a lot, vented a lot and just had fun, before going to bed.

The next day was Christy's last day in London and we went to a cafe and then went to Portabello Road Market and walked around for several hours looking at cute clothes and wishing we were home because everything is expensive due to the exchange rate. We then walked over to Regent Street and went to some stores and were getting ready to go back when we walked by Cheers London! The lunch specials menu was out and they had food for under £3 so we stopped to eat! We sat and talked for a very long time after we ate and it was nice to just relax and not have the pressure of being yourself around someone new. Christy and I have lived together for 3 years now, we were both in Foster Shea together and then have been in the sorority ever since. It is nice to be with someone who knows you and you can share moments and time together and laugh without having to explain yourself all the time. We got to Cheers around 2ish and then we sat there for so long that soon they put out Happy Hour menus so we got a margarita and had a cheers to us, London, America and of course Lenny because it was her 22nd birthday! Then we went back to her dorm and hung out for a bit and then decided that I was going to stay the night with her because she had to be at the tube at 6 so I helped her carry her bags. That night we went to the pub in the bottom of her dorm and hung out with everyone and had a good time, then went to bed for a few hours before waking up to help her leave. After taking her, I went back to her dorm and slept for a few hours and then checked her out of the dorm acting like I was actually Christy! I then sat in a park reading for a few hours and then got on the train and went back home because I had to babysit that night.

This week the boys have been in summer camp Mon, Wed and again Fri so it has been nice and it also has been completely sunny!!! Well time to go to the park, but just wanted a quick update!!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week! Miss you all, and Grant comes next Wednesday!!

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Catching up..Corsica!

Sorry that it has taken me so long to update my blog! The boys are now out of school and I have them full time, 12 hours a day, and I have been literally exhausted! It is hard coming into a family that is already set in how they do things; it will be a big difference when I have my own children because I will raise them their whole lives and be able to discipline them and help them grow the way my husband and I choose.

AAAnyways, here is my bit about Corsica! The island was amazing, and it is French. I know Spanish, but NO French at all so I just smiled at people a lot and let Andrew and Pernille do the talking. The island is more Italian than French and the mix of the too cultures was heaven when it came to food! It has only recently become a tourist attraction and the island is very unspoiled! There are very few hotels, and the most people hire private villas for their holiday as we did. Corsica is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and absolutely gorgeous!

We woke up at 3am Sunday morning, the 8th of July to drive to the airport, London Gatwick. After much confusion about the valet parking and the masses of people inside where you check in, we almost missed our flight and got separated and luckily Pernille found a man who was announcing the last call for checking in for our flight. I was with Theo and Henry was with Andrew and we had all gotten separated in the crowds. It was chaos and a man with a bullhorn came through the crowd and got us all together and we managed to quickly pass through security and then run the 10 min through the airport to our gate which seemed to be the farthest one away! We boarded the plane and five minutes later the door was shut and it was time to go! It was very exciting because this was Theo’s first plane ride, and Henry’s second (but he was only 6 months old so it doesn’t count) and they behaved nicely for the most part! Theo and Pernille sat in front of me (I was on the aisle) and then Andrew was next to me on the other aisle and Henry was in front of him on the aisle (across from Pernille). Theo kept reaching his hands back through the cracks in the seats and singing me songs! The people next to me were a couple in their late twenties and thought he was the cutest thing haha. Henry carefully read over the safety instructions and then every time any flight crew passed by he asked each one for a drink. The boys never drink fizzy drinks, and have never had a drink from a can so they were in heaven when the flight attendants returned each time with a Sprite! Two hours later our plane touched down and we were in Corsica!

The airport was so small! It only has service to French cities and London Gatwick. We walked down some stairs outside and then got in a queue (line) to pass through customs and show our passports. The baggage claim was a mess, the boys wouldn’t stop running around, and then the airline forgot to put Henry’s bag on the flight (it was oversized and we had checked in late) so dealing with that took awhile. Then we got in our hired car which was a very funny looking van called a Kangoo. The good thing was that in France the driving is just like in the States with the wheel on the left and driving on the right side of the road! It was so weird though!! Then it was time to start our one hour journey to the villa with a crummy map and really no idea where we were going, and the stress levels were already high. I kept the boys calm and quiet in the back while Pernille navigated for Andrew. The roads were insanely curvy and I felt carsick the entire holiday. We miraculously found our villa, but the cleaning lady was there and we found out that check in wasn’t until 3pm and it was only 10am. We pretended like we didn’t know a lot of French and put on our bathing suits and laid out by the pool while the boys swam anyways. After a few hours by the pool relaxing, we went down to the beach by our house which we called the ‘rocky beach’ because the sand was really rocky and there were rocks all over in the water. The boys played in the water while we relaxed, and then ventured a little too far out to the next group of rocks and the tide started to come in! Andrew and Pernille had to have a rescue mission and both of them slipped and fell often while I sat on the shore laughing and taking pictures. On our way home we stopped at a really nice looking restaurant and put our name in for dinner.

We went home and showered and changed into smart clothes for supper. The restaurant was so nice! It was a cute French/Italian restaurant that was all outdoors and only 100 yards from the sea. There were lots of boats as well as an amazing view of one of the bits that jetted into the water, as well as the sunset. After successfully stuffing ourselves with food, we topped it off with one of the most amazing desserts I have ever had-vanilla and chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce and whipped cream..it was as big as my head! We also had a delicious rose wine with our meal. The wine here was absolutely delicious and was cheaper than any other drink on the menu! But anyways, after we were full to the brim, we went home and quickly fell asleep from a very long day.

MONDAY

Monday we woke up and it was Theo’s 5th birthday! We laid out by the beach for the morning because we got a phone call that Henry’s luggage had arrived and a man was bringing it to us! As soon as it arrived, we headed out to find a new beach. Both the boys were already sunburnt because the sun cream was in Henry’s bag (and mine was too low of a number for the boys) so there was a lot of complaining. The beach we went to was only a few miles away, but took an hour to get there with all of the winding roads through the mountains. When we arrived, I was happy to see the beach café was called Waikiki Beach! I felt like I was in Hawaii! The beach was gorgeous and the sand was so white, the water was so clear and calm! Henry and I played out on the sandbar and practiced floating while Theo refused to get in the water because he was too scared and sunburnt. We were there for a few hours and then left to get out of the sun as well as go to the supermarket which was nearby.

The supermarket was horrible with the boys-I know see why Pernille and Andrew have the groceries delivered to the house! They wanted EVERYTHING. We got a lot of cheese, cookout materials, jams, butter, fruit, vegetables and pasta. Everyday we got fresh bread from a bakery by the villa. Andrew also bought the boys an inflatable body board, as well as flippers and snorkel gear. We drove the long trip back home and spent the rest of the evening playing in the pool! For dinner we had a cookout and we made delicious bean burgers by just heating refried beans on the hob until they were sticky and then forming patties and then cooking them! SO GOOD!! After, we went to bed early because the boys were still sunburnt and tired.

TUESDAY

Tuesday we got up early and went the other way down the road to another beach that was only about 20 minutes away. We walked around for a bit and had delicious chocolate éclairs (I LOVED the French at that moment) and watched a water plane fly around and keep landing on the water and then taking off again. It was really windy and the surf was rough, but we got our stuff out of the car and went to the beach. The water was really rough and had a really strong undertow. Theo would barely even put his feet in the water, but Henry was splashing around like a madman with his parents! I had some really good bodysurfing and had some massive wipe outs where I couldn’t tell where the surface was! After battling the waves for a little over an hour, the wind kept picking up so we decided to just have a pool day. We got back and hung out at the house, swimming, taking walks, playing cards, reading, napping, lizard hunting and eating. It was a very casual night and rained for a good five minutes before the sun came back out just before supper time. It was such an amazing view from our deck at each meal, but the bees were absolutely horrible. They would not leave us alone and Andrew killed tons of them! But sitting out there was worth it! After supper we played charades for a bit before bed time.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, the 11th of July was a special treat for Pernille and Andrew! The boys always get up really early and wake them up, but we had a secret plan and they came and got me up instead so their parents could sleep in. We quickly got dressed and then set off for a very exciting adventure of lizard hunting in the front garden rocks. We were armed with barbeque gear and searched all the rocks and the dirt. We saw a lot of lizards running on the pool deck when we were swimming, but none while lizard hunting. It could have been because the boys never stopped talking..I don’t know… But eventually when Pernille and Andrew woke up and came down really confused but happy once they realized why they had not been disturbed we took a break for breakfast and then played in the pool for a bit.

Around 10 we went back to the Waikiki Beach from Monday. Theo still would not get in the water at all except for his feet, so the two of us raced up and down and up and down the beach along the water for a good hour. When we finished, we helped Pernille and Henry collect shells and seaweed for the sand castle by the blanket. Henry and I went rock climbing and did some more body surfing (the waves were only 3-4 feet and the undertow was not nearly as bad). The sunburns were getting better but we did not want the boys in the sun too long so we only stayed a few hours before going back. When we got home from the beach I called Mom because it was her birthday!! I think she was surprised to hear from me and was about to go hiking with her friends! It was so good to talk to her-I wish it could have been longer but it would have cost a ton of money. After I talked to her, we ate lunch and then laid out while the boys swam. Because the villa was private and the pool was as well, the boys were naked the entire time we were at home which was hilarious because they are so cheeky but also meant I could only take pictures of them swimming if I convinced them to wear their trunks for 5 min at a time! They were in the pool practically the whole time we were at the villa. After they had been swimming for a long time, we put on clothes and went for a walk along a cliff to a tower. The walk was really nice and got a lot of energy out of the boys which was nice!

We got home from the walk and Andrew and I took Henry down to the rocky beach for some intense body surfing while Pernille and Theo opted out and stayed home for some calm pool time. I was the official photographer and took over 100 pictures and a movie of Henry take on the waves with his body board! He did such a good job-some of the pictures are on Facebook (I will put the two album links at the bottom of the post)! We were there for an hour and it was a blast! When we got back, the boys watched Finding Nemo while we got ready for dinner. Henry helped me brush my hair and was really proud of himself!

The restaurant we went to was on the beach that we went to the day before. It was a very post restaurant and was on the beach and all outside. There were couches and white material draping elegantly from poles like a ceiling. We were right next to the sea! On the other side of our table, away from the sea was the ‘indoor’ bit which was only a boardwalk with army camouflage netting on the top like a ceiling. There was a live band and Pernille and I took the boys for a dance session while we waited for our food. We each got our own pizza (I had one at every meal we went to when we went out and ate every piece of every pizza I ordered haha). We had a delicious rose wine while the boys had a fizzy orange drink! The food and drinks were all so good!! I had a bit of a photo shoot with Theo because he had his sunglasses at the table and was acting like a little model! It was hilarious, and again, the pictures are on Facebook because it is the easiest way to share pictures! After supper the boys got restless so we left and saw a gorgeous sunset on our way home and then went straight to bed!

THURSDAY

Thursday started off at the pool like usual and then we went back to the beach from Monday and the day before. This day was much better because it was not windy and Theo and I again ran up and down the beach for well over an hour! It was hilarious because most of the women in France are topless at the beach no matter what their bodies look like-they really do not care at all which was awesome, and the men have tiny Speedos, but it was so funny to see Henry and Theo when a topless woman would walk by or they would see one laying out one the beach because they would freeze up and then look at me or their parents with huge eyes and a guilty look, waiting to be yelled at but not sure what to do because they have not been raised to see topless women and think they are in trouble even though there is nothing they can do. It was absolutely hilarious. But anyways, we built lots of sandcastles and buried the boys! Theo still would not get in the water but I played a lot with Henry on the sandbar!

We were at the beach for several hours and then left because we were so hungry! Driving back, we found a little French café so we stopped and parked. The French people were not very friendly because we were at the end of lunch hours and even more unhappy when they could tell we were not French. They asked if we were ‘anglais’ or ‘americano’ and we said that they were English but I was American. Upon hearing this, the man quickly told us that we had to leave because they would never serve and American at their café. It was insane! We had to move the car and find another café to eat at! We stopped at the next one and they were still very rude but at least served us! After the meal I cleaned up our table and stacked the dishes and only then did I get a smile from the lady! We could not wait to get out of there! We got home and had a lot of games in the pool and I taught the boys how to dive! It was funny and they both need a lot more practice! After we had done a lot of swimming, we watched Scooby Doo 2 and had dinner and then played rummy before bed. Theo and I dominated in cards that night and beat everyone really bad, two hands in a row!

FRIDAY

Friday we started early at the pool and then went to the beach from Tuesday, which was also the beach the post restaurant was on from Wednesday night. It was so much different because there was no wind and the water was nice and calm and clear! Theo and I started our running again, but this time I kept running into the water. He was so scared for me and kept screaming but I showed him I was ok! He was so mad at me! The water in some places did get a bit deep, but only to my thighs and then got shallow again, as the sandbars were everywhere! After about an hour of this, I finally got to a bit of the beach where the sandbar was practically a continuation of the beach and he barely had to get his feet deep at all. Very gently I got him farther and farther out (it was not that far, but for Theo it was!) until we were really far out, but only up to our shins still in water! I showed him it was ok and the water was really really calm and clear. Every now and then a wave about a foot or so high would come along and after about another hour, I had him body surfing on the little waves! We ran onto the beach and got the body surfing board and headed back out! There are a lot of pictures of this on Facebook because it really was one of the best bits of my holiday! It was the first time he went in the sea more than just his feet and went bodysurfing! It took a few hours that day, but it was worth it and in one of the pictures you can see how excited Theo is in the picture!! We stayed on the beach for hours and near the end hired a paddling boat for a few euros with a slide! Even though Theo had been brave in the water before, he was terrified and kept screaming that it was time to go back now! We went out pretty far, but the water was only about 10 feet deep and there were several other people out too. Henry was diving, sliding and jumping off the boat and it was so cute so see how concerned Theo was! He kept telling Henry to be careful, and that maybe it was time to stop now. We only had the boat for half an hour and when we got back to the one foot deep bit, Theo went down the slide and then couldn’t stop talking about how much he loved the boat.

We went home and got ready for dinner and went back to the restaurant from Sunday night where it was paella and rose night! They had cooked the paella all day on a huge oven and the place was full! There was a Spanish band as well! I had the pizza because there was so much seafood in the paella. I also got to talk Spanish with our waiter Jose who is from Chile and is moving to Chicago in September for school. The night was a lot of fun, and the sunset was gorgeous! We got home late and then it was bed time. I called Grant for about one minute because I missed him and found out he got in the Kelley School of Business at IU which is awesome because he was a transfer student so it was a bit harder for him! But the news was so exciting and I am so happy for him!

SATURDAY

Saturday was our last day in Corsica which was sad because it flew by so quickly! The boys came and woke me up early and we went on a walk to let Pernille and Andrew sleep in (we left them a note so they didn’t worry!). Right after breakfast we went to the beach from the day before and we all played in the water, even Theo! We had lunch at a cute little café at the end of the beach and then went on the paddling boat after! Theo was much braver this time, but still did not go down the slide until we were back in the shallow bit of the sea! After the boat, Pernille and the two boys went to play in the water and Andrew fell asleep and I sat on the beach relaxing. Pernille put Henry on her back and they were splashing around and got further and further away from Theo when the wind picked up a bit and he started going towards the deep part where he couldn’t touch and they couldn’t hear him. He was really far out but I ran out and saved him right as he was going under water and panicking and crying. I carried him out and he did not get in the water again. He sat in my lap and I laid back and the two of us took a nap on the sand. Because we had been at the beach for hours and it was supper time, we went back home and played in the pool and ate dinner. We then cleaned and packed and played cards and drank wine. It was the perfect ending to our holiday.

SUNDAY

We got up early and then the flight back home was very uneventful which was good! Sunday we just relaxed and hung out and unpacked, as well as started figuring out the rest of the summer holiday now that they boys are out of school.

Last week was a long week, and I had the boys all day every day. They went to swimming lessons at the school each day at 5 and it was hilarious to watch. Henry went to a birthday party on Tuesday for two hours, and on Wednesday we went and saw Shrek the Third which the boys loved! Also we received a package in the mail from my pledge sister Jenn with some Koolaid (which the boys have never heard of or had!) as well as baseball mitts and balls!! The boys loved them and wrote thank you letters which I just found out were not mailed yet, but will be tomorrow! Other than that we went to some parks by the house when it was sunny and then hung out at home when it was raining (which felt like most of the time). Friday afternoon Pernille was home and I went into London to see Nicole because it was her last night here! I hung out with her and Shawn and we went to dinner at a really cute Italian place, but I had to leave early, just past 11 to catch my train back to Guildford. Saturday I slept in because I did not have to work at all, and then laid in bed reading until lunch time at one while they all worked in the yard. I did feel guilty at first but then quickly got over it because I get paid to watch the children and I do not work on the weekends, and the week before was insanely busy and I had the boys for over 12 hours a day by myself every day. But then Sunday was Theo’s birthday party which I will have to write another time because I am tired from writing and need to go to bed, but wanted to get caught up!

I am extremely jealous of my mother, Sarah and Danny because they are in Hawaii with Adrianne and Elliott and having a blast!! And my mother has not been in the water since Jaws came out (she’s seriously terrified, she cries if you joke around with the theme song) and she got in the water!! And then the next day found out that there was a shark attack less than 5 miles away!! Haha glad you guys are safe!

But I hope everyone has a wonderful day back home or wherever you are! Grant is coming here in just over 2 weeks and I am so excited!! Miss everyone!!

Facebook album 1
Facebook album 2

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Picture update from Corsica!

Sorry for no posts lately, I was able to get a temporary passport (more details later) and go to Corsica! It was amazing and I will update my blog as soon as I can, writing bits and pieces as I get to it! Altogether we took over 500 pictures and I have started to post them on Facebook. The link is: http://indiana.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2282300&l=5df8f&id=6802287

That is only a small portion of the pictures and there are loads more to come! I kept a journal of my time and I can't wait to share it with everyone! Sorry it is so short, I am tired and it is time for bed :)

Hope everyone had an amazing weekend, have a wonderful rest of the day and keep stalking!

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Happy 4th of July!

Just a quick note until I can write more later! The last few days have been fun but exhausting! Dad and I have had several road trips (which are quite different than ones from home). I miss American roads and the way intersections make nice 90 degree angles on all sides. I miss really tall buildings and hotels with a million beds. I miss SUVs and fashion that doesn't look like someone literally put on as many ugly things as they could find at one time. I reallly miss easy right hand turns and gas stations, not petrol stations. And it was so weird to celebrate the 4th of July in the country we fought to get our independence...

On the fourth of July I got a hair cut! haha I got about an inch off and lots of layers which is a big trend here but mine looks good, and still American :) Dad and I took the boys into London on the train after school. It was so hectic because it was just at rush hour on the tube so it was literally packed and hard to keep track of them. We went to London Bridge and took lots of pictures before meeting up with Andrew at Green Park so the boys could run around and chase the pigeons (they called them chickens) until Pernille got done with a meeting. We tried to eat dinner at Hard Rock Cafe because it was the most American place we could think of, but the wait for all 6 of us was over 2 hours, and the wait for just my dad and me was still 2 hours just to get to the bar!

We split up and Dad and I went to Sports Cafe and watched some tennis while we ate. Even though we were the only Americans in the place, they were celebrating the 4th and had contests and balloons and such. Unfortunately we entered in a contest about American history and embarrassingly we placed 5th out of 8 teams...and everyone else was English... But to defend ourselves, the questions were hard! Who honestly knows what year Britain acknowledged the US as a country or what exactly our federal government does or who the Prime Minister was like 200 years ago? Um not me or Dad! We did know our 13 colonies and our 50 states though :) And who made the flag..

Yesterday Dad and I hung out in Woking and then ate lunch at Olivio's in Guildford again! Then I picked up the boys from their last day of school! The boys were way too overstimulated from a late night (in bed after 10), lots of sugar from the parties at school and the excitement of the last day of school and it showed. Pernille and Andrew both came home early and the boys went straight to bed after dinner. Dad and I went to eat at a Chinese buffet a few towns over and just hung out but I was absolutely worn out and it was not a late night.

Today is the first day of summer holiday for the boys and so far they have played a lot outside and are now playing marbles. It isn't raining today! After lunch we are going back into London and Andrew is meeting us at the Embassy to take the boys so I can go to my appointment to finally get my passport! And hopefully a temporary travel document so that I can go on holiday to Corsica, an island of France in the Mediterranean Sea. We have a private villa and I really hope it works out because it will be so boring to stay here by myself while they go to the beautiful beaches!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July and I am so jealous of Mom, Sarah and Danny going to Hawaii in just over a week so see Adrianne!! And I am so glad I have been able to hang out with Dad for so long :) Have a wonderful day and check out my new pictures! The link is: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2276957&l=fbc89&id=6802287

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London Bridge is falling dowwwwn

It has been so much fun having dad here! On Thursday we just hung out during the day before collecting the boys. When Pernille came home later, dad and I went into Guildford and ate dinner at a New Orleans diner before going next door to the cinema to watch Ocean's 13! I learned that a theater means there is live entertainment, but a cinema is where you go to watch movies. Also, when you buy a ticket here, you are assigned a seat which was nice because you knew where to sit before hand and there wasn't the awkward asking someone to move down a seat so you can squeeze your people in. The movie was so good and Dad and I thought that it was the best one so far!

Friday, I dropped the boys off at school and did some cleaning and then got ready because I was going with dad to the Renasas office in England and then out to lunch with some of his colleagues. I picked him up and then we attempted to navigate our way to the office which was on the west side of London. The driving here is confusing but we made it! After sitting in on a meeting with him, we went out to lunch with three people he works with. The lunch was delicious and we ate at a place called On The Thames which was literally on the Thames..clever name. We drove back after the lunch, I dropped dad off and then was just in time to collect the boys from school. We had a lot of fun after school and they were full of energy so I just sent them off to play in the back garden. When Pernille got home, she had just come from a little pub next to her office where everyone she works with was gathered after work and insisted that I go over there and meet everyone, especially a girl named Lauren who is only 2 years older than me and lives in Guildford.

I quickly got ready and was excited to meet Lauren, as I have been trying to meet her but it never worked since I have been here. I got to the pub and Lauren met me outside and was very nice! She has the curliest black hair I have ever seen! Her boyfriend is in a band and she invited me to hang out with them more, which I am very excited about! There were about 25 people there from the office that I got to meet and everyone was so nice! There were some cheeky guys who asked me about a million questions and we had to draw a map to show where Indiana is. When I said I was from the midwest, they thought I meant the part of the country where Colorado and Arkansas are, they did not understand why we call our state part of the midwest. I didn't stay there too long, and said bye before heading home because I knew Saturday would be an early day.

Saturday morning Pernille and Andrew left the house early to go sailing, so I had to wake up before 7 to watch the boys until their Grandmother came to pick them up. The boys played outside for a bit, but then it started raining bad so they came in and watched the movie 'Valiant' while I read a magazine. After they got picked up, Dad came over and we drove down to the south coast and walked around Southampton for a few hours in the gross, rainy, cold weather. It was really nasty weather, but we walked down to the water and saw a cruise liner which was cool and then walked back to the car and drove over to Portsmouth. I slept on the way over there because I was exhausted and then we ended up just driving back to Guildford because there was no point in being on the coast the weather was so bad.

We were just going to relax at home but when we got back, we decided to go into London for the night and then stay there for the day on Sunday. We got a hotel and then drove to the station and took the train into London Waterloo. After walking around for a bit, we saw Big Ben and the Thames and then it was dark so we navigated the tubes to our Holiday Inn up in Bloomsbury. We got checked in and ordered a pizza with grilled veggies and peppers (yum!) and then we both went to sleep. We slept in until 11am and then got ready for our day. We were on the Piccadilly line for our hotel so we just took the tube to Piccadilly Circus and then got off there to eat and walk around. There were a lot of sirens while we ate and I think dad was a bit nervous because we were close to where the car bomb was found the other day, so we went to one shop and then decided to go somewhere else. We cruised London and went back to Big Ben and then walked by Westminster Abbey but we couldn't go in because it was a Sunday. We were going to walk over to Buckingham Palace but started going the wrong direction, but got it sorted out. As we were walking over to the Victoria Station, we were about to cross a road when someone said my name. This might seem like a normal thing, except that this has not happened to me in over a month, since I have been here! I looked up and Blane and his parents were crossing the road over to our side! It turned out that they were lost on their way to the water to go on a boat ride! We talked to them for a few minutes before going our separate ways, but it was funny to randomly see Blane walking down the road when we had tried to meet up the whole time we were here and he leaves next weekend to go home!

Dad and I decided not to go to the palace and instead got back on the tube to go to Nottinghill and go to the Portabello Market to look at the antiques and the fruit stands. There was no crowd and a lot of the shops were closed because of the poor weather and everything that is going on, so we went to a very English pub and got some tea and rested our feet! After relaxing and talking, we headed over to London Bridge and walked across while I sang "London Bridge is falling down" the entire way up to the bridge, over the bridge and then as we walked along the water over to the Tower Bridge. So amusing. We walked over the Tower Bridge and then it was nearly 7pm so we hopped on a bus that took us to the Waterloo station so we could get a train home. It was a nice and comfortable ride home! We got back and my phone rang and Kate was on the line from Waterloo letting me know she had gotten there and would be at Guildford in an hour! I cleaned up my room a bit and then picked her up!

Kate studied in Italy for the first part of the summer and then has been traveling everywhere! She went to Barcelona with Ginny, Kelley and Jessi (and Nicole met up with them as well) then went to Germany to see her friend, then went to Paris and Amsterdam with Jessi and Ginny before taking the Eurostar over here to see me, Christy and Nicole! She has been traveling with two huge bags and I can't imagine doing it because they are so heavy! I picked her up and we came back to my house and chilled on the couch and talked! We also got plans squared away with Christy to meet Kate at Waterloo tonight and I wrote down everyone's information and tube stops for Kate in case she gets lost! We showered and then went to bed. It was so weird having someone else in my bed, but so nice to be able to hang out with Kate!!!

This morning she is sleeping in, and I took the boys to school and then came back and vacuumed, mopped, dusted and ironed. We are going to hang out a bit and I will show her around and then collect the boys and take her to the station to get on a train! It is so nice to see familiar faces and I love having people here!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day :)

XX

Dad arrived!

Dad arrived in England today! Although his flight was a bit late, he did get his car, and managed to navigate his way to his hotel which was only about 10 min away from my house. I surprised him in the lobby when he arrived at reception to check in and I do not think he recognized me for a second! It was so good to see him!! After checking in, I helped with the bags but then I had to go home because our TV was broken again so the man was coming to fix it. Dad pulled in my drive just as the Sky man was leaving and I showed him around the flat and made him a cup of tea while he used the computer briefly. Because he was starving, I drove him into Tongham, which is a small town nearby where he ate at a little pub. I think he was dragging before the food! I then drove him into Farnham and we drove through the town and some of the roads that I like to take before going back to the town center to the main car park. Dad did not have proper walking shoes, and I had to collect the boys in just under an hour, so we made a quick stop at a cash point (ATM) and then got a coffee and juice. We sat at a table by the window and talked for a bit, as well as looked at how bad the fashion is here, before leaving to go collect the boys.

We arrived a bit early so we sat in the car park and waited before walking up to the school. We got Theo first and when I went to the door he told me how good he was all day! I then told him that my dad was behind me, so he waved and said, "Hello sir!" We went to Henry's classroom and collected him, and he told my dad that he got him chocolate! With a boy in each hand, we went back to the car to go home.

Back home I helped the boys change into comfortable clothes and then we did homework! They each read stories and Henry even read one to my dad! They are very friendly boys and had NO trouble getting to know my dad, as each one climbed on his lap several times throughout the afternoon to ask him questions. After homework, we took dad down to the super bouncy tree and the grass/stick hut we made! We stayed for just a bit because it started raining and then rained the whole walk back up the two hills to the house. We did a bit of crafts until Pernille got home, and then it was time for presents! Dad got Pernille and Andrew IU mugs. For the boys, he got Henry an IU football shirt, and a football, and Theo received an IU basketball and basketball. They also got IU pencils and cards! The boys were thrilled and played with their toys for the rest of the night. All the adults talked for a bit, and then Dad and I went to eat in Guildford at a really delicious Italian restaurant and we each ate an entire pizza. We didn't stay out long because we were both tired and when I came back, the boys had both gone to bed in their IU shirts with all their presents in their beds. It was adorable! Its bed time now though, I am exhausted!

Have a great day, cheers!

XX

Rock and Roll and Sports Day!

Monday was a very full day. Both Henry and Theo entertained friends at the house. Henry's mate Douglass and Theo's mate Toby both came over for tea. Douglass was FULL of energy, and Toby was quite opposite as all he wanted to do was play dress up. I got Henry and Douglass occupied playing with Matchbox cars, and Theo and Toby decided to build a track for the toy trains. We also listened to the boyband McFly and then it was time for tea. Pernille was home but working, but managed to put in some pizzas and sweet corn for the boys. Oh My Gosh. They never stopped talking or yelling or being insane little boys. Fiiinally they had eaten everything so we went back to playing and this time the boys spotted the toy guitars so we had a bit of a jam session in my sitting room. The picture is above and it was absolutely the funniest thing to watch. We had a really great time!

Sports Day was Tuesday and I have to say, it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Sports Day is just like Field Day as we know it and there were many relay events such as running, skipping, hopping, carrying a tennis racket with a beanbag and of course the sack race. The determination and excitement was palpable and the children were anxious to showcase their talents. Some of the children were carefully listening to last minute instructions from tall proud fathers, dressed in smart business suits lining the sidelines. Others were sitting happily in their tracksuits (sweatpants) picking grass and humming with excitement. The event was held at the school and was on the grass track. Behind the parents was a refreshment stand with coffee, tea and juice, as well as an announcer and PA system much like we have at track meets in the States. There were no individual winners because everything was a relay, and there were some very strong athletes! There were also those like my sweet Theo who was lucky enough to be in the lane closest to the parents so when he would run or skip or hop past us, he would turn so that his face was towards us and his body was still desperately trying to still propel forwards, but this way he was able to have a huge grin and the best possible angle to appear as photogenic as possible. It was simply hilarious!

One month down, 6 to go..My time so far

I have only been here a month, but this month has done a lot to change my perspective of almost everything. I never realized how much work goes into being a parent all hours everyday. Babysitting is not too hard and at the end you go home and leave the children with their parents, but living here really is a full time job and has been the best experience of my life.

With no one really that I know, I have been forced way outside of my comfort zone. I am living with complete strangers, looking after their children. If I didn’t know about responsibility before, it is the only thing I know now. I have people that depend on me. I HAVE to get up every morning no matter what I feel like or how late I stayed up the night before reading or chatting. And no matter how tired I am, I have to drink lots of tea so I can wake up and be pleasant and cheerful or the day will be crummy. If the boys see me in a good mood, they are more likely to be in a good mood, but if they see me at all in a bad mood, it gives them permission to be nasty as well.

Patience is a virtue. I never really had much patience, but being in charge of a 5 and 6 year old require it full time. Everything takes more time to complete and even though I know that I could have everything done in less than half the time it takes them, I have to be patient and help the boys. Theo has just begun to read and it is fun to sit with him and watch him form the sounds and then put them together and read to me. Henry is a bit more advanced and constantly pushes himself to read better but gets mixed up on words a lot. I have learned that it is ok to mess up and just take my time with things. It is much more rewarding to sit there and take the time to help the boys figure out how things work than to do it for them just to complete the task.

One thing I have never been very good about is being independent. I have always been surrounded by people, whether it was all my brothers and sisters or all the neighbor kids growing up, or all the sports teams or all my friends, I have very rarely been on my own before. Even at college I live with over 100 girls and you have to work hard to be by yourself. And if I am not at Chi Omega, then I was usually with Grant. Living here I am by myself a lot which at first was the hardest and scariest part (even worse than driving!) because all of the sudden I had all this time by myself and I didn’t know what to do. I have done a lot of reading on anything I can get my hands on as well as my Bible which has been amazing to have so much time to do. I really enjoy walking around the nearby towns by myself and just taking everything in. It is also nice to explore London by myself without the issue of making sure everyone in a group gets to see everything they want. I just have myself to wander around and think about my life. At times I do wish that I had people here to explore with me, like my mom who was born in this country or any of my family or Grant. It is hard to see such amazing and beautiful places and sights and not have someone to share the moment with.

While it has been the biggest thing I have ever done in my life and something that I love, it has also been so hard to deal with the homesickness. I really don’t get homesick but Bloomington is just over an hour away from home so that helped a lot. Being here I miss having the luxury of familiar faces. I do have my family here, but it is so hard to go every day knowing that I will not see my mom or my dad or my brother or sisters (not that I saw them anyways!) or Grant or my friends. I’m not going to run into anyone I haven’t seen for ages at the store or go out with them on a Wednesday at Champps. I can’t go over to Kellie’s house with all the girls or have facebook sessions with Sara or lunch with Kara or Broad Ripple with Hallie, Mandy, Katie and Jenn. It is so weird to think about how much I took for granted living with everyone for simple things like a familiar face. I really do miss that a lot. It is nice that my dad will be here this week and then Grant comes in a month and a half and then mom will come for my birthday in November. It is nice that I have gotten to spend time with Nicole and Christy will be here so soon, and I will also see Kate. But I really do miss everyone.

I have also had to go out of my way to make friends which I have never had to do before. Ever since I was small, I was always surrounded by friends. From cousins (and the Lux’s) to neighbors (especially the Whites), I had it all. At preschool I made friends easily and had a lot of play dates and then the same with grade school. I had Kaitlin and Kate and the three of us kept adding to our group and after a few years we were solid with Colleen, Heather, Lauren and Sarabeth. We all played every sport imaginable and that is the easiest way to make friends like Lindsey Love and Annie and everyone! And then in college I joined Chi Omega and have some of the most amazing pledge sisters in the world that I know are friendships that will last me my whole life because those are girls I would do anything for. I even have dreams about Chi O while I have been here (especially about silly things like being late for rush!). But I am not trying to say that I’m so cool or anything, just that I have been so blessed with the love and friendships that I have in my life. It is exciting to meet new people but hard! I found that if you smile a lot and try not to be too awkward people like you J

One thing I love about living with this family is the way I interact with the boys. Sometimes it is unbelievably hard because they can be so cruel, but the times they are sweet make it all worth it. I love the way they melt into my body to give me cuddles or the way they study my face with such seriousness as I tell a story or explain something. That look with the slightly cocked head, wide eyes that you can tell are deep in thought and half open mouth and they take you in with such a serious expression gets me every time. Especially because usually they still have dirt in their hair which is a mess and the reddest, rosiest cheeks and are usually playing with their hands unconsciously but fully hanging on to every word I say. Watching them watch movies is hilarious. They do not watch much TV so whenever it is on, its like being in a trance and you cannot tear them away. It is so funny to see the emotion on their face as they watch shows or films because they get so into the characters and half the time I watch them instead of whatever is on. I love how at bed time most nights when I put them to bed, we read a story in bed with one boy curled up in the crook of my arm on each side. As the story winds down, I can sense them beginning to get drowsy as their bodies recognize that it is bed time. After we get settled into each bed, it is time for a lullaby where we either sing “Daisy” or “Sunshine”. The words to “Daisy” are:

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I’m half crazy over the love of you. It won’t be a stylish marriage, I can’t afford a carriage. But you’ll look sweet, upon the seat, of a bicycle made for two.

“Sunshine” goes ‘You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey. You never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

I used to sing Sunshine with my mom so singing it with them always makes me tear up because I miss my family so much.

I love the way the boys reach their arms up for a big hug, or walk up next to me and quietly slip their hand inside of mine while we walk. The feeling I get when they pick me flowers and call me their ‘precious darling’.

It is very amusing to listen to Henry and Theo explain things like love and God and everything else to me. One of Theo’s favorite things to do is make statements beginning with ‘wouldn’t it be funny’ or ‘wouldn’t it be dangerous’ and you know that something hilarious and totally random is going to come out of him mouth. “Wouldn’t it be funny if a car went on a plane and they were flying over the ocean and then penguins jumped out and went surfing on the back of sharks?” haha most of the time I just don’t even know how to answer this so I just crack up.

Of course there are times when I want to pull my hair out, when the boys are moody or look at me and tell me they hate me because they have to go to bed are times that are hard to deal with. Every time I get a mean look or a mean word it breaks my heart and pains me to think of how many times I said the same to my parents and how I know that in their hearts they know what I was thinking but the fact that I said it is something I can never take back and that is a very bad feeling. Of course I will always have arguments with them, but parents are the two people in this world who love you no matter what. You are a part of them; half of you is from your dad, and half from mom and no matter how you look at it, its not going to change. I know I am a long time away from being a mom myself, but this is definitely a close job. But until then, it is showing me how to be a better daughter and when I get home I hope I can show that.

Well there it is so far. Most of my blogs are about the details of my life here and my adventures, but this is the other part of living here-my emotions and what it is like to basically just decide to make a life change and then go for it. I know it is a lot of reading but I just wanted to put down my thoughts and feelings so far.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and please email me with anything I should do while I am here! I am open to suggestions!

Cheers

XX

clearing things up..

Charlie is six and is Henry's friend :) Not some random boy that I know (thanks mom)

Making friends

Last week was a fun week! Monday Charlie came over and he was so much fun to have over! We went swimming and played tag (I was always it) and made stickers. He told me that I was the most gorgeous woman in the world. He is probably my favorite person right now :) Thursday was a moving party for a girl in Henry's class called Georgina who is moving to a little island off the coast of Italy. Pernille had offered to make cakes for the party but had meetings the whole week so I made them instead. I was a baking fool! I made everything from scratch and made brownies, cupcakes, chocolate cake, peanut butter and chocolate pie, and meringues and loads of icing. I had so many compliments from everyone at the party! I am a new huge fan of baking!
Friday was supposed to be Sports Day at the boy's school which is supposedly the funniest day because its like field day in the US and the events are really simple but the children take it so serious! I guess last year Theo's year did a race where they just had to jump with two feet and he ended up going backwards and everyone was laughing so hard. It was storming here though so Sport's Day was moved to Tuesday. I can't wait to see it!
Saturday I went back to London to go shopping for a bit and meet up with a girl I met over the Internet (that sounds so sketchy!). I signed up for a website that is for people to join groups and then the groups have get togethers and everyone hangs out! One of the groups I am in is for 18-30s girls in London who are new to London and most of their meetups have been on Wednesday nights so I have not been able to go yet. Anyways, I got an email from one of the girls to see if I wanted to meet up so we met up yesterday at a cute Italian restaurant and we had a great time! Her name is Courtney and she is 27 from Chicago and just moved here a few months ago. She works for an online poker company and it sounds really cool. She was really nice and we had a good time and are going to do it again!
After we ate lunch, we went to Portabello Market because I desperately needed a new handbag. All of the ones that I brought are cute and small, but I really needed something bigger because when I go into London I bring a lot with me like my wallet, my Ipod, my glasses, my phone, an umbrella, a jacket, a small stick of deodorant (the tube gets really crowded and I don't want to smell!), and then I bring a book and my maps and then I also wanted to buy sunglasses because mine broke right before I came over and my eyes are in need of some shelter from the sun. I found the perfect bag at the market and found two pairs of sunglasses (for waaaay cheap!) and I was so pleased! I also got two scarves for just a few pounds and put one around my neck and instantly felt more like I fit in! I am so American in how I dress, the trick here is to accessorize. Everyone here waaaay overdoes their accessories though; I keep things simple and what I think is tasteful!
When we were done shopping she went home and I walked around for a bit (I really just love being in London) and read my book in one of the massive parks. It started raining though so I decided that I would just head home and I needed to add more minutes to my mobile anyways so I had to get to the phone store before it closed.
I headed back and the train ride was quick and I got my phone taken care of and then was hungry again because it was nearly 6 so I went to grab a bite. The table next to me was full of guys and two girls and when they saw I was alone, they invited me to sit with them. We got to talking and then of course a million questions about how I was liking it here and America and everything like that. When we were done eating they invited me to come to the pub across the street where two of them work to hang out for a bit. When we talked about ages, they couldn't believe that I was 21! But I couldn't believe their ages either! They guys were called Chris, Nick, Mick, Jamie, Phillip, and Charles. They were all between 24-28 and hilarious. The girls were named Shaana and Gina and I thought they were maybe late 20s/early 30s and they turned out to be 39 and 44!! haha Shaana's husband was one of the owners of the club next to the pub.
I seriously had so much fun talking to them! We went over to the pub where they tried to convince me to get a job there on the weekends and I had my first Diet Coke since I have been here!!! And 'on the rocks' here means you get 2 ice cubes. It was early, only about half past 8 so we sat on couches and talked about how silly Americans are and everything I should do while I am here.
As it got later, we walked next door to the adjoining club and after the girls got their drinks and I refilled my coke, we went upstairs to dance! The drinking age here is 18 (I kind of felt like I was at Kilroys?) and there were all these young boys that kept trying to dance with us but we told them all no and had a ladies night instead. I could not believe that Shaana and Gina were twice my age, they acted and looked my age! They are best friends and welcomed me and were so nice! It was nearly midnight and I was tired so after exchanging phone numbers with them all I decided to go home.
I did some facebooking and stalked mom for a bit :) and emailing and then went to bed. Today has been pretty uneventful, except Theo and I had a very in depth conversation about God and love. God is trillions of years old and was really good friends with the dinosaurs but then wanted them in heaven so he brought them up into the sky, thats why we don't have them anymore. And he asked me, "Love is not selfish, is it?". He had gone to a wedding yesterday and apparently got a lot out of the service. He told me that when you love someone you have to tell them all the time so they know. He also told me that sometimes people are not nice and you have to give them loads of hugs anyways. Very deep insight from a nearly five year old. He told me that sometimes he feels like he is nearly 60. His new favorite words are 'fascinating' and 'charming' and has taken to calling me 'my darling'.
Well we are going on a walk, but yeah for Adrianne and Elliott moving to Virginia! And Dad comes Thursday!!!!!
Have a wonderful day :)

XX

Being a tourist in London

Last week was pretty uneventful just a lot of nannying and hanging out in the nearby towns. And watching Audrey Hepburn movies. I was getting a bit lonely in the country so I decided to go into London Saturday. I was going to try again to meet up with my cousin Nadja but last minute she couldn't. I was already on my way so I thought I would go do some sightseeing.
I did not have a plan, but I had a tourist book and a detailed map book so I was set.
As I walked out of the tube station, I was immediately greeted by the familiar sight of Big Ben! That thing was massive. I loved how big it was and how excited all the tourists got when they took pictures. Saturday was also the Queen's unofficial birthday. It must be pretty cool to have two birthdays, I was jealous. There was a huge parade as well as a ton of planes that flew overhead. It was raining really hard as I was walking over there, so I waited until the roof of the Westminster Abbey and once the planes had flown by I decided that I would be a tourist and go inside.
The place was amazing! Walking inside and looking up at how many things covered the walls and ceiling was just incredible. The nave is 10 stories high which is the tallest in England. The chandeliers are 10 feet tall but its hard to tell because of the huge space they are in. Everywhere you look is another tomb or chapel or shrine to someone. The artwork and detail, not to mention the history, thinking about how many different people had walked inside this church to pay their respects and to appreciate the handicraft was a bit overwhelming.
The Abbey was founded in 960 AD as a Benedictine monastery. It is what they call a 'living church' which means that it is a place for Christian worship as well as the burial and memorial place for many people from the last one thousand years. The name, Westminster, means Church in the West (which is west of St. Paul's Cathedral).
Walking in, you pass by huge sculptures of people and like I said before, almost every inch of wall space is either a memorial stone plaque to someone who has died or a sculpture memorial. Upon first walking in is the North Transept, or the Statesmen's Aisle where many prime ministers are memorialized. It is lined with saints in stained glass and men in carved stone. The main alter is literally straight ahead and sits on a platform. Next is the North Ambulatory, and tombs of Edward I and Henry III, as well as the Shrine of Edward the Confessor who built the Westminster Abbey after God told him to visit St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, but with the Norman's thinking conquest, it was too dangerous to leave England so he built this one instead and was finished just before he died. His tomb is one of the holiest parts of the church.
The tomb of Queen Elizabeth I and (Bloody) Mary I was next, both daughters of Henry VIII. The irony of this tomb is that they are buried together but at one point Mary locked Elizabeth up in the Tower of London. Elizabeth was a strong Protestant leader who had one of the greatest reigns in English history. They are buried together with a prayer for Christians of all kinds to live peacefully together.
The Chapel of King Henry VII was next and the ceiling was amazing. The Knights of Bath meet here. There is stained glass all around and really colorful banners and everything is very festive looking. The ceiling was actually made of carved stone that was sculpted on the floor in pieces and then put together like a puzzle into place. Wooden stalls line the sides where the knights sit. Behind the alter is the tomb of Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York.
The Coronation Chair was really amazing to see because it was first made in 1301 and has been used at every coronation since. The chair is painted gold and at the bottom of the legs are lions which are England's symbols. I really liked this chair!
The Poets' Corner was next and literally the walls and the floor are covered with markers commemorating around 120 writers, poets, actors, musicians and artists, some of whom are also buried here. Geoffrey Chaucer, who is considered the father of English literature (thank you Mr. Sturgeon..) is buried here and was the first artist to be buried here and that is how the Poets' Corner came to be. Some others include Lord Byron, Dylan Thomas, W.H. Auden, Lewis Carroll (Alice and Wonderland), T.S. Eliot, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, George Handel (he wrote the song "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth"), Charles Dickens, Samuel Johnson (wrote the first English dictionary), and a man named Thomas Parr who lived from 1483-1635 which is 152 years! Shakespeare is not buried here but there is a really amazing statue in him memory.
I sat for awhile by the Great Cloister which is a huge square of grass outside. It was an amazing calming feeling and I know that I will go back several times before I leave. As I was walking out, I lit a candle and said a prayer. Then I walked past the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, which is one ordinary WWI soldier buried in soil from France with a U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor, presented to England's WWI dead in 1921. Nearby were memorials to Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Martin Luther King Jr.
I left the Abbey and it was raining again and I didn't have a plan. I saw a sign pointing down the road for the Trafalgar Square. It was a bit of a walk but well worth it. I like walking better than buses because you get to see so much more and I think you experience it more. After walking around the fountains and the monumental column to Lord Nelson, it started pouring rain so I decided it was a good time to visit the National Gallery. I think that I probably could have spent days in this place will all the different art, but I only stayed for about an hour and looked at some of the big works. I saw da Vinci's "The Virgin of the Rocks", "Virgin and Child with St. John the Baptist", Botticelli's "Venus and Mars", Michelangelo's "Entombment", Rembrandt's "Self-Portrait", and Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" just to name a few. The rooms were full of paintings and I had such a good time wandering around. There were so many pictures of naked people though, that I wondered if any women or men actually wore clothing or was it normal to have all your clothing falling off all the time? I don't know much about art, but I thought it was insane how many painting showed nude people. Aaanyways.. I was ready for another adventure so I thought I would head out.
I ended up walking along The Mall road which is a very wide road that was still set up from the Queen's parade down the street earlier. On one side of the street was St. James's Palace and the other side of the road is St. James's Park. At the end of the very very long street was Buckingham Palace. I thought I would try to say hey to the Queen and maybe wish her a happy unofficial birthday but apparently I'm not cool enough and the big men with the machine guns told me I couldn't bother her. That was a bit disappointing, and I told Lisa I would try to hook her up with the princes. Sorry girl.
After hanging out there for a bit, I decided to just kind of walk around without a purpose. As I was walking down a street that was fairly empty I heard someone walking behind me so naturally I glanced back and kept walking. But something caught my eye and I looked back again. There was a girl with the Chi Omega letters on her jacket walking behind me!!! After being alone all day, and not seeing anyone I knew for a long time, it was seriously amazing to randomly see a Chi O! She was from Oklahoma and on vacation with her family and had done some sightseeing by herself for a bit and was going back to meet up with them. We walked and talked for about a half an hour and then parted ways. You might think I'm silly for being so excited, but when you are by yourself in another country and see a girl you don't know but is your sorority sister, you get excited :)
Anyways, I kept walking and then got a call from Scott and Scottland so I went and met up with them over at a place called Sports (yes Sports, I miss Bloomington) on Regents Street. It was fun to see people that I actually knew! We talked and watched a bit of the Yankees/Mets game and I decided that I was going to stay in the city and just crash with one of the girls in their program.
A funny thing happened when I was in the bathroom, or excuse me, in the loo. There was a lady in their that handed you your towel to wipe your hands after you washed them. I smiled at her and said thank you when she handed me my towel. She asked if I was American and I said I was and she got so excited! We talked for a long time about America and how much she loved Americans. She was from Nigeria and moved to England with her husband and wants to go to America so badly. She doused me with perfume and I said goodbye. She was so nice and I really enjoyed talking to her, but I was in the bathroom for a long time and felt awkward when I walked out and met up with my friends because who knows what they were thinking haha.
We took the tube back to Nottinghill so that the boys could change into their soccer jerseys they bought and I left my tourist books and things in their room so I didn't look like a huge dork and we went over to Earle's Court where a bunch of girls in the program live in the basement flat, and one of the boys, Dan, lives above them, because they made baked ziti.
The night was fun and it was good to meet new people. Scottland called Sara K and I got to say hi!!!! Seriously so excited about that. Sunday was a very American day. After waking up, we went and got Dumb and Dumber and Ace Ventura Pet Detective and watched the movies in the common room in the basement flat and ate McDonalds, Burger King and Subway! Then Scott and Scottland and I took the tube back to Nottinghill so I could get my things and I said bye before heading back out to get on the tube to go home. I got back before dinner time and ate with my family and then talked a bit to Grant online and then also to my Dad to wish him a happy Father's Day when he got home from the race. I was exhausted and went to bed early.
Yesterday was horrible weather and poured and was pretty cold so I read a book and relaxed while the boys were at school. The weather cleared up just before I collected them so after doing homework, we played outside climbing trees and going on the bouncy tree and trying to catch bunnies. Theo cut his finger on the barbed wire he wasn't supposed to play on so we headed back up to the house which he was screaming because there was a tiny bit of blood. I let him sit on my shoulders and it was a hard workout to walk up the super steep hill to get home. Once we were back the boys stripped naked and decided it was time to go swimming the in little pool which I made tea (supper). They had ham and turkey with cheese, squash, and potato salad with shrimp and peppers.
Pernille and Andrew got home while they were finishing and we played a big game of cards and then did some puzzles. The boys got ready for bed while we ate and then watched 102 Dalmatians before bed. After they went to bed, I went downstairs and fell asleep early because I was so tired.
Today has been nice so far, but we are supposed to get some nasty weather tonight which is bad because Henry has a friend coming over after school for tea. I hope the weather is good so that we can play outside or else it will be a nightmare! Today I went to the Farnham Castle and walked around the Keep for a bit. I then sat in the Farnham park and read a book. A dog came up to me and I pet it while his owner also came over. The man and I talked for about 20 min about England the America and Farnham. More details of today another time though. I am worn out from writing and writing!
Happy Father's Day (a bit late) to all the dads, especially my dad who I get to see soon!!! A special hello to Adrianne, Sarah and Danny and Mom (who is hiking in the mountains)! Also to Jenn. Heres the blog super stalker! And Grant of course :)
Have a great day, and I will get better about writing on this!!