Bestest Sissy Ever

A little while back my sister hinted that I might have a surprise coming in the mail! So naturally I asked if I could make some requests. The choices might seem a little odd, but don't be fooled, they are vital to everyday life.

1st we have my favorite (by which I mean I am addicted and can't use anything else) chapstick- Blistex Medicated Lip Balm. My sister actually got me addicted to this- along with other things I miss from home like Chik-fil-a chicken biscuits and fountain Diet Dr. Pepper.... but that's another post.

2nd we have Burt's Bees Natural Toothpaste. I read that toothpaste without SLS in it helps with ulcers so I switched about a year ago and it's made a huge difference. London has 8 different types of Burt's Bees toothpaste, but their a little behind in excluding SLS. So this was a must!

3rdly we have cheez-its and cinnamon and apple oatmeal. Two things that were missing in my diet :)  She also sent me Honey Buttered flavoured Pringle sticks that were actually really good and mini pop-tart snacks. Thanks so much Sissy!!

Windsor Castle

This past weekend I had my first GC Excursion to Windsor Castle! About 19 students joined me on the day. It was a little stressful trying to get them all there, but we did and we all had a great time! We started by exploring the castle which is beautiful! No wonder the Queen lives here instead of Buckingham Palace. You can kind of see the standard flag flying in the background saying she was in for the day! She was probably tired after her trip to Dublin. It turned out to be a really nice day as well. It was a really warm day with only a few spots of cold.  

This is where the moat used to be. Now it's a beautiful green garden!

The Queen's Flag saying she was in!

This is the Quadrangle where the Queen meets foreign heads of state.

My first picture with a guard

St. George's Chapel where they have church services and where all the latest monarchs are buried.

This is the Queen's entrance after she drives up The Long Walk.

The students in front of The Long Walk.

Of course we had to have afternoon tea!

On the train back home after a wonderful day!

This is right before I killed them at Go Fish!

Parliament and Westminster Abbey

We did a day trip last week to tour Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Parliament was really interesting! I enjoyed seeing the inside and learning about their history. We were able to see a lot of different parts and got a better understanding of how their government works when in session.

We then went to Westminster Abbey. This may or may not have been a good idea as we were getting tired of standing and hungry, but none the less we continued on! I was surprised about how much stuff was inside. I knew it looked big from the outside, but I didn't realize how much they put in it. It's not really that pretty of church, it's just full of A LOT of history and artifacts. It was pretty cool to see it after having watched the wedding so recently. Although it's a pretty crappy place to get married as far as the guest are concerned- they can't see anything for this grand screen that is permanently built right in the middle of the church! No wonder Elton John was complaining.

Parliament

Right inside the walls surround Parliament- about to go through security

Traditional dancers. I forget what they're called, but it was entertaining.

Inside the Abbey

Westminster Abbey

Here's a little video so you can experience the dancers yourself!

Oh Stonehenge.....

Stonehenge can be compared to The Alamo in San Antonio. They're both places that are interesting to talk about, places that you should see at least once, but both anti-climactic once you get there. There isn't actually anything to do at Stonehenge except walk around the barriers taking fun pictures. In fact, taking silly pictures is the best thing about Stonehenge. Just like Bath this is my 3rd time to Stonehenge and I mostly walked around taking pictures for the students. Although unlike the last couple of times it wasn't raining!! Its a little overcast, but not even really that cold. The weather in London has been unusually warm and dry these past two months. It's like the universe just wanted to laugh in my face knowing I was looking forward to cold weather. O well... enjoy the pictures!

This is what is around it.... nothing, except for the Sheep.

Holding up Stonehenge

Jumping in front of Stonehenge ( I think there were probably about 5 or so groups that took jumping pics)

Making their own Stonehenge

I took another picture just for good measure- turned out to be a really good one! go figure.

My Favorite Bath

One of my favorite places to visit when I'm in London is Bath. It's where Jane Austen lived for 4-5 years and is the city she sets a few of her books in. You may notice the place in the picture below from many different movies. It's called the crescent and all the rich people used to live here back in the day. Bath itself is about a 2 1/2 hour drive west of London. It's a beautiful town with a lot of history. It used to also be the city where the most wealthy would vacation and see the latest fashions! Other than Jane Austen it's probably also most known for the Roman Baths right in the middle of the city. They're still filled with water from the spring, although too dangerous to swim in these days. But still a great sight to see.

(Also looking through my pics I realized I hadn't taken very many picture since it was my 3rd time to visit, but you get the idea!)

Me at the Baths

An ancient Bath that is now a wishing well :)

Some of the crew! We had lunch at the Jazz Cafe after touring the Baths. We have Claire, Hunter, Stephen, John, Nicole, and Amanda.

I really wanted to get tea here, but we didn't have time. Regardless I think it's a clever name.

The Local Theatre in Bath. I thought it was pretty.

 One thing I finally got to do this time was visit the Jane Austen Museum. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I still learned a lot about her life and her writings. She was one of the youngest siblings and was the first to die. Compared to the rest of her family that lived well into old age she died very young.

An example of what the local shop would've looked like during her time.

A typical dress of her time

The kind of creepy statue outside the centre. Although they do have a real person dressed up who stands outside. You can kind of see him behind me.

If you ever make it to London I would suggest a day trip to Bath- It's too beautiful to pass up.

The Globe Theatre

The New Globe Theatre is designed to look just like the Globe during Shakespeare's time. It has an open top and an old facade design. They even made the roof to look like it was thatched. The inside has a square stage, an open ground area in front for the "groundlings" or the people who stand, and then seats and boxes almost all the way around the stage. It's really cool to experience Shakespeare in a type of theatre that his generation would have as well. At the study centre we take our students to see a show there every year and make sure they get to experience on the ground! We also have a couple of different classes right now who are seeing many different Shakespeare plays while they're here.

Last night was my first show at the Globe. I saw "As You Like It." They try to perform them more like they would've in Shakespeare's time with limited set and limited costume changes. Changing your hat or jacket can mean that you are now a different character. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the performances. I didn't even mind standing! I'm looking forward to more shows at the Globe this summer. We're seeing Much Ado About Nothing and All's Well that Ends Well. I'll probably try and see Hamlet on my own as well since it's one of my favorites!

How Romantic

The other night Luke went into the bathroom to get ready for bed and yelled to me 'It looks like our toothbrushes are about to make out.' I went to the bathroom to investigate and we both started laughing! From every angle it looked like they were getting a little cozy. It's just a cute pic I though I would share!
Luke and I take our oral care very seriously! I usually try to brush for 2 minutes and after he noticed he has also upped his time. We've also been trying (off and on) to keep one another accountable for flossing! I've fallen in love with flossing :) his mom is a dental hygienist so I know she'll be proud as well as mine when I get my teeth cleaned next! Which mom do you want to go ahead and book that for August when I get back? Thanks!

Southbank Festivals

The other wknd I was walking around and decided to see a show (I do this often). So I grabbed my ticket and walked a short distance to the Southbank to see if there was a festival taking place since I had some time to kill. Of course there was!! There was so much food I couldn't decide on what to eat, but finally having good American BBQ won over. This sandwich was amazing! The drink looks better than it actually was, but it was such a nice day outside that I tried to enjoy it all :) After this I decided to go check out Southbank every wknd, but that hasn't actually happened yet. Too bad I missed the chocolate festival!!! It was the wknd I went to Valencia and then I was too sick to go. O well! I still love visiting Southbank on the wknds.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Since I'm in London I can't wish you all a proper Happy Mother's Day so my blog post will have to suffice. I would like to thank all the women who over the years have helped raise me into the adult I am today. (Yes, I am and adult, I know it's hard to believe). Thank you for supporting, loving, and encouraging to follow my dreams and for always being there throughout my softball games, theatre performances, and graduations! I've posted pictures of some of those that have greatly influenced my life! Some of them are old because I lost a lot of pictures when I sent my computer in to get the mic fixed :(  But it's been fun looking through them all again!

Mom, Me, Sterling and Sissy at the Rangers Game on Mother's Day (2008)

Sissy and I again at the Ranger's Game on her first Mother's Day!

Mom and I at her 50th birthday party

Nanny and I at mom's birthday celebration

(Aunt) Stephanie and I at mom's birthday celebration

My Aunt Beth and I sharing a pint at my college graduation

And on to the next generation! No, they won't be mothers, but they have a lot of them to help raise them! And aren't they so darn cute?!? Thanks to Sissy and Wade we finally have some boys in our family :)

And the Night Goes On

After a short nap and a play I checked out Buckingham and the Abbey to see what hype was still going on. I didn't want to go anywhere near them during the day, but enjoyed my trip by night. There weren't many people around, but there was still a feeling that something grand had happened that day. 

The balcony where the 2 kisses had happened that day!

The front of Buckingham with the British Flag flying to commemorate the day.

Where the guests were arriving for the night reception! Guess my invitation got lost in the mail.

Westminster Abbey

The entrance through which all the guests arrived.

The London Eye and Big Ben behind a line of flags. The Eye is usually just lit blue, but for this night it was red, white, and blue!

The door through which the royals entered.

The Abbey was quite fun to shoot at night. The pictures came out great and you can see the grandeur of the church. This was the end to world stage wedding!