Day 18!!!

Today was just wonderful!!! We did so many exciting things!!

First off, I woke up early and went for a morning run to the park and back. It was lovely. then we took a lovely lovely boat ride to greenich, which is a city off the main river in london. It was a beautiful day for a boat ride might I add. When arriving at Greenich, we were able to see the line of the Prime Meridian!!! It was sweet. I got to stand between both hemispheres. It is also the place where everyone else sets their time off of. It was pretty neat.

AFter that, a small group of us went to Abby Road (yes, the road where the Beetles took that famous picture). And we totally replicated their picture. It was extremely entertaining trying to do that with oncoming traffic coming from both ways, and with other ppl trying to take the same picture! hahaha. But nonetheless, we go the picture, and I think it turned out pretty nicely if you ask me :) And now we are back at our flatts. I'm thinking of going for another run, but I'm not sure. I'm actually pretty hungry, so I'll prb just eat. lol! Hope you guys are doing amazing... I miss you all so much

Day 17!!

so today was an adventure. We had to be ready at 730am in order to go to the "Dover Castle." This place was beautiful! It was right on the water. This is where a lot of war with the british took place. My favorite part of the castle were the underground war tunnels. They were soo cool. We were able to see who did what, in each area of the tunels. After that we once again explored the castle. It was super fun. hahaha.

After the castle, we then went to the city of Canterberry, and went to the cathedral there. We stayed for the "Evening song" which was very neat and interesting to see. The choir was SO beautiful, it sounded like angels and it was made up of boys that looked the age of 7-12yrs old. It was def. a neat experience. Then we arrived home at about 830pm, and we all just chilled for the night! It was overall a very good day!

Day 16!

So today was a very busy day, but a fun one to say the least :D

I woke up early to have a morning run in the park and then got ready for the day. I went to the store to return some things and then we went to the Tower of London. Funny thing, I def. thought the Tower of London was this tower that you just walked up thru in order to see the whole city. welp, news flash to me... that was NOT the case. haha It was where the crowned jewels were stored, where their main military base was held in the past. It was also where ppl where torchered to death. It looked like more of a castle rather than a tower. haha. it was very interesting walking thru it and learning about it. The crown jewels were VERY cool to see as well.

After that we walked on the Tower Bridge which was awesome! It's a very cool bridge, and it was a good time.

AFter that, we then went on the "Jack the Ripper Walk." Completely awesome. Jack the Ripper murdered 5 ppl back in 1888, in the city of london, and we were able to have a guide give our group a tour about Jack the Ripper and we learned about what it was like back then in 1888 when the murders happened. it was very interesting. We then got back at around 9pm, we watched American idol, and now we're all hanging out watchign the muppets. hahaha. oh good times. Gotta wake up at 6am tomorrow morning. ugh. lol. we are going to see a castle tho, so it should be a great time :D

miss you guys!!

Day 15 :D

So today we woke up to an amazing home-cooked english breakfast. We then went to shakespear's birthplace, and was able to see the house that he was born/grew up in. It was really sweet actually. Then we walked around stratford and saw more shakespeare stuff. We then Got to go to the church which he was burried in, and we were able to see his grave.

After that, we went to a castle!!! It was AWESOME!!! we were running through it like children on a playground, it was SO fun! hahaha. It was so beautiful, with medows all around it. Def. a site I could stare at for hours.

We then went to another cathedral and headed back home. I ate a lot of food because I hadn't eaten since breakfast. but boy was it tasty. haha. And now im on here, and will be getting off shortly to hang out with everyone tonight :) I'm sad this is my last week with our study abroad group, but i am so excited to continue to travel europe :D Tomorrow we will be seeing the tower of london, and then we are going on a "jack the ripper" walk. I hear it's kinda scary, cuz this Jack guy killed a bunch of ppl??? guess I'll find out tomorrow. woo woooooo!

Day 14!

ok, so today we woke up quite early, and hopped on a bus to Oxford University. This place was awesome. It was really neat to see a COMPLETElY different college set up. This university is beautiful, let me tell you! We had a guide take us around one of the colleges, so it was really interesting learning about what the students do and live etc. After that,we went to Stratford and checked into our Bed and Breakfast. SOOOOO CUTEEEE. It was the cutest lil thing ever! haha. We then saw the shakespeare play "King Lear." let's just say it was a 4 hour play LOL. But it was cool, I won't lie. We then ate at this pub afterwards called, "The dirty duck" which was pretty sweet. We then went back to our bed and breakfast, and enjoyed the night! It was a pretty sweet day, and I was super excited to see all of shakespear's stuff the next day!

Day 13!!!!!

So today was absolutely perfect!!!

Today me and 5 other girls woke up and went to Hillsong London church! I was so excited that the other girls wanted to go with me, and literally could not wait all week to go. This Hillsong church was located in a theatre, Dominion theatre to be exact. We found it very easily, and once we got there, we instantly met ppl. They were all so nice and talked to us, and let us sit with them (3rd row.. watt wattt) This place was seriously Packed, from the first floor to the balcony. So awesome!

The worship was like I was watching a hillsong dvd... it was amazing. And the message was moving as well :) My friends loved it so much too, and we're going back next week!! I can't wait.

After church, they invited us to go have lunch in the park with a group of about 30 of them. of course we went, and it was awesome. It was really neat to actually get to know ppl from England. A few of them want to hang out later in the week actually. I'm def. hoping that will happen.

After spending time in the park, we went back to our flatts, the girls got their bathing suits on, I got my running clothes on, and we went to the park. I ran about 4 miles (soooo hottttt outsidee btw. haha) and then we tanned in the sun. it was awesome, and I loved it. haha, and now im at the internet cafe and will just be chillin it out tonight since we are going to stratford/oxford tomorrow early morning. We are staying at a cute lil' bed and breakfast, so it should be a grand time. I think we're learning about shakespeare and whatnot. fun funn. haha

I miss you guys, but I am loving it here. It's so neat experiencing a different way of living, but don't get me wrong, America def. rocks my socks.

Day 12 :D

Fee day number 2!!! Today the weather was just BEAUTIFUL!! Literally it could not have been more perfect. Not a cloud in the blue sky and it was just hot enough, but not too hot.

We headed off to a place called portabello street, which is a street with a TON of little markets and shops. oh boy was it crowded with tons of ppl. It was super fun tho! We got some gellato ice-cream and i bought some sandwiches to eat later. It was good stuff.

We then walked to St. james park again and ate lunch there. After eating we just kinda laid out in the sun, since it was so perfect outside. Oh boy did I get some sun... adn loved every bit of it!! then we got on the tube and now im here. We are all going out tonight, so that should be a good time, but i am super stoked for tomorrow.

Tomorrow me and a couple of others are going to Hillsong - London church!!! I'm sooo excited, hahah I've been waitng like all week to go. I couldn't go last week cuz i was in Scotland, woops. hahah. But yes, I will def. be telling you guys more about that experience tomorrow. Righ tnow im going to search for it to find the directions. LOL. ttys. love and miss all of you!!! :D

Day 11!

Free weekendddddd :D

So this weekend, we didn't have anything planned with our professor (yes, this is a study abroad trip lol) so I was super excited to just do whatever we wanted :D

Today we went to this museum that we decided to go to because we had to finish a homeowrk assignment. It was quite entertaining to say the least. It was a victorian museum and we couldn't find any of the rooms we needed. haha we seriously had to ask the workers like every 10min where to go. It was awesome. After that, in the courtyard of the museum we ran throu the fountain water and just sat and enjoyed the beauty/air/ppl. I love watching the little kids here, so picture perfect.

After the museum, we decided to go to St. James park to eat lunch... beautiful, I felt like i was in a movie. ppl everywhere just sitting in little circles enjoying eachother's company eating lunch. We sat there for awhile, walked around and then decided to find this cleopatra needle thing (it was in steph's 25 things to see in london) we basically wanted to find it just to see if we could, and....we found it!hahah, we felt so accomplished. Then we decided to navigate to another park, and this one was even more beautiful! it had a river with paddle boats and canoes. So awesome. We sat and talked on a bench there for ahwile, then headed home. Went for a run in another park and then we had a big spegghetti dinner alltogheter. It was fun :)

Pretty much to some the day, I love parks here. It's like those scenes in movies that you say to yourself (if only places like that really exist) ...welp, they in fact DO exist! :D

day 10!!

So today We actually got to sleep in a little bit :) Woke up around 10am so that my friend katie and I could go running in the park. It was SUCH a beautiful day today. After the run, we got ready and went to a walking tour, which was actually pretty interesting! Then we went out to dinner and now we are all deciding on what to do for our free weekend :D

London is awesome, but I'm definitely ready to move on to the other countries! Just one more week. We have pretty fun stuff scheduled for our last week in london this week comin up, so it shoudl be fun. I just wish that I was able to text/call my friends and family without it costing so much. It's weird having like absolute no communication with family/friends except for the small amounts of time i have to go on the internet.

So, if any of you feel that you want to send a message, please do so!! haha! I miss everyone, but I am loving it here, and I'm thankful for this experience :D

Day 9!!!!

So day 9 started off excitingly. we woke up at about 830am and left for Wimbeldon to see the real tennis courts!! ahhh I was so excited. I play tennis, so that is prb a great deal as to why. We got off the stop and had to walk for about 15 min. to find the building.

We ended up getting to see the Center Court, which is the court where all the final tennis matches are played. I was seriously on Cloud 9, it was so exciting. We then went to a history museum of the Wimbeldon courts. This was really neat because we were able to learn about the past tennis players and see the equipment they used to use etc. I really enjoyed it. :)

Then we had to go back to do another group history tour of london thing... lets just say im glad that was the last history outdoor tour thingie wiht our tour guide Ingrid. haha. My favorite part of the tour was when we got to see the "Changing of the Guards." And the funny the funny thing is, is that we werent even supposed to see it. I just ran over there because i wanted to and other's followed. haha. it was really neat tho to see how precise they do the changing of the guards for the palace. I'm really glad \I got to see it. So after I'm on the internet here, most of our group is going to go out and just have a good time around London tonight... I'm really pumped :) I will try and come on here more often :D I miss everyone so much!!

Day 8!!!

So Day 8, was the beginning of our second week here in London. I coudln't believe that we have been here for a week already, yet it seems like I know the city so well. Though we've only been here a short time, it feels as if I've lived here for years.

So today, we woke up and went to westiminster Abby. This was a beautiful cathedral. It is also where the Coronation of the Kings and Queens take place! I thought that was really interesting. Isaac Newton was burried in there as well. I was pumped to see his memorial and grave. AFter the cathedral, we went on a walk/history tour of the town. That part wasn' the most interesting. lol. We then went to a play called, "The War Horse." It was AMAZING. We all LOVED it. It was such a great story, and the acting was wonderful :) So far week two was startign out wonderfully!

Day 7.. Scotland continued!!!

We woke up around 9am so that we could get our last day of Scotland started early. I forgot to mention that there are literally bagpipers EVERYWHERE. hahaha. I seriously LOVED it!!! I couldn't help but do a little river dance everytime I would hear it. Oh and if you're reading this, right now youtube the "Red hot chile pipers" <--not peppers... pipers! SOOOOO GOOOOOD!! haha. anyway, we woke up and decided to go the Edinburgh castle. It was amazing! I've never beein to a castle before so to go inside one and read all of the history, was awesome. We even got to see the crown, sceptor and sword from way back when. It was the real deal because the doors were safes in the room that held the jewels. I loved it. After the castle, we ate at an italian pizzaria (soo cheap) and had literally the best pizza ever. I ate so much. haha. We then caught our train ride and headed home.

I felt that this weekend trip to Scotland was a huge accomplishment (as lame as that might sound). I think it was because my 2 friends and I did everything ourselves with no help from anyone else. We bought our tickets, found our train and traveled to another country together. Found a hostel and navigated through a different country and had an amazing time while doing it. It was a spur of the moment decision and I think that is wat made the experience so much better. I couldn't thank God enough for keeping us safe! Scotland was definitly the highlight of my Eurotrip so far :)

Day 6... SCOTLAND

Day 6 was awesome... complete adventure to say the least.

My roommates and I all woke up at 430am. There was a group going to paris (I'll be there in a few weeks) and a few of us went to scotland. our train left at 615am. Half awake, we got to our train with 5 min. to spare lol and found our seats. I seriously couldn't believe that I was traveling to another country with just 2 other friends my age (I was actually the oldest... scary thought eh? haha) Anyway, I was super excited, cuz this was like a complete adventure. We honestly had no idea what we wanted to do in Scotland. All we know is that we were goign there and we had a hostel to stay in. lol The train ride was about 5 hours, amazinggg view, the ride was awesome. Cept for the fact some guy from Egypt randomly sat by me after one of the stops about 3.5 hours in, but it wasn't too awkward. lol. but we made it there safely.

walking out of the train station, we were like... umm where do we go. Us 3 were just like, "idk... lets just go!" haha. It was awesome. I can't describe to you the amazing beauty of Scotland. Green rolling hills, old historic buildings, castles and the nicest people ever! We first went to eat somewhere, then went to find our hostel. To be completely honest, my first reaction to when we found the door to our hostel, I couldn't stop laughing. You just hear all these bad/weird things about hostels, and knowing that I was staying in one was for some reason quite comical to me. I was pumped for it tho. We went in, and it was completely safe and I was happy!

Then we went on a bus tour so that we could get an overall look of the city. We decided that first we must climb arthur's hill (where "king arthur's" seat lies.) haha. It was suchh a beautiful mountian, and ridiculously tall (pictures will be up) so we decided to do that! realizing that I only had these 2 dollar flip flops and kali had flats on... we still decided to do the climb. lol seriously, climbing that mountain was one of the most amazing things ever. We were able to see the whole city of Endinbugh, Scotland. It was actually pretty difficult, and the top was supperrrrr windy, I thought I was going to fall over. haha. But it was an experience I will never forget.

We then went to a Pub at night, and it was SOO fun! I met some Rugby players and talked with them a bit about Rugby and Scotland. They were quite upset we were going to be in London for 3 weeks and Scotland for a weekend.There was live music and we danced with the scotish ppl singing songs. Pretty much amazing. Poeple from scotland are seriously so nice and geniune. I definitely LOVE that city and would go back in a heartbeat.

We then returned to our hostel, and I won't lie, I became a bit nervous about what random ppl would be staying in our room. lol. us three go in and there is this elderly scotish man (about 57maybe?) he seemed normal tho, So i wasn't too worried. Then about 30 min. later, 3 girls walked in. (Now we saw these girls boarding the train to scotland, because I asked them for help as to where we were going. lol) so We were like omggg you are the girls from the train!! We all were instantly pumped and relieved. They were from New York, and we chatted for about an hour or so. We also met a girl from spain. Being in Europe gives you so many opportunities to meet ppl from everywhere. It's quite amazing. So then I fell asleep, and that was day 6! :D

Day 5 = awesome awesome awesome (etc.) DAY!!!

so far, day 5 is my absolute favorite!!

First off, we had to be outside our flats at 8am... way early. haha. We left on our bus for Stonehenge. I was honestly so excited to see this. When getting there, the site was just unbelievable. It was SOO wonderful to see the countryside of England, rather than just the city of London. Don't get me wrong, London is wonderful, but the countryside is definitely what I love love love. Seeing stonehenge was just remarkable. Trying to figure out how they placed those stones on top of eachother just blows my mind. They are massive!! We took some entertaining pictures, and it was a great time.

After stonehenge, we went to a city called, Sainsberry (prb spelled wrong) I believe. It was honestly one of the most beautiful places ever. It had a huge old midevil cathedral, with rolling hills, rivers and old, but very nice houses. SUCH a beautiful place.

We then, went to the Roman city of Bath. this was by far my favorite. So amazing. The structure of the city was just awesome. Pictures are definitely needed in order to describe. Let's just say, if I ever became wealthy, I would buy a house here. lol. My friend Katie and I kinda walked around on our own because we wanted to actually "see" the city, and not just shop like most of everyone else. lol. It was so cool. We found some sweet tennis courts within one of the parks. and were able to see these awesome flats that were layed out in a HUGE half circle formation. After that we actually went into the Roman Baths. That was such a cool thing. We were able to see the great bath and the hot springs that were STILL there from thousands of years ago. of course my camera died after i took abnout 2 pictures of the Roman baths, but you win some you lose some. lol It was still pretty awesome. None of us wanted to leave this city. It was just a site to see and not one to be forgotten.

oh and tomorrow... I'M GOING TO SCOTLAND!! I'm so excitedd, I can't even contain myself! My 2 friends and I are leaving london at 5am to hopefully catch our train at 6:20am (we can catch the next one at 7am if we miss it) the tube doesn't open till 5:20 tho, so we will be cuttin it close. Takes about 5 hours to get there, and i'm so excited for the view in the train :D! Gosh I can't wait. I prb won't be on the internet till I get back, but maybe there Will be internet where we stay in scotland!

Miss you guys!

DAY 4 =D

okay, so day 4 was awesomeeeee... we did quite a bit :D

To start, I went for my morning jog with my friend kayla... once again, beautiful as always. Then we went to St. Paul's Cathedral. Oh my word does that place just put you in awe. we were able to learn about the history of the church and why/when it was built. When walking to the top of the dome in the cathedral (528 steps) it was the most amazing view of London that could possibly ever be seen. also, inside the cathedral upstairs of the dome... if you whisper along the wall to someone on the opposite side, you can TOTALLY hear them! haha, it was honestly soo flippin' cool, it could have entertained me for hours. A really neat part, dealing with America inside the church is a memorial for all of our soilders that aided the british in WWI I beleive. they had a stain-glass window with a symbol for each of the 50 states. It was really neat.

After St. Paul's, we went to to a flat and talked with a leader in parliment about the UK government. It was definitely interesting to hear the differences of the UK government with the USA one. I find it fascinating that they don't have a written constitution like we do, they just base their government off tradition. sooo differentttt

Then, after that we went to a play shakespeare play, "twelfth night." It was a different play, yet extremely entertaining nonetheless. It was definitely a cool experience tho! so with that.. .day four was a pretty solid day, but NOTHING compared to day 5 :D

DAY 3!!!

ok, so I will upload pictures on my blog soon (Adam Baudoux) I keep forgetting to bring my camera chord. lol

ps: day 3 was AWESOME :D... woke up at 7am, got about 3 hours of sleep. went running at Hyde park againnnnn, and it was wonderful!! I ran around the river and it was just awesome. We then got ready and went to Hamptons Court (Henry VIII's palace) It was sooooo bigg, and absolutely gorgeous. we spent a few hours there, and then walked around the town a bit!! After that, we went to the travel agency and planned our trip to Scotland for THIS weekend :D I'm literally so excited to go there and see legitimate castles! =)now, I am eating spaghetti served by our friend Jeremy and miguel. it's soooo goood, considering we've barely ate all day!! Excited for tomorrow, it's a full day planned.

DAY 2 !!

Woke up at 7am... never felt better, had an amazing night of sleep! Decided to go for a run in Hyde park. This park is HUGE and so beautiful, let me tell you. filled with dogs, bikers, runners... it's like you're in happy land. haha I'm definitely going to be running there more often :D! We then got ready and went to the British museum. On our walk to the tube (undergroun transportation) this drunk irish man started yelling to/at my professor about us being Americans. it was the funniest thing ever. haha, but anyway, the british museum, This is the first public museum in the WORLD. pretty sweet eh?? I thought so... in the useum we got to see things from the bible to egyptian mummies to greece/Rome sculptures to the rosetta stone. |Pretty neat stuf!! after the museum, my frends kalie an dmiguel went to a student travel agency to igure out our trip to scotland this weekend. :D! I'm pretty excited and I hope the trip works out! we then went back to our rooms... ate dinner and we are actually about to go out or the night when I get of here. Can't wait for tomorrow, I miss everyone so much, but Europe is truly an amazing place :D

DAY 1!!!!!

London... amazing is all that comes to mind. This city is full of so much history, people and life! so awesome...

Plane ride:
So day one was aesome and it all began with the 8 hour plane ride. Nothing short o interesting happened with that flight. lol Knowing that my seat was going to be COMPLETELY away from the rest of the 25ppl in our group (because i had a different ticket) was a little bit nerve racking, but nonetheless, I was ready to meet some strangers. lol As I sit in my seat (D43) I'm in the middle(est) seat in the whole plane. as far from the window and isle and you can get. hahaha but once i sat down, a guy named J.D. sat next to me and we instantly started having conversation. I was happy, and it was really neat sharing each other's traveling stories and goals. After having about an hour convo. I became distracted by the fact that AVATAR was a movie choice on my personal TV and since I've never seen it before, I decided to watch it. Great great movie btw. So then in the middle of my movie, J.D. asked me to pause it, and had asked me if i wanted a bracelet or anklet. I'm like.. ughh, what?? and then i realized he had made me this sweet hemp bracelet on the plane while i was watching the movie. I couldn't believe it, I was so excited! haha. I mean, how many ppl can say a stranger on a plane hemps them a bracelet?? what a great first experience I'd say :)

LONDON:
Then once finally seeng the city of London, I absolutely fell in love. so much history, palaces and just ppl everywhere. Being so exhausted from no sleep and with the time change, we decied to tay in or the night and just sleep. Best idea ever i'd say....

just moments...

It's midnight before I leave...
excited,
nervous,
thrilled,
scared,
happy,
ecstatic...just a few words explaining how I feel.

I am just truly thankful to God right now for giving me this opportunity. I feel as if I don't deserve it, but I'm so thankful. I hope to be a light, and I'm so excited to see God's beauty in Europe... just so excited.

I don't usually get nervous about a lot of things... but I'm not gonna lie, I am a lil' nervous. But I think it makes the experience all the more better :) Can't wait to blog about my adventures, so stay tuned....


God Bless :)

akd;bfajdbga'kdsb;gasdlf'ds

and the wings score AGAIN!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

3 days...

So right now, I'm currently watching the Wings game with my mom, and oh mylanta we just scored 4 goals in 12 min!!!! haha we're going kinda crazy. I hope we score at least 10 more...

3 days from now I will be in EUROPE... it's FINALLY starting to feel real. Everytime I think about it my heart races, cuz i'm just so excited!!! I cannot wait to be able to see the things I've been searching online in REAL LIFE. hahah :D

Not going to lie though... I am going to miss my friends/family very much. It does stink that I have been away at school for 8 months and was only able to spend a week at home, and now im leaving again.

I'm so thankful to everyone who is already praying for my travels and my time there... I appreciate it so much, and I hope God will use me in ways that I would have never imagined.

:)... I'm just soooooo giddy!

6 days...

It has been forever since I've wrote on here, but during my travels I am going to try and blog a few times a week =)

It is now currently SUMMER and I am sooo happy about that. This school year was honestly the hardest year for me, and to know that 2 years from now I will be a registered Nurse, feels amazing :)

6 days from now I will be in Europeeeeee... I am seriously SO thrilled beyond belief. Words can't even describe how I feel. I'm truly blessed and thankful to God for giving me this opportunity. I hope and pray that it is an experience of a lifetime. I've been waiting to go on this trip for so long... it's almost unreal that it's actually here!! I will be blogging as much as I can so that ppl can know how I'm doing, and just for entertainment purposes. haha

Prayers and definitely welcomed and needed :)