Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow...

Okay so this is gonna have to be a quickie cause I'm EXHAUSTED. This will be my last post until sunday probably. After class tomorrow I'm getting on a plane and backpacking through scotland for the week with 5 other girls! So exciting! Wish I'd been getting more sleep though because chances are I won't sleep much in our sketchy hostels... I think we're staying in a room with 15 other girls in bunk beds? Yeah, definitely bringing earplugs and sleeping with my backpack on. (I'll be careful mom, I promise. It's actually gotten really good reviews! Don't be worried!)
But the point is, I'm bringing as little as possible meaning no computer. Goodbye modern world! Goodbye civilization! Hello beautiful hikes and abandoned castles and Lochness monster. I will take pictures I promise!

So recently I've had this weird thing happen where instead of getting songs stuck in my head I am getting shakespeare monologues and soliloquies stuck in there. Kind of annoying when I'm trying to focus on something and hamlet is running through my head... Anyways I blame my high school english teacher. He made us memorize all that stuff forever ago and by some miracle it's all still in there! Fully intact! I had no idea until I started reading all these plays again and found I could quote them perfectly. (Difficult to do without sounding pretentious so usually just in my head) Good old useless information... just kidding I secretly love it. Part of me still wishes I were an english major. Shhh don't tell my sociology teachers :-)
Anyways, here's a piece from macbeth that I've been thinking about lately. It's about time, which always seems to be getting away from me...

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing!

Kind of dark. I promise I'm not depressed :-) But I just love it.

Also, we had a tea party today! I can't do a post with no pictures! Especially considering most of you probably don't read what I write. Oh well. This is my substitute for journal writing at the moment so no obligations or anything.


We decided to do a tea party in hyde park for all the people who are having birthdays while we're here! This is the layout. Everyone contributed something. It actually worked out because most of us had food we wanted to get rid of since we're leaving for the week.


This is my contribution. I cut up some carrots and my friend, kristen, made the dip.


Mango mandarin tea...delicious


The party tree!


Kind of an awkward picture of me but it's the only one. Ah well, you work with what you've got.

Until next week!

"It's a dangerous thing, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you'll be swept off to." (Name that quote!)

My Brighton Beach Memoirs...

Oh wonderful delightful sunny goodness! I love the beach! Love love love it. Even without the sand, surfing, and swimming just being near the ocean does something to me. Breathing the salty air and staring out at the water just makes me feel at home for some reason. It's weird! I didn't even grow up all that close to the beach. Manhattan was the closest and that was like 30 minutes away but for some reason the kelley babies were definitely raised as beach bums. It's my Hawaii dad and Laguna mom no doubt :-)

When we first got to London a couple weeks ago I mentioned the idea of a Brighton Beach day trip to a few people and today that idea blossomed into a full-fledged outing with at least half our group. If you go to the train station in the morning after peak-hour you can buy 4 tickets for the price of two (pretty sweet deal if you ask me). So me and about 15 other people took an hour long train ride to Brighton, not really knowing what was there besides some pier and palace thingy. We were just along for the ride.
Here's how the day progressed...


Walking out the tunnel towards the beach...




...and gloriousness. To be honest, I could have done with a little more heat and a little less wind but that's about it. The sun was shining and that's all you really need. So I wasn't sure how I'd feel about a rocky european beach and it's true, I've been spoiled with our beautiful Laguna beaches, but this was such a completely different atmosphere and I loved it.
Here's a brief history of Brighton for those of you who are curious...
It emerged as a health resort in the 18th century. People went there because apparently Brighton water has special properties.
It became the favorite spot of George IV who went there as a teenager and fell in love. He made it a very fashionable place and had his seaside farm torn down and replaced with this.

The Royal Pavilion. A lavish chinese/indian structure where he hosted parties and spared no expense. It was kind of random and out of place in this beach community but that sort of made it all the cooler. As much as it pained me to spend money, I figured, how often am I in Brighton?, and decided to pay for the tour. Excellent decision. I had a little audio set that guided me through the house and told me its history. So worth it. I wish I'd been allowed to take pictures inside so I could show you guys how crazy it was! In the dining hall alone there was this massive 30-foot long chandelier that weighed about a ton. So cool. Made out of gold and hanging from the claws of this huge dragon. These places really intrigue me because it just makes me wonder, who were these people? How crazy that they actually lived here?

Another cool Brighton spot is the pier.






This pier was soooo old and so cool. Apparently it used to be way classier and it's gotten kind of trashy in recent years? That's what people said. I could kind of see that I guess. The arcade was obnoxious. But really? This place had such character and I thought it was awesome. Really fun to get out of the city and go to this environment. This pier was originally built in 1899 along with the West Pier built in 1866 that burned down like 20 years ago. That was also cool. You could see it's skeleton.

So these piers are basically the original gangsters. They are what all the other piers are designed off of including Coney Island and Malibu. I loved how historic and "real" it felt and I loved that it wasn't a museum but was still a theme park and a place people enjoyed.






Here are some pictures of the cool old rides that they had. I wanted to go on all of them but unfortunately funds were limited and most of the rides were things we have in America... but I did allow myself to try the haunted house train. Curiosity got the better of me! You can't look at that building and not wonder what's inside! So me and my friend ashlee decided to do it an I LOVED it. There was cheesy music and ghoulish laughter and little tassels hitting me in the face (I think they were supposed to be spiderwebs) and these bloody looking zombie dolls that kept popping out at you. Some would have gotten off and asked themselves, why did I pay three pounds for that? I got off and wanted to do it again. I thought it was just brilliant.

I also had my first fish and chips today! We've all been looking for the right time and place to partake in this London tradition and today was that time and the pier was that place. It just felt so appropriate to be eating greasy delicious food on the old pier. I thoroughly enjoyed my fish and chips. There are American foods that I definitely prefer more....(In-n-out)...but I'm not opposed to the cod fish and while I'm here I might go try it again :-)

Over all a very successful day. It's always sad leaving these days wondering if you'll ever get to go back to these places again, but that's what pictures are for right?? Don't you love modern technology?

A little piece of heavenly goodness

So I love the city of London. Just in case that wasn't already clear I thought I would state it again. I LOVE THIS CITY. But today I found my other love: the countryside. We left the hustle and bustle of crowded trains and fast cars and took a train to the LDS temple in Lingfield. The train ride was only 45 minutes but it was through some of the most beautiful countryside. So picturesque. And apparently they are having one of the warmest springs on record so the weather was just glorious.
The temple was a really small humble building. The rooms were small and there wasn't a lot of ornamentation... but then there was this...

The temple grounds were right out of a fairy-tale. There were flowers and trees and a small path leading through the woods, a dark pond and a fountain with a few white ducks and a bridge. I decided that it was a little piece of heaven and for about an hour we were able to walk around and take pictures.
Here's a few favorites...





The flowers were all in bloom and SO vivid. I couldn't help snapping a few shots...


This is from when we were waiting for the train. I felt like Anne of Green Gables waiting for Matthew Cuthbert to come pick me up in a horse and buggy... :-)

This is a shot of the countryside while I was on the train. Most of the time the view was being blocked by trees but every so often a gap would open up and we would all just gasp. So beautiful. I would love to have a weekend just to go out and explore these little country towns and go horseback riding through the hills (sounds cheesy but that's more or less all I've ever wanted my entire life. A horse, no saddle necessary, and a beautiful countryside to ride through.)

And this is a little roommate picture with my bunkmates cami and camille. We have fun together :-)

I feel like I have so much to be grateful for. I don't even know where to start. I love my family and miss them and my friends, but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world. Most of all I am eternally grateful to my parents for allowing me to have this adventure. Without their help this would never be possible. Ever. Thanks mommy and pops :-)
I owe you big time! Maybe I'll take you to the british countryside when you're old and retired and I'm living in Greenwich Village with my wealthy millionaire husband.

10 Day Mark!

Hello all!
So I've been here for about 10 days now, which is kind of hard to believe. Remember how I said those first few days dragged out and I felt like I'd been here for weeks? Now I can't believe how fast time is going! I know I still have more than 4 weeks left but it's still kind of weird. What should I do with my remaining time? We've already hit up most of the tourist sites...I guess I'll just have to get creative now :-)
So things are finally starting to slow down, meaning that we don't go out from dawn until dusk anymore. People are feeling more relaxed and we kind of aren't rushing as much which is a good thing! I think it's finally hit us that we aren't just tourists, we're students. We LIVE here. At least for the time being so it's time to start acting like Londoners!
The last really touristy thing we did was take the Big Bus tour around London. It was included in the price of our program so that was kind of cool. Here are some pictures!


This is the Big Bus! One of those classic, you sit on the top and listen to a tour guide on the microphone. I know, how lame can you get, but it was actually really cool! He had a lot of interesting facts. For example, he pointed out the lingerie store where the Queen buys her knickers :-)

This is St. Paul's Cathedral which is literally one of my FAVORITE places in the world. We didn't have enough time on this trip to do the tour or hike up to the top but I will definitely be going back to do that soon



This is the Tower Bridge! Such a beautiful structure. One picture is from driving on it and another is from the ferry which was included in the bus tour. What more could you ask for?

These are the lovely ladies I went with. Driving past Big Ben!


This is a random skate park we saw next to the national theater. I thought it was kind of rad...gave me a strange urge to paint something?


A couple other random pictures...one in Hyde park and the other on Millennium Bridge

Midnight reflections...

Hello friends!
It's midnight here and I should probably be going to sleep so I will make this short! I'm sorry I haven't written for the past couple of days. It has been complete madness. And I did put a bunch of pictures on Facebook so that counts for something!!
Since it's fast sunday I've had the chance to reflect upon the week and all the things that I'm grateful for. I absolutely love it here. I feel like me and London are meant to be. We are made for each other. This city knows me so well! I've only been here for a couple days but I honestly feel like I've lived here for years, that's how wonderful it is. The week before I departed I was up every night stressing out and worrying about how it would be. I was so scared for no reason at all about making friends, and budgeting money, and doing homework. Don't get me wrong, I was excited too. I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything:-)
But now I'm realizing that fear was ridiculous. The homework is sometimes a lot but I think I can manage, everything is expensive but I'm learning how to budget, and the people are absolutely amazing. I already feel comfortable with almost every person here. They are all just as excited as I am and just as willing to go out and get lost in the city.
I've also discovered that my alone time is something I value more than anything. I love every second I spend with my new friends but my favorite day so far is actually one I spent alone. I decided to go walk around Hyde Park, which is literally right across the street from where I live. I listened to music and took pictures and watched the people who were there for the royal wedding. Even though I was alone in a strange city I felt completely at peace. I found this beautiful little bench by the pond that was dedicated to an author whose works I haven't read but for that moment I felt connected to him. I wrote briefly in my journal then sat and read for a while and was just in heaven. Eventually my peace was broken by a Nigerian man who had decided to come talk to me. At first I was a little annoyed, all I wanted to do was read, but it actually ended up being a great experience. He asked me what I was doing in London and I told him about the BYU study abroad program. We talked about Shakespeare for a bit and then we ended up discussing religion for a good three hours. We stayed on that bench until it began to get dark then we went our separate ways, both the better for having met. To me, that's what traveling is about. It's stepping out of your comfort zone and having experiences that surprise you. While my first instinct was to get up and find a new bench, I stayed and very quickly felt at peace again talking to my new friend. He shared some of his thoughts, we debated a few issues, then we both talked about how we still believe that there are miracles on this Earth. I shared my testimony of Christ and the Book of Mormon, which is something I don't do often enough, and by some miracle he didn't think I was crazy for doing it. Just the opposite actually. He considers himself to be a very spiritual man who is also rational and has been jumping around from church to church trying to figure out what works for him. When I left the park I wasn't sure if I'd ever see this man again. I told him I'd be at church at 1 o clock on sunday and he told me he'd try to make it but was probably too busy.
Lo and behold he was there. I nearly fell out of my seat during our testimony meeting today when I saw a small, out of place figure approaching the stands. Miracle of miracles, it was my friend! He got up and talked about how he enjoyed the spirit of our church and how he had met some of it's members recently who were able to answer some of his questions. He talked about how he thought Joseph Smith was a brave man for sharing his dreams with the world. He didn't seem judgmental or put-off by the story of the first-vision, but instead said said that he'd began to read the Book of Mormon and found it interesting. After the meeting I went up and shook his hand. I smiled and thanked him for coming then brought him to the missionaries who took him through the next two meetings. He had initially only planned on staying for sacrament meeting so it was great to see him again after priesthood. He has such a sweet spirit and such an intelligent and eager mind. Seriously, that man is educated and I honestly felt intimidated by him at times, though he listened to my opinions respectfully.
I don't know how he will progress or where his path will take him. He made plans to meet with the missionaries again on wednesday. They are supposed to call me to see if I can sit in on their discussions and hopefully everything goes well. I know that sometimes these things fall through and I am prepared for that. I sincerely hope that he recognizes that what he is looking for is in the LDS church. Nothing would make me happier than to meet with him again on Wednesday, but for the moment I am content with what I have already been given. I feel so blessed to have had the experience of meeting this interesting man.
Well, there about a billion other stories I could tell you from this first week but hopefully a picture is worth a thousand words because I don't have time! Haha, I just re-read this post and saw that at the beginning I promised to make it short. Sorry 'bout that!! Oh well. Good night!

This is the bench where I sat and spoke to that man. Definitely a new favorite spot. I'll be going there to read as often as possible from now on :-)









Also, these are some pictures from Portobello road and of some of the girls in my group. I had the best belgian waffle of my life on this day :-)