Long Time No Post

Well hello. 

Today I randomly decided to check out my blog for the first time in forever and realized it has been a LONG time since I have posted. I must admit that I am glad I blogged the few times I did while I was in London. I may have teared up while reading through them tonight. It is so weird how I have forgotten so much from study abroad already. My few posts reminded me of many small details, which then triggered more memories to come to mind. I love it and miss London everyday…that is not an exaggeration. It was the best experience of my life and I am so glad I did it. I would NEVER say one bad thing about doing a study abroad program. Besides coming home absolutely broke, I cannot think of one reason to not travel the world (and even that shouldn't stop you, it was worth every penny). I am extremely blessed for getting to to do something like that and I am even more blessed by how perfectly everything has fallen into place since I got home. That is no coincidence. That is what happens when you are doing what is right and what you know you are supposed to be doing.

Anyway, obviously I am home from London (I have been for about 9 months now) and am living a MARRIED life now. 

I don't even know where to start because so much happens in 9 months. I am going to try and keep this blog updated from now on. And When I say updated, I mean like once a month-ish (if you're lucky). Maybe one day I will even go through and blog about everything from getting engaged to married life in detail (for those who care). Even though I have written in my journal about everything, typing is so much faster and I can make the story that much better. To be honest, I don't even care if people read this (no offense if you are one of the few that do read it), but I just want it for my self. 

Is that selfish? 

Whoops. 

Also, I just now decided that if I am actually going to start this blogging thing, my page needs some MAJOR transformations done on it. I am not so good with that stuff so it will take time. And just for those of you that probably think I am hopping on the bandwagon of attempting to become a successful blogger… 

you're wrong.

I have other dreams that I am trying to accomplish and I say that in no offense to other bloggers out there. More power to you. I wish people cared enough about my life, what I am wearing and where I am traveling to assemble large amounts of followers and make money doing it.

A little update on me/us… We are doing well and are happier than ever. Being married is the best, especially when it is to the sweetest guy. Not to mention your best friend. Everyone says that, but I mean it. Give me just a moment to brag. I don't know if any other man in this universe would be able to handle being married to me. Kass is the all time best. He keeps up with my anxiety, constant chatting, random thought processes, crazy ideas and emotional swings. He works harder than anyone I know,  goes to school full time, works out everyday, is always one step ahead on his homework, helps me make dinner/clean/anything I ask, and still manages to find time to spend with me and make me feel like there is nothing else on this earth. Being married is definitely a challenge and our marriage is not perfect (anyone that says otherwise is lying). It has almost been 6 months and I think we are getting the hang of it (kinda). Life throws you curve balls and your plans can change on a whim but you keep shoveling and things somehow work out. 

Here are some pictures, so if you didn't make it this far reading, there is at least something to look at.

Sorry if you are sick of wedding pictures, I am still a little obsessed with looking at them.

  Isn't he handsome?

I sure think so. 

xoxo, 

Christina

j'adore Paris

So I have a new favorite city. This past week was spent in the beautiful city of Paris, France. On Monday morning we had to get up at 4:30am to catch the first train to France. Going through customs was actually fun because I got my first stamp in my passport! Exciting right? After we checked into our hotel, we headed straight to Notre Dame Cathedral. It had gorgeous stain glass windows and an incredible view of all of Paris. I fell in love with Paris here because it was where I saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time. Dani, Chelsea, Hayley and I then headed into the Latin Quarter to find a Patisserie, I experienced my first French chocolate croissant... it was delicious to say the least.  We then wandered to the Pantheon, which is another huge building where many famous people are buried. It was really nice because our program provided us with a 5-day metro and museum pass so we were able to get into almost everywhere for free. From the Pantheon we decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower. If you’ve never been to Paris then you wouldn’t know that this is a VERY long walk but we wanted to see as much of the city as we could. We passed through the Luxembourg Park, which was beautiful. There were little buds on the trees. We saw the statue that the Statue of Liberty was copied from. My first experience at the Eiffel Tower is one that I will never forget. We were there around sunset and got to watch the sun go down behind the Eiffel Tower. The sky was clear and blue and had fluffy dark clouds with sun shining between them. It had rained earlier in the day so there were puddles everywhere and you could see the reflection of the tower in them. We could not stop taking pictures as the sun went down and it began to light up. Then we crossed under the tower to the other side. When we were on the bridge crossing the Seine, we stopped to take a picture for another group of tourists when the Eiffel Tower began to sparkle. I literally gasped and at the same exact moment it began to pour rain. Within a second we were all drenched and were running to find cover in a souvenir shop that had a descent view of the tower. It was literally like a scene from a movie. Perfect.

            Tuesday morning was spent going to the Musée de Rodin and Musée d’Orsay. A group of us then headed to Love Lock Bridge, which is a place I have seen on Pinterest and have always wanted to go. The tradition is to “lock” your love to the bridge and then throw the key into the river below. Obviously I put Kass’ and my initials on it… so hopefully that means we are forever J it was really cute and I got some good pictures. Maybe one day I’ll be able to go back with Kass and find it one day. We went to the Arc de Triomphe and walked around the Champs Elysées. It was pouring rain again so we decided to get some macaroons in Ladurée. Macaroons aren’t my favorite but I’ll admit the pistachio flavor was pretty delicious.

            On Wednesday we started at the Louvre. That place is HUGE and I couldn’t get through the whole thing if I spent a week there. So, instead I chose a few big things (Mona Lisa) to see and then just wandered for the rest of the time. I headed to the Musée de l'Orangerie to see Monet murals. As a group we toured the National Opera House, it was cool but I’ll be honest… I couldn’t understand one thing our guide said. After we headed up to Montmartre. It was an amazing view of the entire city in all directions. There was a cute square where dozens of artists were selling their original paintings. Adorable. I’ll admit though, hot chocolate at Angelina’s was by far my FAVORITE part of the day. It was AAAAMAZING. I have never tasted anything so rich, creamy and delicious. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It was well worth the 8 Euros.

            On Thursday I went to Versailles. My favorite part was the garden but honestly it would have been so much more incredible in the summer because most everything was dead and bare. Versailles took most of the day so when I returned to Paris I met up with Chelsea, Dani, and McKenna for dinner. I had the best bowl of soupe à l'oignon (French onion soup) I have ever had. Friday was our last full day so me and a few of the girls decided we just wanted to wander and enjoy the city, especially because it was sunny and beautiful. We spent most our time around the Eiffel Tower riding the carousal, eating crepes, ice cream, cotton candy and any other treat we could find. We also climbed to the top. I can now check that off my bucket list.

            Paris is a lot different than London. I would go back to Paris in a heartbeat but I’m not going to lie it was nice to come HOME to London. I feel so much safer in London and am comfortable with the city, people and even the food (I know it’s a miracle).  Paris was a lot dirtier than London. Not knowing the language was difficult. I mean I know they speak French in France… obviously… but it’s really not a joke… they speak FRENCH. Sometimes when ordering food I would just have to aimlessly point at what I wanted because no one could understand me. I have no idea how to even pronounce French but it’s amazing that I survived a week only knowing 3 words (hello, thank you & excuse me).

            Sorry this is so long… but now for the food. Pretty sure all I ate the whole time I was there was sugar, carbs and more sugar with a semi-real meal here and there. The pastries and crepes were INCREDIBLE, not to mention the gelato & baguettes. Seriously though I was in heaven and I don’t think I have ever enjoyed a plain croissant more than I did in France. I probably ate 6 chocolate croissants a day, I was on a sugar high all week. London really is “home” now and a piece of my heart will forever be in London. 

Welcome to Scotland

I'm truly trying to stay on top of the blogging, its difficult and I know its not fun reading without pictures but there's nothing I can do about it (at least for now). Last week we took a tour of the Houses of Parliament. It was incredible. It honestly blows my mind to walk through these amazing places and wonder how the crap did people so long ago build such detailed and gorgeous buildings. Pictures don't do justice. I try to take pictures of the beautiful stain glass windows, wood carvings, arches, and all of the above so I can always remember how amazing they are, but it doesn't even come close to the real thing. You have to see it for yourself. 

Anyways... after I learned somewhat how the government works here, we took a lovely little ferry ride down the Thames River to Greenwich. It was surprisingly not freezing cold, chilly but manageable. Being on the water made me incredibly happy. (I am such a warm weather and water kind of girl, I learn that more and more about myself everyday here). Sitting on a boat with a even a chance of sunshine is my happy place. 

Once we got to Greenwich we ate at a fun little food market, I couldn't help but try all sorts of yummy treats (and spent way too much money). Then we headed to The Royal Observatory where smart people (like Sir Isaac Newton and such) first looked at the stars and moon. It's also the international hub for time in the whole world because the prime meridian (where latitude and longitude are both 0 degrees) runs through it. I got to stand with one foot in the Eastern hemisphere and the other in the Western hemisphere. I've always wanted to be in two places at once.. so I guess that means that another one of my dreams came true... haha. On the boat ride back to London, the sun was shining and there were blue skies. I decided at that moment that I never want to come home (sorry Kass and family). It was amazing to feel the sun on my face. It was a good day to say the least. 

Last night I got home from a week long trip to Scotland and Northern England. It was a lot of being on a coach (some of the funniest moments happen on there) but so so worth it. Scotland was amazing. It was really cold and foggy but I would definitely go back. The people were so much nicer there than they are here in London and I loved the Scottish accents. We visited a couple castles (Edinburgh & Durham), Durham Cathedral, Fountains Abbey, York, Hadrian's Wall, Newcastle & Lindisfarne Priory. 

We saw a lot,

 walked a lot, 

froze a lot, 

ate a lot, 

spent a lot,
laughed a lot,
stayed up too late, 
 and had A LOT of fun.

One night a group of us went on a ghost tour (Edinburgh is known as the most haunted city in Scotland). Fortunately we didn't see any ghosts but it was fun walking through cemeteries & underground vaults while listening to scary stories. We also visited The Elephant House where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter on napkins and looked out the same window overlooking Durham Castle that inspired Hogwarts. We also saw the "real" Tom Riddle tombstone, went on a tour of a dungeon, shopped for cashmere & kilts, listened to the bagpipes, had a Scottish sausage and experienced my first hostel (not looking forward to living in one for the last two weeks here).  

I can't believe how little time I have left here. I only have 3 full weeks left in London (on top of my other travel weeks). Next week we are headed to France and Belgium!

xoxo, 

Christina  

February

Everyone has been bugging me to post on my blog about what I've been doing so here goes. I'm going to try to do a brief overview of February so sorry if there's a lot of words again. Honestly the time goes by so fast here. I cannot believe I've been here for 2 months and I'm halfway through my adventures, it literally blows my mind. Anyways, we ended January with a trip to Oxford, Stratford-Upon-Avon & Coventry. Oxford was one of my favorite places. It was warm that day which might have helped, but it was so beautiful. I got to see many places where Harry Potter was filmed as well as see Christ's College. It was literally the coolest university campus I have ever been to.

 Stratford was great. I learned a lot about Shakespeare, went in his cottage and saw where he grew up. We also had the privilege to see two Shakespeare plays performed at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre which I surprisingly and thoroughly enjoyed. We ended our trip in Coventry where we went to Warwick Castle. It was so fun climbing up steep, windy steps into the towers and overlooking the whole town. I can't help but to imagine what ancient places like that have seen and how much history has occurred there.

February was very fun and very cold. We didn't travel much outside of London other than a few day trips. The first week we spent a day at Cambridge. I was too big of a baby to go punting (where a tour guide rows you down the river in a small boat) because it was literally  miserably freezing cold. I know I complain about the cold a lot but really, it was sooooo bitter cold outside. My mom wasn't lying when she made me pack layers and layers of clothes. I still enjoyed the day though, looking around the tiny little streets. We ended the day by going to evensong at King's College. That was a very cool experience for me because I have never attended a meeting for another religion before. We watched the boys' choir sing and listened to verses from the Bible, it was beautiful. 

Throughout the month we toured Westminster Abbey, Hampton Court, The Leighton House, The British Museum, Guildhall, The British Library (where I saw manuscripts of the Messiah, Magna Carta, and tons of other really cool things) and others that I can't remember right now. I kept myself busy going to markets (my favorite), plays, and trying to keep up with school work. 

Valentine's day was weird this year but it was honestly so much fun celebrating with all my new friends. We thought it would be fun if we took each other on a secret "date" that included a scavenger hunt, flowers, dinner, the London Eye and games. I seriously love all the girls here and the London Eye was one of the best nights so far. We brought an iPod speaker and had a dance party while overlooking the whole city of London. I will definitely be going on the Eye another time before I leave.

Another one of my favorite nights was going to the British Music Awards. My dreams came true when I got to meet Taylor Swift on the red carpet. She's probably the only celebrity I would care to meet and it's safe to say I was starstruck (as embarrassing as that is). I may have shed some tears and lost my voice... haha. I also got to see her perform along with Mumford and Sons (my favorite), One Direction, The Muse, Justin Timberlake and other British bands. It was worth every penny (or pence) I spent.

Our study abroad group put on a fireside for the YSA ward in Brighton. It was quite the experience. From traveling hours on delayed and slow trains, spending hours in freezing train stations, running to catch buses, meeting a group of Dutchmen in red suits covered in hearts, to having the underground close down on us and walking at 2AM back to the London Centre. It was definitely worth it. The spirit was so strong though and I'll always remember that day.

I also had the opportunity to go to the London temple to do baptisms with the Hyde Park YSA group. Just because it's called the "London" temple, doesn't mean its actually in London. It was another long day but such an amazing experience. I got to baptize names for a girl on the trip with us, which made it that much more meaningful. 

Thanks for reading :) 

xoxo

Christina       

food snob

I'm going to be a brat for a second.

I'm a food snob. 

Definition: a picky eater of only very tasteful and delectable food.

I enjoy REALLY REALLY good food and I can't help it.

When it's not good I don't like it. 

I blame it on my mother who has taught me what good food is. 

I have had a few good meals here in London, but for the most part, the food is just BLAH.

Thanks for listening.

xoxo 

A Good Day

Today has been one of the best days so far. The sun FINALLY came out and this place is even more incredible in the sunshine. We were actually able to walk around and enjoy the scenery without freezing our bums off. Every Saturday morning our directors take us on a walk around a different part of London. Although I complain about not being able to sleep in, I enjoy getting out and learning about this wonderful city I live in. There is literally history in everything around me. Today we got to walk along the river Thames, the clear sky made for an INCREDIBLE view.

After our walk, a couple of us headed to Portobello Market. On Saturdays they set up little booths along the side of the road. They had delicious food, antique jewelry (which I'm a sucker for), clothes, and everything else you could possibly imagine. Dani and I were watching a man making churros and I actually turned to Dani and said, "I feel like I'm in a different country..." she looked at me and replied, "we ARE in a different country" hahaha. One of my blonde moments, but we got a good laugh out of it. It was so much fun to just wander up and down the market, listen to the music and watch the street performers. We also enjoyed crepes that were to DIE for, I kid you not. Everyday I fall more and more in love. I may never come home. 

xoxo    

playing catch up

Between exploring, traveling, sleeping, eating, shopping, laughing, talking, meeting friends, and lots of homework, it is tough to find time to blog and write in my journal especially when we have the most horrible internet in the world... (literally never been so thankful for high-speed internet in my life) so im sorry it has been a while. Obviously we have been doing so much everyday so I will try to fill you all in on whats gone on. Last Wednesday (as in Jan. 16) we boarded a coach on a 4-day journey through parts of England. We first headed to Manchester where we toured the Manchester Art Museum. After looking around for a while, I decided it was time to go shopping. I experienced my first Primark, which was very needed. Later in the day our group met up at the Manchester Town Hall and toured around for a little bit (the same place Sherlock Holmes was filmed). It was gorgeous. I am still amazed at how detailed and pretty all the old buildings here are.

Manchester town hall

Sherlock Tunnels
Noelle Christina Amanda Alex

 That night we drove to a little town called Ambleside where we stayed in the cutest little Bed & Breakfasts. We got to explore the quaint town and I fell in love, definitely somewhere I would love to visit again (maybe in warmer month). After a great nights sleep and a private shower (I share a bathroom with 14 girls at the centre), we got up the next morning and headed to the Lake District. Lets just say driving on a bus through tiny, windy roads makes me want to barf. It was hard to enjoy the scenery when I'm trying to control my motion sickness, but it was beautiful. We walked around John Ruskin's home and enjoyed the views overlooking the lakes. It was FREEZING, but I did get some good pictures.

Road to Ruskin's house

Lake District

Ruskin's backyard

Meredith McKenna Dani Kelsey Christina

Amanda Dani Christina

Brasmere

Next we headed to Castlerigg Stone Circle which was even more FREEZING. It was cool to be standing on such a historical site though (there is nothing even remotely that old in America). Once you get outside of the big cities, England really is like the movies and I love it. My favorite parts are the old, English towns that few people go to.

 We headed back to Ambleside, shopped around, ate dinner and stayed up way too late talking. The next morning we got on the Coach and drove two hours to Preston where we went on a church history tour. I have never been so FREEZING in my entire life. But this was probably my favorite part of the whole trip, we got to stand in the same places that many of the first missionaries (and Gordon B. Hinckley) stood and preached from as well as see the baptismal font where the first members in England were baptized. Many of us are members of the church because of all the baptisms in the first LDS missions to England. We then drove to Liverpool where we went on a tour of the Beatles Museum (A LOT better than an art museum). I caved and bought a Beatles shirt. That night we walked around the mall near our hotel (which was creepy and made me miss the London Centre) and ate dinner. The whole city was practically closed down because of the 2 inches of snow they received that day. The next morning we headed to Burmingham where we went through yet another art museum (we went to 6). We finally got back to London around 7PM and I crashed. The trip was so much fun (other than the museums) and I loved getting outside of London and seeing other parts of England. The centre is starting to feel like home and I actually missed Tais' cooking.
Sunday I had to be up early for church, it starts at 9 but I have an hour train ride to get there. It was an interesting day to say the least. I am a minority at church (most are African) and I have a hard time understanding what people are saying. Let me just say though, that I have never felt so welcome. Everyone is so nice and embracing. The Primary President needed help in the primary, so Amanda and I got asked to teach the 5-7 year olds. It was COMPLETE chaos. Other than getting covered in pink chalk, one kid biting the other kids, jumping off tables and running on the chairs, I think we managed to squeeze in a small lesson. Oh and did I mention I got asked to speak in sacrament? Fun. I felt like I was on a mission but I really did thoroughly enjoy my Sunday. It snowed uncontrollably on Sunday so we all stayed at the centre and hung out.
Since we've been back from our little trip, we have had lots of school and homework but lots of fun also. On Monday a few of us stayed around the centre and explored what we have right here in our neighborhood. We shopped and looked in all the little boutiques on Portobello Road, it was adorable! Tuesday was a shopping day. We took the tube to Oxford Circus and shopped till we dropped. I bought two adorable shirts, but definitely found a LOT more that I wanted to buy. We found the BIGGEST Topshop I have ever seen in Oxford Circus and it was heaven. Too bad everything is a million dollars. After dinner we decided to walk around by Big Ben and the London Eye and got some great pictures until we were popsicles, but it was amazing.

Erin Madelyn Kelsey Audrey Christina McKenna Haley

Christina & Dani

 Yesterday I experienced Wagamama's for the first time (I will definitely be going back) it was delicious and then we headed over to the Valentino Exhibit. AMAZING. It was a collection of 140 vintage dresses by Valentino, I could have been in there for hours. Dani and I ended the night with an episode of The Bachelor (my guilty pleasure). Next week we are headed out on another trip to Oxford and
Sorry for the long post, so much reading and so little pictures. I will try to add some more later when I have better internet connection.
xoxo
Christina