Once Upon A Time

Last summer Natalie Perkins and I went to England to visit my friend, Lindsay, who was just finishing up her masters degree at Oxford. While traveling we didn't spend very much time in front of computers, for obvious reasons, so much of our trip never made an appearance on the web - or on this here blog. Which is a cry'n shame.

A recent wallpost on facebook from Lindsay had me reminiscing of the flat we got to stay in while we were exploring Devon, which is why I thought I needed to post these pictures. Just type "trefusis terrace, exmouth, england" into google earth - and that's pretty much the exact location of the flat we got to stay for about 4 days. Right there by the sea! We were lucky enough to stay there because Lindsay's friend, Catherine, was kind enough to share it with us.

Her grandparents flat by the sea!!!

Doesn't that sound cute? Doesn't that sound so Great Britain? Doesn't that sound like that should be in a book? Catherine, will you start a blog already so we can read about your charmed life by the sea?

Anyways, the four of us girls got to stay in her grandparents flat - and not only was the location brilliant, the flat itself was the cutest thing ever. Straight out of a book. An old children's picture book.

The first picture is where Natalie and I slept, the second is where Lindsay and Catherine slept. My favorite room in the whole flat was the kitchen (I wish I had a picture) - everything looked like it had been bought in the fifties and hadn't been updated. I loved the wallpaper, the high ceilings, the furniture, the kitchen table, grandpa's giant man-tissue box, grandma's house dresses in the closet, the reading chairs, the drawings hanging on the wall that Catherine did as I little girl (my favorites were the drawings of the Union Jack, Catherine is a very proud Brit), and of course the view of the sea outside the window.

I should post more pictures of that trip, it was wonderful.

In Cardiff, Wales

and I don't really know what I'm doing here. But it's a beautiful city so far, beautiful weather, and the people are very friendly. I checked into my hostel about an hour ago, and now am going to explore the city for a bit. Tomorrow I will go out and see the castles in the area, there are like 60 of them!!!

I finished a really good book this morning on the train, called Maze Runner. Natalie lent it to me, because the book I was reading was sort of dull. Maze Runner is soo crazy, and kept me reading and flipping pages like a mad woman. Now I need a new book, but if you liked Hunger Games, Maze Runner is for you - get it, read it, talk to me about it.

 I'm going to go find me some dinner.

post edit: there are actually 641 castles in wales, I was way off.

You Have Less Than 5 Minutes Of Credit Remaining...

the hostel computer is about to kick me off. But here's a few photographs off natalies camera.

cheerio!

ps. mom, you would love it here. I think you were meant to live in Cornwall, with an english garden facing the sea.

Jet Lag

guten morgen!
just ate a fabulous hostel breakfast here in austria. nutella is all the rage here.

tom mark and i got up at 5 am because we couldnt sleep. tom raced cars on facebook, mark did some man excercises and I read wuthering heights. then we all read until breakfast was served at 7. i am loving this trip. venice was so fun yesterday. and now i get to drive the volvo to church.

we are safe and happy. and mckay has never been so funny. really good jokes.

Christmas Then Germany

I have a kaleidescope and a dictionary on my nightstand. Two things I need at night. My nightstand is a big blue filing cabinet which Magnus left to me when he went home to Norway. I am loving my bedroom.

I am loving this wonderful week of Christmas. Mark was the perfect house guest. I loved having him around. He and I shared the floor in my bedroom on Christmas Eve, along with my brother Sam. McKay and Andie slept in my bed. I read Peter Pan as everyone fell asleep. Then we all got up in the wee early morning to open presents.

Santa was too good to all of us. I have some new crazy gnarly snowshoes which I can't wait to break in and a beautiful map of Utah that I can't wait to hang up at work.

Then we all went shot gun shooting... and I don't know how Christmas can get any better. I love snow and shooting things. Toney came, I love Toney. And I think McKay and I hit just as many shells as he did.

That afternoon Mark and I made dinner for everyone. And Mark put together this way hard pig-puzzle and won twenty dollars and became my new hero. I have never seen Mark sit down and work on a puzzle the way he did yesterday. It was mind-blowing.

Now I am killing time while we wait for Mark to arrive, then we are off to the airport, and then off to Munich. Hopefully all will go well tonight, and that this snow won't effect our flight. I keep checking and everything looks good to go...

I'll hope to have an update or two while I am on Holiday in Europe. I am very very excited. Until then, God Bless.