London

Packed with the British Library, the British Museum, finding our hostel, and seeing the broadway musical Wicked, Friday was far from ordinary. Wicked was fabulous and having my friends surrounding me was a huge blessing. After Wicked, we traveled around the city and experienced the sights of the London night life around Piccadilly square. Saturday was packed with watching the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.. simply magical.. seeing Parliament, Westminister Abbey, and please let's not forget BIG BEN! Ask my group, I freaked out! Oh goodness Big Ben is completely stunning! Later, we ate at the Texas Embassy.. I cannot tell you what a free bowl of chips and dip can do to you when you are deprived of it. ha! Then after a good loooonnng walk around London, we traveled back to home sweet home.. #10 Canterbury Rd Oxford England :)

Beauty in the small things

As I walked down Little Clarinton Street, my eyes couldn't help but scan the store windows. The shops, quaint and unique, decorated the street. Posh Frocks, an elequant hat store, immediately caught my eye. As I looked in the window, my eyes glanced down and saw the most gorgeous thing. I knew instantly I had to have it. Honestly, I've never experienced anything like this. The jewels, the soft color, and the feathers made this item magical. I walked into the store, probably the biggest and best mistake of my life, and bought the hair piece. I am going back today, hopefully not buying anything, but really let's be real. The United States definitely does not have any store like this; if it did it would be in New York City on Madison Avenue. One word: STUNNING.

Bagpipes

pictures from Scotland

Scotland

Frigid, frazzled, and slightly frightened, I stepped off the train in Edinburgh, Scotland. The sharp, stiff air hit my face and I instantly knew I didn't pack enough clothes. The train ride was beautiful. Scotland was exactly how I imagined it to be: green, rollings hills, hedges for fences, and tons of sheep. Jacob "thought" he knew how to get to our hostel, but he was mistaken. Finally, we found our hostel. The four of us were the only ones in our room the first two nights, but unfortunately we were accompanied by 8 more people.. strangers.. the last night. For dinner, we ate at Mama's Pizzeria.. delicious! Then we wandered aimlessly around the city, walking roughly 8-9 miles until we found the Playhouse, which was showing The Sound of Music. I have to tell you that we got our basically front row tickets for 17 pounds!! I've seen many plays and musicals during my lifetime, but this show was absolutlely to die for amazing! Before the show we went into a massive department store called John Lewis and I purchased an adorable black vest for 19 pounds woohoo! Friday we toured Edinburgh Castle -- OMG! The castle was breathtaking and splendid to say the least. I saw the crown jewels of Scotland.. yes, I was completley jealous. Next, I searched the city for my family's tartan--no where to be found. Apparently, we aren't very popular. For dinner, I had chicken strips ( big shocker I know) at the Filling Station. Saturday we traveled by train to St. Andrews, a beautiful city known for its famous golf course. Yes, I walked across the famous bridge on the famous golf course where all the famous golfers walk on.. Travis Funk if you ever read this I bet you will be feeling a bit of jealously? maybe? Right next to the golf course was the beach. STUNNING. Yes, it was almost unbearable freezing, but so so so much fun. No, I did not get in the water, the weather was cold enough. The four of us played on the rocks and took great pictures! Next we ate at a hotel. Jacob and I split two entrees: lasagna and a chicken panini.. yummo! Later, we toured old ruins of a castle and a cathedral. When we arrived back at our hostel, we were welcomed by 8 other people--terrific. All 8 were from Spain and spoke very little English. The hostel was quite the experience-living, sleeping, and sharing a bathroom with complete strangers. I felt very safe mom and dad do not worry. Sunday we woke up, walked the Royal Mile, and took the 6 hour train ride back home to Oxford :) This trip was perfect.. really perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything better!
Random fact about Scotland: no one eats ice cream. Literally.

Psalm 23

----though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil: For thou art with me----
During church this morning, as the preacher brought out his bible, something occured to me. My first thought, as the preacher reached for his bible, was "Oh, yea, he has the same bible as us." Then another thought flashed across, and what exactly does "us" mean. The bible does not belong to only Americans, or Texans, or the individuals that can afford one. The bible belongs to the world. The God that I worship is the same in Amarillo Tx, Abilene Tx, and Oxford England. I wish I took a picture of the captivating building I worhsiped in this morning. The church that I stood in is hundreds of years older than my country. Adorned with elaborate paintings and detailed architecture, the church was a masterpiece within itself. But what made the church so beautiful was the mordernization of the building to be a church in the present day and age. Against the elaborate walls, were chairs and a stage for the band. The contrast of the ancient architecture and sharp lines of the modern atmosphere caught my breath. I am very excited to learn and experience how this country and this exquisite city worhsips the Lord.

my most terrifying place... the kitchen

mom get ready... I am currently in the kitchen baking (or technically frying) chicken for the first time by myself! horrah! Well, to be truthful, my neighbor Nick is helping me. He is an expert cooker, he tells me he learned to cook by watching his grandmother. I just had a huge snowball fight at University Park. This park is gorgeous and massive! Yes, it was unbearably freezing, but it was well worth it! There was a frozen pond near by and my friend Sydney thought it would be funny to step on the lake... well she got a wake up call when her foot fell through. :) After lunch we are traveling down to Summertown to go shopping, then Jacob and I are going to a modern art museum, then out to eat, and to a huge concert tonight! Should be fun. Cheers!
another fun fact... everyone is SKINNY. While we were at University Park playing in the snow, everyone was running.. yes running.. in the snow, wearing only t-shirts and shorts! geez

"Brilliant"

As much as I would love to say that I am asleep at the moment... I am not. Yes... it is currently 2:30 a.m. here in Oxford. I went to sleep at 8, slept for 6.5 hours and I am wide awake. Ironically, so is my roommate Malia.
The plane ride was not so terrible, I slept for around 4 hours. We arrived in London at 10a.m. and went straight to customs. This was not so pleasureable. Apparently, within the past week the rules have changed as to who can come into the counry and take classes at a University. Basically, our group wasn't registered to enter the country. We sat in line for almost an hour. Within that hour, I decided "hey, let's take a picture." Bad idea. As soon as my flash went off, I heard, "hey come here" by a not so friendly looking British officer. I had to give him my camera and he deleted the photos. He exclaimed, "brilliant!" We finally figured everything out, grabbed our luggage, and took a 45 minute bus ride to Oxford.
If I could use one word to describe Oxford I would say PERFECT. For starters, there is snow on the ground, which makes everything glisten. After we unpacked and had lunch, we split up into two groups and strolled into town. Every building is unique and breathtaking. It's hard to believe that the buildings I see and the stones I walk on are older than our country. I saw a few of the campuses of Oxford University and they are everything and even more than I imagined. STUNNING. As we were walking down the pathway, I suddenly saw my first red telephone booth. Let me tell you, it is even more darling than in any picture I have ever seen. I kind of freaked out and ran over to the telephone booth. The phone really had a dial tone! You can definitely tell these telephone booths have been here for many many years. My teacher, Dr. Bennett, showed us where the ATM was and the currency exchange.. then he left us. We were on our own and we went directly to exchange our money. I gave the woman 173$ and I received 98 pounds. Goodness. I literally felt my heart break a little. Next, we went into a department store. Oh my goodness!!!! Chills went straight up my spine. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep, but that department store was the most beautiful department store in the world! Next, we went to a local grochery store. Honestly, I was completely terrified as I walked in, but it's just like an American grochery store. Later, we took showers, and went out to eat at Eagle and Child. This is were C.S. Lewis wrote his books. Yes, you heard me correctly. C.S. Lewis wrote his books in this pub. I ordered a chicken breast sandwhich and water to drink. Everyone else had fish and chips. Not really my cup of tea. While we were eating, we met two other Americans from Georgia!
I have to say that I feel like I'm leaving in a fairy tale. I've dreamed of this place for years and now I am actually here, living and breathing the Oxford air. I love everyone in my group. The guys are such gentlemen and they are hilarious. I am very grateful for them. They help us with our bags, carrying our grocheries, holding the door open, and helping us figure out how to plug something in the wall! I'm very excited to see our group bond even more!
Oh, and just some interesting facts.... the shower has an electrical box in it. The water goes into the box, heats, and then comes out as hot water. Ummmm.... I don't think this would go over very well in America. Also.. you push a button to flush the toilet.
My first day in Oxford England was terrific!
Cheers!

Leaving the US

After a month full of relaxing, movies, hanging out with friends and family, and going to the canyon, I packed my bags for England. Let's just say it was far from easy. Imagine stuffing 4 months of stuff into only 2 bags...?!?! Thanks to the help of one of my dearest friends, Miss Jena Rhodes, I could have NEVER survived packing! The next night, my mom and dad told me they would take me out to dinner and movie, but first we had to "go see the grandparents". Little did I know my family had a surprise party planned for me. I walked into the house to my dad dressed up like a British guard! The party was a huge hit and I was very surprised. The house was packed with my closest friends and family. My mother and grandmother had the long dinning room table decorated with amazing food, sandwiches and scones, with English tea! It was a bittersweet night, as I celebrated and said goodbye to the closest people in my life. Thanks everyone for making the night so special to me :)