my subtle nuances

these are a few things i've pinpointed while living in london. don't feel obligated to read them.

something that makes me feel good about myself:

-being on googchat and having someone chat me.

-being on googchat and seeing two people are typing something to me at the same time.

i prefer staircases where i can take them two at a time. too steep is too hard.

i like cold apples better than room temp apples. i like crisp apples better than cold apples. i like all peaches better than all apples.

i prefer smaller groups of people. 2-5 people total is ideal.

though i do not always detest crowds.

i prefer cream to broth.

i don't put sugar in my tea.

i like knowing/planning what i'm going to eat. it makes me feel like i have some control.

sometimes i like just toast and butter. no jam or nothin. other times i like cinnamon-sugar on it.

i like taking care of people. and i feel good at it.

i don't often actually listen to my body when it tells me to sleep. hence, a blog post right now. ah, well.

sitting at my window in my favourite dress

european spelling. its the new thing.

i finally figured out where my blasted photos go when i save them on my e-cam.

a new ring.

i am recently very grateful for internet. and all of it's magnificent capabilities. i watched two talks from the relief society broadcast that happened while i was fast asleep. so far, it's wonderful. who knows when the internet will be working well enough for me to finish it.

also, i am getting very excited for two things:

-find out whether i get a niece or a nephew in a matter of days.

-being with my whole family. together. all of us, at once. it will be loud and busy and magical.

i officially have the travel bug

well, here i am. last week we went on a little excursion to the north. we went to hadrian's wall, and stayed in york. then went to edinburgh for two nights and stayed to see the beautiful city. i had a blast there. somehow, it's more accessible than any other city. maybe i'll do another post of some pirated photos, but for now, you're just getting what i have now.

after edinburgh, we went to the lake district. stayed in ambleside. laurie had a birthday and it was the perfect day. hiking, ambleing and eating. and birthday wishing. lots of sheep. we were there for two days as well and we hiked to wordsworth's houses and to ruskin's. i love this country so much. i filled my belly with lots of apples, ciabatta and cranberry wensleydale. yum yum. here you go:

at hadrian's wall.

at hadrian's wall.

i had a moment with this tree at Chatsworth.

just a cool bathroom at the scottish national gallery of modern art.

kissing the elephant outside the elephant house, where jkr wrote the hp series.

extremely happy and alone in my room at our last stop of the week. a bed and breakfast.

mostly because of my view.

i slipped first thing on our last day of hiking. lots of fun mud.

i walked on water at ruskin's house. ha!

this was actually just the other day at Kew Gardens. really phenomenal place.

as you can see, my jacket is getting lots of use and it is becoming more and more useless. maybe a little gortex for christmas is in order??

closet under the stairs

this is my studio space. it is kind of great. there are only paintings out in these photos. but my ceramic work is taking off. i'm not quite sure how to manage all the time away though. i'll need some great ideas to keep them plastic.
in front of the tower of london. an interesting place to be sure.
this is the grand entrance to the victoria & albert museum. blown glass against this super rich old interior. interesting to me. i'll be there tomorrow. i love that place.

things are going well. we're off to scotland first thing monday morning. i walked with L from covent garden to the center today. just over 3 miles. it felt good. and we walked right down oxford where all the great shops are. too many great shops.

tonight is the thames festival. we'll see how that goes. i'm excited though!

love this place. love my life.

iglesia

i went to church in spanish today. it was wonderful.

right after i went to the v&a for a few hours.

all by myself.

all day.

in london.

i had the best day.

adventure day

today, instead of being assigned groups and being asked to follow the same route as everyone else in our crew, we got to pick our own groups and were given suggestions. new bestie laurie and i took our liberties. but we ended up by the tate britain, parliament and regent's park. it was lovely.

parliament. so ornate and beautiful to me.

so happy. finally eating at a quaint cafe in camden.
my delicious falafel wrap with house made hot sauce.
obligatory. now its out of the way. and the best thing? i don't think anyone saw me take this picture.

i love city living. i have always wanted to live in a city. i just never thought my first would be on a different continent.

to everyone

south bank of the river thames.

made it

this picture was just after a 4 hour, then 7 hour flight; half hour taxi drive; 10 minute figure-out-where-we-are-and-why-we're-not-where-we're-supposed-to-be; and a 20 minute walk to where we really were supposed to be. gotta love new places.

how?

i said to myself, one half of an hour ago, that i would only work for another hour. just enough time to be productive and watch S1:E4 - the man in the bear. (note: addiction is real)

i have half a page to write for homework. i have homework again.

almost all the way done packing. flight leaves in the morning. am i living a real life???

i love candids

i really love this. i really love most candid photos. but i really love this. and i really love this woman. she is a good woman. and i admire her. not goodbye forever. but goodbye to the way things used to be. which is always harder than saying to goodbye to a real person. i've sort of been singing this song to myself for a while. it seems fitting. minus the part about leaving your past behind.

i like my past. its a good past. i don't want to forget it. but i'm determined not to re-live it.

last night i read some old journal entries, and i wrote a new journal entry. i'm starting something new. i'm going to write the specific things i learn from people in my journal. that way i know exactly why they are important to me. it may even help me be bold and say them out loud.

photo countdown

this happens again in a week. (minus the dude)

maybe not quite this(but maybe) happens again in a week and a day.

at this table with a couple of these people in 11 days.

and i end up here in precisely 18 days. with one day of travel. so i'm counting 17.

my life is great. great great.

ps- my program directors asked me about my spanish abilities. maybe i'll get assigned to a spanish unit in london. i'm kind of excited.

provo summer

mine ends in two weeks.

time to live it up before i really REALLY live it up in 24 days.

time to get my passport ready.

photo update

so i'm aware that most people that read this can see these pictures on the fb. however, i needed to document the summer for myself because i've been avoiding my dumb camera. anyone with a left over point-and-shoot, feel free to donate to my cause.

from the beginning of summer to present:

bestie K and i making the spiral jetty at the dinosaur museum. best.

at a wedding for somebody i don't know. but it was fun to be with my friends. and it was beautiful. they were filthy dirty rich. i'm not even mentioning the tucanos catering.

hiking with the roomies. found a great little rock to settle on up the canyon a bit. it was a good day.

barbeque pre-4th of july. we didn't know what to do with our hands.

funnel cake with GC and long lost roomie R. fun. very fun.

two of my very favorite (vavorite) things. elote and being with wsb.

jumping off the bridge on the 4th of july. i was so proud of myself.

some besties. just before the best fireworks.

cousins in driggs, ID. beautiful weekend.

it's been a great summer so far.

a few things

1- i hate that i can't save photos off fb anymore. they get all weird and save a butt-ton of pictures to your downloads file. correct me if i'm wrong.

2- i just had this thought, "in a few years, when all these people are really grown up and we don't live in the same place anymore, we'll be able to read blogs, and re-connect. or just remember the good ol' times." it was a good thought.

3- hair by lady gaga is truly one of my favorite songs right now.

3.5- i know that summertime is usually filled with short hair and sunshine, but i am loving getting-longer curls. it feels the most summery to me.

4- europe countdown: [not counting today] 45 days.

5- the plan is almost set in stone to have a teeny pre-europe adventure in chicago and madison. look out midwest, you thought you'd miss me this year.

6- temples are wonderful places. still riding a high from wednesday eve.

7- 3:15am showing of HP7 P2 last night. two things about it: worth it and never again.

8- i don't actually count 8 things as a few. it goes like this in my brain: one(1), a couple(2), a few(3-4), a handful(5-6), several(7-unknown). after 7 it gets confusing for everybody, so i avoid counting that high. speaking of counting...

9- i really love summer activities. number one being lawn/porch sitting.

10- going to jackson hole this weekend. i'll get to see my mom's bro's fam, which is the last on that side i have to see post-mish.

11- humans live saga to saga. my next comes march 23,2012. hunger games.

that is all.

unintentional hiatus

real and honest friends seem hard to come by for a lot of people. [here is where i say, "but not i." but i won't, because that isn't the point.] they just sort of happen without thinking about it. no need for a proposal, or asking someone to meet specific needs. friendship just happens. just exists. and more often than i think.

as the summer lives on, i have met and appreciated so many people. not just personalities, or traits. but people. real people. people who are in, no longer in, or not yet in, my life. i'm losing my sense of perfection and its associated, romantic expectation. a person is a person, and shouldn't be expected to be more. learning to feel this with my soul has helped me accept reality. that life is real and honest, and thereby allows people to be so.

now, i don't mean life is honest in a sense that lies never happen, but that lies are real, and i have to learn to deal with them. reality is no longer something i must face, but something i already live in. reality is learning the hard way, even though people my elder offer help and advice. reality is learning the hard way because its the easiest way to learn. reality is experience. and adventure.

my innate sense of worry has given way to my growing sense of adventure lately. i've jumped off bridges. spent every moment possible outside. i have many mosquito bites. [not that that is an indicator of adventurism, but maybe. or maybe just stupidity.] but more than in my activities, my exploration has branched to my relationships. i am in new and exciting friendships. i am in old and comfortable friendships. i am learning from and about these friends. these friends may, or maybe not, be learning from and about me. surprisingly enough, it has taken me 23 and a half years to figure out the idea of a two-way street.

i feel good. i feel strong. i feel lovable and confident. i feel full of faith. i feel uncertain and uncomfortable. i feel nervous. i feel adventurous.

i like my life. i like my friends. i feel the word "like" is underused. there is too much to live for. i'm learning to pace myself and let the happenings come as they will.

i haven't got it all figured out, but i'm getting it in pieces and liking it. new is almost always hard, but almost always good. here is to new everything. and letting new be old one day.