Jules in Paris

Caves, Waterfalls, and Aliens

2009-08-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

These last two weeks have been full of adventures!

My latest task at the YMCA was to be a counselor at I-CARE camp. This is a camp for elementary aged school children to teach them about being "green." As a result I was responsible for about 15 children for 10 hours/day (kindergarten age) as we went around the city and participated in various "green activities." We went on hikes, ate organic foods, picked up trash, and watched "green movies." We also went to the dump here which is euphemistically called an "Eco-station." The idea with this dump, is that about 40% of the material that comes in, is recycled. Also the administration building is a "green" building. The floor is made of cork (like the corks found on top of wine bottles. The light bulbs last forever and don't use very much power. The toilets hardly use any water. The building is powered by solar power (with huge solar panels on the side of the building). Worker's desks are tall so individuals can stand up while they type. The blinds are made of a special insulating material that keeps the heat from coming inside. And even the paint is made out of special kind of material that doesn't give off any smell. On the one hand, I like the idea of being "green" and then other times I think spending so much money on "organic" food is getting a bit ridiculous, but I'm still figuring out what I think.

That weekend Oliver and I planned to go to Tent Rocks National Monument. We planned on it being a short day trip, however it turned out to be a bit longer than expected. Our GPS that we have come to love and trust finally let us down. Instead of taking the well traveled freeway, the GPS led us down an old unmaintained forest service road. As we continued along the road at about 15 mph we were forced to drive through deep ravines and jump out the car to move stones (so our tires wouldn't pop). We also had to drive around 2 dead trees that had fallen across the road. We wanted to turn back, but by this time our gas was getting low and we had no choice, but to go forward. About an hour and a half later we started seeing some civilization. However, as we drove down the the windy mountain path we saw that the road we had been driving on for the last 2 hours was completely blocked off at the entrance to the city. We got out of the car and walked down to a farmhouse in the town. Luckily there was a lady and her son working out in the garden. She sat us down and called around to see who had a key to the gate. The forest service said they would send someone out to unlock it and so we patiently waited for them to come. Time kept ticking, so we started helping the lady tend the enormous garden they had. About 2 hours later we were still at the farmhouse. The son said there was actually a path that 4 wheelers would take around the road block sign and if we had four-wheel drive we might be able to take the same path. So Oliver, with his incredible driving skills, drove at about a 75 degree angle up the mountain and down the other side. We were incredibly lucky that we made it out without a popped tire or a rolled car (good thing our car is already totaled from the hail storm). The lady and her family then gave us a bunch of produce including a zucchini about the size of baseball bat and sent us on our way. We arrived at the monument about an hour and half later (6 hours to get there in all), and despite the hard time getting there the hike was incredible! (see Oliver's pictures). All around us were these formations called "tent rocks". They looked like children's building blocks stacked on top of each other. It was beautiful!

Then this weekend we made a wonderful trip to Southern New Mexico. On Friday we went to our "stake temple consecration day". We got to take a family name and do all the ordinances for the individual in one day. It was a neat experience. We then took off to make the 6 hour drive to Carlsbad. This involved driving through incredibly long stretches of absolute nothing. At one point we realized that we were nearly out of gas. Sure enough the gas light went on and when we looked up the closest gas station (on our GPS) we were about 35-40 miles away from the closest one (and or course we hadn't seen another car for ages, it's was about100 degrees outside and our cell phones didn't weren't in range). Luckily, just in time we ran into a tiny town with a gas station that the GPS hadn't picked up. Phew.

The next town we hit was Roswell. This town is famous for a supposed flurry of UFO activity that occurred there in the 1950s. It's a very eerie town. There are pictures of aliens all over the place and even the street lamps are shaped like alien heads with two slanted black eyes on them. We stopped there for dinner and then continue on our way to the camping ground in Carlsbad where we were staying the night.

We arrived at the camping ground at about 11:00PM. The town where it was located was completely dark (no street lamps) and the campground we had found on the internet was located behind a house. An old man came out to great us and told us where we could stay. We felt like we were camping in his back yard. Everything was VERY creepy, because it was so dark! The restrooms were located inside a large building with dining areas and a speaker system etc. But no one else was around. It seemed like an old abandoned place. Everything was also decorated with crosses. Come to find out, the place is an old Christian retreat, which usually caters to large church groups, but we happened to be the only ones staying there that weekend.

Anyways, we got up the next morning and drove the remaining 15 miles to the caves. These are some of the most amazing natural formations I have ever seen! The caves cover over 8 acres underground! And they're huge and wide open. Mt. Timp's cave seems a bit pathetic compared to this one. At one point there is 315 feet between the bottom and top of the cave. It was about 50 degrees and 90 % humidity in the cave and it's dimly lit with a paved walking path the entire way.

After the caves we came back to the blinding light of the New Mexico sun and drove to a place called "Sitting Bull Falls." This is one of the tallest falls in New Mexico and really is an oasis in the middle of the dessert. We swam a bit there and then took off to make the 6 hour drive back to Los Alamos.

This was our last weekend in New Mexico, as we will be heading back to Provo for school this next Friday. It's been a blast of a summer, but we're also excited to get back to Utah to see family and friends and start school again. However this last week will be a bit stressful for Oliver who is trying to work through tool malfunctions at the lab to get his experiment results by the time we leave this next weekend!

Well we can't wait to see all of you very soon!

Savoring the Last Few Weeks of Summer

2009-08-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

Hello dear friends and family,
This last few week has been a good one for Oliver and me. We're starting to realize we only have a few short weeks before the leisure of summer ends and we return to the every day (sometimes) drag of school. However, we're excited to get back to Provo and see friends and family (in addition to having more people our age to hang out with).

This was my last week working with the YES Corps. However, next week I'll be helping with the "I-care" camp which involves working with kids from the age of 5-11 years old. That will be an adventure.

About 2 weeks ago there was a small and harmless spill at the division where Oliver works. Of course they shut down the entire division and no one can perform any work with chemicals whatsoever until every safety procedure is reviewed and tested. This means that about 400 very expensive employees have now been twiddling their thumbs at work not being able to do anything. It's especially frustrating for Oliver who needs to get results to his various tests before we leave here in 2 1/2 weeks. We're hoping the ban is lifted soon.

On Friday we were graced by Katie and Heather with her two very active kids. It was great to see them and Oliver made his famous "Pastel de chocolo" (A chilean dish), which is my favorite! It's made up of ground beef, chicken, olives, raisins, and a corn topping. It was delicious!!! We then took Katie and Heather to the overlook. I've posted picture of it below.

Saturday was a busy day! Los Alamos had their annual parade at 10:00 and Oliver (who is becoming a fantastic cook!) made some banana walnut pancakes and surprised me with them when I got home from my aerobics class. We then ate pancakes and watched the parade from our front lawn. I have to admit however, West Jordan must have spectacular parades because this one in comparison was kind of lame. It only lasted about 15-20 minutes and there weren't any floats. However, it was fun all the same.

Later that day we went to the fair which had a huge arts and crafts section. There were local jewelers and other artists selling their crafts. I bought some earrings shaped out of a yellow stoplight. We also purchased some home made apple-cinnamon jam and enchilada sauce.

After the fair we decided to make use of our last day pass to Bandeleir National Park. Upon our arrival we gave the receipt that had been sticking to our windshield all week to the park guard, but we realized that all the ink had completely worn off during the week, and he had a hard time believing that we had just come the week before. Luckily, he let us in we got there just in time to hike the 3 mile round trip to a waterfall. It was beautiful, but we couldn't stay there long for fear of getting stuck in the park since it closed at 7:00PM.

We finished off the day by going to the local diner for dinner. We were both appalled when we asked for shakes, and they told us they didn't carry any! What diner doesn't serve shakes? Isn't that the definition of a diner!? Anyways, we settled for country friend steak and banana cream pie instead.

That evening we went home and were resting up when around 10:00PM our neighbor knocked on our door. He had gone out for a smoke break and locked himself out. We tried to get a hold of the manager, but she didn't answer and so Oliver tried to use some floss and an electrical cord to jimmy the door open. It wouldn't budge, but luckily the manager finally answered her phone so the guy didn't have to sleep on our couch.

2009-08-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

Albuquerque Temple

2009-08-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

Bandeleir

2009-08-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

pictures

2009-08-02T19:41:00.003-07:00

pictures

2009-08-02T19:41:00.001-07:00

Snakes and Ladders

2009-08-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

August 2 2009
These last few weeks have been really fun. Oliver and I are just realizing that we only have 3 Sundays left here in Los Alamos. It’s been a great summer and I’ll probably miss this little town. However, it will be great to be back at BYU with friends and family…I’m just not looking forward to the workload yet.

This last week I went on a campout for work. It took a lot of preparation to buy and pack food and supplies for 25 + people, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. It started out on an exciting note, when I hurried out into the hall at the YMCA (before we left) and nearly stepped on a snake that had wandered into the hall. (You all know how much I like snakes). After I yelped, my co-worker came out and tried to chase it back out the door. All of a sudden the snake (which had been black) turned a bright fiery red. Ugh. I hate snakes.

On the way up to the campground I was driving the mini-van with all the gear in it. I think it was a bit much for the van, which started smelling badly and I noticed there was a flickering orange light down by my left foot. I started getting really scared that there might be a fire in the engine or something –luckily however it turned out to be just a flickering light bulb (hello--since when are there light bulbs down by the emergency break in a car?)

Anyways, we took the kids up to a place that Oliver and I camped a while ago called Jemez Falls. Somehow I convinced all the kids to get in the falls with me and we had a great time splashing around in the cool water. However, I realized after getting in with my socks and shoes on (because it’s rocky) that I had only brought one pair of socks for a 3 day campout. Later that night I took off my shoes and put them by the fire, only to realize a few minutes later that they had started melting! Good thing they were my old and worn out ones. I had to resort to putting duct tape on the back where they had become all crunchy.

That night Oliver came up to the campsite and got there right before an enormous lightning storm struck. We were literally right in the lightning storm. A flash would go off very nearby about every 5 seconds. It was also pouring like crazy. Oliver and I just sat in the car and after about 30 minutes of the storm decided we would just sleep in the car. I slept okay, but the back of the car is about 1 foot too short for Oliver, so he couldn’t straighten out the entire night. However we fared a bit better than most of the others who were wet and soggy in their tents that had been hammered by the rain.

Anyway, the next day we went to a place called Soda Damn which is this incredible formation from the volcano that used to be here. A big waterfall comes out from underneath a rock formation (that looks like a mushroom) and the water is a brown color with lots of foam on top. It literally looks like you’re swimming in cream soda. Sounds gross- but it’s actually pretty cool. Later that day we went to a trail called Las Conchas. This is one the most beautiful places my eyes have beheld. I felt as if I was walking in a fairytale. The forest was lush and beautiful with grass everywhere and covered with white daisies, golden sunflowers, and lavender fireweed. There was also a very clear brook running through it for about 3 miles. It was incredible. After that some guys from the Mountaineer club met up with us to help us rock-climb. Oliver and I have been climbing once a week at the climbing gym, but this was my first real rock climb. It was fun, but a lot harder than the climbing wall, mostly because I’m more afraid of scraping myself.

That night Oliver came up again and I tried to make dutch-oven cobbler. Well, we only had one dutch oven so I tried to make this huge batch of it. The problem was that we had put really hot coals from the grill on top of the dutch oven, and so the top got singed while the rest of the cobbler remained soggy and uncooked. Haahh, oh well.

The next morning we packed up and then went on a hike to the Valles Grande. I’ve posted a picture of that before and it’s just breathtaking.

Anyway, I continued hiking as Oliver and I went to the Bandeleir National Monument on Saturday. This is where your can see cave dwellings from Native Americans that they actually let you walk around in. We had to climb up ladders for 150 ft before we could get to them. It’s hard to imagine people actually living in them.

Meanwhile during the week Oliver and I trying to research different graduate schools to attend and what are plans are for next summer. I’m applying to be an intern in Washington D.C. to help plan and organize the annual National Folklife Festival put on by the Smithsonian. Oliver is going to try and find work at a lab nearby. We’re also thinking about applying to graduate school at Berkeley (because right now it’s the only school with both of our programs in it).

Well I hope all it going well at home. I can’t believe we’re coming back in just 3 ½ weeks!

Love,
Julie

Hail Storm Photo

2009-07-12T14:24:00.001-07:00

Becoming a Mountain Woman

2009-07-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family,
I hope all is going well back at home and wherever you may be. It's been a great last few weeks for Oliver and I.

Over the 4th of July Oliver I and I went to the ward byb bbq. We played some ultimate frisbee and Oliver got to resurrect his old baseball skills by playing a sort of makeshift softball game. Unfortunately however the afternoon rainstorm came in and after trying getting soaked we decided to head home. That night we went to a neighboring community called "White Rock" and watched a very good fireworks show.

A few days later Oliver and I both happened to be home for lunch when a huge hail storm came in. It was so loud! Because we are such a high elevation here (7355 feet) and lightening is really close and is what often starts fires here. Anyways, Oliver and I watched in amazement as the hail got bigger and bigger until it looked like little golf balls were being dropped from the sky. We then realized that our car was being pulverized by all these little buggers and there was nothing we could do about it. After the storm we took it in for an estimate and we think the car will be totaled. About every square inch of the car has a dent on it. The good thing is, you really don't notice the dents unless you're looking for them. We're still waiting to hear back from the car place though. The funny (or not so funny) thing is though, is that everyone else in the town is in the same boat. Since it was in the middle of the day, most cars were at the lab (with no overhead parking.). A lot of people got it worse than we did--with cracked windshields and broken skylights in their home.

On Wednesday I went to Albuquerque for the first time with YES corp (my job). We were taking the kids to a low ropes course at UNM. It was really fun, but unfortunately while we were there my boss got word that her grandmother had passed away. I then ended up having to drive all the way from Albuquerque to Los Alamos (should be about 2 hours away, but ended up taking about 3). I was really really nervous to drive, because first of all it's this huge 15 passenger van, it was on the freeway in big-city traffic, I was unfamiliar with the area, and I have 15 crazy teenagers in the back. I know it's only because of my prayers that we arrived back safely. It didn't help that because of things that had gone on while in Albuquerque I was going to be about 2 hours late to my job at Smiths that evening. Luckily, we all survived it :)

Lastly, Oliver went on a fun camping trip this weekend. We went up to a place called Jemez Falls in the mountains. It takes about 45 minutes to get there and on the way you pass this place called the Valles Caldera. I've tried to post a picture above. It's a lot greener right now than it shows in the picture, but this place is probably the prettiest place I've seen in New Mexico so far...not exactly the red-rock desert look that most people think of when they hear New Mexico.

Anyways, this was the first time Oliver and I got to try out our new camping gear. We went to Santa Fe last week and bought a tent and sleeping gear for me. It will be nice when we have our own camping chairs, stove, and other such camping luxuries, but it's a start. We went with another couple from our ward and I decided to mix up the usual camping hot dog cuisine with some pigs-in-a-blanket. We would roast the hotdog, wrap it in biscuit dough, wrap it in tin-foil, and then drop it in the ashes. They took a while, but where delicious! Oliver also taught me how to chop wood. It took forever, but it was really fun and the wood smelled just like the cleaner pine-sol.

The next day we we got up and went to Jemez Falls (the topmost picture) which was gorgeous! The water was a bit cold, but once you got in it felt great! We even swam under the waterfall.
After that we came home and I gave Oliver another tennis lesson. He's getting the hang of the forehand and surprised me by his innate talent with overheads. He probably hit about 8 out of 10 perfectly. I was so pleased :) Oliver is also teaching me to play guitar and I regret to say my progress is going a little bit more slowly than his. Anyway, that night we joined our friends again for dinner and a game of croquet. We lost again, but this time Oliver put up a really good fight against our friend who is an avid golfer.

Also, Oliver and I have decided to arrange an overnight camping trip with the Laird family this coming fall when we're back. Where would everyone like to go? And what weekends would be good for them?

Change of Email Address

2009-07-04T14:01:00.001-07:00

Dear family and friends,
I just wanted to let everyone know that I will no longer be using my sparklingfairy2@yahoo.com email address. It seems as if someone has hacked into that account and so I will be shutting down the account. I'll be using my gmail account from here on out and will probably be getting a new one of those sooner or later because of my new last name.

Thanks! Happy America Day!

Love,
Julie

2009-06-28T19:05:00.001-07:00

More Pics

2009-06-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

2009-06-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

I think I've finally caught up with life...

2009-06-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since my last blog...in fact I think it was in November some time last year. A lot has gone on since then. I have returned home from Europe, gotten engaged, gotten married, and moved to New Mexico for the summer. I am going to try and update this blog on a regular basis so that I might fulfill Heidi's request :)

The wedding in late May was wonderful, thanks to all the help of family and friends, in particular, my mother. Oliver and I then took off for Kona, Hawaii to spend a week snorkeling with Dolphins, sunbathing, sea kayaking, cliff jumping, and dining on some of the best seafood possible. After the honeymoon we flew to Seattle for our second reception. Oliver's parents had done an incredible job planning this reception and it turned out beautifully! It was located at the Salish lodge just right above the awesome Snoqualmie Falls. Unfortunately, normal life had to set in again and we were only able to spend about a day and a half in Seattle. However, I was looking forward to seeing our new studio apt that we would be spending the summer in, in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Since we got here, Oliver and I haven't kept still for too long. I started working as an assitant director of a kids camp run by the local YMCA. In the evenings I work as a cashier for Smiths...neither of which have anything to do with what I'm studying, but I know if I want to I can still make each day enjoyable and I know I will get something out of them...of course in addition to the 10% I save on groceries and the free membership I have at the YMCA (which is really why I'm working there). Oliver and I have started working on some mutual hobbies. I'm teaching him how to play tennis, while he's returning the favor and teaching me how to rock-climb. I've gone twice now (only at a climbing wall at the gym) and I really enjoy it.

This last week was interesting. One of the teenagers (about 12 or 13 years old) slapped me across the face, for no apparent reason, and as Dad suggested I didn't know I had signed up to work with juvenile delinquents this summer. Later that day the brakes went out on the car I was driving and we slammed into the back of a bus. I guess all that mayhem could have explained why I refused to sell tobacco to someone under the age of 21 (but over 18) at Smiths' that night, not realizing that the 21-year-old rule applies to selling alcoholic beverages, not tobacco.

Well, I suppose that is all for now. I hope all of you are doing well, especially Natalie and the baby. I can't wait to see you all in about 2 months!

Rome and Greece

2008-11-30T14:26:00.000-08:00

I spent the last four days in Rome. It was really cool to see the Colloseum and Forum and eat the delicious gelato (although coldstone is still way better) but all in all I feel like Rome is kind of just another big city now.

This morning we flew from Rome to Greece. I somehow got my luggage below forty pounds and made it on the flight in time.

I loved Greece from the moment I saw it. The people here are so much nicer than the French!!!!! The food is incredible! And some people even bought us free dessert (well they turned out to be creepy men who did it, but we did not know that before we ate it and then ran out of the restaurant). Anyways, tomorrow we are going to the Acropolis! I cant wait!

Germany and cute Christmas markets!

2008-11-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

This week was full of new adventures, sights, smells, and languages!

On Monday I had religion class followed by an interesting FHE activity. We went down to the Madeleine chapel. This is a huge Roman chapel that is dedicated to Mary Magdelene. The Catholic way of worship is so interesting. We also went to the street that has this huge Napolean statue. This was located on the most expensive street in Paris. The purses there go for around twenty five hundred dollars. Hahahh, it kind of makes me sick. While on my way to the metro I saw a big protest going down the street. They were chanting something about illegal immigration and they were completely surrounded by cops. It was very interesting. After FHE I attempted to get home in time for dinner, but there had been a fire in the Metro and after about two agonizing hours of completely packed trains and terrible body odor, I finally made it home! I love public transportation sometimes!

On Tuesday we left our house at five thirty in the morning in order to get to the train station in case the metro was still burned out. Fortunately it had been fixed, but that meant we were forty five minutes early. Since we were so early I decided to take a nap my sitting on the hard medal bench in the middle of the station. Now, somehow the grosse European Pigeons that are all around the city manage to get into this underground stations. Well apart from this being very unsanitary like I realized when I woke out of my semi sleeping stupor that a bird had gone to the bathroom on me. Um, grosse.

We then got on the train, and had to leave one of our members behind, who had not made it in time. We took the train to numerous little cities including a place where we came across this amazing piece of artwork called the Well of Moses. We then went to a place called Dijon, where mustard originated from. It was there that the girl we had left behind randonmely ran into us. hahhaha, lucky day. After that we rode the train to Colmart.

Colmart is the most charming little city. Since it is so near Germany and used to be in Germany it is full of cute little houses, flowers coming out of the windows, and of course christmas decorations and little Christmas markets everywhere! I had my first taste of German spice bread and gingerbread cookies, but unfortunately I am afraid I have been spoiled by Mom's cooking and nothing tastes nearly as good as her gingerbread! After Colmart we went to a similar town of Strasbourg, which had an incredible Cathedral that was built during the high gothic period. I love knowing about all the architecture and what time period it represents. In Colmart and Strausborg there is something called the Petite Venice, which means there are canals going all through the city and it is just beautiful!

That night since the rest of the group was going home, other than myself and five other girls we went to a modern museum in town that had a free Jazz concert. I was excited to hear an American made music style performed in France, but was quickly disspointed to hear this ridiculous modern attempt at Jazz. It was positively ugly and so we left half way through. After that we had a delicious German dinner at a cute little restaurant overlooking the canals and bridges. I had my first taste of German winerschiztel and saurcreut. It was great!

After that it was freezing outside and so we decided to get to the hotel. We had had to book a hotel out in the boonies because for some reason everything in town was full. We had gotten instructions from the lady at the train station, and after taking a forty five minute bus ride, we got off at the instructed stop and realized that we were in the absolute middle of nowhere. After attempting to find the hotel for a while we went to another hotel to ask for directions. When they looked at us with confused expressions I knew there was something wrong. Yea...we were in the wrong city alltogether. Hhahah, trouble was since this was a small town all the busses had stopped running...so after about a four and half mile walk in the freezing cold and rain, we found the hotel. Upon arriving we found there were only smoking rooms available, and one of our room's locks was messed up so my friends could only get in when they asked the clerk to let them in.

Well I dont have time to type more, but hopefully more will be coming tomorrow.

More pics

2008-11-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

It has been a while

2008-11-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

a

So I have quite a bit to catch up on.

Last week was incredible!

Monday: I went to Sacrè Cour which is a really big church and the artist district of Paris. Everyone is trying to draw your potrait for you, or men come up to you and put bracelets around your arm and try to make you pay for them. hahhaha. I loved the area! It was beautiful and very...French. That night my friends and I went to this really great restaurant and I had this amazing Ravioli! We then went to the Grand Opera for the Paris Ballet. It was beautiful! Unfortunately we had the very worst seats in the house, but while leaning out of my box I could see most of it. Aah, I once again had an ache to be a ballerina. Too bad I was born to play basketball and tennis :)

Tuesday: Everyone was really antzy about the election. My goodness, it is a bigger deal here then it is in the U.S. Everyone you meet here who finds out that you are American wants to ask who you voted for and then before you can reply they go onto say how crazy George Bush is and how he wants to take over the world or something. hahah. There were loads of parties going on all night long at brasseries all over town. We went to two of my favorite museums so far! First the Museè D'Orsay. It had a lot of impressionistic painters like Monet. I love Monets! Actually the city where I live out in the suburbs is where a bunch of impressionistic painters used to come and paint the Seine. Aaah, sometimes I feel guilty when I wake up and realize this is my life. Then we went to the Rodin museum where I saw some of the most beautiful art I have ever seen. I love sculpture and that was pretty much all that this museum was. I am excited to visit the MOA when I get home (although it wont really compare to what I have been seeing the last few months), but I LOVE learning about the history surrounding art. It makes it so much more meaningful and incredibly exciting to learn about! Here I have just discovered a whole new love for learning. I am finally understanding where I come from and what societal forces have shaped me from their ancient origin.

Wednesday: We left for Normandy in the morning. It was rainy and cold when we arrived, and we made the walk down to a cathedral that was inbetween the Gothic and Romantic Era. I just keep thinking about different religious buildings now and how completely different Mormon buildings are in comparison. I also find it interesting that Cathedrals here are completely empty except for tourists. That night we also went to this incredible museum that had exhibitions about world war two, and 9/11. It was a poignant experience to be in the place where such devastating things had happened. All of a sudden the war seemed so real. Now that I see the architecture all around me, and then see pictures of cities that were destroyed, I can imagine how frightening the war must of been. The exhibit about 9/11 really hit home as well. I realized that no matter what nationality we are, no one wants terrorism and we all have to fight the irrationality of it.

Thursday: We got up and boarded our own little bus to take us out to the beaches of Normandy. By the time we got there the rain had cleared and the sun way shining down in thick rays across the beach. It felt sort of surreal as we walked along the cliffs that had been bombed. Everything was green and gorgeous, but there were still huge craters everywhere from the bombs of the Allied forces trying to get rid of the German occupation. There were vestigas of all the old German Forts. It was very quiet and peaceful and it was strange to imagine bombs exploding, thousands of men dying, and how these serene beaches could have rung with the cries of dieing men. It was very sobering, and I felt such a fierce feeling of patriotism. I have never been so proud to be an American. I also realized how much of our heritage is linked to Europeans. They are where our ancestry comes from. They really are our brothers and sisters. After that we went to the American cemetery. It was a beautiful graveyard on the cliffs above the ocean. Miles of white crosses lined the ground. I felt such a graitute toward these men and woman who had given their lives to help liberate the French. Wow, it was just incredible. The cemetery is owned and maintained by the American government and this was obvious when there were drinking fountains outside the bathroom...I have not seen that since I left the airport in the U.S. This trip to Normandy was really...I dont want to say life changing because that sound cliché, but in all reality is was. I dont know...it was just incredible.

This last Monday:
After religion class my friends and I went to our professors apt and we watched a movie with Audrey Hepburn in it. The movie is filmed in Paris, and it was so exciting to be able to identify where they were and what they were talking about in the movie! Aaah, I keep having that experience. I read books, I see movies and I now realize how much French is everywhere! I feel like my world knowledge has been so expanded on this trip. All I have left to discover is China, Africa (we will just keep that in one block hahahha), Morraco, Japan, Bresil, Chile etc... :) Oh and Australia!

Wednesday: My friends and I went to a famous cafe called "Angelinas" They have incredible hot chocolate! It is pretty much like drinking a melted European chocolate bar. They also bring out a large glass of pure cream, that you mix in. However, I opted out of the hot chocolate for Macaroons. These are much different from American macaroons. They are a little cake pastry with this wonderfully succulent filling inside. Mmhh! It was fabulous!

Thursday: I went to the Picasso museum this morning with my class. I think Picasso's work is hideous, but it was very interesting to understand the background behind it.

Next week I am going to Dijon, which is where Dijon Mustard comes from. Supposably it is incredible and they even have mustard flavored icecream there! I am also going to Strausbourg. Once I am in Strausbourg I am going to stay a couple extra days and go across the border to Germany and perhaps down to Switzerland. Then that next Tuesday is my last in Paris. I will then pick up my bags again and head down to Rome and Athens.

Well I hope all is going well! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,
Julie

Pics

2008-11-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

The pic at the beach is from a day in The Haag in the Netherlands. Tomorrow however I go to the beaches at Normandy!!

Last few weeks

2008-11-03T02:22:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been really great. The highlight of them all was going to the Paris Masters Tournament where I got to see Federer, Nadal, Roddick and Jocavich (haah no idea how to spell that) all in one night at the palais omnisport here in Paris!!! It was incredible and since is was one of the first rounds we got to sit really close!

The other day we went to this incredible chatou and I am actually starting to put together all this art history stuff I have been learning and it is really really exciting!

Tonight I am hoping to be able to get into the Paris Ballet and the Grand Opera House. I really hope we get in because this is the only ballet that will be playing for the rest of the time while I am here. I only have three more weeks in Paris! Then I head down to Italy and Greece.

pics

2008-11-03T02:14:00.000-08:00

2008-11-03T02:08:00.000-08:00

Pardon

2008-10-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

PS: I am so sorry about the grammer and spelling mistakes! All I can say is, lack of time and a proper keyboard!!

Another Marriage Proposal...

2008-10-19T13:46:00.001-07:00

So this last week has been quite lovely! The weather here has been wonderful! Blue sky and warm days, combined with golden leaves and beauty all around.

Running is a pleasure here and apart from the nearly twisted ankles I get from running across bumpy pathways covered with leaves, I could not ask for better scenery!

This week was a busy one. On Wednesday we left the house around seven to go to the Clooney Museum where the remains of some ancient Roman Baths were. That was interesting. Then we went back to the Institute for two hours of class about the European Union, which is very interesting, and then went to the Louvre until ten that night. It takes about an hour to get home from the Louvre, so by the time we got to bed it was a little past eleven and we had to leave the next morning at five thirty in order to make a train to the Loire valley which is many hours away.

By the time we got there it was about ten in the morning and the weather was beautiful. It was the perfect setting to see one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life before. The place we were going to visit was a very old chatou. It is one of the only ones that has a lot of the original artwork and artifacts in it that survived the revolution. There are manicured gardens of different kinds all around the chatou which is built ON the Seine River. However my favorite part was the forest next to the Chatou. Oh my goodness, when I walked into it I was sure I had stumbled into the Elvish land of Lothlorian. The trees were a light green and covered with golden leaves. Not yellow-but bright golden. The sunlight was streaming through the trees and there was a light breeze so all the leaves falling made it seem like a light blanket of snow was falling. I just stood there and looked and looked, I could not take my eyes off it, it was so incredibly beautiful.

After that we went to get on the train, but ended up on the wrong side of the tracks, so as the train came rumbling in it went right past us, and thirty girls had to sprint all the way down the tracks and to the other side. It was probably pretty comical hahhah. Inbetween several more trains home we stopped in a town and had an hour layover. I was starving and so I went in search for a Boulangerie in order to purchase a baguette. Every city I have been to in France to far has had one of these bakeries within five minutes in every direction, but I walked forever and could not find the bakery. Finally, at the other end of town I found a grocery store and hurried to buy my baguette that I had walked so far for. I then realized had ten mintues to get back to the train station, when it had taken me about half an hour to get to the grocery store, so I ran back to the station, and besides getting a little lost, barely made it in time for the train (which was a good thing because I had no idea where we were going or what train to get on). However as I went to step on the train, my baguette which I had worked so hard for, feel out of the bottom of its bag onto the sick pigeon walked on floor. I ate it anyways...luckily I am still alive.

When we arrived back at the train station and had gone to board the metro to get back to our respective residences, I looked up and realized I could not see the stop sign. This made me realize I had left my glasses on the train and so I ran with my roommate back to the trains. However, being in the semi-unconscious state I had been all day due to lack of sleep, I had no idea where we had come from or what train, among the many dozens, I had come from. Luckily my roommate was with me, who knows far more Francais than I do, and she was able to communicate to someone that I had lost my glasses. We were led to a lost and found and amzingly enough my glasses were there! The men in the room kept telling me to kiss the man who brought out my glasses, but I just laughed, said my two words that I do know, merci beaucoup, and ran out of the room. What a blessing! I cant imagine what the rest of this trip would have been like if I would have lost those!

On Friday after doing some school work I went to the Eifeel Tower and climbed all one thousand and something stairs to see the incredible view. Now I know why Paris is considered such a beautiful city. Wow. We stayed there from full sunlight to sunset and finally the lights turned on in the city. It was incredible.

Saturday my family had a HUGE party at their house. I got home around eight and walked in to find the furniture completely moved out of the house to make room for a huge dance party. There was good everywhere, lights, a DJ and everything! Everyone was dressed in party dresses, blazers and ties. I guess my family does this with a bunch of other families on a regular basis. They even have a teacher who comes each time and teaches the kids how to dance! I love it though, because the party is full of adults, kids, and teenagers. After a while all the adults go downstairs to listen to their own music, probably classical, and drink wine and eat cheese, while upstairs the kids are dancing away. By the way my family has a sweet sound system with speakers in nearly every room of the house. I really felt as if I was at this aritocratic party of all these rich families who are training their kids how to party in style. Pretty much my roomate and I just danced with ourselves and ate a lot of chocolate mousse and eclairs. My roommate seriously looks like she could be fifteen and so some fifteen year old kept asking her to dance the whole night. It was pretty funny.

Then today we went to church, and afterwards I went and to have a picnic with my friend Cami on the Seine River. It was nice to soak up the sun and watch the sail boats floating around on the river. During our talk, she told me about the Second marriage proposal she received yesterday, from a sixty year old frenchman. Oh man...then men here. :):):):):)

Well, I hope all is going well at home. I cant believe I will be joining you all in America so soon! I am loving it here, but also loving my dear America more and more as the days go on. Actually I was talking with my professor today and she mentioned that because of the recent financial crisis, BYU might be shutting down there study abroad programs. How sad right!? I am so glad that I got in, just in time!

Well I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,
Julie

beacoup de pain

2008-10-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

This week has been nice and relaxed. I am getting more into the routine of things and feeling more at home and oriented with Paris. I even feel confident in my transportation skills, so that makes me feel very independent.

On Tuesday afternoon after class we had a bunch of free time before we went to a concert so a few friends and I went to the Tuilleries (sp?) Gardens in front of the Louvre and sat around a beautiful pool for hours just talking. We were discussing how ancient western civilizations like Greece affect the character and way of life I am and have today. It was a very interesting discussion, and because I have quite a bit of leisure time here I feel as if I am an olden time rich aristocrat who has servants who work for him and then has time to ponder the great questions of life. I also felt as if I should be writing some great American Novel as well. Anyway the jardins are just beautiful! Everything here is turning colors and there are red and yellow leaves everywhere! There were also ducks and fish in the pond that we were sitting around.

Then Tuesday after my usual meal of baguette and nutella (or sometimes I substitute cheese) we made our way over to the Notre Dame Cathedral. The Cathedral itself is incredible. We have been learning more about the construction of cathedrals this past week and the more I study it the more impressed I become. Since it was built in the Gothic style it has walls that are mostly made up of glass windows allowing heavenly light to come inside and filter throught the brilliant stained glass. The vaulted celings are so tall and there are pieces of work everywhere just bursting of symbolism. Something that has struck me as I have learned more about Catholicism is their devotion to Mary. It is incredible to me that practically none of their beliefs in Mary are doctrinal, but rather grew up around the Colt of Mary and have no scriptural basis. I had no idea that they believed that Mary was also immaculatively ( I have no idea how to spell that and only have a french spell check) conceived as well. Also I find it so interesting that sexuality even within marriage is considered a sin in the Catholic church, and that if you participate in it you have to confess it. Ironically however marriage in the Catholic church is a holy sacrament, but meant to be for marriages that are only celebit. This idea of celebacy is further endorsed by Mary being immaculatively conceived and therefore proving that a celebit life is the most pure and holy. Learning about this sort of stuff has been the most interesting thing about my trip so far. Anyways we got to listen to the Messiah in the Cathedral and it was absolutely beautiful! The siprano had the most beautiful clear voice!

We also visited another cathedral where all the royalty in France was buried, but during the revolution their tombs where opened up and all their bones thrown in a heap outside the cathedral. However, after the revolution they took all the bones and put them in a room in the very bottom of the cathedral where we got to visit. In the bottom of the cathedral there were also the remnants of the very first wall of the church which was started in the fifth century AD!

Then today we went to a huge cathedral in Chatres. It is an ancient medevil town and I had my second offical French pastry, a tarte aux pommes, which was decent but not the best. I did however try one called the milfeuille the other day and it was pretty good.

Well this weekend I am going to a ballet of Edward Scissor Hands. And in the next few weeks if I can arrange it, I may be either going to Spain or AFRICA for the weekend! That would be amazing!

Well I hope all is well in dear America! I love you all and hope everything is going well!

Love,
Julie

Getting to know Paris

2008-10-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

So I have been in Paris for about a week and a half now. I am starting to get the feel of the metro system a bit more, am getting used to the agressive men, and even have stopped coughing when people blow smoke in my face. Hahaha

The city is beautiful! And I have to remind myself to be amazed every time I see a new magnificent building... which is about everywhere you turn. Each morning I run down by the Seine River for about a three mile jog and then get ready for the day and to go to class.

Now that we are finally settled in Paris our classes are a bit more structured. On Monday we have our religion class which addresses the History of the Church in France. The class if taught by the director of the institute in Paris, who is just finishing his PHd this very week. His English is excellent and although he has an accent he is still quite easy to understand. After religion class we all get together for an FHE activity which can range from going to a park to seeing some other interesting place. Tuesdays I have my political Civilization lecture which I really like and find incredibly interesting. Wednesdays I have my European Politics class for two and a half hours and then that night we spend four hours in the Louvre looking at art for my Civ class. Thursdays are reserved for day trips that we will take each week to places like Normandy, and the rest of the weekend if usually left up to us to do as we like.

This last Thursday was my first lecture in the Louvre. We studied mostly Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Persian, and some Mesoptamium cultures. During this lecture we came across the Nike. This is a gorgeous sculpture of a woman leaning forward on the stern of the boat. I absolutely fell in love with the piece and stared at it for ages. It was so beautiful. There was so much drama and movement in the piece and I felt as if she was about to spring off the stern of the boat and fly away.

Many of the sculptures and paintings we have seen this far have been in the nude. In fact I think I have learned more about human anatomy through art than I ever did in my high school health class. However, I have come to recognize the absolute beauty of the human body and love looking at the sculptures. It sparked an interesting question among my friends and I. The question of at what point does art become inappropriate? I have not quite figured it out myself.

Today we had free because we did not have a day trip to go on. We went to take a picnic under the Eifeel tower but by the time we arrived there it was pouring rain and freezing so we decided to go shopping instead. I discovered the H and M store which I really like, in addition to a bunch of other cute little boutiques. I think that I already loved European style before I came over here. Everyone wears tights-and I love tights! Plus I love the dresses that people wear, the dressier look, long pea coats, and button up shirts! Too bad everything is soo expensive!

My friends I were planning on going to the Opera tonight, but then were forced to change plans because the friend I was going to go with had her crazy host Mom demand that she stay home for dinner. I am learning how lucky I am to be placed with the family that I am with! In fact this morning I woke up to a maid wanting to clean my room! I dont even have to take out my own garbage! Is that not amazing!? I may never come home! Hhahha. Three times a week I eat with my family. I find it interesting that they always eat dinner together, and it is always a sit down meal that usually takes at least an hour. I find it ironic that they are much more family oriented then many in the Mormon culture. Perhaps it is just an American thing to be rushing so much. Anyways we always start with a different main course. Something like fish lasagna or friend rice with mushrooms, and then we have one course at a time like bread, cheese, lettuce with a dressing and yogurt or fruit for dessert. I like it, and would like it even more if I could understand half of what the are saying. Unfortunately, I cant quite enjoy the meal because I am straining to here what they are talking about in case they call on me and ask a question.

Well I hope everyone is doing well and that the economic crisis is looking up! If there is one thing I have realised admidst all that I like in Europe, is how much I love about the United States! I really am so thankful to be American!

Paris finally!

2008-09-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

So I have finally arrived in Paris! The first two nights we stayed in a hotel together and today we finally got to move in with our host families.

The adventure to Paris. So we took a train from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Paris. We then got on other trains, I am not sure why, and then we had to take the metro. Well when we got to the metro a bunch of the lines were closed because workers were on strike. Consequently the metro was absolutely jam packed and it was even worse because we had all our luggage for four months with us. Getting onto the metro was quite an ordeal. People were literally smashed against all sides of the metro; their faces pressed against the windows and everyone looking very annoyed. Each stop we came to was jam packed too and more people kept trying to squeeze on when literally the doors could not even shut and we had to wait for a long time at every stop so they could try to shut like 4 times each. I think some people were very mad at us because of our luggage, but for once I was glad I could not understand the French being spoken around me. Hahahah.

After lugging our baggage around to two more trains, getting lost from half of the group and pulling our suitcases through the rain we finally made it to the hotel.

The next day was our first orientation to Paris. The city is HUGE and magnificent buildings are everywhere! I still have no idea where I am going or how to get anywhere.

For my jogging class I ran around the eifeel tower just as the sun was setting. It was sooo beautiful! Then all of sudden it lit up and was incredible!

Then today we walked around more of the city and I ate a French Crepe for the first time. I bought it at a street market and it was incredible!

Then we went back to my professors apt to take a bus to our various homes that we will be staying at for the next few months. The bus driver kept getting lost and it was a bit nervewracking as he swerved back and forth on the extremely narroz and crowded Paris streets. We had been misinformed by our professor and had missed the stop. So by the time he went and dropped us off, there was no one there to receive us and we were left a bit helpless in a random neighborhood with no phone nor idea where we were. Luckily after a bit our families somehow found us and took us home.

Somehow I managed to score the best situation ever! My family consists of 5 children, 3 of which are living at home, ages 18, 14, and 11. They have very very nice and all, except the youngest, speak English well. However they do speak French to us, which will help us learn. The house is magnifique! It is very big, having four floors, and my roomate and I have the downstairs mostly to ourselves. We have our own rooms which are huge! I have a queen size bed and beautiful furnishings. We have a bathroom to share between us and right next door is a movie theatre in the house! Additionally the father and son play tennis and belong to a club that I can play at with them. Also we live right on the Seine River where there is a perfect running trail that I can go to every day. The scenery here is beautiful, and all the leaves are starting to change. We are a 5 minute walk from the train station also.

Tonight we had dinner with the familly and I am excited to see how much I can actually communicate. I am sure my sentence structure is absolutely terrible, but atleast they get the gist of what I am trying to say. The mother told us that she would be happy to teach us how to cook great French and I am very excited for that as well. Oh one last thing I forgot to mention, they have a piano, so hopefully I will have some time to play that as well!

Although I am so glad that I have gotten to see so many things in the last few weeks I am really excited to settle down and get to know a city really well! I hope everything is going well at home and that we havent delved into a depression yet! I love you all and hope you are doing well!

Love,
Julliet

PS: They like ,y name here because it is French.

Beaches/Biking in Holland

2008-09-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

So these last few days have been amazing!

Saturday: We got up and went to the Open Air Museum. This was one of my favorite musuems to far because it was in the forest and they had different places (like a paper mill) and houses, and demonstratons to show what life was like back in the day in Holland. It was beautiful, with windmills everywhere and large green pastures. The sun was shining and it was about 70 degrees. The pastures were filled with nice cows and the bakery was amazing! I got some bread there and a cinnamon roll! (I've been weirdly craving a cinnamon roll here, and even though it didn't even compare to Mom's it was still great) I also ate the whole loaf of bread the rest of the day. After that we went on a bike ride through this enormous park! It was so fun, we used traditional bikes that only have one speed and have foot pedals. The park was absolutely beautiful and there is a museum in the middle of it. You go from lakes to forest to San Dunes. We ended up riding about 20 kilometers and I felt great! It was so nice to get out of the city and gulp in the fresh air! Although my backside was a bit sore the next day it was great.

After the bike ride we went to this pancake house (which are huge around here-we've gone to like 5) and I decided to get a "Mexican" pancake because I was so sick of sweet stuff. Apparently though, living close to Mexico and having semi-real (or more real than this) Mexican food is a plus, because the pancake was well sick. Hhahaha, I'm realizing again and again how much stuff is free in America. At any restaurant I never get water because it costs about 8 dollars (seriously) and I never get water from the bathroom because they charge you a euro to go to the bathroom...so I realized when I almost passed out a few times the other day, I've really tried harder to stay hydrated and even paid to use the bathroom today (though it nearly killed me.)

Sunday was great! We went to church and the ward was very surprised to see 25 girls! I love going to church in foreign places, I think everyone's testimony grows (visitors and the original members) because you realize how worldwide the gospel is. And even though we come from completely different backgrounds we have something huge in common. I think also the 8 or so missionaries that were there were excited to see 25 girls from BYU as well. Additionally my friend Mindy ran into a missionary who she "sent off" and stopped writing. She is now currenly pretty much engaged to someone else. Needless to say that added some drama to the day.

After that we walked around town and went to look a the Queen's palace. I keep wondering what it would be like to be a royal figure around here. Seems to pointless to me. And you really are at the mercy of the government and are basically a puppit.

Anyway, today we got up and becasue most things are closed on Mondays here, we got a pretty free day! We walked about 4 miles after riding the train and went to the beach! It was a beautiful beach and it was soo great! I loved!

Oh I also got my residence assignment for Paris! Apparently I'm staying in this mansion ( I googled it) and I have my own room and it's equipped with Wi fi (yea I didn't bring my computer dangit!) and it ir right on teh Seine river. Like it is in it's back yard. I'm so excited! And i hope that I'll be able to run along side it. We're also right next to the train station. It should be perfect. Now all i have to worry about it my french!.

Ok, I keep asking people but no one will answer me! Are we going into a depression in the U.S.? What is going on in the stock market!?

Netherlands/Belgium

2008-09-19T05:42:00.001-07:00

So after leaving Brussels which wasn't nearly as charming as Brooge (sp?) we have come to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is full of crime and our professors were constantly telling us to keep our purses and valuables under or coats and close to us. The main square was huge, and it had a variety of strange people and sights in it. There were people dressed up in weird costumes just standing around. For example 2 people were dressed up in Grim Reeper costumes, and another in a bright green suit and creepy mask. Later, there was a lady who was in a wedding dress white pasty makeup all up and down her body and face doing some slow creepy dance with another woman.

It was also interesting because the huge red-light district in Amsterdam is right across the street from the huge town hall. Prostituion is legal in Amsterdam except you have to "get a permit."How ironic is that?

Amsterdam, didn't particularly impress me. It was mostly huge, dirty, and loud. There were people EVERYWHERE, but luckily on one in the group got pick-pocketed, although some girls in my group where harassed by some men on the train earlier, and later again in the city. Yuck, yuck, yuck. It's times like this, when I'm actually thank ful for my not overly attractive appearance, so I'm not a target for these leud men.

For the next 5 days were staying in an airport close to the hotel in Amsterdam and then making day trips out to various cities. After this we'll be off to Paris, which I'm very excited for.

Today I got up and went on a 5 mile run with my professor and another classmate. It was really fun, and the scenery was nice. Other than almost taking out a few bikers, the run felt great, and cleared my super congested sinuses for a bit. Then we went to a museum, and now we're going back to Amsterdam for more museums and some fine arts show tonigth. I'm amazed at how incredibly tired I am each night, and I'm glad that they don't give us a lot of extra homework, because I don't think I would be able to do it! :)

I forgot to mention that yesterday we went to the Anne Franck house. It was very sobering and interesting at the same time. It's hard to believe that horrors like those commited there happened so recently. How humans can treat one another in such a fashion is beyond my comprehension.

Yesterday I also got to try my first Swedish Pancake. It's a bit of a mix between a crepe and a pancake and was decent, but not out of this world good. Perhaps that's due somewhat to my lack of smelling/tasting ability. Who knows.

Well, it's been a marvelous journey for the last two weeks, and I'll write more soon. Hope everything is going well at home. I heard that the stock market had a terrible day on Wednesday? I hope that that didn't affect life to drastically?

-Jules

First week in Europe

2008-09-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

So I've completed my first week in Europe! It's been a bit tiring, but lovely all the same! London was wonderful, but I'm glad that I didn't decide to stay there because it's too much like America, and I didn't feel like it was a very "foreign" experience. However, going to a broadway show every night was amazing! I got to see "Phantom of the Opera," "Wicked" and "Les Miserables." "Les Miserables" was by the far the very best, and I actually didn't even really like "Wicked" that much, but they were all incredible and I only spent 75 pounds (ok that's a lot but not for Broadway). Although I really like being able to get everywhere in London, I LOVE having personal cars! Anyway, it looked like we weren't going to be able to get out of London because there was a fire in the "Eurostar" the day before we were supposed to take it to Belgium, fortunately however we were able to take the train! Belgium is absolutely beautiful! And I actually like it a lot more than London. Everything is much more relaxed and the streets are beautiful! Cobblestone roads and beautiful cottage like houses. There are lace and chocolate shops everywhere, and although the official language is dutch, everyone speaks English very well (good thing).

Today we went to church here, and completely overwhelmed the little branch here. We more than doubled their size. It was incredible to experience the globality (word choice?) of the church, and strange to hear people from Belgium talking about an "American" religion.

We've been to so many cathedrals here, and they are beautiful, but a bit eerie, and I realize how much I love the spirit of our plain meeting houses.

Well the chocolate here, is delicious! Tomorrow we're off to Brussels and then off to Antwerp (sp?) and Amsterdam. It's going to be great, however it will be nice to stick in Paris for two months, becasue it's a bit hard carying 70lbs worth of luggage around. UGH! I should never have packed so heavily.

Well, I hope everything is well at home, I haven't heard much, but I guess no news is good news right?

-Jules

1st day in London

2008-09-09T04:24:00.000-07:00

So last night was my first night in London. Mindy and I got in at about 8 in the morning and easily found our way to the hotel. I already consider myself an expert on the London "Tube" which is way easier to use than any American system :) However, when we got to the TINY hotel/bed and breakfast that we were staying at our rooms wouldn't be ready until 12 AM so Mindy and I looked for a place to grab breafkast. Everything here is INCREDIBLY expensive. Yikes. I think I may only be eating one meal a day while I'm here.

After that we went back to our hotel and fell asleep. We were planning on only sleeping a few hours but ended up accidentally sleeping 7 and 1/2! We were going to go to Les Miserables, but it was too late by the time we woke up! Shoot!

However, we took the underground into the city and tried to find a place to pick up a night tour of London, but we took the wrong train and missed that tour too. We finally just rode into London and walked around, trying to find the Buckingham Palace. We didn't have time to find the palace because it was around 10:30 at night and I didn't want to be out any later than that for safety reasons, but we did see the Queen's Gallary and some big monuments.

We went back to our hotel which was sooo small, but I liked all the same. The man at the front desk (well more like front tiny hall) was Indian and thought we Americans were funny. He helped us find our way to different places and kept offering us a cup of tea, which he probably thought we were a bit rude for refusing. Mindy bought some icecream bars on our way back last night and since we didn't have anywhere to store them, offered them to the front desk man. He looked a bit startled and refused but Mindy kept pushing them on him, because otherwise she'd just had to throw them away, and finally a bit awkwardly he accepted them. hahah. The bathroom in our hotel room was probably the size of well I can't think of anything as small as it. The shower head had to be held up and the pressure was that of a dripping sink. Needless to say, showering this morning was an adventure, and there were no electrical outlets in our room so I wore my hair wet...luckliy it was warm out.

Then this morning Mindy and I went down to breakfast (which was tea and toast) hhahha, and sat with a couple from Spain. They spoke little English (which I didn't realize at first) and when I asked them where to get the dishes there was a bit of an awkward exchange. However, I was later proud of myself when between my knowledge from my 9th grade Spanish class and there small amount knowledge of of English language we had a short and choppy discussion. They asked if I was from England- and were very surpised when I said "United States." Once again I have realized how much I LOVE America! Free internet, telephones, and everything else is so lovely!

However this morning the rest of the group flew in so we went to meet them just two doors down from the hotel we were staying at last night. It's nice to see some familiar faces and it distracts me from the bit of homesickness that I had been feeling yesterday.

I have come again to realize how much I love the clean air of UT! My nose is constantly burning from the smoke here. Ugh! :)

We took off with some of the girls to go shopping in London, and I was surpised to see how similar the clothes are to that of America. Consequently I don't feel the need to spend $300 for a jacket that would cost $150 in America and look the same...we'll see what happens when I get to Paris. We also stumbled across a beautiful church this morning.

Tonight we are going to see Les Miserables hopefully and tour all of London with our group. I'm thankful that I got here a day early so I could sleep and recover, seens how everyone else will be absolutely exhausted today.

Well until next time...

Weekend with the Family, Oliver, and Leigh :)

2008-08-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was great! On Friday I ran home from work to try and iron out Kurt's graduation robe...but with out much success. Oh well, he looked tall and handsome from far away and I doubt anyone, but his closest neighbors noticed the crinkles in his uniform. After the graduation everyone headed to my apartment for dinner that Mom had cooked. The dinner was delicious and after cleaning up it was time to go home.

The next day Oliver and I headed up to West Jordan at about 5:00. I was so excited to see Gracie and Ellie! Gracie has become a mama's girl and at first would not even let me hold her! However, after a while she seemed to warm up, although she constantly cried out for Heidi, perhaps a response to the latest addition to the Griffin family...Ellie.

That night after dinner all of us headed up to Cecret lake (our traditional family hike). The hike was absolutely beautiful, although a bit colder than we had all expected. By the time we got there is was getting dark and we only stayed at the lake for about 5 minutes. However the crisp mountain air felt healthy in my lungs and I enjoyed the hike (although we came close to some big moose).

The next morning Oliver and I got up and went to music and the spoken word at the Conference Center. It was a beautiful program and they even sang my favorite song "All Creatures of Our God and King." I love choral music and would give anything to be in that choir someday. After the performance we made our way up to the top of the Conference Center, where there are some pretty gardens and fountains and a great view of the city.

After that we hurried home to make it to the home ward for church. It's always interesting to see how people have grown and matured inbetween the times I attend church there.

That night Leigh came down and she and Oliver and I played speed scrabble (Oliver slaughtering us every time) and ate dinner with the entire family. Our house seems to usually be in a state of semi-confusion with all the babies around, but it's worth it because they seem to get cuter every time I see them.

That night Mom and Dad had put together a memorial service for Grandpa Laird and it was great to remember what a wonderful man he was. I'm lucky to be related to him.

All in all it was a fabulous weekend! I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family/boyfriend/best friend :)

Last night...

2008-08-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

Last night Oliver and I went up to his cabin just ahead of my roommates Leigh and Kate. We all got together and made some great shish kaboobs for dinner.

One of Oliver's good friends from back home came to and brought a girl that he had been crushing on since his study abroad last winter. Funnily enough, I know her. Her name is Kali and we were in the same Biology class our freshman year and even did a group project together. They were really cool and fun to hang out with.

After finally finishing the preparations for dinner and eating, we played a bunch of games. The best of which was "Curses." Aaron Collete (Leigh's date and our ward's current Elder's Quorum President) was cursed that everything he said had to be in a scooby do accent. The psudo japanese trying to be scooby do voice made me laugh harder than I have in a long time. I ended up sobbing half my make up off because I was laughing so hard. I don't think I've laughed so hard since some good old times with Heidi.

We finally got home at about 1:00 AM, and just in time to get in a bit of sleep before today when everyone will start flooding into UT again for Kurt's graduation and Abbey's wedding next week. I'm so excited to see everyone! It's going to be a great weekend!

Introduction

2008-08-08T12:28:00.003-07:00

I am starting this blog so my friends/family can see what I'm doing during my adventure in Europe.