First Trips of 2010!

Another weekend has passed, meaning another adventure is over, but boy, did I enjoy my most recent trip. This past weekend I headed into London to see all of my Canadian friends as well as some other people. 3 of the girls had just moved into a new flat, and so they were having a house warming party. It was a fun night, and I got to meet a bunch of other 'Bunacers' (other kids on the same program I am) and hear their experiences abroad.

Saturday was a day of rest. After sleeping in, we all went to a Portuguese restaurant and enjoyed a delicious chicken meal. The rain then started pouring down, and so we headed back to the flat. It really was so nice just to lay around, watching scary movies, eating snacks, and just talking with each other.

Sunday, Sam (one of the Canadian girls) and I woke up early to meet our tour group. The first stop was Leeds Castle. This place was incredible. It was one of the most well kept castles I have visited, as it still is in use for banquets, weddings and meetings. While visiting the castle, we also got to see an aviary filled with endangered birds. There were parrots of all types, toucans, cockatoos, and many more. The aviary is actually trying to get the birds to reproduce, so more of the endangered birds can exist. And although you would like to see the birds not in cages, most of the birds at the aviary could not survive in every day life. The highlight for me at the castle, was the maze. This was one of those mazes made completely of hedges, and wow, it was difficult. It took Sam and I an entire 40 minutes to make it to the center, and that was with help. Without help, we would have missed our bus! The next stop on the tour was the village of Canterbury. This place was very neat as it had both modern and historical sections. After a quick lunch, we toured the Canterbury Cathedral. Once again, another spectacular cathedral, from the size, the stained glass windows, and the architectural design. Following this stop we went to see the white cliffs of Dover. I had seen them before on a cruise with my parents, but they were still neat the second time. The tour stopped at the beach for about 15 min. in order for everyone to get pictures of the cliff, the fort, and the ocean. The water was quite chilly, as I experienced when I got soaked by a huge wave, that hit me when I was trying to just feel the water. Our final stop of the day was Greenwich village, known for being zero degrees latitude. Unfortunately we did not have time to sight see here, as we were catching a boat ride on the Thames River. This boat ride was very neat as it took us underneath the London Tower Bridge and the London Bridge. The views of these bridges, as well as the views of the Tower of London, The Eye, and the Big Big Bend area at night, were amazing. It was a great end to a very great weekend.

More adventures to come next weekend...stay tuned!

Another week in snowy England

It's been a week now since I was lying on the beaches of the Caribbean and what a difference a week makes. It has snowed every day that I have been back, and I don't mean just a little. Bryan actually close Castlet on Tuesday due to the amount of snow and icy conditions that were taking place. From what I everyone told me...he NEVER closes early. Last night I had a little fun in it with Bryan's grandson, Ben. I taught him how to make snow angels, and lets say by the time we went inside, there were about 100 little angels around the yard. We also attempted to build a snow man, but to no success. The snow was all powder, and even water didn't help it clump together. Oh well.

Last night I stayed up the entire night to watch Texas lose to Alabama in the championship game. As I said, only a dedicated football lover would stay up to watch the game, being overseas. None the less, I am a little tired today and will be sleeping after work this afternoon.

Other than that, I have pretty much booked every weekend with trips from here to there. The tours, in no particular order, are Leeds Castle, Oxford, Canterbury, Dover, A ride on the Thames River, Bath, Stonehenge, Salisbury, Stratford, the Cotswolds. I am going back to London a few times, as most of the tours leave from there. One of my visits will include seeing the premiere of Love Never Dies, the second Phantom of the Opera musical, which comes out in March. Then I have a longer trip to Dublin for St. Patricks Day planned. Plus, I am going to Prague with....my SISTER and NEPHEW!!! She informed me the other day that she and Asa were coming over for my birthday and as you can tell I am super excited!!! Other than that, I am making a decision between Venice and Paris...and that pretty much does it. I will look forward to sharing all of my adventure with y'all!

A Happy New Year!!

Yes, it has been a while since I last posted, but I have been on an amazing cruise with the best family a girl could ask for. I will back up a little, and tell you all the events of the past week...although I feel like my vacation was a lot longer!

On Christmas Eve, I said goodbye to my co-workers, as well as the Carr's, and headed into London. I was staying at a hotel near the airport because I had an early flight Christmas morning. And so my Christmas was spent in a plane, pretty much the entire day. And, lets say my flight to Miami was one of the worst flights I have ever been on. There was a medical emergency an hour into the flight...due to this emergency, for the remaining 10 hours of the flight, no food or drink was served. On top of all this the plane was bouncing up and down the entire time. But, I made it to Miami, hopped on another flight to Puerto Rico where my dad picked me up!!!! We headed to Ruth Chris Steakhouse, where my mom and grandmother awaited my arrival. It was so great to sit down and be with my family, especially on Christmas night. Walt, a family friend, and his wife, met us as well, and we all enjoyed a delicious Christmas dinner. Once we got back to the hotel, my family and I enjoyed opening gifts.

Saturday morning I enjoyed laying by the beach and pool, until it was time to head to the cruise ship. We met up with Lyle ( a professor from Louisville that I know from the banking school at SMU and who my dad teaches with occasionally) and his wife...they were joining us on the cruise. The cruise was fabulous and very relaxing, which is what we were looking for. We sailed from San Juan to the islands of Grenada, St. Marteen, Barbados, Tobago, and Dominica. Most days we would get off the ship, souvenir shop for about an hour and then head back to the ship and lay by the pool the entire day, but in Tobago and Dominica we took tours of the islands, which took us to forts, waterfalls, churches, botanical gardens, and beaches. We had bright sun most of the time and hot weather, which was a nice change from snowy England. The food was delicious as always, the shows on board were amazing, and people that we met were very nice. All in all a wonderful, relaxing trip.

My trip was extended a day, as my flight was oversold and I was offered $500, plus hotel, food, and taxis, to stay an extra day/night in Puerto Rico. Of course I said yes, and I ended up at a nice hotel, while getting a chance to lie on the beach, and watch the sunset one last time in the Caribbean.

Now, I am finally back in England. The snow is continuing to fall...alot...which according to everyone is the most snow and coldest winter Lincoln has had in 25 year. It's hard to believe I am a little more than half way done with my time here but the fun is continuing as I have exciting trips in the coming 3 months.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2010 and my blessings and thoughts are with you all!

Almost Christmas...

I know, I know, I haven't written in a while so I decided it was about time. Just has been a busy weekend and now week. Anyways though, Friday after work, was the work Christmas party that I organized. It was a complete success, as 100% of the company attended and everyone very much enjoyed it. Instead of a pub like the company normally does, I had it at a Snooker/Pool Hall around the corner from work. It was just fin, that everyone came and was so relaxed. Following the party, I went with Margaret to Jaime's school end of term service in Lincoln Cathedral. This was something that was neat to see, although they sang some Christmas carols that I did not recognize. I went home, relaxed and got a good nights sleep, because on Saturday...Erin and her mom came!!!

Bryan and I went to the train station Saturday afternoon to pick them up. I knew they would be exhausted from traveling so we took the afternoon easy, had dinner, and then went into town for a ghost walk. I had done this before a few year ago and it was quite enjoyable...the problem this particular night, it was well below freezing, the wind was blowing, and the snow was still falling. All of these combined made for a pretty miserably cold ghost walk, so we ended up not really paying attention. Afterwards, we walked to a house of one of Jaime's friends, and had hot chocolate to warm us up. On the way home, Margaret dropped Erin and I off in the village to go to the local pub. It is a short walk home and allowed us to catch up and hang out. After enjoying the quietness of the 1st pub, we started walking home, until we noticed another pub with lots of people outside. We ended up going to this one, and boy was it was. It was also quite entertaining as it was filled with about 40 guys and 4 girls. Our accents definitely were noticed and we often got made fun of, but in a joking manner. We finally wandered home in the early morning hours.

Sunday we all slept in before heading down to the Cathedral area. We just shopped and had a pub lunch, all while snow was down pouring outside! Once home, we enjoyed sitting by the fire, a warm dinner, and a wonderful conversation with the Carr's while drinking wine.

Monday was a full day. Bryan and Margaret were so kind, and actually gave me the entire day off to spend with the girls. After stopping by Castlet to show them where I have been working the last 3 months, we headed to the castle. It was gorgeous to see with all the snow on the walls and ground. Unfortunately, they did not get to see the original Magna Carta as it is on traveling display in the states. It was still a nice time though. After this, we enjoyed a very delicious Thai lunch before heading to the Cathedral. This place was gorgeous as always, and after wandering around for a bit, we joined the Roof Tour. I had never done this before either, and it was incredible. We saw some magnificent views of the inside from the roof, as well as the outside. Plus, we were able to see the rafters and how all the wood is put together to make the cathedral ceilings. Once the tour was complete, we finished seeing the rest of the Cathedral, including the exact spot where Da Vinci Code was filmed...it was not filmed at Westminster but Lincoln Cathedral instead. A few more stores and shops completed a very busy day.

Erin and her mom left Tuesday morning for London, and I headed back to work, for a quick week. It was a mini Christmas here yesterday, as I gave out my presents (Texas picture frames) to people at work, I gave the Carr's their gifts, and then they gave me mine. Tonight I am home to pack for the cruise! Merry Christmas everyone, don't know if I will be writing before then!

A Musical Filled Weekend in London

Well it has been a little bit since I last posted so here is the latest update on me. Last week was another typical work week. I was pretty busy catching up on stuff from when I was gone. And then, my trip for the weekend was to London!!

Friday afternoon I boarded the train to head to the city where I was planning on participating in what has come to be my Friday ritual when I am in London. I made my way to Trafalgar Square which had a huge Christmas tree, carolers, and lights. It was absolutely gorgeous. I then had my Mexican dinner at the Texas Embassy. It was a nice dinner, as there was a woman from the states sitting next to me by herself, so we ended up talking the entire dinner. Following the delicious food, I made my way to the Dominion Theatre for the show...We Will Rock You. It is a musical based on the music of Queen. I absolutely loved it and found the music wonderful and the story a very neat one to follow. I really want to see it in the US though, because here they had thrown in British humor, and so there would be some differences seeing it back in the states. But I left the theatre singing Bohemian Rhapsody, so it really was a great show. After this, I then went and met up with my Canadian friends. These were the girls that I met on the Wales trip. I was going to be staying with them the entire weekend and was so excited. It had been a while and was definitely great to see them.

Saturday morning the girls and I made our way to Angel Center to do a little Christmas shopping. We also just wandered around the area which was nice, as I hadn't really seen that specific part of London. Following this we hopped on a double decker bus to Hyde Park where the Christmas season really set in! It was here that Winter Wonderland was taking place. The entire park was filled with Christmas rides, German and Bavarian shops and food, ice skating and music. Although it was packed with people, the atmosphere definitely put me in the Christmas mood. We stayed here for all of the afternoon and early evening, just enjoying the sights and sounds of Christmas. Once we were pretty frozen, we headed back to the house to thaw off. I decided that since it was 15 minutes before a lot of theatre shows began that I would try and get cheap seats. The closest theatre was Wicked...so as I walked in two minutes before show time, I got cheap, front row balcony seats. Yes, it was the 5th time I had seen it...but I hadn't seen it in London and the music is just amazing. It is also such a feel good story, which is why I love going. I wandered back to my friends flat, for a good nights sleep.

After sleeping in a little Sunday morning, we got up and did some typical London sightseeing. I got to see Westminster Abbey, Big Bend, The Eye and Parliament...to me, there is no greater sight in the world then standing in the grass square looking at all the of these amazing sights...truly one of my favorite places to be. Then came, the sights of Buckingham Palace which is astonishing as usual. The queen had even put a Christmas tree outside the front doors. :-) We wandered through The Green Park and then enjoyed a hot drink at Starbucks before taking the bus back to Angel Center. It was in the district of Angel, where we met up with some more friend at a pub and enjoyed watching a big soccer match on tv. Unfortunately I had to leave at half time to make my train back to Lincoln, but I can't say enough how great it was to see the Canadian girls, enjoy the Christmas festivities of London, and see the wonderful musicals I saw.

A Surpise Trip...Home!!!!!!!

For those of you that haven't heard...my big surprise weekend trip was to good ol' New Braunfels, TX! Thanks to my dad for the airline miles, I was able to fly home to celebrate my grandmothers 80th birthday. The trip however was a surprise to all my family members, except my dad and sister. I flew into San Antonio and was picked up by a couple of my high school friends and then headed home to surprise my first victim...my mom. My friend Kaelin had the camera and my sister had my dad on the phone as I walked into my mom's room. She was fast asleep, even after I turned on the light, so I yelled "SURPRISE"!! She sat up, and literally stared at the group in the doorway for 20 seconds before letting out the most horrific scream ever, which also made the dog start barking and the baby start crying. That's when she realized it was just me, and the laughing and hugging began. Surprise victim number 2 was my grandmother. Friday afternoon we headed over to her house, and my mom, sister and the baby went inside. I waited back and then went up to the door and rang the doorbell. My grandmothers face was absolute shock when she opened the door. Victim number 3 was my uncle. We drove to his school and I went inside to his principals office. She called him down immediately and told him he had a package waiting. As he walked around the corner, wondering what package arrived, I jumped out. He couldn't believe it either. Surprise victims kept appearing though, as people visiting my house just didn't expect me to be there.

The weekend was absolutely amazing though. I was able to see my family and some of my best friends, which I had missed so much. I was also able to get a lot of things done, whether it be packing for the cruise at Christmas or some Christmas shopping. I got my yummy Mexican food (two nights in a row), I got to eat my favorite coffee cake, I got to watch the best college football games, I got to sleep in my own house, I took amazing showers (the water here in England is really hard), and I got to see my puppy dog!!

It really was a weekend I needed and now I am back in rainy, cold old England and back to work today. Surprisingly I am not tired. A have a trip planned to London this weekend for some Christmas sightseeing with some friends, shopping and maybe a play. Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

Mid-Week

Not to much has happened this week. Just giving everyone a heads up that an exciting post will be on here following the weekend! No clues or hints.

But anyways here are a few bits from whats happening...

I am officially in the holiday mood now. I went ice skating last night with two of the ladies from work, and their families. It was so much fun. It definately got me more in the holiday mood, as there was music being played, and there were Christmas lights all around us.

1 day until my grandmothers 80th birthday...Happy Birthday Grandma! Wish I could be there tomorrow to help celebrate! Love you!

10 days until my Christmas trip to London for my weekend with the Canadian girls

17 days until Erin and her mom come visit me!!

23 days until Christmas and until I get to meet up with the family in Puerto Rico.

And oh so much more! Missing everyone back that way! Enjoy the holidays!