here it goes again

Well, seeing as how there are still some people (and by some I mean two) who are reading this, I thought I would fearlessly continue my entries (and by fearlessly I mean whenever I can actually remember). Many big things have happened in my life in a very small period of time. When I was younger, I never imagined I would make it to college. I always figured that somehow I would "become" really smart and make it through. College always seemed like a big scary blob in my life that I would one day conquer. When I finally made it to college, I never imagined I would have an actual job, make actual money, and have an actual car (and by actual car I mean not my parent's car or my bf's car). All of these goals seemed so far out of reach, and I figured I would be some super genius by the end of college and everything would just kind of fall into place....somehow.

I have two days down at my new job, a new apartment, and a new car. And while I don't feel like some insanely genius mastermind after college, somehow I managed to do it. I don't know how I did it, but I did it. I feel like I almost have to pinch myself to believe that what I am doing is real. I don't know that I will ever fully grasp my new situation. It is truly surreal. I feel like I have had to completely grow up and turn myself around overnight. I feel like a new person. It is somewhat frightening.

where have i been?

Yes, I'm sure most of you....well, if anyone actually still does read this blog.....are wondering just what I have been up to since my return to the United States. Before heading back to my "wonderful" home state of MN, I took a short detour through Amsterdam and, much to my disappointment, Athens. I will most definitely create time in the future to return to Amsterdam! However, I cannot express enough how profusely disappointed I was in Athens. If there is a hell on earth, truly, Athens is just that place.

Now, I'm sure I'm probably being somewhat harsh, and there are probably much nicer places in Greece to frequent, but all I can say is....WHAT WERE THEY THINKING??? Never in my life have I seen a more trashed up tourist attraction. Everything was so filthy and unpleasant. Although I would not recommend anyone visit Athens, I can say, with confidence, that I took away one good experience: Greek salad! Very delicious and nutritious!

Anyway, since I returned to the states in late April, I managed to graduate (FINALLY) from the University of Minnesota with my Bachelor of Science! I just received my diploma in the mail two days ago!!! After experiencing the temporary high of a job well done I snapped back into the reality of my newfound status as an "unemployed college graduate." Yes, job searching is just as tedious and depressing as everyone says it is....if not more. Just as I was rejoicing over the fact of no longer being a student, I felt myself desperately longing for the days of academic anguish. Well, it has now been almost two months since I've graduated and I am very pleased to say that I HAVE A JOB!!!!!!

Oh yes, I will be working for the man....well, the goverment at least. I will soon be starting a position as a Research Analyst with the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission in St. Paul!!! This is very exciting for me as the position sort of fell into my lap. It just so happens that this position is exactly what I was looking for and exactly what I was hoping to be able to do with myself until I go back to school! I am looking forward to actually having money and having excellent health benefits! I actually can't recall the last time I felt so much happiness and excitement! More info. to come on this exciting development!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!

And so it comes to an end...

Goodbye London!!!


Hello Amsterdam and Greece!!


Hello home!!!! YAY!!!!


Really, I will miss London very much. I had some of the best times and some of the worst times here. I will never forget my experiences and hope that I will be blessed with the opportunity to study abroad again!

Ah yes

HAPPY 31ST ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!!!

It's just one of those days...

I
I can't
I can't seem
I can't seem to
I can't seem to focus
I can't seem to focus today.

Really. My mind is absolutely jumbled up today. If you looked into my brain you would see millions of Bethany's running around, bumping into each other. I feel like I need space, but there is none. I feel like I need to breathe, but there is no air. I feel like I need something, but I don't know what.


Hmmm....perhaps a nap!

EQUUS!

EQUUS....the most amazing play I think I've ever seen. Kelly was lucky enough to snag us some excellent tickets, and for 9.50 (GBP) with a restricted view (only requiring us to lean over to get a really great view of the stage), we saw an absolutely fabulous show! Daniel Radcliffe was so fantastic...I don't know that I was expecting a lot from him because of the reviews I'd heard, but he blew me away! Richard Griffiths (a.k.a. Uncle Vernon) was also very amazing. It was really great to see the dynamic between the two Harry Potter characters on stage in a new setting. Peter Shaffer, the author of the play, should be given a medal, an award, a nobel peace prize...something!!! The story was absolutely fantastic and just so disturbing.

For those of you who don't know, the play is about a psychiatrist who is trying to figure out why a 17 year old boy went on a rampage and blinded six horses. The boy's father is really mean to him and anti-religious, while his mother is very nurturing and reads him the bible every night. Through a series of events, the boy ends of associating horses with God. He has a very devoted and almost sexual relationship with horses. He becomes so obsessed with horses and one night snaps, blinding his so-called "master." The whole thing was so chilling and I'm probably not doing it any justice describing it right now. It was just the most amazing story line I've ever heard.

AND YES.....
Daniel Radcliffe did show all....very bravely I might add. I realize that this thought is illegal in the states, but fortunately for me, I'm in Europe where it still is legal......Daniel Radcliffe is VERY GOOD LOOKING!....all of him! But, aside from his naked performance, he made an excellent crossover from film to stage.

I would recommend that everyone see or read this play. It will blow your mind!

Here comes the sun

We're finally getting some of that good old sunshine over in London! Yesterday was absolutely beautiful and for once, I did not feel obliged to carry my umbrella with me! My roommate Kelly and I took full advantage of the day. Our goal was to get down by the River Thames to eat our lunch (which we packed ourselves...yum!) and go on to the Clink Prison Museum. On our way over there we happened to stumble upon an outdoor food market. And what a market!!! There were so many people and so much interesting food! The best part of the market were the free samples at some of the stalls. All of the prices were really cheap as well which added yet another bonus! After winding our way through the maze of people and delicious smells for quite some time, we finally made our way to the riverside with a few goodies (cheap, I might add!) to supplement our lunch.

After stuffing ourselves on homemade and market goodness, we headed over to the Clink Prison Museum. Now, for those of you who are not familiar with the history of the Clink, it was the first female prison in 1247 and the first male prison in 1306...so says the inscription on the wall! Kelly and I learned about all of the unfortunate people that fell prisoners to the Clink. We also learned about the many torture devices used on both men and women. For some strange reason, they seemed to give women the harsher treatment simply because they were, well, women. Isn't that odd...women being repressed by society? Such an odd concept (hint of extreme sarcasm in the voice).

After going through the Clink, Kelly and I parted ways, and I headed over to the Tate Modern. Despite the hoards of people taking up precious space, I absolutely loved the Tate Modern! I wandered around for a couple of hours, listening to my iPod! I made it through the Thom Yorke solo album and Radiohead's Hail to the Theif album (can you tell I'm on a Radiohead streak?). Listening to music was nice because it almost made me forget/ignore the annoying people surrounding me. I swear, there is proper museum etiquette that most people just choose to disregard! Despite that, I had a really great time and I even got to walk across the Millennium Bridge!

In other news: One of my supervisors at my internship gave me the task of writing a 10 page literature review about community involvement in community sentencing! YES!

Three sheets to the wind...

So...a funny, but true story.



Today Kelly and Elise and I went to Fuller's Brewery and took a tour! Fuller's is an independent brewing company in the UK that does quite well for itself! We learned all about how the beer is made from a nice old British man who told funny (sort of) jokes. The best part of the tour was the taste testing at the end. I believe in total we tasted 9 different beers....yum! We only tasted about a quarter pint of each of the beers (which equaled a little over 2 pints in the end), but we did this in a span of about 20 minutes. Our tour guide was running a little behind with his tours and had to speed us along in the taste testing part. Needless to say, the three of us became drunk very quickly due to the amount of beer we were consuming in the short amount of time. Oh yes, and the strength of the beer increased with each new beer we tried, so we were pretty much stumbling out of the brewery laughing!! We then proceeded to the pub located on the brewery site and had lunch and another pint of beer! So, drunk by 2pm, passed out by 4pm, and headache by 7pm....but all is well!

The other great part about this story is that we took the tour with a young British couple. At the end of trying all 9 beers they were absolutely fine! They were probably so used to drinking all of that beer that the three of us American girls looked like light-weights! Anyway, it was really fun. My favorite beer of the bunch was the Honey Dew. If you pour it in a glass, cover the glass with your hand, and swirl it around a bit you can really smell the honey. It's very potent, yet so delicious!

Sorry to my mom and dad who are going to read this, but as the saying goes, "When in London, do as the Londoners do." Actually I just made that up, but I thought I'd try!

Face lift!

DO NOT BE ALARMED!!!! I often get bored with elements of my life (i.e. myself, my hair color, my room, my blog, etc.) so I like to switch things up a bit! I thought dots might add a certain spark in my life/blog that I was missing. Please let me know what you think of this update (i.e. you hate it, it makes you dizzy, you're going to be sick, or you just don't care) and I will think about your thoughts for 2 seconds before I ignore them!

Have a lovely day!!!

Let's Dance

Ah, it's a lovely semi-spring day in London today! I say "semi" because it keeps going in and out of being sunny and being completely overcast. Well, that's London for you I guess. Today has been the first day that I have taken to just lounge about. I did have plans to go to some museums today, but after not being able to get rid of a headache, I decided I would stay in today. OH MAN has it been nice! I've propped myself on our couch and have been working on homework all day long! Since coming to London, I've really forgotten the true meaning and pleasure of lounging about. In just about one month I will be returning home from this crazy adventure of mine. I'm sad at the thought of leaving, but jumping at the thought of being home with my friends. I really feel like I'm ready to get back into things. Being in London has been like one big vacation. I sometimes forget that I'm actually here for school! I've also been reading like a complete mad woman....and I'm not talking about academic books! I've been reading books that I want to read! I've already read 7 books and 4 plays while being out here. I'm lucky if I can even get through half of one book that I want to read in a given semester. I feel like I've completely rediscovered my love of books. If I could be a professional reader, I would definitely take the job! Anyone hiring?!?

So, an interesting thing happened at our flat last night. Our electricity went out! Not just our electricity, but the entire block!!! Well, the fire trucks began to arrive and they started putzing around. Our power was still not on when the trucks began to leave!!!! We sat in darkness for two hours!!!! I was only annoyed by this because that meant that I wouldn't have light to read my book!!! I didn't even care about my computer or television...I just wanted to read!!!

Seriously, if anyone is willing to hire me as a professional reader, I'm down with it!

The rantings of a pirate

After about a month of entertaining people in London, I feel like I'm finally ready to go back to my normal existence. I had so much fun and so many adventures with Andy in Italy. I can't even begin to describe all of the amazing things we saw. We briefly got a taste of the following cities: Venice, Florence, Sorrento, and Rome. I had only ever been to Venice before and was pretty biased when we first arrived in Italy. However, I must say that after having seen more of Italy, my vote goes to Florence. I absolutely loved it there! It was very picturesque and there was just so much wonderful art, architecture, and history. Although I have really enjoyed London so far, if I could do this whole studying abroad thing again, I would probably choose to go to Florence!

Andy and I managed to pack pretty much everything you can possibly think of seeing in these cities into our trip! I think we were both completely exhausted by the end of it, but it was definitely worth it and I would do it again if I could. This is a small list of the things we saw and did:

VENICE: St. Mark's Basilica/Square, Doge's Palace, Rialto Bridge, Accademia, short excursion to the island of Murano, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Santa Maria della Salute
FLORENCE: Accademia (where we saw Michelangelo's David - very impressive), Ponte Vecchio, Uffizi (saw many paintings that I've studied in previous art history courses!), San Lorenzo, Piazza Michelangelo (spectacular views of Florence and we watched the sun set from here!), Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, Palazzo Pitti, the Duomo (we even climbed to the top of the dome...463 stairs!!), Bargello (where we saw Donatello's David - equally impressive)
SORRENTO: day trip to the island of Capri where we saw The Blue Grotto (hole in the cliff where Roman's used to bathe - the water was the most amazing shade of blue), the Gardens of Augustus, and Monte Solaro (we took a chair lift to the top of this mountain where we saw the most breath taking views); short excursion to the town of Positano on the Almalfi Coast, took a day trip to the Pompeii ruins (this was one of my favorite parts of the trip, except it was raining the entire day)
ROME: Santa Maria Maggiore, Fontano di Trevi, Pantheon, Capitoline Museums, Mercati Trainei, The Vatican (climbed to the top of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica - 551 stairs!!!!), Vatican Museums (where we saw the Sisteine Chapel), The Colosseum, ancient ruins in the city itself

So, maybe that wasn't the shortest list, but we really did do everything!

A few days after Andy left my sister arrived in London. A few days after she arrived my parents arrived! I was sad that Andy was gone, but it was so nice to see my family and more familiar faces. I'm so glad that they had the chance to come over here and see how we do things "London style". Lianne left a few days before our parents did, so I had some nice quality time with the rents! I hope they all had as much fun as I did...even when things got crazy!

This is a random thought, but I had a really interesting experience the other day when I was waiting to meet up with my parents. I went to a Cafe Nero near my work to get something to drink and read a book. While I was standing in line to place an order I heard, what I believed to be an old man, ranting at an invisible person in an almost pirate-sounding voice. I couldn't make out what he was saying. I only understood that someone or something must have done him great injustice because he was really having at it. So I got my cappuccino and sat down with my book...all the while this old man, which I soon realized was a woman, went to order another coffee. While "she" stood in line she continued to rant in this awful pirate voice. When someone spoke to her to take her order she responded in a normal voice and with a sound mind. However, after her order was taken, she continued to rant again. Well, someone must have taken her spot in the cafe, for she proceeded to sit on the couch across from me, drink her coffee, smoke, and rant in her insane guttural tones. I continued to read my book....I was really not about to move. I had to concentrate really hard on the words I was reading to stop myself from bursting out laughing. The experience was really interesting I must say. She really let him/her/it have it! And when she was done getting everything off her chest, she simply walked out of the cafe. I later translated this incident to my mother, prefacing it with, "I really shouldn't be laughing about this because someday that will probably be me!"

Anyway, pictures will be up really soon....I promise!

I'M BACK!!

Andy and I just got back from our trip around Italy today. I will put pictures up soon from both Italy and Marseilles. Right now we're both pretty exhausted from our adventures....Andy leaves tomorrow morning for the states :( I will miss him a ton, but my sister and parents will be here later this week! Too tired to write anymore right now....CIAO!

The sweetness follows...

Ah, how right you are REM. After six weeks of being in London, the sweetness does follow...Andy will be here the day after tomorrow! I am so excited to see a familiar face and be around someone that reminds me of home. I'm meeting Andy at the airport when he flies in, and then just a few hours later we'll be on a plane to Marseilles for the weekend! I can hardly contain my excitement!

Other than waiting for Andy to arrive, things are going pretty well here. I'm moving on to a new project at my internship. I will be working more with data analysis and statistical software...something that excites me very much! I know, you all think I'm crazy, but I'm really craving this kind of hands-on work. Our spring break is in just another week! Andy and I are traveling all over Italy...again, I can't help but freak out with excitement! We are going to have so much fun exploring! And of course I'll have tons of pictures when I get back.

On another note, I'm officially going to Amsterdam and Greece upon completion of the program. I'm traveling with two of my roommates, Kelly and Elise. Once again....EXCITEMENT!! I will be coming back on April 27th and will arrive at 6:30pm at the Minneapolis Airport...for those of you who want to celebrate my return!

Keep the messages coming! They keep me sane in this insane world!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

Kelly took this picture of me on our "comfy" couch. I'm holding the lovely flowers and the rose wine that my sweetie sent me! It was definitely a nice treat to come home to after I had been walking the streets of London seeing several sets of couples wandering around with stars in there eyes and roses in their hands....ok, that was a little corny. Anyway, I love the flowers and I'm pretty sure that later tonight I will enjoy the wine! And if you're wondering where I got such a lovely hat you can all start sending your orders to Darlene Habinek! Thanks mom!!! I LOVE the hat!

This is a sad picture of my roommate Kelly. Nobody sent her flowers or wine or made her a hat on Valentine's Day!?! I took this picture of Kelly to make a statement: Please, for the love of all that is good and mighty, somebody send this poor desolate girl some flowers...for crying out loud!!!



Love you mom, dad, Lianne, Andy and all my friends!

The honeymoon has ended

It's official. I am coming down from the honeymoon phase of being over here and have, metaphorically speaking, hit a brick wall. Now that I have fallen into a regular routine, things aren't as exciting to me as when I first arrived here. Don't get me wrong now...I still love London, but you know how these things go sometimes. I'm really starting to miss everyone and everything from my life back in the states. I'm anxious about graduating, finding a job, and just my future in general when I return. Thankfully, I have been receiving some words of encouragement from my better half...he reminded me that I need to remember the reasons I am here and the reasons why I decided to travel in the first place. I was standing at the Covent Garden tube station on my way home from my internship today and I was trying to think of the little things that I appreciate about my time here in London. I have created a small list:

1. Drinking tea at the office with my co-workers
2. Walking around museums and seeing some of my favorite pieces of work (yay Vermeer!!!)
3. Exploring different areas of London with my friends
4. Being surrounded by people with different accents, speaking different languages....London is very diverse!
5. Almost being blown away by rainy gusts of wind
6. Walking to Paul's to get a chocolate croissant
7. Sometimes getting the feeling that I am a true Londoner and I really do fit in here
8. Ok, this last one may sound very odd, but my favorite part about the underground is waiting for the train to come around the corner and catching the small glimmer of light reflecting off the tracks before the train comes into view. For some reason I get really excited when this happens....strange, I know.

Although I am missing my life back home, I feel like I at least have some reasons, no matter how small or how odd, that make my life here enjoyable.

Little Lotte let her mind wander....

I saw the most amazing production of The Phantom of the Opera last night!!! I've seen this musical multiple times before, but I have to say that, hands down, this was the best one I have ever seen (yes, it even beats out the Broadway production!)!!!! I'm pretty sure I heard the best phantom ever....his voice was absolutely amazing and he would have given Michael Crawford a run for his money. Our tickets were slightly on the pricey side (46.50 GBP) and we were sitting on the second level of the balcony, but they turned out to be really great seats and it just so happened that the quality of the show was freaking awesome!

That was only one great part of my day yesterday....It all started out with an early morning birthday phone call from a friend from back home (it was so nice to hear another familiar voice!)!! I went to my Criminal London class where we proceeded to learn about Jack the Ripper!!! I was very excited about this!!!! Did you know there was a potential Jill the Ripper?!? During my class break I went over to Paul's, a yummy French bakery down the street, and got a chocoloate croissant and a hot chocolate...SO GOOD!!!!! After class I was supposed to go to my internship, but because it was snowing here I called my supervisor's boss to make sure people were able to get to work. She had found out that it was my birthday and told me to take the day off!!!

It was SO nice!!! I just relaxed and read my book....then later in the evening we went to the show. After the show we were all completely starving so we headed back to Earl's Court (near our flat) and ate at an Indian restaurant. It was SOOOOO delicious and I absolutely just love Indian food so I pretty much felt like I was in heaven. After we stuffed ourselves on Indian goodness we came back to our flat to break out the champagne. However, before that, my friends had another thing in mind....they brought out a chocolate cake with candles and sang happy birthday to me!!!!!! It was the sweetest thing ever and I really felt like I was at home surrounded by some good friends! So we stuffed ourselves AGAIN on chocolate cake and champagne....then we all proceeded to pass out!

So, all in all, I couldn't have asked for a better birthday! Thanks for all of the little messages from people throughout the day...they made me feel more at home!!!! HUGS!!!!

p.s. I posted some pictures from yesterday's festivities!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I'm 23 today!!! GO ME!

Serenity now!!!

So, once again my internet was on the fritz...however, none of this surprises me anymore as I am learning to cope to some extent. I also haven't watched tv in weeks! I feel like my soul is being cleansed and purified of all evil technology!...well, for the most part anyway.

It's offical!! Andy and I are going to be heading out to Marseilles for the first weekend that he comes in! We are both super excited and can't wait to spend some time together. I hope to have several pictures to post!! Speaking of which, I FINALLY finished posting all of my Paris pictures (it only took me about a year and a half with our lovely internet connection!)!! I hope everyone enjoys them! I had loads of fun taking them!

Oh yes, one last bit of information. Tomorrow is my birthday!! YAY ME! Oh, turning 23 is the highlight of...well, turning 23 I guess?!? Anyway, I'll be thinking of all of my friends and family and I'll be wishing that I could spend my day with everyone in style....at the Shout House! Much love~

PARIS!

I just got back from Paris yesterday! I am completely exhausted….we managed to pack basically EVERYTHING into two full days! Paris was absolutely amazing. It was so beautiful and picturesque! I went with my friends Kelly, Lauren, and Elise. Among the four of us we managed to navigate around Paris pretty easily with none of us knowing a word of French! We all had quite the adventure…I’ll start from the beginning:

Friday, February 2nd
We woke up at the crack of dawn….or rather before the crack of dawn (3:30am!) to catch our taxi over to the Waterloo station. We had a 5:30am train ride on the Eurostar. I don’t think any of us really managed to sleep on the train. We played card games and read our books for most of the way. When we arrived in Paris we were a little bit confused as to how to get to the Metro…everything was in French!!!...hmmmm…I wonder why?!? Finally, we managed to get ourselves down to the Metro and bought 2-day passes. We figured out the stop (Anvers, in case you wanted to know) that we needed to get off at to go to our hotel, Hotel le Regent Montmartre, and asked someone at an information desk how to get there. After walking for what seemed like an eternity we still couldn’t find our hotel!!! We traced our steps back and realized that it had been right in front of us and we had walked right past it….ummm….we’re all degree-seeking people….we’re smart, really! So, we dropped our luggage at the hotel, found a quick bite to eat, and made our way to the Arc de Triomphe. We took several photos there and tried to get a better look at Paris, but it was pretty foggy! We headed over to the Eiffel Tower where we decided to climb the steps to get to the 1st and 2nd floors….we were pretty out of breath at that point, but managed to have a spectacular view of the city! We took a short elevator ride to the top of the tower (a little bit scary considering how far up we were!). The view from the top was really awesome, a little too foggy, but still worth it! All of us were pretty famished at that point from climbing the stairs, so we ate a nice meal on our way to the Louvre. THE LOUVRE…..something I had been waiting so long to see. When we finally saw the glass pyramid I have to say I almost started to tear up. I remember seeing pictures of the Louvre so many times in books or on television, but I never envisioned myself being there….it was truly an out of body experience! We made our way inside and hit all of the main attractions: the Mona Lisa (that was a no-brainer!), Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, Napoleon’s Apartments, some Rembrandt self-portraits, and my personal favorite, two Vermeer paintings!!! By that time we were so completely exhausted that we couldn’t even stand to take the Metro to our hotel…we all opted on taking a taxi home where we had a nice “conversation” with the French speaking Chinese taxi driver. He taught us the proper way of saying Anvers! We pretty much all crashed when we got to our hotel…which was much nicer than our flat in London. We all had our own beds and a private bathroom…I felt like I was in paradise!!

Saturday, February 3rd
We woke up early to eat our FREE breakfast at the hotel, then we walked to the area around Sacre-Coeur. The views were absolutely beautiful!! We walked to the top of the hill by Sacre-Coeur and went inside for a while. It was so quiet and peaceful inside so I decided to take a moment and reflect. I thought about how fortunate I was to be there and how appreciative I am of everyone and everything for getting me to this point. The area outside was so picturesque…nice cobblestone streets with little shops and cafes lining either side. We did a little shopping and then made our way over to the Opera Garnier! This part of our day really got me excited because I LOVE the Phantom of the Opera story, so it was really great to see the opera house where the story takes place. It was everything I imagined it would be…and more! “The Phantom of the Opera is there…inside your mind!” Errr…something like that, but yes. We ate at a nice café by the opera house and then went over to Notre-Dame. The only thing I could think of when we saw the cathedral was Quasimodo ringing the big bell, shouting, “Sanctuary! Sanctuary!” We decided to take a tour of the towers which required us to walk all the way to the top on very long sets of spiral staircases…I’m never going to look at stairs the same way ever again! However, in the end, it was all worth it. We got to see the huge bell and we went to the very top to get the most amazing view of Paris. From the top we could point to all of the major attractions we had been to. The gargoyles at the top of the cathedral really reminded me of my dad (he really likes gargoyles!!...I took some pictures for you!). The climb back down was slightly nauseating and made us all a little dizzy…but again, the things we do just to say we did them! We were all pretty beat after Notre-Dame so we went to the hotel and chilled for a bit. After a while we ate dinner near our hotel and ate chocolate crepes for dessert! Since we had been to all the nice parts of Paris, we decided that we needed to see the more gritty side…so we made our way to The Moulin Rouge! It was pretty neat at night…everything was lit up, including the many neon “Sex Shop” signs lining either side of the street! Alright, so it wasn’t the classiest part of the city, but at least we can say we were there! We finally went back to the hotel after that where we all proceeded to pass out. We woke up early this morning…had our FREE breakfast…..and made our way back to the train station. We waved goodbye to Paris and took our 3 hour train ride back to London.

Long story short (hahaha), I really enjoyed my time in Paris. I definitely want to go back before I leave Europe to just take some time to relax and enjoy, now that I’ve done all of the tourist things. I will never forget my first (hopefully not last) trip to Paris! Enjoy the pictures (I'm working on posting them!)!!!

I FEEL LOVE!

We FINALLY have our internet back....it's still just as slow as ever, but at least it works! So...this weekend I saw The Blue Man Group! It was one of the wierdest, most awesome things I've ever experienced! I don't even know how to describe it properly! I felt that through the whole show I was just sitting there with my mouth open thinking, "Can they really do that?" If you haven't seen them perform, it's well worth it to go. My favorite part of the entire show was an audience participation part. Several rolls of toilet paper folded down from the walls and the audience collectively had to wind the rolls all the way to the stage....I'm not even describing it to its fullest! They had this loud music..."I FEEL LOVE"....and strobe lights going on while the entire audience was unrolling toilet paper to the stage. I looked up at one point and all i saw was a sea of white! Now, I've never taken drugs before, but I'm pretty sure if I ever did...that's what it would be like: Loud music, strobe lights, and people running rolls of toilet paper to three blue men at the front...pretty psychedelic, eh???!!!

Anyway, this theatre that The Blue Man Group performed at just so happens to be right across the street from my internship! I kept walking past it everyday thinking, "I should really go see that Blue Man Group show." Now I am really happy to say that I have! So if you ever want to experience what taking drugs might feel like..without actually taking drugs...go to a Blue Man Group performance!!! You'll totally trip out!

Oh internet, how you mock me...

Unfortunately, our internet has not been working for the past 3 or 4 days in our flat (I am at the CAPA computer lab right now). No one seems to be able to give us any sort of an answer as to when it will be fixed....sadly, I won't be putting anymore pictures up until they can get things up and running again. I know that all of you are SUPER disappointed about this...but have no fear....you will all live another day! ;)

However, I'm getting really excited about next weekend.....PARIS BABY!!! So, hopefully after I get back they will have the internet all fixed! Oh yes!! I saw Wicked last night at the Apollo Victoria Theatre...it was SO amazing. This was my third time seeing it (I saw it in NY and MN) and I was still blown away. This musical ranks really high on my scale...almost as high as Phantom of the Opera, which I will be attempting to get tickets for this weekend!

Anyway, I hope things are going well for everyone else! Leave me a message...I love coming on here to check what people have written!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!

It's my mom's birthday today! I wish I could fly back home for one day just to celebrate with her! I can't wait for my mom and my dad to come out here and visit me...it will be a blast!!! I miss you guys!

So, if you read this and feel so inclined to post a comment, please give a shout out (or maybe just a "happy birthday" will suffice!) to my mom, Darlene!

LOVE YOU!!!

I miss Andy!

Ok, I'm really bad at this!

So, I realized that my snapfish link didn't work. After HOURS of hard work and much confusion and trying to figure out how to post photo albums on my blog, I finally figured it out...thanks to Lianne! I'm still working on uploading all of my pictures, but at least everyone should be able to start seeing some photos. I'll have more to say later, but right now I just wanted to apologize for my lack of knowledge in all of this!

I have pictures for you all!!!

So, I finally got around to uploading my pictures onto my computer and created some albums. I hope you enjoy! On friday we went to Bath and Stonehenge....both were amazing! The day was long and we were all really tired, but we managed to cook dinner and even argue (long story there). Anyway, I went shopping at the Portobello market today with Kelly and Lauren...I'm pretty sure we were in heaven!!! There are so many interesting sights, sounds, and smells! I think this market is going to be our regular Saturday morning thing....not to mention that we found an excellent Thai restaurant nearby. Kelly and I attempted to navigate around Oxford Circus, something which neither of us ever want to do again! There were so many people and the stores were just packed...women were literally tossing shoes around and acting like total animals. I think this was worse than New York if you can imagine that. Lauren was smart and ditched out early before we hit the "circus"....literally. So Kelly and I were absolutely exhausted by the time we got home and pretty much only had enough energy to sit and do homework....I know, I know.

So here is my snapfish website!

http://www1.snapfish.com/photolibrary/owned_view=owned_2007/t_=55960227

I have many other things to say....but I'm SO exhausted right now. I will fill everyone in on more fun and exciting things! *HUGS!!!*

I feel like the walking dead....

Sorry to all...I have not posted in a while. I have not quite overcome my jet lag...I feel as though I have been awake for a full 48 hours. I don't seem to sleep very well at night, but somehow manage to drag myself around during the day. Things have gotten really crazy around here with classes and internship starting. So far I have had my Intro to Shakespeare class, my PELA class (a night class that accompanies my internship), and my Theatre in London class. I also had my interview for my internship yesterday which went really well...I was back there today working for the first time! Everyone is so nice there and I think they are really excited and relieved for me to be there. I am working on a project involving the diverting schemes that are employed to divert mentally ill people (we are focusing on women mainly) away from the criminal system here in London. We see if the needs of people are being met via interview....then we collect all of our data, enter in the data, then do number crunching!!! Next week I will get to use my mad phone skillz to contact people about these diverting systems....whooo-hoo!!!

So...I have a lot of plans for this weekend. The fun begins on thursday night! As part of the CAPA program, we get to see a show. We are seeing the History Boys, which I've heard great things about. Then on friday we get up bright and early to see Stonehenge and visit Bath (I've been there before...but it was raining the whole time!). Saturday morning I'm going with my friends Kelly, Lauren, and Elise to a market on Portobello Road....it is supposed to be the largest antique market! After that we are going to do all of the tourist things you could possibly imagine in London. That will take all of saturday and sunday!

THEN.....

next weekend I am heading to Paris, France with my friends!!!! I am SO excited! We are going to have a total blast! We also have a trip planned in the middle of February for Amsterdam. Then just a short week or so after that, Andy will be here!!!!! He is coming at the end of February to see London for a week....then it's off to Italy for my spring break! Andy and I are going to hit up all the major places in Italy! I am looking forward to Italy, but even more so, I'm just looking forward to Andy coming out here. I can't wait for him to see everything I have seen....not to mention that I REALLY miss him! Anyway....my friends and I have potential plans for Scotland in between visits from my sister and my parents in March! I can't wait for them to come out and visit! It seems as though I will have a constant stream of guests for the month of March. And then....keeping my fingers crossed...Jon and Aimee will come out at the end of March/early April!!! For Easter weekend my friends and I are planning on going to Cambridge and Oxford to watch boat races!!! Honestly....how much fun is one person allowed to have in his or her lifetime??? I feel like I will be maxed out by the time this semester is done!

Well, I'm done babbling for the day...I should at least try to make an attempt at falling asleep! Hope things are going great for everyone else in the states!!!

Harrods!

Today I had my internship orientation. I'm getting really nervous and excited about it. Apparently the site I will be at is a new one for CAPA this semester. Supposedly I will be working on a project with other grad students. I'm not entirely sure about my full duties...I have an interview on Monday! Wish me luck!

After our orientations were all done, the roomies and I decided to head down to Harrods to see it all lit up! This is a picture of Harrods lit up at night! I think it's absolutely awesome and you really need to see it in person! We even took a gander around Harrods, but became overwhelmed by the people and the maze of different department stores. I think we'll leave the shopping for a day when we're ready to devote hours of our lives to rummaging around the sales. However, we did manage to "strut our stuff" while we were poking around Harrods. We were in some section that had all of this high fashion clothing...so we decided to have a mini runway show! We are totally model material!

This is a picture of me with my roommate Jennifer in front of Harrods. We were totally the typical American tourists posing in front of the store. A lot of people were looking at us....but who cares? I feel like I'm standing next to a model or a celebrity in this picture!!!

After walking around desperately trying to find a pub that would serve us fish n chips, we eventually gave up and settled for Chinese. This is a group picture with the roomies. From the right to the left: Jennifer, Kelly, Elise (yes, she is grabbing herself!), and me!! Hopefully we'll have more great memories like this one!!


Leave me some love!

Oh, the hilarity of it all!

This is our living room...it is probably the largest space we have in our entire apartment. Right now, this is the only area where we can sit and chat comfortably. We are still figuring out where to put our suitcases....we were thinking of possibly making a coffee table out of them!

This is our minuscule kitchen....there is really only enough room for 1 person to stand comfortably and 2 people to stand uncomfortably. Somehow we manage to keep food in here...we have one mini-fridge in the kitchen and two stacked mini-fridges in our living room. What is with these crazy Brits???

This is our cell of a bedroom. As you can see from this picture...we have two bunk beds crammed into a very tiny space. There is barely enough space between the beds...you have to turn to the side to walk between them.

This would be the space between our beds. I suppose this at least gives me motivation to stay fit while I'm here!

This is me between our beds....we have a tiny vanity with a tiny closet to the left. I don't know where the 4 of us girls are going to put any of our things. We're all just too tired to figure it out right now. But regardless, I'm pretty sure our bedroom, if not our entire apartment, is one big fire hazard. So if any of you are thinking of something to send me...send me a fire blanket!!!!

I'm finally in London!

Well, after hours of traveling and a 2 hour delay in Minneapolis....I'm finally here! It's wet and dreary as I expected. I'm excited to be here, but right now I'm just too tired to even comprehend my surroundings. Unfortunately, my living conditions are kind of laughable. I live in a flat that was really meant for 1 person, but they thought it would be really cool to shove 4 people in. I honestly have no clue how we are going to fit 4 girls in here, plus clothing, plus suitcases....ugh!

I will post pictures soon...right now I'm just trying to get settled in. I would love to hear from any and all of you!

And a happy new year it was...

Aimee....the fire-eater!

Awwww.....

Aimee being her usual peppy self!

Jon is cool with it though

The morning after...