#Feelin' The Spirit

Dear Grace,

I think I had the best Fast Sunday I've ever had yesterday. Pretty much I ended up going to the singles' ward in the afternoon, but after sacrament everyone bailed and went home. I felt bad because I skipped out early last week, so I decided to stay for classes, and I'm so so so glad I did! During the third hour an adorable Italian girl named Francesca came and sat next to me and started up a conversation with me (sadly I never got a photo of her).

After class she invited me to stay and hang out with her at the break-the-fast potluck, and as I have run out of food (yet again) I wasn't exactly opposed to turning down a free lunch! So we went and got food where I ended up sitting down with Francesca and a group of girls I had never met before, and we all just sort of got to talking and asking each other about ourselves.

I just thought it was so cool to meet a group of people from all over the world. We had Francesca from Italy, Kirsten from New Zealand, Lauren from Florida, Hannah from Washington, a lady who's name escapes me from India, and me, from Utah! It was fun to go around the circle and learn a little about where each girl was from, and of course had an argument over whether the west coast was better or the east (with Washington and Florida). In the end after talking about the oranges of Florida and apples of Washington, we realized that we had apples and oranges, so we were all able to hold hands and sing Kumbayah.

I actually had so much fun hanging out with my new friends that I didn't even bother going home after the potluck and just stayed to hang out with them until the general women's broadcast that night, where we all sat together. I think my favorite moment of the evening was when we first sat down and got to talking about how someone in one of the broadcast meetings had encouraged the members of the congregation to tweet something about her talk, and how funny that was.

Well, then the broadcast started, and what should we see at the bottom of the screen, but
#womensbroadcast

We noted this with a laugh, and then a girl in front of us said,
#women's broadcast
#we're here
#feelin' the spirit

I realize now that this probably isn't nearly as funny as it was at the time, but I don't really care what your opinion of the matter is. It still made me laugh :)

My only regret is that I didn't meet these girls sooner in the semester. I think we would have had so much fun together while I was here in London! Still, I'm grateful I got to meet them and spend a wonderful day with them.

Basically, Glorious

Dear Grace,

Oddly enough, I feel like I don't have much to report today. Last week on Friday we went on another walk around the city, and I finally got to see the Old Bailey building (which was featured in one of my favorite films, V For Vendetta).

On Monday we visited the U.S. Embassy, which was cool, but the only tour we got was basically walking into the building, sitting down in an auditorium, listening to a few of the government employees talking about how cool their jobs were, and then walking straight back out.

Well anyway, that night Lindsey and I decided to go see the world's longest running show: The Mousetrap!

I think I must know Agatha Christi's mind pretty well by now, because I guessed who done it the second the villain walked onto the stage.

On Tuesday a group of us decided randomly to go to Harrods and see if we could get one of their dough-saunts (which everyone in our flats insist on calling cro-nuts for some reason). Harrods isn't all that impressive during the day, I think, but it looks flippin' sweet at night when it's all lit up.

Yesterday we had a day trip up to the Black Country, where we visited the Black Country Living Museum. Basically, it was like visiting a fully-operational mining town. Because it was so cold, I neglected to get any pictures though :P

After spending a few hours there, we hopped back on the bus and went on a church history tour up to Hill Farm, where Wilford Woodruff baptized a ton of people when he first came to England as a Missionary. After that we visited the town of Herefordshire and hiked to the top of the hill where the land was originally dedicated for missionary work.

You're never EVER disappointed when you go on a hike in this country, I could swear by it! Every time I've climbed to the top of a hill, I end up seeing something like this:

Basically, glorious. After that, we headed back down to the bus and rode for another 20 minutes to the Gadfield Elm Chapel, Where Wilford Woodruff used to preach.

After that we rode home. Today I wrote a song with Lindsey for our religion class project because neither of us wanted to go with the original projects we had started with, so I'll leave you with a link to that and my latest video today. Cheers!

Each Our Own

Struttin' Along Avon

Dear Grace,

Let me start you off with a video showing some of the fun from the trip up north!

On St. Patrick's day I woke up to find our dining room walls covered with these adorable four-leaf clover notes addressed to each of the girls in our flat!

I seriously have the best flatmates ever. No other group of girls will ever be able to compare. So that afternoon, a group of us decided to go to the world-famous Speedy's Sandwich, where the 221B Baker Street scenes of Sherlock were filmed!

I was tickled when I noticed that the door knocker was crooked, just like it is in the show, and I couldn't resist running up to touch it! Then I danced all the way home with the knowledge that I touched something Benedict Cumberbatch touched.

Tuesday night I went with Rose, Ryan, and Jarom to see Spamalot. I haven't been to a show that made me literally dance in my seat in such a long time! I'm just glad I was sitting with Rose, because half of the time she initiated the dancing instead of me, which made the experience even more fun.

Wednesday was quite an amazing day. We traveled an hour out to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see where William Shakespeare was born, bred, and buried. We started off at his wife, Anne Hathaway's house...

visited Mary Arden's farm (Shakespeare's mother)...

 (These strange creatures are not sheep, they're pigs! I kid you not!)

...and ended up in the main town of Stratford where we visited Shakespeare's grave...

...as well as the house Shakespeare was born in, which is still standing.

These were places I'd studied and seen in pictures before, and which I'd always thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be awesome if I got to see those?" I never dreamed that one day I would actually get to see these places myself.

(I was so excited to find this archway-tunnel-thingy at Shakespeare's

neighbor's house that I frolicked down it Do-Re-Mi-style)

On Friday I went on the next London Walk where I got to see the Old Baily building (anyone who has seen V For Vendetta will share my appreciation for that) which was awesome, as well as the hospital from which Mr. Holmes jumped off the roof in the last episode of season 3 of Sherlock!

That night we rode south of London to go visit the London Temple.

That was a really cool experience, and most of the names I did baptisms for were from the 1600s. The oldest one was from 1615, which means that girl had been waiting for her work to be done for almost 400 years.

Something funny that happened just before we left to go home was when we walked through the visitor center. Just as I was walking past the front desk, one of the sister missionaries said, "Katie?" I looked back and recognized an old junior high school friend of mine, Hannah Jacobs!

We sat next to each other for a semester in choir class back in the day, so that was fun to see an old friend. What a small world this is!

Today I went with Lindsey and Andrew to Borough Market because Lindsey had never been before, and we stumbled across this exotic meats stand, where I saw some of the strangest burgers I've ever seen.

They serve kangaroo, ostrich, and zebra burgers (and yes, that means actual meat from those animals). Lindsey had a kangaroo burger, which she let me have a bite of. So now I've tasted kangaroo!

After Borough Market Lindsey and Andrew left to see the rugby match they'd gotten tickets for, and I skipped off to go to Camden market again.

(I have yet to get any pictures within the market itself, but this shows one 

small corner of some of the stalls to give you an idea of what it's like)

I went back to the Basement Tea Rooms where Tyler took me before in the hopes that I would get to play the piano and sing while I was there. Unfortunately, all of Camden was ridiculously crowded and busy today for some reason. I thought maybe if I waited past lunch time it would die down, but three hours and two pots of tea later, the crowds had only gotten worse. So, I decided I'd have to go back another day and I went exploring through the market for another hour or two before heading home.

(This is the corner where I like to sit right next to the piano)

Once I got home, I went down to flat 2 to hang out with Rose. We made fish fingers and custard for dinner, and are now happily occupied on the couch watching King Lear for Shakespeare class.

She Went To Harrods

Dear Grace,

So I started off the day on Thursday with quite an ordeal. We were told to be down to breakfast by 6:30am and that the bus would be leaving by 7:30am. Before you make any assumptions, yes, I DID SET MY ALARM. I woke up the next morning at 7:25 to an alarm clock notification on my iPod and no sound coming out of it. So naturally I freaked and yelled for my roommate (Maddie) to wake up, and the pair of us got ready for the day in record time. I learned that morning that without makeup and hair, I can get ready for the day in five minutes (which makes me hate guys for how easy they have it).

In any case, when we got down to the lobby fully expecting everyone to be on the bus waiting for us, we discovered everyone sitting on their suitcases in the lobby with the explanation that the bus was running late. So then Maddie and I did a victory dance and ran down to get breakfast at the buffet. One thing I had been so sad about the day before was that I hadn't gotten the chance to go out to a pub to get haggis and warm milk for dinner, but when we got down to the buffet Maddie noticed that they offered haggis for breakfast. I was pumped! Once I had my bowl of haggis, I then turned around and discovered a pitcher of hot milk right behind me! I have to say that that right there totally made the morning all better for me.

(Photo evidence of me without makeup)

After waving goodbye to Edinburgh and Scotland, our first stop of the day was at Hadrian's Wall - a historic fort/wall built by the Romans in 122 AD. Since the wall isn't guarded, we basically just spent the whole time climbing on and running up and down it like the rebellious heathens we are ;)

After the wall we stopped in the city of Durham, where we only had enough time to visit the beautiful cathedral before heading off to York.

When we got to York, we went to an Evensong at the local church. After that we had a little time to wander through York to find somewhere to eat. I can't decide if I liked the streets of York or Edinburgh more. They were both so elegant and antique and so uniquely their own. I ended up picking up a meat pie in a cute little bakery there where I met the absolute sweetest Scotsman ever. Seriously though, all of the stereotypes about Britons being cold and unfriendly have proved to be completely wrong in my experience here. Oddly enough, Brits and Scots have proved to be some of the nicest people I've ever met in my entire life.

The next day I got up early and went with a group for a walk along the wall of York - the wall that goes all the way around the city.

After that we drove to Fountains Abbey, which was my favorite abbey I've seen on this trip, probably due to the fact that the whole thing was in ruins.

This place was so magical and peaceful, like a spell had been cast upon it. I felt strange walking through the shadows of these halls; like I belonged there, even though I didn't; like I could lie on the floor, close my eyes, and disappear for a while.

This hall was my favorite part of the abbey for me. If you look closely, you can see a window with a ledge at the far end in the photo. The sun was at just the right angle to let the sun shine on the ledge, and for a long time I sat in that window with my eyes closed and just listened to the sound of the wind rushing through the valley. I think for a while I really did disappear.

After the abbey we went to the small town of Haworth to visit the parsonage where the Brontë sisters lived. I wish I had taken a few more pictures of this, but it was so windy and cold that I couldn't really think straight the whole time. We toured the museum and had a quick tour of the parsonage and briefly saw the main street. Then we went on a mini hike on the moors, which was absolutely stunning. It was a foggy, windy day, which made it the perfect setting for any Brontë story, but I have to admit it was pretty freezing on that hike!

(I finally took a photo of my new tea set!)

After that we had a long four hour drive home. This morning I thought I was going to have a bed day where I would just stay in bed and watch movies all day, but I woke up at like 9:00am and the sun was shining and I just couldn't stand to stay in bed. So, I got up and went for breakfast and tea at The Muffin Man cafe. I don't think I've ever had a more enjoyable breakfast in all the time I've been here in England than I did today. I read Pride And Prejudice while I enjoyed a nice pot of tea with a scone and some lemon cake, and when I was finished there I took the bus to go check out Harrods, which I had never been to before. According to my darling flatmates, Harrods was like the first shopping mall in the world.

Last of all, I picked up a few souvenirs for some people back home, as well as a few postage stamps for sending some postcards.

This afternoon I went to the church and played on the piano for a couple of hours. I've really been missing my piano back home lately, and I wish I didn't have to walk all the way down to the church and hope that I can find a piano to play in a room that isn't already occupied, as well as live with the constant paranoia that someone is going to walk in on me when I'm belting my lungs out (which happens 3/4 of the time).

I ended my evening by binging on pizza and lemon cake whilst watching a show called Firefly with Rose, which I'm excited to watch more of tomorrow! I can't believe I only have three weeks left to live here in London. I try not to think about it, but I keep trying to picture my life after I go back home, and I really can't see what my future is going to be. I only hope that the things I've seen and experienced here will start to open new doors for me wherever I go from now on.

Steaming Haggis and 'Worm Melk'

Dear Grace,

Getting behind on keeping you updated officially sucks. There's so much to tell you, and I know I'm not going to remember all of it, mainly because my camera keeps running out of batteries. So first off, I went to the most amazing show a few nights ago called Once: A New Musical.

Basically, it's about a singer/songwriter who has hit rock bottom and is intent on giving up on his music and his life, when he meets a girl who turns everything around for him and helps him find the courage to reach for his dreams again.

The next day I visited the Charles Dickens house museum, and when I got there I ran into Tyler and I ended up telling him about Once and how much I had loved it, and basically we ended up deciding to go again that night with Betsy and Jarom! Tyler and I went to Camden Market for kicks and giggles where he showed me the cutest tea shop I've ever seen before and where we took turns playing on the piano there, which was super fun.

Gosh I love that show! It really hit home for me because I hit a very low point in my life while I was living in Cedar City, and when I didn't have a friend in the world I met the most incredible vocal coach named Terri, who befriended me and loved me without question. Through her love and music, she turned everything around for me. I think I might have stopped singing and writing music altogether if it hadn't been for her.

The next morning a group of us took a long train ride to go for a walk out in the countryside.

While there, we saw the gnarliest looking oxen/cow things I've ever seen,

as well as a couple of castles and an adorable castle farm where everyone tried lavender flavored things (as lavender was the main thing grown on the farm). I tried a shot of ginger wine (which the entire group dubbed with the name "Hell in a Bottle") that probably burned a hole in my throat.

There was also a mini zip-line along the hike that we got to play on for a little bit, and at the end of the hike we ended up at this chapel: 

Of all of the cathedrals and churches I've been to so far in this country, this one sent all of the others away with the spirit that dwelt there. I've never felt so calm and serene and close to God in any chapel, LDS or no. I think that our religion gets so wrapped up in technical things sometimes that we forget that the most important thing is our personal relationship with the Lord. I honestly wish we had more of that feeling I felt in that chapel.

This week marked the beginning of our northern trip up to Scotland! The first day we stopped at a factory where they make things like tea sets and dinette sets and such, and I was totally psyched when I found a gorgeous teapot and three tea cups in the rejects shop for just £15! Talk about a dream come true! (I'm just kicking myself because I've got to figure out how I'm going to get those things home now).

The next thing we did was visit the town of Preston. Unfortunately, my camera batteries had died at this point, and I therefore have no pictures of my adventures there. Basically we went on a guided church history tour around the town and then Rose and I went and got dinner at a Chinese buffet. Because I had had some personal stuff going that day, I did the only logical thing a girl in distress would do and destroyed myself with food. Really though, I ate and ate and ate until I was seriously ill. I probably looked like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man walking out of there.

Anyway, moving on. The next noteworthy thing we did was visit the Preston temple to do baptisms for the dead. I had a really cool experience while I was there. When I went in to do confirmations, my my was racing elsewhere. Afterward, however, Andrew (the guy who had been doing the confirmations) came up to me and told me that he felt strongly that one of the names I had been confirmed for was someone who had been waiting for their work to be done for a very long time. That was really touching.

After that, we drove on a winding road (which made a lot of us pretty motion-sick) through the Lakes District to see the famous Beatrix Potter's cottage! I think the Lakes District has been my absolute favorite part of England I've seen so far. I'm just pissed that my camera died and that I couldn't find a shop that sold batteries until later last night, but I did manage get a few pictures on my iPod of a couple of things. After the cottage, Tyler and I went down the road to grab a cup of tea before we had to hurry back on the bus; but I'm so glad we went to that tea room, because the view from our table on the back patio was spectacular.

We actually ran into a group of girls from our little family, so we sat with them out on the patio and enjoyed tea and scones before we had to hurry back to the bus.

Our next stop was Dove Cottage, where the poet William Wordsworth lived back in the day, and after that we checked into the hostel we would be staying in for the night.

I've never stayed in a hostel before, but if I had to imagine what a cramped college dorm would be like, this would be it (except that this was a little bit more scary, haha). I wish we had had another day there though. It was such a pretty, peaceful place, and I had a nice time hanging out with Tyler and a super sweet girl named Ashlin. We watched Brave together down in the common room until Ashlin got tired and went to bed. Then Tyler fell asleep, and then I started going as well, so we decided to call it a night.

Today we got up and rode for a few hours until we came to the beautiful land of Edinburgh, Scotland. Almost as if he had been placed there to greet us, there was a guy bag-piping right out in front of our hotel when we pulled up, which absolutely made my day.

After checking into our hotel and dropping off our stuff, we headed up the road to see Edinburgh Castle. I just love seeing the castles here. I can't really say why I like them, really. Essentially, when you've seen one Medieval castle, there's not much variety in their architecture. Yet I can't help feeling something magical every time I get to see one.

After the castle, Tyler and I walked around Edinburgh and saw the sights. The views throughout the city are incredible no matter where you're standing. London is amazing, but I think I've visually enjoyed Edinburgh even more.

We walked up to the top of a hill where there was an observatory and where we had an amazing view of the city. I had another one of those moments where I had to stop and check to make sure I was really awake. The view from there was the same image I've seen in the photos I've pinned on Pinterest in the past, and it all seemed a bit surreal to me as I took in that sight.

After getting back down into the city, we did a little shopping and found a shop with my name on it:

and found a shnazzy new hat for Tyler.

After that we couldn't think of anything to do, as it was like 5:30 or 6:00, and as I have mentioned many times before, this whole country shuts down by that point apart from the pubs and shows. So, we decided to go back to the hotel and get some other stuff done with the free time we had - for me that was catching up on this post! So, now there's nothing left for me to do except go to the nearest pub and order a steaming plate of haggis and some 'worm melk' for dinner, and I think I'll have done everything I could ever hope to do in Scotland short of learning the bagpipes.

I leave you with a video of my adventures in Camden Market and on the hike mentioned above, set to the main song from Once, which I am in love with at the moment.