Morning Drives

Why I love my morning commute:

I get to see the sunrise and sunset everyday. They are incredible!!!

Little Things: I'm Grateful that:

• My mom and dad look great!! Seriously. They dress well and are confident and have good social skills. Totally something to brag about. My parents are awesome.
• I don't have any serious/non serious medical issues. No migraines. No chronic illness. Nothing to really set me back.
• I have access to cars that are dependable (despite the oodles of money I've put into them - especially this week).
• Good friends who help me be a better person and stand up for myself.
• Understanding friends who are positive with whatever is handed to them
• Making new friends that are so willing to spend hours helping me especially when they don't really know me at all.

Doesn't Feel Like Christmas

It doesn't feel like Christmas for many reasons. While there are many big reasons it doesn't feel like Christmas there are also the little ones you never noticed until they are gone. In the grinch spirit I'm going to list them. Not to beg for pity but rather to help me recognize what is missing and to maybe help me be more grateful for past Christmases.

• Big first: We are not with our family.
• No snow yet (I'm half grateful for this. I don't wanna drive in it)
• None of mom's homemade treats (we can make them but they just aren't the same)
• I work everyday but the day after Christmas - so no break.
• We haven't received any Christmas cards. Mom and Dad get those. I loved reading those brag cards.
• No Christmas tree
• No Prince Harry (ok ok that was only last year - but still)
• No house to put Christmas lights on
• None of Mom's Christmas decorations
• No "first gift of Christmas" pickle finding

Gosh this is a depressing post. Next post will be all the things I do have.

But I'm at work....

I really really wanna do a happy dance!!!! Like get up and scream like a little girl and jump around. But can't. I'm at work. It is SO hard to hold it in!

Thoughts of Dec 14th

1. Don't ever spray a chemical (hairspray, perfume, glasses cleaner etc.) in an enclosed space... like a car. Just wait til you get out. Thank you!
2. Why are leggings so comfortable?? 

With Me - Sum 41

Just found this song. Love it!

(not sure about the video... I didn't really watch it so sorry if it is weird. I do like the song though)

38. When your guests do the dishes

Seriously... Amazing! 

37. Hearing someone's heartbeat

36. Finding money from last year in your coat

Thoughts from December 12

1. I'm glad I'm not a BYU-I. I'm wearing my one pair of non-skinny jeans. I'm not a huge fan. I love my skinny jeans.
2. Mondays are hard when the office is FREEZING!!!
3. I really need to get more sleep.
4. I need ideas for quick and easy breakfasts. I'm running out of ideas and I don't like oatmeal.
5. Angela doesn't like being pressured into something. I'll feel cornered and then run away. You gotta ease in gently.
6. Why must it pour when it rains?! I guess competition is good. Provides a catalyst. But why? Why do guys need competition. So does that mean flirt with the guy I'm sorta interested in in front of the guy i'm really interested in? (See # 12) Not like hard core flirting but just enough to make him wonder about his how secure he is in my heart?
7. I really like this song. Blackout by Breathe Carolina. I'm not sure why. :) I've listened to it several times already today.
8. I still have trust issues with guys. I recognize it is something I need to get over so that is a good step. I just hope that by me telling guys they recognize that they shouldn't add to my reasons for mistrust. 
9. I love Dr Pepper.
10. Dr Horrible makes me smile :)
11. Yay damage control.
12. All the dating things I've heard the past few days/weeks/months keep saying to back off and let the guys take control. It must be true. I've been trying to be better at this and it is interesting the results that happen when you do back off. Let the guy chase. I have a hard time finding that line. I feel like I go too far to the other side where I just seem completely uninterested. (See also #6)
13. I forgot how much I enjoy the gym. :)

Genealogists Can't Take A Joke

For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to really get to know a true genealogists then let me enlighten you to a few things about genealogists.

1) We are nerds. We swap nerdy tv shows. Talk about the upcoming Superhero and Lord of The Rings movies.

2) We are a "prove it to me" people. We need to see documentation. Example: this morning at our kick off meeting where we discuss the events of the day Bryce brought in a joke to share. It was the story of the grandma who hijacked what she thought was her car from four grown men. It came to us in the form of a newspaper clipping. As soon as we had our laugh about the crazy old woman, someone pipped in "what newspaper was that in?" It didn't stop there. People asked what page it was on. If that city that it was apparently published in actually had a newspaper. We eventually dropped it and returned to our desk. Within minutes we all got an email with proof that the article was not real at all. So there ya have it. While it was funny.... it wasn't real. Joke killed by the "prove it to me" people. Which is actually funny in and of itself. Genealogists are crazy.

New Job Update

It has been a while since I've been on here. The past few weeks have been crazy!!

I left my old job at Ancestry.com (my contract position was over) and started a new job at ProGenealogists.

My new job is great!! It is located in downtown Salt Lake City at 4th north and 5th east in this old ghetto looking building. Most of the building is full of law offices. But up on the third floor the genealogists have taken over. Part of the building is connected to a smoke shop. But before you get all worried about my safety here know that my floor is completely secure. We swipe out badges to get into our floor.

ProGen is just what it sounds like it is. A company of professional genealogists. There are specialists that do research in various parts of the world. We take on clients and we also have project from Ancestry.com for the PR department and for the TV show Who Do You Think You Are. I'm working on the US/Canada team. I have my own little desk with all my cute decorations all set up. In my office are two other girls.

The people who work here ARE genealogists in all senses of the word. Although we have people of all ages and including both genders we are all genealogists. Get them talking about their family and they will keep going and going. There is no dress code to work so people come in the typical genealogy frump with hair undone. Not to leave out the super outdated 70s outfit. I love it! People talk to themselves as they do research. Oh and our kitchen is filled with JUNK food. My last job had all healthy food in the fridge including yogurt, fruit, cheese and healthy popsicles. Here we have bookcases of soda and candy all over the kitchen counter. It takes restraint to not grab a Dr Pepper everyday.

I really like the atmosphere here. Everyone is really nice and seems really chill. I'm sure that will all change when the end of the pay period comes around in another week or so.

Before I finished my training here I got a project. Not only that but it is a project that I'm IN CHARGE of. I am very honored that they believe in me to that point. But I'm terrified cause I have no idea what to do. I'm working on several projects most of which are Ancestry projects. Man are they hard. Hard because it is current research with people who's grandparents are still alive. And celebs that don't have their private lives plastered all over the Internet. It makes things a bit difficult. I'm also working on a descendancy project for a real person (not celeb). I like that one because I'm actually getting somewhere.

I'm still getting the hang of things here. But so far so good. The commute isn't that bad either. There are several people that live down in Utah Valley so we are carpooling which makes the drive go so much faster (thanks to the carpool lane).

The benefits are also incredible!! ProGenealogists is an arm of Ancestry.com. If any guy out there is looking for a sugar mama she is right here. I have excellent medical, dental etc. I also have a 401k, stock options, super nice tuition assistance and much more. Just saying ;)

Silence

I forgot how nice silence sounds.

It isn't absolute silence as I'm in my apartment and the sound of the clock and fridge are droning on.

I turned it all off for a while. No TV. No music. No computer. Just silence of the room as I hand wrote a letter. It was truly beautiful. There was no stress of things to get done. The living room is clean. The kitchen is clean. Laundry is done. My roommates are all out. Nothing to do but sit and enjoy the moment.

I like this. I really like this.

35. Taking your high heels off at the end of the night and walking home in bare feet

And just walking bare foot anytime. :)

34. Wearing what you just bought from the store

33. That moment in the shower when you decide to make it a really long shower

32. Being able to hear someone's voice as you read a message

31. Smell of fall leaves

Jon McLaughlin's Beautiful Disaster

Love him.

Love the song.

30. Fields of corn

29. Catching somebody singing in their car and sharing a laugh with them

28. When someone saves you a seat

27. Getting checked out by the opposite gender

You know those moments!!! Love it.

26. Smell of really really clean air

You usually have to go into nature to get this

25. Dangling your feet in water

Lets be honest, I just love touching water.

24. Passing under a bridge on the highway when it’s pouring rain

23. Feel of a slight sunburn

22. Backing your car into a parking spot

I love being able to do this. Especially on the first time. You just feel awesome!

21. Being Single

In all seriousness. I am grateful for where I am in life. I love being single. I would love to be in a relationship as well. There are just so many things about being single that I have really appreciated. I have learned so much about myself and have been able to do so many things that I never would have learned or experienced otherwise.

This website also has a few reasons why being single is awesome (though I disagree with the disgusting habits)

20. Driving a clean car

It looks good. It smells good. What more could you want?

19. Finishing a book and realizing you miss your fictional friends

This separation is especially hard when it is a series.

18. Idaho Sunsets

Especially around fire season. The sunsets are incredible.  The Idaho mountains accent, not hide, the sunset.

17. Crisp fall mornings

It is coming!!! Hot Chocolate, Apple cider, Colored leaves, Layered clothes, Corn Mazes, Haunted houses.... I can't wait!!!

16. Listening to country music on the lake

Nothing better than country music playing and a cold Dr. Pepper in hand. That right there, my friends, is summer.

15. Receiving compliments out of the blue

especially from boys. :)

14. Receiving flowers from anyone

.... my birthday is coming up....just sayin ;)

13. A child giving you their artwork

12. Being in the mountains

11. Driving a truck

10. Listening to your favorite song over and over and over

9. Hugging someone who knows how to give great hugs

8. Hot bath in a dark candle lit bathroom

7. Curling up in a huge blanket on the couch

Usually to watch a movie. A occasional nap is encouraged.

6. Getting in a line just before it gets really long

Airports
Bathrooms
Food
Shopping
Traffic Turning lanes
etc

5. A good cry

It just makes you feel better. Don't hold it in. Just cry. It helps.

4. Ice cold drinking water

So refreshing....

Are you improving?

If our technology does not improve the lives of others and help bring them home to [the Lord], we have missed the mark. - Henry B Erying

3. hearing your favorite yet unknown song on the radio

2. Sun warmed flipflops

1. Making every green light on the way to work.

Little Awesome Things

I've found several blogs that list little things that are awesome. I'm going to start something like that.

To see the inspiration see 1000awesomethings.com and little things.

I may or may not take some of their 'awesome' things. :)

First day of...

School!!! For everyone else... It is such a weird feeling to NOT be stressing about classes. No anxiety about where my classes are. No spending a butt load of money on tuition and books. I'm happy about this lack of stress in my life, but I really do miss it. I miss the adrenaline. I miss the change. I miss seeing new people and old friends.

My first day of everyone else going back to school started out a bit rocky. I've never had an issue with my alarm going off in the morning. Ever. What happened today? My set alarm didn't make any noise. I woke up thirty minutes after I should have and sped around my apartment getting ready for work. I'm proud to say that I got dressed, fed and out the door in twenty minutes.

I'm excited about all the new people in the ward. I think it is going to be a great year! The new people love the ward already and I love them. Win-win.

Human Needs

Lately I've been listening to motivational speeches and church talks rather than music while I'm at work. I might as well learn how humans work as I'm learning genealogy. Yesterday I was listening to one speech by Tony Robbins where he mentioned six human needs. There are:

1. Certainty. We like consistency. We like to know of things that will not change.
2. Uncertainty. We like to have a variety. We need change to make things exciting.
3. Significance.  We like to know that we are important.
4. Connection and Love. We connect with people around us through coworkers, family and friends. That connection can be taken a step farther when we reach love for others. Love is often a scary thing so many stay in the "connection" phase.
5. Grow. We need to grow and change. We need to progress in order to be happy.
6. Contribute Beyond Ourselves. We need to help others. Happiness comes from service. Pretty straightforward. 

Just like the Love Languages, we need somethings more than others. Our dominate needs help make us unique. I thought his list was very interesting. It is all true. We all need these things in order to be happy. The question is, how can we help others fulfill these needs?

Dating: Five Ways

Five Ways We Repel Love and Five Ways to Draw Love to You

These are the five that I picked out from the audio lecture.

One
Repel: unrealistic expectation of others.
Draw: realistic expectation of others AND yourself

Two
Repel: Focusing on fears. When we focus on fears of dating and relationships it is natural to put up defense walls which push people away.
Draw: Don't focus on fears. You may still be rejected but rejection will come less often.

Three

Repel: Aren't doing enough to change your life. Taking a victim attitude about life.

Draw: Be proactive in how you are involved in your own life. Don't complain about what isn't happening but talk about what you are doing to change. Take responsibility.

Four

Repel: Giving the best of you to those who don't invest in you. Love is directly connected to sacrifice. So you might sacrifice in someone but it isn't returned so you fall in love and they aren't. Don't make right something that is wrong. 

Draw: Look for those around you who are responsible at the same level as you are. Give the best to those who invest. 

Five

Repel: Pushing for exclusivity too soon in words and body language. (You look needy and desperate). Hold off on the DTR (define the relationship) and feeling grab. Don't pressure anyone!

Draw: Declare your interest. Trust, relax and let go. Declare your thoughts, feelings rather than trying to drag out a commitment from someone. Instead of DTR, DYT (this should be 5-7 weeks in and you are still dating other people) by saying "I'm having a great time and enjoy spending time with you and am interested in becoming exclusive with you at some point. Let me know when you are ready to talk about that if you are interested. And until then I'll assume I should keep dating other people" And walk confidently away. They didn't have to respond to you. Lets them think and mentioning the "dating other people" will often light a fire.

Full 30 minute Audio download available online.

Dating Secrets!!

Saturday I went to a YSA Conference and attended a Dating Class. This class was AWESOME! I learned so much about dating and body language and everything. I signed up to receive emails so I thought I'd share some of the good stuff.

The 17 Secrets to the Male Psychology

1. Men seek out relationships that make them feel trusted and respected.
2. Men love through sacrifice.
3. Men are largely logical about their relationships and commitment. Thus, they do not commit easily to things they have not invested in over a period of time.
4. Men are driven to succeed, face challenges, compete, and conquer.
5. Men like women who like themselves.
6. Men love to be heroes.
7. Men like being appreciated.
8. Men like femininity.
9. Men like women who have opinions and assert their needs.
10. Good men pursue women who are approachable and appear to be available.
11. Good men want sex with a woman who feels good about having sex with them and will wait until marriage.
12. Men need to be needed.
13. Men are repelled by criticism, nagging, and whining.
14. A man experiences anxiety in every conversation a woman initiates until she tells him what she wants him to do.
15. Men bond through doing activities and talking about things more than they do through talking about people, problems, feelings, or ideas.
16. Good men adore women who give them love, attention, and affection.
17. Good men are often willing to talk openly and honestly when they feel it will help them or another person.

The 17 Secrets to the Female Psychology

1. Women thrive when they feel safe and secure. 
2. Women love through sacrifice but need a man to communicate his needs if that sacrifice is to be helpful rather than hurtful or over-responsible.
3. Women read into a man's behavior, get excited, assume commitment, and then get hurt when he pulls away due to the added pressure.
4. Women are critical of their bodies and fear competition from other women.
5. Women are attracted to strength and confidence.
6. Women are turned off by men who are too nice.
7. Women often fall in love with friends.
8. Women like to be pursued and to feel wanted.
9. Women enjoy touch, kissing, and affection but feel vulnerable and prone to shame after sexual contact.
10. Women want men who hold off sexually. It makes a woman feel respected and wanted rather than feeling like an object.
11. Women want immediate relationships but trust and value slow-progressing relationships.
12. Women long to feel adored.
13. Women are repelled by moping, brooding, and the silent treatment.
14. Women worry. They need to know they are not alone in dealing with the problems of the relationship.
15. Women who don't trust and respect their men fall out of love, especially if there is no communication.
16. Women like gifts, surprises, reasonable spontaneity, and excitement. The extra effort makes them feel special.
17. Women would rather have open and honest communication about misdeeds than to be protected from the truth.

Snell, Alisa Goodwin, L.M.F.T. (2008) Dating Game Secrets for Marrying a Good Man. Bonneville Books, Springville, UT.

Ireland Day 1

I dread the creation of this post. The only reason for this dread is there is SO much I want to talk about. This trip was incredible. It will just take a long time to get through. I already posted an image with words that described Ireland but as awesome as that was, it really wasn't enough! Alright then. Here we go.

We started our journey to Ireland 18 Saturday 2011 at 4am. We drove from our house to Stansted Airport and from there barely made our flight to Cork, Ireland. It amazes me how low security is at these tiny airports. I'm not complaining. We flew Ryan Air which is a cheaper version of Southwest. Our round trip flight was about $25 each (you can't get a flight that cheap anywhere in the states). We packed only what we could put in our backpacks. Now Ryan Air maybe cheap in flight s but you pay for everything on the flight. No free food. No free drinks. No free magazines. They talk you into buying a drink and it is an ity bity can of soda. Like a sip. For $7. Rip off. And you can buy most anything on the plane: perfume, bottles of wine, swimsuits etc.

Anyway. After our short flight to Cork, Ireland, we rented a car and began our adventure. One of our first stops was Ross Castle (more of a Guard Tower). These guard towers were placed all over Ireland. Their function was very much apart of the feudal system. The wealthy man of the castle lived here with his family, men and animals. And all lived here inside the small walls of the building.

Our next stop was a little town called Muckrose. Here we caught a horse and trap. Our horse was named Charlie and our driver had the thickest accent. I believe he was speaking English, but man, I couldn't understand a thing he said. It didn't help that while he drove I couldn't see his face. Dad did a good job trying to understand what he was saying and communicating for the rest of us. (My dad served in this area of Ireland on his mission a long time ago). Our tour of Muckrose included the beautiful home and massive estate. Everything was so green! There is a reason Ireland's color is green. The home was beautiful. We didn't actually go inside it. Too expensive and no time, but the grounds were beautiful. Our driver let us get off and walk around. There were some other trap drivers that were a lot younger and cuter than ours. But we were happy with Charlie (and didn't really have an option to change).

After our stop at the Muckrose house we made our way over to Torc Waterfalls. Charlie was a good sport and got us up the hills. There were many moments when we felt bad for the horse having to pull all of our weight. But he survived. Torc waterfall was quite pretty. The surrounding green EVERYWHERE sure framed it nicely. I was expecting a good sized hike to the falls but it was very easy and well trod by the other tourists that were there. By this time (I know only halfway into the first day) I noticed that there were a LOT of Americans in Ireland. A lot of American tourists. They are easy to spot with their clothes and very easy to hear with their loud and proud voices. I've wondered about why there were so many Americans in Ireland. Ireland is nice and all but I feel there is more drive to visit England. However, the thought hit me. There are a lot of Americans with Irish ancestry. Of course they would want to visit their homeland. I was also surprised to see American flags flying all over the place. Welcoming the Americans 'home' I guess.

FYI: Ireland weather is not suited for cute hair and faces. So here we are in our natural element. I smile every time I see the picture on the bottom right.

By now you are wondering... gosh, isn't Angela done yet? Nope. This is only halfway through the first day. :D

Our next and really, final stop was our place we were staying. It was sort of like a bread and breakfast with out the breakfast. I guess people call it cottage staying. Anyway, you rent a house for a week. The house we stayed at was in the middle of no where. It was between two little towns: Beaufort and Killarney. The house is actually on a working dairy farm. The family that lives there were so nice and welcoming. They let us come watch them milk the cows. And their dogs just loved us. Fion, the Irish Wolfhound especially. He went on a walk with us down the street. Stayed with us the whole time. Little did we know until we got back that this HUGE dog was only 14 months old. Still a puppy. The area was beautiful! And for as many cows were all over it didn't smell at all. I don't know what Americans feed their cows... but we should stop cause it sure stinks. 

Trooping the Colour

11 June 2011

Trooping the Colour is a celebration of the Queen's birthday. The troops march out buttons sparkling, uniforms perfect and horses spiffed up. Streets all around Buckingham Palace are closed for this parade. I'm not sure why the Queen would want to spend her birthday checking the troops. Maybe that is why she has two birthdays (her day she was born and the "official" birthday).

I was impressed with the band. In the states the band marches out. I thought it was hard enough to march and play, especially when the band starts dancing and doing routines. The English take it a step farther. The Royal bands come out on horseback. I was impressed.

The Queen's birthday is also attended by all of the Royal Family. Most of them ride in carriages from Buckingham Palace to the Parade grounds. In the picture below we have Queen Elizabeth and her husband Philip (Duke of Edinburgh). In the second carriage is Prince William, Prince Charles and Camilla, and Catherine (Duchess of Cambridge). What about the Duke of Cambridge (Prince William)?? He is on horse back with several other members of the family including Princess Ann (the Charles' sister). I didn't get a good picture of him.

One thing I was very impressed with was the loyalty of the English people to their Queen. Many of the people we talked to come out to this event every year. They do it to see their Queen and celebrate with her. Some come from far and wide to see her. The attachment the people have to their monarchy is so interesting. It sounds so odd to be so attached to a person or in many cases the whole family. The English talk of their royalty as if they were extended family they know personally and very well for that matter. Many outsiders don't really understand the bond. I'm not saying I do. But I think Americans can compare their own patriotism and love for the United States to the English love of their Royals. I also believe it is part of the tradition. They have almost always had royalty and it has served the people very well. Queen Elizabeth has also been through a lot with her people. She fought along side them during WWII. She is one of them in many respects.

After we watched the Royal Family ride from Buckingham Palace to the Parade Grounds and back we quickly found the gate which opened the street to the public. We weaseled our way right up behind the bobbies (who held us at bay). It was actually quiet fun to be in this huge crowd of people making their way to Buckingham Palace. The people on the sides were waving to us as if we were part of the parade. I'm not sure how we quite did it but we made it to the VERY front of Buckingham Palace. As you can see (by Kelli's face in the bottom left corner) we were plastered to the front of the gate. We could barely move but man the view was great!!

The Queen made one last check of the troops as they performed the changing of the guards. The whole Royal Family came out to see the public and the flybys. The jets with the colored tails are the Red Arrows. I also caught a picture of Catherine's royal sneeze. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were really very cute! I LOVED her outfit.

After the royals went back in it took us FOREVER to get out of Buckingham area. We kept getting cut off by the cops trying to direct traffic. We were starving and tired of standing but we did get to see Prince Harry drive by in his beautiful sports car. When we finally got out we went to dinner at Cote. Oh my goodness it was SO good. French food at its finest. Seriously, England has great places to eat. Expensive but SO GOOD!!!! Beats Olive Garden any day.

Ely Cathedral - LHS Graduation

I finally have time to catch up on my blog. I'm a month behind. Ekk!!

10 June 2011
We went to Ely Cathedral for Lakenheath High School Graduation. We knew some of the graduates and Kelli was in the choir. For those who forgot or who didn't read my past posts, I LOVE Ely Cathedral. It is so beautiful and HUGE.

I am so jealous that these kids get to graduate from here (I graduated from the Taco Bell Arena). The ceremony was so different compared to my graduation. Everything was so much more professional and just beautiful. There was such respect for the atmosphere and the graduates. My heart was touched by so many things. First, this is a Department of Defense Education school. Most kids have only been here for a few years if not months. Yet the unity that could be felt was awesome. Second, many of those graduates were missing a parent that night. A good chunk of their parents are currently deployed in the Middle East. Although the parents couldn't be there they would be able to see the graduation via live and replayed video of the ceremony.

More about Ely Cathedral.

Part of the King's Speech was filmed in Ely Cathedral. The scene inside Westminster (where the King is crowned, is not a good place for film crew and such) was filmed in Ely Cathedral. In my personal opinion, a good choice. The crews left behind the 'chair'. We saw the actual chair that is used in real crownings.... but that will be in a later post.

 

 

Working at Ancestry.com

For those wondering, I work at Ancestry.com in the Public Relation/Marketing department doing genealogy. I research celebrities and try to find connections between other celebrities. Here is a link to a recent finding done by a co-worker.

Ireland

For images please see my Facebook page.

Marriage = Adulthood??

I'm in a different stage of life than most of my friends. I'm single. I honestly love where I am right now. I don't mean this post to be a complaint, more of an observation. I have noticed that to many people, being married means you have finally reach adulthood. You don't reach adulthood when you turn 18 years old. You don't reach adulthood when you are 21 or even when you reach 25. If you are single you are still not "an adult".

Now, I'm obviously excluding single people who have children. The addition of children is a completely different subject.  And I'm only seeing this from my perspective inside the LDS world.

Why is there such a big gap between single and married?

Could it be that as a single individual you are responsible for only one person, yourself? This lack of responsibility makes you not 'mature' enough to be an adult. Even a full time job at a large company doesn't put you into the 'adult' world.

I have found in general, married people (unless they are one generation older) tend to have difficulty conversing with single individuals. I love the women in my parents ward. Most of them are very near my age if not my age or younger. But they treat me as they would a teenager. Not knowing how to talk to me and in many cases leaving me out of the conversation completely. Part of it may be my fault. I don't have a lot of experience with children so the part that their lives revolve around I know nothing about. Anyway, I'm rambling now.

It is just an interesting thought. I am grateful for those married friends who take the time and effort to relate and include me in their lives.

Thoughts One Through Four

1. I have really small fingers. Long but skinny. Which is why I don't wear many rings... they just do not fit. Same thing with bracelets. They just do not stay on.

2. Gift giving is a huge weakness of mine. I'm terrible at it. I do think about it before hand but I procrastinate until it is too late. I'm seriously working on this.

3. I'll be back in Utah in about two weeks. I'm gonna miss England terribly but I'm ready to go back for several reasons. I'm torn. Too bad these countries are so far apart.

4. I have weeks of photos and stories of my Europe adventures to post but haven't yet. I probably won't get to them until I get back to the states.

Veggies?

I went to the grocery store today and noticed something was missing...

All salad related veggies (especially lettuce, tomatos and cucumbers) have been taken off the market because of the recent E. Coli outbreak in Europe. 

I haven't been huge on eating salads lately but now that it is harder to get one... I want one.

Grimes Grave

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Erin and I went to the English Heritage site, Grimes Grave. Despite its name, it is not a grave, or burial place, but a flint mine worked between about 2200 and 2500 BC. Some of the shafts are sunk as deep as 30 feet below the surface - a remarkable accomplishment when you consider that the Neolithic miners used antlers for picks and animal shoulder-blades for shovels. English Heritage has opened one of the shafts for the public to descend. Erin and I made our way down the latter into the pit. It reminded me a lot of going down Kuna Caves in Idaho. 

Here is a tunnel.

Down in the mine. 

It looks like a grassy lunar landscape. The anglo-saxons in the middle ages thought there was no way this was man made, concluding that it was the work of the gods. 

Erin chasing after sheep... as usual. :)

A covered pit.

Memorial Day 2011 - WICKED

London's West End Show...

WICKED

We took a bus to the Apollo Theater, West End, London.

The lobby was completely green. We were IN the city of OZ. The stage was beautiful. The dragon at the top moved around at various parts of the show. AH! It was great. 

I had no idea what I was getting into. I heard the play was great and such. But seriously, the play was so awesome! The voices were so pure. The script was so clever and hilarious. I would LOVE to see it again!

Memorial Day 2011 - Madingley American Cemetery

Memorial Day is an American holiday that began in 1865 to honor the soldiers who died fighting for their country. Today the focus seems to be on the amazing sales and tasty barbecues rather than the many soldiers and civilians who fought and fell. I am grateful that my parents have put an emphasis on history and honoring those in the military. We spent the morning at Madlingley American Cemetery nearby.

The cemetery put on a beautiful ceremony. This ceremony was specific to those who die in WWII. There were many veterans from WWII. There were so many different uniforms present. It was great. Below is a picture of soldiers bringing out the wreaths that were donated from various regiments and squadrons. 

Afterwards we found a few WWII veterans and chatted with them for a while. These guys were so awesome. They loved to talk and were HUGE flirts. It was such an honor to be around them though. Even after all they've seen and done they were still happy and positive. 

One of my favorite moments was when a young enlisted guy came up to these two veterans wanting to thank them for their service. But before this enlisted guy could get a word out, these veterans thanked him for the service he is currently doing. A touching moment for sure.

A few of the wreaths to be laid on the wall covered in names.

After the 21 gun salute they had a flyby. 

And then the solemn trumpet playing Taps.

A humbling morning.