This Isn't Goodbye but See You Later

"But know this: when Jesus invites us on an adventure, He shapes who we become with what happens along the way."

Ever have a time in your life when you're just blissfully happy? For me, it's a point when there's no drama, your biggest stress is whether or not you'll have enough time to do and see everything, and you make these unexpected friendships that you know will last a lifetime. That's how I've spent the last five months. They've hands down been the best of my life and I'll cherish these moments forever. Items were finally checked off my ever increasing bucket list and I saw the things I've always dreamed of. This experience has changed me. I have a deeper appreciation for all of my blessings in life. I have become more confident in who I am as a person and know I can handle anything life throws at me. It has also intensified my desire to see the world. There is so much out there to do and see and this is only the beginning.

The past few weeks I have been trying to live up to the fullest. I've enjoyed the sunny days in the park (while they were numbered), rode the London Eye, had my chocolate dreams come true at Cadbury World, saw Phantom of the Opera and Jersey Boys, and revisited all of my favorite places. I even had two of my best friends, Kirby and Monica, come to London! No matter what I was doing the thought of the end was always looming at the back of my mind. The time has come way too quickly. It seems like I was just counting down the days until my arrival. Then, it was my down to the day I said my tearful goodbye to my family, boarded my flight, and prepared for the accomplishment of my life long dream. I traveled to nine countries and numerous cities but London remained my favorite. Yes, I saw things like the Vatican, the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, etc. But London is unique and special all on its own. I'll miss stuffing my face in Borough Market, marveling at the beauty of St. Paul's Cathedral, listening to the performers in Covent Garden, and gawking at Buckingham Palace dreaming of the day I'll marry my royal and live inside. I'll miss the history, culture, diversity, and maybe even the tube. (Nope.) I gave my heart to this city. It has become my home and a part of me will always be here. I cannot believe my study abroad experience is over but it's something I'll treasure forever.

I have a few very special people to thank for this journey.

First, to Melanie, Emma, & Allyse:
 -We've conquered countless cities, numerous modes of transportation, braved the craziest of weather, had tons of laughs, and memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you for making these past 5 months the ABSOLUTE greatest. I had no idea coming into this whole experience that I would leave with 3 best friends and I am so grateful God blessed me with you girls. It's crazy to me how fast we clicked right from the beginning and it felt like we had been friends our whole lives. It's so rare to find those kinds of friendships. I couldn't imagine better people to go through this with and London would not have been the same without you all. I am beyond grateful to you girls and will miss you all terribly. It is going to be incredibly weird not seeing you all everyday so these reunion trips better happen. (And soon!) I love you guys!

Second, to Robert, Caron, Sian, & Ciaran:
- Thank you all for absolutely everything. I don't even know where to begin. Thank you for inviting me into your home, thank you for treating me like a third child/sibling, thank you for not making me live off frozen pizzas. You all have made me feel so at home and so comfortable. I knew if I needed absolutely anything you all would be there, which was a very comforting thought. Thank you for making me feel so apart of the family. I love how much closer we've become and I am going to miss you all incredibly much. I hope to be back very soon! :)

Lastly, my biggest thank you goes out to 4 special people, Mom, Dad, Fefawn, & Grandma:
- Without you four this whole adventure wouldn't have been possible. I'll never be able to express how much this experience has meant to me. Thank you for making one of my biggest dreams come true, for believing in me, and for your unconditional love and support. It's an incredible feeling knowing four people are willing to do anything for you. You have given me the courage & confidence to go after my dreams, and now it's time to move on to the next one :) I will never be able to repay you, monetary & otherwise, for this amazing opportunity, so I will simply say thank you. Thank you Mom, Dad, Fefawn, and Grandma for giving me the world. I love you!

See you soon Oklahoma. 

The End. 

Vamos A Barcelona

Now when I think of a vacation I think of relaxing, sleeping in, laying on the beach, eating, etc. This is exactly what Barcelona had in store for Allyse and I.

At first I thought I was never going to make it there. It seemed like a string of bad luck was destined to keep Barcelona and I apart. It started with the time of my final being changed. No big deal? Wrong. It was changed to the time my flight was leaving. After a very panicked phone call to Allyse and EasyJet, all was right the world again. I would simply leave on a later flight and meet Allyse in Barcelona. Wednesday arrived, I took my final, panicked when I thought I had to stay the whole 2 1/2 hours of my final, turns out you can leave early, boarded my bus to the airport, arrived at the North terminal to find that it was closed due to "an unexplained item in the parking lot" (the bomb squad was there along with dozens of policemen), cue another panic mode, had to use a shuttle to get there, and then finally arrived at my terminal to board my plane that left 30 minutes late. Did I also mention my pants ripped along the way? Fabulous. Needless to say I was ready for this vacation.

The roughness didn't really stop there. After FINALLY making it to Barcelona, Allyse and I were so kindly woken up by a drill, sawing, hammering, and all sorts of other construction noise happening right outside our room. Thankfully our hostel moved us to a much nicer quieter room. (Until the garbage trucks arrived at 3:30 the next morning.) Whatever the noise may be nothing was keeping us from the beach. We put on our swimsuits, grabbed our towels, and spent the entire day laying on the beach working on our pale. It was perfect. Our only break was of course lunch & dinner. We went to a place called MakaMaka for dinner. It was there that I had the best burger I've ever eaten. Delicious!

My only downside to beach day was I may have gotten a tad sunburnt. (When I say tad I mean I fried my back.) Friday we decided to give our bodies a cool off and explore the city. We headed to La Sagrada Familia. Now this may seem like a good problem to have, but Allyse and I have been into tons of old cathedrals at this point, and we were skeptical of buying tickets because once you'd seen one you'd seen them all. La Sagrada Familia was unlike any church I have ever been inside though. It was amazing. Construction began on this place in 1882 and has yet to be completed. (It's supposed to be done by 2030.) The inside was just completed three years ago and had a huge dedication ceremony by the Pope. It was very modern looking and had beautiful stained glass windows that projected different colors along the walls and ceilings. It was well worth the 11 euros. From there we made our way to Park Guell. The architecture at the entrance looked like a gingerbread house and after hiking up a ways it offers views of the city that extend all the way to the beach. While it was packed with tourists, Allyse and I managed to find some lesser known parts of the park.

Saturday we made our way to a large food market and stuffed our faces with fresh fruit and calzones. We spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach before our flight home. A big thank you to Allyse for being the best travel buddy this semester. We've had some great times and I'm so thankful we've been able to go to so many amazing places together.

May has sadly arrived and my return countdown may have begun for my mother but I refuse to accept the fact I'll be leaving. I plan to take full advantage of the beautiful weather and see as much of London as possible! Stay tuned :)

Duchess of Cambridge & Scotland

For those of you who have yet to notice the description of my blog, I will share it with you. It says, "the life of a Kate Middleton wanna-be." Yes, I in fact are in love with her, idolize her, want her life, etc. I'm obsessed and my favorite compliment is to be compared to her (thank you Grandma & Fefawn!). My whole goal of coming to London was to get a chance to see her. I have one month left and time was running out. Well, don't you worry. This story has a happy ending. In fact, an AMAZING ending because I SAW KATE. In case you read that wrong I'll repeat it.. I SAW KATEEEEEEE. I freaked out. She's even more gorgeous and perfect in person. I can now say I saw the future king or queen as well!

Here's the story: My friend Emma saw on Twitter that Kate was going to a reception at the National Portrait Gallery Wednesday evening. It didn't specify a time so Emma and I planned to get there around 5ish. We were one of the first ones there and were actually at the front of the barricades. 2 hours later Kate arrived. The rest is a history. :) And a story I'll live to tell my grandchildren about one day.

I have a picture with Kate!!

This weekend I went to Scotland with ISA! We boarded our 4 1/2 hour train ride Friday morning and headed off to the land of kilts, Nessie, and coos. (Scottish speak for cows.) We toured Edinburgh castle, had tea at Elephant House - the place where JK Rowling wrote some of the Harry Potter books!! - and then went on a walking tour of Edinburgh that ended in the old haunted underground caves.

Saturday was a long day spent on a bus. We drove all around Scotland. While the landscapes were breathtaking, I was beginning to get incredibly nauceous. Thank goodness for dramamine. We drove all the way up to Loch Ness to search for Nessie! We went on a boat tour on the lake and sadly we didn't see her but I am now convinced she exists! Loch Ness is so large that all of the water in the UK combined still wouldn't be enough to fill it. You can go about 20 meters down and still see some sort of light at the top if you look up, but you really won't be able to see your hand in front of you. People know more about the surface of them moon than they do about Loch Ness. Nessie's down there somewhere!

Sunday we shopped a little and then began our 4 1/2 hour train ride back to London town. Good thing I had 3 great friends to entertain me!

Stay tuned for more adventure to come. Next stop: Barcelona, Spain :)

Italian Adventure

Italy, Italy, Italy. My feet may hate you but my stomach loved you. Our week was packed full of gelato, architecture, art, beautiful sites, more gelato, and amazing memories.

Our first stop was Rome. I have to say my proudest moment was after being in the city a total of 15 minutes, luggage in tow, and still at the airport, Allyse, Emma, and I had our first gelato. It was the perfect start to our trip. We took a bus from the airport to our adorable bed & breakfast. We were smarter this time and booked a 3 bed private room. It actually felt like we had the whole b&b to ourselves. It was wonderful! While the city was packed full of tourists and annoying men trying to sell you sunglasses, hats, and cheesy souvenirs, the city itself was beautiful. It was once again all of the sights I had seen in thousands of pictures and movies. (I was mainly replaying the Lizzie McGuire movie in my head the whole time.) and yet they all look different once you see them in person. Smaller, but more intricate and stunning than a picture could ever do justice. We toured the Colosseum, threw coins in the Trevi Fountain, sat on the Spanish steps with gelato in hand, toured the Vatican, and saw the Sistine Chapel. I loved the Italian sun shining down on me, and was actually beginning to sweat! Such a strange feeling.

Florence was the next destination on the trip. Our train arrived around 8ish in the morning and we were beyond exhausted. We walked to our hostel and sadly found out we couldn't check in until 3. We were already counting down until our nap! We decided to make the best of it and just wander around the city. We walked into a leather market, found the Duomo, and of course had some pizza and gelato. After finally getting our nap in we walked over to see that statue of David. Little did I know the statue is 17 feet tall. Incredibly impressive. The next day we met up with Allyse's friend who is studying in Florence. She was incredibly sweet and showed us all of her favorite local spots. The best gelato, an incredible sunset view from the top of the Piazza Michelangelo (although I thought I was going to die walking up those stairs), the best pizza ever from Gusta, and the secret bakery croissant. For those of you who don't know what a secret bakery is I shall explain. All of the shops in Florence get their baked goods from these bakeries. They start baking around midnight and then deliver their goods early in the morning. There's only about 5 of them in Florence and their doors are unmarked so you literally have to smell your way to them. Once you're close though if you have any sort of chocolate sense your nose will lead you right to it. It didn't take my friends and I long. Our final day we did some souvenir shopping, walked through a delicious food market, a precious antique market, and the coolest leather school. These students were amazing and made some of the most beautiful purses!

During our trip to Florence we took a day trip to Pisa. Of course we saw the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa. We took the cheesy pictures, ate lunch, and then laid on the grass watching all of the other tourists taking pictures. It was a great day!

The last stop was Venice. I can definitely say we saved the most beautiful city for last. This was the Italy I had dreamed about. It was perfect. I urge anyone to see this place before it's gone. (Yes, sadly the city is sinking!) While we only had a day there we packed everything we could into it. Venice is made up of several islands, Burano & Murano, being some of the lesser known. Burano is known for its hand made lace and Murano is known for its glass blowing. Burano was adorable. It had all of these colorful houses and cute little shops! We then made our way back to the main island to see the famous Rialto Bridge and San Marco. The only downside to Venice was having to take a water taxi everywhere, while it can be a great way to see the city, those things are so slow!

The food. Pizza, pasta, gelato, it was like I was a bear going into hibernation and I needed to stock up on as much food as possible. It's safe to say I don't need to eat for a while now. I will however, dedicate my last few pictures to my favorite Italian meals. Feel free to drool all over your screen.

Ciao bella! 

Paris is Always a Good Idea

Well my friends, we've hit the final destination on my week long Euro-trip, and I have to say we saved one of the best for last. J'adore Paris. For as long as I can remember I've dreamed about seeing the Eiffel Tower. I've seen it in countless movies and thousands of pictures but nothing prepared me for setting my eyes on it for the first time. It was magical.

Allyse and I arrived to Paris Wednesday afternoon and as soon as the plane landed a huge smile spread across both of our faces. We had arrived. We made our way through the Paris metro to our airbnb apartment. There was a slight moment of panic when the concierge didn't have our reservation down and also didn't speak a word of English. Luckily Allyse was there and knew some French and we were able to get everything sorted out. The apartment was the perfect size for two and it's only flaw was no door to the bathroom. Strange. Once we had made ourselves at home our mission had become to find the Eiffel Tower. Little did we know that would be incredibly easy. We walked to the end of street and looked to the left and there was the magnificent beauty. We both had a moment and a loud scream might have escaped from my lips. We grabbed a baguette from a food stand and sat and ate them on a bench just staring at the Eiffel Tower. It was like a daydream. We then walked down to the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs Elyseese just looking at all of the beautiful stores and architecture. The greatest moment was walking into Sephora and all of a sudden the workers formed two lines at the entrance and began dancing to Beyonce's Crazy in Love. Of course Allyse and I sang along. It became another one of those moments where I had to ask myself was this real life? Am I really in Sephora, on the Champs Elysese, in Paris, dancing to Beyonce? It was amazing. That night we left our apartment at 9:58 to go watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle at 10. It was incredible and beyond beautiful.

Thursday we woke up to the bright shining sun and explored the beautiful Jardin des Tileries. It had some beautiful blooming flowers. We then ventured to Notre Dame and rounded the corner to find the bridge with all of the love locks. Later we finally met up with Emma and her sweet parents to go on a boat and bus tour of Paris. The tour also included tickets to the top of the Eiffel Tower. While I'm terrified of heights and the elevator ride to the top made me want to curl into a ball on the ground, we were greeted with the most spectacular views of Paris. The sun was just setting and the sky was a mixture of pinks, yellows, and purples. I am so thankful to Emma's parents for treating us to this wonderful experience. The night came to a perfect ending with nutella crepes in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Friday we met Emma and her parents to venture to a cute little market that had the most delicious strawberries ever. I will dream about these for years to come. We then went our separate ways and Allyse and I went to explore the Louvre. We saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, and so many more. I could spend hours in that museum. We finished our day with a little shopping and then all met up back for a delicious Italian dinner. Allyse, Emma, and I then took countless pictures with the Eiffel Tower. As we're standing there the most perfect rainbow appeared. It could not have gotten any better. The night again ended with crepes, I decided to switch it up and threw bananas in with my nutella. Party. Animal.

Saturday we took the train out to Versailles and walked through the beautiful gardens and former home of Napoleon and Marie Antoinette. While the sun had decided to go into hiding, my feet began to stage WWIII on my body, and we got pushed around by Asian tour groups, we made the best of it! I'm glad we went but I was definitely beginning to miss my London home. It was a strange feeling flying back and realizing in such a short amount of time how much I considered London my home. I had fallen in love with this city and I know it's going to be one of the hardest things to say goodbye. I am beyond thankful and blessed to be living the life I have right now. I am constantly in awe and having to remind myself that this isn't a dream.

I'd like to finish this blog by sending up a huge prayer for my family in Boston. I'm so glad you all are okay! It's moments like these that I'm reminded of the cruelty in this world and I'm praying for all of the people affected by this tragedy. I'm so grateful for the brave men and women responding to the injured and again am praying for their safety. We have to remember to appreciate each and every moment and try to live each day to the fullest. Each day is a blessing!

Prague

Prague. I’m not even sure where to begin. I guess the truth is I really didn’t know what to expect traveling there. I had heard nothing but good things about the city and I was really looking forward to going but I had no idea how much I would come to love it. It is absolutely beautiful. The architecture, the views, our hostel, throw out one cranky waitress and the trip was perfect.

Allyse and I arrived in Prague Sunday night and headed straight for our hostel. When we walked into our room I think both of our mouths dropped to the floor. Keep in mind we were both a little nervous because we had booked an 18 person mixed dorm, (don’t worry we questioned our judgment on that one as well), but we had an entire room to ourselves. Three guys were on the other half but were probably the nicest and funniest people we’ve met thus far, so we didn’t mind.  The room was clean, the beds were very comfortable, the showers.. one word: HUGE. It was perfect.

Monday morning we woke up bright and early to take in all of the sights. We headed to the river and walked across the famous Charles Bridge. It was built during the 1300s but today features various artists, bands, and cute little vendor shops. It offers up some of the most picturesque views of the city. We ate lunch at a bagel shop our hostel recommended and our stomachs left very pleased. After lunch we walked up to the top of the Prague Castle. If I thought the views from the Charles Bridge were pretty I had no idea what was in store for me there. We could see all of Prague. The cute red roofs, the river, the bridges, it was beyond breathtaking. We explored the city some more, ate Mexican food for dinner, and headed back to the bridge. I have to say the atmosphere of Prague changes at night and if it’s possible the city becomes even prettier.

Tuesday Allyse and I did one of our favorite activities, shopping. We walked around Old Town Square and into all the cheesy souvenir stores. While I’d like to claim I came up with my punny Facebook album title, Czech This Out, I actually saw it on a shirt there. (I also may have bought the shirt..) We also watched the huge astronomical clock in the middle of the square go off on the hour. While the clock is beautiful and slightly strange I really didn’t understand the fascination with it. It was very entertaining walking into the square though and seeing all of the people stopping and staring at it. One of my favorite parts of the day was sitting at a restaurant in the square just eating ice cream and talking with Allyse. We were there for a good three hours and then walked home in the pouring rain. While slightly miserable it was also hilarious. What a great travel buddy!

Prague, you were great to us. I know I will be returning one day to explore this beautiful city even more.