30 Before 30: Go Back to England

So this hasn't happened yet and won't until a couple of weeks after I turn 30, but it's all planned! Bro and I are going to England at the end of April. We have our plane tickets and booked an AirBnB. I'm so excited to go back and see some of my favorite things and experience things I didn't an opportunity to when I was there 10 years ago.

January Book of the Month

I don't usually read nonfiction, but this month's books were fascinating. If you like the PBS series Call the Midwife, then you might want to check out the memoirs it is based on, written by Jennifer Worth.

Worth was a midwife and nurse in the 1950s and worked in London's East End. She wrote her memoirs about 50 years later, and the detail in them is amazing. They are written in an interesting way, and provide a lot of detail to how things were done then and how they are done now. There are some amazing stories, and some horrific stories.

In the Call the Midwife series, there are three books:

A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times

This talks about how Worth became a midwife, and introduces you to the nuns she worked with, and the other midwives. Worth breaks up the seriousness of childbirth with amusing stories of her coworkers. There is a story about a young girl who was tricked into prostitution which is pretty graphic.

Shadows of the Workhouse

This volume talks very little about midwifery and instead Worth talks about the nursing she did to the elderly. In Shadows she describes the workhouse conditions and how those who had spent time in the workhouse suffered from the effects of it their entire lives.

Farewell to the East End

More babies being born! This volume does have some rather graphic descriptions of backstreet abortions and what I think they called "medical rape." The descriptions of the abortions did cause me to think some, but did not change my personal opinion on abortion. We find out what happened to all the people Worth knew.

I think that what is so fascinating about these memoirs is that they seem completely unrealistic, but you know that they really happened. They definitely aren't for the feint hearted (even the details of giving birth might turn some people away), but I think there is an importance in knowing history--the good times and the bad times. I feel that a lot of the time we are given history through the middle class glasses, and to hear about the lower class definitely changes the way you view it. I think Worth also did a very good job at pointing out that certain laws or acts that seem horrible to us now (and were horrible) were actually a step in the right direction. She tried to write from the social norms of the time she was writing of and not the time she was writing in.

I think these books are amazing and should be read, but I also send out a caution that they aren't always the easiest or happiest books to read.

Adventures in Writing: The Letter Game

I first heard of the letter game when I read the great Regency fantasy, Sorcery and Cecelia, or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. At the back of that book, Wrede and Stevermer talk about how they started writing the book and the process they went through. For them, it just started out as something fun between friends, but near the middle of it, they came to realize that it was more than just for fun and when they finished their story, they went back through the letters again and revised and it got published! Followed by two sequels (though neither are as good as the first).

I read that book when I was about 16, and I loved the idea of the letter game. I desperately wanted to do it, but I couldn't think of anyone to do it with. I thought about my brother, but our writing styles are so different. So, nine years have gone by, and I kind of forgot about the game.

Then maybe about a month, I reconnected with someone that was in my study abroad program when I went to London (which, tangent, was almost FIVE years ago! FIVE! That's amazing to me that such a long amount of time has passed since then.). Anyway, this girl (her name is Becky and she's fabulous. You can check out her blog here) and I started chatting on facebook (actually, commenting on a status update, meaning that the rest of facebook was inundated with our craziness) about period movies, and how we are both romantics, and the books we were writing and how hard it is to keep writing sometimes. And then there was a mention about us writing a story about Rye, the town were nothing happens. Then it was time for me to go to bed, but just like that, there was a spark in my brain, and I couldn't seem to shake it.

I remembered the letter game, and I thought, this is a perfect opportunity. I contacted Becky again and she seemed up for it, and it's been going great! It's completely no pressure, so if things start getting busy in our lives, it doesn't matter. It's just been this amazing experience for me, at least.

Here's a quick overview of what the letter game is: both people create characters, and a reason for them to be writing letters to each other. I have an idea of where I want my character's story to be, and Becky is the same with her character. And then, you just write!

I would definitely recommend this to any writer. It has definitely gotten me into the habit of writing again, after a long time of not doing it. And it's great on letting yourself let go of control over the story. If you've ever taken an acting class (and with my one acting class, I feel like I can say this now, because I totally an expert), you probably know a little bit about improv. The first rule to improv is you always say "yes." No matter what you thought you wanted to do, you always go along with what your improv partner says. This is exactly like what the letter game is: I may introduce a character or a situation, and then Becky gives some sort of information (like maybe that character is a cousin, for example), and I just go "Oh, cool, okay. Let's go with that." It's also great to have another person to go off of, it keeps my writing juices going, instead of just sitting in front of a blank screen trying to decide where the story is going to go next. I even decided to let go of one of my characters and pass him over to Becky (it was strange, it was like I pictured him walking off my page and onto hers.) That takes a lot of trust in someone, but in the past few weeks, I've come to trust Becky's writing. In fact, she makes me want to be a better writer, because she's so good at it. Her humor is amazing, and I'm also so excited to read her letters, because I can't wait to find out what's going to happen next.

That was all kind of disjointed, but the conclusion is, this is a wonderful writing exercise. And it's been a great way to reconnect and get to know someone better. I really didn't know that Becky and I had so much in common, which is really sad. And now that I'm writing again with someone, I feel like I can start writing again in my own novel, because I'm getting in the habit. It's given me something more productive to do after work, which is good. Again, I got off of where I was going: if you have someone you can do it with, and you love writing, I would say, try out the writing game. There.

New Period Movies/Shows

A couple of weeks ago, I had a desire to watch a romance. Not just any romance, but a period romance. A movie with beautiful dresses, witty women, and handsome men in top hats. I wanted a declaration of love followed by an amazing kiss and a happily ever after. And I knew many movies that fit this description, but I wanted something new. Something that would surprise me. So I asked around and looked at my trusted period channels on YouTube. I came up with some hits, and some misses.

So, for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure), here are the new period movies (and one TV show) I discovered.

Lorna Doone (2000)

I had seen this on one of my YouTube channels, and had heard friends mention it, but I really didn't know anything about it. After two friends told me it was great, I decided to watch it. I was very pleasantly surprised! It was lovely, with just about everything that I wanted. But at the same time, it made me want to eat Lorna Doone cookies. . . . 

The gist is this. The time period is the 17th century. John is intent on avenging the death of his father, who was killed by the Doone clan. Then he meets Lorna, who happens to be the "queen" of the Doones. They fall in love, and must fight for what they most want--marriage to each other--but things keep getting in their way. There is a Doone who wants to marry Lorna and will have her or no one else can. There is the mystery of Lorna's mother. And of course, John's vengeful heart against the Doones. It was described to me as "like a Scottish version of Romeo and Juliet, but without the suicides."

The Buccaneers (1995)
This is not recommended. So, just keep that in mind if you decide to go watch it. The story follows for American girls as they go to England in the mid to late Victorian era to find rich and/or titled husbands. The story focuses mainly on the youngest girl, Nan. This is not a happy way to spend 5 hours. Only one of the girls ends up in a happy marriage, and we barely see her. One ends up unhappy in her marriage and cheats on her husband. One ends up in a loveless marriage with a man who only married her for her money and keeps a mistress. And Nan ends up married to a brute who rapes her, abuses her, and is also a homosexual (keep in mind, homosexuality was illegal at this time). I think the ending was supposed to be happy, but since it involved infidelity, I had a hard time thinking it was. If Nan had chosen love over a title and money, she would have been happy in the second hour and I would have been happier too. (Be aware that there is one scene of non graphic rape, and one scene of attempted rape. Though you shouldn't watch this movie anyway, so this warning is unnecessary.)

Barbara Cartland adaptions:
Barbara Cartland was a writer of historical romances during the 20th century. I have never read her novels, but I have heard that they are better than the movies. Keep in mind, that I am judging these based on the fact that they were made in the late 80s/early 90s, and as such, contain a bit of cheese. (And floppy haircuts for the men, and anachronistic makeup and hair for the women.)
A Hazard of Hearts (1987)
This was the best of the three adaptations I watched. It has a young Helena Bonham Carter as Serena. It's Regency time period. Serena's father is a gambler, and in a game of dice loses not only his money, but his house and his daughter to the evil Lord Wrotham. Lord Justin Vulcan wins back the house and Serena, but not before Sir Giles kills himself. Lord Vulcan then takes Serena to his home, which is rumored to be haunted.

I like that there is romance, as well as a bit of swashbuckling in these movies. The romance in this one is probably the strongest of the three, though the kiss is cut short. (Also, there is an attempted rape, but it's not graphic, just some struggling.)

A Ghost in Monte Carlo (1990)
A young girl and her aunt go to Monte Carlo incognito in the late Victorian era. The aunt seems intent on her niece marrying royalty, though the girl falls in love with English Lord Robert Stanford (played by Marcus Gilbert, who also played Lord Vulcan in A Hazard of Hearts). The beautiful niece has also caught the eye of a Rajah. Again, there's some swash buckling, and men riding to the rescue.

Duel of Hearts (1991)
Probably my least favorite of all the Cartland movies. Possible because Marcus Gilbert wasn't in it. . . .

Anyway, Lady Faye is intent on proving that Lord Brecon did not commit a murder that he is suspected of, so she says she is Miss Frye and gets a job as his mother's companion. This movie is a bit like Jane Eyre, with the mysteries of the house, etc.

"Garrow's Law" (2009-2011)
This was a three season TV show, and I loved it! If you liked Amazing Grace (2006), I think you'll like "Garrow's Law". They are similar not only in time period (late 18th century), but also in that they both tell the story of a man intent on making changes. William Garrow was an English barrister who, among other things, invented the phrase "Innocent until proven Guilty." The TV show isn't very accurate, historically, when is comes to the life and cases of Garrow, but instead, it uses Garrow as a character to show real cases that came to the Old Bailey court at the time Garrow was practicing. I loved seeing someone fight for what he thought was right. And there is a bit of romance, too.

Bert & Dickie (2012)
This is the story of the English skulling team that won gold in the 1948 London Olympics. They were placed together five weeks before the Olympics and had to learn how to be a team, put aside their differences, and learn to trust each other. It's one of those feel good, triumphant, sports movies, and it did have me tearing up a bit in the end. The hard thing about this is that Matt Smith played Bert Bushnell, and I just couldn't get past thinking of this as the Doctor. It's the way he talks! He just talked like the Doctor. I've never had that problem with any of the other actors that have played the Doctor. In fact, at one point he asks some for change so he can use the "phone box" and I kind of giggled a little to myself at that. But it was an interesting story. Even more interesting is that the Olympics used to have art competitions.

So, there you go. Three good movies, one good TV show, two so-so movies, and one movie that is not recommended.

Murder! Murder!

I love murder mysteries. I really have no idea why--I don't like scary things, I don't like puzzles--but there is something about murder mysteries that just draw me in. Here's the thing though, I'm horrible at figuring out "whodunit." For example, the other day, I was reading an Agatha Christie book, which I had seen the adaptation of, and I still couldn't figure out who the murderer was! That's just pathetic. So, lately while I've been watching the Marple series (or any murder mystery), I'll come up with about two people who I think could be the murderer--which can, of course, change throughout the episode. There is also usually a secondary mystery, so I'll choose the person who is behind that mystery too. I'm rarely right with the murder, except for the other day when I was watching "Murder is Easy" and halfway through I thought to myself, "the murder is either person A or person B." And guess what! It was person B!! I was so proud of myself that I kind of wanted to brag, but even I realized how lame that would be.

One thing about watching and reading murder mysteries is that I start mistrusting everyone in them. I will frequently say, "Oh that guy is definitely going to be bad. He wants the attention so much!" When really that character is one of the good guys. Oh well, trust no one, right? ;)

Anyway, all of that was just leading up to me sharing some of my favorite murder mystery TV shows with you:

Bones
About a team of scientists (called "squints") working in the fictional museum The Jeffersonian, headed by Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel), a forensic anthropologist who works with bones. They work with FBI agent Seely Booth (David Boreanaz) to solve murders where the body and cause of death are not easily identified. What is amazing to me is how much bones can tell about a person--not only their age and sex, but illnesses, place of origin, diet, and previous injuries, as well as ones sustained after death.

Castle
Mystery writer, Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), gets permission to follow Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) and her team around New York City as they solve hurders. Castle's research and connections help them with their cases, as do his mother and daughter--though mostly unknowingly. Castle is a fun character, with all of his crazy theories, and his geekiness. Kate is sensible, but humors him at times.

Inspector Lewis
A British television show that takes place in the wonderful city of Oxford. Inspector Robby Lewis (previously Chief Inspector Morse's sergeant, from the TV show Morse) (Kevin Whately) is a Northern bloke without a lot of fancy learning, while his sergeant, James Hathaway (Laurence Fox), is an Oxbridge educated man who almost became a priest. Lewis has street smarts and experience while Hathaway helps him navigate the world of Oxford University and highly educated society as they solve murders of every kind. The ME, Laura Hobson (Clare Holman), is almost equal in importance and cleverness as Lewis and Hathaway (and I would say Holman almost steals the scenes she is in).

Marple
A little old woman, Miss Jane Marple (Geraldine McEwan or Julia McKenzie, depending on the season), helps the police solve murders all over England, including her own town of St. Mary's Mead. There are a lot of famous British faces to be seen in every episode, and it's amusing to see how Miss Marple leads the police to the right clues, earning their trust, and in the end, gathering everyone together to tell the story of the murder. Not every episode is a true Agatha Christie Marple story, and some are greatly changed, but they are still a lot of fun!

Whitechapel
Another British television show. This one takes place in Whitechapel, in East London. Detective Inspector Joseph Chandler (Rupert Penry-Jones) just received his own team, which is essentially led by Sergeant Ray Miles (Philip Davis), when someone starts copying the Jack the Ripper murders. The first season (3 episodes) focuses on catching the copycat Ripper, with the help of ripperologist Ed Buchan (Steve Pemberton). The second season is another copycat, this time of the Kray twins from the 1960s. Buchan helps them again, which leads to him becoming a permanent member of their team in the third season. Since some of these murders can be a bit graphic (especially the Ripper murders), those scenes are filmed in such a way that hints at the gore without really showing it.

Sherlock
If you haven't heard of BBC's Sherlock by now, I want to know what rock you've been living under! This series takes the Victorian Sherlock and updates him to modern London. The update is seamless and inspired. Sherlock Holmes (the ever marvelous Benedict Cumberbatch) is still as brilliant and condescending as he ever was before as he solves the most unlikely of cases. Helping him is Doctor John Watson (Martin Freeman) and DI Lestrade (Rupert Graves, seriously this cast is amazing). The writers are self proclaimed Conan Doyle fans, so the plots are usually pretty true to the original story, just with updates to make them work in the 21st Century. But there is still 221B Baker Street, the violin, Mrs. Hudson, and even a deer stalker cap every once in a while. And, of course, Moriarty (Andrew Scott). Season 3 has just started filming and will be shown in the US on PBS in 2014.

Pushing Daisies
A quirky series that was greatly under appreciated in it's original run. It's about the Pie-maker, Ned (Lee Pace), who has a very unique talent--he can bring the dead back to life, but only for a minute, or someone else has to die. When he touches them again, they go back to being dead forever. He reluctantly helps Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), a private detective, solve murders by asking the victim if they know who killed them. They also get the help of Charlotte "Chuck" Charles (Anna Friel), Ned's childhood sweetheart, who Ned brought back to life and kept alive past one minute, meaning he can never touch her or she'll die again. It's a weird sounding concept, it's actually a very colorful and upbeat show. The murders are so ridiculous, that it feels okay to be making fun of them.

So, those are some of my favorite murder mystery shows. All of them have good characters, which I appreciate, so don't go in expecting CSI with their cookie-cutter, apathetic, poser characters. And, also, I'm sorry if I get you into these shows and you spend the next year trying to catch up on them all. Really, I am sorry, but have fun while you do it!

January Book of the Month

So, I thought maybe I would try something different this year. At the end of every month, I'll highlight the best book I read that month. January's Book of the Month is The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson.

The Name of the Star is a murder mystery/ghost story. It takes place in London (which automatically earns a book brownie points) and it about an American girl going to boarding school in Whitechapel, London, when someone starts copy-catting the Jack the Ripper murders.

I've read several of Johnson's books before, and I love her characters. They are quirky and witty, all of them feeling unique from each other. (I'd highly recommend also reading 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Johnson as well.) I do think this book deserves a "scary warning." I was totally fine reading this during the day, but it seemed the scary parts always came when I was reading in bed before going to sleep. There was one particular night where I hovered between wakefulness and sleep, with the thoughts of murderers on my mind. But I'm a wimp when it comes to scary things. I also think that shows that this book isn't too scary, as I kept on reading it.

I find the Jack the Ripper murders strangely fascinating (I definitely have a morbid side to me, of the curiosity sort [no matter I have tried writing that sentence it always came out sounding wrong. So, I'm just leaving it at that]), so this book definitely piqued my interest on many levels: YA fic, London, Ripperology, and good characters.

All I can say it head over to your local library and check out this book!

Sunday Special: Beauty

Spring has sprung here in Utah, and on my walk from the train to work I love looking at the green trees and the flowers everywhere and the blue sky. Because of this I've been thinking a lot about this wonderful world we get to live in and the amazing people that live in the world and I've realized something: Beauty is everywhere, but for some reason a lot of us don't acknowledge it. After wondering why this is, I have come up with two reasons why we don't see the beauty that is all around us.

First, dwelling on the ugly. There are ugly, evil, and wrong things in this world, there is no denying that. There are bad people who do ugly things, and natural disasters that destroy beauty. But, I truly believe that those are not the majority of things in this world, even though we hear about them more than anything else. What about the good people who treat everyone kindly, or work to make someone's life easier? What about blue skies, sunsets, trees, flowers, oceans, animals, beautiful architecture, art, music, books, etc.? Where is our focus?

I think it is necessary for us to know about the ugly things happening in the world, but that shouldn't be what we dwell on. I love reading those stories on Yahoo! about letters that find their destination 60 years later, or someone fighting against all the odds to fulfill their dream. I love reading about an ordinary person becoming someone's hero. I love looking at the stars at night and feeling like there is something so much more than me out there. There is a beauty that we can't even comprehend.

Second, comparisons. You always hear people say things like "There are so many more trees in Oregon--it's so brown here!" or "I wish I looked like her." or "I only date tall, dark, and handsome guys."or whatever. The thing is, beauty isn't something we can make a checklist for. There isn't one ideal of beauty and the more we compare places, people, and ourselves, to what we think of as the pinnacle of beauty, the more unhappy we are going to be. We have to learn to see something for what it is, not what it isn't. People don't go to the Grand Canyon for the forests, they go because it's beautiful in it's own way.

Here's an example. When I was in London, a Sunday School teacher at church asked those in my group what was the most beautiful thing we'd ever seen was. I answered that it was England. (They kind of gave me weird looks like, Really? This is a topic for another day though.) A couple of days ago I met a woman from England, but living in Wales, that had come to visit my grandparents. She loved Salt Lake City! She talked about how beautiful it was and that she never wanted to leave. Now, I think Salt Lake City is a really nice city, and I do think Utah is beautiful, but she had just come from Wales! She was appreciating SLC for what it was, not what it wasn't.

There is beauty in deserts, in forest, in plains, in beaches, in snow, rain, sun, tall people, short people, blue, black, and purple people, fish and mammals, cacti and trees, mountains, round people, and thin people. Find the beauty in whoever you are, whoever you meet, where ever you might be. Don't dwell on the bad things in life. Beauty is there and finding it will make you happier.

Four Years

Today marks four years since I got on an airplane for the first real adventure of my life: England. Since that time, I have been measuring time from then: Four years have passed since the time of England.

So, let's review what has happened in the past four years:

. . .

Um . . .

Let me think . . .

::crickets::

Oh! I got it! I graduated from college. That's something cool, right? Maybe not on par of flying halfway around the world, seeing amazing sights, and traveling all around a foreign country, getting fat off pastry and chocolates, but, what can I say?

Speaking of chocolates, I have finally lost all the weight that I gained in the eight weeks I was over there. And it only took me four years! Not bad. :)

But, seriously, I really can't complain. My life has had a lot of good moments. Before I graduated from college, I was promoted twice at my job at the CONE, ending on the high note of Front-end Manager. I graduated from college, and in the past year alone I have had three different and wonderful opportunities in terms of internships.

The only thing is, going on the London Study Abroad didn't quench my thirst for adventure, but whet it. As much as I want to see the world, the place I want to see the most is England. The more I read and learn about the country, the more I want to see and experience. I think that going back to London would be like returning home, because I felt at home there. I think it opened my eyes to the beauty of the world, and since then I have tried to find the beauty of everything and everyone.

So, until I can return to my other homeland, I will try to remember all the great things I have, right here, in little ol' Utah.

Shopping Trips!

Starting on Thursday of last week, I've gone on a bit of a shopping binge. I have a friend at work who has just started a fashion blog (check it out here!) and the first H&M in Utah opened a few months ago, so we decided to go after work and she could help me be more fashionable.

I was so excited about this trip! I love getting new clothes and I'm also very excited to go through my closet and get rid of clothes. (I was going to do that this weekend, but circumstances changed and that will now be happening next month.) I still have clothes I got as a sophomore in high school! It's just time to get rid of things that don't fit anymore (I'm no longer the size 2 I was in high school), or that are worn out, or just not in fashion anymore. Anyway, I ended up spending a little bit more money than I planned on, but I'm super excited about what I've bought!

Here's a little run down on my shopping adventures (I was going to put up pictures, but that seemed that so much work, and I don't really want to try to figure out how to do one of those fun little squares with the numbers and all that. Sorry.):

Thursday after work Melissa and I went to Fashion Place mall, starting in H&M. She went around with me, talking about quality of fabrics (I have no idea about this--seriously, I really don't know what makes fabric good or not), etc. Then I tried on the clothes, got her opinion on them. I got this great little black dress (well, as LBD as you can get as a Mormon) that has this cross draping on it. I'm a fan! I don't really feel like I have much I want to hide, but it accents all the things I want to accent! Fabulous! I also got a black pencil skirt (which I have been wanting forever!), a button up blouse, and a blazer. The blazer was the most expensive item. The dress was only $25!!

From H&M we just wandered the rest of the mall, and ended up at DownEast Basics. They had a little location that was having a warehouse sale. I was able to buy a Maxi dress and a cute skirt for about $27--together! (I obviously love getting things on sale.)

Saturday I went to Payless Shoes because I had a 50% off coupon. (Yes, you read that right, 50% off. It was awesome.) I ended up buying two pairs of flats and two pairs of those little footie socks you wear with ballet flats for another $27. That's less than one of the pairs of shoes, if I were buying without the coupon. And they are super cute.

Then I went to Target where I bought the my first pair of American skinny jeans. (I bought a pair from Primark in London. That was almost 4 years ago and I still wear them. I have never been able to find a pair that was as comfortable in the states.) This is something Melissa convinced me to try.

I'm a little ashamed at how much I spent at Kohl's, but rest assured I did not pay full price for anything. (I mean, no one should pay full price for anything from Kohl's. It's really not worth it.) I love the color coral and it just happens to looking great on me, so I bought a coral shirt, a black shirt, and a purple printed shirt. Also, a pair of fishnet tights, because I've always wanted one.

I'm really excited to start incorporating my new clothes into my wardrobe and getting ride of some of the things that are in it. And hopefully these things will last me for at least a year, considering I am done visiting clothing store for awhile. Bookstores, on the other hand, might need a visit. :)

Homesick

Is it possible to be homesick for a place where you spent only two months?

My heart aches for England. It has haunted my dreams and followed me in the books I've been reading and songs I have heard (a few days ago the song "London Calling" came on while I was going to work). I have been watching BBC TV shows/miniseries. My brain has been thinking of all the things I would like to see if I ever get to go back. I miss ancient buildings. I miss . . . it's hard to describe what I miss. All I know is that I would go back at any opportunity.

Because it has been on my mind, here is my list:

In London

Hatchard's bookshop, est. 1797

Kensington Palace

Doctor Who Experience (yes, I am an unashamed fangirl)

Hampstead Heath

St. Paul's Cathedral

Great Ormond Street Hospital

Outside London

Chawton House/Cottage

Lake District

Stratford-upon-Avon

There's more, including things I've already see and places I've already been to that I would like to see again, but these are specifics. I would love to just be able to walk along the Thames at night again. Hopefully I'll be able to go back again (and again and again)!

"Does Not a Child Recognize Her Own Mother?"

Another review for you, in light of the holiday season. This is The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted.

For all of you out there that love a good period piece, this is a great one to get into. Taking place in Victorian England, it follows Lucy as she meets her Aunt Helen, the twin sister no one knew her mother had.

Full of intrigue, mystery, and a bit of love, it had me up until 1:30 last night trying to finish it. What I love about this book is that I thought I had it all figured out--I thought I knew the big twist in the story. And I was okay with that, I just wanted to see how it came about. But Baratz-Logsted threw me for a loop when it came to the end!

It is a bit twisted, and is more for older YA readers (in terms of sex and content), but nothing graphic (there is a brief description of a murder scene).

Mostly, all I can saw about this is . . . Wow. I was completely blown away.

. . . In Your Dreams!

Last night I had a dream about going back to London. I was going on another study abroad there and I was so excited to spend the next four months and my last semester in my favorite city!'

By the time I got there, I started having doubts which were crowding out the excitement I felt on the plane (sidenote: planes are always much cooler in my dreams), and seeing a bunch of people that I went to London with before also going to London (because, you know, why wouldn't they be there? A girl I knew in high school was also there--that part was weird.). I started thinking about the fact that I hadn't moved out of my apartment, and therefore would still be paying rent. And then I started worrying about when I would be able to move out of my apartment.

Then I started thinking about the classes I was enrolled in at BYU and how I would complete those. Because I need to complete them to graduate this semester, but how was I going to learn InDesign and Photoshop without anyone showing me about it.

And it didn't help that the London Centre was in a part of town that looked suspiciously like Herriman.

But I wasn't going to let that bother me, because I was in London!

And then these evil skeletal guys showed up and it was all downhill from there.

The Least Two Years: A Mini-sode

A camera pans a bedroom; across a DESK, showing lotion, a pencil cup, a journal, a laptop computer, up to a shelf of books. Finally the camera rests on A GIRL, asleep. A VOICEOVER (VO) is heard: a deep male voice.

VO: This is Whitney.

An ALARM buzzes and WHITNEY wakes up and turns it off. She lies in bed for a second before getting up. Cut to her pouring CEREAL and MILK, then eating it.

VO: Two years ago today, Whitney was on an airplane, on her way to England. She was nervous for this new adventure of hers. And an adventure it was.

Shot of a long-haired, younger WHITNEY walking the streets of LONDON.

VO: She met all sorts of new people.

Shot of WHITNEY with friends in a CAFE, having her picture taken with random INDIAN GUYS.

VO: She saw beautiful things.

Cut to shot of WHITNEY in a museum, then to shot of her looking down on PORTHCURNO, ending with another shot of her walking along the THAMES.

VO: She . . . gained a lot of weight.

A montage of WHITNEY eating various sweets: nutella TOAST, PASTRIES, CHOCOLATE, CANDY.

VO: Yes, Whitney had quite a time in London, England, UK. She thought that life couldn't get any better than that.

Slow motion shot of WHITNEY laughing.

VO: So where has Whitney's life taken her?

Back to WHITNEY eating her cereal.

VO: Today, Whitney is going to class in Provo, Utah. And then she is considering watching a movie. Yes, she was right when she thought life couldn't get any better than London.

WHITNEY finishes her cereal and puts the BOWL in the sink. The camera zooms in on it and the SPOON that is rattling in it.

VO: Compared to England, the past two years have been uneventful.

Fade to black.

Mom and Daughter

I've never thought I looked like my mom before--that I always took after my dad's side of the family. But I think this photo has proved me wrong.

This is my mom 34 years ago when she was 23 (?) after she and my uncle Scott went to Europe.

This is me, two years ago (age 20) when I was in London. Our faces and "smiles" are similar, and our pants even look the same!

I guess I have more of my mom in me than I thought.

The Last Time

I'm home now, and while I'm happy to be home, it makes me sad to have left the United Kingdom. For my last post I wanted to make a list of things that are different over there than here; some of them were things that were hard to get used to, or that I just thought were fun or interesting.

*Marshmallows are a big deal over there; they are advertised big deal if they are in something.

*In houses you need to go into a different room to wash your hands after using the bathroom

*Some public toilets cost money (if you can find one!)

*Instead of exit, it's the way out

*People don't talk on their mobiles as much in public

*They are called mobiles

*Everyone smokes

*Prices aren't consistent, you have to shop around a lot

*TJ Maxx is called TK Maxx (never found out why)

*No one talks on the Tube

*There are no drinking fountains, which is really annoying

*Street musicians are called buskers and they are really good! They were my favorite part of riding the Tube. Plus they play the coolest things: harps, plastic buckets, the xylophone, and I even saw a guy pushing his piano down the street

*"At weekends"

*They aren't purses, but handbags. "You're in the mother country now!"

*Everything is under construction!

*Baby nappy changer units

*Surname instead of last name

*Coaches instead of buses

*The cars; I don't think I saw one that was boxy, but all had smooth curves

*Need to turn the outlets on "which is actually a really good idea"

*Rubbish/litter bins

*Social propriety, there is more nudity, sex, and swearing that is acceptable

*No programs at concerts and plays unless you want to pay for them

*Plasters instead of band-aids

*American food is ethnic

*Free newspapers, more than just fluff

*Free museums

*Hen part instead of bachelorette

*To let or For Hire instead of for rent (to let is used for buildings, for hire is objects)

*Ice Cream sold at interval of every play

*Spellings of words; ie, programme, colour

*Toy boy instead of boy toy

*Crisps are chips, chips are french fries

*Pants are underwear, trousers are pants

*Jumper instead of sweater

*Sweets instead of candy

*Poems and scriptures on the Tube

*Interval instead of Intermission

*Pubs instead of bars

*Lollies instead of suckers

*Tanktops are called vests

*Toilet not bathroom (though they do call it a lot of different things; lavatory, loo, toilet)

*Out door markets!

*Car park instead of parking lots, not that there were very many of them

*Boot/bonnet=trunk/hood

*Magdelan is pronounced "maudlin" at Cambridge and Oxford

*Smoothies are not smoothies, just blended juice

There are more, but I can't remember too many right now. I love you all, and I'm happy to be able to see you all soon.

Blenheim and Oxford

Happy Father's Day:

Grandpa and Grandpa, Dad, Lloyd, Scott, LaMar, Bryan, Lynn, Adam, Michael, Ken, Cody, Jake, and Patrick. I hope I didn't forget anyone! Happy Father's Day to you all.

This last Wednesday was our last day trip as a group. We went to Blenheim Palace first, which is still the residence of the Duke of Marlborough. It was a beautiful mansion house, with beautiful gardens. It was also the house where Winston Churchill was born, as the Dukes of Marlborough are from the Churchill family. Of course, it was by accident, but he said that it was one of the best decisions he made. We had a really great tour guide for the house, but I would have liked to have more time. We hardly got to see any of the gardens, and the house has a lot of history connected to it--it was used as a boy's school in the War.

After two hours at Blenheim, we headed to Oxford. I loved Oxford! I was able to go into two colleges, Merton which was free, and Christ Church. Christ Church was beautiful and the alma mater of Christopher Wren, and Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll). The main hall was going to be used in the first Harry Potter movie as the Great Hall, but it was too small, so they made an exact replica of the hall and that's what they used. Another cool thing about the Great Hall is if you walk in and count five windows down on the left hand side, you can see a likeness of Alice in Wonderland, as well as the White Rabbit.

Out in the courtyard is Tom's Tower. The tower was built by Christopher Wren to house the bell called Tom. At 9:05 every night Tom rings 109 times. 109 because that was the number of graduates in the first graduating class of Christ Church and at 9:05 because that is what the time is according to Greenwich Meantime. And because it used to b curfew for students of Christ Church. Christ Church also has it's own cathedral which was beautiful.

After Christ Church, I climbed to the top of the University Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin. Oxford is called the "city of spires" and it is! We were able to see almost the whole city from the top of the church. That was fun. Then it was on to Blackwell's! Blackwell's is the largest bookshop in all of England--the basement holds 3 miles of shelving and thousands unpon thousands of books, and that's just the basement! I spent a little too much money there, but it was definitely worth it! I had to get books by both JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis since they both taught there.

After browsing at Blackwell's I went to the Eagle and Child pub which is where every Tuesday morning the Inklings used to meet to discuss their books and the world. The Inklings consisted of Tolkien, Lewis, Lewis's brother, and eventually Tolkien's son Christopher with several others. I probably sat in the very same place they did! How cool is that?!

I went to see Dirty Dancing Thursday night, and on Friday was our country walk with a man in my ward, Bro. Chittock. IF you remember, he was the one who came and talked to us about what it was like being a child during the Blitz. The walk was beautiful! We went to Kent and saw the hops farms, and woods and farmers fields. It was about nine miles and took us in a circuitous route. We spent most of the day doing that.

Yesterday I finally went to Westminster Abbey! It was definitely worth every pound! I loved it and stood among the graves, tombs and memorials of genius. It was amazing. Last night I saw Gone With the Wind the musical in its last night. That was interesting, but I saw the stars and stripes for the first time in 7 weeks! It was an odd feeling, seeing that, here.

Well, I only have about three more days here! Bittersweet feelings. Love you all!

Brother Chittock's Talk

This probably won't be a very long post, but I just wanted to tell you all about a really cool thing that I got to hear about today. We had a member of our stake, and of my ward, Brother Chittock came to talk to us about what it was life to be a child during the Blitz.

He was about three during the evacuation at the beginning of the war. It was amazing to hear from someone who was actually there, to tell about what it was like. He would talk about how he and his brother would like up at the sky during clear nights in the summer and could see the German pilots and the RAF pilots fighting in the air. He thought it looked like a game; like big fun. It was so interesting and so amazing to hear about how people would just go on with life: walking through rubble on their way to work, and just trying to make it.

I have more notes and interesting facts that I wrote down while he was talking to us, but I just wanted to mention a little bit now. On Friday he is taking us for a walk in Kent and is going to talk a little more to us about the war and other sites of interesting historical value.

Love you all

Bath, Stourhead, and Stonehenge

Last weekend we went on an overnight trip to Bath. I absolutely loved Bath, it was so beautiful! I feel like I use the word beautiful to describe everything, but all other words escape me and I just can't think of any other way to describe it. The modern day city of Bath was built completely in the Georgian style, so all the buildings and houses are uniform. The first thing we did was go to the Roman Baths, which have been around for thousands of years since the Romans first came and conquered England. They were a bit expensive and as such I wouldn't go again, but if you ever go to Bath, you have to go to the baths. It's interesting, and they are the whole reason that there is a Bath. There were painted pigs all over the city (and the city surrounding it) so as we walked around we tried to keep an eye out for those. We only got 16, but it gave a whole new meaning to our trip in Bath. I also made a visit to the Jane Austen centre, which I didn't tour, but it was my Austen pilgrimage. We just wandered around and looked at the beautiful city and surrounding countryside.

The next morning we headed off to Stourhead, an very large estate. The gardens were designed by a man called Hoare who loved the Neoclassical style instead of the French style of gardening that was a bit more popular. This means that Hoare's garden is more of a wilderness instead of an ordered garden. It was so...breathtaking. The lake, and the greenness of it all, along with the birds singing and the blue sky made it that much better. We followed that path around the garden (which you have to take counterclockwise because that is how it was designed to be walked) and eventually wound up at the Temple of Apollo which was used for the first proposal scene in the new Pride and Prejudice movie. We were only able to go into the house for a few quick minutes because we needed to get on the bus to head off to our next destination, but the Duke of Marbury still lives in the house and therefore we were unable to go upstairs, but it was a beautiful mansion house.

Our next destination was Stonehenge! If ever you decide to go there, a half hour is probably all you would need, but it was a cool place to see. My mate and I came up with several theories of why Stonehenge existed, all of them ridiculous. Because we were a school tour we weren't able to use the audio tour (which seemed strange...why would students want to be educated anyway?) but really, how much could be said about a bunch of really old rocks that no one knows anything about?

Stonehenge was the end of our trip, but when we got back Jessi (my mate) and I went to see the new musical Never Forget which is based on the music by a 90s British boy band by the name of Take That. We had no idea who they were before we went, and we were surprised by how big they apparently were in England! The whole audience was singing along with every single song, and cheering loudly. At the end everyone got up and danced and sang along with the actors. We did too, but we mostly just laughed. It was crazy! But so much fun, and something really completely British.

Love you all and I'll see you in only 10 more days! Ack!

Greenwich, and Abbey Road

Yesterday Jenny and I went to Greenwich, which is claimed as the "First City in the World" because it is the home of the Prime Meridian of the world. That is where the time zones start and stop. I stood with one foot on either side of the line, which meant that I stood in two different time zones! That was intense! We went to the Maritime Museum and looked at all the ships and stuff, then we went up to the observatory and looked at the clocks. There is supposed to be an amazing fish and chips place by the station for only 3 pounds, but it was so close to dinner time that I didn't want to ruin my dinner--especially since we were going to have calzones! I get fed WAY too good here!

Today we made the trek out to Abbey Road, for our Beatles pilgrimage. I wrote on the wall outside Abbey Road studios, and then we took pictures of ourselves walking across the Zebra. So much fun...though we went down wrong roads twice. And got whistled at by construction workers. Fun fun. You'd think they had never seen a female before.

I've been having a lot of fun here! Seeing plays (including Phantom of the Opera!) and trying to fit everything in that I can.

Love you all!

The Tower, Cambridge, and Cornwall

This last week was a mighty busy one for me, as are the weeks to follow! There's so much to do and I only have two weeks left! Oh no!

So I started off the week on Tuesday by spending the day at the Tower of London. Oh my gosh! Thank you LaMar! It was amazing! We went on the Yeoman tour, and our guide was really great. We had some problems with helicopters though--there was once when there were two helicopters just hovering over the Thames for about 5 minutes! He was going to talk to us outside, but took us into the Chapel instead. Of course, the minute we went into the Chapel the copters left. So the Chapel was really interesting. In Queen Victoria's time they took up the floors because they were in bad disrepair and they found over 1000 bodies! Some of them headless! Out of them they only identified 33. Among the 33 there was Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, and Catherine Howard (the one that haunts Hampton Court). They were given a proper burial and now rest under the altar in the chapel. Every week fresh red roses are put on Anne's grave.

After the tour we went off by ourselves and looked at the crown jewels, which were very shiny. I really liked the first room in the jewery. It had a chair for every known monarch of England as well as their crests. After the jewels was the White Tower. The first thing we saw was the place where the bones of the two young princes who were mysteriously kidnapped and murdered were found. Freaky. As we wandered through the White Tower (which is actually a palace) I was thinking how creepy it was that people actually lived there, but then I remembered that back in the day it wasn't creepy because it didn't have the history it does now. Then we went to walk around the walls, and I might have sat in the very window that Lady Elizabeth sat in when she was held prisoner there! You never know! The only thing that we didn't get to see and I wish we could have but I needed to get back for kitchen duty was the Beauchamps Tower. This was the tower that the princes were taken from before they were murdered. But it was a nice day out.

That night we went to see Pygmalion! That was awesome. It's so cool to see things that take place in England and know the places that they are talking about! Or to recognize something in the background.

Wednesday all of us headed out to Cambridge. We went punting on the Cam the very first thing and I think I would have been happy to just sit in the punt and go up and down the river all day! It was so relaxing! We saw a lot of bridges and most of the colleges! We ended up going during one of the worst times because it was exams! We couldn't go into any of the colleges! But we did see King's College Chapel which is the largest open nave in England, meaning that there are no pillars holding the ceiling up. It was a nice day out. That night my friend Jessi and I went to a show in the West End called Into the Hoods. It was AMAZING! It's a hip hop revival of Sondheim's Into the Woods. They told they story using popular hip hop songs (but not just hip hop, other genres as well) and the dancing was so cool. It was very original and the first of it's kind to get into the West End. Next time you're in London, you should try and see it!

The next day was the start of my free weekend. Three of my mates and I decided to head down to Cornwall and stay in Penzance. We went to St. Michael's Mount which is an island that you can walk out to if the tide is low. Unfortunately, the tide wasn't low while we were there, but we were able to walk on the beach, feel the sand beneath our toes, and the water around our ankles. And the castle on the island was fabulous. After that we went to Land's End where there is nothing. I did find out that from that point Provo is 5374 miles away. Sad! It made me a little homesick! But not for too long!

We headed down to Porthcurno beach. It was gorgeous! Nothing could do it justice, it's something you have to see for yourself, but I'll try. Beautiful white sandy beach, water that was a thousand different shades of blue, surrounding by cliffs that were green and red. I swam in the Atlantic Ocean! It was freezing! We ate real Cornish pasties on the beach, then walked up the cliff to see a play at the Minack Theatre. So this theatre was built entirely on a cliff, so as you're watching a play you have the ocean for a background. It was so beautiful.

Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end, and on Saturday I returned to London. But I like London, it's almost becoming a sort of home to me now. I know that I will miss it when I return to the states.

Today I went to Samuel Johnson's house. He made the first comprehensive English dictionary! Cool guy, but a little obsessed with his cat...

I also walked the entire perimeter of Kensington Gardens. I saw Peter Pan, which made me happy!

Love you all and wish you could share in my joy! See you in two!