shenanigans

OK.. when I signed up to go to Oxford for the semester I should have taken into accout the amount of work it was going to require of me. I liked it better when we went on nature walks for our english class and touring Buckingham Palace counted for history. Real college is all things beautiful and worthwhile, but I would have remembered to pack some Aderol (joke mom and dad)(sorta) if I would have known. Seven more days and I'm done and home, so I guess its all a little bittersweet... tonight though, a little more bitter and a little less sweet. Ugh.

The Most Beautiful Place In The Whole World.

A little place I would like to call Blenheim Palace

ceciley, myself, heather and melanie in front of the palace :)

best view of the grounds and the statue of david

blenheim bridge.. its all on 2,000 acres

Happy Moments, Praise God.

Difficult Moments, Seek God.

Quiet Moments, Worship God.

Painful Moments, Trust God.

Every Moment, Thank God.

May Day Hay Day

Ok. May 1st in Oxford is the biggest event of the year. It is a tradition going back a few hundred years, the city center shuts down from 11 at night to 11 am and all of the towns folk and college kids go to their version of prom and go out all night. The Maudlin Bridge is closed and the young boys choir sings over the whole city from 5-6am, and tradition goes that students jump off the bridge into the water to leave their stress from all their years at university and "dive" into the real world. However, I opted to live to see another day. SUCH A FUN NIGHT! America needs traditions like this, I should write a letter.

if you were wondering, this is what 15,000 people looks like

on our way to mayday having no cluuee what we were in for.

the four girls I cant believe I went without knowing my whole life

Rainer Rilke. duh.

"Be patient towards all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given to you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions."

planes trains and volcanos oh my...

Cheers guys. For those of that had been keeping up on that icelandic volcano thats been erupting, you'll be happy to hear I made it back home (without the company of my sanity) safely. Spring break started off with 5 amazing days in Barcelona, then from there we flew to Italy and spent 2 nights in Venice. Venice was followed by what was originally to be 2 nights in Florence, two turned into 3 because of the volcano and it was basically chaos from there. Our direct flight from Pisa to London for Sunday got cancelled and so instead we got a train on Monday afternoon from Florence to Milan, then connected in Milan to Switzerland, spent the night in the Geneve train station, had a train tuesday morning from Geneve to Paris, then a train from Paris to the coast of France, took a ferry from the coast to the coast of England, got a bus from the Dover coast to London, then a bus from London to Oxford, and was in bed by 4am on Thursday morning. Long story short... I need a vacation.
But thanks for all of your prayers, (sorry I couldn't respond quicker to emails) I love you all and wish you could be here everydayy!!!

spring break 2010- Spain, Italy, Switzerland, France :)

yoho yoho a pirates life for me

Ok guys so here's the dealio realio.. if I wrote a caption for every single picture we'd be here all day.. so long story short.. I'm obsessed with Ireland. The pictures are from Galway and Dublin and what I'm convinced Heaven is going to look like. We went on a tour to see the Cliffs of Moher, 320 million years old, no biggie. The pictures of the land are from this crazy hike we went on through this family farm, and afterwards we got grannys homemade apple pie. You may not think it to be picture worthy (granny house with the fireplace) but you didnt have the pie. We hit up the Guinness factory and enjoyed(?) a complimentary pint in the sky bar they have on the top story.. I have a cerificate to prove I now know how to pour the "perfect pint"..I hope this is a reflection of how the semester is going to end up lol... Speaking of.. we have midterms this week and then I'm on holiday to Spain and Italy so look forward to another big update in a few weeks. There's no place like home though and I miss you all terribly. WISH YOU WERE HERE :)

luck of the irish..and the not so irish

oh.my. sweet. baby. jesus.

ok I know that the only ben in my life right now should be big and chiming every hour, but bens cookies is single handedly the most amazing of things produced by this country. to be called just a cookie is almost degrading. but they dont deliver to the u.s... i already asked. and offered my big sister as collateral. didnt even flinch.

grip gettin'