Just a thought...

June 26, 2014

Obviously this is the first post I have done since returning from Europe. I have been keeping busy working on the various projects we have been assigned. I have dedicated most of my time to my sketchbook which I decided to restart because the one that I had taken with me was completely hashed and looked as though it would fall apart at any moment. This decision has made me redraw several pictures and in the end it has pushed my drawing abilities to the next level. 

I am not a master artist, I have never claimed to be nor do I enjoy sharing my work. But several friends and family members (that shall remain nameless) continually encourage me to share it. 

But I think it's important to emphasize that anyone can draw. Anyone can do what I do. Granted it is much easier for me because I have spent much of my life with either a pencil or pen in my hand. 

While on the study abroad program, I had the opportunity to help others that didn't feel so confident in their sketching. Whether or not I actually helped remains to be seen. But it got me thinking. Which is very dangerous for me because you never know where I may end up.

Here's the conclusion I came to. 

Everyone admires others with skills that they wish they had. Whether it is art, athletics, music, patience, empathy, or even looks and health/fitness. The list continues but I'm sure that you don't want to read only a list of attributes.

The point is, the number one thing I tell people when they ask how do I do what I do, I simply tell them I want to be better. Every picture I have ever drawn, has mistakes. Flat out.

I can see them. They glare out at me like a semi-trucks headlights. Since I can see the flaws I hide it. I don't want to share it with anyone. Isn't this what the human nature is about? We inwardly strive for perfection. Why else do singers keep singing? Why do athletes continually push for perfect games? Why do we seek the highest score in games and even in life?

We want to be the best.

We want perfection.

But we fall short of that. Every day we make mistakes. Every day our lives are etched with more choices and opportunities for us to change what is around us, either for good or bad. Once time passes those opportunities are gone. Time is precious and at the end of the day we have to ask ourselves if the choices we make are helping us become our vision of perfection.

When we don't achieve that perfection it can lead us to making one of two choices.

1- We give up. We begin to hate that specific activity and feed ourselves a steady diet of falsehoods. We tell ourselves that we will never be good enough. We compare our work to the work of others and soon it would have been better if we had never tried.

or

2- We use it as a learning experience and continue. We push ourselves to be a little better. We will make goals to score once more, block the opposing team once more, play a piece of music with one less mistake. We don't give up and in time, the results of anything we set our minds to learning becomes easier and when we look back at the first attempt we see how far we have come. It empowers us to go and try something new and different and with perseverance soon we can become skilled in that as well.

When asked about my art work and where I learned it, I can honestly say I am mostly self taught. I loath art classes. Art is not meant to be a cookie cutter process. People have to develop their own styles. All the formal art instruction I have had, has tried to get me to make art some other way. There is no praise for trying, no encouragement for learning. 

One project takes up time, then it is over and we began a new one. The art teachers didn't give tips or tricks on how to add depth or shadow or to enhance the perspective.

I have found that the will to learn on one's own, whether it be math, science, art or sports... anything really. One's own determination is the best driving force to gain new skills and abilities.

So yes, I am a self taught artist. 

However,

I struggle finding the good in what I do. As mentioned I see the mistakes but it doesn't discourage me. I use those as opportunities to say "Well that didn't work." and I try again.
I have found that I love to make others happy or make them smile which is why I have no problem doing service or making something and simply giving it away. Others look at me like I am crazy or that I am a fool.

But in the moment of craziness, someone else realizes they have a friend. They can look at what I do and know that someone is willing to take the time to do something nice for them and if they let it, the kindness will continue. 

It sounds stupid and cheesy. 

But my art is not something that I am perfect at. I have talent as others say but I am still far from wanting or sharing it with the masses. I don't know if I ever will.

But I have found that people look up to me and wish they had my ability. But guess what...

I admire them.

The people we place on pedestals admire those that admire them. Every one has strengths and skills unique to them. Which is why the world can work the way it does. We need those that love math and science just as much as the artists and architects, the interior designers and the fashion designers. We are different for a reason and although you may look and admire people...

just remember...

There IS someone that admires you just as much!

June 1, 2014 A slow Sunday

June 1, 2014

Today marks the last sunday on the study abroad trip. It is also a free day, so my plans for today… I get to go to church!!! First off I slept in! It was glorious to say the least. I went to the singles ward with Rachel Rosier and we enjoyed the Fast and Testimony meeting that they had.

It was really cool. Instead of the usual awkward silence that occurs for a good 15 minutes, there were people lining up to share their testimonies. There were continuous testimonies and finally the bishop had to get up and say no more and that those that were in line would finish out the meeting.

But it was really good. I have missed church more than I had thought.

After sacrament meeting, Rachel and I came back to our flat and met up with Sherry and went out to the British Museum. We spent a good amount of time in the gift shop and I got two postcards and a puzzle. I am excited about it.

After the gift shop we quickly looked at the Ancient Egyptian exhibit and I was totally in geek heaven! I love Love LOVE ancient history and all the cool relics that come from those days. I saw several mummies and their sarcophagi, I saw the Sutton Hoo helmet that I learned about in Dr. Cogan’s humanities class and tons of other cools bits and bobs from the medieval days of Europe.

It was really cool.

We didnt stay long in the Museum since it closes at 5:30 on Sundays and honestly I was glad. I am coming down with something and I wasn’t feeling to good. So we came back to the flat and get to look forward to a bright and early day tomorrow! We are going to the town of bath! So fun!

Details to follow!

May 31, 2014 A little piece of heaven

May 31, 2014

Today began bright and early!!! ok not so much! I actually slept in and Jill had to come to my room and knock on my door before I woke up. It’s a good thing I had a shower last night so all I had to do was quickly wet my hair, throw gel in it and dry it. The drying didn’t really happen since my hair dryer didn’t want to work… but hey who’s picky.

I went with Rachel Miller and Jill Harmon at 9 am where we caught the underground at south kensington and went over to the Victoria train station where we had to catch the train to Lingfield and then we took a two mile walk to the temple.

The london england temple sits in Surrey about a half hour train ride away from england. It was announced on Aug. 10, 1953 with the groundbreaking taking place on Aug. 27 1955. It was Dedicated on Sept. 7, 1958. 

So we walked along the streets in Surrey and enjoyed the quaint cottages and most of them had a title like Willow cottage or Holly House, just simple little signs embedded in the brick fences. I have to say the countryside in Surrey, (Which is where the temple is located) is gorgeous! Granted the entire english countryside has been so green and lush that I almost don’t want to go home. Almost. Yeah Utah is rather brown and desert-y but it’s home.

Rachel was talking about how she would like to name her house something like that. So instead of saying so and so lives there, it’s more like, You’re looking for somerset lane or Aspen cottage at the end of the road. And then from that time onward, the house is known by that name. It’s a cool idea to look into.

Anyway, I digress. In Surrey we saw a ton of Hair dressers and Interior Design/Home Renovation shops. So I guess everyone there likes to look good on the outside and have splendid homes on the inside. The entire town felt like it was stuck in a time warp except for the fact that cars were zipping through town at crazy speeds. Or at least it felt like that.

We were walking for about 30 minutes and roughly 2 miles when the road curved to the left, (we had run out of sidewalk at this point) and just over the tops of the trees we could see the spire and the angel moroni. I can’t tell you how I have missed that sight. Once I had seen it, I felt like I wanted to run to it like a lost child that finally could see their home in the distance.

I didn’t for two simple facts. #1 my feet were killing me and #2 the road we had to cross was super busy and I had no desire to end up a splat on the ground. Yeah not so much.

But we got to the temple and got inside where we went into the session, which I have missed! The chaos of the world just melts away and for a few hours there is nothing but peace! I love the temple! This trip has made me think, there are a million opportunities every day to live contrary to how I have been raised. The world has surrounded me now on this trip more than ever before.

Yes even more than when I was a missionary. On  the mission, the Lord protects His missionaries. He keeps them safe if they are obedient and helps them remain strong throughout the trials they face. I lived that I and I know how much the Lord is mindful of everyone of his children. Some of my other blog posts can tell you that.

But out here, there is drinking everywhere, smoking galore, alternative lifestyles and poor choices that people make. I could have abandoned everything and said for one month I will live it up. The idea of Eat Drink and be Merry attitude is rather prevalent. But for the life of me I can’t do that. I don’t see the appeal of going against something that I know brings inner peace and happiness. The world is trying so hard to find happiness, but in all the wrong places. Deep inside every person, is the knowledge of right and wrong. Truth rings loud and clear when challenged by wrong choices. As a result people can turn hostile.

But the truth never changes.

In Europe, or in the United States, in the present or in 1750 the truth NEVER changes. I am so grateful that the Lord could show that to me. I know many people that live alterantive lifestyles that I do not agree with. I will not judge them for it, it isn’t my place  but that doesnt mean it’s right either.

The temple reminded me of the promises that are sure if we do what the Lord has asked. When we slip up, it’s ok. The Savior was chosen to make up for our mistakes as long as we continually try to be just a little better.

When I was sitting in the celestial room… oh by the way getting to the Celestial Room you had to go up a flight of stairs and then you enter it. It was so cool! I loved the entrance! and when we left the Crystal chandelier that hung in the staircase was Gorgeous! Crystal cylinders were grouped together in progressively smaller circles and the lights illuminated them and created a stunning masterpiece! I loved it!

anyway in the celestial room, I was reading the book of Isaiah, I love reading Isaiah in the temple I have received so many answers at the right time.

But I believe it was Isaiah 40 something, and I read the verses where it said, the lord will strengthen thee, help thee and lift thee up with his righteous hand. Totally the basis for How firm a Foundation. That is so true.

I don’t know where I will end up in the years ahead of me, and frankly it doesn’t matter. If I keep my foundation where it needs to be, centered on Jesus Christ and His teachings then no matter what trials or tribulations come my way, I know I will be ok. I love the Lord, and the gospel of Jesus Christ and I cannot imagine my life without it.

May 25, 2014 Another Day in London!

May 25, 2014

So this morning began bright and early! As always and It was so bright WAY early! I woke up at 4ish because the light streaming in the windows started at 4 in the morning.

Super bright and we can’t close the curtains. Lame I know.

So we started walking at nine. We caught the underground to a station that is about a half hour away. It took a really long time. But Darrin was talking up a storm with how great the markets are and that they are a fusion of old and new and talking up a storm.

Yeah we got there and it was a flea market. Straight up.

I have seen better deals in El Salvador. Everything was 5 pounds and up. This equates to to like 7.50 or something like that.  Yeah not happening plus there wasn’t anything that screamed out to me.

Honestly not that impressed.

We had a bit of free time after the markets and so we looked around for a second before jumping back onto the underground and making our way back home. We ended up going to the grocery store yet again for some food so we could have some type of lunch and then we could sit for awhile and breathe.

After lunch we were told to meet and start walking at one.

Yeah… We ended up waiting on Darrin yet again!

1:05 came and went

1:10 came and went

1:15 We’re off!

So we literally walked around the corner to the Victoria and Albert Museum where there is so much history it is unbelieveable!

We got split into groups again to do more pattern work. I was paired with Sam Hart and Sara Mcneil. They were fun to work with. We went into the museum and were struck with the incredible magnitude of the exhibits. There was so much from all over the world from hundreds of years ago. We visited the asian exhibits that extended from south asia into japan and china.

We went upstairs into the British part of the museum that extended from the 1500’s to 1760ish. It covered the reign of King Henry VIII all the way through the reigns of the various king georges. It was cool.

I saw the melville bed that we saw in history and we saw the various pieces of furniture and the evolution of the furniture through the ages. The tapestries were incredible! All the stitchery work and needle work done centuries ago has survived.

When we walk through the museums and the palaces or the old houses or buildings. Just imagine the structures and buildings we use daily as a part of our normal routine and in two or three or even five hundred years from now, museums could be made from them and people could be imagining what our life was like.

We look into history and see the romanticized version of kings and palaces. Servants waiting on call for the royalty and the extensive gardens and lavish parties.

In five hundred years what will they say about us? What romanticized history or dramatic tales will they tell about us? Granted there probably won’t be guillotines in our future hopefully but still we have the fight for racial equality, socialist agendas being pushed into congress and even the economic crises that have been occurring and will more than likely continue to occur.

how will we overcome such hardships? What lies in our future and what does the future hold?

I walk through the museums and palaces and can’t help but wonder what they would say if they saw their homes and palaces turned into such tourist traps.

Seeing these places first hand has been very enlightening and I have honestly learned so much but at the same time some of the majesty and grandeur has worn off by having to experience the crowded rooms, the hot and stale air or the tired feet and hostile tempers that could flare at any moment.

The places we visit will always be indelibly linked to history, which is why they are historical treasures. But the majesty and romantic notions are best viewed through the looking glass and not in the crowded rooms where it is hard to breathe.

Being able to see and feel something can diminish the dream and ideal of what that object represents. It’s like being back in rome where people are surrounded by the Colosseum or the Forum or the aqueducts or any of the monuments that makes Rome so famous. They see it as commonplace and everyday.

In a way our own freedoms that we enjoy in the United States are taken for granted in that we have it all the time. We enjoy the things we do because of the history and past that we do. But the idea of freedom, the majesty and beauty of the radical idea of democracy embraced by the founding fathers has lost its value. It has diminished throughout time as people are so used to having it.

All these thoughts keep running through my head as I see so much and remember what people had to deal with.

Needless to say, it makes you think.

May 20, 2014 Versailles - The Palace of Kings

May 20, 2014

So today we went to the incredibly ornate palace commissioned by Louis the XIV. Versailles is a thirty minute train ride away from our hotel. We started off with the usual breakfast and walked passed the eiffel tower to the train station where we waited for Darrin to appear with our tickets.

We Waited…

and waited…

and waited...

Did we miss him? Did he leave without us? All these thoughts were probably thought by someone in our group amid the “I blame Darrin” comments.

We finally met up and took the train to versailles. I was standing next to Kylee and there was something off with our car. It smelled like either rotten fish or rotten vegetables or a combination of the two. Let’s just say it was enough to make me sick to my stomach. We finally figured out that a little chinese man with a grocery bag was the source of the odors. Not the man himself but whatever he had in the bag. We know this because he got off a couple stops before we did and he took his bag and Voila! we could breathe!!! no funky fish smell!

So we got off the train at the chateau de versailles stop and had to hike for a bit. but we came down the street and there in front of us was the golden tip fence in front of the palace. beyond that the golden accents on the front of versailles glinted and gleamed even with the overcast conditions.

The palace of Versailles itself has a floor area of 67,000 meters squared or it equates roughly to 721,000 square feet. The gardens of versailles are 800 hectares or just over 3 square miles. Massively huge!!!!

When we first arrived we didn’t go into the chateau, we headed into the gardens to look at the grand trianon and the petit Trianon and the queen's hamlet WAY out away from the chateau. Darrin led us through the gardens and into (what I felt like) a maze from the fourth harry potter film. The hedges were so high and the fountains were going and it was cool. 

The gardens were so extensive I felt like we would get lost multiple times. We made our way through the gardens to the Neptune fountain I think and after a long while of wandering we spread out and had a small picnic lunch on the grounds of versailles. 

We were sitting across the way from a pond where you could rent a boat and go for a boat ride. But there weren’t too many takers as the sky was clouded over and the wind picked up and brought the long awaited forecast of rain! It was rather chilly! But I being me, did not bring my sweatshirt so I was rather chilled. I did have my umbrella so that provided a small iota of protection from the rain. Yeah not much.

We meandered through the grounds to the Grand Trianon where the royal family had used as an escape from palace life. The Grand Trianon was much less ornate than the main chateau but it was still over the top compared with normal houses.

The Petit Trianon was built because the grand Trianon was still too much for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to handle. They wanted simple. But still the Petit Trianon was still over the top. It was an entirely different world. The royals were so distanced from the normal life of their subjects that I guess it was a void that was too wide to gap.

Overall the palace at Versailles was absolutely incredible! We went inside and saw the hall of mirrors and toured the royal apartments and saw the queens bedchamber and the kings bedchamber. The history extends from Louis the XIV to Napoleon Bonaparte and even into the French Republic.

The Palace of Versailles is also home to Napoleons Throneroom which was cool to see after taking history and learning about it.

Words do little to paint the picture of Versailles. The beauty lies in the history of it's walls. The dreams of a kingdom, an empire and finally a republic as it seeks to find it's place in a new world. The magic of versailles is as indescribable as it is powerful.

May 21, 2014 I see Dead People...

May 21, 2014

So it’s our first free day in paris! I was so excited this morning! Granted Jill came and woke me up since I dont really have an alarm clock of my own and yeah… she was giving me grief from the get go. But oh well.

So we headed to breakfast this morning and then came back to the hotel to grab some things that we needed like cameras and metro passes and jackets because it is Cold!!! As soon as we were ready we headed out to Notre Dame Cathedral! I can’t tell you how excited I was to be going there. We jumped on the metro and after switching trains twice we arrived at the St. Michel-Notre Dame exit and as soon as we got back up to the street…. BAM! Notre Dame was right in front of us and it was even more amazing than I could have ever hoped! 

We quickly got in line after taking the preliminary Oh My Gosh! Photos and soon found ourselves inside! I was so happy to see that we could take pictures, so many churches dont allow it.  But we entered the south tower I believe and circled around the church on the inside. It was amazing to see the gothic architecture and all the vaulted ceilings within Notre Dame. I took as many pictures as I could focusing mainly on architecture and lighting. I love the stained glass windows I have seen. The rose window was incredible! The cathedral took over 200 years to build and it is located on a small island in the middle of the seine river.

Not to mention the stained glass was absolutely stunning!!!!

We wanted to climb the tower but the line was really long and not moving at all. And so we decided to skip waiting x amount of hours in the pouring rain to climb to the top. Although I hope we have the opportunity before we leave. Keeping fingers crossed.

After Notre Dame, we went to the Concierge. The Concierge is where Marie Antoinette was held prisoner after her husband Louis XVI was executed for treason. The more I read up about Marie Antoinette makes me respect her all the more. Her husband was an indecisive weak ruler and that ultimately led to their capture and exectution but she tried to make things right. 

She was always looking out for her children and she was even instrumental in the formation of the first constitution after the revolution. She tried to have the monarchy changed into a constitutional monarchy and allow her and her family to still live. But things went askew and that never happened.

We saw the recreation of her prison cell. It was somewhat better than most prisoners but I can imagine she still wasn’t treated too well. It is sad to think of the sorrow she experienced throughout her life especially after being imprisoned, she knew her children were imprisoned and both her sons died in their childhood. It must have been hard and she didn’t want that life. At first I thought she was spoiled and always wanted more but my views have changed.

After the Concierge we caught the metro and went to the luxembourg gardens. The gardens in the rain were very pretty. there was a fair amount of flowers and the fountain was going just in front of the luxembourg museum. We stayed for some good photos and then went to find lunch. We stopped at a little creperie where we found some yummy food and then went to the catacombs!!!

After a majorly long wait in line we paid the 8 euros and descended into the catacombs beneath paris. OH MY COOL!!!! They were so awesome! Looking at the walls of bones were extremely creepy thinking that there are so many people’s remains down there. I looked up some history of the catacombs and they estimate 6 million people are buried there.

Apparently the cemeteries in the heart of paris were emptied in the late 18th century. It took two full years to move all the bodies into the old stone mines that are now called the catacombs. It wasn't until the early to mid 19th century that the bones were stacked into their current positions.

So anyway the catacombs are super interesting!!! It just became a dumping ground for the people buried in the heart of paris, I know that is a horrible way to put it.

As I walked through the catacombs, I was struck with a sense of amazement and sadness at the same time. I thought of all the people buried there (and this is only in france) and all the other people throughout history and throughout the world. Each and everyone of them are children of god. Each and every one of them had a life. Each had a story. Each made some impact on their world, and now they are on display for the world to see. Yeah people will think its cool and creepy but these were and are real people.

That is how we finished out sightseeing for the day, we came back and grabbed dinner and I was glad to be back at the hotel. my ankle has been hurting for 2 solid days now and I know I need to take it easy. But we have so many fun things planned that I don’t want to miss out but I dont want to slow down Jill and Charee down either. I just don’t want to be the problem child on the trip. Which is sort of why I havent told any of the professors about my feet problems, I have dealt with it for years and I’ll continue to deal with it but with as much crap as Darrin gives out about things not going his way I dont want to give him reason to take aim at me. I already dont feel like I’m a part of the group and that is the last thing I need.

But for now I just need to get some sleep and things will look better in the morning.

May 22, 2014

May 22, 2014

Arc de Triomphe, Champ Elysee, and Nearly Blown off the Eiffel Tower!!!

So this morning started off at seven in the morning for me. I just couldnt sleep and so I was up and about by 8:20ish. After the usual breakfast of croissant and baguette, we headed out to the eiffel tower and met the funniest little canadian lady and her husband. She was telling us all about how she had been to paris before and accidentally made her 80 year old mother climb the eiffel tower. She was so funny and she said that her mother sat and pouted for 2 hours because she had to climb.

So we wanted to go all the way to the top and we were hoping that the weather would cooperate and we could be up there before it rained. Yeah didn’t happen. When we finally got up to the top of the tower, and paying 15 euro to do so, we were standing on the top of the eiffel tower. The clouds rolled in and the wind began to bite and howl and I almost felt like I would be blown off the top of the tower if I hadn’t been surrounded by the railing. I took pictures of the landscape and tried to take some video but I think it is more rough than I intended it to be but it is what it is. When we finished at the top of the tower we headed back down in the pouring rain and practically ran back to the hotel because we forgot umbrellas and we kind of needed them as it was pouring! Minor detail I know right? Anyway we got everything situated and hopefully together and we took the metro and ran to the paris opera house. The same paris Opera house that had been the inspiration for the famous Phantom of the Opera written by Gaston Leroux and in 1986 was turned into a broadway smash by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Not to mention my all time favorite opera!!! It was incredible! The opera house interior was gilded with gold and so opulent and over the top it was almost unimaginable. The Theatre hall was exquisite! The red velvet chairs and opulent chandelier was so rich and vibrant that it almost seemed like a different world. Almost like we had gone back in time for a brief moment.

But then again this entire trip has been filled with those moments. Seeing history in such a way that it comes to life and reminds me why I fell in love with it in the first place. To see through another persons eyes for a moment and see what they saw and experience the pivotal moments in human history that are constantly talked about. The opportunity to learn and experience the wonder of life is compounded by the lives of others and you experience more than you ever could in a single lifetime. that probably didn’t make any sense but you love me anyway! :)

So after having to pry me away from the opera house we went back to the hotel for a second and then head out again to go to the champ elysee!!! It is said that it is probably the most expensive piece of real estate in the world. We passed by a number of shops that I could only ever dream about entering let alone buying anything. we passed Tiffany & co., we passed Louie Vuitton and countless others and that is not including 3 car showrooms I saw. But we got our shopping done and so that was a milestone.

When we first started down the Champ Elysee we began in the Place de Concorde, that was the square where Marie Antoinette was executed. There is a huge fountain and several statues in the square as cars drive by and all that. It was a busy street and we passed by the exhibition hall that we saw on the first day with lots of gold statues and cool picture opportunities. It’s funny as I am sitting and taking pictures Jill and Charee have begun copying the angles I look at and taking pictures the way I do. It’s funny and cool at the same time. I’ve never been copied before and so I’m definitely not used to it. But they continually say that it’s the highest form of flattery and so I just hope they get some good photos from it.

We walked all the way down the Champ Elysee to the Arc de Triumph and took some good pictures. Upon looking up the reference and importance of the Arc de Triumph, because frankly I didn’t really know it’s story in the first place. It’s important to note that the the Arc de Triomphe (in English: "Triumphal Arch") honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.  I didn’t realize that the names of those that died in the revolution and the napoleonic wars were inscribed on the inside of the arch.

We didn’t go inside it, but now I kinda wish we had. There is a ton of historical symbolism attached to it. It is viewed as the rallying point as we were winding down and just getting tired. But we still had shopping and stuff to do so we continued the trek!

Something that was totally random was that when Charee was in a shop looking for some t-shirts for her daughters on the Champ Elysee. I went in to look for a minute but then ducked out to find a place to stand or lean at least so I could give my feet a rest. I have no idea why my feet are acting up, I haven’t had this many problems for over 2 years! Anyway I was waiting for Jill and Charee to come out and this girl walked up to me and she must’ve seen me take a drink from my water bottle and she asked to drink from it! Totally random and it caught me off guard. I thought she just wanted to know where I got it and I tried to tell her I had no idea where she could get any but she continued to ask for water and finally I gave her my bottle. It literally had 2 swallows left and I had just refilled it from the bathroom in our hotel. But there was no way I was going to let a total stranger take a drink from my water bottle and then take it back. I lost nothing but a cheap water bottle and maybe helped her out. She ran off to catch up with her group and so whatever.

It is so weird that we are leaving france in two days. France has been utterly incredible but I am getting so excited for England!!! I have to contain the squeals of delight!! Tomorrow is our last day here and I have no idea what we will be doing. So it will be fun to find out!

May 23, 2014 Last full Day in Paris!

So today was a rather slow day. We met for breakfast at 8:30 and afterwards went and did a bit of laundry. Just so everything is fresh and clean for london. The plan afterwards was to visit the legendary love lock bridge near the Notre Dame Cathedral so Charee could put a lock on for her and her boyfriend. It was so cute! The locks on the bridge completely covered the entire metal railings of the bridge. It was completely covered. We snapped some pictures of it and then continued on our way to find a fabric shop. That was an adventure.

So Jill got the name of the place and we hopped on the metro and went almost back to the Sacred Coeur. We were in the Montmarte area of paris around all the parisien craft shops and all that. It was cool to be able to wander for a brief moment without Darrin hurrying us from one spot to the next and without the foot pain. Thankfully my ankles have been behaving today and I have been medication free. So that means I should be on the mend and no more foot problems for me this trip!

It is so weird to think we only have 13 or so days left before we head home. I have made a lot of friends on this trip. Maybe not close friends but I get along with everyone and that is almost as good. But I have made two awesome friends in Jill and Charee.

On that note I was able to complete a pretty cool sketch of the notre dame cathedral. I originally wanted to just prove that I could do it but then I had the thought to give it to Charee since  she asked for a sketch but didn’t specify what she wanted and told me to choose and she had mentioned previously that Notre Dame was her all time favorite Cathedral or one of them I tend to forget. Anyway she has that sketch and I am working on another one.

Anyway the time in Paris has flown by. We leave for London tomorrow morning via the Chunnel and so it is packing time and moving through the metro with 36 people and their luggage. It’s going to be oh so fun! (About as much fun as my root canal to be honest.) But that means I get to go to London!!!!!! AAAAHHH!! I am so excited!