Friends and FUN

Hey everyone! I really love this blog! Whenever I go anywhere I will take a picture and think "oh! that would be a good one to add to my blog!" Thank you to everyone who actually reads it!

So the biggest question I have gotten since I last posted is "who is Sam?" Sam is the most amazing girl who saved my life when I first got here, and I really hope that we get to be really good Friends while I am here. She showed me how to use the buses, and she has shown me this city, and she helped me to buy some essentials i needed, like plates and cups , and food...you know. I will be grateful to her for the rest of my life. She has been the friend i so desperately needed when I first got here. Here is a picture of us when we are driving up to the temple. That things that Sam is feeding me is a famous Cadbury's Creme Egg, and they are SO AMAZING!!!! All of the chocolate is, I don't even know why Americans bother trying to make chocolate, because it's "rubbish" compared to the English stuff, let alone other European chocolate.

The Sun has been coming out recently, something that it hasn't done in quite a while. I have really learned how much I love cloudless days. I think that it is hard to know, when you live in the "Valley of the Sun" but being away has remind me that I do like them just as much as I love rainy days. Anyway here is a great picture I took at sunset in my school.

This next picture I like because it showed what I was talking about with the Old and New being built right next to each other in the city. This church is the oldest building in Birmingham, parts of it were built in the late 1200's!!!! and the big weird shaped building is Selfridges, a HUGE department-like-store-thingSarah is the one who showed me this part of town, she showed me all the shopping. It was so fun I bought a hat and two scarfs ( and other stuff but that's not important). I hate hats and scarfs, but I am learning to like them here! in fact, I LOVE my hat and scarfs. I am sure that you will get to see them in future pictures. Sarah is SO much fun, and I am sure that you will get to see a picture of her soon.

This next picture is one of my FAVORITE activities so far.....

I know that it is blurry, and hard to see anything at all, but it is ok. i think that it is the story that is cooler. This is at the top of a hill, and it is called "Fourstone." It is a lot like Stonehenge. I didn't know this, but apparently all over England there are little "stonehenges." In other words, huge stones, or wood stuck in the ground on end, usually in a circle. I always thought that stonehenge was unique, but it's not!!!! So here you can see me trying to push over this stone that I has been in the ground like that for hundreds of years! We went for FHE. It was me, Kim, Lizzy, Pete, and Gordon. Here is a better picture of some of the group (and my hat!). This is Lizzy, Kara, Pete, and Kim (Gordon has not gotten there yet at this point in the Evening). I really enjoyed that night. The hills in England are really different than Arizona, even though it was the middle of the night, I felt like I was in some Jane Austine film. I hope that I can get pictures of it in the day.

Oh bother! I have SO many pictures I want to put up here, I am feeling a little overwhelmed, I guess that I has better stop for now. But I have done some other activities, like Cannon Hill Park with Kim, and Pete and Kim and I took a trip to "Wilkinson's" which is this store that sells household supplies for cheap. I bought a pillow, which was good, because mine was no good. Today, I didn't have anything to do, and i swore that I would never spend a Saturday here at the dorm so I went into town, and made some discoveries, My favorite was this art gallery/museum. I felt so inspired with life when I was in there.

So, I still need e-mails/letters/packages/phone calls/ ANYTHING! :) and please leave comments! I really like those!

And, just so you have something to look forward too, in my next post I am going to be putting picture of my MUCH improved room, and my flat, and my flatmmates....yay!

The Floozy, Birmingham and the Temple

Sam has taken me into town again! I once again found so many new things down there! Most particularly, I wanted to to show off some pictures of the canals, and this statue, that I will explain in a minuet, and Lastly a picture of the streets in the "City Centre."


This picture here, is a picture of a naked woman in a fountain. I realize that I have done something somewhat controversial here, and I have drawn clothes on her, but I really wanted my blog to be rated G! Anyway, the reason I have posted this is because Sam has explained to me that this statue is commonly known as "the floozy in the jacuzzi!" I absolutely LOVED that I thought it was SO funny! And NO ONE is to make fun of the purple and blue blobs known as a t-shirt and shorts!!!!

This is the Preston England temple, we got to go and see on Saturday, It is SO beautiful, I really loved it. I feel so much better after visiting the temple, and spending quite a bit of the day thinking and praying. I also got to see a little bit of the country on my drive up, England has these beautiful swooping hills all covered in green, even in the middle of the winter. I can't wait to see this place int he spring, and the summer! This was a very fun day!

Walking Through Birmingham

I LOVE this city! It is so amazing to walk down the streets and see the old and new standing right next to each other. Which happens a lot in the "downtown" area of Birmingham. I have never seen anything like the little shops that line some of the streets. I have seen a butcher shop, and a sweet shop, and millions of others! Anyway here are some pictures of the streets near to my campus. (first two pictures) and the last picture is a canal near campus. Just so you know this city has more canals that Venice! Today I went on a walk with my roommates, and they showed me all around the campus, I feel like i really belong to the University now, becuase I know how to get places.

The next few pictures are the campus here. I am quite obsessed with the clock tower,I thinks it's really the most beautiful feature of the campus. I really enjoy walking around here. The sidewalks are ALWAYS wet, but it is not always raining. It is interesting, it takes forever for anything to dry here. When I get out of the shower, my hair takes twice as long to dry and my pants are never dry at the bottoms, from walking around and so on. I also bought a new coat that I am SO excited about, so I think it is worth mentioning. I think that I may post a picture of me wearing my coat, just because it makes me so happy! Not only that, but I have learned the bus system! I am officially at the stage of taking buses all by myself!

Any-who, tonight is my first night of Institue, and i really don't want to be late!

Meh, It's England!

Hello, I am here in England now!!!

This is my room, I know it's tiny, and somewhat sad looking, and I am paying way too much for it BUT!!! see that big empty board back there? I want you all to send me pictures, and letters, and fun things to fill that up with! If you need my address, you can either call me, e-mail me, or a member of my family to get it. Aunt Laura, any ideas on decorating?

I am sorry that I have not e-mailed those of you who have e-mailed me, I should get to that very soon, but I have been having a very rough few days. I appreciate all the prayers that have been sent in my direction, I have really needed them.

I have been learning lots of new words like "plaster" which is a band aid, and mayonnaise is pronounced "MAY-O-neys," and so on and so forth.

Please continue to e-mail me, I love hearing from everyone

OH!!! GET SKYPE!!!!! it's free, and amazing!

Kara

Hi again! Just experimenting with the blog, thought I would add a picture!

AH! I am going to England

So, this is the night before I begin my adventure to England! This semester I am going to study abroad, by way of an exchange program. I can't wait! I have been packing all day, and finally tomorrow morning I am going to get onto the plane! This has been an interesting semester, I have worked very hard to earn the money to go, and I am very happy to finally get to go. I just want to say thank you to all who have helped me to get there. Very specifically to certain Aunts Uncles, and other family members (I think you know who you are) that have helped me quite a bit. Please believe me when I say this would not be possible without your help, thank you thank you thank you.

I just want to announce that I have, in fact, managed to fit all my belongings into one suitcase, and one small duffel, despite my parents and friends telling me over and over that it was not possible.

Well, wish me luck!