Let It Out & Let It In...

Presenting... The Big Adventure In Pictures! 

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See How They Run...

So I thought and thought about what I wanted to do for an extra multimedia program. I looked through my pictures over and over hoping something would come to me.

Sidenote: If you know me at all, you probably know that I’m madly in love with my Chacos. If you know me well enough, you know that I’ve gotten to be friends with the people at Re-Chaco and that I believe they have the best customer service ever.

Earlier this year, I blew out a Chaco. Well, it actually started with a cracked sole, but I continued to walk in them for about 6 months before the foot bed started to crack, too. After a few weeks, a dozen emails, and two bags of chocolates, I received a brand new, custom made pair of Chacos from the wonderful people at Re-Chaco.

To thank Amy Paquin and the folks who work so hard to recreate Chaconians’ favorite shoes, I’d decided to document my Big Adventure with pictures of, what else?! My Chacos! I wanted to let Amy and the Re-Chaco team know what they helped give me and my feet.

All that to say, I realized I have a lot of pictures of my feet. (This is actually typical of me.)

So I took those pictures and began to play on Glogster. Glogster is multimedia tool to help create interactive posters and just give a new way to present information. I’m completely new to Glogster, so I had a lot of fun playing with it.

And here you go. My very first Glog, featuring my favorite shoes…

Back In The U.S. Back In The U.S. Back In The U.S... A?

Well, I’ve been back in the States for a few days now. It doesn’t seem real, but here I am. Watching the Olympics is weird because I kind of feel like I never left. It’s exciting, though, because I see buildings or parks and I know exactly where they are and probably walked by them just a week ago.

Its good to be back, though. I’m busy finishing up a few assignments (which will be posted soon) and catching up on sleep, which really means I’m being super lazy just because I can.

And I’m pretty sure that any weight I lost walking around Great Britain over the last 6 weeks, I’m gaining back quickly via 5 Guys, Mickey Mouse pancakes & bacon, loads of Dr. Pepper, and the roast and potatoes that are currently hanging out in the crock pot.

If you’re wondering whether or not I made it to the Opening Ceremony, well I’ll just tell you. I woke up early and made my way to East London and met with Bev, Kristen, and Brandy at the tube stop. After a long and twisty walk, and asking at least 3 different people for directions, we finally made it to Victoria Park.

Victoria Park is one of London’s many public parks and it sits about a half a mile west of Olympic Park. Inside Victoria Park, they (whoever they are) have set up three giant screens, a ferris wheel, a hot air balloon, and countless food stands and port-o-potties. Its one of a few parks in London with this set up, where Londoners can come watch various Olympic events over the next few weeks. And, its free!

So, even though the Opening Ceremony didn’t start till 9:00 pm, we got in line around 11:00 am to make sure we’d get in the park and have a decent view. We were actually really close to the front of the line and, at 4:30 pm, when they started letting people in, we set out our blankets right in front of the main screen. It was a perfect seat. Of course, once we were inside, we still had several hours to wait. The time went by surprisingly quickly and before we knew it, the sun was going down and the park was packed! The wind was cold and the excitement was electric.

I won’t relay all that happened in the Opening Ceremony because hopefully you’ve watched it and if you haven’t, then you should find someone who dvr’ed it and invite yourself over and watch it. Only you can watch the athletes’ parade in fast forward because it took forever. Although, it was really fun to watch it with people from all over the world in that park. Whenever their country was called, groups of people who stand and cheer and dance and yell. It really was such a great experience to be right there, in that park with the whole world, cheering and dancing and singing along to 

“Hey Jude” and watching the fireworks because we were close enough to see them without the screen!

So what it was 2:30 am before I got back to the hostel? So what I had to wake up at 5:30 am to get to the airport? So what I had an exhausting day of travel ahead?

It was absolutely worth it. 

Oh yeah! Here's my photo of the torch relay!

Longer Than The Road That Stretches Out Ahead...

Today, a miracle happened. Not only did I finally get to met up with Dan and Leslie, but we went to a pub for lunch and guess what! There was baseball on tv in the pub! Oh man, I got so excited.

I got to watch the last inning of yesterday’s Braves game and the first few innings of the Cards game.

Before we left for the pub, we’d heard that the Olympic Torch was supposed to come down a street close to the hostel, so we left the pub in time to line up along the street with the rest of the neighborhood and wait.

Before too long, the parade began and we got to watch as a smiling lady jogged down the street holding up the torch. She was surrounded by other joggers and, of course, lots of cops and security folk. But I got a pretty decent picture as she went by. Too bad I’ve already packed the cord that connects my camera to my computer…

It’s been really great to relax and swap stories with Dan and Leslie. They’ve been traveling all around Europe and will head back to Nashville next week. Sitting in that pub, having lunch with Dan and Leslie, watching baseball felt great. Its like the world just wanted to give me a great transition back to the States.

Tomorrow, I’ll be meeting up with a few of the FSU girls at Victoria Park and hanging out all day, waiting to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremony on a big screen with thousands of other people. It’s going to be bananas, but I’m excited! After seeing a bit of the Torch Relay today, I’m just excited to participate in whatever Olympics events I can.

I have no idea what time I’ll return to the hostel and I have to be up early to get to the airport Saturday morning. I may just stay up all night. Who knows. All I’m saying is, this is likely my last post from the lovely city of London. So I guess this is where I say goodbye. 

Goodbye, London.

Goodbye, City Life.

Goodbye, Land of Peter Pan and Harry Potter.

Goodbye, Two Little Princes.

Goodbye, Her Majesty the Queen.

Goodbye, Kensington Gardens.

Goodbye, Richard at Kensington Palace.

Goodbye, Awesome Public Transportation.

Goodbye, Amazing Cheese.

Goodbye, Living Out Of a Suitcase.

Goodbye.

The Love You Take...

Well, I guess its officially Olympics time here in London. Traffic is terrible. New signs are up everywhere. They’re making special announcements in the tube about how to get around and stay hydrated. And there are people everywhere with official-looking Olympic shirts and lanyards on. I don’t know what all these people will be doing around the city; maybe just hanging out and helping people find their way. They’re everywhere.

As excited as I am to experience the Opening Ceremony, I’m glad I’m getting out of here before the Games actually begin. Of course, there aren’t really tickets left for the Ceremony, (unless you have a couple thousand pounds to spare) but there are going to be screens set up in a few parks around the city where you can go and watch. I’m planning to meet a few of my FSU classmates to hang out in a park and watch together.

It’s weird being alone in London. I mean, I know my way around and I really do love sitting in the park with a book, but its just weird to be without the group at this point. Its crazy how close we all got in just three weeks.

Last night, I met up with two of the girls, Melissa and Brandy, for dinner near the Globe Theatre. It was a great, relaxing meal, but as Brandy and I hugged Melissa and crossed the Millennium Bridge, it still didn’t feel like we were saying goodbye.

One of the things I’ve loved about living in Tuscaloosa (rather than living elsewhere and doing school online) is that I’ve been able to develop a real sense of community with the people who’ll be my colleagues for the rest of my life, with people who are passionate about books and libraries and serving the people around them. Being here, doing this program, has only helped me broaden that community.

Some of them I may never see again. That’s just the truth. But others, I will. My community has expanded to New England, Florida, the Pacific Northwest, and many cities and small towns in between.

For now, I’m just wandering the streets of London like I own the place. I cut through sidewalk traffic like I’m in my Honda on the Interstate. I know the cheapest and best coffee shops and I know the coffee shops with free wifi. I don’t wait for the sign to turn green before crossing the street. And I know which stores have the coldest Coca Cola.

Even so… I’m ready to go home. I’m not sad or homesick, but now that the program is over and I’ve pretty much seen all of London, I’m ready to get back to my life. I’m ready to have a cell phone again just to hear the voices of those I love. I’m ready to eat Chick-fil-A whenever I want. I’m ready to get back to school and get into a routine. I’m ready to drive my car, any car. I’m ready to cut my hair. I’m ready to drink a Diet Mountain Dew, immediately followed by a Dr. Pepper, immediately followed by finding a bathroom. Speaking of that, I’m ready to not pay to go to a public restroom. I’m ready to have Noodles at Noon and flirt with Ginger Dreads. I’m ready to watch a baseball game and not just highlights when I wake up the next day. I’m ready to sleep in not a twin bed. I’m ready to wear all the clothes that wouldn’t fit in my suitcase.

And yet, I’m ready to plan my next trip… I’m thinking New York! 

We Said Our Goodbyes...

Today was our last day as a group. I can’t believe it’s already over. I’ve packed up most of my stuff and I’ll head to my hostel tomorrow, but it still hasn’t really hit me that the class portion of my trip is over and we’ll all be leaving the flats tomorrow for bigger and better things… well, at least different things.

Some of the girls leave tomorrow; some leave a week from now. Some are staying in London; some are traveling around. But we’re all leaving the flats.

It really is so hard to believe that I’ve been in Great Britain for 5 weeks now. The time has flown by, and yet, it feels like I’ve been here for so long!

Today, we spent a few last, relaxing hours together. We walked down to the London Eye and all piled into our own little pod. I was nervous about the Eye, but it was really cool. The ride is so smooth and slow that it really is hard to know you’re moving, but suddenly there you are, flying over London like Peter Pan or Harry Potter on a broomstick. It was a perfect way to say goodbye to our beloved London.

And as if London wanted to give us a wonderful goodbye in return, the weather is gorgeous today! Blue skies. No rain. The temperature was in the 70s. I actually wore shorts today!

And so, before lunch, we all gathered under a tree in Green Park and talked about our favorite things we’ve done as a class. It was great to hear what everyone else loved. It was pretty much unanimous that our favorite days were Primose Hill and Kensington Gardens, which, of course, were also our rainiest.

Dr. Everhart also took the opportunity to give us our “Evies”, which were hilarious. I am proud to say that I won “Most Likely to Marry Prince Harry.” It was perfect. Needless to say, my love for British men (well, really just men) has become a humorous topic of conversation among the group.

We walked from the park to Hard Rock Café for a final meal together. It was a perfect gathering around the table, full of laughter, music, and delicious food.

I feel like I should have some really great “wrap up” blog post, but it just doesn’t feel right yet. Maybe its because I’ll be here for 5 more days. Just give me a few days laying around in parks and a few hours at a café with wifi and I’m sure you’ll get a sappy wrap up.

For now, I’m enjoying some crime dramas and Disney music with the flatmates on our last night together. 

Très Bien Ensemble...

Well, we’re back from our long, exhausting, wonderful, crazy weekend in Paris.

We started the weekend before the sun came up on Friday. Our train left at 5:40 a.m. We got into Paris around 9:something a.m. and hit the ground running. We went straight to the Arc de Triomphe. What a great first view of Paris!

From there, we walked to a café for lunch. We had a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower while we relaxed and ate. And ate. And ate. And drank. They kept pouring wine, so we kept drinking.

Let me just take a moment to say that this was one of those meals that quickly makes it onto the “Best Meals Of My Life” list. Not only did we have an outdoor table with beautiful weather and a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower, but the food was amazing. The bread and the chicken and the mashed potatoes with so much butter Paula Dean would be ashamed. But we weren’t. We cleaned out plates! And then came the crème brulee. Lord have mercy. It was my first crème brulee and I’m pretty sure it spoiled me. I’ll never want it if I can’t have it in Paris.

After lunch we walked to the Eiffel Tower for some photos and then took the metro to Notre Dame, where we got on a boat for a cruise on the Seine. Dr. Everhart surprised up with some champagne and we had a toast on the cruise right in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Our day ended at the Louvre, but we were exhausted and didn’t actually stay very long, so we all made our hikes to our hotels for the night.

Saturday, Mary and I spent the day at Disneyland Paris! Oh man. I was so excited. I know some people may think I’m crazy for going to Paris for a weekend and choosing to go to Disneyland instead of seeing Parisian sights… Well, those people clearly don’t know me very well.

It was fantastic! We packed so much into our day and rode so many rides. The lines weren’t too long and the weather was perfect! Everything really was just magical! If I were to try to write every detail of the day it would take forever, so I’ll just post a few pictures.

Sunday was another beautiful day of wandering through the streets of Paris, which included a slight detour to watch the Tour de France (and get sunburned), and then we caught a train back to London.

It was a great, fast weekend. I enjoyed Paris, but I know there is so much I didn’t even see. And if I ever make it back to France, I want to be with a smaller group and with someone who speaks French. 

Au revoir!