european provo.

provo is getting so creative/original with trendy treats.

the awful waffle is provo's newest eating establishment.

seriously, their big, grand, first day opening was today.

obviously caroline and i were there, belgian waffles in hand.

we're always up for a celebratory restaurant (actually hole in the wall) opening.

this picture makes them look awful. just try one.

fresh raspberry + nutella.

it was an eventful day with a big group lunch at costa. i miss the phs basketball girls a lot.

i'm always up for a fun lunch with awkward hipster photos.

oh, on another note. caroline came back from europe last night.

little miss world traveler.

thanks for the yogurt covered dried raspberries! yum.

borough market is missed.

straight across fringe.

july was a blogging fail.

july was also a journaling fail.

i suppose remembering the highlights will have to do for now.

texas

st. george

cliff jumping

swimming

mlit

a thousand splendid suns

mliansn

b.o.b. duets

north carolina

east coast

beach

swimming

seafood

the hunger games

ramona and beezus

hot pots

tennis

austrian friends returning

peter breinholt

clean rooms

new clothes

new hair

old friends

new friends

also, i have real bangs, for the first time in about 12 years. i hated them at first, but they are definitely growing on me. (literally.)

just around the river bend.

i love water.

i love swimming in the ocean.

i love boats.

i love cruising.

and now, i love kayaking.

for the first time ever, i went kayaking. and i loved it.

usually i hate anything that will make my arms sore, basically because i have no arm strength whatsoever.

but, this was different.

there is something relaxing, calm and wonderful about paddling your own little kayak around while floating down a river.

and that something is the reason why i loved it.

maybe i will even try something a little less tame.

something with more rapids.

i don't even care if i missed the front of my shins with the sunscreen.

and i also don't care if my arms will be sore for the next few weeks.

by the way, i am in texas right now. yep. i wish i was home, mainly because i haven't been home very much lately. (10 days all year) here is a breakdown of my travels from the past three weeks:

london, england - oslo, norway - copenhagen, denmark - tallinn, estonia - stockholm, sweden - milan, italy - aosta, italy - florence, italy - assisi, italy - naples, italy - capri, italy - amalfi, italy - rome, italy - provo, utah - austin, texas.

basically, i am sick of traveling. i never thought i would say that, but i am. maybe you think it sounds really fun. my friend matt said it nicely: "haha wow, you are like a vacation superhero". well... i could look at it that way because all of the places i have been have been absolutely amazing. but nothing is like home. if you want to catch up, august is probably the best time for me, seriously.

other things that i love lately, besides kayaking and being back in america:

refillable dr. pepper, eclipse, cafe rio, bella kissing jacob and edward in the same movie, the death and life of charlie st. cloud, texting, texas longhorns, cupcake books, lady antebellum, a thousand splendid suns.

and, some things that will be added to my bettering list:

•get in shape - on saturday i ran 6 miles with sherry. woooooowwwww. i almost died.

•scrapbook

•learn how to sail so that zac efron will fall in love with me. (read charlie st. cloud!!!!)

omigosh you guys.

highlights as of late: blondes, sissy, wombs, letters, the west, david and cody simpson.

basically, all of these have something to do with charlotte coming to visit london. it was amazing. best week of the year!!!!!!

we went to two shows! legally blonde and oliver! oliver has been a favorite of mine since february, so she couldn't miss that one. and somehow i talked her into going with me to legally blonde the musical. OMIGOSH YOU GUYS. i loved it sooooooo much. i could not stop smiling/laughing the entire time. ever since 2001 that has been a favorite movie of mine, and i have been waiting and waiting to see this. okay. i doubt char liked it as much as i did, i don't think that would have been possible. best. show. ever.

we also went to almost every single museum and market in london. well, actually not even close, but it sure felt like it. she loved the markets. who doesn't?? i found a new favorite food at borough! yogurt covered dried raspberries. yummmmm. the museums were great too. i gained a new appreciation for modern art on a repeat visit to the tate modern. i really hated it the first time i went and then only went to the gift shop my second visit, but this time i actually gave it a chance...sort of. the natural history museum was something that we especially liked and is something that i will never forget. why???? the womb room. it has been haunting me for over a week now.

it was sure sad to see char leave. we had the best time. i learned a lot from her. like... apparently there is a cage full of geckos that are currently residing in my bedroom. and no, they aren't those beaded crafts. they are real live reptiles.

thanks for coming sissy! see you in a month.

also, we took a trip to the west coast/wales this past week. the lake district was my favorite spot, expect that i almost got stuck in an adder breeding ground, but luckily i escaped. and luckily david archuleta saved my life, in a way. i hate snakes almost as much as i hate the idea of geckos in my bedroom.

caroline and i discovered our new favorite singer: cody simpson. iyiyi can't stop listening to his songs.

and....the eclipse posters are all over the london underground. my life just got a little bit better. july 5th can't come soon enough.

forgetting.

charlotte is now here!!!

we have had a fabulous day today.

like seriously, it was so good it probably could have lasted about 3 days.

i'm sure that it feels like at least five days to her. gotta love jet lag.

nando's, the natural history museum, the national portrait gallery, gazing at prince harry and prince william (well, their portrait), primark and the lady gaga glee episode today have kept us extremely busy.

clearly, a fabulous day.

AND.....

tonight, we just happened to be at leicester square when the sex and the city 2 PREMIERE was finishing. so, we staked out a spot, right near the fence, saw four fancy cars coming to pick up the stars, and waited and waited. actually, it was perfect timing because then the mob started to come. and, who did we get to see?? sarah jessica parker, kristin davis and cynthia nixon. really cool, and now i feel like i actually need to see this movie. probably won't though.

ohhh, but now to the title of this post. guess what i forgot?!?!?! a CAMERA! one of the few days out of the past five months that i haven't had a camera in my bag, and something camera worthy actually occurs. i guess i didn't think that we just might happen to walk past a london premiere just as 3 major hollywood actresses were exiting with all their glamour and entourage. i should plan better for the future. for now, this post and our stories will have to solidify the memory. i promise, i was really there.

scots wha hae.

scotland is a truly beautiful place. what else can i say?? i really don't need to say anything else, that would sum up pretty much my entire trip to scotland. but....i guess there were a few more highlights.

edinburgh castle

stirling, and hiking the wallace monument. all 246 steps.

doing a little family history work by finding john macfarlane's grave, the first member of my family to join the church, and also my great-great-great-grandfather. this has motivated me to become a more avid family historian.

men in kilts.

the view over edinburgh was spectacular.

also...

believe it, or not, i did a ghost tour of haunted edinburgh. those of you who know me pretty well will know that i get scared very easily, and hate scary things. somehow caroline talked me into this though. i was fine, except that somehow people always know that i get scared easily. i don't know how they know it, but they do.

and, i had a reason to sing "i'll take the high road..." all week!!

westward bound.

usually i hate coach trips. actually, i always hate the coach aspect of trips. i loved the three day extended trip that we took to the west of england though. it was beautiful, educational, exciting and fabulous. here is a little summary with some pictures.

a visit to jane austen's home.

winchester cathedral

bath... one of the greatest cities in england. everything is so cute there, i love it! also, being there after reading northanger abbey was especially exciting.

bath abbey. so, there was this incredible quilting exhibit that was on display. it had me thinking.... i should learn how to quilt. yes, i think that i could be quite crafty if i really set my mind to it. that is my new goal.

glastonbury - the supposed location of king arthur's avalon!! the result of this?? everyone that goes to glastonbury visits the abbey to see king arthur's grave, then hikes up to the TOR to meditate and receive healing. i passed a man chanting and saw a few people meditating. i tried my best...

i hiked up this.

meditating on top of the glastonbury tor

wells cathedral - favorite cathedral so far. why??? they have a cathedral cat. it is like a celebrity, seriously. he even had his own collection of greeting cards! wahhhhhh. i miss my cats!!!!!!!!

leslie and louis, the wells cathedral cat

ilfracombe - a little sea side town. it was here that i ate the most delicious fish and chips that i will ever eat in my entire life. also, i was able to see the sunset, which was gorgeous! this was a favorite visit, for sure. a favorite for caroline because she got the twin bed in the b&b while i got the luxurious queen. (wait, maybe that was my favorite) a favorite for me because we had american cable! i watched american idol for the first time all season! a favorite for my mom because she got to see rug man. (imagine a man with one dreadlock that went down to his knees. he owned the local hostel) and... a favorite for my dad because he made friends with the local teenage boy skateboarding gang. seriously, immediate friends. one of the boys came up to him and asked, "sir, could you please heal me of my addiction to smoking pot??" if we hadn't dragged my dad away he probably would have talked to them all night.

beautiful scene!

tintagel - site of king arthur's ruined castle! it was really fun to hike all over and see the coast!

we try really hard to be cute sisters. our sunglasses match.

dr. danger

oh you know, i don't drink water these days. pepsi and coca-cola help keep me hydrated. to facilitate my liquid intake i removed the lid from my water bottle, put it on this one and had a handy squeeze bottle.

we also stopped at the exeter cathedral on our way home to london.

i was more than thrilled to get home. and it is wonderful to be back!!!

other things that have happened lately:

caroline and i had a busy week: two musicals (lion king and peter pan), one movie (robin hood - HATED it), one concert (royal festival hall) and one play (eurydice)

i have become obsessed with mystery novels. i read them constantly.

glee keeps getting better and better, i love it!!

well, that's it. charlotte comes on thursday. i am more than excited!!!