No-vember

It is November 1, sad day. This weekend I visited Oxford, Bath, and Stonehenge. We left Friday morning to Oxford and spent 4 hours there. I didn't puke at all :) I walked around with Kellsey, Bria, and Chris. We went to the Oxford bookstore and got sweatshirts, bummed around a market, then got back on the coach. There was a fantastic candy store where I bought a cable. Its like a chewy thing like 3 feet long and tastes delicious. We arrived in Bath later that night and I realized that I know someone who has lived there and didn't ask what places to see and things to do. I felt like such a dummy. The next day we all went to Glastonbury Abbey and some cathedral hahaha. I forgot my camera which actually turned out to be nice because I didn't worry about taking pictures and just enjoyed being with my friends and being a goober. Then Kellsey, Bria, and I walked around Bath and just admired how awesome it was. We all went out that night because it was before halloween and us 3 didn't have a costume. So Kellsey and I traded our clothes with Chris and Caylin. It was soooo funny. We all left for the bar and I didn't have a valid id because it didn't have a birthday on it. So Chris went with me back to the hostel, got my id, the bus we waited 20 minutes for passed us so we walked about a half hour to the bar. The had quit serving food and by this time both of us had only eaten lunch but we just rolled with it and got a drink. No big deal. Our group was there and we just danced until we couldn't dance any more :) We went to Stonehenge the next day and it completely blew my mind. Its one of those things you really have to sea for yourself. But now its November and I don't have much time left here. I'm hoping to go to Wales and Italy then I'm on my way home to the sick couch, my frog shirt, and my mama scratching my back :)

Now..

I am having such a great time here. Recently has been especially great but at the same time I miss being home. I miss my mom and Derek and the kids alot. I can't wait to be on the sick couch, with Ford in front of the fire. Derek listening to Bing Crosby too loud in the kitchen making mom a white russian. Max sitting on the couch showing Sam a youtube video. Mom reading a book with her water on the table, and Katie squatting under the mantel trying to warm up. I miss that sooo much but then I have to snap out of it and realize that I'm going to stonehenge on Halloween. I have a quiz and test next week and events to plan. It will be weird once I get home though. Driving on the other side of the road, seatbelts on the other side, eating at normal times, snacking, brushing my teeth in the bathroom instead of next to Kellsey's desk, having a room by myself, texting, calling people on the phone, its going to be weird.

Manchester United

Kells and I travelled to Manchester to see United play and we got our tickets super cheap and we are the only ones this semester to go to a gam or will go to a game. We took a train to manchester, it took about 3 hours which wasn't that bad. Fortunatly I don't puke on trains :) It got super hot though with all of the people on the train for the game. Some people stood the entire time. We took the trolly from the trainstation to the game and walked down the road. It reminded me of on Harry Potter when they went to the professional Quidditch game. Lots of people, and scarves, and beer, and hockers and all sorts of things. We got a hot dog and a beer and we sat about 5 rows from the top. Whats fantastic about the field, Old Trafford, is that there isn't a bad seat, we could see the entire field. First half ManU scored 2 times, second half Albion scored 2 times. They were crap goals too, just crap. We bought some scarves and made our way back home. We weren't able to sit for awhile on the train but we were eventually. There were these two old men who sat with us and one of them has traveled the whole world. China, Ecuador, Phillipines, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, Panama, LA, NYC, Chicago, it was fantastic. I was so jealous. I wish I could have had dinner with him to hear about everything. We made it home and it was just a great day.

The Lord of the Flies - Amended

While showering, where I have all of my great ideas, I realized I had written about this semester seeming like The Lord of the Flies, and it truly is. Today was a pretty normal day in all honesty, I went to classes had a stupid meeting, and I got a package today which was great. Then after the meeting there was a basketball game. There was facepainting before and this guy, I'll call him Jack, wanted to be painted. Kellsey and I went to paint him and well he was pretty trashed. In the process Jack knocked Kellsey's glasses off of her face and proceeded to step on them on accident. My heart was crushed. He didn't know what happened, we explained, Kellsey didn't cry which was great but she is devastated. I feel awful for her. Then he was kicked out of the basketball game. So when I was in the shower I realized that Jack broke Piggy's specs.. just like in the book; if Kellsey is Piggy, that makes me Ralph. I guess its up to me to keep things together. I know the ending won't be quite the same which is good, but I'm pretty sure Simon is supposed to die next :( Not to mention we are all stranded on an island after our plane/boat "crashed." We started out all together then divided. Party vs non-party. It's a shame this semester isn't like Harry Potter.

Dublin

I honestly don't want to talk about Dublin. Kellsey and I went together and we were on the way to the train station when Kellsey told me I needed my passport, which I didn't have. The part of Ireland we were going to required a passport, the other part does not and I got them confused. So we went back and it cost me a little extra, not a big deal. We made all of our trains, busses, and cabs to the Luton Airport and then we just had to wait until 6 am when our plane was supposed to leave. The flight wasn't awful and I didn't puke so that was good. Once we landed we had to get euros and ask for directions to get to our hostel. The lady told us that all of the busses weren't going to take us that far; so we were going to walk. She told us that it was 13kilometers to walk there. We only know miles, so we asked about how many minutes would it take us and she said, more like hours, like 3 hours. She was really snotty about it too. So then I converted it on my phone once we were out of line and 13 kilometers is 8 miles, no way would it take us 3 hours to walk that. So we were dead set on walking to our hostel, we switched shoes and put our backpacks on. We asked a construction worker outside of the airport which direction to head and he told us that we could jump on a bus for 2.20 euro and it will take us to our intersection. WTF lady. So thats what we did, but then we got off at the wrong stop and had to walk a ways. We stopped to ask for directions because the street we were looking for wasn't labeled. Kellsey waited in line at a cafe and when it was her turn, she asked the lady if she could tell us which way to head. All the lady said was, NO. NEXT. What a jerk. So then we asked a man walking his bike and he told us and it was right, so we finally get to the hostel around 9 that morning and our landlord says we aren't allowed to check in until 2pm. Now the internet said, anytime checkin. So we were exhausted and pissy, and now we have to walk around for the next five hours before we can sleep. We got breakfast which was EXPENSIVE then tried to get to the Guinness Factory. The streets were pretty cool and all of the doors to apartments were cute on the way there. We walked the River Liffey for a bit and then we needed to ask directions again because our map apparently didn't have all of the streets. Kellsey asked a man to point us in the right direction and in plain english, with no accent, the man says "I don't speak English." SO that was frustrating. We finally found it, waited in line, got our ticket, then went on the tour. It turns out that we had both seen the episode of How It's Made about beer, so it was kind of a waste of time, but we got a free pint. I do not like Guinness. I'm glad I had that experience but I don't think I'll be doing any more alcohol tours. We started to walk back and were let in to our hostel. Now it gets better, we reserved a 4-man room. Well we got stuck in a 7-man room, it was us, 3 japanese people who were living there and 2 begian girls. The girls were really nice but the guys were really weird. We had been awake for 30 hours before we got to nap. We wake up and get dinner at a little pub. The food was really good and we both got a drink that cost like 7 euro... way to expensive. We were fortunate enough to be seated next to a drunk weirdo who invited us BOTH to his apartment. next door. So we left and then slept again.
Day 2: We walked to Temple Bar which is like the Broad Ripple of Dublin. There were some really neat shops and architecture and all sorts of things. The best part was the kids doing Parkour. It was sooo intense and I saw a kid roll UP stairs. So we watched these kids for a bit, got some lunch and I had my very first crepe - my new favorite food. It was a Nutella crepe and I could have eaten about 5 of them. We decided we wanted to walk by the ocean and take pictures. On the way Kellsey bought a Sprite and I bought a Bulmers (pear cider). Derek said to drink and it would be more fun, and it was. We walked and walked and found Dublin's Oktoberfest and a street fair so that was really cool. We couldn't reach the ocean though which really stunk. When we were walking back we stopped and watched some rec-soccer games and that was neat to watch them play. We had to go back to the hostel because the landlord made us change rooms so we did that and went back out. We saw a fight on the way to dinner, it looked domestic but it was pretty intense, so we walked on the other side of the street.
Day 3: We woke up really early to catch our 2:00 plane incase there were any problems, which there were. We tried to catch the bus and 2 scheduled busses passed our stop. So we hailed a taxi and got to the airport. Checked in and then went through security. Kellsey's bag was ripped apart. The lady was soo mean, all of her liquids were in the range, not to mention we didn't buy anything but food and keychains so we made it through security on the way there. That got sorted out and we ate, got on our plane and landeded in Luton. The bus that took us there was supposed to take us back, which it did after we had to get money out of the ATM, buy a ticket, and pay the bus man, because all we had were euros. So we get to the train station, find our platform and the train arrives. We made it. We caught our other train in King's Cross by about 2 minutes and that left for Grantham. We called a cab and went back to the castle in time for dinner. I didn't think I would have missed my tiny tiny room that much but I did. I'm really glad I got to see Ireland but I'm not going back.

I Wanna Get Chocolate Wasted!

This was adventure two this weekend replacing Spain activities. Adventure one was Nottingham and really all we did was eat a sandwich and walk around, but it was still neat to see a new place. Now chocolate world is a different story. Kellsey and I wake up at 8:25, get ready go to breakfast with the intent of taking the 9:10 shuttle to town. Well there wasn't a 9:10 shuttle. Not a big deal we called a cab and it happened to be our favorite cabby, tat man (we don't know his real name). He also drove us to the train station yesterday morning. So we go to pay him at the train station and all we had was a 20. He didn't have enought change so he let us ride for free. I was super impressed by that. We get our tickets and it says we have a train from Grantham to Bournville.... no switches listed. Turns out we had to change trains in Nottingham. So we ran around the platform and got on our train. Turns out this train was going to Birmingham and not Bournville. This isn't a huge inconvenience because the towns are close. However with the horrible rain we had all day we decided not to risk getting lost in the rain. So there goes another 10 unexpected pounds. We arrive at Cadbury's Chocolate World and it was AMAZING. Easily one of the coolest things I have done. We shopped in the largest Cadbury store in the world and went on a factory tour. Today they were making Dairy Milk bars- classic. There were also interactive things and videos. One of the videos was certainly interactive.. we went through the process a cocoa bean goes through before it becomes chocolate. There were hidden air vents that blew on you and the WHOLE bench shook like the beans do to get the coating off. It was hilarious. There were all sorts of games and it was awesome just crazy. We got to pipe our name in chocolate at one station and then there was a ride. It was hoaky for sure but it was so much fun it didn't matter. It reminded me of Roger Rabbit when they go into toontown. There were dancing cocoa beans and flowers and a fake village. It was sweet. Then of course I had to go buy some chocolate, but luckily we were given free chocolate along the way (which I parceled) and I only bought myself two things. Mom, Derek, and the kids did get some stuff though :) So we decide its time to go home. We were going to walk to the correct station this time. It was a 20 minute walk in the rain to a station with 2 platforms and no attendants. We just go on the first train which arrived about 2 minutes after we got there and hoped it took us where we needed to go. No one even checked our tickets. So we arrive in Birminham. We again have to switch trains. The inside of Birmingham looks like an airport, its gigantic. So we have to exit the platform because the tv's with the departures weren't outside. So we leave, find our train (to Nottingham not Grantham) and it is going to leave in 5 minutes. So we HAUL ASS to the platform and get on. We kind of dosed off and we finally arrived in Nottingham. Now I thought we were in Grantham, so I was confused to begin with. We look for the departure board and we need to be at platform 2 in like 3 minutes. So we ran to what we thought was platform 2. Well we didn't know that Nottingham's trainstation had 2 sides which mirrored each other. We were in the exact opposite spot we needed to be in. Again, we had to run like there was a rabid dog chasing us down the platform, up the skybridge, and down the other platform to the very end, and we made the train :) Well we had to walk through 2 carriages to find a seat next to each other and when we did we managed to sit behind the worst passengers alive. A family of 5 took up 2 table seats. So that already makes them jerks. Then the dad was singing the whole time to his crank radio, like a tornado radio, the mom was smacking her lips on some godforsaken sandwich, and the little hellians were playing Jenga and screaming. We also managed to get on the long ride and not the direct ride. Whatever we were almost home. For a second we thought we weren't going to need to call a cab because we were going to make the last trolley pick up. Nope. We get to Grantham, call a cab and get back home. We somehow made it in time before dinner closed and before we both peed our pants. The only time we were able to go was at Cadbury because we had been cutting the trains so close. Wet tired, hungry, and cold Grace and Kellsey are not a good combination. So glad to be in my pajamas.

:(

My flight to Spain was cancelled. Along with my dreams of seeing the Plaza Mayor, the Prado Museum and testing my Spanish speaking abilities. I was denied visiting my 'mecca' because, from what the email said, the Spanish government has refused to comply with the minimum wage requirements. I had to choice to switch my departure time to the next day (which did not give me a flight home) or to cancel the ticket for a refund. So I opted for the refund. The preparation for September 29 - October 2 has been immense. I have taken care of every step of the way, flights, hostel, activites, planning/packing only to have it taken away from me :( This was the trip I was the most excited for, even more than Italy. I never thought I would have the opportunity to go back to Spain but I did/do. I wanted to eat bocadillos and croquetas and paella and new things, and have sangria and get drunk and make out with a random Spanish guy and possibly live there forever. What stinks more is that it ruined a really fabulous day. Kellsey and I explored a REAL secret passage way. Spiral staircase equipped with multiple spiders and there webs. I even caught a frog today. Not to mention I have yet to find out if the train tickets we bought at 1 today are refundable. I might have spent 53 pounds for a train to the airport for nothing. Oh and I have a GIANT exam tomorrow. Not a problem.

Beware

I am my parents. This is getting a bit disgusting, everyday I can pick out qualities in myself that stem from mom, derek, whootie, or gramps. Not that these are bad people to be like, but I'm 20. After being told about once a day that I look like mom by Kellsey, and then realizing that I don't care if I leave without make up on. I still have on mascara and chap stick. Then watching some of these ungrateful kids prancing around this castle and complaining. I just feel like kicking them down a well. Like I told mom, this is a priveledge and some people just shouldn't be allowed to have it -- there's Derek. Also I'm trying to still stay cute most days, and not look like a scrub because as whootie says, when you dress nice you feel better about yourself; and then there's gramps. I caught myself saying, "could that girl have bigger teeth" and that just reminded me of something gramps would say :) I told mom, I've put so much effort into NOT turning into dad, that I have turned into everyone else.

Fireworks

After a stresssssful day I was extremely glad to be done with homework and classes. All I wanted to do was get on facebook and stalk some people, like your average 20 year old. Facebook was down :( for like an hour, and I was already tired but I quickly became cracked-out. I lost it. Then Taylor came down and we played this weird game that made me feel like I was 12 and Facebook was finally resuccitated. I've been trying to figure out trips and talking to people back home, which is hard with the time difference, and facebook is my major link. It had been storming pretty good which is rare for England, and I looked up in hopes to see lightening, but instead I saw fireworks. I don't think I have seen fireworks in over two years :( So right now I can see them from my window, lighting up the stormy sky and at times I can see the silohuette of Beaver Castle's steeple. They have my favorite kind, the kind that looks like gold rain. Its weird how giant combustible lights in the sky are peaceful.

My Package!!!

Thanks so much mom :) The granola bars are so awesome, I missed refined sugar and transfats :) They don't have that here lol I know I already told you, but the first granola bar I had I ripped in half first, only to find a dog hair. Normally that would be upsetting but I just laughed and thought, at least Ford is alive :) It really made my day, and will make many more better now that I have snacks. I will be sharing with no one. I bet I could get 20pounds for those sour patch kids; everyone has turned into such a hoarder since we've been here. I bet at any given moment 75/130 kids have a peanut butter sandwich in their backpack. I waiting for this to turn out like The Lord of the Flies. Kellsey and I will be samneric, I feel bad for Piggy already.

Lincoln

we had a school field trip to lincoln, a town about 1 hour away. i was so thrilled to get on the bus :( it was the worst bus ride of my life, worse than the whole trip to edinburgh. i threw up for real this time. once we got off the bus it was so windy you would think that we were in chicago. i had only packed my rain coat in my backpack because there was a 60% chance of rain, so i wore my yellow raincoat all day 9-5. we split up into our groups and we learned about the roman influence, the jails there, and the cathedral. it was again very beautiful. lincoln was originally a roman town called lin-colonia and now shortened to lincoln. it used to be the most metropolitan/biggest town in england at one point only to be usurped by york. everyone moved to york or back to the country and the place was sort of a ghost town. it survived and became THE place for hangings. from all of england people were sent to lincoln to be hung. outsiders would take trains to see this as a form of entertainment. probably the most impressive thing i have seen this entire trip was 1 of the 2 existing copies of the Magna Carta. it was amazing. that document has altered history in so many ways and for the better it was crazy to see in person. lincoln was a very long day.

Edinburgh

i think the school employed the worst bus driver alive. i was soooo nauseous the entire time. it was a 6 1/2 hour drive from school to edinburgh. he also managed to get us lost in the city and back all the way down a street. this is a giant coach bus p.s. we got to the hotel and i stayed with kellsey and tpaq. we put our stuff down and walked around. it is just such a beautiful place, the people are much nicer than in london and seem more to be on vacation time than rushing... the next day we ate a fancy breakfast which we were late for. if breakfast starts at 8 then that means you are sitting in your chair ready to order at 8; not how we do it here like, 8 means 815. after eating we walked all day. we saw the edinburgh castle, arthurs seat (a volcano), and all sorts of neat shops and such. it was really a nice time. i got sam a gray 1920 top hat from the Cassilis family house/manor and haggeled with the owner :) we all rode a bus, which we turned into a 'tour' bus because we were too cheap for the actual tour. it was fantastic :) edinburgh is such a beautiful places.

on the way back we stopped twice. the first place was at hadrian's wall. we got lost on the way, in the country. again i had my head in a plastic bag. also hadrian's wall isnt there, but remnats are... so it was like 2 feet of walls so a basic lay out of what used to be there was the onlything visible. cool but nothing like i had in my mind. hadrians wall was one of the greatest defenses in england. i was expecting to walk on it like the great wall of china, not the case.

we then went to durham where we got lost again, we were supposed to have 2 hours solid to visit a castle. we had a little over one hour and the dean told us just to go eat lunch lol so thats what we did. it was three hours home from there. we got back in time for dinner, hallelujah.

here's a tip: you seat yourself almost everywhere. so dont stand in the doorway waiting for someone to come talk to you.

Really?!?!?! I mean really?!

okay this is not going to have proper punctuation this time. so the wednesday before we went to scotland kellsey and i were headed to sainsburys to pick up some snacks for the trip because i often turn into a psycho when im hungry. we arrived in the parking lot and i was the third person out of the backseat. i put my hand on the edge/door jam?? and the girls who were in the front seat got out and the last one slammed the door. on my hand. the door LATCHED and they had to open it to get my hand out. i remember yelling OOOWWWWWW and then kellsey yelling open the door! i didnt expect to see fingers when i looke at my hand but they were all there, bloodied to hell. apparently everyone else thought i hit my head and was like, wow she is over reacting... until they saw my hand. so tpaq grabs my hand and holds it above my head to help stop the bleeding and i latch onto kellsey. we get back in the van and book it back to school. why not the hospital you say? protocol. f protocol. the nursing teacher meets us at the door and this whole time i thought i was going to puke. some biotch who is the ASSISSTANT TO the assisstant of student developement was like, (in a british accent) no ziggy cannot take her to the hospital anymore she must call a street car (a cab). so all sorts of cuss words are going on in my head at this hoe, but this extremely good looking boy, who is a nursing major, got in the way between the biotch and kellsey (which was good for the biotch). he asked me, now gracie can i see your hand for a second, well it doesnt look to bad but it might be a little broken, can i get you some water? so he did, and i told kells that i was gonna puke. so boy and tpaq are running around trying to find a trashcan while i was sitting down. drew (the boy) grabs the metal trashcan from outside and rips the top off (like the metal shell) and in the sweetest voice he was like, here gracie. i didnt puke which was great but the lady was like "its not protocol, ziggy isnt allowed, its not in his contract." well then ziggy came in :) he said something like, now you listen im taking her to the hospital. so we got in what i believe was ziggy's personal mini van and he drove kells, tpaq and the nurse to the hospital with me. i had stopped crying at this point. we got to the hospital, didnt ask for ID when i checked in and said it was a 2 hour wait. what the what. and to top it off they didnt have ice, or icepacks. i went 5 hours, in a hospital with no ice. i was seen in the eye examination room by a doctor wearing chucks, and she sent me for xrays. i had 2 xrays taken then we waited some more. turns out that two of my fingers were broken, so they were taped up. probably with the wimpiest tape in the world. we got back to the manor in time for dinner, mexican night. by then most people had heard what happened. i was the first person this semester to go to the hospital :)

later on i had to fill out the accident report and had to find the girl who crushed my hand. i didnt get a look at her face but kells did. so i went up to her to ask her name and she thought i was going to sue her. idiot. i told her it was just for the accident report.

a week afterwards (after scotland) kellsey and i went back to the doctor to figure out what to do next. it was stupid. turns out only my right ring finger is broken, above the first knuckle and the nail growth plate was broken too. they gave me cloth bandaids and a sling. not a regular sling. its called a cuff and sling, which is a pink foam that wraps around your neck and there is a loop for your hand. they made me wear it out of the hospital for a broken finger. then kells and i walked for a half hour to get to the school bus stop, waited 2 hours and went back to school, only to go to our classes and take a test.

this whole time i had been writing and eating left handed. tough job

Really?!?!?! I mean really?!

will type incident later when my crunched hand feels better

The Incident

After waking up, getting dressed, and put together I sat in the window sill for about 10 minutes. Climbed down and started my homework. About 5 minutes later a bird flew in the window!! Right where I had been sitting. With no glasses and one shoe Kellsey and I ran out of the room into the hallway. I don't know if I have ever run that fast in my life. After calming down, I put Kellsey's glasses on and went to try to get the bird out. I shooshed it out with an umbrella but it was so frightened by us that it pooped on the window sill. It was craysy. Thinking about it now, I can hear Max saying "shoo shoo-shoo-shoo," like on Bones. Thank god it wasn't one of the giant pigeons.

London..

Thursday:
I had classes, ate dinner, and then everyone loaded on the buses. It was 3 1/2 hours to London but it went by pretty fast because Chris talked to Kellsey and I the whole time :) We got there around 9:30 put our stuff in the rooms and went out for a drink at a pub. I can't remember the name of it but it was exactly what you would expect of a pub; dim lighting, dark wood, drunk locals. I had 1/2 a pint of Strongbow and I was really disappointed in myself for not trying something new, but it was my first time ever ordering in a bar so I cut myself some slack. We went back and went to bed.

Friday:
Kellsey and I ate the nasty continental breakfast, like we did everyday, then went out exploring. I happen to be a huge fan of continental breakfasts and like them when most people don't, but the "toast" was pre-toasted/cold and there was never enough milk for cereal. We tried to go to The British Museum for about an hour and a half. It was fifteen minutes away but we kept getting turned around. London is not set up on a grid at all, and roughly every three blocks the street you think you're on will inevitably change names. We spent about 2 hours in the museum. My favorite thing that I saw was the Rosetta Stone. It was just fascinating to see a physical link to history and civilizations 1/2'' of glass away. Everything else there was amazing too but that was my favorite. I laughed when I saw the Easter Island head because it made me think of the Night at the Museum where the guy goes, "want more gum gum dumb dumb" then I laughed because that's Derek's favorite part. In trying to find the museum however, I asked for directions and was promptly told that I asked incorrectly, given false directions, and told that I was indeed not from the United States but from Spain.

We wandered trying to find Leicester Square so we could purchase tickets to see a play. We really wanted to see The Lion King but it was very expensive, so we got tickets for Chicago instead. We somehow ended up in Trafalgar Square. There were dozens of metal hand prints.. I guess, of famous actors, kind of like the stars on Hollywood Blvd. We passed the Natural History Museum but did stop in the Portrait Gallery. It was very weird but it was a cool concept. Kellsey and I just kept walking and we ended up by the river. We were seriously confused how we found the river when we hadn't crossed a single bridge yet, turns out it was the Thames :) On the other side was the London Eye (a ferris wheel with enclosed seating) and street performers. We crossed the bridge and midway one of us noticed Big Ben.. because it is so difficult to spot. Our map we were using did not have a key/legend telling us how many inches were equal to miles so we were soley going off street names.

Once we crossed there were people dressed as statues, magicians, dancers, (2) Charlie Chaplin..., and people in the grass eating. After being falsely told again, how to reach a store we were looking for, we ran into a street market, like with food. Kells and I found our way back, the whole time looking for SOHO to shop. We never found SOHO. Also apparently I become crazy when I don't eat so, I think I might have been a bit unbareable :( We stopped and ate the best pizza in the world then got ready for the play once we got to the hotel. Since we were in heels we hailed a cab to take us to the theater. Kellsey, Taylor, and I went and we had great seats. The music started and we were all so excited and after about 5 minutes I was already disappointed. The entire band was on stage and not in a pulpit, Roxi and Velma's hair was flip-flopped, and no one was a decent singer. Needles to say we left at intermission. We were planning on meeting up with people at a club but didn't end up doing so, which was for the best. After walking at least 3 miles in heels back to the hotel I was toast. Thank god I packed my sleeping evelope thing because the sheets were just awful.

Saturday:
After eating another awful breakfast, Kellsey and I booked it to the Thames to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Well... I confused Buckingham Palace with Westminster Abbey on the map so we went to the wrong place. Luckily we got there in time. We actually managed to see their "dry run" and inspection, only to realize that there was a giant mass of people behind us on the other side of the street waiting for the soldiers to march. After trying to sift through the madness/mob of mean people we decided to find Princess Diana's Memorial site. We walked through three parks, on the trail that the guards carried her body before burial, to find a circular ring of water flowing. With kids in it. In their swimsuits. I was so disgusted. This was a memorial site for their Princess and people didn't have the decency to respect that. We didn't stay long.
We cut up Oxford Street with the destination of King's Cross in mind. Apparently Oxford Street is shopping central. It was like NYC on crack. We only stopped in one store, it was as crowded and chaotic as Filine's Basement in Chicago but as big as a Super Target. With that many people and bargains to be had, of course a fight would break out, 4 feet away from us. A clerk and customer got heated! It was all BLOODY THIS AND BLOODY THAT! The customer called the clerk a "fucking Asian bitch" only to be called "a hoe, and a slag." Well "slag" must be a very bad word because as the customer was already being restrained by other workers she broke through and the clerk was rushed to the back of the store. Kellsey and I decided that "slag" means slut+hag, in which case the clerk was accurate. The customer continued to yell, "I'm waiting for that bitch to get off work! I'm going to kick her ass! I'll be waiting outside!!" Scarey stuff.
After we left the crazy store we walked for what seemed like days and decided to get another pizza :) We recouperated and then walked to King's Cross to take our pictures at Platform 9 3/4. We of course thought that it would be between platforms 9 and 10. So we snuck onto the platform and it wasn't there. We went through a security gate backwards to find it :) But we have our picture and again walked back to the hotel.
I think we took a nap and then we got ready to go out for a drink. Well the first try didn't work. We tried again about two hours later and found a group of people to go with. Half of us were going to walk and the other half was going to take the tube. Well that didn't work out either. We walked about 3 miles to nothing and back. Kellsey, Taylor, and I just got a drink at the bar next to the hotel.

Sunday:
Happy birthday to Sam and me! Well I was kinda disappointed because no one said happy birthday to me at breakfast and it was only until my teacher saw me that anyone said happy birthday because she said it first. It was nice of her but I was still bummed. I had a 3 1/2 hour bus ride to look forward too as well as a 4 hour tour of some building. I just wanted to get back, get settled, and do some homework. Mom called me, I talked to Sam, and then I talked to Derek later that night, and I was really glad I got to talk to them. We got off the bus, dropped our stuff off in the living room, and ate dinner otherwise we were going to miss it. Kellsey and I got back and did our Biology lab and British Studies homework. Luckily for me, not all of my group members had sent me their information... I will never approve of group work when I am a part of them. I tried to plug in my electric toothbrush too and it won't charge :( I just want dentist-clean teeth.

Monday:
Waking up was HORRIBLE. I was dead tired. The British Studies lecture almost put me to sleep, then during class we had to present our information and one of my group-mates goes, "Yeahh... I didn't send you anything." To which I replied, "I figured that out." Then I went to Biology and turned in my lab. Went straight to lunch. Went to the room did homework for my class that was coming up at 4:10, put in laundry and was almost late to class. Good news is that my map test got moved from this Thursday to next Thursday. I still have alot of homework to do in my classes though. It's raining and I was actually going to go on a walk today but not anymore. I am so tired.

Starting a Routine..

So I love Tuesdays. My one and only class is at 4:10-5:00. I slept until noon today (Derek, I know you are disgusted with me). Got ready, ate lunch, went to town and got some bread, went to class and dinner. We had Shepard's pie which was alright, it was like if my sloppy joe didn't have a bun and someone spilled my potatoes in there. We had icecream and peaches with lunch too and my friend Jena enlightened me with her song "Desert Soup." I have yet to write down the lyrics. Kellsey and I went to town and bought some breakfast bread (cinnamon raisin bread) and a Sprite :) Poli sci was fine and we had dinner. I had to do homework for B.S. and Bio but not too bad of a day. I talked with my friend Chris Harrison alot and I always forget how funny he is. I skyped mom, Max, Derek, Ford, Barb, dad, Jack, and Jackson Frank today, and I'm ending it with a conversation with Craig Keepes as always :)

Assistant TO the President

Well today was the first day of classes. I didn't know that British Studies was a 2-part class, group lecture and class time. So from 8:30-10:40 I was listening to crap haha. Then I had biology class, a solid break, and political science. I really like all of my teachers so far so thats good. I have been hanging out with some people and its great :) Today at 9:00 there were SGA elections. I AM VICE PRESIDENT OF SGA AT HARLAXTON. Kellsey is President, Kalen is secretary and Steven is SGA rep. I am so excited to be involved with this as well as yearbook committee. We had a celebratory drink :-) Day 1: good day :)

Last Day of Summer

Goodbye summer. Today I got to sleep in and that was amazing. I got my picture taken for my new Harlaxton ID, bought books, a computer adapter, and a patch for my backpack :) I mostly just hung out with people and took pictures with Kellsey. But today my friend Rosa Palmeri came! I missed her alot even though we aren't the best of friends. School starts tomorrow and I'm nervous.. I only know where one classroom is, but I'm going to be fine. My friend Craig Keepes told me that "Harry Potter didn't need a map to find the Room of Requirement, you don't need one either; You're smart, you're clever, and with a bit of help from others you will be fine," and that was just the reassurance I needed.

Goo luck er'body else!

The Bistro

This is not a quaint Italian cafe, but rather the bar in the basement of Harlaxton. Whootie.. sorry for the following. I had some drinks with some people, there are these Smirnoff things that are flavored vodka (malt beer-Derek) and well I had a blue one (sorry mom). It tasted like a melted blue slushie. I was sat down with these kids from Evansville and they are just soo great. Brian, Matt, Rachel, Natalie, Jena, Katie, Taylor, Kellsey, Collin, and Bria. I now understand why drinking is so much fun rather than just a tastie drink. I am really glad I didn't go to Grantham tonight :) Things are so great and its only Saturday. P.S. Strongbow beer tastes soo good.

A Tribute to Garth Beams

When Sam and I visited Garth and Alex in New York a few years ago we had a great time, but one occurance that I remember specifically is Garth hip-checking his ID scanner to gain access to a building; rather than taking the card out of his pocket and scanning it. Today, I used that same concept to open the doors here at school. We have these scanny key fobs that you put to this sensor and the door unlocks. I just leave mine in my purse and put the purse to the scanner :)

We also ventured into Grantham today which was really neat. The guy who tried to sell me a vodafone was really cute and said he will be at the bars tonight.. hmmm.. decisions decisions. I did get shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a towel, and a water bottle so hopefully I am all set now.

Our principal is hilarious :) he had us all sing the song "Inch by Inch." I was the only one who knew it, of course, and it used to be sung on Sesame Street. Go Grace..

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

The trip:

-Driving to Indy Airport:
The drive was fine but I was nervous. Not as nervous as Katie however, who threw up in her mouth :) Sam met up with Mom, Derek, Katie, and I so that was really cool. Kellsey and Pam were there at check-in when we got there. My bags made weight and we were ready to go. We all said bye and such then Kellsey and I went through security. Both of our backpacks got checked and by checked I mean torn apart. I had left my shampoo in my backpack and not my checked baggage... so they took my stuff. We found our terminal, sat down and our sorority sister Alyson Hollis was there too :) We sat and talked until she left for Detroit (I had laughed at this not knowing what my fate was soon to be). Kellsey and I boarded, I was fine, and we had the smoothest landing ever. I was excited not to puke needless to say. But it might have been because I was so distracted by the woman in front of us that I didn't puke. JUST FOR YOU WHOOTIE-- this woman had the worst lateral lisp and chewed on her "s" like none other. I just wanted to puke on her. I refrained, and we even arrived a half hour early.

-JFK (Just Fucking Kill -me)
We got off at gate 27 our next plane was to take off at gate 5, easily a mile away. So we walked and got there finally took our bags off and realized everyone seemed tall, blonde, and with blue eyes. The TV told us to go to the Stockholm gate. We were trying to go to London. So we checked a different TV and we went to gate 6. Only to arrive to what appeared to be a Barmitzvah celebration. The flight to Tel Aviv, Israel was an hour late and people were standing in the hallways. We decided to not freak out and just get some food. After an hour we went back and everyone had left. We sat for roughly 3 freaking hours due to 2 delays. We met a weird British man and his family who said that Las Angeles was vile, absolutely vile; also during his mile-per-minute talking I couldn't help but notice his daughter was DRINKING soup out of a bowl. We finally boarded.

-Last Flight
I sat in the very middle of the plane between Kellsey and Old Man Rivers. While we watched the movie, Date Night, he watched some Asian murder game show, with sub-titles, an inch away from the screen because apparently his readers weren't helping enough. It was a horribly flight filled with turbulance and stewards waking us up asking if we wanted a wet-wipe. WOKE US UP FOR A WET-WIPE. At this point we had realized that we were going to miss the bus to the school. We tried to psych ourselves out and were going to have to get ourselves to Harlaxton. We got our baggage and called the school like we were told. European telephones are weird, ps. So I get ahold of the school and they knew that Kellsey and I were late. I get patched through to another guy saying that the bus is still at the airport and he is going to try to get it to pick us up. HALLELUJAH we might be saved! I get a call on my cell phone from the bus driver, they were going to pick us up! Kellsey and I freaked out. We were saved. We got on the bus and were worry free (ish). Apparently while we were asleep on the plane we hit some nasty traffic for about an hour. Well since the bus driver had to wait for us, wait in traffic, and get to the school (which is far) we had to take a break. I guess it says in his contract that for every 4.5 hours he drives, he gets a 45 minute break. We were 30 miles away from the school and had to stop.

-Arrival
We got the school finally and its just crazy amazing to see in person. We have to wait for the Principal to get on the bus and give us the run-down. Dinner had already started and we were to put our things in our rooms then go to an introduction class. We had a half hour to do all of this. It turns out that Kellsey and I are roommates!!! It was soo amazing. I live with my best friend. I ate fish&chips which was actually pretty good, had some wine at our introduction, went back to the room and unpacked. We forced ourselves to go to out to the bar in the school (because we live in the carriage house). We had a drink walked around and took a shower. But I had to borrow a towel because I forgot mine...and didn't have shampoo because the man took it.

I feel mostly dead.

Now I Can Leave :)

I found this toad in our garage!!! I can take that as a sign that its alright to go :) What a cute little (fat) toad :)

Packed

It only took one hour of packing but I am now "ready" to leave. My luggage all came in under the weight limits and I have decided I will look like a midget that ran away from home with my backpack and 2 rolly suitcases; oh and my "purse" which has snacks in it :) I have Dramamine and WheatThins packed hopefully I won't puke!!

Starting to Feel Better

Finally. I am starting to feel less indifferent about this trip. I started packing for real today and I think it went well for the most part. Finishing up packing tomorrow, saying more goodbyes and eating my last "mom" meal :( Mom and Derek are taking me to the airport and the rest is yet to come.

Tried Packing

Soo I tried packing today and I managed to do a load of laundry. That's it. I did buy matching/nice pajamas to make mom happy and luckily they aren't too grandma-like. I watched Rush Hour 2 with Max and that was today.

DePauw

Max and I drove down to DePauw to go hang out with Sammy, Kyle, Keirstin, and Brett. It was really nice to get out of the house and hang out with people my age. I saw David Moss! I haven't seen him for about 10 years and holy shit did he get tall! I miss college. It's so fun.

It's Finally Sinking In

Well today after riding in the car with Sam, I realized that I have to say bye to him this weekend :( I have been so worried about making sure I say bye to everyone before I leave that I overlooked that fact that he leaves first. I have seven days to go. The plane rides are making me nervous already. I am excited to experience the world but that means I only have myself to count on; no mom to scratch my back, no Max to tell me funny stories, no Sam to talk to, no Katie to craft with, and no Derek to sit in silence with ( sometimes you need that silence). Well I managed to go this whole time without crying until now and hopefully I won't ball the rest of my time here. My eyes hurt and my brain hurts. I'm trying to keep a 'normal' life while I'm waiting but its freakishly hard. All of my friends are going back to school and here I am sitting with Ford with tears rolling down my face..blogging (lame).
My days have been filled with so many ups and downs a doctor would prescribe me Prozac, its just that there are too many emotions. Everything I have in Evansville is being delayed until January and its extremely hard to be perky about leaving sometimes; eventhough I'm going to travel the world in one week and be happy. These hours upon hours of neutral are getting to me. I read one of the most inspirational articles yesterday only to be followed with a sad song. I went from hopeful about the world to mild depression in a half hour. Maybe I should take Prozac.
Right now I am just hoping I don't snap next week, ball my eyes out, and say I'm not leaving. (It will most likely happen). To put it in a random "Grace" analogy: If I were drowning, I would have already come up for my second breath of air. Let's hope someone saves me before breath three.

Derek :)

Hell yes! Derek hooked up a BluRay player to the TV.. not normally a big deal to normies. However, after only having Wii Netflix and no cable. This BluRay player is kick ass. We have Netflix and magical magical TV shows. The Closer, Bones, Modern Family, Lie To Me, How I Met Your Mother!!!! Maybe now I can make it through these last few days in the states :-)

Getting Closer

Toy Story 3 was amazing! That was an exciting hour and a half, now back to boring. I've been helping Derek work on his house and I happen to be a master cabinet installer and spray-painter. It is super exhausting work, mostly because of the heat. The awful awful heat. I had a 4 hour nap yesterday and wanted to sleep the rest of the day. Today however has already kicked my butt. I went to CVS to get my presciptions for England (which I have already done twice now). The doctors office only allowed them to fill one month's worth. So I took a medicine break and picked up my pants from the alterations place (because I am too short for the short jeans) then drove to the doctors office. I demanded 6 month prescriptions drove back to the pharmacy and sat there for two hours while they tried to fill it. The two hours included myself calling the insurance company and the pharmacist call the insurance company. Good lord.

More Waiting

I think my brain broke today. I tried to stay busy, worked out, showered, ate lunch, waited for Max to get home with a story, waited for dinner, waited some more. These next few days are gonna kill me. Tomorrow I get to wait until 6:00 to pick up Jack to go see Toy Story 3... hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Waiting

Now that all of my fun is over I'm pretty sure the waiting will kill me soon. Babysitting Jack and Jackson tomorrow.. woo.. hoo..

My Grandma Made Me a Pie

After staying less than 24 hours at home after Evansville. I went dad's lake house in Michigan. Katie, Patrick, Sammy, Max, Woeste, Jack, Jackson Frank, and dad were all there. We spent alot of time fishing and out on the boat. Whootie and Gramps came over and it was really nice to see them. Grandma also made me an apple pie :) and Katie a mini-pie. The last night we were there there was some drama. Katie's car almost got broken into but thankfully since the house is in Mayberry a cop was already there doing his drive-bys and scared the two guys off. Its a good thing that Sam's car was blocked in because someone left the keys in the car (sam). We stayed for two days and I got to ride home with the boys, with the top down, for three hours. It took me 30 minutes to get the knots out of my hair. After wrestling with that task, I opened my mail (best part of the day) and I got a $500 scholarship!!!! Yay!!!! 21 days until England, 31 days until I'm 20.

Last Adventure Before the Big One

I had a great time in Evansville :) I loved seeing everyone and getting to hang out. We had a birthday party for Jaylah and Romeo which was fun but slightly crazy. After playing on the little kid bounce house for awhile we eventually got tired. Kellsey and I opened gifts which was great. I got her this sweet coat for England and she got me Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and awesome earrings. Meghan gave me a bible with my name engraved which was really thoughtful. A#1: I love things with my name on it. B#2: I have my own bible to use when I go to church with them. To top it off Kirstie planned a party for Kellsey and me :) I have to say my first suprise party was freakin sweet! Monday Kells and I went to Holiday World and met up with Sam, red, Katie, and Pat :) It was a long, fun weekend. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed.

Aaayyyeeee!!

Poor Bri-Bri is in the hospital :( He has been hanging tough for awhile now and is doing a great job. Hopefully he will be released on Thursday. Also Heather had baby Michael. Stressful days in the world of the Dempsey's. But I will be there on Friday hopefully with a dose of comic relief :)

Looonnnggg Weekend

After having fun with Kellsey on Thursday and being basically stood up Friday, the rest of the weekend was weird as well. Saturday Kellsey and I went to lunch with Mary Pugh :) which was alot of fun. We got to meet her parents and see her one last time before leaving for Harlaxton :( Also, Abby Guerra was re-declaired alive :) very comforting news. However, since mistaken identities in car accidents is my #1 fear, I freaked out. Sunday (t0day) I went to another Indians game with Alyson Hollis and Georgia Steffy and I had ALOT of fun. It was about time. Now I just have to wait for this sunburn to go away. One week left at work. Leaving for Evansville Friday to see Kellsey for her 20th birthday!!! Yay excitement :)

Countdown continues

So after being stood-up by the 80 people I invited to an Indian's game, which I planned 6 weeks in advance, I really can't wait to go to England (now some people did say they couldn't come and that is fine but I was really heartbroken by others). Kellsey went with me to the game and I am going to a different game with Alyson tomorrow :) However, I am severely disappointed with the lack of sisterhood that occured yesterday. I am really looking forward to my sisters that are traveling with me in England and getting closer to them, but it is certainly a good thing I am not going to see everyone anytime soon. 34 days including today :)

I finally got my letter

Today my Harlaxton packet came! I believe I have 36 days until I leave and I can't wait :) I cannot wait to leave my average life in the United States.

"I hate to wait."

Waiting to go to England is equally as miserable as last summer when I was waiting to go to college. I am just ready to experience the crap out of things. Let me know if you want a postcard and I'll write down your address.

Armed and Ready

Yesterday my new luggage came and my iphone!!! I now can map/look/find the weather/make hotel plans/pick a restaurant where-ever I want to on my phone and with the luggage I'll have a change of clothes :) 48 days??? I think I counted wrong in the beginning..

GBP is not equal to USD

Well today I had my first encounter with exchange rates. FML. I just booked my trips to Edinburgh, Ireland, Oxford/Bath/Stonehenge. After panicking about the price after I clicked "next" it changed the amount to dollars, which about doubled my cost. Sucks, but I get to.

Home

I had such a great time in Evansville. I got to see everyone, EVERYONE. Kellsey, Kirstie, Meghan, Pam, Brian, Ben, Orin, Austin, Zach, Ryan, Elizabeth, Jenni, Mamaw, Papaw, Grandma, Grandpa, Jay, Esther, Jaylah, and ROMEO!!!!!! Kells and I had some good adventures with Monty and man I missed the passenger seat. Kirstie and Meghan got new cars which are awesome and I finally got to sleep in :) I missed my other family.

Mini-Vacation

Friday I am going to visit my friends in Evansville :) I haven't seen them for about a month and it is killing me, not sure how well I'm going to handle England... Buuutt I'm going to take my backpack and hopefully Kellsey and I will get to go for a walk with our backpacks (so we get used to the weight). Hopefully I'll get some good fireworks pictures, that is if I ever find my camera. I love you three-day-weekend :)

No Bed Bugs for Me :)

Today I went to Stein Mart and bought a sleep pocket. It's a blanket sleeve and pillow that fold into a compact little bag. Hopefully this will help me sleep easier at hostels :) 58 days baby!

Day. One.

Hello!!! and welcome to The Adventures of Grace! I will be studying abroad in Grantham, England this coming fall and figured it would be smart to document what goes on. Hopefully I will be putting up pictures and posting often. Write something here or on Facebook and I'll write back as soon as I can! 59 days baby.