My wonderful birthday surprise!!! :)

Once we arrived home from Ireland, the whole of flat two began hacking and sneezing. It was not a pretty sight. There were kleenexes thrown about and cough drop wrappers decorating our night stands. We were all exhausted anyway from our long weekend in Ireland and I had to prepare for my sister to come, so we all thought it was best to just stay in for most of the week.

I was busy making preparations, cleaning my room, finishing any homework I had, calling my sister everyday to remind her of things she needed to bring just so I would be ready for her Friday morning. The whole week was kind of a blur, with work and school dragging into each other only divided by sporadic doses of sleep and rest. I had to be ready! I wanted my sister to have a fun filled weekend in London and I did not want to be sick for any of it! 

Friday morning rolled around and I sluggishly yet excitedly got dressed and ready to go pick my sister up from the tube station. I looked up her flight and it had been delayed a little so I waited until I couldn't wait any more and walked to Earls Court station. I patiently waited at the top of the steps, holding my breath every time one of the lifts opened, desperately searching for the tall blonde beauty who goes by the name Morgan. Finally, she arrived! We exchanged hugs and excited expressions and then headed outside. I sensed some hesitation from Morgan as we walked out of the station and noticed that she kept looking back behind me. I casually ignored it and we stopped outside of the tube for Morgan to "tie her shoe". As we stood there, a familiar voice came from behind me asking me for the time. I knew before I turned around that it was my best friend Carlye! I had tears in my eyes as we all gathered in a group hug. My excitement could not be contained and I just wanted to scream. With my happiness about Morgan being there, I didn't think it was possible for my excitement to grow, but it did! Carlye was my surprise birthday present and apparently my family had done an amazing job of keeping the secret ALL SUMMER! They had this planned even before I left the country! I don't really know why I am telling you all this because although my mother did a wonderful job of keeping the secret from me, I doubt she had as much luck with all of you! :) 

I took Carlye and Morg back to my flat and got them settled in. We couldn't check into the hotel until 3:00 and I had class at 10:00 so they had some time to rest a while. I suggested they go get a traditional English breakfast while I was at class, which they did and then I met up with them again around 12:30. We decided to head to Harrods so I could show them the amazing pet kingdom, food halls, and the delicious tea at the Georgian Restaurant. We walked around and had tea and scones, but,  not unlike my parents, the girls started fading pretty fast once we sat down. The long day of travel was sinking in and they were both exhausted. Although I didn't have to do as much as they, I was quite tired myself. We waited until after three, went back to my flat to get their things and then checked into the Marriott where my parents stayed, just around the corner from my house. We rested for a while, showered, got ready and then headed out for the evening.

I took them to dinner at Gourmet Burger Kitchen (one of my favs) and then we met up with my flat mates so we could show Car and Morg a proper night out in London. We decided to go to this club called Cargo, which isn't close to where we live by any means. We got there and then had to wait in line forever, but once we got in the scene was cool and there were plenty of good looking men to take our minds off the previous events of the evening. We bar hopped a bit and ended up taking a cab home as the sun was rising. As a result, we ended up sleeping in until 12:30 that afternoon. 

We finally got up, went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Leicester Square, then headed off to catch the tail end of Portobello Market in Notting Hill. Carlye and Morgan both got some goodies at the market. After the market we went home to get changed and ready for our evening. We were going to see the Peter Pan play in Kensington Gardens.  It was amazing. It was in a tent outside and the set of the play was just incredible and we were really happy we got to go. After the play, we got a Fruili at Kings head then we went and purchased some wine and chinese food and then hit up my balcony off of my flat. We casually drank, chatted, laughed and watched You Tube videos before heading back to the hotel for a bit of sleep. 

Sunday morning we got up and headed out to Camden market. After that we decided to go eat at Whole Foods which would have been fine and dandy if we had been able to take the tube. There was a person on the tracks at Earls Court so we had to walk from Hyde Park corner to High Street Kensington, which on the tube map is very close! But walking, it is not! I don't think Morgan and Carlye were too happy with me after the fifth time of me saying "I think we are getting close now". We finally made it, had a lovely meal and then did some shopping! After that we went back to the flat to change and then we ate at a delicious Italian restaurant across from the hotel. After that we went back to my balcony for another long night of laughter and chatting (and drinking).

Monday we decided to be touristy and went to the Tate modern (a modern art museum) and then the National Portrait Gallery. They were both amazing and great and we had a fabulous time. We ate at Pizza Express for lunch and then we went back to our houses and packed our things. I sent Morgan home with a HUGE suitcase of my things which will hopefully come in handy when I return home in 10 days. After we packed, we went to Sainsbury to buy picnic foods then headed up to Primrose Hill, the best view of the city. We had a little picnic dinner, took some funny photos and drank some wine. It was a great night and was so much fun to spend it with some of my favorite people! It started to get cold and we were all exhausted from the weekend and had an early morning ahead of us, so we went back to the hotel and ordered a movie. 

Tuesday morning, I helped Carlye and Morgan get on the right train back to the airport and then I headed off to work. I was so terribly sad to see them go but happy that they were able to come! It was such a fun weekend and the perfect birthday present for me! Now I have a project to finish, two papers to write, a birthday to celebrate, and a feature to finish for Professional Beauty before I can return home in 10 days. I love London so much, but I am really excited to go home :).

Slavancha!!!! (cheers to the Irish!)

OK so I will try and put as much in this as possible... I am a little fuzzy on the specific details because it was two weeks ago and my mind is full of stress and homework, but I will do my best to keep everything straight! Don't be upset if I am skint on some of the details!

Two weeks ago, Shandi, Linden and I went to see Harry Potter! It was great but we had a little problem before we went. Our movie was at 8:45 and around 7:00 Claire decided she wanted to go. So we tried to look up and see if there were any tickets available near us... thats when we discovered we had booked our tickets in Leicester (which is a town far far away) instead of Leicester Square. So we scrambled and luckily found some open tickets at Fulham Broadway. The show didn't start until 10:30 and lasted really late so then we had to take the night bus home. It was worth it to see Harry though :). Unfortunately, we had a really hectic day the next day!!!

Shandi, Linden and I (which I will now shorten to S and L so I won't have to type their names a million times) had to get up early and go to work all day. Then at 5:3o, S, L and I met at Victoria tube station to take the train the Gatwick Airport. We had our ticket, we were on the platform, ready to go. Our flight was at 9:15, we were going to get to the airport at 7:15 which is the appropriate time to arrive for a flight. Then the looming voice overhead reported that there had been a fatality at another station and all of the Gatwick trains were being rerouted to London Bridge station... mass chaos. Everyone and their dog who were trying to catch a Gatwick flight fled to the online line that goes to London Bridge. It was insane. We went to London Bridge, jumped on a train that stopped at Gatwick and thought we were good to go. The train we chose stayed at the station for about an hour... and then it took about an hour to get to Gatwick. We finally got there around 8:50, ran to security to be turned away and told we

needed a Visa check, waited in line for a Visa check, sprinted over to security and finally made it through. We stood in front of the monitor patiently waiting for our gate to appear so we could make our dramatic run to the plane.... and then our plane was delayed for about 2 hours not to mention the hour we sat on the runway because the weather conditions were to bad to fly in. We thought the only thing left that could go wrong was for our plane to crash....

Fortunately, our plane did not crash and we landed in Dublin around 1:30 am. We hoped on a bus that took us about 4o minutes to a spot in the middle of Dublin outside of Trinity church. We wondered around Dublin at 2:30 in the morning searching for our hostel and after walking in the wrong direction we turned around and found it. We went in to get our key to our room (which we paid extra for so we could have a private room where the tour began) and the guy at reception could not find us in the computer... We were exhausted, in Dublin, thinking we had no place to stay. He found us finally and we went to our room and got about 4 hours of sleep before we had to get up and get ready for the tour departure. 

I got up and showered (the shower was very interesting contraption that took me about 15 minutes to figure out), S, L and I then went down to the lobby to sign into our SHAMROCKER Sourthern Ireland 3 day tour. We signed in, boarded the bus, and began the tour! 

Our tour guide, Kev, started immediately giving us tid bits about Ireland history as we made our way through the countryside. Our first stop was something Castle. Then we went to the Mitchelston caves which was creepy and really cool. Then we headed to Blarney Castle and kissed the Blarney stone, where I was granted the gift of gab... however, I am convinced I already had that :). We spent the night in Killarney at a little hostel. S,L and I were in a room with 6 other people and we became friends with three other girls in our room; Kathy, Meredith, and Sarah. We went to dinner with them and then everyone from the tour met at a pub. I had my very first Guinness and hung out with the girls. We stayed there for a while and then Kev got us free cover into the Grand Hotel, a pub/club a couple blocks away. It was a lot of fun and filled with good looking Irish men, my favorite :). We danced all night and finally swaggered home around 2:30 am. Seeing the opportunity to shower in an empty co-ed shower, S,L and I hopped in and then went to bed for about 4 hours before we had to get up again and get on the bus. 

Saturday was a beautiful day to travel through the Irish countryside, besides the fact that it was rainy and cold. We drove along the ocean and through the hills and saw amazing views that could not possibly be captured by cameras. We stopped along the way for some photo

 opps. At one point, we stopped on a beach that legend has takes a little part of your soul when you touch it, and eventually sometime in your life you will have to revisit the spot to collect the little bit of you you left behind in beautiful Ireland. So even though it was cold and rainy, we ventured down to the icy waters to dip a toe in the mystery water (me sporting my ill-fitting, graciously lent rain jacket from Claire). Also, on Saturday we went to the Cliffs of Moher, which are the cliffs from the new Harry Potter movie (if you are a fan its the cave in which Voldemort's Horcrux is hidden that Dumbledore and Harry go to retrieve) and they are also the Cliffs of Insanity from Princess Bride. They were beautiful and scary. We rode a fairy across the river to get to County Clare :) (the most superstitious county in Ireland) and then spotted some more scenic things on our way to Doolin where we were spending the night. 

We stayed in Doolin, the home of traditional Irish music with only 1,000 residents, and went to one of the 4 pubs in town. It was a very cute, traditional Irish bar... exactly how I would picture it with loads of locals who had great Irish accents which I struggled to understand. We had the amazing beef and veggie stew and more Guinness, then headed back to the hostel for an early night. We got up early and headed back towards Dublin with some fun stops along the way including a fairy ring, Clonmacnoise, and one of the oldest whiskey distilleries, yum :). We arrived back in Dublin, S, L and I got on a bus to the airport where we waited to fly home! We got home too late to take the tube and had to take the night bus home, got home about 1:30 in the morning then went to sleep in order to wake up early and go to work!!!!

It was an amazing weekend and so much fun and I can't wait to go back to Ireland!!! 

To be continued....

Coming soon: My weekend with Morgan and Carlye!!

Sorry Readers!

Sorry Blog Readers!

I just wanted to let you know, that I haven't forgotten about you. I did just return from Ireland and I will write about my adventures soon. I am feeling a little under the weather and am also preparing for the arrival of my sister. ON top of that I am trying to work on my final projects for all of my classes! So as soon as I get a down minute, I will fill everyone in! I will be home in 2 1/2 weeks!

Longer Letter Later

Ireland: Here we come!

Not much has been happening since my last post. Monday, Shandi and I went to work and semi-trained our new little intern. Well she is not so little, she is 25. Her name is Michelle and she will be hanging out at Professional Beauty for the rest of our time here. After work, the whole flat went to class which took place at the BBC. We went and had a small tour of the building, and then we were able to speak with the website editor who filled us in on all the logistics of online media. 

After class, Shanid, Linden and I went and ate at Nandos, the one haven in London that has free refills! We love it! Then we intended to go to Quiz night at King's Head, but unfortunately there were no tables left for us to sit :(. So we went and got our own booze, set up Shandi's computer and watched Boondock Saints in preparation for our adventure this weekend. 

Tuesday, we went to work. Today, Shandi and I didn't have to work so I did some much needed laundry and started packing. Tonight Linden, Shandi and I are going to see the 6th Harry Potter movie! Woot Woot. Then we will come home, pack and get ready for the day tomorrow. Tomorrow we have to take our things with us and meet at Victoria station to travel to Gatwick where we will catch a flight to Dublin! YAY! I can't wait for Ireland this weekend! I will let you know how it went when I get back! 

Only 4 more weeks of London! :(

I have some unfortunate news. Tuesday was the Harry Potter world premiere and I have failed the readers by not successfully obtaining pictures and/or an autograph. I did however get insanely wet. It has been sunny for a good two weeks in London, so of course on Tuesday night the wrath of the clouds would burst over Leicester Square where Harry Potter fans waited anxiously to see the stars of the show. Shandi, Linden and I got off work early in anticipation of the premiere. How foolish of us to think that Potter's fans would wait until the afternoon to start lining up. By the time we arrived at Leicester square, the main garden where the stars would be mingling with the fans was already closed off. It had been filled to capacity at 10:00 am... people had camped out there... now that is dedication. Well, we waited for a while in hopes we might catch a glimpse of the stars and then right when they all arrived, a monsoon hit Leicester square... it was like a hurricane, and we were standing in hoards of people who were screaming and running for cover! It was ridiculous. Also, barricades around us had blocked us in and we couldn't get out if we wanted to!  I tried to wait it out for a while, but when my clothes and hair couldn't take it anymore, I called it quits. OF course as soon as I left it stopped raining, but it was alright because I went home and took a hot shower and put my sweats on. Shandi and Linden stayed and did see a few of the stars, but most of their time was spent in the garden. But to make up for it, Shandi, Linden and I are going to see Harry Potter and the Half-blood prince on Wednesday!! yay! I am also about 100 pages from being done with the Harry Potter series which is bitter sweet. 

On Wednesday, Shandi and I went to work and then we all went to class. Then on Thursday at work, Shandi and I had to do some more vox pops which was just wonderful. (not). We had a pretty uneventful weekend. Friday, we went to class and then Shandi, Linden and I went to the London Eye which is a huge ferris wheel that gives you a view of the city. It was a pretty great view and we got some good pictures of Big Ben. Claire's boyfriend was here this weekend and Amanda's family got here on Saturday so Linden, Shandi and I have been just hanging out. Friday night, we had all the intentions of going out, we got all dressed up and then we decided to just stay in and drink. On Saturday, Shandi, Linden and I went to see a photographers exhibition on Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn which was very cool. Then we went to the book store to buy me a new Harry Potter (long story involving missing pages). After that we went to the National Gallery and looked at some cool art. Then we waited in line for a very long time to eat at the London Hard Rock Cafe, the first Hard Rock abroad. It was worth the wait, I actually got to have ranch dressing on my salad!!!! yum. 

Today Shandi, Linden and I headed off to St. Paul's cathedral for a guided tour, and they don't do them on Sundays. So we got back on the tube, headed home, packed a bag of goodies and headed to Hyde park where we read and laid out all day. It started to rain around 5, so we packed up and went home. NOw we are working on some homework and planning for the week ahead! We only have four more weeks of London and we are trying to cram some last minute things in. I am most excited for Thursday because Shandi and Linden and I are going to Ireland for the weekend!!!! YAYA! look out Irish Boys!!!

We finally found the Brits! - Our night in Camden, Independence Day, and Kanye West

Ok guys, sorry I know it has been a while but I will try to fill you in as much as possible.

Wednesday night Shandi and I went and saw the Public Enemies movie... it was amazing and solidified my love for Johnny. Thursday was our flat mate Kristin's last day with us so we decided to go out for one last hurrah. That day at work was Agatha's (the other intern) last day so Jenni took us all to Regent Park for a picnic it was really fun. Then when we got home, Kristin had found this Hookah/dessert/cocktail bar in Wimbley. We got all dressed up and went to make our 8:30 reservation, but there were some tube complications. There was a person under the tube (I know that sounds morbid but we hear it more often than you would think) so there were delays on the one line we needed to take to north London. It took us like an hour and a half to finally get there. Once there, we ordered some goodies and smoked some hookah and reminisced about the last 5 weeks. 

Bright and early Friday morning, Kristin left us and we were all sad to see her go. That afternoon the remaining flat mates all headed to class. When we got done with class we decided to see what fun things we could do that night. Well, we ended up just making some drinks and listening to 90s songs in our living room. Then Reyn, Ricky, and Jessica (other people in our program) came over and convinced us to go out to Camden Town with them to a club called Underworld. Well folks, you know how I said we couldn't find any hot Brits... well we found them! They were all hanging out in Camden Town! who knew. Anyway we danced the night away, made some new, attractive friends and had a brilliant time. We rolled off of the night bus in Earl's Court just in time to see the sun come up. It was a successful night!

Saturday was 4th of July! Most of the readers know I was sad to have to be in a foreign country for one of my top 5 favorite holidays. But it turned out to be a pretty fun Independence day. Shandi and I got up and went to Portobello market to pick up some pictures I was having framed. After that Claire joined us and we went on a "little" shopping spree! (yes some damage was done). When we got done shopping, the flat buzzed as we put on our most patriotic gear (not really, Claire wouldn't let me) and we headed out for some good 'Merican fun at a diner/bowling alley/bar called All Star Lanes. The bowling alley was 50s American themed so it was perfect for our celebration. We bowled two games (I bowled over 100 on both thank you very much!) and just had a great time. We found some cheap and delicious Chinese food right next to our flat and ended the night a little earlier considering we were still exhausted from the night before. 

On Sunday, Claire and I went with Bushnell (another guy from our program) to Wireless 2009 concert in Hyde Park. We spent all day in the sun listening to great music and having fun. We got to see Kid Cuddy (he sings Day and Night for those youngsters out there), Flo Rida and the headliner was Kanye West! It was a great concert and a really fun day, but Claire and I were ridiculously tired when we got home. So we went to bed and I got up the next morning early for work. 

Today I went to work, came home, went to class where we toured The Guardian, went grocery shopping, and then came back home to relax for the night. It is a rainy day in London... THe best times to kick back and catch up on your blogging :)

"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, fast cars, whiskey, and you. What else you need to know?" - Johnny

So, Monday started off like any other day. I got up, worked on some homework. The flat mates and I went to Harrods for afternoon tea, and then we got on the tube and headed to leicester square. There were tons of people standing around the movie theater with a huge billboard size poster that had Johnny Depps beautiful face on it and "Public Enemies" written across it. The girls and I grabbed a spot as close as we could to the fence, thats the trick... no matter how far away from the red carpet you are, just find a spot on the fence and chances are you will get some photos or at least a good view. Before Johnny got there, some D-list celebrities walked around for photos and autographs. Freddie Highmore, the boy who plays Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate factory and he is also in August Rush was there and so was the guy from Sweeney Todd, the one who comes with Johnny to London when he gets out of jail, Jamie Campbell Bower. 

Then around 6:30, Johnny arrived. He pulled up in a nice car with the window rolled down waving to everyone. He looked really good...He had to do some press stuff and take pictures, but then he went around to every section of the fence and signed autographs and said hello. Right when he was directly across from my section, getting ready to come to our

side, his body guards (yes at least 3 body guards were surrounding him at all times) took him away to do more press stuff. He promised he would come back though... and he did :). I got his autograph and a little smile from him as well. Oh melt. He is truly amazing. Well worth the 3 hour wait!

Yesterday I went to work and had a nice day. I came home, got ready, and then the flat mates went out to probably the most American place I have ever been to (even in America) called Sports Cafe. It was pretty fun, but I missed the Londonish atmosphere. We danced the night away and took the night bus home around 2:00 am. On the night bus there was a woman professing her immense dislike for Americans and how stupid we are. It was a lovely ride home... 

Today, I had the day off and have been lounging around a bit. I had my half-way through my internship meeting with Boyana (the coordinator for Study Abroad) this morning which went well. I have to go to class soon, and then tonight I am not sure what the flat will be doing. We were thinking about actually going to see Public Enemies, or go to the Canadian festival that is happening in Piccadilly Circus! Who knows where this city will take us...