London

I don't really know where to start talking about my trip to Europe.  It's been a while so I will only talk about the highlights and then tons of pictures.

Elisa, Nicole and I planned an 8 night trip to London and Paris. The plan was for Elisa and I to meet Nicole in London.  We had planned our flights to land within 5 minutes of each other. Everything was going great until Elisa and I's plane headed back to the gate in SLC because one of the engines wouldn't start.  We had a 50 minute layover in Minneapolis and we were already 30 minutes into our supposed flight when we headed back to the gate.  Our flight finally left and hour and a half late and we were prepared to spend the night with Elisa's parents in Minneapolis.  Luckily for us there were 15 people on our flight trying to make that London connection so they held the plane for us. During all this time we were trying to call and text Nicole on her layover in Atlanta but in typical Nicole fashion she was just in vacation mode and her phone stayed off.  We really missed the flight and she was going to be wandering around Heathrow trying to find us, but instead we landed right before her and she knew nothing of our stress!  Gotta love Miss Nicole!

Now that we were back on track our vacation could begin!  After quickly checking into the hotel and a quick shower we headed to Parliament for our 4:30 tour.  Here are some pictures from the day and please remember we had been traveling all night and only showered our bodies so we may look a bit jet lagged.

 Big Ben (and Me and Nicole)

 This is the only place you were allowed to take photos inside of the Parliament building. It was an amazing building that they are still using for Parliament sessions today.  I really enjoyed learning more about how England's government works (I really didn't know much to begin with).

The rest of the day was spent trying to stay awake until a decent hour so we could sleep.  Our beauty did not increase as the night dragged on so no more pictures of Day 1 :)

Day 2 was Sunday so we started the day by going to sacrament meeting in a ward that was literally a 10  minute walk from our hotel. Lovely. While we were there not one person spoke in an English accent.....very depressing as I was hoping to hear church in their beautiful accent.  Instead a bunch of American expat's from Provo spoke....lame!

After church we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum where they were having a display of ballroom gowns through the ages. All I can say is that I'm very happy I didn't have to wear all the get up that women used to wear.  I would have melted to death! Sadly no pictures were allowed so you can only use your imaginations.

Then it was on to Kennsington Palace to see where the Royal Family (and more importantly Will and Kate) will be living.  Of course we will have to wait for them to die to see their wing of the palace, but we did see Queen Victoria's wing and being big fans of the movie "The Young Victoria" we were very happy as well as Princess Diana memorabilia.

 Prince Albert was a very short man.....

After our palace tour it was time to head to the Orangery for tea and crumpets.  I decided I'm not really a fan of tea (even herbal) unless it is loaded with sugar.  I did however love all of the crumpets and sandwiches!

 It was a little hot for me so I stood in the shade while Nicole and Elisa held our place in line.

The next day we headed to the Churchhill war rooms from WWII.  It was a very interesting tour of the bunker where Winston Churchill called all of the shots for WWII.  Then we headed to Buckingham Palace to try to watch the changing of the guard, but with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee coming up the same weekend they had a lot of Buckingham Palace blocked off.  We then headed to Westminster Abbey which was an amazing cathedral with so much history taking place there.

The other girls had fish and chips, but with my hatred of fish I opted for roast beef.  An excellent choice (although London really didn't have great food).

Another thing that we found was London does NOT believe in trash cans.  We walked for miles before you would see a trash can on the street to ditch your stuff in.  Very odd.

Of course we had to see a few shows in London. We saw Singin' in the Rain and the Lion King.  It is hard to replace Gene Kelly, but it was really fun to see the show live and it even rained (alot!) on stage. Enough to make huge puddles and splash the screaming audience.  Good thing we were in the mezzanine and not the orchestra :)

We also went to the Tower of London where they had the funniest tour guides.We also got to see the Crown Jewels which were CRAZY.  Seriously I've never seen so many diamonds, rubies, etc.

We also went to St. Paul's Cathedral and I learned now that I didn't take one picture of the Cathedral part.  Just this one outside.  Anyways, it was a beautiful cathedral although it had very scary steps to the top of the dome for Elisa and I who had a little problem with heights.  The stairs were grated so you could see through them down many, many flights of stairs.  I was brave, but honestly had to give myself a few pep-talks.

Some pictures from the top of the cathedral....you know to prove I made it up there and all.

Provo City Center Temple Groundbreaking

Our ward was asked to help usher at the groundbreaking for the new "Provo City Center Temple" (burned Provo tabernacle).  I hadn't ever participated in a ground breaking so I signed up as did a couple of my "mid-singles" friends.  We had to be there at the bright and early hour of 6:45am (started at 9am). I was a "roving usher" and let's just say that with general admission seating we didn't need to help too many people find their seats.  It was fun to chat with friends though while we "ushered." 

Elder Holland presided and since he is my BFF ever since our encounter in Seattle figured I had better be in attendance or he would miss me desperately.  He gave a great speech as per usual.  It will be great to see the temple come to life.

 (Kim, Me, Matt)

Arches

Kim, Camille and I took a quick overnight trip to Arches.  Kim and Camille hadn't every been there and I'm always up for hiking so we drove down Friday night, stayed the night in a hotel and then hiked around Arches.  It was really warm for April (90 degrees), but it felt nice to be out and moving in the heat. As a bonus it happened to be a free day at the National Parks so we didn't even have to pay!

2 ex-cheerleaders (me and Kim) still showing some super jumps even under the Delicate Arch!

I look so gross in this picture, but this was a delicious hamburger!

NYC, Newsies and Food!

Melinda and I took a long weekend trip to NYC to use my expiring companion flight by the end of April.  Since we had both been to NYC before we planned to eat, shop and see shows and just have a relaxing weekend. It was wonderful to not have to worry about getting up super early to make it to the tourist attractions before the rest of the general public. Thankfully our friend Chad had sent us with a food recommendation list and let's just say that he knows his stuff!!

We took the red-eye flight on Wednesday night. I slept a few hours on the plane, but not too much.  We were definitely a little tired when we got to NYC.  We went to the hotel, checked our baggage at the front, changed clothes and went to get in line for rush tickets for "How to Succeed in Business without even trying."  That way we could have tickets for $30 instead of $80+.  We easily got tickets and then headed out to breakfast at a fabulous restaurant called Norma's.  It was a little pricey, but SO good and so much food.  It was perfect for our starving tummy's.  This french toast had caramel syrup and rice crispies on the outside. It was delicious.

After breakfast we went back to the hotel and took a quick nap. We stayed at the La Quinta on 34th street (recommended by BYU) and it was a fabulous hotel. Normally I wouldn't choose a La Quinta, but I definitely would recommend this one.  Anyways, after our nap we got ready to go see Nick Jonas (yes, of Jonas Brothers fame) in the musical "How to Succeed in Business without Even Trying."  We first ate some delicious and reasonably priced pizza up in Time's Square (thanks to Chad).

We really enjoyed this play.  It was funny and the music was catching. It was set back in the 60's and was basically how to kiss your way right up to the top!  If only we would have known what we learned in this play then we wouldn't have needed to get our MBA's!!

  

Friday morning we woke up early and went to get more tickets for another show that night (Peter and the Star Catcher).  Then it was shopping day. We headed to Soho for some window shopping (I don't have that kind of money!) and then to Chinatown (I do have that kind of money!).  The weather was absolutely gorgeous....mid-60's with a small breeze. Once in Chinatown we were able to have a true Chinatown experience and were literally taken into a "special" hidden back room where we could buy knock-off purses (Prada, Gucci, etc).  They weren't kidding around and literally snuck us behind a secret door (hidden by merchandise) and rushed us into the room.  It was great.

After our shopping spree we headed up to check out this much talked about (by Chad) toasted marshmallow milkshake.  We also got one made with Nutella. They did NOT disappoint! Seriously tasted like a roasted marshmallow!  The food was so-so (as we had been told), but that shake was delicious!

 

We then went to see a play called "Peter and the Star Catcher."  It was about how Peter Pan became Peter Pan.  It was good, but I have to say that some of the jokes seemed to be more "theater-geek" geared and they went over my head.  People were seriously laughing for a long time and sometimes I just didn't get it. Overall I'd say it was okay, but it wasn't my favorite.  It was clean though which is always nice.

After the show we went to the Wonka store in Times Square where they sell every single Wonka toy/treat made. They had a lot of oversized candy and toys.  It was fun to walk around and see all the crazy candy!

Saturday we woke up and did a little shopping in Union Square.  This also involved getting another toasted marshmallow milkshake (to-go) and some delicious mac & cheese (another Chad recommendation).

Saturday was also our big show day.  After we had already bought our tickets to NYC we realized that they were doing a limited Broadway run (at the time) of Newsies.  I loved the movie as a kid and since it was Disney we knew it was safe and would just be fun. We literally bought the last tickets they had on the dates we were there and went to the Saturday matinee.  To say it was amazing doesn't do it justice!  The dancing was incredible. Many of the ensemble came from the show "So You Think You Can Dance" and it was flat out jaw-dropping what they can do with their bodies.  Also the guy who played Jack (Jeremy Jordan) was amazing, especially considering he was trying to live up to  Christian Bale as the original Jack.  I honestly am slightly obsessed with this show.  It was just amazing.

We had great seats (first row in the mezzanine) and the stage was 3 stories high.  They were literally a few feet from us sometimes dancing and singing their hearts out.  There is just something about men singing all together and acting like real manly men (not dainty men) that is wonderful.  I realize that in real life most of them are not as manly as I would hope, but I loved their characters.

After the play was over the actors actually came outside which I didn't know they did.  We also took this awesome picture. Seriously this was the 2nd try and I wasn't even trying to do my arms like the sign, but I did. I pretty much showed all the Newsies dancers how to jump so high :)

 

We then headed to Serendipity to eat. We had made a reservation online, but when we got there they claimed they didn't have us.  To make a long story short we showed them my call log from weeks ago when we called and then after refusing us and putting us in the stand-by line they magically found a table for us.  I like to think it is because while standing in line I gave them 1 star on Yelp, but I'm pretty sure Yelp doesn't work that fast :)  The food was honestly not good, we just went for the frozen hot chocolate and that was definitely worth it.  Delicious.

We then headed to our final show, Anything Goes.  It was a fun show, but after Newsies it felt like a little bit of a let-down. It was old-school Broadway and the dancing was good, but not even close to what we saw in Newsies. It was fun though.

Sunday we slept in a little bit & then headed up to Central Park.  It was a gorgeous day and so fun to watch all of the families out enjoying the gorgeous, not-humid weather.  On our way to the airport we grabbed a cookie from another recommended place and wow was it delicious.  It was about the size of 4 normal cookies, but it was hot and wonderful.  We then headed to the airport and went home.

Vegas Cougars

(Suzanne, Bill, Me)

In early Feb Suzanne asked me if I wanted to go to Vegas for the WCC tournament to watch the BYU Basketball team.  Of course I did!  It was even better that the tickets were free because she worked at BYU managing the Marriott Center.  As the trip came closer we found out one of the guys in our ward, Matt, was going for work, but had an extra ticket and invited another guy in our ward, Bill to come. This was pretty last minute so Bill ended up driving down and staying with Suzanne and I (long story).

It ended up being such a fun trip except for the fact that BYU's men's team didn't make it to the final game, but since it was free I wasn't as concerned as I would have been otherwise.  Suzanne, Bill and I headed down on Friday morning and after about 2 hours of chatting, a stop for lunch and another 3 hours of a game we like to play called MMM (Murder, Marry, Makeout) we were there.  It was beautiful weather especially since we left snow in Provo.

The first mens game was Friday night.  We first ate dinner at a BBQ joint called Lucille's .  It was delicious, so, so delicious.  We then came back to the hotel and found that one of the cars in the parking lot had been broken into (it was 5pm and light out).  Lovely section of town we stayed in, but it was within walking distance of the Orleans Arena. Because we had such great seats we had to make posters so we could be seen on TV. This is the first time I have every made a poster for any sporting event.

Suzanne and I with our signs.

 

The WCC came to take our picture in the audience for their FB page (my eyes were closed) but we had to take down our "Team Jabari" sign for possible NCAA recruiting violations. But we saw Tom Holmoe staring at it so we've done our part to get him to play here to BYU!

Yes Bill planned ahead and had Suzanne bring the Darth Vader mask for his costume.  He walked through the casino and all the way to our seats with this on and then the usher came and told him "no masks!"  So sad for him.

The game against San Diego ended up being much closer than it should have been, but in the end BYU won.  We sat in such a fun section of a bunch of men in their 50's that were seriously dressed up and super funny.  We were raving about how funny they were (more on that later!).  Back at the hotel Darth was waiting for us, we were so lucky.....

The next day we got up and went for a run and then Suzanne and I wanted to get a pedicure because last year in Denver we did that before the Gonzaga game and then we beat the Zags so we are superstitious like that. Bill didn't want to get one, but we convinced him that it would feel extra wonderful after running 10 miles like he had that morning.  One of Matt's mission buddies (who Suzanne knew a little bit) and his friend came over to join us, but the wait was too long for them to get a pedicure as well. I took this picture of Bill through the mirror from my chair because he was fascinated by the process.

Suzanne and I told Bill he did NOT have to paint his toenails.  Well he did anyways and the sad thing is you have to look twice to figure out which foot is his.  Quite disturbing!

 

We then went to the BYU women's basketball game. It was general admission so all of us could sit together.  Thank goodness we did because all of us (Jared, Matt, Patrick, Suzanne and I) got to witness Bill doing this wonderful dance for about :30 seconds on the big screen.  We obviously found it on BYUTV re-broadcast online.

Between Bill being the most well-known fan for his dancing and Suzanne knowing the whole BYU athletic department I felt like I was walking around with celebrities!

Saturday night BYU played Gonzaga.  I will say that overall I think the Zags have a lot of very nice and classy fans.  Everything was going great.  The funny middle aged "student's" in our section showed up in these outfits.  We were laughing so hard and so excited for the game to start.  Well this excitement lasted about 30 seconds into the game because after the Zags first bucket this one annoying fan of theirs (across the aisle from our section) started screaming and taunting and then the guy with the mask threw his soda on him.  Seriously.  All men involved were over 40 yrs old.  Anyways after that huge altercation and the police and security in our area I looked up and the Zags were up 11-2.....and it was all downhill from there.  So sad!

 

On Sunday we ended up going to Jared's parents house that was outside of Vegas.  It was a very small town and we ate dinner there and then did a little off-roading on the dunes.  This is also where Bill invented a new Olympic sport called sand dancing.  (Yes that is me wheezing on the camera)

We also took a few glamour shots.....