History May Be Taught: Part: IV

Saturday, June 21, we hopped onto the Underground (which was about 50 ft from our hotel) and rode into central London for our first day in the big city. We went everywhere! We walked out of the underground station and were suddenly confronted by Big Ben directly in front of us! It was the best welcome I could imagine!





We walked past the Houses of Parliament to Westminster Abbey where we saw the tombstones of Britain’s most famous individuals.





We then walked to Buckingham Palace just in time to see the changing of the mounted guard, which wasn’t as great as Jen had expected. There were a ton of people cause they were waiting for a parade.





We then went to the Tower of London and had a tour with the most amazing Beefeater I had ever heard of. He reminded me of a Shakespearean actor and was highly entertaining. We saw the Crown Jewels and the torture room and all the neat things in between.





After the Tower we got on a boat and rode down the Thames underneath Tower Bridge to the O2 (a super cool hangout with clubs, restaurants, shops, concerts, etc) in Greenwich. At the O2 Neil Diamond was giving a concert and we were just in time, except. We decided to pass that up and instead we went to the King Tut exhibit which displayed the treasures of King Tut’s tomb. It was a once in a lifetime kind of thing.

History May Be Taught: Part III

Friday, June 20, we said goodbye to Nanny. It was quite sad to see her crying as we pulled away from the curb. I think she is worried she won't see Alexander again as she is 88 years old and her health is continually getting worse. She is a quirky lady, but we will miss her.

Alexander and Nanny:


We traveled with Aunt Valerie to Arundel Castle where we toured the old ancient keep. We were able to ramble and climb where we wanted and I quickly decided that climbing up and down the tiny narrow staircases all day would have ensured my death by falling down the stairs. Arundel castle was the site of a siege during a civil war in the 1640’s so the castle was decked out as it may have been back then. It was fascinating.

Arundel Castle from Below:


Jen on the Railing Inside the Keep:


Looking Down From the Walls of the Keep:


Later that day we traveled in the greater London area into a suburb called Hounslow where our hotel was. We arrived on train to discover a deserted train station in the middle of nowhere. Hounslow is a hodge-podge of Indian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European ethnicities. We were about the only white people in sight. To our dismay we wandered around for an hour hauling all of our luggage until we finally stumbled through the door of our bed and breakfast. We were thankful to find a tidy, clean room with three little beds and friendly staff. We were so exhausted we didn't even venture out to find dinner, we just sank into our beds and slept.

History May Be Taught: Part II

Wednesday, June 18, we went to STONEHENGE!!! Words fall short of the experience, but the weather was perfect for the brooding atmosphere.





We also visited Salisbury, home of the famous cathedral. Interesting tidbit: the cathedral was spared in WWII because the German bomber pilots used the tall spire as a reference point to turn and go up to the industrial parts London. The cathedral was beautiful as was the entire city. We had a grand time eating traditional Cornish pasties (which are pot pies folded in half so you can eat it with your hands) in the rain.

Salisbury Cathedral:




Thursday, June 19, Uncle John took us to see Portsmouth, the home of the Royal Navy. We saw three historic ships from three different eras. First we visited the Victory which Alexander and I had seen before, but this time they let us take pictures. Victory was the flagship on which Admiral Horatio Nelson fought Napoleon in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Nelson died in the battle and the ship became a memorial to England's most popular mariner. He was very much a national hero. Interesting tidbit: On our trip we saw where he was shot, where he later died, and his most famous national monument in Trafalgar Square.

The Victory:


Alexander on the deck of the Victory:


We also visited a ship called the Mary Rose which was Henry VIII's favorite warship. Sadly, the Mary Rose was sunk in battle and lay on the seabed for 400 years just barely out of it's port. In 1986 it was discovered that half of the ship had sunk into the sand which had preserved it. The ship was raised and is currently in dock in a specially built building with a preserving substance constantly raining on it. It has a uneasy feel about it, like perhaps it should have stayed where it had fallen.

Lastly, we visited the Warrior, built in 1860 and quickly outpaced by the new technology around it. Built with both a steam engine and sailing masts, it marks a transition in history.

The Warrior:


Me Taking the Wheel of the Warrior:


After Portsmouth we went to Fishbourne, home to an enormous Roman palace during the Roman occupation of Britain in the early first century AD. All that remains of the glorious site are the exquisite mosaic tiled floors which were laid in every room of the building. Complete with heated floors and immaculate gardens, the palace seems like a place I would have gladly called home. ;)

The Dolphin Mosaic:


Jen in the Gardens at Fishbourne:


Striking a Pose with an Urn in the Gardens at Fishbourne:

WARNING: History may be taught : Part I

As most of you know, we took a hiatus to the motherland, England, for the past two weeks. My months of research and planning really paid off as we embarked into the great unknown, feeling quite young on our first intercontinental vacation without the "real adults." Don't get me wrong, we have been all over England before, we just always had a parent with us; this trip made us feel very adventurous and grown-up.

I have decided to write this in a number of parts, to make it easier for you to read and for me to write. I will also include pictures, because what’s a trip without pictures?

Somehow we made it safely to England, found Jennifer (who was flying to us from Ukraine) and by some miracle we made it by coach down to the seaside resort town of Brighton where Alexander's grandmother, Nanny, lives. Just making it there took a lot of stress from my shoulders -- I had been so afraid we would get lost! We spent the next day, June 15, with Alexander's extended family consisting of his aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was so much better than the last time we visited them! It seems that Alexander's father isn't very popular with his sisters but they loved us. We had a grand time reacquainting ourselves with them and they were so gracious to offer to help us get to the more distant sights we wanted to see.

Jennifer and a funny sign in Brighton:


Monday, June 16, was spent introducing Brighton to Jennifer. From our last visit I had formed a little map in my head and I hadn't forgotten it. We walked all over the entire city! The highlight and bragging point of Brighton is the Royal Pavilion which was a palace made to look Indian on the outside and Chinese on the inside, you should look it up.

Tuesday we traveled to Battle, which was the site where the Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066. (I agree that the British are so creative in coming up with city names.) Alexander had spent his whole life waiting to go there, as it is the site of arguably the most important event in British (and by default, American) history. William the Conqueror was a Norman who invaded Britain and overcame Harold Godwineson and the Saxons there. From that day forward, England was never the same. It was the Normans who brought in the idea of feudalism and without their influence, Britain may never have been the international superpower it was for so many centuries.

Battle Abbey:


Luckily for us, it was a beautiful day, perfect for walking in the meadows and woods that now inhabit the battlefield. We walked all over the battlefield and explored the Abbey that was built by William the Conqueror as a act of repentance for the thousands of men killed there. The entire area seems to be at peace with itself and the tragedy that took place there.

On the battlefield:


Me near the Crypt:


Alexander inside the dormitory:

3 in 2 for 1

I have had three job offers in the past two days. It's like manna from heaven, except for I can only choose one job. I felt very blessed when I was able to comfortably accept the job that I did, with no regrets. It is a wonderful company and even though it didn't pay the most, it does feel like it is the best fit for me.

Now, if only we can get Alexander a new job...

Awesomeness!

I decided that I wanted to go back into event coordinating, so on a whim I started looking and applied for two jobs. I got phone calls for both of them yesterday, and subsequently had two interviews this afternoon. After the interviews I was exhausted, irritated, and I just wanted to go to bed. However, tonight I had book club at my home so I had two hours to bake and decorate a cake, clean my kitchen and living room, and convince myself that I could keep going throughout the night. Book club went two hours, and now, finally, I can relax.

The bright spot of my night was hopping onto my podcast site and seeing a thread of things that need to be changed to make the show better. In a post discussing how I had replaced a woman who had been ill this was said:

It's most sad to see Kelly disappear especially if it's for health reasons, and it's in fact quite worrying that we haven't heard anything at all. But to be fair I think Annalee makes for a better replacement on the panel. Not that Kelly is a bad host (au contraire, I love her to bits like everyone else), but there was too much goofiness and cutsieness on the show with her and not quite enough substantial discussion. Annalee OTOH brings a bit more balance: she's somewhere halfway between Kelly's silliness and my seriousness, which does the show a world of good. If/when Kelly comes back you may have a real problem -- I certainly wouldn't want to kick her off but I for one wouldn't want to lose Annalee either...

I was shocked, but oh so delighted!!! They like me, they actually like me!

A Push in a New Direction?

Today a woman in my ward, whom I rarely speak to, came to visit me. I invited her in and offered her a seat on the couch as I sat across from her and tried to guess why she was there. With a look of total embarrassment, she asked me if I would be interested in being a co-owner, or even a managerial-type employee for her flower shop that she was re-opening. I was, quite frankly, shocked. Not knowing her exact intention, I informed her that I had no monetary resources to pour into this business, and that as co-owner, that would normally be expected. She was slightly taken aback and quickly apologized saying that she understood why I would think that, but she did not need anything like that from me. She simply wanted my advice, skills, and help to restart her business.

Having gotten that out in the open, I was more comfortable to continue the conversation, and figure out why a woman who barely knows me would ask me to be a co-owner of her business. I told her that I was flattered by her offer, and that it was nice of her to think of me. She replied in the most surprising way, saying, "I don't think it was my own idea. I only know that I trust you implicitly and that I felt I needed to ask you to be involved."

This one stuck, hard. Putting aside this interesting tidbit about her trusting me (which I still can't figure out), this whole week I have been focusing on transitioning. I was even thinking about going back to school for a second bachelors degree in graphic design. I had been looking for new opportunities, trying to find the right way to proceed, and all of a sudden this woman knocks on my door. I am scared in a way. It all seems bigger than I can handle.

So, I already know that I won't be a co-owner of any business but the one I already own, but it might be interesting to be an employee and get my hand in a new skill. Especially since being a florist ties so nicely with being a wedding planner and decorator.

So, I have some thinking to do and sadly I have a headache. It is going to be a long night. In the morning I am substituting for my mom's 1st grade class because she is having a hip replacement tomorrow morning. I AM TOO TIRED TO BE WORRIED ABOUT SO MANY THINGS!!! I am scared of this decision, nervous about my mom, and terrified of 20 six year olds on the last two days of school. Will this week ever end?