Update for everyone

I just took down the London Slide show and Video and placed them in one of the London Blogs. I put up a new slide show for Italy at the top and a new video of me in the Gondola in the previous blog. Unfortunately I can only have no more than 30 images in the slideshow at one time, so that is why I have to break it up. I will fix this when I get back from Europe. Hope everyone is enjoying it! I cannot wait to tell everyone all about everything when I get back!
xoxo

Scenic Serenity

Venice is so incredibly gorgeous! There is so much culture and history to this city! Today we visited the Basilica, which is over 1000 years old! We also went to a few art museums and walked around nearly all of the city. My feet are so incredibly sore! I took my first Gondola ride ever, which was really beautiful. Check out the video I posted! It has been really nice being able to go to two very different European Cities, Venice is great for its beauty and uniqueness, but it does not have the excitement and great people that London has. I have noticed that the people here are not nearly as nice as the people in London, I think a lot of this is because of the language barrier though. Tomorrow we will be taking a boat to Murano, which is famous for its glass and lace apparently. I will let you know all about it soon!

Buona Sera!

For those of you who do not know, "Buona Sera" means "Good Afternoon" in Italian. When we arrived in beautiful Venezia (Venice) everyone greeted us shouting Buona Sera! It was quite welcoming! Venice is definitely a one of a kind city! It is a city that dates back to the 700's and is built almost entirely upon water. Because of this, Venice is also known as "The City of Water." We actually had to take a boat to get to our hotel. Our hotel is incredible, in fact, it use to be a palace many years before. We did not get to do all that much today because our plane came in later and we were very tired, however, we did enjoy a truley great authentic Italian dinner and even some gelatto afterwards. Tomorrow we will be enjoying a tour of St. Marks, and the famous Basillica! I will be sure to keep you posted!

Last Day in London!

I am sad to say that it is my very last day in London, but fortunately I have another fun filled week ahead of me in Italy! London has been an amazing experience, it is by far one of the most fun and historical cities I have ever been to. Oh, and what is often said about the food being terrible here is definitely a myth! I have had some incredibly awesome and unique food. If you come to London be sure to go to Locale and Belgo for some Italian and Belgium food! Yesterday we spent our one and only cold rainy day roaming the streets of oxfords and shopping in the city there. I will be posting pics of that soon! Today we plan to use up as much of our day as possible by going to the Tate Modern Art Museum, going to see Dirty Dancing on stage, and possibly a ride on the London Eye... then off to Italy! Unfortunately my time is extremely limited on the internet so I have to run!
Miss you all!!

So Much To Tell, So Little Time

Wow, these past few days have been so exciting! We have packed in soo many fun things. Unfortunately I can only tell you a little bit about our exciting site seeing as i will be leaving for church fairly soon. My favorite thing so far has been seeing Wicked at the Victorian theater. As the British would say... Wicked is "wicked"! Wicked is a phrase here used often and interchangeabley with cool. We have also taken a tour of Parliament and saw the prime minister Gordon James administer a debate! The picture above is all of us at the Natural History Museum which we went to yesterday. Perhaps the most historical thing we went to was the Tower of London. We were lucky enough to have a guided tour of this historical landmark, where we saw the headquarters of Kings and Queens that were in power since before the 1100's! A great deal of those Kings and Queens were baried at this site as well. If you come to London this is the Number One thing you have to see, because it is probably one of the most historical landmarks in all of Western civilization. (unfortunately though you are not allowed to take pictures in most of the castle. Some other things we have done include shopping and dining in Soho, taking a double decker bus tour of the city, taking a boat tour down Thames river, and clubbing in Picadilly. Today we will be attending a church service at the Abbey, going to the British Museum, and taking a ride on the London Eye! Speaking of which I gotta get to church... hope to update you guys again soon!

Hello London!

I finally made it! I'm here! Yippee! haha As you can tell I am super excited to be in beautiful London! Everything has been great so far, the plane ride, our hotel, and our first day of sight seeing. We were lucky enough to fly on an empty flight by Virgin Airlines. It was better than first class as I got an entire row to myself to stretch out and a list of over 100 movies to choose from to watch on my own personal tv along with complementary wine.
We are staying at one of Marriot's only 7 star hotels which is literally right behind the London Eye on Thames River. Our first day was incredible, we were running completely off of adrenaline from our excitement as we have gone an entire day with no sleep! We walked 8 miles along Thames River to visit famous monuments such as St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower Bridge, the London Tower, The London Bridge, Parliament, Big Ben, and many other famous monuments. Within our first mile we saw Emma Watson and Dustin Hoffman filming a new movie and guess what?!... we might be in it! The directors allowed us to participate as extras in the shot and we walked right past them for the shot!
I have come to notice that there are 3 things Londoners need to survive: Tea/Coffee, Icecream, and a place to Jog. There are literally 3 cafes and ice cream stands on every single block, and everywhere you go there are tons of people jogging up and down along Thames River.
Tomorrow we plan to take a boat ride along Thames River and visit a famous shopping center just outside of the city. Be sure to check out the slide show I posted! I will try to keep it updated as much as possible!
Miss you all!

Now That's How You Kickoff Your Summer!

Nothing beats a fun-filled summer weekend with a warm shining sun and good friends to make the day even brighter! This weekend was an absolute blast, the weather was the warmest it has been all year, and I managed to incorporate exercise in my fun activities! It started off with an early morning factory sale for Truth clothing, where I got some great deals on some sweet clothes. Shortly after, my friend and I took a nice bike ride down to the beach to catch some warm summer rays. Afterwards, one of my good friends Steven decided to surprise me on his drive back from Georgia for a fun visit. We did everything from using the jacuzzi to learning how to blow smoke bubbles to playing laser tag to hiking to the Hollywood sign to taking a nice swim at the Roosevelt Hotel pool. The greatest adventure by far was hiking up to the Hollywood sign. Hiking on such a hot day in Hollywood Hills was definitely not something I was planning to do, but it turned out to be more fun then I could ever imagine. It was at least 95 degrees out and the hike was probably 2 miles each way. Actually seeing and being able to touch the letters was something I never thought I was going to get to do in life. If you plan to take the risk in going though, be aware of the sensors and cameras on the letters, otherwise you will be kicked off rather quickly.
I don’t think I could have kicked off my summer any better, in fact it has inspired me to create a list of ways to guarantee a fun summer:

1. Soak up the Sun: Studies show that the sun is actually very good for you because it is the only source of vitamin D which is essential for your immune system. The sun also helps your body release endorphins (aka happy chemicals). The key is moderation and using common sense by applying sunscreen.
2. Be Spontaneous: I think that things are more fun when they are unexpected, not to mention it makes life more exciting.
3. Don’t Be Afraid To Take a Risk: Sometimes you just have to put your fears aside and test yourself. Not only will you learn more about yourself, but you gain confidence for future experiences.
4. Always Include Your Friends: Nothing is more fun then sharing your experiences with your closest friends. Also be open to sharing your experiences with some new faces. Meeting new people makes life more interesting.
5. Make a List of Things You Have Always Wanted To Do: Whether it be something as small as cooking up a new recipe or as large as traveling to a new destination, record it! Making lists helps you to remember your goals and encourages you to achieve them.
6. Incorporate Exercise In Your Daily Plans: If you are in need of a coffee from Starbucks or are thinking about going to the beach, take a nice walk or bike ride there instead of driving. Not only is it healthier for you, but for the environment too!
7. Record Your Experiences: Take pictures, write a blog, or make a video recording. Some of my fondest memories come from the Summer, I don’t know what I would do without pictures to look back and remember the goo ole’ times!
8. Save Money: It’s not all about the Benjamin’s, but lets face it, you have to have somewhat of a cash flow to go to new places and try new things.

First Blog Ever

I am currently at my desk in my dorm room at LMU on moveout day, couting down the minutes untill my parents come to help me move out the enormous amount stuff I have in my little 6 x 6 side of the room. It's really weird to think that this will be my last hour at this desk, but to tell you the truth I have spent wayy too many hours at this desk to miss it. Term papers, projects, and exams have consumed my life for the past 9 months and I can't even begin to tell you how thrilled I am to finally have a nice long summer break! I am going to be spending most of my summer in Los Angeles working and I just got a really sweet new apartment, so to all of my friends reading this you better come visit me and my lonesome self! Take a look at the apartment to the right! Wow I just realized it it past 10 am and I still have yet to have a cup of coffee, this must be changed. Anyways I am really excited for my first blog, which i would like to dedicate to Brett for encouraging me to start it... there will be many more to come!