tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25329430414585724112024-03-05T08:26:56.893-08:00Bringing the Highlands HomeKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-21867499279662485282009-10-13T07:27:00.000-07:002009-10-13T08:19:42.646-07:00BathOne of the best parts about Bath was going to the fashion museum and trying on corsets and hoop skirts. They had clothing from the 17th century right up until today, but most of our time was spent in the dress up room. I'm sure we didn't have our corsets as tight as they are supposed to be, but even so I had trouble breathing in mine. It was difficult to sit down and bend over. I can't imagine wearing a corset everyday with all the other layers of heavy clothing the women wore back then.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0LtUGPvgMC0cPk7UP7ZW6RFWHqhZmB3gek29DUeRG_vUZ9gpbG6HMd0vcYTqmkjSNXa05tK9RC0-eGEVKxEOLfZU1YIr5F6NT-AQAie1cOX191wMgcIANSuC1DpHokx-K4C5rMD4Dd9G/s1600-h/IMGP4821.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0LtUGPvgMC0cPk7UP7ZW6RFWHqhZmB3gek29DUeRG_vUZ9gpbG6HMd0vcYTqmkjSNXa05tK9RC0-eGEVKxEOLfZU1YIr5F6NT-AQAie1cOX191wMgcIANSuC1DpHokx-K4C5rMD4Dd9G/s400/IMGP4821.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392101218975470818" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAZIwxM7j3-HFm9N4V6CAdhJTYdHhwKupK9qHL2aLP31uTp5o3L-1sD1Qwvb1m8cYvm-6EsdaTw8fuHgbsXL8ELLVIF_IyCEVsbR1231x8MsgpV-MneOrD9S1jNB-GBXGE-mTitWil5JA/s1600-h/IMGP4820.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAZIwxM7j3-HFm9N4V6CAdhJTYdHhwKupK9qHL2aLP31uTp5o3L-1sD1Qwvb1m8cYvm-6EsdaTw8fuHgbsXL8ELLVIF_IyCEVsbR1231x8MsgpV-MneOrD9S1jNB-GBXGE-mTitWil5JA/s400/IMGP4820.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392101213988555234" border="0" /></a>Check out that skirt!<br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUksSpsb6DvNZkd5UIb0_Ie63LWSnb1vAZC0IExw6FUYyJgzySWe8bjWP-b7JOt3ohZsUoIBaucnpSOxl3xtF79oLkU4a0it52XJDVisNfIF2tJgxLtMLkJ23fCGqh1yhItGUw9Si4lXJK/s1600-h/image351.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUksSpsb6DvNZkd5UIb0_Ie63LWSnb1vAZC0IExw6FUYyJgzySWe8bjWP-b7JOt3ohZsUoIBaucnpSOxl3xtF79oLkU4a0it52XJDVisNfIF2tJgxLtMLkJ23fCGqh1yhItGUw9Si4lXJK/s400/image351.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392094259032268146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tS9bFlkzsGSylbMmF5wMF-wU_-rQ13VDHVssb6y0suLse_wARTQSkqI7RnxmLjShsEwv-PmO14MPO9wZdnNok93h-PFDotuv1Wkuvb1pN5Q21v3hJ1wu0l2B8-3DP50gAJnye-jNHkpq/s1600-h/image350.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tS9bFlkzsGSylbMmF5wMF-wU_-rQ13VDHVssb6y0suLse_wARTQSkqI7RnxmLjShsEwv-PmO14MPO9wZdnNok93h-PFDotuv1Wkuvb1pN5Q21v3hJ1wu0l2B8-3DP50gAJnye-jNHkpq/s400/image350.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392094250231922770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3E5Wgu0HWG_np9G4jcflwumujonMPvh3BGbDmVMw0tf8fLRkaQ-Yjnw5HMoQqv5pSmsZ9EU6BCWORsGLU3gv16ZnR2fLU-DqD6bCDFOYPtCMBhOY3oeS3a1SC6Zp01wf67algrI8KGZw7/s1600-h/image356.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3E5Wgu0HWG_np9G4jcflwumujonMPvh3BGbDmVMw0tf8fLRkaQ-Yjnw5HMoQqv5pSmsZ9EU6BCWORsGLU3gv16ZnR2fLU-DqD6bCDFOYPtCMBhOY3oeS3a1SC6Zp01wf67algrI8KGZw7/s400/image356.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392094266764700946" border="0" /></a><br />We also went on a tour of the Roman Baths. This place was huge and there are still areas of it that haven't been uncovered or were destroyed over the years. At the end of the tour you can sample the mineral water that everyone believes is so good for you. It was very warm and VERY mineral-y. Lacey and I had a sip but we dared Amy to drink a whole glass of it, which she did. I'm pretty sure she almost threw up.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKKj9GXkwYr7DjUL-p5Vw6RhyH6hCWMI8R3sMQou-oulD50FaA0uiKIezhqGqVfiUtHoZLISdQg6upA90pnmTuMhe72dCG1CXA2Khxo6pxtpfxs6ybStiuOrWR2sy5GyD5UdtNSix4GGW/s1600-h/image344.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKKj9GXkwYr7DjUL-p5Vw6RhyH6hCWMI8R3sMQou-oulD50FaA0uiKIezhqGqVfiUtHoZLISdQg6upA90pnmTuMhe72dCG1CXA2Khxo6pxtpfxs6ybStiuOrWR2sy5GyD5UdtNSix4GGW/s400/image344.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392094243642754066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypMrY-YQqBHwV4nJ39I9wdHG2Q0_ThS_5niWma_Y0g1Xzo6530cWlj2IJAid3mNCbYWFY6q_IaGa4VvRPxB41WrIDsAG6Vx4WVv44tolJdsLNmFFFqpHr9cfgUg2H59g7I1cx36zf947x/s1600-h/IMGP4800.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypMrY-YQqBHwV4nJ39I9wdHG2Q0_ThS_5niWma_Y0g1Xzo6530cWlj2IJAid3mNCbYWFY6q_IaGa4VvRPxB41WrIDsAG6Vx4WVv44tolJdsLNmFFFqpHr9cfgUg2H59g7I1cx36zf947x/s400/IMGP4800.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392101206295052274" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgzDMVlpmxW8b99OoB545AHLOsCWdRdDSyVJ_u2Fzv6QO9ceiPD5zD_wSwlgciWqg1e7tEzB5YRSxO-C20qIl1zB_ZnnneiaTdy8SggwA0XLkMR3FHyDoD_EC3q0DJS8Z9wJ1tDHNA95G/s1600-h/image339.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgzDMVlpmxW8b99OoB545AHLOsCWdRdDSyVJ_u2Fzv6QO9ceiPD5zD_wSwlgciWqg1e7tEzB5YRSxO-C20qIl1zB_ZnnneiaTdy8SggwA0XLkMR3FHyDoD_EC3q0DJS8Z9wJ1tDHNA95G/s400/image339.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392094237085729698" border="0" /></a><br />Just so you know, the Romans didn't bathe in water that colour. It turned green from the rain and air mixing with the minerals... or something like that.<br /><br />Bath is about 45 minutes from Stonehenge and even though it was getting dark and we knew it would be closed already, we decided to head there anyways. It was so cold that all we did was take a few pictures and get back in the car, but I'm glad I can say I've seen it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIaH1NGGLIc0NIfApNpZR5Qxj5vlBtnOrx2BHMBT09-J_SjApPV5lz9sAE4zZxKux4SSzRDhDjqqAG6bbIfo8n3iKOMF8O8f7_jOp13VTFPq6gURREMH9-UHGUdzq78GaN30Y8oD_JJAT/s1600-h/IMGP4840.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIaH1NGGLIc0NIfApNpZR5Qxj5vlBtnOrx2BHMBT09-J_SjApPV5lz9sAE4zZxKux4SSzRDhDjqqAG6bbIfo8n3iKOMF8O8f7_jOp13VTFPq6gURREMH9-UHGUdzq78GaN30Y8oD_JJAT/s400/IMGP4840.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392101200260079362" border="0" /></a><br />Overall, the trip was amazing. In the end, it doesn't matter how much money you spend, what matters is that you have fun and make memories to last a lifetime. I think I can safely say for the three of us that we won't forget this trip anytime soon.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-57086907299344843202009-10-01T19:56:00.000-07:002009-10-01T21:03:08.303-07:00LondonSunday morning we took the Eurostar train (which is super fast and goes under the Channel) from Paris to London. After barely making the train, it only took us an hour and a half to get there. Like I said before, we didn't have a hotel booked before we got to London. We searched the web for hours but could never agree on a hotel or the price. We ended up going to a hotel booking place at the train station and got a beautiful four star hotel room for a great price (still more than I wanted to spend, but at that point I didn't care anymore). Even though it worked out fine I don't recommend doing this on your next vacation! Our hotel was a five minute walk from Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace so we headed there first.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCjoeWGIdg1hDCR8zLXYfXlb6jsVidyWj2N9Bh9I552zwYX7_GaQ7V6QRweuG_sQwKUrLoYfKROKc-4ppTVvFEaeOnvS_Y4jfVtKuee3-mzc1p8RcVRZQfSsPxJXDR7syZBRD00Z4QGA8/s1600-h/image282.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCjoeWGIdg1hDCR8zLXYfXlb6jsVidyWj2N9Bh9I552zwYX7_GaQ7V6QRweuG_sQwKUrLoYfKROKc-4ppTVvFEaeOnvS_Y4jfVtKuee3-mzc1p8RcVRZQfSsPxJXDR7syZBRD00Z4QGA8/s400/image282.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387836997196561714" border="0" /></a><br />Westminster Abbey<br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXKCIOTvXpuPdJhJRmku0AErufES7QiFkDcJeT4kcR-yYzy_K8_TitPscjTN6M4F_QdPGSTEGUk5cngNPWu9F9P3nCUUkWVEnbaLwmXks7aUFy9TO6CIQ7nvFr6HZ58CBoJUgaZ6S0dBF/s1600-h/image288.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXKCIOTvXpuPdJhJRmku0AErufES7QiFkDcJeT4kcR-yYzy_K8_TitPscjTN6M4F_QdPGSTEGUk5cngNPWu9F9P3nCUUkWVEnbaLwmXks7aUFy9TO6CIQ7nvFr6HZ58CBoJUgaZ6S0dBF/s400/image288.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387836986087332370" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Parliament Buildings<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8i2LOQ9H2GLlt_S-FiQ9K4v_qTCxTZGAwQjTDhiK8nXu9nZ4HR8zEZq_ZpWPY0TEeXBAZb_RxGw0IJoooUywLLlYOKfJH50X4XKXu20VkhcFmCZ4cImIY9RtWRTFRzfYyhXi05uD8Xq8/s1600-h/image294.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8i2LOQ9H2GLlt_S-FiQ9K4v_qTCxTZGAwQjTDhiK8nXu9nZ4HR8zEZq_ZpWPY0TEeXBAZb_RxGw0IJoooUywLLlYOKfJH50X4XKXu20VkhcFmCZ4cImIY9RtWRTFRzfYyhXi05uD8Xq8/s400/image294.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387835684480198658" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Big Ben!<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR5T62x_3DF_ty6TpgkQx1DIQON-fvgRPQqTzWDxoKHcANnmHkAtem8uvqdokEAkT6IVJrmT50Fp4fI2rrwA3FA1C0M36ymlZTygJeyMdKthTUvFyUANpkcJrmlx0D4346Gp_VraFfppk/s1600-h/image308.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR5T62x_3DF_ty6TpgkQx1DIQON-fvgRPQqTzWDxoKHcANnmHkAtem8uvqdokEAkT6IVJrmT50Fp4fI2rrwA3FA1C0M36ymlZTygJeyMdKthTUvFyUANpkcJrmlx0D4346Gp_VraFfppk/s400/image308.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387835670580642882" border="0" /></a><br />We then headed to Piccadilly Circus which is the Times Square of London. This area was my favourite part of London. It was so busy and had a ton cool shops and theaters. They even had a Cinnabon, which after more than a year of not smelling that delicious, cinnamony smell, I had to get some... twice!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95ggwnU8nroveJav3gukIRwd3sYpfW2BwWJIV-1h6fRyeccbyx6ctBl6mpxoIM0vBK9lUMxMMW1hN_P58q5G5zP8Ce7XIh10oqmH8YY6tYrhnR1H8ql8i_MnguFGl6znWUMe_cufqi2sW/s1600-h/image322.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95ggwnU8nroveJav3gukIRwd3sYpfW2BwWJIV-1h6fRyeccbyx6ctBl6mpxoIM0vBK9lUMxMMW1hN_P58q5G5zP8Ce7XIh10oqmH8YY6tYrhnR1H8ql8i_MnguFGl6znWUMe_cufqi2sW/s400/image322.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387835662195465650" border="0" /></a><br />A trip to London wouldn't be complete without seeing the changing of the guards. We got there early to make sure we got a prime spot. We watched the guards get ready near their barracks and then followed behind them on the road to the palace. It was cool to see the guards all dressed up, but it wasn't really that exciting. It was long, not a lot went on and it was so crowded that for a lot of it you couldn't even see anything. I'm still glad we went, though.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2W_4GB3WZM_gU49GjRwKRHjVEd7MXZZHf-CgYiBCuSoeCUm-VS9AMinvMlRYXlNKCjJUH0efiem0PvqgHzzC2U76hHgHL-buECxG6nUNxheMSzBeLm1AayvM-dKTxXCUBDuMHSY6mYG9W/s1600-h/image328.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2W_4GB3WZM_gU49GjRwKRHjVEd7MXZZHf-CgYiBCuSoeCUm-VS9AMinvMlRYXlNKCjJUH0efiem0PvqgHzzC2U76hHgHL-buECxG6nUNxheMSzBeLm1AayvM-dKTxXCUBDuMHSY6mYG9W/s400/image328.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387835656527437682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkj40KrCbl_rLbuJYzXVQ0P9BwlcQZ7-o9YcAwYZT5klyiVZ-ybgiE1eZZPbszqtsLxt9fbh7Zjykae-yFf6szt51GmCL9YyCgRHeSPbCbZG0dMsWW4D82obxqbSndcpbfbeIwqrkydtlu/s1600-h/image365.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkj40KrCbl_rLbuJYzXVQ0P9BwlcQZ7-o9YcAwYZT5klyiVZ-ybgiE1eZZPbszqtsLxt9fbh7Zjykae-yFf6szt51GmCL9YyCgRHeSPbCbZG0dMsWW4D82obxqbSndcpbfbeIwqrkydtlu/s400/image365.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387835645906825170" border="0" /></a>We also went to the Tower of London, where Anne Boleyn (among others) was imprisoned and executed. One of the coolest things about the towers was seeing the carvings on the walls done by the prisoners. They were so beautiful but so sad at the same time. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAfl2xL8DorhMqfqiQmRxqXLYH_aPPTcfJ6zlzL3QciDVMjOZWdv0e6FlZ_39jhcV2E_Oora_HEXRnVAvyCYbb-zoZryFbhM3XVzToTjM8WzCsuB5gd9tX4NWi6d1_VwJoQo8P00OuIU8/s1600-h/IMGP4857.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAfl2xL8DorhMqfqiQmRxqXLYH_aPPTcfJ6zlzL3QciDVMjOZWdv0e6FlZ_39jhcV2E_Oora_HEXRnVAvyCYbb-zoZryFbhM3XVzToTjM8WzCsuB5gd9tX4NWi6d1_VwJoQo8P00OuIU8/s400/IMGP4857.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387846519191130434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0oxSDb74vxGY7Pze0sWK3eVS_-a8R61Gxvc482lglxWd-E-n5fJOFyAPt64wePiVJCgDdbhmpEdYN2xoHNffwFqylnTjprNK2AImPuZsEuYIRMWMLpQO_cxS8mp0OC-3AjyyNFzddBNW/s1600-h/IMGP4855.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0oxSDb74vxGY7Pze0sWK3eVS_-a8R61Gxvc482lglxWd-E-n5fJOFyAPt64wePiVJCgDdbhmpEdYN2xoHNffwFqylnTjprNK2AImPuZsEuYIRMWMLpQO_cxS8mp0OC-3AjyyNFzddBNW/s400/IMGP4855.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387845931444954482" border="0" /></a><br />We rented a car and drove to the nearby city of Bath and visited Stonehenge, but I'll leave those for a separate post.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-49547724712171464612009-09-29T12:39:00.000-07:002009-09-29T13:40:02.184-07:00Paris<span style="font-size:78%;">sorry this took so long...</span><br /><br />We spent the next three days in the beautiful city of Paris. The first day we did a lot of walking and saw the Louvre, Arc de Triomph and Notre Dame Cathedral. Out of those three my favourite would have to be the Louvre. We didn't go inside since its humongous and would take hours to go through, and the fact that none of us are really into museums or art. The only thing in there that I know of is the Mona Lisa, which I've heard is disappointing to see in person anyways because its really small. So we just enjoyed taking pictures of the outside and had a little break by one of the many fountains surrounding the building.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dOojKC4UV9L5iU4zA0l7eJtYdMYToqOhtOm7EwRs3Q_RCqhCjUfXOJj3QMnjvVCc01ExmzJOlCtOIRz9vyHn2cRFIcMP84bD5VviEq8_0iJ8jBVkBbjmN193uOF2uOv4UMe1KUlSiQ9l/s1600-h/image183.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dOojKC4UV9L5iU4zA0l7eJtYdMYToqOhtOm7EwRs3Q_RCqhCjUfXOJj3QMnjvVCc01ExmzJOlCtOIRz9vyHn2cRFIcMP84bD5VviEq8_0iJ8jBVkBbjmN193uOF2uOv4UMe1KUlSiQ9l/s400/image183.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386978244584098178" border="0" /></a>Arc de Triomphe<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2NUBKTf4dZnnXIqeIWq6gyP4TcotXorBC0aGIk61V7fiqMStt28Vs3-BdKww7yBqKjMHyjjrF6PXK_Gv_clDQf7UcrhT3brcT-kFJAfYQF025MdiPZhiU9swnHtPUutZSOsVeebwk_83/s1600-h/image209.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2NUBKTf4dZnnXIqeIWq6gyP4TcotXorBC0aGIk61V7fiqMStt28Vs3-BdKww7yBqKjMHyjjrF6PXK_Gv_clDQf7UcrhT3brcT-kFJAfYQF025MdiPZhiU9swnHtPUutZSOsVeebwk_83/s400/image209.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386978255705327442" border="0" /></a><br />The Louvre<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqyIkpkcPSVp5ulXq1Nq4Fp7AT1OuMuqvMNCHKWNl_vvrYWv4mSJxAKwCgaTJV2IFz-Mkks42oiDqc3Q0KHOu9OWs97X_BCPLYvLycQICEV3vTBGHPHCgv59I_08f5HJpmBqhZGLVMNWn/s1600-h/image222.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqyIkpkcPSVp5ulXq1Nq4Fp7AT1OuMuqvMNCHKWNl_vvrYWv4mSJxAKwCgaTJV2IFz-Mkks42oiDqc3Q0KHOu9OWs97X_BCPLYvLycQICEV3vTBGHPHCgv59I_08f5HJpmBqhZGLVMNWn/s400/image222.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386978262345368306" border="0" /></a><br />Notre Dame Cathedral<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20J-r8PC3MQaeCosSgv0acsK8Ur8TyTOtVBTW8opihMcXf_oMIBbnoCocPx8AfkBQe0ApxBn1JWaFuPjWdybakCOc5FhrhZge1i1pH7bfr-4nGpQWKoBNdTaeVG1Joe5QI1z1Z-9yovu8/s1600-h/image235.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20J-r8PC3MQaeCosSgv0acsK8Ur8TyTOtVBTW8opihMcXf_oMIBbnoCocPx8AfkBQe0ApxBn1JWaFuPjWdybakCOc5FhrhZge1i1pH7bfr-4nGpQWKoBNdTaeVG1Joe5QI1z1Z-9yovu8/s400/image235.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386978268334874818" border="0" /></a><br />Our second day was spent at Disneyland Paris. Our family didn't go to Disneyland when we were younger so we were all pretty excited to unleash our inner child. The excitement wore off after we realized there weren't many adult rides. I think in total we went on five rides all day and only one of those was a roller coaster. We stood in line for a while to get Cinderella and Prince Charming autographs for Lacey's girls. We also got a recording of them saying hi to all of my nieces, which was worth the wait! I'm glad we went to Disneyland but I would never go back unless I had kids with me.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaB3D3W-w7W6U3CRp3kJIK8X-f1hNPKS37NcWjzVdcuTFe0hQVO6koUCJNV1Nk_rNyMaLf_C_78T-oyNO9X3zgvtKROMtKCxQ1OLKFzq88O-uZzgQBi_9ZKhvfVN0s-TtF5-xSP9g9iVVs/s1600-h/image249.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaB3D3W-w7W6U3CRp3kJIK8X-f1hNPKS37NcWjzVdcuTFe0hQVO6koUCJNV1Nk_rNyMaLf_C_78T-oyNO9X3zgvtKROMtKCxQ1OLKFzq88O-uZzgQBi_9ZKhvfVN0s-TtF5-xSP9g9iVVs/s400/image249.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386979764467256786" border="0" /></a><br />Saturday was our last day in Paris and we started the day by going to see Moulin Rouge. It is in the beautiful Montmarte area of Paris, which is built on a hill. Once you get to the top you have a gorgeous view of the city. The streets in this area are very cute and Parisian looking. They are lined with cafes, bakeries and souvenir shops. We used our last day as our shopping day (we can't go to a city without shopping!) and spent a few hours at various clothing stores. We also got some nice souvenirs at booths set up along the River Seine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPMgx0vhazMNhrodCKKzR6ObZ8YX6SCMBs4hTJJVtqVRgEyBwkoDQwMpOQgSF5NlkYDJk1ZMnoj0jFChyphenhyphenr-VI2CZB_JxrFXNhFB9bDWBjTfcdCGpd4NgnHCtL0HTD2e2avOEQZn7VlmIB/s1600-h/image266.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPMgx0vhazMNhrodCKKzR6ObZ8YX6SCMBs4hTJJVtqVRgEyBwkoDQwMpOQgSF5NlkYDJk1ZMnoj0jFChyphenhyphenr-VI2CZB_JxrFXNhFB9bDWBjTfcdCGpd4NgnHCtL0HTD2e2avOEQZn7VlmIB/s400/image266.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386979772346511106" border="0" /></a><br />Our last stop before dinner was the Eiffel Tower. We didn't go up the tower but spent an hour or so walking around the base of it and trying to get a picture of the three of us with as much of the tower as possible. Not very easy! I basically had to lay on the ground to get the first shot, but it was worth it. We had dinner at a nearby pizzeria then walked back to the tower to see it at night with the lights on. After eating the most delicious Nutella and banana crepe ever, we got back on the underground to go to our flat. We were leaving early the next morning so had to pack that night, as well as try and find a hotel for our four nights in London (yes, the night before we were to leave we still didn't have a hotel, but more about that later).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOIbk1fmbCk10NQnzz6r1IwCMph0JlJUmLjxm17d1rSu2ooyeM9z3gIDx63ifZr829yMJkzcsY4kOj-DVKB8VuU9gl04ZIUK7Z5DbDFFb6B5xp5czo_IJnq5e4f-M_Yy1ap3vTP0sb5vn/s1600-h/image273.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOIbk1fmbCk10NQnzz6r1IwCMph0JlJUmLjxm17d1rSu2ooyeM9z3gIDx63ifZr829yMJkzcsY4kOj-DVKB8VuU9gl04ZIUK7Z5DbDFFb6B5xp5czo_IJnq5e4f-M_Yy1ap3vTP0sb5vn/s400/image273.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386979788156000258" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeJGGJriNDqGWp65BRvPUZzONEucpbw7tjc_DZ16kFfdz5MOXw0wg3QGlu6wbqinGtb2MgO5_IwjPNePlQ2CxitmbSBXMpcxivT0cYgy_BXrLhAAJLYHrFSnlH3WPX2Ub61YjQc6nAhT3/s1600-h/image271.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeJGGJriNDqGWp65BRvPUZzONEucpbw7tjc_DZ16kFfdz5MOXw0wg3QGlu6wbqinGtb2MgO5_IwjPNePlQ2CxitmbSBXMpcxivT0cYgy_BXrLhAAJLYHrFSnlH3WPX2Ub61YjQc6nAhT3/s400/image271.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386979779008290098" border="0" /></a><br />Paris is gorgeous. I would have enjoyed it more if I could speak more than five words of French (it's very stressful not knowing the language) but it's definitely a city I want to spend more time in.<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"></span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-65699745903773485082009-09-16T03:57:00.000-07:002009-09-16T04:01:48.276-07:00A Little Busy...I'm sorry I haven't posted about the rest of our trip. I promise I will but I've been a little sidetracked with packing and trying to make the most of the last couple of weeks. Hopefully in the next few days I can find some time to write about it.<br /><br />Just so you know, today is our last day here. We leave early tomorrow morning. SCARY!!!!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-61077492030904857892009-09-07T04:58:00.001-07:002009-09-07T11:11:15.508-07:00NormandyThe first three days of our trip were spent in Normandy, France. We flew into Paris, rented a car and drove to the coast. Our first stop was Mont St. Michel, a rocky tidal island with a small town (population: 50) and a monastary. As we were driving up to it Lacey informed us that it is the number one tourist attraction in France and by the amount of people there, I believe her. Everything about the island was beautiful and we spent several hours checking out the 1000 year old monastary as well as the gift shops. We had to have our car out of the parking lot by 9:30 because of the incoming tide. We wanted to stick around to see the tide come in but we ended up driving straight to our hotel (we were all pretty tired from getting no sleep the night before).<br />We spent the next day around the D-Day beaches of WWII. The first place we went to was a museum with information about all the countries involved in the battle of Normandy. There was also a war memorial there. We then went to Juno beach, which is the beach the Canadians landed on. There is a museum there that is specific to the Canadian battles and what life would have been like during that time. The museum was interesting, but Amy and I spent most of our time walking along the beach. We had a long drive to our next hotel so after a quick stop for pizza, we headed towards Paris.<br />The next day was all about Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and the Palace of Versailles. The palace was HUGE, especially the gardens. Inside, we got to see several rooms, including the hall of mirrors and the king and queens beds. You weren't allowed to use flash inside so a lot of my pictures didn't turn out but I did get a few good ones. There were several other buildings on the property, including two smaller (although they were still pretty big) palaces. Marie Antoinette also had a country home, which was a 10 minute walk from the main palace, where she would go to get away from everything.<br />The first three days were a lot of fun but we were all excited to get to Paris.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjxSsgpgGx6eYMNF_6p_Uf9VcpBI0d1vMKAFxWuaHIbvQVHAzWE1CibaHW9hyjENRh4ubWvPhgi8MPLmem2XbFnc0mW4vM3_LdvB_GmWWHB8RmyYVpR2bvKuxv8oBKMWW1NIOz1FfX8SI/s1600-h/100_1392%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjxSsgpgGx6eYMNF_6p_Uf9VcpBI0d1vMKAFxWuaHIbvQVHAzWE1CibaHW9hyjENRh4ubWvPhgi8MPLmem2XbFnc0mW4vM3_LdvB_GmWWHB8RmyYVpR2bvKuxv8oBKMWW1NIOz1FfX8SI/s400/100_1392%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378778790755598450" border="0" /></a><br />Versailles gardens with the palace in the background<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZrFpzsUTgjHsAIIEnaMENL5mEQljkP1WwVXnC3Hbt1DKDvIuiShJaUAvQjlnwn3fAPpxjflQ96ujLiHXoozwD0soUmSLHlxjh8H2DsyyQBDftT2yTv5UfA-3Z4QATJJezrnkRekILJUG/s1600-h/100_1385%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZrFpzsUTgjHsAIIEnaMENL5mEQljkP1WwVXnC3Hbt1DKDvIuiShJaUAvQjlnwn3fAPpxjflQ96ujLiHXoozwD0soUmSLHlxjh8H2DsyyQBDftT2yTv5UfA-3Z4QATJJezrnkRekILJUG/s400/100_1385%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378778784223811874" border="0" /></a><br />Versailles</div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5iGnm6N4PsG8cMDBBySDlQGjHT2plip1NHK0Mjn6OZ4V7aiJbt3B5AvI8QIr9vZN1ZMRdF9GYiqGiGTcK2grk17Gszc48KfDfXUfMJxCLx7V2IxPV_DHH2q94Zuxatve1kQ_RPLRRk05f/s1600-h/100_1357%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5iGnm6N4PsG8cMDBBySDlQGjHT2plip1NHK0Mjn6OZ4V7aiJbt3B5AvI8QIr9vZN1ZMRdF9GYiqGiGTcK2grk17Gszc48KfDfXUfMJxCLx7V2IxPV_DHH2q94Zuxatve1kQ_RPLRRk05f/s400/100_1357%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378778777990550386" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">view of the gardens from inside<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfKmvzVV9OLGEU3vTLJuE0C0W6HjxttVqO2uHQAOZqc4d4KmWZe7FG1ZXaLXQXx2VmN6etb4ltubH86oaShXcwDY08vRWexzoTG8VQ9oX8s-12CwL9G0pj5pzWnW9wAdTooDtar71QBuK/s1600-h/100_1355%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfKmvzVV9OLGEU3vTLJuE0C0W6HjxttVqO2uHQAOZqc4d4KmWZe7FG1ZXaLXQXx2VmN6etb4ltubH86oaShXcwDY08vRWexzoTG8VQ9oX8s-12CwL9G0pj5pzWnW9wAdTooDtar71QBuK/s400/100_1355%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378778766903418754" border="0" /></a><br />hall of mirrors<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BtVs66VOGf3HUjYSa9JdtnvMrmDbp4dfsDal8ZFWOje1nQV4vXQHRg056AOCu-8Ov37UBJstGA-oBjd6iDW-Wr4ocR4hY15znorl_HTyhLVd4b1traUsWlHKGFkafDyFRWi0vv9EPHky/s1600-h/100_1324%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BtVs66VOGf3HUjYSa9JdtnvMrmDbp4dfsDal8ZFWOje1nQV4vXQHRg056AOCu-8Ov37UBJstGA-oBjd6iDW-Wr4ocR4hY15znorl_HTyhLVd4b1traUsWlHKGFkafDyFRWi0vv9EPHky/s400/100_1324%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378776621505478242" border="0" /></a><br />Versailles</div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVjvUMLBcE1njlYaK1tMYf4PvQp_yrQxa6oBl4HT5uzwn8zrVqKNQcYkOXZQ-lnIZzirfWtto1VpLGK4-ujgc1x18pPd5RI7IOx7mRGzyRtRi0SsJPTnqeCgpvHmGMYqsdTmq4Z_Rarqd/s1600-h/100_1300%5B2%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVjvUMLBcE1njlYaK1tMYf4PvQp_yrQxa6oBl4HT5uzwn8zrVqKNQcYkOXZQ-lnIZzirfWtto1VpLGK4-ujgc1x18pPd5RI7IOx7mRGzyRtRi0SsJPTnqeCgpvHmGMYqsdTmq4Z_Rarqd/s400/100_1300%5B2%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378776612328056738" border="0" /></a><br />Juno Beach<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-j06EDwkenHOKEvZf4KG83aIASXsEkKTyTkhzREXBnMDOsU2-0DcNsliN6kTWYPZcyBTXdntgfAm5GXOo6hxknTmEifVbrASLOsxmDJQXMws1xMSeATMcu5S6MCPieJRWY2Hro3LkgID7/s1600-h/100_1289%5B2%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-j06EDwkenHOKEvZf4KG83aIASXsEkKTyTkhzREXBnMDOsU2-0DcNsliN6kTWYPZcyBTXdntgfAm5GXOo6hxknTmEifVbrASLOsxmDJQXMws1xMSeATMcu5S6MCPieJRWY2Hro3LkgID7/s400/100_1289%5B2%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378776603977668546" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">WWII war memorial<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxYK9HqFza4dhipTTJYFoT1GssyuZv2rM9CQSqOvSGLm4RJpLB2G8EQ84qHUWt6KamF4_pGC2eX9hSKMZQsKFZkIt748by8KX05lLVf8MMlJccfVg_UlpoHpT8UMQd5b8XAlHwlQB6AMw/s1600-h/100_1239%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxYK9HqFza4dhipTTJYFoT1GssyuZv2rM9CQSqOvSGLm4RJpLB2G8EQ84qHUWt6KamF4_pGC2eX9hSKMZQsKFZkIt748by8KX05lLVf8MMlJccfVg_UlpoHpT8UMQd5b8XAlHwlQB6AMw/s400/100_1239%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378776594936338610" border="0" /></a><br />Mont St. Michel street<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGz8cbU8rCvGcJvwGFTUMLm3UBK-A1sFKm8WN4hKokuvGq1GN8-4wgWVGsbnHh8vnjy53_3FgQ3tNlboRzVL6epKmPeb-zbOWSWiufuE4E2rFC3LdPzazPKEbEa8nCdm9aAgWAv-lEnqr_/s1600-h/100_1230%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGz8cbU8rCvGcJvwGFTUMLm3UBK-A1sFKm8WN4hKokuvGq1GN8-4wgWVGsbnHh8vnjy53_3FgQ3tNlboRzVL6epKmPeb-zbOWSWiufuE4E2rFC3LdPzazPKEbEa8nCdm9aAgWAv-lEnqr_/s400/100_1230%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378776581279276562" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mont St. Michel<br /></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-7185439122060511022009-09-03T15:01:00.000-07:002009-09-03T15:11:12.801-07:00I'm Back.............After 11 long, exhausting, amazing, exciting days I am finally back in Edinburgh. The train ride from London took nine hours when its only supposed to take four (tree branch on the line or something like that), but I'm back and ready to sleep in tomorrow! I'll try and write several posts over the next few days to tell you all about our exciting adventures. We all had an amazing time, despite now being deep in debt. I won't say much about it now except that I think Paris might be my favourite city ever. Its just so... beautiful. I've got more than 500 pictures and tons of stories to share so get ready!!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-49558681225498948582009-08-19T04:01:00.000-07:002009-08-19T04:43:06.278-07:00vaca updateYesterday was my last shift at the bar/restaurant. I didn't feel too sad because I know I'll see everyone for a few more weeks at least. I know when I leave the building for the last time I'll have a hard time holding back the tears. But thats not what this post is about. I just realized that I haven't really posted about my two week vacation thats coming up. So here is a little preview of what we will be doing.<br /><br />My oldest sister, Lacey, and her husband are leaving tonight and arriving tomorrow morning. They are renting a car and going straight to the highlands for a little romantic road-trip. They will be in Edinburgh either Friday night or Saturday morning. We'll have two days in the city to show them around. Lacey really wants to see where Amy and I work so we might fit in a quick game of bingo before heading over to Cameo for dinner and to do the pub quiz. *Side note* The pub quiz is so much fun! Every Sunday night there is a quiz with four rounds of 10 questions. There are usually 15-20 teams and the winner of each round gets some chocolate, with the overall prize being a £30 bar tab. If its not too busy the bar staff try and get a team in there too, which is why I always loved working Sunday nights.<br />Sunday night the plan is (for me anyways) to not go to sleep. Weird plan, right? But we have to catch a bus in the city at 3:15 Monday morning. That means we would have to get up at about 1:30 for all of us to start having showers and make sure our room is spic and span. *another side note* Amy and I have to have our room completely packed up and clean before we leave on Monday. We won't be back until September, so to save us having to pay rent for two more weeks we are going to technically be out of the room. Then its up to Neil whether or not he finds someone to take the room. We'll still be staying here for the two weeks after our trip, but we'll just be on the couch (or if no one is in the room yet I'm sure we'll sleep in our old beds).<br />So, since Lacey and Duane only have two days in the city, I figure they'll want to enjoy it and not go to bed at 7:30 in order to get a decent nights sleep. The bus ride to the airport (we have to go to Glasgow) will take about two hours and the flight to Paris is about an hour and a half. Not a lot of sleep but I'm hoping our excitment for being in France will make us forget about the lack of sleep.<br />Here is a quick summary of our trip:<br />Monday morning: fly to Paris, get rental car and drive to beaches of <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://www.francethisway.com/normandy/normandylandingbeaches.php">Normandy</a>. We have Monday and Tuesday to do the beaches, <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/mont-st-michel.htm">Mont St. Michel</a> and visit any cute French towns along the way.<br />Wednesday: Tour of the <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://en.chateauversailles.fr/index.php?option=com_cdvhomepage">Palace of Versailles</a>. Wednesday evening will be spent in Paris.<br />Thursday: Duane flies home in the morning. Us girls will spend the rest of the day touring Paris<br />Friday: Disneyland Paris!!!<br />Saturday: Last day in Paris<br />Sunday: We have an early train ride to London. We are taking the Eurostar train, which is the super fast train that goes through a tunnel under the English Channel. We'll have most of Sunday for London<br />Monday: London<br />Tuesday: day trip from London... maybe to Stonehenge and Bath.<br />Wednesday: Last day in London<br />Thursday: Lacey flies home, Amy and I fly to Edinburgh.<br /><br />It's going to be an amazing, long, expensive trip! I've been so busy with work the past few weeks that I haven't really had time to think about the fact that in a few days I'm going to see so many amazing things... and my sister and BIL, who I haven't seen since February. I can't wait!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-69574510370464602372009-08-12T05:19:00.001-07:002009-08-12T05:23:55.922-07:00Not much time left now...One week of work left.<br /><br />Two weeks of holidays.<br /><br />Two weeks back in Edinburgh to say goodbye.<br /><br />And on September 17th I am moving back to Canada.<br /><br />Crazy!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-63535401597553942832009-07-30T07:44:00.000-07:002009-07-30T07:58:10.448-07:00tattoo number twoA week ago today I got my second tattoo. Before Amy and I moved here we talked about getting a thistle tattoo as a lifelong souvenir of our year in Scotland. We looked online a lot trying to find a design that we liked but they were all too 'real' looking, and if you know what a thistle looks like you know they aren't really the most beautiful, girly weeds! I got my eyebrow pierced at a tattoo shop and while we were waiting we looked through some of the design books they had. We found a page with several different thistle designs, including the one I chose. It's pretty and girly and very... me. I love it!<br /><br />The first two pictures were taken the day I got it done and the last was taken today.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5SOdCrg1GfKC7MEJr4SQvw1FEfnKM6iD-iu2OArh3F7dsjUGKzb48iJmQyB7cpa_-6d2aPzxawVDWaxlDJY5mA43J57LFhXVPvvxPfPUwBImvCGF4GPHzU5kDhPLBm8aIN1Bdn6pVwmV/s1600-h/100_1097%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5SOdCrg1GfKC7MEJr4SQvw1FEfnKM6iD-iu2OArh3F7dsjUGKzb48iJmQyB7cpa_-6d2aPzxawVDWaxlDJY5mA43J57LFhXVPvvxPfPUwBImvCGF4GPHzU5kDhPLBm8aIN1Bdn6pVwmV/s400/100_1097%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364266882755975970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nTNrRxq6N1UJe-WBV8k3eEuWt86j-YhUWK45zm13HtFAi1FlyPRnFa-gqrzZ-AnTVty85hc-CsqOyHhOFzXjDuZJXmZMCSS_mSul4B1mAogGbYeh8uRd60j843rDdBLGLa4AhuwxbnUd/s1600-h/100_1095%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nTNrRxq6N1UJe-WBV8k3eEuWt86j-YhUWK45zm13HtFAi1FlyPRnFa-gqrzZ-AnTVty85hc-CsqOyHhOFzXjDuZJXmZMCSS_mSul4B1mAogGbYeh8uRd60j843rDdBLGLa4AhuwxbnUd/s400/100_1095%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364266888340978146" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyR7wMgGUzBUj_dYLvMIk7XFA96QQgMmZpHFX9KgJjIRwO6xz27CkdyvWaTHKaMEnTcZPw2aVm2X5DR2GiOjo7DJbN4L82PMKDLH-AAlEkJgsmSJhcaOailIHw3zblPG3iFo7vTunlvDH/s1600-h/100_1123%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyR7wMgGUzBUj_dYLvMIk7XFA96QQgMmZpHFX9KgJjIRwO6xz27CkdyvWaTHKaMEnTcZPw2aVm2X5DR2GiOjo7DJbN4L82PMKDLH-AAlEkJgsmSJhcaOailIHw3zblPG3iFo7vTunlvDH/s400/100_1123%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364266895382293634" border="0" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-37123982068326840912009-07-22T08:07:00.000-07:002009-07-23T18:55:57.301-07:00Tales from Northern IrelandWell, Amy and I got back from Northern Ireland on Saturday and I'm just now finding the time to sit down and tell you all about it! Work has been busy and I've been trying to spend as much time with friends as possible these last few weeks we're here. We were over there for four days and packed a lot in so this post may be a little picture heavy. Here we go...<br /><br />We flew in to Belfast on Wednesday and were met at the airport by our flatmate Neil and one of his friends. They took us to Carrickfergus Castle but we didn't have time to go inside. To be honest, it didn't really look all that thrilling anyways. We did have fun taking some pictures with a good looking knight though.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_om0xVPRrU6aDrTb-zg17qLxbWZu3s1t4uXw0fYdRL_AVgRGb9TRk8tWucWV8hH7d1_1SsaVOlwbOTR8fAEfx827kgpN_bYV0dh-GgZc_Qb25YtWI95T7O10G_QdmW3m0ASY2GgkmZCic/s1600-h/100_0912%5B2%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_om0xVPRrU6aDrTb-zg17qLxbWZu3s1t4uXw0fYdRL_AVgRGb9TRk8tWucWV8hH7d1_1SsaVOlwbOTR8fAEfx827kgpN_bYV0dh-GgZc_Qb25YtWI95T7O10G_QdmW3m0ASY2GgkmZCic/s400/100_0912%5B2%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361303474619449426" border="0" /></a><br />After the castle we went back to Belfast to take a guided tour of the city. We saw some pretty amazing buildings, the dockyard where Titanic was built (so cool!) and a lot of murals on both the Protestant and Catholic sides of the city. It was pretty crazy to hear about all the unrest that went on in the city.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgd8AJT6jF6cAJdGOILMYI7uWlXS757xYIsLoZDn-mi0nz_cwNUKUU3EnWQfxYZp2PzEVwqMTqW8Je0BnxgcSvkpJukY4GNGD0E5arMkBLmpvZXbSg8Hn6_typAmPi63D28CLXCVMhsjVU/s1600-h/100_0939%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgd8AJT6jF6cAJdGOILMYI7uWlXS757xYIsLoZDn-mi0nz_cwNUKUU3EnWQfxYZp2PzEVwqMTqW8Je0BnxgcSvkpJukY4GNGD0E5arMkBLmpvZXbSg8Hn6_typAmPi63D28CLXCVMhsjVU/s400/100_0939%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361306634490971826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nND-VTq43g-41pl_ZtBRY7QniPArzAsL98t3P-IY_3RktdUyDEQMzwLiI9yMhHArzFnx2HBAocqRQtguEaudMyfNo3JekTPU9QPzuhIM_6aj2aHVFkCl9HAMnPHqHwmabVjuUEqM8Bys/s1600-h/100_0922%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nND-VTq43g-41pl_ZtBRY7QniPArzAsL98t3P-IY_3RktdUyDEQMzwLiI9yMhHArzFnx2HBAocqRQtguEaudMyfNo3JekTPU9QPzuhIM_6aj2aHVFkCl9HAMnPHqHwmabVjuUEqM8Bys/s400/100_0922%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361306636184806162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWseXAcsfqTS0ksgO6xiVyUVJ06OoN8h4cSoHVb59cKZZLxUtWb1woXU3pnuo8mYzbkI48G4XUlbPyObi1NkaFnjVrLLSZnvMqQEstVs-D_utDjtIlJyrmSzTrby4aYxnV4RBy7JDwPr3/s1600-h/100_0937%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWseXAcsfqTS0ksgO6xiVyUVJ06OoN8h4cSoHVb59cKZZLxUtWb1woXU3pnuo8mYzbkI48G4XUlbPyObi1NkaFnjVrLLSZnvMqQEstVs-D_utDjtIlJyrmSzTrby4aYxnV4RBy7JDwPr3/s400/100_0937%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361306638138470722" border="0" /></a>After the tour we went out for dinner and then headed to Tobermore, the small town that Neil is from. The next day we started off at the rope bridge I wrote about before. Amy and I were excited to go across but everyone else we were with were a little scared. We all managed to walk... or in some cases more like run... across to get some amazing views of the Irish coast.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZHua9x-45aXNrDOD6mXjwBGZfG3ZAureQoipw-kVr8S9qaCZzUWXcKqOAdezsqCwCgZwIqbwGR9YLwH2JPmQOF_9mPh0NhaakP6lXy54nGpeq2Qrb9p1OfD-bgyNvLVTCr7ZM3xHHvCg/s1600-h/100_0953%5B2%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZHua9x-45aXNrDOD6mXjwBGZfG3ZAureQoipw-kVr8S9qaCZzUWXcKqOAdezsqCwCgZwIqbwGR9YLwH2JPmQOF_9mPh0NhaakP6lXy54nGpeq2Qrb9p1OfD-bgyNvLVTCr7ZM3xHHvCg/s400/100_0953%5B2%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361309337444520482" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5vEHCYe1t3aC1zy-IBESlVXnmP5wgfchZ80QMmrDLbJJESe5uETGFibQqgXvlozv8uWpUPesGq84TmWI_b72A-wyLzoCRZNNihqneXJ1XSa0XEBRWzONL97YcQpgcgvpuLfmJCK8uwz_/s1600-h/100_0973%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5vEHCYe1t3aC1zy-IBESlVXnmP5wgfchZ80QMmrDLbJJESe5uETGFibQqgXvlozv8uWpUPesGq84TmWI_b72A-wyLzoCRZNNihqneXJ1XSa0XEBRWzONL97YcQpgcgvpuLfmJCK8uwz_/s400/100_0973%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361309338358821330" border="0" /></a><br />We then headed over to Bushmills whiskey distillery, which, at 400 years, is one of the oldest in the world. We went on a tour of the distillery but unfortunately they were shut down for repairs that day so we didn't actually get to see any whiskey being made. At the end of the tour we were offered a free dram to try. The guide said there was one that tasted like chocolate and caramel, so I decided to go for that one. Lets just say it did NOT taste anything like chocolate OR caramel and I barely got one sip down. Whiskey is not my friend.<br /><br />We then headed to Giants Causeway. The best words to describe it are: amazing, beauitful, weird and crazy. It's just so weird that all of the rocks are about the same size and shape. There are two different versions of why the rocks are there. The first has to do with lava many millions of years ago and the second is about the giant<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> </span><a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://thenorthernirelandguide.co.uk/giants-causeway-and-legend-finn-mccool">Finn McCool</a>. I'll let you decide which one you believe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihu37mUjvLfsMW3k7KJMUp7czP_ZT1OE8TZexR-HgUfy0mBJuqOaSqKf6_rR-Ig1Qlg4M0bZWsusldORHB8IK0M4ioS8lmhYpN5ubRKQ5GOZN_4F6vTNEFxrZRNhAOJYik9s1lghU6pr8m/s1600-h/100_0994%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihu37mUjvLfsMW3k7KJMUp7czP_ZT1OE8TZexR-HgUfy0mBJuqOaSqKf6_rR-Ig1Qlg4M0bZWsusldORHB8IK0M4ioS8lmhYpN5ubRKQ5GOZN_4F6vTNEFxrZRNhAOJYik9s1lghU6pr8m/s400/100_0994%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361820449743303874" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBbXx4Zs30Vq3FNhI5DGnuDJ1ulWNBI3DOStPiq4wsiEVc5jeb61-QY7aqvMixG529jb87tO4zJAMcy0w0hXTuHs3T7mhy1Pc08iHLnb0WPlVmM6m14Daw0UJ5XmRNrdrOUAvxOkUbH3B/s1600-h/100_0990%5B2%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBbXx4Zs30Vq3FNhI5DGnuDJ1ulWNBI3DOStPiq4wsiEVc5jeb61-QY7aqvMixG529jb87tO4zJAMcy0w0hXTuHs3T7mhy1Pc08iHLnb0WPlVmM6m14Daw0UJ5XmRNrdrOUAvxOkUbH3B/s400/100_0990%5B2%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361820452566056946" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRCBU430zQV2SyajRguOW-jdBdsm_cPGpBHkVaZn2PX0605V8hBaVU1ZVWaC25vkn11KfkdmSy-nbZIf9edVQZdXKqd934jELL1OJG7ALE4MAnS1a4AFmJhrSbiYCq-2x5tcqIKekcK5R/s1600-h/100_0996%5B2%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRCBU430zQV2SyajRguOW-jdBdsm_cPGpBHkVaZn2PX0605V8hBaVU1ZVWaC25vkn11KfkdmSy-nbZIf9edVQZdXKqd934jELL1OJG7ALE4MAnS1a4AFmJhrSbiYCq-2x5tcqIKekcK5R/s400/100_0996%5B2%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361820457278634770" border="0" /></a><br />After a delicious dinner and some fun and games at an indoor theme park, we headed back to Tobermore. The next day we went on a tour of Londonderry. It is another city that was really affected by the troubles between the Catholics and Protestents. Londonderry was a really pretty walled city. We went on a walking tour of the walls and got some history of the troubles that went on there. After a few hours we headed to a place called Musseden Temple. I don't know much about this place but it sure was beautiful. I'll let the pictures do the talking.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAIDofi280r_f3wRcNW8tovhRtGl2_S-M4bXA8P6v9VFZcESBDzMVsmzs-RtGSaZ6_557KnRhyphenhyphenE0rF9TwM7FzJ41DqSfS7TnEnjdzIpDcGHgP3hLmb18e9rSTrXRZegDtGT3SNUzuF5fn/s1600-h/100_1051%5B2%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAIDofi280r_f3wRcNW8tovhRtGl2_S-M4bXA8P6v9VFZcESBDzMVsmzs-RtGSaZ6_557KnRhyphenhyphenE0rF9TwM7FzJ41DqSfS7TnEnjdzIpDcGHgP3hLmb18e9rSTrXRZegDtGT3SNUzuF5fn/s400/100_1051%5B2%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361828431440941506" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCyR1n5H7dt5reJD60v6MtjhQl7Qya8Z0DW24sqOtfhLhY3oe9nKwNUJiwbupD5UGupu4ZS08befDVzc5huPZnQmD879yGXCq7XSog1RZvfHeh7IWO8Bi8Z50Y65T0FEUZow6wcannE6T/s1600-h/100_1086%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCyR1n5H7dt5reJD60v6MtjhQl7Qya8Z0DW24sqOtfhLhY3oe9nKwNUJiwbupD5UGupu4ZS08befDVzc5huPZnQmD879yGXCq7XSog1RZvfHeh7IWO8Bi8Z50Y65T0FEUZow6wcannE6T/s400/100_1086%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361828447329018466" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSgUuWsrt5o9m2BeLSvgsVd52mWxwzYKI68HBtzLJqGIFD2e3FOgq6hRgml0ctSBj-L6J1Q5cN1VFdN2cs9Fzy0lm2dZ8CxkmLUt9Ie8brKcCqgKNR6j37GaFuDR_exrQgMBx5MidC7Hg/s1600-h/100_1077%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSgUuWsrt5o9m2BeLSvgsVd52mWxwzYKI68HBtzLJqGIFD2e3FOgq6hRgml0ctSBj-L6J1Q5cN1VFdN2cs9Fzy0lm2dZ8CxkmLUt9Ie8brKcCqgKNR6j37GaFuDR_exrQgMBx5MidC7Hg/s400/100_1077%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361828444166429170" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRVoogZaKdjtHyZMFER3Bh1hrKy3sbfdqkeJDCFc3inX5TOBoihzdFMqmlT45tqs4IYxZjv_8OtunTLwzOxnKYYps4UeoOWDu4s6__YP5cdMFDCbMzINgUcCEtL7D1rSqL723V7CfaHIp/s1600-h/100_1080%5B2%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRVoogZaKdjtHyZMFER3Bh1hrKy3sbfdqkeJDCFc3inX5TOBoihzdFMqmlT45tqs4IYxZjv_8OtunTLwzOxnKYYps4UeoOWDu4s6__YP5cdMFDCbMzINgUcCEtL7D1rSqL723V7CfaHIp/s400/100_1080%5B2%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361828438918356642" border="0" /></a><br />Amy and I had a ton of fun here snapping lots of pictures. It was definitely one of our favourite places on the trip. Overall we had a great time in Northern Ireland and packed a lot in to the four days we were there. Theres still lots of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland that we want to see, though!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-42941162199245894792009-06-24T03:07:00.000-07:002009-06-24T04:05:30.468-07:00titlelessI just sat here for about 10 minutes trying to think of a title but my mind just doesn't seem to be working. So, titleless it is.<br /><br />It's been sooooooo long since the last time I posted but there just doesn't seem to be anything interesting to write about.<br /><br />Yesterday Amy, myself and our flatmate Neil's mom took the train to Glasgow to do some shopping. There is a store over here called Primark that is so incredibly cheap it is unbelievable. We don't have one in Edinburgh so Amy and I have gone to Glasgow a few times to get some shopping in. I don't have a lot of money so had to restrain myself but I did manage<br />to find some cute summer shirts for a pound each. Yep, a pound. I also found a really cute purse (I'm addicted to purses). We also got some new tattoos while we were there.... of the Henna variety.<br />Here's a pic of mine:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9DN_Cw4mHafhvDCzzIch5gMuGSYnzcEYcGAA-A57BywIMyN92_3-qJMyrhfEMU5qPcT7afXlbKJGX_B5iB-YIRdAVaHn7UcvV5jsmL6kgEbB7LKchNtlKBPbpWKaG10GjGuQXZ9xAGOJ/s1600-h/image318.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9DN_Cw4mHafhvDCzzIch5gMuGSYnzcEYcGAA-A57BywIMyN92_3-qJMyrhfEMU5qPcT7afXlbKJGX_B5iB-YIRdAVaHn7UcvV5jsmL6kgEbB7LKchNtlKBPbpWKaG10GjGuQXZ9xAGOJ/s400/image318.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350834995316865506" border="0" /></a>I love it. It makes me want to get a real tattoo there. I can just see myself when I'm 80 with a wrinkly old neck and the short curly haircut that every old woman has and this tattoo showing. Not the prettiest picture. I think I'll stick to getting them in places that are somewhat easier to hide.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUl0dlBN-BRrP0WKHybSOPqUpp1NeuhJtJGcZ088-L_JtgIiCObUxtrwRxIbXpFrQmUtR1cMAL8czzPk9mBhIlt4CTirMsMfdakX1wyR_iu7mfZffz3tpqhMJQm31wFIs1_IGahA_Rigs_/s1600-h/image316.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUl0dlBN-BRrP0WKHybSOPqUpp1NeuhJtJGcZ088-L_JtgIiCObUxtrwRxIbXpFrQmUtR1cMAL8czzPk9mBhIlt4CTirMsMfdakX1wyR_iu7mfZffz3tpqhMJQm31wFIs1_IGahA_Rigs_/s400/image316.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350834992128314994" border="0" /></a>Amy loves hers too. They say they last 2-5 weeks but Amy just got out of the shower and it's already a little faded. Oh well.<br /><br />In other news... We are heading over to Northern Ireland for a few days in July. The main things that we will be able to see are the Giants Causeway, Carrick rope bridge and Belfast City. Here are some pics.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFe47Udg6ybVgTyTuZ_91ozO_PgbJrNGPpj7S1EKajdEdAhC36hKIRwb7U-z2T790KXXiNNP1j6R29-bDFLxZWNCHmmnMhTqZTPOIC0_FaKJtHzP7RGK-tq873eCTfGP8rCEjv8bi_KQNj/s1600-h/giants_causeway.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFe47Udg6ybVgTyTuZ_91ozO_PgbJrNGPpj7S1EKajdEdAhC36hKIRwb7U-z2T790KXXiNNP1j6R29-bDFLxZWNCHmmnMhTqZTPOIC0_FaKJtHzP7RGK-tq873eCTfGP8rCEjv8bi_KQNj/s400/giants_causeway.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350842271902022002" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOuppJQEpRkU4Fm-l2Hwue0Fw3RZqKM1vyaGEAMjgpYTL4v1HM6Sv4PnNyyB3xArE55eEHvLg-22RuzdsnZABA_rFznJXP26uJQZmsFDziGtkhgriB03A0t2WZzG0XWgjzGmg1OSqm8ioj/s1600-h/url.htm"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 389px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOuppJQEpRkU4Fm-l2Hwue0Fw3RZqKM1vyaGEAMjgpYTL4v1HM6Sv4PnNyyB3xArE55eEHvLg-22RuzdsnZABA_rFznJXP26uJQZmsFDziGtkhgriB03A0t2WZzG0XWgjzGmg1OSqm8ioj/s400/url.htm" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350842279863032946" border="0" /></a><br />Yikes!! The bridge doesn't look too long in the picture, but I'm sure once I'm standing there ready to walk on it I'll be thinking otherwise. Can't wait!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-81078076157537698352009-06-03T14:45:00.000-07:002009-06-03T15:20:30.811-07:00A Few of My Favourite ThingsThere are a few stores here that I have grown to love. Every time I walk to the shopping area I have to go in them to look around. For the most part I have never bought anything from these stores because they are out of my price range, but I like to dream. Today I bought something for the first time at one of my favourites. The store is called Cath Kidston and its a vintage inspired home ware/accessories/clothing store. It's a small shop but they have a little bit of everything. They have several different vintage inspired patterns and each of the mugs, purses, or whatever you're wanting to buy is available in each of the patterns. Here are a few of my favourite patterns:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVqr3Tm5bAdLaCUaz73SHuSUwCrqbmj9ouqIh0J5q2WHKSJyxyNm7zXjWHHA4hQ3zsQ2shk8TwtQn5Mw4-sU1_ukoThSbE_uf0jAmdUxDbVWvkWEq7LwMk9d0EWKxBzO_Lo7DXAT75Q0e/s1600-h/239271.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVqr3Tm5bAdLaCUaz73SHuSUwCrqbmj9ouqIh0J5q2WHKSJyxyNm7zXjWHHA4hQ3zsQ2shk8TwtQn5Mw4-sU1_ukoThSbE_uf0jAmdUxDbVWvkWEq7LwMk9d0EWKxBzO_Lo7DXAT75Q0e/s320/239271.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343223462055662162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iw3YcaPLrqUWLIybz3EPNJI_CeH7vRPAs5A5iBnNzPnk1C7vv_qB8y1mk6RAjOukpJM_TiVj4eDy87q_7Zq8_agoM1KIAuUqKzwFtPys1C8ZLVVcsFajPghxGzl-TLWPu5tjeanheokB/s1600-h/232739.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iw3YcaPLrqUWLIybz3EPNJI_CeH7vRPAs5A5iBnNzPnk1C7vv_qB8y1mk6RAjOukpJM_TiVj4eDy87q_7Zq8_agoM1KIAuUqKzwFtPys1C8ZLVVcsFajPghxGzl-TLWPu5tjeanheokB/s320/232739.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343223448311874658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokj9fxNkA0cAHyYiygPWDM25jWlM7Qvden8-rtB0bGVhmzRWGINheL92x-VUcgDDQzFdHZxrNRLs8oRjEKKFwiKK57zLnnlULvCkETXETyK1DNNFZIcwPWo-EwMMq8zFcK2F99j2MYVzr/s1600-h/1-759-1-1-PALEPIN.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokj9fxNkA0cAHyYiygPWDM25jWlM7Qvden8-rtB0bGVhmzRWGINheL92x-VUcgDDQzFdHZxrNRLs8oRjEKKFwiKK57zLnnlULvCkETXETyK1DNNFZIcwPWo-EwMMq8zFcK2F99j2MYVzr/s320/1-759-1-1-PALEPIN.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343223448675104802" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">And my personal favourite... cowboys! You can get anything you want in this pattern.... purses, wellies, baby clothes, baby bags, a crib set (so cute!)<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN0UzT-Thh1vY0lVohrkeeVUitfx8U4io3xmJV7rsfIX5TqU4F0nFvl0EMqVwelv9H8obVcQzfoG4BmoQ-pWIcNOsCNXVUxkZ_jITOakSKV05pJbekqmuOAh1bBn20Ec5pGOuBhRbsNZr/s1600-h/60035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN0UzT-Thh1vY0lVohrkeeVUitfx8U4io3xmJV7rsfIX5TqU4F0nFvl0EMqVwelv9H8obVcQzfoG4BmoQ-pWIcNOsCNXVUxkZ_jITOakSKV05pJbekqmuOAh1bBn20Ec5pGOuBhRbsNZr/s320/60035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343223461465866306" border="0" /></a>I bought a mug in this pattern today. I was going to post a picture of it but it's not available on the website.<br /><br />Seriously, I could spend hundreds of pounds in this store.<br /><br />Another one of my favourite stores is called Monsoon. It's a clothing store that sort of reminds me of RW & Co. Probably because I love everything in the store but can't afford anything. Here's a link to the website. They have some beautiful dresses.<br /><a style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);" href="http://www.monsoon.co.uk/">Monsoon</a><br /><br />My favourite store here that I ACTUALLY buy things at is called <a style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);" href="http://www.newlook.co.uk/navigation/homepage.aspx">New Look</a>. It's another clothing store, but wayyyyyy more affordable. A lot of the clothes are a little too 'hip' for me, but I always manage to find something I like.<br /><br />These are a few of my favourite stores here that I will miss shopping at. I signed up to recieve a magazine from Cath Kidston, but I put down my Canadian address so when I'm home I'll still be able to get a little taste of the store.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-58846651902603786952009-06-02T05:15:00.000-07:002009-06-02T06:32:55.450-07:00Our Last Three MonthsI can't believe we only have three months to go. Incredible. I have such mixed feelings about going home. I can't wait to see my family and friends. I can't wait to hug my nieces and meet my sweet little nephew for the first time. I miss my parents house and my bedroom (even though I'll only be there for a few weeks before I move to Waterloo). I'm excited to get my own apartment and finally be able to buy things at IKEA that I've loved for years but couldn't buy because I didn't have my own place. I'm excited to share my stories and pictures with the people I love in person.<br /><br />BUT...<br /><br />I love my job here. I love the people I work with. I love the fact that the bar closed at 12 but a bunch of us stayed till 3 am just talking and laughing. I love the city and the Royal Mile. I love being able to walk through buildings and on streets with so much history. I love the fact that for 5 pounds I can fly to Paris if I wanted to (which I do). I love being surrounded by Scottish accents, even though I'm so used to it now that they don't even sound Scottish anymore. I love that I'm annoyed at all the tourists in the city, even though I was one of them nine months ago. This feels like MY city and I'm going to miss it.<br /><br />Don't worry, this is not my way of telling you that I'm not coming home in September. I'm just saying that it will definitely be a bittersweet moment. I can't wait to go home, but I (and Amy) will miss this place.<br /><br />With that being said, Amy and I are going to try and make the most of our last three months here (without spending a lot of money). Here's what we've got planned:<br /><br />- Not much going on in June. We'll maybe try and go to a few highland games in the area.<br />-We might head over to Northern Ireland for a few days in July. We'd stay with our flatmates mom and get to see the Giants Causeway and Belfast city, among other things. The end of July is the <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);" href="http://www.clangathering.org/">Clan Gathering</a>, which has the world highland games championships.<br />-The month of August is the Edinburgh Festival. There will be lots of street performers, shows and people. It's going to be busy! Right now the plan is to quit our jobs around August 17th or so. Our oldest sister Lacey is planning on coming for two weeks so we want to be able to travel with her without worrying about working. We're not sure exactly what we will be doing when she is here but some highlights will be: showing her the city, going to London, somehow getting to France and Paris (we may take a boat from Dover, England to France) and possibly heading to Spain or Germany. Our cousin AJ is also planning on coming over for a few weeks so Amy and I will have one week with just Lacey, one week where Lacey and AJ are here and then one week where Lacey is gone and its just AJ. We are planning on going to Croatia and Prague with AJ... that is if we save up enough money. We've always got our visas though! We'll head back to the city for a few days to show AJ around, before heading home somewhere around September 10th (which is the day we left Canada to come over here!).<br /><br />Those last three weeks are going to be busy...and expensive! Hopefully we can save up enough to do most of what we want to see. But, like I said, we've always got our visas and I'm not opposed to maxing them out if it means we get to travel before we go home.<br /><br />On a side note, the weather here has been INCREDIBLE the past week. It's been sunny and about 25 degrees. The past few summers here have been really rainy so hopefully this means we'll be getting a warm, dry summer! Just like home :)Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-2345383905157705492009-05-29T04:51:00.000-07:002009-05-29T05:23:56.638-07:00Who has short hair? I have short hair!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIFsiDUcDvrCpS7CW4kpJSr7FaJMcIHI_Z_O2HQd0gNZLV9xjoOzR4B5zVVxs5c_fy9qZX02MreUqtWuauGu0XfoOLTv38JkG7oapkZbQjcQkpObMSxQ_caldWhDjC2yCO1aZu3BRpjR-/s1600-h/image0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIFsiDUcDvrCpS7CW4kpJSr7FaJMcIHI_Z_O2HQd0gNZLV9xjoOzR4B5zVVxs5c_fy9qZX02MreUqtWuauGu0XfoOLTv38JkG7oapkZbQjcQkpObMSxQ_caldWhDjC2yCO1aZu3BRpjR-/s320/image0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341213439491290210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBLKmD3zhyphenhyphenBNvCJ19jX6k20FaoX7JxwrghzpjjCaA4SBvGsi1DOWa9RP_dbO2A7aawl5amhNj0h_yNuVW0qX1UsMvmUOF7T_RNqZAa36JzfwlGodT_5wfWiPPmmPj8JL7oGIaJmvuLaTz/s1600-h/image1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBLKmD3zhyphenhyphenBNvCJ19jX6k20FaoX7JxwrghzpjjCaA4SBvGsi1DOWa9RP_dbO2A7aawl5amhNj0h_yNuVW0qX1UsMvmUOF7T_RNqZAa36JzfwlGodT_5wfWiPPmmPj8JL7oGIaJmvuLaTz/s320/image1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341213437882107858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVE9G6e11Su-iQ_SwiyMnvOIifWtkBCUqCz063PFzrNLSqHXeXamp5tUPi7BR0N9Rn-P3XMbg5evc91Gi73zerzdC18k1vHgftm8_y1RmHbHROZZCiY3eF2KzkeJkfrMhD1dD5Bn0H7Dtt/s1600-h/image2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVE9G6e11Su-iQ_SwiyMnvOIifWtkBCUqCz063PFzrNLSqHXeXamp5tUPi7BR0N9Rn-P3XMbg5evc91Gi73zerzdC18k1vHgftm8_y1RmHbHROZZCiY3eF2KzkeJkfrMhD1dD5Bn0H7Dtt/s320/image2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341213434523001650" border="0" /></a><br />So, these aren't the best pictures but it's rather difficult trying to take a picture of the back of your head by yourself. It took me a while to get shots that I liked enough to put up here. Whenever I took one, I didn't like how my hair looked--but I like it in person. Weird, I know.<br />But, these will have to do for now.<br /><br />When I got this haircut I sort of, kinda accomplished two points on my bucket list-- be a model and do something that scares me. Although, accomplished isn't really the right word. It's not like I'm forever finished with these two things and I'll never again do something that scares me, but I'm not concerned enough to think of a better word. Anyways, the 'do something that scares me' one is pretty obvious. Who isn't scared when they get a haircut? But this was especially nerve wracking because it was such a change from any haircut I've ever had before. I loved the way this kind of cut looked on other people (short hair is really popular right now) but I was afraid it would look bad on me. But, I've always wanted to go short and for some reason the fact that I'm away from my friends and family and my regular life makes me more apt to do something risky, like get my eyebrow pierced, so I went for it.<br />The 'be a model' one might not be so obvious. I wasn't really a model in the way that most people would think of when they hear that word, but thats what the sign said, so thats what I was. The salon that I went to had a sign out front that said' models required'. After walking past it many times I finally went in to see what they wanted. Basically, they just want people who are willing to get their hair cut by a student. It was much cheaper than a normal haircut would have been at that salon and I've had my sisters cut my hair before, so someone still in college is a pro in my opinion. The owner of the salon told the girl exactly what to do, showed her a few cuts and then came to check in on her every few minutes. Every time she would start a new section she would go get the teacher to make sure she was doing it right. In the end, the teacher touched things up and made sure everything was even. So on Tuesday I was a model for about three hours (yes thats how long it took... the teacher had his own clients to deal with so he wasn't always available to come check right away).<br /><br />Now it's your turn to go for a crazy new haircut, Emily!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-89149836856982834912009-05-28T13:33:00.000-07:002009-05-28T13:36:15.343-07:00I did itI got my hair cut on Tuesday. It's short. Very short.<br /><br />Pictures to follow.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-27495424951566611762009-05-22T07:09:00.000-07:002009-05-22T07:31:45.465-07:00Did I just do a bad thing?I just turned down a full time job...on the Royal Mile...at the kind of store I've been wanting to work at since I moved here. Have I lost my mind? I don't think so.<br /><br />I'm only getting part-time hours at the bar so on Monday I started handing out more CVs (resumes). Last night there was a message on our phone asking if I could come in for a trial shift at one of the tourist shops I applied to. Hurray! No more job searching! It has always taken weeks to get any kind of response from jobs so I was so thankful that I got one early. I called this morning and she asked me to come in at any time today.<br /><br />The first thing the manager said was that the hours are long (9-9) and could I handle that? I said yes, thats fine, and her response was "oh, I don't know, are you sure (as she looked me up and down)." I was thinking 'who are you to tell me whether I can work a long shift or not', but I just sweetly told her that I've worked long shifts before and worked 14 days in a row several times. So then she asked me if I was going to quit my other job, in which case I said no.<br /><br />Apparently for the first month you work there you don't get put on the schedule. You get asked to work on a day to day basis, so theres really no guarantee how many hours you'll get. So she told me she needs people with a lot of availability and if I was still working at the bar then she didn't know if I could work there. I told her that I would tell my boss that I could only work at the bar Friday evenings and that I would be available for her the rest of the week. Before I could even finish the sentence she told me she couldn't do that. She can't work around other peoples schedules. So after five or so minutes of us trying to understand each other she said "so, you are going to tell your boss you quit and then you can come here and work." To which I replied "Um, I don't think this is going to work out, sorry" and left.<br /><br />I don't have any regrets right now, but I might if I'm still looking for a job in two weeks!<br /><br />This clearly shows how much fun I'm having working at the bar/restaurant. Well, I enjoy the people I work with more than the actually work, but I definitely don't want to quit. Especially to go work for someone who considers me having three hours where I can't work for her a week as being 'unavailable.'Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-76674755510504287492009-05-20T09:56:00.000-07:002009-05-20T11:34:57.584-07:00My Bucket ListI've never seen the movie The Bucket List, but I like the idea of making a list of goals/dreams that I have for my life. I started writing the list as I was sitting in the park near Edinburgh Castle today. Visiting Scotland has always been a big dream of mine that, truthfully, I didn't think would happen--at least not for a long time. So who knows how many of these will actually come true. Some of these are serious, some are silly and some will (most likely!) never happen, but I'm hoping that having this list will help me accomplish the more important ones.<br />In no particular order, here's my list so far:<br /><br />1. Swim in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland<br />2 .Write a novel<br />3. Own a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes<br />4. Be on the cover of a magazine<br />5. Play with my nieces and nephew more<br />6. See the Eiffel Tower<br />7. Find and marry the man of my dreams<br />8. Take a picture in front of the Hollywood sign<br />9. Ride a horse without being afraid<br />10. Learn to play the violin<br />11. Be a better Christian<br />12. Own a Kate Spade bag<br />13. Be a model<br />14. Have three kids<br />15. Kiss the Blarney Stone<br />16. Go to New York City<br />17. Find a career I love<br />18. Learn to play the piano<br />19. Start running, or at least doing some sort of regular exercise<br />20. Meet Brad Pitt :)<br />21. Get another tattoo<br />22. Design and build my dream home<br />23. Go to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville<br />24. Meet the Pioneer Woman<br />25. Help build a school somewhere in Africa<br />26. See the Great Barrier Reef in Australia<br />27. Go skydiving or bungee jumping<br />28. Be more patient<br />29. Do something that scares me<br />30. Be more outgoing<br />31. Go on the bungee swing ride at Canada's Wonderland<br />32. Be an adventurous baker<br />33. Help a stranger<br />34. Give more to charities<br />35. Try to only buy something if I really need it (I already know I'm going to fail at this one)<br />36. Sponsor a child<br />37. Be a stay at home mom<br />38. Get married within the next five years<br />39. See Scotland --check!<br />40. Go on a real vacation with my family<br />41. Be an extra in a movie<br />42. Stop letting my shyness stop me from doing things I want to do<br />43. Get my own apartment<br />44. Build something out of wood<br />45. Go to the Calgary Stampede<br />46. Be a volunteer<br />47. Read my bible more often<br />48. Eat healthier<br />49. Run a marathon<br />50. Love myself even if I don't accomplish any of these goals<br /><br />What are you goals? I challenge you to write down at least 10 goals you have for yourself, whether they're future goals or something you want to accomplish by the end of this week.<br />I know that having a list will help us all to be accountable for what we are, or are not, accomplishing. I'm already trying to eat healthier--right after I eat the delicious looking chocolate brownie mousse sundae thing I bought today...Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-67999189037405071482009-05-15T08:14:00.000-07:002009-05-16T11:38:50.538-07:00PronunciationsI had every intention of doing a post about this subject when I first started the blog, but here we are several months later and I still haven't done it. Most of you will probably have noticed that our 'name' on the blog is Sassenachs in Scotland. Sassenach is from the Outlander books (surprise, surprise) and is used as a term of endearment by Jaime, the main guy, to his wife Claire. This word originated in the late 1700s and is simply a Scottish word for an Englishman. The pronunciation is the difficult part. It is not sass-a-natch. You pronounce the 'ch' more like a 'k', but with a guttural Gaelic sound with it, which I don't do. The way I say it is sass-en-ack. Say it with me now, sass-en-ack. Now that we have that one out of the way, there are a few other names I have come across that are pronounced differently than what you would think.<br /><br />First of all, you don't pronounce the 'g' in Edinburgh.With places like Pittsburgh, where you DO pronounce the 'g', its understandable why people get confused. A lot of people say Edinburroh, which is acceptable, but the way the Scots say it is Edinburrah. If they are talking quickly, it can sometimes sound like the take the 'u' out and say Edinbrrah. Are you confused yet?<br />When we first got here we came across a road leading up to the Royal Mile called Cockburn St. I'm sure you can guess what we thought the pronunciation for this was. It's actually co-burn, as in co-worker. Now that I've warned you, if you are ever in Scotland don't make the mistake of saying Cock-burn St. outloud!<br /><br />There are lots of crazy place names in Scotland that have WAY different pronunciations than what you would expect. Here is a <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);" href="http://www.rampantscotland.com/features/pronounce.htm">website</a> with lots of Scottish towns and words and how you pronounce them. Look through the list if you have time, it's kinda fun to see how well you can pronounce them.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-51415663006256537072009-05-13T09:31:00.000-07:002009-05-13T10:01:30.810-07:00Being lazy...I've decided to be really lazy and not write out my own retelling of my recent trip around Scotland, England and Rome. I know that most of the people that read my blog also read my dear friend <a href="http://www.lindsaycramp.blogspot.com/">Lucy's</a> blog so I'm just going to tell everyone to go read her four part recap. I haven't asked her if this is OK, but I know she won't mind. Plus, if there's someone who stumbles across my blog who doesn't read her blog but is interested in finding about the trip maybe she'll gain a new follower! Everyone wins in this situation :)<br /><br />I will say, though, that I had a FANTASTIC time while Lindsay and Laura were here. I got to see parts of Scotland that I hadn't seen yet, but more importantly, I got to see ROME! And more importantly than Rome, I got to spend 12 wonderful days with two amazing girls. We made memories that I know we will be talking about when we're 80 and sitting side by side in our rocking chairs.<br /><br />Lin and Laura left early Sunday morning and Amy and I had another Canadian visitor by Sunday night. Amanda B., who we went to high school with and is the sister of one of our aunts, is traveling around Scotland and Ireland for a month with her grandma. She came down from Aviemore to Edinburgh for two days. We walked the Royal Mile, ate some fish and chips and took a tour of the underground vaults of Edinburgh. They have many ghost tours of the vaults but we all happily decided to take the more historical tour. It was very interesting and you should definitely look up the history of the south bridge vaults in Edinburgh. Even though it wasn't a ghost tour it was still a little scary. As the tour guide said, the ghosts don't respect the fact that its a historical tour and not a ghost one. We walked through several stone rooms, including a few that were said to be the most haunted. Amy thinks she saw something in the flash of someones camera. I really hope she didn't though because if she did the ghost would have been standing right beside me. I didn't feel any unusual cool drafts around me, so I think Amy was just seeing things. I did come out of the vaults wishing I had seen something though. What an interesting experience that would be. Maybe I'll have to find the courage to do a ghost tour before I go home.<br /><br />Speaking of going home...there is only 3 1/2 months before the potential leaving date. We don't have a date set in stone but have always figured we'd be ready to go home at the beginning of September. M,y how time flies by. The summer is going to go by quickly as well (it always does) because of the many festivals that will be going on around the city. This year is the year of the clan and Scotland is celebrating by having the biggest clan gathering in the world. There will be highland games (can't wait!), calling of the clans, as well as a parade of all the members of clans that have come for the occasion. The city is going to be packed! I found out a few weeks ago that Diana Gabaldon, the author of the Outlander series and the reason why I am living here is going to be at the clan gathering. I've already met her and had my pic taken with her but will gladly get another book signed. Plus, theres the huge festival in August and the Edinburgh Tattoo. There'll be lots to see and do over the summer in Edinburgh. It will be a great way to end our year in Scotland.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-72888932096091449582009-04-25T12:40:00.000-07:002009-04-25T16:28:56.159-07:00To Cut or Not to Cut?I've been thinking a lot about getting my hair cut. I feel like doing something new and crazy...and drastic. Now unless I want to get hair extensions--which I don't--that means going short. Short crops are really popular in Scotland right now and I keep seeing all these cute cuts. I've tried to find pictures but none of them seem just perfect. Heres what I'm thinking of:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">a little too messy for my taste, but I like the cut<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlK7KfhJni_yjbsqXSxkXlwnyRWt-Zt1Y5cpexJNdGo5MoYAA6wwQ-ncct4b9UOqquaq4HRiig8q-Dim3w9Sxy1XqdVjqmrUcCUVzeYmUt-0RgkS3zUg5LR13PlyKElYznMQneso-pU-q/s1600-h/Sarah+Harding+Pixie+Cropped+Haircut+5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlK7KfhJni_yjbsqXSxkXlwnyRWt-Zt1Y5cpexJNdGo5MoYAA6wwQ-ncct4b9UOqquaq4HRiig8q-Dim3w9Sxy1XqdVjqmrUcCUVzeYmUt-0RgkS3zUg5LR13PlyKElYznMQneso-pU-q/s320/Sarah+Harding+Pixie+Cropped+Haircut+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328726082249881954" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdKeKHn6cem8rkphTj6Zl7aEPiA6YTboeGV3jGjjby5Bem7TGOmYPG8rk78ymQrY-bpBa35fMHzdBVMhuLG0u7FgHBeijQl8T-g3Hc_Z4A1zXHxLN1eFL50z6FNERf-dIJUiZ9GeLnoMr/s1600-h/frankiehair.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdKeKHn6cem8rkphTj6Zl7aEPiA6YTboeGV3jGjjby5Bem7TGOmYPG8rk78ymQrY-bpBa35fMHzdBVMhuLG0u7FgHBeijQl8T-g3Hc_Z4A1zXHxLN1eFL50z6FNERf-dIJUiZ9GeLnoMr/s320/frankiehair.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328726082947815986" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Now here I am with my current haircut. You can't really see the style very well but you can see the length as well as my facial features to help you determine whether or not a short cut would look good on me. Please be honest!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hOXzBp0PVcOAJTLHMOoV5B7MBG_TcOQjIbCkH_R1UsK9ZbUDRA-jNbOqBpM_A2RTPQ4N-ovx91Xk7EEH4-TL5HMLqeAVZDceEcu92fMrf-gUhbHbvMV2Umu5PwLJsb-zfp-TlfeXyDYw/s1600-h/image29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hOXzBp0PVcOAJTLHMOoV5B7MBG_TcOQjIbCkH_R1UsK9ZbUDRA-jNbOqBpM_A2RTPQ4N-ovx91Xk7EEH4-TL5HMLqeAVZDceEcu92fMrf-gUhbHbvMV2Umu5PwLJsb-zfp-TlfeXyDYw/s320/image29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328730217373320706" border="0" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-18836404743066851482009-04-24T16:11:00.000-07:002009-04-24T16:31:03.057-07:00I'm So Happy, So Very HappyI talked to my parents today and got some good news. First, a little background info...<br />When Amy and I go home in September we plan on spending a few weeks at home and then moving to Waterloo (an hour and a bit from our parents) to find an apartment and jobs. Our sister and her family have graciously agreed to let us live with them for a month or two while we figure things out. The thing is, we have no furniture. No bed, no couch, no bookshelves. We also won't have a lot of money to furnish our apartment with. Our parents got a new table a few months ago and kept the old one for us, but a table and a few chairs does not a furnished apartment make!<br />When we talked to our parents today they said they moved our furniture into our sisters basement. At first I thought they had moved my hope chest and maybe my bed but my dad started talking about a couch and coffee table and some cute lamps. What!? Who's couch? Whose coffee table? Whose cute lamps? Well, apparently we've received some nice hand-me-downs from one of our aunt and uncles (and her parents) who just built a new house and all moved in together. This made me so happy! Theres still lots that we will need, but its a good start and I'm just glad we won't be sitting on boxes when we move in.<br /><br />Is it bad that I am living in Scotland and the idea of moving home and decorating my first apartment sounds more exciting to me right now?????Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-17235407362917291362009-04-23T11:45:00.000-07:002009-04-23T13:14:25.246-07:00Top 5 Vacation DestinationsMy cousin Emily just blogged about the top five places she wants to go on vacation and it inspired me to make my own list.<br />Before I moved to Scotland I had never been out of North America. My family vacations consisted of long drives to visit relatives. I'm not complaining about that (these vacations did include several trips to Phoenix, St. Louis and Colorado) but they didn't really give me the chance to see the world. Part of the allure of moving to Scotland--instead of somewhere in Canada, like we first considered--was the idea that we would get the chance to travel around Europe quite a lot. Unfortunately, life got in the way and we haven't been able to do as much traveling as we hoped (we've still got 4 1/2 months left, though!). So without further ado, here's my list:<br /><br />1. Australia/New Zealand - I know they are two different countries, but I also know that once I pay the nearly $2000 to get over there, I won't be leaving until I visit both of them. For that reason I think its OK to consider them as one on the list.<br /><br />2. Iceland - I've been interested in Iceland for a long time. I'm a little ashamed to say, but I think the first time I really thought about Iceland was after Oprah did a show on women around the world and Iceland was featured in it. There are mountains galore in Iceland and I LOVE mountains. Theres also the <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/img/basic-destinations/iceland/iceland-Blue-Lagoon.JPG">Blue Lagoon</a>. Enough said.<br /><br />3. Greece- Ever since watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants I've wanted to go to Greece. I want to see the white houses on cliffs, people riding on scooters through the winding streets and the eat real Greek food. Oh, the food!<br /><br />4. France- Who doesn't want to see the Eiffel Tower? But besides Paris, there are lots of other places in France that I would love to see like Nice, Cannes (the film festival is in May and I SOOO want to go!) Monte Carlo, Versailles...<br /><br />5. Italy- Rome, Pisa, Venice, Cinque Terre, the beauty of Tuscany--I want to see it all. I've already been to Pisa and Florence and had a fantastic time. The gelato alone is worth the trip!<br /><br />That was surprisingly more difficult than I expected it to be. I basically want to see the world, so it was hard to narrow it down to five countries.<br /><br />What five countries do you want to visit?Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-19748868776422174402009-04-16T08:47:00.000-07:002009-04-16T10:02:17.232-07:0010 reasons why this flat is NOT my homeMy BFF over at <a href="http://lindsaycramp.blogspot.com/">Lucy's Life</a> is having a House a Home giveaway. The idea is to come up with 10 things in your house that make it your home. I don't have a house so I told her I wouldn't be participating in her giveaway. However, I said that I could probably come up with 10 things that show that this flat is not my home and she said that would be alright. Here's hoping I win!<br /><br />1. Who doesn't have a favourite TV show? I have quite a few. This year I've had to watch my shows online because they are a season behind on most shows in Scotland. There are a few shows on tele here that are fun to watch but the one shown below is not. Hollyoaks is sort of like a soapopera mixed with 90210, with even worse acting. I miss shows like Jon and Kate Plus 8, Survivor, Oprah, The View, Ellen...the list goes on.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7b341AiFMMrUH7mM14Vn4IR9VbPAmboHo4z0zBROyBZNb2KS6jq_bR3aqikHGw-CITMGBnva7acGUA2VHLzLA2D29ws3z5nX3JbgOnkuOJm-VWMEBGNWMBKXgBbkyzIVq4U5cHdIiS24/s1600-h/image19.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7b341AiFMMrUH7mM14Vn4IR9VbPAmboHo4z0zBROyBZNb2KS6jq_bR3aqikHGw-CITMGBnva7acGUA2VHLzLA2D29ws3z5nX3JbgOnkuOJm-VWMEBGNWMBKXgBbkyzIVq4U5cHdIiS24/s320/image19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325321046707297170" border="0" /></a><br />2. I miss my bed. This twin bed is comfortable enough, but its small. I miss being able to stretch out while I sleep. You can't tell in this picture, but my bed is about 30 cm away from Amy's bed. I miss my own room.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xNLS0E0JFF2GUioMTxcDNi1sZiyeAhEI25feVp927bsmBp9-l5qpFDnVnoT4urG4qLMzT6Xfb_87-xwAsHSE1fquqQ0TWJh2LLu8Tqia1OfI5we5TJquBaoIXv2sO0Wns2troTEQCdge/s1600-h/image18.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xNLS0E0JFF2GUioMTxcDNi1sZiyeAhEI25feVp927bsmBp9-l5qpFDnVnoT4urG4qLMzT6Xfb_87-xwAsHSE1fquqQ0TWJh2LLu8Tqia1OfI5we5TJquBaoIXv2sO0Wns2troTEQCdge/s320/image18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325321041714121826" border="0" /></a><br />3. This is Joey. He's cute, but he's smelly. He is especially smelly when his owner forgets to clean out his cage for three weeks. I don't mind Joey being in the flat but I can guarentee you that I will not have a rabbit in my first home.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxEuFci51zyc9X6x3_dn4GiNXDPy61tylgb2nImGiJCqeWoLzDI7vWDxscDfY0XXtiNfJy1yIj8RGNXnmkOtDfOxDPhMe7FUDWarVjXlakZ0mvooI7Cmm05CJ3Bk2Y7pARXrlSi0E9Q2P/s1600-h/image17.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxEuFci51zyc9X6x3_dn4GiNXDPy61tylgb2nImGiJCqeWoLzDI7vWDxscDfY0XXtiNfJy1yIj8RGNXnmkOtDfOxDPhMe7FUDWarVjXlakZ0mvooI7Cmm05CJ3Bk2Y7pARXrlSi0E9Q2P/s320/image17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325321036447339794" border="0" /></a><br />4. This is the wall above the couch in the living room. The eye sore on the left is an ugly metal TV stand that was put up to hold a projector so that Neil can watch tele and movies using the wall opposite as a big screen. As you can see, the projector isn't even up and when it was I think we used it once. He had a little trouble getting the stand in the right place and put a few extra holes in the wall. I like the idea of having a home theatre, but I would have bought a nice shelf to put the projector on, maybe along with some books or candles or something. The real reason I am showing you this picture is because of the big blank space beside the ugly eye sore. If this were my flat I would add some pictures to this wall, and perhaps some paint.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8iVxLOerlkJLgcG18Pj3505M55HQtiRaMGD_H_M939wNm5wR9v2nM_RhTTfpfQB1pxrr8ngbZ0kASHaB0JFVxSzW76y9Iubhvq_aPvNNrqmC77PTxjx_QysjLPko2eRiKhuDEm0NVzbRu/s1600-h/image15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8iVxLOerlkJLgcG18Pj3505M55HQtiRaMGD_H_M939wNm5wR9v2nM_RhTTfpfQB1pxrr8ngbZ0kASHaB0JFVxSzW76y9Iubhvq_aPvNNrqmC77PTxjx_QysjLPko2eRiKhuDEm0NVzbRu/s320/image15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325321035538174754" border="0" /></a><br />5. Theres nothing wrong with the washing machine, except for the fact that its in the kitchen. Well, really, theres nothing wrong with it being in the kitchen, its just weird. You know you're in Europe when your washer is in the kitchen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBAS_6JL_c2j3ntl0_RBOllmYKwaLnNjw5aCI5DZpkFlGc1_bgju1kT4d3vm7xlV4wAghsoJlufA-YObXZQSj6vGXjHudgcItHwW5jSEUIfBPg215NwhPgnJ6CskLXSUQV3hXk787HUoJ/s1600-h/image14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBAS_6JL_c2j3ntl0_RBOllmYKwaLnNjw5aCI5DZpkFlGc1_bgju1kT4d3vm7xlV4wAghsoJlufA-YObXZQSj6vGXjHudgcItHwW5jSEUIfBPg215NwhPgnJ6CskLXSUQV3hXk787HUoJ/s320/image14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325320215486516370" border="0" /></a><br />6. This is the inside of our tiny freezer. As you can see, its pretty full. Most of the stuff isn't ours, and a lot of it has been in there since before we moved in in September. I can't really say to anyone "Yo, clean your stuff out of the freezer if you're not going to use it" because thats not my place. It just gets annoying when we are grocery shopping and have to limit our frozen stuff because theres not enough room. Theres always room for some Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey, though!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqYYsUyqOZfOc6k9NlmmzOYYYtPoIRHQKY_fNSFEnBVha_QCsDti7XXi9Jg_KMjTJRvuQenqFsGQ6MMP5qvOKM8ftIeXEnbP3ZODGgSqecvmWx-5fmSAAQFnrbtPD8Q-ktq91yFvqNQrm/s1600-h/image13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqYYsUyqOZfOc6k9NlmmzOYYYtPoIRHQKY_fNSFEnBVha_QCsDti7XXi9Jg_KMjTJRvuQenqFsGQ6MMP5qvOKM8ftIeXEnbP3ZODGgSqecvmWx-5fmSAAQFnrbtPD8Q-ktq91yFvqNQrm/s320/image13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325320212910691986" border="0" /></a><br />7. This is our tiny fridge. It's basically a bar fridge...for four people. We share milk and butter but thats it so this sucker gets pretty full. We have to limit our fridge food too when we are grocery shopping. We basically live on bread, pasta and potatoes because they don't have to be refridgerated. Although, if you saw the tiny cupboard we have to keep our food in...oh, never mind.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS64aWWSI6iJrK4n3tSk7JBh1w_kINL9IUfpXkiNSgLdSuVX2HkXYi-u5ukRC4qatjP5txxaf4id_QSZvoiSJEm43Ct74ozNWCYrR6ZqkE2DVsPpHqZ6cE-066C1qZNWMIIzG3XoLlANnt/s1600-h/image12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS64aWWSI6iJrK4n3tSk7JBh1w_kINL9IUfpXkiNSgLdSuVX2HkXYi-u5ukRC4qatjP5txxaf4id_QSZvoiSJEm43Ct74ozNWCYrR6ZqkE2DVsPpHqZ6cE-066C1qZNWMIIzG3XoLlANnt/s320/image12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325320207910176594" border="0" /></a>8. This is a picture of an open window. ALL the windows in the flat are ALWAYS open, even in the winter and the heat is never on. This makes for one cccccoolddd flat. I get cold really easily as it is, but when its 2 degrees outside and the windows are wide open, I freeze. I like the idea of letting some cool, crisp, fresh air in, but opening the window for an hour is good for me, not all day. I go around closing the windows all the time, but they always end up back open!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nL_bdjVT0-k3FpmIZokv4kS9jwuVvLtJsfws7iFANgFKJ0JT_z_posZBHruso3vrGl87ksqrV-Zqod-YTzICbAQPTLPFeEYSWSKG3F5w2nrA7hxiz0si3pPdyT47YMABQNJMGUrmTLiq/s1600-h/image11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nL_bdjVT0-k3FpmIZokv4kS9jwuVvLtJsfws7iFANgFKJ0JT_z_posZBHruso3vrGl87ksqrV-Zqod-YTzICbAQPTLPFeEYSWSKG3F5w2nrA7hxiz0si3pPdyT47YMABQNJMGUrmTLiq/s320/image11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325319558530573842" border="0" /></a><br />9. When I first decided to take a picture of these lovely dead, dried roses it was to say that they need to be thrown out but because they aren't mine I can't really do anything about it. But then I thought about the fact that my mom loves fresh flowers and often has a beautiful bouquet on her table. These dead flowers remind me that this is not mine, or my parents' home.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2clwNEII0svik7IshKlDCpvr6dJZHuUduvpCmS7AY6mmMBguVL6fpZnT4V9Hosrw-3qe5oHgUQzWv9KXzI5Hk7Gizs-AmH-XYwGBBwCjff62aSaLv9u29W4O-vHCKjpGy_MoTTT0d9Oj/s1600-h/image10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2clwNEII0svik7IshKlDCpvr6dJZHuUduvpCmS7AY6mmMBguVL6fpZnT4V9Hosrw-3qe5oHgUQzWv9KXzI5Hk7Gizs-AmH-XYwGBBwCjff62aSaLv9u29W4O-vHCKjpGy_MoTTT0d9Oj/s320/image10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325319555926668546" border="0" /></a><br />10. These are the DVDs in the flat. I could probably find five or six that I would enjoy watching, but most of them don't interest me. This is not my home because theres no Sweet Home Alabama, The Notebook, Tristan and Isolde, The Holiday or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang among the collection.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeg7B7JdEKPERHHyZ1aPC356YhAbCqk_qagAP8lqVvAZ5PqAaqMpHfC5LPrWdOkwSgJ6l4tHLp_i0RUrfMvCcTj2mvlxCM_EZBMYITUbHToO7DXhMtT7z2WCaZqtuhcP3cAqo55wMxqNK/s1600-h/image9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeg7B7JdEKPERHHyZ1aPC356YhAbCqk_qagAP8lqVvAZ5PqAaqMpHfC5LPrWdOkwSgJ6l4tHLp_i0RUrfMvCcTj2mvlxCM_EZBMYITUbHToO7DXhMtT7z2WCaZqtuhcP3cAqo55wMxqNK/s320/image9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325319105792205026" border="0" /></a><br />I just want to say that even though I've just complained about 10 things in the flat that bug me, I really do love living here. None of those things are major and I feel that God blessed Amy and I with a great flat and flatmates.<br /><br /><br />Cheers!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-31494090858354598482009-04-15T05:49:00.000-07:002009-04-15T06:55:52.826-07:00A Sneak Peak<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Think about bagpipes while reading this...</span><br /></div><br />In exactly 332 hours 15 minutes and 49 seconds (well maybe not exactly) two of my good friends will be landing at Glasgow International Airport for a 12 day Scottish adventure. I've already decided that I will do several blogs about the trip instead of one humongous blog that probably no one finishes reading, like I usually do. I'll try and write in my travel diary every night so that I will remember all the events of the day. It's been difficult trying to plan out the trip when we're an ocean apart, but I think we've managed to do a good job. We've started booking some hostels so I thought I'd give you guys a sneak peek of the first several days of the trip.<br /><br />Day one will consist of:<br /><br />~Airport pick-up around 10 am<br />~stop at Glencoe for the best Highland scenery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ4n_w_bUKqr1nTuy1p5pHxy9OeYRe7qOIuXAaeY_L1NlGwDrILdxA-8zdpn2jpUUw0KxrTYR3O7MGq2pGF73Nwnbe4LHfHIegtr4KpF6NC42EDRl0hpXNW9S8MPEOUBKWoCFMzUIartY/s1600-h/glencoe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ4n_w_bUKqr1nTuy1p5pHxy9OeYRe7qOIuXAaeY_L1NlGwDrILdxA-8zdpn2jpUUw0KxrTYR3O7MGq2pGF73Nwnbe4LHfHIegtr4KpF6NC42EDRl0hpXNW9S8MPEOUBKWoCFMzUIartY/s400/glencoe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324904470410743794" border="0" /></a>~fish and chips in Fort Augustus (home of Nessie)<br />~tour of Eileen Donan Castle (used in Made of Honor film!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS300Fj1k1TVG2MGBRR6sPdY5tuOYYWEEqjuIQ8rGEL90Wgu8zCgkSavYZppPivgw_X3d78J1spMuKqATWMzUN2hDhZhN4q-GPHCeG3QhpxS3ku_KvqZXplggx0qhQHuJVS2hUvnJHnoA/s1600-h/eileen-donan-castle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS300Fj1k1TVG2MGBRR6sPdY5tuOYYWEEqjuIQ8rGEL90Wgu8zCgkSavYZppPivgw_X3d78J1spMuKqATWMzUN2hDhZhN4q-GPHCeG3QhpxS3ku_KvqZXplggx0qhQHuJVS2hUvnJHnoA/s320/eileen-donan-castle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324905124812588818" border="0" /></a><br />~drive on to Isle of Skye and stop in Portree, the islands capital (also in Made of Honor)<br />~drive on to our hostel with great views of the coast of the island<br /><br />Day 2<br /><br />~drive around Isle of Skye stopping at whatever looks interesting<br />~end up back in Fort Augustus for the night (perhaps another fish and chips dinner!)<br /><br />Day 3<br /><br />~drive across Scotland to Stonehaven to tour Dunnottar Castle<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpZRwrXofMgpNGNpdGRyPkPwBLgUDg0qlEo9JzIq7vIlJWi2FbOfOHppIpD1Hxg1yloOX-me1YLMSpZHTXpKQODPbzQYHNGf_2xs86_yfHbn17nr4jlppos-GTBdxVQGdV41bk3R_Sq3R/s1600-h/dunnottar_castle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpZRwrXofMgpNGNpdGRyPkPwBLgUDg0qlEo9JzIq7vIlJWi2FbOfOHppIpD1Hxg1yloOX-me1YLMSpZHTXpKQODPbzQYHNGf_2xs86_yfHbn17nr4jlppos-GTBdxVQGdV41bk3R_Sq3R/s320/dunnottar_castle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324906527163359602" border="0" /></a><br />~drive along the east coast of Scotland stopping at any fishing villages that look cute<br />~depending on the time, we may stop at St. Andrews, the home of golf, and a great little town (Prince William went to uni there!)<br />~end up back in Edinburgh<br /><br />The next few days will be spent in Edinburgh walking the Royal Mile, touring Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace (where the Queen stays when in the city) and probably some shopping, among other things.<br />We are going to visit Northumberland in Northern England, but we haven't finalized our plans for that part of the trip yet. It will include a trip to Alnwick Castle, used as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films. It's also the second largest inhabited castle, the first being Windsor Castle. Can you imagine living there???<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9fs8T_BMcFphAWS_5jKvBe5UCQLUGAdKFTK-Rw_jXidvFLpBDJJUSuIu2nc7qG6SEs7VKr3ydtn-za-KZCXqYsJdiz9LXVOXbZGApPgCBliGzrSt7ic3KcZh4F-N02tz2umr9vF4AfBc/s1600-h/Alnwick+Castle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9fs8T_BMcFphAWS_5jKvBe5UCQLUGAdKFTK-Rw_jXidvFLpBDJJUSuIu2nc7qG6SEs7VKr3ydtn-za-KZCXqYsJdiz9LXVOXbZGApPgCBliGzrSt7ic3KcZh4F-N02tz2umr9vF4AfBc/s320/Alnwick+Castle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324909568038222610" border="0" /></a><br />Well, thats it so far. I'll give you updates as soon as we finalize plans for the second part of our trip. It will probably consist of some day trips from Edinburgh to the borders, St. Andrews if we didn't get to see it at the end of our road trip and other small villages along the east coast below Edinburgh.<br /><br />I can't wait!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532943041458572411.post-73989123245260240962009-04-10T11:26:00.000-07:002009-04-10T11:48:06.279-07:00GoosebumpsOne of my favourite female singers is Carrie Underwood. I have been a fan of hers since she auditioned on American Idol. In my opinion, she's one of the few singers that sound amazing both live and recorded. A while ago I found <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhvaDJTUmrU">this</a> Youtube video of her singing the amazing "How Great Thou Art."<br /><br />It gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it.<br /><br />Enjoy :)Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276086161655370545noreply@blogger.com3