"Let your happiness be contagious ..."

guess what ....

2010-10-12T21:37:00.000-07:00

I started a new blog to represent the newest chapter of my life ..

read it at ..

iowameetnyc.wordpress.com :)

we officially have our FIRST Hokey Pokey Youtube video ..

2010-07-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

The FRY Fest committee members got together to walk in a parade, and we decided it was the PERFECT time to tape & produce our first Hokey Pokey Youtube video!

There are a couple of in-front of the camera wanderers walking by ..ignore them. BUT do notice that HERKY shows up to dance with us! :)

check out our FIRST FRY Fest Hokey Pokey video on Youtube .. http://youtu.be/pyMS3733naU

..and to top ours ..get creative & make your own!!!! :)

Join the group at www.youtube.com/group/fryfesthp

You have the chance to win tickets to the first Iowa Football game!!!! :)

in love. hokey pokey :)

2010-07-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

My job is really rough ..today I have been "YouTubing," looking for interesting Hokey Pokey videos! And found one that (I think) is AMAZING. and I am a little in love w/ it, ha! As some of you may know all four years of high school and my first year of college I was on the dance team (& loved it), so I very much appreciate anything dance related. The St. Cloud Dance Team choreographed a kick routine to the Hokey Pokey (granted its a sped up/hip-hop version), it is AWESOME! I would love to recreate it ..or it to be remade by someone out there :)

check out the St. Cloud Dance Team performing the HOKEY POKEY ..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8DrekAEk3k

FRY Fest Hokey Pokey Video OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES.

2010-07-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Official Contest Rules

No Purchase Necessary to Enter or Win

Contest Dates:
The FRY Fest "Hokey Pokey Video Contest" begins at 12:00 a.m. CT on Friday, July 9, 2010 and ends at 5 p.m. CT on Friday, August 20, 2010

Eligibility:
The Contest is open to all legal residents of the 50 United States, including the District of Columbia, who are registered users of the YouTubeTM site. All entrants must agree to the contest rules to participate. If under 18, you must have your parent or guardians read it and agree to it as well. Video submissions may only be submitted by a single registered user. Employees of the Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau or YouTube LLC, and their affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, advertising and promotion agencies and any such individual's immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses) and those living in their same households, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win a prize.

Video Submissions: To enter, record and submit an original video of you and/or your group doing the Hokey Pokey. Video Submissions must meet all of the following requirements:
--> Running time: 3 minutes maximum, including any credits. If entry is longer than 3 minutes, only the first 3 minutes will be judged.
-->Language: English.
-->Creative Requirements: Video Submission must include the original version and lyrics of the Hokey Pokey.
-->Original: Video Submissions must be the original work of the entrant and have not previously been published or have won an award or prize of any kind.
-->Compliance: Video Submissions must comply with the YouTube Site’s Terms of Use (http://www.youtube.com/static?gl=US&template=terms) and must not:
-->depict dangerous or reckless conduct, including risky or unsafe cooking techniques or activities
-->include trademarks, logos, or copyrighted material not owned by entrant or used without permission (such as brand names, company names, music, photographs, works of art, or images published on or in Web sites, television, movies, or other media) Sponsor reserves the right to edit or blur references to third party brands, logos or works;
-->use individuals' names, in whole or in part (including the entrant’s last name) without permission;
-->refer to public figures;
-->contain profanity, pornographic, or sexual content, content promoting illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms, or weapons, hateful content of any kind (including racism, sexism, etc.), content that promotes violence or harm to another living creature, or any other offensive, obscene, or inappropriate content;
-->defame, misrepresent, or contain disparaging remarks about other people or companies, including, but not limited to Sponsor;
-->promote a political agenda regardless of the political affiliation;
-->primarily act as an advertisement or product placement for any particular product or service;
-->contain materials embodying the names, likenesses, photographs, or other identifying elements of any person, living, or dead without permission.
By entering the Contest, each entrant represents and warrants that (i) the Video Submission is the original work of the entrant and has not previously been published or have won an award or prize of any kind; (ii) he or she has obtained all the rights, licenses, and permissions in writing from each person (including parent/legal guardian) who appeared in or helped to create the Video Submission; and (iii) the Video Submission does not infringe or violate the rights of any third party, including but not limited to, copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, logos, contract and licensing rights, rights of publicity or privacy, moral rights, or any other intellectual property rights. Entries that are deemed by the Sponsor, in its sole discretion, to be in violation of these Official Rules, the Terms of Use, the Community Guidelines or to be otherwise infringing, defamatory, or generally not in keeping with the image of Sponsor, will be void and deleted.

How to Enter:
To submit your entry, during the Contest Period upload your Video Submission to the http://www.youtube.com/group/fryfesthp. One entry per person/registered user. Once a Video Submission has been submitted, it may not be edited or resubmitted with revisions. Video Submissions received during the Contest Period will first be previewed and screened by Sponsor, whose decisions will be final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest. Entries which pass the screening process will then be posted online at the Contest Site for public viewing and voting. For purposes of these Official Rules, receipt of entry occurs when the servers of the YouTube Site successfully receive the uploaded video file and record the required entry information. You acknowledge and agree that YouTube, LLC is not a Sponsor of the Contest and has no responsibility or liability regarding the conduct or administration of the Contest.

Voting to Determine Finalists:
Persons voting on the video submissions must be legal residents of the 50 United States and have a YouTube™ account. Eligible persons may vote for the video submissions that are posted to the contest site during the contest period. Each day during the contest period registered YouTube members may vote a maximum of once per video, per day. Persons voting will be encouraged to critically evaluate video submissions and rate each video from 10 stars, taking into account the following judging criteria to determine the finalists: (50%) creativity/entertainment value and (50%) ability to demonstrate the Hokey Pokey. Subsequent ratings in excess of the stated maximum per day by a single registered member will be disqualified. At the conclusion of the contest period (Friday, August 20th) the ratings will be tabulated. The top three (3) rated entries will be submitted to a panel of judges selected by sponsor who will further evaluate and select the grand prize winner. The use of automated or other means to submit a rating or circumvent any of the limitations described above is prohibited and all such votes will be void. Ratings sent via script, macro or automated means or with the intent to impair the integrity of the voting process are void. Entrants are prohibited from obtaining ratings by any fraudulent or inappropriate means, including, without limitation, offering prizes or other inducements to members of the public, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion and all such ratings will be void.

Winner Selection:
Once the three finalists are determined and the eligibility of the entrants verified, each video submission will be judged internally by the sponsor panel. The video submissions will be judged based upon the following criteria: (1) originality; (2) entertainment value, and (3) their Hokey Pokey dance. Using these criteria the sponsor panel will, in its sole discretion, determine the Grand Prize winner. The panel’s decisions are final and binding in all matters relating to this contest. The Winner will be announced on the contest site and the FRY Fest on or about August 30, 2010. Upon selection, the entrant who submitted the winning video submission will be notified of his/her selection via the entry information provided by the entrant. The Winner’s video submission will be played before the Guinness world record attempt on FRYday, September 3 at FRY Fest. Designation as a Winner is subject to proof of compliance with these Official Rules, the Terms of Use and Community Guidelines, and approval by sponsor. If a winner cannot be contacted, declines the prize, or is ineligible, an alternate winner will be selected. The sponsor reserves the right to verify eligibility qualifications of the winner. The sponsor is not responsible for any inability of a winner to accept or use the prize.

One Grand Prize:
The winning Video Submission will be featured on the FRY Fest official website and on the Hokey Pokey contest site. Times, formats and methods of airing the video submission are at the sponsor’s discretion. The winning video will be replayed on Friday, September 3 at FRY Fest prior to the Hokey Pokey Guinness world record attempt. The winning video/winners will receive one ticket per person to the football season opener on Saturday, September 4th, the University of Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Eastern Illinois University.

Privacy Policy:
Any entry information collected from the contest shall be used only in a manner consistent with the uses indicated to entrants at the time of entry, with these Official Rules, and the Privacy Policies of YouTube.

Sponsor’s Use of Submissions:
By entering this contest, and to the extent allowed by law, entrants grants the sponsor, YouTube LLC and each of their affiliates, licensees, promotional partners, and third party marketing entities, the absolute right and permission to edit, modify, cut, rearrange, add to, delete from, copy, reproduce, translate, dub, adapt, publish, exploit, and use the content of and elements embodied in the video submissions and the entries themselves, in perpetuity in any and all media, including but not limited to digital and electronic media, computer, audio and audiovisual media (whether now existing or hereafter devised), in any language, throughout the world, and in any manner, for trade, advertising, promotional, commercial or any other purposes without further review, notice, approval, consideration, or compensation. Entrants waive and release the sponsor, YouTube LLC and each of their affiliates from any and all claims that entrants may now or hereafter have in any jurisdiction based on any claims, including but not limited to “moral rights” or “droit moral” or unfair competition with respect to the sponsor’s or YouTube’s exploitation of entries without further notification or compensation to entrants of any kind, and agree not to instigate, support, maintain, or authorize any action, claim, or lawsuit against Sponsor, YouTube and each of their affiliates, licensees, or any other person in connection with this Contest, on the grounds that any use of any entry, or any derivative works, infringe or violate any of entrants rights therein. By entering this Contest, entrants agree that Sponsor, YouTube LLC and each of their affiliates, licensees, promotional partners, and third party marketing entities shall have the right and permission to use the name, picture, voice, biographical data, photograph, testimonial, or other likeness and/or prize information or personal exposition (and/or any edited portion thereof), and/or any information contained in his/her Video Submission or entry for promotional, advertising, and/or publicity purposes in any media, now or hereafter known, throughout the world in perpetuity, without compensation or notice to, or further consent of, to the winner to the extent permitted by law.

Limits of Liability:
By entering, entrants agree to release, defend and hold harmless the Sponsor and YouTube LLC and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and each of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, agents and employees, nor any Internet access providers (collectively “Released Parties”), from and against any and all claims, actions and/or liability (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) for any violation of the Official Rules by entrants (including any warranties made by participants), any claims of infringement or violation of a third party’s rights by a Video Submission, and any injuries or death, loss or damage of any kind (including incidental or consequential damages and lost profits) arising from or in connection with participation in and/or entry into the Contest (including kitchen accidents occurring in connection with potential entries in the Contest), any acceptance or use of any prize (including any losses or liability associated with travel or accommodations) and the conduct of any cooking demonstration. The Released Parties are not responsible or liable for, and assume no responsibility for (i) any unsafe, dangerous or reckless conduct, including cooking techniques or activities involving fire or flames, (ii) any personal injury or property damage arising from kitchen accidents, (iii) any error, omission, interruption, defect or delay in operation or transmission at any website, (iv) failure of any entry to be received by YouTube due to technical problems, human error or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, (v) communications line, hardware and/or software failures, (vi) damage to any computer (software or hardware) resulting from participation in the Contest, (vii) theft or destruction of, tampering with, unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries and/or entry information, or (viii) entries which are late, lost, stolen, damaged, illegible, unintelligible and/or postage due (or any combination thereof). Any entrant who attempts to tamper with this Contest in any way shall be disqualified. ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY UNDERMINE THE CONTEST SITE OR THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

General:
All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Contest void where prohibited or restricted by law. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned by reason of infection by computer virus, worms, bugs, tampering, hacking, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes which, in sole opinion of the sponsor, corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this contest, the sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest, and determine the winner from entries received prior to action taken, or as otherwise deemed fair and equitable by the sponsor. Except where prohibited, each entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved under the laws of the State of Iowa, without respect to any conflict of law issues, and each participant agrees that such shall be resolved exclusively by the Federal and State Courts of Johnson County, Iowa. In the event any of these terms become or are declared to be illegal or otherwise unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, such term(s) shall be null and void and shall be deemed deleted here from. All remaining terms shall remain in full force and effect.

Winner List:
For the name of the Winner visit the FRY Fest website or the contest site after August 29, 2010.

FRY Fest Hokey Pokey Video Contest.

2010-07-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

My newest creation to spread the word for our Guinness world record Hokey Pokey attempt is ..
a video contest :)

What will be more fun than getting other people excited & involved by having them create their own videos, doing the Hokey Pokey, and uploading them to our group page .. http://www.youtube.com/group/fryfesthp . The contest is open to all ages. We encourage everyone to ...grab your friends, family, or coworkers… get creative, be original, and join in on the fun! :)

check out my flyer .. https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B0yVs2iomTeiODZlNWJlOGUtZTMwYy00NTk3LWFhOGYtOGYyYjc5NjAxODQx&hl=en

My vision when I was creating this contest ..I saw people getting friends together and doing the Hokey Pokey in random places such as ..in Brandon, IA in front of the world's largest frying pan ..or in front of the capitol building in Des Moines, IA ..or outside Kinnick Stadium ..or in a corn field. Even wearing costumes, like maybe an athletic team (the Hawkeyes) or maybe supporting surrounding universities & high schools. My vision is obviously HUGE for this project and I really hope it takes off. I would really appreciate your help!

& the winner/winning video receives tickets to the football season opener on Saturday, September 4 ..the University of Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Eastern Illinois University.

FRY Fest Souvenir Button Contest

2010-07-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

I am keeping very busy with fun Hokey Pokey stuff, a new job I just got, classes, and road trips :)

BUT the thing I am most excited about right now is the souvenir button contest I created for kids kindergarten through 8th grade. They have the opportunity to submit a design for FRY Fest and if they win their design will be featured on this year's FRY Fest Souvenir Button and sold at the event on FRYday, September 3rd 2010. All of the entry forms will be on display at FRY Fest. It's a great way to have a little fun using your creative side and getting involved with FRY Fest :)

You can print off entry forms at .. https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=1K7LpwEMQpQQa7WJcJOK6dNMeA3HEoDne2ddVH2Y27Fuknql13RIM4EefZtZD&hl=en

Looking forward to seeing all the art work!!

58 days 'til FRY Fest :)

EXCITED about my new job!! .."Hokey Pokey Queen" :)

2010-07-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

It has officially been ONE YEAR since I have updated my blog ..partially due to the fact that my life in Iowa does not quite parallel my life in London. BUT exciting things are happening and its time to begin again ..

I just started my 2nd internship of my college career ..and I could not be more excited about it. My official title is "FRY Fest Intern". My unofficial (and preferred) title is "Hokey Pokey Queen".

FRY Fest is an event that takes place in the Iowa City/Coralville area the day before the football season opener, which is FRYday, September 3rd this year. "A celebration of all that is Hawkeye". And the event takes place all day long, beginning at 9:00 AM with a street renaming in honor of the former Iowa Football coach Forest Evashevski and closing the night with a concert of The Nadas, who are based out of Des Moines, IA (check out their website.. ) and Three Dog Night, who sing a lot of really well known songs (& their website.. ). The concert tickets are only TEN DOLLARS! (The Nadas begin @ 7 pm and Three Dog Night will start @ 9 pm). FRY Fest has everything from a car show to the world's largest Hawkeye tailgate & trade show.

BUT ..the most important part of FRY Fest (to me) is this year's attempt at breaking the Guinness world record for the largest, organized Hokey Pokey!!!! The reason it's so important to me is ..1) because the HOKEY POKEY is FUN and 2) my biggest responsibility as "Hokey Pokey Queen"/"FRY Fest Intern" is to ensure we BREAK THE WORLD RECORD (otherwise I may be shunned by the city & Hawkeye fans ....joke! but really, its important!)

& there is VERY good reason we want to break this record ..
During Coach Hayden Fry's years at the University of Iowa, he would lead the football team in the Hokey Pokey after big wins! So the tradition must live on and all Hawkeye fans MUST come to FRY Fest (FRYday Sept. 3rd @ 6pm) and help us set the Guinness World Record. The current record was set in 2003 in Toronto, Canada with 4,431 participants. BUT we want to blow that record totally out of the water :)

GO TO THE FRY FEST WEBSITE (to see everything that is going on that day!)..

& GO TO THE FRY FEST 2010 YOUTUBE CHANNEL (to see videos of Hayden Fry dancing the Hokey Pokey in the locker room with the team!) ..

I even have my own office ..w/ Hayden Fry watching over me! :)

IMPORTANT:
I have organized a FRY Fest Souvenir Button Contest. Kids, grades K-8, have the opportunity to design a button that will be sold at FRY Fest. They will also be recognized on our FRY Fest website, receive a free event t-shirt, and button featuring THEIR design! It's a great way to get kids involved with our event and help everyone get excited about the Hokey Pokey! So if you have kids or know kids, K-8, that would like to design a button for FRY Fest ..I have entry forms that I can email. Please just let me know!

Help spread the word. & Come out to FRY FEST!! :)

"cheers to an unforgettable summer. & new best friends"

2009-08-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

I will never with words be able to describe how amazing, unforgettable, and life changing this summer has been for me. Living in London for two months, weekend adventures [Belgium, Paris, Ireland], interning at Blazinstar, all the walking tours of London and british life classes, all of the amazing speakers, and most of all the PEOPLE i've gotten to share this experience with. I will never forget a second of this summer. It feels like I put my "real" life on pause and tomorrow I go back to that "real" life and it begins again. I have no idea what to expect. I have grown so much over the 8 weeks here and I hope that continues when I get back home. To my friends & family in Iowa ..I can't wait to see you!! But for now ..this blog is about my last night out w/ the people in London ..my best friends <3

------> Meghan H & I

-------> Meghan K & I

Of course on our last night in London it would RAIN. We all wanted to go to our favorite bar, which is probably about a mile down the road ..so we walked. Well for some reason Amanda & I decided NOT to use umbrellas so we danced in the rain the WHOLE way there ..that explains the next picture & why we look the way we do :)

-----> Amanda & I at the bar.

-----> never a dull moment w/ these two - Amanda & Jonny

-----> Paul & I

-----> Kyle, Jonny, Gill, & I

------> All of us girls w/ Reece (one of our uod staffers)

-----> Amanda & I - thankfully she goes to UNI so we'll still be close <3

-----> Rachelle, Al, Jenny, Meghan & I :)

I could not have thought up a better summer. It was perfect + some. I will misssssssss everyone & everything. But I have gained so much from this experience that I will carry with me forever.

UNIVERSITY OF DREAMS LONDON 2009 <3

"These are my people. This is where I come from" - Ireland <3

2009-08-06T03:25:00.000-07:00

I finally got the chance to go visit the land my family came from, Ireland. I left London on Thursday, July 30th and we didnt fly back until Sunday evening. I loved every second of my trip. Dublin is one of the most expensive cities in Europe (7 euros a beer = 12 us dollars ..ONE BEER), but we also got to see outside of Dublin ..just wait til you see PICTURES. I would move to Ireland in a heartbeat. Gorgeous country, good food, and such nice people. I had alot of things I wanted to accomplish in the short weekend we had in Ireland, so being the organized person I am I made an itinerary for Amanda, Kelly, and I ..needless to say we didn't go in the exact order the itinerary told us but we did get to successfully cross everything off our list when we got on the plane Sunday night.

-----> The itinerary I made for Dublin. hahaha. ridiculous, I know.

Our hotel, the Trinity Capital Hotel was located right next to Dublin's Trinity College. Which is the oldest college in Ireland and is the home of the Book of Kells. I got a Trinity College sweatshirt for myself. I can pretend :)

------> Trinity College

Obviously the first things to do on our list were the Guinness Storehouse tour and Jameson's Distillery.

------> Amanda, Kelly, and I in front of the Guinness gate :)

-------> Making a wish at the waterfall in Guinness

-------> The Guinness Storehouse is shaped like a pint glass

------> "A drink helps me relax" had to, hahaha :)

------> Getting our 1 free Guinness at the Gravity Bar (mine had a shamrock design in the foam!!!) <3

-----> The view from the Gravity Bar

After our Guinness tour the most obvious thing to do was go straight to the Jameson's Distillery :)

------> Jameson's!!

We decided that since we had just got done taking the tour of Guinness we didn't need to do another alcohol tour so we went to the bar instead. The bar was any whiskey drink you could think of ..and me trying to get the full irish experience ordered my FIRST irish coffee (brown sugar, shot of Jameson's, coffee, and cream). VERY DELICIOUS.

------> My FIRST irish coffee <3

After Guinness and our drink at Jameson's ..we went for a stroll down the famous O'Connell street. It is the major shopping street in Dublin, where all the locals shop. Then back to the hotel to get ready for the evening. On our way into our hotel we spotted a sign "Happy Hour 2 for 1 Drinks" ..can't turn down a deal like that (mostly in a city so expensive). So Amanda & I headed down to our hotel's bar for a cocktail.

-------> Amanda & I ..my cosmo, her "woo woo"

Then comes DINNER ..we were on a mission to eat some traditional irish food. And that evening I had my first shepherd's pie. YUMM!

------> DELICIOUS :)

We then headed to a pub. I continued to drink Guinness as that seemed to be the theme of my day and it was cheaper than any other beer at the pub. We met a group of Dubliners and one of the girls gave Kelly, Amanda, and I some good advice ..add black currant to your pint of Guinness. So we did. And it was delicious!

-------> Our Irish friends :)

For Saturday we had scheduled a day long tour (9am to 5:30pm) of the coast, the countryside, and the mountains. The tour was called "Wild Wicklow" and our bus driver's name was Kev. IT WAS THE BEST THING WE DID WHILE IN IRELAND. And on this tour is when I truly fell in love! The bus made 4 or 5 stops around Dublin and then we headed to out of town. The first thing we saw outside of town was the COAST!!

------> My glimpse of the coast from the bus!!

The coast city we were in is called Dun Laoghaire. And then Kevin (the bus driver) let us out!! :)

--------> Soooo pretty <3

--------> Amanda & I even found a house.. that blue one :)

--------> Enjoying the scenery!

Then we drove up some REALLY narrow, winding roads to the top of the mountains. And although it was so windy we were positive we would blow off the mountain ..the view and the pictures were GORGEOUS and well worth it.

-----> Way down there is the Guinness Estate

-------> On top of the world :)

------> Amanda, Kelly, and I ..see how windy it is!

------> Honestly ..just breathtaking <3

Once we got all of the pictures we wanted ..we ran back to the bus to get out of the wind and were greeted w/ bus driver kev ..

-----> Kev distributing shots of JAMESON'S hahaha :)

-----> Obviously couldn't say no ..us girls w/ our Jamesons

We then headed down the mountain and to a small town, where we got lunch. Lucky for us we got our second traditional irish meal ...Guinness & Beef stew, aka Irish Stew. If you've never had Irish stew before ..it has a scoop of mashed potatoes underneath the stew and its AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS.

-------> Irish stew.. potatoes underneath!!

We then headed to St. Kevin's monastery, which is one of the, if not thee oldest in Ireland.

------> The very FIRST Celtic Cross

-----> St. Kevin's Cathedral (or whats left of it)

------> I found some CAHILLS

------> Trying to be artsy!!

After our Wild Wicklow tour, we went back to Dublin and I was on a mission to find my dad a t-shirt. He asked for a shirt that you could NOT buy in the United States. Although that sounds like a simple task, it wasn't. Finally we made our way to the Temple Bar District and found that the biggest bar in the area ..ironically named Temple Bar had a massive souvenir shop. So I found my dad a t-shirt and took a picture with the shirt in front of the bar in the middle of Dublin.

-----> The t-shirt & the Bar :)

-----> Having a drink at Temple Bar

The next day before we had to head to the airport, we took a tour through the Kilmainham jail.

------> Inside the jail.

Then we got our stuff from the hotel, grabbed a taxi, and headed to the airport.

------> Walking to our plane

Back to London for 5 days ......

PARIS for the wknd <3

2009-07-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

I got to spend the WEEKEND in PARIS. We left London on Friday July 24th, got on a train and headed to Paris. The train was crazy ..verrry loud with lots of dancing, sing, and alcohol (for some).

------> Amanda & I on the Eurostar :)

After only 2 hours I met Paris. With a group of 113 people it gets a little hectic & stressful when we are moving through train stations ..but after a successful transfer from the train station through the Metro in Paris we made it to our hotel. (People say the Metro is easier to use than the London tube. I say FALSE ..people in the Metro speak french, people on the tube ENGLISH). I was already excited to get to spend the weekend in Paris, France but to make it THAT much better ..our original hotel the University of Dreams had booked for us their air conditioning broke ..what to do? UPGRADE OUR HOTEL. We ended up staying at the Concorde Lafayette Hotel in Paris, sooooooooooo nice. (I'll tell you how nice in a sec, haha). We get our keys & blah blah blah, so I go to my room ..

------> my hotel room in paris

The first thing I do when I get into a hotel room is open the window and check out the view.. and this was by far thee best view of any hotel I have ever stayed at, EVER.

------> the view out my hotel window <3

My most important objective in Paris was to see the Eiffel Tower and lucky for me it was right out my window. But that wasn't enough. So a bunch of us met up and walked down the road for dinner. After dinner we wandered ..hoping we would end up at the Eiffel Tower eventually. Well to our surprise we found the Arc de Triomphe.

-----> the girls in front of the Arc de Triomphe

After many photos of and with the Arc, we continued our journey. Then we finally saw it ....

------> eiffel tower!!

------> This is a picture my friend, Meghan took (candid) of how excited I was!! hahaha

-------> just gorgeous :)

Clearly the most logical way to spend your first night in Paris is to lay in the park in front of the Eiffel Tower until the clock strikes 10:00PM and the tower lights UP! So we did just that ..

------> Amanda & I laying in the grass WAITING :)

------> Jonny, Amanda, & I

And then it happened ...

------> The lights ON ..& it was SPARKLING <3

------> Jonny, Amanda, Me (scarf in the face, haha) & Scott - jumping picture!

Saturday, July 25th ..we got up and made the decision to go to the Louvre & see the Mona Lisa w/ some people from our program! We are walking through the lobby and GUESS WHO I SEE? Amy Roloff, the mom from the TLC show "Little People, Big World". I am pretty sure its my 1st celebrity encounter hahaha. Then we were walking out of our hotel and who do I see coming in? Matt Roloff and 1 of his sons, (also in Little People, Big World). I was SO excited haha. I said "Hello" to him and he smiled & waved back. They weren't famous in Paris (obviously the show isn't aired their) but I knew them and they were staying at our hotel!!

-----> For those of you who haven't seen it, this is the Roloff Family!

We eventually made it to the Louvre.

------> Me outside the Louvre.

Obviously our first task once in the Louvre was to find the famous Mona Lisa. We hung out & walked around two hours + ..admiring all of the crazy paintings & sculptures!

-----> Here she is, in all of her small glory (big glory, small picture)

After the Louvre, we walked Paris for awhile. Eventually made it back to the hotel, got ready, and met at the bar in our hotel on the 34th floor (very top). The drinks were expensive, but good and the views were amazing.

----> My cosmo (w/ a straw) BEFORE

------> And after (& yes this is me trying to be "artsy")

------> The 34th floor bar.. romantic!

We then made the decision that we were going to have a dinner picnic in the park in front of the Eiffel Tower. So we began our walk. We stopped at a wine store to pick up the beverages for our picnic (ps - if you go to Paris..drink WINE, not to get drunk but because it is cheaper than beer, soda, and even WATER. crazy? yes!). And we found an italian pizza/pasta restaurant that had take-out and we headed to the park.

------> All of us almost to our park - Eiffel Tower <3

SUCH AN AMAZING WEEKEND :)

My days in Europe are winding down (only 10 left) but I have one more weekend trip ahead of me. This weekend (actually on Thursday) Amanda, Kelly, and I are flying to Dublin for a long 3 day weekend. We already have a ton of things planned (Guinness tour, Jamesons tour, a guided tour of the countryside, etc hahaha). And we are staying in a hotel right by Trinity College and the Temple Bar District. I am already too excited. Lucky for me we leave in a day!!

last weekend in London.

2009-07-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how quickly my summer is going by. I knew it was going to go by fast, but not this fast. PLEASE SLOW DOWN. This weekend is my LAST WEEKEND IN LONDON. Next weekend (July 24th-26th) I will be venturing to Paris. And the following weekend (July 30th - Aug 2nd) I will be in DUBLIN. Then to Iowa on Saturday, Aug 8th. WOW.

Most of our friends from the program went traveling this weekend, but Kelly, Amanda, and I decided to stay in London ..go on our tour of Parliament, finally get on the London Eye, and do any other little things we have not yet gotten to. Our tour of Parliament on Friday was ..okay, I mean it was really cool to actually walk through such an important/historical building, but the tour was a little lacking. We walked the path the Queen takes when she opens parliament ONCE A YEAR. (ONCE A YEAR). exciting. hahaha. We couldn't take any pictures on the tour. But I did get ONE in the main hall while waiting for our tour guide.

-----> Kelly, Amanda, & I in our DREAMER t-shirts :)

Following our Parliament tour, we headed straight for the London Eye. They were sure to ask me a couple times, "Chelsea, do you feel okay?" hahaha. I successfully did NOT get sick this time. And we did make it on the eye. After being asked numerous times what we were dreaming about (our t-shirts).

----> The city I live in!!

-----> Supporting our stylish University of Dreams t-shirts :)

-----> Having WAY too much fun w/ the guy in the car in front of us!

We then decided that for dinner it would be fun to venture to Chinatown London. So we did. Delicious food, but I felt bad for the ducks in the window.

-----> eyeballs, beaks still VERY intact. I ate chicken!

Today we went shopping at various markets throughout London, including the two Covent Garden markets and Camden market. They had a Build-A-Bear in Covent Garden. I went in and found the CUTEST "Chelsea Futbol Club" soccer outfit ..jersey, shorts, socks, & soccer cleats. So I bought it for my build-a-bear/monkey that is back at home, but definitely NOT forgotten :) I also purchased alot of other Chelsea Futbol stuff.. it seriously entertains me. (FUNNY - Jeff is a big soccer fan and he does in fact like Chelsea soccer, sooo I found this sign that says "Chelsea Fan Sleeps Here". hahahahahhaha, funny?! A little. I got it for him! & Jeff, you better hang it up!).

-----> Boobear's (my build-a-bear) new Chelsea Futbol outfit :)

-----> HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA <3

Back to my "itchy/scratchiness" ..I went to the doctor and she told me I have hives from some allergic trigger, but that she doesn't know what caused it. She prescribed me medicine, filled it at the pharmacy, looked it up online when I got home ..said "Referred to as Zyrtec in the United States". I have been taking the medicine for 4 days now and I am yet to see an improvement in the bumps or the itchiness. If they aren't better in two weeks, she wants me to make another appointment to get allergy tests done. Lets hope they get better! The doctor suggested I was allergic to London, hilarious right?

-----> my hives. my arm. this is really minor compared to my legs.

Brussels (continued) ..& my first SICK DAY (from work).

2009-07-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

So basically Brussels was my ideal city ..minus the slight language barrier and extremely forward/creepy guys. The city is known for waffles, chocolate, french fries, and BEER ..not to mention the gorgeous buildings! (It's the "capital of Europe").

----> One of the many amazing buildings in the "Grand Place" (or Center Square)

My advice: Visit Belgium. Drink Leffe & Hoegaarden. Eat a "traditional" Belgium waffle (w/ nothing on it), then do it the tourist way & put as many toppings as possible. Eat frites (french fries) out of a cone, pick a good sauce (spicy! yummm). & if you're brave ..try mussels in brussels (w/ fries). OH & eat Belgium chocolate :)

Now today ..Tuesday, July 14th

I must set up this story ..so during my first couple of weeks in London I noticed my skin felt really dry. And usually that's typical during the summer, so I didn't think much of it. I just continued to use lotion when I got out of the shower (that I brought from home). And even drink more water (got to stay hydrated). WELLLLLLL ..over time this "dry skin" problem has turned into much more. While in Belgium I had the constant overwhelming need to itch/scratch my arms & legs. That is when I begun to wonder what the heck was going on. This morning when I woke up ..not good. I don't really remember being 5 years old and having the chicken pox but I can imagine that the "annoying MUST scratch my arm/leg now" feeling I am having was much like it. I called in sick to work. My first time EVER in my life. Crazy, I know? So because London practices this wonderful thing called "United Healthcare" (sarcasm) ..I had to REGISTER for an appointment today and tomorrow I must "promptly" begin calling the doctor's office at 8:30 AM. Our program director told me to just keep calling until I get through. What is this a radio contest or a doctor's appointment??? Apparently ALL of the appointments for the ENTIRE DAY fill up in the first 20 minutes the phone lines open. Which means I begin calling at 8:30 AM and if I have not gotten through by 8:50 ..I have to try again the NEXT day! Seriously? I hate going to the doctor's, but I appreciate it more in the STATES. Basically I have NO idea what started all of this scratching, but I will hopefully get an appointment tomorrow and find out. Everyone is guessing it's an allergic reaction or something "different" here. Well since everything is different it's a little bit difficult to pinpoint what it could be.

But of course I couldn't just sit around all day and stare at my arms & legs wishing I could itch them ..so I went with a friend (who called in sick because of a cough) to the British Library. And then to the British Museum.

We couldn't take any pictures in the British Library, but they had A LOT of really interesting things. We saw a collection of the original pieces of paper John Lennon wrote some of the Beatles songs on, one being "Michelle" written on the back of an envelope. We also saw the original manuscript of "Alice in Wonderland". They also had a huge exhibit of the famous Henry VIII. The room was freezing cold and all of the documents (books, letters, & paintings) were in temperature controlled cases to help preserve them. I finally got all of his wives straight. (A saying about his wives: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived ..clever right?! haha).

Then we ventured to the British Museum! This is when the allergy pill I had taken began to kick in and I was getting sleepy, BUT I saw the ROSETTA STONE and my 1st real mummy!

-----> Inside the British Museum!

-----> the ROSETTA STONE (with a really bad glare)

------> a MUMMY

------> & last but certainly NOT least ..my legs covered in Calamine Lotion (had to, haha)

Discovering what I am allergic to ..TO BE CONTINUED :)

(follow-up blog tomorrow after my hopefully successful attempt at getting a doctor's appointment in London).

2009-07-14T00:41:00.000-07:00

I am not yet finished telling about my adventures in Brussels ..I will continue after my tour of the Southbank and a half day at work :)

BRUSSELS ..waffles, chocolate, fries, & beer. my kind of place :)

2009-07-13T00:11:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Belgium last night! We left early Friday morning (5:00 AM), got on the Eurostar at the train station right down the street from our building (my FIRST real train ride), and we arrived in Brussels around 9 AM (because of the time change). I think initially none of us expected the language barrier to be as difficult as it was. Once we arrived in Brussels, we began walking. We had a map to our hotel but these are not like USA maps. They're much more difficult to navigate. All I can say is, thank goodness our hotel was 30-stories and easy to spot from a long distance away. We checked in and dropped all of our stuff in our room and then headed for LUNCH. We made our 1st stop at a local pub that spoke ZERO english, so we had to point at what we wanted but because we spoke zero french we just ordered beer to be on the safe side.

----> Amanda, Kelly, and I drinking our 1st beer in Brussels - Hoegaarden.

Then we ventured out to find lunch. Unfortunately for us, our stomachs were overpowering our brains and we stopped at another english speaking place. Using the spainsh words we knew we figured out some of the menu ..("jamon" ham in spanish, "jambon" ham in french). We all played it safe. Either omelets or spaghetti. It was good food, but just a awkward situation. We then walked around Brussels in our attempt to find "Grand Place" (the center square). We ended up completely out of our way, but stumbled upon a yellow van selling Belgium Waffles. So we made our 1st stop for waffles. Although he called whipped cream - creme. & chocolate sauce something COMPLETELY different, once he showed us the items we figured it out. And they were AMAZING. Ahhhhhhh!!

-----> Our FIRST waffles in Belgium :)

I had THREE (& a 1/2) belgium waffles while in Brussels. I justify it to myself because 2 1/2 of them had strawberries (HEALTHY) hahaha and I didn't eat much else. Brussels has way too much stuff from the sea in shells.

-----> Amanda's food ..we watched the guy crack open the shells & lay them on her plate ..then brought it straight over to us ..ewwwwww! (she spit 1 out, swallowed 1 whole, unsuccessful).

We went to this bar called Delirium. Supposedly it has one of the world's largest on tap beer selections ..over 2,000. (they are divided between their upstairs & downstairs bar). So we went there Friday night and the guy recommended a cherry beer. Clearly the menu was too long for me to look and find something else so 3 of us ordered the cherry. Once we got it, the bartender said "Oh and that 10.2% alcohol content". WHAT?!

-----> Kelly, Jonny, & I at Delirium :)

On Saturday, it rained for most of the day. But since we're Londoners now, rain doesn't bother us! Haha. 1st things 1st ..we got another waffle! :)

-----> Looks AMAZING, right?!

And we saw what Brussels is known for, Manneken Pis ..their statue of a little boy peeing. Now when I say little, I really mean little. The statue was probably two feet tall. And it was between the corner of two buildings.

-----> All of us in front of Manneken Pis.

2009-07-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

Dear all.

I am going to BRUSSELS, BELGIUM. I will not have my computer over the weekend, but I will update pictures and my blog when I get back on Sunday night.

Everyone - ENJOY your weekend.

the weekend of JULY 4TH :)

2009-07-05T04:47:00.000-07:00

Hello all. It's Sunday afternoon and I cannot get over how amazing this weekend has been. (Yes, I have abused the word amazing while in london but everything is AMAZING). So I just got back from eating my 1st full english breakfast (toast, sausage, canadian bacon, scrabbled eggs, baked beans, grilled tomato, and mushrooms). I also had tea!! It's all about the EXPERIENCES :) ..In a half hour, we are meeting to go visit Kensington Palace, so I am going to write this fast!

Friday, July 3rd - We headed to a pub called "The Globe" and had our NEW favorite pub dish, sausage & mash!! (Try it, ITS INCREDIBLE!!!!) Then we went to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. So crowded, but SO much fun! I enjoyed taking pictures w/ the famous wax people. Then we went out for drinks in Covent Garden. Maybe my favorite area in London!

----> Me feeling much better about my butt size next to Jennifer Lopez, haha.

----> SHREK :)

----> Too bad Prince William will never know how cute of a couple we'd be.

Saturday, July 4th (INDEPENDENCE DAY) - May possibly be one of the best nights of my life. I cannot tell you with words how much I LOVED last night. We all got dressed up and went down to the pier & boarded our boat for the evening (7 PM - 11 PM). We all got drinks on the upper floor of the boat where there was a wrap around deck. Then we had dinner downstairs. And when we came back up to the 2nd floor they had opened up the roof ..so here we are cruising down the Thames as the sun is setting, you just look up & you will never be let down by the scenery. I am kind of thinking about getting married on a boat now, hahaha :) All of us sang & danced ALLLLLL night long. IT WAS AMAZING!!

----> The girls w/ Big Ben & Parliament in the background :)

----> The DANCE FLOOR!!!

----> Kelly, Amanda, & I watching the sunset behind Tower Bridge

----> The London Eye at night <3

----> PS - I found a man w/ zebra print pants!!!!! HAD TO get a picture :)

I am OFF to Kensington Palace. I will take mucho pictures, don't you worry! And I will probably update my blog later tonight. Have a WONDERFUL day everyone. CHEERS :)

love thursdays. LAST DAY OF THE WORK WEEK :)

2009-07-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

I love Thursdays! (I love every day here, but Thursdays mean the weekend is upon us). SO before I tell you about my jam packed weekend ahead ..I'll tell you about my day! (lucky you)..

This morning we all met at in our usual lecture hall on the University of Central London's campus for our FAVORITE activity, british life class. hahahaha. Actually I can speak for almost ALL of us when I say we dread it coming every week. Because we are American students traveling here on a visa, we are required to work 25 hours a week and have 15 hours of british life. SOO every Tuesday we have a tour of something/somewhere in London and every Thursday we have british life class. This morning our lecturer was a MP in the House of Commons (Parliament). It was pretty interesting, even though I have not yet had my tour of Parliament and I know NOTHING about the british government but nonetheless interesting.

Then I went to work from 12-6. But today something exciting happened, kind of. Yesterday I wrote a press release for my manager. His request was that it was titled "Promotional Staff Central London" and had those 'key' words within the press release as much as it would make sense (the whole point was so Google would "cached" the words so when someone searches for the phrase our company will come up on the first page). Well today we tested our google search and to his complete AMAZEMENT, we were the SECOND company listed. He was jumping up & down, yelling "UNBELIEVABLE". Then he proceeded to tell me "I pay companies SO MUCH MONEY to get me on the 1st page of Google searches and you did it for me FOR FREE". I'm like SAY FREE ONCE MORE & i'll CHARGE YOU. hahaha. No, it was honestly awesome. I loved how excited he was over my work! I was pretty excited myself. (the link to my article is .. http://www.staffwarehouse.biz/ap/promotional-staff-central-london/ ) So today he had me write another press release, titled "Brand Ambassadors". We're still waiting to see if that one gets "cached", but the link is .. http://www.staffwarehouse.biz/ap/brand-ambassadors/ . Kind of exciting, right?! :) I made another small achievement today. So over the past 3 weeks I have begun to pick up and make sense of words the British use, like rubbish is garbage, soft drink is pop/soda, etc ..well they tend to say "cheers" in place of "thanks". So today I was on the phone calling a list of people helping the StaffWarehouse side of our company staff an event next weekend. AND I USED THE WORD CHEERS. Yes, minor accomplishment to those of you in the States but I did a dance, I was so proud. Yesterday one of my coworkers, Kevin (my absolute favorite) ..him & I spent the majority of the day going over American vs. British words. Who needs British life class, I learn it all at work!! Check out my company's website (all I have is the UK link, but I know you can get to it by Google search). Google - Blazinstar Experiential .

Also - I did not take any pictures today. Obviously it was a day of lectures & work. But I have kind of decided I cannot post a blog without a picture. So I ran to the 24/7 Beer & Wine about an hour ago (in the US it would be a convenient store) and I bought some beers ..Amanda, Kelly & I are just going to stay in & hang out tonight. But I thought my beer selection was somewhat entertaining so I took a picture ..

---> Stella Artois (5.2%). Carling (4%). Fosters (4%). Carlsberg (3.8%)
dear america, catch up w/ the alcohol content. thanks!!

----> I just got off skype w/ my parents. & this is a picture from that (it might not be the BEST quality) ..but this is my MOMMA T & my little baby MEEKO :)

& real quick ..tomorrow (Friday, July 3rd) - The morning will be spent at the famous Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. (about 10 AM to 1 PM). Then we are headed to Shakespeare's "As You Like It" at the Shakespeare's Globe (where we have STANDING ROOM tickets, all 2 1/2 hrs WOOT WOOT). We will then spend the night out on the town celebrating Kelly & Gillian's birthdays, that were actually on Monday & Tuesday night. Saturday, July 4th (INDEPENDENCE DAY, not here haha) ..I am taking myself on a Beatles tour (you'll see when I upload pictures) and SATURDAY NIGHT ....ahhhhhh...our dinner & dance cruise on the Thames River. I am SOO EXCITED.

I'll keep you updated :)

To my family in Iowa - LOVE YOU ALL. Have fun @ the Cahill Family reunion. Wish I was there or better ..all of you were here!!

two posts in one day. GO ME!!

2009-07-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

I went to ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS w/ Amanda, Kelly, Meghan, Allison, and Rachelle. The coolest part about it was that Abbey Road studios have a live camera feed on their website of the famous crosswalk 24 hours a day (the website is .. www.abbeyroad.co.uk/visit/ ). My dad & Jeff both saw me on the camera!! :) ..I am continuing my "Beatles Mania" by hitting all of the well-known Beatles spots in London this Saturday. (ALL FOR YOU DAD). Also important ..today around 4:30 PM, my boss walks into the office w/ a bunch of bottles of wine. It was one of my coworker's last day today, so we drank wine & sang for the last hour & a 1/2 of work. Never in the states, right?! Hahaha. Definitely one thing I love about over here.. they are much more laid back. Anywho ..here are some of my Abbey Road pictures :)

---> walking "thee crosswalk"

----> we kind of look like them, right?! hahaha!

----> I wrote on the wall .."for you DAD, <3 chels"

the 1st day of july!!

2009-07-01T02:54:00.000-07:00

So yesterday's catch-up blog stopped on June 23rd. I am going to finish getting you up to speed REAL QUICK ..

Thursday, June 25th - A whole ton of the University of Dreams people got together and organized a "Pub Golf" game. Which entails 9 holes (or 9 bars) and you have 20 minutes in each bar and within those 20 minutes you must drink your drink & count how many drinks it takes you to finish your drink because there is a PAR at each hole/bar. We had three people per team ..& only one team member had to drink at each bar so everyone wasn't chugging drinks every 20 minutes. We had an absolute blast! There is even talk about us doing another towards the end of our summer in London.

----> This is my team ..Amanda, Me, & Kelly ..we called ourselves - TEAM BA (bad ass) hahaha. yes clever we know!!

Friday, June 26th - STONEHENGE & BATH. Stonehenge was exactly what it looks & seems like in pictures ..a bunch of rocks standing up w/ a couple laying across the top. Yes, it was cool. And yes, I am glad I got to see them and can say i've seen them. BUT ..not my favorite. The city of Bath on the other hand was AMAZING. Everything had me in complete awe. What an absolutely gorgeous city! When we got there we were beyond starving, so we stopped at pub for lunch. Followed by some shopping/sightseeing (including a trip to the local fudge factory YUM)..we even had our 1st afternoon TEA while in the UK :) ..Then we got to tour the roman baths. So incredible. EVERYTHING ABOUT BATH IS AMAZING. Another "must-see"

----> All of us girls in front of "the rocks" ..Stonehenge :)

----> ME at the Roman Baths!

Saturday, June 27th - We went for our 1st official fish 'n chips at a pub called "Hung, Drawn, & Quartered". Pleasant? Yes. It was right by the Tower of London if that makes it more acceptable. Hahaha. Then we took our tour of the famous Tower of London (which is not a tower at all.. I would call it the Castle of London, but supposedly when built it had the tallest tower around). Anywho, the tour was fun. So much history in that place ..most of the history consisted of someone dying. But we got to see the CROWN JEWELS. Oh MY gOSh! Words cannot describe the SIZE & AMOUNT of diamonds we saw that day. And we couldn't take PICTURES, grrrr. We got to see all the crowns, including the one that the current queen wears. And all of the "coronation" diamonds. Just amazing! Oh and then we went to the London Eye. We bought tickets for 12 pounds cheaper than they were at the ticket booth by some random girls that didn't have time to go anymore. THEN I GOT "SICK" ..yes sick sick!! & everyone else being the nice friends they are decided not to get on the eye that day & wait til I was feeling better. I still don't know what was wrong w/ me? Amanda speculates it was dehydration. I blame the spanish tapas the night before, ick.

---> Us w/ one of the "Beefeaters" ..hahahahaha thats what the guards are called @ the Tower of London!

Sunday, June 28th - HAPPPPPPPPY BIRTHDAY DAD <3 ..Since we had such a long, eventful couple of days we spent Sunday shopping at Portobello Market in Notting Hill. Although I didnt buy anything, such a cute area! AND I took my Uncle Craig's advice and tried a crepe w/ nutella. It was delicious but suppppppper rich.

----> Making my crepe :)

AHHHHH We're caught up. Monday, June 29th & Yesterday (Tuesday, June 30th) spent WORKING. lovely. No it really isn't that bad. Yesterday, I got to write up something that is now posted on my company's website. woot woot. It's the little things in life, right?! And today, I get to another posting. I really love my coworkers. They are a blast, but alot of them have the day off today. boo! Last night was Kelly Stevenson's birthday (we went to high school together) ..and so I met Amanda & Kelly out for dinner in Picadilly Circus after work. DELICIOUS. Then we headed to the "pubs". We ended up going to this sports BAR, so totally American. Hahaha. They had a beer pong tournament starting at 11:30 PM (we didn't participate). But alot of the people in our program met up with us and we ended up having a BLAST. But I must get ready and head to WORK. (Tonight the girls & I are headed to Abbey Road. To reenact the Beatles cover! ..It will be around 8:00 PM our time & 2:00 PM IOWA TIME, so if you are on a computer around that time get on this website ----> http://www.abbeyroad.co.uk/visit/ ..it is a LIVE video of the crossing in front of Abbey Road. LOOK FOR ME :)

the beginning of my BLOG :)

2009-06-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be doing this. & I am making a promise to myself to stay on top this ..especially while I am in London because I am doing a lot of "blog-worthy" things. haha. Anyways today is the end of day #17 in London! I cannot believe how fast my summer is going, boo. But I am making sure that I take FULL advantage of my time in this beautiful country :) ..So since this is already day 17, I will give you a speedy catch-up on what I have done so far ..

Saturday, June 13th - I arrived. Went out for my 1st beer in London and CRASHED. planes are NOT comfortable (either is my tiny twin bed w/ rough sheets) but I was overly-exhausted.

----> 1st beer ..dont let the glass deceive you, its a heineken!! (out of the beer I wanted)

Sunday, June 14th - this is the day I wandered around Picadilly Circus w/ Amanda & Kelly trying to find their offices. haha. It was quite the adventure but we are all now comfortable giving "tourists" directions around that area. We know it pretty well. Trial & error, getting lost helps.

----> the well-known land mark of Picadilly Circus.

Monday, June 15 - Lucky me .. I search all over Farringdon for my office building only to find it (an hour later) and have my boss tell me "I didn't think you started til tomorrow". So I gladly went exploring while everyone else had their 1st day of work. I ventured to Hyde Park and the Hark Rock Cafe so I could contribute to my dad's collection of Hard Rock "stuff".

-----> me @ Hyde Park in their Rose Gardens ..soo gorgeous & smells wonderful.

Tuesday, June 16th & Wednesday, June 17th - were spent @ Blazinstar Experiential ..my internship. I mostly did research on the company, the concept (experiential marketing), & their competitors. & of course became acquainted w/ my coworkers.

Thursday, June 18th - I attended my FIRST "Broadway" show ..WICKED ..ahhhh so amazing!! I officially am going to become a theatre buff. Then the girls & I head to our local pub down the street.. Millers!!

-----> The girls & I in front of Wicked.

Friday, June 19th - We woke up ..& had a lovely tour of the East End of London. (lovely minus the fact that I would NEVER go there again). & Friday night we headed to the "hottest club in London" ..Cafe de Paris. Yes it was fun. Yes it was expensive. Yes people did things they would later regret on the 1st wknd of our trip. BUT NOT ME. I safely got everyone back to our building & got the title "mom".

---> The girls in the VIP area @ Cafe de Paris.
(Jenny, Meghan, Rachelle, Allison, Me, Gillian, Amanda, Jen Chen, & Amanda)

Saturday, June 20 - So what seemed like very early the next morning (after the night @ Cafe de Paris) ..around 10:30 AM, we all boarded the double decker bus for our official tour of London. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was. I absolutely loved the bus tour!! We saw the best of London and from that added many more items to our "To Do List". We also stopped and ate lunch at the ORIGINAL Hard Rock Cafe and we enjoyed our 1st delicious "reminding us of home" comfort food ..a cheeseburger! The double decker bus tour ..a "must-do" when visiting London!!

----> The girls in our seats on the bus :)

-----> my FAVORITE thing we saw during our tour, parliament from across the river. GORGEOUS.

Sunday, June 21st - We all firmly believe we should not waste a second of our time while we are here ..so if it seems as though we are constantly on the go, its because we are! When I got here I thought "oh my gosh 2 months is such a long time, what am I going to do," but the fact that week 3 is HERE ..& tomorrow is "hump day" of wk 3 ..I now know 2 months is NOT that long. Anywho, this day was spent walking around Buckingham Palace. And the queen was somewhere inside because the flag was up!! We plan on going back in August to take a tour of the INSIDE of Buckingham Palace. (The queen goes to her palace in Scotland during the month of August and opens up Buckingham for tours. You can see all 600 rooms, minus the 22 that are the queen's). So we decided to take a tour of the Royal Mews, this is what I would call a stable. It has all the horses, the "carriages", and the royal cars. It was very interesting w/ lots of neat things to see!

---> this is ME ..by the "Gold Stage Coach". This coach has been used for the coronation of the British monarch since George IV, which includes the current Queen.

Tuesday, June 23rd - Today was our tour of the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. It is not the original. The original does not exist, but it is an exact replica (minus the concrete floors surrounding the stage ..in Shakespeare's days it was dirt, but the company did not believe people would now-a-days purchase tickets to stand in dirt & mud). On Friday, July 3rd we are going to see the play "As You Like It" at the theatre! Then later at night all of us girls headed to the "Absolut Ice Bar" in Picadilly. £12.50 = 45 mins in the ice bar, 1 drink, & you get to wear a nifty thermal poncho. My favorite thing may have been the glasses we drank out of ..made of ice!

----> Gillian, Meghan, & I ..see my glass made of ice :)

So I am going to end here for now ..this clearly does not bring you up to date YET. But It will soon. READ MY BLOG. I will update it daily (or try my best to) depending on whether I do something "blog-worthy" that day or not.