I think my life is back to normal...maybe

It has been a crazy last three weeks. With Spring Break and the family coming I had no time to do anything and was always on the go. Well now that everything is back to normal, I think things will start to settle down again. Sorry I haven't been posting anything, its just I haven't had the most time. So I will give you a run done of my Spring Break and with the family and then I will be back to a daily blog. Hope everything is weel back home and you like how my past three weeks have gone.

Spring Break 2012 - Germany - Italy - London

Started off my Spring Break by flying into Frankfurt and travelling around Germany for four days!

Mar. 22nd - Finally got to start my Spring Break! We left the house around 2pm to get some things before we had to go to the airport. Got to the airport plenty early and just hungout till our flight left. We landed in Germany around 10:15pm. Got through customs and went to search for our hotel. Well we were lucky and booked one right across the street so it wasnt hard at all. We got into our room and just hungout the night and watch German hockey, it was really interesting. Went to bed cause the next day was going to be a long one.

Mar. 23rd- Woke up around 7am to start the day. We checked out and walked back over to the airport. We had to take a bus into Frankfurt City Center which took about a hour and a half. Got into Frankfurt City Center around 10:15am. We had to go find a map right away because we had no clue what to do or what to see. We walked to the river and started walking down the side and just looking at everything that was around there. Then cut up to the main shopping area and walked around there. We headed back to the train station since we were going to take a train to Mannheim to meet Brittas friend Marc. So we got on the train about 5:15pm and got into Mannheim about 6:30pm. We met Marc at the train station and he brought us to our hotel for the night. We went to a seminar with him. It was all in German so me and Britta just sat and looked at everything around the room and looked confused the whole time. But after we got free food and drinks so we weren't complaining. After we were done there we went back to our hotel to change and get ready for the night. The group that put on the seminar booked out a club for us until 11:30pm so we went there and hungout with some of his friends and it was a lot of fun. After we just walked back to our hotel and hungout and then went to bed.

Mar. 24- Got up at 9:30am, Marc likes to sleep in so we didn't have to meet him till 11:15am which was really nice. We checked out and then went with Marc to a bakery for a pastry for breakfast. Then Marc showed us around the city. We started at an old water tower which is made into a fountain / park now which was really pretty but it isn't summer yet so there was no water flowing. Then had to walk down the main shopping street which was really nice. We went into a sports store that was five levels and had a rocking climbing wall all five stories up the middle of the store! Then we showed us the University that he goes to. It is in the top 3 for business in all of Europe which was really cool to find out. Next we walked to a Cathedral and went inside, it was the most amazing Cathedral that I have ever seen but I couldn't take pictures so if you want to see it you will have to come to Germany. We dropped our bags off at Marc's dorm and then went to a city called Heidelberg which is a very touristy town. We walked down the main street that had tons of shops and stores. Then crossed a bridge and walked up the side of the mountain to look out over the town. We could see the town, castle, and the river which was all really pretty. We caught the train back to Mannheim to get our bags and then caught a train back to Frankfurt. We got on a tram and went to stay at his mom's house. She had dinner ready for us and made us a very good lasagna and a sweet dessert. Then we went straight to bed because we were exhausted.

Mar. 25- Marc likes to sleep in so we didn't get up until 10:30am. His mom had laid out some breakfast for us so we ate and then went into Frankfurt. He brought us to the old opera house but we didn't go inside. Then we went to the top of the second tallest tower. We luckily got to take an elevator. You could see for miles at the top and it had amazing views!! Then we walked to the main square and got all of our souviniers. Then we climbed to the top of the Cathedral which was very tiring because there were soooo many stairs and it was a spirl stair case but it had amazing views too. Then we just walked down by the river until we got to the train station and then got the tram back to his moms house. Marc had to go back to his internship in Munich so he had to leave. So his mom made us dinner and we ate with her and just talked with her that night. Had to go to bed early because we had to leave the next morning.

Mar. 26- Well it was an early morning for us! We had to get up at 5am and out the door by 5:45. We got the tram into the train station and walked to the bus. We caught the bus from the City Center back to the airport. We got to the airport and checked in and everything and then had two hours to kill till our flight! We got boarded and everything and we were on our way to Venice, Italy!! We got into Venice about noon and had to catch a bus into the City Center. We got off the bus and went to buy our tickets for the water taxi to go to our hotel. Right before we got on, I realized I didn't have my camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I walked real fast back to where our bus was and talked to a guy there and then went into the booth and talked to another guy and he called some people but never found my camera. So I didn't start to well in Venice and the rest of the day I was really bummed but I knew I couldn't let it get to me because I needed to enjoy my Spring Break with Britta. So we hopped on our water taxi and it brought us to the island of Lido which is right off of Venice and that is where our hotel was. Our hotel was ten steps away and across the street from the water taxi stop. So it was right on the water which was amazing and looked over to Venice mainland. We got all checked into our hotel and unpacked most of our stuff since we were going to be here a little bit. We wanted to go find the beach so we started walking around the town but couldn't find it so we went back to our hotel to get warmer clothes on since the sun was going down. We asked the front desk guy where it was and we were off. We went to the beach and walked around it was beautiful and we found some great seashells and noticed the water was really clear which was really cool. After we walked back to the hotel and just hungout. The only show in english was Jersey Shore so we watched it! It was all we had to watch! Then we went to bed cause we were tired!

Mar. 27- We got to sleep in a little bit and got up about 9am. Went down to breakfast and it had lots of good things and could of eaten it all day! We went to a glass blowing factory on the island of Murano. We went inside and had a demonstration of glass blowing. The guy showed us how to make a vase and a horse. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen!! Then we got to walk around the shop and see all the things that the people had made there. Then a boat brought us onto the mainland of Venice. We got there and saw all the little shops and everything so of course we had to go in every single one to see everything. Somehow we ended up on the other side of the island. We bought a water taxi pass so we could ride it as much as we wanted to. We got on one and rode it back to Lido. We changed and went back into Venice for dinner. We found a restaurant on a canal and both had pizza and sprite. We were tired after dinner so we just went back to the hotel and watched some tv and went to bed.

Mar. 28- Got up and had another great breakfast! We took the water taxi through the Grand Canal and then finally got off. We walked through the market and saw all the fruits, vegatables, and seafood. It didn't smell the greatest because of the fish but it was really cool to walk through. Then we wandered some more and ended at a point which looked over Venice and it was really pretty and of course took lots a pictures. We went back to the main spot in Venice and walked around some more. Went back to Lido and took a nap because we were worn out. Got dressed again and went back into Venice for dinner. We wanted to go to Hard Rock Cafe because we want to go in every city that we go to. It was so good and could of eaten so much more food there. Came back to the hotel and watch Ac Milan vs. Barcelona and it was a great game and went to bed right after!

Mar. 29- Got up for another great breakfast. We wanted to just have a relaxing day so we went to the beach on Lido and just laid out. We just hungout and just played cards and enjoyed the sun. We defientely got enough sun because we were starting to turn red but I would of turned tan so it was all good. Went back to the hotel and changed and went into Venice. We walked around some more and I found a Puma store so we had to of course walk through it! We went back to Lido for dinner and it was probably the best dinner we had so far. We packed most of our stuff because we were leaving in the morning for London. So we went to bed early.

Mar. 30 -Woke up and had our great breakfast one more time!! We went back up to our room to finish packing and then went to check-out. We sat by the water in Lido for a bit but then got bored so we got on the water taxi and went into Venice. We went to a park and just sat and played cards for a really long time. Then we were sick of sitting there so then we went by the canal and sat and played more cards. Then we got on the bus to take us back to the airport. We got checked in and then sat and waited for our plane. We got on our plane and headed for London. We got into London and waited in customs for about a hour or a little bit longer. It was so boring and just wanted to get through. We got through and then had no clue where to go. We followed a little sign that said holiday express. It brought us to a shuttle bus and we got on the last one of the night. We got into our room and went straight to bed.

Mar. 31- We got up around 7:30 and went down to breakfast. It wasn't as good as Venice but it had to do. We packed up all our stuff and checked out. We got on the shuttle and it took us back to the airport. We got on another bus to take us into London city center. We got off at Liverpool St. We got on the tube and rode it to Kings Cross station. I went to find the apartment and called the guy at noon. He met me at the apartment at 1pm and let me in. We filled out all the paper work and he showed me everything and then he left. I had to wait around for my parents to get there. My family finally got there at 2:45pm. We had tickets to a football game at 3pm. They brought in there suitcases and we were off. Luckily Anns friend got us a driver and he brough us to the game. We didn't get there till halftime but it was still worth it!! It was a great game and I had a lot of fun with my family being there! We took the tube back into London city center. We just started walking around to try and find somewhere to eat! We ended up in Piccadilly Circus and ate at Adam's rib and it was really good! We got on the tube and went back to our apartment and went straight to bed!!

Apr. 1- Well I was ready to go at 7am this morning but rolled back over and slept longer because I knew my family was not ready to get up. We got on the tube to go where we wanted to go. We had to switch lines so we were walking to the next line when we turned around and couldn't see my mom anywhere. We started to panic because we didn't know where she was. We walked back a little bit and then saw her around the corner. We got on the tube and started heading to St. Pauls and noticed we were on the same tube as Britta and her family which was funny so then we got off. We went through St. Pauls Cathedral and it was soooo big! We went downstairs to the gift shop and looked around. It was Palm Sunday so they had a precession through the courtyard area with donkeys and everything so we stayed and watch it and participated in Palm Sunday even if we were in London. We then started our trek to Tower Bridge. We passed a lot of buildings along the way and stopped and took pictures. We finally made it to Tower Bridge and took all of our pictures. We then headed to Tower of London. We had to stand in line for tickets for awhile but that was okay because we just chatted. We went inside the Tower of London and walked around to see all the sights. Next we went to see the one thing that everyone goes there for, The Crown Jewels. We went through the building and learned all about them and saw all of them. They were pretty impressive and one day I will be able to afford something in there! Then we went and had lunch one last time together in London. After we were done eating I had to say bye to the family because I had to catch my train back home. Britta and I went to her hotel to get her bags and we were on our way to the train station. Our train left at 6pm but had some delays along the way so we didn't get back to Edinburgh till 11pm. Once we finally got on a bus, we didn't get back to the palace till midnight. We both went straight to bed!

Apr. 2- Well back to reality today. Got up for breakfast and then unpacked all of my stuff. Went to class for three hours and only watched movies the whole time. At night, just chekced emails and talked to my advisor to get my classes figured out and I am on track for my exercise physiology program. Went to bed early to catch up on some sleep.

Apr. 3- Woke up and went to breakfast. Went to my two classes and they were boring like usually but I have to take them. Lunch wasn't the best but I have to eat it! Missed going out to eat with my family and on Spring Break. Had my kitchen job after lunch, I had to empty the freezers and repack them. My hands were very cold after that was done! Then it was time to catch the bus into Edinburgh to meet the family. I got off at North Bridge and they met me right there! Then we had to figure out what to do. We met up with Brittas family and went to a pub for dinner and just chatted about everyones vacation so far. After we had to find our way back to the apartment. Had to stop along the way for groceries but then finally figured out how to get back to the apartment! Just relaxed and watched some tv and went to bed early for a long day the next day.

Apr. 4- First full day with the family today and we used the whole day!! Our first stop was St. Giles Cathedral. It is the biggest Cathdedral in Edinburgh. We went inside and looked around and Nikki got a photograph sticker so she took pictures for us so we can remember it since it is one of the few Cathedrals you can take pictures in. Next we went to the musuem because I had to find an artifact for history and write a paper on that. Then we decided to walk around the museum a little more and see other things that they had. It was like all the other museums but with Scotland artifacts. Ann had to get her whiskey, so we went on a whiskey tour. We rode on a barrel and went threw and had a presentation on how whiskey is made. Then we had a taste tasting and whiskey is nasty so I won't be drinking anymore whiskey! Then we went to get a quick lunch and explore more. Next we went to holyrood Palace where Royalty stays when they come to Edinburgh. We got a tour through the palace and it was very initeresting to see and listen to what has happened through the years in the palace. Then we were going to go to the National Gallery but it was closed so we couldn't. So with Britta's family we went up to Little Athens. It is ruins on top of a hill that kind of looks like Athens. We could see so far around Scotland and also could see the sea. Then we had dinner but we werent hungery so we just had appitisers and dessert. My family went back to the apartment and then I went to meet Britta because we were going to come back to the palace because we had class the next morning. Her family went to dinner so I went with them and had a little snack. Then ofcourse they had to go to the pub so we went with. By the time we were going to leave it was already late. So I ended up sleeping at Brittas apartment for the night.

Apr. 5- Had to wake up at 5:45am to get up and catch the bus back to the palace. I was so tired and the walk was so cold. So starting the day I wasn't too happy. We got back early enough that I could go take a shower and a long one that is. Then headed down for a quick breakfast before class. Both classes went really fast today because we got out about forty minutes early in each one. Good thing we did because I was very tired. Then went to lunch and then had to wait around for my kitchen duty because no one in the whole house could take my kitchen job!! The house wasn't very nice that day. My kitchen job went fast but then I had to get up to the bus stop to meet my family. We walked back the the palace and walked around the grounds so they could see all of that and then we went inside. Took them on a tour of palace so they got to see what goes on inside the palace everyday. Then my host dad picked us up and we went back to their house. We chatted with them for a little bit and then she made us dinner. She made us a wonderful meal and was very filling. After we chatted a little more until we had to leave. We caught the bus back into Edinburgh and went to the apartment and went straight to bed.

Apr. 6- We had to get up early today because we didn't want to miss our bus for our tour. We made it plenty early and got good seats on the bus. We were going to to a highlands and loch ness tour so the family could see some of the highlands before they left. Along the way, our driver told us many different stories and pointed out plenty of historic sights. We stopped a couple of places along the way to get out and take photos and then hop back in and keep going. We made it to Loch Ness and we got to tour the castle that was there and then go on a little boat tour across loch ness. But unfortunately I didn't see nessie, but maybe next time. We hoped back on the bus and headed back to Edinburgh seeing more sights on the way home. We got back about 8pm and went and found some dinner for the last time together. Went back to the apartment so they could pack up most of their stuff so they didn't have to in the morning.

Apr. 7- And they were gone. Got up, got ready, and went to the Airlink to send them off to the airport. Had to say my goodbyes to them and wouldn't see them till I got home. They got on the Airlink and I was off to Brittas apartment. Britta let me in the apartment and then went back to bed for a little bit since I was there so early in the morning. Got up and had some breakfast and just hungout for a little bit. Then we came into Dalkeith for the country fair. We walked around the fair for a little bit till everyone got hungery and then we went to the black bull for lunch. After we went back into Edinburgh and just hungout. Nobody was really too hungery so we ordered pizza to the apartment. Then we had to go to the pub one last time with Dena before she left. Came back and went to bed.

Apr. 8- Happy Easter! Woke up and had Easter breakfast at the apartment. Then we were going to church at St. Mary's but didn't realize that it was a Polish Mass. SO EVERYTHING WAS IN POLISH!!!! I had no clue what was going on so I basically sat there and stared into space because I was lost!!! After church we walked around so her family could get some souvineirs for back home. After we came back to the apartment and just hungout and everyone was really tired so we went to bed early.

Apr. 9- Happy Birthday to Britta! We had to wake up at 6:20am to say goodbye to Brittas parents and they were off to the airport. So we came back in the apartment and were going to sleep some more but nobody could fall asleep so we just worked on homework until we had to leave the apartment. Britta and kaia were going to spend the day together so I split off from them to go get Brittas birthday present. Then I came back to the palace and decorated her room and wrapped her presents. Went to lunch and then cleaned up my room for a little bit before I had to go to class. Went to class for three hours and pretty much just watched movies. After class, I headed into Edinburgh to meet Britta and Kaia for dinner. We went to a little pub on the grassmarket and had dinner and hungout for a little bit. Came back into Dalkeith and went to a little pub to just hangout for a little bit more since Kaia was leaving the next morning. Went back to the palace and watched Friends for a bit and then went to bed.

Apr. 10 - 14- This week has gone by really fast and just so many things going on around with with school, school back home, and trying to figure out work and my new internship this summer. Just have been going to class, doing my kitchen job and been working on all the papers that are do at the end of the year here! Not too much going on this weekend, just hanging out trying to catch up on some sleep. Enjoying the nice day today and hopefully going to get outside and enjoy some sun for once while it is out!

Will be blogging everyday now since everything is back to normal here and quieting down some. Only three more weeks here and I will be back home! Cannot believe how fast time has gone here and that it is almost over!!

Hope all is well back home!!!

Miss and love you all!!!

Last day here...Now Spring Break

Nothing really was going to happen today since it is the last day here before Spring Break. Slept in this morning since I dont have class till the afternoon. I finally got out of bed at 10am, felt so good to finally sleep in for once. Took Tyler's lunch duty since he had left for Paris so I had to be there at 11:30am and finished at 1:15pm. But now he will cover my shift for me when my mom, ann, and nikki are here so it works out! Than I went to class at 4:30, than dinner and than back to class till 8:30. Just laying things out that I need for spring break and looking at some last minute things before tomorrow! Our flight isn't till 7:30pm tomorrow so we have some time during the day to get ready and than it is off to Germany to start spring break.

I dont know how much internet access I will have so if I dont blog one night you all will know why. I will try to blog as much as possible so you can all know what I am doing and how much fun it is!

Hope all is well back home!!

Miss and love you all!!!

almost spring break

Well it was a rough morning this morning. Did not want to get out of bed and just wanted to sleep all day!! My eyes hurt mostly all day but I just sucked it up. Went to breakfast and than went to my two classes. Were very easy days since it is almost spring break and the professors didnt want to do anything. Did my house job today since Gina said I didnt have to do it yesterday cause I had just gotten back. Than we went to lunch and decided to go into town. Went shopping and I didnt find anything but Britta did. She got flip-flops and a dress. We came back and just hungout till dinner. After some of us went out and played soccer in the front yard. It was a lot of fun and nice to play with some people here!! We are going to do it again sometime soon! Tonight just printing boarding passes, booking two more hotels, and finishing some stuff up for spring break. Bed again early tonight!!!!!

And I am back

Left home at 4:20pm on Sunday and landed in Amsterdam at6:30am. Had to hang around the airport for a while because my next flight to Edinburgh wasn't till 9:45am. Once I got into Edinburgh, I took the Airlink to the city centre and caught the bus back into Dalkeith. I walked back into the palace at 12:05pm, just in time for lunch. So ate lunch quick, than had to meet with tyler and justin to finish some things for our presentation. Than we had class and we presented. Took our house photo today once class was done. We will have to see how that turned out. Went to dinner and now just hanging out and talking to Britta about how both our weekends went. The eyes are killing me right now and I have been struggling all day and it will be a definite early night tonight. Going to take a few days to recover and adjust again!

I had so much fun this weekend at the wedding and it was great to see everyone!!

Hope all is well back home!!

Miss and love you all!!!!!

Last Day Here

Woke up this morning and went to breakfast! I didn't really want to get out of bed but I had lots to do today! After breakfast I went and worked on my globalization paper. I got pretty far on it but needs some changing. Once Britta was done with class we skyped her parents until lunch. After lunch I worked more on my paper and tried to figure out my classes for next Fall. I think I figured it out, but have to double check WHEN I GET HOME TOMORROW! Went to class and than had a break for dinner and than went back to class for another two hours! Got to love three hour classes, but only one day a week. Tonight just doing the paper and packing all the little things I need and trying not to forget anything!

Hope all is well back home!!

Miss and love you all!!

I COME HOME TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Almost time to go

Woke for breakfast this morning and had cereal and toast and an apple because I was very hungery and it is a good thing I eat. Than went to my two classes which get more and more boring every class period but they go by pretty fast so I am not complaining about that. After lunch I took a nap because I was so tired and tonight will be a late night writing a paper so I don't have to when I am home. After my nap I went and worked on my project with justin and tyler. Also tried to find somewhere to watch march madness but it isn't working too well but oh well I am living in Scotland right now so I can't complain. Went to dinner and than after went to the conference room and I have been here all night trying to figure out what I am going to do for my globalization report that is due on Monday and it is stumping me hardcore so it is going to be a late night tonight. Still trying to figure out if I can watch the two play-in games tonight.

Hope all is well back home!!!

Miss and love you all!!!! ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT!!!!!!!!

Just another day

Don't have class in the morning but decided to get up for breakfast, otherwise I am really hungery before lunch! After that I got ready for the day and went on my computer. Looked up things for my paper and look at emails, facebook, and ofcourse ESPN. Once most people were up, I did my host job and made the steps look good as always. Got a quick workout in before lunch. Went to lunch and wanted to take a nap after but I have class so that didn't happen. Sat through the three hours of class and it went by slow today and I don't know why. After class, me, tyler, and justin started our presentation that we are presenting on Monday so we have to get it done before I leave. Tonight, me, britta, and lael are doing our study guides for biology for our midterm. They are so confusing! The teachers are not so good here besides the Scottish professors. Wish all my professors were Scottish, they do a good job!

Hope all is well back home!!

Miss and love you all!!! 3 MORE DAYS!!!

Last day off

Got up for breakfast today and I was really tired but really hungery so I got up and went. After I went to the computer lab and just surfed the internet because didn't have much to do. Than we made grilled cheese for lunch and that was good. After I did some homework cause I come home to America and won't have time for homework. Tonight we made egg sandwiches and it was a good adventure on making them. Tonight we skyped my parents, jess, and trista so it was a lot of fun!!! Going to bed early tonight cause been up late this weekend.

Hope all is well back home!!

Miss and love you all!!! 4 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday!

Got up for breakfast this morning at 9am and ate as much as I could cause I was hungary. Than me and britta went and washed our sheets and blankets so it will be a great night sleep tonight even though the detergent doesnt work as well over here! Than we made grilled turkey and cheese for lunch and it was very good! Than we headed to Edinbrugh to walk around the stores and shop without buying because I am a poor college student studying abroad. But I have a shopping problem so it was a good thing I didn't buy anything. We came back and were very hungary so me and britta made; chicken kiev, green beans, and buttered noodles. It was so good and actually filled me up for once. That doesn't happen often. Tonight we are just going to stay in and watch movies with eryn and lael and probably go to bed early.

Hope everything is well back home!!

Miss and love everyone!!!

Full day!

Woke up this morning at 7am to get ready for the day because we were going on an adventure. We got on the train at 9:33am to go to Stirling to see Stirling Castle. Most of the house went with so there were a lot of us. We got to  tour the Castle and it was really nice. There were many nice views and lots of different cool things to look at. Than we got on the train and headed to Linthigow Palace. We got to tour the Palace on our own and it was really fun because we were the only people in the palace. It was just ruins so you could yell throughout the palace to se if people could hear you. After we headed back to Edinburgh. When we got back me, britta, lael, and hannah went to the mall and walked around. Found a new jacket that I want. Its a brand that everyone wears over here and it is very nice apperal. Just relaxing tonight in the palace because I am very tired and just hanging out wth everyone tonight.

Hope all is well back home!!!!

Miss and love everyone!!!!!!

Out yesterday, in today

Sorry I didn't get on here yesterday but didnt have time when I got back in last night.

Wednesday: woke up and went to breakfast so I could get a good jump start on the day! Went to the library and revised my history paper and got everything done for that! After lunch, got a workout in and felt really good. ha Than went to class with dinner break inbetween and helped my clan with dinner duty when I could on our dinner break. After class, me, britta, lael, eryn, and jimmy went to Mayson's and just hungout and talked and ofcourse watched football. Gavin wasn't working which was unfortunate but Ill go back this weekend and have a chat with him. After we got back I went straight to bed!

Thursday: woke up and went to breakfast today cause I had to because I have class. Went to my two classes and were very happy when they were done because now it is the weekend. Did my house job before lunch and the stairs are looking good like always. Right after lunch me, britta, and lael went into Edinburgh to the train station. We bought our tickets to go to Stirling and Linlithgow palace tomorrow. We get free addmission to the palaces so we are taking advantage of the oppurtunity. Our train tickets were only 9 pounds for round-trip so we are pretty excited. After we got back took a quick nap before the last dinner duty of the week. Didn't have to do much tonight besides serve the food to everyone and clean up went fast again tonight. Than me and britta went to Tesco to get food for the weekend. We are great bargain shoppers and always get the good deals on food. Tonight we FINALLY BOOKED SPRING BREAK! We are going from here to Frankfurt, Germany for 4 days than to Venice, Italy for 4 days and than to London to meet my mom, aunt, and cousin!!! Am so excited for spring break and finally glad to get it booked!!!

Hope all is well back home!!

Miss and love you all!! ONE WEEK AND ILL BE HOME!!

Just another Tuesday

Woke up and went to breakfast and ate 4 pieces of toast! I must of been hungery. Than went to my favorite class here which is creative writing. Good thing I didn't have any poems today so I just sat there and felt bad for all the other peoples poems that he didn't like. Sorry we don't live up to your great peoms! (his are probably bad too) Than went to biology and took notes and watched a little bit of the movie we have been watching. Went to lunch and than went to take a nap. Sleep has been feeling really good lately so getting as much as I can. Than it was off to dinner duty. I was incharge of cutting the vegatables for the salad tonight and I think I did a very good job! Than we ate quick so than we could serve everyone else. I was a server again tonight and me and Tyler were having fun with it and having a good time. Than we had clean-up and I feel like my clan does work!! It seems like everyone else gets done around 7, not clan McDonald, we get done by 6:30. Than I went out to eat with my host family. We went to Gigi's which is a new italian place not to far away from Dalkeith and it was very good. I had pasta with italian sausage with a creamy orange sauce. Couldn't tell you what the sauce was. We stayed at chatted there until about 10pm and than they brought us back to the palace. Just hanging out tonight and not doing too much. Thinking about getting up early and getting a lot done tomorrow so don't have much to do over the weekend.

Hope all is well back home!

Miss and love you all!!! SINGLE DIGITS TILL I AM HOME!

Start of another week

Got to sleep in today since I dont have class in the morning. Britta came and woke me up after she was done with class so I got up at about 9:45. Than I went and did my house job, so the stairs are looking all nice and clean for maybe a day till they get dirty again! After lunch I had class for three hours but it goes by pretty fast because it is an interesting class. As soon as class was done, I had to rush downstairs to the kitchen because my clan has dinner duty this week. So I had to sweep and mop the kitchen. Than we ate and than we serve the food to everyone and than stand there till they come and get seconds. After they were done. I swept and mopped the dinning room and than dried some of the dishes once I was done with that. Now just relaxing tonight and hopefully reserving our hotels and flights tonight for Spring Break. Will let you all know tomorrow if we actually do!!

Hope all is well back home!

Miss and love you all!!

Last day of weekend

Today was just about laying around and being lazy! Woke up and went to breakfast at 9am and went to work. I sat down and wrote my history paper on St. Andrews golf course. I just kept writing and finally noticed I had finished and was four and a half pages so I was really happy with that. Just have to revise it now and its not due till Wednesday night. After that we went and hungout in Willie's cafe which is in our palace and watch Home Alone 3 was on tv. It was great because there was no commercials! Than just hungout some more and skyped the parents and sister tonight, which was really nice to see them and catch up for the week! Only two more weeks and I will be home for the wedding! Back to school tomorrow but only for four days!!

Hope everything is weel back home!

Miss and love everyone!!

Well forgot Friday so here is two days!

Friday: Got up for breakfast at 9:00am and thought we were going to go to the sea out by Edinburgh and we were about to leave and Britta decided she still didn't feel well enough to go so we didn't. I just laid around the palace all morning. We made noodles for lunch and I decided I needed to leave the palace today so we went and walked around Edinburgh to get some fresh air. We came back and skyped Kaia (Brittas sister) and than went and watched some movies with everyone we didn't go out. Just had a relaxing night with some of the people here.

Saturday: We got up this morning for breakfast and I was sad because we had looked at train tickets to go to St. Andrews and they were like 30# there and 30# back so we thought we weren't going to go. but than we talked to Cindy who is one of the professors here and she told us to just go to the train station and get them there and there are cheaper tickets. So I was all happy again. So me and Britta went to the train station and bought a round trip ticket for 21# so a lot better deal. We left Edinburgh at noon and we had to get off at Leuchers and take a bus into St. Andrews which was like only a five minute bus ride, we just took a city bus but we didn't have to pay since it was in our ticket. We got to St. Andrews about 1:30pm and had no clue what to do or where to go in the city so we just started walking. We got lucky and found a information center and went inside and got a free map, which helped out a lot!! We started at St. Andrews Cathedral which is just the ruins left. We walked around and they had signs of the different places of the Cathedral and I knew what they said because I learned it in my British history class. The Cathedral is right on like a cliff to the sea which was really pretty. We than walked on the backside of the Cathedral to a pier that we could walk out on and see a lot of St. Andrews and the beaches. Than walked along the edge of the sea and stopped and looked at the ruins of St. Andrews Castle. Not too much left of the castle but still really neat to walk around it. We headed down the street and saw most of St. Andrews University, it takes up probably half the city! and the city isn't very big. University of St. Andrews is the 3rd oldest english speaking University. We came up to the aquarium but didn't pay to go in so we just looked at the outside of it. Than looked at the outside of the Britsh Golf Museum cause we didn't want to pay for that either. They are right on the sea so we went and walked out on the rocks so we could see more! It is a georgous place. Than was the best part of the trip, St. Andrews Golf Course!! It was so neat to see the actually course! The first thing you see when you walk up to it is the 18th hole of the Old Course, in other words, probably one of the most famous holes in golf history. We watched some people golf and some were really good and some struggled but still fun to watch them. The actually have a walk way that goes through the 18th hole so you can walk across, just have to watch for flying golf balls. Ofcourse I walked out on te course and got my picture taken on the famous bridge. We walked around some more and saw the driving range. And there was only a little fence so some balls had bounced over and against the fence. So.. being me I took two of them! One for me and the other for my DAD, I would say that is a pretty cool souvenir if you ask me! I golf ball from St. Andrews golf course!! Than we walked back to the bus station and caught our train back home. Now just relaxing tonight since we are pretty tired from today!

Hope all is well back in Minnesota!

Miss and love you all!!

Another school week done!

Had my two classes this morning and let me tell you, I wasn't happy with my first class! We write our poems and than we read them in class and than we go around and everyone says what they thought about it. Well mine today was a short poem about soccer. Everyone liked it just thought a little more clarification. Than it was the professors turn and he TORE IT APART!! I was not very happy and just sat there and listened. After we got all out of class, everyone came up to to me and told me that they were shocked with me cause everyone thought it was good but he defiently didn't. It's kind of unfair and don't know how you grade someones poems and judge how they wrote them. A poem is someones own writing and own understanding of it. If the poem isn't clear enough for the professor or he doesn't understand it. That doesn't me he can tear it apart and want it how he wants it. Sorry I like writing my own poems and my own way!! hopefully class will get better but now everyone is scared when it is their turn because they don't want it to be like mine. Ill write my poems and we will see what he says next time. The rest of the day wasn't that exciting as that or entertaining. I got a good workout in, another nap, and watched a couple of movies. Just watching more tonight and Britta is getting a little better but not full strength yet. And hopefully figuring more about Spring Break. We decided where we want to go. Edinbrugh to Frankfurt or Munich to Venice to Barcelona to London to meet mom, ann, and nikki. Now we just have to find flights, hotels and what we want to see!

Hope all is weel back in Minnesota!

Miss and love you all!!

oh wednesday

Got to sleep in today since I don't have class till the afternoon. Woke up and went up to visit Britta since she isn't feeling good and still isn't and we don't know what it is. So she just laid around all day. I read all my biology pages after lunch. I had lots of articles to read and maybe too many for one day discussion. Than I went to class and it wasn't the most fun. Scottish history isn't the most fun to learn about but I will survive. Tonight I am just looking at Spring Break and trying to finalize things but Britta is still up in the air but we will get it done by hopefully the weekend. Also hopefully buying the Fulham football tickets tonight but Britta has to decide if she is going to go or not.

Hope all is well back home!!

Miss and love everyone!!!

Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday

Woke this morning and defiently wanted to sleep longer but had to go to breakfast and get ready for class. I had my two classes today and they were both very easy. We talked about our poems in the first class and than took notes in my second class and than I was free the rest of the day. After lunch I went downstairs and got a good workout in since I didn't really have anything else to do so I spent a long time down there today. Than I went and took a nap about 2 hours, I guess I needed more sleep and it felt good. Tonight not doing too much because Britta doesn't feel good and I am just watching random shows on Netflix (thanks to jills account). Just getting more excited to come home and see everyone for a quick break and eat some good america food!

Hope all is well back home!

Miss and love you all!!

Just another Monday

Monday's have become just a lay around day and recover from the weekend. Woke up early today to get a lot done but being lazy while doing it! I started my laundry and than tried to Spring Break but ofcourse Britta had to disagree so we have gotten no where again! Than I had to do my house job, which is so boring. I am sick of vacumming the same stairs every week and they are barely ever dirty but I have to do them!! Than went to class and it was a long 3 hours. I am very glad I don't have that ever at Superior because it would be a little tough for me! Than we had dinner and got a workout in today before starting to relax for the night. Writing my poems tonight for my class and reading biology, but other than that nothing much. Trying to figure out what I want to watch on Netflix.

Hope all is well in Minnesota

Miss and love everyone!

So that is rugby?

Slept in a little bit today and woke up around 10am. Had to get ready fast because I didn't know when I was leaving for the Scotland Rugby game. Me, Britta, and Lael left the palace about noon and unfortuantely got on the wrong 49 bus so we had to get on the right bus into Edinbrugh. We got off the bus and walked up to George Street, where there were buses just for bringing people to Murrayfield. So we hoped on that bus and it was packed!! Got to murrayfield about 1:30pm and there were people everywhere and from Scotland and France. We kind of went with the flow because we had no idea where to go but we finally found the turnstiles to get in. We got inside the stadium and just walked around the whole stadium because we wanted to see all the people and we had never been there before. We went and found our seats. Well nobody's seats were by eachother!!! Me and britta only sat two rows from eachother and maybe three seats over so we talked during halftime, otherwise no one even sat by someone they knew. Everyone wasn't really happy with that because we thought we were going to sit by eachother when we signed up but I guess not. The game was really fun and interesting but I had no clue what any of the rules were so I just cheered when everyone else did! With only about ten minutes left. A french man ran on the field and was streaking!!!!!! Security was running after him but they didnt catch him till he was already across the field and started running back. So we had some more entertainment today other than a game. Scotland ended up losing 17-23, they haven't one a match in this tournament they are in. They aren't very good this year according to the locals but defiently worth going to. Than we caught the bus back to the palace and had some pizza for dinner. Now me and Britta are still trying to figure out Spring Break nad we are both getting really frustrated because we don't know what to do!!!!!!

Hope al is well in Minnesota

Miss and love you all and march 17th is almost here!

Ah YEAH...Celtic Football!

Friday: We had to get up bright and early on Friday morning as we had a housr trip to Glasgow as our Scottish professor Gerry Mooney lead us around. We picked him up at 9:00am and we rode around on the bus and he told us all about Glasgow and the different things that had happened and are happening now. Our first stop was Celtic Park and ofcourse I was excited!! We had a short history video and than she gave us a tour of the stadium. We couldn't get in the locker room because the players were there getting ready for practice but we got to see a lot of them and ofcourse nobody knows who they are but all want pictures of them and it gets kind of frustrating. Got lots of pictures and will hopefully put them up tomorrow. Than we had some time to go in the superstore and shop around. I ended up getting a jersey and scarf since that is the main team over here and it was defiently worth it and I was going to the game the next day. The only part that is frustrating also is when people buy things because they look cool and have know clue what football is or who this team is and evertyhing and it makes me so frustrated. I just had to let you all know that! Ha We got back on the bus and went to the transportation muesum. It was very cool seeing the different kind of cars and things. After we went to an art muesum and walked around that for awhile but that was kind of boring for me! Than the house went back and me, britta, lael, and eryn were on our own the rest of the night. We walked to our hostel and it was far away. It took us about 40 minutes to get there and we walked through some sketchy places but we made it. We checked in and our hostel and it was actually pretty nice and nobody wanted to do anything and everyone was tired. We actually got a tv so we watched that for a bit and than went to bed at 10pm. Yes, we were defiently tired!!

Saturday: I woke up at 8:30am and couldn't fall back to sleep so everyone else got woken up! We went and tried to find a shower that was actually hot! It took us like our fourth shower to try and we finally found one. So we all hurried up and took quick turns because we had to check out by 11am. We called a taxi and he took us to Celtic Park because we didn't know where else to go! We went inside the superstore again becuase it was kind of cold out and we had lots of time to kill because the gates didn't open till 1:30pm. I was so excited to get there and just wanted to get inside. We just hungout outside the stadium until the gates opened. We hurried down to our seats and they were amazing!! Second row behind the 18 yard box line on Celtics home side so we saw them score in the second half which was a perfect spot! Our professor has season tickets and they happened to be about 10 rows behind us! What a small stadium! ha But he came down and chatted with us and we took a picture with him. Than the game started and I was smiling the whole game! It was so cool to be at a game and I wanted to stay there and never leave. The first half was really close and Celtic dominated but nobody scored. The second half started and it was more evenly matched but Celtic broke through and scored in about the 60th minute. And the crowd went crazy, it was so sweet! They hung on for the win! It was so cool being there today, with the people, atomosphere, and people that actually love football!!! I could defiently live there for the rest of my life!! Defiently going to more football games!! We took the bus back to edinburgh and than another bus back to the palace. Just relaxing the rest of the night because we are all tired. Going to the Scotland Rugby game tomorrow. Will be interesting to see a rugby game tomorrow!

Miss you all and love you all!!!

Hope all is well back in Minnesota!!

Another week done

Finished another week of classes this morning. Made it through my two classes and they went by pretty fast. Now its the weekend!! Hurried and finished my house job and made the stairs look all nice and clean for everyone to walk on them again and get them dirty. This afternoon, me and britta just relaxed and watched some tv. Some of the same shows from over in the states, so we actually watched scrubs for awhile. Than I was off with my host family at 3:30pm. We went to a park and walked around with the dog for awhile until going back to there house. They made us tea (which is dinner) we had haggis which is there main dish over here which is lamb parts, not sure what parts though, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and brownie and ice cream for dessert. Than we came back to the palaca as we had a story teller tonight. She told us some old stories from around her. She was a very good story teller but the stories weren't the most interesting to me. Tonight we are just stay in and watching a couple movies probably as we have a big weekend.

Tomorrow we go on a house trip to Glasgow and see many sites there. Than me, britta, lael (from uws), and erin (uw-oshkosh) are staying over night in Glasgow and going to the Celtic football game on Saturday at 3pm. Than we are taking a train back to the palace and will be back later that night so that will be the next time I will leave a blog. Sorry no blog tomorrow night as I wont have my computer.

Hope all is well make in Minnesota!

Miss and love you all!!

Just another Wednesday...

Got to sleep into today since I dont have class till the afternoon. Sleeping in was defiently needed and I still need to catch up on some sleep. Hopefully I can get that tonight since there is nothing going on. I did homework and worked out early in the day. After lunch me and Britta went to Tesco to get some snacks since we were out and we always get hungry at night. But leaving we got on the wrong 49 bus so we had to get off at the next stop, walk all the way back to Tesco and as soon as we made it back, the bus we needed showed up so we got lucky that we didn't miss it. Looked more into Spring Break but Britta talked to her parents and they have to think about it. I am going to go know where for Spring Break if they won't let us decide soon. We have to make our own choices so I am kind of getting frustrated because we are like the only two not knowing what we are doing yet and I want to get it figured out because it is exactly one month away!! Actually watching tv tonight and it is weird but it isnt the same because no sports are on and I miss all my espn and espn 2 sports every night. Good thing I still have the internet to keep updated.

Hope all is good back home in Minnesota

Miss and love everyone!!

Recovery Day

Well nothing really happened after this weekend. Just had two classes this morning that went very fast and didn't do much and thatis how the rest of my day went. Got a short lift in but than just relaxed. Everyone is defiently still feeling it from this weekend. Defiently tired still from the weekend. The legs are still feeling it and probably will for awhile. Stil trying to figure Spring Break out. I better figure it our fast or I will be staying in Scotland for it! Trying to find another football game that I can go to but trying to fit it into the busy schedule isn't the easiest. Nothing much else to say, didn't do a lot today and probably not a lot all week.

Hope everything is goo back home!

Miss and love everyone lots but not the snow!!!

What an Adventure

If you guys didn't know, I went to London this weekend and I have lots to tell you. I will just do a run down of each day so I wont forget anything!

Friday: Off to London we went at 6:30am as we had a coach bus pick us up because they didn't want us trying to all ride the city bus in the morning with all of our stuff and than they could make sure everyone was there with taking a coach bus. We got to Waverly Train Station which is in the heart of Edinburgh and we got on our train and it left at 7:30am and we were on our way to London! The train ride was very nice and a lot to see along the way but didn't really know what much was or where we were since I have never been down that way. We got into King's Cross Train Station about noon and than thats where the fun begin! We hoped on the tube which is an underground rail station and rode it to Russel Square where our Hostal was. We stayed at the Generator which was actually really big and a lot of people were there! We couldn't check into our rooms yet so we dropped our stuff at the luggage holding room and went into the streets of London. Me, Britta, Tyler, and Aarynn went with Patty and her partner Nat to a both called TKTS, which is a ticket both for shows that you can get a really good deal for. We wanted to see STOMP so we asked the guy for the ticket price and he said we could get them for 28.00 pounds but if we went to the theatre where they were showing the show we could get a student discount. So what did we do, we whipped out our map and went to the theatre. We arrived at the theatre and a gentlemen was there and I asked him about tickets for that nights show. He said we could come back about a hour before the show and get cheaper tickets but he didn't know how many would be available. But he said that the front row might be available and they were only 20.00 pounds because you had to sort of look up and couldn't really see the back of the stage but we could sit front row so we took the first four seats! We than travelled down to the National Gallery which is right in Trafalger Square. We went inside and looked around a bit but that isn't my sort of thing and either for Britta so we only took a quick look around and than went outside into Trafalger Square. They have to fountain ponds with fountains and than little like dolphin founatins squirting out water. Also they have a really tall statue of some guy but don't know who it is. Than they have a coutdown till the Olympics which is kind of cool. I can't believe it's almost my time to represent the USA in London. Than we got out the map again and travelled up to Piccadilly Circus which looks like a mini Time Square. They have the big light up billboards and it was pretty cool during the day but we would go back at night later. We ended up eating at The Brewmaster and got mini burgers and chips (frensh fries). They were so good and we defiently all ate them fast because we were starving. We had time to kill till the show so we wandered up and down roads just looking at all the different stores and shops they had which was kind of fun but realized they have a lot of the same things as we do. We went to the theatre and got to our seats and waited for the show to start. It started at 8:00pm and they went for 100 straight minutes with no breaks. There were six guys and two girls. Ofcourse they made fun of the two white guys that were in it but they were the two funniest guys. They did some unbelieveable things and they are very talented people. I am still amazed at some of the things they did and would defiently go back and see it again! We decided to just walk back to our hostal after using our handy map! Ofcourse, me with no patients took the lead this weekend with the map. So I can defiently find my way around London because I read and lead the whole weekend!! I know everyone would be proud of me!

Saturday: We started the day by going on a three walking tour through London. We went to all the main places in London with our tour guide telling us about them along the way. We went to mostly alll the places he had showed us but just learned a lot about them during the tour and it was free so it was defiently worth it! After that was over Britta and I made our way down the to Tower Bridge. We were so excited to go see it until it started to rain and that changed our moods for the rest of the day. The walk from the Houses of Parliament to the Tower Bridge was probably a half hour walk and it was in the rain. It wasn't raining to hard so it was an okay walk. Once we made it there we were defiently happy and glad to finally be there. It was the biggest and highest bridge I have ever seen. We were going to walk across the whole thing until we got about a fourth way across and realized the rain was coming straight at us  and we turned around right away. I can still say I walked onto the Tower Bridge. We got to the Tower Hill tube line to realize they closed it down because they were doing repairs or something. So now we didnt know what we were going to do and we had to get back to the hostal because we had to get ready for Wicked. We got on a bus and it took us about half way back and than we had to walk the rest! We stopped to get out of the rain for a bit. We stopped and had dinner at Pizza Express. Britta and I shared a pizza and it was actually pretty good and filled us up. We made it back to the hostal, changed and got ready and left for the show. We rode the tube down to Green Park, which is by the theatre we had to go to. We got there a little early so we took a pit stop and Millie's Cookies and had some. The cookies were so delicious, I wish I would of gotten some more, maybe next time I am there! We went into the theatre and found our seats. We had gotten our tickets before we had left and we got there and realized that we were on opposite sides of the theatre from eachother. We both sat by other people from the program so we got to talk to some other people. The show started at 7:30pm and went for about a hour and a half and than had a fifteen minute break and finished with another hour and a half. Wicked was a very good show, with very good singer and preformers but it just wasn't my kind of show. But a very good show and very interesting. We took the tube back because it was so much faster than walking and it was already around 11pm and everyone was tired.

Sunday:Last full day in London and we made the most of it! We went to Buckingham Palace because they had the changing of the guards at 11:30am. We got there about 10:15 and there were a lot of people already there and more coming quickly! By 11:30am the roads and sidewalks were packed and there wasn't too much room to move! We started watching it but half way through we were all kind of sick of watching it and we wanted to get the rest of our day going so we moved on. Since I didn't get to go to the Chelsea football game on Saturday, I made sure I got to atleast tour the stadium, so we made our way to the stadium. It is on the far end of town and we decided to walk there to see everything along the way. It took us 45 minutes from Buckingham Palace to Stamford Bridge and we were doing moms walking pace, so we were flying!! Mom we are ready for we to get here, we got our walking pace up to maximum. We got to the stadium tour and muesum two minutes before the 1:00pm tour left so the guy let us on that tour! We got a student discount so it only costed us 13 pounds instead of 18 pounds! Any deal can help us over here. I love European football tours because they bring you everywhere! We sat in all four sides of the stadium, saw the press room, the away locker room, the home locker room, the tunnel they walk down, where the player and manager sit for the games and ended in the megastore and I mean MEGA! The store was two floors of all Chelsea apperal and everything and anything. I was defiently in heaven! Than we went and walked around the muesum and learned the history and saw all the trophies which was probably the coolest part of the place. After we finished we made our way back to the main part of London. We stopped in Harrods which is one of the largest department stores in the world! It is four floors and is huge. Defiently biggere than the palace I am living in now!! Anyone can get lost in there. They have store guides, it is so big and confusing to get around in. We wanted to eat at Hard Rock Cafe London, so we went there. It is defiently smaller than I expected and there is defiently a long wait if you go later in the night. But we sat at like the bar area so we got in right away. We both were very hungery, so britta got mac and cheese with grilled chicken and I got a burger that I couldn't even fit in my mouth and you know it must of been big, becuase I have a big mouth! Up the road a little ways was two streets of the expensive stores I like to call it. It had Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Louis Vatton, Rolex, Apple, and many more. Ofcourse we went in Apple because it was the only store I felt I could go into. and it is the biggest Apple store I could ever think of. Ofcourse it was two floors and so much stuff it took forever to look at all of it and it was very packed!! We decided to head back to the hostal because we had walked everywhere that day. We got back to the hostal and saw, Lael, Eryn, Hannah, and Katyln and they wanted us to go to a pub with them since it was only like 8pm. So we went to a place called the Rocket and played cards and hungout, and there was a football game on so I watched that mostly! Than after it was over we went back to the hostal. Britta and I think we walked about a total of 15 miles today!! We didn't use any transportation except our feet the whole day! We were defiently tired and both slept really good that night!!

Monday: Well it was the last day in London and we only had one more thing to do and that was go up in the London Eye. We walked ofcourse to the London Eye and bought our tickets right away and got in line. We got there at 10:15am and they opened at 10am so the line wasn't too bad. We waited about 10 minutes and it was our turn. they put about 10 people in each cart thing and it takes 30 minutes to go around so we get to take lots of pictures and see everything. I didn't really like it because I didn't really like the heights and being in like a glass case cart wasn't the best idea for me but it was defiently worth doing it to see all of London. I never would of thought I would be above Big Ben but I was and it was pretty cool. After we got off we made one more stop at M & M world. It was four floors and I had never seen so many M & M's and so many different things that are M & M's. We made our way back to our hostal to get our bags and get on the tube to go to Kings Cross Train Station to go home. Our train left at 3pm and our four hour train ride home started. It felt like a lot longer because I just wanted to get off the train. Once we got back into Edinburgh we had to find our way home so ofcourse we took the bus back. Everyone is so tired so nothing is going on here tonight!

P.S. Mom got your package today, and it is wonderful so thank you!!!

P.S.S. We got our Celtic Tickets today and I AM VERY EXICTED AND THE GAME IS THIS SATURDAY AND I CANNOT WAIT TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope everything is good in good ol' Minnesota

Miss and love everyone back home!! Almost March 17th!

Two weeks down

Well ended the week with two classes and than I was done for the day! I did my wonderful house job and had a great time vaccuming the grand staircase, I had the ipod in today so that made it more fun! Than I went to my host family tonight! It was so much fun! My host mom picked me up and brought me back home. She took me on a tour of the house and they are a lot smaller than back home. There home was built in 1860 and is still in really good shape. They have only re-done the kitchen but otherwise the house is a very nice small home. Than the dad came home from work and I chatted with him while the mom made dinner or tea to them. She made me; chicken with a really good sauce, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots and brocolli and had a cherry crumble dessert with a warm custard! It was a very good dinner. Dont worry mom, I will try and get some recipes and bring home with me. Than we went out to the pub and watched a football game. It was a really fun time and we are already going back there next Thursday! Gave them the gift I got them and they really liked it and she already put up the piggy bank I got them. Now going to bed since we leave for London at 6:30am! I am there till Monday, so there wont be any posts since I am not bringing my computer. I will talk to you all on Monday night!

Hope all is well in Minnesota!!

Miss and love everyone back home!!

One long day...

Didn't have class till 4:30pm today so I had all day long to do things! Started off by getting my biology homework done and writing some poems that I need to do for my English class. Never knew how good of poet I could of been. Maybe Ill become a poet now, I think I would have a bright future. Than I sat down and WE GOT CELTIC TICKETS!!!! Me, Britta, Lael (uws), and Eryn (uw-oshkosh) are going to go the game on Feb. 25!! We are going on a Glasgow house trip on Feb. 24 and are touring Celtic Park and than we are going to stay with Lael's friend Friday night and go to the game on Saturday. No big deal but I got us 2nd row tickets on the end line!! I bet you guys can tell I am pretty excited to go to my first real football game!!!! Than the rest of the day kind of got rough. Me and Britta have just been frustrated with eachother trying to figure out London activities. Chelsea plays a game 12:30pm and she doesn't think we can fit everything else in so its been a tussle all day. But I just ended up giving in and said we wouldn't go but we have to atleast go tour the stadium, so we will try to fit it in our schedule. Ill get to another game sometime while we are here!! Now just still planning the rest of the night and than bedtime!

P.S. Dont worry mom, ann, and nikki, I will be scoping out the good and bad places to go and where your apartment is so we will have a great time when you guys get here!

Missing Minnesota!!

Miss and love all of you back home!!

Happy Valentines Day!

Started the day off with two classes that went very well. Im pretty sure I got 100% on my biology map quiz! I still know my geography pretty well. Ate lunch and than the Lothian police came in and talked to us about safety and different laws around here. It was kind of interesting but a lot we already knew. Than Patty gave us our London packet which included; A map so we know where we are going, our train tickets, a bus pass with 20# on it, and our ticket to the play "Wicked" on Saturday night. Now everyone is rushing to figure out what they want to do when we are there! Chelsea is playing that Saturday at 12:30pm so I am trying to convince Britta to go but I don't know if it will work!! But we will defiently see a lot while we are there. Hopefully we can fit it all in!

Missing Minnesota!!!!

P.S. Mom I got the card, thank you so much dad and mom!!!

Love and miss everyone!!

A Boring Monday

Nothing exciting will probably every happen on a Monday so sorry if you read this everyday! Ha I got up and did my house job right away which is vaccum the conference room and the wonderful and hard to vaccum grand staircase. Than I laid around and tried to find something to do for us for spring break since it will be here in no time. I am currently still looking because I cant find anything that works out!! I had my one class of the day at 1:30pm which is Scottish globalisation (dont use Z's here). We recieved our intinery for our house Glasgow trip and we are going to tour Celtic Park!!!!!! IM EXCITED!!!! Than we are still trying to go to the Celtic game the next day! so hopefully that works out. Than tonight me and Britta are just studying for our Biology map quiz tomorrow and looking at ideas for Spring Break!

Hope everything is well back home!

Miss and love everyone!!

Day in Edinburgh

Today we went into Edinburgh and did two events. We started at a car boot sale which is like a garge sale but all the stuff is in the back of peoples cars and they sale it out of their car. It was a little sketchy and some people were kind of scary but I walked through the whole thing and got out quickly. Than we went to a comedy show which was actually very funny! Shed a few tears laughing so hard but it was very entertaining. Came back to the palace and made pasta once again with the couples and than looked at spring break trips. We are leaning towards going on a cruise to italy, tunisia (something like that) and ending in barcelona so we are pretty excited if that works out! Got to skype the WHOLE family tonight and it was very nice to see all of them and am only a month away from coming home! Back to classes tomorrow! Good thing I only have one! ha

Miss and love everyone back home!!

Met the new family

We had tea this morning with our host family! Well atleast my host mom. My host dad grew up in Sunderland and we went back there for a football match today as they played Arsenal. So we chatted with our host mom for about 30 minutes about our lifes and theres. We already set up to go over there. We are going there on Thursday at 5:30. It should be a fun time and interesting to see what there home looks like. They love to ski and her sister lives in the U.S. so they are actually going to over there for two weeks to visit and go skiing. Than the rest of the day I have gotten a lot of homework done and loaded some more pictures. Skyping Brittas family tonight and thats about it. Tomorrow we are going to go to a comedy show in Edinburgh and thats all I have planned. Nice to relax and have some down time over the weekend.

Missing everyone in Minnesota!

Could get use to this!

Today I started my weekend as we dont have class on Friday! I love Scotland! We went to Arthurs seat this morning, which is like a really big hill but I think its more like a mountain! (pictures on facebook soon) We made it all the way to the top! Took about 25 mintues to get to the top and it was defiently a good workout for the day!! Was a bit fogging when we got to the top so we are defiently going to hike it again on a more clear day so we can see even farther into the city and sea! Than we went and walked around the city and went through a lot of the stores to see what there prices were and clothing. Some clothes are cheaper but some are more expensive too, depends what store you are in! tonight we are just taking it easy and doing some studying and hopefully going to bed early!! Tomorrow we meet our host families and have tea and lunch with them which will be very exciting and really excited to meet who mine host parents are! Than probably just relax the rest of the night and get some trips planned since we havent yet!! Oh and we get to skype Britta's parents and sister tomorrow so we will se them for the first time since we have been here!

Hope all is well in good ol' Minnesota!!

Missing everyone and skype sessions soon with whom ever wants to!!

Made it through the week!

Finished my first week of classes over here and they all went very well!! Im thinking I will like all my classes and will be a lot of fun! I also had to do my house duties today as they have to be done on Mondays and Thursdays so that took up most of my afternoon. Than tonight we went into Edinburgh and went to a few different pubs to see what they were like and talk to some of the locals! I felt so proud because I told a guy from Inverness which is in the northern part of Scotland, directions to where he was meeting some people. I guess I know the town a lot better than I thought. Going to climb Arthur's seat tomorrow with most of the house mates so it should be a fun day, hopefully the weather is in our favor!

One week down and many more to go!!

Missing Minnesota!!!

Just another day...

Didn't have class till 4:30pm today but I thought I would be a productive student, so I decided to get up and go to breakfast at 7:30am and start my day! Took a very long shower since I had a lot of time to kill and than decided to be productive. I finished all my homework, which really wasn't a lot but I finished it. Got a nice workout in with Britta. Lastly took a look at a couple of hotels and places to go so I can finishing planning some trips while I am over here. Went to my one class today which is Scottish history, and I believe it will be an interesting class and I have a female Scottish professor which will be nice. Now just finishing up some homework and getting ready for my final day of class for my first week in Scotland.

Hope all is well at home and miss everyone!!

Still settling in...

Had to get up extra early today and get my own breakfast since I had class at 8am! But it's all good because my bed and class are in the same palace! Got to love Scotland! I had a creative writing class where I will be mostly writing poems and than have to write one short story. My other class in environmental biology which sounds like a really fun class and will be doing a lot of outdoor things across the estate! Learned how to do my house job today which is vacum the biggest staircase and stairs, ive ever seen in a house and clean a conference room, which shouldnt be too hard because no one ever uses it!! Than got a nice workout in, in are small but useful workout facility in the basement. it has hook-ups for an ipod so was working hard but defienetly can't sweat becuase it is like 30 degrees if that so i defientely have to stay warm and keep moving. Henry keeps making amazing food for us and I think I am going to need to hire him or teach mom how to cook like him!! I guess he is a chef so he should be able too! HA Going to actually do some homework tonight and start looking at hostels and locations to take some trips!!

Defienetly missing all at home but not missing the snow if there is any!! Probably not!

First day of class!

Well it was a good thing I didn't have class till 1:30pm because the Super Bowl went a little late here. I only made it to halftime and i had to go to bed. Well halftime here was like 1:30-2am so it was pretty late. Laid around all day till my class at 1:30pm. It is the class everyone is required to take, it is Scotland: Sociology and globalisation I believe is the title of the course. Our professor is a great guy and really likes football so I will have to talk to him about some football. For dinner tonight we had some biscuits with gravy and meat sauce, cooked carrots and pound cake with a custard. It was all very good and our chef Henry does a really good job and makes everything from scratch. Just hanging out tonight since I have class at 8:00am tomorrow so going to bed a little earlier tonight!

Hope all is well back home!

Last day of orientation!

Well is it the last day of orientation before starts tomorrow!! Had about 5 hours of orientation today with a bag lunch inbetween that was a sandwich and chips! Ha Than we had about three hours of free time before the dance/dinner. So Britta and I walked around the land and took pictures of the house and different things and it was a nice day out for here! Than we had clan duty to help set-up for the dinner/dance and than had our dance party. A senior citizen lady came and taught us 4 Scotish dances that the use during dances in the pub. I got really into them and started having fun but got a little to hot in there but defiantly worth it! Tonight, I will try and make it throug has much as the super bowl as possible since it doesnt start until around midnight so we will see how that goes! Good thing I dont start class till 1:30pm tomorrow but we will see!

Hope the party was fun and wish I was there!

Just another day in the neighborhood

Started the day off with the same breakfast and had only two hours of orientation today and than into Edinburgh for the "Amazing Race" with everyone. We were divided into our clans that we were assigned. Somehow Britta and I ended up in the same group which was kind of nice! We had to walk around Edinburgh and find different things and find answers about different things. We all thought it was going to be great but...It was rainy and windy all day and very cold!! We made the best out of the day and got to visit and explore different places in Edinburgh. We rode the wonderful bus back and the couple crew and three other people went to the grocery store. The one we go to is called "Tesco" which was very decent and had good prices. We were on our own for dinner tonight so the couple crew got noodles, sauce, and bread and made some spaghetti, which was really good! The best thing out of all it only costed each one of us 50pence which is like 50cents at home so it was a good idea. We are going to have to find other meals to make next weekend. Now we are just watching British game shows. Mostly all the same as the US just a little different!

Hope all is well back home!!

P.S. We are suppose to get some snow tonight so ill let you all know if we do!!

First day into Edinburgh

Well sleeping in a room with four other guys, 20 foot high ceilings, and in a palace was fun and wasn't too bad and I slept very well but I think I was just over tired! Had to be up for breakfast at 7:30 so had to get the all important shower in. The showers here are a bit different. There is an on and off button and than hot and cold nob that you need to move back and forth. But there are hot showers so that is definitely  a positive. I got all excited for a good breakfast and we had cereal, fruit, yogurt, and toast. I guess I will look forward to lunches and dinners now. Sat through about 3 hours of orientation today and than had a class trip to edinburgh castle. Take the bus everywhere to get anywhere and we have a bus pass so I will be a pro! Once we got there we were on our own there and to get back to the palace. The couple crew is who we hangout with and do all of our stuff with. It's me and Britta and than there is two other couples and the girls and one of the guys went to high school together so it was good that we found other couples but they are really nice people and we run in a pack of six now so know getting in trouble here! A lot of great views, people, and history at the castle. Once we were down at the castle, we wondered the streets to see what was different. A lot of the same food spots and some of the same stores which was interesting. Than it was time to look for a good pub that was nice but kind of cheap. I am on a budget over here!! We ended up at Maggie Dixon's Pub which was very nice and had 5pound meal deal. Had chili, rice, and salad. Definitely a weird combination but it worked and very good!! After we made our way back to the palace on our bus direction skills! It's nice we only have to take one bus there and back! Takes about 20-30 minutes to get into Edinburgh depending on the traffic. When walking back I had to stop at Mayson's Pun which is the local pub and a guy named "Gavin" works there that all the soccer guys love and I met him and talked lots about football and school. He is going to be a great guy to talk to and a great little pub to watch football and talk to everyone. Now just at the palace for the night and playing some pool and ping-pong!

Hope all is well back in good ol' Minnesota

So I am finally here...

Well I arrived in Dalkeith in one piece after a eight and a half hour flight, a three hour layover, a hour and a half flight, and a thirty minute bus ride to the palace. All the flights went smoothly and actually meet 5 people that were going to Amsterdam on our MLPS. flight before we even left so we all stuck together and are all really getting along so getting along with everybody. I am rooming with 4 other guys in one big room! I get a bed, half of dresser, and a closet! I got all my clothes to fit, so don't worry about that! Ha We had a house tour, dinner that was actually pretty decent. It tasted like tator-tot hotdish so it was rather good with a chocolate cake dessert. Henry our chef is starting off very well and Im thinking I will like him!! Now going to bed early since I have barely slept in the last 48 hours and got to be up by 7:30am tomorrow for breakfast and a long day in Edinburgh and visiting different places around the city. I will defiantly start posting some pictures as soon as I get enough and have the time. The next three days are full of orientation activities and other things to get us comfortable in the palace. The weather for the rest of the week is in the 30-40 and partly sunny! Defiantly is warmer when the sun is out but haven't had that chance to much yet!

Miss all you back home and will be home soon!!

Missing Minnesota and the somewhat snow we had!

Here we go!

Just finalizing all my packing and get prepared to go to the airport. Leave Minneapolis at 3:10pm and get into Amsterdam at 6:30am there time and get into Edinburgh at 10:15 there time on Feb. 2. The time difference is six hours, so example, its noon here, it would be 6pm where I am. Just thought I would let you all know that. I will get back on here as soon as I can when I get over there to let you all know that I made it safely. I will miss you all and stay in contact with all of you as much as possible. Time for an adventure of a lifetime.

Miss and love you all!!

Can't believe it's tomorrow

Well finally done packing after going back and forth from one suitcase and carry on to two suitcases. Didn't think of all this stuff would add up and need all of it. But ready for the flight tomorrow, leaving at 3:10pm to Amsterdam for a connecting flight. I will defianlty keep you all updated hopefully on a daily basis and add some pictures up for you! I will see you all hopefully March 17th for my sister's wedding.

Goodbye Minnesota...Hello Scotland!