I miss those late November rides

I miss the fall bike rides that Utah's short falls always provide.  I went biking around London over a month ago, and it felt good to be on a bike again, even in the Unreal City.  And just this early November I rode around Versailles for an hour, surrounded by fall leaves, and now I'm missing my late November rides, and snow will surely be covering the ground when I get back to the US of A, so I told my dad to get my skis waxed promptly, so I can enjoy a different type of ride when the snow falls.  

WHEN WE'RE TOGETHER everyday is a snow day.

I have never been a Starbucks girl, but when a cup screams Christmas like this one here does, I can't resist, and who can blame me?…  "When we're together every day is a snow day." This Christmas season I have loved getting peppermint hot chocolate, and have recently discovered a love for steamed milk and gingerbread (and the best part is that it's completely legal, in terms of the word of wisdom).

Abbey Road --- It's a Beatles thing.

***Lala as George Harrison.  Laurel as Paul McCartney. Smil as Ringo Starr.  Me as John Lennon.***

MAGIC

Merry Christmas from London.  

I think I could handle this job… (I'm applying if I'm ever in London in November).

Real life reindeer. 

The taste of Christmas.  

We celebrate all the major holidays.

And luckily, so does Harrods.  After spending a week in Paris it was refreshing to return home and even better to return for the Harrods Christmas Parade 2011.  I got emotional the first time I heard about this ingenius parade, but who can blame me.  It's Harrods and Christmas combined into one mastermind celebration.  Suckers and chocolate coins have never tasted so good, and maybe it's just because it was in celebration of Christmas/Harrods, but either way it was magical.  Lala threatened to leave me if I started crying, so I tried my best to control my excitement especially when snow bubbles fell from the sky.  Where they came from is still unbeknownst to me, but sometimes you don't question magic.  I don't have my pictures up yet, but I was too excited to wait.  Christmas is here in London.

*The picture is for my mom from our favorite hot chocolate place in Paris, Angelina's.    

This was my homework.

We were assigned a collaboration project and given minimal instructions or requirements on execution.  We were supposed to "play," so we "snuck" out one night, and this is with what my group came up.  We incorporated both writing and art to spell the word CREATE based off of Elder Uchtdorf's mormon message.  Yes, we do school here, the real kind, and I love London.

Copenhagen… A home away from home.

This month we visited my family friends, the Bridge family, in Copenhagen for the weekend.  First we had to go through an intensive petition to convince John and Peter that there was value in our visit to Copenhagen, but after our letter of sorts it was final.  It was so nice to stay in an actual home and be with a family.  It was much colder than London had been, but I still got my classic ice cream cone.  We wore winter clothes, bought homemade jam in the countryside, drove to Sweden, snuggled up in bed to watch Forrest Gump, saw the Carl Bloch exhibit, visited Hamlet's castle and Karen Blixen's house, went to church, bought plenty of chocolate, marched beside the Queen's guards, and we all found a liking for Danish boys.  Karen also taught me the three phrases necessary for survival in Denmark and the only Danish I know… 1. Tak=thanks  2. Jeg Elsker Dem=I love you and 3. Kan du huske mig=Do you remember me?.. We covered all the basics while there.  It has been my favorite trip yet.    

THE GROUP = Al Smil, LaLa, Me, Laurel, and Magaroon

Karen and I outside Church of our Lady.

I became a mermaid….

Bear stole my heart.

Luckily the Iraq embassy was directly across their house… 

The ice cream was impeccable.   

Our favorite London-based band was in Copenhagen - the Ryan O'Reilly Band.

Suzannah was a sweetheart.