Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I know I have missed a few days and I will get back to them later, but for today, I wanted to say how thankful I was for my family! My family is so very important to me and I love them so very much! I am who I am because of how they have loved me, what they have taught me, and by how they help guide me. I am very grateful for all that they give me and do for me! I am so lucky to have such an incredible family!! I love you all so much! Happy Thanksgiving!!

November 23, November 24, and November 25

On November 23rd, I was thankful for the wizarding world of Harry Potter! Mo and I went to the Warner Brothers Studio tour of the Making of Harry Potter. It was magnificent! One of the coolest things I have ever seen! The magic that J. K. Rowling brought to this world has touched more than a generation. Everybody can enjoy the world that Harry Potter lives in and everybody can learn from what it teaches us. I'm thankful for all that I have learned and the joy that the characters and the story bring to not only me, but a lot of my friends and family.

On November 24th, I was thankful for the city of London. We went on a hop- on, hop- off bus tour of the entire city. We learned so much about various parts of the city of London and the city was Westminster. London is the most amazing city! It just continues and continues. There are so many different types of architecture styles and parks and art works throughout the city. There was just so much to see and we did a pretty good job of seeing a lot. We learned and just had a super fun day! 

Today, November 25th, I am thankful for Christmas. Sounds silly since it's November, but Christmas is only one month away! Birmingham's sister city is Frankfurt and every year before Christmas, there is a Frankfurt Christmas festival here in Birmingham. We went and walked around the festival/ market today and it was very cool! It was very well done! It makes me even more super excited for Christmas! I continue to enjoy my time here, but I am ready for Christmas with my family! 

November 22

I know that this isn't actually being posted on the 22nd, but I was very thankful that day! I was thankful for Mo! I know that he got November 14th, but that's an obvious one because it was our anniversary. On November 22nd, I was thankful that he flew half way around the world to see me! He worked hard all summer, and with a little help form his parents, he made it out here to England and will be with me for a week! It is so great!! It was so good to finally see him again! I'm so proud of his hard work this summer and all the work that he put into school to get ahead and prepare for this week here. He is such an amazing person and I am so lucky to have him!! He is a true blessing in my life!

November 21

Today, I am thankful for communication! And I'm very thankful for the people in my life who make it so easy! I have surrounded myself with awesome people! I can talk with my friends openly about anything. I think it's really important that I can talk with my friends and work things out. I'm glad that I can tell people exactly what I mean and they can do the same. Communication is the key to any relationship. I have always believed that! Communicating with and understanding what people are trying to convey is important to keeping any relationship trusting and happy. I am happy in all my relationships! My friends are honest with me and we get along great! I'm glad that I can talk with them about anything! I'm glad that we communicate so well! 

I just communicated with Mo and he is getting on his plane in El Paso!! I am so excited to see him tomorrow and I'm excited for our adventure to begin!! Prayers for safe travels would be awesome! Thanks!

Talk to you tomorrow! 

November 20

Today, I am thankful for my washer and dryer at home that only my family can use! I know that I am very lucky to be able to use a washer and dryer here in England, but the system that these people have it on is a little ridiculous and very stressful! Doing laundry shouldn't be stressful! There is this whole process of buying a card and 'topping it up' with money each and every time. You have to go online to use your credit card then go to the office to re- activate your card. Then use the card in the machine. This process has to happen every time! It is way more complicated and stressful than I explained, but this is a thankful page and not a whining page, so I kept it to a minimum. Back to the thankful part- I am so glad that we have the luxury at home to have a washer and a dryer and are able to use them whenever we want. (Like throwing a shirt in the dryer at 6:00 in the morning before you get ready for your day just so you can wear it to school.) I'm thankful that I don't have to leave my clothes out in the nasty elements to dry (it has been a crazy weather day here). I am thankful that I don't have to pay for it each time! Having a washer and dryer in my house is such a fortunate thing! I'm glad that something so simple is something worth being thankful for. Those simple things make our lives easier and more pleasant. So the next time you have to do laundry, remember that we have it good- we have a washer and dryer to use!

Tomorrow, my excitement builds as I wait for the day to pass so I can wake up Friday morning and head to London to see Mo. So, if I seem at all scatter- brained tomorrow, that is why!

Tomorrow's another day!

November 19

Today, I am thankful for my daddy! I got to talk to him today and it just made me so very happy! I love getting to talk to just him sometimes because he always gives me great insight and great advice! It's his job to watch out for me and he does a very good job! I am thankful for his love and guidance! I love that he tells me that he is proud of me! It's that kind of encouragement that keeps me going! We can laugh and joke and talk about anything, but the conversation always ends with I love you and I'm proud of you! I am so glad that he is my daddy! I'm so excited to see him and my mommy in just 23 days here in this beautiful country to show them my city and university! He is very prepared and so excited! I am too!! I love you Daddy!!

See you tomorrow!

November 18

Today, I am thankful for naps! I love naps so much! They are one of my very favorite things! At home, I take one almost everyday. Here I haven't been taking as many naps. So today when I took a good hour and a half nap, I woke up feeling so much better! Naps just make me happy! I feel cozy and warm and comfy. Sometimes you just need those feelings in your day! And when you wake up, you feel refreshed and ready to keep going with your day! (Unless you are my best friend Hannah). Some people may call my a grandma, but I don't mind, I actually rather enjoy it. Grandmas carry wisdom and I think it is because they take naps sometimes! My life is so much better with naps thrown in here and there! I just love them!

Off to a very long, all night's sleep kind of nap! See you tomorrow!

November 16 and November 17

On November 16th, I was thankful for that bike! I made it all around Odense! It was quick and efficient! I was very proud of myself for getting around on a bike! The saying "its as easy as riding a bike" is so not true! When you first get on a bike after so many years, its tough! You use muscles you didn't even know you had and you sweat a lot! But it was very handy! In the next few days I will probably walk funny because my legs and butt will be sore, but I'll just have to get over that! I'm so glad I got to see Denmark like a true Dane!

Today, November 17th, I am thankful for trains! Why the heck do we not have trains in America? They are so wonderful and fun and efficient and quick and fun! I really do like riding trains! Today, I rode two different cross- country trains in two different countries! (Plus two smaller trains and an underground train). Its fun to watch the world pass by. I also love trains because they make me feel so at ease. Its like driving a baby around the neighborhood to get them to fall asleep- that is how I feel on trains! I just love them!

See you tomorrow! (Really though! I'll get better at this daily thing.)

Warwick and Bath

Over the past few weeks I've made my way around more of this beautiful country! I went to the Warwick Castle for their Haunted Castle experience for Halloween with my friends and had a blast!! We went through the dungeon that they had made into a haunted house and it was really good!! We were definitely freaked out! The entire grounds of the castle are beautiful! I would love to spend a whole summer day exploring the grounds, castle, and the attractions that they have added to the experience. The castle was for the Earl of Warwick and was a working castle until just recently. The last prisoner to be held in the castle was actually Hitler's secretary, Rudolf Hess, for a night in 1942. I don't have any good pictures because we went at night and my camera doesn't like taking night pictures! But believe me, it was so cool, well kept, and beautiful! If you can make out the picture, that is the layout of the Castle and grounds. Its quite the place!

Bath
Bath was so wonderful! It was small and quaint! The perfect size town; I just loved it! I could have spent so much more time there than just a couple hours in a day. Below you can see the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey. 

This front part is obviously not Roman. It was part of the refurbishment in the 18th century.

 This is a looking- down- view on the main bath. It was cold and on- and- off raining during the day, so it was steaming. It was really cool to see!

This was a side bath that I couldn't even find the entrance to. It was probably my favorite. It was just so secluded and seemed so peaceful. I could have definitely spent hours warming and relaxing in that calm pool of water, away from the world. 

They made a museum basically on top of the ruins of the Roman Baths. This 3-D diorama showed where pools would have been back in the day. The bath house was like a little village within itself. You could spend your entire day there, relaxing and bathing, but also spending time praying and giving to the Roman gods and running errands. I kind of think of it like the Temple in Jesus' day- there was just so much to do in a centrally located part of town; it was so expanded with stuff and things to do for the people.  

Aquae Sulis was the Roman name of the city of Bath back in Roman times. Sulis was the English name for the city and the Romans just called it "the waters of Sulis". 

Above: Ruins of baths. If I'm reading the sign correctly, this was the swimming bath. 

Below: This was like a wishing well. People would have thrown coins into this bath as a gift to the gods- I think a certain one in particular. Prays of both concern and thanksgiving were lifted up and wishes were made. My friends and I did the whole Trivi fountain thing here at this little pool. It was fun!

 

This is a shot of the main bath with the abbey in the background. 

This was one of the most breathtaking sites of my day! Right when we walked into Bath Abbey, this American flag was just hanging right in front of my face! It's old, and somewhat rust- colored, and beautiful. I asked one of the ladies who worked there why it was there and she said it was a gift from the US in 1948. If you can see, there are only 48 stars. This flag was just the thing that I needed to see. I can't remember the last time I saw our beautiful flag and this one was just hanging so elegantly. It was joyous!

This picture doesn't do Bath Abbey justice. None of them did, really. This church might just be one of the favorites that I've seen. And please let me remind you that I've been to Italy and seen an absurd amount of gorgeous churches. Maybe because it was sweet and simple, or maybe because there were hanging pink chandeliers, or maybe the style of the architecture, or the stained glass windows. I couldn't put my finger on one thing, it just had something about it that made me feel calm; I think its called charm. 

 This is the Circus. It is supposedly famous. I'd never heard of it, but it really is a big deal. Its a giant circle of houses around a little park. From the air, you can see that its a perfect circle. (I did not go up in the air to see it, but there were aerial- view postcards.) It is very, very cool! The circle is made up of four segments of rounded buildings. I'm not sure how you can make a building like that, but the four of them together make a round- about that is enclosed and awesome! I sound like a child with my lack of creative words, but 'cool' really is the best way to describe it!

 The Royal Crescent is also a big deal here in Bath. We think that it is currently used as both office and residential space. We don't think that there is anything dealing with the Royal Family here at the Royal Crescent. There was a little museum/ information station at the Royal Crescent, but we did not go in. Surprising, I know, but I didn't need to learn all the information of Bath. Leaves me wondering and searching for more!

This building is also, obviously, rounded. It was huge! It seemed to continue on and on and it, too, was rounded! It was COOL!!  Not only was this building curved, but it started to go down a hill at the far left end. And then down that hill, all the houses made it look like we were in San Francisco. 

Bath was fun to go to because it was a mixture of Roman architecture and English architecture with a completely English way of life. It was actually somewhat weird to see. The marble buildings are so familiar because we just went to Italy this summer, but I wasn't expecting to see marble again, especially in England. 

Bath has the only source of hot springs in the country (and on the whole island of Britain- if you don't remember the difference between England, Britain, Great Britain, and the UK, go look at "Fun Facts" and refresh your memory). These waters were the reason that the Romans were congregated here to the one city. They were in Bath from about 60 AD until the first decade of the 5th century. Through that time, many added to and made better the baths for everyone's use. They used their hot water source efficiently and the Baths were, and still are, very vibrant and at the same time laid back. 

Bath was also the place where I've had my best meal yet! It may be because I was super hungry, but I really do think that it was the best! We found a place called the Wild Cafe. It was a cute, corner cafe with blue trimmed windows and doors, tucked away off the side of a side street. It was an awesome find! We looked on the outside menu (a very common thing) and saw that they had chorizo!! I was for it right away! I got a burger with chorizo on it and it was to die for! I also saw that there were pancakes! I haven't had a pancake in I don't know how long. I told the waitress that I wanted the burger, then I told her that this might be the oddest request, but I got a pancake as well! I was in hog heaven! More like home heaven! This meal was so good and so reminiscent of home! To top it all off, I got a glass of milk! I was content! You could even say that I was fat and happy!!

All- in- all, my day trip to Bath was wonderful! I would love to go back one day and actually sit in the hot springs. It was such a great town that I wish I could have spent more time in. But I know that I'm very blessed to have had yet another opportunity to see another part of England. I also saw much of the countryside between Birmingham and Bath and let's just say that I'm glad I cannot drive here. If I could, I would rent a car, drive ALL over, see the grazing sheep and beautiful rolling hills and never go to school! I'm glad that I don't have to be put in the predicament of choosing! 

Until next time!

November 13, November 14, and November 15

Hello!! I'm so sorry that I've missed the last couple of days!! Wednesday, the 13th was full of getting things done!! All sorts of miscellaneous things! I got it all done and had a great day, but I was too pooped to write a blogpost. On the 13th, I was, and of course still am, thankful for stuff to do! I love being busy and getting things done. There is a sense of pride in doing things that progress you farther, whether it be for school, for your own well being, for the house, or for the future. I really do love getting things done! The best part of getting things done is being able to check them off your list! I love making lists and I LOVE checking things off of my lists!! I feel so accomplished and I'm proud to have been productive!

November 14th was a very special day and one worth much thanks! Yesterday, and always, I am thankful for Mo! Yesterday was our one year anniversary! I am thankful for his love and support of me, especially through this journey! He has been my shoulder to cry on. He has been my cheerleader and motivator! He has been by my side, guiding me and loving me! I am very thankful for his kind heart, his open mind, his listening ears, and his warm hug! I am thankful that he is my best friend and that we can laugh and lounge and explore and pig out and study and cry and pray together! We just have so much fun! And for that, I am thankful! I have loved watching him grow and I'm thankful for his ever- growing faith in God! I am thankful that I get to see him in a week and for the hard work he did to get himself here! He is so incredibly wonderful and I'm beyond thankful!!

Today, November 15th, I am thankful for the chance to explore Denmark! I got into Odense, Denmark last night and have already had a great time! I'm thankful for a friend to put me up and show me around her town! I'm riding a bike like a Dane and it is fun to experience somewhere new!! This whole journey has been something to be thankful for!! (There will be a blog about Denmark!)

I apologize for not having the Warwick, Bath, and Stratford- Upon- Avon blog up yet! I was trying to get it finished on my super busy Wednesday, but it took a while to load the pictures. I cannot publish something until it's perfect and it's not quite perfect yet! It'll be up Sunday for sure! I'll be back in the Burm and I'll have my laptop!

Until tomorrow!

November 12

Today I am thankful for emails. Without emails, my life would be a lot more difficult. Emails allow me to chat with my family, friends, teachers, and advisers. Without emails, I wouldn't have the confirmation of train and plane tickets, I wouldn't be able to communicate with my home university, I wouldn't know what my final assessments are, and I wouldn't be bothered by every pin that goes up on Pinterest. Oh wait, I don't like those Pinterest emails- I could do without them! But all in all, emails make this study abroad adventure do-able. They make it stress- free for me to plan out my schedule, here and at home for next semester. They allow me to pester the helpful people in the psychology departments, both at NMSU and at UoB, with all the questions I can come up with. They give me a smile when my mommy forwards pictures of corgis, cats, and other funny things or when my daddy checks up on me, telling me that he is proud of me. Emails are wonderful things to me! They aren't quite snail mail (don't lie, everyone loves getting snail mail), but emails are one of things I look forward to in my day! Someone please remind me that I was once thankful for emails after I start a big girl job and begin to get hundreds of them a day! Until that time, I will still enjoy getting email and the news and smiles they bring!

I'll have another, actual blog post up tomorrow about Warwick, Bath, and Stratford- Upon- Avon!

Stay tuned!

November 11

Today I am thankful for our veterans! I am thankful for their service to our country, for their fight to keep the red, white, and blue the land of the free and the home of the brave. It takes very courageous people to sign up to defend their country. They are signing up to defend their families and friends, but also to defend what our country stands for. I am so proud to be an American with such freedoms and such courageous people to fight for those freedoms. I am lucky enough to know a few veterans. My Grandpa Legan served in the US Army. My Granddaddy Amend served as a Lt. Col. in the US Air Force. My Uncle Jim served in the US Air Force. My cousin Tony served in the US Army. My dear friend Fletcher is currently in the US Army. I am thankful for each and every one of them. I'm grateful for the love they show me and the things they have taught me. They served their country proudly and I am proud to know them! My God continue to bless America and may He bless the veterans, the current military men and women fighting for this country, and the future men and women to fight for this country!

Thank a veteran today! Its important!

Until tomorrow.

November 10

Today I am thankful for cool, crisp fall days! Today's weather felt like home. It was wonderful! A beautiful reminder of the place that I get to call home and the people that usually fill my fall days! Albuquerque, I miss you!

Until tomorrow's wind blows.

November 9

Today I am thankful for Shakespeare. That may sound weird and totally random, but its not really. I went to Stratford- Upon- Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare, today. I walked around the city and saw his house and the houses of his family members. I got a glimpse as to what his life may have been like and the inspiration that was in front of him. His father was a leather worker who made gloves and he was on the city council. His family was a wealthier middle class family who had the ability to send their children to school. William went to school and had books of his own to learn from. He had gardens that surrounded his home that, I assume, brought much inspiration to him. He had the fortune of moving to London and seeing the growth of a city and people. He was well taught and well aware of what was going on in the world. If you think about the works that he has written and how famous they have become, we should all be thankful for him. He brought so  much to the world of literature. We say some things because he wrote them! We read his plays and have made him and his stories a part of our culture. His influence on the world, especially at the time, has shaped it into a more diverse one. In the sixth I read Hamlet in language arts and literature and I had to memorize a soliloquy, a set of lines that a character has that is spoken in secret from the other characters and toward the audience. Everyone chose "To be or not to be" and did a fine job. But I decided, at the advisement of my teacher, to do "too too sullied flesh" and I must say that I did a fine job too. In the last gift shop of the day, I found Hamlet and had to ask where too too sullied flesh was (sorry, I forgot). I flipped to Act I, Scene II and read the soliloquy. I read it with such conviction, like I was performing it again from memory to my class. I had remembered all of it! All of it was familiar- the words, the meaning, how I said them, how my body moved with the words. It was such a wonderful feeling! That will always be with me. Shakespeare not only affected me, but he has affected and taught so many in the last 300 years or so. He really is someone to be thankful for.

                    "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players."

Until tomorrow.   

November 8

Green chile stew!! Thank you New Mexican comfort food gods for green chile stew!! A few weeks back I got a care package from home with cans of green chile in it! It was wonderful! Tonight, I used one of those cans to make green chile stew for myself and a friend. I felt so at home. I felt so comforted. My whole body was warm and my already high spirits were lifted. I just love the food from home and I am missing it so much! So, today I am thankful for something so normal, something so yummy, something so home, and something so simple as green chile stew!

See you  mañana!

November 7

Today I am grateful for spontaneity! My day was full of spontaneity! I lost my return train ticket home and didn't want to buy another, so I walked home. I took the canal that runs along the train line. As I was walking along the beautiful canal on such a beautiful day with such a beautiful disposition about myself, I came upon an old man. As I came near him, he turned around. I pulled my headphones out just in time to hear him say "Oh I thought you might be a bike!" And from then on, he didn't stop talking. But I was okay with that. I was in a good mood and I just love old people and listening to what they have to say. I was ready to make a friend, even if for only my walk. He told me that he was walking to strengthen his legs. He was, as he says, a crazy old bloke! He was definitely interesting. But it was nice to talk with him and to see his perspective. As an old Englishman, he had completely different perspectives on everything I've ever thought about. And he just told me about them and told me about them. He was a character! It was a very enjoyable walk! He was so lively! Meeting him was definitely a highlight in a rather bright day! 

My second act of spontaneity came later when my friend and I decided to just go to the firework show at school. Once we got up and out of the house, we found that doing something with our evening was going to be rather fun! We made it to school and found out the whole thing was a carnival! It was so fun and exciting! We walked around and got food and cotton candy, or as she calls it Fairy Floss- she's Australian! It was a real carnival! At 9 o'clock the fireworks went. They were magnificent! I am partial to fireworks because they are one of my favorite things! But they were still wonderful! The whole display was very well done! They even had fireworks that I've never seen before! I stood there with this stupid smile on my face that only comes about when I watch fireworks. I was in utter amazement! Fireworks are one of my all time favorite things! They were dazzling and quite elegant! I had such a great time feeling like a child, happy and amazed! The night was wonderful! And it wouldn't have been unless we did what we did with our spontaneity! I'm thankful for the opportunity to be spontaneous! I am thankful for the serendipity of meeting people who put a smile on my face! Life is full of surprises and I'm thankful that they come around so often!

Until tomorrow's adventure! 

November 6

Today I am thankful for NMSU! I love my school back home! I love the friendly and helpful people, I love the atmosphere, and I love how everything is done! University here is different from home in many ways. This change has really made me appreciate everything that NMSU is. Tomorrow I get to register for classes for my sixth semester in college. Crazy! But, I am so in love with the process. I sat down, picked out my classes, fit them into a schedule and I'm ready to go! Tomorrow, when registration opens up for Crimson Scholars, I will go on the internet, type in some numbers and hit submit! It really is as simple as that! The process of signing up for classes here at Birmingham was so different! I messed around with papers and talked to many different people, most of whom didn't know anything and I was stressed out the whole time! I am thankful that tomorrow's process will be so easy! I am also thankful for the NMSU staff within the psychology department who have answered any questions I had right away! They are very on top of it!

I really am loving my experience here in England, but being in a foreign country with a completely different schooling system has made me appreciate everything back at my home school SO much more! I am grateful for friendliness, attentiveness, and punctuality at New Mexico State! I know being back at school will mean so much more for me than it already does! So proud to be an Aggie!!

Until tomorrow!

November 5

Today I am thankful for Skype! Throughout this process, skype has been so handy and reliable. I have been just seconds away from my family, boyfriend, and friends! It is quite wonderful! Skype allows me to be in the living room with my family! Skype allows me to laugh with my boyfriend like we did when I was home. I get to see friends and even animals! Its like I never left! Well, until the call is over. But that little slice of home is heaven! I think it is completely amazing how skype works! I am half a world away! There is an ocean, half of a country, and eight hours in between me and the ones I love. And its FREE! How awesome! I am so glad that I have the opportunity and ability to see my loved ones on a daily basis. Thank you skype!! 

See you tomorrow!

November 4

Finally!! I am back on my laptop! You probably couldn't tell, but the last few blog posts were from my phone. My computer caught a virus and was really sick. I couldn't get to different websites or work certain programs; I couldn't even pull up my blog on my laptop! But, I am so glad to be able to post from my laptop again! Now I can get the font I want and make it look just perfect (and you all know how important that is to me)!

My thanks today goes out to the IT guy who fixed my laptop. I am very thankful for the 'techies' because without them, I couldn't do anything! I'm lucky I can use Word! I'm not quite sure how I figured this blog out by myself! I am not a computer person, so I am very dependent on their help. The man that helped me today was very helpful and never made me feel dumb for not knowing what was wrong with my laptop. He told me that he would take a general look- over of my laptop and hit all the areas that I thought were sick and possibly find other ones. He was wonderful! I came back two hours later and he said everything was good to go! I'm so glad that my laptop is running smoothly and that the process was so easy! What a relief!

Thanks to all you techies who make life a little easier for us non- computer knowing folk. I know many are very grateful for your knowledge and skill!

See you tomorrow!

November 3

Today I am thankful for lazy days!! Two out of the last three have been lazy and they have been wonderful!! I'm thankful for the rest and rejuvenation that lazy days bring! I sometimes feel super productive on lazy days! Sounds like a contradiction, but it's not. It's more of a surprise! When you mentally, physically, and emotionally go into a lazy day, you know that it is going to be purely for your own personal enjoyment of perfect, lethargic splendor! So, when you do anything productive, you feel like you have conquered the world! Even if it's a very small world. That's pure logic if you think about it! Now I know that I couldn't go into every day as a lazy day, accomplish great things, and therefore feel extra awesome about my achievements. That would be tiring and then lazy days wouldn't hold their perfectness! Accomplishments on lazy days are simply a bonus; a boost to the lazy and relaxed spirit. Lazy days are meant to be calming. Lazy, productive days happen only every so often and should be especially cherished! But, I am perfectly content with simply being thankful for the simplist of lazy days and the glory that they hold!

Until tomorrow's productive day!

November 2

Today I am grateful for individuality. I love being me and only me! And I love seeing other people be just who they are! Being a part of a group is important in so many different ways; but you have to be you in order to contribute! You, as an individual, have so much to offer! When I see people being exactly who they want to be, my heart is warmed! I know that somewhere along the way, they committed to being themselves! That is so important!! I love seeing the confidence that exudes from people who love being individual and unique! I have started to really love the things that make me uniquely me! I love being an individual and growing more and more to just be me! For that, I am thankful!

See you tomorrow!

November 1

Seeing as it is November and a month full of thanks, I'm going to write down daily what I am thankful for! Everyday I'll get on and post about the great things that I'm lucky enough to have in my life! I will continue to make regular posts about my travels along the way! November is a full month for me! I'll be going to Bath, Warwick, Denmark, London, and Dublin! I have three midterm assignments due and Thanksgiving to worry about! Most importantly, my boy friend will be coming to visit! Man, do I love November! So get ready to read, read, read and hopefully keep up!

Today, November 1, 2013, I am thankful for the friends I have made here in Birmingham! Last night we had a Halloween party and it was so fun to be a part of it! My friends worked so hard to make everything wonderful and get everyone included! It was such a great feeling of comradey! These people are so nice and welcoming! They have definitely made this journey easier and more enjoyable for me!! I am grateful because I know that most of these friendships will last me past Birmingham and into my adult life! I am so grateful for their love and support and I'm excited to see that grow as we come closer and then as we move back home. What an awesome thing for me to know that I have friends from all over!! This world is a funny place! I'm glad we all ended up together here!

Until next time!