Livin on a prayer.....

here is the countdown:

5 more days till COLDPLAY
12 days till i leave for GERMANY
14 days till CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

exciting stuff.

recently ive had another small bout of weird sinus junk, but its clearing up pretty quickly so i expect/ (will no matter what) to hit the pool tomorrow (friday)....if i can still swim, its been a while. which is unfortunate cause ive been building up my endurance and whatnot and was pretty pleased with my progression.....God loves throwing curve balls though, just to make sure we're paying attention, though, i suppose.

Yesterday when Anna and i went into town for groceries/finishing up christmas gift shopping, in one store i heard some really great tunes, and as i usually do, i wrote them down in my phone to look them up online later and try to figure out who its by. well, i came across a little (and fairly new) Irish band called 'The Script'...they are alternative/rock and have a really great sound!!
so, here are some links to their hit songs.......or just the ones i really like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi7kHvM-ivI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw-J8kC5DHo&feature=channel

and also, here is a little clip of the 'English Seagull Jig' taking place in our garden this morning....if you dont laugh.... that's just unfortunate!

Well, i suppose that's about it. as you can see, studying and writing so much has fried my brain, that a dancing bird in the yard is my entertainment.wow.

Scootily-Tootily

ask and you shall receive, knock and the door will be open, order your food then eat it!

I have only visited 2 other churches during my 3 month stay here so far, and this past Sunday (well, yesterday) i visited a church called 'kings church' with my flatmate Mila. First, i was very excited that she was willing to try it with me, and second there are many other reasons why the Sunday was so spectacular!

1). i had a really great night out with some friends for a quiet saturday night, and the weather had been delightful for the past couple of days (warmer than some days in november!)
2). sunday i woke up before my alarm just cuz i was soo excited about trying this church!! the website looked kinda like Zach and Amy's church back home, which i visit with them once in a while, and in the pictures of the church and groups there were students! woohoo!
3). the sun was blasting wonderfully through my window on sunday morning!! it always somehow tendto be cloudy and dreary on sundays, but yesterday was wonderful!
4). i looked out my window and saw that there was 'frost on the pumpkin', the first frost ive seen here, so i got kinda excited for some reason.
5). i had good sleep, so i was fired up and ready to go!
6). the church provides a FREE private bus service for pick ups and drop offs, which means i dont have to worry about looking up where it is located/pay for transportation!!!

so, mila and i made our way down the slippery (remember, frost) brick sidwalks to the bus stop near the campus and waited for the bus. i couldnt contain my engergy!! i kept smiling and laughing and jumping up and down, cuz the weather was just breathtaking for a new december day and the sun was out and i was going to church! i just had a good feeling about it! as we were waiting, 2 other students came and stood with us and we all ended up riding the bus to the church! once we got there, i was a bit skeptical cuz it looked kinda like a warehouse from the outside, but inside it was very contemporary with a little 'cafe' like eating area, and then further ahead was the auditorium where the sermons took place. i just loved it because it reminded me of home, but mila (catholic) was a bit freaked out from all of it, but handled it well.

the sermon was a woman who had traveled to 5 different countries in Africa and was helping with relief there from religious persecution. she explained very well all that was happening there and the powerpoint pictures were really moving. the stories of the Africans there was the most powerful story of christian faith and dedication that i have ever heard. it really made me think about how seriously i take my faith!

afterward, mila and i stopped in at the 'visitors cafe' where we were greeted and met with a cup of coffee. we sat and talked a bit with an older woman, before being greeted by a younger lady (maybe mid 20s?) who told me about Life Groups that the church had each week where students got together at a leader's house and worhsiped, ate, and just had time for fellowship. she was really nice and friendly, so i have her my contact details and now i am going to the meeting tomorrow night!! i looked online the address of the meeting place, and (PRAISE THE LORD) it's right in town!! so its not too far at all, and easy to get to; which is fantastic b/c my class gets out late tomorrow so i wont need to worry about busses and trains!! yayayayayay!

so, needless to say, i am really pumped for what God has in store through this church and the people that i hope to meet along the way! It is amazing sometimes when i know i miss going to church and hearing sermons and singing songs, but i dont realize how vital it is in my life until i reunite with other Christians and get that giddy, fluttery feeling deep inside that i remembe why i love it, why i need it, and why i am a Christian!! GOD IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so, i suppose more to come after tomorrow with news of how the Life Group went!
ps. if you have a spare second, please toss up a couple prayers to the Big Man for me, so that i will not be stressed over essays and be able to concentrate and git shiz done before the break!?

Just having a good tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime.....

this past week, i had a kind 'week off' since there were a few festivities i decided to take part in with my friends! obviously, thanksgiving was the main one, but also there was a trip to London for the German inspired Christmas market in Hyde Park complete with ice skating and glühwein (mulled wine). then, on saturday there was a black and white dance party at a student club in town. That was a lot of fun cause a) i saw undergrads who i dont get to see very often cause they have a diff. class schedule, b) the music was sweeeeeeeeeet and c) a smirnoff and a g&t make me happy ;) not to mention the fact that im burning so many calories from shakin my thang for nearly 3 hours :D

so, that was the most recent activity i can think of. the next 3 weeks will be hittin the books hard again and trying to finish stuff up before i leave for Christmas break in Germany. although, the closest light at the end of the tunnel right now is the Coldplay concert on Dec 16.......cant wait! but that also means i cant let up and slack off till then........boo.

Mila, Me, Ludka, Amelie, Anna, & Bärbel

I'm Ready to Get Married........?

Tom, you were delicious!

Wed night i got home from a fun but chilly day in London and realized i hadnt thawed Tom, the Turkey, nor had i allowed the pastry dough to chill either. so then i started to kinda freak out whether i would have time to cook all the stuff on thursday in time to eat around 6pm.

a quick chat with moo and all was right with the world :)

so, i couldnt really sleep that well, cause i was a bit anxious about the next day and prepping whent to prepare stuff and when it should go into the oven and mentally trying to convert Celcius to Farenheit and blah blah.

i woke up around 8:30 and got to work. first the pies. 1 apple and 2 sweet potato (would have been pumpkin, but apparently Britain doesnt sell the cans in the store, pshhhhhh). so once those were done, i prepped Tom which was kinda like trying to rinse a 14 pound, slippery kid in the sink. Mila got some good photos of this ordeal, but im afraid ill have to steal those and post them at a later date. tom went into the oven, and i tried going for a quick run.....though it was quicker than i had hoped, 10min. gol'dang shin splints!!

so, after a couple hours i started on the mashed white/sweet potatos and Tom was browning/cooking/smelling/looking delicious! i took him out around 4pm and he looked delightful!

my friends began coming around 6 and we ate at 6:30, so only 1/2 behind schedule, but i think it was ok. we gathered around the table and we each said one thing we were happy for, then i asked the blessing (yes, mom! i prayed for everyone!!!). Everyone said the food was really reallly great and everyone had at least 2 helpings. perfect! there was a good amount of turkey left over for my flatmates and i as well as givng some away too. everyone somehow loved the sweepers and 'mallows, but got scared off by the sweeper pie....explain that one to me? i guess marshmallows are more alluring????? oh well, more pie and whipped topping left for me!! haha!

so, i finally got to bed and slept and now im up and have to go to the chiropractor...i also wanted to swim this morning, but no way.......too tired from yesterday.

*oh! in reference to the title, my Greek flatmate Angeliki joked that now that i can cook a full meal and clean, i am ready to get married......(Michael Phelps likes to eat, and im sure he appreciates a clean house.........;)

So, its been a while.........

HIYAAAAAAA,

seriously, nothing to report on. the past couple days have been sunny and nice=a couple runs outside and motivation to study!!

only 3-ish more weeks till Christmas break, so im excited but also a bit nervous, trying to get as much done as i can before the break so a) i dont have to worry about it while im visiting Tine, and b) dont wanna deal with a butt load of work when i get back! but i return the 1st of jan, so maybe that will give me a couple more days before the term starts again to catch up on stuff. box of stuff ;)

still swimming and still smelling of chlorine. i love it. my rib has started acting up again, not so bad like before i came here, but thankfully i got an appointment with a chiro here for today!! so i hope that getting cracked will only help my rib heal faster than have it regress........pain is no so good!!

oh, and x-biking tonight! they are special bikes that you do workouts on where you can shift into different gears to feel easy or like you're climbing a mountain! i told zach it reminded me of soccer practice in h.s. cause the instructor is yelling 'come on! give it all you got!' when you dont 'got' anything to give....but you just cant give up cause youll look like a pansy,,,,,,,and of course, i wanna beat all the other people, so i deal with the burn! :D

OH! and next thurs, i am making T-day dinner for a bunch of my friends here! im so excited! its gonna be a lot of work but they have already said they would love to help me cook, so that is good.
*plus i got a really sweet pkg from my parents filled with lovely Thanksgiving day stuff :)

alright, off to study/get cracked/buy food/whatever.........

~till next time (aka prolly after next thurs...)