Catacombs, and farewell to Paris

Today was the last day in Paris. We went to the Catacombs. These catacombs were originally mining tunnels. During a disease outbreak caused by insufficient burial practices, many of the graves in several cemeteries were exhumed and the corpses moved to these tunnels. Over time, so many corpses were buried here, the identities were lost and such. Only since 2008 have these tunnels been open to the public. The bones have been lined up and stacked in remembrance of those who gave their lives for a free France. These tunnels go on seemingly forever. Thousands upon thousands of souls now take their place here.

It was awesome-
I have never seen so many bones in my life! It was straight out of a movie or something. Mildly creepy.. but AWESOME!

We finished off the night with a farewell to Paris, watching the world cup, and watching the Eiffel towers final sparkle, and watch it light up the night.

Its a sore sight to leave such a beautiful city with such an interesting history and culture. (did you know paris was laid out using the golden mean?) However, getting back to clean air, water, and costco will be much appreciated. Did i mention clean air? Its a bittersweet feeling, but it is indeed time to come home.

See you all soon!

Music and Motion

Today was a day enriched by music and dance. After spending time at the "white church on the hill", i went to the Louvre to do some shopping. On the way out, i heard a street musician. Upon further investigation, it wasn't just a street musician. This man was playing the cello. He didn't look homeless, or like he was begging, and as he was playing, you could see that he loved his music and instrument. His very soul was out for the world to see. The music was absolutely beautiful. I stood and stared for what must have been 10 or 15 minutes. He played piece after piece of stunningly gorgeous music. I was really moved.
Upon arriving home, i got ready for the ballet. I must say, my french is getting pretty decent! People don't start talking in English when i try and talking french! This ballet was truly something spectacular! It wasn't just about the dancing. The music, and orchestra was just as much an attraction as the dancing! They had an orchestra, accompanied by an entire Japanese drum section, and another group of older Japanese traditional instrument players. (i don't know the name of the instruments.. but apparently not many people know how to play them). The dancing was spectacular. I watched in pure amazement at the control these dancers had with their body. Watching as they effortlessly did a triple followed by a double toure, was.. breathtaking. The lighting and stage effects were so awesome! Its so incredible, i honestly don't have the words to describe it. So.. If you want to know more, you'll have to ask! It is late, and a big day tomorrow.. Au Revoir!

Chaeteu de Versailles

Today, being Sunday, was a bit difficult, with everything closing early and such. We took a train out to the Chaeteu de Versailles. It was built by King Loius the 13th, 14th and 15th, and lived in by queen Marie Antoinette and such. King Loius was also the one who commissioned the Louvre, and stole Ballet as a dance form from the peasants. It was beautiful. Every room was gilded and painted to the extreme, everything having a meaning, and a purpose. The gardens were equally spectacular. The fountains being choreographed to music and such. It is the last piece of the french monarchy left standing, and it is beautiful! Afterward, we made a quick trip to the Arc de Triumph. I wasn't really impressed. Its a big archway, dedicated to the french army. A few crepes later, and a stirring round of phase 10, and i was off to bed. Oh, the most fun part about today was that we got to spend it with Benjamal and Casidoo! Recently married and spending their honeymoon here, we ran into them and made plans! It was fun!

For the love of food

Today was a day of amazing food. I was going to go out with Millie and Logan again for the first part of the day, but i lost them somewhere in between them going to do their laundry, and making out on the Eiffel tower for their anniversary.. Instead, i went and got tickets for a ballet! I am so excited. It took me a while to actually find it. Where the internet said it was, isn't actually where it was. I ended up walking around for a while, and trying to talk to a girl next to a poster for it in french to ask directions, and she looked at me like i was stupid. Not so much because my french is beyond terrible, but because the ballet is at a place called "Opera De Bastille" and the metro nearest it is called.. you guessed it, Bastille. Who'd have guessed though? I know i didn't. Luckily the lady at the ticket office spoke decent English, so i got a good seat! This theater is huge! 3 balconies and i happened to get a seat on the floor. What luck! Yes Sandy- i will take pictures (if I'm allowed) and such just for you! I also visited the Pantheon. It is a work of art in and of itself, but it was built in honor of St. Genevieve, patron saint of France, and Joan of Arc. It has also become the burial place for the "pomp" of France. It houses the corpses of many of the leaders and martyrs of the french revolution, as well as those all the way up until recently, such as Pierre and Marie Currie After that, i went and visited Notre Dame. Honestly not a lot to say about it. Just another giant Gothic style catholic cathedral. It had a giant line into it, which im not sure whether that was because it was free entrance, or because its famous. I wasn't impressed either way, but a good see regardless. I walked past a giant department store on the way back to the metro. Not nearly as big as Harrods was, but still, about 5 floors of stuff. I bought a suitcase to make the trip home easier, and to make sure i wasn't over weight. I went home, dropped that off, and had dinner!

Back on the topic of food. It has been my goal while in France, to never eat the same thing twice. To get a variety of as much french food as i can! I will admit though, i have had crepe's several times. However, they have been different flavors. Today i got a cheese pastry thing while i looked for the ballet. It was good, tasted like a grilled cheese, only the cheese was like.. good, and not.. fake, or American. Very creamy, and where it was on the grill it got all crispy like, and so the cheese extended about 3 inches out from the actual pastry. Yum.
While heading towards the Pantheon, i passed an ice-cream shop. Now, I'm not one for ice-cream, but the sign was in Italian, not french, and said it was a gelato shop, which piqued my interest. BEST-FROZEN-DESSERT-EVER. I am so glad i stopped in there. I'm not entirely sure if it was frozen yogurt, or gelato, but i don't really care. It was paradise. I got a cherry one. It was a plain vanilla base with REAL Cherries and scratch made cherry sauce. It wasn't even blended in at the start. They had pans with the base flavor of ice-cream (yogurt, gelato, whatever. heretofore known as ice-cream) with the topping just piled on top. So when they served it up, they didn't just scoop. They used a thing that almost looked like a pie cutter, and they portioned the base and the topping just right. When they sliced through the ice-cream, it didn't give any resistance, just slid right through, but was still cold and solid. Just perfectly creamy. They had everything from chocolate with chocolate chips, to pineapple and passion fruit. It was.. well.. BEST-FROZEN-DESSERT-EVER. I may break my rule and go back there. It was THAT amazing. The cherries weren't frozen either. They had just the right amount of tooth, but still soft enough to not be more dense than the ice-cream. I am drooling just thinking about it again. Amazing. The funny part was, most of the people in there spoke Italian, not french. nor English. But they were playing a Michael Jackson CD and all singing along, apparently not knowing what they were saying. It was funny, we all sang along and danced. Dance- the universal language.
In France, there are little cafe's just about everywhere. There are a few that have really stood out to me through this trip, and i've been trying to find more like it. I hopped on the metro, picked a random stop, and started walking. Off in the distance, i saw a glowing green restaurant/cafe. One thing i look for when picking a place for dinner is the LACK of words Brasserie (i have no idea what this means) Cafe, Take-Away, and such. This one fit the bill. I also look for places that seem busy, and have families in them. That way, i know i won't be hated for not ordering beer, or wine, as well as not wanting just boring pub-grub. This place was everything i wanted. I walked in, "Bonsoir, un s'il vous plaît" (good evening, one please), and even though i spoke in near perfect french (ha!) they still pulled out an English version of the menu. That actually impressed me. And i was quite glad to have something i could understand. Leons was the place i was at. It is an entire restaurant specializing in mussels! I had no idea when i walked in, but i was actually quite pleased. I like seafood. (are mussels considered seafood?) Anyway, i started with a warm goat cheese salad. It was a salad with a balsamic vinaigrette, with a baguette covered in goat cheese, olive oil, and basil. Its times like this that i am glad i learned how to eat properly. People here give you funny looks if you eat like an American. Anyway, it was very good, very light, and the goat cheese was very creamy. At first i wasn't sure if i wanted it to be on a baguette, as i don't like bread all that much, but it paired very well, and provided a good base to cut the lettuce and such on. It also allowed some absorption of the vinaigrette. These french people are smart when it comes to food. The mussels come out with a side of pomme frittes. (french fries) which i wasn't exactly expecting, and didn't really eat them all, since I'm kind of sick of french fries, whatever country they come from. Anyway- the mussels i got were cooked in a north-France style with bacon and mushrooms and other yummy stuff. They were steamed in the pot they were served in, so none of the flavor was lost. They also brought a basket of french bread to sop up all the yummy. The mussels were amazingly good. There definitely is a difference from fresh mussels, and frozen ones in Utah. One thing i was surprised at is how many there were! It was practically a bucket of mussels! There was tons! Had to be almost 40-50. The meal finished with a cremebrulle. They really mastered the texture here. It was smooth and creamy- nothing like scrambled eggs. The top was hand torched and crispy, and kind of tasted like perfectly burnt marshmallows. I am really glad i found this place!

The french are so good with food- even their cough drops taste good. Try explaining Halls, or cough drops to a french person and they will look at you like your insane, but hold your throat and cough and they will come back with 4 boxes of different stuff. I got the honey and mint ones. Oddly, she warned me not to take more than 6 in a day, and i didn't quite catch why..

Now i just have to figure out if I'm going to Versailles tomorrow, or staying home to catch up on homework..

p.s. The picture is actually the back entrance to the Louvre.. and yes, i look fat. But ya know what? I didn't want to upload any pictures from today, so that's what i get. And.. that's what YOU get!

Musee d'Orsay, the Louvre, and Crepes

Today was interesting. I found out how some of the people on this trip REALLY feel about me, even though they don't know they were loud enough for the entire hotel to hear! Anyway- i found new friends who don't talk about me behind my back, and we had a blast today!

We started out the day by heading to the Louvre. Come to find out, its free for those under 25 on Fridays after 6! Lucky us! Before leaving, some Americans stopped me to take a picture for them. Something about my shirt saying DETROIT tipped them off to us being American also! hee hee. So we headed over to the Musee d'Orsay, which picks up where the Louvre stops. We spent a good chunk of the day there reveling in the bounteousness that is the art world. Mostly good, some awful but still famous. A lot of Monet, and Renoir, and it gave me a chance to show off my artsy fartsy-ness and feel cool by explaining certain aspects of pieces and styles to my friends. Its been fun to get to know everyone OUTSIDE of dance! Millie had eaten a funky sandwich a few days earlier and was feeling a bit sick (flashbacks Mark?) so we took it a bit slow for her. After Orsay, we headed out for some crepes. I learned a valuable lesson today. If you say "parlez-vous l'anglais ?" and someone says yes, it means they really dont speak very good English. If you ask someone that question, and they say, "a little bit" they speak perfect English. And if they say "No, i only speak french" its a funny old black man in front of the museum! Coming home after the Louvre, my friends went home to sleep and use my laptop, while i took a stroll down the streets of paris to find some place to eat. I came across this place called "Indiana Cafe" and had the most amazing chicken curry ive every tasted.. ever. Not only was the rice awesome, but it was stacked in a perfect little pyramid. I stared for a bit before i even ate. To top if all off, the world cup started tonight, and France and Uruguay tied i believe, 0-0. But, being in France, it was crazy downtown, and people kept trying to talk to me and i just smiled and said..

"Im American"

so they walked away, and i walked back home for the night!

France

Today we started our journey to France, the last leg of our trip. The trek took us on a train underneath the English channel. Just as we were about to exit the "chunnel" (tunnel under the channel..) the train stopped. The announcer came over the loud speaker and told us a train ahead of us had broken down, and we were stuck behind it, with a portion of an ocean sitting above our heads. No worries right? 3 hours later.. "We are profusely sorry for the inconvenience, but we are sorry to report that all attempts to repair the train ahead of us have been a complete failure.." Yes, the train announcer told us it was a "complete failure". Reassuring! As we started procedures to reverse the train and hop on a separate track and go around (not a short detour mind you) the train in front of us miraculously leaps to life and off we go! Not an hour later the train stops again. "We again profusely apologize for the delay, Maintenance which was supposed to take place after we had passed is currently going on in front of us due to the delay with the prior train." All in all, a 2 hour train ride to France took about 6 hours. Once we arrived in France, we realized there are very few escalators in France to take us out of the subway. So, here we are, 16 Americans, hauling all our luggage around the streets of France! A bit tiring. We finally arrive at the hotel, and find out its not completely paid for! Yay for dishing out another 115 euros! Then there was the drama.. i wont get into that. But lets say, i dislike dishonest people who cause drama. Devout on not letting stupid people ruin my trip, i went off to hard rock, had a nice dinner. Picked up the souvenirs i needed, and visited the Eiffel tower! I didnt go up today, the line was ridonculous. I however realized 2 very important facts that are going to make this trip interesting. 1) I dont speak french. 2)French people dont speak good english.

For Sandy-

Just for you Sandy.. Just for you

London

I apologize for the lack of updates. London, although advertising Wi-Fi, was only available in the lobby, and even then usually sporadic at best. So I will do my best to not leave out any details. The first day we arrived in London, we split into a few different groups. My group and I went to the London Eye. The London Eye is the largest ferris wheel in the world. From atop it, you can see all of London! It was spectacular. The couple in the pod just adjacent to us, got engaged. The man proposed and the group I was with was.. well, lets just say very aware. They embarrassed them very much. Leaving the London Eye, we walked along the edge of the Thames river, and saw a few street performers and artists. There was a lady doing replicas of Leonardo-Devici's work. It was remarkable! The detail she was able to bring out, and the precision! She was using the grid system to duplicate the pieces. Each piece took about 5 weeks to do. Later down the walk- Cory, Kelly, Seth, and Shalie stopped at some street musicians to dance to the music. The dancing drew more of a crowd than the music did! We went to Hard Rock Cafe, spent too much money, and ate. Returning home, there was some.. drama.. on issues id rather not discuss, so I wont!

The following morning was the our first full day in London. We started off by visiting the Tower of London. The Tower isnt really a “tower”, more of a castle. The interesting things about the castles here in London, and around England, is that they have been in use up until the last few hundred years. So although we would have liked things preserved, as we all do, when things update, we toss the old and get new ones, and so have the people living in the castles, manors, and palaces. So although a lot of things haven't been preserved as have things in an archeological dig, it has a lot more history. I went with a group today, so we all had to make a few concessions for the votive of the group. We visited the old armory, and a the display of the crown jewels, but a lot in the group can't handle more than an hour or two, so we had lunch at a french pastry shop, and made our way to the aquarium. The aquarium was fantastic. It wasn't huge like at Berlin, but it was very educational and fun. We then made our way to WICKED! It was phenomenal. One of the best shows i've seen. The under study was in for Fiero was in, so there was a few fibs, but it was still WICKED! We saw some of BYU there, and had a grand time walking home in the rain. Speaking of weather.. WOW.. overcast in the morning, followed by a light rain about 11:00, then sun mixed with showers off and on the rest of the day.. it just can't decide! Then, its cool above ground, and stinking muggy in the subway, so its jacket on, jacket off.. on.. and off..

The third was supposed to be Ireland. Coming up on that evening after wicked, I didnt have a very good feeling about going to Ireland, so long story short, despite already paying $120, I decided to not go. Turns out half the people didnt even make it on the airplane! Long story short, it was a good choice not to go. Instead me and the boys (David, Seth, Trevor, and Nick) went shopping and spent a lot of time in Harrods, the largest department store IN THE WORLD! (or so it seemed) It was giant. And expensive. There were departments there for Dolce and Gabbana, Verccaci, Loui Vaton, HD, and YSL.. (ok, so not the Good Charlotte song.. and yes, I realize I spelled some of them wrong.) but lots of stuff. They had chocolate for $3 a piece, There was a little girls jacket for 3,450 pounds. Thats like... almost $6000 us dollars! We strolled through Armani, and other wicked expensive stores. It was interesting to see where the haughty taughty shop at. There was a GINORMOUS toy store we spent a good amount in. hee hee! After a bit more shopping, we decided to visit china town. It was.. Chinese.. everything you'd expect in china town. We visted a market raising money for St. James, a 400 year old church. One guy was selling jewelry made from “vegetable ivory”. It is a substance made from the seed of a tree in the amazon forest, which looks, feels, and is in almost every way identical to ivory! It was pretty cool. Mostly, the day was spent shopping. Seth persuaded me to buy clothes in “color”. Light blue.. I don't know how I feel about it. Oh yes, and before I forget. The first thing we did today, was go to see the changing of the guard. It was very anti-climactic, but still cool in a historical ceremonial way.

Today was the last day in London. We went shopping to spend the last of our pounds, and visted the last of the places we wanted to see. I broke off from the group and went to the british museum and spent about 3 and half hours there. They have really cool exhibits on the Panthenon, and other ancient roman and greek works, as well as a large section on egypt. The crowning piece would have to be the rosetta stone. I didnt have nearly enough time to spend there, before meeting back up with Tara and the boys, to finish the night off with the Globe Theater, St. Pauls cathedral, and a ridiculously long buss trip back home. A bunch of packing, and writing this, mixed with hopes of Wi-Fi in france and that concludes London!

Day 7 - Goodbye Blackpool!

After an agonizingly late night packing up after latin medley, I finally got to bed at about 4:30am. Just in time to take a short nap for an hour or two so i could wake up and pack my own things before breakfast. We said our goodbye's to dear Margret and Jodi (our proprietors and house ladies.) and loaded up on a bus. We made a short stop at the Preston England LDS temple, which was pleasant. Next thing i remember i was waking up to a giant house! It was Chattsworth house. Home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire for like.. 500 years. It was absolutely amazing! The landscape completely changed. We were more inland, and the sea turned into rolling hills, the air became so much cleaner, the fish and chip houses turned into local markets with fresh produce and such. Was a brilliant change! (ok maybe ive been in England too long..) We spent almost 6 hours at Chattsworth house, exploring miles and miles of gardens, fountains, ponds, lakes, statues, art, and the list goes on! Inside the house, i took an audio tour, which takes you through the mansion room by room, explaining the wall murals, paintings, art and history of the estate. The pictures are just a few of my favorite pieces (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=177342&id=511366796&l=af74f58ec2) (i have my own reasons for why i liked each piece, if youd like to know, just ask!) As we walked in, everyone took pictures with each other, rotating in and out and it was taking.. FOREVER.. so after a brunch with the team, i decided to set off on my own. I must say, best decision ive made this trip! I foresee it happening again in future destinations. I realized, that there are only 2 people that would enjoy the same things i would enjoy (the 2 other art majors) and one is married, and rolls with the married kids group, and the other is attached to his other 3 parts, and separating them would be like dismembering someone. I was able to explore the culture, art, and history of this site unmolested, and then catch up with the group later. It was awesome! On the last hour of the trip, we had seen what we all wanted to see and do, and were just wasting time. So myself, Logan and Camille Spence decided to take a stroll to one of the ponds. While sitting on the grass, this pheasant flew down and landed about 100 feet away. Turned, looked straight at us, and headed straight for us! We're thinking, cool, it will stop soon, but a pleasant sight. But it didn't.. it just kept coming! closer, and closer.. Camille squealed, Logan pulled out a camera. Then it came closer.. and closer.. and it stopped about a foot away from us and just looked at us for a good 3 or 4 minutes! Was really quite interesting. There were lots of animals on the estate from chickens, to sheep, and various fowl, but none let us get this close! Eventually a gaggle of giggling Chinese girls ran up to it and it flew away. We are now at our 1 night hotel, its muggy and hot, but at least there's wi-fi! As we were getting off the bus, Scott announced the various rooms available. This ended in a giant drama mess that could easily be resolved with simple pre-planing and logic. But i bit my tongue this time. I ended up in a 3 person room with only 1 other person. Besides, had i said anything i probably would have been yelled at for pointing out common sense, as i usually am. <3 pride! Anyway, with as hot and muggy as it is, and most of England lacking in air conditioners, having only 1 other room mate and having my own bed is a blessing in disguise. Tomorrow, Chattwick Castle!

Blackpool Day 6

Today was the latin formation championships. We started off the morning with a 6:30 rehearsal at the winter gardens. We were shocked to find that no one else was there to practice on the floor! We were able to have the entire place to ourselves for about an hour or two. It was very nice. We went home and rested and got ready for band call that afternoon. Band call went very well. We drew 3rd for our spot, and did amazing on our run throughs. We were all pumped and ready to go. Returning home to get ready, we tanned everyone, did hair, make-up, and ate, just in time to return once more to winter gardens to compete. Our costumes were amazing, we were pumped, and ready to go. We went on a danced our best- we hit almost every line amazingly! The crowd was on their feet watching and clapping, it was absolutely spectacular! A dream come true! Being 3rd of 8 or 9 teams, as soon as we got off the floor, we went back to our staging area and awaited the results.. and waited.. and waited, and then they danced a round of pro standard, which was amazing, and then we waited some more. Finally the callbacks came and we had made the final! Honestly we weren't that surprised. We did amazing. We suited up, and went on the floor a second time. Near flawless. People went out of their way to watch, standing in isles, standing up in their seats, etc.. The energy was so intense, you could feel it. We got off the floor, and watched the last teams dance. Before us, danced Germany. They did very well, but their dancing was lackluster. China after us was amazing. There was actually 2 china teams. 1 team from a strict school of the arts school in China, who did an amazing mostly modern piece themed "Africa". It was near perfect with amazing technique and style, the only flaw being at the end, when a dancer slipped on a bead lost from a costume and landed on his face. Following that, the second china team presented their medley. It was good. I can't say i was "Wowed" by any means, but it was good regardless. Decent dancing, very safe choreography. Last was BYU. They did a cirque du soliel themed medley, that was very impressive. (Almost as impressive as the list of choreographers attached to the medley name!) The dancers lacked a little in the interpretive side, (being latin dancers, and very few probably ever have taken modern or jazz before) however their technique was impeccable. The art and tricks were stunning. Speculating, i would have put China(1) 1st, between BYU and UVU 2nd and third, China(2) 4th, and Germany 5th. However, the judges felt very differently. BYU 1st, China(1) 2nd, China(2) 3rd, Germany 4th, and UVU 5th. A little disappointing, and very confusing. Not just by us, but most of the other teams judges agreed the results were puzzling. Come to find out one of our team members spouses had video taped some of the other teams. This was strictly forbidden, and apparently caused some drama. (BYU being one of the teams that was filmed) I don't know all the details, but our team was at risk of being disqualified. Some speculate that this may be the cause for the odd placings, however, without the facts, its just speculation.
Regardless of the outcome and results, we knew we had danced our best. We put on the best show we could have, and were very proud of ourselves. I had completed one of my lives dreams, and felt very fulfilled. We didn't need foreign judges to tell us our self worth. We knew and felt how well we had done, and that's what mattered to us. Besides, there is still the prospect of Moscow in September!
We pulled together as a team, and formed a bond that will last through the dissipation of the team. Its a great feeling, and am very proud to say that i danced on the 2010 UVU Blackpool team.

Blackpool Day 4 and 5

Blackpool day 4. Standard Medley Formation World Championships. There were 4 teams. BYU, UVU, China, and Germany. Formation dancing is an interesting creature. It is so utterly dependent on the judges as to what will do well, or looked highly upon. Germany had no real variety in steps, formations, or creativity. Their technique and dance level was rudimentary gold level at best. China had strong dance positions, and very strong female dancers. Their music, although used before (Moulin Rouge) was well cut and mixed. BYU had very strong male dancers and great technique. We have great formations and choreography. Our standard team, honestly, is comprised of mostly latin style dancers who have never done standard, or had much standard training. Our girls are mostly new to the ballroom scene as well. But put that all aside and we did absolutely phenomenal. We placed 4th of 4, with BYU taking first, China 2nd, and Germany 3rd. However, our own opinions, and that of many others put us in 2nd. So, all in all, it just depends on what the judges are looking for. BYUs 1st, however, was well deserved.
Watching the video, we shocked even ourselves at how well we pulled together and performed. Our formations were great, our dancing was well executed. We really did our best and are proud of ourselves, regardless of the outcome.
It was amazing to actually be in winter gardens, at the Blackpool dance festival. To see all the amazing professional dancers, dancing to a live band instead of recorded music! Winter Gardens is a giant building. Downstairs are the vendors. Freed, International, DansPort, and Dancelife, just to name a few all have booths and shops. Everything a dancer could ever want or need was being sold. (Ballroom dancer at least. Sorry Sandy, Freed only had ladies latin sandles and standard pumps. Point shoes will have to wait til London! :) ) It also seems the only place in all of Blackpool that you can get fresh, healthy food. Blackpool is mostly a tourist location, and believe it or not, the competition is almost just a side attraction. Most of Blackpool visitors don't even know its going on! Most of the food, even at the local pubs, diners, and restaurants, is typical English style food. If you thought American food was greasy and fattening.. you haven't been to Blackpool. There are more fish and chip joints here than there are LDS churches in all of Utah! Surprisingly, only 1 McDonald's, and people go there for lighter food! I have never found myself craving a salad before in my life. Not a fan of rabbit food. However, after eating here for a few days, we went out of our way to find a place with salad! It was a bit more expensive, but nice to eat something fresh and light. Anyway, back to the competition.. On the middle and top floors are practice rooms. I could sit and watch these people dance all day long. It was amazing to just bump into people who have been our life time idols. Amazing to actually meet them, and watch them dance! All in all, an absolutely amazing day.

Blackpool Day 5. With standard medley over, our focus has turned solely to latin medley. We awoke for a 6:30 am rehearsal, went home and took a nap, and hit another rehearsal that afternoon in winter gardens. Upon returning home, we all focused on getting ready for the competition. Scott surprised all the boys with brand new duo-tone latin heel patent shoes for latin medley! We broke out the Vaseline and worked them in to get ready for Friday. Everyone has put on several coats of tanner, and even now as i sit here, im waiting for it to dry and set in enough that i can rinse off in the shower so i can climb into bed without ruining all the linens! While we were waiting, several of us got bored and a little hungry, and decided to take a stroll down the way to get some food. Can you imagine, 4 shirtless American guys, strolling the streets of England late at night.. Yeah.. it was fun. Oh the stories that came of that! You'll have to ask on facebook or something for more details. In fact, i might actually come up with a video of it! haha. Good times..
With preparations all set for tomorrow, Latin medley sets and performs! There are 8 total latin teams. We will be getting home late that night, and have to leave very early in the morning Saturday morning, so if i don't post another update for a few days, that's why!

Blackpool Day 3

Day 3- Practice begins. We got a few hours in at a local Church of England Facility. Floor was slick, and the dimensions were awkward.. perfect warm up for Blackpool! I, as usual, found out how to inadvertently offend 3 or 4 people. I seem to have a knack for that! We were greeted with an amazing brunch when we got back though! Most of the team is really picky eaters, so i get to snatch up all the things everyone else doesn't like! Bacon, sausage, cooked tomatoes, English fry bread, baked beans, and eggs. Also get cereal, and grapefruit. Its A W E S O M E!

We spent a good portion of the morning working on costumes. Finishing up rhinestoning, dying, ironing, cutting, mending, and overall invading my room. Girls were brushing out their fake hair, and now my bed is covered in it.. pleasant right? But all in all we got a lot done and are excited! We then went into Winter Gardens (The actual comp place) and watched some of the pro's rehearse, and ended up rehearsing ourselves! The energy at the comp was great- we were able to pound out a lot of good technique. We also saw the Chinese team rehearsing. They clap for themselves.. a lot..

The night finished off with dinner at a local place- we played by the promenade by the beach, and took some fun pictures. David will get these to me soon so all can see!

Blackpool Day 2

Sunday has been rather dull- Everyone left me to go run around while i worked on a bit of homework. After a bit of homework, blackboard has been down, hence the time i get to spend on facebook! I took a stroll down the beach, and took a nap. Going to dinner soon, and that will be most of Sunday!
(some time later..)
So i went and ate. Got some real England fish and chips and ate it along the beach. Was absolutely beautiful! The wind died down, and the weather warmed up. The cod fish was like almost a foot and a half long! It was huge! Crisp flaky crust, tender juicy fish with house cut chips. Slathered in vinegar and salt. Yum! I wandered the town and ended up in some places i realized i didn't want to be alone at! But i found some fun restaurants and places i want to visit next free time we get. Tomorrow we start rehearsals. I hope my body has switched time zones sufficiently! Its going to be a long day!

Blackpool Day 1

Plane trips took ALL DAY- we have arrived in Blackpool and all is well. We spent the day wandering the city and such. Not sure what day it is in Utah, but its 10pm Saturday right now here. The plane trips were exciting. Half our group left SLC to JFK, at JFK the plane didn't show up for 3 hours for some unknown reason t...hey never told us. The other half went to Atlanta, where there was so much turbulent, they said they almost died! Then upon arrival, the Atlanta airport was closed, so they got to stay for a good long time on the plane! When they finally left for Manchester, we arrived near the same time! We are in these awesome bed and breakfast type places (Like what we stayed in in Berlin mark)Awesome proprietors. So, that was day 1. Tomorrow is church, Monday rehearsal, then Scotland! Ill upload pictures as soon as i remember to take some!

And life rolls on..

To continue a bit of where i last left off.. All of my summer classes came through. Im super excited for them. They've been going now for about a week, and on one, im already on week 7, the other on week 4, and the last for some reason hasn't started yet. Every time i call and ask, they tell me a new day that its supposed to be up. Oh well.. Just anxious to get started i guess..
Dance is continuing on. Part of the team is headed to Dancing With The Stars next week. They looked really good and clean when they practiced this morning, so i am super excited for them. I was a bit disappointing at first that i wasn't chosen to be one of the 5 to go, (i have my own theories as to why that is..) However, another side of me honestly enjoys the fact that i am not. Its a lot of work i didn't have to stress about, and a lot of things i didn't have to worry about. I have enough on my plate right now, and i actually got a full day off a few days ago! I can't remember when the last time that happened was.. We also filmed a live thing for Good Morning Utah today at dance. Was fun i guess. A bit anti-climactic. Same usual people were picked to be interviewed and such. No surprise there.
Paul Winkleman came to clean and re-formation the Standard Medley. I love when he comes to do things. He and I have the same style and love and passion for dance, so anything he teaches, and coaches, i absolutely love! Its like ive had to adjust to the team for the past few years, and now finally, the team gets to adjust to me, and my style of dancing. I absolutely love it! I told David Moon that, and he mentioned how everyone noticed i was abnormally happy.
Cirque is in about a week- still don't have any firm confirmation as to who's taking my extra ticket yet. Exciting still- Hard to find people who really enjoy the arts anymore.
Well, i think i am going to tag this to facebook- see if i get any readers. Doubtful, but hey- who knows?!

Genesis

So, with no one actually reading my other blog, (its ok, it was pretty nerdy), i decided to make one centered around my life and the happenings therein. This is for people who want to know whats going on, but hate the fact that i never text them back, or message them on facebook.. Sorry guys..

I have come to find that i am more capable of expressing thoughts and emotions in words- typing or writing them out, than i am in person, actually speaking. I personally blame my ADHD and the like.. but who knows? I am a bit of a shy person who sometimes feels the need to gain the approval of others and as such have the great ability of putting my foot in my mouth a lot.. like a lot a lot.. So in order to remedy this fault, i am making this blog, to maybe sort out a bit of who i am, and portray that to anyone interested enough to read it!

So my life..
At this current date in time, Summer school semester is just about to start. Im a bit excited and still a bit hoping that a few more of my classes will come through and actually let me register for them and get off of the waitlist. I was informed yesterday that i am officially a third year student.. i think thats a junior? By credit hours only. I have actually only been in school about 2 years, and am still some way off of completing my major, which is currently Digital Media emphasizing in Animation. I am on the UVU touring team, currently dancing both standard and latin medleys. And now as i think of it.. i also have rehearsal at 8am tomorrow.. so i am going to close this off and hopefully continue tomorrow. Good Night.