Heavens Birthday Surprise

November 4-5, 2011

Well as all of you know I am now engaged! YAY! So here is the story of how it happened, since I know you are all very curious. I promise this blog will be more interesting that some. Sometimes I get a little lazy and just summarize my days but I think this blog deserves some special attention. My surprise began the day before on her actual birthday. After work I surprised her with a series of gifts. Number 1 was a word puzzle where she had to solve clues giving her the word France. Next was the Eiffel Tower cut into puzzle pieces that she had to put together. Next was a list of the people who helped give her this gift. Finally was a card from me with flowers. All she knew was that we were going to Paris, France. After a nice cooked meal by me J we went to the pub for a few drinks and glow in the dark glasses; then headed home to get some rest before leaving at 4 am. The next day we got up early and headed to St. Pancras to meet up with our tour and travel on the Eurostar. We met our tour guide- Charolette and got information on our tour. This is when Heavens found out the days events: a guided bus tour around France, a boat cruise on the Thames, Up to the first level of the Eiffel tower for a champagne lunch (then optional excursion to the second level), and finally a trip to the Louvre before heading home. We decided on the Eurostar we were going to skip the Louvre and go all the way up the Eiffel Tower. Once in France we began our guided bus tour of the city. We drove around, taking pictures, and listening to the history of the City. It was cool because even though I was seeing things I had already seen, I was learning new information about it all. Heavens loved it because it was all new to her. After the guided bus tour we made our way to the Thames River for our boat cruise. We decided to sit near our favourite couple from the trip; an older man and his wife. His wife was absolutely hilarious and was constantly complaining about one thing or another. So funny! On the boat cruise we had a tour guide that spoke many different languages- about 7 to be exact. It was really cool. We cruised along the river- you could go inside the boat (with glass all around) or stand outside the glass. There were little phones attached to all the seats that you could pick up and listen to commentary along the way. We went along the river starting by the Eiffel Tower and going all the way past Notre Dame by the Louvre; then around and back again. We even went under the magical bridge where you make a wish and kiss while going under……I wonder what I wished for?? After the cruise we went to the Eiffel Tower. We went up to the first level and looked at the history before making our way into the restaurant. We got a small table for the two of us in the back right next to the window. I ordered our meal then we got our champagne and I decided I wanted to give Heavens her gift before eating lunch.  I gave her a little speech I prepared about how much I love her and couldn’t see my life without her. Then I gave her the gift bag. Inside the bag was a jewellery box. She opened it up and there was a note that said ‘Will you marry me?’  When she looked up I had pulled out the ring box and opened it. I was shaking! I was so nervous! And of course she didn’t help because instead of answering me right away….she paused….PAUSED! She looked from the ring to the box and back again. Me still waiting! Finally I said, ‘Please?’ She finally answered with, ‘Oh yes! Sorry honey, YES!’ I was soooooooooooooooooooo happy! I was smiling from ear to ear. I put the ring on her finger and kissed her! Then we had a little toast with the champagne before eating our lunch which was really good! After our lunch and some pictures we walked to the second level to look around and potentially buy tickets all the way to the top. However, because it was so crowded they had closed the top and there was a huge line to wait to get tickets. We decided we wouldn’t have enough time and it would be difficult to meet up with the group again so we looked around on the second level and bought some souvenirs (even some champagne glasses for the WEDDING!!!) Then we met back up with the tour and went to the Louvre. We decided to not go on the guided tour but instead walk around the garden and take some pictures then get some coffee. Once the group was done we boarded the bus and began to make our way home. Along the way of course Heavens and I planned our entire wedding lol. Once back in London we immediately began calling and texting people to tell them the exciting news then we met up with Clare and her friends at a bar. We drank and talked about the trip and the wedding plans. Finally we headed home. It was a wonderfully, awesome day. Can’t wait to continue to plan our wedding!

Until next time,

¬D¬

October Break

 October 22-27, 2011

*Sorry it's so late*

October break was a much needed break. School work has been frustrating and very tiring and everyone was counting down the days to a week-long vacation. So as you can imagine the Friday of our break was a very good day indeed. We counted down the hours to school being over and enjoyed every minute of the night, mostly getting ready for Saturday. Saturday morning we got up early (as in 5:30 am) to get ready to go to Stonehenge and Bath for the day. We took the train into London to Victoria Coach Station and found where our bus departed from. We waited there until 8:30 am when we met our tour guide- Myrtle and our bus driver- Roger. We boarded our bus, making sure to sit together as Myrtle directed. We hit the open road off on our way to Stonehenge. It was about two hours to Stonehenge and we got lots of history advice along the way, including the different theories of how Stonehenge got there and what it was used for. Once there we followed Myrtle around the monument listening to her describing different parts of it. It was really cool and amazing to think nobody knows why or how it got there. We took lots of pictures. After Stonehenge we got back on the bus and made our way to Bath. Bath is absolutely gorgeous and huge! We walked around a bit looking at different shops and the outsides of churches and beautiful buildings. We ate lunch in the smallest pub in Bath and saw a football match from across the park. Lastly we got some ice cream before making our way back to London. Overall it was a great day!

On Sunday we did some relaxing from the day before then at night we headed into Romford with Kiddy and Conor to meet up with Thomas Arnold people. We got some dinner and a drink at the pub (my new favourite drink- Toffee Apple Cider) then headed into Brentwood for Hadleigh’s gig. He did a really good job. It was fun seeing everyone again and we drank and danced and had fun….some of us a little too much fun! Towards the end of the night Heavens was talking with someone she works with (not someone I knew) and all of a sudden the girl leans in and kisses her neck! I couldn’t believe it! Therefore, I had to go tell her that Heavens was my girl and to back off! LOL. Everyone thought it was sooooo funny. Poor Heavens.

Monday we got ready to go to Laura and Louis’s house. We packed and skyped mom and then took the train in. Once there we went to the store to buy some things to make pizza. We each made our own pizzas- they were really good! Then we hung out and chatted and watched The Shining.

Tuesday we got up and ready and went with Laura and Louis to Felixstowe for the day. In Felixstowe there is a beach and the ocean so there are a lot of shops/arcades along the beach. We went to play mini golf at an awesome mini golf place. It was only 2 pounds but I was really cool. It was Team America versus Team British; me and Louis against Heavens and Laura. We all know who won this one; of course, Team America. Then we got some sausage and chips and sat on the beach eating and skipping rocks. Next we went to the arcade on the beach and played lots of games to win tickets so we could get prizes. It was a lot of fun and our prizes are really cool! We got a couple nerf guns and I got a ball with the sticky paddles to catch it! Once home we changed and got ready to go out for dinner. We ended up going for Japenese food at Mizu. It was really good. But poor Heavens got the biggest portion ever so unlike the rest of us who finished our meal, her food beat her. Afterwards we went to a bar and had a drink while playing pool. We kept teaming up to see who won and unfortunately Heavens won lol. She is really good at pool. We went to another bar for a drink and I was so excited there was Tequila Rose there! Yum. Then home to start the movie Waterboy before going to bed.

Wednesday- Today we went into town to do a bit of shopping before sadly saying goodbye to Laura and Louis and heading back home.

Thursday- Today was an amazing day. First we met Robin at the O2 for lunch. We ended up going to TGI Fridays. It was absolutely delicious. We had a good giggle too. Afterwards Heavens and I made our way to the London Aquarium which was amazing! We saw all kinds of cool fish and sea creatures, we got to touch a star fish, and walk under AND over the shark tank! It was really cool and we spent most of the day there. After the Aquarium we headed to Piccadilly to meet up with Rachel and Val to go see Phantom of the Opera. We were a little early so we grabbed dinner at McDonalds then headed to the show. Heavens was so cute, she was so excited to see it. It was amazing. The set was so cool and the show was really good. Heavens even had her little binoculars to look through lol. She is so cute. Then we headed home. What a great way to end our break together 

Until next time,

¬D¬

        

A month flies by:

September 2011

Well it’s been almost a month since I’ve been back in the UK after my trip home. It definitely has been an interesting month back. I think I’m going to change up my blog here for this blog, only because I don’t want to bore you by documenting every single day since I’ve been back. Therefore, this time I think I’ll just highlight the exciting events without bothering you with the meaningless dates of them. Well of course the biggest event of coming back would be re-uniting with my girlfriend. J It was wonderful, of course. I really missed her! It was so good to be back, even though I really missed everyone from home. The first weekend back we went into Romford to do some clubbing with Redgrave. It was lots of fun. The pitchers were 5 pounds each so we each got our own pitcher. We danced and drank and ran into lots of people from Butler Court. It was a good night. The next day we decided to make our own version of the song Billionaire by Bruno Mars and call it Romford Girl. It was hilarious, lol. The next big thing that happened was starting school at a new school with a new job. The first week of school I was not really impressed by my new job or the school itself. It was very chaotic, I didn’t know what I was doing, where I was going, or anything. I was hoping it was just this way because it was the first week of school and that things would get better after. That weekend Val came to visit. We ended up going into Romford Friday night to Ciao Bella for dinner then to the bowling alley to meet up with Mad Dog and Jo for some drinks and bowling. It was fun arguing with Heavens over who was going to win. I of course, beat her both times J Even by one point the first game J Then we went to the pub for some drinks. It was nice catching up with everyone. The next day we just hung out all day, relaxing. Then Sunday we went to the Thames Festival in London. It was a pretty good day. We walked around, ate lots of food, and left when it started to rain. This brings us to the second week of school. This week was better than last week, however I still got barely any time to work on Nuture Group which is supposed to be my new job title. I did get to work in Reception with Brandy for most of the week which was fun, but not what I was hired to do and a little annoying that I couldn’t get any work done for my actual job. That next weekend we went to pub club for a bit on Friday then on Saturday we went to Romford to do some shopping then to a friend’s house for a house-warming party. Finally on Sunday we went to the gym and started a new aqua aerobics class. It was really fun! We are going to start doing it every week. This last week again was frustrating as most of the work I would like to get done for my job I can’t do. I was basically a supply again for whatever classes needed me. It’s not what I want to do, but apparently what I have to do at the moment. This weekend was a great weekend. On Friday we went to pub club and have lots of fun. Saturday we went to the Portobello Market for the morning and then Heavens and I had a date night. We went to Frankie and Benny’s for dinner and then to see the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love. It was a really good night.

Overall the past couple weeks have been great on the weekends, but not so great in school. Hopefully this gets better when my nurture group actually starts.

Until next time,

¬D¬

Surprise!!!!!

August 9- 31, 2011

August 9^th- Today mom and I got up early to get ready and say goodbye  to go to the airport. We said goodbye to Heavens which was hard to do but I was super excited to go home. Nobody knew I was coming home except my parents so I was excited to surprise everyone! We got a cab to the airport and because of the riots it took us a while then we had problems with our luggage so we had to re-organize it all which took so long that we ended up having to run to our gate all the way across the airport! We got there in time but didn’t get seats next to each other. I switched over to the other side of the plane, where mom was, but the woman next to me wouldn’t switch even though all she did was sleep the whole time. What a bitch! I watched Unknown, Lincoln Lawyer, and X-men Wolverine on the plane. We also got 3 meals. One was lasagne, one was pretzels, and one was a cheese sandwich. When we got to Philadelphia we had more problems. We had to go through security again and move our bags (idk what I paid them for they didn’t do anything) then we had to take a shuttle to the terminals. We had to move quickly because we didn’t know how much time we had. Guess we should have crawled…and we probably still would have been early. When we got to our terminal we realized our flight had been delayed from 7 pm to 10:35pm because of thunderstorms. Then after standing in line for an hour I was told nothing could be done to change/fix this or reimburse me. Then our flight got pushed back to 11:05pm. That ruined my entire plan of surprising Brooke at her house that night. So I called my dad and had him come get me when I finally got into town at 2 in the morning. John picked us up at the airport and brought me to Ithaca to meet my dad. I stayed with him for the night.

August 10^th- Happy Birthday Brooke! Today I got up and skypes Heavens! YAY! Then showered and ate Chinese food and then sorted out my bags. Then mom picked me up and brought me to Bette’s house (Dusty’s mom) because she was having a party for Brooke. I hung out with her then when Brooke showed up I hid out in the den and when Dusty and Brooke walked in she said Randy had something to show them in the den they walked in and there I was! YAY! Well it was fun for me lol Brooke wanted to know why I was there and not in Turkey lol. I had to explain I came home to surprise everyone! Then we had dinner and cake and ice cream and I went back to Brooke and Dusty’s house to hide out for the next couple days. It was nice seeing their house for the first time and seeing all the baby stuff!!!

August 11^th- Today I got up and skyped Heavens J YAY! Then Brooke and I watched Twilight and hung out while I wrote my journal/blog. Then Dusty, Brooke and I went to her sister’s house for dinner. When we got back I watched more Twilight while continuing my blog/journals.

August 12^th- Today I got up early to skype Heavens! J YAY! Then I wrote more in my blog/journal. When Brooke got up I showered and got ready to go into town with her. We went to her work for a bit then to Kohls for some shopping and Wendy’s for lunch. We went back to Brooke’s house and tried to skype Heavens before we went to Bette’s house for dinner- sloppy joes! Then we had a fire and cake and ice cream. When we got back to Brooke’s house we skyped Heavens J and I waited for mom to text me.

August 13^th- A little before midnight I got a text from mom and we decided I would go surprise Matt at midnight. At 11:45 Brooke took me to my house and I snuck in through the back door, went into Matt’s room, turned on his light and began to sing Happy Birthday to him. He was sooo surprised! He was like what are you doing here??? Then he hugged me forever and was soooo happy to see me! We went into the living room and talked for a bit with Mom and John then I decided to clean some of my room before bed because it was a mess! Matt kept putting stuff in my room and my parents couldn’t tell him not to because they couldn’t say I was coming back. Then I went to bed to sleep until the morning lol. I got up and skyped Heavens J then wrapped gifts and helped get ready for the party. I did some of my blog and journal. When people started to arrive I hid in my room. My cousin Toni Rae came into the house first and my brother told her that they were making a tape for me because I wasn’t there and to say something to me on camera. She said, ‘Hi, wish you were here!’ I ran up behind her, hugged her and said, ‘Guess what?? I am here!’ She couldn’t believe it and began crying! I hugged her and we talked about how I had come home to surprise everyone. Then her and Matt put me on the golf cart and sort of hid me while they drove down to the picnic area to surprise Joey, Pam, Jo Jo, Hayley, and Uncle Louie. When they pulled up to the picnic area I jumped off and yelled surprise! Then I gave some hugs and we talked about how I had come home to surprise everyone and only a few people knew- including my mom and John and they kept it a secret! When my Uncle Tony arrived I hid in my room again and Matt did the same thing with the camera. Again he said he wished I was there and I ran up and hugged him and said I was. He cried and couldn’t believe it either. Then we went and had fun at Matt’s party. We ate good food- cookout food, chatted about me being home, chatted about Heavens J, played volleyball, ate cake and sang happy birthday, watched Matt open his presents, watched Matt set off fireworks- some really good ones too, and played with sparklers before bed. Overall it was a great surprise and a great day!

August 14^th- Today I got up and skyped Heavens J Then we watched Big Brother together J. We went to Frank and Debs for a birthday party and when we left they gave me a car to borrow for the next day. We went home and I super-cleaned my room, like took everything out and put it back in. I then gave the family their presents. We watched some videos of the trip and then Big Brother and then bed.

August 15^th- Today I got up and skyped Heavens and watched Big Brother, skyped Heavens some more, wrote in my journal, and skyped Heavens some more J. Then I went to Brooke’s house for dinner with her and Dusty’s family. We skyped Heavens and waited for Molly to come over. I wasn’t sure if she knew I was home  so I hid in the nursery and waited for them to come upstairs. I waited, and waited, and waited. I almost went downstairs they were taking so long! But finally they came up and I said surprise and hugged her and then she said she already knew I was there lol. Oh well! Then we sat and talked a bit and then I spent the night.

August 16^th- Today I got up early and went to T-Burg to stop at Heads Up. I had to drop off my pictures for my hair. Luckily Carrie wasn’t there. So I can still surprise her for my appointment. Then I went home and dropped off the car. John, Matt, and I went to Watkins Glen State Park to walk the trail. We took the shuttle up it and walked down it. It was really pretty and they had all these signs about the names of things and how it was formed. It was really cool. We took lots of pictures and played in the water a bit. Then of course as I was thinking that my camera was really old and dirty and could use another one we came to this big puddle. John climbed over it but I couldn’t do it that way so I decided to climb on the railing. I put my camera in my pocket, climbed up, and my camera fell out of my pocket into the puddle. I jumped down and got it. I managed to save the battery and memory card, but not the camera! I was like thanks universe! I even missed the best pictures of the best waterfall so Matt had to take them on his phone. After walking back down, we went to the gift shop then went for lunch. We ended up going to Pizza hut for lunch with the all you can eat buffet. Then we headed to Treman Park because our pass gave us access to any state park that day. We decided to do the short walk but ended up getting lost along the way so we walked part way down then turned around and walked back up. I would have pictures of this walk however; I didn’t have my camera so just take my word for it that it’s beautiful! Once home, Matt and I got ready and immediately went to Best Buy to buy a new camera. It was a mission to do that as well because they no longer sold my camera or any camera that took my memory card and battery. The only one that did was a chunky camera. So I had to figure out what to do, luckily I found a deal where I got a camera, extra battery, memory card, and case all for 232. Plus I could use my old memory cards. Worked for me! Then Matt and I went to pick up mom and we went home. Joey came over and we chatted for a bit then ate dinner and chatted some more. It was good to catch up with him. After he left, Matt and I went to Not My Dads to get some ice cream. I got chocolate peanut butter ice cream with a peanut butter sundae…mmmm good! Once home I skyped Heavens before bed J

August 17^th- Today was errand day. I got a lot accomplished with Matt’s help. First we went to Tops so I could get coffee and he could return bottles. Then we went to the bank then autozone. Next we went to Kmart and Walmart so that I could get lots of goodies for my girlfriend! I bought her lots of nice food to try that they don’t have in England J Then we went to Michaels to visit people and then Taco Bell for lunch. We went back to the bank to drop off a gift then to the mall to waste time before Matt’s doctor’s appointment. We went to his doctor’s appointment then to visit mom quick at work. We went to visit Andy, but he wasn’t there so I just left my gift and then we went to Medusa’s to talk about our tattoos and make our appointment. Then we quickly stopped at Tops, went to get gas and then went home. I skyped Heavens J and watched Big Brother then wrote my blog/journal before bed.

August 18^th- Today I got up and drove mom to work, and then went home and skyped Heavens J real quick before meeting Rian at the Falls for breakfast. It was really nice to catch up with Rian after so long. I really missed her.  After we caught up I went to the bank to see Traci to catch up with her. It was good to see her too. I went home and watched Big Brother while skyping Heavens. Then I went to my hair appointment. Sue Prize!!!! I was hoping to get purple in my hair but after 2 attempts at the purple we decided to do pink instead. I really like it though. I also got it cut. After, I picked up mom and we went to starbucks and tops before going home. Once home I skyped Heavens and I packed then went to bed.

August 19^th- Today I got up early and mom brought me to the bus station to take the bus to Syracuse to meet up with Maracia. She picked me up from the bus stop and we went to the mall to shop a bit. Then we went back to her house and hung out while catching up. Later we went to dinner in town. We got lobster ravioli and a turkey sub. It was really, really good. Then we went to Maracia’s friends house to hang out for a bit before going to the movies. We went to see 30 seconds or less. It was good and funny. We went to a few bars for a drink and then we went back to Racia’s friends house for a bit before going back to her house and going to bed.

August 20^th- Today we slept in and hung out all day. We painted nails and read magazines quizzing each other and talking. It was a good girls day. It was me, Racia, her mom, and her cousin Kayla. Then Maracia and I went to the store to get some alcohol to pre-game with. On the way I was talking to Racia about how I didn’t thank Baby Charlie was ever going to come and how I would be so upset if he didn’t come while I was home. When we got back we ate dinner and started drinking. Then I got a phone call from Dusty saying that him and Brooke had gone to the hospital and that they thought she would have Baby Charlie tomorrow. YAY!!!!! We drank Malibu and juice and got ready to go out. All of use girls went to the beach to go to a couple bars. We got a free sample of Malibu (we even got our picture taken with the girl giving away the free samples), I got a sex on the beach (considering I was on the beach) and a mojito. We looked at a few bars but ended up at the Clam which had a good band. We danced and sang and drank. We ended up meeting this guy Mike and his friends who said they just bought a boat! But they wouldn’t take us on the boat the next day because they needed to relax as they worked so hard! Not really sure about that, but Racia liked Mike so we hung out with him a bit. Racia also had a drink bought for her because she met a guy in the parking lot (an older guy by the way) and she was talking with him then met him again in the bar. We got home about 1:30 and decided to play the dancing game on the tv. Her mom had mentioned it earlier and said that she had Cotton Eye Joe. I said it was my favorite song so she said we could play it. We ended up dancing for a bit before going to bed. It was fun, but hard! Overall, it was a good night!

August 21^st-  This morning I got a text from Brooke saying that they had tried to induce her but she wasn’t going very fast (had only advanced one centimeter overnight). They told her he wasn’t going to be born until late at night so I was thinking I’d be home before he even got there. But I was super excited that he was going to come while I was home. We got ready and went into Oneida to visit with Dan’s parents for a few hours. It was nice to see them and catch up. While I was there I got a phone call from Dusty saying Baby Charlie was here!!! He had come early! I was sooooo excited. Then I got a picture and he is absolutely beautiful! I couldn’t wait to actually see him! After visiting with Dan’s parents we went to Syracuse to meet up with Shelley for lunch. We went to Johnny Rockets in the mall and it was delicious. I had a chicken club sandwich and a chocolate peanut butter shake. It was great! Maracia dropped me off at the bus station and I took the bus home. Once home I quickly skyped Heavens before dinner. Then we had a cook out dinner and I skyped Heavens again before bed.

August 22^nd- Today I got up and skyped Heavens J Then I got ready and Matt and I went to the hospital to see Baby Charlie! I was sooo excited I was practically running through the hospital trying to find him. I got to hold him for about an hour. Oh My God he is absolutely beautiful! He is so good too. He barely cries or fusses. He is wonderful. Matt and I went home because he wasn’t feeling well and had lunch and watched Just Go With It. Then I skyped Heavens J. Molly came over and we went back to the hospital to see Baby Charlie again. After visiting with them for a bit Molly and I went to panera for dinner. I missed panera and I missed Molly so it was a good night. Then I went home and went to bed. Overall this was a wonderful day. I am so in love with my new baby nephew, I am happy Brooke and Dusty are parents, and I got to spend the evening with Molly J

August 23^rd- Today I got up and skyped Heavens J Then had lunch and watched Insidious with Matt.  Then I got ready, uploaded pictures and Matt and I went to Ithaca to meet up with Dad and his ‘family’ at 5 Guys Burgers and Fries for dinner. We ate and talked and then went to K-Mart and Wal-Mart with them. Then Matt and I came home and I skyped Heavens then loaded Matt’s car for college. I had some ice cream, wrote my blog and went to bed.

August 24^th- Today I got up early and took mom to work and got starbucks with Matt then we got gas and headed to TC3. I was helping Matt move into college. We got there and get him situated and moved almost everything in. After getting him all set I went back into Ithaca and went to the bank and tops before meeting mom at her work to go to lunch. We walked around the commons and I realized how much mom can’t hear. I told her to look at this girls eyebrows about 5 times and when we walked by she looked at her elbows lol. Nice one mom. I went home and skyped Heavens J and played my piano (I even played for Heavens and her sister) and then I was dared by her sister to jump in the freezing cold pool so I did! And it was cold! Then I laid on the trampoline a bit to warm up. Then I wrote in my journal for a bit until Mom got home. I watched a movie and ended up going to Glenwood Pines to pick up dinner. I ran into Mr. Perkins and Mrs. King which was cool. I came home to eat the skyped Heavens and watched Big Brother before bed.

August 25^th- Today I slept in then watched tv while working on my journals. I skyped Heavens then went to Brooke’s house for dinner. I got to hold the baby! I skyped Heavens so she could see him then I fed baby Charlie. YAY! I was so excited and I held him as much as I could. We watched the move Just Go With It and ate dip then I got to hold baby Charlie again before going home.

August 26^th- Today I got up early and skyped Heavens then drove Mom to work then came back and watched Big Brother. Then I went back to sleep for a little while. I got up and went to T-Burg to get my hair touched up. We ended up putting more red in it so that it fades to a pink. After my hair I went into Ithaca to meet up with mom and we went to the bank and then lunch. We went to a taco bar and it was really good. Then we met up with Matt and Jeremy and headed to Medusa’s tattoo shop. We met Toni Rae there. When we got there the woman who was doing our tattoos was running late. We thought she was only going to be a half hour at the most but it turned into an hour late. Then we finally got to get started. Toni Rae went first, then me, then mom. Our twenty minute tattoos lasted a few hours. Matt didn’t get his started until about 6 o’clock. Mom and I went to get some pizza to eat while we waited for Matt to get his. Finally at 8:30 we left the tattoo shop. We were there from 3:00 to 8:30. 5 ½ hours to get 4 tattoos: three small ones and one medium one. It was a little bit ridiculous. When I got home I skyped Heavens until bed. Molly was supposed to come over but because I got back so late we decided to hang out tomorrow instead. I do like our tattoos though. My cousin, mom, and I all got a Chinese symbol and when you put all three together it means Survivor. We each got something different though. Not only are our symbols different (we picked the ones that looked the most like our first initials) but my cousin got hers in color (purple and turquoise) my mom got hers with a word (hope above it) and I got mine alone in black. Then my brother got the outline of an angel on his forearm. He will get it filled in later. Overall the tattoos are great it just took us forever to get them!

August 27^th- Today I slept in then skyped Heavens. Then I went grocery shopping with mom then to get Molly so we could hang out. She came over and we helped mom out and skyped Heavens. Then we ate dinner, watched the news, chatted, and watched the movie Head Over Heels. I took Molly home. Now this is where the best part of the night comes from. On our way we got to a stop sign and we saw something in the road. It looked like a turtle but we couldn’t be sure. So I told Molly to get out of the car and check to see what it was. But she didn’t want to do it alone. So I got out with her and we started walking towards the so called turtle. I said, ‘It’s a bottle get back in the car!’ Because I saw that it was a crushed bottle not a turtle lol. HAHA. After I took her home I went home and got on facebook before bed.

August 28^th- Today I skyped Heavens and cleaned and got stuff ready then played a dice game with Mom, John, and Matt. We had dinner- venison meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans. Then I skyped Heavens and watched Big Brother before bed.

August 29^th- Today I checked my flights to make sure they were ok. So far so good! Then I spent the day packing all my stuff. I skyped Heavens, watched a movie, and ate lunch. I showered and wrote in my journals then Molly came over and we played skip bo and looked up some plays. Then Brooke, Dusty, and Charlie came over and I got to hold Charlie for a while. I said goodbye to Brusty- it was hard. I cried. Molly left but I will see her tomorrow. Then I skyped Heavens and watched tv before bed.

August 30^th- Today I got up early and helped mom wrap Christmas presents so I could bring them back with me. Then Toni Rae and the kids came over and Pam and Hayley and Jo Jo so I could say goodbye to them L I skyped Heavens, finished packing, said goodbye and Mom, John, and I went to TC3 so I could say goodbye to Matt. Then we headed to the airport where of course I had problems with my bags because US Airways doesn’t follow what they say online so I ended up having to have an extra carry on bag that I didn’t want to carry through the Philadelphia airport but whatever. I said goodbye to Mom and John L then got on my plane and headed to Philly. Once there, luckily it wasn’t too difficult to find my gate so I got there with plenty of time. Once on the plane I ended up switching seats with a little girl travelling alone but it worked out for me because I got a window seat. I tried to sleep on the plane but I was too excited to sleep so I watched Beastly and some wedding movie.

August 31^st- Today I arrived at Heathrow airport and was re-united with my love!!!!!! I was sad to leave the US but very happy to be back with my girlfriend.

Until next time,

¬D¬

Mama USA in the UK

July 25-August 8, 2011

July 25^th- This morning Heavens, Rachel and I went to Heathrow Airport to got pick up Mama USA from the airport. We ended up being late because our trains took forever so she got there before we did. But I ran and hugged her. We got some food and made our way back home- the 3 hour ride home. Once back Mama took a nap and then Heavens made us a steak and mashed potato dinner and Kimi came over. We played table tennis a bit, gave out presents, and chatted. Then we finished packing for our trip.

July 26^th- At 5:20am we got a cab to London St. Pancras to take the train to Paris. We got there around 6:30 and waited at the station eating food. Finally at 7:22 we boarded the Eurostar on our way to Paris. I slept most of the time because I was so tired. We got in about 11:50 their time (they are an hour ahead) and it took us 2 ½ hours to figure out the information/tickets to get to our hotel. We finally figured out we needed the metro and went to get in line to buy the tickets. In line there was a person dressed like someone who worked there handing out tickets. I asked why we didn’t need to use the machine and he said they were the same thing. I was cautious about it so I took a really long time getting out my money and while I was doing this a bunch of kids came running and screaming and the guy selling us the tickets took off. He was trying to scam us! Luckily it didn’t work. We got our tickets, got on the metro, and headed to our stop. It was only 2 stops away but it took us FOREVER to walk to our hotel. The cool part was though that once on our street we could see the Eiffel tower and from outside our hotel you could see it! We checked in and sorted our stuff out. Our hotel had an elevator only one person could be in at a time…kind of creepy. Our room was not very big basically just had a bed and dresser in it. And our bathroom was a bit small as well but not too bad. Later we went to the grocery store for some food. But we had to leave our key with the front desk! How weird! I’ve never had to do that before. We got some food (sandwich and pasta) and we ate it on a bench near the metro. That was when we met Jacques. He was a 63 year old man who was single and looking (mainly at me). He said he wanted a wife…..sorry Jacques you’re not my type J We took the metro to Notre Dame stop and found the Palais de Justice and Saint-Chapelle (a beautiful, beautiful church with breath-taking stained glass windows. Then we went to the Conciergerie (a former prison) and saw the coolest thing! I spotted it by the way. We were looking at the walls and ceilings and all of a sudden I saw something weird on the ceiling. We zoomed in with out camera’s and saw that it was a playing card- The Jack of Spades….how weird! And how did it get there? After we saw Paris Plage Beach (which is basically along the river with sand they brought in to make a fake beach). We looked at some shops and restaurants then went to Notre Dame. It was beautiful. We couldn’t find the crypt but we walked around the back to the gardens and finally found the Tower which was closed by the time we found it. Then we tried to find the Deportation Memorial and in the process found the bridge with the locks on them. The entire bridge (along the wire fencing) was filled with locks people had made (or wrote on) and then locked on the bridge. They then threw the keys into the river while making a wish. We looked at all the different locks then we found the Deportation Memorial which was very sad. When you walked down the steps you couldn’t see the city anymore. All you saw were walls and a small bit of the river in between the bars. Then you walked into the Memorial and saw the Tomb of the Unknown Deportee and 200,000 lighted crystals for each French victim of the Nazi’s. It was very sombre.  After we went back up to the street to do some shopping and found some locks. We bought one and wrote Danielle and Mama USA 2011 on it. We locked it on the bridge then made our wish (for happiness and good health) and threw the key into the river. We did some more shopping then went to get some dessert for dinner but the guy was a little rude so we ended up getting a Crepe with Nutella and bananas to share. We sat by the Siene River eating our dessert. On the way home we stopped at the grocery store for some food- bread, olives, cheese, fruit. Then we went back to our hotel to facebook Heavens, eat and watch Harry Potter in French lol. We planned tomorrow, skyped Dad and went to bed!

July 27^th- Today we woke up early and got ready. Had some breakfast and we were going to go to the Eiffel Tower but we got a late start and didn’t want to wait in line for too long so instead we took the tube to the Arch de Triomphe. It is a giant monument that Napolean had built after his victory at Austerliz. It is in the middle of 12 boulevards all converging into one. We went up to the top and got some amazing pictures of the boulevards and the Eiffel Tower. After, we decided to walk down the Champs-Elysse which is the biggest shopping street in Paris. We stopped for a baguette sandwich and some coffee. We continued walking down the boulevard to the Ponte Alexander which was a really cool bridge. We saw the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais and then walked through the gardens to the Louvre. We entered through the giant glass pyramid. We walked around and saw Venus and the Mona Lisa (which was over-crowded, super guarded, and not very big). Then we walked along the river to Notre Dame and this time got to wait in line to go up the tower. Unfortunately it started raining in line! While we were in line we ate some French Fries in France J We huddled together and waited for about an hour and a half. Then we went up the tower and got to see the bell of Notre Dame. It was really cool because it was named after Therese which is me J We also got to hear the bells in the other tower. We saw a panoramic view of the city then walked down and went to the tube. We went to the pharmacy then to the store for some food to tie us over. We went back to our hotel, ate, changed, and sorted stuff out. Then we made our way to the Eiffel Tower. It was absolutely amazing. There are no words to describe how beautiful and breath-taking it is. No matter where you look at it (from far away, up close, underneath it, during the day, at night, from on it) it was amazing. We got some pictures of it and underneath it then we got in line for our tickets. While we waited we were entertained by a guy dressed as a clown goofing around. Then we took the elevator to the 2^nd floor- 400 feet, meeting some Italian boys who love America along the way and immediately got in line to go to the summit- 900 feet. We took some amazing pictures, and some with the Italian boys and then went back to the 2^nd floor for some more pictures and finally the 1^st floor- 200 feet for some shops and pictures. As we were making our way back down the tower we realized it had gotten dark enough out to turn on the lights. Once we were out of the tower we saw it all lit up and took some more pictures. Then the coolest thing happens. Every hour after the lights are turned on for 5 minutes there is a light show. We walked across the street to see it better. It was really cool. We took the tube back and tried to find some place to serve us food at midnight. Luckily there was one restaurant and it had really good food! Mom got chicken with mashed potatoes and I got French fries ad bread with tomato, chicken, and cheese. It was really good. We then went back to our hotel to skype dad before going to bed after a long, long, but wonderful day!

July 28^th- Today we got up ate breakfast and then checked out of our hotel. To do that though, mom had to yell at two Chinese girls because they kept pressing the button on the elevator so instead of mom going down to the first floor she’d go down then come back up lol. NO BUTTON! Then we took the train/subway to the airport. First we had to take a tube but we had our luggage. Mom had a hard time getting through with her bag getting stuck which made her get stuck in the entrance. We had to get someone to let her out lol. It was sooooo funny. We ended up having to switch from the tube to a train. We got confused about where to go so I went to ask. However, I didn’t want to go out of the barriers and lose my ticket so I pushed the help button and they opened the gate but when mom started to go through they shut the gate and she got stuck lol. AGAIN! Once at the airport we had to wait for a few hours so we took naps, ate some food, and hung out. Finally we got on the plane and went to Rome. We got on a bus from the airport to the train station. Then we bought our metro ticket and lugged our suitcases all the way down to the tube and then were told we had missed the last train. At 9:00 at night. 9:00. Are they crazy?? So we had to lug our suitcases all the way back up and find a cab. We went to the line of taxi’s and found a guy but instead of taking us to a taxi car he took us to an unmarked car. I asked where his taxi car was (ummm don’t you have a taxi sign?) and he said it was the same thing. But I refused to get in so he took us back to the taxi line and gave us to a guy. I was still nervous the whole way to the hotel but luckily it was fine. We checked into our amazing room. It had a huge room with a big bed and a little bed and a dresser and space to move about. The bathroom was also big which was nice. Then we got dressed up and decided to go across the street for our nice dinner. We got fried cheese, bread, white and red wine, fried mushrooms, and my spaghetti was mushroom spaghetti and mom got bacon spaghetti. It was really good. Then mom paid while I went back to the hotel to skype Heavens J and we skyped Dad. Then we went to bed.

July 29^th- Today we got up and went to breakfast. We were wondering why breakfast was on the 6^th floor and realized it as soon as we got there. It was beautiful. There was a nice balcony outside and inside there were windows lining the room so you could see the view outside. We were in line with the tops of the trees. It was so cool. It was a nice spread for breakfast as well. I have been eating a lot of mozzarella and tomatoes with oil and vinegar. It is really good. Then we took the tube to the Coliseum. We got the Roma Pass so we could get in for free but we still had a long line to wait in. As we walked up to the Coliseum we saw a tour group that let us skip the line and was only 18 Euros so we decided to do that. It was absolutely beautiful. It was huge and just amazing thinking about what happened here so many years ago. We followed the tour group into the Coliseum and had to have our Roma Pass scanned. In the process of this happening we lost our group. We could not find them. I was getting so upset that we paid for this and didn’t even get the tour when at the last minute we found them. So we went with our tour through the Coliseum (which didn’t last very long) but was interesting. We learned that underneath the stage is where all the animals and people were brought in and they were pushed up through the stage for the show. We learned that they turned the stage into a jungle for the opening act and had people hunt animals. We learned that the gladiators were stuck in a life they didn’t deserve and had to save up all their money just to buy their freedom (which only 2% accomplished) and some who weren’t very good were put into a battle knowing they would lose. The ones who did buy their freedom usually came back and joined again at their own will because it was all they ever knew. The women had to sit the furthest up in the stands because the men were afraid their wives or girlfriends would make eye contact with them and leave their boyfriends or husbands for the gladiators. You were also killed if you were a Christian and had to sit near the giant cross in the stadium. It was really cool to see and take pictures. We also learned that half of it was destroyed during an earthquake and that the pieces were taken and used to build other buildings. After the tour we walked around a bit then headed out walking down the road seeing the Arch of Constantine, seeing the Roman Ruins and tried to find the Victor Emmanuel Monument. We were going to go to the Forum and Palantine Hill but because the people working there went on strike it was closed. So we tried finding this monument. We saw this HUGE building named the Ministry of Culture and Heritage so we assumed it wasn’t the monument. However, after searching for another like 20 minutes (finding churches and other buildings) we realized the big statue in the middle of the HUGE building was the Victor Emmanuel Monument lol. After walking around so much we decided to get lunch. We went to a pizzeria and ate brushetta and pizza before heading to the Pantheon. We went into the Pantheon which is a huge church that was dedicated to the martyrs after the fall of Rome and has been preserved ever since. After the Pantheon we got some gelato because we heard that it was awesome in Rome. Mom got chocolate chip and I got nutella. It was absolutely amazing! Then we walked to the station and headed home. On the way home we saw the American Embassy which was cool. We relaxed a bit then walked to Trevi Fountain. On the way we found the church- Trinita Dei Monti which was a beautiful church that led down to the Spanish steps to a fountain. It was gorgeous. Then we decided we were hungry so we ate at McDonalds before going to the Trevi Fountain. The McDonalds was HUGE! It had its own spot dedicated to coffee and ice cream. Then once inside someone took your order while you waited in line and gave you a receipt. There were also these carts that you could use to push your food around if you had too much J After dinner we walked to the Trevi Fountain. It was packed but it was beautiful. There were also guards there which I didn’t know why. But we found a spot to make our wish and throw our coin into the fountain. Mom and I put our hands in and then Mom put her feet in. Then we walked home and skyped Dad and Heavens before bed.

July 30^th- Today we got up early and grabbed breakfast before heading to the Borghese Gallery. We walked there and walked through the park to get there. It was a nice walk and we ended up getting there really early. We couldn’t take pictures which sucked but it was cool because the ceilings had beautiful art on them! We went back to the hotel to nap and I skyped Heavens. Then we went to the Vatican Museum. There were tons! I mean tons of rooms; lots of different statues and art. We FINALLY made it to the Sistine Chapel. We weren’t supposed to take pictures so we snuck a few then left because it was so crowded. It was cool thought because the Vatican had a garden and huge buildings and is its own country. It even has its own stamp/post office. Then we ate some lunch- mozzarella and tomato sandwich and chips and then headed to St. Peter’s Basilica. They had a lovely fountain which my mom and I wanted a picture in front of but the woman we asked to do it was so rude and basically said no. Luckily there was a young girl there that said yes. We went in (you couldn’t wear shorts of bare shoulders) took some pictures and rubbed St. Peter’s feet (the statue) because it is supposed to be good luck. Then we went back to the hotel and changed and went to dinner at Café Veneto. I wanted to go there because it was fancy and you ate outside but inside. It was like a greenhouse so glass windows but you were outside of the main building. There were really small portions and it was 5 euros just for water. Plus they had a wine menu and the most expensive bottle of wine was 1,450 euros! How ridiculous!? I got spinach and ricotta ravioli and mom got spaghetti with meat sauce. We also got bread and oil. After, we walked to an American bar for dessert. We got some coffee with milk and some fruit with ice cream. Of course Mom with her perfect timing decides now she is going to figure out she is allergic to kiwi….as we are eating it! So we ended up leaving and trying to buy cigarettes for her on the way home but couldn’t because you need a special I.D. card. So we came home and skyped Dad and Heavens before bed.

July 31^st- Today we slept in and got some breakfast. We were going to go to the Forum and Hill but mom wasn’t feeling very well so instead we relaxed in the hotel for a bit. I uploaded pictures and skyped Heavens. They we got ready and went out to find a pharmacy but couldn’t find one that was open. We decided to eat at the Hard Rock Café because we were having so much trouble with Italian places. Mom got BBQ ribs and pulled pork with coleslaw, beans, and fries and I got pasta with grilled chicken in a lemon sauce, peas, mashed potatoes, asparagus and garlic bread. After, we got dessert which was really good. Mom got chocolate mousse bite and I got a chocolate peanut butter bite. We took lots of pictures of some cool stuff in the Café. Then we went back to the hotel and I facebooked Heavens and skyped Dad, we showered, and packed then watched Gnomeo and Juliet and I straightened mom’s hair before bed.

August 1^st- Today we got up and got ready then checked out of our hotel and headed to the train station. We took the tube there as it wasn’t too bad. The station however was soooo confusing. Our train had a different place it was going to (we didn’t realize that was the end place but that it was stopping at our place as well) plus everything was in Italian so it was confusing. I waited in line to ask someone and mom and I both asked people. We finally figured out where we were going and just as the train pulled in a guy came up to us making sure we were in the right spot then he took our bags and started wheeling them to the train. We tried to stop him but he didn’t. We got to our seats and then he demanded 5 euros for helping us. I was like we didn’t even ASK him to help us. So I gave him 3 euros and said that was all I had, but I was like seriously?? We took the train from Roma to Florence. When we arrived we went to the info center across the street and got directions to our hotel. It didn’t seem like a far walk but ended up being one. Plus our hotel didn’t have a sign out in front of it so we got confused and missed it the first time. Finally we found it and checked in. This room was the smallest room out of all of our hotels. Basically only a bed fit in it and our bathroom was quite small as well. The good thing was that it had air conditioning which no other hotel had. I was happy about that. We walked into town, walking through the market which was nice. I even got asked if I wanted to date a guy working at the market lol. We looked at the outside of a church that we found. It was absolutely beautiful! Then we walked to the Accademia where David is so we knew where to go the next morning. We found a small park and sat for a bit before we heard thunder and thought it would be best to go home. We shopped a bit then got back and relaxed a bit. I uploaded pictures on facebook and we napped a bit. Then we got all dressed up and went into town to find dinner. We picked a place with an outdoor restaurant. There were really nice waiters who talked to us. We ordered from the set menu. I got spaghetti with egg and bacon and pork in lemon sauce with potatoes and a cream caramel dessert. Mom got spaghetti with meat sauce, pork in lemon sauce with potatoes and cream caramel dessert. The spaghetti was amazing, the pork alright and the dessert very gross lol. It was like baby food haha. I also got a glass of red wine which was pretty good. Mom got coffee with milk but we had to ask for some cream lol. They were really nice there. We went back to our hotel and skyped Dad and Heavens. However, I got really mad at Heavens because she decided to go get her lip pierced WITHOUT ME! It wasn’t the greatest conversation as I was upset she went without me but I finally got over it and we went to bed.

August 2^nd- Today we got up early and got ready. Then we ate breakfast in our room because that is how this hotel works. They bring you breakfast in bed lol. However, you don’t really get a choice of anything. You get two croissants and two rolls then tea or coffee and juice. Then we walked to the Galleria de Accademia to see David. We had to wait in line because we didn’t have reservations but we didn’t have to wait too long, only about an hour or so. We went in a looked around a bit. We weren’t supposed to take pictures so I snuck a few but it was difficult because they had security all over and cameras. So I only took a few then put my camera away. We saw some statues and some old instruments. Some were quite cool. We were looking at all the different statues then I walked through the curtain to go into the next room. I saw a sign saying Michelangelo so I stopped to look at the statue when I hear mom whisper next to me, ‘Danielle…’ I turn to look where she is looking and I see him….David. He was massive. I mean HUGE, and breathtaking. It was amazing. We just stood in aw for a bit then walked around him and saw that they measure the stress in his right leg to make sure he doesn’t break. It was just amazing to see him and try to figure out how they got him into this building as he was originally outside. Now there is a fake David outside. We looked around a bit more then we saw David one last time before leaving. Then we decided to walk to Ponte Verricho which is the Golden Bridge. Most of the shops along the bridge sell gold. I’m not even sure if you are allowed to drive over the bridge anymore as there are so many people shopping on it. Also, it’s hard to tell you are even on a bridge as its just shops. But it looked really cool and we looked at some shops and took some pictures. We also saw some more locks like the ones in France. We walked back to the hotel doing some shopping and seeing some cool buildings along the way. When we got home we napped and skyped Heavens and Matt then we got ready to go out to dinner. We decided that we were going to get some food to bring back and watch a movie. However, this is easier said than done. We were in the store trying to find some snacks but I wanted something substantial as well like a sandwich or something. However, this was a mission. We decided to buy stuff to make our own sandwiches, but we couldn’t buy mayonnaise because we didn’t need an entire jar for it we only needed a little bit. So we decided to buy butter instead. We went to check out and were told the butter we were buying wasn’t what we thought it would be and we couldn’t eat it like we wanted to. At this point I was ready to give up. After being in the store for about a half hour I couldn’t take it anymore, so we left. We found a little restaurant that did burgers so we decided to buy a burger then mom went back and got some snacks from the store. We went back to the hotel and watched The Next Three Days while eating snacks/dinner before bed.

August 3^rd- Today we were going to get up early to go to a church- the one we saw yesterday that looked beautiful on the outside- but we were both tired so we got up for breakfast then went back to bed and slept until about 1. We got ready and went to lunch. We went to an American Diner which was cool. I got a hot dog and fries and mom got onion rings and we both got coffee. Then we went to the church and had to wait in line but only for about 45 minutes. We went in and it was beautiful. We each lit a candle and said a prayer for someone or something. Then we walked around and saw the beautiful painted ceiling and the paintings on the walls as well as the fountains and bought some souvenirs. Then we went back to rest before dinner. I was on facebook talking to some people while mom rested. Then we got ready for dinner. We decided to do dessert first tonight as the dessert was the best part of Italy. We got waffles with ice cream. I got a waffle with cookie ice cream, mint ice cream, and chocolate ice cream. Mom got a waffle with cherry ice cream and strawberries and raspberries on top. Then we went to dinner. We went to the same place we went the first night in Florence. I got the spaghetti with egg and bacon again because it was so good and a glass of red wine. Mom got a salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, onions, and feta. We relaxed and ate dinner. Some guys came by to play music and it was nice but then of course they wanted money for it. Then we went back to our hotel and skyped Heavens. We decided to trip her by telling her I was getting a ride home from a friend and she couldn’t come to the airport to get us. We did it to get back at her for going to get her lip pierced without me! She so believed it! But then we told her we were just kidding. We went to bed and I attempted to sleep. However, I didn’t account for the fact that Mom would be super hyper. It took me forever to fall asleep because it took her forever to fall asleep.

August 4^th- Today we got up and got ready then ate breakfast. Before we checked out we decided to go back to the market for one last look then we checked out and got a cab to the airport. Unfortunately we were super early for our flight. We had to wait at the airport about 6 hours until we left. We watched Despicable Me, played cards and read. We got to Gatwick and I was super excited to see Heavens! She brought me a bear and a balloon! J We got the train to Victoria then got some food and coffee before taking the train back to Butler Court where we gave out our souvenirs to Rachel and Heavens. I also got souvenirs from Heavens- a frame with Soda on it a beer fest glass and a key chain. After all this, we all went to bed. I was happy to be back with Heavens J

August 5^th- Well today started off great! Heavens and I are officially dating now J And yes, I asked her lol. Today we slept in a bit then got ready and all four of us went to the café for a full English breakfast! It was mom’s first! After, we went to the store to get groceries for the next few days. We hung out a bit before dinner which was jacket potatoes…yummmm. Then we went to pub club with Brandy, Mad Dog, Chris and a few others. We drank a bit and chatted about our trip and then got a kebab on the way home! It was a good Friday!

August 6^th- Today we got up early to go into London! We went to Camden Market. On the way stopping at the station for some breakfast and Heavens got the best customer service ever! Lol. We did some shopping at the market and got food. Mom and I got paella…yummm yummm. Then we took the tube to Westminster to walk along the Thames. When we got to the station Mama USA and I heard all these people screaming and shouting so we walked up to see what was going on expecting to see something really cool….only to find that it was a bunch of screaming girls for Justin Beiber…. Maybe he had a concert or maybe they are just losers haha. We walked by Big Ben and the London Eye then went across the bridge to find the guy who makes frames out of metal. He takes the long piece of metal and bends it into names and flowers and hearts to make picture frames. They were really cool. We stayed with him for like ever and got so many different frames made. While Heavens and I were on the bridge Mama USA and Rachel went to the carnival and Heavens got a phone call from Rachel trying to find us. One of the guys who was perfoming came over to her because she was waving her arm trying to find us and he asked if her arm was having a spasm. He then asked if she was on the phone, he took the phone and asked Heavens a joke. He asked what has small balls and hangs down. The answer: a bat. Then he said what has big balls and hangs up. Then he hung up the phone lol. Poor Heavens was still wondering what the answer to the joke was hahaha. We made our way down and we watched some acts for a while. Then we walked to Covent Garden area (up Fleet Street…dum dum duuuummm!!!) Don’t worry we didn’t go into a barber shop haha. Or a pie shop…ewww. Then we finally found a pub for dinner (took us forever) but I am happy with our choice. Rachel went home and Heavens, Mama USA and I got dinner. Mama USA and I got fish and chips, and Heavens got steak pie. After dinner and relaxing we went to see the show the Woman in Black. It wasn’t as scary as it was advertised for but it was scary as things jumped out at you. It was really good though. I enjoyed it. Then we took the 2 hour tube ride home L

August 7^th- Today we slept in late, finally got ready and went into Romford for some shopping. Then we went to the pub for some Sunday Roast. Mama USA got beef roast, I got chicken and Heavens got pork. They were pretty good.  We also got dessert. I got sticky toffee pudding…yum. Mom got chocolate cake and ice cream…mmm. And Heavens got blueberry and cranberry crumble….gross! Then we went home and had a Big Brother marathon!

August 8^th- Today we slept in again. Then got up and went to the café for breakfast. Then we went to morrissons and home to pack all day. We had lots to pack and sort out. Then we watched the last of Big Brother before dinner. Mama USA made us spaghetti pie and Heavens made homemade garlic bread. It was really, really good. We had a few drinks and played cards. We played Euchre which was cool and lots of fun. It was a good last night with Mama USA!

Until next time,

¬D¬