07.31.10 - London: Day 3

I was up with a migraine from 4:45-5:30am. No bueno. Instead of waking up at 7:45, my parents let us all sleep in (THANK YOU!!!) until 10:00 :) we headed down the street to grab Starbucks for breakfast. It tasted JUST like in the States. And they had all sorts of Fair Trade things (coffee, bananas, and countless other items). 

<< the Royal Band inside Buckingham Palace Gates

Next, we headed to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards. Since we were so late, we didn’t get a good spot and will have to go back tomorrow or some other day to see everything properly.

                          parents & me at changing of the guards >>

We went through the Royal Mews next. This is where all the horses, carriages, and royal cars are housed, along with the staff and their families. We did an audio tour here (as well as in the Queen’s Gallery and the Staterooms). There are something like 30 Royal Cars, including two Bentleys and some Rolls Royces. The Queen usually rides in one of the Bentleys, which doesn’t have a license plate. I also saw the Glass Coach, which is the coach royal brides get to ride in to their weddings. Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana both rode in it to their weddings. 

<< The Glass Coach

During the tour of the stables, we walked through the harness room (which was huge, as it held harnesses and bridles for all of the horses) and stables. There are over 30 horses currently working at the Mews. There are two kinds of horses: the Windsor Grey (not an actual type of horse, but called Windsor because that’s where they are from and Grey because that’s what color their coats are), and Cleveland Bays. The Windsor Greys are very tall and they pull the Queen’s carriage. All the horses are trained for at least 2 years before being used. The Queen also gets to name each of the horses herself. One of them is named “San Anton”! Aww :)

 













                                                            ^^  The Gold State Coach ^^

The last part of the tour of the Mews was through a display room of the Gold State Coach. It was completed in 1762 and cost 7652# to build. Today, that’s like, hundreds of thousands of pounds (I think). Even if not, a TON of money was put into this coach. It is used during coronations, but those who have ridden in it all complain that it is uncomfortable. One King said it was the most uncomfortable ride of his life! But it is beautiful. There are sculptures of Sea Tritans on the coach, which represent England’s Naval power. The drivers of the coach actually ride the horses, giving them better control. This is called “postillian riding”. The coach weighs 4 TONS! The drivers have to start “braking” 30 yards in advance. Otherwise, the coach would have too much momentum, carrying them past their intended stop.

After that, it was getting close to 1:30 and we were HUNGRY! We walked a few blocks down and ate at a little cafe. I got an omelet, which was good, but super greasy. Then we headed back to Buckingham Palace to go through the Queen's Gallery. It was a huge museum called "Victoria & Albert: Art & Love" all about the lives of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (1800s). There were three rooms of paintings, as well as some of the Queen's jewels. We weren't allowed to take any photos tho :( There were paintings that were gifts to Queen Victoria, and also some sketches and watercolors that she had done herself (they were actually quite good).


Next, we toured the Staterooms in Buckingham Palace. There are like 800 rooms in Buckingham Palace (200-something bedrooms, and like 78 bathrooms or something like that). Mostly, there are rooms like Drawing Rooms, Ball Rooms, and the like. We saw the throne room too! But it wasn't like you would think. The thrones were wimpy little chairs with their initials embroidered on the backs. There were also 6 or 7 other similar chairs off to the sides that had belonged to previous Kings and Queens. I asked the man guarding this area about them; he told me to whom each belonged to and also why the thrones are all so lame. He said there is really no reason to have a big ornate throne in your own palace. The grand, imposing thrones you think of as a typical throne are at the House of Lords in Parliament. Interesting stuff, huh? There is also a type of throne in the Ball Room where people are dubbed as a knight, etc. We weren’t allowed to take photos in this room either. The detailing in the whole place was just magnificent. And to think this was done hundreds of years ago! It really is incredible. Every bit, from the portraits 3x larger than life size to the ornate detailing on the ceilings, to the chandeliers with 1000+ crystals, to hidden doorways behind ornate mirrors - everything was breathtaking. If I ever get to return to London, I would gladly take this tour again. It also had an audio tour, which was very enlightening.

After the three walking tours, we were all pretty beat and decided to head to the hotel. We were planning on seeing Oliver! tonight, but we were in too much of a rush so we’re going to see it another night instead. We made dinner reservations for 8:45pm at a Brazilian steakhouse, Gaucho Grill. It was AMAZING! For an appetizer, we got a sampling of four different types of spiced meats and cheddar cheese. We also got a bottle of Argentinean wine, which was to die for. Seriously, it was so so good. I had the sirloin, grilled veggies (which I didn’t eat – they were just grilled bell peppers, of which I’m not a huge fan), and dulce de leche cheesecake! What a meal.. Definitely our best so far!

We headed back to the hotel around 10:45 with very full bellies and very tired bodies. We’re going to the Hillsong Church in the morning!

07.30.10 - London: Day 2

I got up around 7:15am this morning to shower and get ready for the day. It took a while to figure out the converter (even though I’ve used it before, it gets me every time..) before I tossed it aside in favor of the hotel provided one. I’m a bit of a hair product/appliance snob, so this was quite the feat. Nevertheless, we headed to breakfast an hour later. We ate in the hotel this morning – juice, pressed coffee, pastries, cereal, and cinnamon French toast. Yum! Tomorrow I think we will probably go to a café or bakery. We changed some money to pounds, then made our way to the tube station where we bought week passes.


Here’s a random fact you may or may know but probably know about me: I LOVE public transportation. Don’t get me started on how it saves money, cuts down on pollution, and is incredibly efficient – I love it mainly because I think it’s just plain cool. I think this obsession began in Chicago in 2004 when I first rode the El.. But I digress. We took the tube across town to the meeting point for our bike tour group. The central line (conveniently, the one that would have taken us straight to the rendezvous point) was closed, but I got us there with some quick tube map reading and only one mishap (taking the wrong line) that was my fault but was quickly corrected (and ended up not making a bit of difference anyways).

The bike tour was AWESOME! Anyone in London should definitely check it out. There are Fat Tire Bike Tours in Paris, Berlin, and somewhere else too. It started at 11:00am and lasted until about 3:00 or 3:30pm.

We left from the Queensway tube station and walked to the Fat Tire offices to get our bikes. Each bike had a squeaky toy attached to the handlebars, which turned out to be a horrific idea because the under-10 crowd wore it out.. Anyways, we walked our bikes down the road to Kensington Gardens where we first got on our bikes. We rode through Kensington Garden until we came to Kensington Palace. 

<< Kensington Palace, behind the wall (which is only there because of construction; it isn't a permanent wall)


Kensington Palace was originally built 4 miles outside of Royal London because one of the princes had asthma and the country better suited him. Now, of course, the city of London has grown around it, but the Palace is still occupied. Princess Diana lived there until her death, and Price Harry has a room there that he occupies when he can’t manage to stumble all the way home after partying in Notting Hill. There are also several Dukes, Duchesses, Princes, and Princesses who live there from other countries. They are all cousins of the Royal family here in London.

Next, we rode through Hyde Park until we came to Hyde Park Corner. There is a giant archway at Hyde Park Corner with a sculpture on top of an angel holding a crown of peace above the chariots of war. Directly across the street is the home of the Duke of Wellington. The address is Number One, London. You can literally send mail to “Number One, London” and that’s where it will end up. There’s a statue of the Duke of Wellington on his horse, Copenhagen, as well over by the house.


archway with Angel of Peace and Chariots of War statue >>


As we were standing just inside the park, there came from under the archway a procession of black horses. They were the Horses Guard and they guard the Horses Guard Parade, which is the original entrance into Royal London. I’ll talk more about that later. Anyways, the horses walked right by us! They stopped traffic to let them cross and everything. On every street corner, there are buttons to push to cross the street for pedestrians, bicycles, and equestrians! They have their own button to push to make the lights change!

<< Horses Guard passing through Hyde Park Corner







                      vv Buckingham Palace at Noon








Next, we rode towards Buckingham Palace. It was just about noon so they were doing the changing of the guards, but we were much to far away to see it. We will go back tomorrow to do everything at Buckingham Palace. We rode on through Royal London and came to stop at Clarence House, where Princess Anne lives. She is something like tenth in line for the throne and she is in her sixties, so there is no chance she will ever be Queen, but she gets all the perks of being royalty (aka having her own huge palace/house). The tour guide says she’s one of the most down-to-earth members of the Royal Family and everyone just loves her. I guess I’ll just have to take his word for it!


                                
The “parade” from the changing of the guards marched into the ground of the Clarence House (I believe) where they would change and later come out in civilian attire. We also passed Prince Charles house, which had two guards outside the gate.


<< Prince Charles' residence


We rode on and left Royal London. As you are leaving Royal London, you must pass under a large archway. On the wall of the archway is a brass nose that is a replica of the large nose of the Duke of Wellingon. Supposedly, having a large nose is a sign of good luck, so all the Royal men on horseback would touch the metal nose before they left Royal London. 
 

                          The Duke of Wellington's nose >>

Just outside the gates is Trafalgar Square, a place I was very hesitant to go near. I’m scared of/hate birds (especially pigeons) and didn’t want to be swarmed by them. However, new (2006) legislation placed a 500# fine on feeding the pigeons, so there weren’t nearly as many as there used to be. It was really no different from the other parts of the city. I wasn’t scared at all :) 

There is a huge statue in Trafalgar Square of Admiral Nelson, a man who led the British against the French in one of the Napoleon-era wars. He was the Admiral of a fleet of Navy ships which were at war with a fleet of French ships. Admiral Nelson was a very arrogant man. Navy Admirals are supposed to wear ordinary sailor clothing so as not to attract attention to themselves and consequently give away which ship is the lead. However, Nelson would have none of this and wore a very showy outfit, even more ostentation that the regular Admiral’s uniform. The French easily picked him out and attacked his ship. He was shot and injured enough to be taken downstairs to his quarters, but he was still able to give directions. The English won the Battle of Trafalgar, and once they had finished, Nelson died. The statue of him is the same height as the main mast on his ship, and the ship in the bottle is an exact replica of the actual ship.

We parked our bikes and had lunch at The Chandos Pub, where I got 3-cheese macaroni. We also got dessert – sticky toffee pudding and apple pie crumble. I only tasted the apple pie one, and it was really good! 

After lunch, we rode by the traditional entrance to Royal London. This is where the Horses Guard Parade grounds are. There is also an original Navy base and War Rooms under the sand/gravel from which Churchill directed the British WW2 efforts. You can tour the rooms, but since we were on bike, we did not do so. The wide open area of sand/gravel (you can see in the pictures) are going to host the sand volleyball games in the 2012 Olympics! The London Eye is just on the other side of the main buildings, as well as Prime Minister Cameron’s residence.

                          Horses Guard Parade grounds >>


Next, we saw Westminster Abbey. It is beautiful! I also hope to tour this building should we have the time. It took 15 years to complete construction in the year 1065. There are lots of famous people buried here, and many have had funeral services here as well (i.e. Princess Di). Back when it was built, Charles I was King. He was overthrown and replaced by Oliver Cromwell. He turned out to be even worse than Charles 1, and when he made sure he would be buried in Westminster Abbey when he died. He also appointed his son to be his successor. The English people were very unhappy about his appointment, and overthrew him. They asked Charles II to come back from exile to rule again, and he did. When he did, he had the body of Oliver Cromwell excavated from Westminster Abbey, beheaded, and placed his head on a spike to put on display (as they treated those convicted of treason). His head was supposedly washed away in a storm, but is now in a museum.


Next, we visited Parliament Square. This is where executions took place back in the day. For those convicted of high treason (the highest possible crime, as it is an attempt to kill the King/Queen), the execution process is very long and drawn out. The accused is first hung by his neck from a noose, but only from 10 feet high. This does not kill him, but crushes the vocal cords so he cannot cry out any insults against the King/Queen. Next, ropes are tied to each of his arms and legs. The other ends of the ropes are tied to a horse, which then walks away. Each of his arms and legs are pulled as far as possible before the bones break. I think they actually go until just AFTER the bones break, but I could be mistaken. Anyways, the person is stretched about 7” after this stage is done. Next, the executioner cuts a smilie face in your abdomen (I’m assuming the prisoner is tied up somehow) and pulls out all the intestines into a bowl, then lights them on fire. The prisoner is forced to watch the whole time and is woken up if he passes out. Then the executioner empties the rib cage area of all organs, leaving the heart for the very last, to ensure that the prisoner stays alive as long as possible. He then rips out the heart and shows it to the prisoner just before he dies. And the townspeople all cheer. The body is then cut into 4 pieces. The head is placed on a stake that is displayed at the entrance to the city, and the body (cut into four pieces) is taken to the four corners of the country to serve as a sign to all that you don’t mess with the King/Queen of England!


After that, we rode through St. James Park, which is very small, and crossed a bridge over the water aquifer. Off to one side was Buckingham Palace, and to the other was London Eye and the back of the Horses Guard Parade grounds. Then we rode to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain where we dipped our toesies in the freezing water before riding back through Kensington Garden to our starting point. The last stop was Price Albert Hall, which is on the outskirts of Kensington Garden. (Prince Albert was married to Queen Victoria).

                                          Princess Di Memorial Fountain >> 


The tour ended around 3:00 or 3:30pm. We waled around Notting Hill for a bit and walked by a pub our trou guide told us about, The Churchill Arms. It is all draped in real flowers and is beautiful on the outside!

<< The Churchill Arms

We walked around a bit more before heading back to the hotel. On the way back, we stopped and went in Harrod’s. It was so cool! I could spend an entire day just in that one store. It was ginormous! I couldn’t even fit it in one picture because it was so large, so I took two. It’s an entire block long! It was very cool.








              Below: Harrod's Department Store (and I don't think I got the whole store in these shots!)

We came back to the hotel for about an hour and a half and just relaxed before going back out for dinner. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant called “il Vicolo” where I had meat tortellini with Bolognese sauce. The manager brought us complimentary lemon liqueur drinks that were delish. We went to a café called Caffe Concerto for dessert. I had coffee ice cream :)


We got back to the hotel room around 10:30pm and bed was soon after. Up next for tomorrow: Buckingham Palace and Oliver!

07.28.10 - London: Day 1

  Our flight was scheduled to leave Midland at 6:05pm for DFW. Our flight was slightly delayed because they had to refuel before we could leave, so we actually left closer to 6:30pm. We got off the plane in Dallas around 7:30pm and had about an hour to eat before we boarded our flight for London. We ate at Cantina Laredo, a Mexican food restaurant in the airport right across from our gate. That was our last Mexican food meal for a week…

<< my mom and I on the way to DFW

Our next flight left at 9:10pm and was scheduled to last 8 hours and 35 minutes. I’ve done long flights before to Kenya, and there are very few things I dislike more. I am not good at sleeping on airplanes, so this time I was armed with sleeping pills (Equate brand, $2.99 from Walmart!) – but first, I had to finish writing a paper for my internship I did at Make A Wish. It counted as a class, so I had to write a 20-25 page paper about the internship and what I learned. I had already written 9 pages, and I wrote 8 more before I called it quits for the night. I was sitting in the aisle seat of the middle section. There was an empty seat between me and the other guy in my section (who is apparently a musician.. he gave me his card, and you will not believe his name. King Poo Poo. No, I’m not joking. I’m totally going to look him up when I get a chance! His website is www.kingpoopooman.com if you’re interested) – anyways, there was an empty seat between me and King Poo Poo, so I was able to stretch out a little more than normal. I still didn’t sleep well, but it was definitely better than any other flight sleep I’ve had! I slept on and off for 6 of the 8 ½ hour flight. We arrived at 12:15pm London time (6:20am CST).

Once we got to the airport, we had to go through customs which took FOREVER! But it was okay, because we had 4 hours to kill waiting for Steph’s plane to land. We ate lunch at Pret A Manger in the airport (jalapeno chicken wrap, banana, diet coke) then sat down in the departure lounge across from the restaurant. I got out my computer and wrote the rest of my paper. It is now 20 pages and 4 lines long J I need to go back through and edit it, but it is quite the feat to read through a 20 page paper in one sitting right after writing it! I’ll save that for tonight at the hotel. It’s due by August 3, so I’m going to finish it and submit it tonight so that it’s out of the way for vaca to begin! 

Mom and I found a computer lab type place. 1# (I'll use #because I can't find the proper pound sign on my laptop) got you 10 minutes on the computer. My # coin got stuck in the machine but there was a lady there who was done and still had 5 minutes left, so she let Mom and I use her remaining time to check our emails. We walked around a little more and headed back to the arrivals gate to wait for Stephanie around 4:00pm. It’s a good thing we did, because her flight (which was originally scheduled to arrive at 4:50pm) landed at 4:20pm! It was absolutely wonderful to see her. And for those of you who were wondering and/or made bets (ahem.. Joel..) YES, all three women in my family shed tears :)

We proceeded to the man holding a sign with our name and hotel on it and were escorted to our Mercedes minivan. Yes, you read that correctly. Mercedes does indeed make a minivan! Our driver’s name was Dennis, and he was one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met! He talked the entire 45 minute drive to our hotel, pointing out famous buildings, telling us history behind the borough we were in, etc. He was super nice and he joked a lot about the differences in American and Brits, which was entertaining :)

                                                          our Mercedes minivan>>

there were also several billboards advertising upcoming movies that have already premiered in the States. For example, “Knight and Day” (with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise) doesn’t make it to cinema in London until August 6^th!

<< see? I'm not making this stuff up!

We also passed Buckingham Palace. You can tell if the Queen is there by which flag is being flown. If it is the flag of Great Britain, she is not at the Palace. If the flag with her coat of arms is being flown, it means she is currently residing in the Palace. I think I got that right.. More pictures to come of that later when we get a closer look!

We hung out at the hotel for a bit while Steph told us a little about Kenya. I unpacked completely. The setup of our rooms is really cool. We have two “connecting” junior suites. You walk in one door, which leads to the entryway where there are two doors. The door to the left takes you to my parents’ room, and the door on the right goes to the room Steph and I are sharing. Each room has a tv, couch, king bed, and GINORMOUS bathroom (with a Jacuzzi tub AND shower!). There are even a couple of American electrical outlets.

We headed to dinner around 8:00pm. We walked to a pub called The Only Running Footman, which was about 5-10 minutes away walking. We got drinks at the bar and only had to wait about ten minutes for a table. We all got fish and chips, obviously. And it was delish! After dinner we walked around a nearby park then headed back to the hotel. Today has been VERY long. Even though we all slept some on the plane, it was more of a nap than an actual night’s rest. I'm about to pass out as I type all of this! Bedtime immediately following :)

                Steph and I heading back to the hotel after dinner >>

07.19.10 - a more heartfelt post than anticipated

Originally, the title of this post was "another quilt!" but after writing it, I decided it needed to be changed. This post is more personal that I originally thought it would be, but I think you will enjoy reading it all the same :) and don't worry, I'll still include my crafty creations from the past week!

Apparently, quilts are my thing these days! I made an impromptu USA themed quilt this week for a very special friend who was in town. Dillon is one of Joel's best friends from Tech. After graduating in December 2008, he joined the Army. He didn't go in as an officer, but rather enlisted. His reasons for entering the Armed Services are very unique. He wasn't interested in simply becoming a soldier (though he definitely loves our country and is proud to fight for it); he was more interested in investing in people's lives. More importantly, he wanted to work side by side with unsaved young men and have the opportunity to lead them to Christ - and he has, on several occasions. Dillon is one of the most highly respected men I know. As Joel puts it, he is in the ranks of Matt Chandler and Francis Chan, a group of men who truly know God's calling in their lives and are willing to sacrifice everything to follow Him. Dillon is the type of guy who just seems to get it. You have to know him to truly understand what I mean. He is simply an incredible human being.

Dillon became an Army Ranger and served in Afghanistan last year. He returned to the States in December and was scheduled to ship out again in June. The Rangers are on a sort of rotation. From what I understand, there are three groups of Army Rangers who rotate "stations" throughout the year. One station is training in Georgia; another is deployment; and the last is debriefing and leave. They cycle through each station in this order and will complete all three in one year. For example, Dillon deployed last June, returned in December, debriefed and had leave until the spring, reported back to Georgia for pre-deployment training a few months ago, and was set to deploy again in June. However, he was injured during training. While doing some sort of airborne drills, Dillon was in an accident. He jumped out of the plane around 1000 feet, had time to deploy the parachute and check the gauges, and figures he was around 600 feet up when another Ranger was carried into his chute by the wind (which was at 24 knots, about twice the max speed recommended for jumping, according to Dillon). His parachute was deflated and he free-fell into a tree. Miraculously, he is fine! And praise God for that :) He broke both bones in his lower leg and has had surgery to fix it. He didn't get deployed in June, for obvious reasons, and was therefore able to make a visit down to Lubbock for a week!

And this is where my post was originally planned to start.. I made Dillon a quilt while he was here. I was in the fabric store when the 4th of July fabric caught my eye. It was marked down 50% from an original $5.99 a yard! Obviously, I HAD to have it. I decided on the spot to make a quilt for my favorite Army Ranger. I thought I could finish it before he had to leave, but I realized the actual quilting part would take entirely too long. I decided that instead of quilting, I would simply sew up the border and then tie knots of yarn on each corner. Refer to the last picture for further explanation. I got the idea from blankets my friend Bailey's grandma (or some other relative) used to make for the kids in her family. It definitely isn't my best work, but I'm still proud of it, considering the time frame I had to work under!

Here are a few pics:

 

I'm currently working on a baby quilt.. More to come on that later!

07.13.10 - finished quilts

Here are a few crafts I've been working on:

I made my sister a quilt for her birthday. It was my first time to ever make one, and it isn't perfect by any means. But as it was my first one, it's still pretty special. I used the African prints because Stephanie will be spending 3 weeks in Kenya this month! She's there right now, actually. To keep up with her travels, check out her blog.

Anyways, here are a few pics of her quilt:

You can even see how I "quilted" through the fabric a bit in this next picture!

With the leftover material, I made one for Joel, using bigger squares for the front, and a new fabric for the back.. GIRAFFE! I love the giraffe print :) and you can see in the last picture how I did some actual quilting on this one! My quilting lines aren't exactly straight.. oops.. but I still like the finished product :)

07.07.10 - 4th of July weekend recap

Happy (belated) 4th of July, friends! My holiday weekend was spent in the wonderful city of San Antonio, TX with friends and family :)

Joel's family is from SA, so he and I stayed with them while my parents and sister got a hotel in New Braunfels. Saturday night, we joined them (and my dad's cousin, his wife, and their three little girls) at the Gristmill for dinner, and then moseyed on over to Gruene Dance Hall, where Joel's sister and her husband met us for a little bit of dancin'. Sunday was float the river day! The same group from the night before headed back to New Braunfels to float the Comal River. Let me tell you, not a whole lot of things are better on a hot day than floating in an inner tube with 10 other people! It only lasted about an hour, but we had a great time. After that, we went to Oma's Haus, a delicious German restaurant. It seriously was delicious! Only Sarah's Oma could make better German food than that.. :) And of course, we headed to Landa Park to watch fireworks after dinner. It was a spectacular show, but not quite the same as it always was at 240 Rosemont, El Paso, TX..

My family has always celebrated the 4th at my grandparents' house in El Paso. We ate, swam, ate, laid by the pool, ate, took walks to the ditch, ate, and watched fireworks in lawn chairs in their driveway. Did I mention we ate a lot too? ;) My grandpa passed away in 2002, but we continued to have 4th of July celebrations there. In 1998 and again in 2009, we had Vaughan Family Reunions. My mom is one of five children, and two of her brothers and one sister all have two kids a piece. Of the grandkids, three are married with little ones of their own. When we all get together (around 30 of us) it's crazy! And the best time you'll ever have. Seriously, I love these times with my family, especially because we are so spread out geographically. I have family in San Diego, Las Vegas, Idaho, Colorado Springs, El Paso, and New Mexico, so it really is a treat when we all are able to get together!

The 4th of July has another sentiment for my family. In 2000, my cousin, Mandy, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She was 21 at the time. Three weeks later, on July 4, 2000, she passed away. We remember her every year on this day, and this year was especially hard. It was the ten year anniversary of her death, and it was also the first time I can remember that we've spent the 4th NOT in El Paso. Time moves on, but we will always hold a special place in our hearts for Mandy and my grandparents on this holiday.

Though very different than what I'm used to, it was a fun weekend. Here are a few pics: