Yay for Feb!

Wow....I hardly know how it happened; one minute I was fantasizing about a trip to Europe and then,in a whirlwind of excitement, itineraries, and plans I found myself in possession of a plane ticket to Stuttgart, Germany! I have friends there who I would love to visit--Jen, Andy and baby Davin--and it just seemed like the perfect opportunity. (Finding a wickedly inexpensive ticket to Stuttgart helped too!). So this is the place I will be visiting in February! If you want to find it on the map, Stuttgart is in Southern Germany near France. Yippee!

Of course it would be IMPOSSIBLE to be that close to the UK and not Go....

I'll go "home" to Leicester and see my buds who I love love LOVE!...

And to Newquay...

...in Cornwall to visit my friend Daniel. I'm looking forward to seeing this part of England! From pictures it looks incredible. Newquay is the surfing capital of England - I'm not sure how good the surf will be in Feb., but it's a fun sidelight!

...and last but certainly not least...to London

...to visit my dear old "grandad" Ted!!! The icing on the cake. :) What a privilege. :0) Byeee! Until then!

By the Way....

I will be leaving Spring City on December 21; I'm moving up to Alpena, Michigan! We decided to close the Bed and Breakfast for the winter season! We'll be open in the spring!

Where Have I Been?

My, where have I been? I have been in a cloistered space of contented complacency, where creative outbursts settle muffled and unimportant. Where exultation in the simplicity of nature and existence overwhelms all other sentiments which used to stimulate; where the essence of life in human contact and community fulfills every prior need for self-propulsion or advancement. Time slips by, like an egg slipping off the edge of a frying pan. In an ethereal haze of dimpled gold: perpetual sunshine, crisp autumn leaves. This is home. For now. But it cannot be for much longer. I am not ready for it yet. My inside-self reaches out its figurative arms for more; it cannot resign itself to placidity yet. I am still searching; still unsettled; still yearning for something....different. Some solidity I have not yet found and hope to find soon. Life, singlehood--my singlehood--has been full and colourful, yes, but in spurts and starts. Blocks of sure direction are followed by unsettled searchings, sinking marshes underfoot. While tender-footing through this marsh, I, like an unflinching tour-guide, assure myself that this period of indecision, transition and waiting IS part of the path, not a detour. I welcome and bask in the luxury of this golden plateau I've been given here: two months in Spring City, Utah. But am feeling the need to move from this waiting room to the full action of life. "I must establish myself, I must stand on my own, I must create a life and career for myself"--like a marquee flashing in my brain, these thoughts awaken me from my much needed Savasana in Spring City; one cannot always remain in Relaxation Pose. It is good to be at a cross-road. It means good things will happen--exciting and new things--and isn't that what I live for? I wouldn't know what to do without them...hence I constantly create them for myself! I will be leaving Spring City in December and begin another phase. Miraculously, God has prepared an opening: things here, which I held stewardship over, are being cared for...stewardships are being redistributed...the reasons for my being here have been fulfilled. I marvel at the workings of God and see His good, kind hand. And trust that, just as surely as He has prepared the way to gently usher me out of this phase of life, His Hand will be leading me into whatever is next. But now, life is GOOD.

Aren't they GORGEOUS?!

My beautiful nieces and nephew fill my heart with such joy and satisfaction! To me, they are the most dear and loveable children in the world. Little Joseph just celebrated his 1st birthday! :)

Read My Dissertation!! :)

If you're interested in reading my dissertation/thesis [in British/American English] follow this link! http://www.brittanysdissertation.blogspot.com/

ROME, ITALY!!! 10-14 July 2007

The Colosseum

Going to Italy was one of the most special trips I have ever taken. Rome must be the most glorious, interesting and diverse city I have ever been to. I had the wonderful pleasure of going with Ted, the remarkable man whose taken me underwing as a grandaughter. As both of us share the same interests, it was a real treat to appreciate the same things together and enjoy the sweetness of good company. I took the time to plan out each day before embarking on this trip and that made all the difference! I feel we really made the most of our time. Consistent with all things in Europe, the famous parts and pieces are just THERE in front of you, crowded amongst buildings and busy streets.

Rome in the ruin of its ancient glory. The structures still maintained their power and majesty, despite the crumbling stone. It was almost overwhelming. One of my favourite parts of Rome.

The Parthenon

My Rome

Little bits of Rome which endeared it to me.

Pompeii!!

Yes, we went to that famous, amazing city. I remember thinking for days afterwards, 'Wow...the dust of Pompeii is still on my shoes'. I was astounded at how well-preserved many of the things were, especially the art. In the top left corner of the collage, note the seashells still framing the shrine (if you can see them). It was fascinating to see little evidences of daily life in Pompeii, like the ruts carved by chariot wheels in the stone-paved streets. Even though Pompeii was discovered in the 1700s, archeologists are still uncovering, ever so carefully, different parts of it. We saw some at work and noticed that, while about four feet of soil divided us, we were standing on the orange-tiled roofs of partially uncovered homes. In the background of the top picture is Mt. Vesuvius. Who knew such an innocent-looking mountain could have spewed forth such massive amounts of ash and covered (and destroyed) an entire city??

Hadrian's Villa

We also went to Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana) outside Tivoli, about an hour's busride from Rome. Tivoli was where all the wealthy Romans migrated in the summertime to escape the heat. You can see the hillside city of Tivoli in the top right-hand corner picture. Hadrian's Villa was designed by and built for King Hadrian. It was IMMENSE. And it's all gone to ruin! It is about 2000 years old, roughly the same age as Pompeii. But Pompeii was much better preserved! Amazing what ash will do. Hadrian's Villa was quite interesting!

MORE PICTURES TO FOLLOW!

Ireland 22-25 June

Ahhh...the Emerald Isle.

This adventure brought me opportunity to meet some very special people. Leicester Uni offered a HOST program for its international students - all we had to do was to tell HOST where we wanted to visit and HOST would use its mighty resources to link us with a generous volunteer host in that area. Hosts volunteer not only to give room and board, but to show us the gems of their homeland. I think I ended up with the best host ever! I wanted to visit Northern Ireland and had the great blessing of being linked up with Henrietta. What a woman! The fact that she was willing to open her home to an international stranger already speaks volumes about her....I had the pleasure of staying with her son Christopher and his cute little son Finlay too. That's Henri, Chris, and Finlay in the bottom photo. We were at the Doagh Famine Village, enjoying some nice tea (juice) and scones after learning about life during the devastating Potato Famine in the 1840s. Very interesting!

Giant's Causeway

One of the ultimate highlights of our holiday was going to Giant's Causeway. It was incredible! In our man-made, genetically-altered world, I must reassure you that these octagon-shaped rocks are all-natural! There's all sorts of Irish mythology crowding about to explain the freakish natural phenomenon of such strange geology; one story involves two giants...one Scotch and one Irish...and some massive stone-throwing contests.... Henri and Marie are in the bottom photo. Lovely Marie is one of Henri's best friends and she joined us on some of our excursions. I LOVED Giant's Causeway. In Ireland, things are just THERE and its stunning. There's no loud fanfare or brash advertisements - its just there for you to experience and enjoy.

Fisherman selling their fresh catch straight from the dock.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

This little rope bridge joins two craggy cliffs as the ocean surges underneath. It was originally constructed by fishermen and is now a tourist attraction! I'd seen so many cool pictures of it...I can hardly believe I'VE actually been across it!

Henri and I went on the most AMAZING walk through a valley of seven springs, Irish woodland, and gorgeous waterfalls. In the last picture, if you look very hard, you can see Scotland on the horizon. Magical!

Jonny and Joe's

This is Henri and her amazing mum Mary at Jonny and Joe's Pub. It was the most awesome traditional pub I have ever been to...a rare gem from past generations and tragically a dying breed. It was so historic, so chill - locals brought their own instruments (Mary played her accordian) and they took turns playing and singing traditional Irish songs. It was bliss. It was then that the word 'pub', or public house, really made sense to me...it ws a house open to the public and the community gathered there. Unfortunately this picture is really blurry.

Belfast

Belfast has always held fascination for me - it's religious tension, civil upheaval...it's so foreign to my own experience that I find it intriguing - call it thanatos or curiosity. I didn't want to leave Northern Ireland without visiting it. So I hopped on a train and visited for a couple of hours. The only outright, superficial sign of relgious conflict I saw was a pipe which had grafitted 'No pope across this line' on it....is that a sign of progress? I hope so.

And, by the grace of God, I made my flight (I got there late) and then had to say a sad goodbye to Henri :( She is such a lovely person and I had SUCH a special, memorable time! I've decided that in the future I want to tour the Isle of Man, take a ferry to Belfast, and hike the Causeway Coastline. Want to join me? xx Goodbye for now, Ireland!

My Family Visits England!!!

To my great joy, my family came and visited England 28 May-11 June! It was bliss. Two heavenly weeks! We toured all over England (and even spent an exhausting day in Paris!). This is my favourite picture. We are at William Wordsworth's house in the Lake District.

London

Ted hosted us and was our amazing tourguide throughout our London travels. My family was absolutely smitten by him! He felt like a grandfather to us all by the end of our time together. We're in front of the Tower of London in this picture.

She's Squashing Me!! Two of the cutest girls in the world at Trafalgar Square, London.