mis(ty)adventures

Today.

2010-08-27T00:33:00.000-07:00

Shared my baptism story today. It felt good... I'm glad I did that.

That's all.

The Perfect Day

2010-07-25T01:14:00.000-07:00

The day had arrived.

I opened my eyes the next morning to the sound of my alarm clock. I heard Larissa mumbling something like, "OOOOO!!! Misty Moo!!!!" I got up, washed my face, brushed my teeth, changed into some comfy clothes and sat on the couch of the condo waiting for the chaos to start. Eliza, the hairdresser, got lost in our condo complex and was a bit late so my sisters showed up first. They were also getting their hair done. This about when my stomach started doing flips. My stomach ached! Someone made a joke that I was nervous but I knew that wasn't it. I felt completely sure about marrying Josh. I just wanted to be ready and see him already! My hair got curled, all my girls showed up to hang out and get beautified, and my stomach did more flips. This went on for a couple hours. I loved having my favorite girls around me to chat. Josh finally arrived to drive me to the temple and everything changed. We gave each other a tight hug and I became so excited.

We went to the temple and as we walked up to the temple, we saw some friends who honked and cheered as they passed us. I was sooo happy! We got inside the temple when Josh realized he had forgotten something... so we had to call his parents and wait for them to arrive. Everything got sorted out and we got all the marriage license things in order and prepared for the ceremony.

A temple sealing is a private and wonderful thing. It isn't an elaborate ceremony where you walk down an isle and there is music and that sort of thing. It is a simple religious ceremony that was unexpectedly better than I could have imagined. Seeing the warm smiles of close friends and some family caused a wave of peace to come over me. That peace was engulfing as Josh and I were sealed together for eternity. As we kissed each other, I have never felt so happy in my life. This moment was worth every lame blind date, every heart ache, everything I had to endure to find him. Josh was officially my husband. Another special moment for me was being able to one by one hug everyone who was at the ceremony before we left. I remember hugging my friend Jen Hanks and trying not to ruin my make-up. It was such a special moment for me because we have faced similar challenges in life and it made years of talking about our hopes and dreams seem so real.

I slipped into my wonderful wedding dress and Josh into his beautiful bow tie tux. Right before we were going to leave, I realized he didn't have a handkerchief! A few weeks before we got married, my grandmother gave me a beautiful hand made lace handkerchief that her great aunt had made. It was so special to me and I felt honored. I had it in my purse so I tucked it into his pocket and it looked perfect. We walked out of the temple to see more loving friends and family waiting and took a million pictures. We hugged and giggled and happy danced. During this time, the weather seemed to be getting worse and worse. The wind blew hair everywhere. There were dark clouds hovering and we wondered if it would rain. We rushed through family pictures and quickly wrapped up couples pictures when it started to rain. As we ran to the car, it started hailing. Yep, the sky was pouring millions of tiny balls of ice. We had to stop and get gas for our car before going anywhere else and we sat in the car and laughed at our luck. We were happy we didn't have an outdoor ring ceremony! We stopped quickly at the reception space to find that everything was going great. I am an event planner and not being able to be around to conduct everything was KILLING me. Seeing everything set up settled my fears and we left. We quickly made our way to the ring ceremony place so I could get a touch up on hair and make up. Eliza had to basically start over because the wind had been so fierce that day.

I realized I had eaten very little that day and I began to feel sick. I was also nervous. We hadn't rehearsed anything and I could feel a train wreck coming on. We quickly spoke with our officiator and lined up our bridal party to go down the isle. Keep in mind that I had never even seen the room before because our ring ceremony site had fallen through about 5 different times at 5 different places and this was the only available place in St. George. It ended up working great. Our bridal party went out in pairs and the wrong song was playing... I was for sure freaking out a little inside at this point. Right before my Dad and I walked out, he gave me a kiss on the cheek and said, "Calm down. Everything is ok. Enjoy every moment of this. I love you." It was everything that I needed to hear. I was so happy to have my Dad escort me down the isle. It was very special to me. I had looked forward to that moment my whole life and it was perfect. I walked down the stairs and almost immediately started crying... my entire way through the ceremony.

Josh and I had both written down words that we wanted to say to each other. Josh said the sweetest things to me that made me sob. As I tried to gather myself to say things to him, I was just crying too hard. I grabbed the handkerchief from his pocket and wiped up my face... which of course, made everyone laugh for some reason. I said the things of my heart and felt wonderful. I can recall seeing my little cousins on the front row looking up at me. I could see my new sister-in-law standing in the back with one of her babies. I saw my grandpa looking around like he was bored. It was quite funny. I talked to him after the ceremony and I said, "I cried quite a bit through that whole thing... not sure if anyone could understand what I was saying..." and he replied, "Well... to be honest... I couldn't understand a damn word that you said!" We laughed pretty hard and enjoyed a good moment.

Back to the ceremony: So as I was wrapping up my words to Josh, I realized that he hadn't given me a ring... and I hadn't given him his! I panicked as I realized I didn't even have the ring! Luckily, I turned back to my trusty maid of honor and she handed me the ring. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to give mine to him then so I mumbled something about not knowing what was going on and just asked him to take the ring... which created more laughter. Finally, the ceremony ended and we walked out hand in hand. As we approached the back we saw my sister-in-law still standing in the back with her son who as we walked passed him, was clapping for joy and crying his eyes out as we caught him mid-temper tantrum. It was hilarious.

We walked out, had a happy dance knowing that the formalities of the day were done and we were ready to party! We took a million more pictures with guests and had lots of hugs and kisses. It was amazing to see that so many people had come so far for us. People came from London, South Carolina, Rhode Island, and everywhere in between. We joked and had a wonderful time. My new family was taking care of us already as they got an ice cold Mountain Dew for us to share as we waited for more pictures. Our photographer was actually really awesome and I don't mean to say that he took too many pictures of us or anything. I think Josh and I were just reluctant to pose and look sappy together.

Josh and I headed to the reception excited and ready to party. We snacked on some candy and looked at how things had turned out. Our wedding party gathered to make our grand entrance to the Clash and cheering began. We made it our goal to make our guests feel comfortable and have fun... Josh and I are basically big kids so we decided to make EVERYTHING fun. We bought cases upon cases of glass bottled soda in our favorite flavors- Coke, Cream Soda, Dr. Pepper, Bubble Up, and much more. Josh and I talked about our love of pizza the first day we met so we had Pier 49 pizzas and delicious pastas and salads. I love the clear/pineapple gummy bears and Josh loves chocolates and taffy so we bought them for wedding favors. We also made punk rock buttons and magnets. We used the logos of bands and replaced the name with ours. We even took our pictures and photoshopped them together to look like Queen. Pretty awesome. One of our favorite things became the photobooth that we used as a guest book. It showed everyone's personalities and we had sweet messages.

Josh and I are music nerds so music would play a huge part in the wedding. We had our first slow dance to our song by Phoenix called "Lost and Found" I can remember Josh trying to burrow his head into my neck and whispering that he was nervous because everyone was staring at us. He's not an attention seeker. Haha! We exchanged I love you's and how happy we were. We felt that all the work was worth it for a beautiful wedding. Next, I danced with my Dad. We danced to "Dear Prudence" by Siouxsie and the Banshees. They are one of my favorite bands and my Dad took me to see them for my first concert when I was about 6. It was another special moment for me to dance with him. I tried not to cry the whole time. Apparently others didn't do as well because I had about 6 different friends and family came up to me afterward and told me they were so touched to see me and my Dad dancing together. Those who knew us and knew Siouxsie, knew how special it was for me. It was perfect.

The rest of the night went on great. Josh danced sweetly with his mother. We had beautiful and tearful toasts (as if I needed to cry more that day!). We cut cake. We tossed the bouquet and garter. We danced and cut loose. Even some R. Kelly made an appearance during the dancing. Slowly, our guests began to dwindle. Most of our guests came from out of town and needed to get back from where they came from that night. We tried to spend as much time with everyone as we could but it didn't feel like enough. We left with everyone blowing bubbles at us and went to our car that was thankfully, not decorated. (We had tried to hide our car to prevent that from happening actually!) It was a quiet ending to a wonderful day. It really felt like a tremendous out pouring of love and it carried us on a high for quite awhile. I know people say that your wedding day can be tainted by things or be too busy or whatever. I didn't feel that way. I had my family, the temple, pizza, and Josh. There were some things that didn't go to plan... but it could never take away from the fact that it was the most perfect day of my existance.

It may sound silly but I never felt like I deserved a happy life. I always expected to settle for someone who didn't match me. I lost faith that I could find everything I wanted in one man. Even though I may have seemed happy with someone I was dating before, I never knew what it felt like to love and be loved. It was always shallow and conditional. It is such a sad thought to me that I spent so many years being lonely or unhappy- whether or not I was in a relationship. Now don't get me wrong, Josh isn't a saint. He isn't the flawless Prince Charming one might expect.... but he is the man of my dreams. He makes me laugh. I trust him more than anyone and he NEVER lets me down. When times are tough, he is selfless and emerges with more strength than I thought possible. He harmonizes with me while we sing along to Saves the Day on road trips. When I cry he silently brings me a roll of toilet paper and water and rubs my back. He is intelligent and challenges my mind. He believes in me. He just knows how to love me. He would do anything for me I would do anything for him. I truly didn't think I could have someone so amazing. I love him and our love will grow and last forever. I am forever, Mrs. Everett.

The Day Before...

2010-07-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

The reason I began writing the story about Josh and I is for me. There are some moments in life that I wish I could replay like a movie. I wish I could watch it over and over and experience the feelings. Sometimes I wish I could go back in moments where I was unsure and relive them as a relaxed person who knows the outcome. Really, I don't mind whoever else reads this. I just want to think about these things and hold them close to my heart. My wedding day and the day before were days that I hold closest to my heart because they were perfect.

The day before the wedding we received more bad news about a rehearsal because of course, we were cursed. So we decided to wing it and take it in stride. Where do you best take things in stride? At the nail salon of course! My sisters, Celia, Josh, and I headed to the nail salon. Josh had his first pedicure and laughed hysterically when they scrubbed the bottom of his feet. He got his nails done too because we thought it was inevitable that we take pictures of our hands wearing our rings... and his fingers were kinda gnarly. We were there for what seemed like forever and then finally rushed home to get ready for the rehearsal dinner.

It was only very close family and the wedding party. It was the first time that our families would meet! We were a little afraid it would be a disaster because almost everything associated with the wedding was... but it was a dream! Josh's parents set up tables and chairs in their beautiful backyard for a delicious dinner. The kids ran around and played together in the backyard, my uncles were talking to Josh's siblings... it was a sight to behold! I know that our wedding day was amazing but there was something special about that dinner. People at that dinner came from all over the world to be there and there was an amazing energy and outpouring of love. I've never felt so comfortable and happy in my life. Our families were not only merging, they were actually having fun and getting along!

That night, it was open to give toasts. We heard inspiring and loving words that we needed more than anything. I didn't want that night to end. It went by so quickly. Before I knew it, I was at my condo with Larissa laying in bed and having our last pillow talk. As we giggled, the stress began to melt away even more. I expressed my fears and excitement about what the future held and it made everything so real. Larissa reassured me everything would be wonderful and to enjoy every moment. It was sad for me to know that I wouldn't share sleepy talk with my girlfriends again... but then it made me excited that I would always have the man of my dreams next to me every night.

I drugged myself with a sleeping pill because I knew that if I started thinking about getting married I wouldn't sleep. It was like waiting for Christmas day...

Bummer Blog

2010-06-12T00:03:00.000-07:00

Provo, Utah is known for BYU... Mormons.... Beautiful Mountains... Yep, that's about all I can come up with right now. Lets get to the point, I'm not writing this blog post to tell you that Provo should be your next vacation spot.... because well..... I hate it.

I Hate Provo.

Some of you may leave comments about how I "didn't find my niche" or how I did something to have the God of Provo spit fireballs at me but I won't listen. Lesson that I learned from Provo, people can hide an awful lot to uphold a certain appearance. For those of you that think it is great, good for you. Maybe I just hit the lotto of terrible people/experiences. The reason I am saying all of this is because I'm setting you up for the backdrop of my romantic adventure with Josh... it's a miracle our love could grow amongst filth.

Josh and I began a wonderful summer together in 2009. He took me to my first MLS game. We enjoyed the cool summer nights. We traveled to Salt Lake City for delicious food and entertainment. We went to Josh's family reunion. We traveled occasionally to Vegas. As the fall started to set in, things became even more magical. The leaves changed color. We went to California and met my new step baby brother, We had a beautiful Thanksgiving in St. George and life was wonderful. Our love was growing. We laughed together, watched the same trashy TV shows, we spent every second together. There were some hard times too. We would misunderstand each other and argue. We reacted poorly and there were consequences. We had other stresses outside of our relationship that created strains. When things were hard I wanted to run away.... but I ultimately wanted him. I can recall a time when I thought we weren't going to work out. I sat in my car in front of his house about to drive away but then I stopped. I thought, "Why we would be breaking up?" It stumped me. I wondered what I would tell people why we broke up. I couldn't think of a reason. I think that's the night I absolutely knew i was going to marry him. I knew there was no reason to break up with him. He was the whole package. He was everything that I ever wanted. I let my personal fears of divorce and other stupid fears get in my way of realizing that things were wonderful. After realizing that, I had to get my butt back into the house and tell him I was dumb and that i wanted him in my life permanently.

First came the love... then came the "M" word. It was a long, hard road for me to want to get married but not for Josh. Lots of other people just assumed that he was the one dragging his feet about marriage. People saw us together and just thought, it was him not wanting to settle down. Truth is, we were both scared but... Josh was ready. He patiently waited for me and I'm glad he did. We started making plans to make things official. We had no idea what we were in for. As if things in Provo weren't hard enough sometimes, we were about to have the worst engagement ever.

I've tried to block out most of the bad things that happened but lets see....
- Our invitations were printed with a wrong address and we had to reprint them, at our expense.
- Both of our cars broke down at the same time
- We were in constant battle with a rental company in St. George (which is where we decided to marry) because they not only had the wrong quantities of tables/chairs/etc but they also always had the wrong reception date and time. Idiots.
- Due to some of the restrictions of church and city buildings, our ceremony site fell through about 5 different times in 5 different places. This was mainly the reason that our invitations did not get into the mail until about 28 days before the wedding.
- Various friends/family were expressing offense because of the wedding party, money, other guests that might be in attendance, timing, distance, etc etc
- Things and people we thought we could count on were MIA
- About 2 weeks before the wedding, there was a miscommunication and one of the quotes for our decorations was wrong... by about $8,000. Luckily, we were able to get everything worked out perfectly.
- We felt sick a lot (or maybe I was just never able to get warm because the snow sucks)
- My wedding dress was literally handed to me at 7am the morning we drove down to St. George before the wedding. I had about 7 different fittings for sleeves over a couple months and it just did not get done or there was something wrong with it.
- Some of the bridesmaids dresses took longer than expected and needed to be tailored (like my dress) just days before the wedding.
- We spent money and time in LA chasing down things we were promised, only to find out the guy selling it to us split without letting us know. (I still hate you Edgar.)
- Josh was denied some of the top schools he wanted to go to for his Phd.
- Arsenal (Josh's soccer team) didn't get into any finals and didn't win any silverware, aka, awards/cups.
- Decorations broke/ didn't work out.

Overall, right up until the day before the wedding, everything was a disaster. At that point, I said, Ok, I'm done. I decided I was going to forget it all. The only thing that really mattered was that I would get married. Family was starting to arrive in St. George and it no longer mattered if we all celebrated in a gas station parking lot. Things were starting to change... It began to settle in that I was going to be with Josh forever. My mind doesn't quite understand that concept but I realized that he would be my husband. My team mate. The person I could always count on. The guy in my corner. Josh and Misty v. The World... And nothing else mattered....

London Love Part Deux

2010-05-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

When I look back at my life, it feels like a small miracle that I experienced the things I experienced. There were some things I swore I would never do and ended up doing them. There are some people that I didn't think I would make friends with and I have. There are some things I said I wouldn't like... and ended up liking them. And then there are some times when I am completely right....

The distance between London and Huntington Beach is about 5,456 miles.... and it felt it. I wondered if we had be just set up for failure though. With the back drop of London with its beautiful light rain, spectacular museums, and vacation feel, I wondered if I had just had a London fling. I worried that maybe he was just too good to be true. I didn't want to get my hopes up. I needed more time and consistency. I certainly got it.

For 6 long months Josh and I saw each other and talked via Skype. At first it was casual... I told him when I got asked out by people. I told him they were handsome men. I told him they were very nice gentlemen. I felt good about this. I wanted to see how he reacted. Truthfully, I hated it. The guys that were asking me out were handsome gentlemen but had the personality of rocks. I found Josh and his interests so fascinating that nothing could compare.

After an amount of time, I felt really safe with our relationship. Josh was a great friend. He was fun to talk to and hang out with online. I was content with the distance and felt like everything was fine... until a few American tarts entered the picture. I had spies on Josh the whole time we were apart. I knew the church activities he went to, I knew how he was doing in school, I knew who he was hanging out with... which is where the problem began. I heard through the grapevine that there were some women that were semi aggressively showing interest in Josh. Yep, the claws were about to come out.

I realized that although I was casually hanging out with people of the opposite sex, he wasn't allowed to. Luckily, with the help of good friends who had my back, I was able to preserve my class and still fight back. I also began a full fledged facebook attack to Josh's page: "I love you"'s and baby talk and all. It was a huge turning point for me. Josh was mine. I was willing to fight for him because he was worth it. I knew him like no one else. I helped him through his times of need and he with mine. No one, I repeat, NO ONE could get in the way of that. I understand that this may sound obsessive but once you have something that unique and special, you're willing to do anything. It's true... love does make you a little crazy. And boy was I about to do some crazy stuff.

For those of you that may not know, in England, you can get your masters in a year. You do about about 8 months of course work in an actual class room and the last few months you spend researching and writing a dissertation. One day, Josh informed me of this. Our relationship had grown by leaps and bounds and he made a deal with me. He told me he would leave London (insane) and move back to America where he could do his research to finish his paper. But he could only move one place to do his research: Provo Utah. Yep, I did the thing I said I would never do: move to Utah.

Josh loves books and had a lot of things to bring home and I missed friends and Josh terribly so I decided to take a trip to London. So, just before my birthday, I flew out. Josh and I hadn't seen each other in almost exactly 6 months (even thought we spoke EVERY DAY). I was so nervous. I spent all the money I had to get out there. I wondered if we'd see each other and just go "meh". I worried that maybe we'd just lose interest and I'd end up moving to Provo for nothing.... but I think all great things come with a bit of a risk.

Terrified, excited, full of emotions, and broke, I arrived in London. He met me at the airport. He even shaved his beard for me. It was weird making the connection that this was the man I had fallen for in London then connected with via internet. We hugged and both admitted we were nervous. We held hands awkwardly like it was the first time. I was exhausted from traveling so he helped me with my luggage and let me rest at his place, affectionately known as his "cell". We sat together and had a quiet moment. It seemed like time stood still for awhile. We kissed and all of my fears were gone. It was the real thing. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to spend every waking second with him. And we have.

I was able to see some wonderful friends and have those long awaited moments of old friendship; Girly chats, city adventures, and the wonderful feeling of having my spirit connect to other incredible humans. I was once again able to walk the streets of London, the most beautiful place, with my hand and heart intertwined with Josh's. I was in heaven. Heavenly bliss. Or as some called it, La La Land.

Sad goodbyes were said once again but this time, it was only for my London friends. Josh would be joining me soon in America and we would move to Provo together. Did I mention love does crazy things? Well it does, I moved to Provo. My least favorite place in the world. I would rather live in Compton. While there were some genuine and kind people, I learned the hard way that just because someone says they're a friend, Mormon, or good person, it doesn't mean it is true. I shed many tears and heartache with people calling me a liar, rude, and judgmental. It hurt a lot. I won't go into the details of that... however, I will focus on the positive. I ultimately found my husband.... but as we would later learn, the heartache would not limit itself just to a city...

Our Story: Part 1

2010-05-27T02:29:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's time for a major update. This may take a few days but my recent insomnia will aid this adventure. Where to start...

Lets rewind back to 2008 while I was in London so you get the full story..... Beware, it's full of my deepest personal thoughts on love and the pursuit of it. It is sappy and mushy but it is my history.

I went to church one day in September and saw a guy who I recognized was new in the ward. I made a plan to say "welcome" but didn't get to that day. The next weekend, I went to General Conference (a world wide broadcast of sermons from church leaders) and saw the same guy. I noticed that there was something about him that attracted me instantly. I wanted to follow through with my plan to introduce myself but backed out because he was cute.... until I noticed him talking to a girl that I despised. Word was spreading of people going out to eat after the broadcast to a restaurant called Wagamama's. I wondered if he had been invited. So, playing it cool, I walked over to this slag and played friendly. I told her we were going to Wagamam

a's and she should come... and this new friend. He accepted and the rest of the night we were inseparable. I almost lost him at the shuffle of seating arrangements at the restaurant but I gave myself a fierce mental pep talk to go after him!

The whole dinner we argued. I told him I loved Minus the Bear. He said Botch was better. I told him no one loved pizza like I did. He told me he started a pizza club and had a shirt. It was love. After dinner friends invited us to a house to watch the Goonies. That night it rained and I wasn't wearing the best shoes while we walked so I was very cold. I sat between Larissa and Josh to get warm and our host got me a blanket. The 3 of us sat VERY close... or should I say 2 of us did... (This picture was taken of us at Wagamama's the very first night we met.)

That night at the roomie "debriefing" with Larissa she said, "So... Josh...?" and I said, "Yeah! He's kind of a jerk! He is studying mysticism, he has all these strong opinions, he says he hates babies, and just... jerk! But... there's something about him.... there's something so intriguing..."

The next day I saw him at Conference. He came over to my flat afterwards for games and treats. We played the sleeping game which "necessitated" some cuddling. (The sleeping game is really a game. I wasn't just being a tart!)

The next day, Monday, he and I met up to go to the National Gallery but it closed so we wandered through Trafalgar Square to South Kensington. We stopped at parks, enjoyed the rain, enjoyed the trees, enjoyed the company. It went that way for months. We were always together. We saw each other every day. We explored museums, Soho, Stonehenge, Bath, Camden, markets, festivals, we even got lost wandering random London streets. He became my best friend quickly.

Earlier that year had my heart shattered and at times it was hard to believe that Josh was for real. I tested his integrity and probed into his history. I finally realized that I could trust him. He could be shy or put out a tough exterior at times but I slowly allowed myself to see the man he was. He cared intensely for his family and talked to them often. He waved and made faces at children on the tube. He was forever dependable and honorable. He shared his love of humanity and God in the humblest of ways. He was real.

By the time I realized all of this, time was running out. My visa was expiring and could not be extended. He was mid masters program and committed to stay for another 6 months. I felt at peace with things though. Finding love in London wasn't what I expected but it felt right. I didn't want to put pressure on anything so I said we should keep in touch and see what happens when he gets back to the states. I never felt so much pain and cried so many tears as I did when I left him at the Heathrow airport. Even security workers gave me a pat on the back as they checked my passport and I sobbed.... the ugly sob. I knew something was different.

I returned home to California. My grandparents are amazing and made me feel loved and wonderful. I missed my sisters like crazy and enjoyed getting to spend time with them. It took time to find a job and I desperately needed things to fill my time. I tried to get involved in my new ward and it just didn't fit. I got asked out by wonderful people but... they didn't have that spark. My heart had decided on Josh. No relationship or even friendship I ever had could compare to him. In May 2009, Josh gave me a choice. He said that he would finish his masters dissertation from America if I moved to Utah where he could do his research. I packed my bags for London... I was going to help move to America...

To be continued...

Forever

2009-07-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

Yep, livin in Utah now. More about that to come. For now, here's somethin I found online. There aren't many things that make me happy like this. This was pure genius and yet adorable.

Lost to be Found Again

2009-05-03T23:46:00.000-07:00

It's been quite awhile since I've blogged. I've been feeling like my life isn't very exciting and I don't have much to report. I refuse to use my blog for the cliche reasons like complaining or poetry but I'm only a 24 (almost 25) year old girl. What do you expect?

My life has reached doomsday. I am a planner. I have always had 30 different crazy options for my life and suddenly, they've all met their fate...

Last year when I left Las Vegas, I knew I would only be in London for 6 months on my temporary visa but I was already planning and figuring out what I would do when I came back. I had a hard time deciding where I should move. Las Vegas was no longer appealing so I had to jump ship. Arizona looked promising with a great YSA scene but something wasn't quite right. Utah seemed unappealing and full of boring Mormons but the idea stuck for some reason. I was so ashamed I couldn't bring myself to admit to anyone that Utah was alluring. I took the easy way out and decided I needed to be spontaneous so I planned on deciding later.

Right before I left London my family fell into crisis so I decided that I would stay in California for about 6 months. I wanted to be home to strengthen ties and be a support. Although things were more complicated than expected, I feel like I've done what I came here to do. I honestly hate southern California. The traffic, the materialistic vibe, the terrible job market... it's all crap.

Whilst in London, I started dating a guy who is so cool I wanted to try the long distance thing. He's an American studying for a masters and wouldn't you know it, the one place in the world where he would go home to in June would be *drumroll* UTAH. As of a few weeks ago, I have accepted defeat and I am moving to Provo, Utah.

Utah, in my mind, is Mormon hell. It's the robot factory with amazing outdoor sporting activities. It's poufy hair and a jello contest. It's Molly Mormons and Peter Priesthoods who hide their sins with good intentions and plates of cookies.

I know it can't be that terrible though. It'll be what I make it. In the times that I'm able to beat back the monsters of hypocrisy and hopeless negativity, I am able to see the allure; four seasons, a people with good morals, not needing to lock my doors, a decent job market, and a new city to be dominated. I'm NOT afraid of a challenge and just the fact that the image in my mind is so horrible, it makes me want to go and kick butt even more. I'm pretty sure that I will end up loving it.

The next uncertainty I'm faced with is a job/education. I have recently been craving classes. I hope it's a phase... but I can't help but feel like I'm not progressing unless I'm in a classroom. I've basically been conditioned to require a report card and pieces of papers with gold stars. Curse you Education! So what do I do? Get a masters in my field that will put me in debt up to my eyeballs and leave me with a piece of paper and no real world experience? Why didn't I want to be a doctor or nurse? Sigh.

Next item of uncertainty: age. Whew... quarter of a century. It's quite the milestone. It just hit me. I think the word I'll use is "confusing". I feel like a kid... but I'm supposed to be a grown-up now? Scary.

Uncertainty(Age + job + moving plans)= Anxious Misty. I know I'll figure everything out but to my 'planner' mind, I'm not only off course, I'm on a new one looking at the old map.

Despite all the fears, I am extremely optimistic and excited to start a new and unplanned chapter in my life. I think it has potential to change everything for better. Here I come Utah!

California Dreamin

2009-01-17T00:30:00.000-08:00

Although I'm not sure I'll have much to say, I've decided to indulge myself and continue blogging. I suppose this will still be a place where I can say whatever the freak I wanna say... it'll probably have to do with family... music... stuff... you know... general rants....

Well, I've been home for a few weeks now. Lets catch up. My lovely roommate in London, Larissa, came to America!!! It was a much needed visit. I was having some serious homesickness for London. She and I hung out for a couple days. I showed her some classic American things including Hollywood, In-n-Out, and Disneyland! I loved that I got to show her around a bit. She's a lovely girl and I miss her SO much.

This is us with Pluto. We saw him at the same time a bunch of little kids did so we ran over to him and took our picture first... hence the look of pure childish glee. I got an annual pass to the Magic Kingdom for Christmas so if anyone wants to go, holla.

One week my grandpa had 3 extra tickets to a hockey game and asked if I wanted to invite some friends. I invited my childhood friend from elementary school, Celia. Later that week, I started going to church at my new ward and wouldn't you know it, something random happens. I ended up seeing Jared, a guy I was friends with in elementary school! I still had the extra ticket so I invited him along. It was a Fryberger Elementary reunion! It was fun to catch up and talk about other people we knew who are now sluts, druggies, or parents.

Since Christmas, my life has slowed down a bit. I've been buckling down, looking for a job. It sucks. I won't even try to express how ridiculous trying to find a job is right now. Be grateful if you have a job.

A big blessing of not having a job is that I've gotten to see quite a bit of my family. Last night I baby sat my Uncle Henry's kids. I had SO MUCH FUN. We had a crazy night of Life, hockey (in the house), truth or dare, candle roasted s'mores, microwave marshmallow jousts, prank calls, and staying up past bedtimes. I had a great time... I love those crazy kids. This is a video of when we played truth or dare and kyle had to drink a nasty potion we made. I seriously thought the poor kid was going to puke.

Well, that's all for now. I'm not sure I lead an incredibly exciting life anymore so stay tuned for the misadventures.

Last days in London...

2009-01-08T23:37:00.000-08:00

I'm going to pick up where I left off and talk about my last few days in London.

I can't imagine them being more perfect than they were.

On the Saturday before I left, Larissa planned a little gathering for me. We had Haribo gummies, a little Justin Timberlake, and laughs. London sees a lot of people come and go so one traditional thing that's done is everyone will take turns and say their funniest/happiest memory of the person leaving. Almost all the people that mattered most to me were there so it was a huge blessing to be surrounded by people that I love. Larissa bought me an I heart London shirt and had everyone sign it. It started to sink in that I was leaving...

On Sunday, I didn't feel so good. I had a cold and I was high on medicine at church... I heard I was pretty fun though. Josh helped me home. I was pretty delirious. I think I said a bunch of scandalous things.

Monday was the ward Christmas party. It was a bit of a pain to help plan. I felt like I didn't know what was going on at all. It came together in the end though. We had a funny (borderline inappropriate) skit about the Nativity after which we sang Christmas hymns as a ward. Thats when it hit me. The beautiful music, my AMAZING ward, and my closest friends sitting around me hit me hard. The bishop got up and said a few words before the closing prayer... and I lost it. I sobbed during the entire closing prayer. I realized I was leaving. Josh held me a for a bit while I cried... until my littlest roommate Ferne jumped on my lap and stuck some of the Christmas glitter to my face with her spit. Gross... but somehow endearing.

Larissa, Sophie, and I went to catch the tube together. I wanted to have a last kebab and they willingly stayed out late to eat trashy kebabs and chips while talking about our favorite Britannia gossip. All I remember was laughing so hard I thought my coke would come out of my nose.

On Tuesday, my last night, we had our Parsifal Family Christmas- All the flatmates and people considered close (or usually around) enough to be family. We had a big dinner, a good ol fashioned family fight, Secret Santa, and games.

It was another perfect night. We played a game called Face Off. You put a mint chocolate square on your forehead and without using your hands, you slide the sweet down your face and into your mouth. This video is the final round... and guess who won....

That's right.

That night I decided I didn't want to fall asleep. I didn't want to lose anymore time in London. I think I finally gave up and fell asleep some time around 4-4:30 only to wake up at 7 to go to the airport. My girls woke up to say goodbye to me and I cried some more as I walked out of the Parsifal Road flat for the last time.

After a tearful goodbye with Josh at the airport, almost missing my flight, being delayed by a possible terrorist threat, and 11 hours in the air, I walked into the squeezing arms of my mom and sisters. My London adventure officially ended.

Memories:

We Say/ They Say

Underwear Pants

Hokey Pokey Hokey Cokey

Crap or Trash Rubbish

Bye, Thank You Cheers

Fanny Vagina

Cookie Biscuit

15 minute walk "Just up the road"

Man, Guy Bloke

Hello, How are you? Alright?!

Can't be trusted Dodgy

Whore Slag

Pimples, Zits Spots

Friend Mate

"Nobody said it would be so hard. I'm going back to the start"

2008-12-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

Yes America, your favorite Native American will return on Wednesday afternoon. She may be a bit jet lagged but she's just as fabulous, if not heaps more fabulous from her European domination.

Earlier this year in May, I was bawling after my "going away" party in Las Vegas. After about a solid hour of crying and lamenting my decision to move to London, Dave said, "You are going to have an amazing time. 6 months from now, you are going to be doing the same thing in London- crying- because of the loved ones you will leave behind." He was more right than I'd like to admit.

I can't tell you all how gutted I am to be leaving London. I have met people who have changed my life forever. My experiences are now confined to dream-like visions that I hope never leave my mind. It's so painful. Painful.

I wish I could stay but the visa process is both lengthy and expensive. It's not necessarily impossible but I want to be home for a little while. I have no idea what I want to do... where I want to move... or where I'll be 2 months from now... and to be honest, I don't care. I'm letting things fall where they may.

So here I go... California here I come, right back where I started from.

"So much present inside my present, so much past in inside my present"

2008-11-25T04:45:00.000-08:00

The past week has been kinda crazy. I've had some random meltdowns but generally I've been trying to focus on making my last weeks in London amazing. I'm having the same feelings that I had right before I left Vegas... like I'm going to paralyze myself with sadness if I think about leaving. I can't express how much I'm going to miss this place. The people, places, and the adventures are incomparable.

I went to the London temple on Friday for the last time. There was construction happening on the outside and they said it was because they are going to put an Angel Moroni on top! Amazing! Going to the temple was exactly what I needed. I had a terrible day but the peace and comfort in the temple was indescribable. The temple is about an hour by train outside of London so it's kinda in the middle of nowhere. The quiet countryside surroundings only added to my comfort. It was the first time that I had seen stars in England! I usually only see clouds and pollution but that night was perfect.

The whole weekend was great. Saturday was fun chillin with Josh and Sunday was my roommate Ferne's birthday. Yep, that's Ferne with a bucket on her head. It was a good weekend.

I've made a list of all the things that I want to do before I leave and I'm slowly ticking things off the list. Yesterday Josh and I went to the V&A and Science museums. Walking around museums could be one of my favorite activities whether I'm by myself listening to my ipod and slowly examining paintings or if I'm being quizzed by Josh about the significance of middle eastern geometric art. Sigh... I'm going to miss that...

Alright, lets get down to business for a bit. I'd like to address some things that happened from the last blog. First I'd like to say that, I didn't even know that people read this blog besides my grandparents. Second, I didn't know that people really cared about what I think about life. Third, I didn't know I hate homosexuals... oh wait... I don't.

Lets recap some of the fun things people said: "Living in your sheltered little, mormon world you have probably never had an in-depth conversation with a gay or lesbian person." "I'm hardly religious at all and i know right now, you are a moron. plain and simple." "How could you be so full of hate? Think twice before you open your fat mouth and let bullshit stream from your lips." "Do you get ridiculed for your religious beliefs?" And my personal favorite: "Go ahead and hold on to your religious convictions as narrow-minded as they may be, but do not under any circumstances think that you have any right to take someone elses rights away from them. For your sake I hope that one day you don't have to tell your own gay child that they are not allowed to marry because you and those like you said so." Way to talk about my unborn children you random person! Whew... lets simmer down now.

First of all, I'd like to ask, who the eff are you anonymous people? Do I know you? If so, come clean! Whatever you have to say, say it. I can handle a disagreement. I can't handle a mask of anonymity- the deception disgusts me. The anonymous comments were not trying to create understanding or solution. They were meant to publicly belittle and label me to discredit my opinions and values. I was scoffed at by my father (which was not ok) but we agree to disagree and I'm proud he's not a coward. (By the way, thanks for the defense with A-2 motogimp.) So go ahead... disagree with me.... but for your sake, I hope I don't find out who you are now. There won't be any mistake about how I feel about this.

I'd like to say that I'm overall not pleased with Prop 8. There has to be another solution to this rubbish. I don't begrudge anyone's happiness nor am I of the thinking that homosexuals should "burn in hell." I believe that marriage is of God and therefore sacred. As pointed out in another comment, "What about the right of the religious members of our country to protect what they consider sacred?"

Go read all the comments from the last blog. John and Josh had some valid points that I agree with. Feel free to continue leaving rude comments on my page if you like. Just know that it's not going to get you anywhere. Unless you have something constructive to say, don't expect me to get back to you. And for heaven's sake, if I know you, say who you are. We'll get some herbal tea and crumpets and talk.... unless that sounds too narrow minded and religious for you...

The funny thing about all this crap is that I'm not even registered as a California voter yet. Haha!

***Special apologies to my sweet young cousins and sisters (who besides my grandparents also read this blog) for the contentious content***

Lets end on a happy note- here are some randoms:

- One night when Josh and I were in Soho we saw Robin Williams. Weird. He's much shorter than I expected. He was like 5'6''!

- While walking around near Kings Cross station at about 11:30pm, Josh and I saw a fox! Running around in the city! So weird...

-These last pictures are from the Science museum. There was a plastic exhibit and they have red plastic curtains/blinds throughout. I had some fun tweaking the exposures and making the colors weird.

"Is tomorrow just a day like all the rest?"

2008-11-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable." - C.S. Lewis

My thoughts don't sleep these days. There are more wandering words in my mind than I could possibly blog. The next 2 months are going to be unpredictable. I find myself trying to mentally prepare but... how do you prepare of the unpredictable?

I want to stay in London but it looks like I can't for visa reasons. I'm going back to the states for the holidays then I may try to come back... but time is not on my side right now. Wait time for visas are around 6 months because the border control laws are being overhauled. Money isn't on my side either. Between visas, travel expenses, and having no money... Its not looking like I'd get back to England until June.... and that doesn't help. It really bites. I wish I could stay for just 9 more months...

In my preparation to come back to the states, I've been thinking more about American politics, in particular, proposition 8. I've seen some news coverage that bothers me. I have never been a political person but prop 8 has sparked something in me. The way I grew up was "as long as it's not hurting anyone else, it's cool" but apathy seems to be wearing off as I get older. The more I mature (even at slow rates), this becomes more clear- I believe in marriage. It is important to me. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I have also chosen to heed the council of church leaders and support the sanctity of marriage. For these reasons, I have decided it is important for me to declare my beliefs by supporting the protection of marriage.

I am not particularly eloquent when it comes to addressing sensitive topics like this but I was pretty impressed with Josh's blog. Prop 8 has been a topic of conversation for us a few times. I think that Josh and I have slightly different views on things but I admire his flexibility, fairness, and I respect his opinions.

In other random news, I bought myself a ticket to see the special Clarity tour by Jimmy Eat World. I'm going to see the last performance of the tour in Tempe. Is this good news? No. This is AMAZING news!!! Clarity is my favorite album of all time and seeing them perform it in it's entirety?! I feel like I have a second chance at life since I missed the boat 10 years ago. I think I might have a meltdown like a screaming Michael Jackson fan...

Lets go back to the beginning- why the love quote from C.S. Lewis? Life is rough. It is a hard time for me and my family. Right now I'm trying to roll with the punches even though they hurt. Sometimes life sucks. Sometimes timing is off. Sometimes I let myself become callused by experiences that I have no control over. However, C.S. Lewis had it right- "to love is to be vulnerable." I have felt that vulnerability more in the last year than I have my whole life. Upon moving to London, the dynamics of every relationship I had changed. It has been sobering, tearful, humbling, and rewarding. I'm grateful for the experiences I've had despite any pain or confusion. It has pointed me in a direction of gratitude and I've come to see how blessed I am. I have food to eat, a nice place to live, family that love me, friends and a boyfriend who uplift and support me, and church doctrine that strengthens and gives me peace. Everyone that has helped- you know who you are and you know I love you.

The countdown has begun now I guess... 19 days.

"Trick or treat, The bitter and the sweet"

2008-11-08T06:20:00.000-08:00

Halloween has always been a big deal in my family. We always dress up and party some how. This year I was very apathetic about dressing up.... I felt like I had no reason to for the first time in my 24 years of life.

The last 3 years I've had full on Halloween parties at my house in Vegas and this year seemed to be a half hearted effort. England is not into Halloween so even seeing one little girl on the street dressed as a witch made my day... which is the ONLY person I saw on the street in costume. Sad. Josh helped pull me out of my funk and we decided to dress up since we were having a party at our house. We dressed up as Zombie prom dates or something. It went well. There were about 45 people packed into our tiny flat. It's not the usual 300 people in a house but it was pretty cool. I got a sugar high from all the candy and soda so I spent the whole night dancing in the kitchen. This is my favorite roommate Larissa- she looked so good!

Snow in London!!!

2008-11-03T06:53:00.000-08:00

Last week Hayley, my roommates, Josh, and I were chillin in the living room when our littlest roommate Ferne comes running down the stairs screaming, "IT'S SNOWING!!!!!" I didn't believe her. I stood up to look out the window and sure enough it was! We immediately jumped up, grabbed shoes, and went running around in the falling snow.

It was the first time that it's snowed in October in London since 1930-something. Josh was sick but I very persuasively lured him outside with me. Look how happy he is!

I bet you can figure out what they did with those snowballs after the picture was taken.... jerks.

Foux du Fafa

2008-11-03T04:37:00.000-08:00

Paris! I went to Paris! One of the things that I wanted to see before I left this side of the world was Paris and I went! The whole experience was amazing and NOT what I expected... I'll hit the highlights for you:

- I went with my friends Tom and Kristin. For some reason, we decided to be young, dumb, and cheap by going to Paris by bus. Yep, we traveled all through the night for 9 hours each way. It sucked. We did only spend 40 pounds round trip though...

- For some unknown reason, I have found it necessary when I am in a new place to frolic. I have about 20 pictures of me doing so.

- I have learned that McDonald's are not only more posh overseas but they help calm your nerves when you are cold, wanna swear, and have been wandering lost for 2 hours trying to find your hotel.

- French people on the street seem eager to test out their English whereas people in the service industry hate you when you say "formage" with an American accent. On a similar note, I'd like to mention that I went to Paris knowing only one French word: Oui. No joke. I learned how to say good evening while I was there and that's about it. No wonder they hated me.

- I ate every French food I could possibly think of: quiche, baguettes, creme brulee, croissants, pastries, etc etc... Mmm... they've got it going on.

- It's funny how when you're in a new place you think of all the stereotypes. Every night walking through the metro stations, I would start singing and dancing to Beauty and the Beast "Bonjour! Bonjour! There goes the baker...." or Flight of the Conchords "Foux du fafa fafaaaa" At a low delirious point we would all start puckering our lips and pretend to smoke french fries. I got really excited when I heard a little French kid grunt "Oooo la la!!!"

- I, Misty Barrett, visited the Louvre. I don't care what anyone else says, it was amazing. Yes, it was an overwhelming amount of art but it was fantastic. I mean really, I saw the Mona Freakin Lisa. This other picture reminded me of my sister Natalie for some reason...

- Paris smells like pee. Everywhere. No joke.

- Notre Dame could be my favorite cathedral I've been to in the world. I think it was even better than St. Peter's in Italy. It was absolutely gorgeous. We were able to be there for part of their evening services on Sunday and the feeling in there was surreal. Two men with angelic voices sang, incense burned, and the fading light through the stained glass windows made my finger tips tingle.

- I hate the Catacombs and they aren't that cool! I'm just trying to make myself feel better... I didn't actually get to see them because they were closed the only day we could go. Biggest regret of the trip.

- I had this theory on the trip that you could make anyone understand you if you just said anything with a French accent. No one believed me. On our way to find the catacombs, we got lost and we were looking at a local map. I asked a man also looking at the map if he spoke English. He said yes. I asked him if he could tell us where the catacombs were. He looked at me with a blank look- clearly didn't know English too well. So I pointed to the map and said "The catacombs?" Blank stare. So I said, "Les Cata-combs?" with the French accent and he said "Oooooooh! Les Catacombs!!!" Sigh.

- Walking through Pere Lachaise was incredible. This is a cemetery that holds many famous people including Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison- the latter who I discovered I am related to in my recent trip to Scotland. Sweet eh?

- The French really need to take it easy with the weird naked statues.

- The French police are pretty cool. After picking up an abandoned shopping cart and having some fun, we got harassed by the cops a bit. They didn't know any English and we didn't know any French so I tried to diffuse the situation by using the good ol' universal language of flirtation. I think they were mocking us and we had no idea but in the end it was a good laugh.

Ah, Paris. Good times. I seriously have the travel bug right now. I really don't want to leave yet....

Stonehenge and Baaaaath

2008-10-29T05:12:00.000-07:00

This is blog is really late but I know some of you really wanted to know more about my trip so here we go. England is so beautiful right now. I've never experienced "fall" weather before- I'm a California girl. The weather has cooled quickly and leaves are changing color. Sidewalks covered in leaves make my day brighter as I shuffle my feet happily through them.

I recently went to Stonehenge and Bath with Josh and Tom. The weather seemed to compliment the cozy town of Bath. When we first arrived it was a bit rainy so we ducked inside an old book shop, an antique store, and random clothing stores.

I have been to some other cities outside London but this one was really exceptional because of the feeling there. It was calm and strolling through the streets for 4 hours passes by quickly. We were able to see the Royal Crescent, see the Jane Austin museum on Gay Street (yes, very fitting), and tour the Roman Baths.

There was a mix up with our bus schedule so by the time we left Bath and went to Stonehenge, Stonehenge had just closed for the day. It was pretty disappointing... It wasn't that bad though we didn't have to pay to get in and really, we would have only been on the other side of the gate, 6 feet closer. They don't let you get close enough to touch them or anything. Sad...

I can't wait to travel around England a little bit more. My time feels like it's running out so quickly... if you have any suggestions on some cool places to travel in England let me know. I still need to find some pretty English countryside to ride a bike through...

The cracks in the ground grin up at me, even the creases in my shoes smile up at me.

2008-10-17T04:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was wicked. On Friday night my friend in the ward was celebrating her birthday so a bunch of us went out near Leister Square/ Picadilly Circus. I have been having tons of moments lately where I love London and that night was one of them. It was so nice strolling down the busy streets in the cool night air. I don't think I've ever experienced "fall" before London. Neither southern California or Nevada are known for their 4 seasons so I love the change.

Later on that night we went back to Rachel's flat. She is a musician and plays the harp. She played for us and she's amazing! She said we could try playing and I did for a second but I had no idea what was going on. The pedals make sharps and flats so trying to play is crazy. We all sat around and talked for a bit. It was nice sitting around and talking. I recall telling the story about how my dog got his stomach pumped because he ate a rat that ate poison. Good story... both unimportant and inappropriate.

The next day Josh and I went to Camden and chilled. The weather was perfect... I loved it so much. Nothing like shopping and eating greasy chinese.

Well, that's all for now. Expect an update soon. Tomorrow I'm going to Stonehenge!!! Yesssss.

Then all that was promised the saints will be given and they will be crowned with the angels of heaven.

2008-10-10T02:13:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the semi annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Since I've been a member of the church, I've seen roughly 16-17 conferences but this one stands out. Last conference, in April, I was living in Las Vegas and we had some people over to our house, eating snacks, and watching it from the comfort of my big brown couches (which I miss terribly). This time, the FIRST session of conference started live at 5pm on Saturday. The last session plays pretty late our time so they played it the next day in the morning. It was a very surreal feeling sitting on a pew in London next to my Australian roommate and thinking about all my loved ones back in the states hearing the same words at the same moment. (Left: My new roommate Sophie and Lucille, a girl in my ward)

I'll share one of my favorites. I really enjoyed Uchtdorf's talk in the Relief Society broadcast. I think his talk was beautiful if just for the fact that he was delicately speaking to the women of the church. One thing I really liked that he mentioned was to not let the fear of failure paralyze you. I thought about some of the personal failures in my life. I've had failed classes in my undergrad, relationships, and many other things. From those experiences I have grown and tried to not repeat mistakes but I've also learned to make excuses as to why I'm not being better. At times when I could have been stronger and fought through, I've become comfortable and complacent.

It reminds me of something my grandpa said to me when we were riding bikes in Ireland. We rented bikes and I got a street type bike while he got a mountain one. I didn't know where we would be riding so I wasn't bothered about the kind of bike I got. While we were riding, he saw a path off the trail that looked like it may be cool. I said, "Yeah that looks cool but there's quite a bit of mud up there and my tires are kinda crappy... they aren't like yours..." He said, "Umm... is that an excuse?" as he started to ride up the trail. If you know my grandpa, he's REALLY outgoing and competitive. I was kinda miffed for a second thinking, Hey! I have a legit excuse! I don't wanna get hurt! Then I realized that was pretty dumb and that I would miss out if I didn't go. I started up the path, mud flying, way behind my grandpa, until my tires were so covered in mud that I couldn't pedal anymore and started toppling over. My grandpa turned around to see me struggling and we laughed. I have wondered since that day how many excuses I let in the way of doing cool things... hmmm...

After conference on Saturday night about 20 of us went to Wagamama's. It's Japanese food and pretty tasty... a little different though. It was fun chillin with everyone after. I really like the people in my ward. Everyone has their own cool story about why they're in London and for the most part, everyone is friendly. (Left: Mike and Hayley)

That night, I met a guy who just moved to London. His name is Josh Everett. He's in London getting his masters in anthropology. He's really weird and quirky but super cool. After dinner a bunch of us went over to a friend's house to watch a movie. On the way, Josh and I chatted about music and I got really excited cause I think I found someone to go to gigs with! He has good taste too. He just needs to learn that Minus the Bear is better than Botch. =)

On Monday Josh and I met up after work and we went to the National Gallery but we were there for only 15 minutes before it closed. We decided to walk to FHE from Trafalgar Square which was kinda far and we didn't really know the way... but we wandered. At one point, Josh pointed out some gaurds as we approached Buckingham Palace. I got really excited cause they were the gaurds with the big fuzzy hats! I wanted to take some pictures but then I didn't know if I was allowed! I was pretty sure they weren't allowed to talk either... so I walked up to one of the gaurds and quietly asked, "Am I allowed to take a picture with you?" He was staring straight ahead but he looked at me and oh so slightly nodded his head. I wanted to do something scandalous to make him crack but settled on some goofball pose.

I love London. I will be home in EXACTLY 2 months from today... I can't believe it. I seriously don't want to sleep anymore (I hardly do actually). I want to do something fun every single day/minute/second I'm here. I love it. I'll come back someday... I don't know when... but I will...

The boots with the furrrr (with the furrrrrrr)!!!

2008-10-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

Although I am terribly sad that I'm going to be leaving London so soon, I am excited to come home for Christmas. I found these pictures on my computer last week and they made me happy.

I love you Boo and Chicken! I can't wait for some Panda Express and enchilladas!

Just remember Natalie, 80/20. Sarah, I hope you're getting ready to lay down some sweet beats in Garageband!

Bonus: I work at some really cool places and last week I was at an office that was 17 floors up. There was a GORGEOUS view of the river and central London.

If at first you don't succeed you gotta recreate your misery cause we all know art is hard

2008-10-03T02:58:00.000-07:00

I am writing today with a bit of a discouraged heart. I think the universe hates me. I feel a rant coming on...

As most of you know, I have a slight obsession with music. I am constantly listening to something and I go to gigs about once a month... until I came to London. I have gone to some festivals with music but not an actual gig. If there is a gig I want to go to, tickets sell out and when you find them on the internet they are ridiculously expensive. For some reason, my life has taken an awful turn and music just isn't the same. I'm trying to figure it out and here's what I've come up with so far.

1) The music here is just different. I like brit rock as much as the next Bloc Party fan but... it's weird when that's a bulk of the music. Some classics and big bands here are Morrissey, the Clash, the Verve, and the Beatles. It's good, but different... This really doesn't even make sense... What I mean is, pop/rock/brit bands are the major bands and I'd like some variety. I can only take so much of the Wombats and Kooks. I do like a band called Glasvegas. They are from Scotland and they're pretty cool. Check 'em out.

2) Music is a very emotional thing for me and I gravitate towards music that I identify with. My circumstances have changed since I've lived in Vegas and I've had to change TONS of my music in order to not be home sick- It's actually threatening to my health to listen to Demon Days.... I'm just baaaaarely able to start listening to Neko Case again.

3) I don't have any friends that are really into music! I just met a couple of kids this last week that are my kinda people so hopefully I'll drag them to some gigs.

4) I refused to like any house/techno/dance music when I got here. It all seems pretty cheesy. However, I've been going to some big festivals where they have stacks of speakers blaring Benny Benassi or Basement Jaxxx and I LOVE IT. It's really grown on me. Like a fungus. I'd like to get my hands on some good stuff.

5) This ties in with #1 but I just don't feel excited about any bands right now. I was into the Foals for a second but... meh... I've resorted back to my favorites but there isn't anything that I've been excited about. I'm looking for an album that I can listen to front to back. For example, Clarity by Jimmy Eat World is one of my favorite albums of all time... I'd like something like that. If you have any suggestions, old or new, please let me know!

To sum all of this up, I'm just frustrated that I can't figure out what my problem is. I can't find any music that I feel fits me... You may think, eh, it's just music... but for me, a 4 month slump with music is devestating! Maybe I'm just being apathetic? Maybe my chop of emotions has done some permanent damage... Anyone? Ideas?

Mustachio the Master of Midgets

2008-09-19T09:22:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I have been able write! The day after I got back from my trip, my dear friend Marie Giles came out to visit with another friend, Ryan Tippetts. It was so exciting to spend time with them! Luckily, I only had to work a couple days that week so we were able to go out and have some good times.

On Monday night they got in really late because they missed their flight... it was mess but I was so excited while I waited for them to arrive. That night we caught up a bit but they were tired and pretty frustrated so I just fed them and sent them to bed. The next 2 days I had to work so I just caught up with them afterwards. They were able to come to institute with me on Thursday and meet friends in my ward. Marie and Ryan are very friendly and nice so they jumped right in with everyone in the ward.

While Marie and Ryan were in Ireland they stayed with some people that Marie's boss back in Salt Lake City knew. During the activity I introduced Marie and Ryan to a girl in my ward, Kim, from Ireland. After talking for about 2 minutes they figured out that they stayed with Kim's Aunt and Uncle in Ireland! Random eh?

I didn't have work on Friday so we decided to go out to Greenwich. It was about an hour and twenty minutes away from my house so we had a little day adventure there. Greenwich is an adorable town with markets and of course, the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian is a line of longitude that sections the world in half from the North Pole through the South Pole. Some how I had the bright idea to Michael Jackson the Prime Meridian so yeah... this is me being a nut.

We also went to the Royal Observatory which is one of the coolest museum type exhibits I've ever been to! There were interactive programs about space and time that blew my mind. I was able to touch the oldest thing on earth (a rock) and be a goofball in front of big telescopes! We also had a little picnic and it felt great to enjoy the sun and good times.

On our way home, we saw that newspapers were reporting a fire. We didn't think much of it till we realized that the fire was in the chunnel- the very chunnel that was to take us to Paris the next day. It was bad. Marie and Ryan were going to fly from Paris back to the USA so we spent soooooo many hours on the phone trying to get refunds and flight information. I couldn't afford to spend the money to find another way to go so they decided to fly out of London on Monday instead.

On Saturday we still had so many problems with the airlines so we really didn't get out to do anything until midday. Marie had a good meltdown... I felt really bad because I know this was her trip to visit Europe and have fun.... not spend daft amounts of money. I decided I would do my best to help her have the time of her life!

We took a trip to the Science museum that afternoon. It was another one of those remarkable museums that have interactive displays. We found thermal cameras, astronaut suits, and learned how kitchen appliances work. The museum had a random assortment of displays but thats what made it amazing.

That night we went to the Thames Festival. We met up with a crowd of kids from my ward and wandered around South Bank for hours. It was a random festival. We walked across a bridge that was blocked off and set up with food and tables. Randomly, there was a bunch of hay! I saw the hay and ran toward it then realized I was the only one skipping through the hay. A random girl came up and threw an arm load of hay into my face and it was on! I ran around like a little kid throwing at at all my friends! So fun!

We walked down farther into the festival and got some good Carribean food. There were a few entertainment stages set up under the London Eye. We watched this stuff called Free Running. It's basically where people climb, jump, run over things like ninjas or something. After that this guy came on to beat box for the next half hour. I was skeptical but he was amazing! I was really entertained and by the time he was done, we were in the mood to dance!

We walked down to a place called the Green Room cause one of the guys in our group knew the bartenders. I'm sure they were a bit disappointed when our big group rolled up and ordered soft drinks and water but it was cool. For some reason that night I was really hyper and I was all over the dance floor. Believe me, I don't dance good/cool either! This guy in our group from California (who is a total surf bro) told me I was making a fool out of myself cause I can't dance. I said, "Hmm. You know what? I don't care!" He leaned in closer and said, "Well, I think you should stop because you're embarrassing yourself!" I got really close to his face and smiled and said, "Just like everyone else, I don't care what you think either!" and I started dancing even crazier! What a hater... He thought he was so cool cause he could dance all freak nasty and smooth... I really had a lot of fun and it felt good to truly not care what anyone thought.

Church on Sunday was lovely. It's always funny when your Sunday school teacher says irreverent things like, "One minute you think you're ok when you're in hot water (in trouble from sin)... next thing you know, YOU'RE BURNING IN HELL!" That one brought down the house. (It was a joke... but... kinda not... haha!) Marie and I couldn't stop laughing the rest of class. It's always funnier when it's said in an English accent too. =) On the way home from church we saw this random old man on the bus and had to take a picture. We called him Mustachio the Master of Midgets (shake em up!).

On Monday we said goodbye to Marie. It was sad... I loved having her over. It was so good to chill with someone who has known me for awhile. It can be hard making new relationships with people because it feels like it's only for such a short time...

Since Ryan didn't have to go home for anything special he stayed a few more days. We went to the Natural History museum. I was really disappointed.... I mean, they want to be a cool museum and all but we had already touched a rock that was 4.5 BILLION years old. Why would we care about something thats only 3,850 MILLION?

We also went to a place I've been really wanting to go... PLATFORM 9 3/4!!!! Karli, I'm sure you are so jealous! It was wicked! I felt like I should build a Potter shrine on the side or something! Right when we stopped to take a picture there were others who followed suit. I wondered if they were embarrassed to stop themselves but once they saw me in a frenzy they thought they should too! Ahhhh... I love Harry Potter... curse you Warner Brothers!!!!

Ryan left on Thursday and us girls were sad to see him go. He would come up to our rooms at night and have girl talk with us. I didn't know him before Marie brought him out with her but he was an exceptional guy. We tried to set him up with a girl out here but... it didn't work. Maybe he'll come back and sweep her off her feet! Best of luck to him on his travels to Wyoming/Idaho. Since Ryan and Marie left, I've been trying to get some rest! Work gets in the way of that but I feel very blessed to have lots of work coming in.

Today I did something interesting... I bought my ticket home. I had a one way ticket out here (a graduation gift from my grandparents) but my working/holiday visa only lets me stay for 6 months. I have been watching ticket prices for the past few weeks and as I clicked the "purchase now" button I felt a bit of anxiety. I love London. I love the weather, the history, the culture. I love the people in my ward. I love my Aussie roommates. Time is running out...

I feel like my home in the United States is in different places. They say home is where the heart is and my heart is in different places. I miss California because that's where my family is. My best friends are all split up in different states so that doesn't help. I will always love Las Vegas because its where I became Misty Barrett. London has a piece of my heart because it is my mirror. My future residence is to be determined and I feel like wherever I go, I'm leaving something behind. It's going to be hard to decide where to live but I am praying about where the Lord would have me go but... I'll go wherever... maybe even Utah. =)

Day 9: The End.

2008-09-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day of the trip and I had a rough start. I ignored my alarm and woke up when my grandpa called to ask me why I wasn't downstairs. Luckily, I had everything packed last night so I threw some clothes on, brushed my teeth and hurried out the door. I didn't even get to say goodbye to the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in. =(

We started on our way by driving on to a beach. Some fishers had gotten there and had set up their poles. They cast off very far out because the water is soooo shallow. The beaches here aren't like the beaches I am used to. To get out to water that goes over your knees you have to walk quite far. We looked around for a quick second and went on our way. We are driving around the Dingle peninsula right now. Yes, Dingle. We stopped in Dingle and found this little beauty:

We kept driving through Slea Head and now we are at some really pretty cliffs. My grandpa walked down to the beach and the rest of us opted to stay here. I am SO COLD! I have spent about 90% of this trip freezing! It's the worst when we're tromping around in the rain and mud and the bottom of your jeans get all wet!

After some debate, we decided to go on the Blaster Island tour. It actually wasn't a tour at all... but it was beautiful! We walked down a really steep cliff and got on to a boat that could hold about 20 people. We moved toward the island and when we were just a little off shore, they gave us life vests. They ushered us on to a little dingy and we rode the rest of the way on to the island. After climbing the ramp, we were finally on a beautiful island. My grandma was NOT happy (to put it mildly) so my grandpa and I walked around the island a bit. It was the weirdest thing... there were dead animals on the trail but this island was so untouched that they were left rotting on the path! This island had about 10 old houses/ruins and about 4 new buildings that might have been homes. It was perfectly green and clear. We walked down to the beach and I decided to sit and take in the sights while my grandpa hiked around because of his ADD (I swear, he cannot sit still!). While I was chillin on the beach, some seals came up really close to the shore. They were swimming around in the waves and poking their heads up out of the water at me. Cool eh?

We stopped at a small little pub just out from the cliffs and had a nice lunch. They had this fruity/tomato relish stuff for our sandwiches that was tasty! The man that worked at the bar was cool. Everyone left me at the table by myself and so he came over and sat down to chat with me. Irish people seem to be really chatty. He asked me where I was from and started talking about Americans he had met. He told me about how his sister made the soup and it's so good that an hour after she makes it, it's gone. I like it here for that reason. People are so quick to talk to you and tell you their life story. Haha!

A ferry ride after that and we were at the airport. Its hard to explain how I felt. I was going home to London... home. They say home is where the heart is. A big part of my heart is in Las Vegas still. The hour ride back to London felt like a weekend trip from California back to Vegas. I was sad to say good bye to my grandparents. I miss my family heaps... I had a lot of fun though. Its really fun because I'll be back in California in almost exactly 3 months.

Well, that's the end of my Scotland and Ireland adventures.... they are unforgettable. Thank you for letting me go with you So-oh and Bobby. I love you guys!

Right before I left I downloaded all of my grandpa's pictures to my computer. He's quite the photographer!

Day 8

2008-09-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

Today our adventures have taken us along the coast. We left the hotel at our usual time of 10 am and made our way to random places. We stopped at a random peat history place. We saw how farmers lived when farming peat. Exciting huh? It gets better. The heaps of peat weren't the only attraction in this sorry little "museum." We also saw 2 MASSIVE irish wolf dogs and 1 tiny fallebella horse! The Irish caretaker of the horse was nudging it to make friends with the dogs that were twice it's size but the horse wasn't having it and kept hiding his head between the Irish man's legs. So adorable...

Right now we are looking at the Dingle peninsula. We stopped at a scenic point and in front of us there was a top of a mountain that you could climb. My grandpa and I shimmied up the hill and took in a panoramic view at the top. Wow... on all sides of you there is a gorgeous view! We took some good pictures up there. It was super windy at the top and you can barely stand! It wasn't so bad going up but coming down was rubbish because it was so slippery with mud and goat poo. It was a good moment to to spend with my grandpa- its one of those sweet memories.

After lunch in Ballinskelligs Bay, we stopped to find a nice little beach in Glenbeg cove. It was beautiful! The wind wasn't so harsh since we were in a cove. There were some jelly fish washed up on the beach and when you looked out into the water, you could see more jelly fish that were dead and just waiting for the tide to pull them in. When my grandpa and I got down to the beach, other people that had been there before us wrote "Teddy" on the beach. It was odd... that's my grandpa's nickname! I took off my boots and ran around on the beach a little. The sand was so soft and the water freezing cold! When the sun is shining it pierces right through you and warms you up. It's lovely. We left just as a bunch of tourists were shedding their clothing to get into the water... crazy tourists.

We stopped again for a spot of ice cream and did some sheep hunting!

We then stopped at a scenic point and there was this random guy just jamming away on his banjo! We went and gave him some money and I told my grandpa that we had to give him a little dance. He said "No way! No!" but I grabbed his elbow in mine and started twirling around. He started skipping a bit too- Haha!

Something I really wanted to do was ride a bike. Of course my grandpa is always up for an adventure so when we got back into town we rented some bikes and went out for an hour. It was perfect! We went along a path that goes from our hotel to a castle. It was gorgeous. The sun was just peaking from the clouds, the birds were chirping, cows mooing, river running... You couldn't have asked for more perfect conditions. As we were riding, I saw a deer! It was a wee tan colored deer. We stared at each other for awhile until it slowly walked back into the forest. I really wish I had pictures of our ride. Above all, it was great to spend some time with just my grandpa. I've always appreciated him and the opportunities he's given me but this trip has really helped me to appreciate certain things about his personality. He is intelligent, positive, and hard working. Just being around him has made me want to be more healthy and hard working. I really appreciate and love him.

That night we went to a restaurant called Salvador's and of course ate some more good food. I've seriously gained some weight... haha!

Day 7

2008-09-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

Today we left our castle and set off to our next hotel. Along the way we have made many stops. We stopped in Youghal (pronounced ya'll) for a spot of tea in a little hotel restaurant called the Imperial. On the map, Youghal appears to be a good size town...but it's not. It is this tiny little town with a small strip of stores that are cramped and dismal looking. There were a couple restaurants, a few clothing stores, and about 10 people wandering outside. It looked like a ghost town.

Our next stop was Blarney! Yep! Blarney Castle! This castle has been one of my favorites because it was big. The layout and towers felt like what you would expect in a castle- drafty, dark, and strong. The grounds were beautiful and had a nice river running beside it. The weather was also suitable for castle exploring: rain!

The rain today has been intense. It has been raining since 10:30 this morning! It doesn't let up either, it's very consistent. My grandma doesn't like it much... she keeps swearing under her breath which is kinda funny. She's a trooper though. When it was her turn to go up and kiss the Blarney stone, she laid down and kissed that stone like a champ! Rain and all. Kissing the Blarney stone is said to give you the gift of gab- you can talk your way anywhere. It was so crazy! You lay down on the floor while hanging off the side of the castle and kiss a rock that millions have kissed! There are some bars to help you hang on but its crazy to think that you're upside down kissing something! We all had a good laugh.

We also looked around in the castle dungeon which was the worst prison I've seen so far. It was cold, jagged, and dark. I would hate to be in there! After that, we went to the Mill Restaurant and got some good stew! Mmmmm... Irish beef stew on a cold day- what could be better?

Right now we are riding in the car and I would just like to note that my grandpa said the words, "You don't have to agree with me. I'm not always right." Haha! We got a good kick out of that.

We are staying at the Killarney Park Hotel. It is gorgeous of course. I got upgraded to a Junior Suite and my room is crazy! I have a fireplace, 3 tv's, a huge bed, and fruit! The shower was pretty cool too. it sprays at you from all directions! For dinner my grandpa wanted me to pick.

We walked around the town till we got to this pub called Danny Mann's. I got an Irish beef bacon cheese burger with chips. Oh man! It was sooooo good! At 9:30 there was a traditional Irish band that played. They were good! Here is some video (Check out the dude's drum Sarah!):

When we were leaving the pub, there was some random Irish drunkard that was chatting up my grandmother! He was asking her some questions and then I heard her saying, "Yeah, you wait for me right here and I'll be back tomorrow!" Apparently he wanted to dance with her and she wasn't having it! We teased her for awhile about her new Irish boyfriend!