Shakespeare Overload, With A Little Poetry

Caroline's Birthday

It has been quite the week! I have definitely been on overload, considering I have finally gotten into school mode- 5 weeks after the semester has started.
Today has been the first day in 5 weeks I feel completely relaxed and not rushed. Sundays are usually really busy and fast paced, but since today in conference, and we don't get the first session until 5 pm-- I have been playing catch up on life. Mostly gathering pictures from everyone, so I finally have all my pictures! It has just been a happy day, thus far. I LOVE conference.

Anne Hathaway's Home

On Monday was Caroline's 20th birthday, so a few of us watched She's The Man and had a girls night. Her cousin, Briana went to a bakery and got her two fancy cakes and we all sang her happy birthday. It was a fun day!

Mary Arden's Farm.

Tuesday night we had a play night as a group and we went to the Globe to see The Merry Wives on Windsor. HILARIOUS. We were the "groundings"(the poor people who can't afford seats and stand up for the three hour duration of the play). The teachers say it was for the experience, but it was most definitely because the tickets were only 5 pounds. However, I do have to give them some credit, it was fun being a poor person for an evening. Being so close to the front made the actors engage you into the play, and it was just an overall cool experience, even if I did kill my ankle.

The Birth Home of Shakespeare

Butter Beer!

Wednesday was our "Shakespeare" on crack day. We woke up and drove to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see all the Shakespeare homes. (In other words, any home who was somewhat related to Shakespeare). The Anne Hathaway Cottage (his wife's family's home), Mary Arden Farm (his mothers home she grew up in), William Shakespeare's Birth Home, New Place (which was actually a big hole in the ground), and John Hall's Home (His daughters husbands home). After the last home, Jani and I sprinted to the main road where we had seen a magic shop with a big "BUTTERBEER" sign on the front. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen. It was called the "Creeky Cauldron", so much of it was a twist off Harry Potter, but it wasn't a Harry Potter shop.

John Hall's Home

Thursday was strictly dedicated to Humanities 202 studying. It was fun though, of course. If you live in a house of 36 girls who are all studying for the same test, it will most definitely be an exciting study session. I do say I am sure we all did really well on our test the next day. I hope. Did I mention I love that living with our professors? It was like 10:30 and Dr. Tate came down to get something from the servery, where we were all being studious (in our PJ's and no make-up), and just talked to us for a while and told us about the test and helped us study.
Friday rolled around and we had our London Study to Kew Gardens after our test. It was pouring that day, so that put a small damper on things. But Kew Gardens has got to be one of my favorite places in London. It was just all too much to take in, and definitely a rival to Huntington Library and Gardens. (Sorry mom and Dad, but it's true). We stayed for over an hour, and then went to Whole Foods to eat. Oh how I have missed Whole Foods! Meegan and I did a little shopping at H&M on our way home which proved to be successful.
Saturday was our homework overload day. We had a big paper due for Great War at midnight about a poem. They are all rather depressing poems, so I was in a rather melancholy mood, that was until our spiritual feast! Starting at 3 we listened to The Relief Society Broadcast, at 5 The Saturday morning general session, and then at 9 we listened to the Saturday afternoon session. It was so nice to listen to conference even though I was in a different country. I will admit to my mother it did make me a little homesick. I was expecting to have to garden in between sessions and have breakfast with the Roskelly's this morning.
I am excited for another conference marathon today! In short, all is well in London. :)