The Liebster Award!

I was nominated for the Liebster award by cousin Courtney! So, here are the rules of the Liebster award:

1. each person awarded must post 11 facts about themselves. 

2. answer the 11 questions the nominator has set for them.

3. choose five bloggers to nominate.

4. create 11 more questions for the bloggers they will nominate.

5. let the lucky bloggers know.

11 facts about me:

1. I love food. 2. Water is my favorite drink and it goes almost everywhere with me 3. My favorite animals are horses and polar bears 4. fall is my favorite season 5. My mom is an artist and she helped me develop a love for art (and I am picky with it) 6. I could spend hours in Target 7. I am a dog and a cat person 8. I like being in a choir 9. I want to wear lipstick/gloss more, but I always rub my lips together when I do (it just feels so nice) so it just comes off 

10. I love weddings  11. I love to shop for dresses 

questions to answer:

1. if you could tell your 16 year-old self something, what would it be? 

Don't worry about boys so much, they are silly, especially in high school. And don't act like you hate the boys that you have a crush on (I was terrible with boys in high school)

2. what are 3 things that make you most happy right now? 

1. Steven/Steve got a new job! 2. I went to England... does that count? 3. the holidays are coming soon

3. what is something you're passionate about? 

Learning and teaching about creating healthy family relationships

also music. Well-written and well-performed music. 

4. what has been your greatest accomplishment? 

hmmmm....reading The entire Harry Potter series at least 4 times 

5. what do you think people misunderstand most about you?

People say I'm really sweet... but I don't know if that's always entirely true. I have been known to say:

"I want to throw a brick at his/her FACE."

I say this or something similar often.

I also roll my eyes a lot, which I don't even mean to do! which probably means that subconsciously I am annoyed about something. I'm working on telling my subconscious to stop. 

So, I guess I'm trying to say that I'm kind of a mean person

6. what do you hope to be remembered for?

making a difference in people's lives, this redeems me a little from the last question

7. what was the last song you listened to?

"Since U Been Gone" - good ole Kelly 

8. what was the last movie you watched?

Possession 

9. if you had a life motto what would it be?

Keep Calm and Carry On

10. what are your 3 most visited websites (excluding facebook, email, and work websites)

pinterest, the pioneer woman, and martha stewart 

11. what is your essential start-the-day-off item?

facial moisturizer

Ok, now I need to nominate 5 other bloggers, here are the bloggers I nominate (you don't have to do it, but I'd love to hear from all of you!):

1. Darcy aka cutest lady ever 

2. Christal from Mustard me Yellow 

3. Abby Dyer White who is also my loyal walking buddy 

4. Cousin Jessie  from Squeeze the Universe

5. Cousin Sarah from Bookbound Bindery

11 Questions for you to answer:

1. What makes you most happy right now?

2. IF you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

3. What book do you wish everyone would read?

4. What are your 3 most visited websites (besides facebook, email, work stuff)

5. If you could meet someone from history who would it be?

6. What was the last movie you watched?

7. Best vacation you've been on?

8. What is something you're passionate about?

9. If there was something you could tell your 16 year old self, what would it be?

10. What do you think people misunderstand most about you?

11. Who is your hero/heroine?

It seriously took me about a week to finish this post, but it was so fun, hope you guys enjoy too!

More British-ness

Here are the rest of the pictures from my trip, enjoy!

 Caldicot Castle in Wales 

 Scary stairs (I had to turn my feet sideways to get down) 

 the ADORABLE cottage we stayed in (in Carmarthenshire, Wales)

 I could just live here. 

 Pembrokeshire Coast, sooooooo pretty. Can you see the roof of the little chapel at the bottom?

 St. Govan's chapel - from the 8th century 

 Random sign in Welsh.... it is so hard to pronounce 

 pub in Oxford where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien would hang out 

 The tower of London 

 St. Martin-in-the-Fields, we had an ancestor baptised there 

 changing of the guard 

 Big Ben 

 Covent Garden Market... some of the best shopping ever 

 St. Paul's Cathedral at night. Wow, just wow. 

 Gown of Princess Diana's 

 Hollywood costume exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum (I saw the ruby slippers!) 

 Shout out to Sorella Paige Wightman! 

 Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens 

 Italian Gardens in Hyde Park, Prince Albert had this built for Queen Victoria... awe. 

 tee hee. 

 changing of the horse guard 

 the Rosetta Stone 

Since tomorrow is Halloween, I give you the creepiest real mummy I have ever seen (they painted a face on it!) 

Trafalgar Square at night

Looking at all these pictures is making me want to go back. It was such a fun trip. I love British people and British things, I think I should just live there. 

You should go there. Seriously. You will not regret it. And when you go, eat some English bacon for me. And the organic yogurt. And then go sit by the Peter Pan statue for a little bit. And then bring me back a plate with Will and Kate's face on it. And then ask the Queen if I can have tea with her. 

Actually, I should probably just go with you. 

London Trip

I just got back from my London trip last night and needless to say, I had an amazing time there. I didn't want to come home, it was such a great trip!

I love British people. They are so great. I love how they say, "mind the gap" when you get off the Tube, or "I fancied a holiday..." ahhhh!!! It was all just so great.

It's going to take me a while to blog about everything I did, so I'll start with the first part of our trip, which was Bath. Here are some pics:

 Regency Tea Room at the Jane Austen Centre

 The Royal Crescent 

 Well's (not Wales) Cathedral 

ummm...something weird happened here. But this is the Glastonbury Tor... a place that is rumored to be the mystical island of Avalon.....? 

 view from the top of the Tor 

 Glastonbury Abbey 

 King Arthur's grave?.....

 Ok, this tree has a cool story behind it. The story is that Joseph of Arimathea would come to Glastonbury to sell and trade tin. After Christ was crucified, he took a branch from a tree, brought it to Glastonbury, and put the branch in the ground. When he did, it grew and blossomed. This tree only blooms on Christmas and Easter and the Queen is always given a branch from the tree on Christmas morning. 

 Annndd... this is the Chalice Wells Gardens. A place where Joseph of Arimathea is rumored to have hidden the Holy Grail, and the locals say the water is red from the blood of Christ

 Yes. you can drink the water. It tastes like rust. 

 The well. 

 Another sign about Joseph 

 The Roman Baths! 

 Stonehenge 

 Avebury Stone Circle (which is actually a little bit cooler than Stonehenge, in my opinion) 

 This was the Inn where Elizabeth met Darcy in Pride and Prejudice! 

 Castle Combe

Our b&b in Bath

There are the first few days of our trip! I will blog some more and post more pictures. 

Fall Tea Party

For Young Womens last week, I was unexpectedly in charge of the Laurel activity. I talked with the class president and we both came up with a really cute, last minute activity: a fall tea party!

For a craft, Maddie (the laurel president) found a great idea: we bought white teacups and decorated them with permanent marker, they turned out really cute. 

Menu:

Orange and Spice Tea

Bengal Spice Tea (you HAVE to try this)

Herbal Peach Tea

Hot Chocolate

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins 

The girls with their finished cups! Except... you can't really see them, but I promise they were cute. 

I think this fall tea party thing may have to become a new tradition