finally a few photos

I was only able to upload a few before the internet started being funny again. So here are some from the wonderful Imperial War Museum.





Hope you liked them.
xo
-esther

ugh

The internet still will not allow me to upload my pictures. It's a shame too cause I have so much to show you. Yesterday Gaby and I went to the Geffrye musuem which was lovely. They had the sweetest garden there. Hopefully tomorrow I can get some photos uploaded.

Today we are going to the Houses of Parliment! I can't wait.

Well I must go and catch the bus. I have three long classes today. Prayers are greatly appreciated ;)

Miss you all
xo
-Esther

Imperial War Museum

Oh drats... Once again the Internet isn't working to great and is not allowing me to upload my pictures. I had some really great ones for the Imperial War Museum. The museum was absolutely amazing. Going there was by far one of greatest things I have done here in London so far. There was so much to see. Almost too much. I had a hard time taking it all in. We stayed a little over 2 hours and would have stayed longer if the Museum didn't close while we were there. I think I may just have to make a trip back. Gaby and I still have so many more museums that we need to see. I can't wait to make our way out to them.

Hopefully I will be able to post the pictures soon.

Tomorrow we are going to the Geffrye Museum for our Woman's Lit class!

Night dear friends
xo
-esther

school

It's Monday morning and class begins in about an hour. I only have one today which is great but I am dreading tomorrow. (3 long classes)

Hopefully Gaby and I can do a little sight seeing after class. The weather has been quite cold these past few days. I think I am finally starting to get use to it.

Later I will post about my day around London all by myself. (Gaby went to Stonehenge)

Oh and I booked tickets to Paris!

xo
-es

BEATLES LOVE FOREVER

What a wonderful day it was. My friends and I went to Abbey Road. If your a Beatles fan you now exactly what I am talking about. It's the road they took their cover picture for the Abbey Road album...

I have been listening to the Beatles since I was a little girl but my love for them exploded in juinor high. I remember solely listening to them all along our 12 hour drive to Oregon one year. They just never seem to get old. I know I will have Beatles Love Forever.


So I decided to write that down on the wall.

There were thousands of messages all along the Abbey Road wall.

Abbey Road

So this was our attempt at the walk. It was super hard because the people driving get really mad when pedestrians block the intersection. (as they should it must be really annoying having to drive cross the intersection when everone is trying to get pictures in the middle of the street) Luckily my camera has a sports mode so it can capture multiple pictures at once. So we just walked straight across hoping we would get a good one.

Oh and the coat I'm wearing is the one I told you I bought last week. It's my new favorite thing to wear!


Gaby and I on the bus for some lunch.

Well that was my memorable Beatles day! I loved it.
xo
-Esther

How we get around

Gaby and I take the bus and tube everywhere. It's kind of weird but we haven't been in a actual car for over 2 weeks now. I think that's the longest I have ever gone without being in a car. We both don't seem to mind it though. We find public transportation extremely easy to use.I love not having to worry about the price of gas or finding a parking space when I'm on the go.

Every morning I walk to the bus station either alone or with Gaby. Gaby doesn't go to school as early as I do on Tuesday and Thursday so I make my way to school solo. I find myself running after for too many buses. I mean I could wait ten minutes or less for the next one to come but I guess I am not patient enough.

Well anyways let me tell you how we get around the lovely city of London. We usually catch the bus to the tube station. Here are a few pictures from our day.

Above is a picture of Gaby sitting at the bus stop trying not to laugh as I snap some shots of her.

and here is a picture of my boots and the wet pavement. It rained pretty good today.

^Gaby about to flag down the bus

Then we wait for the tube to come.

Gaby once again trying not to laugh as I snapped a few pictures of her on the tube.

This is my reflection from the windows on the tube. You can never see out of the windows because it is always pitch black in the tunnel. Unless of course you are approaching a stop. Notice the random guy in the background...

We might have to change tubes depending on where we go. Today we only had to change twice. We went to a book fair and then out to eat.

Like I have said before their is so much history in London. Right as we got out of the tube station we saw the beautiful tower of London. Amazing. I'm still trying to take in all the beautiful things we see.

Then we had some delicious Indian food. Fresh Naan and chicken tiki.

Well the day is still young. Gaby and I are going to figure out something else to do.
Adios
xo
-Esther

miss her

Woah! What a long day. Three back to back classes really exhausts me. But at least I don't have too much homework this weekend. Gaby and I have yet to decide what we will do this lovely three day weekend. The possibilities are endless.

Well today we went to the heath by our house and saw so many dogs! It made me miss my funny looking little pup back home.

The above picture was taken right before I left for the airport. Poor Mimi had no idea I would be gone for so long. I am just praying she is doing well and not driving my parents to crazy...

Well I am going to look at Time Out London to see what is going on this weekend.
Goodnight my dear friends.
xo
-Esther

garden

Today Gaby and I enjoyed the beautiful weather while sitting in the garden doing some dreadful homework. I don't know why it is so hard for me to sit down and focus on writing a paper. My mind seems to get overwhelmed with this so called "simple task" We had to write a synopsis on three articles out of The Economist. Boy, did this cause me a great deal of anxiety. I felt like I had nothing to say. Or maybe it was I really don't care about outcome of "increased productivity". It probably was a combination of both. At least I finished the paper. I feel that is absolutely horrible. I don't even know what I wrote. I will talk to my professor about it tomorrow.

The photo above is of me starring at the screen with one puny little sentence typed upon it.
Dear friends please pray that my easily anxious self will not get to stressed with the school work I have here in England.

On a much happier note Gaby and I found a wonderful little small group to meet with every Wednesday. We are so excited that we get to connect with some wonderful British folks this way. They so kindly welcomed us into there group. It is so beautiful to me that we worship the same amazing God across the world. Isn't it amazing. It just goes to show just how BIG our God is.

below are a few pictures I took in the garden. I love the pretty colors. The land is so green and lush.



One more day of school then 3 day weekend. Thank God.
Night
xo
-Esther

Just like Home

Last week Gaby went to Chipotle! It was so cool seeing one in London. The food was a tad different. It seemed a bit more healthy. They had brown rice and their burritos seemed a little bit smaller then are massive burritos. They weren't bursting out of the foil like they are in the states.


When we walked in we were kindly greeted by the Chipotle worker. He asked if we had ever been to Chipotle before and we said yes. He then told us he could tell by our accents.

The burritos were actually a lot more expensive then the back home. They were seven pounds which is almost eleven U.S dollars. When I found that out I started to head for the door. The worker then stopped us and asked us why we weren't going to stay. I kindly told him that we were poor college students and it was out of our budget. Then he said if we buy 3 burritos he would give us three free!(there were six of us) Isn't that the sweetest thing? We all were super excited and extremely grateful. He even threw in free chips and salsa. It was such a blessing.

London Chipotle we love you!

Liberty of London

Those of you who know me know that I absolutely love to sew and that I am a bit overly enthusiastic about fabric. Well today I went to Liberty of London! Oh, it was so exciting.
I was thrilled when I found out last winter that Liberty of London was doing a Spring line for Target. Little did I know that I would be in London and actually get to go to Liberty's in that autumn

The store is enormous,six stories to be exact. One of the floors is full of fabric yarn and all sorts of fun crafty things. If only there was a Liberty's in Los Angeles... For now I will have to take in all I can in the London location.

Well I did buy a bit of fabric. It is a reprint of a fabric designed in 1933. I just love the colors. I can't wait to sew with it. Who knows what I will make with it.



Isn't the yarn lovely. I brought a few crochet hooks from home in case I start to get cold and need to crochet myself a scarf. I am so glad I now know where to get yarn.

Well I got to get working on some History homework.
goodbye for now.
xo
-EMC

Still

Im still taking it all in.
It's been over a week and I still pinch myself to make sure this isn't a dream.

But no.
This is reality.
and I'm loving every second of it.
All I can say is
What a blessing.
thank you, Jesus.
Worship was amazing this morning at Hillsong London.
I'm already looking forward to next week.
I am so glad we found a church.

goodnight world or should I say good afternoon for all my California friends. :)
xo
-Esther

the markets

Today we went to the Stables market and the Cambden Town market located a few minutes away from our house. We ate and did a little bit of shopping. There was so many adorable clothing stores and amazing places to eat. They had Moroccan,Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Ethiopian, Mexican, Polish, Russian, Brazilian,Lebanese and so many other types of food. We will most definitely have to go back to try some of the diverse cuisines.

Well once again the internet is not allowing me to upload pictures. Maybe this week I will take my laptop to school and try to upload there.

For now I am going to bed.
Night
-es

Brighton

Today we went to Brighton. The weather was perfect! The beach was so pretty. We walked down the pier and then went towards the sea shore.

It didn't have sand but smooth stones instead. The sea was absolutely beautiful.


Then we went to see the Royal Pavilion which was amazing. They don't let you take pictures inside the palace :( I really wish you could see how eccentric the interior was. It was decorated in a Chinese fashion. The palace was where Kind Edward IV resided. He was the King before his niece Queen Victoria. O how I love lea ring all the history. It is amazing being able to see the places they resided.



We ate fish n' chips for the first time in England. They were so warm and delicious. Unfortunately Gaby got attacked by a Seagull who took half of her fish. It was absolutely hilarious/horribly sad all at the same time. The seagull came out of nowhere hit the back of her head and stole the fish. Then it dropped it and a bunch more seagulls came. I guess the birds prefer their fish deep fried as opposed to raw! Anyways Gaby is completely fine but we both just wished I had gotten it on video.

Later that day I got a Flake 99. It was a wonderful treat to end a beautiful day.

Time to do some more studying :( I am so glad I get to sleep in tomorrow.
Night.
xo
-Esther

today

We went to the British Museum and saw so many amazing artifacts. Extremely old well persrved artifacts. It was quite a treat.
The pictures below is of a carved stone with a scene of a lion killing ceremony in Ninevah. It is so neat to see artifacts from places I have studied in my bible. So surreal.

O no it wont let me upload the pictures... The internet is being funny again. Hopefully it will be working tomorrow because im sure I will take a lot of pictures in Brighton and will wont to show you them too.

Well Im going to get to bed. I have to be on the tube before eight.
xo
-Esther

excited

The Internet has been going in and out this evening so I will keep my post short so that I can post before it stops working again.
Well today Gaby and I woke up early for our literature class and then hopped on a bus and did some sight seeing. I love that we just get on random buses, go to random places and then find our way back. It's so much fun. We ended up at the Tate Modern Art Gallery. We had a nice time browsing the seven story gallery!

Tomorrow we are going to the British Museum which I am thrilled about and then on Friday we are heading to Brighton! I promise I will post pictures of Brighton.

Well goodnight! I have an early day ahead of me tomorrow!
xo
-Esther

school school school

Today is my long day. I have 3 classes back to back. Im not going to lie it can be a tad exhausting. Im hoping as I get use to the time change it will become easier. It's so nice to finally be home. Gaby and I love our room it's perfect.

Gaby and I are trying to plan out a dinner schedule. Yesterday's dinner was delicious we had pizza and veggies. We are still trying to think of some more tasty meals to make. Well I better go. I want to write some letters before I go to bed. Night friends.
xo
-Esther

Rocky Start

Oh heavens. Today was my first day of school. Let me just tell you it didn't go so well.
First of all Gaby and I woke up late. I thought I set my alarm for 7 am but I set it for 7 pm. So we woke up around 8am and frantically got ready then headed to the bus for our lit class. Luckily we got to class right on time.

I'm not to excited for my literature class. I hate writing unless I'm journaling or blogging.

After that Gaby and I got back on the bus and headed home.

then...I realized I forgot my literature book on the bus. Ugh. At least Gaby has the same class as me so I can read hers.

Now I know
1.not to set my books down on the bus because Im sure to forget it.
2. I need to write my name, telephone, and the student center on my books so if the bus workers find it I can pick up from their lost and found. I am going to try and call them tomorrow morning and see if they found my book.

Oh and another not so great thing about today was that I went to exchange some money at a bank and their exchange rate was a bit high.
I really wish that I exchanged my money back in the U.S. they had better rates.
I should have checked the rate before I exchanged it but I waited in line forever and was in desperate need of some pounds. Besides I just assumed that the bank would be better then the sketchy place I exchanged money last time but I guess not. That place had a lower rate.
I exchanged 142 dollars and got back 84 pounds (that's about $1.67 for a pound)
Gaby pulled 77 dollars from an ATM and got 50 pounds(that's about $1.54 for a pound)
So at least I know were to get money from the ATM.
So I learned that by transferring my money at "Lloyd's Bank" I lost a little over 10 dollars. Boo.
I know its not to much but I really wanna make my money stretch so that I am able to bring back lots of Souvenirs. London is very expensive. :(

Gaby and I are really brushing up on our math skills with this whole converting currency thing. That's one good thing about the difference in currency.

Anyways on a more positive note me day is getting much better now. I just had lunch and I don't have any homework tonight!! Gaby and I are going to go shopping for dinner soon and go to the heath for a walk.

I'm still loving London even though I had a bit of a rocky start at school today.

Dear friends please pray that I have a pleasant educational experience and that my professors aren't too "out there"

Thank you
xo
-esther

boat, tube, and bus

Today I did a great deal of sight seeing. It was wonderful. I went all over London via the tube, buses and a boat. We saw so many amazing sites. Well going site seeing Gaby and I realized we have so many more sight we need to see. Thank God we have months to get it all done.
Oh and the weather was absolutely stunning today. Pretty blue skies and nice cool breezes all day long!

Saint Paul's Cathedral was so detailed and beautiful!








In the evening Gaby and a few friends went to the Thames festival. It was really cool to see all the street vendors selling all sorts of different things. I had a delicious falafel.
Well I better get to bed. I have school early tomorrow morning. Im praying my classes are easy and not at all stressful.
Night
xo
-Esther

America

Oh and even though im in the Uk right now I haven't stopped thinking about the USA and remembering September 11th.
I am so in love with US. God has blessed our country so much and I am so proud to be American.
May our nation honor God and may his many blessing and grace continue to fill our nation.

beginning

and so it begins
my little journey in London

I am loving every minute of it. But I do wish all my family and friends were here to enjoy it with me. At least I have Gaby to share it with.

We had orientation today. Thank God it wasn't too long.
Jet lag isn't easy.
I was tired all day. But I think Im finally starting to get into the swing of things.

We did a super touristy thing and took pictures in the phone booths.


We also went to the market to get some groceries. I really am starting to feel like im "Living in London"

Well Gaby and I are going to catch the bus and go into central London.
xo
-Esther