Jessica Marie

Good times to be had in the Mormon bubble......

2009-01-27T21:55:00.000-08:00

Italy!!!!

2009-01-20T18:50:00.000-08:00

Ok- here it is- the beginning. Our tour started out in Rome, Italy. We flew for 15 hours (for me it had been longer cause i started in Cali that same morning and met everyone in Salt Lake) When we finally landed in Rome- after that long long flight where I managed to sleep for about twenty minutes- it was bright and early in the morning. And we had a full day of adventures ahead of us! We went immediately to the Roman Forum and Colosseum. I think everyone just kind of wandered around in a daze that day. We were all so out of it- it felt like a dream.

One of our first nights in Rome having a wonderful wonderful gelato. This was the guy who worked there and he wanted to be in our picture. He kept talking to us in Italian. I still have no idea what he was saying.

While in Rome, we stayed in a convent! How cool is that???? These were two of the nuns that lived there. They were the sweetest things EVER!!!!! The one on my right could speak English, but the one on my left (the shorter one) could pretty much only say hello and good morning. They were so sweet. They let us use their chapel for our sacrament meeting and morning devotionals. They loved it when we sang hymns and love it when BYU students come because we're so good! :)
In our free time, a group of us went to the Castle Church. It was a huge building that in it's time has served as a castle, a fortress, a church and I believe a prison. It was beautiful.
Here is a view- isn't it breathtaking??? That's the castle church on the left. It was so cool to be in. I seriously felt like I was in a Robin Hood movie or something.
This is at the top of St. Peters Basilica. We climbed all the way up- there are almost six hundred stairs! There was an elevator for the first part but we didn't want to pay for it so we did it all by foot. Our legs were shaking uncontrollably by the time we got to the top.
Us at the halfway point climbing up to the top. We rested for about five minutes to take this picture and then continued up to the top of the dome.
Mcdonalds has taken over Europe too!!!! They were EVERYWHERE! And very very popular. This is the inside of one- look how many registers there are!!!! It was insane. And the restaurant itself was HUGE- bigger than an entire food court at larger malls. They are super fancy too- with gardens and statues and super nice everything.

A building we walked past- I'm not sure what it was, but it was pretty!
Any guesses on what this is?? haha- Just kidding. I can't tell you how cool it was to actually see the Colosseum in real life. It's one of those things you just can't comprehend until you see it in person. It's HUGE!!!!! And it's absolutely incredible. We got to go in and see everything. The actual floor of the arena is no longer there, but you can see the underground tunnels and cages where they kept the gladiators, tigers, lions, rhinos and who knows what else for games.
This is the Roman Forum, or in other words, ancient downtown Rome. This is where everything was- the temples, shopping centers, political buildings and everything else that the Romans did on a daily basis. It was amazing to see how much is still standing. My favorite was the house and temple of the Vestal Virgins. The Vestal Virgins were the ones who were in charge of keeping the flame of Rome lit. As long as that flame continued to burn, Rome would not fall. Let's just say those virgins did NOT want to let that flame go out! Their house (or what was left of it) was beautiful. You can still see the pool in the middle where they could swim and bathe and the statues of past vestal virgins that stood within the walls.

What a breathtaking view! All these climbs that we did were exhausting but they sure were worth it!

Oh Venice.......words cannot describe my love for this city! Prior to my trip, a lot of people had told me that Venice was a disappointment and not at all what they were hoping or expecting but I am here to say that this is NOT TRUE!!! It was everything I have ever dreamed of! It was so beautiful and so relaxing. There were bands playing and the sounds of violins filled the air. I LOVED IT!!!!!! And i have decided that Venice would be the most romantic honeymoon ever.

Everyone in the class went on a gondola ride. We divided up and got in the boats!
The classic shot that everyone has and yet you still have to take it too! :) Leaning tower of Pisa!

Beautiful Austria!!!!

2009-01-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

Austria was by far one of the most beautiful countries that we went to. I never imagined that a place could be so GREEN!!!!! It was the kind of green you see when someone photoshops a picture to make it brighter. So beautiful!!! We spent our time in Salzburg- a small town that is absolutely gorgeous! It's the town that Sound of Music takes place in! The hostel that we stayed in played the movie every night at 8 (in english, thank heavens!) How cute is that?

The very first thing we did when we arrived was the salt mines. Salzburg played a huge role in trade and was responsible for a huge portion of the salt trade in Europe. (the Salz in Salzburg means salt) So cool! First we put on these white jump suits then rode this train type thing deep into the mountain. Then we got on these HUGE wooden slides that take you down underground. It was cold down there!

We then went through the tour about the history of the salt mines. There were videos, demonstrations, at one point we even rode a boat across this lake thing.....it was crazy.
This is Jenessa and me having a very intense game of chess. It was our 'Harry Potter' chess set.

Our hot but drunk German boys. The one in the middle has a sack full of walnuts. He took them out, CRACKED THEM WITH HIS bare HANDS!!!! and kept offering them to us. They were good.

They kept offering us cigarettes and trying to get us to go to the bar with them and when we told them that we don't drink or smoke.....they couldn't believe it. "No drink? No smoke? NO BOYS??? What do you do for fun???" they asked

"Lots of things," we told them. We told them we were on our way to see Mozart's birthplace.

"They guffawed and told us how boring that would be. "Go see OUR mozart. It's part of our history- over there at the...how do you say.....water garden?"

"The water fountain?" I asked

"YES! the water fountain- go see our mozart!"

Pretty confused- we walked over to the water fountain they had directed us to and sure enough............
............there was a Mozart in it. These were little stands that were outside almost every little souvenir shop selling Salzburg's famous Mozart chocolates. They had apparently stolen one and placed in in this water fountain. haha. Boys are the same in every country.
Me and my friend Jordan in our fun little Austrian hats! Too bad mine wouldn't open all the way because the tag was on it.
The beautiful Salzburg Castle. On our free time one day, a group of us decided to climb to the castle and do the tour.

A picture I took of the view while hiking up the mountain. This is my favorite pic I took on the entire trip.
Finally up to the castle. It was so much fun- and there was so much to go see and do. We looked in the dungeons, the armory, the ballroom and tons of other places. They even had this huge room set up with antique marionettes and stages to look at. They were gorgeous- it made me want to go to one of those puppet shows the royals had put on.
View from the very top of the tallest tower.
And of course while we were there, we went on the SOUND OF MUSIC tour!!!!! So cool- we saw everything. The house, the theater, the lake, we saw it all!

Here is the cemetary....I'm hiding just like the Von Trapps did!
This is where they ride their bikes through......
These are the giant garden gnomes that Maria and the children march around in Do Re Mi.

The fountain that they all sing and dance around.
I LOVED Austria.....I want to go back! If you go to Europe- do not miss this beautiful country.

GERMANY

2008-11-13T16:49:00.000-08:00

Germany was awesome! We visited Berlin, Munich and Wittenburg. Wittenburg was a smaller town and it was so cute! I wish we could have been there longer. This is where a lot of the Martin Luther history took place. We were able to go into the church where he nailed the 95 thesis to the door. We had the opportunity to sing the hymn 'A Mighty Fortress' and a few other songs in the choir area of the church. It was awesome. For those of you who don't know, Martin Luther wrote that song. It was so beautiful and spiritual. When we were done, many people were gathered to listen to us.

German food was by far my favorite! SO GOOD!!!! Look at this waffle- INCREDIBLE. It was covered in cinnamon, powdered sugar, bananas and vanilla ice cream. Yeah, I could eat that every day and be happy. And I didn't put a picture on here, but after the waffle I had this omelet thing with potatoes and all kinds of veggies......i thought i was in heaven,

This is part of the Berlin Wall.....there were a few sections that were painted. It was really cool.

Me standing on the border where the Berlin Wall used to stand. If you look really closely, you can see where the actual remains of the wall start across the street behind me. We walked along that and saw the remains of the hideout of Hitler's secret police. There is a big long walk on the backside with articles and pictures and all the history of Hitler and WWII. So sad but really interesting. It was too long to read it all, so we mainly just looked at the pictures. But as they say, a picture says a thousand words. Such a true statement.

ABSOLUTE BEAUTY. This is Swan Lake- the one and only Swan lake that the ballet and all those stories are based off of. It was so gorgeous. And all the trees were changing color. My teachers said we were so lucky because last year they had missed those trees by about two weeks. I am so glad that we didn't miss them. We were speechless.

See- I made some friends! haha- no really....all forty of us became so close. It's amazing that so many kids could become such good friends in a month. They were awesome. We truly became a family. I miss them all so much!

A swan on swan lake!!!! Later there was an old man on the side of the lake feeding this swan....seriously a kodak moment.

If you think THIS is pretty- you should have seen it in real life!!! If you ever go to Europe- go in October! You won't regret it!

The famous Neuschwanstein Castle that Walt Disney based the disneyland castle off of. It was so COOL!!!!! We got to tour it. Unfortunately we couldn't take any pictures inside, but it was awesome. It seriously looked like the castles in the cartoons and movies! Giant jewels everywhere and large gaudy paintings and ridiculous amounts of gold. There were giant swans and grand ballrooms- it was amazing.

We had to hike up the mountain to get to the castle- and boy was the hike GORGEOUS. I didn't even care that we were walking uphill for an hour. LOOK AT THOSE TREES!!!!!!!

Me in front of the castle....in case you couldn't tell. And I'm wearing the scarf I bought in Berlin!

So pretty....even though it had SCAFFOLDING ALL OVER IT!!!! haha- we were kind of upset cause that kind of ruined the view....but it was still pretty!

Me and my cow friend! I love him!

Um- so I don't generally like sausage and the few times I've had Bratwurst I thought it was nasty- but in Germany it is YUMMY! I loved this little stand that we found outside the

Bahnhoff (train station :)

We usually held our own Sacrament meetings in our hotels, but when we were in Germany we had a free Sunday and one of the professors found a ward so a group of us went with him and his wife. It was so cool!!!! It was a fast and testimony meeting and even though we couldn't understand a single word- the spirit was still the same and we felt what they were saying.

2008-11-12T21:45:00.000-08:00

So I finally found some time to get on here and post a bunch of pictures from my European adventures! I had to pick and choose from the hundreds and hundreds that I took, so these pics represent a very small percentage of my trip. We did so many things every single day- it's mind blowing to even think about it. Looking at my itinerary, I cannot believe that i did all of those things- it feels like a dream!

I cannot even describe how wonderful and amazing and absolutely BREATHTAKING Europe is. I LOVED every single moment of every single day! It's truly something you cannot describe. Pictures do it absolutely no justice. It's something you have to see and experience for yourself. It is so amazing that such beauty actually exists. I want to go back!

Beneath this post are two more posts from France and England.....I hope you like them. It's taking a lot longer than I had planned, so i only got these two countries done. But I will try to get back on as soon as possible to get the rest of it up! Hope you like these first few pics though! ENJOY!!!! Please feel free to comment and ask any questions!

FRANCE

2008-11-12T21:05:00.000-08:00

We spent several days touring France. We spent most of our time in Paris- which was absolutely wonderful. I loved Paris. There was so much to do and so much to see. We got our metro pass and went out on the town!

The very first night we all walked over together to see the Eiffel Tower! The tour got us tickets to go to the top. It was so beautiful! I can't believe that I have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to eat at the restaurant but then I looked at the menu....the lowest price plate was like 90 bucks! I wasn't that hungry!

The Tower was blue for a special holiday- so cool!

Every hour, the Eiffel Tower glitters and sparkles. It was so gorgeous! It looked like thousands of little diamonds were twinkling in the moonlight.....so pretty!

We went back the next day so we could get our daytime shots! So glamorous!

We went and of course saw the famous Notre Dame Cathedral. It was so cool seeing it in real life. And so big! It was absolutely beautiful. I kept waiting for the gargoyles to come to life and talk to me, but they never did. :(

A backside view of Notre Dame- one seen a little less often, but just as pretty!

Jenessa and I being our same silly selves.....Hunchback meets Esmerelda!

I'm sorry- but we just had to go find it! We were fast, I promise!

Me enjoying my new addiction.....banana nutella crepe. Nutella is the most amazing thing I have ever tasted. It's a hazelnut chocolate spread and it is DIVINE! I love it love it love it! It's Europe's peanut butter. And as most of you know, I detest peanut butter, so I have adopted Europe's favorite sandwich spread instead. And I LOVE it. I guess I'm meant to be European!

While in Paris, we of course went to the Louvre!!!!! Can you believe it??? I sure can't. I got to see all kinds of art, including the Mona Lisa. It was so amazing to see it in real life. It's real! This was as close as I could get to it though! They have it surrounded by a glass case and then had the entire area blocked off! No one was getting near that painting! Wanna know an interesting fact about the Louvre? It is HUGE- there are so many pieces of art. If you walked around day and night without stopping and spent 30 seconds looking at each piece, it would take four months to see everything. It's amazing that they were able to hide THAT MUCH art from Hitler when he came to take it.

There were lots of lesser known pieces of art in the Louvre as well.....

VERSAILLES!!! look at this palace!!! So gorgeous! And it was so big- their stables were bigger than my old high school!

The gardens of Versailles were so gorgeous. Statues and all kinds of flowers and hedge mazes and fountains......you could spend hours exploring them.

The Hall of Mirrors in Versailles

During our free time, a few of us decided to go visit and tour THE PARIS OPERA HOUSE!!!! This is the opera house where Phantom of the Opera takes place.

Masquerade!!! Paper faces on parade........

This was one of the prettiest buildings we saw on the entire trip- man those theater people know how to do it! I wanted to travel back in time and come to the shows. It must have been so glamorous!

London, ENGLAND

2008-11-12T20:31:00.000-08:00

The last place we visited was London, England. So much fun- and it was so wonderful to be in a place where everyone spoke ENGLISH!!! haha- I never realized what a blessing it is just to be able to understand what the people around you are saying. True- they have lots of different words for things...like lift(elevator), biscuit(cookie), chips(french fries), crisps(chips), spend a penny(use the restroom) but we got used to it! It was great fun. Here's some of my favorite pictures from London......

Me, Jenessa and Brooke in front of Buckingham Palace

We walked through a beautiful park on our way to Buckingham Palace and it was filled with all kinds of surprises including this darling little cottage that looked like it belonged in a Snow White movie.

Can't leave London without a photo inside one of their famous telephone booths.

We payed a visit to Kings Cross Station and found Platform 9 3/4. SO COOL! Haha- I cannot even describe to you how excited we were- we were literally jumping up and down with excitement. Yay for Harry Potter nerds. :)

I even found out I am part wizard cause my hand went through the wall but I couldn't get the rest of the way through so I must be mostly muggle. :(

The London Temple. So beautiful.

I really really really REALLY hate pigeons. The nasty things were EVERYWHERE. I didn't know which was more disgusting. The fact that there were a billion of them, or the fact that there was actually a designated spot for feeding them.

London bridges falling down, falling down, falling down.....

We got to go to the Tower of London or Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress.....it started out as the White tower which was built by William the Conqueror in 1078. We got to see the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, dungeons, and all kinds of other things on our tour. So cool- I could have spent an entire day exploring the fortress!

I really don't know how they just STAND there for hours and hours without moving! It's incredible. One of the guys in our group tried to get him to laugh and he wouldn't even crack a smile. They sure are good at their job!

On the last night, a group of like 30 of us went to see WICKED!!! It's my favorite musical and I was excited to experience London's Broadway. It was cool seeing the musical in British accents. And can I just say that our Fiyero was absolutely GORGEOUS and when he spoke and sang, all of us girls (28 of the 30 were girls) about DIED.

So excited to go into the theater.

Jenessa and I are such nerds.

2008-10-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

So this picture is totally of the actual Swan Lake that the movies, books and ballets are based off of! Isnt that beautiful?!!!!! I was in love! Look at those trees!!!! We seriously are here at the best time of year. There was a man on the shore of this lake and he was feeding swans from his hand! So beautiful.
Here is the Neuschwanstein castle right next to swan lake. It is the castle that disney used as its model for the disneyland castle. So cool. We got to tour it and it was awesome. I felt like i was about to get on a ride. I couldnt believe that it actually looked like that inside!
We went over to a bridge to get a good view. It was kind of sad and disappointing cause the back of the castle was under repair and was covered in scaffolding (sp?) but it was still beautiful.

Here I am in Venice! So gorgeous! I loved it and it is just the way I have always imagined it to be!
We met some Germans in Leiderhosen the other day. Quite hilarious but its a long story. Ask me about it when i get home!
Me with one of the gnome statues that the kids in the Sound of Music run around.

Europe so far.....

2008-10-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!!!
I just thought I'd get on here quick and let you all know that I am doing great! Europe is amazing and I am totally in love with it. I'm not in a place where I can upload pictures but if I get a chance I promise I will!
We have been to Italy, Austria and are now in the Czech Republic. We are going to Germany tomorrow.
So far venice and Salzburg have been my favorite stops. Venice is everything that I have ever imagined it to be! It was so beautiful and romantic- I loved it and was totally happy exploring the islands. We went on a gondola ride and it was gorgeous.
Salzburg is the place where Sound of Music was filmed. We got to go on a Sound of Music tour where we saw most of the places from the movie including the gazebo and house and lake. Austria is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. As we drove through the Alps it was breathtaking to see how green and gorgeous it was. I love love LOVE Europe!!!! I can't wait until I can upload pictures of it all! Love you all and miss you!

EUROPE!!!!

2008-09-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm sure most of you know- but I am leaving on Thursday to go to EUROPE!!!!! I am so blessed to have this wonderful opportunity to go with the school on the Western Religious History tour. I've been preparing for quite a while.....first we had to read a humanities book and take twenty one online tests about it. We also wrote papers on specific topics. And now for the last two weeks, I've been in Rexburg for a preparation class. It is Monday through Friday from 8 to 4:30. We have sections of Old Testament, New Testament, The Reformation and Arts. It has been an amazing experience for me to learn so much about the history of Europe and the process that the people there went through to prepare the way for the restoration of the gospel. In just these last few weeks, my testimony has grown so much. I can't even imagine what it will be like to actually be in all these places I have been studying about.

There are about forty kids going on the tour and four BYU-I professors. The teachers are amazing and there are a lot of really fun people going on the tour. One of my best friends Jenessa is going with me which is going to make it even more exciting! I can't believe I am actually going. And the cool part, is that with all this studying and learning, I am actually going to know the history about the things I am seeing. This will make the trip so much more interesting and beneficial. I have loved this opportunity to learn about different cultures and religions and the way that they view the world.

Here's an itinerary of the places I will be going and the things I will be seeing.

Thursday, Sept. 25^th Salt Lake City to Rome

10:00 a.m.—Meet at the Salt Lake City Airport—Delta International Ticketing Area

1:30 p.m.—Leave for Rome

Friday, Sept. 26^th Arrive in Rome

10:45 a.m.—Arrive in Rome, Travel to Hotel

12:00 noon—Hotel Check-in

1:00 p.m.—Lunch

2:00 p.m.—Walk to the Forum

4:00 p.m.—Walk to St. Peter in Chains/Michelangelo’s Moses

5:00 p.m.—Walk to the Colleseum

7:00 p.m.—Walk to the Trevi Fountain

8:00 p.m.—Dinner at the Pantheon

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Saturday, Sept. 27^th Rome

6:30 a.m.—Bernini’s Ecstasy of St.Teresa (Santa Maria Della Vittoria)

8:00 a.m.—Michelangelo’s Astronomy Church (Santa Maria Delgi Angeli)

10:00 a.m.—The Sacred Steps ( Scala Santa)

11:00 a.m.—St. John’s Lateran (San Giovanni in Laterano)

1:00 p.m.—Metro to Spagna (Spanish Steps), Exchange Money, Lunch

2:00 p.m.—Walk to the Galleria Borghese

3:00 p.m.—Tour the Galleria Borghese (Reservation for 2 hours only)

5:00 p.m.—View of Rome

6:00 p.m.—Walk to Piazza Del Popolo

7:00 p.m.—Visit Santa Maria Del Popolo (Caravaggio’s Peter and Paul)

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Sunday, Sept. 28^th Rome

8:00 a.m.—Walk to the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Square and Basilica

9:00 a.m.—Visit the Vatican Museums/Sistine Chapel (Last Sunday of Month Free)

1:00 p.m.—Lunch

2:00 p.m.—Visit St. Peter’s Basilica

4:00 p.m.—Walk to Piazza Navona

5:00 p.m.—Dinner at Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, etc. etc.

7:00 p.m.—Visit the Pantheon

9:00 p.m.—Hotel for Sacrament Meeting

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Monday, Sept. 29th Rome to Pisa. Pisa to Florence

8:00 a.m.—Leave for Pisa

1:00 p.m.—Arrive in Pisa, Tour and eat Lunch

3:00 p.m.—Leave for Florence

5:00 p.m.—Arrive in Florence, Hotel Check-in, Walking Tour

7:00 p.m.—Free Time, Dinner

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Tuesday, Sept. 30th Florence

9:00 a.m.—Walk to the Accademia Museum (Michelangelo’s David)

10:00 a.m.—Tour of the Accademia Museum (Michelangelo’s David)

12:00 a.m.—Lunch

12:45 p.m.—Tour of the Uffizi Museum

3:00 p.m.—Tour of the Doors of Paradise, Baptistry, Duomo

5:00 p.m.—Free time—Dinner, Flea Market, Michelangelo’s Hill

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Wednesday, Oct. 1st Florence to Ravenna: 135 km- 2:30 hrs; Ravenna to Padova: 135 km- 2:30 hrs

7:00 a.m.—Leave for Ravenna

9:30 a.m.—Arrive in Ravenna

10:00 a.m.—Visit San Apollinare in Classe Mosaics and Early Lunch

11:00 a.m.—Visit San Apollinare Nuovo Basilica Mosaics

12:00 Noon—Walk to Arian Baptistry and San Vitale Mosaics

1:00 p.m.—Load Bus and Leave for Padova

3:30 p.m.—Arrive in Padova

4:00 p.m.—Visit Basilica of St. Anthony

5:00 p.m.—Dinner and Visit Cathedral Baptistry

6:00 p.m.—Walk to Scrovegni Chapel (Cappella Degli Scrovegni)

6:30 p.m.—Half of the Group Visit the Scrovegni Chapel; Paintings by Giotto

6:45 p.m.—The Other Half of the group Visit the Scrovegni Chapel; Paintings by Giotto

7:00 p.m.—Load the Bus and Travel to Hotel

7:30 p.m.—Hotel Check-in and Free Time

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Thursday, Oct. 2nd Padova to Venice: 40 km- 45 min.

8:00 a.m.—Leave for Venice

9:00 a.m.—Arrive at Boat

10:00 a.m.—Boat to Venice

11:00 a.m.—Arrive in Venice

12:00 Noon—Walk to Basilica of San Marco and St. Mark’s Square; Lunch; Tour Venice: Basilica of San Marco, Doge’s Palace, The Clock Tower, The Glass Factory, The Rialto Bridge, Gondola Ride

5:00 p.m.—Walk back to Load Boat

6:00 p.m.—Load Boat and Travel back to Bus

7:00 p.m.—Load Bus and Travel back to Hotel

8:00 p.m.—Arrive at Hotel in Padova, Free Time

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Friday, Oct. 3rd Venice/Padova to Salzburg: 407.4 km- 6 hrs

8:00 a.m.—Leave for Salzburg

12:00 Noon—Lunch

2:00 p.m.—Salt Mines

4:00 p.m.—Hotel Check-in

5:00 p.m.—Free Time: Dinner, Hohensalzburg Castle, Mozart’s Birthplace

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Saturday, Oct. 4^th Salzburg

9:00 p.m.---Hellbrunn Water Gardens Palace, Sound of Music Gazebo and House

12:00 Noon—Lunch

1:00 p.m.—Free Time: Dinner, Mozart Concert, Bike Rides, Eagle’s Nest (45 min. drive)

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Sunday, Oct. 5^th Salzburg

8:00 a.m.—Walk to Salzburg Cathedral for Mass

10:00 a.m.—Mozart Catholic Mass

12:00 Noon—Lunch

1:00 p.m.—Free Time: Sound of Music Tour

9:00 p.m.—Sacrament Meeting

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Monday, Oct. 6^th Salzburg to Prague: 335.8 km- 4:30 hrs

8:00 a.m.—Leave for Mauthausen Concentration Camp- 147.2 km- 1:30 hrs

9:30 a.m.—Arrive at Mauthausen Concentration Camp

10:00 a.m.—Tour Mauthausen Concentration Camp

12:00 Noon—Lunch

1:00 p.m.—Travel to Prague, Czech Republic- 253.3 km- 3:21 hrs

4:30 p.m.—Arrive in Prague, Czech Republic

5:00 p.m.—Hotel Check-in, Dinner, Free Time

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Tuesday, Oct. 7^th Prague

8:00 a.m.—Travel to St. Vitus Cathedral and Climb to the Top of the Tower

10:00 a.m.—Walk down The Golden Lane and the Old Royal Palace (The Defenestration of Prague)

11:00 a.m.—Walk across the Charles Bridge to The Old Town Square and OldTown Hall with the

Astronomical Clock

12:00 Noon—Visit the Jan Huss Monument, Lunch

1:00 p.m.—Free Time: The Tyn Church, The Jewish Quarter (Jewish Cemetery, Old/New Synagogue,

Pinkas Synagogue), Attend a Concert

9:00 p.m.—Meet Bus at Angel Bridge and Metronome

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Wednesday, Oct. 8^th Prague to Wittenberg: 535.9 km- 5:31 hrs

7:00 a.m.—Leave for Wittenberg

1:00 p.m.—Arrive in Wittenberg, Lunch

2:00 p.m.—Visit Lutheran History Museum (Review Lutheran Reformation Movement)

3:00 p.m.—Visit the Castle Church (Luther Nailed 95 Thesis), Luther’s Tomb, Melanchton’s Tomb

4:00 p.m.—Visit St. Mary’s Town Church (Site Luther Preached the Most)

5:00 p.m.—Dinner in Market Square, Monuments to Luther and Melanchton, Cranach House

7:00 p.m.—Free Time

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Thursday, Oct. 9^th Wittenberg to Berlin: 187 km- 1:30 hrs; Fly to Copenhagen

8:00 a.m.—Leave for Berlin

10:00 a.m.—Arrive in Berlin

11:00 a.m.—Lunch, Visit the Berliner Dom

12:00 Noon—Visit the Pergamon Museum (Babylon, Ishtar Gate and Walls)

2:00 p.m.—Visit Check Point Charlie and Remains of Berlin Wall

5:00 p.m.—Hotel Check-in, Dinner, Free Time

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Friday, Oct. 10^th Berlin to Munich: 589.7 km- 5 hrs

8:00 a.m.—Leave for Munich

1:00 p.m.—Arrive in Munich, Lunch

2:00 p.m.—Hotel Mirabel Check-in

3:00 p.m.—Walk to Marienplatz; Free Time: Neues Rathaus (City Hall), Frauenkirche (Catholic Mass),

St. Michael’s, St. Peterskirche, The Residenz

5:00 p.m.—Meet at The City Hall for the Famed Glockenspiel (Huge Clock)

6:00 p.m.—Free Time: Dinner, Hofbrauhaus

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Saturday, Oct. 11^th Munich

8:00 a.m.—Leave for Wieskirche

9:00 a.m.—Tour Wieskirche

10:00 a.m.—Drive to Neuschwanstein Castle

11:00 a.m.—Tour Neuschwanstein Castle

1:00 p.m.—Lunch at Grocery Store (Buy Chocolate)

2:00 p.m.—Travel to Munich

4:00 p.m.—Free Time, Dinner

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Sunday, Oct. 12^th Munich

8:00 a.m.---Walk to Frauenkirche for Catholic Mass

9:00 a.m.---Attend Mass

12:00 Noon---Lunch

1:00 p.m.---Free Time: Visit the Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek, Marienplatz, Neues Rathaus (City Hall), St. Michael’s, St. Peterskirche, The Residenz, Nymphenburg Palace, Olympic Park, City Park

5:00 p.m.---Dinner

9:00 p.m.---Sacrament meeting at Hotel

10:00 p.m.---Bed

Monday, Oct. 13^th Munich to Geneva: 586 km- 5 hrs

7:00 a.m.—Leave for Geneva

1:00 a.m.—Arrive in Geneva, Lunch

2:00 p.m.—Visit the Floral Clock, St. Peter’s Church, Russian Orthodox Church, and the Reformer’s Wall

5:00 p.m.—Hostel Check-in

6:00 p.m.—Free Time: Dinner, The Jet d’Eau Fountain, Botanical Gardens, United NationsBuilding

Tuesday, Oct. 14^th Geneva to Paris: 537.6 km- 4:30 hrs

7:00 a.m.---Visit St. Peter’s Church

8:00 a.m.—Leave for Paris

1:00 p.m.—Arrive in Paris, Lunch

2:00 p.m.—Hotel Check-in

3:00 p.m.—Metro to Sacre Coeur

5:00 p.m.—Dinner

6:00 p.m.—Metro to Eiffel Tower, Travel to the Top of the EiffelTower

7:00 p.m.—Free Time

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Wednesday, Oct. 15^th Paris

7:00 a.m.—Breakfast at McDonalds

8:00 a.m.—Walk to the Louvre

9:15 a.m.—Tour the Louvre, Lunch

1:30 p.m.—Walk to the Musee D’Orsay

2:00 p.m.—Tour the Musee D’Orsay

5:00 p.m.—Free Time: Arch de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Sainte Chapelle,Champs Elysees,

Seine River Cruise

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Thursday, Oct. 16^th Paris

8:00 a.m.—Load Bus and Travel to Versailles

9:00 a.m.—Tour Versailles

1:00 p.m.—Lunch

2:00 p.m.—Load Bus and return to Paris; Free Time: Arch de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Sainte Chapelle, Champs Elysees, Seine River Cruise

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Friday, Oct. 17^th Paris to Chartres: 80 km- 0:57 hrs; Chartres to Normandy: 313 km – 3:15 hrs;

Normandy to Caen: 80 km- 1 hour

7:30 a.m.—Leave for Chartres Cathedral- 80 km- 1 hour

8:30 a.m.—Tour Chartres Cathedral

10:00 a.m.—Travel to St. Mere Eglise, Lunch- 313 km- 3:15 hrs

2:00 p.m.—Travel to Normandy Beaches (Utah, Omaha, Pointe Du Hoc, AmericanCemetery)

5:00 p.m.—Tour Normandy Beaches (Utah, Omaha, Pointe Du Hoc, American Cemetery=closes at 5 p.m.)

6:00 p.m.—Travel to Caen

7:00 p.m.—Hotel Check-in, Dinner

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Saturday, Oct. 18th Caen to Calais: 340 km- 4:30 hrs; Calais to Dover: 7 km- 2 hrs; Dover to Canterbury:

25 km- 0:30 hrs; Canterbury to London: 100 km- 1:30 hrs

7:00 a.m.—Leave for Calais, Sacrament Meeting on Bus- 340 km- 4:30 hrs

11:30 a.m.—Board Ferry for England

1:00 p.m.—Arrive in England

1:30 p.m.—Drive to London

5:00 p.m.---Arrive in London, Good-bye to Peder and the Elbo Bus

5:30 p.m.—Hotel Umi Check-in

6:00 p.m.---Dinner and Free Time

9:00 p.m.---Special Meeting at Umi Hotel

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Sunday, Oct. 19th London

8:00 a.m.—Leave the Hotel, Travel the London Underground (The Tube)

8:30 a.m.—Walking Tour of London

10:30 a.m.—Travel the London Underground (The Tube)

11:30 a.m.—Buckingham Palace, The Changing of the Guard

12:30 p.m.—Travel The Tube to Tower Hill

1:00 p.m.—Lunch

2:00 p.m.—Tour of the Tower of London (Yeoman’s Tour, Crown Jewels, White Tower,Medieval Palace)

4:30 p.m.—Free Time: Dinner, More Tower of London, British Library, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, Lambeth Palace, Westminster Abbey, Harry Potter Train Station, Abbey Road and Beatles, National Gallery of Art, Piccadily Square

9:00 p.m.---Sacrament Meeting at Umi Hotel

10:00 p.m.—Bed

Monday, Oct. 20th London

8:00 a.m.—Leave Westminster Hotel, Travel The Tube

8:30 a.m.—Visit Speaker’s Corner

9:00 a.m.—Travel The Tube to St. Paul’s Cathedral

9:30 a.m.—Walking Tour of London

1:00 p.m.—Lunch

2:00 p.m.—Free Time: British Library, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, Lambeth Palace, Westminster Abbey, Harry Potter Train Station, Abbey Road and Beatles, National Gallery of Art, Piccadily Square, Play

10:00 p.m.—Hotel

Tuesday, Oct. 21st Fly to Salt Lake City

6:00 a.m.—Leave Umi Hotel for London Temple

7:00 a.m.—Walk Grounds of London Temple

7:30 a.m.—Travel to Gatwick Airport

8:00 a.m.—Check-in to Gatwick Airport (North Terminal)

10:25 a.m.—Fly to Cincinnatti (8:55 hrs)

2:20 p.m.—Arrive in Cincinnatti

5:05 p.m.—Leave Cincinnatti for Salt Lake City

6:49 p.m.—Arrive in Salt Lake City

MURDER!!!!!

2008-08-01T10:11:00.001-07:00

So as you have all seen multiple times before, we like to get a little creative in Rexburg....:) We like doing new things. So we had my mom mail us one of those How to Host a Murder kits. It was 30's Hollywood themed. Jenessa and I made invitations, dinner and put up decorations. The game calls for four couples, so we got our friends Melanie and Krissa to join in with us and then we each got a date. It turned out to be really fun. It was stressful getting it all ready in time but it somehow got done! I had a couple of my old roommates do my hair and makeup and it was awesome! We all felt so glamorous as we sat down to a candlelight dinner and ate Parmesan chicken and pasta with marinara sauce. Yum! I'm hungry now just thinking about it!

I obviously didn't have a vintage 30s dress but this one was simple enough that it worked.

Krissa, Jenessa, Me and Melanie. Best friends!!!!

I asked Asa to be my date- hopefully he enjoyed it!
Our characters were Heide Voltaje (the new 'it' girl in Hollywood) and Selson U. Lloyd (one of Hollywood's preeminent dierectors.)

Krissa and Alex
aka: Ivonde B. Ahlone (A Sweedish actress) and Stuart D. Muphin (a western film actor)

Jenessa and Walt

aka Tatyana Elyale (a gossip colum nist with her own radio show) and Savoy R. Fayre (a British actor- one of Hollywood's favorite leading men)

Then we also had Melanie and Chris (Melanie didn't give me the picture of them!)

My fabulous hairdo by my wonderful friend Nicki

We had a lot of fun- I'm glad we decided to do it! I want to do another one now that I know how it works! :)

Trapped in a sand-trap!!!!

2008-06-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

So, Memorial Day weekend- three days with no school. Stay in Rexburg? HECK NO!!!!!! We decided to escape down to Midway for a few days....I begged my parents to let us have it and they were nice enough to reserve it. Oh my goodness it was so nice to get away for a few days!!! We had such a wonderful time and got to visit with lots of friends and sleep in and actually be in a house!!!! Man, after living in a tiny apartment with six girls for five months, this was absolutely GLORIOUS!!!! I had my own bathroom to get ready in and I could take my time doing so. We pretty much did not ever want to leave.

We had many adventures while we were in Midway......

We climbed the pyramids.......

Went for wonderfully scenic walks........

Explored little cave houses...........

Made some wonderful new friends (that didn't smell too good!)

And many other strange things......... silly Krissa Jo

Something really scary that happened to me was I got trapped in a sand-trap!!! i didn't know what to do!!! I felt so alone and so lost.

It was a very distressing situation, if you can't tell by my expression.

Luckily I soon escaped the sandtrap and was able to go to Provo and visit my wonderfully wonderful cousins whom you all know so well- Jennie and Kensie! And that's my friend Ian with us. We ate at brick oven, and of course it was amazing! And i had to be my same piglet self and get the marketroom buffet and make myself sick but it was SO WORTH IT!!!!

FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our really tall friend Ryan- he's SO TALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it was a fabulous weekend and I wish it had never ended!

2008-05-06T20:45:00.001-07:00

So Rexburg is finally seeing some SUN and us Rexburgians are finally feeling some WARMTH and let me tell you- it is absolutely GLORIOUS!!! The sun really and truly does make me happy....I mean, I've always loved overcast days and everything....but four months straight of it is not my thing......and i had almost forgotten what the color green looked like.....but it's coming back!!!!!

The other night our ward had an opening social and it was a perfect day. We played games, had a barbecue and checked out the ward.... :) I had a lot of fun!

LOVE THESE GIRLS!!!!!!!

Pretty much two of my favorite people....I grew up with Krissa(left) and Jenessa(right) is my room roommate this semester

And then this really cute boy named Logan from our ward jumped in the back of our picture.....we wanted him to stay for all of them!!! :)

I pretty much rocked the field!

Megan- my roommate from last semester. She's an absolute doll!

Who needs a plate?

2008-04-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

So a few friends and I decided to do something a little different tonight......we decided to make dinner and eat it right off the table! We covered it in foil and saran wrap and just went ahead and dumped the food on it. It was really fun....a little awkward, but fun! I think we are going to do ice cream next time!!! Yes- in Rexburg, Idaho we have to get a little creative.

Barefoot in the Park

2008-04-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

So my friend is in a directing class and a couple weeks ago I got a call from her begging me to be in her final scene that is pretty much worth her entire grade. I said yes because she was desperate and even though it has pretty much consumed my last couple weeks, ended up having a really good time. I haven't done any real acting since high school so it was a fun experience!

It was slightly crazy because we had less than two weeks to put the whole thing together. Memorizing a twenty minute conversation in a few days was definitely a challenge! It is really scary doing something like this, especially when someone else's grade is on your head!

We did a scene from Barefoot in the Park- if any of you haven't seen the movie starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda- I highly suggest it. It is a darling movie and I love it. There were four actors in our scene but two of them leave after about 4 minutes. We did the famous fight scene and it was a blast to do. And my costar was.....very cute...so that was an extra little bonus! :)

My weekend with the COWANS!!!!!

2008-03-31T20:05:00.000-07:00

So this weekend I got to drive that oh so beautiful and scenic drive from Rexburg, Idaho to Utah for my cousin Mike's wedding.

This of course meant I got some wonderful quality time with my favorite people in the whole world: the Cowans. But you probably already know that because if you are reading this you are most likely a Cowan...or a branch of the Cowans anyway! Well anyway, I had a totally awesome time. Love them all- and they totally put up with me and took care of me the whole weekend! :) So thank you for an awesome break from my stressful semester and for making my week....month....year!!!! Many great memories..... Jill trying to lick the cake, Jennie doing her strut, Jennie's hot friend doing his strut...:) , cardboard Joey, dancing the night away..........

Boys wanna have fun too!!!

2008-03-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

So this is what happens when you leave seven children alone with Jessica for four days.....let's just say things get a little crazy.

Hey! I had to entertain them somehow! The funny part is it wasn't completely my idea....the little boys in dresses started it.

2008-03-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

Ever wished that a fictional character was real? I know all of you have....some wish for Mr. Darcy while others wish for Edward Cullen. While I definitely wouldn't mind either of these characters being real I must say that Jim Halpert would be a wonderful addition to this world. He's hilarious, extremely fun, thoughtful and pretty much amazing. To those of you who do not watch The Office: I seriously advise you to reconsider that choice.

Greetings!

2008-03-03T20:42:00.000-08:00

Well- I kept finding out about friends and family members who have one of these things so I thought I better try it too!! I spend lots of time seeing what everyone else is up to and thought it would only be fair if they could see what I was up to too.

Right now I am in the middle of my seventh semester at BYU-Idaho. I love it here although I have to admit I never knew the meaning of the word cold until I came here. Being from Sacramento, where it is almost always sunny- the negative degree weather that is Idaho was a shock. In January it got down to negative thirty. It is quite sad how 32 degree weather is now t-shirt weather for me!

I am majoring in Communications and absolutely love it. I've gotten to do so many cool things and meet really cool people. I now know all about broadcasting, advertising, public relations and journalism. Just the other day for my journalism class I got to go on a police ride-along. It was pretty sweet, even if it was in Rexburg!

I'm a movie freak as most of you know and have made quite a little collection. My roommates call me their own personal Blockbuster. I don't have a favorite or even a few favorites but to give you an idea I always love The Count of Monte Cristo, Monty Python, and The Italian Job.

Some of my other interests are reading, games, water sports (especially wake-boarding!), bridge jumping, cooking, laughing, macs, pirates, dance parties, big cities, traveling, mariokart and all kinds of stuff.

Well I really need to start studying for a test I have tomorrow morning so I'm gonna run!