THANKSGIVING!

This year for Thanksgiving we got together with a group of Americans from our church. It was wonderful. I hope you all enjoyed the food day as much as we did.

In light of the season I would like to present a list of things I am especially grateful for...

Our Savior, Jesus Christ

Austin <3

Our families

Thoughtful friends

Music

A home

Rain

Delicious food

Prayer

Warm showers

Medicine

Colors

Make up (ridiculous? Yes.)

Tomorrows

Slippers

Skype

Sports

Candles

How to do London in 1 Day

For my birthday my husband took me to London! We were originally planning on staying a night or two but we didn't want to bother with packing, carrying around luggage, booking a hotel, etc. We decided to make it a day trip.

For all you travelers with a layover in London or some time to kill- this is for you. There are so many amazing things to see, we didn't know if it would be possible to do in a day. I'm here to tell you it's possible.

I'M NO EXPERT! This was just our experience :)

Transportation
We live in Birmingham, so for us it was easy. London is only a few hours away by coach or train. We decided to take the coach, since it's cheaper and we do everything on a budget. We booked the tickets with National Express the week before and went to and from London for under £30 total.

While we were in the city we decided we would use the tube (underground train) to get around the city. We bought an all day pass for £8. You can buy these at any station. You can also use the bus system if preferred. The tube system is just so easy to navigate, as newbies we went with that. Also, even with a pass you will be doing quite a bit of walking. Wear comfortable shoes and bring an umbrella :)

Attractions

(Disclaimer- to see all of what we did in a day we didn't spend a significant amount of time at any one place. This was more of a surface trip rather than a deep dive. If you want more of a deep dive experience pick 2-3 attractions.)

Buckingham Palace (1)

You can pay to go inside and tour but we opted to take cheesy pictures outside and film the guards as they marched.

Westminster Abbey (2)

Absolutely beautiful! Again, you can pay to go inside but we just looked from the outside. We were not disappointed.

Big Ben (3)

It is a beautiful as it looks in the pictures. The detail is incredible.

London Eye (4)

We didn't ride it but boy it is a sight to see. Right on the river.

Trafalgar Square/ National Gallery (5)

The square is beautiful! Amazing statues and fountains. We did go inside the National Gallery and it was a treat! (Also,  FREE!) I wish I had listened a bit better in art history, because I know I didn't appreciate all it had to offer. Rooms and rooms of paintings from centuries passed. A few notables that I actually recognized- paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, and Da Vinci.

Tower of London/Tower Bridge (6)

It was Remembrance Day this past week, so they put 888, 246 ceramic poppy flowers in the moat at the tower to commemorate the fallen of the British military during WW1. If we had more time we wished would have gone inside the tower to view the Crowned Jewels. There we so many people there to see the poppies we didn't get great pictures, or even a good look at the bridge. Next time.

Herrods (7)

This department store is INSANE. I kind of felt like Jenny Humphrey on the Upper East Side. Gossip Girl reference... anyone? Couldn't afford anything in there, but it was worth the visit.

Apollo Victoria Theatre- Wicked (8)

The cherry on top of the cake. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. If you ever have time to go to a show, DO IT. This was my birthday present. Big purchase for the year.

Platform 9 3/4 

(Not shown. North of the map at Kings Cross Station)

Calling all Harry Potter fans! This was a little outside the route, but we just had too. Yep. We were super touristy and did this. Come on though, you can't go to London and NOT do this.

This was my first time to London so I wanted to see everything! Again, if you want a more in depth experience, pick just a few things to see. 

London in 1 day is possible people!!

Best Birthday Ever.

Gallery Wall on a Budget

Operation beautify flat continues with this gallery wall on a budget! 

Type in "gallery wall" on Pinterest and you get all of these AMAZING creations that probably cost a fortune.  I wish we were rolling in the dough but we just aren't. I'm not embarrassed to tell you that all of these frames are from Poundland (the Dollar Store for England). I am also not embarrassed to tell you that I made that flower out of plastic spoons and cardboard. I'm on a strict budget and that's how things get done around here!

I am not particularly experienced with Photoshop or other design programs so free printables are the way to go! Check out where I got my pieces from, below. 

Without further ado, here it is!

Excuse the poor lighting and photo quality. Amateur hour over here. You get the idea though.

Spoon Flower Tutorial here

"Choose Happy" print here

Chevron Arrow print here

Pineapple print here

"Love is a verb. Love is a doing word" print here

"Home is wherever I'm with you" print here (My dear friend Catherine made this for me. THANKS CATH!!)

I can't find where I found the "Be Kind" printable. But honestly, you could just make that one yourself.

A Toast to the Whites

Today, is a very special day for this girl. Abby DeLawder, soon to be Mrs. Abby White. Although England has been wonderful so far, my heart is breaking because I am not able to be there for her special day. For this reason, I am going to write a little toast for Abby and her soon to be husband Mr. Patrick White.

First off, I have been around for Abby and Pat's journey from the day they met. At the time, Abs and I were doing an internship together in Salt Lake. We looked like this every single day. Cow & Jumbo 4 life...

 I remember hearing how fun and great this guy was so I told her I had to meet him! 

When we finally nailed down a day, it didn't go as planned. 

During one of the first conversations Pat and I had, we started talking about sports. 

(I'm such a dude sometimes)

I may or may not have told him to "go die" because he mentioned his devotion to the Lakers. Disclaimer: I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE TOLD ANYONE THAT. I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT CAME OUT OF MY MOUTH.

 I have since apologized, but our start was rocky to say the least. 

The next couple years their relationship blossomed, and they had their ups and downs. During the downs I was not a fan of the man who was hurting my best friend. 

I mean come on, friend code 101= be on her side, always! 

But look at them now.... they are beyond happy and I could not be more ecstatic for them!!

So here's to you Abs... Here's to you not having to spell your last name out ever again. To moving to the back of the alphabet. To always having a partner in crime and a date to everything. To having your best friend by your side forever. To finding the man of your dreams! To Mr. & Mrs. White!!!

Love you Abs. I couldn't be more happy for you two. Welcome to the married club! :)

Commence jokes about having babies. Too soon?

Why you don't go running

Because you don't live in a place like this....

I don't mean to brag, okay fine, yes i do, but this was my morning run. 

England, you have my heart.

Swoon. 

That is all.

Dreaming

I love dreaming. It's a free adventure every night! Besides the point. The real point is, there is not one decoration in our entire flat. We couldn't exactly bring any with us, given our packing limitations. The bank account and the husband would also not appreciate it if I spent money on expensive decor. This left me with one option: make it yourself. Yay crafting, right?

I'm starting with our room. Over the bed to be exact. Nothing fancy. Super simple.

It's so so easy to make too! All you need is:

I found the actual letters for free here. I printed them off and glue dotted them to the colored paper. (Secret... I used glue dots to mount the clothes pins to the wall too).  I wish I had twine to hang the thing. I couldn't find any in the city and didn't want to order it online, so string worked just fine. I tripled it up so it was a little thicker on the wall. 

Honestly, easiest craft of my life. I love how it turned out!

Side note:
I listened to this song on repeat while making the banner. LOVE IT. Not sure if it's popular in the States, but I'm all about it.

How to Be Happy

Lately, I have been in a little bit of a slump. Why, you ask? But Callie, you have literally traveled the world and had AMAZING opportunities the past six months! How is the heck are you not happy?! Yeah, yeah. I know. 

Life has changed lately. I used to think that I was okay with change, that it was good. I still believe that change can be good. Change is required for progression, but change can also be scary and hard. I found myself writing in my journal this week, "I feel like I have lost myself a bit." That's a scary sentence. Hear me out though...  I had to quit my job, leave my friends, (miss my BFFs wedding... love you Abs) and move to the other side of the world. 

With all that said. Let me tell you that I found the answer to happiness this past weekend. 

(I don't know if I really found it, more like rediscovered it). 

I had a little help from a little thing called General Conference. Haven't heard of it? Well let me tell you all about it! Did you know that we have prophets on the earth today? God speaks to us through them just like he did with prophets of old, like Noah or Moses. General Conference is one of the instances we have to hear modern day prophets and their counsel from the Lord. 

One of my favorite talks was given my President Dieter F. Uchtdorf during the General Women's Session. He gave us a recipe for happiness, peace, and eternal life. I mean really, what else could you want?

"The Creator of the seas, sands, and endless stars is reaching out to you this very day! He is offering the grand recipe for happiness, peace, and eternal life!

To qualify for these glorious blessings, you must...

1) Humble yourself

2) Exercise faith

3) Take upon you the name of Christ

4) Seek Him in word and deed 

5) Resolutely stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places"

I needed to hear this. I was looking inward and not upward and outward. I can be happy when I serve others. I can be happy when I look to my Heavenly Father and trust in His plan. The answer is simple. I knew it all along. I had just forgot. Sometimes we need a little reminding from our loving Father in heaven, and that's okay!

Are you feeling down? Need direction or uplifting? You will find it here.