Wednesday randoms.

Is it Wednesday already? Time flies.

Since I've always lived in the States, naturally all the money I have saved for this little London adventure is in dollars. Unfortunately, they don't take dollars here. So every so often I have to make a little trip to the bank and do an exchange, which is seriously the most depressing thing ever. The other day I took in $100 and got back a measly £59.73. Ugh.

I'm in paper-writing mode again. Which means I'm baking again...you know to keep me from actually doing any work.

This made me laugh and feel all sentimental. Is 23 too young to be feeling sentimental?

I got to use my [limited] Arabic skills in class. I got put on the spot and was asked to read " لشعب يريد إسقاط النظام " out loud. Not a big deal, really, but I hadn't even tried to read script in at least 2 years. Plus there were at least 3 people there who actually spoke the language in our class. Oh, and I'm not too fond of the spotlight. I seriously thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest, and I'm sure my face was bright red. (Side note: Why does your body do that to you? It doesn't help at all!)

It gets dark so early here. The sun is down by about 4:30. No fun.

Baylor dominated Texas Tech over the weekend, even though RGIII was injured and sat out the entire second half. And both the women and men's basketball teams are ranked nationally (women are #1, actually). Gotta love my Bears. I'm so proud.

Apparently there was a big strike today. Some girl at uni tried to convince me to skip class and avoid all homework "in support of my teachers" (who, incidentally, were not striking). But I turned her down and ended up doing more work today than I have in over a week.

And I really like this video.

Hope you've enjoyed your November as much as I've enjoyed mine. Bring on December, with plenty of hot cider, scarves and Christmas music.

I love this time of year.

Wales for the weekend.

I didn't take any pictures until we got to Caerphilly Castle. Then I took like a million. Here are just a few:

 

Welsh is a crazy language. It uses the same alphabet as English, so you'd think you'd be able to sound the words out. But you could be wrong. Here's a sample. It's from Google translate, so if you speak Welsh (but let's be honest...you probably don't), and it's wrong, I'm sorry:

Rhowch gynnig ar geisio ynganu'r geiriau hyn. Rwy'n eithaf cadarnhaol y byddwch byth yn ei gael yn iawn. Oni bai, wrth gwrs, eich bod yn dod o Gymru.

Which, in English, means: Try sounding out these words. I'm pretty positive you will never get it right. Unless, of course, you are from Wales.

Yeah.

Anywho, Wales was lovely. We had absolutely gorgeous weather. What we didn't have was a plan, but everything (from the hostel, to transportation, to figuring out what to do) worked out amazingly well.

And now I've been to Wales. Check.

Team MegaBus.

I went to Wales this weekend. Well, we went to Wales this weekend -- 10 friends and me. It was an adventure. But the adventure started even before we made it out of London.

We took a coach (via MegaBus) from Central London to Cardiff early Saturday morning. When we got to the station, there was a group of people who seemed a little intoxicated (or chemically inconvenienced, as Gerry put it). One, in particular, was pretty loud. We crossed our fingers and hoped they wouldn't be on our bus.

But they were. And they sat right by us.

Now, there's this rule that you can't have alcohol on the bus. And they make it pretty clear, posting it all over the place, and announcing it on the bus itself. Well, we got about 3 blocks down the street from the station, and the bus driver pulled over. He made a beeline for the group, and told them they weren't allowed to have alcohol. The loud guy had to toss his opened beer can out. Then they swore (slurring their words) that they didn't have any more. That they just smelled like vodka because they'd been out all night. That the driver was wasting his time. That that was just water. And on and on and on.

Bus driver didn't believe them. He went back to the front of the bus, but we stayed pulled over...for like twenty minutes. Eventually, someone asked what was going on, and he said he was waiting for the police to arrive. They'd search the bus (particularly the group) till they were satisfied there was no more alcohol.

All of the sudden, bottles started appearing, and making their way off the bus and into the bin. Bottles that, until then, "hadn't existed." But the best part was the commentary from this group. Some of my favorite quotes included:

"You can't get off the bus now. You've got to stay and face the consequences."

"We're all in this together. We're like Team MegaBus."

"Can you tell me what's going on? I've got a life-changing audition."

"I will destroy him." (Referring to the bus driver.)

"It was full. But we finished it off."

When the cops finally pulled up, the reaction was mixed. The group got really nervous. The rest of us practically cheered. Ultimately, they left the bus, and we were able to continue (well, really begin) our journey toward Cardiff.

And I'll tell you about Cardiff later.

Good friends and good food.

Our Thanksgiving dinner was such a success. I think around 25 people came. We could barely fit in the kitchen.

Lisa was super thoughtful and got flowers, plates, decorations and such. The Council of Men (aka, the guys) provided tables from various other flats...which entailed disassembling them so they'd fit through the doors and then reassembling them in our kitchen. And just about everyone brought food. So much food. We ate and talked and ate and laughed and ate some more.

Such a fun night. Worth every dirty dish.

Good friends and good food. And that's why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The pie is done, the cake is iced, the rolls are rising and the turkey's in the oven. Whew. I'm gonna sit down for a sec.

Raw turkeys are weird. The best part was when Sheila pulled its neck out, and Hannah freaked.

Don't you just love Thanksgiving? Because I sure do.

Wednesday randoms.

It might sound cheesy, but I really do like it when people actually take time to be deliberately thankful during Thanksgiving. I imagine the world would be a better place if we didn't limit this to one little day in the month of November. So in honor of the holiday, this segment of Wednesday randoms will be devoted to thank-you's.

Thank you, mom and dad, for encouraging me when I said I'd like to study abroad. I know loads of parents who would have done just the opposite, and I'm so grateful for your love and support. Plus, that you've both come to visit has meant more to me than I could ever properly express. Love you.

Thank you, brother, for growing into a man of God I can look up to (and not just because you're taller). I respect you so much, and I'm unbelievably proud of you. Also, you're really funny.

Thank you, soul friends, for continuing to come up with hilarious inside jokes despite the thousands of miles between us. I never laugh harder than when I'm with you...even if it's just via email (which gets me weird looks all the time, but it's totally worth it.)

Thank you, technology, for allowing me to stay connected with the people I love.

Thank you, Malden Hall, for being full of crazy, fun, ridiculous characters who've become like family to me in these past two months. I couldn't have asked for better flatmates and new friends.

Thank you, Kingston University staff, for putting me in classes with some of the sweetest girls I've ever met. And they're smart, too!

Thank you, Baylor, for still feeling like home. And for having such an exciting football season. Can't wait for basketball to get rolling.

Thank you, weather, for abstaining from downpours and all around dreariness. I expected so much worse and have been pleasantly surprised.

Thank you, food blogs, for providing me with the recipes that make people think I actually know what I'm doing in the kitchen.

Thank you, year, for giving me more ups than downs, more laughter than tears, and more sweets than vegetables.

And, finally, PTL! Seriously though. Jesus, you are kind and gracious, and you're faithful when I'm not. I'm humbled and grateful that you care for me, and it would be no exaggeration to say that I'm blessed beyond measure.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances..." -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

   

Turkey and things.

This will be my first Thanksgiving away from family. Which means this will also be my first Thanksgiving to actually have to plan and pull off. Sure, I've done the mini-Thanksgivings where you get together with friends before the actual holiday to eat and hang out. But the difference between those and what will be happening Thursday is twofold. First, they weren't actual Thanksgiving dinners. Second, my responsibility was limited to volunteering to make a pie or something.

This year, I'm celebrating Thanksgiving with a bunch of [wonderful] people who haven't ever celebrated Thanksgiving before. And as (1) I'm American, and (2) I can cook can follow recipes with some success, I'm in charge of the turkey.

I have no idea how to cook a turkey. It's just sitting there, all menacing, in my refrigerator. I feel really unprepared for this. And the turkey is like the centerpiece of the meal. The meal for my favorite holiday that I really want all my new friends to love too.

Turkey, I will defeat you.

No pressure or anything.

I've also come to appreciate the fact that we get Thanksgiving off in the States, because I have no idea how we're going to manage to make all this food while everyone's got class and work and whatnot. The good news is everyone's bringing a dish, so it's not like one person has to cook everything. Still, figuring out what time I should make the dinner rolls and a pie when our oven is going to be occupied by a turkey for most of the evening is a bit of a challenge.

I might have to borrow an oven.

But with all that said, I'm super excited for this Thanksgiving! I have plenty to be thankful for this year, and I can't wait to celebrate with all the lovely people from my building. And whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I'm hoping this Thursday treats you exceptionally well.

Happy [almost] Thanksgiving!