eat pray love movie

I've already mentioned that I have read the book Eat Pray Love. So now I will pronounce that I have seen the movie. Some critics have said, "It’s touching, enjoyable and inspiring...as long as you’re female." A distant cousin of mine said, "The whole time I felt like I was just watching Julia Roberts instead of her character." Rotten Tomatoes gives it an overall approval rating of 38%. And click here for the info from wikipedia. I think Dave took me to see it because I said I wanted to go, but secretly I think he really liked the part where Felipe's son goes back to Australia or he really hated it because he was squirming in his seat. I personally liked it. It made me want to eat lots of yummy food in Italy, learn to have more peace and quiet in my life, and be really grateful that Dave wants to go ring shopping without me even asking. Plus it reminded me of our family vacation last year in Waterton. One day Caimon and I were walking by the lake and stopped to sit on a bench to stare at the water. It was great being in the moment and peaceful, who knew a 2 year old could do that, I love that kid!

more house pictures

Since the last blog I figured I would put up pictures of other things that make the house old, besides the fact that this is an old Victorian home.

This is the sink for the downstairs bathroom (a pretty rare thing for a Victorian home to have, 2 bathrooms). I like the design, it's pretty.

The door window has a pretty etching.

Yes the washer is in the kitchen and it is small.

This is the water heater.

This is the bathroom doorknob and lock. The lock doesn't work and yes that is a bobby pin that is keeping the knob together.

Kitchen sink. I told my roommate Rachel that we have two sinks in the USA and she says, "Why do you need two sinks?" Why don't you need to sinks? English people do not rinse the soap off the dishes after they washed them. Gross!

This is the upstairs bathroom sink. It looks exactly like the bathroom sink in my Grandpa and Grandma Riding's house, which was built in the 1930's. It's time to upgrade.

This is the shower water heater. Don't ask how it works, I've read the instruction manual and it made me more confused. Anybody seen one of these before?

Yep that is a radiator! Not only that, but my landload calls this central heating.

Friday night Dave and I babysat for our friend's kids. One of them was sick, therefore Dave and I got sick. Saturday was bad for me and today is Dave's bad day. Since my roommates refuse to turn the heat on, I had Dave pick me up so I could stay warm at his flat. So I took a picture of his tv. Another example of "boys and their toys".

oven/stove

I had to buy matches to start the oven and stove. My Mom says her Grandma Amy had one of these. One of the drawbacks of living in England, they are behind in technology. They still use radiators to heat houses. About 2% of the population has a dishwasher, Dave doesn't even know how to load one. Most people still hang their clothes up to dry instead of using a dryer. #1 reason I am not staying in this country after I graduate.

I like this quote

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

- Mark Twain-

Day Trips Saturday Peak District

Saturday Peak District

Dave had to sleep on the air mattress in the playroom, it was funny when I made the kids go in and wake him up. It was like being at my brother’s house with kids waking up early to play before breakfast. After breakfast we headed to Hathersage. I had found online a walk that covered the Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen and Little John sites. Unfortunately Dave’s ankle was bugging him, so we just walked up and down main street, which has the George Inn where Charlotte Bronte used the pub owner’s name, Morton, in Jane Erye.

A look up the main street in Hathersage.

Street sign in Hathersage. They actually have a swimming pool, there's not too many of them here in England.

We were in time to go to the Farmer's Market, but they are not the same as in the US.

We didn't stay for the show, but we will have to come back next year.

Which way? Hathersage or Eyam?

After that we went to Eyam. When the plague came to England in 1665 the town of Eyam was wiped out except a few. I saw a PBS special about this town and a genetic mutation the survivors had. They happened to have a town festival and it was busy, so we didn’t stop we just drove through and took pictures.

They had floats and everything.

I think the Peak District is my favorite place in England so far. Now I know why the Brontë’s and Jane Austen wrote about it!

We have more adventures planned, Dave wants to go to Paris in October.

Day Trips Friday Nottingham

Friday Nottingham

Driving into town we drove by this big factory. I've never been this close up before, so I took a picture.

So we have been meeting Dave’s friends, now it is time to meet mine. Karen and Duane. Karen was the first person I taught the gospel to in South Africa that got baptized. She was already dating Duane (my Mission President’s nephew), so a few months later they got married and now they have four kids and live in Nottingham. They took us to Rufford Abbey, which has some pretty walks and playground for kids. Then we went to dinner with Karen and Duane and Dave’s friends, Ross and Katie. We went to an American style diner close to Ross and Katie’s house. Since Karen and Duane have two cats and I am allergic we stayed with Ross and Katie.

Wandering though the forest.

Finally got a good picture of Dave.

The red head on the left is the boys friend, because red is not Karen's natural color.

The boys bugging Karen while she is trying to take a picture.

Aren't we cute? :)

Day Trips Thursday Malvern Hills

Thursday Malvern Hills
I got to go here right after I moved to England and really liked it. So I made Dave come to do rehab on his ankle by hiking. Yeah, I just about killed him, but it was worth it. He took me to a different hill than before. After I ditched Dave, I continued up to the second hill and ran back down. It was pretty; if you want a semi-steep hike and a good workout, go to Malvern Hills.

Dave helping his sister fix her flat tire
The map of the Malverns
another sign

Stone sign to show where to go (that's Dave's butt)

another sign

The springs at the Malvern. Filling up my Camelbak bladder.

Day Trips Wednesday off

Wednesday off
After the mess a couple of weeks ago where we were in the hospital until midnight because Dave fell off a wall at his friend’s house and I had to drive his car (manual and on the other side of the road) to his house only to find that the water in the bathroom was everywhere. We waited until 2am for the plumber to finish, so I didn’t get to sleep until 3am. Well, this was the day that the plumber could come and fix the hot water because Dave hasn’t had any since then. So we didn’t go anywhere because you know with repairmen, they can come whenever they want just to mess up your day. I went to school and got stuff done, like my lesson for Sunday. We found out that the YW are assigned to sing in church Oct 24th, so now we have to pick a song. Any ideas?

Day Trips Tuesday Stratford-Upon-Avon

Tuesday Stratford upon Avon
I had wanted to go to Oxford, but Dave woke up too late (not a morning person), so we only drove to Stratford it’s not too far away. It is a fun little town, but totally a tourist trap (I did buy a postcard for C&B). If you must go, just walk around the pretty town square, unless you are a Shakespeare freak then go take the tour of his house.

The top of the street Shakespeare lived on has this Joker statue.

Just the sign

Can you see tiny me?

Another plaque saying Shakespeare lived here

Where's Waldo? Dave fixing his walking boot.

Signs like this to help you not get lost

More signs

Another statue across the river

Fountain in front of the theatre

Day Trips Monday Wales

Dave had this week off, so we decided to do some day trips.

Monday Wales

Today was a bank holiday in England and the first day of adventure. Dave took me the scenic route through Wales and we ended up in a small town that was hosting a bicycle race.

He took me to the beach in Swansea...

(I'm really bad at aiming the camera)

...and we drove by where Dave went to university.

(A sign with English and Welsh on it)

(The chapel in Swansea)

Plus Dave served part of his mission in Wales so we visited with his friend Maria’s family. She literally lives out in the middle of nowhere.

(The road kept getting narrower and narrower)

It was after midnight when we got home, but worth it.