Mr. GQ

Talmage was showing a little skin before church today!

It's a Small, Small World

It's a small world after all...especially in the church! Meet some of our AWESOME new friends here in Cambridge: Rob and Christa Ellis and Verlan and Katherine Lewis.


Here come's the small world factor. Get this:

• Rob was Jim's TA for a religion class at BYU
• Christa and I were in the same BYU singles ward
• Verlan's sister was one of my BYU roommates (Laura Lewis Paging Laura Lewis)
• Verlan's uncle was Jim's first mission president
• Verlan's cousin is one of Rob's best friends

Awesome, right? I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting! Anyway, Christa, Katherine and I have filled the past few afternoons with girl talk, cooking and tons of fun while our husbands slave away in the library. On Friday we were practicing our domestic diva skills and made a delicious dinner for the guys.

Christa is SUCH a good cook.

Katherine and I were begging her to teach us everything she knows!

Oh, and by the way, she's running a marathon tomorrow in Greece.

We're cheering you on from Cambridge Christa. Go! Go! Go!

Katherine and I were laughing at ourselves during the whole cooking process.

And, in our defense, both her bread and my pumpkin cake turned out delicious. Phew!

This girl is so happy and she served a mission in Spain, so cool!

History 101: Guy Fawkes Day

Listen up class.

This is a true story about a guy named Guy.

On November 5, 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament and kill the king.

Fortunately, he was discovered in the basement with dynamite before he was able to harm anyone. (Unfortunately for him, he was tortured and killed for his actions.)

Now, November 5 in the UK is known as "Guy Fawkes Day" or "Fireworks Day."

They celebrate by watching fireworks and having a HUGE bonfire (they burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes).

I say...any reason to party is a good one. Guy Fawkes Day in Cali next year anyone?

Talmage LOVES fireworks. He seriously didn't move a muscle for the whole 20 minute show!

The fireworks show was beyond incredible!

Daddy and Talmage.

In England, cotton candy is called candy floss.

Talmage doesn't care what it's called, he LOVES it!

As promised, after fireworks there was a huge bonfire.

I mean a seriously HUGE bonfire!

Ever wondered where the word "guy" came from? Good old Guy Fawkes! In the early Guy Fawkes celebrations, "guy" meant a man of odd appearance. Eventually it became a simple reference for any man.

I feel smarter after writing this post--hope you feel smarter after reading it!

Class dismissed.

Look What I Came Home With...

Yesterday I rode the train to Ely to visit my new friend Liz with only this in tow.

A few joyous hours later, I headed home with all of this!

Liz has two adorable little boys and passed on some of her toys to Talmage. She also took me to the Air Force base (her husband is in the Air Force) and we picked out more toys and clothes. I am so excited, as is Mr. T (as evidenced in the grinny pic above!) We finally have toys to play with and we are having so much fun. Thank you Liz!

Inclement Weather

Sunday 9:15 am:

Sunday 9:25 am after a 200 yard walk to the bus stop:

I'll just tell people I'm going for the wind-blown look!

LONDON TOP TEN

We spent yesterday in London. To say I am in love would be an understatement...I am obsessed! The beauty, the history, the excitement, the galleries, the people-I loved it all. Here's the top 10 of the trip.

1. BUCKINGHAM PALACE

Our first of many family photos of the day.

The palace was HUGE. I kept telling T, "We're at Buckingham Palace!" in a high sing-songy fashion. He would start laughing hysterically. It was SO cute. We were both thrilled to see the real deal. I'm with Yul Brynner (you know, from Cool Runnings), I want to live there someday!

T and I threw a penny into the Buckingham Palace fountain. Jim asked what we wished for and some random old man said, "Don't tell him. If you tell, it won't come true." So we didn't tell Jim what we wished for, and we unfortunately can't tell you either. But it might have something to do with the previous picture!

2. BIG BEN

Jim, Talmage and Ben.

Jim taught me something new.

The clock is not actually named BIG Ben.

The BIG bell inside the tower that strikes on the hour is BIG Ben.

And now you know!

Talmage was not as impressed with Big Ben as we were.

3. HORSE GUARDS

Fact: The horseguards don't really protect anything.

Fact: They still look really cool.

Fact: That horse didn't even move when Jim and T stood so close.

Fact: There was a sign by my horse saying,

"The horse may bite or kick you. We're not responsible."

Fact: Horses sense fear.

Fact: Me and T stayed hecka far away!

4. TRAFALGAR SQUARE

Wasn't it so nice of Talmage to take this picture for us?

PS--you can see Big Ben in the background.

Roar!

We're in London just like Uncle "Elder" Jordan.

We've searched everywhere but we still can't find him!

(This is taken outside the Canada embassy.)

5. MCDONALDS

Hallelujah!

There's nothing like McDonald's when you're in another country.

I loved it in Taiwan. Jim loved it in Ukraine. And we both loved it in England!

6. HYDE PARK

A little smooch in the gorgeous park!

7. SERPENTINE

This lake was man-made for Queen Catherine by her hubby (King Something!).

I told my hubby that I wouldn't mind a lake of my own someday...we'll see what he can do!

8. GELATO

There really are no words to describe the deliciousness.

My pick: Hazelnut. Jim's pick: Ferrara Rocher. Yum!

9. VICKY AND AL

Me and Queen Victoria in front of Kensington Palace. This was where Princess Diana lived.

A statue made for the late Prince Albert by Queen Vicky.

10. HARRODS

That, my friends, is a whole city block, five stories high of heaven-on-earth. It was like no other store I've ever experienced. NYC Macy's or Sax 5th Anenue on a good day are still no comparison. It was absolutely incredible.

This was one of the many Christmas rooms.

Jim said my face was just like a kid in a candy store. I was shaking I was so excited. Here we are in the toy kingdom. It was a whole floor of TOYS!

That doll house almost costs as much as a real house. Incredible!

Exploring the food court. It all looked too good to be true!

The trip was a total success! Here we are--tired, but happy, and on our way home. Until next time, we love you LONDON!

Happy Halloween

I took 63 pictures of Talmage today. 63 pictures. I'll admit it, I'm obsessed.

But how can I help it, he's such a cute little pumpkin!

Happy Halloween.

This picture reminds me of Taylor Swift in the video "Should've Said No." Ha!

Mr. T at our weekly playgroup.

All the toys in the world at his disposal and he was most interested in the refreshments!

We didn't even plan to make the same face. WOW!

He opens wide whenever he sees the camera hoping I'll get close enough for him to take a big bite!