November 27-28

       What an epic weekend! So many once-in-a-lifetime experiences in only 2 months! Here's the latest one:
       I overslept again, but thankfully Aretha Franklin had my back and finally pulled me out of bed with some "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" for good music. An hour later, my friends, Sarah, Kim, and Leah, and I scurried to the bus with our handy backpacks, ready for some adventure. We had to take the tube for an hour to get to Paddington Station where we barely caught our train! It was my fault actually because I thought I might be able to use a train pass I had left over from the summer, but it turns out it was invalid. I hoofed it across the station to get a last minute ticket, and we all got on our train 5 seconds before the doors closed! Ah the thrill of living on the edge! Immediately, we met a nice Australian couple who were sitting across from us who were headed to Windsor. When they left, we chatted with two young ladies who were also seated next to us who happened to be some pretty accomplished musicians. They are originally American, but they've traveleled around quite a bit with their music. Before they left, they kindly gave us a card to download their album for free! It's not as good as I expected, but it was still awesome to meet some really nice musicians to help pass the time.
       Once we got to Oxford, we found our hostel pretty quickly. It looked super dingy from the outside, but it was clean and bursting with personality on the inside! (Check out my facebook page for pictures of this whole trip.) Soon, we hit the town and just wandered around all day. We saw tons of stuff, but I've forgotten some of it because I was so incredibly cold! I have never been that cold for that long in my life. I had on tights, jeans, socks, a cami, a long-sleeved shirt, (An "M," a "K," a diamond "K," - Blee, how does the rest of that go?), a sweatshirt, a leather jacket (which actually just made me colder), a hat, and mittens, and I was STILL freezing! So were the others, except Kim from Alaska who didn't complain too much. She just made us feel like woosies.
        Both Sarah and Kim are extreme Harry Potter fans, so they were going on and on about which part of the buildings were used in the movies. I'm not a big HP fan, but I sure looked like one around my friends. I think they were out to convert me or something. Whatever. The trivia was interesting enough. We saw some of the Bodleian Library which was very traditional and beautiful. Later, we got to walk through Christ Church College where some more of the Harry Potter scenes were filmed. We saw the Hall where the lil' witches and wizards ate, the "moving" stairs (that don't really move), and the "talking" pictures (that don't really talk) of Hogwart's.
       We had lunch at the White Horse Pub where I had fish and chips and some kind of gross beer that had a grassy aftertaste. I like to try new beverages. What can I say?Sometimes they're good, and sometimes they aren't. It's part of the experience. Later, we took another break from the freezing cold to get some hot chocolate and a treat at a cute cafe next to Christ Church College. Even though being inside was such a relief, all the layers I was wearing and the huge backpack that I was carrying were a huge hassle. This is why I love warm California weather when I can wear and tank top, shorts, and flip flops and be fine all day. When it got dark, we stopped AGAIN for something warm to drink at another cafe and defrosted for awhile. There weren't many sight-seeing opportunities in the evenings, so after we checked into our hostel, we headed to the King's Arms pub for lack of anything better to do. It sounds like we were eating all day, and maybe we were, but we enjoyed it. I tried sticky toffee pudding for the first time and loved it! After that, we were pretty low on energy and just went back to the hostel to wind down.
       Oh, I forgot to mention the backpack issue. I didn't think very far ahead when I packed so many things in my backpack, but my shoulders and back were killing me all day. That, plus the cold made even a saggy hostel bunk bed seem fabulous. I slept alright I guess, aside from slightly freaking out when some stranger would come in or out of the room in the middle of the night. I got over it soon enough and just slept with my iPod going most of the night. Oh, I also forgot to mention that I bought an Oxford sweatshirt which I have wanted for awhile, and I also got myself the softest stuffed bunny ever! I hadn't realized until the other day that I am having cuddling/hugging withdrawals. It was a very strange realization for me because I'm not a huge hugger or cuddler usually, but apparently that's an important thing for me because I miss it! There's no one here who I like enough or who likes me enough to exhange a good hug with, and I didn't have room to pack my teddy bear, Cuddles : ( Gosh, this sounds pathetic. ANYWAY, I got myself a cuddle bunny, and I'm feeling much (but not entirely) better : ) I'm looking forward to genuine hugs from ALL of you when I get home!
       Today, Leah, Kim, Sarah and I took full advantage of the free breakfast at the hostel and then headed out for a bit more sight-seeing before we caught the train for London. We went to see the Divinity School at the Bodleian Library, and the botanical gardens (which were mostly dead) across a huge field from Christ Church College. Originally, our plan was to take the 11:50 train back to London, but we missed it by 1 minute! We found a cute cafe to chill at until the next train left, and then we made the 2+ hour journey back to campus where I promptly took a very hot and long shower to regain feeling in my toes. I have spent the evening in my warm room doing odds and ends, and I have a feeling that it's gonna be an early night for me.

Prayer Request of the Day: That I would make good progress on my assignments this week.