london

Monday we went to London. A short 20 minute train ride from our little town. And what a lively city! We toured some of the National Gallery and saw some rooms inside Buckingham palace.

....And-I have to say it-WHO PAYS FOR THE ROYAL FAMILY'S LIFESTYLE?! It's nuts. I mean, what kind of family has gilded gold dinnerware and utensils? Who keeps a Rembrandt in their personal collection of original art? Let me rephrase that....Who has a collection of original art of persons outside their immediate family?

For a grand finale, in tribute to our English experience, we went to.....Chinatown for dinner. Branden was in heaven seeing all of the goodies imported from the East.

As odd as it sounds, Branden has spoken more Chinese in the last week than he has spoken since returning home from his mission. It is amazing how the Lord works. Case in point- The missionaries have been teaching a group of students from Taiwan (who live across the street from us). The missionaries don't speak Chinese especially well and these students, though wonderful English speakers, don't always understand the gospel vocabulary. Into the picture comes Branden (who has been practically giddy about the whole thing) the Chinese speaker who longs for more interaction in that ancient language. On Sunday we were immediately recruited to go Sunday school with the missionaries and these wonderful young men. Today Branden went with the missionaries over to their home. I think the Lord definitely had a hand in the whole thing.

Anyway, London was lovely. And here are some pictures to prove it.
this is the national gallery and trafalgar square. you might however be distracted by the bird's nest. but don't be fooled, that is only the effects of humidity on my hair.

this is an artistic photo that I took....on accident...but isn't it artistic? branden would be embarrassed if he knew I was posting this. That is parliament behind him.



you might think that this is the exact photo as above...but it's not! it is only your eyes playing tricks on you. this is parliament and part of Big Ben from a bridge over the Thames.


Branden doesn't look Chinese in this picture, which is too bad because it is Chinatown. I should have had him squint a little... hindsight is always 20/20.

FYI- I tried to find a photo of my outfit....because it WAS AWESOME. but I couldn't. So you will have to imagine it. Skinny jeans, orange sweater, and snakeskin flats. it was hot.

ok.

love. till later.

blessings

i'm not going to lie- the last couple days have been rough. The combination of jet-lag and the to-do list of an american family moved to britain is deadly to happiness and bliss. banks, money, tuition, food, buses, and just being dead tired..well you get the idea. but britain has its old world charm. and so, rather than bore you with the details of how impossible it is to open a bank account with HSBC in the UK, I will share some lovely sights of our new home.

the local comfort inn-this picture is for branden's mum

the middle of campus- looks like a forest right? well-it is. the campus is HUGE and has a lake on it. with ducks and swans and everything. the campus used to be an earl's estate.

the church on christchurch rd. a short walk from our place and on the way to towncentre (where the bane of our day HSBC is located). it's called christchurch. it's old and beautiful.

it was actually sunny. AMAZING. and there was a pretty sunset behind the church.

On another note- The members have been INCREDIBLE. We have been visited two nights this week by someone in the ward and it seems that they have found us a bed- FOR FREE. I wish there was some way we could let them know how much we appreciate and needed that little pick-me-up last night.

love you all, thank you for the wonderful comments on the last post :) they provided much needed love last night.

xoxo
amanda

P.S. those wonderful members have also loaned us a blow-up mattress. it's like sleep heaven :)

I love the church and other musings

I love the church. Yesterday, I emailed members of the Woodley ward in Reading, UK asking for the contact information of the ward employment specialist. Today, I received a reply. The concern and friendship extended through that email was apparent, even through the impersonal times New Roman type and LCD screen. That kind family offered to pick us up at the airport and gave us their phone number to contact them.

Wow.

I don't know about you, but with gas prices today, I would think twice about offering a ride to a friend to the airport-- let alone a stranger! But I guess that's what makes this email so special. Because it proves that the gospel changes us. As members of the church we are never alone. We have fellow men and women all over the world who are serving and loving those around them, in every way they can. We are made aware that we are all children of God. The gospel turns me into more than a mere stranger to this member, it turns my family into an extension of his.

I am so grateful for men and women who take that creed to Love One Another to heart.



On another note-

We are selling our car. If anyone is looking for a Toyota Highlander, black, sexy, and with only 53,000 miles, let me know. It's an amazing car. I am going to miss it. You will love it. Just ask my old roommates.

and with regards to Sarah Palin's speech...
Did anyone else see Sarah Palin's youngest daughter? While holding the baby she licked her hand and used it to try and wet down and fix baby's hair. It was hilarious. I love kids. So unscripted.

Why marriage between a man and woman?

Dearest friends and bloggers...

I know this is a very controversial topic. Marriage...and more specifically marriage between a man and a woman.

Recently, a group of fertility doctors lost a court case to a lesbian couple who were denied services. These doctors explained to the lesbian couple that they were unable to provide certain fertility services for religious reasons and subsequently referred them to another clinic where they could be treated.

Please see here for full court's opinion.

Persons who practice homosexuality should not be denied services because of their sexual orientation. That is apparent. However, according to this court, the law protecting religion does not “relieve an individual of the obligation to comply with a ‘valid and neutral law of general applicability on the ground that the law proscribes (or prescribes) conduct that his religion prescribes (or proscribes).” With this kind wording, will it be legally possible to protect our temples and churches from being forced to perform homosexual marriages under equal rights laws?

If same sex marriage legalized, does the right to wed (by whomever and wherever) become a valid and neutral law? Religion, as well as civil rights, need to be protected. The only way we can do that is if we inform ourselves and take an active role in determining how these issues will be resolved.

The church recently put out an informative and important press release on the Divine Institution of Marriage here.

PLEASE, be informed and be involved. This is not an issue that will just go away.

better late than never

So, I feel like I have waited a sufficient time to post this link.

I was published. in the Ensign. last month.


Go here for the article.

to all pioneers

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. Mostly about faith, religion, and my relationship with God and his Son. It's a process that I am sure that will be continued throughout my lifetime.

And I came across this. It's a blog entry that the Beginnings New site featured. For all of you pioneers out there treading across the plains of life, this was written for you.