Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

A very happy new year to everyone! May 2008 bring nothing but the best...

I'm still recovering from the last week or so. Trying to regroup before I leave for Italy on Friday! I feel incredibly disorganized at the moment and have about a zillion things to do! I don't intend to take my laptop with me, so I may be unavailable for a bit. I promise to be in touch when I get back home.

Thank you to everyone who sent a Christmas card via post! It's been great getting them all in the mail.

I had a lovely time with my mom and sister. They were delayed a day, which cut into our tour time, but it all worked out okay! Upon their arrival, we caught a train to Bath, where we indulged in relaxation at the Thermae Bath Spa!! It was unbelievable and should be available to anyone getting off of an international flight! We never slept so well.

The next morning we headed to Stonehenge, Woodhenge, Avebury, Lacock Village and Castle Combe. It was cold, but not rainy thank goodness! We had an amazing lunch in St. George's Inn (est. 1361) in Lacock Village. We got some great photos and going in the off season has advantages, like there being no one else around!

Upon returning from our all day coach tour, we caught a train to Wales to hole up at my house for the holidays. We had a nice quiet Christmas with good food and some laughs! The main laugh, which was not funny at all at the time, was during our walk to the local grocery shop. We needed milk and I really thought they'd still be open. It was pouring rain, but it's really not too far to walk, so we set out. Along the way there was a massive puddle on the side of the road, which a car drove through, sending a huge splash our way. We were completely soaked and extremely cold! It really does happen like in the movies, I swear it!

Boxing Day we made our way into town, where few shops were actually open. So, we decided to see a play at the Muni Arts Theatre...Jack and the Beanstalk, and man did it go on forever. By the second act Jack still hadn't even gotten his beans! I guess it was better than sitting in the house, but I could've really done without.

Very early the next day we caught our train to Edinburgh. After a long delay in Crewe, we finally arrived late afternoon. We checked into our hotel, which was stunning. The room was huge and I finally got to sleep in a double bed! Yay! (I'll be so happy to get home to my queen size bed!) Anyway, we set off for the Winter Carnival and shopping on Princes Street, sipped some mulled wine and bought a few souvenirs.

The next morning we set off on a coach tour of the Scottish Highlands, seeing Sterling Castle and the Wallace Nat'l Monument from afar, and visiting Loch Ness, Fort Augustus, Glencoe Fort William, Pitlochry and some other small villages. The highlands are breathtaking. It was a really cool experience and we were lucky to have a very funny tour guide. We sipped Scottish whiskey, found out what the heck haggis is, and attempted to catch a glimpse of Nessie (the Loch Ness monster). The only downfall about Scotland was the lack of daylight. Being so close to the north pole, the winter days are only from about 9a until 3p. We constantly felt like we were in the dark!

Saturday morning we then headed back to London. Taking in an open top bus tour (Brr!) to get a glimpse of all the sights. Unfortunately that's about all we had time for! Later on we did get some shopping in Picadilly Circus, where my mother was astonished at having to pay to use the toilet! It cost one quid, which is equivalent to about $2! We enjoyed Chinese food in China Town before heading back to the hotel for some much needed rest!

Sunday I saw them off at the airport and headed back to Wales. It was a great week and it was wonderful to be able to share part of this with them.

Our photos have been added to my album, which can be found HERE.

My new year was a fun one. I went out with the girls for a night of pub hopping. Ringing in the new year at a house party before heading back to the pubs. Hopefully everyone else enjoyed a happy one as well!

In other news, I'm currently in the process of getting my stuff together for application to the PhD program at UMSL. I've also had another run of bad camera luck, as my new camera doesn't seem to be doing anything at the moment. Back to the old one for now I guess, and therefore limited night/indoor photos. I'm totally bummed about this and hope to have this resolved quickly.

Also for those that don't know...I'll be celebrating my 25th birthday in a couple weeks! So have some birthday cake for me and we'll have a bash when I get home!