Summer Time Adventures

It hasn't been hard to acclimate back to my California ways since being home. One of the things I miss about living in London is constantly seeing new places and visiting foreign lands. I do my best to do the same now that I'm home. Adventures in my own backyard, so to speak. 

 Richmond held an alumni reception in Santa Monica. As the most recent alum, I really enjoyed seeing others that graduated before me. It was so nice to visit with old friends, eat good food and be so close to the ocean.

 The 'rents took me to Bennihana for graduation dinner.

 Celebrating Destiny's high school graduation. Welcome to the real world!

 I landed a sweet summer job as a nanny for my best friend. I'm not one to sit around the house during the summer. I try my hardest to get the kids out and about. We took a quick trip to Tom's Farm one day.

 We have had a lot of pool days.

 We rode bikes on the Santa Ana bike trail and ended up at In N Out for lunch. 

 These two have become fast, best friends.

 Biking brood.

 We met friends at Chino's Children's Museum.

As a service project, we made cookies and delivered them to the Corona Fire Department. The men were so nice. They invited us in and let the kids climb on the truck and showed us how stuff worked. Darn the luck, all four of those men had wedding rings on!

 We take weekly beach trips. My ward has a beach day and it's so nice for the kids to have other kids to play with and I feel better knowing the women around me are watching each other's kids. The weather has been pretty good. There have been two days that were yucky and we left early to hit the pool.

 The kids and I met Kaylene for lunch.

 Free Slurpees from 7-11 on 7/11.

 We fed the birds at Magnolia Bird Farm.

We go to free movies or $1 movies at least once a week. The kids I watch are great. They are mostly well behaved and their momma taught them manners! I really enjoy hanging out with them and doing fun stuff. What a great job!

 I love the 4th of July! One of my favorite holidays. It is nice to be back on U.S. soil for Independence Day. This year, I was put in charge of our ward pancake breakfast. I think it went pretty well, if I do say so myself. It was at a local park and it lasted about two hours. We had almost 200 people show up. I thought it was a great way to kick off the days activities.

 My bff, Tammy and her husband came and partook of yummy pancakes

 As did these loves. My niece's sang a patriotic medley. I tried super hard to upload the video but blogger is being impossible.

 I made my very first pie, all by myself!

 Extra pie dough, sugar cookies.

 Daniela and Blake came to stay with me for the weekend! I was so stoked that theses two were coming into town and I had fun playing hostess. I sent them to Huntington Beach for the day and took them to watch Corona's fireworks at night. When we got home, we ate apple pie and visited a bit.

My cute cousin, McKenna is getting married next month, so we are celebrating her bridal shower. There is a lot of love in that Susan sandwich!

Susan "that's what a hamburger's all about" B.

Around London Town

My trip back to London for graduation was magical. I have been missing London to the point that I dream that I still live there, only to wake up disappointed. When I first decided to move there, I never imagined that it would be a place that took up residence in my heart. I'm such a California girl and always look forward to going home when I've been away for a long time. Now I have those same feelings for London. It surprises me how quickly and easily the city sucks you in.

During my third semester of Uni, I realized that I would have to postpone graduation by one semester in order to complete all my classes. I went to my room and Skyped my parents, CRYING that I was going to have to live there longer. Now, what I wouldn't give to have one more semester in London! I don't know why I was so upset. My last week living there was filled with tears at the thought or conversation of leaving.

Going back for a week was just what I needed to recharge my enthusiasm for life.

 I went for a morning jog in Hyde Park on my first day back.

 Is there popcorn, popping on that tree?

The whole week was sunshine filled! It was as if the London Gods were trying to fool me into thinking the weather is always that gorgeous. I really lucked out that week. However, it made leaving that much harder. Well played, London. Well played.

I found the Tardis! My mom was asking me about this when she visited in December. I really thought she was making it up since in the two and half years that I was there, I had never seen it. After our graduation lunch, we were walking back through Earl's Court and low and behold, there it was.

 I tried to do and see things that I hadn't while I was there. I went to two shows that I had not seen. 39 Steps and 1984. I LOVED both of them. 39 Steps is an Alfred Hitchcock story. It is performed by four actors who play several characters. I thought that was going to be confusing. It was not! It was brilliant! 1984 is based on the George Orwell book. It is a dark, gruesome story. It was fantastic on stage! Also, I was tickled that I paid £19.84 for my ticket.

I miss seeing these guys. This man was in Covent Garden.

South Bank, Yoda was in.

 This guy posed for me on South Bank.

 I had lunch with a good friend and he took me to this hide away spot next to Tower Bridge. It was right on the river. You can see the city in the distance but all you hear is the water lapping at the edge of the river. It is so peaceful and I am claiming it my favorite spot in London.

 I had always meant to visit Shakespeare's Globe Theatre but never got around to it. On my visit back, it was one of the first things I did. It is not the original theatre since that one burned down in a fiery blaze. But it was still interesting to learn about the structure and the vision that Shakespeare had for the theatre.

 I spent time with Helen and Tim! I'm such a lucky girl to have two great friends living in London. They took me to dinner for graduation, Helen and I went to Abby Road and we sat together as church just like old times.

Abbey Road is another spot that I always meant to go see, but never got around to. There were a handful of other tourist there too. I tried not to stop too much traffic as I walked across the street while Helen took my picture.

Ever since high school, I considered myself a long lost Beatle.

"Come at me, bro! Come at me!" -David Lloyd George (not really, but that's what I thought when I saw his statue)

 The man. Winston Churchill.

 Looking up at Parliament.

I also said 'ello' to a few of the classic spots around London.

The Shard in the distance, towering over London.

  The same day I went to Abbey Road, I saw this street art at Trafalgar Square. It reads: "All you need is love."

This is my favorite square in London. Trafalgar Square.

South Bank.

The London Eye.

 I don't know when I will return to London. But I will. There is no way I can live, without visiting where I left part of my heart and soul.

Susan "I looked into the Tardis and the Tardis looked into me" B.