Scandinavia

Sorry for my lack in posting lately.  I have no valid excuses except that I justs sometimes don't know what to write about.  I worry that just telling what I've done is kind of boring and I want to make this blog enjoyable to read.  Hence why I post a lot of pictures as well.

I have been in the Scandinavian countries this past week.  Sweden, Finland, and Norway.  Each place has been geat and unique.

Traveling alone has been hard, as I feel lonely a lot of the time.  Luckily in Sweden and Norway I was able to meet up with a friend who I could explore the city with.  I worked with her at the MTC in Provo.  In Finland I was staying at the temple, so kinda alone, but kinda not.  I felt at home because of how I feel when I'm surrounded my members, but also alone when I went out to explore the city of Helsinki.

However, blessings come when we go to the temple!  I know that God knows how I've been feeling.  The second day of going to the temple I met a girl who was also from Utah.  She had served her mission in Finland and was doing an internship.  We planned to meet up the next day and she'd show me around Helsinki some more.  It was such a small thing, meeting up with someone, but made the biggest difference and made the experience that much better!  Being able to talk and laugh with someone was a nice change from walking around being silent, occassionaly talking briefly to strangers. :)

Because of this, I've been missing home a lot.  I miss being able to see a friend or family member everyday that I can talk and laugh with (FaceTime is great and all, but it's still not the same as being with them).  I miss being in a place where I understand the language and can get around easily without having to figure out everything before hand on just wifi in random places.  But it's still been good.  I'm learning a lot about myself.

Anyways, enough of that ranting of feelings.  Heres some pictues of some stuff I've done :)

SWEDEN

Hanging out in a row boat on a lake in the backyard of where I was staying.  It is SO pretty with all the pine trees!  And such beautiful weather.  I'm missing my yearly and most favorite family reunion right now, and so being here in nature on a lake made it feel a little bit like I was at my reunion. :)

Stockholm skyline

Old town Stockholm - Galma Stan

Stockholm Temple

The Royal Palace

Stockholm City Hall

Pier with a cool view

Klara Church

FINLAND

Helsinki Temple.  I served in St. Petersburg Russia on my mission.  Everyone in that mission would normally come to this temple for temple trips.  So I've always wanted to come here because of that!  It was beautiful :)

Sibelius Monument

Senate Square, Cathedral

National Library of Finland

Uspenski Cathedral

Suomenlinna Sveaborg (Sea Fortress).  This place was SO cool.  I could've spent all day here!  Besides visiting temples in different countries, I think visiting castles and fortresses are my favorite thing!

Did I even go to Finland if I didn't get some ice cream?

NORWAY

A super duper nice family let me and my friend stay with them.  My first day here I went to the beach all day with the mom and her friend and her friend's daughters.  I somehow didn't get terribly burned!  Just some splotches here and there on my back where I couldn`t reach.  We went to an island to go to the beach.  Cool.

The view from their deck was incredible.

We also went on a sunset hike at Mintsberget.  OH. MY. GOSH.  I died.  Thee most beautiful sunset I have ever seen.

The next day my friend from Sweden came to Norway and we explored Oslo together.

Akershus Fortress - I LOVED this place!  SO cool!

Parliament

The Royal Palace and Gardens

The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet House.  After exploring here, we climbed on the roof into some shade, ate some snacks, and then layed down in the inclined roof.  We fell asleep for an hour! haha

It's been a great time here in these countries!  I'm off to the Czech Republic next!!

There's No Place Like Home

You know that feeling you get after having travelled a good amount of time and finally return home?  "Ah...I'm home".  You're comfortable again, happy, safe.  It's a great feeling!  I didn't return home yet to the states...but I did return to another home this week.

I made it to the temple.

London England Temple

This week I have been in England.  London for a day, hanging around hyde park and feeding parakeets and eating ice cream.  Sheffield for a couple days, hiking around the Peak District (which, by the way, was INCREDIBLE and SO pretty!).  And then down to Newchapel where the London England Temple is.

During my hikes in the Peak District (I don't know how far I walked...but enough to give me some bloody heels!) and 3 mile walk from the train station to the temple, I had a good amount of time to think.  Often my thoughts turned to, "What am I doing here?  Am I shirking all responsibilities?  Should I be here in Europe for so long?  Should I go home and try harder to find a career I want to do?  Is this really what I'm supposed to be doing with my life?"  I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed, frustratrated, downtrodden and alone.  I have had these questions ever since I booked my one-way flight to Europe, and since have had reassuring conversations with family and friends.  But when you're alone for so long with no one to talk to except yourself, those thoughts tend to crowd out what you've already discussed with others.

However, as I walked into Newchapel, not knowing exactly where I was going, I saw the sign "London England Temple.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Visitors Center this way".  Surprised, I just about broke down crying, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with that "Ahhh, I'm home!" feeling.

I was able to check in and get a room and go into the temple, still just feeling overwhelmed with gratitude that I felt at home.  I felt safe and not alone. I felt comletely encompassed by the love of God.  That familiar feeling I get when I go home to my parents to visit was there - knowing that I am surrounded by people who care and love me, even though, in this case, they didn't know me personally.  I am grateful for my church.  It is the same in every city, country, and continent that I visit!  No matter if they speak a different language - that familiar feeling is there.

As I was there, my questions from earlier in the week and day went away as I felt that everything was fine with what I had decided to do - to travel Europe for a couple months.  I felt that it's definitely okay to take advantage of whatever stage of life you're in.  Jobs will still be there when I return.  Do things that make you happy as long as you are continuing to choose the right and be diligent in reading your scirptures and praying.  My questions had been answered and the overwhelming and frustrating feelings that went along with those questions were replaced with a calming peace and assurance.

So, here's to a renewed faith that it's all good!  I can keep on keeping on here on my own and not feel bad that I'm not back in the states figuring out what job I should get next.  Adventure's out there!  And I'm going to take advantage of my life's situation and go find some more! :)

Thank you Danica for meeting up with me in London and Kadee for letting me stay with you!  Thank you England for your delicious crumpets and little snacks, fascinating countryside one-car lanes, pastures of sheep and cows, enchanting countryside and castles, and magnificent views. On to Sweden!

Oh, and here's some pictures of my adventures in England. :)

Hyde Park, London

Sheffield

Bamford Edge, Peak District

Peak District

Castleton, Peak District

Peveril Castle, Castleton, Peak District

A Day in Iceland

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Iceland is fantastic.  Cold.  Rainy.  But so pretty!!  The city was kinda like most European cities that I've been to.  But when you go off the beaten path - it is beautiful!!!

Unfortunately, when I got into Reykjavik and tried to get some money for a bus, my card wasn't working.  So I couldn't make it to church. :(  Instead I walked around the city, finding some neat churches and cool buildings.

I found some Russian people (I heard them as they were coming out of a store) and followed them around a little bit.  Intentionally?  Maybe yes, maybe no.  But it was fun to listen to them speak!  I miss havng Russian being spoken all around me.

Then I saw on the map a geothermal beach. So of course I had to check it out.

And then I started wandering, and found myself on a trail that would take me through some woods (don't worry Mom, I wasn't wandering aimlessly around through the woods - I had a destination in mind and a map).  It. was. GORGEOUS.  I couldn't stop gawking and taking pictures.  I never knew Iceland had pinetrees and this type of greenery - always just thought it hilly with grass growing on the lava rocks.

But this was beautiful and I probably spent a good couple hours just inside these woods.  Iceland is expensive enough with food and transportation from the airport.  So I would highly suggest walking and exploring - find the woods and get lost in them!  They are magical :)

I even stumbled across some old WWII bunkers on the hill in a clearing of the woods!  That was neat and unexpected.

Aunt Jessica in DC & NYC

I'm going to miss waking up to my niece putting. No, dropping. her green monster, Nibbles, or her baby doll, Molly, on me and then running to tell her mom, "I gave Aunt Jessica Molly [or Nibbles] to sleep with!" 😂  I'm also going to miss her turning to me and telling me, "Aunt Jessica, I love you all of the time!" or "AUNT JESSICA!" whenever she'd see me again after having left to another room.

The past week and a half I spent in DC and NYC with my sister and her family.  The first half of my time in DC there was rainstorms all day everyday.  But that turned out to be a-OK because I actually got a tad sick from my stress caused by airport struggles two weeks ago.  So with the weather, we didn't do as much and I got to take some naps/try to get over some jet lag.

It was a fun time stlil! We did lots of touristy things. Smithsonian museums, White House, Capital Building, National Mall, Tour of the Pentagon, Strawberry Picking, Boat Rides in the Tidal Basin, Bike Rides in Central Park, the Met, Anastasia on Broadway, Times Square.  Ya know-all those cool things:)

I'll be honest, I'm not a huge museum type of person. So going through them at the speed of a toddler wasn't too terrible. Hahah! And if there's interactive stuff inside - all the better!  Makes it much more enjoyable!  But goodness. Going through a museum with more than a dozen toddlers-YIKES.

My second day here we went on a field trip to the Museum of Natural History with my niece and her class and some other classes. Kudos to the preschool teachers out there!  Don't get me wrong - I loved it still.  I love kids and I loved being able to see their eyes filled with wonder as we walked through the rooms filled with different creatures.  I also wished that the animals would come to life as in Night at the Museum, but no such luck.  Bummer.

Anastasia was pretty great too.  Ever since I was young, I have loved Anastasia.  I remember i got an Anastasia board game once for my birthday and Dmitry was definitely by "prince" crush.  Him and Alladin.  And then I served my mission in St. Petersburg, Russia, making Anastasia so much cooler!  I loved the show and would recommend it.  It had a neat little twist, as they took out Rasputin for the show but added a different antagonist.  It made it feel more real, which I liked.

Another highlight was strawberry picking.  We started off our adventures Friday by going to a farm and picking strawberrys in the rain!  Ever since my mission I've absolutely loved berry picking.  I think it's because I can sometimes sneak some bites of the berries I'm picking...YUM. ;) No matter the reason - strawberry picking this day was fun!  We ended up picking 13 lbs of stawberries.  Strawberries for DAYZ!!!  Seriously though.  We've so far made strawberry pancakes, strawberry syrup and Petunia's Strawberry Trifle (a muggle favorite), strawberry jam, and just eaten strawberries for almost every meal.  Delicious. :)

Anyways. Now I'm off to Iceland to start the Europe part of this trip.  How am I feeling?  Same as before - Nervous.  Excited.  Scared.  Still don't have everything planned.  Which is hard for me because I am a perfectionist and like to have details planned.  But with this trip I'm kinda just going to go places and explore and learn from the people.  I don't want to be much of a tourist - although I still hope to see really neat things!  I just want to adventure.  So, here's to adventureing and fulfilling a dream!  

Delays

And so it begins.

A delayed flight. A cancelled flight. A rebooked flight. Another delayed flight. A missed flight. Another rebooked flight. And yet another delayed flight. And another rebooked flight. FLIPPIN HECK.

In all my days of travel, I've never had such bad luck with flights! Sure, a delay here or there, but nothing like this. Dang it weather! Stop storming where I need to go!!!!!! 😡  I don't feel like I get mad or frustrated very often or easily, but I definitely am right now. I want to pull out my hair, roll into a ball and just cry.

It's a great way to start my trip! 😅 Let's hope all this flight trouble today covers for my whole 6-7 months trip. 🤞🏻

But some bright sides to this layover: ...There are none.

Jk! There really are, here's some: 

• I got to spend one more night with my family
• I got a free sandwich, chips, and cookie from customer service.
• After I went to rebook my flight again the service lady was so nice and changed my flight completely with no charge! Pray it doesn't get cancelled by the weather😰🙏🏻
• I talked to some nice and funny people while waiting in line. It helped lighten the mood.
• I now know the LAX airport terminal 8 like a pro (thanks to my 12 hr delay there), so if you ever need advice on what to eat, where to charge your phone, where's the best place to nap, the best place to sit and smell yummy food or where the bathrooms are-I can help ya out;)
• I read a book while waiting. It was a short story "In Conclusion, Don't Worry About It". Haha it was perfect for my current situation! All these delays were due to weather and there was nothing I could do about it! And it was a good book to relate to life. Especially as I start my trip to Europe!

Update: 24 hrs later I made it finally to DC. What a ride. Haha and to top it off, my sister's alarm didn't go off so I was chilling at the airport for another little while. By this point though I was just happy to be in DC!:)

RC Takes Paris 2017

I can't believe it's already been 4 months since we were in Paris!  It seems like it was just yesterday!
We did a little reunion for our Paris trip and made crepes and I made a video of our trip.  Enjoy :)

RC Takes Paris 2017