Missionaries!

One of the things that I love about living in England is the opportunity to feed the missionaries and work with them. While living in Utah the past 10 years we never had missionaries in our ward.  I grew up in a home where we always had the missionaries over for dinner.  It is something I want to continue doing now and when we have children.  I think missionaries bring a special spirit in the home.  I also loved when members fed me as a missionary or let me serve them, so now it is time to pay it forward.

We used to have 3 sets of missionaries in the ward.  First it was 2 sets of Sisters and 1 set of Elders.  Then it was 2 sets of Elders and 1 set of Sisters.  Transfers are today and now we are down to 1 set of Elders and 1 set of Sisters.  We feed the missionaries at least once a week.  We have already seen some of our favorite missionaries leave.

My favorite set of sisters so far were both new the same Sunday we arrived in England.  Sisters Leslie (from Utah) and Maiurnikova (from Ukraine).  They were the training sisters (kind of like Zone Leaders, but over just sisters).  They were both only here for one transfer.  They were hilarious and always made me laugh. When they found out I had no job and didn't know anyone here they were both like we'll be your friends! They always made sure I was doing ok.  While they were here they helped us clean our back yard area.  When we moved in we were greeted with lots of unpleasant surprises.  The back yard was one of them with trash everywhere and lots of TLC needed.  Here are some pictures from when the sisters came to help:

The shed in the back full of trash

Sister Maiurnikova in the back and Sister Leslie in front

This is us after cleaning the back yard and having lunch

I think we had over 35 bags of trash from that day we cleaned out the back yard.  We were very grateful to them for coming to help us.  I miss these crazy sisters!  Here is a better picture from their last Sunday in the ward:

L to R: Sister Maiurnikova, Leslie, Me, and Simon

One of the Elders who also arrived the same week we did, just got transferred today.  We had them over for dinner last night.  We fed them tacos 2 weeks ago and he loves them so much he requested them for dinner last night (I was more than happy to oblige because Simon and I love them too).  Also, English people don't really know what mexican food is.  When someone asked me what my favorite food was once, I said mexican and they said, oh like chili?  What?????  Chili is not mexican.  Anyway, his name is Elder Peterson and he is from Montana.  We have had a new member lesson with one of their recent converts before in our home.  We have also had their investigators over for dinner.  We will miss him.  He is going to Manchester YSA to be a Zone Leader.

Me, Simon, and Elder Peterson

Elder Paheroo, Simon, and Elder Peterson

Elder Paheroo is from Tahiti.  He is staying another transfer.  He told us about life in Tahiti last night and Simon and I decided we are going to visit him when he gets home.  Simon really wants to learn how to spear fish.  Elder Paheroo showed us this dish from Tahiti, it is called Poisson Cru (Tahitian Salad):

Raw tuna, cucumber, coconut milk, tomato

Elder Paheroo says it is delicious.  I was a little sceptical when I found out it was a raw fish salad.  I guess we will wait and see!

The Great British Bake Off

I love cooking/baking shows.  One of my favorite shows to watch in England is The Great British Bake Off.  It is a bake off where 13 amateur bakers are selected to test their baking skills and compete to be crowned as the best baker.  Each week there are 3 challenges:

• Signature Challenge – a bake using a tried and tested recipe that the amateur bakers make for their family and friends. (Wikipedia)
  

• Technical Challenge – a bake using the same ingredients and recipe provided by the judges Berry and Hollywood. The recipe however has missing instructions and is designed to test the knowledge and skill of the bakers. The bakers are not told beforehand what the challenge might be, and the judges do not observe the baker at work and judge the result blind. (Wikipedia)
  

• Showstopper Challenge – a bake designed to impress the judges. (Wikipedia)
  

This brings me to my next point, the judges and the hosts.  There are two judges and two hosts.

L to R: Paul Hollywood, Sue Perkins, Mel Geidroyc, and Mary Berry

Judges:

Paul Hollywood:  He is the stickler judge.  He is hard to please, but when he is pleased it means a lot to the contestants.  He is one of the UK’s leading artisan bakers.

Mary Berry: She always tries to be sweet even with criticism.  My favorite word she uses is “scrummy.”  She has been cooking for over 60 years and studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris when she was 17.

Hosts:

Sue Perkins: She is a writer, presenter and broadcaster.  She has been on British television for 15 years.  Her and Mel are very funny together and try to lighten the mood when things get tense.

Mel Giedroyc: She is a writer and performer.  She had her first big hit with the successful show, Mel and Sue (Sue from above).  They work really well together.

There have been 4 seasons so far.  I highly recommend you watch them.  For more information about The Great British Bake Off, go here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013pqnm

Ready, set, BAKE!

(Pictures taken from google.com image search)

Barcelona

Simon and I have a list of a million places we want to visit while we are in Europe.  Since money doesn't grow on trees and our time here is limited, we had to settle to see only some of Europe… and not all of it (unfortunately).  Barcelona was top on my list.  A lot of well-traveled people told me Barcelona was a must see city.  My oldest sister, Kira, served her mission in Southern Spain and has always raved about it.  Simon and I found some really cheap tickets so we decided to go at the beginning of November.  I love the architecture in Barcelona due to the heavy influence of Gaudi. Oh and for those of you that don’t know SANGRIA has alcohol in it.  Yeah whoops (more to come on this mistake).  Here is an inundation of pictures from our trip:  

La Sagrada Familia- Gaudi

View from Parc Guell- Gaudi

Simon practicing depth perception (Parc Guell)

The famous Iguana at Parc Guell

Montjuic- Olympic Park

The tourist at Parc Guell

Olympic Football Stadium

Montjuic

In honor of running- Montjuic

Just behind the football field- Montjuic

Simon 

Even the god statues get pooped on every now and again

Bubble street performer

Montjuic

Gelato in Spain... don't mind if I do

These street performers were crazy good

I loved these performers

Chicken Paella!

Chicken Paella

Simon and his grub

Spanish candies... The Pixtos recommended by Kira

The biggest vending machine I have ever seen

In the Gothic district

The Flamenco Show

First time seeing live Flamenco dancers

Couldn't get great pictures

The footwork is amazing

The band, singers, and dancers

I loved Barcelona.  I wish it had been warmer so we could go to the beach.  Next time!  Oh and about the Sangria... I didn't know Sangria had alcohol in it.  Brandy and Wine to be exact.  In Utah they sell Sangria and it is soda, so I thought it was the same.  Needless to say, Simon and I ordered and drank some (see paella picture above).  I have never had alcohol before so it tasted funny, but wasn't super strong.  Anyway, half way through my glass I started feeling really sick.  We ended up leaving because I felt so sick.  The fresh air helped and I eventually felt better.  I really have no idea why people drink.  I promise I am not usually this naive either!

Where I Am Now

I am a newbie to this whole blogging business.  I felt the need to document my time while I am living in England and felt this would be the best format to do so.  Since I am currently unemployed, I felt like it would be appropriate to start this blog and write about my adventures in England and Europe.  When most people find out I am not working and have no children they immediately seem to feel sorry for me.  The number one question I get asked is, “What do you do all day.”  The sarcastic response in my head says, “Why nothing; absolutely nothing.”  Of course I try to be more polite than that, but it is hard to explain what I do each day when every day is a little different.

My hope of this blog is to share the things I have done and will do while I am an England.  Those that know me really well know that I have struggled not being able to work.  I love working.  This sounds kind of corny, but it is one of the only things I feel I am actually good at.  While it has been challenging for me to be in England, jobless and far away from my friends and family, there are many things I have come to love about England/Europe and its culture.  I hope to share some of those things through the coming months.  I will also impart with you some of the things I do on a daily basis to give you a glimpse into my life.  Be prepared for book reviews, recipes, travel stories, food critiques, church calling stories, health and exercise goals/plans, Simon, and many more topics.

The beautiful English countryside.