Harry Potter Studio And London

My sister Rachael is visiting and so is her friend Krystle. They arrived last Friday and will be here until this coming Sunday. Their second day here we decided to go to London and do the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour. I love Harry Potter and so do Rachael and Krystle, so it was perfect. Simon isn't a huge fan and the entry fee is kind of hefty so he gladly stayed home. We met my friend Carmen there as well because she is also a Harry Potter nerd. It was amazing to see all of the detail that goes into a film. It is kind of crazy actually when you see all the things they have to think about and bring together. I definitely have a greater appreciation for film makers in general. I took a million pictures, so sorry if you get bored scrolling through! Oh and Butterbeer is delicious. I thought it would be gross, but it wasn't. Enjoy the photos!

Rach and Krystle on the early train to London (bright eyed and bushy tailed)

The front of the studio

Krystle on Hermione's hands, Rach on Harry's, and Carm on Ron's

Inside the entrance of the studio they had awesomely huge pictures of the cast

The cupboard under the stairs, Harry's room

The Great Hall

Gryffindor section 

Dumbledore's get up

Yule Ball- Movie 4

Ron's dress robes- genius

Dorm room, HP's bed

Mirror of Erised

Rach and I in front of the clock at Hogwarts

Dumbledore's office

Trinkets from the movies

Potions class with Snape

Rach and I in front of the Chamber of Secrets door

Quidditch

Rach by Hagrid's hut

Paintings from the films

Weasley's home, knife chopping the carrot and the dishes washing themselves

Professor Umbridge's office

Newspapers from the movies

Marauders Map

Lord Voldemort and Death Eaters

Krystle and Carmen learning spells

Krystle and Rach in Hagrid's motorcycle

Me and Carm

Tom Riddle's grave

The Knight Bus

Privet Drive

The bridge

Back of the Knight Bus

Butterbeer!

So scrummy

Rach and I getting a little crazy

Rach drinking and driving, tsk tsk

The massive chess pieces

Goblin faces

Hagrid

Lord Voldemort

The designs they had to draw before creating anything- amazing

Concept Art- also amazing

Model Hogwarts Castle

Wand shop (every member of the movie got a wand box, I am pointing to JK Rowlings)

The studio was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who loves Harry Potter and happens to be in London. After the studio tour we went and saw a few sites in London before we had to head back. Here are a few more pictures:

A close up of the London Eye

Big Ben during the day

Churchill 

Rach and I in front of the Tower Bridge

Tender Mercies from 2013: Part 3

I know my other posts about 2013 have been kind of lengthy, but I wanted to highlight a few more brief tender mercies from 2013.

• When Simon and I got married we moved into the same apartment complex as my oldest sister Kira, her husband Jeff, and our sweet and crazy nephew Jeffrey. It was a huge tender mercy to be so close to family and we were so glad that we lived a 30 second walk away from them.
• My parents let us stay with them for a few weeks before heading to England. They let us keep some of our stuff at their house and are kind enough to watch and take care of our car while we are away. They also came to visit us in December for Christmas and it could not have been a better timed tender mercy.
• Simon and I moved into a house in Chester that we had never seen before moving in. It was a risk, but one we had to take since we were so far away. Although it was extremely filthy when we moved in, after hours of cleaning up it has turned into a nice home for us while we are here. I know it was a tender mercy from the Lord that we were able to find a place within our budget and in a great location (location is everything since we don't have a car while we are here).
• Our ward here has been another tender mercy. The people here are wonderful and have opened up their hearts and even their homes to us. I have been especially grateful for our calling teaching the 8 to 11 year old boys and teaching seminary to the youth. It has helped fill a lot of my time.
• Simon and I have been able to travel a lot while we have been in England and I know it is a tender mercy to be able to do so. I do not know when we will be lucky enough to come back here, but I love England and I have fallen in love with Europe. We want to bring our kids back one day.
• We have had 3 new additions to our extended family this year. My sister Katelyn was married in January to Dalton and we love him. Kate and Dalt let Simon and I live with them for a month last year and it was a huge tender mercy. We also had two new nieces, Phoebe Joy (Becky and Kyle) in February and Eve Kathleen (Kira and Jeff) in October. Both of these babies share birthdays with two very other special people (Kylie and my Dad).
• 2013 also rang in two birth announcements. Katelyn and Dalton are pregnant with their first and due in May. Simon's Dad and his wife (who got married a month after us) are expecting a child in June. We couldn't be happier for all of them!

I am sure there a many many more tender mercies that I have failed to mention. I could probably write forever about them. I am so grateful for my family, Simon, and Simon's family. They have all been a huge support in our lives. We have goals and plans for 2014 and know that the tender mercies of the Lord will help sustain us through the good and the bad.

Tender Mercies from 2013: Part 2

Since Simon and I knew we would be moving to England when we got married, we immediately set up a savings plan so that we could move to England and not accrue any debt from the move. Since I was unable to obtain a work visa, our planned savings has been essential while we have been here. I know the Lord helped us financially in 2013 to be able to save for England. We had a goal savings amount in mind and we were able to reach and surpass it before we moved here. It has been a huge tender mercy while being here with me not working. Part of that was in part to Simon being promoted to a manger at his job in Provo, UT. He was promoted in February 2013. The extra money coming in from his promotion helped us save even more. We are very grateful for that extra savings.

In February of 2013 my sister Becky came to visit with her two little girls. She was 37 weeks pregnant (don't ask me why a 37 week pregnant lady would take a road trip from Cali to UT, but she did). I have always wanted to be in on the labor and delivery of one of my nieces or nephew, but my siblings have always been against it. I have been fascinated with labor and delivery since I took two Women's Health classes at BYU. Anyway, one night while she is visiting Becky comes in to our room and says she is going to have the baby. It is 3AM on February 13th (which also happens to be her oldest daughter's birthday, Kylie). She tells me I have enough time to shower before we head to the hospital (I am the designated Kyle stand in, Kyle is her husband). She has already showered and called Kyle at midnight to tell him the baby is coming (he is in Cali). She told him to sleep until 5AM and then start driving. He wouldn't make it in time anyway, so he might as well come a little rested. So, off Becky and I go to the hospital, which she just happened to deliver her other two girls at AND her doctor happened to be in that day (coincidence, I think not... tender mercy). We get in about 5AM and they take her to this little room to monitor her progress before the admit her. At 6AM they check her and she had dilated further so they check us in to a bigger and better room. I was there when she got her epidural, but I stayed on her face side because I don't like needles. We waited a couple of hours and then BAM. Nurse checks and she is ready to push, doctor comes in, other nurses come in, and before I know it the whole crew is there. I had no idea what a party it becomes. I get to hold one of Becky's legs while she pushes and 2 seconds later a beautiful little girl comes out! It was so fast and so amazing!!! Phoebe Joy entered this world. I got to cut her umbilical cord and stayed with her as they weighed, measured, and cleaned the "cheese" off her while they stitched up Becky (blood isn't really my thing). It was such a peaceful and beautiful experience. I have a lot of fears about giving birth, but this experience made me a lot more calm about it. A definite tender mercy and a special gift to be apart of Phoebe's birth.

Tender Mercies from 2013: Part 1

I have been reading through other people's blogs lately and a lot of them have their highlights from 2013. As I was thinking about this I couldn't help but contemplate all of the ways we were blessed in 2013. Don't get me wrong, 2013 definitely had its fair share of struggles, but it was also full of tender mercies from the Lord. I am forever in debt to the Lord for all the blessings Simon and I receive on a daily basis. I am always amazed at how giving the Lord is and I am grateful for his hand in our lives. I hope that as you read this post it will help you remember the tender things the Lord did for you and those you love in 2013. I apologize, this post may be rather long.

Back in late fall of 2012 I started having this nagging feeling that I needed to finish my masters degree before Simon and I moved to England. I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to do it since I was working as a manager in a very demanding environment. I worked all the time. I knew I would have to talk to my boss about how to make both work. Before I had the chance to talk to him we found out his assistant was quitting in January to move to Russia with her husband to teach English. As soon as I found this out, I knew it was a tender mercy from the Lord. If I would be able to switch positions from being a manager to being an assistant, this would help alleviate some of the pressure from my job and give me more time to concentrate on school work. I approached my boss about wanting to become his assistant at first he thought I was joking, but I told him I was serious and that we should discuss it further. We met and I told him my goal for finishing school and needing a job that was less stressful and less time consuming. He and I had worked together for over 2 years and have a great relationship. He agreed and was excited for this change. Now all we had to do is find a good manager to replace me and get me trained on my new job. This change took place the first week of January, a week before I started school. HUGE tender mercy.

As I mentioned above, I wanted to finish my masters ( had taken a year and a half break to pursue my management position). Now I had to find classes that fit the criteria I could take. This meant getting my program director's approval and professor approval for the courses I wanted to take. I found some classes and got professor's approval to take their classes. I was still 3 credits short and could not find any classes that fit the criteria or that professor's would allow me to take. I was ready to throw in the towel, but decided to keep trying (this involved calling schools, emailing professors, etc. to see if I could get into a course). I finally found two business professors who would allow me to take their classes. I was able to get approval for 5 classes and meet my graduation requirement for credits. I was so relieved and I know that it was only possible because I was doing what the Lord wanted me to do. I know he helped open some doors and windows so I could find the right classes to finish my degree. I started the last semester of my masters the second week of January.

Working full-time and taking 5 masters classes is not something I would recommend on a normal basis. There were times during that January to May time frame I wondered if I was going to make it. Sometimes I felt physically ill due to the stress and anxiety I was feeling about getting everything done and doing it well. I still wanted to be a golden employee while getting good grades at school. There are two people I consider to be tender mercies for me at this time. The first person is Simon, my dear, patient, and loving husband. I can't tell you how many times he had to talk me off the ledge (figuratively speaking). There were many late and sleepless nights and he was there with me for all of it. Sometimes I would be so sick from worry I would lay on the ground in our living room and he would just lay there with me. He often made runs to sonic to get me pebble ice to chew on while I studied or wrote papers (for some reason this helped lessen my anxiety and pebble ice is delicious). He also would get me Cafe Rio when neither of us had the energy to cook (probably why I gained over 20lbs during this period of time). He was a huge tender mercy and I credit him for helping me finish my degree. The other person is my dear boss. Some of you may know him. Guy Goddard is one of the best people I have ever worked for. He is now one of my good friends. He was very flexible with me while I was finishing school and working as his assistant. He would sometimes let me leave early or come in late if I had some school stuff I needed to finish. He also let me have days off when I asked every now and again to do school work. I consider working for him at this time a tender mercy. I don't know how many bosses out there would have been so flexible with me.

I am happy to say that I kept my job after finishing my degree in May (meaning I didn't do too badly during this crazy time in my life) and I finished the semester with:

• A in Principles of Operational Excellence
• A in History and Systems of Psychology
• B+ in Introduction to Educational and Psychological Research
• B+ in Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness
• Pass in my independent research class with my program director

Although I did not get straight A's (which was my goal), I am still very proud of my last semester. I did my whole masters degree while working full-time. I started in 2009, took a year and a half off from July of 2011 until January 2013, and then finished in May 2013. I graduated with a 3.52 from USU. My goal was a 3.5. I am so happy that chapter of my life is over and am thankful for the tender mercies of the Lord.

Church and Saying Goodbye

Simon and I live in Northern England. Our city borders Northern Wales. Every Sunday Simon and I go to church in Wales because that is where our building is located. On one side of the building there is a sign in English. On the other side there is one in Welsh. While my parents were here we decided to get some pictures of the sign.

Dad and Mom in front of our church building with the Welsh sign

Simon and I

My parents were here from December 22nd until January 1st. We rented a car on the 31st so that we could drive them to the airport on the morning of their departure. Time flew way too quickly. I was sad to see them go, but will be seeing them again in 2 months when I go home. Of course my mom started crying at the airport. Here is our sad farewell:

Dad, Mom, and I saying goodbye at the Manchester Airport :(

Chester with Mom and Dad

The last two days my parents were here we took some time to show them around Chester, where we live. Chester used to be a Roman city and stronghold back in the day, so we have quite a few Roman ruins. We started by going to the Town Hall to look around. We then headed to Chester Cathedral. After that we made our way to a chippy to eat some fish and chips. We then had to stop by the grocery store. The following day we did all the Roman ruins. Here are some pictures from the city:

Mom and Dad in front of our house

Dad, Mom, and I in the city center

Dad and Mom in front of the Chester Town Hall

Chester Town Hall

Chester Town Hall

Mom pleading her case before the judge

Stained glass windows in the Town Hall

One of the rooms in the Hall

The Chester Crest

Dad and Mom

Simon and I pretending to be royals in an old school photo

Dad and Mom in front of the Chester Cathedral

Chester Cathedral

Dad and Mom with the Eastgate clock in Chester- the second most photographed clock in the world

At the chippy, my mom would only try a small bite of the fish... she basically ate chips for dinner

Meat and potato pie with some chips

Walking back from Tesco, the grocery store

My helpers

At the Roman Amphitheater

Simon and I

At the amphitheater

Amphitheater

The best shot I could get of the whole amphitheater

Dad and Mom and the Roman Gardens

Some tile work in the gardens

Mom and Dad by the Roman walls that surround the city (built over 2000 years ago)

Me and my momma

A close up of my parents and the Eastgate clock