First day of Fall!

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF FALL!!!

Can't you just feel it in your veins? Love is in the air! (what is she talking about?)

I could go on and on about how I never write in the blog, my mom could too... but that's time consuming.

well here we go!

So here I am in the Library at 9:00pm, I just finished typing my long procrastinated paper. I don't care what you learned in high school but things really don't change once you're in college. I promise. I'm living proof.

College is great! So far I've been living in this library doing homework, which is pretty good I guess...learning is fun? It's also getting colder :D which I'm excited about! I think I just heard my dad clear his throat.... strange.. anyway! Life is fun! Dances are great, party's are great, but as time goes on things really start to pile up! Thankfully I use the sticky note method!

THE STICKY NOTE METHOD: A method in which you write down every little thing you have to get done and you stick it upon your wall, once you have completed one of the tasks, you joyously rip down the appropriate sticky note and shred it to bits, chew on it for a bit then throw it away gracefully. It also gives you endorphins... I swear it does.

Last week I applied for International Student Volunteers (ISV) which is a world famous student volunteer organization that takes students all over the world to do service for four weeks! I, of course, want to serve in Australia (for no apparent reason) which also takes an 11 day side trip to Fiji AND I get college credit! (Which, if you knew about my little Fiji thing last spring, you'll know this is a HUGE deal) So I applied as well as one of my roommates did, and she checked her e-mail and said she got a rejection letter...my heart was pounding as I made my way to my roommates computer because i don't have one yet, anyway...my heart was still pounding as I, Michelle Anstead, opened up my e-mail, checked it's contents and I...Michelle Anstead...owner of the cutest puppy in the world...WAS ACCEPTED!!!

sweetness.

I know what you're thinking, "Well hey, Michelle what about the whole I'm going to STUDY ABROAD and be cool like Wendy thing?" well, hang on, I'm getting to that. While it is still the coolest thing in the world to be like Wendy, I realized that what I really want to do more than anything is serve, and restore and preserve (cue sappy music).

If I studied abroad, chances of me doing much of any service at all would be unlikely. This is pure service! Pure selflessness for four weeks (plus I can still get college credit, woot woot). Cause I mean really, how long can I complain about little things like school work, and smelly roommates, and cell phones that don't work, and boys who don't ask for your number?! It's got to stop.

Random change in topic! I promised my dad I would tell you about this so... if you click on

http://www.radio.usu.edu/

^^^this link right here, and listen to LIVE stream on Saturday's from 12-2 pm (MTN standard time...are we MTN standard time? Did I just make that up?) you will hear not only MY voice, but also my roommates voice being the best DJ's ever!!! Yesh yesh, I am the new DJ for Aggie Radio and I'm still a freshman!

My DJ name: DJ eM
Rachel's DJ name: DJ Radams

Rachel got her name from high school, and it took us hours to figure out mine... we even went for a walk at 1 am to find some inspiration. It didn't come. But eventually we got "em" ...cause i'm not that cool.

Check it. Check it. 1, 2, 3. My first broadcast is next Saturday (October 1, 2011) so don't make fun of me when I mess up because I won't give you a shout out! OK, I probably will but won't be anything fancy. I also do the news updates a few times a week for 2 min, but that's just a side thing, you don't need to worry about that.

Well, like my dad says, once you start loosing interest in your own story you should probably stop telling it. So thank you very much for reading about my life thus far! I will post pictures.

Love you all!
<3.michelle


Some of my roommates and I before a Paint dance















..after the paint dance :) wendy that's not your playdough shirt..














I finally decorated my walls!


















and the other side!


















My roommate Rachel decided to randomly place a bunch of little pictures of her all over our dorm, and this one was my favorite :) haha



















about 3 weeks ago we found this on our door....it's still there today...























This is how me and my roommates communicate. It's healthy.














this is the restroom for regular boys and abnormally large women..tee hee


















the USU bookstore ladies and gentlemen






















Sticky Note Method

In and Around London Town

Hello! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Here’s a recap!

BBC Proms

Two weeks ago I got to go to the Proms! No, it’s not like Prom where you dress up and accidentally poke your date while pinning on the boutonnière (I still feel bad about that…)

It’s an open-air concert in Hyde Park where they have amazing musicians come perform. So great! I was really excited because none other than Josh Groban was slated to perform. I could barely contain myself. Then they made the announcement that Joshy had a sick throat and couldn’t sing. It was ok though, because I’m sure he and I will meet someday. And he won’t be sick.

I was only comforted by the fact that the rest of the performers were incredible. That and my friend Russell and I found some Haagen-Dazs afterwards. My life is good!

Back to School

I finally accepted the fact that I’m in London to study and not solely to globetrot. I had the privilege of meeting some incredible international students on an evening welcome cruise of the Thames. Not only was the cruise absolutely lovely, the company was too! I was amazed that these students from places like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, and China and I had so much in common. The world isn’t such a big place after all.

Awesome Weekend

For Russell’s birthday, a group of us went ice-skating. I had a wonderful time and I’m excited to be able to say I’ve been ice-skating in a foreign country. Unfortunately, I’m no better in the UK than I am in the US.

That evening, my friend Nicole and I were on a mission. A Mexican food mission. Nicole and I became acquainted a few weeks ago at church. She and I both hail from the same area of the states.  Shortly after talking, we expressed our longing for Café Rio, which is unfortunately not in London. She had heard of a good Mexican food place that she wanted to try. So it began.

We arrived at the restaurant, but it’s closed on Saturday (wha…?). Undeterred, we went with plan B, which we found after much confusion.  It’s called Wahaca (I guess they figured people would have a hard time pronouncing ‘Oaxaca’) and it was tasty. Not smothered sweet pork burrito tasty, but guacamole with the right balance of garlic and cilantro tasty.  

Oh, so good!

The lovely Nicole.

Craving satisfied!

That same weekend I got to go inside Buckingham Palace! A special shout-out to Tom who secured tickets on a sold-out Saturday. It’s easy to see that the palace is big from the outside, but I was still taken aback at the seemingly endless maze of rooms we got to go through. It’s truly astounding.

I got to see the Royal Wedding Dress! It was even more incredible in person. They also had the jewelry and shoes she wore, which were beautiful as well. Their wedding cake was on display, which took an impressive two months to make. Eight tiers and 17 individual fruitcakes later, they had a royal creation.

Unfortunately, they don’t allow photography in the palace, so I’m afraid I don’t have any pictures to go along with this post. Well, except for this one we took outside.

I try to be classy no matter where I go.

More pictures of adventures will be coming soon!

Until then,

Wendy

Paris Holds the Key

Bonjour!

I returned this morning from the City of Lights! I was fortunate enough to have a few days to roam around the beautiful city of Paris. My one regret is not learning how to speak French beforehand. However, in case you go to France, here is the only important word: boulangerie.

Translation: Baked bread deliciousness. Whoa, nelly. I had three baguettes, two tartellettes framboises (fruit tarts), one éclair, one croissant, and one crepe. Oh so yummy! But enough with the food and on with the sites!

My plan of attack was quite simple: look at map, find cool places on map, go see cool places. With my trusty map, my water bottle, and sustenance (bread, of course), I set off.

The obvious first choice was the Tour Eiffel. Incredible. Prepare to be barraged with photos of it:

The bird wasn’t even planned.

My other top choice was the Arc de Triomphe.

Les Invalides was beautiful. I think I’ll have a gold dome on my future home.

The biggest surprise for me was Notre Dame. I knew I’d love it, but I didn’t know it would fill me with such wonder. The architecture is truly awe-inspiring.

I paid the 5 Euros to go in, which was the best purchase I made on the trip. Here are some photos.

I got to see the bell inside.

I think I’m funny. Gargoyle eating the Eiffel Tower.

Other gargoyle licking another statue. Yep, I’m mature. I’m looking at this breath taking view of Paris and that’s what I photograph.

Here’s the nice man who made my Nutella and banana crepe. Let me tell you, these Europeans sure love their Nutella (for good reason!).

La Madeleine is a marvelous cathedral. It has a very reverent feel.

Jardin du Luxembourg was so peaceful and serene.

I got to go inside the Louvre. If you read my previous post about art, you know how much I love it! It was like Christmas.

Like any good tourist, my first stop had to be the Mona Lisa. Fantastic! Though much smaller than I’d imagined.

I’ve always loved Winged Victory of Samothrace and I got to see it in person! It was much larger than I’d imagined, which makes up for the Mona Lisa size.

Seated scribe! This one’s especially for my brother, Cole, who would appreciate it as only someone who took Selytina’s class could.

The Venus de Milo was so much more beautiful in person than any picture could portray.

With that, my fun trip to Paris was over. It was time to go back to London town, but not before I got one more Eiffel Tower shot!

Next adventure: school. Probably slightly less exciting than Paris. I keep forgetting that's why I'm over here in the first place! Until then,

Wendy

Defying Gravity

I’ve spent the last few days in PARIS! They were incredible, and I’ll get to them in a second.

First I have to talk about Wednesday, when I got to see WICKED! It just happens to be my favorite musical ever. I checked the first ticket vendor, and the best they could do for me was 35 pounds for the back row with an obstructed view.

What?! Of all the insults. I did NOT fly a thousand miles for an obstructed view. Obviously they didn’t realize with whom they were dealing. I thanked the woman for her time (but inwardly thanking her for nothing) and shortly thereafter stumbled upon a discount ticket booth. You have to be careful with these kinds because they’re known for ripping people off and selling fraudulent tickets.

As a test, I asked the woman about the best ticket she could sell me. She said very nonchalantly that she had a second row ticket for 40 pounds. Oh, ok. She had me. I was salivating at that point. Even if it turned out to not be a legitimate ticket, I had to take my chances. I probably shouldn’t have casted my doubt by asking, “Sorry for my bluntness, but this is real, right?”

 “Yep,” replied the disinterested, purple-haired employee while smacking her impossibly loud piece of gum.

I bought it didn’t look back. The best part of the whole experience (besides the show of course) was handing the ticket to the attendant to scan. He looked at the seat number and said, “Whoa, B15? That’s a really good seat. Enjoy! The Stalls entrance is to your left.” My heart did a little happy dance and I strolled past the various aisles to my beautiful seat.

I took a picture (even though you’re not supposed to. Don’t learn from my bad habits) of the stage from my seat. The musical was truly magical. It was a surreal experience to be so close to the stage. I could literally see spit flying from the performers’ mouths (it’s a lot more charming than it sounds!). I’ve seen the show once before in L.A. and I’ve listened to the original soundtrack countless times, so I had pretty high expectations for this cast. They were incredible! And all British!

Um, British-accented Fiyero? Oh, I was a happy girl. He was adorable.

I had particular twinge in my heart when I heard the song “Defying Gravity.” I’ve always loved that song, but there was an especially poignant line:

And if I’m flying solo, at least I’m flying free

This whole experience of moving to London has been wonderful, but I have to admit, it has its lonely moments. I’ll get on kicks where I think of all the things I’m missing at home and it I have a longing for the states. Some examples are my little brother’s football games, meeting my older brother’s dates (and despising them all immediately. Nothing personal, just a protective sister thing!), seeing my sister on her weekends home from Logan, talking to my momma in-person whilst eating her fresh-baked bread, and having long chats with my poppa.

A lot of people are surprised when they hear I’ve come by myself. It’s certainly been an adventure. When I do get a little homesick, I’ve adopted this Wicked line as my motto. So many would trade places with me in a heartbeat, I don’t want to waste a second!

Here’s the other thing; I’m not flying solo, not really. I’ve met some amazing friends here already and I have a wonderful support base back home. All of you give me strength and I’m so grateful for your love.

I LOVE YOU! (Almost as much as I love British Fiyero. Ok, I love you more. It’s close though. Just kidding!)

Stay tuned for my Parisian adventures coming up soon!

Second Star to the Right

First of all, I wanted to thank Shel for the sweetest post ever! (See below this post) I just adore my sister and I’m so glad she found hot Cheetos in the vending machine.

Anyway, here I am into week two of London, and it’s amazing! A few days ago, I went exploring around Hyde Park. I was on a quest to find the Peter Pan statue.

I got a tad distracted with cool architecture.

And incredible swans.  Fun fact of the day! All swans in England belong to the queen. No exceptions. So if you own a swan, don’t bring it here or else it won’t belong to you anymore. Unless that was your plan all along. You swan ditcher, you.

I finally found the statue!

Another fun fact! My mom named me Wendy after the character from Peter Pan. Hence my need to see the statue in person!

My trip to Hyde Park wouldn’t have been complete without an ice cream cone. Yum!

Then I got to visit the National Gallery. Third fun fact! I LOVE art. And it isn’t just because my dad is an artist (and my favorite artist at that. Love you daddy!) I’ve taken a few humanities/art history classes and it’s a true passion of mine.

 

I got to see a da Vinci UP CLOSE! I almost died of happiness. The security guard was laughing at me because I let out an audible squeal when I saw it.

Another favorite was Botticelli’s Venus and Mars. It’s hard to describe the beauty of the painting. I sat in awe for probably half an hour.

Lastly, I saw Holbein’s “The Ambassadors.” This happens to be one of the coolest paintings ever and I had no clue it was in this museum! The gray and black splotch actually looks like a skull if you look at it from the side. I remembered learning about it, but it’s a different experience seeing it in person.

I think that’s about it. Oh, except for the one-footed pigeon I felt so bad for.

That’s when I realized pigeons don’t actually need feet because they have wings. I think that’s how I am sometimes in my life. I stress out over tiny things until I realize I’ve been given wings to fly. So thank you, dear single-ped feathered friend, for teaching me on the steps of the National Gallery.

Until next time (when I’ll have pictures from my upcoming Paris trip!),

Wendy

"From Logan to London"

well hi!

At this very moment, somewhere in a little town called "London" is my best friend. A best friend who is experiencing possibly one of the greatest moments of her life! And right now as she's reading this, I can bet she's already rolling her eyes at the screen thinking, "Silly shel, you're not supposed to be writing about me in your post!" Wendy, how can I not mention you our blog? It's called "From Logan to London." A title that wouldn't have been made possible without you.

Now the "London" part would have been in there with or without my help, but because of you the "Logan" part enters it's way in gracefully to the front.

Allow me to take you all into a short yet true conversation between my sister and I just a few months ago..

Wendy: I think I want to go to school in London...
Me: Really? Why?
Wendy: Why not? Life's too short.
Me: When did you decide this?
Wendy: Just now.

Why not take a crazy chance, why not do a crazy dance? (aha, Hilary...)

My point is, Wendy, you're the reason I'm here, and getting to know people, and highly considering going to Australia for study abroad next fall. I'm having the time of my life right now, and it's all because you opened these doors me (well you know, and mom and dad and cole and ryan and grandparents and friends etc...) but you make me want to try new things, that there are no boundaries. Thank you!

And now for some pictures in little ol' Logan!

My little corner of the world! I forgot pictures and decoration stuff...oops


The view from my dorm :)


One is mega hot and one is mega cold. I struggle to find a comfortable balance.


It only took me 2 1/2 weeks of searching the entire campus, but I successfully found the only vending machine with HOT CHEETOS!!! I was pretty excited...


...I'm convinced that curiosity will kill me.


My first demolition derby in Preston, Idaho!


Me at first demolition derby with my roommate in Preston, Idaho! (please note people in the background)


Logan's version of "Big Ben"

One time I got pulled up on stage at a dance with my roommate...so I took a picture of it :)

she stayed... (this poster's everywhere and I'm not sure why(\)


Well, that was a lot of randomness in one post, but hey! My whole experience in Logan thus far has been just that! Thanks for reading!!!

oh, and one last thing..


peas an blessins

<3.michelle