Day two!

~~~ Day 2 - Thursday March 27th ~~~

Today, after breakfast, we (Tiffany, Cindy, Sis. Debbie, Leanne, Naomi, and myself) headed out to see the sites. First stop was the London Tower. We had a great tour that told us of all the bloody history there, who was beheaded where and what stones they dug up in the little chapel to burry them under. Next was St. Paul's Cathedreal. Tiffany and I decided not to take the tour, but I found it hilarious that we both spotted the same little street tucked away with cute little shops. So we headed back there and did some seriously no touchie window shoping. That was really difficult around that shoe shop, but we made it though. We found this little coffee shop that had to die for hot chocoalte and this oh so yummy shortbread/carmel/chocholate... thing that I even tracked down another shop later to get another of. Mmmm... could use one right about now too. ha!

One particular store we shopped at... well, let me rephrase that - one store we stopped to drool over things that we could not purchase, there was a pretty cool display. First of all there were purses (and we all know my feelings about purses), but the mingled CAKES in with the purses on display. Now that's how you display some accessories! I definately took a picture and was quickly told that was not allowed. Oops - just kidding.

Next stop -- Piccadilli Circus and the theater district. We are planning to go see Phantom of the Opera tomorrow night. The cheapest we can find is 40 pounds. Roughly 80 american dollars, but who else can say they've gone to the theater in LONDON?!? After pricing a bunch of places we headed back to the hotel to rest up a little before dinner.

Okay - so back to yesterday... where was I ...

Our flight out of Newark was delayed, and then once we arrived in London, it was another hour and a half drive to the hotel. We got here about 9am and basically stopped to use the bathroom (in the lobby), change guides and head back out. We had arrived too early to check into the hotel, so they had planned a tour of London that day. Poor Shawn - we were all so very tired from traveling all night and some of us throughout the day before. He took us all over London, knew absolutely everything - even random trivia - and he really was funny, we were all just too tired to laugh. We got back to the hotel about 1pm and was able to check in. Some of the group was way to wiped to do anything, but Sis. Debbie, Cindy, Tiffany, Leanne, Jason, Chad, Kara, Gayla and I took off.

We set out to walk to ... well, I can't remember where we set out for; but we figured we walked about 2 miles or so before we gave up and bought passes for the TUBE. That's London's underground transportation. Confusing as CRAP, but much better than walking all over creation. We got back to the hotel just in time for dinner and then most of us crashed. Jason and David decided to go back out and head down to the theater district. I definately went right to sleep. ha!

This morning we got up around 9am and have been going pretty much all day. We rested up before dinner and then went back out to see Big Ben, The London Eye, and others at night. WE tried to find the cute little Jazz Club that we saw earlier, but could not find it. So it's just after midnight and we are trying to wind down to get some rest for another full day tomorrow. Some have booked all day tours - I think one of them is to Stonehendge, but we are doing more walking around. I'm hoping to have time for the Jack the Ripper tour before the Phanotom of the Opera. We'll see...

Okay... so the group [little editorial comment here - taking a huge breath b/c now people I know will acctually read this - ha!]. I was acctually afriad that I would be the oldest, but I am one of the youngest here! Let's see...

There's Leanne - hilarious!! Love her! She's from Cali, and has been through a lot with a dead beat husband. Definately already invited Tiff and I out to her house.

A woman from her church, Cindy, came with her. She teaches 3rd grade and reminds me a LOT of one of the girls from IBC named Leanna. She's TINY, has gorgeious black hair. She is very proper, very structured, and very orgainzed. She is our TUBE expert.

Naomi also came with them. She is funny. I love it because she will say whatever she thinks - whenever she wants. [cutest story to come about Naomi when we get to Paris]

Sis. Debbie is pretty cool. She is our guide and is apparently over the Singles Ministry for the UPC. She looks a lot like my aunt Cathy - it's creepy sometimes. She says I look like someone who used to attned her church - hmm. She's also from Cali, but not the same area as Leanne, Cindy and Naomi. I can't tell sometimes if she's joking or not - she says she is, so I've started firing those sarcastic comments right back at her. =o) She's fun.

At this point I think I definately passed out. I'm cracking up at myself at this point. It's funny how much you get to know people while on a trip like this. I feel like I have known these people my entire life, and really hated to leave them. How funny is that? Like - I wanted to bawl in the airport. Geez Jen... you've only known these people for 8 days!! I think part of it was just getting back to the same ol same ol. It was soooo nice to be completely out of touch for a week. Others had to have contact with the States, I welcomed the chance to completely get away. A friend and I had one of our marathon conversations the other day (in which she told me i needed therapy - ha! ....... yeah - I agree)... definately 6 hours long - a record for us... and we had discussed how I have always fantasized about just picking up and moving myself into the middle of no where where not a soul knows me and I can just completely start over. Now, don't go thinking that I'm running from problems or mistakes of my past or the law or anything like that... well, it's a long story and I'm not going to get into it now. Anyway - my point is that I seriously enjoyed myself, was able to forget (even if for just a few days) all that was going on here; and I felt like I was given the chance to truely be me for the first time in a long time. There were no expectations, no pre-conceived oppinions of me based on knowledge of where I come from or who my family is -- just complete strangers meeting for the first time who share in our single-ness and love for One God!

Now I feel like I'm rambling. I'm out for now- It's alreay after midnight and I've gotta get up "at the crack" and sis. Debbie would say. haha!! I've bit the bullet and joined back to Ladies Total Fitness, and I'm hitting my first "Body Pump" class tomorrow to try to jump start myself out of this weight loss plateau. God, I'm gonna die! It's at 6am (ahhhh!!!). So I've gotta get some rest. However, since I signed up again the did the whole body fat assessment thing... and was impressed. When I had joined last time (hold on for this) my BMI was at 51% ... yesterday - it was 36%. Woohoo - go me!! That was encouraging. I've only lost 65 lbs, but apparently have lost a lot more fat than that and gained a whole lot of muscle. ha -- I was going to put what my "lean mass" weight was... but... um ... some smart alleck would do the math and figure out that total weight of mine and we just can't have that now can we. hee hee. Ok - gotta go... asta!