Oxford

It is Thursday evening and I am at an internet cafe in Oxford. I took a train here on Tuesday and walked around for a while. It was nice to be back here, but I think I was still feeling the effects from the plane ride and time difference because I felt like I could fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Being here felt confusing more than anything. I walked around taking pictures for a bit, relaxed in a cafe, and then headed back to Maidenhead. Maidenhead is about an hour away from here by train and I've been staying there with Jon's parents (Heather and Robin). Wednesday, after sleeping for 12 hours the night before, I was better able to function. I actually spent most of the day talking with Heather. She is a really great woman and I really enjoyed our talk. We discussed the perspectives of the English and Americans on the world. It is interesting to learn about how the English feel about things and it is also interesting to think about my perspectives on how Americans are/think about things. I helped her out a bit with the programs for the wedding while we were chatting.
Last night was Alycia's hen party. I arrived in Oxford at about 5 and walked around before I met up with her. It was raining a little and I was listening to Radiohead on my ipod and it felt really good to be here again. It really hasn't changed too much since I've last been here. There are definitely more people here and it seems that the girls are a lot more dressed up than they used to be, but most other things look the same. The buildings and Universities are still there and will be for a long time. It is quite the city. Anyway, we went out and had a pretty calm, but fun hen party. Her host Mom and sisters came out for a while and in the end it was Alycia and I drinking wine at a place called "Copa." It was a good time. I just slept at Jon's last night because it was a later night. Alycia and I went out to lunch and hung out in Oxford today. The weather is really nice - it's sunny and comfortable.

I wish I could share some pictures with you, but I haven't been able to get wi-fi yet and all my photos are on my lap top. I will get some up here just as soon as I can though, I promise. Tomorrow is the rehearsal for the wedding, so I will go to that and check out the church and reception location. Alycia said the church is beautiful, so I can't wait to see it. The reception will be at a pub, so that should be pretty fun. What they call breakfast will take place at the pub after the ceremony (which is at noon). It sounds like quite a fancy meal. Then the reception party starts at 7pm. It will definitely be different from every other wedding I've shot. I'm excited to see it all come together.

Arriving in England

I've made it to England! The flight went pretty well. I was a little disappointed that we didn't have those personal entertainment systems on the plane. I had assumed that all international flights used them now, but they had us on this old cramped plane. I got lucky though because the seat next to me was open. It was a pretty full flight and I think it would have been a lot less comfortable with another person sitting so close to me. Despite the fact that I could stretch my legs a bit, I didn't sleep very well. I can't seem to sleep for very long on planes and it just felt to early for sleep because I am such a night owl. We sat on the ground while they were fixing something for about an hour before take off, so we didn't arrive until 10:00 am London time. That was 4:00 am Minneapolis time and I had slept for two hours at the most. So, I was a bit tired and confused. Alycia's Dad was on the same flight as me, so her and her future mother-in-law, Heather, came to pick us up. It is very green here! Most of the leaves have fallen in Minneapolis and it has become quite chilly. It felt pretty nice outside here in England yesterday; I don't think I even needed my sweater. The green is really bright and refreshing! They've told me that the weather is really warm for this time of year, so hopefully it will be nice for the wedding day.

Yesterday was kind of wasted because I was too tired to think, let alone go anywhere. I was so exhausted by 5:00 pm, I thought I could go to bed and sleep through the night. I should have made myself stay awake until at least 8:00, but I was too tired to care about avoiding jet lag and all that. I slept pretty good through the night, only waking up a couple times. Around 2:30 am, I didn't think I could go back to sleep, but getting up and doing some homework took care of that. ;) The next time I woke up, it was close to 6 am and I was ready for a shower. I'm glad that I didn't stay up at 2:30 because that would have started me on a terrible schedule.

I think this week will be pretty busy with wedding stuff and what not, but I will have some time to wonder around and get to know Oxford again. Alycia's is having a 'hen party' either tonight or tomorrow and that should be a good time!

The house I am staying in is gorgeous! It is quite large for an English house and they even have internet access! Heather is going to drop me off at the train station in a bit and I will travel to Oxford. It will take about an hour to get there and I'm excited to see some more of that bright green country side. I'm sure that Oxford will look different to me in some ways. We've probably both changed some since we last met.

Leaving Minneapolis

I'm leaving the fine city of Minneapolis today! My flight to London leaves at 7:00 pm and arrives there at 9:00 am their time. It is a direct flight, so I won't have to worry about lay overs or anything like that. I am excited and nervous, which is to be expected. Last night was the last night I got to sleep in my beautiful apartment. Good bye old apartment. Good thing that I embrace change, even it is a little scary sometimes. I've been planning these trips for so long, it feels weird that it is actually time for me to go on them! Next thing I know, I'll be in New Zealand! Life is crazy. And, exciting!

Experience Addict

Hello all!

I have created this blog so that I can share my trip experiences with everyone. I am traveling to England for a week and a half, back home to Minneapolis for one week, and then to New Zealand for five months. I think it will be quite an amazing experience and I'm really looking forward to it!! Actually, at this point, I am having a hard time believing that it is actually happening! I am trying to get everything ready to go and wrap things up right now. I am a procrastinator at heart, but I've done a pretty good job of getting things going a little early. But, of course now as the trips approach, I think I should have started earlier. I leave for England on Sunday and have to get most of my things out of my apartment before I go. Drew will move the rest when I am gone. Drew, you rock!

I named this blog 'experience addict' because I have an addiction to new experiences. :) Not addict in a bad way; I just think that having new experiences, learning new things, and having crazy adventures is what life is all about. I want to learn what it is like in New Zealand and I'm excited to see what my life will be like there. I will attempt to post in this blog often to keep you all up to date and to show you some pictures. I am not much of a writer, so don't expect too much from me in that department. I will do my best and will try to keep this a picture oriented blog, but I do tend to ramble on (despite my lack of writing skills). I hope that this will be interesting to you and that it helps to keep you all updated on my travels.

Much love,
Shannon