Six Strings and a Dream

"He's always been a dreamer, he's always dreamed a dream, that one day he would make it, to Nashville, Tennessee."

It was the third week in a row that I had attended open mic night at the Bluebird Cafe in support of my friend Jody Miller. After Jody had played, I was standing by the hostess station when this skinny young cowboy with tattooed arms, a Jack Daniels ball cap and the infamous Johnny Cash flipping the bird t-shirt stood by the door with his guitar waiting for his number to be called. He looked a little nervous as he waited for the person before him to finish up their song. He got up to the microphone, introduced himself as Chris Taylor and told the audience that this was an original song titled "Six Strings and a Dream". I waited for the typical open mic performance: a voice that can carry a tune and lyrics that are cliche but original enough that you can appreciate the song.

Then it happened:

Four lines into the song chills ran down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. I was hooked.

You could tell this boy was raised on gospel music. His voice was full of soul and he sounded far beyond his years. Maybe the lyrics hit me so hard because of my own recent move to Nashville but the moment he sang those words "one day he would make it to Nashville, Tennessee" I couldn't help but want to know this kid's story.

How is talent like this still untapped? This was the moment that I knew I was where I belong. You can find someone who is completely undiscovered and their song will be stuck in your head for a week and a half after you only heard it one time. That's not just good music, that's talent my friends.

I introduced myself to Chris, his mom, and his bandmate as they were leaving. I cannot wait to watch him develop as he spends more time in Nashville.

Check him out at www.myspace.com/christaylorfriends.

Call me crazy, but I'm gonna do this

So I've been thinking a lot lately about how much I enjoy working out. Which is something I never in my life thought I would say. I like it so much though that on my off days (Fri & Sat) I sometimes want to sneak in a workout. No one will know, right? I mean does your body really need a day or two of recovery every week? Maybe, but maybe not.

For instance, last night I spent 40 minutes circuit weight lifting then spent 1/2 hour on the treadmill running and walking. And about 2 hours after I left the gym I really wanted to hike the M and was also thinking about getting up early so that I could run before work. I have plans after work today and am already thinking that if I eat early enough I could go to the gym for an hour to swim laps before the gym closes.

I'M BECOMING OBSESSED!

I track my workouts online everyday. I have charts and graphs that show how many calories I've burned, how many cardio hours I've spent working each month, how much weight I've lifted, and how it compares to each month before. It breaks it down to minutes per machine, weight per muscle group, calories burned equivalent to how many apples or ice cream sundaes those calories equal, how much weight lifted in elephants (I've lifted 3 elephants in the last 2 weeks). I love every minute of it. The more sore I am the harder I want to workout.

I've decided to channel this obsession into a goal though. I, Annette, vow to complete the Grizzly Triathlon in April 2010. I have one year to train. One year to swim 1000 meters, run 3 miles, and bike 12 miles all in one day. One year to accomplish a goal I never would have fathomed. One year to change my life.

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta!

(too much? yeah, well, it does feel good) :)

Open Wide

So, I've had my fair share of trips to the dentist. It was commonplace as a child and I actually kind of looked forward to it because no matter how bad the Novocaine hurt, at least I got a prize afterward. And then I had a bit of a traumatic experience involving an extra root that was missed in my root canal and flared up 6 years later causing and abscess which led to my dentist re-doing the last root in the root canal and sealing the tooth, which caused anaerobic gasses to build up under the surface of my tooth causing a throbbing in my entire face and jaw. In order for the gasses to release they drilled out the center of my tooth and left it open for about 5 days before going back in and filling it. I could not sleep lying down; I could not chew solid foods; I did not chew on the right side of my mouth for about three months; and I started having mild anxiety attacks every time I stepped into a dentist office. Can you blame me for being a bit leary of these guys?

(***NOT MY REAL DENTIST BUT SCARY STILL***)

I switched dentists and found out that my horrible dentist whom I had been going to from my very first dental appt. as a wee lad up until the summer after I turned 18 was in fact a moron. Seriously, he's an idiot and I'm not just saying that. Not only did he do my root canal incorrectly, he had also missed about 7 cavities in my mouth which you would think would be apparent in the X-rays he had been taking on a fairly regular basis. With my new dentist I found out that it didn't have to hurt have a shot of Novocaine, in fact, I didn't even need to feel the needle going in. AMAZING! However, I still had a minor fear of going in to the dentist because it seemed that no matter how often I went in and not matter how much I brushed, flossed, rinsed, did fluoride treatments, etc., there was always something wrong. Basically my teeth suck at everything except for decaying, which they are really good at doing. This has lead to my enhanced anxiety and fear of the dentist so I've been avoiding going in for a while now.

Then over the weekend it felt like there was something stuck between my back teeth, so I pulled out my trusty floss and as I pulled the floss up a piece of my tooth came out too! WTF? That's not normal. So I got into a dentist today praying for a filling and hoping I didn't need a crown. But as luck would have it, I definitely need a crown. AND, I apparently need 8, count them, 8 fillings. But it's no biggie, I have a spare couple thousand dollars lying around and plenty of dental insurance...WAIT, I don't have either of those things! So when they told me the estimated total for all the work I'll need I responded with a face kind of like this.

Please Note Mass Amounts of Silver in my mouth

So, would it be totally uncool for a 23 year old to opt for dentures? Yeah, I thought so.

Just call me Rachel Ray...

So, the Lenten season is upon us. And like many Catholics, I may not go to church regularly, but dangit, when there is a chance to punish myself for 40 days I all of a sudden become a devout Catholic again. Guilt and punishment seem to take over our lives at every given chance--we need to sacrifice for the good of others and repent when we do things for ourselves...or something along those lines. I find it interesting that when I was going to Mass every week I wasn't as strict with lent. I would usually give something up, like soda (Mountain Dew in particular) but wouldn't follow the no meat on Fridays. OR, I would strictly follow no meat on Fridays but not bother giving something up. Then, I moved out on my own and sort of fell out of the habit (no nun pun intended) of attending mass. Yet, the guilt got to me and I would give things up for lent that would make me go crazy.






My first year of college, I went to church on Ash Wednesday and gave up soda which was much more difficult than giving up Mountain Dew. When you live in the dorms and eat at a cafeteria every day, soda is the drink of choice...especially for someone who never drank coffee for their caffeine fix but rather got it through a lovely refreshing cola. The following year I had moved into the beginning stages of being a coffee drinker and still relied heavily on soda for caffeine so logically, I rid myself of caffeine for 40 days. The next year I pulled a big stunt and gave up caffeine and alcohol...and let's not do the math to figure out how old I was that year and inquire as to why I would be giving up alcohol. Anyhow, it was cleansing even though I ended up breaking lent about a week before Easter (which seems to be a theme with me). Then I spent the Lenten season in Wales where it would be unheard of to give up alcohol and Lord knows I wasn't as dependent on caffeine since I pretty much just slept all day (who needs classes when you're living in a foreign country?). So that year I gave up potato chips, or crisps in the UK. Then there was last year and I once again sacrificed sweet succulent alcohol for 40 days (or realistically 33 days because a week before Easter, I was boozin it up again....it's the thought that counts though, right?)

Now that I'm over my drinking problem [kidding, I still have it , err, I mean, it was never a problem] I decided that it was time to change it up with the sacrificial rituals. So this year, ahem...drumroll please, I have decided to give up dining out. This means no fast food drive thru on my way home from work, ordering pizza on the weekend, going out to dinner with friends during the week, no forgetting my lunch and going to the food court on campus, NONE OF THAT! I have two main reasons for doing this: 1) Eating out is spendy and it's pointless to spend money when I can, after all, cook for myself; and 2) It's pointless to be going to the gym and eating good all week just to blow it on a calorie packed fried chicken sandwich or greasy slice of pizza. I'm hoping my pocketbook will expand and my waistline will slim over these next 40 days. This may sound easy but now I have to think of new culinary adventures to keep things interesting during this challenge because let's face it, as fun as a grilled chicken breast with asparagus is, it's not gonna taste quite so great after eating it for every meal. So here I go, embarking on being my own personal chef and attempting to make healthy meals that actually TASTE good!


I'll take any suggestions for recipes, especially if they can be multi-purpose, i.e. dinner one night and a wrap for lunch the next day. Here's to the next 40 days!

You must be the change...

What an exciting time! Change brings such a fresh perspective. I've found myself going through a series of changes recently and love how grounded I feel. It's true that once you've hit rock bottom you can truly appreciate the simplicities of life and feel blessed with all of life's little gifts. And as I experience this on a personal level I am amazed to see our great nation going through the same changes. We've had our rough patches in recent years and now that we've hit rock bottom we are ready to appreciate what we have and can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Good things to come, let's not forget to appreciate each day and cherish how lucky we are to live in this ever changing nation.

P.S. Maybe I should change my hair color in the spirit of the season...your thoughts?

New Year, New You!

2008 I bid you audieu, 2009 bring it on!

Does anyone else feel this way? To me the year 2008 was a big old rut that I was trying to get out of and although we're only a few days into 2009 I feel that the wheels are finally turning. Maybe its because as I entered 2008 I knew it couldn't compare to 2007. I mean, think about it, 2007 took me to a foreign country that I fell in love with and didn't want to leave; I traveled through Europe by myself and really felt that I found who I was while spending time with great friends along the way; I spent Christmas 2007 back in England with great friends re-discovering the reasons I fell in love with the country, the culture, and most importantly the people. When I returned to Missoula I was focused on graduating, because after all, once we graduate from college life just falls into place and we get the job of our dreams and are immediately rewarded for those 5 years of hard work and living the poor college life right? WRONG!!!

I started applying for jobs before graduation and had an interview for the first job I applied for, awesome. But that interview was followed by the first of many rejection letters to come. I was becoming a pro at submitting applications and going through the long arduous process of answering interview questions and being called back for a second or third interview and then either getting a phone call or a letter stating "No, really, you were in our top two choices but for reason X, Y, or Z, we decided to go with the other candidate, but we're sure you are going to go far in life." Really, you're sure I'm going to go far? Because I'm pretty sure I ended up having to take a job that only requires a high school diploma.

And that has lead to my attitude about 2008. To me, 2007 was a teaser of the life that I dream of having, and then 2008 was a harsh reality that we all have challenges and obstacles to overcome and we have to continually work towards our life goals. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I have a bad life in any way, shape, or form. I've had an amazing life, but we all have our internal struggles that we face and to me being told that the world is at your fingertips and you can be anything you want to be after you graduate, then falling flat on your face and losing sight of the reason you went to college in the first place was a tough lesson to learn. And that is why I have such a positive outlook on 2009.

I've come into 2009 with many resolutions, because we need to set multiple goals for ourselves so that if we don't succeed in one area we still have other areas to succeed in. By having a list of resolutions I figure that I am more likely to keep some of them and if a few slip through the cracks....so be it. So here it is, my list of resolutions for 2009.

1. Start blogging again (yay, I've started on this one)
2. Find a job I enjoy (as of today, I do have an offer but more on that later)
3. Be more healthy (this has different meaning for each individual, but I have a goal in my mind)
4. Live within my means (I think everyone is trying to do this now more than ever)
5. Start going to church again (I'm not talking every Sunday, but a couple times a month wouldn't hurt)
6. Be more tidy (If you could see my apartment right now, you'd understand)
7. Maintain the friendships that are important to me (in my 2008 funk I've let a lot of friendship maintenance sit on the back burner, no more of that in 2009)
8. Start Christmas shopping early (think about what life would be like if you didn't have to step into a store during the holiday shopping season...plus who really has it in their budget to do all their shopping in one month...let's spread it out through the year)
9. Read one book each month (I have a bookshelf filled with books that I bought because I thought they would be interesting, but I've yet to read them all)
10. Always remember that you can change your life whenever you want...who needs a new year to make a resolution? Let's start the trend of a Valentine's resolution, an Easter resolution, an Independence Day resolution, and a Halloween resolution. Because today is the first day of the rest of your life, and don't you forget it.

What are your resolutions for the year?

Life's too short

For some reason I've been thinking a lot today about everything that I want to accomplish in my life. I don't really keep a timeline and I don't think that one should feel defeated if they don't accomplish things but this is just my ideal perception of the future. So, here it goes in no particular order.

-Live in a big city (London, L.A., New York, Austin, Paris) where the world is at your fingertips and anything and everything you've ever dreamt of is within your reach.

-Fall in love...I mean real love. None of that fairytale storybook bullshit that we've had engrained in our impressionable minds since gradeschool.

-Love self-lessly...some people know what this is, for instance, my parents who have been married for 34 years and love for the sake of their spouse. But this is something that I can only pray to exprience.

-Make a difference. Now I know that is a bold statement, but I'm not trying to create a revolution, I just want to impact at least one person's life positively. It could be something as powerful as helping them find faith, or something as simple as them meeting their favorite band. I just want to know that in some way, somehow, I made a positive impact on them.

-Love my family. No matter how much they drive me crazy, no matter how many miles apart we are, no matter what I do to dissappoint them, I want to know that our love is stronger than any obstacle that may arise.

-Exude happiness. You know how some people always say that they love their life? Well I don't want to be one of those people. I want others to know that I am living a happy life by the manner in which I present myself. I hope people can look at me and automatically know that I am happy with the decisions that I have made.

-Live up to expectations. Not the expectations of others, but the expectations of myself. I want to look back on the decisions I have made and either be proud, or else have learned from the not so great decisions I have made in my life. How else can we grow?

With that, I will close. But I challenge you all to examine your own situation. Because we don't measure our time on this earth, it is a gift that we are privelaged to be a part of every day.

We Gonna Party Like It's Your Birthday!

A birthday shot to kick off the night

I spent my Saturday night celebrating the 22nd birthday of my amazing friend April. She studied in Wales the same semester that I did and we have become so close. She is the only person in Missoula who truly understands how amazing my semester abroad was.








She was with me to celebrate my 22nd birthday Welsh style.
















(I realize I spelled Celebrating wrong..oops)



And I prepared a gift full of Wesh memorabilia to ring in her 22nd year on this earth.





We went out on the town for drinking with friends and dancing the night away...I, of course, was the designated drive though since it is lent after all.


Happy Birthday April!

Across the Universe

All you need is love. And I think I'm in love. His name is Jim. He's from England. He's got the most amazing voice. His eyes are filled with passion. He's an actor. He's about 28. And he's perfect in every way.

One little problem...I haven't met him yet and he doesn't technically know I exist.

I'm stalking....I mean talking about Jim Sturgess, the gorgeous boy who plays Jude in the film Across the Universe. It is such a good movie. It's based in the 60s but all of the issues that it covers are issues that we are currently going through right now. AND, all of its songs are Beatles' songs re-done by the cast. With a tagline like "Within the lyrics of the world's most famous songs, lives a story that has never been told. Until now." How could you not be intrigued?

The songs are amazing. I bought the soundtrack right after I watched the movie in the theaters and haven't been able to stop singing and thinking about the songs since. I'm falling in love with the Beatles in an entirely new way. The cast does such a good job. There are even guest appearances by Bono (of U2) and Salma Hayek.

This film touches on war, love, friendship, music, art, absent parents, losing a love, losing a child, and almost every human emotion you can think of. I will admit that a few scenes are a bit odd (like when the colors are inverted to simulate an acid trip), however, given the time it is portraying and the music that goes along with it I felt that it was a perfect fit for this film.

They lived without rules. They loved without fear. But as the world changed, so did they.

Jumpin' on the Rehab Train

Well, since every celebrity under the sun is going to rehab these days I figured I might as well try it out. Sort of. Actually, I'm just giving up alcohol for 40 days...and then I'll start drinking again. "Why?" you may ask. Well, today is Ash Wednesday and the season of sacrifice is upon us. Lent=No Alcohol for me.

I wouldn't say that I drink in excess or anything; but I do enjoy an adult beverage here and there. I can be found relaxing on my couch with a nice cold beer, or cool glass of chardonnay, or out on the town with a flask of vodka in my purse (okay, not entirely true...but it did happen once or twice). Anyhoo, as a college student most social events involve alcohol and I'm always up for a challenge so I want to see if I can make it 40 days without consuming a single drop. I gave it up for lent 2 years ago and made it about 36 days. Close, but no cigar. Then last year I was living in Wales and not drinking while in the UK is basically a sin. They would've had me committed probably. So I gave up potato chips (crisps if your British). In the past I've given up caffeine, soda, Mountain Dew (I was addicted in high school), candy, and the probably something like giving up hitting my sister when I was little...which I'm sure I broke around week one.

I'm thinking of this as a cleanse for the body, mind and spirit (punny if you think of it in the Trinity sense for any Catholics out there.) But seriously, my body is cleansed of the alcohol which is a poison that I willingly consume, my mind has clarity without the fuzziness of alcohol, and my spirits will be lifted from knowing that I am strong enough to resist the temptation of the forbidden fruit (literally, I like hard cider and that is made from apples.)

So what are you giving up for lent? Anything you feel you can't live without? Come on this journey through the next six weeks and test yourself. Come on, what's your guilty pleasure?

I've Been Inspired

After a long hiatus from the blogging world, I've decided to start it up again. It's a great way to keep in touch with people or at least keep them up to date on what I'm doing and where I am. This is my final semester at U of M and I'm sure that my life will be changing a lot over the next year. I'm starting the post grad job search, I'll graduate in May, Raylee gets married in June, and when my lease is up in August I'm hoping to have a new city to move to. Can't wait to see what the future holds.

This year won't be nearly as exciting as my year of traveling the world in 2007. But I'll hopefully still get a few trips in to see friends in different cities. And I can always make time for concerts. I feel like things are changing and this is such an exciting time in my life. I'm not tied down to kids or a family so I really can do anything or go anywhere if I so choose..and if money allows. I see so many people my age getting married, having kids, and getting sucked into a mundane job that I just want to break away. Real world, here I come.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder (Or so I Hope)

Hello there world. Sorry, I've been a bit out of touch lately. Hopefully it just made you miss my stories and look forward to my next tale. No worries. I've cooked up a whole lot of fun for you to delve into. But before we get into the fun stuff, I've received a request to let you all know how to pronounce the name of Aberystwyth, the town I'm studying in this semester. Well, it's pretty easy...if you know the basic phonetics of the Welsh language. So here is your quick welsh lesson...Y is similar to a short I in English. So, to pronounce it you would say Aaa(as in Apple)-Brr(as in "brrr, it's cold")-Wrist(like a wrist watch)-With(like "I'm with her"). Aaa-brrr-wrist-with. Aberystwyth. Not to shabby. Aber actually means the "mouth of" in Welsh and the Ystwyth is a river that meets the Irish Sea here. So literally, it means the "mouth of the Ystwyth river". You learned something new today. Now, onto my life abroad.

It's been a whirlwind since my last post so let's start with the first week of my Easter Break....which lasted 3 weeks. I left Aberystwyth and took the 3 hour train ride to Birmingham. I met up with my friend Helen, who I met in Montana when she was studying abroad. She and her parents had a whole week of English adventures planned for me so we looked over our agenda and had an early night. I woke up the next morning and we started our journey to Bath. Helen's dad gave me a book about Bath so during the car ride I read about the history of the town and was excited to see the city made mostly of limestone and home to the only naturally occurring hot springs in the UK. Our first stop was the Bath Abbey. Then we walked over the Roman Baths, which are thousands of years old and known for the supposed healing power of the mineral water. You could sample the water from the Baths for a small fee so Helen and I decided to give it a go. It wasn't the most tasty water I've ever had, in fact I was kind of afraid that I was going to get some kind of parasite from the bitter tasting water, but I survived. And the sore throat I'd been fighting of miraculously disappeared two days later...call it a coincidence or maybe the water really is healing. We toured the rest of Bath taking in the amazing Georgian architecture, stopping by the Royal Crescent and crossing Pulteney Bridge. Bath was a beautiful town and a great way to start out my break.

The next day was an exciting one for me. Why you may ask? Well, the next day we made our way to Stratford-Upon-Avon. "Why does that sound familiar?" you may be thinking. It sounds familiar silly because that is where my good buddy Bill was born, lived, and died. Now how do you know Bill? Well, you may know him by his pen name, William Shakespeare, but those of us close to him just call him Bill. Alright, so this was exciting for me because I've kind of been a bit of a closet Shakespeare fan since high school. There, it's out in the open now. I like Shakespeare. I think his sonnets are beautiful and his plays are amazing. I especially enjoy Much Ado About Nothing which is hilarious. And, he manages to insult people in the most brilliant manner ever. Make fun of me, laugh at me, call me what you want, but don't diss on my Shakespeare. Anyways, now that everyone knows that if I had been alive in the late 1500s Shakespeare would have married me instead of Anne Hathaway, let's move on. Stratford was a beautiful town. We started out at Mary Arden's House. Mary Arden was Shakespeare's mother. Her house is outside of Stratford but there is still a working farm there and they even have characters dressed in period clothing working, cooking and gardening. It was pretty cool. Our next stop was at Anne Hathaway's cottage. Then on into town to Shakespeare's birthplace where we saw the room the Bard was born in and grew up in. Down the street from that house were Nash's house and Hall's Croft where Shakespeare's daughter and granddaughter lived. And lastly, we went to the church where Shakespeare is buried, however, they had already closed so I didn't actually get to see his grave. Oh well, I got to see the rest of his life. And I bought an amazing Shakespearean insult mug so that when I have my coffee or tea I can read insults such as "I do desire we may be better strangers" or "Not so much brain as ear wax". I also purchased a Shakespeare cookie, which I found to be hilarious. I then decided that I might as well get a picture with Shakespeare (the cookie, that is) in front of his birthplace. Don't we look happy to be there. Alright, now that I officially sound like a loon I'll move on to the more sane portion of my break.

The following day we went to Litchfield to visit the Litchfield Cathedral. I love old cathedrals so we spent some time exploring the church and taking pictures of the cool gothic style architecture. We then went into Birmingham. Helen's mom owns a costume shop which makes costumes for theater and television throughout the UK and the world. They let me sift through the thousands of pieces of clothing and then I had a little fun trying on hats. Here's one of me being a pirate. Aaarrrrgh!

After playing dressup it was time for our next adventure. Off we went to Blenheim Palace where the Duke of Marlborough currently resides. Blenheim Palace is famous for being the birthplace of former Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. The palace was gorgeous and the grounds and gardens were breath taking. We took a tour of the palace, which is sometimes said to be the nicest palace in England...even compared to Buckingham Palace. Then we had lunch out in the gardens amongst some statues and fountains, then walked along the lake and made our way around the grounds. This particular palace is open to the public because it is the only way the Duke of Marlborough and his family can afford to live there. They only use one wing of the residence for private living and use the main dining hall for Christmas dinner only. There is also a private chapel at the Palace. What a life.

After four days of non-stop adventure and sight-seeing, we needed a break. So, we had a quiet day with evening plans. I took Helen to her first proper Rock Concert. We went into Birmingham that evening for a Hinder concert. You may know them because of their big hit "Lips of an Angel". The show opened with Black Stone Cherry, a great band from Edmonton, Kentucky. They came out after their set and signed autographs and talked with people during the Hinder set. Then, once Hinder was done playing they came out to the merchandise booth, too. They stood there until every last person had a chance to go through the line. It was interesting to me because Hinder is pretty big in the states, but they just released their album last month in the UK. They're still fairly unknown so the show was small and the band isn't too famous over here. Puts a new perspective on fame, it's all relative to the area you're in. I got to meet the guys who were all very nice. Even had a chance to get a picture with Austin Winkler, the lead singer. They all seemed a bit shocked to be hearing an American accent in Birmingham, England. It was a good night in all.

Our last day of adventure was spent at Warwick Castle. We spent the entire day there exploring and I don't think we even got to see half of the stuff the castle had to offer. In the castle courtyard there were activities going on all day for big and little kids alike. There was an archer showing how to shoot a bow. A birds of prey show, a trebuchet, courtyard performers, knights in shining armor, and basically everything you would expect to see at a castle. It made me feel like a kid for the day, not wanting to leave and get excited for storytime. Definitely a worthwhile tourist destination. After a long day of castle exploration it was time to make our trek towards London.

Once in London, Helen and I met up with some of her friend's who she went to University with in Aberystwyth. We went into London and visited the Tate Britain art museum then spent the day walking along the Thames River and walking through the city. We even managed to find Scotland Yard and wouldn't you know it, just down the street we found the Sherlock Holmes Pub. It was too busy for us to go in but I still got a picture of it.

And that was my first week of break in a nutshell, a somewhat large nutshell. Next up, my 2nd two weeks with my sister and two friends from home. We travelled through England, Wales, and Ireland...so many more stories. Coming soon...

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

So, if a picture really is worth a thousand words, then this post must be worth a little over 4,000 words. That's a pretty good post if you ask me. I've decided that instead of just telling you about my time abroad, I should start showing you. Here are a few pictures of life in Aberystwyth with brief explanations of what they are about. But just take a few moments to enjoy the scenery.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A view of Aberystwyth looking south from Constitution Hill. I live in the seafront residences which are the first little cluster of houses closest to the hill. Aberystwyth is a rather small seaside town and is very easy to explore via foot. Constitution Hill is a popular place to walk up for a nice view. The hill on the south end of Aberystwyth is Pen Dinas, another popular viewpoint.

In early February, Aberystwyth received snowfall. It was quite the site to see since snow only comes maybe once or twice a year, if that, and it usually doesn't stick around for long. Students went down to the beach to have snowball fights, people built snowmen all over, and a lot of areas of town shut down. I actually had a lecture get cancelled because my professor couldn't get into town since they don't plow the roads.

Here stands one of the towers remaining from the old Aberystwyth castle. There are still castle ruins that people can go walk through and explore. You can see where earth has covered portions of the castle but it's still pretty cool to be able to walk around town and see an old castle.

And lastly, the Union. "What's the Union?" you may be asking. Well, the Union is similar to the University Center at the UM campus. The biggest difference is that inside the Union are Bar 9 and the Joint. Bar 9 is exactly what it sounds like, a bar on campus. And the Joint, pictured here, is transformed in to a club-like dance floor on various nights of the week. It was a new concept to me having alcohol served on campus and a dance club for students. Pretty good idea if you ask me.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So there's a glimpse into the quaint Aberystwyth lifestyle. Hope you're all having a great semester and making exciting plans for your spring break. We have a 3-week break so I'll have plenty of tales to tell of my travels throughout England and Ireland. And the saga continues...

Life Across the Pond

Okay, first off, I just want to clarify that I really don't like the saying "Across the Pond" but apparently everyone I know finds it to be an endearing term when referring to the UK. (This is where I clarify that the Atlantic is an Ocean...not a pond...which is obvious and everyone knows this so wouldn't it be more appropriate to say "across the ocean" or "on the other side of the world" instead of "across the pond"??? Just a thought...) Anyhow, I've learned to embrace it when friends back home ask me how life is "across the pond." And I must say, life across the pond is pretty dang awesome.

Today wrapped up the fourth week of classes here at the University of Wales-Aberytstwyth. It has been an interesting four weeks to say the least. I've learned a lot--not necessarily in my classes but in more of a cultural adaptation/life lessons kind of way. Everyday I have conversations with new people from all across the world. For example, over the course of my day today, I met a girl from Germany in my morning tutorial class. Then I chatted with two American girls at the campus coffee shop. When I went to my afternoon lecture I sat with two students from the Netherlands. And after the lecture I spoke with my lecturer, who is from Northern Ireland, about places to visit in Ireland. All of these different cultures intertwine into my daily life here in Aberystwyth. It's just one of the benefits that come from studying abroad.

In addition to learning about other countries and cultures, I am taking interesting courses while here. All of my classes (or modules as they are called here) are business related. The main difference when compared to my classes at the University of Montana is that there is not nearly as much coursework. Of the five modules I'm taking, the final grades are based off of a combination of one final exam, one essay, presentations, reports, and a case analysis. There is no homework during the semester other than weekly readings. On one hand, it makes the week-to-week student life a lot less stressful. But one of my modules is graded based on a final exam worth 100%. It's a bit intimidating to know that my entire grade rests on the results of one test; but also nice to know that I don't have to worry about mid-terms, quizzes, homework and the like.

Now that I'm settled into life here in Aberystwyth I'm looking forward to doing some traveling. There are castles nearby that are a quick train ride away and various other tourist attractions. Hopefully by the next time you hear from me, I'll have some exciting pictures to show off. Until then, here are a few pictures of one of my favorite parts of Aberystwyth: sunsets over the Irish Sea. Signing off....

A Whole New World

Hello out there! So much has happened since we last spoke. (Or since you read my last blog I guess.) The end of fall semester wrapped up, Christmas and New Year's were spent with family and friends, and....hmm, I know there was something else? What was it? Finals, Christmas, New Year's and...??? Oh yeah! I move to another country!!! That's right. As of January 9th, I left the states for the United Kingdom to spend a semester at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth.

I arrived in London on the morning of January 10th. I stayed with a friend in Kingston and spent the day sleeping. Then I met up with a few friends from Montana in London the following day and we spent our time sight seeing and exploring the beautiful city. Our tour guide, Rich, was a friend we knew who studied at U of M last year. He is from Brighton and actually attends Aberystwyth. He is one of the people who convinced me to do an exchange and was very influential in choosing Aberystwyth. The four of us had a wonderful day going through the British Museum and Tate Modern, seeing Shakespeare's Globe Theater, taking pictures of Big Ben, the members of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the Eye of London, and many other must see places. We said our goodbye's as we rode the train out of London. The following day it was time for another adventure. I caught an afternoon train back into London then after a few changes on the London Underground, I boarded a train heading for Amersham.

Once in Amersham, my old friend Helen met me at the station. Helen and I met my freshman year of college. We lived on the same floor in Aber Hall and she was on a year long exchange from, where else, Aberystwyth. We've kept in touch over the past few years and when she heard I was doing an exchange she offered me a place to stay while visiting. Helen and I caught up on each other's lives and had a wonderful weekend. She took me to a stately home, we visited Henley, a lovely town on the Thames River, and we toured the Roald Dahl museum and decorated our own chocalate bars there. It was so great to see her.

After a few days with Helen, it was time to make my journey up to Aberystwyth. After navigating through the London Underground once again, this time with two massive suitcases in tow, I found my platform at Victoria Station and waited for my train to Birmingham. Once I arrived in Birmingham, I was shocked to see a familiar face. Phil, an Aberystwyth student who lived in Missoula last year, was waiting for the same train as me. It really is a small world. We sat together on the train and reminisced about Missoula and Montana. We were both in udder disbelief that we ran into each other in Birmingham, England of all places.

Once in Aberystwyth, I searched for my friend Rich who was meeting me at the station. I saw him and we took my luggage back to his flat. I met all of his flatmates and his lovely girlfriend who we heard so much about while Rich was in the states. Then, Rich gave me a tour of Aberystwyth, which only took about 20 minutes to walk through. I then got settled in at Rich's house and stayed with him for a few days before moving into my Seafront Residence.

My first 2 1/2 weeks abroad have been absolutely amazing. The connections I have made through the International Exchange program have created lifelong friendships. Classes start on Monday so I'm sure I will have plenty of stories to tell once my student life here gets started. Until next time...

End of Semester Blues

Most of you are probably feeling the finals week crunch right about now. Don't worry, that's totally normal. It probably hasn't quite hit you that you are actually done with those classes you've struggled with all semester. And for those of you who attended the football game on Friday night; this weekend has probably been a little bit more painful than a normal study weekend. But have no fear--the end of the semester is near. (Yes, I realize that was an extremely corny rhyme, but I felt the need put it in there anywhere.)

In the last week, it has finally started to sink into my brain that I won't be in Missoula next semester. Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited to go on my exchange. But, part of me is a little sad. As a fourth year student (on the five year plan) I am at a point where a lot of my friends who came to school at the same time as I did are graduating. This means that they won't be here when I get back next summer. I guess that's part of the process in college though. We all come together, form bonds, build friendships, then leave to find careers in the 'real world'. I've known that I was going to be leaving a lot of good friends but now that it's almost go time, it's really hitting home.

So not only am I dealing with the sadness of leaving so many great friends with hopes of making new friends in Wales, I'm also trying to concentrate on my finals. But it's been hard. How can I study for a test when I have offers to hang out with friends that I may not see for six months, a year, or worse....never again? I've definitely shifted priorities lately. I'd rather see my friends than get that extra study time in. Is it worth a lower grade? I'd like to think so. Good luck to everyone on your finals. I hope you do well and don't get too stressed out over this week. And to all my friends and acquaintances, call me this week. I'd love to grab coffee, chat over lunch, or go out to dinner. We can even make it a study date. Hope you all get that grade you've been working all semester to achieve.

A True Brawl of the Wild

Saturday marked the 106th meeting of the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats football teams...or as some like to call it The Brawl of the Wild. I was pretty excited for the game since this would be my first Griz/Cat game experience. (Side note: I thought it was Cat/Griz and always said Cat/Griz, until I was shunned by my peers for putting our rivals' name before our home team. So for all intents and purposes I will now say Griz/Cat, even though alphabetically C comes before G...oh well.)

My sister was driving up from Bozeman for the game, so in addition to the rivalry between schools, we had the whole family rivalry going on. Even more reason to go out and cheer for our guys. That and the fact that I was one of the lucky people to spend 16 hours in the University Center waiting for my ticket and a guest pass. So you better believe that I wasn't gonna let that ticket go to waste.

We arrived in the stadium about 20 minutes before game time. Just in time to see the pre-game show. It kicked off with the routine skydivers trying to land on the grizzly at the 50 yard line. Next Monte, our beloved mascot, rode out onto the field in his usual style sportin' his leather jacket and his sweet motorcycle. The crowd did their usual cheering upon Monte's arrival. Then a surprise 'celebrity' guest rode into the stadium. It was none other than Benny the Bull, the Chicago Bulls mascot. The crowd went into an overwhelming uproar. (For those of you who don't know the connection between Benny the Bull and U of M: the guy who is now Benny the Bull used to be Monte. His antics made Monte into the well-known gymnast, dancer and crowd pleaser during his time as Monte. He also made Monte the Capital One National Mascot for the first time before leaving Missoula to take the position as Benny the Bull. Got it? Okay. Let's move on.)

Finally, it was go time. The massive inflatable football helmet was aired up and the team geared up to enter the field. The MSU Bobcats made their way out and were greeted by an overwhelming "Boooo." Not exactly a warm welcome. Next the Grizzlies ran onto the field. The crowd went wild.

To tell you the truth, I had more fun watching the crowd interact with each other than watching the game. Sure, there was the occasional exciting moment when my friends and I would jump up and down screaming and yelling as our players intercepted or ran the ball down the field, but for the most part, I was amazed by the atmosphere of the game. Especially when three MSU fans decided to stand in the UM student section. You could cut the animosity with a knife. After being heckled and having a few things thrown at them (by the way, if the person who was throwing things is reading this...Not cool--you weren't exactly representing our school very well, plus most of the stuff you threw hit Griz fans) these students made the wise decision to relocate to the south end zone during half time. Thanks to our amazing defense, we prevailed; beating the Bobcats 13-7.

At the end of the game, the crowd rushed the field to celebrate our victory with the team. This victory led the Griz to be undefeated in our conference. And we have a playoff game this Saturday at Washington Grizzly Stadium. So, for those of you traveling home for Thanksgiving, I hope you have an awesome holiday. And for those of you staying in Missoula, I better see you at the game on Saturday supporting our team. Go Griz!

It's a World of Music

The Missoula music scene never ceases to amaze me. Almost every night of the week you can find live music somewhere in Missoula. Whether it's at an open mic night, a concert in town, or a local band playing a show, there is almost always somewhere to hear live music. I tend to enjoy going to open mic night. This provides a plethora of musical genres and talented artists and musicians strutting their stuff. Monday nights at Sean Kelly's proves to be a great atmosphere for open mic. Every other Tuesday you can find entertainment in the UC game room where musicians and comedians test the waters. Throughout the rest of the week there are plenty of venues to check out music. Here's a list of places to check out: The Other Side, Bear's Brew, The Loft, Higgins Hall, The Elk's Club, The Top Hat, The Wilma Theater, and various locations on Campus. Keep in mind, some of these venues are for 21 and over. But there are plenty of opportunities to see great music at other venues.

So if you are a fan of music, or just looking for something fun to do, check out a local musical act. You can usually find a schedule in the entertainment section of free publications such as The Independent and The Missoulian Entertainer. Or if you feel like going on a weekend venture, there are always great acts at The Big Easy Concert House in Spokane, a quick 3 hour drive. Or check out a show in Butte. That's what my friends and I did a couple weekends ago. We went to the Butte Silver Dollar to watch Anna McGary. She rocks. Check her myspace page out at www.myspace.com/annamcgary. Here's a shot of Anna rocking out on her guitar.

Election Day Craziness!

I hope all of you exercised your right to vote today. I'm patiently awaiting the election results and sort of working on my homework even though I'm more than slightly distracted by the election updates. Today was filled with election day activities and I give kudos to everyone who voted, especially those who are considered "America's Youth". Your vote really does count and if you aren't voting, I feel that you really have no right to complain about state of our country. However, if you are making your voice heard then you are doing something to change things. And that is what matters. So good work!

Surviving College Life

As a fourth year student in Missoula I find myself thinking about how much I've changed since I moved here in August of 2003. A lot can happen in 3 years and thinking back I wish someone would have prepared me for the things to come in college. So, here are my top five tips for those preparing to start college.

Things I wish I would have known before coming to the University...

1. Quarters are actually gold. With your spare quarters you can do almost anything. Buy a meal, go to a movie, do laundry, or go to that concert you really want to see. It's amazing how rich you will feel with a jar of quarters by your side. And no matter how much money you have saved up, you will become one of those 'broke college students' you've heard so much about. Be prepared.

2. Getting junk mail can actually be exciting, especially in the dorms. Checking your mailbox will become one of the most exciting parts of your day. And when you look through the little mailbox window and see an envelope in there, your day will be just a little brighter. Even if its junk mail, it is always exciting to receive mail at college.

3. Just because you don't have to go to class doesn't mean you shouldn't go to class. I must say that it is nice to have the choice of whether or not to go to class. But keep in mind, even though you're too tired to get up for your 8:00 a.m. class it is still taking place. And you are missing out on information that you will be tested on. If you aren't a morning person, don't try and convince yourself that you'll get up. Just sign up for later classes.

4. Who you were in high school doesn't matter anymore. So you were the homecoming queen, or the captain of the football team, or maybe even the student body president. Guess what? Nobody here cares. Not to say that those aren't great achievements and moments in your life that you should be proud of; just don't get too full of yourself. Because once you are here, you are just another incoming freshman. Another new face on campus. And even though you think you blend in with everyone, we see the lost looks on your faces during the first few weeks when everything is new and exciting. We know who you are and one day you too will find humor in watching the new students find their way around. It's a right of passage.

5. There will never be such a fine line between friends and family. You are out on your own for presumably the first time in your life. The people you choose to surround yourself with will become the most valuable friends you have ever have. They will become your support network, your best friends, the shoulder to cry on, your Friday night entertainment, and the closest thing to family you will have in your college career. So choose wisely who you decide to have in your life. Because trips home can be few and far between, so your friends will truly get you through the tough times.

There are so many other things I wish I could tell you but that would take far more time than either of us are willing to commit to this blog. So hopefully this information is helpful to those preparing for college and somewhat humorous to those who read this and thought "That is so true."