The Blessing of Friendship

"Friendship blossoms when two people say to each other,

in effect: 'What? You too? I thought I was the only one!'"

-C.S. Lewis

Throughout my life I have been blessed to be able to call several strong, faithful, loving women friends. A few of those women - roommates from college - came to visit the weekend before we left for Europe. Our friendship is commonly referred to (by us and others) as the Fab 4 which was a label that originated during a college theme party ~6 years ago because we were inseparable. Now, with two of us living in CA and two in TX, we are obviously no longer inseparable, but thankfully the name has stuck! Below from left to right, Kelli, Rachael, me, Mackenzie. It is needless to say that we have all changed so much from the naive teenagers we were, yet it is still refreshing to know that we can spend hours laughing together as if no time has passed. Their visit was such a treasure!

New friendships here have also been a huge blessing to me and have helped make this transition and this new place feel like home. Having to say goodbye to so many amazing friends in Fort Worth wasn't easy but we have been so fortunate to have new friends to take the loneliness out of this time.

A few new friendships that are especially close to my heart are the girls from our couple's bible study. In the picture below, from left to right, Carrie, Myriam, Michelle, me, Ginny, and Ellie.

This past Sunday, we planned a girl's day and went to the city for tea at Lovejoy's Tea Room which is the cutest little tea place you have ever seen. It had some much character with cozy mismatched furniture and china, tasty sandwiches and goodies, and of course bottomless pots of tea. A day spent with good friends in this quaint, quirky place was really such a treat!

Love you girls!

Dublin Highlights

As soon as we arrived in Dublin, we were automatically surprised by how friendly and welcoming everyone was. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that more beer is consumed per capita here than any other place in the world.... but either way, it was nice to feel so welcomed.

Speaking of beer consumption, what is a trip to Dublin without a tour of the Guinness plant! The interior of the building actually has the shape and feel of a giant pint glass. The tour was complete with a museum of beer-making, a gallery of the history of Guinness advertisements, and at the top was the Gravity Bar which was a circular room of all windows that provided a spectacular view of the city. Neither one of us walked away from the day as beer lovers, but it was still neat to see. Below are George and I at one of the many tasting rooms.

As a group, one day we had lunch at Trinity College which is Ireland's most prestigious college. The college was originally founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I to establish a Protestant way of thinking and to this day the campus has all the beauty, grandor, and buzz of student life that one would expect. Here we are below in the main courtyard.

Below is the top of Dublin Castle on one of our few cloudless days.

Although we didn't get as many pictures of the four of us as we would have liked, the other wives and I had a great time discovering other worlds together. They were each so much fun and their companionship was such a blessing! Here is my posse below outside one of Dublin's castles, from left to right Daria, me, Cordilla, and Antonia.

And, it wouldn't be an accurate post without a picture of at least one crazy Dublin bar...

Below are our trip's fearless and devoted leaders the last night at the farewell dinner. They are all 2nd year MBA students and their hard work made our trip the fun and enriching experience it was. From left to right, Cindy, Kayne, Adam, Eric, Rachel, and Pank - Thank you!

Lastly, Leslie, this next picture is for you so that you have proof that our life is real. Trust me, I'm still making my way through the piles of laundry!

Fun Things London

Along with all the typical amazing sights, there were a few things that were just too fun not to take pictures of. For instance, for all our Texas lovers there was of course, the Texas Embassy. But don't get too excited or proud - it is just a bar.

Then of course there was a chain of french-style bakeries and patisseries that was named Paul! For those of you who don't know, my father's name is Paul and he is known for his phenomenal cooking ability, so it just seemed too fitting that these stores were always full of the most wonderful things to eat!

Then there was Bailey's Hotel, which was a luxury hotel a few blocks away from our hotel. Although, I didn't get the chance to peek inside it is apparently a restored Victorian townhouse and provides the utmost in luxurious accommodations. Maybe we'll have the opportunity to stay there at another visit. Oh, and for those who can't make the connection here, George's dad goes by Bailey and it is both his and George's middle name.

Speaking of names.... since we were in England, there were all things George! Being the doting wife that I am I had to take a picture of all the George things I saw. Of course there was a gay bar in Dublin called 'The George' that I didn't exactly have the opportunity to snap a picture of, but I don't think George minds too much! :)

Ah, fun things London!

I see London... (part 2)

On day four while George was in meetings, the other wives and I continued touring the marvelous city that is London. We started off by going to the Tate Modern, which as the name suggests is a modern art museum containing the work of Monet, Dali, Picasso, Warhol, and many others. (James, I thought of you the whole time and wished you could have been there with me to enjoy the amazing pieces of art....but also to explain a few to me!)

Next we went over to Shakespeare's Globe, which amazingly, is a restored version of the theatre Shakespeare wrote most of his plays for. Shooting a cannon during a play to impress the King caused the building's thatched roofs to catch on fire, destroying the original theatre in the ~1600s. Plays are still performed here "Shakespeare-style" where minimal props are used and where the actors on stage interact with the audience. And, since this is an open air theatre like the original, plays continue even when it's raining!

The following day, the group went to the quaint town of Cambridge about 60 miles north of London, which of course is the home to Cambridge University, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the UK. The buildings here were beautifully odd and very Harry Potter-ish. Below is King's College Chapel, which was built from 1446 to 1515 for King Henry VI, VII, and VIII.

Another popular activity in Cambridge, which we decided to avoid for fear of getting wet and turning into ice cubes, is punting. The lazy Cam river runs throughout the town and if inclined, you can rent a flat-bottom punt and pole yourself and crew up and down the river. It was really peaceful to watch but I hear that it is a lot more work that its worth!

Aside from just experiencing the town, the purpose of our trip to Cambridge was to participate in a Cambridge University tradition called Formal Hall. This is where students buy tickets, dress fancy, and enjoy a nice dinner together. Plus, there is a little game about the picture of the queen on a penny that occurs during dinner....but the details are muddy so you'll have to ask me about that on another occasion. :) Here are George and I at dinner.

Then bright and early the next day, Daria (one of the other wives) and I went on a day trip West of London to see Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath. We were both exhausted from the activities of the night before, but we had a great time with each other experiencing some of the amazing sites.

First, we visited Windsor Castle which was the official home of England's royal family for 900 years and claims to be the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world. In fact, the Queen and President of France where staying in the Castle while we were there visiting. This meant, of course, that we couldn't tour the Staterooms, but it was still incredible.

Then there were the guards, which really are too cute for words. If they are supposed to be guards - mean and tough - protecting things, I'm not sure why they dress them in such a cutesy way....but it was fun to watch!

Next, we headed to Stonehenge. We didn't have any mysteries solved here, but it was intriguing to see and marvel at the hows and whys of these structures.

We ended our day at Bath, where we toured the Roman and Medieval Baths. These bath houses, easily comparable to modern day spas, were supported by natural hot springs which the Romans considered holy. The springs are still flowing today, warm as ever, which is astounding to me. While we were there you could actually see steam rising up from the water. Below is a view of the main pool area from the intricately decorated balcony above.

Here is Daria and I in front of the same pool, this time shown from the bottom level.

Exhausted by the end of the day, we both enjoyed some of the most decadent hot chocolate and mochas we have ever tasted before getting back on the bus to head home.

The following day (day seven) was Saturday, which meant no meetings for the students! George and I celebrated by first going to Harrod's, London's most famous and touristy department store, complete with the most marvelous food halls on the first floor. It is easily any foodie's paradise with several ballroom-sized areas decorated as if you yourself were royalty where you can literally buy anything your gourmet heart desires.

Here I am in front of one of the many chocolate displays that captivated my attention probably for a good 20 minutes. The Harrod's bag in my hand is a blatant giveaway of my indulgence!

Next, we headed off to Manchester with the group to watch a Manchester United soccer game. Much to my surprise, this was one of the highlights of the trip, in part because it was something that George and I never would have thought to do. But to see the passion of the fans and the talent of the athletes was definitely a worthwhile experience. Here's George in the stadium waiting for the game to begin.

Here's the group after Manchester won 4 to 0!


George and I spent our last day in London, first, trying to get everything to refit in our suitcases in a way that would adhere to the tight weight limits of our next flight. Then, once that chore was complete, we headed to the British Museum, where we could have literally spent days looking at the exhibits that chronicle Western civilizations from Egypt to Assyria to Greece. The amount of history and artifacts from each of these civilizations is mind blowing and a little overwhelming.

One of the highlights of the British Museum for George was the Rosetta stone which contains the same passage in hieroglyphics, then medieval Egyptian, then Greek and dates back to 196 B.C. The discovery of the Rosetta stone was the link that allowed scientists to decipher hieroglyphics and resulted in the vast majority of what we know today about that civilization. Just as I was enamored by the chocolates at Harrod's, George probably spent a good half an hour with the Rosetta stone. Unfortunately none of the pictures really turned out, but here he is in the Egyptian exhibit looking at a red granite head from a colossal statue of a future king.

The mummies are what really fascinated me and this museum, incredibly, had more than 10, including the mummy of Cleopatra below.

Maybe George had a thing for the mummies too.

Then it was time to head to the airport, say goodbye to London, and hello to Dublin!

I see London... (part 1)

George and I just got back from an amazing trip to London and Dublin! Just another perk of Stanford's GSB program is that they require their students to have an "international experience" which involves a study trip to another country. Second year students lead these trips and set up meetings with the top influential people in big name companies, which provided George with the opportunity to interact with the executives of Tesco (UK's version of Walmart), GlaxoSmithKline (major pharmaceutical company), Lord Brown (former CEO of BP) and so many others. And, while George was working hard in his meetings all day, I got to enjoy the sights and scenes of London.... not a bad deal!

On our first day there - Easter - it snowed big beautiful white flakes that were so lovely in the air and so cold and miserable when they landed. George and I weren't quite prepared for that type of weather, but we were determined to make the most of one of George's only meeting-free days. So, we grabbed a map and hopped on one of London's iconic double-decker buses (lower level of course to avoid the wind and snow) and went on a complete tour of the city and then hopped off to see the Tower of London.


The Tower of London served as the country's castle in wartime, as the king's residence in the time of peace, and unfortunately the prison and execution site of many rebels. The castle is surrounded by a grass moat (it used to be water) and has all the beauty, gore, and tourists that you'd expect. However, in the present time the Tower is most famous for being the home of the crown jewels. Of course, we weren't allowed to take pictures, but trust me, they were magnificent! Below is George and I on one of the Tower's outer walls.

Just outside the Tower of London, there is a perfect view of the Tower Bridge, which is often confused for the London Bridge. This drawbridge that straddles the Thames river is raised and lowered by sophisticated steam engines that allow tall-masted ships to pass through. It is actually one of the few bridges where river traffic still takes precedence over road traffic.

Our first day ended with some good 'ol English fish and chips and hot chocolate. Then it was back to the hotel to thaw out!

Day two entailed a group tour of Lord's, which is recognized as the 'Home of Cricket' as well as the game's spiritual 'headquarters'. The club's owner remains the guardian of the Laws and Spirit of Cricket and touring Lord's stadium is in a way like touring Wrigley Field in the US. As a group, we had a tour of the club and learned the rules and history of the game, plus got to see some kiddos taking lessons.

Day three, George had meetings all day and I toured some of London's sights with the other wives on the trip. First we went to Kensington Palace (and yes, Mackenzie, I thought of you the whole time!), which was the home of the King and Queen until they moved to Buckingham Palace in 1760. Most notably this was the home of Queen Victoria and Princess Diana. Again, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside (which was sort of the theme of the trip) but here I am outside the palace. To the left is a monument to Queen Victoria who was actually born on the premise.


Then we headed to Westminster Abbey, which is considered the religious heart of England and is where the country's kings and queens have been crowned and buried since 1066. Honestly, at first I thought it might feel a little eerie with the tombs of so many influential historical figures such as Queen Elizabeth and King Henry VIII, but it was all too ornate and beautiful to be anything but amazing. The age of this building and all the history it contains was just so incredible and awe-inspiring.



On our way to Westminster Abbey the clouds were breaking and I got this great shot of Big Ben, another iconic London landmark. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love clocks, and Big Ben, named for its 13 ton bell, is so large that from the ground you can actually see the minute hand moving.

We ended our day of palaces and royalty at Buckingham palace, which has been the home to Britain's royal family since the early 1800s. Although definitely neat to see, you're only allowed to go inside when the Queen is away during the summer months and we weren't able to get the timing right to see the changing of the guards so the palace itself is kind of a nonevent. But regardless here's the pic!

That evening George and I went to see the Broadway version of Lion King, except for the English accents. It was a first for both of us and we were blown away. I have to admit, I even cried... twice.

More to follow...