ten thoughts from a wednesday |13|

yesterday really got away from me! i almost finished this post but didn’t get around to posting it. so today i’m sharing ten thoughts from a wednesday, rather than ten thoughts on a wednesday :)

one.
it’s really good to be back in london! after a bit of a rough reentry (jet lag recovery was rooooough this time around!), moses and i have been hitting the streets exploring again. on just about every other corner of this city there is a pretty pub exploding with flowers, and there’s always new mews streets to discover, and when i take the time to look up a bit more i see all kinds of awesome buildings, and we have the most fantastic playgrounds to play at! i’m so grateful to live in this amazing metropolis.

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^^ a quiet morning in our neighborhood – my favourite local pub! // a busy morning on oxford street ^^
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^^ how about those suspended birds in that gorgeous arcade?? ^^

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^^ the pirate ship park = kid heaven ^^
IMG_8677 IMG_8682IMG_8704 IMG_8698 ^^ someone actually lives here! – in a outrageously charming cottage that looks like it belongs in the middle of the lovely countryside and/or a fairytale, but is actually in the middle of a huge, vibrant city – can you believe it?! ^^

two.
this week i re-read this talk by elder jeffrey r. holland, and i also was reminded of this talk by sister linda burton. i really love both of them, and they have helped me recently to improve my marriage (and thus my life!). i love how elder holland reminds us that true love is charity and is clearly defined in the scriptures, and i love the questions that sister burton encourages us to ask ourselves.

three.
i’ve been trying out some recipes from the food blog deliciously ella. i have eaten at the deli that ella opened and operates in marlybone and have loved everything i’ve tasted there, so i dug into her blog this week. i especially loved this meal. and moses loved it, too! i feel such a dramatic difference in myself when i am eating well – more energy, less irritability, more productivity.

four.
my friend loira and i have started swapping babysitting and it’s the best thing ever! it’s so nice to not have to pay for a sitter, and moses and loira’s 8-month-old are total pals so it’s really fun to play with them together. and in other baby friend news, i found some awesome screenshots of little mo facetiming with his cousin sophia on my phone the other day – while i was out ian had video-called his brother and it looks like the babies had a great time chatting! ;)

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five.
when i was teaching middle school, i remember one of the other teachers had a huge banner across the front of her classroom that said, “every challenge in an opportunity.” for some reason the image of that banner has been flashing through my mind a lot recently. i really love that little saying … and i am working on transforming my difficulties into blessings.

six.
last friday, i took moses to the summer exhibition at the royal academy of arts. i’ve been to this show every year since we moved to london (so this is my third time), and i’m pretty obsessed. the galleries are stuffed with art that was created very recently (and all of it is actually on sale!) and it is always so brilliantly curated – it’s totally like stepping into an creative, colourful wonderland. the summer exhibition has been held every summer for the past two hundred and forty nine years – as in, nearly a decade longer than the united states has existed! even though i wasn’t as floored with the art this year as i was the past two years, i was pretty giddy and then entralled wandering through the galleries with moses in the buggy. loved it.

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^^ i agree!!! with that boldly painted statement. i’m so glad i get to help moses experience lots of art at a young age. ^^
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^^ moses adored this one – he is obsessed with globes! // i loved how the art on the opposite side of the room … and all the viewers! … reflect in this piece. ^^
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^^ so many colours! the piece on the left is made from crocheted yarn and painted hose valves. ^^
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^^ and this was the crown jewel of the exhibition in my opinion – a pirate ship made of pearls?! it is insanely cool to see in person // i love this saying and how it is presented. ^^

seven.
it’s quite an ordeal to get to the temple from our home (a tube ride to a train to a taxi – the whole journey took us from 5pm-midnight last time we went!). we love the temple so much and want to get there as often as possible while still maintaining some balance in our lives – so we’ve decided to go every other month, and on our off months dedicate at least half a saturday to what we call “communion time.” we trade off hanging out with moses while the other finds a quiet place to disconnect from electronics and busy life and reconnect with god. this past saturday ian spent an hour or so in st. james’s park and i spent an hour or so in st. martin’s in the field and the national gallery, and it was so good for both of our souls! i think that in today’s world it is so important to take time away and build faith, remember truth, and be still.

eight.
we have been looking forward to this past saturday for over a year, because of a fun event happening in the city! on one of the very first saturdays after we moved to london two years ago, we happened upon ride london, when main thoroughfares of the city shut down to vehicular traffic and open up to cycling traffic … and the streets get stuffed with bikes! we had such a blast riding with thousands and thousands of strangers two years ago, and missed last yeat since moses had just been born. so we were pumped about this summer’s ride london! ian and i traded off taking a cruise through the route (while the other stayed home with little mo).
as i was cycling across waterloo bridge (one of my all-time favourite spots in london – the views are breathtaking!), i heard music in the distance. i approached the big speaker at the end of the bridge and recognized the song – a beloved tune to ian and i that is connected to lots of happy memories – and out of no where i started crying! i was just sooooo full up with gratitude for and happiness around the life that ian and i share in this amazing city. as i rode my bike back across the thames i just let the waves of life-is-so-so-beautiful!! wash over me and kept that joy in my heart as i cycled past big ben and buckingham palace and back down the union-jack clad mall.

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nine.
moses and i have been jamming out this week to the playlist from the eyrealm reunion. that boy has music in his bones and looooves to dance. we have a dance party before bed every night, and he can feel it coming – he looks up at us with big pleading puppy eyes and starts pumping his fist as if to ask, “dancing time, please?” i’m thrilled that he seems to have inherited my love for dance.

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ten.
every so often, i like to load my weather app with all the destinations of our upcoming travels. i did this the other day << and i’m pretty stoked about the adventures we have planned over the next few months. it’s funny – early this year we decided that we were only taking one trip in 2017 (to visit my brother in switzerland) after going to the states in july. ---- somehow that turned into six. whoops! ian planned a surprise trip to the dolomites for our anniversary (and then revealed the plan to me after it was booked), and i planned a celebratory cfa-passing trip to malta for ian’s birthday. then, my brother told us he is coming to visit with his wife and kids and we decided we had to travel with them while they are over here … and then ian’s sister told us she and her husband are coming to visit and we decided we better go to normandy with them. sooo, yeah. we definitely are a bit addicted to travel adventures! we are determined that in 2018 we are only taking three trips besides our visit to the states in july. we’ll see how that holds up ;)

happy wednesday (oops, now thursday)! life is beautiful!

Comments

  1. I do kind of the same thing with the weather app on my phone, except in reverse- I leave in past travel destinations (which are also often places that are special to me) after I come home. Sounds like you have some fun trips coming up!

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  2. Are you coming to Faroe Islands - in the North Atlantic??

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    1. yes!! sooo excited. are you there?!?

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    2. When will you visit here - and how did you hear about the Faroe Islands

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    3. we are coming at the end of this month! we found the islands on a list of countries in europe and when we googled it our minds were blown! insane beauty! i would LOVE to get some tips from you as a local! if you're up for that, will you email me at charityeyre@gmail.com ??

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  3. AHHHH so jealous you're going to the Faroe Islands! Seriously it has been on my list for ages now, and I'm dying to get there! I'll be so excited to hear about your trip.

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    1. i was thinking about you when i booked it! will you please pray for good weather for us?!? and then i'll give you all our tips for when you go :)

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  4. Would you be willing to share the playlist you referred to? We love to dance around here too :)

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    1. i'm not sure if it's public on spotify, but it's called "eyrealm 2017"!

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  5. So you are going to only 7 places next year? The US is really at least four destinations. You are the ones who moved away with a baby, it's on you to visit grandparents.

    Have you done Iceland yet? It might be a good sidetrip on the return flight.

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    1. we are planning to go on three trips (morocco, norway, and a road trip through the south of france) in addition to our trip to the states (which will just have two stops - utah and the east coast - this time). we'll see what actually happens!

      we are planning to do iceland on the way to or from the states at some point!

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    2. You aren't going to bear lake Idaho?

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    3. sorry, yes we are. i group that with utah (we drive there from salt lake city).

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    4. That really is a separate destination. You will likely stop outside the temple in Utah before or after going to Idaho at the very least.

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