A little Nostalgia...

I think it is just this time of year that makes me this way. Does the combination of crisp air and fallen leaves make you nostalgic too?

So bear with me while I delve into the past for a few days. (Disclaimer: I am not totally wasting time by the way. I'm scanning old pics while walking down memory lane.)

Looking at these pictures from one unbelievable summer in London has left me pondering the events in our life that make us into who we are today. Some experiences just occur and we live through them and we are left untouched, unchanged.

Other moments are so profound they leave us marked. Forever different. My summer in London was one of those. I traveled there in 1999 (I KNOW, so long ago!) with a group of students and faculty from BYU to study literature, history and art. It was a culminating, liminal, illuminating summer. If I could step back there for a day, you know I would. #27 Palace Court. Our home away from home. Hyde Park, Kensington Palace and Notting Hill were each around a corner.

We had to explore every nook of the city possible, including Harrod's.(Not sure that was a required stop, but there was no resisting.)

My personal favorite part of the program was our bus trips out of the city. This was taken in route to Scotland, near the Sir Walter Scott Monument.

Best weekend trip! I WILL go back to the Isle of Wight someday. I WILL! We biked to the seaside, hiked on top of chalky cliffs, and even spent a morning as uninvited guests at a sheep farm.

And of course, Stonehenge. Created so long ago, still standing today. Those shadows were humbling.

There are a million more pictures which I won't bore you with, but I am so glad I took a chance and interviewed for this program. So grateful for the wonderful experiences I had there and friendships that were born.

Going back is impossible, but I can not resist dreaming about it all.

And as I type, my daughter is passing me a pink note, adorned with scribbles and glue. Maybe I don't want to go back just now. Right here is a pretty nice place to be too. Warm kitchen, dinner waiting, kids playing...