England Day 3- the Bloody Tower....OOOOOoooooo!

Yesterday we spent a lot of time on the bus with our sweet, sweet, tour guide, Trudy. It was a relief on our tired bodies. We did make a stop at the Tower of London- which was really interesting. 

She told us a version of this story while we stood in front of the infamous Bloody Tower. (imagine with a British accent)

"We have a family dog- a golden retriever. He goes everywhere with me- in fact, he is always by my side- even when I enter the master bathroom. But, I always thought it funny that he would never follow me into the family bathroom. 

One day, I walked out to get the mail and my dog was close behind, as always. My beautiful neighbors were out in their yard that day and they made a comment like "that dog follows you everywhere doesn't he?"

So I replied, "why yes he does, but I find it funny that he will never go into the family bathroom. He'll go everywhere else, but there."

Trudy continued and said her lovely neighbor's faces suddenly fell white and they replied, 

"Oh Trudy, didn't you know? the woman who used to live in your home took her own life in that bathroom.""

So it suddenly made sense why the dog would go everywhere but that bathroom.

So APPARENTLY, (keep this story in mind), every dog that ever has lived on the Tower of London premises, has gone everywhere on the grounds EXCEPT the Bloody Tower.

Royalty has been murdered there, people have disappeared there, ghosts have shown up in pictures.....creepy stuff.

So the moral of the story is.........dogs are smart and the Bloody Tower is creepy.

The End.

We also saw the grounds of many unjustified be-headings. Annoyed with your brother? What to be the Queen? Just plain bored? Just kill 'em! 

Here are some pictures you might enjoy:

We ate lunch at the Natural Sciences museum. Totally fun. I have never seen a real dinosaur display. It was claustrophobically crowded (as was most of the trip), but worth it (as was most of the trip). The building was also fun, very 'Night at the Museum'

The British Museum was our next stop. Greek mythology has always been a favorite academic topic of mine, so these sculptures in real life were a real treat. It was like being transported to another time.

I also loved the Egyptian displays....as do most people. It LOVE observing how each culture has its own distinct style, yet similar ideas and ways to create art. Fun stuff.

Dinner was authentically English- at an English pub with English Ale, and the English version of pub food. We asked a local where we should go (in fact, we asked an employee of another pub that didn't serve food). 

We were led to a corner pub that was super hip and filled with locals. Apparently the English don't typically eat food with their beer, so the bartender didn't even know if the kitchen was open.....luckily they were. : )

We had some 'pub food' (which in America would only be considered appetizers....) -  pan fried chorizo, warm bread, hummus, salsa, all sorts of goodness with a beer on tap. Craig's beer was uncarbonated and served warm- all the dark beers are. Ours was cold because they were wheat beers. I was glad. Pretty strong flavors in comparison to the typical American beer though. 

Overall our meal was brilliant....simply brilliant. 

A wonderful way to put a close to a wonderful country.

England, DAY 2-

DAY 2-

  People in London look sharp. The men wear Excellent suits that are very high fashion. bright colors and details that actually tell you a little about their personality. I thought suits were boring till London. The women look like they hardly had to try to get dressed, while simultaneously looking like they just stepped out of a magazine. Breezy light blouses, linen wide-legged pants, and flowing scarves of every color. I feel uncomfortably granola here. 

The choir sang in Wesley's Chapel this morning. (the first established Methodist church) they get to sing in cathedrals that were quite literally built for chior. In cathedrals that had 'in house' composers who wrote music specifically for the venue they worked. 

The choir sang over the top of us in the balcony; Their voices literally floating to our ears.

"We are not alone, we are not alone, we are not alone, God is with us"

It was a reverant experience. One a vocalist could never forget.

Our next stop....Embankment Gardens wher the band will play for one of the most enthusiastic crowds you could find.

There is a crew, here in London, that comes to every Voyageurs concert all summer (there are several states that tour through the exact locations that we do)

One man is known well because he only wears boxer shorts....

Trudy told us he recently had knee surgury, so they were afraid he wouldnt' make it......we're glad he could : )

The guy with the big glasses was quite the charmer.......and talker.

This guy was "big glasses guy"'s good friend. he was dancing his heart out to a little John Phillip Sousa....or something 'marchy'.......sorry the photo is sideways, I'm too lazy to fix it. : )

Right now, I'm listening to the band play a 'Music Man' medley. There is a woman standing just to the side of the band singing along....quite operatically and loudly......she was eating up the attention, I take it she does this often, being a part of the 'crew'. 

It started raining amidst this particular concert, and I was sure all the sudden movement in the audience meant everyone was jetting out as soon as they could. But to my suprise......

the London folk were quite prepared with their 'brellies'. Umbrellas are to 'Londoner's' as Gortex is to Seattlites.......it's always on hand. Kinda funny to watch all the umbrellas up and ready within seconds. 

After the concert, we got into small groups. What we liked to call "The Morrell family" was a cool group of kids. We ran around all day (sometimes literally) and saw the sights.

First Big Ben, which is connected to the Parliament building. It's really quite impressive- we heard it strike 2:30- and it made everybody stop in their tracks. 

Right across the street was the awe-inspiriing West Minster Abbey- one of the most well known cathedrals to exist....ever. 

We couldn't take pictures inside, but here are some from the inside, but here are a few from the outside. The attention to detail was mind blowing. It reminds me of what human potential really is....of what we could accomplish if we weren't in such a rush all the time.

Inside the Abbey was a lot of graves and memorials- mostly to royalty. there was however, a 'poets corner' where memorials to famous writers lie....Everyone from Handel to Jane Austen. Pretty cool.

Being here makes me want to study up on British royalty before our return trip. I know a lot less than I thought. Still great nonetheless...

 

Litttle side note on Handel.....

In Windsor castle , Handel was the 'in house' composer for a time. There was an ornate music box displayed where Handel was hired to write original works specifically for the music box.....wouldn't you love to own that? holy cow.

While in Windsor Handel supposedly wrote Water Music and the Royal Fireworks. So excellent to stand in the same quarters as Handel himself. 

Anyway, back to London. After Westminster, we took a walk to the London Eye. 

Each 'pod' holds 25 people. Some of our small group rode it. We opted out. It cost 25 pounds per person, for a half hour ride....that's 50 American dollars. 

We did get some delicious ice cream and took a breather on the Thames River walk. 

On a whole, London architecture is awesome. It's like New York with buildings that will never go out of style. 

For dinner, we made our way back to Trafalger Square- beautiful, once again. we split from our group and ate Thai. We really needed that meal- I don't even want to know how many miles we walked that day.

Us in Trafalger square....very tired.

Yellow Curry Chicken for me,

Phad Thai for Adam......delicious.

Indian and Thai food is really popular in London. Now we know why.

As a group at our meet up time, we all walked to see a London Musical- We Will Rock You. A musical with the music of Queen. It was AMAZING!!!. It was Hands Down the best thing I've ever watched. That's movies, musicals, T.V., plays, everything. Hands down. 

The singers were out of this world. Belting like I never knew possible. the sound/lighting was like attending the ultimate rock show. The costuming was fun and flashy. It was a show for the senses, for sure.

By the end, the entire audience was on their feet stomping and clapping to 'We Will Rock You', finishing the lyrics and waving glow sticks to 'We are the Champions' and completely losing our drawers (you like my British lingo?) to Bohemian Rhapsody.....which included a guitar solo by the original Queen band member.

This show was a performance......in the truest sense of the word.

Run, run, running

I find myself really loving to run......races.

I love passing people on the course.

I love it when people get slower on the uphill......so I can pass them.

I love getting the free stuff......or not really free cause there's always an entree fee.

I love feeling tired, then going a little faster.

I love hanging my number on our guest room wall.

I love the feeling........of accomplishment.

Who doesn't? ...... I suppose.

Finally!

It's amazing how quickly things change. Within two weeks, I have a job in a good location, we've found a dog-friendly place to live, and we know exactly when we are going to move. Amazing. Simply amazing.

So here's the info:

New job: Spanaway Elementary and Clover Creek Elementary- a .5 position at each school. Not ideal, but it's a good district and I'm confident I'll be at one school after a years time.

New living space: Puyallup, Washington. We will live in real place, with real things, and real places to go. None of this 'we live in Gig Harbor because we're rich and it's a prestigious place to live, but there's really nothing to do' stuff. Plus, we've found a cheap duplex with a garage and a fenced in backyard. Perfect for our future dog. We're like two blocks away from Safeway and Balou Junior High's track....,on which I will frequently run. The duplex is not in the most 'hoity toity' of neighborhoods, but aren't you supposed to go a little 'ghetto' your first few years of marriage? That way you can have entertaining pictures 20 years down the road, which in the end makes life much more interesting.

So that's that, in the land of Adam and Sheli. Living proof that God always knows best.  

Why elementary?

I think a lot about my job these days. Maybe it has something to do with its 'newness'. Maybe it also has a little to do with the fact that I've potentially chosen a life long career (which is scary in itself). But more than anything, I think about the fact that I teach elementary school. Elementary school of all things- why on earth would a music teacher want to do that?

Well, I never planned on it....ever. I was sure it would drive me crazy. I was sure that teaching young children would force me to stifle my personality- because I couldn't possibly communicate with these 'partial human' beings while being myself. I was also sure that I wanted to be the music teacher that "made a difference". I wanted to be the teacher that students attributed their love of music to. For almost everyone, it was the high school and middle school teachers that made them want to teach music. It was the experiences in high school that aroused their passion for music and performance. So again, why would I want to teach elementary? Why would I be the teacher that kids wouldn't really think of again? Plus, It's pretty well known that elementary music teachers will inevitably,turn into the dreaded "crazy necklace lady" who wears socks and tennis shoes with their skirts- and who is unashamed of playing Native American flute music on a regular basis. How would it be worth it to make this job a life long career?

Maybe its just that the elementary music realm needs more superstars. They have a bad wrap, and often fit right into the negative stereotypes. Maybe they really need more "normal or realistic" people who teach skills, music, ensembles and fun, instead of Native American passing games and outdated songs. And more importantly, maybe this career needs more people who treat their kids like people and don't talk to them like little puppies (which is where I fit in)- and shoot, my kindergartners are some of the most witty and funny little people in the school.

Point is, that they are students and they need a teacher. And, despite the common trends, they are extremely capable of an outstanding product, and they learn much quicker than the average middle school-er with an attitude. Not only that, but they love inherently love music. Kids were created to 'move to the groove' and sing their hearts out. Who wouldn't love to be a part of that everyday?

So I think it's time to end the stereotypes, and get this career on the musical map for respectable career choices. We don't just play games and sing songs....we teach real skills, to students who will end up loving music....and isn't that the whole point?

the 10K

So I finally did it! I ran a 10K.

I'm proud- and maybe somewhat addicted.

There will be more. oh yes, there will be more.

The crazy unknowns.

Well, it's the end of the year and like most people, I feel a little 'checked out'. I will officially be moving away from Artondale Elementary in 'somewhat beautiful' Gig Harbor, to some unknown school, in some unknown location.

I'm going a little crazy filling out applications. Five in a week is a record for me. I have most of my reference numbers and addresses memorized by now- which I suppose isn't such a negative thing. But I desperately wish the process was over with.

Everyones favorite question these days is "What are your plans for next year?" "Are you going to stay in the area?" -which is a hard question in itself because everyone here is so darned attached to Gig Harbor. 

I want to say, "Actually, we don't really like it here cause everyone is 30 or older with kids and all we really want is a dog" but instead I say, "Well, we might try and move closer to Seattle, so we're closer to family." Which is partially true. but whatever.

So five applications and one interview later, we still have no idea what's going on. Just like yesterday, just like the day before yesterday, and just like the day before that.

So what can you do besides hope? Hope that we end up with the job we'll enjoy. Hope that Tacoma is more appealing next year, than it is this year. Hope that someday soon there will be solid answers......for the many, many questions.