I’m really sorry to everyone who’s been keeping up with my blog, I know I left you hanging less than halfway through. Truth is, school work and procrastination got the better of me. Currently there’s only about two weeks left for me in England. I just handed in final papers, tomorrow is my last day of classes and tuesday is my last group of tutorials. I’m going to miss it here but it has been such an amazing experience. 

All right, clearly I am WAY behind on this and I apologize for that everyone! By popular demand though I’m going to try my hardest to get it back up. It’s going to be difficult because I already have to prepare for finals in a few weeks but I’m going to try my best. I’ll soon be posting about my Spring Break in Italy, which was fabulous! Just wanted to let you all know I’m not forgetting about this I’m just working on finding time for it. Love and miss you all! 

I know you have been so busy, my only wish is that you would have more time to write!  Loving your blog!  Love, Illie

So this is really late too but finals prevented me from having a life so here it goes!

Paris was amazing. There is no other way to put it. I got the same feeling I did the first time I saw it about six years ago.

We ended up leaving the Abbey at 2am and driving to a train which we then boarded (in the bus) and took underwater to France. When we got there we stopped at a few WWI sites and memorials and then arrived at our hotel by about 5pm. We then settled in and my friends and I decided to go to Montemarte and shop around a little. We got some crepes and souvenirs and checked out the beautiful view from out front of Sacré Coeur. It was great.

The next day we went to Notre Dame and took a million pictures inside and out. After that we walked to the Louvre and spent the day inside looking at all the beautiful art, which was just as beautiful as the first time. I was shocked at how much of it was so familiar to me. After that we had dinner and headed over to the Eiffel tower just as it lit up at 9pm. We took pictures there and then decided to walk up half way and then take the elevator to the top. The walk wasn’t bad at all and the views were phenomenal. I loved being there again more than words can express. We had an easy night spent lounging in the hotel and went to bed so we could get up early the next day to see the sunrise before we went to Versailles. 

It was a little cloudy the next morning but watching the sky light up in front of the tower was one of the best things I have ever seen regardless of how early I had to get up to see it. We headed back to the hotel for breakfast and to change and made our way to Versailles. It wasn’t hard to get to at all and it was gorgeous. I think it may have been my favorite part of the weekend because I never got to go last time I was in France. After that a couple friends and I tried to go to Napoleon’s tomb but by the time we got back it was closed. Then we had dinner, took a nap, and woke up just past dark to walk to Champs Elyesses. There were so many nice shops, including a Disney store that we all had to stop in because we’re children haha Then we reached the Arc de Triomphe and even though we couldn’t go to the top we loved seeing it.

The next morning we left at 10am so we didn’t do anything but get up, pack, and eat breakfast but I stayed awake enough to enjoy the countryside as we drove back to the train.

Overall it was a great weekend and I wish I’d had more time.

I don’t have time to upload them all individually so here’s the link to my France album on facebook, enjoy:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.317942584929609.74095.100001416092618&type=3

I know this is SO late but I haven’t had a lot of time so I’m just getting to this now. Anyway, we took a fun trip to Warwick Castle which I considered to be more of a fort but WHATEVER! We walked in and I knocked over these poles that surrounded the que to get tickets…I know, typical me! I got locked up in the stocks for it! Just kidding. We all did. I got to shoot a bow and arrow! It was probably the coolest thing I did the whole day. Then we walked around, took some pretty adorable photos, laid in the grass, played with peacocks, climbed about 530 stairs (which reminded me of my dad and the time we climbed this spiral staircase in a church in France and had so much fun!,) went through a creepy story told with wax figures (really realistic looking wax figures,) and ended in a store where I got a really pretty necklace that had absolutely nothing to do with Warwick, whoops! Overall it was a great day and I really enjoyed myself. And apparently there was a little chihuahua that looked like my dog Daisy that ended up having the name Daisy, my roommate freaked out about it. Here are some pictures, enjoy:

High five Henry VIII!

Shut down just like all of his wives -_-

Okay guys, funny faces!

“Let’s do a ‘one, two, three’ picture guys!” …Still don’t know what that is hahaha

We’re kind of the cutest couple ever :)

Just laying in the grass, ya know.

F.R.I.EN.D.S haha

S.J. :)

I touched a Peacock’s feathers!

Tha-tha-tha-tha-that’s all folks! Hahaha

Here’s a map of it!

Saw the Roman baths today and drank the mineral water…yuck! It tasted like minerals (I know, shocker.) The baths were pretty cool and I took plenty of pictures. We watched a street performance that was AMAZING! I have videos. Then we shopped around and I got a new dress! It’s SO cute :) It was a pretty chill day. That’s about it! 

One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

We touched the water! 

And now to sanitize! Haha.

Drinking the mineral water.

LEOS!

Best street performer ever.

Went into London AGAIN! All we did was wander around and “shop.” I got nail polish (what else is new,) burgundy stockings with “bows” on them, a coral bandeau, and hand sanitizer (not that cool but I needed some and it was 50p.) Not much but all things I’d been looking to buy anyway and I found for good prices. I ALSO FOUND A CHIPOTLE! You have no idea how excited I was by that. It’s next to the theatre we’re going to be seeing a show at in a few weeks and that’s already where I’m planning to go to dinner. It was a good day overall.

So we had to read Hobson’s Choice for one of my English classes and I wasn’t really excited about it. It wasn’t that great a read and I kind of just wanted to get it over with. We watched a scene from the movie in class and I really wasn’t excited but then we were told that it was going to be done as a ballet. At first I didn’t know how to react but then I realized that it was probably going to be amazing…guess what?…it WAS! I wanted to dance so badly after that and I really began to regret not staying in ballet class. It was so beautiful. Every dancer was fantastic and they moved with such beauty and grace I couldn’t even believe it. There were some parts where they had to over exaggerate so that the audience could really understand what was happening. Having read the play I found it obnoxious but thinking from the standpoint of someone who hasn’t read it I completely understand. Some parts of it were different, which is to be expected, but it was still very true to the play and worked wonderfully. 

I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved this performance. Everything about it was great and I would go see it again in a heartbeat, no doubt. 

Overall I can’t even believe how lucky I am to have these opportunities at this school. I am so glad to be here and I never want to leave. The amount of talent I have seen in the last few weeks blows my mind and makes me crave being on stage all the more. I can’t wait to get back home just to perform again having been inspired by so many wonderful performers. 

I am SO taking dance classes this summer because I need to be able to move even a quarter as well as some of those dancers if I ever plan to be content with my life haha

NO CLASS TODAY! Woohoo! I got to wake up late, eat lunch, go into Banbury get some hangers for a pound, a couple of chocolate oranges because they’re DELICIOUS and Joslyn’s favorite so I had to get her one too. Then I went to H&M in the mall and got a super cute top and vest for only 8 pounds! I’m doing so well with clothing here haha Now it’s going to be some homework time and dinner before a night trip into Banbury to AKA and just chillin’ haha All in all it’s a good day :)