Blast from the Past: August 8th, 2000

August 8th 2000

"We got up and went to the zoo today! It was so fun! I liked it much better than the Amsterdam zoo. I got some great pictures! The monkeys were adorable, the Rhino was right up next to the cage wall, but my favorite animal (which I got close up shots of) was the Red Panda! It was so adorable! It looked like a mix between a raccoon, a small bear, and a cat! It was so darling! I loved it! Most of the animals were sleeping or hiding. After coming home from the zoo, we all just hung out until we had to go to this Cailidh. It's a Scottish Participation dance. I didn't really want to go, but it actually turned out to be really cool! I mostly danced with Joe, but in one dance the girls kept changing partners. I didn't like dancing with all these old guys. After that, we went to the internet cafe. Crystal said she hopes I'll encounter the joys of kissing soon. I said I hope so. I got another boring e-mail from Liz. Good night!"

Red Pandas are pretty adorable, I have to admit. That was the first time I'd ever seen one. I told Ander we should get one as a pet and he just laughed at me. They are really cute animals.

Cailidh is pronounced kay-lee

I apologize to my dad for the kissing stuff. I was such a teenager! Sometimes I find it hard to believe I actually wrote all this stuff... then I think back and say, "No, it's true. I was totally that way. I was a boy-crazed idiot." I still am... but just for one boy.

Anyway, here's a Red Panda!

Blast from the Past: August 6th, 2000

August 6th 2000

I got to sleep in today. The curling iron wouldn't heat up, so I just put it up in a bandana. It still looks really good. I had chips for breakfast. Dad had to leave early, then Mom, me, Joe, and Katie went with a taxi to the bus station. Joe split and went off by 'imself, while me, mom, and Katie went on a tour bus. It was sort of interesting. We got off to go to the castle upon the hill. Mom kept changing her mind, but we finally went to the castle. It was really interesting! We saw a cute little pet cemetery, the oldest chapel in Medieval times, and the Crown Jewels of Scotland. I really liked it! After that, we went to a really cool Magic Gallery. We saw a cool show, saw a whole bunch of cool demonstrations, and a whole bunch of holograms. It was pretty cool! Then Katie and I got some white chocolate bars. There were really good! We met Joe and Dad for dinner, and ate at a hotel. It was good! Then, dad left to go to another play, while the rest of us went to the internet cafe. I got an e-mail from Crystal saying she'd had her first real kiss! With a really hott guy! I'm so jealous. I want to kiss guy so bad :( Dad would kill me. But I think I will. I don't think it's that bad. I know I probably will. Oh well, too bad dad. I'm a teenager! I shouldn't have to be a Molly Mormon!"
Let me just stop right there. This is probably the funniest thing I said in my journal the entire trip. "I'm a teenager!" Cracks me up every. single. time. Sorry dad....

"We went to go get some food for tomorrow morning and dinner. Then came home. Joe and I watched a funny show, and then we watched a "Mystery on a Rapist" show. It was really cool. It's interesting! The show left us hanging and it'll continue this Monday night, which we'll be home by then. That was sort of disappointing. We flipped through channels seeing there was a comedy show (which was sick), a show on teen generations (Generation X), and a backstage show of Jerry Springer. Joe was just painting Warhammer, I was stamping postcards. I decided to go to bed. Joe stayed up later than I. Good night!"

At this point in our trip, we are all very anxious to go home. We're feeling very...."trunky". We kept our days filled with activities but in the back of all of our minds is the fact that we will be going home soon. 8 weeks is a long time to be abroad with a family of five. We were champs.

Blast from the Past: August 5th, 2000

August 5th 2000

"Today we got up and ready for the church at 8am. I got up, curled my hair, put on my dress and I was ready. We left at about 9:15 to wait for our taxi. It took 20 minutes to get to the church. This was so amazing. I sat down and mom suddenly said, "Susie! C'mere!" I stood up and went over to the three people mom was talking to. One of the girls looked really familiar somehow. Mom took me in her hand and said, "Do you remember Erica Shirt from dance?" I paused and stared. Now I recognized her. She was in my dance class like, 2 years ago! I was in awe! Here I was, halfway across the world, and I was meeting a friend from Provo, two years back, in Scotland! I was so amazed! After the meeting she came to Young Women's with me, so on the way, we started to talk. In YW's we practically talked all the way through, then also in the next class! We really reunited! After church we asked our parents if we could do something together. After much debating, we decided on all of us going to dinner (her sister Kirsten was there too) and then some would split and go to the castle, and some would go back to the flat. Erica and I, and Joe, Katie, Mom, and Dad went back to the flat. I taught Erica how to play 500, and we played it until she had to go. She went back to the church with Dad to meet her fam, and watch Dad;s fireside, then go to their inn. Turns out she'd been gone from home since January! 6 months! There were going home Thursday. She was really excited. I mean, we've only been gone for 8 weeks, and we were homesick, but she had been gone 6 months! So she was really excited. I also finished Anne of Green Gables. Matthew died, it was sad, but it was a really good book! One of my faves. It was sad though. Matthew died and Anne gave up her scholarship to stay home and help Marilla because Marilla is going blind. Anne also makes up with Gilbert and he walks her home. I thought he would kiss her, but he didn't. I thought it was so sweet! It was really good!
After mom and dad got home, Joe turned on the TV and the modern Romeo and Juliet was on! I've always wanted to see it, and we watched the beginning until they met and then dad turned it off. Rgg. Oh well, I read mom some of this stuff and now we've got to be getting to bed."


Caution: Anne of Green Gables spoilers in this post... apparently.

What a small world. I'm literally halfway across the world and I run into a long lost friend. Seriously... what are the chances??

Blast from the Past: August 4th, 2000

August 4th 2000

"I forgot to tell you something. Katie and I got three new beanies. A pterodactyl, a bat, and a cute little mouse. We had a fight about it, but all came out good in the end. Anyway, I finally got the curling iron to work so I got to curl my hair! I also wore my Fringe shirt. I looked so cute! Don't mean to brag, but I do think I am cute and pretty."
I just have to interject right here... this last sentence made me laugh pretty hard. Way to go, Susie.

"We tried to call the "taxi hotline" but no one answered, so we had to wave one down. That took 20 minutes because all of them were full. Dad had 12 minutes to get ready for his show! since it took a s' long to get a taxi. The show did go on. There was a family there that everyone but me had met at breakfast in Windermeir! That's because I never got up to go to breakfast, so I didn't meet them. One of the boys looked almost my age, and looked like a cute Harry Potter with a cap on. Anyway, there were there at Dad's how! So I did meet them. Dad's show went great! It was better than before! He is so good and makes a great Brigham Young. After Dad's show he said he was staying to hang and watch play and stuff 'till 7 and then go home, so Mom, Katie, Joe, and I went off together. Mom wanted to take us to see Grey Friar's Bobby, so we ventured down the Royal Mile in search of the statue. We saw quite a lot of street acts, some the same as yesterday. We came and sat down to watch a street act in front of a crowd. These two drunk guys were slappin' hands in front of our faces! Mom said, "excuse me" but they didn't hear. We passed where we were s'posed to go down to the statue and Joe started to whine. Mom got mad at him, so they looked at each other and Joe would scowl. Joe is getting hard to talk to these days. Mom and Joe get in the most fights now. Finally we found the statue and it's grave. Then Mom said we could go to the internet cafe, but eat something first. So, Joe led the way to Burger Kind. We ate there (I saw a really hott kid who smiled at me) then mom let us go to the internet cafe, while she went elsewhere. So, we all made it to the cafe. I got an e-mail from Crystal, and it sounds like she'll be getting a new boyfriend soon name Nick. I do remember him, he is really cute. She seems to be happy. So does Liz. She sent me an e-mail saying all this tuff like, "i'm glad you play with them again," and stuff. Finally mom came to pick us up, and go home. On the way to catch a taxi we saw this poor homeless guy. Mom have him 2 pounds! How nice! We caught a taxi and came home. Mom and Joe got in another fight, and Joe got really mad. So did mom. We had dinner and she apologized, and Joe took it. Dinner was good. Joe got engrossed in a TV show, and Katie was washing herself, so I taught mom how to play 500 and we played two games of that, and I won both! Dad came home and watched with Joe until now, we have to go to bed. Good night! Only 8 more days!"


I do not remember drunk guys slapping hands in our faces.

And I remember I asked "Brigham Young" AKA my father, how many wives he had and he got mad at me. Ha!

Blast from the Past: August 2nd, 2000

August 2nd 2000

"Joe found a weight club, so he went to ti this morning, but I slept in until 11:30, so, Joe was home by then. Dad went to a rehearsal. We all got ready, then left to go to the mall. We net Dad at the mall, then ate lunch. I got some of the cutest things! Little Trolli gummy hot dogs and hamburgers and pizzas! They're so cute! When we got home, Katie, me, and Joe played Beanies. I'm not scared of hiding Juliette anymore. Joe knew because Mom told him, so he said he didn't care at all, so, I was glad! We played for about an hour and a half! Then, Mom told us we had to wrap up, so, good night!"


I thought those mini gummy hamburgers were the cutest things in the world.

Playing with Joe and Katie is one of the most vivid things I remember. I remember we had a blast :)

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Blast from the Past: August 1st, 2000

August 1st 2000

"I packed everything last night, so it didn't take me very long to get ready. Dad said we had to catch two trains, to go to Oxenholm, then Ediburgh. When we got to the station, we found out the train was delayed because of vandalism! "Oh, great!" we all thought. But we found out that a bus that was coming soon would take us there, so we waited for the bus. It came and it was quite easy to put our luggage in the back! The bus ride was bumpy and weird. Finally we got to our train to Edinburgh. That was more comfy, but long. Scotland is beautiful. It is so very green and we walked out of the bus and there upon a hill was a cast castle! Right there! It was pretty cool! We hailed a taxi that took us to our apartment. It is so great! It is brand new, never been used! Joe and me get a room, and Katie, Mom, and Dad sleep in the other room. It's small, but way nicer than London. We went down to find Dad's theater, then the internet cafe. It's just like the one in Amsterdam. I e-mailed everybody telling them only 12 more days until I get home. I love Scotland, but I have been away long enough."


You want to know how I can tell I'm still reading Anne of Green Gables at this point? Because never in my entire life have I ever used the words "vast," "upon," or "quite" in the same paragraph. I'm literally trying to sound like Anne. Way to go, self.