Hungary? No thanks, I just ate

Hello all! Today was our shortest walking day yet, only 14,754 steps.
We have an early wake up call tomorrow so today's entry will be short.
First stop was the Atomium in Brussels. It was in the 1958 World's
Fair. Then we went to church which was nearby. We wore headsets that
broadcast a live translation from French.
After church we went immediately to the train station to meet Ty's
brother and catch a bus to the airport for Budapest. With a few
glitches and some separation along the way the 5 of us miraculously
ended up on our flight. Kristy, Shannon, and I had some time to bum
around the airport which allowed me to find a favorite candy of mine,
crispy M&M's. Good luck finding them in the states.
After a pleasant flight we landed in Budapest and made our way by bus
and subway to our very nice hotel. We dropped our stuff off and went
out to explore the town. We ate at McDonald's and walked along the
Danube river before coming back to our hotel. Tomorrow should be
exciting. We are starting at 5:30 to go to the baths. I hope a swim
suit is a requirement and not just a suggestion. Hello! (How the the
Hungarians say goodbye, maybe).

A Day Full of Brugge

Day 4: 22,100 steps
Today we started off by going to the local grocery store to get things
for packing our lunches. Then we headed to Brugge with three of
Kristy's NATO friends for a day of enchantment. The city was A+. Total
medieval town with numerous buildings and even more chocolate shops.
The town is also famous for their lace. There were lots of towers and
gorgeous architecture everywhere. We took a canal tour to see a lot of
the city which is my new favorite way of touring a city. The top
picture was taken when we first got into town. This was before the
flash rain storm but during the continuous misting.

Bruxelles

Today has been mostly about food. We left Paris after finding Kristy's
friend Ty and headed to Kristy's apartment here in Brussels. After a
day of walking 24,500 steps I feel okay about eating a waffle with
whipped cream and strawberries as well as the best lasagna ever. Not
pictured are some tasty truffles and a Parisian crepe. The building in
the top photo is in the grand plaza and is a government building, not
a church. Brugge is on the agenda for tomorrow and now I'm going to
bed. Good Night bloggers.

Happy is the Wrong Word

Day 2: 22,330 steps and counting. Today has consisted of an amazing
breakfast at a bakery followed by a subway ride to Disney Paris. I was
nervous about not being about to get in free because I've been
disconnected from the Walt Disney World system. Turns out I didn't
need to be, Disney Paris is too! All they did was photo copy my work
ID and Main Gate pass and the three of us were good to go. They have
an Indiana Jones roller coaster here, a complete Pirates set and ride,
a beyond psycho-amazing Space Mountain (we all might have brain
damage), and Phantom Manor. At the Disney Studios park we went on
Tower of Terror, Crush's Coaster, a backlot tour, and the worst thing
ever: Armageddon Special Effects.
Throw in some awesome sandwiches from Earl of Sandwich, some crepes
and waffles from Gibson Girls and that pretty much sums up our day.
Disney Paris has a lot of smoking, very little written English (but
more than most places), and a beautiful castle that you can walk
through.
Thanks Abby for scouting this place out a few months ago. Your advice
has been greatly appreciated. Only a few more minutes until the
firework spectacular.
Adieu mi amores!

Midnight in Paris

Ok, it was really 10:00, not midnight. I do recommend the movie
'Midnight in Paris' with Owen Wilson though.
Anyway, today was our first day here. Shannon and I met Kristy at the
airport and proceeded to walk 20,000+ steps throughout the day. After
making it to our hotel we took the subway into downtown Paris and saw
the Arc de Triumphe, walked the Champs, then walked towards the Eiffel
Tower and took a boat cruise on the Sienne River. It was the best way
to see the city because we didn't have to spend all day walking.
Next we ventured over to the Eiffel Tower and found some bland crepes
to eat for dinner. We people watched and talked for an enjoyable
amount of time before finding a sweet treat. We waited around for the
tower to light up and twinkle on the hour.
It was a most enjoyable day and I'm looking forward to sleeping very
well tonight.
On tomorrow's agenda, Euro Disneyland! Hopefully I'll still be able to
get in free. Until then my faithful readers!

We Made It...Finally!

I've been at BYU for three plus years now and it's taken me this long to finally do something most people do as Freshmen. Abby and I mustered up the courage to finally hike the Y. It was the first time for both of us, but definitely not the last. We've made a combined goal this summer to become tan and fit and regular hiking is a nice way to combine the two. It took us about an hour to get to the top and back to the car. With some rough calculations I think it was about 2.25 miles round trip. It definitely made me huff and puff. Luckily I didn't see anyone I know till we were on our way down. There are 11 switchbacks and some of them feel completely vertical. We were fortunate enough to avoid any serious injuries and falls. I included a map of the trail so you can see the intensity. The picture of our feet is evidence of us making it to the top. Way to go, us!

And the Winner Is....

So I realize it's been a ridiculously long time since I've blogged so I thought I'd treat you all to another post. Life has been moving approximately 5,467 miles an hour and it's finally slowed down to a manageable pace. I finished my last final about 90 minutes ago and I'm overjoyed by the amount of free time I have. It feels good to have no obligations for the next week. Springclasses start again on Tuesday so I'm going to have to really enjoy this next week and be completely lazy. Last weekend I was a contestant in the Days of '47 Royalty pageant for the second time. Thanks to Kristy and Lucy for helping me get my application polished and submitted on the last day they were accepted. Last year my number was 37 out of nearly 50. I made the top 20 then and was satisfied with that result. This year there was only 35 contestants. My number was 30 and it seems to be a little better luck. After an interview with five judges, giving a 40 second speech, and answering a question on stage I made the top 10. As the announcer was calling the girls to the front of the stage, (in no particular order), I came to terms with the fact that there weren't many spots and I wouldn't be likely to get one. To my surprise I was the 7th one called and I even made the jaw-drop-shocked face. Each girl was asked the same question and then the winners wereannounced. Aside from the Royalty they have a Miss Congeniality award. The recipient gets a $500 scholarship. I wasaware of this opportunity because of my experience last year so I was extra attentive at the seminar and triedto learn everyones names. I even brought name tags on the second day which I thought would make me a shoe-in since everyone knew my name. Sadly, I didn't win this award either. Overall I had a wonderful experience participating in the pageant. I was a little relieved not to win since all the activities you have to participate in take up your whole summer, but a crown would have been nice. The highlight and ultimate draw of being in the pageant is the gift bag each participant gets at the end. Last year Nu Skin was a sponsor and we got some cosmetic items along with a few things from other sponsors. This year the high ticket item was a paper cutter. I guess they'll hope we'll scrap book ourexperience.

Now that I've sufficiently filled you in on the recent events of my life, I'll leave you with a few pictures from the event.