things I have learned

The past three months (whhaaattt??) have brought a lot of learning for me as I have mentioned a few times, but most of this learning has been about myself. The number one thing I have learned is the fact that I need to be busy.

"DUH Leanda" you've known that forever. True, I have always been drawn to making myself incessantly busy. However, I didn't really realize this until I had absolutely nothing to do.

"But Leanda, you've just spent three years doing a fairly intense degree, surely all you want to do is relax?". Uhh yes. Exactly. The first month of being home was focused on me figuring out a lot of things and preparing for my medical school interview. After that, I was totally free!! So I spent some time exploring this amazing city and doing mama-like things with Lloyd and Rosie.

But then...

1. I caught up on the rest of Downton Abbey. Something like 30 1-hour episodes? All in like 2 weeks.

2. I watched Friends every time it came on Comedy Central. And Comedy Central+1 because I never get sick of it. So much so that I took a quiz about how much I know about Friends. I knew a lot.

3. I realized that I had never really got into New Girl. So I watched a random episode. Then I went to the Pilot and watched three seasons. Then I took this quiz.

4. Then I took another quiz

5. Yep, then I realized that me and Beyonce would be best friends.

6. And me and Emma

7. And that Will Smith would be my Celeb Boyfriend.

It was as I actually thought about how much fun Will and I would have, that I realized that I needed to step away from the laptop and get a life. Seriously. Seriously.

This week was my first full week of work, and I cannot tell you how good it feels to no longer be idle. Because evidently that kind of life is really not good for me. As I look through my planner the days are filling rapidly with productive things that I am spending my time on. 

So here's to productivity. 

And the end of buzzfeed/Zimbio quizzes. 

Which are really accurate btw.

lately

iPhone update on some recent(ish) activities

I've done the school run. A lot.

I went for a morning wog in the fog.

But when that classic fog passed, London went through an amazing

spring-like spell where there were cherry blossoms galore.

 (literally hashtag no filter)

Nudes and corals finally seemed appropriate for church.

Ari and I went exploring down Diagon Alley.
(Seriously SO many hidden alleyways and streets in this place).

My daily snaps of this little cherub help me feel like I'm there with him.
(I know my love for him seems weird but seriously. He's perfect.)

Speaking of perfect babies, my wifey/mum card has been stamped a lot
over the past few weeks as I've spent an unusually
high amount of time looking after kids- including this one. 

He's not impressed.

That onesie. I can't.

So there've been lots of children about lately which seems appropriate;
mostly because anyone who knows me knows how much I love them,
but also because my new line of work between now and September
is based in one of the best children's hospitals in the world. 

Again, I shall divulge a bit later.

I know, I know, I'm a tease.
^^
I say that like you care.
You probably don't.
But I'm pretending that the suspense is killing you. It's funner that way.
...For me.

midweek escapism at it's finest.

On Wednesday, I got the chance to get out of my usual schedule and visit the London temple with some YSA from my stake. 

It's always such a blessing to me to be able to take some time and visit this place that offers me so much peace and takes me to a place where I feel (and am) closer to my Heavenly Father. I miss the fact that in Rexburg all I would have to do is walk five minutes up the hill, but the fact that getting to the temple here requires a tiny bit more effort is good, because it allows me to appreciate it more I think.

Renaissance

FACT: Renaissance is my favorite word in the English language.

Yes, it's a French word, but we use it, so I'm calling it an English word.

Anyway, it literally means rebirth. It signifies the period of time wherein art and culture came alive and accessible to the everyday person. They were able to truly educate their minds and learn about what this world has to offer them.

I feel as though I am going through a renaissance of sorts in my life right now. One HUGE chapter of my life just ended and another HUGE chapter is about to begin. So I'm in a strange intermission period right now, where I have a lot of time to concentrate on the person that I am trying to become, but I also have a lot of time to explore and appreciate the world around me. 

Where better to do this than in the grand old city of London. In my most recent article in the To and Fro Magazine, I talked about ways that we can give our lives a "spring clean". Well my personal spring clean is in conjunction with this current renaissance period of mine.

In following my own advice...

I got myself an organizer

Seriously such an incredible investment! I never forget anything anymore (don't hold me to that) but I cannot stress how nice it is for my soul, to have my brain so organized. This little gem was from Paperchase (half price thank you very much) and I added the black ribbon to act as a tie because it's adorable, and I felt like the organizer needed a little more me. Ya know?

Flowers

I think I have spent the past 21 years totally underestimating how much I really love having real flowers around. They really brighten up the home and I just feel better when they are in my life! My favorite flowers have always been lilies, but roses and café au lait dahlias starting to creep in as my favorites now!

I love them and genuinely feel happier when there are around. Who doesn't?

 Umm p.s. I haven't purchased either of those flowers (roses+dahlias) because

I'm not on that kind of budget right now. But I love them nonetheless.

Learning new stuff

So I took myself to the British Museum the other day. Loved running around just learning information about this world and all of the people that have shaped it in so many different ways. As much as I am a science girl, I love learning about art and music and different cultures that mean so much to so many people. 

I am loving this time that I have to try and better myself in as many ways as possible, and I cannot wait to move on and take what I've learned into the next chapter. 

But for now, intermission is lush. 

Seriously loving it. 

And don't worry, I'm not just running around buying flowers, going to museums and writing about it in my organizer. There are lots of other exciting life changing opportunities that I'm embarking on at the moment, and I cannot wait to share some of those with you!!

Happy Anniversary.

Can you believe that I have been blogging semi-consistently for a whole YEAR?!
How very different this is from my last Anniversary post ha!!

I can't. I know it seems weird to make an anniversary post about blogging, but it really is quite significant for me. I have a tough time sticking to things like this, especially when more important things are going on around me, but I am so grateful for this little corner of the internet that I get to call my own, to fill with memories and thoughts.

At first I thought it was a bit silly to post the innermost details of your life for all to see and I thought that was all a blog really entailed, but I have come to know of the great relief that blogging can bring. What started off as me following a trend with a desperation to get "blog famous" has become something that I can truly call my own, and genuinely not care if anyone reads it or not!

I think in a way, this is a representation of the way I am as a person as well. I've begun to see the importance of doing things for myself, and not necessarily for other people.

So here I am blogging.

Firstly, I have a place where I can document important events and fun times in my life... accompanied with pictures! It's not so easy doing that in a regular journal!

Secondly and most importantly, I love writing. I really do. And this gives me the opportunity to do so very easily. Unbeknown to most, as a tween, I used to write creative stories ALL the time (literally could I BE any nerdier?). I loved reading and creating, and this blog gives me the satisfaction of doing some writing the way I used to, in a setting that is easy and fun. 

Thirdly, its AWESOME to meet other people that do the same thing and share in their life experiences. For example, there is a blog called The Doctors Fleming about a young woman who is a doctor, and her husband who is also a doctor, and some of the fun happenings (and major trials) in their life. I was directed to this blog by another blogger, and for a person who has struggled with knowing exactly how my family life and work life are going to balance out, this blog has been such a help, just to know that there ARE women out there who have figured it out. I'm not the first and I won't be the last!!!

So it may seem silly. And Mormon. But it's great and I love it.

So here's to more years and adventures to be shared on The Brit Journals.

Avocadoast

So this is my first (and probably last) recipe post. Not because I don't like cooking, but there are just a TONNE of people that do this, and they do it a lot better than I do. However, this recipe is stolen from Krysta and it's amazing, and some people asked how to make it, so here we go:

Firstly, here's what you need: 

One Perfect Avocado

A dollop of mayonnaise. Hellmann's. Obviously.

And... finely chopped onions, salt, ground black pepper

(p.s. please know that the fact that the salt and pepper are aligned parallel to one another but not to the rest of the picture, KILLS me. Kills me.)

ONE

Remove the stone of the avocado and mash it using a fork. Add a dollop of mayonnaise to make the mixture smooth.

TWO

Add the onions

THREE

Mix everything together, and throw in the salt and pepper too!

 

FOUR

Put it on toast. And then eat it.

Literally that's it. 

Easiest, best snack in the world.