Statement of Purpose

Okay. After two months of poking around on my computer... I have finally completed and submitted my grad school application essay. Ugh. It... took a lot of work. I struggled a LOT. But, I said I would share, so here you go.
The instructions for the statement of purpose tell you to describe your background, your strengths and weaknesses, why you chose the school and the program, and what your goals are/how you want to use your degree to accomplish them.

Without further adieu, I give you Kirsten Lehman's Statement of Purpose:

            As a dental hygienist, there are many opportunities to educate patients. These opportunities go beyond the standard lecture of “brush and floss,” and extend to teaching patients how their homecare can, and does, affect the rest of their body. When I started dental hygiene school, I learned how periodontal disease and oral bacteria affect the heart, and the importance of educating patients with heart disease about these risks. As a person with congenital heart disease, I took this message personally. My heart condition helped me to relate to my patients when I spoke with them about their health. What I didn’t realize was my history and my heart would become one of my greatest assets and deepest passions.

            In my last year of school, I was required to design and complete a community project. There was a local children’s hospital with a congenital heart disease clinic which served many children. When I contacted the clinic I found there was no dental education or information given to parents or children. I chose to speak with parents of children with congenital heart disease about the importance of good oral hygiene, and the connection between oral and cardiac health. I selected this project because of the personal importance of the topic, and I saw a need within the community. After my presentation, the hospital invited my dental hygiene school to have students speak annually with parents about oral health.

            My contact with the children’s hospital presented me with the unique opportunity to be a counselor at a summer camp for children with congenital heart disease. I volunteered for three summers and worked with teenage girls. I saw this as a chance to relate to the girls, and show them by example they could grow up and accomplish many things. I wanted to empower them to feel not only comfortable with their conditions, but to embrace them. It was different from the education I had done with my job, but it was the most rewarding.

            When I completed my community project, I realized I had discovered something I enjoyed. I had cherished all parts of my project, from the research and preparation to the presentation. I liked being able to educate people and explain things to them in a way they could understand. I felt by sharing my history of heart disease and passion of dentistry I was able to help others become more informed and empowered to be an advocate for their own health. I wanted to do more of this work.

My first job out of school allowed me to nurture this new passion. The dental office I worked for participated in multiple community health fairs where I spoke with people about their dental health in relation to their overall health. I created two different educational brochures for these events. I also constructed two social media pages for our dental office to inform patients about topics such as oral health, heart disease, diabetes, as well as community events the office was involved in.

As I worked on educational materials for my dental office, I realized a weakness I have is perfectionism. I am a perfectionist, and I always want to put forth my best effort and work. This can be a beneficial quality at times. My stride for perfection led me to produce well-polished products; however, I realized I was not utilizing my time wisely when I agonized about insignificant details instead of focusing on the big picture. I had to learn when to say something was complete instead of forever revising it. Another weakness I fought was accepting criticism. Much of the work I did I was personally connected with, which is a great strength. My history was my driving force, and it caused me to take my work seriously. It was difficult not to take criticism personally when the work I did was extremely important to me. I had to learn to utilize criticism to improve upon the weak parts of something rather than see the criticism as personal.

After a few years of balancing the two positions of dental hygienist and health educator, I realized I liked the educational parts of my job more than the tasks of a dental hygienist. I wanted to do more educational work on a bigger scale than my small dental office could provide. The classes I took in dental hygiene school provided an adequate base, but I needed more education to do the work I aspired to. This spurred me to research graduate school options, which led me to the University of Alabama and the Master of Arts in Health Studies program.

 What first drew me to this degree is it is 100% online. My husband is enlisted in the United States Air Force, and we are stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. Since I am located in Germany, I need the flexibility of an online school. I am interested in the University of Alabama as it is well-known, well-renowned, and the Health Studies program is accredited. When I read the course descriptions for this program, I felt it would address what I was looking for. I want a master’s program which focuses on the actual creation of health promotion programs rather than the financial or political aspects of it. I also feel the courses of this program would be a great expansion to the coursework I have already taken in community health, research, and health education. Additionally, at the end of the Master of Arts in Health Studies program I can take the examination to become a Certified Health Education Specialist, which fits my professional goals.

            I want to transition from clinical dental hygiene into health education and bridge my two interests of dentistry and cardiology. The research I did for my community project during school revealed there is a lack of educational resources for parents, children, and adults with congenital heart disease. I intend to improve the educational materials and programs available to this population. A Master of Arts in Health Studies would give me the necessary background to be able to address these shortcomings. I also aspire to educate dental professionals about risk factors for patients with congenital heart disease, and the link between oral and systemic health. There are two ways in which I plan to accomplish this goal. I intend to speak at dental conferences and present continuing education classes. I also aim to return as an instructor to dental hygiene school. During my senior year of school I worked as a teacher’s assistant and had the opportunity to help instruct students. I believe my clinical experience as a dental hygienist, my history as a cardiac patient, my experience with community health, and an education from University of Alabama would help me to instruct a new generation of health care providers. Finally, completing the Master of Arts in Health Studies would also accomplish my personal goal of furthering my education with a master’s degree.

I have the ambition and the background necessary to work as a Certified Health Education Specialist, but I am lacking the formal education I need to utilize my talents. I believe attaining a Master of Arts in Health Studies and completing the CHES examination will enable me to achieve my professional and educational goals.

Missing Home and Miss Zoey Charlotte

I have had a few moments where I have been homesick. I have had a few moments where I've really missed friends and family. I feel fortunate that these moments are few and far between. I feel like maybe I should apologize for that statement, but I won't. I think it is a gift, or a talent perhaps, that I can see beyond the moment. I can see past what is right at hand (well... sometimes, depending on the subject). I may miss my mom sometimes... however, I was lucky to live as close to her as I did for as long as I did, and I've made some awesome memories and had a lot of fun with her and my dad. Instead of focusing on feeling lonely or missing my mom... I acknowledge the feeling is there... and then just... think about other things. I think about the places I'd like to take my mom when she comes to visit. I think of things I want to tell her the next time I talk with her on Skype. I think about where I want to travel with Josh next. I think about German beer and ice cream. I remember, and focus, on the fact I'm extremely lucky to be living where I am. Those types of thoughts keep the homesick feelings away. It also helps that my husband is very entertaining and extremely silly. He keeps me distracted when my positive thinking doesn't work.

There are times when my positive thinking doesn't really work. I had one of those moments this weekend. My niece Zoey is 16 months old. I saw her for the first time when she was only a week old, and I made sure to try and see her as often as possible. Five months prior to me moving, my brother and his wife moved to Missoula and rented a house down the block from me. I was literally across the street from my niece. I was able to see her whenever I wanted (for the most part) and I tried to take advantage of it as much as I could. I was able to be there for her first birthday, which I'm grateful for. I left three days later. Both my mom and brother are good about sending me new pictures of Zoey and keeping me posted about cute new things she does. Since I've left she's started talking and is quickly building her vocabulary. She also is starting to show more parts of her personality (and LORD is she sassy... and spoiled). I can't believe how much she has grown and changed in the four months since I've left. It makes me sad to think of the things I'm missing out on, because I feel like I am missing everything. I posted new picture of her on Facebook, and realized it didn't make much sense to keep putting pictures into an album called "Baby Zoey" because she isn't a baby anymore. She doesn't look like a baby. All of the pictures I was posting weren't even pictures I had taken, or pictures I was there for. It just made me sad. I miss my niece.

Members of my extended family say as Zoey gets older she looks like me as a child. I think Zoey looks a lot like her mom, my sister-in-law Laine. However... in some pictures I can see the resemblance.

This is a picture where I feel Zoey looks the most like me as a child. To prove my point...

... I'm just saying...
I just hope she is as tough as her mom... and as sassy as me. Lord help us all.

Good-bye Frank the Tank

We are saying good-bye to our (formerly) beloved Frank the Tank. I, for one, am not sad.

As I wrote before, we had a bit of car trouble with Frank a few weeks back. The alternator decided to go out while we were driving home on the autobahn leaving us stuck on the side of the road for a few hours. Not the most desirable situation. Any time your car breaks down is a stressful situation. However, I spent most of the time we were waiting for help thinking about how the situation would be different if I were there alone and Josh was deployed. It really made me nervous and uncomfortable. It made me even more uncomfortable to think  I drive over an hour each way to work and home. This put the idea in my head that maybe I should keep my eyes and ears open for a new car. However, I knew my being scared about the "what ifs" was not reason enough to buy a different car.

After Josh fixed Frank's alternator Frank drove well. I drove to work three different days without any mechanical problems. What I did notice was Frank was going through gas a bit faster than he had been previously. Frank has a 6 cylinder engine and a large gas tank.... he's not exactly a Prius. But, when we've driven on longer trips before he's done pretty well on gas (considering). I mentioned to Josh that the gas mileage didn't seem to be as good as it once was. I started tracking the mileage closer... and discovered I was getting about 16 miles to the gallon. Ouch. Paying a "reduced rate" of $4 a gallon. Double ouch. On the last day I worked Frank consumed half a tank of gas from me driving to and from work. Half a tank! 40 liters! 10.5 gallons! Having one thing go wrong on an old car is not reason enough to get rid of it. Having a car that wants to drink gas like it's going out of style is definitely a reason to get rid of it. Josh and I decided it was time to seriously look into getting something different.

Which was when I stumbled upon an ad for a 2001 VW Jetta. Someone on base was leaving and didn't want to take this car back home with them. It is a US Spec car, so in theory I can take it back to the States with me later. We met up with the seller, test drove the car, fell in LOVE with the car... and as of today officially purchased it, registered it, and drove it home.

When it comes to cars... I am a girl. I care what it looks like. I want it to run well (not die on the side of the autobahn), and I would like it to have some balls. Frank was not a looker, but he was fun to say I owned. He was a lot of laughs. This new little car... man. I quite like it. For the first time ever I think I am in love with my car. Love it.

The next priority (aside from taking pictures to show people) is for me to properly name my car. Frank... is a tank... but Frank was not just named Frank for kicks and giggles. I name my cars. It's what I do. Let me ride around in your car with you... I'll name it. Prior to Frank I've had The Pimp Mobile (a 1986 Pontiac something or another), Susan (1996 Grand AM), and Ginger (2003 Chevy Malibu). It only seems fitting to name this car as well. All I know right now... is that she is definitely a SHE. So a name and pictures to follow.

Adventures in Amsterdam

I feel like the majority of the trips we have taken have been picked by me... be it is a place I want to go, or some sort of deal I have found online. Josh is always up for anything, and is generally just happy to get out of the house, which is one of the many things I love about him. With Josh's job there is never a "for sure" day off... even holidays. Sometimes I am surprised by the holidays he gets off... and by the ones that he doesn't. We agreed, even though I had just gotten home from England, if Josh got Columbus Day off we would go somewhere for the weekend. Josh did get Monday off for Columbus Day, so we were once again traveling. Only this time I told him he had to pick where we went. He's never complained about me picking our destinations... but I wanted him to be more involved (how very female of me). I wasn't at all surprised when Josh picked Amsterdam as our destination. It is something he has brought up many times before, and I know it is a place he has wanted to see. So, to Amsterdam we went.

As I was picking out a hotel room, I was struck by how expensive the hotels in Amsterdam were in comparison to other places I have looked at. By more expensive, I mean significantly more expensive. Just to do a price comparison I looked up the cost of a similar type of hotel in Paris... and it was over 100 Euros cheaper. I'm not really sure why it was more expensive... but this seemed to carry over into everything in Amsterdam. Food and drink (specifically beer) at restaurants was more expensive than other places we have been. I have to remind myself we are spoiled and live in an area where the beer is delicious and cheap. 

One great thing I did discover online while I was picking out our hotel was the I AMsterdam City Card. It is a card that you can purchase to use for 24, 48, or 72 hours. With this you get to use all public transportation, and you get into many different museums for free as well as discounts at other major attractions. I didn't realize, until I did some research, there were so many museums in Amsterdam. The weather was suppose to be chilly and rainy while we were there, and the idea of some indoor museums appealed to us. To anyone who goes to Amsterdam this is a great deal and our City Cards paid for themselves within the first day.

Our first day in Amsterdam we actually got to the tourist office too late to buy our City Cards. We wandered around on our own to take in some sights and get a feel for the city (and Josh had his eyes peeled for a place to eat and get a beer - as always). Amsterdam is known for two things: pot and prostitutes. In the past year the laws have changed in Amsterdam and it is only legal for residents to smoke (apparently they do some sort of ID check if you attempt to purchase anything... or so I've heard). Not that this mattered to Josh or I since we don't (can't) smoke, but this fact is probably going to upsetting to many people. I didn't realize it was legal in Amsterdam to not only buy/smoke pot inside of "coffee shops," but it is legal for residents to have up to 5 grams of pot with/on them. I quickly learned (more by the smell than by making the mistake of wandering inside) that a "coffee shop" is a place to buy/smoke weed, and a cafe is the place to go if you actually want to drink coffee. It's not hard to find a coffee shop in Amsterdam. If the neon lights didn't get your attention, the smell wafting out the door certainly would. I was more aware/prepared for the prostitutes than I was the pot. I have read many books (fictional) that have taken place in the Red Light District of Amsterdam. For those of you (like Josh) who don't know what that is... prostitution in Amsterdam is legal. There are brothels along the street. There will be red lights on in the windows of these brothels, and the prostitutes stand in the window to attract customers. If the curtain to a window is closed, that means the lady is currently with a customer, and is.. ahem... working. As we were wandering around Friday night we turned down a narrow alleyway, and I noticed the glow of red lights coming from a building. I knew what was coming... but apparently Josh didn't. As we got closer there were two big picture windows, and there was a prostitute in each window. Both of the ladies were in their late 40s, had seen better days, and were clad in "clothing" which left very little to the imagination. Stretch marks and cellulite were not what I was prepared to see. Neither was Josh. He was speechless, which is rare.

We found a pub to have dinner in and enjoyed some traditional Dutch food. Josh had pasta with a cream salmon sauce (delicious!), and I ordered ham and macaroni and cheese. I was thinking of American mac and cheese with ham added to it. What I got was macaroni made with tomato sauce with a few thin slices of ham on top of it covered with a fried egg and melted cheese. At first I was a little take aback. I'm not exactly adventurous with food. But, I told myself it looked like some weird food creation Josh would cook (if fact I'm pretty sure he has made something like this before) and it would probably taste better than it looked. I was right. It turned out to be delicious. We had some other "traditional" Dutch foods while we were there. I had pancakes with ham and cheese - the pancakes were flat and similar to a crepe which I rolled up to eat. We also had something which I do not know the name of, but it was mashed potatoes, onions, and carrots as mixed together with gravy and meatballs on top. We also tried shrimp croquettes, which reminded me in a way of a shrimp won-ton with creamy filling... only it looked more like an egg roll. How's that for a food vision? My favorite part about eating out in Amsterdam was many bars had resident cats who lived there. Our first night out the bar cat pranced through the restaurant before jumping up on the far end of the bar to look out the window. All of the bar cats were friendly and wanted to be pet. In the same place we had a combo of food, beer, and cats. This crazy cat lady was in heaven.

On Saturday we purchased our City Cards and started using them right away. Our first stop was the Rijksmuseum, a fine art museum which houses a lot of work by Rembrandt, as he an Amsterdam native. Next door to this was the Van Gogh Museum (another Amsterdam native). The morning was rainy and cold, so it was perfect to spend inside of the museums. We couldn't take any pictures inside of the museums (and honestly, who would want to see that?), but there was a beautiful park outside.

We went to the Amsterdam History Museum and learned a lot of things about the city (certainly things I didn't know). A lot of maritime history and antiquities for anyone who likes that sort of thing. One of the things included with our City Card was a free one hour canal cruise. We both agreed this was one of the highlights of our trip. We had a narrated trip through the many canals and learned the history behind them. It was a great new way to see the city.

There are lots of flea markets around Amsterdam. One of the most popular things to sell are tulip bulbs and fresh flowers. Tulips are synonymous with Holland. Tulips happen to be my favorite flower. Right now is prime time to plant tulip bulbs for the spring, and there were countless vendors selling them. Josh (who has a much greener thumb and more motivation than me) spent a lot of time picking out some bulbs to take home with us. I think it is one of the best souvenirs I've gotten. Another neat tulip souvenir I got was from the Tulip Museum (museum is not the proper word for this place. It is a gift shop which happens to have some information about the history of the tulip in the basement) was a bouquet of wood painted tulips.


As we were walking around Saturday night the weather went from bad to worse. It had been chilly with rain showers on and off throughout the day. Josh and I had packed/worn jackets and brought along umbrellas (which I was grateful for). However, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up making it very wet, cold weather. I had thought about packing more cold weather things with me before we left, but the forecast made it seem as if it was going to be warmer than I was already preparing for. After wandering around in the cold for awhile I finally broke down and had to buy an emergency ear muff and a pair of mittens. Best 10 Euro I've ever spent.

The next day we got up early to make our way to the Anne Frank House. The Anne Frank House is the actual house where Anne Frank and her family hid for two years during World War II. It has been turned into a museum. This museum wasn't included with our City Card, but I didn't care. This was the one place I really wanted to see in Amsterdam. I had read in a travel book that it was best to get there either right when it opens or right before it closes. We got there right at 9 am when it opened... and found ourselves in a long line. We only had to wait about 15 minutes, but when we left the line wrapped around the block.

We weren't able to take pictures inside of the house... if you ever get a chance to go here, go. I read Anne Frank's Diary when I was around 12 or 13... and seeing this house in person put a whole new spin on her life, her diary, and mostly her courage and spirit. There aren't words to describe the small, cramped conditions of this house... and to imagine living there with many restrictions for two years. It was humbling. We continued this theme and went to the Dutch Resistance Museum. This museum follows the story of people in Holland who worked to resist the Nazis during World War II. It was fascinating... but the combination of the two places made for a bit of a depressing morning.

We went to an ancient Greek/Roman art museum (it was free with our card, and Josh loves all things Greek/Roman) as a way to distract ourselves. After this we went to the Heineken Factory. The factory offers a "tour" which they call the Heineken Experience. I use quotation marks around tour because I was expecting an actual tour of the factory. I understand the company is probably concerned with trade secrets, so they don't want to actually show anything that could give away part of the Heineken recipe. So what we got was a tour of what their factory should look like... and they explained the steps of how they make their beer. The rest of the "experience" was just seeing a lot of Heineken advertising. However, we got two fresh off the line Heinekens at the end of the tour (and with the price for the tour... well... it was equal to what we would have paid for two beers at a bar). Josh loves beer and loves Heineken, so I'm trying to be positive about the tour... but it's hard... I saw it as kind of a disappointment.

Right next to our hotel was a giant Ikea. Josh has never been to one before, and I've been trying to explain to him that it's a great place to get housewares (hint hint). Before we left on Monday we stopped to do some shopping. This Ikea had three full levels and a restaurant. We were way out of our shopping league. I did find a few treasures for our house (nothing exciting... some laundry supplies).
At least now Josh knows what Ikea is and maybe I won't have a hard time talking him into going shopping.

When we go somewhere Josh and I try to to as much as we can while we're there... and we end up having these crazy marathon days. We usually ended back at our hotel by 9 pm to relax. A lot of people envision going to Amsterdam and partying their asses off... and you certainly could if you wanted to. Proving that we are a couple of married fuddy-duddies, we spent our time at museums, soaking up history and the feel of the city rather than going crazy. Cheers!

English Holiday

Kristin is a good friend of mine from college. We met when we both were involved with the group Eagle Ambassadors and gave campus tours. We also had quite a few mutual friends, one of them being my best friend Jen. Kristin married a man in the Air Force and moved to England about a year ago. When I found out I was moving to Germany, we were excited to know we would be close to one another, and to know someone familiar when our families were so far away. We have talked about visiting each other many times, but we finally made it happen this past weekend.

I found a cheap flight to London, but to make my flight cheap I had to fly in on a Thursday evening and leave early Tuesday morning. I was afraid I would wear out my welcome. Kristin was worried I would be bored because she was only able to take Monday off, but not Friday. As it turned out, my Friday was wonderful. While Kristin and her husband Jeff went to work, I stayed at their house with their two small dogs Hank and Tucker. I am an animal lover, and I have been deprived of having a dog to love. Usually I was able to get my "dog fix" by visiting my brother or my parents... but as it is I haven't been around a dog in awhile. I was more than happy to have two dogs to pet and snuggle up with, and this comical pair were more than happy to oblige. At our house we do not have cable. We have the options of getting AFN (a military type cable) or a British run satellite which has English speaking programing (and some US shows). However, we've just never felt the need to get either of these. We don't necessarily watch that much TV, Josh has a large collection of movies/seasons of TV shows, and you can pretty much find any sort of TV show you could want online now-a-days. Kristin and Jeff have both AFN and satellite at their house. Stimulation overload!!! As I said, I would not consider myself a person who watches a lot of TV. However... on Friday I was more than happy to sit on the couch with the dogs and watch hours of TV. Very relaxing.

Tucker, asking to have his tummy rubbed.

Hank! How could you not love this face?


On Saturday Kristin took me to the village of Ely (pronounced Ee-lee). It is a small village which has an amazing cathedral. Kristin and Jeff had stumbled upon this place by accident once while trying to get home. As you are driving you can see the cathedral from a long ways off. You don't realize how big it is until you get into the village and up close to it. The village of Ely is small, and it's hard to believe such a small place is home to such a HUGE and impressive cathedral. It was interesting to see the difference in architecture and style of an English cathedral versus a German or Belgian cathedral. The inside of the cathedral has a beautiful rotunda which only goes upwards in one area of the ceiling. You don't realize from the outside that it does this, and it is a beautiful surprise.

Back of cathedral

Front of cathedral. 

Cathedral ceiling. 

After the cathedral, we had lunch in a pub (my first time in England, first time in an English pub). Kristin had the standard fish and chips, but I tried another pub staple of steak pie with chips (chips being fries). It was delicious! The strangest part of being the pub was being able to understand what everyone was saying around us, and being able to order food without any communication problems. I guess I've gotten used to having blinders up since I don't understand much of what is said around me, and I'm used to barely being able to communicate with staff at a restaurant or store. Suddenly it was a rush of human interaction and stimulation! I think talking with the bartender at the pub was my favorite part of our lunch.

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day (the whole weekend was great weather), and we celebrated this weather by having a BBQ. Kristin and Jeff live on base, so I was able to meet some of their friends who came over to hang out. Good food and fun times.

On Sunday Kristin and I went into London. We decided to go on Sunday because we thought there would be less crowds. To take the train from where Kristin lives into London takes just a little over an hour. From there, Kristin was my guide at navigating "the Tube" (London subway) to get us around. We wanted to cram as much into one day as possible, so we decided to do one of the open-top bus tours around the city. It was a great way to see a lot of the major sites, and I had a great vantage point of getting some pictures.

Big Ben and Parliment 

Red double-decker bus

Eye of London

After completing our tour, we walked through a park to Buckingham Palace. I didn't realize the Palace is only open at certain times of the year for people to visit, and you must have a ticket to enter. Currently at Buckingham Palace they have Kate Middleton's wedding dress on display, which is (apparently) popular to see. Monday was the last day the Palace was going to be open for awhile, and all the tickets to get in were completely sold out. The line to get into the Palace stretched around the gates and down the block. No thank you! I'd rather just take my pictures of the outside and call it good. A few blocks down from Buckingham Palace is the private residence of Prince Charles. As we were walking by they were changing the guards at their residence, so we stopped to watch. I'm sure this ceremonial changing of the guards is less exciting than the one at Buckingham Palace (which only happens every few days... another thing we missed), but it was still neat to watch.

We took a break from the tourist track and spent some time shopping. I like to go shopping. Or, I like to go shopping for certain things like books, housewares, shoes, souvenirs, presents for other people, ect. However, I find clothes shopping to be a chore. More than a chore, I just generally dislike it. I think it's because I'm tall and have a hard time finding clothes that work with long limbs and hips and a booty. The last time I went clothes shopping was back in May with my cousin (before I left for Germany) and the only reason I went was because I had to get new jeans as I tore holes in my last two pairs of jeans (as in, the last two pairs I owned). I haven't found anywhere to go clothes shopping in Germany (which really hasn't bothered me in the least bit), and the last thing I want to do while on vacation in a new city is go shopping for clothes. But, I seemed to have struck it rich in London. Or maybe, London struck it rich with me. I discovered the heavenly world of Primark. Primark is a chain store in England which sells cheap clothing (it reminded me a lot of Old Navy... without the neon colors or glitter). We had a lot of fun shopping and each walked away with some treasures.

After our shopping we took a river cruise up the Thames (another great way to site-see), and then went to Piccadilly Circus. Piccadilly is like the Times Square of London. By this time it was dark outside and all of the lights were on. It was a site to see. There is still so many things in London I want to do and see. I really enjoyed my visit and can't wait to go back.

Piccadilly Circus 


Kristin and I were both exhausted from our crazy one day trip in London. We agreed to sleep in Monday and take it easy. After lazing around and making a late breakfast, we went to Cambridge. Cambridge is not at all how I pictured it to be, but it is beautiful. All of the buildings are very close together (pretty much connected to one another) and hug the winding streets. There is a small canal (they call it a river, but I beg to differ) which makes its way through the city. There are over six colleges/universities in Cambridge. The campuses are closed to non-students, but from the outside they look beautiful. We wandered around Cambridge looking at the sites, and then did some more shopping. Apparently England does wonders for my wardrobe and wallet.

I only brought a small bag over to England with me. The airline I flew on only allows one carry on bag, and they are strict about what size and weight your bag is. Yes, I said weight. In the US I'm used to carry on size restrictions, but I've never had to worry about weight. I was worried about making these requirements (if your bag is too big or too heavy you have to pay to check it, and to check a bag at the airport on this airline is ridiculously expensive). I tried to pack my bag to go home with all of my new shopping treasures... and was sad to learn that it wouldn't all fit. Kristin offered to let me borrow a bag of hers, but then I would have to worry about how to get the bag back to her. Thank goodness we can ship things from one base address to another base address for free. So Kristin offered to box up my extra things and mail them to me. I'm a little embarrassed by the fact that I bought enough stuff that I had to ship it home rather than pack it. In my defense, my bag was REALLY small. Josh, thankfully, found this to be amusing. And again, in my defense, I am a sales/clearance shopping kind of gal and didn't spend as much money as you are probably thinking... I was under $60.

I really enjoyed my time in England. It was a lot of fun to see a good old friend, and I got to see a lot in a short amount of time. I didn't realize how much I was needing some time with a girlfriend until I got it. Kristin and her husband were great hosts, and as much as I can't wait to have a chance to return to England, I also can't wait for the chance to return the favor and have them come to Germany.