"but in the end, the only steps that matter are the ones you take all by yourself"

first of all, i spent all of today thinking it was thursday.

so, yesterday was a rough day. not gonna lie. i had just about had it emotionally. i'm so happy to be here. but at the same time, i'm aching for home. & you guys. my body decided to to join my emotions in a "let's-make-julia-feel-crappy" party. & all i wanted to do was crawl into bed. audrey could see i wasn't doing well, but there really wasn't much to be done. i remembered right before i went to sleep that i hadn't yet read any of the notes my family sent with me. so, first up was dad's letter. & out came the tears & emotion i had been so ardently suppressing. his note was so sweet & so encouraging {thanks, daddy}. then i got greedy. & read the note from mom. & alyssa. & grandma & papa. & nelson. they were all such wonderful notes. you know when you start crying & then it turns to bawling & you're trying to be quiet as not to wake others & there is such a profusion of tears & snot that you're really glad you're alone {& have a box of "mansized" tissues at the head of your bed} & you start hyperventilating & then the short & sweet note from your baby broseph makes you laugh & you know everything will be okay? i know you know that feeling. well, as bad as the first part sounds, it's so good. it made me feel strong. & empty. but full. full of love & the knowledge that i'm not in this alone. feeling sad doesn't mean that coming here was a mistake. it's not an admission of defeat. it just means that i'm a girl who is blessed to have so many somethings & someones worth missing. & to have the undying love & support of those someones. i'm rather proud of myself for taking this step, somewhat on my own. so, thank you, all. i love you dearly. & don't worry about me. just pray for me.

s'all good. i have my family here. they sit perched upon my windowsill.

phwew! now that that' all off my chest... do you want to hear about my day? do ya? {of course!} well, now i'm hungry & tired of typing, but if you insist...

we began the day with lunch at a lovely little tea room. yes, we began our day with lunch. that's what happens when you sleep late like i do. so, we had delicious tea & sandwiches & great conversation {an english delicacy}. then, we walked through town & up to the family farm. they milk their cows with a computer. beat that. it smelled like snohomish. oh, the nostalgia! we ended up at the parish church of st. wilfred, as it's known to the locals. 

we could hear the church bells all morning so we knew there was a wedding. of course, we invited ourselves. how could we not? they were exiting the church just then. & i creeped. 

& some more.

{in all honesty, there was a really attractive photographer guy & i was hoping he would appear in the background, or foreground, of one of my pictures... no such luck}

weddings here are so beautiful. the women wore formal dresses & hats & the men wore suits. is it rude to specify those as requirements on a wedding invitation?

when everyone had gone, we went into the church. it was literally breath-taking. i can't even tell you. so, i'll show you.

okay. this doesn't do it justice.

it really was lovely. my photography skills aren't quite up to par.

we spent quite some time there. it was so tranquil & calming. again. marriage or cat's dedication. right here. i'll post more pictures on facebook later... if i feel like it

audrey picked up informational packets & papers for me. 

this town is bursting with history.

thanks, webcam, for making things backwards.
"a short history of ribchester"

that was my day. today, taking in the beauty & the history, was the first time i was truly happy to be here. it was wonderful. :)

p.s. it's took me about four hours to type this post. i kept getting distracted and/or bored.
p.p.s. it struck me that, you know, anyone can follow this blog. & that creeped me out just a tad. not that i share personal information or anything. but it's still weird. if you're an official follower of this blog, use your name or sign it when you comment. it makes me feel better.

the. end.