"So chav"

Guys. It was WARM today. It got close to HOT. And it was a marvelous day to be a Londoner.

It was always going to be a good day as it was the first day I would see my good friend Luke Nicholls in over two years! I met Luke, an English native, at BYU when I drove him to Vegas for Thanksgiving my freshmen year. We had a mutual friend in Cameron Olsen and I offered to take him and a couple other guys home so they could spend the holiday with Cameron. We have been friends ever since. Luke Nicholls (I can't really call him just "Luke." It's weird for me. And I have to say it in his accent) came home last week from his two year mission in Athens, Greece and I was so excited to see him today!!

Over two years ago!!

And today!!

He did a wonderful job with his homecoming talk and I loved the people in his ward. Even though he said Essex was very "common," I thought it was beautiful! I was so green and lush. It was exactly what you picture the British countryside to look like.

After the three hour block his family held a "munch and mingle." Mormons are the same everywhere you go. The food is always good and the desserts take up half the table.

Greek cake!

And then the Nicholls' family graciously invited me into their home. It was absolutely perfect. His mother has such amazing taste and she even had my favorite flowers (lilies) in the house. Then they gave me a little tour of Basildon.

They call this area "BasVegas." I kid you not. The place has some restaurants and some clubs and this closed down building was completely covered with a picture of the Vegas strip. It was SO COOL! I love my hometown.

And then we went over to the sea. They call it "the sea" but it's really just the other end of the Thames. I don't think I have, in my life, seen dirtier water but just being near something that could pass for a beach made me so very happy. We walked around Southend (Safend) and visited the fishmongers. Luke Nicholls' dad taught me how to do a cockney and chav accent. We laughed really hard all day and got caught up on one another's lives. It was ridiculously perfect outside, I got sand between my toes, and I was in wonderful company so, really, I could not have asked for anything more.

He saved the crab even though it pincered... that's not a word but I don't like "pinched" and you know what I mean... him.

I took the train home and got some homework done. Travel week starts tomorrow. So hurrah for that. Also I think some homeless man put a curse on me as I was walking home. So we'll see what comes of that. I'm so thankful for today.

Now here is a scary picture of what happens at night in flat 3A.