The proposal

Though, I'm back state-side I thought I'd catch you all up a little on my last days in Nottingham.
Shaun proposed to me, Sunday afternoon, May 1st. As some of you have been DYING to know, here's how it all went down...
It all began a week, or so, before when I started asking him if he was planning on asking me to marry him. He let me know if I ask anymore questions I'll ruin my surprise. After inquiring about his proposal, he began worrying about the size of the ring he had purchased. The next day, he had me close my eyes so he could see if what he had bought fit....due to my abnormally small fingers, it didn't. The ring that he got was the smallest that they have in stock and the smallest that they had in the style that he bought. So, we made plans to head into town to get my finger sized and order in a new ring. I was quite glad that the ring he picked out didn't fit, it wasn't quite my style...he didn't like it either, but he chose it based of a statement that I had made earlier in our relationship, that I like "simple and plain" (I had slightly changed my mind after having a look around at some of the rings). We had a look at several rings that I liked, but the one that stuck out to me was a beautiful cluster diamond, with these tiny wrap-around diamonds (Click here for a picture). It also included the wedding band (which was a plus)...and they could order it in in my size. The only downside was that due to the mass of bank holidays in a row, it wouldn't arrive until after I left the UK. He promised to ship it to me. But he still wanted to be able to propose to me with something, so we headed to Argos (I can't even begin to describe how this store works...sorry) and found a child sized ring for £5.00 that he could propose to me with.

We had an awful lot of things to do the following weekend, since it was my last weekend there, so I wasn't sure (nor could I guess) when he was planning on proposing....
On Sunday, we were getting ready to go to dinner at his mom's house. I hadn't taken a bath yet and we were running out of time before we needed to head out. He offered to start a bath for me, to help hurry me along (so I thought). He always put bubbles in the bath, so when he made me up a bubble bath I didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary. Once finished with my bath, I wrapped my hair and body in a towel, my makeup smeared down my face. I opened the bathroom door and he pushed play on the CD player in the kitchen...It was set to "our song" Science and Faith by The Script, he used to always tell me how much it reminded him of me. He grabbed my hand, told me to close my eyes, and follow him (still in towel and messy makeup). When he told me to open my eyes, he had made a heart-shape, out of candles on the floor...and he was down on one knee, "Danielle Robinson, will you marry me?" he said.

I said "Yes"....my heart pounding and crying. Even though I was expecting it, it was still exciting and emotional.
He announced the proposal once we arrived at his mom's, everyone was excited to hear the news. He had already e-mailed my parents prior to proposing, letting them know...they were also excited.

The following Monday we spent the whole day, just the two of us. We had a walk down the canal by our house. Fed the ducks and swan. Had a walk through the beautiful country side, through fields and a meadow. Then we spent the evening making cottage pie together, and watching Stranger Than Fiction (one of my all-time favorite romantic comedies). It was a rather romantic day.

Since I met Shaun, I knew that he would be someone very important in my life. The more time we spent together the more and more apparent what the important role he would play in my life would be. He's always believed that things happen at random, or by chance...science. I always believed in fate, soul mates, and destiny...faith. Whatever it is, I'm glad that our paths crossed and that we found each other.

"You won't find faith or hope down a telescope.
You can't find heart and soul in the stars.
You can break everything down to chemicals,
But you can't explain a love like ours."

Paris

Shortly after arriving in Paris, I couldn't help but think that it felt an awful lot like Las Vegas...the only difference was the Eiffel Tower in Paris was the real-deal. Avenue des Champs-Elysées, the most famous street in Paris, was packed with people. A lot of those people carrying an alcoholic beverage of some sort down the street (like Vegas). There were street performers, music coming from the clubs, loads of designer stores, and the Arc de Triomphe at the end.

     Day 1:
We rode the Eurostar train into Paris. It was about a 3 hour train ride from London. We then had to take a cab from the Gare du Nord station to our hotel. The cab driver read the address wrong and took us to a sketchy part of town. When we showed him the address again, he realized his mistake and got us to the right place. We stayed at TimHotel at the Louvre. The Louvre was two blocks away from our hotel. The room was fantastic, big soft pillows, big soft comforter and sheets, great view, GREAT breakfast, and close to most of Paris' attractions. We decided to wing our first day. We wound up at McDonald's again mainly because we weren't sure if everyone spoke English in Paris, we quickly found out that almost everyone does speak English. What I thought was interesting about the McDonald's is that it was separate from it's McCafé, they were two separate establishments, right next to each other. After eating a Royal with cheese, we decided to walk around. We walked through the park at the Louvre, and down Champs-Elysées. We stopped to watch some break dancers, then headed up to the Arc de Triomphe. You can actually go up the Arc and walk around on top. I wouldn't recommend someone who is claustrophobic to attempt to go up the stairs. It didn't cost us as much as we thought it would, because in Paris if you're 25 or under you're considered "Youth" and pay lower admission fees. The Arc is a lot bigger than I imagined it to be, and it was a great view from the top. The night was warm and clear. It was perfect for our near 5 mile walk to the Arc and back to our hotel.

     Day 2:
Had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. They served freshly baked croissants, crepes, an assortment of cheese, and cereal. Then we headed to Sainte Chapelle, the queue was quite long to get in, but it was a nice day to stand out in the sun.  The chapel was beautiful inside, the stained glass windows were so vibrant. We spent a lot of time in the small chapel looking at the individual windows, checking out the original floor tiles, and snapping photos. It was much cooler to experience than to look at photos. Notre Dame was just around the corner. Notre Dame was smaller than I had imagined, from the outside...the inside was a different story. It's free to go into the cathedral, but they have tours that take you into the towers (they cost money and you have to schedule them according to the language you speak). The altar piece was quite incredible, a big cross with a statue of the pietà lit up by the sun coming through the massive stained glass windows. There were different windows and statues in the radiating chapels. We lit a candle at the first one for Paul. We spent about a half hour looking at everything and snapping more photos. Then, we bought some baguette sandwiches and ice cream from a street vendor and had lunch in the park behind Notre Dame. Shaun enjoyed himself while feeding the pigeons (which was against the rules of the park).  Next, we walked 2 and a half miles to the Eiffel Tower. You can see the tower just about anywhere you happen to be in Paris. We walked along the path that follows the river. Just like most things on this trip, it was a lot bigger than I had imagined. Photos really don't do these structures justice. We spent about an hour and a half in queue to get up the tower. In line, you get harassed by people trying to sell you Eiffel Tower souvenirs, key rings, stuffed animals, mini towers, and water bottles. If you even look at them, they will come up to you assuming you want to buy. Even after you've bought something off someone, the same person will come back around expecting you to buy more. The first elevator takes you to the 2nd floor of the tower, you have to wait in another queue to get to the top. It is very high at the top. You can see the whole of Paris. It was really smoggy on the day we went up, so it was difficult to see very far, and a lot of our photos didn't turn out because of it. We decided that we had enough walking for the day and took the Metro back to our hotel. We thought it would be fun to have dinner at a nice-ish place. I can't remember the name of the place, but it was just up the road from our hotel. We stopped to have a look at their menu, and they kindly invited us in. I had the most amazing onion soup and steak, cooked perfectly. While Shaun had the salmon patte and duck. We also shared a bottle of wine, which got us feeling nice and relaxed for our walk home.

     Day 3:
We slept in a little, since we had been on such a tight schedule the rest of the week. We headed to the Museé du Louvre. We spent about 6 hours or more in the museum, checking out ancient Egypt, ancient Greece and Rome, Romanesque, Baroque, and the Renaissance periods. We saw the Mona Lisa, the Nike, and the Code of Hammurabi. We got lost a number of times (the map wasn't helpful at all), and I know we missed several exhibits. Had lunch in the cafeteria (which was not as expensive as I expected). The gift shop was not as neat as I had hoped, it was small and didn't have a lot of items to choose from, and was stupidly over-priced. The exit took us out to an underground shopping center and the inverted pyramid. We finished up our souvenir shopping and headed back to the hotel.

We had a 6 hour lay over in London to get back home, it was freezing and we couldn't go anywhere because we had all of our luggage.

And that concludes our London and Paris trip.
To see our pictures of Paris, click here for the first set.
Click here for the second set.

London

It's been a while since I last posted...so, I thought I'd catch up.
London, England was such a fabulous place to be. Our hotel, though small (very small), was close to the Underground (London's subway system) and cheap. (I've linked all the sights we saw, so you can click and see where we were.)
   
     Day 1:We arrived in London by train. It was about a 3 hour train ride from Nottingham. We spent a little time figuring out the Underground, and where we needed to go to get to our hotel. The subway was a lot simpler than I expected (Shaun didn't seem to think so at first). When we got to the hotel, it was in a fairly nice part of town in a nice neighborhood....with a Universal Music Group office building just up the road (which I thought was pretty cool). The hotel room had enough room to fit the double bed and a bathroom, and that's it. The bathroom was the shower too. So, if you wanted to sit on the toilet, brush your teeth, and shower all at the same time you could.
We quickly left our tiny quarters and headed for the Underground to get to Mansion House. At the Mansion House stop you can get to St. Paul's, Millennium Bridge, and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. From the bridge you can see London Bridge and Tower Bridge. We walked the mile or two, along the Thames River to get to Tower Bridge. Along the way there are tourist attractions. We chose to visit The Clink Prison Museum, it was fascinating and creepy. They had torture devices, hand cuffs, ball and chains, and electric chairs from the time that the prison was in use. We got to walk across Tower Bridge, see the Tower of London (it was closed), and have some great hamburgers on the other side. It was quite an adventure-and walk-for our first day.


     Day 2:It was a perfect day for the zoo, so that's where we ended up. The Underground was shut at the stop we needed to get off at, so we had to improvise...Good thing we printed out walking maps from Google. We walked about a half mile to Regents Park, then through the whole park to get to London Zoo on the opposite side. The zoo was fun, had quite a few animals that I had never seen before. We got to see the otters and aquarium fish be fed. We spent the whole day at the zoo, the weather was perfect, and we had a great time. Had dinner at McDonald's, we were starving and it was the only thing around....plus, we needed to get on the web to make sure we didn't miss any other attractions in the area (free wi-fi at Micky-D's).

     Day 3:Since it was our last full day in London, we crammed as much sightseeing in as possible. We started with the Natural History Museum, the place was absolutely incredible...and it didn't cost us a dime. They had collections of mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, and dinosaur bones. Shaun was most impressed with the T-rex skull they had on display. I thought the full blue whale skeleton was pretty impressive. There was so much to see, do, and learn. We could have easily spent the whole day there. We next decided to have a look at Buckingham Palace and buy some royal gifts from the royal gift shop...I got myself a royal shot glass. We then set off for Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. While I was busy reading maps to find where we needed to go, Shaun was telling me to stop looking at maps and pay attention to where we were. When I finally decided to see where we were, we were right in front of Big Ben....and the abbey was right around the corner. Big Ben is massive, much bigger than I had ever imagined. So was Westminster. We crossed the bridge and went to the aquarium. Then spent dinner overlooking the river with a great view of Parliament.

The next day, we were off to Paris.


To see our photos of London, click here.

Paul

Words cannot express the sadness I feel. My mother's voice rings through my head as she called to tell me that you had been found, but that you were no more. The note you posted engraved in my memory.
When you met me for the first time, it was at Best Buy. Matt and I had come to pick up a store transfer. You thought I was kind of "bitchy" (as you told me after we became close friends), but such was my reputation at Best Buy.
It wasn't until several years later that we would get to know each other.  You had begun working at Investools, it may have even been your first day. Matt, you, and me all got together to meet up with your friend Aaron for lunch. You and I began talking about all sorts of random topics almost immediately. We hit it off; it were as though we had been friends for ages. After this moment, we became great friends and you began making an impact on my life.
If it weren't for you, I don't believe I would have found such great friends as Liz & Aaron (and their absolutely amazing family), Chris & Traci, Amy, Jon, and Quinn. Had you not been in my life, I may have never gotten an invite to the get-togethers you all had.
If it weren't for you, I may have never gone out with the "British guys". Had you said "No" when I asked you if you would accompany me, I may never had gone and never met Shaun.
If it weren't for you, my "I hate everyone" attitude might probably be the same. Seeing your kindness to all changed how I saw people. You treated people with kindness and respect, no matter the circumstances or how they were treating you. You treated me with that same kindness and respect, even when I didn't deserve it...I feel terrible for the times I took your friendship for granted.
I am grateful for the times you stayed at my house while my family was away, because I was scared to be alone in my house.
For the times you gave me the coat right off your back because I left mine somewhere.
For the time you stood up for me when a drunk man was being inappropriate to me at a party.
For the times you bought me sodas at work, for no apparent reason.
For the time when you pushed me to the front of the crowd of our favorite band.
For the time you brought me a souvenir from your trip, even after I had betrayed your trust...you found it in your heart to forgive me.
For the times you were there for me through a terrible break up.
For the times you rode in the car with me just so I could have some company.
For the times you told me that everything was going to be OK, when I felt like my world was collapsing.
For the times you spent hours on the phone with me when you probably had more important things to do.
For the time you nick-named me "Sweets" and called me "Sweets" all the time.
For the time you taught me your secret language you shared with Matt and Torin, so I could understand and talk to you guys with it.
For the times you'd post Say Anything lyrics to your Facebook.
For the times you told me I was pretty.
For your awesome back rubs.
For your comforting bear hugs.
For the times you told me you loved me.
For making me feel worth something.
For being worth everything to me.
For being a friend, the best friend, and MY best friend all in one...
I could go on and on...
I am especially grateful for Matt, his younger brother, had it not been for our friendship I may have never met Paul.
This isn't speaking for everyone, just speaking for myself. Paul was a wonderful friend, son, brother, cousin, etc. and it seems he's made a huge impact on so many others' lives as well. It's unfortunate the whole world couldn't have known him.
I love you Paul. Rest in peace. You will never be forgotten.

The land-locked costal town: Matlock

Spent a few hours on Saturday in Matlock. It reminds me of Astoria, OR (minus the ocean, of course).

Loads of knick knack and souvenir type shops, and Fish 'n' Chips eateries. Several arcades and museums. We chose to go to the Aquarium. They had fossils, shells, and a petrifying well, plenty of fish, and a hologram museum.

The main attraction for the city is the Heights of Abraham. You ride a tram up the mountainside. At the top is a tower you can climb to see the valley below. There are also caverns, with guided tours, and a fossil museum. Unfortunately, all of it was closed. We couldn't even walk to the top. January has not been a fun month, there isn't much to do because of the weather. Fortunately, things start opening up again in a few weeks. We're hoping to see Nottingham Castle this weekend.

The holidays

 It most certainly did not feel like Christmas this year.
Very few homes had decorations on the outside.
No big Christmas parties.
No Snow.
We did have a tree, though. It's about a foot high, "baby" pine tree. We decorated our baby tree with mini-lights, painted pull tabs and bottle caps, and bead strings.

 

We opened the gifts from my parents and each other on Christmas morning. I got a coat, thermals, and socks from my parents (much needed items). Shaun got a few shirts and Levi brand pants (trousers) from my parents. He got a watch, Xbox headset, and Toy Story "Bucket O' Soldiers" from me. I got a beautiful necklace from him.

We had Christmas dinner at his mom's house and exchanged gifts with his family. We also opened Christmas crackers, this was a new experience for me. Christmas crackers are tubes filled with goodies and random little things. You pull one end, while someone pulls the other. When it breaks open it makes a small bang from the firecracker-type-device inside. Once it's opened, you can find out what you got. Ours had little, wind-up bath toys. They also contain paper crowns and a piece of paper with a joke and games on it. According to the Internet:
"The idea of wearing a paper crown may have originated from the Twelfth Night celebrations, where a King or Queen was appointed to look over the proceedings." 

The day after Christmas is also a holiday, Boxing Day. Boxing Day is the equivalent of Black Friday. Stores open at ridiculous hours and have insane sales and bargains, which people line up around the block for. And according to the Internet, again:
"Boxing Day is so called because it was the custom on that day for tradesmen to collect their Christmas boxes or gifts in return for good and reliable service throughout the year."
We ended up going to Shaun's mom's again and eating left-overs from Christmas. It was a nice day to relax after the hustle and bustle of Christmas.  

New Year's Eve was a lot of fun. We went to a house party where we had plenty to drink. I got to see Dance Central on the Xbox Kinect...It brought back fond memories of Paco and I on Just Dance, for the Wii :P
Kinect is one of the coolest things I've seen for a console. Almost worth buying an Xbox for...almost. I also got to meet some good people.

Buffalo Wings and Christmas

Most of my family and minimal friends have had the pleasure of meeting Shaun. He wasn't in Utah for very long. I met him on May 20, 2010, and sent him off on July 4, 2010. We spent a lot of that time getting to know each other, and spending time together. I also introduced him to Buffalo Wings, which he loves!

We spent last weekend in Nottingham's City Center, Christmas shopping mainly. There's a TGI Friday's in Nottingham that he's been wanting to try out, to see if it's anything like the ones in Utah (also to see if they have Buffalo wings). After a few hours of shopping we stopped off at TGI's to eat. It's a little like the one's in the US, but didn't have all the stuff on the walls. They had a lot of the same food, even the Buffalo wings! The wings were just like the ones back home, which Shaun was happy about.

Our day was busy, Shaun got a new laptop and World of Warcraft...I got nothing, everything I was looking for was out of stock :( The city of Nottingham has about 6 times the population that Salt Lake City has (according to the Internet, anyway). It was like Black Friday everywhere! Mobs of people all over the place, it wasn't easy to get around. I was able to stop and snap some photos of the street from a bridge...You can see a small portion of the mobs near the crosswalk.
There's a big Christmas tree in the city center, with an ice skating rink and a carousel. I couldn't get a picture, but hope to next time I'm in town.
The week has been slightly uneventful, due to Shaun's working schedule but he has a 3-day weekend. He did make me breakfast-in-bed this morning. Poached eggs, English bacon, and baked beans over toast! Delicious!