Sugar.

"There ain't no other way.

'Cause girl, you're hotter than

a southern California day."

-Maroon 5.

As of late, Maroon 5 has made some really stupid music. But this one is a jam and I cannot get enough of it. Especially the music video. If you like surprises, weddings and party crashers, you are in for the treat of a lifetime.

While I may have been productive today (seven internship applications DONE), I spent all my time inside. It's kinda weird sitting and looking out at London life in the midst of doing tasks that are nonetheless important. But then it hit me: I do the same things at home and in Nashville and it doesn't make the place I'm in any less great. Sure, I should probably go explore when I have a completely free day. But sometimes it's nice to sit and watch your favorite Netflix shows and be at ease.

But come Monday, I have declared my free days as either adventure time or treat yo-self days. What I really mean is: exploring the museums and parks by myself in all of its glory or finding the best shopping/lunch places and taking myself on a date. WHY? Because, you know what. I am worth it and me time matters as much in Londontown as it would anywhere else.

BOOM BOOM SUPER BASS.

Title.

"You said that I'm a special kind of woman.

I'm loving what you got, 

but I'm hating what you doing."

-Meghan Trainor.

Pretty much I don't have much to say about my dull school day and this song has been keeping my attention for a solid 72 hours.

Break Up With Him.

"Hey girl, 'sup.

I know it's late, but I knew you'd pick it up.

Nah, I ain't drunk.

Okay, maybe I do have a little buzz."

-Old Dominion.

First, let me apologize for this. This song is ridiculous but has been stuck in my head for two weeks now. So that means it must be used at least once on here. I'm telling you, though: it's ridiculous.

But that's beside the point. Tonight brought me back to the pub life. Pub life is even better when it's sponsored by your school and they pretty much let you run up the tab for pints. And cider is 20x better here than anywhere on the planet. I promise you. 

We all gave a cheers to the two slam poets that joined us for the evening as well. Their flows were sick as ever and the rhymes...unstoppable.

School ain't too bad across the pond. I mean, I went from the classroom to the bar with all my classmates and my professors. This is the world we now live in.

Oh, and did I mention I HAVE A NANDO'S CARD NOW. (Choral singing in the background.) There goes all my food money...

Something Beautiful.

"In a daydream,

I couldn't live like this.

I wouldn't stop until I found

something beautiful."

-Needtobreathe.

Man oh man, Edinburgh set the bar at the highest level imaginable for trips to come. I don't think I've seen beauty like that in my life and it will be hard to live that one down. Wow. 

Let me tell you how deeply I love this new place. I cried TWICE due to being so happy by what I was seeing. TWICE, people. For only being there less than 48 hours, that's a lot of joy in one weekend. I still cannot even comprehend how lucky I am to have been able to view such beautiful sights Edinburgh had to offer. Like, I don't think I'll ever get over these intense emotions I hold for the Scottish city of the Lowlands.

Instead of continue my rant up here, I'll let the pictures paint a better picture while accompanying those thoughts with some words. Hopefully, I can make the land of green hills and bagpipes come alive...

I have climbed Malibu Hill and looked over the Pacific for miles. I have made it to the top of Runyon Canyon to see the veins of Los Angeles. But I have never seen quite a view like that which Arthur's Seat gave me. You have a panorama of beauty surrounding you from every single angle. There are grassy hills for miles and the water in the distance. Winds sweep your hair from your face as swift as your heart gets swept away by this place. (Should I mention this is one of the two places I broke down alone over my amazement? Alright,  I DID IT.)

When I thought of Scotland pre-trip, I thought of three things: kilts, haggis and bagpipes. Stereotype three proved! For all of day one, we could not escape the oddly, delightful sounds of this dude behind me. He was killin' the bagpiping game.

Point two of happy crying. This, my friends, is Calton Hill. A little less of a hike with an even more worth it view. To see the cobblestone-street city from a tall distance made me forget all about my immune system being on the brink of a cold (update: cough and fatigue have set in) and reminded me of how in awe I am of this world.

Hello, and welcome to our crib. Most people know it as either the coolest place on Earth or Edinburgh Castle. Nestled on the tippy-top of a hill over the little town it reigns upon, you can see the townhouses piled on top of each other and the streets that wind their way through every nook and cranny. But, in all seriousness, we live here. Or we want to, at least.

Even the random side streets and selfies made Edinburgh into the quaint city it is.

The face of a girl who was scared to death to try Scotch whisky and then died because of the alcohol content. I'm not kidding. Kelly has videos that prove how badly I took this stuff down. Scotland, I'm not trying to hate on you at all. But this is a DANGEROUS substance and I do not know how people consume this for fun. Not even to get drunk. No. Scotch whisky to me translates as beverage that burns your throat for an hour.

Because candids are great and sunshine is my favorite.

The inspiration behind Hogwarts aka I was fangirling and wanted to trespass.

The National Museum of Scotland. Making adults into kids again daily with its animal life displays and earth science. 

Does it ever drive you crazy just how fast the night changes...

(Of course I have to throw a One Direction reference into the post. How could I not?)

I may not be one to enjoy looking at plants, but this greenhouse in the Royal Botanical Gardens seemed worthy of a picture. I mean look at all the windows!

Hello Scottish Parliament. Thanks for taking my visit...I'll just be here waiting by the gate for you to let me in.

St. Giles Cathedral right here. We saw a traditional Scottish wedding in action and I stopped dead in my tracks over how gorgeous the bride looked. The minute she stepped out of that car and into the arms of her handsome husband, she became a showstopper dressed in white.

Another day, another cathedral. This one is St. Mary's and boy, is she a beaut! Stained glass windows and rustic charm galore.

HEAVEN IN A GLASS, NO JOKE. Thank you, Yelp, for finding us this five-star restaurant and allowing me to gain ten pounds off of this "chocolate honeycomb vesuvius" concoction. Bon appetit indeed.

EDINBURGH, YOU ARE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE.

Home Is Not Places.

"So take me somewhere I don't know

'cause home is not places.

It is love."

-The Apache Relay.

Tonight marks the first concert of (hopefully) many to come here in London. What's even more coincidental and rather ironic was the fact that we saw a Nashville-native band and met a woman who went to high school in Santa Barbara. Whoa, the world is definitely a tiny place. I'll tell you that.

The city felt super chill tonight and I'm not just talking about the below-freezing temperatures. It felt familiar, which despite all of my adoration for this place, has been quite lacking. 

Someone told me something profound the other day about living in a new place. She said she had learned this while studying in Belgium for a year as a teenager. She kept it in mind for future reference and that reference surely blew me away. She said:

"It's not good. It's not bad. It's just different."

She also went on to say that it's the best feeling in the world to be somewhere where you're completely uncomfortable and finally start to realize how normal things will soon feel. That's been the past three (or so) weeks here in London for me. I mean, it pretty much sums things up as a whole, I guess I could say. Culture shock has definitely been a thing, but I now know to keep in mind that everything is just different and I am just a student of the world at this point. 

And that is where the excitement is stored.

Oh yeah. We also went to Nando's tonight because I am in love with it and never want to leave it ever. So thankful for its bottomless mango frozen yogurt and specialty chips. YOU ROCK MY SOCKS OFF.

Good vibes.

Back to the show...

Buzzcut Season.

"And I'll never go home again.

Place the call, feel it start.

Favorite friend.

And nothing's wrong but nothing's true."

-Lorde.

Ain't no rest for the wicked.

After not being able to sleep through the night since pretty much I got here, I am now hitting exhaustion. More or less, I am a walking zombie. And despite voicing my problems of sleep and trying to get them fixed, it seems like a lost cause. So, cheers to more exhaustion and random sleep patterns. 

Anyways, the good news is: I went on a field trip today! Woooooo. My digital age class ventured to the National Science Museum to look at the history of the "Information Age." The best part of it all was the fact that many of the gadgets on display were phones I definitely had in my preteen life or old-fashioned televisions which literally are boxes with warped screens. 

The even better part of the field trip? FREE ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA WHILE HAVING CLASS DISCUSSIONS. Thank the Lord for Arcadia paying for everything. Nothing is cooler than sitting around in a cafe, pouring tea out of your own teapot and talking about your reflections on the exhibit. I mean, why can't college always be like that?! 

Man, school can be cool.

White Flag.

"Forgiveness is the chorus

of our rebel song

and we belong..."

-Dave Barnes.

Redcliffe Ladies Potluck was a success! After slaving away at our contribution (taco bar, anyone?), we made it in time to eat heaps of fried rice, pizza, pasta, chips and all the desserts you could ever ask for. You know, this flat is filled with rather different characters, but we all bring our own flavors to the table. We all make up this one somewhat cohesive unit that is pretty much dysfunctional and loud at all times of the day. 

It may be Tuesday, but I'm sure my Friday happiness has already started. In a good way, of course. As much as I am eager for the weekend to come (EDINBURGH, I SEE YOU), I can't wait to spend a few more days in the city of rain and royalty.

Let's do this thing.

Show You Off.

"You gotta boy feeling lucky.

Mmm, how you love me.

And you're making my heart go

(boom boom)."

-Dan & Shay.

Usually, people hate Mondays. But this semester, four day weekends are my reality and Mondays are prime. I literally did nothing today. Okay, wait. That's a bit of a lie. I did my reading homework, I bought my roommate a notebook, I called my family and watched about nine episodes of Friends. Productive day, am I right?

While I should maybe be applying to more internships or doing reading for future classes, it's nice to have a little break before the week transitions straight into schoolwork. Maybe I should explore the museums or the city by myself, but I hate to admit that I'm a homebody and watching TV is one of my favorite activities. 

So, here we go with week two of trying to be as studious as possible while maintaining a healthy balance of chill time. Because nothing beats Mondays like these.

Nashville Without You.

"It'd be just another river town.

Streets would have a different sound."

-Tim McGraw.

Well, Kelly and I have the country music blaring and it's official: we are definitely missing Nashville. By no means do we love London less, but Fido and friends are calling our names.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think I miss my home away from home because of the memories and the comfort of the city. I got used to it, even if I pretend to think it's overrated. Nashville is the latest home in my life development and it's amazing in every aspect of the word. Reminder again: I still am in love with London, but Nashville is my rock as of late.

Between Snapchats of iced coffees or Facetiming with pals from the South, it's hard not to long for Music City. Sure, I'll be back next fall but it's become a norm that I'm totally used to and am adjusting out of at the moment.

I guess I just find myself as a reminiscent soul. I don't live in the past, but I sure do love on the past. Memories can define a person and make them greater and I'm a huge advocate for that statement in my life.

Nashville is putting up some stiff competition and London better be ready to pack itself a major punch.

Don't Speak.

"There's a lot that you don't notice

when you read between the lines.

The future's out of focus

when you're blinded by the light."

-Jonas Brothers.

I swear, I'm turning into a U.K. citizen. Even a little bit of the accent has been put into my tone and a legitimate British person told me I used the right slang. AH.

To prove this fact even more so, I went to afternoon tea with scones and champagne on the side, viewed the Crown Jewels and attended a rugby match at Twickenham. WHAT EVEN IS THIS LIFE I'M LIVING.

Despite the morning sleet storm and the numbness flowing throughout my entire body from the freezing cold night, I still am in love with this place and will be forevermore.

Goodness gracious, London, you have a hold on me.

(Cue the sounds of beautiful choirs.) THE CROWN JEWELS.

Oh, hey there Tower Bridge. Been a long time, eh?

I don't even understand this sport, but who cares IT'S GREAT.

Tea for two and two for tea.

People died here and it's creepy but awesome.

#fundon

Yay for friends and random British guards who like to chill.

In Da Club.

"Go, shawty.

It's your birthday.

And we gonna party

like it's your birthday."

-50 Cent.

In da club...more like in da pub.

To celebrate Kelly's big 21, we decided to pretend we were in our 30s. Not like we did anything boring, but let's just say that the business professionals are where the best mac and cheese is at. Leicester Square added enough chaos for a night (at least in my eyes) and after being rather indecisive, we ended up in a local borough pub per usual.

While this night seemed more on the calm side of things, I feel as if it was the best mix of food, booze and laughs. I like the low-key things in life and even though it's not my special day, I hope Kelly feels the same way with her night as well. Because trust me, I am not the life of the party whatsoever. Try kid in the corner who just wants to look at Twitter jokes and stuff like that.

CHEERS.

One Black Sheep.

"Lord know I'm not home.

But I'm on my way..."

-Mat Kearney.

If there is anything Nashville has taught me, it's these things:

1) Nothing can replace horrible or burnt coffee. I'm talking to you, Starbucks. Quality coffee is so worth it and I do not care how much it costs. 

2) Music by actual singer/songwriters is organically produced and some of the best stuff you could ever come across. Experimental sounds mix together with simplistic voices for the greatest blend.

Relating to the latter portion of that, I'm obsessed with new music. It's a whole new realm of listening, almost like a new horizon I'm coming across. I cannot describe how cool it is to start listening to a new song. Especially when that song comes from a man such as Mat Kearney. 

Everything I've heard so far off his soon-to-be record, Just Kids, sounds like some of the raddest stuff coming out of Nashville. It's too incredible to describe. Here, just listen to this one.

Meant To Be.

"It's a new view, babe.

But it's the same air."

-Parachute.

We got to go to the London 2012 Olympic Park. Emphasis on OLYMPIC PARK.

Think about school. Think about sitting in class taking notes. Think about tests and reading and assignments. Okay, now think again. I spent my first day of class walking where the athletes of the 2012 Summer Games were. For lecture, we went to the facility where Michael Phelps made history. My teacher encouraged us to take pictures under the Five Famous Rings. Hello, study abroad college classes!

I don't even care that half the time, it was raining and windy as sin. It was amazing to be in the atmosphere as those athletes were a couple years back. 

If every course is like that one while I'm in London, then sign me up for everything. Regardless of requirements and syllabus.

Always knew I would be going to the Olympics one day...(lol not)

Someone jumped this length in the long jump. Let me repeat: IN THE LONG JUMP.

Am I Jessica Ennis yet? What about Missy Franklin?

Cue the Olympic theme music.

London clouds are legendary.