Kristen D.

As for me, highlights of the past five years would probably be my mission to Taiwan as number one, that was a pretty good time. I actually loved my time there and miss it a lot. I worked at the MTC for six months last year when I got home, which was also both pretty funny and the best job I've ever had. I have graduated from BYU (just a few months ago) in sociology and am moving to DC next week to go to school at George Washington University with a masters in public administration and the non-profit management emphasis. I'm debating on if I want to get a full or part time job while I'm there.

Right now I'm in Japan visiting my parents who are mission presidents in Sapporo and it's been great seeing them take on that role and really funny for me trying to remember Japanese. My listening is doing fine, but when I respond to people I throw in quite a few Chinese words here and there, which understandably causes confusion. My little sister Lauren is in the MTC learning Cantonese and heading to Hong Kong in three months. So, I guess we love both missions and Asia in my family.

I've done a few cool internships recently. I was in Huntington Beach last summer with a non-profit Corazon de Vida that does orphanage work in Mexico. I also did a quick stint with the international rescue committee (they work with refugees that come into America) and volunteered with my family with Amigos for Honduras a few months ago in Honduras.

Pretty much while I'm still relatively unattached my life has been run by working and saving enough to travel. So, it's working out well so far until I actually need to grow up.

I feel like the Provo chapter of my life has expired so I'm really excited to road trip and start a new adventure in DC (and of course to re-connect with all the London crew that is out there!)

Thanks Heidi for doing this!

I'm on facebook and my not-so-exciting blog is http://kristenjoysworld.blogspot.com (Linds peer-pressured me into making one). Miss you all!

Dainan

First, let me congratulate you all on your great success stories.

As Leslie posted last year, I got married to a beautiful woman named Romney. We met in Hawaii in the University Singles Branch. We wanted to get married here, but seeing how many family members are on the mainland, we decided Utah. She is from California but has family in the Salt Lake Valley. My family is from Idaho. We figured that Utah would be a good mid-point.

We are currently living in Honolulu. I've finished my Masters and am an archivist at the Hawaii State Archives. Romney is finishing her Masters degree in Social Work and should be done this May. We don't know if we will stay here or move back to the mainland. It's atrociously expensive here. I guess we have to pay the price to live in paradise!

We wish you all continued success and lots of happiness. As I posted before, here is our blogspot: http://dainanskeem.blogspot.com
Dainan

Danielle

It is so good to hear from everyone!! I didn't know people were still updating and it makes me so happy. I will have to check the blog more often. Dan, Olivia and I have been in Boise for the summer for an internship. Dan has one semester left at USU then we will head back to Boise where he will work full time for the company he interned with. He is then going to be studying for the CFA exams so that will be an adventure. Olivia is doing well, we are having so much fun with her. She is 13 months now!!! Where does the time go? She is not walking yet but she is on her way. We just love playing with her and she is such a happy little girl. She has a blog as well if anyone wants to check it out, ollywalker.blogspot.com, I also put info about Dan and I on it. As for me I am doing the mom thing right now but once we get settled I am going to get my masters in finance. I have to admit I am a nerd and I am really looking forward to going back to school!! Whenever I think about London it still puts a huge smile on my face.

Leslie

It is so exciting to hear about what everyone has been up to! As for me, I have 2 more semesters and then I will have my MFA in costume design!!! My mom wants to celebrate the occasion with a trip to London. I am crossing my fingers. :) I am attaching a couple of pictures. Last Halloween I had the opportunity to play Mary Poppin's in Utah State theatre's annual Halloween show. I drew this sketch of the characters in the show and it was used as the program cover! Totally funny! Also, this past April I took a costume design to a competition called KCACTF (Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival) and took third place in our region. (pictured are my display boards). AND at the beginning of the summer, I had the completely random opportunity to design costumes for "White Star" which is the sequel to Saturday's Warrior! I sent some of you this link before but if you didn't get a chance to see it, here is the address: http://www.ldsmusical.com. OH! And in May, my roommate and I went to DC and had the pleasure of meeting up with Kim, Erin, and Kelli. Those are a few highlights. I have the absolute highest respect for our 2003 study abroad program. We had a fantastic group!

Ryan

Here is our little update, and our blog is at www.stodtmeister.blogspot.com.

Hey gang. Whitney and I have been living it up in New York City for the past two years, but in a mere 15 days we are packing up a truck and moving back west to sunny Santa Barbara, where I'll do the PhD thing at UCSB (yes, I am still on the quest to fulfill my destiny as the next Phil Snyder) and Whit will hopefully secure very lucrative employment. We are totally stoked to be moving back west but have mixed feelings about leaving New York. We've definitely had a love hate relationship with the Big Apple. Hope everyone is well. The pics are of our trip to London last spring. It made me feel really old to see the BYU students at the center.

Best,
Ryan Stodtmeister

Diana

I still can't believe it has been that long! It's great to catch up with everyone!


I just realized that I never sent an update the first time. Sorry about that. Well, it's crazy to think it has been so long, but it's great to see what everyone is doing. I met my husband, Girard, in December 2005, when he sold me a coat at Banana Republic. We got married a little over a year later and have been living in Utah since then. Other than a few trips to visit his family in Baltimore and a couple of other lovely little vacations, we've mostly just been working and going to school. I convinced him to stay in Utah for another few years so I can attend BYU law school beginning in a couple of weeks. So life is going great for us! Hopefully I'll still feel that way when school starts. :-) It's great to hear from all of you.

All the best,

Diana

Marshalls

Photo Courtesy of Leslie

Yes it’s been 5 years and in the mean time David Randall retired from BYU and just last month so did I. Maybe you could use this impressive blog to get the word out that Janice is having a “surprise” retirement evening on Mon Aug 25 from 7-9 at the Springville Museum of art. We would love to see any that can find themselves there. We tried to have it at the London Center but.... Our best to all of you, and thank you for the life updates.

Cheers, the Marshalls

Erin O.

Hey London-ites

It's good to read the updates and see what everyone has been up to these past few years.

My husband, Jimmy, and I moved to the Dallas area last August where he is just beginning his second year of medical school at UT Southwestern. It has been a big adjustment being away from the fam and friends in Utah, but we are enjoying what being away has brought to our family. We have made good friends and are learning to extend ourselves more and more. Dallas has great night life, restaurants and shopping all of which we mostly avoid due to our circumstances in life right now, but we do enjoy the people and area. Our ward is great, and we would be lost without the church.

Our biggest addition in the past year was the arrival of our daughter, Hannah, born last December. She continues to enrich our lives more than we thought possible. Being a mom seems to suit me well and I really am enjoying what I'm doing.

I hope all is well for everyone from our group and that you are happy at whatever you are doing. If you want to keep tabs on us, you can check in at www.ejshaha.blogspot.com.

Erin O.

Kim

This photo was taken in the spring at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Erin, Kelli and I spent a lovely spring day enjoying the blossoms. I'll send a more thorough update soon....

Best,
Kim

Alexis

So. Almost five years since London. Does it seem longer than that to anyone else?

Last August Gabe and I left the Prov and moved back to Las Vegas for a good/cheap housing opportunity and to be close to family. Certainly the most exciting thing to happen in our house in the last two years was the birth of our son just this past April. Heidi and I almost had twin Maxes because Max was one of our top name choices, but we decided we couldn't give our son the same name as my father-in-law's dog. So, we named him Theodore after my great-great-great-great grandfather (Ted Williams and Theo Epstein of the Boston Red Sox didn't hurt in Daddy's eyes). We call him Theo, and we think he's pretty cute.

Other than that, I FINALLY finished my thesis and will graduate with my English MA in a few weeks (Thank you Phil!). Right now I am a full-time momma looking for a part-time teaching gig. Gabe is working very hard as a store manager/new EQP/new Dad and is applying to MBA programs this year.

Can't wait to see what all of you are up to. You can blogstalk me at: lexoncabbagesandkings.blogspot.com.

Kristen L.

I honestly can't believe it's been five years since London. It feels like just yesterday. Sigh.

I'm not sure a whole lot has changed since my last update, but here goes: My husband Jason and I are living in Portland, OR while Jason gets his doctorate in Physical Therapy. He will graduate next May (finally!) and then who knows where we'll be! We've loved exploring and getting to know our new home and we're hoping to stay put for the long haul. I'm still working at Nike, just plugging away for our little family, which now includes a Mini Schnauzer named Fritz. One highlight of the last year was going to Las Vegas in March where I met up with Caroline and Lisa for an impromptu girl's weekend/baby shower for Lex. Now if only we could meet in London next time! (Girls, forgive me for this picture...) I've just started a blog, so if anyone would like to keep in touch, visit me at pdxgoughs.blogspot.com.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Love Kristen

Heidi

Hello London peeps-

Since the last update, I continued to work full time at the newspaper and enjoyed living in the Reno-Tahoe area. Last month we moved to Las Vegas where my husband is completing his third and fourth year of medical school through the University of Nevada (years one and two were in Reno). We are still adjusting to the heat!

My biggest news is that in April we added a baby boy to our family. His name is Max and he is the sweetest thing we have ever experienced! He was actually born on my birthday- what are the chances? Being in labor on one's birthday is not the most fun thing but the outcome was such a thrill. I am now loving staying home with Max and also doing some freelance work online for my former employer. Life is good. I miss London and think of our time there frequently. In December I met up with Lindsey and Jen for lunch in Sacramento. Linds was in the states for the holidays. It was a nice afternoon. I also see Abby frequently on my visits to Utah. Someday we need to plan a reunion in London! I hope to hear from you all soon!

-Heidi

Visiting Back East

I visited kimi and erin in DC a few weeks ago. We had a grand time! This is a photo of us at the Maryland State House in Annapolis.

Love Leslie

Carly and Steve

The wedding was on June 5th at the Salt Lake Temple.

Dainan's wedding

Dainan got married in Utah to a beautiful, sweet girl named Romney!

Love Les

Danielle's baby girl

This is our new little girl Olivia Bailey Walker! She was born on Friday, July 6, 2007 at 7:44 am. She was 7 pounds 8 ounces and 19 inches long. I think she is the cutest thing ever, but I may be a little biased. Dan and I are so excited to get to know her better every day. We love her so much already.

-Danielle

Caroline's married!

This past spring Caroline tied the knot!

Leilani's second!

Hey Londoners! Just wanted to tell you about little William Arthur. He was born on Sunday, June 17th at 9:30 AM. He was 9 pounds, 2 ounces and 20 and 1/2 inches long. This is a picture of him with his older brother, Bryant, who just turned 2. Hope you're all doing well!
-Leilani

Marianne

So, the big news of this summer is . . . I'm going BACK TO ENGLAND! That's right, although I'm not going to London, I'm going back to the Motherland. I'll be in Cambridge at Cambridge University for two months (July thru August) for a research program. I'll be studying European Art and Politics as well as 17th Century Lit. I'm excited and a little nervous. The program is supposed to be rigorous, but also very helpful in preparing for a post-graduate degree in the UK, which is what I'm aiming for. I'll come back in September (after school has started. . .) and teach Jr. High English in American Fork, UT while applying for grad schools and taking the GRE. Sound like fun? Oh, it gets better. I'm also running my FIRST marathon (26.2 baby!) two weeks after getting home. I hope I live through the summer. Anyway, I love you all and hope things are going well. Also, look for some great pictures of our London reunion in D.C this summer. Megan R., Kim M., Erin U., and I met up in old Alexandria for a little N'Oleans cookin'. It was so fun. Have a GREAT summer. I'll give an update when and if I survive this next European jaunt. Ciao!

-Marianne

mini reunion back east

Marianne Lind and Megan Reese visited the area last week. Erin Urry and I met up with them and spent a lovely evening together in Old Towne Alexandria.

-Kim