Happy Birthday to Me! :]

Wednesday March 10th- Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest. ~Larry Lorenzoni :] Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear me! Happy birthday to me!! (The American birthday song is a little bit lame, o well! It still makes me excited when I hear it!) Today was my time to celebrate the 19th anniversary of me gracing the Earth with my presence, and what a day it was!
All of the universe seemed to want me to have an amazing birthday and it was pretty spectacular. As my day was on a Wednesday, there was a class day trip (field trip.) The trip this week was an everything Jane Austen day! Couldn't have asked for a better day trip :]

The first stop was to Stourhead Gardens. If you are not able to tell from the pictures below, this is one of the locations that the movie "Pride and Prejudice" with Kira Knightly was filmed.


This is me at the entrance of the lake walk. The bridge behind me is in the "Pride and Prejudice" movie. After seeing Mr. Darcy at Lady Catherine's house, Elizabeth is confused and runs in the rain across it. Also in the background is the temple of Hercules.






This is me in front of the temple of Hercules. The whole garden is modeled to depict the myth of Hercules' twelve labors. These are 12 tasks he performs when choosing virtue over vice or instant gratification. The hike to the temple of Virtue, also called the temple of Apollo, is meant to depict his struggles up the hard yet rewarding trail to virtue and god-hood.






This steep (only a little steep), treacherous (has low hanging, watch your head!), and zig-zag place is the entrance to the trail of virtue hike.






This is the temple of Virtue/Apollo. If you don't recognize it you can not be considered a 'Pride and Prejudice" fan. This is the place where Mr.Darcy extends an offer of marriage to Elizabeth (int the 2005 remake). This is what it looks like normally.





And this is the temple that we saw. The biggest downer of this whole trip is scaffolding. It is covering every interesting building as the country prepares for tourist season and the Olympics which will be here in 2 years. It was really a bummer that we could not go and reenact the scene from the movie like we had planned. This is Anne, Kira, Sarah, me and Brittany mourning the fact that we will not be approached by our Mr. Darcy here.







While I did not find my real Mr. Darcy here, my friend Cam and I did pose together as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth here. Would have been better had the scaffolding not been there and had we not worn large coats but it's as close as we could make it so it's good :]







Kellen and me on the bridge Elizabeth runs across to get to the temple of Apollo with the temple of Hercules in the background. I am glad there was sunshine for us unlike the rain she ran through. It was so pretty here, just imagine it in the spring time.

Next stop on my birthday day trip is Jane Austen's final house in Chawton.

No biggie, I mean we only drove past Stonehenge today on the way from the Stourhead Gardens on our way to Chawton. Just a normal day in the life of Kalyn.







I was so excited to go to Jane Austen's house that I could hardly keep it in!










I went in Jane Austen's bedroom! Sometimes I wonder why the English Government bothers to pay the upkeep for so many literary figure's old houses when selling the houses would be so much more convenient, but then I remember how exhilarating it is to stand in the same room your favorite author did, touch the things she touched, see the things she saw, and I am so grateful that they do keep the house open for visitors.







These two pictures are of me reading an Austen book at the house they were written at. In the garden outside Jane's bedroom I am reading a 'Pride and Prejudice' picture book that I got for free (happy birthday to me!) and in front of the house I am reading what may be my favorite book of hers, it definitely has my favorite male hero and the female heroine that I relate to the most out of all literary characters, 'Emma.'










Our last stop as a class of the day was Winchester Cathedral, which is where Jane Austen died and is buried. it is a beautiful cathedral but the best part was being able to hear the choir practice for Sunday's meeting, they were amazing.







Me by Jane's grave! This is actually a plaque commemorating her, her real grave is on the floor below it but I thought that laying on the ground next to her grave to take a picture was a little irreverent.







After the cathedral, my roommates and I and a few other people went to have my birthday dinner at my favorite restaurant, Nando's! (If you come to London, you must go to Nando's and get a chicken breast sandwich with pineapple and the extra hot sauce. Best thing ever.) The tables were not big enough to hold us all so here is one picture with Me, Mary, and Margret and another with Alyssa, Sarah Marshall, me, Reesa, and Rachel. Sarah Shepherd is taking the pictures. I love all my roommates, thanks for celebrating with me girls!


















To top off a practically perfect birthday, my roommates also bought me cake and flowers and threw a little party for me :] This is me taking my first bite of birthday cake which was topped by the Cinderella candle my mom sent me in my birthday package (thanks family!) And thanks again to my awesome roomies! I love you girls! Thanks for making my day so special everyone :] Have a great day! You know I will :]