London Day 2

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Rickmansworth, London, Coventry, England

10:14am Get out of bed

11:30am With all our luggage on our backs and in our hands we say boodbye to our wonderful host Leah and head to the tube station

12:36pm Arrive at Victoria Coach Station. Left Luggage at the Left Luggage desk to make it easier to see more of London

1:12pm Saw Buckingham Palace and Victoria Fountain

1:30pm Reach Hyde Park to check out the winter wonderland

2:08pm Sat down for a snack break. The squirrels and pigeons moved in.

2:11pm While Lynette was getting ready to take a picture of a squirrel that was about to jump on my lap, another squirrel scurried up her leg! Unbelievable!

2:48pm Head into a little restaurant to warm up a bit and to figure out where we wanted to head to next

5:10pm Arrive back to Victoria Coach Station to wait for the bus to Coventry after going to the Tower Bridge. While we were there we found a German Market bought some candy and bratwurst. As we were crossing back over to the north side of the river, a boat wanted to cross under the bridge. We stopped and waited as the bridge was drawn up.

5:20pm Whipped out Mark’s Christmas present Blokus and started to play as we waited for the bus.

6:10pm At this point we are supposed to be sitting on a bus but it has yet to arrive. The room kept getting smaller and smaller.

8:25pm I can’t remember when we actually started moving but right now we have stopped.

8:32pm It seems at this point we await a new bus driver

8:37pm The bus starts moving again….with the same driver.

9:25pm Mark and Dad pick us up. The bus was only 35 minutes late. Hey but it only cost 5 pounds.

9:51pm Arrive at Hilary and Mark’s. Unpack all Christmas gifts and wrap them.

11:10pm Find sleep in the pull out in the dining room.

London Day 1

December 18, 2007 Rickmansworth, London, England

9:17am Awake to start our day of sightseeing

11:18am After walking to the train station, Lynette, Leah and I hop on to the train to central London. First stop, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum




12:01pm Arrive at the Museum and receive that VIP treatment thanks to Mark Sephton my dear brother-in-law. No questions asked just the wave on through including at the Chamber of Horrors: Serial Killers.

Definition: A chamber of a cellblock pathway where freaky actors leap out at you from dark corners getting so close you can almost feel them but they never do touch you (in theory). It was one of the most hilarious experiences in a very creepy way. When put in the right context, it is amazing what a puff of air across the legs can do!

1:16pm Make our way to Camden Market

3:47pm After walking through the markets and having some lunch, we head back to the tube to move further into the city for some of the famous sights. First stop the London Eye.

6:00pm Again thanks to the great Mark Sephton we were able to get the VIP treatment on the London Eye giving us a great view of London at dusk. After seeing Big Ben, the Parliament Building, and Westminster Abbey; we decided that we needed to see a show while we were in town. We purchased our tickets to see Lord of the Rings at the Leicester Square station and decided to find a quaint café’ to seek some shelter from the cold and take a break before the show.

7:20pm Arrive at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. After finding our seats I try to take a picture of the truly amazing set but get yelled at. I made one more attempt with Leah being used as a screen and complete strangers acting as the diversion. The dark picture is the best I could do. (The other picture I got from their web site)

7:30pm Lord of the Rings begins

10:30pm This Absolutely, Amazing, Spectacular show comings to an end. To try and describe the last three hours would be too hard of a task for me to even attempt. Astonishing!

10:47pm Tube Station Spiral Staircase of death…well maybe not death but definitely motion sickness. It just kept going and going. I now understand why everyone was waiting to use the lift.

11:10pm Human “Sub” Sandwich

11:13pm Thought the first ride was tight. 2nd one, add the jam

11:16pm Break free from the human trap. Catch train back to Rickmansworth.

2:07am After another late night chat with Leah, we head to bed

The Day of Travel

Monday, December 17, 2007 Chicago, IL
5:25am Alarm goes off. Lynette and I crawl out of bed to load up the car.

6:01am Mr. Jim Folkerts (Lynette’s housemate’s dad) starts the caravan to the airport

7:08am No problems going through security. Lynette enters airport mode. Walking speed 4.3mph. If only the crowds would part.

7:11am Reach gate L8. Peel off layers due to brisk walk.
Note: I am wearing several layers due to the lack of space in my bag because of the mass amount of Christmas presents/supplies for the family

9:53am After a few delays we are now sitting o n the airplane ready to take off.
Special Note: the flight times chosen thus far have been pretty good when it comes to the amount of people on the planes
TUL-ORD = 28 total including crew
ORD-LHR= 83 on a Boeing 777. Granted this is just a guess, but it really does look that empty

10:10am Make it into the air. We are on our way to LONDON! Wahoo!!

12:46pm After enjoying the trans Atlantic mid morning “snack” and the first movie of the journey, Lynette has a breakthrough. Although this is her third trans Atlantic flight she has now found the benefits of waling around on a plane while it is in the air. Correction: this is the first time EVER that Lynette has walked around on an in-flight aircraft and she has just as many flight hours as I do. UNBELIEVIBLE! Okay…. She might not have as may air miles as I do but it is pretty close
----------------------- Time Change ----------+ 6 hours---------------------------------------

11:10pm Plane lands in London

11:28pm Lynette finally receives much needed relief as she finds the first toilet in the airport. As mention previously, Lynette had never walked around on a plane that was in-flight so that means she has also never used a plane lavatory. The ladder is something that she is determined to keep true. We’ll see how long that lasts.

11:34pm Enter line for customs

11:37pm Pass through customs

11:38pm As we approach the baggage clam, Lynette sees my bag moving down the belt. She runs to grab it

11:40pm Lynette’s bag comes out of the shoot.

11:43pm After traveling through the maze that is known as London Heathrow, we finally make it to the main exit area keeping an eye open for the signs to the bus station to begin the journey to my friend Leah Miller’s house for the first two nights.

11:44pm Hear someone yell “Hey”. Turn to see Leah Miller there to pick us up! Such a wonderful surprise.

12:07am The cab arrives at Leah’s house

2:52am After a fabulous time of catching up with my old-time SCLE friend, we get ready for bed

Christmas 2007 Preface

December 16th, 2007

With much anticipation, I board a plane in Tulsa, OK heading to Chicago. This is the beginning of Christmas vacation 2007. I plan to keep a detailed journal so that the Westbrook Times readers will be able to journey with me.

The Plan:

Dec. 16th - Fly from Tulsa to Chicago. Pickup Lynette
Dec. 17th - Fly from Chicago to London. Meet up with Leah Miller
Dec. 18th - Enjoy the sights and sounds of London
Dec. 19th - Head up to my sister's in Coventry, England to spend Christmas with my family
Dec. 28th - Head back to London to catch a flight to Hamburg, Germany
Dec. 31th - Fly back to London to catch a flight back to Chicago and then Tulsa
Jan 1st - Wake up in my bed in Arkansas

Let the adventure begin!

Hang Your Stockings by the Chimney with Care

Decemeber 9, 2007

Need a place to hang your stockings this Christmas? Simple Solution…Make a fireplace. Supplies: Cardboard, paint, brushes, paper, tape and carpet stain remover (just in case you paint more than the cardboard like I did).
Fun for all ages! You will be the talk of the town (or the office in my case especially if you have a roommate that has a big mouth. Although, it was her idea to make it in the first place.)

Little Money on the Side

Novemeber 5, 2007

Well, my co-worker and splendid friend Dusty got engaged in late October. Although there were many other options for him when it came to finding someone to take his engagement pictures, he decided to ask me. I admit I was a little apprehensive at first. To start with, I am not a big fan of taking pictures of people (I will spare you the reasons why). But, because I work with him I thought it was the least I could do. So this past weekend I met Dusty and Angela in Fayetteville, and we headed to the U of A campus. It was the perfect day for with all of the leaves at their peak in color.

All in all they were happy with the results and I officially had my first paying gig.I got to use my major after all! I even got to climb a tree to get some pictures from a different angle. It helps taking pictures of someone you work with. Below are some of the pictures. I had a little photoshop fun with a couple of them.

The Jens, the Hogs, and Me

November 4, 2007

"Go Hogs Go!" I can't even count the number of times I said those three little words this weekend. If you need to know one thing about Northwest Arkansas, know that it is filled with University of Arkansas Razorback fans and they are loud and proud. This weekend I found myself in the midst of it all.

It all started with a call from my roommate Jenny who had 4 tickets to the Razorback men's basketball game and was having trouble finding people to go. Having been in Arkansas for two years now I thought it was time to step it up and expand my horizons.

By game time Jenny found two other people to come with us, Jen and Jennifer. During the game, Jennifer (one of those fans I mentioned above) began to teach us the many lessons of what it means to be a true Razorback fan which included learning all the cheers. (All the Jens pictured above)

That lesson was only the beginning for me. After seeing the Hogs hammer West Florida with a final score of 117 to 43. Jennifer asked me if I would like to join her the following evening for a Razorback Football game. How could I pass up an invitation like that. Little did I know what I was in for....

I would say that I am pretty familiar with football. I went to all the games in High School. I understand what is happening. I even know some of the signals that the referees give. That is pretty good considering the University I graduated from didn't have a football team.

I have watch countless football games on TV put that really didn't prepare me for this live experience. This was the last home game of the season, so the stadium was packed with over 70,000 people full of Razorback team spirit. With Jennifer, the hard core fan that she is, sitting ( I should say standing) on my left and a pregnant lady with a high pitched yelling voice on my right; the excitement became contagious as the Hogs had a 21 to 3 lead over South Carolina by the end of the first quarter.

By then I was among the many that called the Hogs several times, shouted "Pig Souie" (can't say I ever yelled that before), and was programed to respond "First down" when the announcer said, "and that makes it a Razorback". And of course no cheer education would be complete without doing all the motions.

As the game went on, their were brief moments when the fans got a little ugly. It was a tight game so every mistake had the potential of being costly. In the end the Hogs held for a 48 - 36 win lead by Darren McFadden rushing 323 yards and Felix Jones rushing 174 yards.

Even though my right ear drum felt like it was beaten to a pulp, all in all it was a great, Hog filled experience. I am by no means a sold out fan, but I find that I have a little better view of why some people are.

A Big thanks to Chuck and Jennifer for sharing their season tickets and making this experience possible.

Happy Halloween

October 31, 2007

Halloween is one of those occasions where kids that are already cute get the chance to dress up and somehow become even more adorable. This year was no exception. A few children of some of the people at work came into the office to fill their buckets with candy and pose for all the adults wanting to get a picture of a priceless moment. Among the ones that I saw were a ladybug (I have to say, she was so cute) and Larry Boy. The picture really does say it all!

Where has the Time Gone!

October 13, 2007

Yup, that's right. I have been at the Soderquist Center for 2 years today! That is 104 weeks or 730 days. You can choose whichever sounds more impressive. ;)

The Winner

August 27, 2007

The judges would like to thank all of you that voted in the Lois photo contest. Many votes were submitted. For a while, it was hard to see what photo would come out on top. After much thought and consideration by our readers and our judges, the winning photo is #1. Congratulations Heather Westbrook for submitting the winning photo. Our winning photographer will get to enjoy an all expense paid trip to England during the Christmas holiday. Congratulations Heather!

If you would like to learn more about the Life of Lois Sephton please click here or click on the link to the right that says Little Lois. She now has her own blog so that all of her friends and family from around the world can watch her grow.

Special Editors note:

If you were confused at all by the Lois Photo Contest please let me enlighten you by saying that all photos were submitted by Heather Westbrook ( the creator of Westbrook Times) who is indeed going to England for Christmas. The Trip is being sponsored by the Westbrook Times because Heather is in fact the Westbrook Times so she will be paying for herself to go (unless someone out there would really like to sponsor her trip which she would have no problem with :). All in all, the “contest” was a fun way get readers involved and to see what pictures people liked best. So thank you to all that “voted”.

Position Filled

August 6, 2007















After Laura's departure, I was suddenly in need of a new roommate. Prior to Laura's move, I had someone that was going to live with me during the week in July and the first part of August. Originally, Laura was going to Louisiana for the summer and coming back in the fall for another semester at JBU. So I found myself in need of a new roommate for the fall.

I wasn't too worried at first. The beginning of the semester was months away. JBU has a great Grad program, so I was sure that there would be some grad student that would need housing at the last minute. Days began flying by, and still nothing was working out.

On July 26th, an announcement was made at work that one of the new Soda Fellows would no longer be coming and that they were going back through the applicants to see who could fill the empty spot. I perked up at the news hoping (selfishly) that 1. the new person would be a female 2. that she would not be married and 3. that she would need a prime piece of real estate at short notice.

On July 27th I found out that all three of my hopes were true. July 28th, the roommate position was filled. And on August 4th, Jenny Byham moved in.

I am just a small piece of how everything work out for Jenny to be here. Her story is a great testimony of God's hand at work. I guess for me, since moving here to Siloam, I am making up for having one roommate during college. I have lived here almost 2 years and this is my fourth roommate. It is a good thing I like change.

The Lois Photo Contest

The long awaited moment has arrived and it is time for the voting to begin. The judges have picked the best out of half dozens of entries. Now it is your job to pick which photographer will win the grand prize: A trip to England sponsored by The Westbrook Times! Here is how you can help. All you have to do is pick which picture you like the best and send in your vote through the comments at the bottom of this post or via email. It is that easy. With your help you can send one lucky photographer on a trip to England. Place your vote today!

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The Sephton Family Visit

June 30 - July 11, 2007

Here are a few pictures from my trip to see the new addition to the family. It was a very relaxing trip and I had a little bonding time with my niece. Memories to highlight:

• Dancing in the kitchen with Lois to "All I Ask of You" from the Phantom of the Opera,



• Getting Lois to Smile (more than once!),



• Letting Hilary and Mark convince me to try a Twister (very, very refreshing),



• Helping Hilary and Mark's friends Gordon and Beth move (seems to be a staple in my holidays),



• Hearing Hilary say "Where are you now?" every time she found me reading The Woman in White (a book she recommended),



• Going out to Coombe Abbey one of the two days the sun was out.



• Going to a Lord of the Rings DVD Trivia night hosted by Mark's sister Jeni and actually getting some of the questions right tying for last place with all of the rest of the teams that didn't win.

Hilary's friend Crystal from High school was also over visiting for a few days. I think that is the closest I will ever get to a paparazzi looking shot.
Mark made a lovely daisy chain for his daughter while we were at Coombe Abbey

Mark catching an alligator in their garden that managed to escape from the neighbors pool

Little Lois

As a little update, the Sephton family is doing well. Lois is having no problems gaining weight, Hilary is recovering well, and Mark is showing off his daughter with great pride.

As you can only imagine, having only one niece means that she will be getting a lot of attention. I am afraid that much of that attention will be reflected here at the Westbrook Times. You can’t really blame me though. If you received a picture of a baby as cute as Lois you would want to show others too. There will be more to come. I can guarantee it. Especially since I will be meeting Lois in person the first week of July. I can't wait!

The Laura Shank Tribute

June 10, 2007
Having a roommate like Laura Shank can only keep life interesting. Sometimes it is hard to know why a person comes into your life for such a short period of time. But, I am happy to say that I have enjoyed the past year living with Laura. I honestly didn’t know how it was going to be when we made our living arrangement. I had only been in contact with Laura a few times. But it seemed back then that circumstances were in our favor.

Now Laura is entering another stage of life. She has moved on to San Francisco to be married late this summer. This was a surprise in some ways, but expected in other ways. All in all I am very happy for her and I am excited to see what else the future holds for her.

The Laura Shank I will always remember:

• Hearing whole musicals being sung while she was in the shower
• The hours I would distract her from doing her homework
• Hearing the fake cry
• Hearing the laugh immediately following the fake cry
• The Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Comparison Project
• Sonic runs
• The Charlotte Church impression
• The Easter egg hunt
• Fresh baked cookies
• Noticing how opposite we are and yet seeing the value in that
• Walking through the cemetery at night to go to the Gathering
• The Dog Episodes
• The Bird Episode
• The Spider Episode
• The spontaneous “study” parties
• The diet that will start on Monday
• The late night talks about our emotional adventures
• The fashion dilemmas
• Helping her with her lines for the play "I'm cold"
• Fun times with Jordan and Sandi and Twila
• The Office and Arrested Development