If anyone would find a beach in England it'd be me

Yes, the heading on that is correct. Thousands of miles away from the warm sunshine of Los Angeles, California I found a beach. London has been abnormally warm this past week and I have more than taken advantage of it. The temperature has been in the high 70's to 80's this entire week/weekend which apparently has not happened this time of year since approximately 1885. I did not make that up, I read it in the paper. Now I originally found out about the beaches in England when telling a new friend out here that I wish I could go to a beach on a beautiful day like this. She mentioned that Brighton is the place to go for the beach experience. I was able to meet up with one of my friends from LMU and after spending oooo about an hour and a half figuring out what tubes/trains/etc...to take to get there we began our journey! A quick one hour train ride later we arrived in Brighton...along with 3838960 other people anxious to enjoy the beautiful weather at the beach as well! hahaha but that is ok, I had sunshine and ocean and I was excited. Now the really funny part about this beach is that it isn't covered in sand like a "normal" beach rather it is covered in pebbles. Yes, you heard me, stones/rocks/pebbles. Now they don't hurt like I thought they would but it did feel funny to lay on compared to sand.
After spending a couple of hours enjoying the sun we decided to walk down to the pier. I can't explain to you how cool it was! It was about twice as long as the Santa Monica Pier and much wider at the end with several types of roller coasters/rides. They also had funny wooden photo cards to take pictures with haha
We enjoyed taking a couple at this one and another one nearby.
It was while walking back down the pier that I got my first feelings of homesickness. Not just the daily dose of "aww I miss ____" but completely sad that I could not be with family or friends enjoying such a beautiful day. It seems silly that being in a place I feel at home (WOW I really love the beach) in would make me feel more sadness than being back in London. Maybe it is the small part of me that still doesn't feel like I'm here doing anything but having an extended visit. It seems silly because I have been able to keep in contact with family and friends on a daily basis thanks to all the social networking sites I have caved in to (including twitter and this blog) so I am definitely grateful I am not complete cut off from everyone I miss so much.

On a happier note! I was able to do one of my most favorite things in the whole wide world....watch the sunset :) And it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. This pictures does not do it justice but I had to try of course. As the sun set the colors got brighter and darker all at the same time and then the clouds slowly filtered in front of them....oh I wish I could write poetry because it would be filled with cheesy lines about love and hope and new beginnings.
After sunset we wandered around this cute little beachy town and were able to sit in a pub and have a drink before we caught the next train home. We met a few other people from London as well and I laughed because while we were talking to them, for the first time since I've been here I realized that I no longer really notice the English accent. I feel like I have become more conscious of my own "accent" but I already imagine how funny it will sound to go home at Christmas and not hear it for a few weeks.

More good news from today as well! I FINALLY made it to church after 4 attempts! The bus route is messed up for a a few weeks while a new gas line is being put in nearby so instead of bothering to figure out the new bus route that would take me closest to the church, Javi helped me look up the route from my apartment to St Joseph Catholic Church of Greenwich. (Yes, I am lucky enough to have a boyfriend who not only gives me directions when I'm living in LA but also when I am thousands of miles away in a city he has visited once before.) It actually only took me about 25 minutes to walk to and it seems unnecessary to use the bus, at least while the weather is still semi decent. Once it gets to be "real" cold here I'm sure I will reevaluate that statement.
Tonight I went out with the roomies to a comedy club that is down the street and we had heard was fairly popular. IT WAS HYSTERICAL. My ribs hurt from laughing so much and I don't need to do ab work outs for a week. Seriously. Come visit me just to go to this place. It is somehow almost 1am and I am exhausted so I think it is time for me to get ready for the week ahead.

Love from London,
Kristin