DAY 21: Facing You

This picture reminds me of you because it was taken while I was looking in your direction. I climbed to the top of one of the highest hills in the Birmingham area to watch the sunset this evening. I was thinking about you while I looked southwest for a few minutes. Maybe you were looking northeast at that very same moment and our eyes met...sort of.

DAY 20: Our Bench

This picture reminds me of you because I really wanted you with me on my walk this afternoon. I went on a two-hour walk through Cannon Hill Park, along the River Rea, and into Holders Lane Woods, where this picture was taken. There was no one around and all I could hear were birds singing and squirrels playing in the trees. I saw this bench and decided it is 'our bench'. I did not sit on it because I want you to be with me the first time I do. I promise I will bring you back to this exact spot, and we will sit on 'our bench' for the first time together.

DAY 19: The Gadfield Code

This picture reminds me of you because you hate guessing games. Example: I say, "Guess what?" You reply, "What?" I say, "Just guess." You reply (sternly), "Jesse, just tell me." There are no full-time caretakers at the Gadfield Elm chapel, and probably not enough visitors to make it worthwhile, so they have a combination lock for people to get in. The code is not given, you have to figure it out using the clues in the picture below. The Wards made me do it before we could go inside. See if you can figure it out. And then figure out why that combination is signficant.

DAY 18: Baptisms for the Dead

This picture reminds me of you because we did baptisms for the dead in the Manti Temple when we were dating. I remember it being a cool experience. I already knew I was going to marry you at that point. It was just a matter of convincing you. This is part of a much larger stained glass window in Gloucester Cathedral. It seems strange to see this in a 16th century Anglican church, but the temple baptismal font was actually described in detail in the Old Testament. It just doesn't say what it was used for. It took a modern day Prophet to figure that out.

DAY 17: Daisies at Gadfield Elm

This picture reminds me of you because I'm pretty sure daisies are your favorite flower. This is at the Gadfield Elm, the first LDS-owned chapel in Church history. It was donated to the Church by the United Brethren, an entire Christian sect of about 600 members who were baptized in just a few short weeks. I was going to doctor the photo to reduce the glare on the daisies, but then I realized that this is actually a very rare photograph in England. It's the brightest sunshine I may see during my entire stay.

DAY 16: A Long Way from Kentucky

This picture reminds me of you because I thought you would laugh at this. Most of the cities in England are several hundred years old, and they can't just tear down historic buildings. So they make do with what they have. You may have wondered if KFC would have looked a bit out of place on a 19th century British street. Now you know.

DAY 15: Smoking Kills

This picture reminds me of you because you often describe yourself as being too blunt (and I sometimes agree). I thought that the Surgeon General in the U.K. must share that personality trait with you. This is what it says on every cigarette carton I've seen here (and I've seen a lot, smoking is much, much more common here).

DAY 14: Harry Potter/ Gloucester Cathedral

This picture reminds me of you because several scenes from Harry Potter were filmed in and around this cathedral. I saw the hallway where they faced a troll and the lawn where Harry had his first quidditch lesson. It was cool but I was only excited because I knew you would be.

DAY 13: Pine Tree

This picture reminds me of you because every time we go anywhere you mention how much you miss the pine forest we live in. There aren't a lot of evergreen trees here, but this one is right in the neighbor's yard, and I think of you every time I see it.

DAY 12: 1841 Book of Mormon

These pictures remind me of you for two reasons. First, you study the Book of Mormon more diligently than almost anyone I've ever met. When you read, I tiptoe around the room because you look so engaged that I worry about what might happen if I break your concentration. And I love the questions you ask and the discussions we have as you read. The second reason is because when you went on Heritage Tours you bought me a mock 1st edition of the Book of Mormon. This is an 1841 edition of the Book of Mormon and the first edition ever published in Europe. It is the same as the U.S. second edition. It is incredibly rare, and I had a special experience holding it and reading some verses.

DAY 11: Chocolate Orange

This picture reminds me of you because we both LOVE Chocolate Oranges, but we have not been able to find them at all for the past couple of years. I saw this in the grocery store yesterday and knew I had to get one. I promise to bring one home to you...or maybe two.

DAY 10: Rose Garden

This picture reminds me of you because every time I eat lunch on those picnic tables I look at these roses and think about walking with you in the rose gardens at Thanksgiving Point when we were dating. I think some of my greatest memories of us have been talking to you during long walks. When I look at these, I also think of Lily's nickname for you: Rose. In her letters she used to write: "You mustn't let your Rose wilt."

DAY 9: Rain Bath

This picture reminds me of you because I would be dry if you were here. If you were here you would have followed me to the door and made sure I took an umbrella with me this morning. I thought about that every time I stepped in a puddle, every time I hunkered under a tree waiting for the rain to let up, and especially every time I passed a dry person who had an umbrella.

DAY 8: My Side of the Bed

This picture reminds me of you because even though you are 4,780 miles away, I still sleep only on "my side" of the bed.

DAY 7: My Bedside Piles

This picture reminds me of you because your single biggest pet peeve about me is my piles. I tend to stack my to-do lists, receipts, and "3 x 5 cards of good ideas" next to my bed. My argument is that I need them (which I do) and I use them (I always intend to), but you still ask me at least once a day if you or I can throw them out. You proposed a compromise by buying me a "Bedtime Buddy", which is your name for a small notebook for my to-do lists and "good ideas". Unfortunately, I didn't bring either of my "Bedtime Buddies" with me (you're the other one), and you can see the messy (and all too familiar) consequences.