My Month in Europe: Lake District, England

This day started off by attending church in Chorley right near the temple housing in Preston.

We went to the Chorley first ward and I loved it!

In Relief Society the sweetest little woman sat in front of us, named Audrey. 

She's almost 90 years old and is such a proper little firecracker! Audrey is a recent convert to the church and her son is the bishop of the ward.

We complimented her on her scarf and she immediately lit up and kept saying things like, "I just love pretty things!"

At one point she told us about the skirt she was wearing and said, "I went to adjust the waist of my skirt this morning and I wasn't sure if it was my skirt or a skin flap, so I just left it alone!" We all laughed so hard and she was just soaking it up. 

She kept telling us that she loved that we were smiling, happy, and "sparkling" girls.

She was just such a sweetheart!

My other favorite part of church were the men...

Let me tell you, European men know how to dress, and they definitely know how to dress for church.

Every single man was wearing a full suit, jacket and all.

It was so odd coming back to the states and seeing men wearing oversized white shirts without a jacket. I'd move to Europe just for the perk of the well-dressed men ;)

After church we headed right off to Lake District for the rest of the day.

It was beyond words how beautiful it was!

The first lake we stopped at was very obviously a wealthy vacation destination.

The shopping reminded me a little bit of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but still with that English charm.

The second lake we went to was where William Wordsworth lived a lot of his adult life.

Once I heard we were headed there I knew that I had to look to see if I could find something for my dad, who has quite the affinity for poetry. 

I spent the majority of my time in this district at the gift shop right next to Wordworth's home looking for the perfect gift.

I was lucky enough to stumble on a rare first edition copy of poetry that Wordworth collected and assembled as a gift for a "lady friend" painter that lived in the town. 

I couldn't wait to give it to my dad :)

I snuck away for a little bit of time alone walking through the grounds of Wordsworth's home, Dove Cottage, and around the lake.

It was so peaceful.

I loved the contrast between the busy touristy feel of the first lake we visited and the serene countryside of the second lake.

I would love to bring my parents back here and let them experience Lake District!

One day.

:)