...and I can't believe that April 2010 is over. It went by in a blur of highs (birthday and Easter celebrations with great friends and family, European vacation, time with my amazing BF) and lows (said European vacation delayed by 6 days and partially cancelled due to the Icelandic volcanic ash situation), and now it's practically the beginning of summer. Hello May!
I'm ashamed to admit that, with the exception of my initial day of being quite stoic and hopeful as the flurry of flight cancellations and airport closures commenced (I had been scheduled to fly that evening for birthday celebration #3, which I blogged about here), I really struggled with major disappointment. Let me preface this TMI with the caveat that I fully realize I was very lucky - I was home (Toronto) and thus able to continue to go into work without losing my vacation days, and my employer was beyond understanding. Many people were not so blessed; thousands were stranded far from home and loved ones, in shocking and sympathetic circumstances. Yet despite understanding this and feeling sad for all those stranded and affected by this unparalleled flight interruption, I felt really sorry for myself. Yup...I was that girl. And during this period of time, besides frequently calling Canadian Affair for flight updates, it was all I could do to go to work, focus on doing a good job, and come home again. I felt very down, and it was the first time in my almost two year long distance relationship where it felt like we were really separated, as there was no other way to see each other. As various news stations preached doom and gloom, each day was lived in 6 hour increments (i.e., the amount of time between official airport closure updates), and the gym, blogging, and even making plans with friends fell by the wayside. I was, well, pathetic. And so I decided I will not be that girl again!!!
I was completely surprised and beyond excited and grateful when on Wednesday, April 21st, my flight was rescheduled and it actually took off. Without going into the dramatic details of finally getting on that plane (Pearson airport was complete chaos; there were probably 300 people in the check-in line alone), I finally made it over to London at 5 am the next morning.
As it was impossible to reschedule our flights to Paris during my trip and the Eurostar was packed, we decided to defer my Parisian dream getaway to an as-yet-undetermined future date. Instead, we spent our days wandering Windsor (yes, where the Queen lives) and Oxford, and spending time shopping, eating and drinking with friends in London (Soho specifically).
The picture above is from my first day in Windsor, pondering serious thoughts (i.e. a big change; hope to be able to share more with you in the coming months!) with a delish Baileys coffee and a great view of the Thames (wearing my super comfy motorcycle boots that I mentioned here). Stay tuned this week as I plan to share more of this trip with you, especially my first-time experience at Liberty of London and my Paris "consolation prize(s)".
xo Chloe
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