Welcome, autumn

Sometimes I think autumn is my favourite of the seasons. Not just because the changing of the leaves makes it look so pretty, or because I finally get to pull my riding boots, cozy sweaters and scarves back on, or because drinking hot lattes on cool days makes them taste a little bit better.

To be honest, I think autumn is my favourite season because of the nostalgia it brings up. I always think about what I was doing this time of year in 2005, when I studied abroad in Harlow. I've talked about it a number of times before, but that's because it made such an impact on my life. Now, each time September rolls around, I'm reminded of the happiness I felt all those years ago, and let myself think back to what I was doing those days. It's always nice to be reminded of times in your past that were so positive for you.

It's also good though, to think of what's to come in life, and what could come.  Sometimes, reflecting on the past has a way of making you excited for the future.

And so, here's to autumn: may you bring waves of pleasant nostalgia and the hope of new possibilities.

Remembering Harlow

How can it be 11 years since I went to Harlow? How can so much time have passed, when I can still smell the fresh laundry in the halls of The Maltings? Remember the feeling of the brick wall beside my bed that I would run my fingers along when trying to drift off to sleep? The taste of the potato salad the chef in the cafeteria would make for every single dinner meal? The feeling of joy and excitement and devastation bubbling up inside me while standing in Piccadilly Circus the night before I flew back to Newfoundland, trying to get as much of London into my veins as I could?

So many memories. So many sights and sounds and smells that bring me back to that place every autumn for the past 10 years. My time in Harlow changed me, changed my life, changed the way I see life and see people. I've told people it was the best four months of my life, and while I've had other amazing experiences and been fortunate to have had them, there's nothing that has compared to my time in England.

2015: A Year in Review

It's that time of year again - my annual year in review. I've done this a few times since I started blogging and I like doing it because it forces me to reflect on the past 12 months and take in all that's changed in my life. So, let's go:




- I hit the big 3-0 this year and celebrated with family and friends in style with a fancy pink and gold sparkle party. The glitzy glam night was exactly how I wanted to enter into my next decade. 






- I spent some time in the hospital and had emergency gall bladder surgery! What a whirlwind three weeks that was. As painful as the experience was, I know I'm much better off now that the ordeal is finally over. 







- My wonderful brother married the love of his life and I finally gained a sister. The wedding was one of the most beautiful I've ever been to and I was so honoured to be involved as a bridesmaid. 

- Some of my girlfriends and I began a monthly brunch club, where we tried different restaurants around the city. It was so good to have a regular date with friends, to catch up over delicious food and of course, obligatory mimosas. We love brunch club!!

- After a hectic first half of year with work and surgeries, I finally took a vacation in August and went back to my second home, Toronto for a week of friends, food and familiar haunts. It was so good to be back and to get the city into my blood again. 

- I celebrated the ten year anniversary of the term that changed my life. I've mentioned time and time again in the blog how my experience in Harlow changed my life. During the autumn, I remembered where I'd been on a particular day or what I'd been doing during a certain period of time. It's hard to believe ten years has passed since I was with this group of people. 

- I took another last minute trip to Toronto in December, this time meeting up with my folks and taking my mother to a taping of one of my favourite television shows, The Social. We had a great time! 

- I also popped outside of Toronto and spent a weekend with two of my favourite gals, shopping and visiting wineries in the Niagara-on-the-Lake region. Lots of laughs were had those couple of days! 

- I enjoyed a magical Christmas break packed with brunches, lunches, coffees and parties with friends from home and friends from away. It's always a whirlwind time of year, but it's always so good. 

So there you have it. 2015 is in the books. It was a good year with me turning 30 and my brother's beautiful wedding, but I have a feeling there's big things to come next year. 

I usually like to come up with some kind of motto or quote to live by for the upcoming year. This year, the one I'm really feeling is one I've used before and even blogged about recently during my #NaBloWriMo challenge. "More fun, less fear" is what's going to push me through into 2016 and stay with me throughout the next 12 months. Let's see how it goes. 

Here's to new beginnings, new experiences, fresh perspectives. 

Welcome 2016: more fun, less fear!

This is 30

This year, I turned the big 3-0. Eight months ago to the day, actually. I have to admit, I felt pretty anxious about it. There was something about leaving my twenties that made me feel uneasy. I think the start of a new decade always does that. When I turned 20, I thought about how much had changed from when I was a wee 10-year-old up to being so old at 20. Twenty saw lots of changes and lots of growing up for me. It was a year that held new experiences, new adventures, new relationships. It was a good year.

As I was approaching 30, I reflected on how much I had grown since I was 20. In 2005, I had the opportunity to participate in a term abroad that I've blogged about before. It really was a life-changing experience for me, one that I continue to cherish to this day.

I think about how my career path changed from what I thought I wanted to do with my life, to what I'm doing now. I think about how ten years ago, I didn't know some people existed, and now they're the closest friends I have. I think about the people who are no longer with us, who left unexpectedly, and wonder what they'd think of the world and the people in their lives now.

I even think about things like technology - being able to live-stream video chats from my phone to loved ones thousands of miles away while standing in Piccadilly Circus or in front of Il Duomo di Firenze. I think about how fortunate I've been to travel to some amazing countries and see beautiful sites. All things that happened in the past 10 years.

As I turned 30 this year, I said goodbye to a decade that changed me so much. My twenties were pretty good, but I'm looking forward to seeing what my thirties have in store. 

My love for all things "Alias" (and Sydney Bristow)

Recently, I've taken to rewatching one of my favourite television shows, Alias. I first got into the show in 2005 thanks to my roommate J in Harlow. She was a big fan of the series and had brought along all the seasons to date to Harlow with her. It was a show I'd wanted to watch for a few years but just never got into it.

While in Harlow, however, with access to a large number of episodes, I finally sat down and watched a few episodes every. single. day. I was hooked. I remember saying to J countless times, "Just one more...I'm only going to watch one more episode before bed." She'd nod her head knowingly, pretending she believed me, but she knew me too well. One episode always turned into two or three episodes.

I think what attracted me to the show for the most part was the fact that the lead character was a woman, and not just any woman: a strong, intelligent, kick-ass young woman. I knew it was only a television show, but I really admired Sydney Bristow and loved watching whatever mission she was sent on each episode, and how she juggled being a spy while trying to keep her identity a secret and have a real life.

Another friend of mine has recently started watching the show as well for the first time, and we'll discuss plot lines and different characters, but one thing we discuss the most is how much we like Sydney Bristow. There's just something about that Sydney Bristow.

Halfway there...

I'm just over halfway through my month of blogging and I think it's been going fairly well. There have been days when it's been a struggle to bang out an entry, but I've always managed to spit out something, no matter how small it is. In the coming days, I'll talk more about some of my favourite spots in the city, probably some more Harlow stories (as I'm super nostalgic for that part of my life) and undoubtably, more Pinterest. Check back again tomorrow for another update!

The day my heart stopped.

Okay, that sounds a little dramatic. Rest assured, it didn't actually stop for like, medical reasons. It felt like it'd stopped because I was shocked by someone I'd seen on the street.

Seven years ago today, while in studying at Harlow in England, I was staying in London with my folks for a long weekend. It was a Monday morning and we were out looking around Bond Street at all the super expensive, fancy shops. As we walked along, I noticed some photographers on the other side of the street, taking pictures of someone from a distance on my side of the street. I joked to my parents, "oh, they're probably taking photos of some obscure British celebrity, we'll have no idea who they are."

As we passed by the shop window, however, I glanced in and felt my heart thud in my chest. I'd felt like I'd had the wind knocked out of me and I know I turned as white as a ghost. In the store was one of the members of the Irish group Westlife. Now, I know I'll probably get lots of fun poked at me for liking a boy band, but I don't really care!

I first discovered Westlife while on vacation in Ireland in 1999 and had been a fan ever since. Living across the pond made it difficult to get CDs and merchandise a lot of the time, and I had to pay a small fortune to get things shipped from the UK. But it was worth it to me.



















So when I saw Kian Egan in the window at Dolce & Gabbana I knew it had to be fate. That out of all the British celebrities that happened to be in that store while I was walking by, it was one that I actually knew of and completely adored. I saw them starting to leave the store and my mother encouraged me to go talk to him, but I said "no, no, I don't want to disturb them." But then I thought, "...when will I ever get this opportunity again? To meet him? I won't." So I went for it.

I said "excuse me" and told him I was a big fan from Canada and I'd been following his group for years long distance. He seemed surprised that they had fans in Canada and was impressed that I'd been so dedicated in my following. I asked him for a photo and he agreed, while his girlfriend (now wife) Jodi chatted with my mother. I thanked them for stopping to chat and wished them a pleasant day, and as you might be able to see in the second last picture below, my face was beaming with happiness and shock.

When I went home a few days later and did a search, sure enough, I found the paparazzi photos online on a fan site. I couldn't believe it and immediately saved the photos and emailed them to my folks. Some of them are below. To say that it was one of the most memorable moments of my time in Harlow is an understatement, and I felt really fortunate to have met such a lovely young man who I've admired for years. So, haters gonna hate, but how many of you can say you've been in the tabloids? :)

We Remember

I blogged recently about my time in Harlow and how it was such an amazing experience. While there, a group of us took a trip to Beaumont Hamel and visited the battlefields where so many Newfoundlanders gave their lives during World War I. Below are just a few of the pictures I took during that trip. 

As today is Remembrance Day, I thought it would be fitting for today's entry to be about remembering the young men and women who gave their lives in battles over the years, but I also believe it's important to remember the veterans who survived and are still living today. Thank you for your service to our country and to your fellow Canadians.

Harlow

There's something about this time of year that makes me really nostalgic. I always think back to what I was doing three, five, seven years ago, and how my life has changed since then. This time of year always makes me especially miss Harlow, where I spent the autumn of 2005 during my undergrad at Memorial.

When I talk to other people about their Harlow experiences, the same words usually come up every time; their time in that small English town was "life-changing", and I know that for me, it truly was. I had the opportunity to study great classics like Pride and Prejudice, Great Expectations, North and South and works by Shakespeare, and then visit the areas of England where the books took place, or where the author grew up, or where they were laid to rest. To be able to have an experience like that to look back on fondly is something I'm so grateful for.

The picture below is just over seven years old. Even though it's been a while, I can remember it being taken. I was sitting in a T.G.I. Friday's in London, the one on Coventry Street, just down from Piccadilly Circus and across from the London Trocadero. My folks were visiting me for a couple of weeks and we stayed in London for the weekend in a lovely hotel on Gloucester Road. I remember being so happy to see them and missing Newfoundland and the people there...but at the same time, I was completely content with being in England and loving my little life there.

I can honestly say I think about Harlow every single day since my time there.Whenever I talk to people who are considering studying abroad for a term, I always, always encourage them to do so, because you will undoubtedly learn more about yourself, others and life in general than you ever thought possible. If you're thinking about making a move, just do it. Stop wondering and do it. :)