Midnight flight to Heathrow

I love the app Timehop. For someone who has the memory of a goldfish like I do, it helps me remember life events and things I've done or seen in the past. Like this little gem from two years ago:

I was hopping on a plane to jet off to Europe for two weeks with a good friend of mine. I hadn't taken a real vacation like that in years and was so looking forward to getting back to Europe, with all its history and delicious food and fantastic sites. I think about the places I visited on that trip pretty often, and can't wait to get back there again soon.

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.

In London, there is life

There's something about London that fills me with joy. The feel of the city seeps into me and races through my veins. I know I've said it repeatedly, especially over the past few weeks, but reliving last year's trip over the last little while brings up all those feelings and memories again, of how much I do love it there. I don't get that same feeling in any other place, even Toronto, where I lived for a few years and loved very much. I get a different feeling in Toronto; still very pleasant, but nothing like the hum of excitement that London fills me with.

I thrive in the hustle and bustle of a tube station - actually love the feeling of being swept up in the crowds. I enjoy weaving around fellow pedestrians on the side walk and feeling black cabs and double decker busses whoosh by me. I truly believe there's no better city in the world.

Last day in London

I remember the final day of our trip last year pretty clearly. Knowing it was my last day in London, I woke up at the crack of dawn and was out the door of our hotel pretty quickly. I was determined to not waste a second of my time left in that wonderful city.

I had made a list of all the places I wanted to visit one last time, shops I'd wanted to pick up certain items from and special foods I'd wanted to eat before I said goodbye. I didn't stop the entire day, hopping on and off the tube, choosing to walk most places instead of taking a double-decker bus or a black cab, because I wanted to see everything I could, absorb everything I could about London. I felt that same hum of excitement and energy course through me that I'd felt the moment I'd stepped through customs at Heathrow.

I stayed out until almost midnight that day. Standing in Piccadilly Circus, I soaked up as much as I could, took one last look around and then said "see you soon" to the city I love.

Harrods

There's lots of things that I love about London (I mean, lots) but one place that I find particularly magical is Harrods. This luxury department store has been around for a long, long time, and to me, is the ultimate in glamour. Sure, in Canada, we have The Bay and Holt Renfrew, which are both fabulous, but Harrods is just a bit different, a bit more special. 

While perusing the different departments last November, I wandered into the Christmas section and fell in love with the ornately decorated trees and the delicious looking "fairy cakes" (what they call cupcakes!) Growing up, my parents would always buy an ornament from whatever place we visited on vacation during the summers, so our Christmas tree was a map of all of our favourite travel spots around the world. Now that I have my own tree to decorate, I've started to do the same as well. So while in Harrods, I treated myself to a little British phone box, much like the one found here.

I almost treated myself to a sweet-looking fairy cake, but at £6.50 each, I couldn't justify spending that much on a cupcake. Plus, I'm afraid I'd have decided it was too beautiful and couldn't eat it! Ah well, maybe next time! 

Puttin' on The Ritz

One of my absolute favourite movies is Notting Hill, with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. I love how London itself is a character in the film and is such an intricate part of the storyline (heck, even the title is an area in London.)

There's a couple of scenes that take place outside and inside The Ritz London Hotel. Ever since I saw the movie in 1999, I've always loved The Ritz and make sure to visit it anytime I'm in London. 

My trip last year was no different; one night on my own, I made the trek along Piccadilly to see those bright lights once again. There's something about that charming, bright beaming sign that fills me with happiness. I can't wait to go back again. 

A snapshot of happiness

A year ago, I was at a bit of a crossroads in life. Things were up in the air and I felt like I didn't have control of my life - something that always makes me feel uneasy and unsettled. My trip to Europe was something that came about very quickly and while I was on the trip, there were times I had to force myself to enjoy it. One time that it wasn't forced, however, was a year ago last night.

I'd spent a couple of hours wandering around on my own, visiting favourite haunts in London and feeling gleeful that I easily remembered my way around. When I finally felt a bit tired, I found a Starbucks to pop into to charge my phone and have a little rest. I bought a Peppermint Mocha and sat in the window and pulled out my book to read for a bit. I looked out the window to see some wet snow had started to fall. Watching double-decker buses and black cabs zoom by, along with dozens of people hurrying about their business, I felt the most amazing sense of contentment, happiness...just generally at peace. It was the happiest I'd been in a very, very long time.

I sat there, recognizing this fact and took in that feeling, really being in that moment. It was something that's stayed with me ever since, and I hope I get to feel that way again soon. 

In Flanders fields...

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

We remember.

Hello, Heathrow

A year ago, I landed safely at Heathrow airport; back in England after a long absence. I couldn't believe I was finally there again. There's something about England that gives me butterflies - an excitement that I can barely contain. As soon as I saw that welcome sign outside the airport, the butterflies came pouring back into my system and didn't leave for another two weeks.

I think John Keats said it best: 

"Happy is England! I could be content, To see no other verdure than its own; To feel no other breezes than are blown, Through its tall woods with high romances blent..."

Hopping back in time

There's an app that I recently downloaded that I check almost every day. Timehop is an online time capsule that connects to your social networks and shows you what you were doing one, five, however many years ago on that day.

I checked my Timehop today and this time last year, I was waiting for a late night flight to London for a fantastic two-week vacation with one of my closest friends. It was one of my favourite trips. I'll most likely blog about it more in the days to come, considering I'll have lots of Timehop throwbacks coming up over the next two weeks. :)

I also scrolled down further in the Timehop app and it showed me what I was doing nine years ago today. Funnily enough, I was with that same friend and some of our other friends on a night out on the town. Thanks to Timehop, I'm reminded of some fun nights we had in the distant past, and some more recent fun nights we've had, just a year ago.

For someone who's memory isn't the best, I like having Timehop remind me what Elizabeth was doing four, six, nine years ago. It lets me reminisce about the person I was then and how much I've grown and changed since those years. If you don't have Timehop yet, why not download it and check it out? You might be surprised with what you find!

2014: The Year in Review

2014. What a year. It was a year full of big changes for myself, my family and my friends. Some changes were amazing and came in the form of new jobs, new living situations and new relationships. Others came in the form of illness and disappointments. Looking back on the past twelve months, I can say without hesitation that it's been one of the most eventful years of my life.

This year was definitely the Year of Weddings for me. With half a dozen close friends getting married over the past twelve months, and me standing or participating in some way in almost all of those weddings, to say I'm a bit wedding'd out is fairly accurate. Still, I'm so grateful to all of those friends for asking me to be part of their special days in some form or another.

Weddings weren't the only events that took place this year, though. Let's take a look back at some of the highlights of my 2014:



- Being bridesmaid for a close friend in her glamourous Toronto wedding in February. A long weekend in Toronto is always enjoyable, but when it includes a spectacular wedding of a favourite friend, it doesn't get much better than that. It was fabulous!

- Moving into a gorgeous new apartment with a spectacular view of St. John's. Though this is a small city, living in the east end instead of the centre or downtown areas of town has been a big adjustment for me. Still, it does have its perks - I can see the ocean from my window and have a beautiful view of Signal Hill!







- Taking off on a spur of the moment long weekend to our nation's capital to visit family and friends and escape the island for a few days. Sometimes, the best trips come out of the blue with very little planning. This wouldn't be the only time I did that this year...






- Helping my best friend of 25 years plan her beautiful garden wedding, and stand by her side as her maid of honour. As I'd said to Meg on her wedding day: we've been through a lot, and through it all, we've grown up together and shared each other's biggest and littlest moments. I was truly honoured to be with her as she went from Ms. to Mrs.






- Escaping to Europe on another spur of the moment trip for two weeks with a good friend. As I'd said before, sometimes the best trips come unexpectedly. We experienced the simple things in life: good food, somewhat good wine, lots of history and loads of beautiful scenery. Italy and France, I'd missed you.






- Finally returning to where I left my heart almost a decade ago: London. Breathing in that crisp, English air and feeling the rush of that beautiful city was magical. I felt a constant hum of excitement pulsing through me every day I was there. I know I'll be back again soon.







- Celebrating a different kind of Christmas in my new home. Instead of going to my folks' house, they came to mine, where we've enjoyed making new traditions.





As I said before, 2014 really was one of the most eventful years of my life. Lots of changes came my way, both positive and negative. But overall, it was a really great year. As 2014 comes to a close, I look towards 2015 and what it will hold: a big wedding for my family, a big birthday for me (30! Yikes!) and more challenges ahead, both personally and professionally. But that's okay. I'm ready for it all. I'm going to face 30 head on and take whatever else comes in stride. 

Welcome, 2015! It's time to be fierce.