Where Did the Summer Go...

Contemplating how to even begin this blog post, I settled on the following: 

HOLY CRUDMOLI. 

Hi friends :) 
I am writing to you from the UK.  Yup.  I moved.  And not your average 'down the street' move.  Not a few blocks.  Not a city, or two, or 10.  Not even a province.  Try country... a different continent entirely.  I hopped onto a plane that carried me and my luggage across the ocean, away from everything and everyone I have ever known.  Kinda scary when I put it that way, huh?  Well... it is.  But it's also quite exciting, exhilarating ... and empowering.  I am 23 years old, and I'm seizing life by the horns.  I have been applauded for my determination and ability to just get up and leave.  "Good for you," they say.  "You are so brave!"  Well yes, thank you, I guess I am.  I also have moments when/where I am still scared $#!*less, but it's an adventure that I take day by day... I am so excited and thankful to continue doing what I love, in a beautiful and lovely country nonetheless!  When I moved to Toronto, I was a mere 61 km away from home.  Try 5,804 km now.  It's funny, when I was a student at McMaster, I found myself drawn to the "Teach Abroad" posters ... it was one of those things that always peaked my interest and always latched itself onto my thought process... but only for a short minute or two.  Well.  Here I am.  4 years later... IN ENGLAND!  Life has a way of placing us exactly where we are meant to be. 

I have SO many pictures stored on my computer (for blogging purposes) from recipes, to items I bought, events I have attended and/or random things/adventures/outings I did this summer but who has time for that right now when I know you are most interested in my move to the UK?!  The others will have to wait, I suppose!  So... let's just jump into this, shall we? (I feel this first portion will make me sad...)

Friday Evening.

Friday evening was filled with many goodbyes ...  I spent the night in Toronto with this beauty, Liv you know I'm already missin' ya, girl (thank god for technology!) :D 

We dolled ourselves up for a mini OISE reunion, as several of us are teaching abroad!  The Sky Yard at the Drake Hotel was pretty bomb dot com.  I really liked the atmosphere and lighting... :) 

Can't believe I met these ladies 50 weeks ago.  Look at how far we have come and where we are all headed... cheers to an incredible year! xoxox

♤♤♤

If you follow me on instagram (stephhhhhhxo) you will probably recognize this photo:

 Poutine is food from the gods.  At least in my eyes (Gosh am I ever my father's daughter...).  Liv asked what I wanted to do my last night in Canada.  My eyes lit up, as I smiled and said, "Can we go to Smokes?"  When I say I love something, boy do I love it. 

Saturday: THE day. 

6:30AM, alarm goes off.  Liv and I slowly roll ourselves into action... kudos to us for surviving on 4 hours of sleep, by the way.  We part at Union Station, and I am Hamilton bound.  Headphones in, I was used to the ride as I frequently travelled between the two cities.  I make a pit stop at Tim Horton's before heading home (HELLO it's my last day in Canada for a year, I had to pull a typical Canadian move at some point in the day...).  5 minutes away from home and it finally hits me.  You are leaving Canada today, Steph.  Tears well up in my eyes.   Crap.  Crap.  Crap.  Don't cry.  I managed to divert it that time, haha.  I get home, and finalize packing.  My luggage was overweight.  At this point, I don't have the time nor the mental stability to sit down once again and decide what I'm leaving behind... guess we're paying for extra luggage (THANK YOU MOM).  My bags are packed, downstairs and ready to go... I run upstairs to do one last round, make sure I haven't forgotten anything... and bam, I hit a wall of emotions.  I'm standing in my room.  A room that is completely emptied and rid of everything I held onto for the past 15 years. That room was me.  It was like we we're congruous at times.  Yes I am personifying my room... I spent WAY too much time in that room of mine.  It was my safe space.  It was my escape at times.  Where I did all of my work.  My happy space, my sad place, my everything in between place.  All that remains are empty drawers, and an empty closet... even when I lived in Toronto, everything that I didn't need stayed there. But because I have permanently moved my life... I needed to decide what to keep and what needed to go into storage (in the event that Mom moves while I am away).  What a strange sight ... 

Not only was I saying goodbye to people... I was saying goodbye to my safety net and all the memories housed within it... (lol, pun intended). 

Last selfie in my infamous mirror (hahaha)

Pictures in front of the house were just mandatory...

I believe that one can never leave home. I believe that one carries the shadows, the dreams, the fears and the dragons of home under one's skin - Maya Angelou. 

Shortly thereafter, the car was packed... and we were ready to hit the road! :) 

The Airport. 

It started raining on the way to the airport.  I thought it was pretty fitting, if I do say so myself ;) 

These pictures make me laugh....

Everything that passed the "I can't live without you" test is pictured below.  That's my life right now (apart from the items I stored at home awaiting my return to Canada!) Can we also appreciate how much I'm reppin' Canada right about now...?! 

I then attempt to drag these bad boys over to the check-in counter andddddd she tips over. LOL.  I couldn't fit anything else in there if my life depended on it... 

If I could offer any advice/recommendation(s): opt for Option Plus or whatever the equivalent is with the airline you intend to fly with.  You bypass the huge lineups because you have "priority" check-in, as well as priority seating! (I.e. you get to choose your seat) and personally, I will always want an isle seat.  No sandwiching me between strangers thank you very much!  It also gives you perks (such as additional weight restrictions - which, as I mentioned I went over, but YOLO), but if anything, for me, the stress of not having to wait in those god awful lineups is worth it all :) I literally go up there, hand over my passport, put my luggage on the scale, off it goes, and they hand me my boarding pass.  Easy peasy :) 

Goodbyes and multiple hugs (accompanied by tears) followed, and I crossed the point of no return.  That being the line-up to get through airport security.  Everything ran smoothly, I don't think I need to recount any of that... what I presume you do wish to know about is the upgrade to first class business, eh? 

WELL.  I am standing by my gate, awaiting the call for Option Plus members to board early (perks!!!) and the attendant at the desk makes an announcement.  Swaying from side to side, half listening, half anxious to just sit my butt on the plane, I await for her to finish the announcement when I catch the tail end of it: "Also, could the following two passengers come up to the front desk please.... (name of other person) and Templeton."  Oh. My. God.  Pretty sure my heart was racing a mile a minute, because all I could think to myself was FUDGE, did they just ship my luggage to Timbukto by accident or even better: Am I in trouble, did they need to rip apart my bags...  So I head on up to the counter, and to my delightful surprise, the attendant smiles and says: "Hi Stephanie, you have been upgraded to first class, can I please have your boarding pass?" I probably looked like a little girl as happy as a lark on Christmas morning LOL.  So they handed me a new boarding pass, and I waltzed onto the plane as if I had just won the lottery.  HAHA.  I was so happy, not that I regret my decision to move, but I had just gone through a few hours of "lasts," "goodbyes," and sadness, so this was definitely an upbeat to my adventure :)  

Yup, that was my seat!  The one closest to you/me: 

There were 12 available seats in first class, a set of 6, to be exact (seats were paired).  Each of us had a personal TV - hence the built in remote pictured above - on which you could access movies, tv shows, play games, and follow the plane on a virtual map (which also told me the time in both Canada and UK, our altitude, how much travel time was remaining, temperatures, etc.) Pretty neat, eh? :) I must say, I was also lucky enough to sit beside the sweetest woman.  We chatted the entire flight, except of course, when we took a two hour "nap" as I like to call it.... 

I kid you not, as soon as we took off and the seatbelt sign came off, the flight attendants did not rest until we landed in the UK.  There was constant service!  Wine, champagne and various liqueurs.  We were served a mini plate of hor d'oeurves (which I failed to document, sorry guys!) consisting of 3 mini pastry-type foods. YUM.  One was like an egg roll, another was filled with cream cheese and the third was filled with meat (I didn't eat that one!) 

The starter salad, dinner and dessert: 

• Freshly sliced tomatoes, a large chunk of feta (omg nomnomnom) and a cucumber-lettuce salad; 
• Olive oil salad dressing;
• Crackers and brie cheese;
• Roasted Veggie Pasta in a rose sauce; 
• Key lime pie. 

Breakfast: 

• Assortment of fresh fruit; 
• Orange juice;
• Glazed cinnamon roll (they even warmed them!); 
• Coffee. 

Just to even experience the difference was such a blessing.  I texted everyone and their dog that I had been upgraded, and my Aunt told me it was the workings of my dad and gram-cracker... they hooked me up with first class ;) hehe.  I must say, being able to actually recline my entire seat in the attempt to sleep/nap was lovely!  

I was also supplied a toothbrush/toothpaste, socks, earphones, an eye mask, ear plugs, as well as a sample size of moisturizer and lip balm - especially handy, as my skin dries right up on an airplane... anyways, I thought it was pretty cute :)   

SO that delightful fun came to an end, and I landed in Gatwick.  This time, for a longer time period than two weeks.  This is it.  This isn't a holiday or a little getaway.  No sir, I am permanently here for a year, baby!  Having trained in the UK already in July, coming back to it all was so easy.  I had done this already :) I knew what I was doing as I had done it all a mere month ago!  Everything was smooth sailing.  Lugging my bags off the conveyor belt was a bit of a mission, but luckily I didn't knock anyone out... nor did I fall over myself, so that's an accomplishment ;) ... the taxi service met me in the lobby of the airport, yes he was holding my name on a sign - aren't I just famous LOL ... I hopped in the cab, jet-lagged as hell and ready to just get to Colchester. 

As my flat won't be ready until Wednesday, I took up lodging at the Little Crown, an adorable B&B that I just so happened to stay in during my July training.  Again, coming back to the familiar!  The owner's husband brought my bags upstairs - god bless him - and I took a good three hour nap.  I was too tired to function!  I left Canada at 7:40 PM and arrived at 7:40 AM.  It's like I skipped the nighttime entirely and had to endure another day!  After my nap, I decided to venture out and pick up a few food items seeing as it was Sunday, and everything usually closes at 5/5:30.  That's another thing about my town, everything closes early.  And not just on Sundays, but everyday!  Also, in case you were wondering, I live in Essex!  I promise to take pictures later, it really is the most adorable little town....

I headed into my local M&S - which if you follow my insta, you already know is my favourite shop!! Very vegetarian friendly!  And what I love most is the pre-packaging.  Mind you, near-well everything is packaged here... I don't mean to say it isn't fresh.  It's just their way of doing things.  You will see in the pictures below what I mean.  But even with bags of chips... you buy a bag of 6 mini bags.  Imagine Costco everything, everywhere lol... 

Another favourite luxury: NUTRITION INFO IS PLASTERED ON EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE YOU GO.  On the overhead menu behind cashiers.  On the back of every food item you purchase.  On the little food description sign in bakery-type shops.  Literally, everywhere :)  

The foodie in my inspires the following pictures haha... some are from my first trip to the UK back in July, I just never got around to blogging/posting then... so I'll slip 'em on in now. 

See how apples are pre-packaged?  And the raspberries are covered by a plastic film that needs to be peeled off... nutritional info for both items is located behind the sticker, too! 

I fell into an obsessed love with these pretzels when I was here last, so obviously I needed my fix... :) 

I LOVE the pre-packaged salads they have at M&S.  SO much selection, and every single one appeals to me/my diet/my tastebuds!  This is a smaller version, they have a size up from this!  Note, again, the nutrition info on the front.... 

The back... with more nutrition info. 

NOTE: We understand the kcal value... :) 

Confession, I usually eat this whole package of raspberries... LOL OOPS. 

So, I snapped this picture back in July.... 

I repurchased the mint one today ;) 

As I mentioned above, there is a "larger" size in the salad section of M&S ... sooo goood

 Yea, I told you I'm obsessed... no shame. 

And that was Steph's first day back in the UK.  I spent the evening looking up appliance and home essentials/decor type shops so as to venture out with purpose tomorrow (i.e. today since I am writing this late).... Before I went to bed, I also made a "to do" list... 

And that concludes the first instalment of MANY, MANY upcoming UK posts :) 

I plan to blog today's activities, as well as tomorrow's ... well, tomorrow. Haha. 

Oh, before I forget, now the coffee lover in me is requesting I post this... 

Anna Sacone is one of my favourite Youtubers.  Originally from Ireland, SHE RECENTLY MOVED TO THE UK, can you imagine how over-joyed I was with that news!?  Anyways, her and her husband always talk about/drink/eat at Costa.  Basically, it's like a Second Cup when compared to Starbs... anyways, I just love their coffee.  And obviously needed to snap a picture.  I usually order a Caffé Latte.  So good... :) 

Having said that, I think a free points card was in order, don't you? ;) 

Andddddd now I am finished... stay tuned for more updates and thank you so much for reading. 

Steph
xxoo