One Year

One year ago today I was boarding a plane for London, England. At the time I was nervous, terrified, excited, overwhelmed. I remember getting on the airport bus from the hotel my mom and dad had checked into in Chicago, and I was thinking, I'm going to be gone for four months. I sat next to my dad, and my mom took a terrible picture of us with her iPhone, but it was the last time I would get to see them until May so I indulged her a mother-moment.

At the airport, I checked in and had my suitcases weighed--both over 50 pounds, but the airline staff didn't make me pay for the extra five pounds. Of course, the security check point was right in front of the doors, so I didn't really have time to prepare myself to say good-bye to my parents. I didn't want to cry, but I figured I would. I gave them both a hug and told them I loved them. I turned away quickly because I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I started walking through the twisted, roped-off line, and I looked back as my parents walked through the airport door. I couldn't help the tears from starting then. That was the last I would see of my mother until the beginning of May and my father until I came back home near the end of May. I quickly brushed the stray tears away because a security guard asked me to move lines because there was a smaller one further down the airport.

A handful of people grabbed their bags and begrudgingly switched to the new line. I was much closer to the metal detector, so I had to start getting my things ready to be checked. As I pulling out my passport, I had forgotten that I had an open disposable razor in my bag. I cut myself on it, and my finger started running blood in the security line. I tried to stop the flow with my mouth, but to no use. With my cut finger, I had to dig my electronics out of my bag as well as take off my sweatshirt. I managed to get a few spots of blood on my shirt which I was thoroughly unhappy with since I would have no way of cleaning it properly until I arrived in London.

I went through security quickly, and as I pulled my things off of the belt with my bloody finger, the gentleman behind me in line turned to me and said, "I forgot to take off my watch, and it didn't go off in the metal detector. Some security, huh?"

He smiled a friendly smile, but all I saw was a man that just put an unpleasant thought into my head. That smile was somehow gruesome. His watch was massive; how could the detector have missed that? What happens if they missed something else? Thoughts were swimming in my head as I made my way to my gate.

Of course, the gate happened to be one of the furthest from the security checkpoint. I sat in the plastic chair at my gate, popped open my phone, and texted my mother. I had promised I would text her so she knew I found the gate. I also happened to mention my incident with the razor. What do I do? I typed. I hadn't even left the country and I was already asking my mother for advice. Ask someone for a band-aid. Why hadn't I thought of that? Like I actually believed that my mom could have done something for my airport wound as I slumped in my chair at my gate to go to London.

I didn't ask anyone for a band-aid.

As more Vandonites arrived at my gate, I became more relieved. I recognized some people, and I was happy to know that they had made it. Arriving at the airport almost three hours in advance left me a lot of time to think about the flight. I glanced around the terminal and observed the other passengers, wondering who I may sit next to. A woman with small children. Fantastic. Foreign looking men and women with strange accents speaking complicated tongues. An older British couple sat close to me; they had been vacationing in Chicago for a month, visiting a daughter. I passed the time people watching, listening to music, and playing Solitaire on my iPod.

All passengers bound for London Heathrow on American Airlines Flight 86, please have your boarding passes ready.

I looked at my neighbors and saw their reactions. I imagined my face reflected the same emotions. Fear. Happiness. Nervousness. Excitement. All these emotions wrapped up into one ball of mass confusion. I stuffed my iPod into my bag and turned to Kiley, the only girl I knew personally on the flight. I gave her a timid smile as we stood in line to get on the plane. The woman scanning my boarding pass took my passport and wished me a safe flight. Well, I hope it's safe. I glanced at my ticket and noticed my seat number: 54G. Just how big is this plane?

I made my way back through the cabin. Way back. I stopped at the second to last row of the plane. Well, at least I'm next to a bathroom. I stowed my things and texted my mom. I am sitting on the plane. I have to turn my phone off. I will text you when I land. Love you. When I looked up from my phone, a man stood next to me. "I'm in the seat next to you," the older man pointed to 54F. I stood and let him in. Luckily, he put in headphones. He wasn't the chatty type. As the plane began to board more people, I noticed the lack of people. There wasn't anyone sitting closer than 10 rows ahead of me. I pondered on how I came to sit right next to someone on an empty plane.

A young flight attendant bent down and began talking to me, "You know, it gets very noisy back here with all of us attendants in the gallery. Once the plane doors close, I will find you a seat a bit closer to the front. How does that sound?"

He smiled genuinely at me. "That would be great. Thank you."

He closed the overhead compartment. I was excited at the prospect of leaving, even though we sat on the tarmac for over an hour waiting to take off. But, once the plane doors shut, a dozen people shot from their seats like they were explosives and began claiming their new territories. Disappointment washed over me as I began to realize that I probably wouldn't be moving seats. But, seeing all of the passengers move unannounced, the flight attendant firmly asked them to return to their original seats, "I promised this young lady a new seat, so please wait until I find her one."

I blushed, but grabbed my things and moved much closer to the front. "How do you feel about more leg room?" the man asked.

"How about this seat?" He pointed to an end seat, with no one in the neighboring seat, just one aisle behind first class with so much leg room I could stretch out my legs fully without actually being in the way. That's an upgrade. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

He patted my arm, "Have a great flight."

I remember very little of the flight. I remember take off. It was smooth, so I was able to relax a little. The food was disgusting. Some sort of chicken and rice mixture that shouldn't have been called chicken and rice. But, I do remember feeling anxious. I didn't sleep on the seven hour flight. I couldn't. I knew I would be landing at seven in the morning, so I tried to sleep, but there was no use. I watched as the GPS in the plane tracked our flight over the ocean. 2039 miles to go. 1048 miles to go. 500 miles to go. 378 miles to go.

Ladies and gentleman, we are beginning our descent to London Heathrow. On behalf of American Airlines, we hope you enjoy your stay in London and that you had a pleasant flight.

Breakfast was served, but again, my stomach was in knots. In a half hour, I would be landing in London. London, England. We flew over the city while coming into the airport. London was just waking up. The sun had barely risen, and the sky was pink and purple. The lights on the street were flickering as they were no longer needed during the day. As the plane's wheels touched the runway, I jolted in my seat. I'm here. Little did I know that eventually I would begin to think I'm home.

One year ago today, I embarked on the adventure of a lifetime. I found myself in London. My second home.

And I left some of my heart there.

Day 30 of 30 days of me

day 30- Why did you decide to do this challenge

Well, this challenge was one heck of an experience. I have never really done well with updating my blog, so this really was a challenge in that respect. But my reasons for doing this are pretty simple:

I was bored.

I wanted to write.

It sounded like fun.

Glad I did.

End of story. :)

Day 29 of 30 days of me

day 29- In this past month what have you learned

I've learned that writing for 30 straight days is very difficult! There is so much about myself that I never really admitted to myself until I wrote it down. My personality traits, how I have changed in the past year, what I fear, etc.

I think this challenge was kind of a jump start for me. I wondered how I would be able to handle writing all the time...and I found that I really enjoy just writing little tidbits here and there. Maybe I would have some success as an online editor/writer for a company. I'm not really sure, but this blog experience has me definitely considering that option.

As you can tell from reading my blog, my writing style is very informal. Of course, I can write lots of fluff and with a tad of flourish with the best of them, but I like to think of my writing as a conversation with someone...perhaps myself. I don't really like to make things complicated; in my opinion, it just turns the reader off to whatever you happen to be writing.

I'm not sure where this blog will take me, or if it will help with any kind of a job, but I did discover myself a little bit in the process. I love to write and read. Even if there is no one else out there actually reading this mess of a blog, it doesn't matter to me really. I like blogging for myself, and if others want to read and share their opinion, the more the merrier!

Day 28 of 30 days of me

day 28- A picture of you from last year and now...how have you changed since then.

January of 2010, Me near the red carpet at the Invictus premiere in London

December 2010...close to a year.

The physical difference is minimal, but the difference between me then and now is so significant it is difficult to describe. Before I went to Europe, I never knew how to be confident in myself. I became an independent young woman through the freedom I experienced while living and working in London.

Not only was this change noticeable to me, it was visible to my parents and friends. I think I carry myself differently now. I'm still quiet and often shy, but I present myself with a more confident attitude. I can attribute almost all of these changes to study abroad. It is the adventure for which I am the most grateful that I had the opportunity to experience.

Day 27 of 30 days of me

day 27- A page of favorites

This could take awhile...and don't forget, this is not a complete list. If it were, it probably would be pages long. Actually, I probably would never finish...

Quotes:

• "A room without books is like a body without a soul."
• "The world is a book and those that do not travel read only a page." -St. Augustine
• "Those without humor are at the mercy of the rest of us."
• "You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” -Samuel Johnson
• "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

Movies:

                              

Some others include Emperor's New Groove, Harry Potter movies, Shrek, almost all of the Disney movies, 10 Things I Hate About You, and The Dark Knight.

Books:

I was having problems adding the covers to the movies I liked, so I'm not going to attempt for books...

• Harry Potter Series
• Ella Enchanted
• Northanger Abbey
• Night
• Twilight Series
• Phillipa Gregory books
• The Last Lecture
• The Great Gatsby

Television:

• Big Bang Theory
• LOST
• Glee
• True Blood
• So You Think You Can Dance
• Friends

Activities:

• Volleyball
• Reading
• Writing
• Photography
• Editing
• Playing board games
• Laughing

Food:

• Cheeseburger
• Caesar Salad
• Chicken Marsala
• Mushroom Ravioli
• Cheeseburger Chowder
• Green bean casserole
• Potato skins w/ chicken
• Chocolate
• Carrots

Okay, now I'm hungry.

Day 26 of 30 days of me

day 26- What do you think about your friends

I feel like this is a weird question. What kind of person would get on and blog about how much they hate their friends? Why would you keep them around if you didn't like them?

I love my friends. They mean everything to me because not only are they the most supermegafoxyawesomehottest friends on the planet, they are also the most funny, kindest, most amazing people I know (if you catch that reference to AVPM...and you know what that stands for, then you are totally awesome). I am the kind of person that believes you should surround yourself with the kind of people you would like to be.

They teach me something about myself almost daily, they build me up when I'm down, and they make me laugh until it hurts. The people with whom I choose to surround myself challenge me, in a good way, and I know that they are there for me when I need them. I should thank God everyday for giving me the chance to be friends with them. Or that they picked me to be friends with. All of them are special to me, and I don't know what I would do without them.

Book Review: Lady in Waiting

Jane Lindsay and Jane Grey are two completely different women living in two separate worlds. Time periods even.

Jane Lindsay is struggling through a rough marriage when her husband walks out of their home in Manhattan saying he needs space. Jane trudges through her life, not knowing what she wants or how to be happy. In a box full of antiques from a sale in Wales, Jane happens across a ring inscribed with Latin and her own name, Jane.

Lucy Day is the dressmaker to a young Lady Jane Grey and observes her royal life from the background. In the sixteenth-century, Lady Jane has no power over her life. Shuffled from one house to the next, never settling in a world of uncertainty. Jane is bound by duty to her family, to the King, and to her country. But not to herself. In a time where politics and religion fueled political status, Jane is caught in the crossfire that leaves her wondering if she can choose her fate.

As the two Janes discover their destiny, their shared passion for one ring intertwines their worlds. Both must understand that they have control, but only if they choose to have their own life.

Susan Meissner wrote a splendid work of historical fiction that will appease any Tudor history buff. It is the perfect combination of modern and old. The different points-of-view are seamless and well thought out. On top of that, there is the fact that I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. I read the entire book in just seven hours!

Also, Meissner wrote in some very strong thematic elements. These aspects will make the reader think about their life in a new way as well as inspire the reader to choose for themselves rather than someone else.

I would recommend this to anyone with a passion for history. It doesn't strike me as the kind of book most men would pick up and read, but the genre definitely appeals to women. Meissner presents some strong female characters; although they struggle with problems, they learn to find themselves in the process.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review and received no monetary compensation. I just do this for my own enjoyment. If you feel you might be interested, visit their website, Blogging for Books.