Day 339

To all of my faithful readers...I'm going to be working 240 hours over the next 17 days. I don't know that I will get the time to write my blog when I get home from work each night. Therefore, I think what I will do, is at the end of this stint, I'll write a lengthy entry about how the days went. I realize that will give you a lull, and for that I'm sorry. But I think this is the best way, rather than suffering from sleep deprivation. I hope you understand, and I look forward to sharing my stories with you at the end. Stay Tuned. Thanks! xx

Day 338

I was so grateful for the guy in front of me in traffic today. I had spent the morning feeling ill, and was not in the best of moods to be going to a job I had been looking forward to all week. But, I pulled myself out of the house, and into my car around 3:30 to head to set.

First, I stopped for gas. Worrying that the lady was taking too long when I was ready to pay, and she started pumping someone else's gas...my nerves started to set in. I somehow managed to calm them down in the end, and began my journey.

Now on a regular day, at an off peak time, this drive would have taken MAYBE 45 minutes. But at 3:45 on a Thursday afternoon when the tunnel's down to one lane...It's a different story.

An hour later, sitting in this line up, trying to get into the tunnel...people, as usual, are trying to come up the inside lane and get in front of everyone who's just waited forever. These people make me angry. The people that make matters worse? The ones who let these morons in!!!!!! Anyway, I'm sitting in line, getting angry at all these people, when the guy in front of me decides to take initiative. He turns his wheels, and positions himself so that he's in the middle of two lanes. AWESOME! People were still trying to get by him, so I followed suit. I pulled up, right to his bumper, and so that my wheels were on either side of the line. No one could get by us, and it was great. Unfortunately once we started moving again, two more people zoomed up and got in. But I still give the guy a thumbs up for doing what he did. I was so grateful that he was in front of me.

I ended up getting to crew park an hour and a bit early, but I got in the shuttle right away, and with the impression that the driver was high or drunk...was very happy when I arrived on location. I got out of the van to see a familiar back. "Patrick?" I called out. He turned around, and gave me a hug. Patrick is a family friend. He plays soccer with my Dad, I've babysat his kids, and he does lighting on different sets. We chatted for a bit, and he walked me to where I had to be. I told him I'd see him in a bit, and went to sit down in holding.

I waited an hour, talking to a girl I know, and then signed in. Once I had done that, the night began with make up. As usual, I can't tell you anything that happened on set, but I'll tell you, I most likely won't be seen, but had fun nonetheless. Every now and then Patrick came on set and we'd talk, and when I signed out hours later, I had a conversation with him until it was time for me to hurry to the last shuttle. I jumped in, and the doors closed. The driver dropped us at Crew Park, and I headed home. I decided to stop at the Starbucks drive thru, but unfortunately, I was 12 minutes late!! They closed at Midnight. I was not happy.

I drove home, decided not to make a coffee or anything because Callan was so comfy on me, was giving the best cuddles and I was too lazy to move. Eventually the tiredness took over, and I decided to come to bed. Good Night xx

Day 337

Today was crazy. It was supposed to be a nice relaxing day off with my brother, before I start a 20 day stretch of work. What it turned out to be however, was crazy.

I got up and was trying to get ready, when Dapple - one of my puppies - wouldn't stop barking at me. It was getting on my nerves, to the point where I kept telling her to be quiet. Well, not long after...she had an accident. I apologized to her (as if she can understand me) and brought her outside. Within the next 2 hours, she went at LEAST 10 times.

I got some stuff together, and in a panic - no time for make up - got Stephen to take us to the Vet. We get there, the vet's nurse gets me to bring Dapple outside (after hitting me in the face with a ladle and not apologizing), and proceeds to catch Dapple's pee in this ladle. - I sure hope it was washed from the previous animal, before she hit me in the face!

We went back inside, and minutes later, the vet came out. We went into one of the little rooms, and she checked Dapple out. She ran the tests on the wee, and told us what was up. She's got an infection, and had to have an injection. The Vet asked if Dapple was allergic to anything, and when I said yes, she asked what. I went on to explain that every time she has an injection, she has a reaction. The vet stated that that was a reaction to vaccinations, and carried on giving her a shot of Penicillin. We left the office, and on the ride home, she was continuously shaking her head. Itchy ears I assumed. By the time we got home, and Stephen dropped us off, her reaction was getting worse. Her eyes were getting red, she was chewing her foot off as she scratched her side, and her nose was swelling up. Luckily I'd seen this happen to her before, so it wasn't a true panic right away. I just knew she needed Benadryl. Well, after looking around and not being able to find it, that's when I began to panic. I called Stephen and asked him to bring some home ASAP. A little while later, with no sign of him, I called the vet. I described everything to her, and she told me to come back in with Dapple.

We had to wait for Stephen to get back to the house, and as I was getting antsy, I walked up to the four way stop, Dapple in my arms, to meet up with him so he wouldn't have to turn around. He drove us back to the vet, where Dapple had to have 2 more injections to fight off the first one. UGH! She has to go back in 2 weeks, and has to be on a different medication I'm allergic to, for the time in between. We drove back to the house, and her and I finally had some time to relax. She laid down beside me on the couch, and would only leave my side when she heard the door open. She'd go see who it was, and return to me. If I got up, she was up with me. Poor little thing.

My Dad, Mom, and Stephen all got home, and we ate dinner together while watching "Glee" - re runs - in the background. Now I'm sitting here watching "The Hulk" with everyone but Stephen who's gone out. I'm waiting for tomorrow's call time, and then I'll be asleep, faster than ever. After I pack of course. Good Night xx

Day 336

What a hottttttt day! My Goodness! I could barely move. I was up earlyish, and still didn't manage to get a lot done because sitting at home, was like sitting in a sauna. I got ready, and took care of the dogs...but basically them and I, sat around trying to survive as the beads of sweat roll off us. When Stephen got home from work, he changed quickly, and the two of us headed out to do some running around.

Our first stop was Walmart. We were on a hunt for Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals. Once we had a Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, and Pooh in hand, we headed to the cash. As we placed the stuffys' on the counter, we realized Eeyore's little music box inside, didn't work. We ran back to see if there was another one, and when there wasn't, decided it wouldn't matter. The other 3 sang, and it was the same song in each, so if Eeyore didn't, it would be alright. We paid for the animals, and made a stop at the bank and Liquor Store before coming home.

When we got back, we had minutes to wrap a few gifts, then we were out the door and at the pub. Stephen jumped out to fill a cooler with ice, and then we drove to a friend's for a baby shower. Hours later, my Mom showed up, I came home with her, and now I'm sitting here, falling asleep as I type this, and watch TV. I'll be in bed very shortly. Good Night xx

Day 335

35 Degrees today, and ... people are dancing? We're watching the news right now, and people were dancing in the street. I could hardly move! Anyway, I'm not complaining, cuz I certainly don't want the rain to come.

My Mom and I had some things to get done today, so we were running from store to store getting groceries, gifts, etc. When we got back, my Mom made dinner, and after eating, her, my Dad and I went down to a company picnic. We mingled with some people, and then headed up the beach for a gelato. We were originally sitting near the water to eat it, but I began shivering, gave up, and went to Jimmy Flynn's to finish eating it in the warmth.

Soon enough, my Mom, and Dad came to get me, and we drove back to the house. I took the dogs out, and then my Dad and I drove up to Rogers to rent a movie. Now the two of us are watching TV until Stephen and Carly get off work. They'll come here and we'll watch "Planet 51". I'll be asleep VERY soon after. xx

Day 334

I was awake pretty early considering what time I went to bed last night. I got up, got ready, and my Mom, Dad and I went to one of my Dad's stores' anniversaries. We hung around there for a bit, then went to Starbucks, and drove to our storage place. We grabbed a fan - as the temperature is still crazy hot here - and then drove home.

I had just enough time to check some e-mails before changing for work, and Carly arriving. When she got here, the two of us drove to her house to take care of her dog, then went up to Pita Pit. We were SO excited!! I haven't had Pita Pit in like...years!

We had picked some up for Stephen, and the chef at the pub, so we went down there to drop the pitas off, grabbed a gelato, polished that off, and then enjoyed our pitas. They were delicious!!!!! Because of the heat, the pub was pretty dead. For the next probably 4 hours...I sat there speaking with my boss while he ate dinner, playing Angry Birds, and talking to some customers. My Mom dropped us some dessert, then found a parking spot, and came in to sit with me. After a lot of water and a cup of coffee, we headed back to the house.

Carly and Stephen came back here after work, and the 3 of us tried to watch "Elf" but we were so tired we didn't get through the whole thing. Carly left, and we all went to sleep. xx

Day 333

Friday the 13th, and had I of noticed earlier...I probably could have had some luck.

My Mom and I were doing some running around today, and the radio station was giving away tickets to Michael Buble (his Vancouver concert is this Friday), all you had to do was call in, and answer questions about Souffle. Well, I had my phone in my hand and was ready to dial...but when I heard Souffle, I thought yeah right, I won't win these tickets...and I closed my phone. It wasn't until after a girl from White Rock had answered all these EASY questions, that I thought...CRAP! It's Friday the 13th! Those tickets would have been mine! What a muppet!

Anyway, all that aside...my day began with a tiny work out, and by tiny...I mean about 2 minutes, on the wii fit. I was trying to do jack knife sit-ups, when Callan decided to lie under my head. Then, when my bath was ready, I jumped in and got ready to go out. My Mom came home from golf, and the two of us walked down to the pub to meet up with some of my Mom's friends for lunch. We ate there, and proceeded to the Gelato place for dessert. It was delicious as usual.

We ate the gelato on the beach, said our good byes, and then my Mom and I walked to the other end of the beach, up the hill and home in 31 degree heat. When we got back, we had a few things we had to do at different stores. We got that done, I got changed, and I went to work.

Work was great. Busy at the pub, but great nonetheless. It's an awesome atmosphere. When we finished at the pub, Stephen, Carly and I went to Charlie's, and then the OB. We were standing at the OB when we glanced at this Dane Cook look a like we had seen walk by earlier. He was soooo good looking that Carly and I couldn't stop staring. We later found out that he is an NHL player. We had some good laughs as per usual, and then Carly and I walked home. It was around 3:30am when I fell asleep. xx

Day 332

After getting up and talking to Toni today, I got ready to go out with my Mom. The two of us did some running around. First to Costco, then Walmart, Starbucks and London Drugs. When we finished all of that, we came home, and I watched some TV with my Dad until it was time for dinner.

I took care of a few e-mails I had to send, and Carly came over. After what seemed like forever, her and I headed down to Jimmy Flynn's. We sat around until the pub closed. We watched two super drunk girls try to come in, and then saw them track down a cab. Not long later, there was another cab at the door, waiting for the same two. When the pub was all closed up, Stephen, Katrina, Carly and I headed to Charlie Don't Surf, but stopped in at Uli's to say hi to some people. After sitting at Charlie's for a bit, Katrina left, and we headed over to the OB for live band night.

The band that apparently doesn't have a name, but Stephen calls Unicorn on the cob, is awesome. They do a lot of covers, but played an original song tonight as well. We sat around enjoying the music, and laughing at how not one person on the dance floor had any rhythm...At ALL! There was one lady with a hairstyle from the 80's who was playing the air guitar, doing the ever so famous head bob, and singing every word but the right ones to "Don't Stop Believin". I had a guy sit on my lap...and then when he apologized and I said it was ok, he tried to look me in the eye and say I made a nice cushion. Not sure what that meant, but I'm guessing by his odd gaze, that he was trying to compliment me. Pretty much right after that happened, we moved closer to the band. The funny thing is, that was just coincidence. Stephen hadn't even seen the guy sit on me. Carly and I stepped out a few times to see if we could catch the meteor shower, but came back in filled with disappointment each time.

When the band finished playing, Carly, Stephen and I headed up the steep hill. - It's getting easier to climb! - Carly said good bye and went home, Stephen and I say good night, and now I'm in bed, ready for a good sleep. Good Night xx

Day 331

Today was AWESOME!!! I LOVE working on set! I woke up - after about a 4 and a half hour sleep - at 5:15, and I got ready for work. I put my skirt and suit jacket on, did my make up, ate, did everything else that had to be done, and went out the door.

On my way to set, I was pretty early, and wanted to make sure I was going in the right direction. I pulled into Starbucks, got a Vanilla latte, asked if the next street was the one I wanted, and when they said yes, I got back into my car and was in crew park within minutes...maybe even seconds. I walked to holding, signed in, and although wardrobe really liked my suit...it was too light for the specific set, and they asked me to change. I came back in my second outfit, and they were informed there was to be no capris on set. They asked me to change into a 3rd, and this one, was a success. I went to see make up - the lady wasn't the nicest and almost had me in tears...but that's the way it goes sometimes. I went to hair, and she said mine was perfect. Sitting at a table with some people a little while later, hair came over and asked if I'd mind her putting some up, as lots of people were wearing theirs down. I didn't mind. Who doesn't love getting pampered? I wasn't a huge fan of the look...but that's probably because of my make up more than anything.

The next 11 and a half hours were spent on and off set, speaking to some amazing people, and watching a very good looking actor for part of that. I had so much fun! When we were wrapped, I drove to the soccer field my Dad was playing on. I watched the last of the 2nd half with my Mom, then her and I drove to the house to drop a car off, stopped at Starbucks, and met my Dad down at Jimmy Flynn's - the pub.

After a big meal - too much food - a few games of Angry Birds - a very addictive game on the iPhone, and some very loud singing to "Sweet Caroline"...the 3 of us came home. Shortly after watching some TV...it's time for bed. Good Night xx

Day 330

I'm sitting here watching ET Canada, and they've just gone through a list of fashion faux pas that I guess are coming back into fashion. Let me tell you right now...I won't be following the trend if this is the case. So here's what they're saying (and feel free to let me know your thoughts).

Fanny Packs - Ok, these were never cool, and I'm pretty sure that means you can't make a come back.
Socks and high heels - ???? They're saying you can only do this if your socks are the same colour as the heels. NO! You should NEVER do this.
Shoulder pads - This HAS to be a joke! They don't look nice. What woman wants broad shoulders? Don't they have plastic surgery nowadays to avoid this type of thing??

Ok, now that that rant is over...let's move onto something else that's bothering me. Funnily enough, it too, is related to come backs. Britney Spears. Yes, you read right. Apparently she's going to be on "Glee" for an episode. Now don't get me wrong, I've always been a fan of her music. I can't help but tap my foot, and dance to every one of her songs...BUT after her psycho stint...I don't exactly support her, and definitely don't think she deserves to be showcased on "Glee". If they were just singing her songs, that would be kind of cool. But to let her promote herself...well, I think it'll be a tough episode to watch. I just have a feeling that her acting is not going to do the show justice. Anyway...there's my 2nd rant.

Haven't gotten up to too much today. Woke up, watched some TV, got ready, and cleaned my room. When I finished that, I went to Starbucks and the bank with Stephen, and the two of us stopped at the pub on the way home. When I got back, I spoke to some people online, and watched some TV. I know...the excitement is insane isn't it? Oooh Wheel of Fortune! You can't go wrong with a little knowledge in your TV experience. Anyway, just laying low tonight because I'm on set tomorrow, and I have a feeling it will be an early call time. So for now, I'll say Good Night xx

Day 329

Once again, I had a late night so this morning didn't start out too early. My whole system is back to night owl mode. When I decided to get ready, I only sat around so it didn't really make a difference. Around 5:30, Carly came over. We watched some TV until it was time to go to the movies. We went to see "The Other Guys". It was funny.

When the movie was over, the 3 of us drove back home. I wasn't feeling great, but my Dad and I went to meet up with my Mom at Starbucks. They didn't have any soy milk, and I was upset. We sat there while my Mom and Dad drank theirs, and then my Mom and I went to 2 others to see if I could get a coffee. They weren't open. When we were on our way back, we drove down to the pub where I was going to jump out and meet up with Stephen and Carly. I was falling asleep on the way down though, and still wasn't feeling well, so we turned around and came home. I sat on the couch for a bit, but shortly after, I was in bed. xx

Day 328

I didn't get out of bed until 1 today, and it was lovely. Even when I did get up, I was tired. I definitely could have fallen back to sleep...but I decided against it. I got up, and watched the Man U vs Chelsea game with my Dad and brother. Then I got my act together, and got ready to go out.

Stephen had gone to work, and so had my Mom. My Dad and I drove down to the front, and went for a walk. We walked all the way up East beach to the pier, and down that to check out the star fish etc. We were enjoying the peacefulness when some stupid woman walked over, and started chucking chunks of bread at the birds. That ruined that. We moved across the pier, and as soon as she was done ruining everyone's time, she left. We walked back up the pier, and I got a phone call from Stephen. The regulars were at the pub, so we stopped in to say hi.

When we were finished there, we drove to the grocery store, picked up some things for dinner, and then went to Starbucks. The first one didn't have enough soy milk to make my drink, so we sat down with the teeny drink they gave me for free, and then went to the next store Hahaha. Dad brought his coffee, and the 2 of us sat down in this second Starbucks, and enjoyed the tastiness. When our drinks were done, we decided we'd better go home and eat dinner. It was just after 7.

We made some delicious wraps, and had salads with chicken gyozas. We watched an episode of Friends, and then turned on a movie I'd worked on. I'd have to watch it in slow motion to see if you can spot me running down the street, but I did see someone I know, and my car! Haha. I now own the movie, but it's not one I'd watch again. It was a little bit too creepy. My Mom got home by the time it was done, and we watched some show on storms while having some tea. Now my parents are in bed, I'm watching TV and sorting through Italy pictures, and then I'll be fast asleep. Good Night xx

Day 327

So Dapple woke me up at 11:30 this morning...and when you didn't go to bed until 6:30am...that's kind of early. I let her in my room, and Callan followed. Luckily, after about 10-15 minutes, the two of them settled down, and let me go back to sleep until my Mom came in to wake us up at 2. I was ready by about 4, and my Mom and I went to Walmart, and then made a quick stop at Starbucks.

We came home, and shortly after, the doorbell rang. Tonight, we were going out with an old family friend. Someone I hadn't seen since I was probably about...9? Anyway, he and his girlfriend were going for dinner with us tonight, so there was a quick hello at the door, a tour of the house, and then the 5 of us drove down to the pub. We had a nice meal there - that I was falling asleep during...and when we'd finished, we drove back to the house. I ran out to Walmart for what I thought would be a brief moment. I was wrong.

I was on a mission to get Stephen some Cheeseburger doritos, pepcid ac, and the movie "Kick - Ass" for him, Carly and I to watch. Looking for the doritos...couldn't find them. I had to get Ketchup chips for him instead. Next, the Pepcid AC. Well...there were a ton of boxes in the aisle, as it was close to 11pm, and I therefore had to walk all the way around and down, instead of straight across. Once I found those, I went on a hunt for the movie I had in my hand not 12 hours ago at this very store. Seconds passed...then minutes. I couldn't find it. I asked for help, and the lady who didn't even know it was a movie searched the same places I had looked. She then sent me to the front of the store to check a rack...and still...nothing. I couldn't believe it. She told me they'd get a new shipment in tonight so I could get it tomorrow. Um HI! Do you not think I can see the boxes all over the place? Number one, if you are out, why don't you take a look in the box...number two...I don't think you are out, seeing as it's a new release and I WAS HOLDING ONE EARLIER! Anyway, long story short...I never found the movie. Stephen had since spoken to me, and asked me to pick him up some chocolate milk. So I did. We figured out the movie was on Pay-Per-View, and I drove home.

When I arrived, I complained to everyone - family friend, and his girl friend included. And then I gave Stephen his chocolate milk. He opened it, took a swig, and then asked me to smell it. I've never smelled anything like it before. It was like inhaling straight chemicals of some sorts. Neither of us could believe it. He didn't drink it, and I got even more mad at Walmart. It's a good thing I came out of there with a copy of a movie I may be in...or all hell may have broken loose.

The family friend left, and we ordered the movie. Now it's over, Carly's gone home, and I REALLY need some sleep. Speak to you soon. Good Night xx

Day 326

Today was AWESOME!
I tried to sleep in as late as I could, and when I woke up, I spent the afternoon packing, and getting ready for set. When my Mom and I left, it took us longer than we expected to get there...but when we found the location, we paid for parking, and went to Extras holding. Now the next bit, I'm gonna have to run through with very little detail. You see, you're not allowed to know everything that happens on set. What I will say is that it was AWESOME! There was a group of us hanging out together in each scene that were having a great time, there was a lot of dancing, and a very good looking dancer. Also, the show is called "Hellcats" and it premiers on September 8th. I believe we were working on the 3rd episode, but am not positive. The show looks great, and I suggest tuning in from the beginning. I think it'll be a fun one to watch.

We wrapped at 5:30am, and were home, crawling into our beds by 6:30. xx

Day 325

Today's been one of those days. You know, the days where nothing goes right. You can't hang onto a thing whether it's your cell phone or a french fry. Your attitude needs an adjustment, and you just hate yourself. That's what today was for me. It had it's ups...but there were also some tears. It's now 3:11am, and I probably should be asleep - as I think exhaustion has something to do with my mood...but instead, I'm going to write my blog. You see, I'm working on set tomorrow, and my call time is probably going to be around 8 or 9pm as it's a night shoot, so the later I stay up now...is probably the better.

This morning I woke up to my Mom's music. It was 11 o'clock. I eventually got myself ready, and after following my Mom to the garage in my Mazda, I hopped in the Jag, and did my make up. The two of us went to Starbucks, and also to Walmart. Then we went to pick Hagan - my 4 year old cousin - at Day care. When we got there, he was so excited to see us. "Judy!" He called out. The ladies who work there told us that they'd been hearing all day, about us picking him up and bringing him to Starbucks. He was so excited.

We drove to Starbucks, where Hagan asked me to sit in the big comfy chair right next to him. When we finished our drinks and cookies, we walked around a couple of the shops until Caldo arrived to collect Hagan. They went home, and my Mom and I stopped at the grocery store. My Mom was just picking a few things up, so I stayed in the car. She dropped me at the pub on the way home, and I went in to wait for her and my Dad to come back in for dinner. I had a conversation with the chef, and once we'd eaten, my Mom, Dad and I walked up the hill and home.

I changed my outfit, and did my nails. Then I checked some e-mails before my Mom drove me back down. I had a bit of a breakdown in the car - to do with me hating myself right now - and then I went into the pub to meet up with Stephen and Carly, and some other people. Once the bar was closed down, we skipped Charlie Don't Surf, and headed straight for the OB. It was band night there, and let me tell you...the band was awesome. They play at Jimmy Flynn's every now and then too, but this was the first time I'd heard them. We had a really good time, and I became addicted to a game on the Iphone called "Angry Birds". At one point, I was offered money to drive a drunk couple home. I did it, and Carly came with me so I wouldn't have to walk back on my own. Thank God she did, as it was at least a 15 minute walk. We jumped in her car after trudging up hill in heels, and I drove it back down towards the OB. We parked out back, went in for about 15 minutes, and then drove home.

Now I'm lying in bed, and my eyes are burning...so, although I'm doing a night shoot tomorrow...I'm going to sleep now. Good Night xx

Day 324

Not too much to report on today.
When my alarm went off at 10, I wondered why, and debated going back to sleep. It was then that I realized I was getting up to go see the new Adam Sandler movie, so I dragged myself out of bed, did my Wii fit, and then started getting ready. It turned out my Mom and I had to wait around for the Jag to charge, so instead of the 12:05 movie, we were now going to see the 3:05. Do you know how much longer I could have slept?? Dammit!

I spent more time getting ready, and decided to curl some strands of my hair. After looking up directions for the movie theatre, my Mom and I were on our way. 40 minutes later, we weren't there yet, and I was beginning to panic. You see, this movie came out in Canada while I was in England, and had yet to come out there. That means it's almost out of theatres here, and is now only playing at a selected few. Normally, with Adam Sandler movies, I see them the day they open...so you could imagine my stress when it was 3:15 and we were only just pulling up to the theatre. My Mom ran in, and soon sent me a text telling me to go inside. We had 4 minutes to get into our seats. We ran in, got our seats, caught a preview or 2, and my Mom got us some popcorn. I enjoyed the movie. It wasn't a laugh all the way through movie, but it was definitely good.

When it finished, my Mom and I went to Costco, then to Starbucks, and then to Safeway. When we got back to the house, my Mom was doing some work while I played some band hero, and took pictures of the helicopter flying over the ocean for a tv show. It was around 8 o'clock when my Mom and I attempted to move a giant monitor from the office to the car. I couldn't do it because of my rib, and my Zach muscle. We laid it down, and waited for Caldo and Hagan to show up. Caldo brang chocolates, and Hagan was bouncing all over the place. My Mom and Caldo loaded the monitor into my car, and we all drove to Caldo's house. When we arrived, the two of them moved the monitor in, while I took care of Hagan. He showed me his room, and asked me to push play on Coraline - a movie I HATE! It would actually give me nightmares. It's meant for children, and he loves it, but I have no idea how. When they were done setting up the monitor, my Mom and I went down to the pub for a coffee and sprite while we waited for my Dad to meet us. He came straight from soccer, had a pint, and then we drove home.

I played a couple of songs on Band Hero, watched 2 episodes of Friends with my parents, and once my Dad went to bed, my Mom and I watched an episode of Big Brother in an attempt to catch up. Now it's 2:15, we've only just finished the 2nd episode, but we NEED sleep...so here I go. Good Night xx

Day 323

This morning came to quickly. 10 to 12, and my eyes were burning when I was woken up. I got ready, had a quick chat with Chad and Carly, and then went with my Mom to the eye doctors. I dropped her, came back for Stephen, and the two of us went back to pick her up. We waited in the waiting room, and when she came out, we went to Best Buy. When we were done there, the 3 of us met up with Carly at Starbucks.

After our drinks, we came back to our house to play Band Hero. It was a wicked time. Quite a few songs later, my Dad was home, and the 5 of us were going for Sushi. After that, we went to see "Charlie St. Cloud", and although it was a good movie...when I came out, I needed to do something happy and fun. Carly came back to our place, and the two of us played "Raving Rabbids" on the Wii, and then did some Chicken Flying on the Wii Fit Plus. It was so much fun, but now that I'm extremely exhausted, hot, and caught up on my blogs...I'm going to go to sleep. Funny that 2am is now an early night for me. Good Night xx

Day 322

Holiday Monday, and a day full of fun. Carly and I had decided we'd have a movie day. I got up early to go out with my Mom. We got to Costco and saw it was closed, and then we went to the grocery store, and Starbucks before heading home to meet up with Carly. At 2:15. her Stephen and I were in the theatre watching "Dinner for Schmucks". It was pretty funny. Not like "Step Brothers" hilarious...but definitely some great parts.

By the time we got back, we didn't have time to relax before my cousins showed up. Hagan and Caldo came in, we said hi, and then the 7 of us walked down to the beach for a gelato before dinner. We made a few stops - at the pub and such - on the way, and once we had our cups and cones in our hands, we made it to the benches along the front. We sat and talked, and I had a cuddle with Hagan. When we had all finished, we walked back up to the house, and ate dinner.

At about 7:15, Carly, Stephen and I headed out again to see "Inception". My friend Brad was coming straight from work, so after getting the seats, I went outside to get his ticket and wait for him. He got there, and we walked in to watch the movie. Stephen and I already knew how amazing it was because we'd seen it. But for Brad and Carly, it was a whole new experience. When it finished, Brad had to leave right away because he was so tired and needed sleep before work. Carly and I dropped Stephen at home, and went to pick up an old friend of mine at a pub on the front. - The place is a bit of a dive. We got Chad, and headed back to my house to collect Stephen. Carly came in for cake first, and then we were off to Jimmy Flynn's. People were clearly worn out from the long weekend, because it was pretty much just us and others from the industry hanging out tonight. We closed Jimmy Flynn's as usual, and then headed to Charlie Don't Surf. After everyone's drinks, we headed to the OB where the music was actually good (without the DJ being there), and the dance floor..no, the building...was almost empty. There was probably only 7 other people there, and I think they too, were a part of the industry.

When the bar closed, Stephen, Carly and I headed back with Chad, to his hotel room. We hung out there for a bit and I watched them play cards, but not before being picked up by the SAME cab driver who almost ran Carly over the other night, and going to McDonalds for a great laugh - Stephen put on a fake voice to order his food - and then we stopped at Shell to get some candy. It was 3:30 when we decided to head home, and although I was tired, I went downstairs to Stephen's room so that we could watch Blades of Glory with Carly. Not far into it, I was falling asleep, so I came up to bed. xx

Day 321

Up early enough today, to go down and watch the Waiter races. It's a competition between all of the restaurant waiters on the front, and from a pub just up the road. Jimmy Flynn's had a team, and had it not have included a certain person, they definitely would have won the whole thing. They didn't...but it was fun to watch anyway. Stephen had to run backwards through pylons wearing huge sunglasses and a pirate hat, while carrying a tray of water glasses. He then had to pass the props off to Anna who had to skateboard with everything to Lorraine. She was wearing flippers and had to make her way back to Carly who then had to roll a hula hoop to the finish line. It was awesome. When all that finished, my Mom, Dad and I went to Jimmy Flynn's, and I had lunch. When I finished, we walked back up to the house.

My Mom and Dad went to a Barbecue, and I cleaned my room up. I realized my obsession for Bench, and smiled as I hung everything in my closet. I got a phone call from my Dad saying they were on their way to pick me up, so I got ready, and when they arrived, I got in the car, and fell asleep. It wasn't until we were almost where we were going, that I woke up. We were at one of my Dad's stores picnics. We watched a watermelon eating contest - which was gross...got our pictures taken, and met some people. When that was over, the 3 of us went for a Starbucks. We didn't stay there long, because we wanted to make sure we were back at the house in time for fireworks. We were.

It turns out, our new house's deck, is front row seating for the fireworks. They looked absolutely amazing! Dapple hated the noise, and shook like crazy, while Callan just sat calmly in my arms without realizing anything was going on. I took some pictures, and we looked at them quickly before Carly arrived. When she came, the two of us walked down to the pub where we hung out for a bit. Once Stephen closed the place, we ended up going to his friend Mick's place. I drove, and we didn't stay there too long, as I think we were all pretty shattered. But the time we did spend there, was so much fun.

When we came home, it was still early morning - as usual, and I hit the pillow pretty quickly. xx

Day 320

The owner of the pub I worked at last night was getting married today. Because of the hills and such, my Mom didn't really want to walk down there in heels...so I drove her and my Dad down. I needed to make myself look decent first though. And after about 5 hours of sleep...it wasn't an easy task.

Once I dropped them off, I took myself to Starbucks. When I walked in, I saw the top of this guy's head and for a split second, I forgot where I was and got extremely excited. I thought it was the Braintree Starbucks guy. When I realized I was in Canada...you probably could have seen the disappointment on my face as the next realization - the fact that there was no way it was him - set in. I drove home with my frappuccino, drove my brother down to work, and came back to catch up on blogs and get ready for work. I went down about half an hour before I was supposed to start, and got to see the bride and groom at a different restaurant on the front, and said hi to some family friends. I went into work, and Stephen and Carly wanted wedding cake, so we went back to the restaurant, they ate cake while we spoke to more people, and then we went back to the pub, and I started work.

It was a really fun/really busy night. About half an hour after I started, the entire wedding party/attendees/parade and festival goers showed up. I didn't get a 2 second break for the next 5 hours, but I was fine with that. I was having such a good time, and made some decent money. After everyone cleared out, we spent another night at the OB. It was early morning again, before I got to sleep xx

Day 319

I'm soooo tired right now. My brother and I had another late night. I worked at the pub - I've made some good money in my 2 days of work there, and have had some good times, so I'm pretty happy. Once we closed the pub, him, a friend Carly, and I, went to the OB (which is the bar on the front that I was never a fan of, but now I just go and laugh at people)...And MAN did we laugh! Some of the stories involve profanity, so I'll edit them a little bit...but just so you get the idea...here goes:

There was this one girl on the dance floor just givin' er. She was all smiles, and dancing nonstop all on her own. She was brushing her shoulders, waving her arms in the air. I couldn't stop laughing. Then there was a guy who was probably 5 foot 2...and 300 pounds. He was wearing suspenders and to me, looked like someone you'd call Mr. Bojangles. We watched a really drunk girl go upstairs with some guy - she's gonna regret that. Her friend tried to stop her, but it didn't work. Then, Stephen went to the washroom, so it was just Carly and I sitting there...all of a sudden this guy runs up to us, puts one hand on my shoulder, the other on Carly's and starts jumping around. So I look up, and I'm like Hi! And Carly does the same. And this guys face just went serious..and he was like OH S***! He goes "I don't know you guys!" So I was like nope...no you don't. Hahaha and he was like "ohhh this is awkward, I thought I knew you girls...and I don't...this is awkward" So I was like, no it's ok...it happens. Then he said some pretty inappropriate comments that I couldn't stop laughing at. But I didn't want to laugh in his face, so I was like ok, and I sort of put my hand on his chest to turn him away. And he leans in again, says some more things that I didn't even know how to respond to. Then he's like, "Yeah...I don't even know what to say now...I thought I knew you...this is so awkward". So he finally walks away, and I try to tell Carly what he said, and I can't even get it out without breaking into laughter. I was crying I was laughing so hard. When I finally told her, she couldn't stop laughing. Then Stephen got back and we told him, and he was like WOW! I want to meet this guy. About 10 mintues later, we're sitting there, and I can see a reflection in the cooler. He's coming back to talk to me! I started freaking, and then I dunno what happened, but he turned around and walked the other way. I was just like oh, thank God!

So then, we're sitting there, the bar's closed now, but because Stephen knows everybody, we hang out with the owners and staff after hours. So we're sitting there, and one of the owners is like "Hey, do you guys want some freezies? I got them at Zellers!" So we're sitting at the bar eating freezies lol. It was awesome.

So as if all this isn't enough...we go outside to walk home, and we see a cab. So Stephen's like, oh let's take a taxi to the top of the hill, and he tries to flag it down. Well, the guy goes zooming past, but as we see him go by, there's one coming the other way, so Stephen flags him down. We get in the one cab, and the other one comes back. So the cab we're in...the driver's like oh it's ok, get in the other one, he was just turning around for you guys. And we were like no it's ok, we're already in this one. And he was like no no, go in that one it's ok. So we said fine and thanked him, get out of his, and go to get in the other one. Stephen gets in the front. I go around to the other door, and Carly can't get in cuz the door's locked on her side. So I reach over and unlock it. She gets one foot in, and the driver guns it! He steps on the gas pedal! I have no idea how she jumped up to hang on, but half of her is out of the door but hanging on for dear life, and Stephen and I are yelling at the driver. He stops, and no apology or anything...turns around and is like Well how long does it take you to get into the car?? "Your effin door was locked!" She said. So then without any kind of acknowledgement from him, Stephen's like, K we just want to go to the top of this hill. The driver said "Ok, you'll give me 5 dollars??" Stephen didn't understand. "5 dollars?!?! You've gotta be joking!" The driver', shocked, says "No?" Stephen goes 5? To go to the top of the hill? No way man, I'm not paying that. So the driver kicked us out of the cab lol. Then Stephen and him are fighting in hindu! I didn't even know Stephen knew any hindu. It was hilarious! After a heated argument between the two, we eventually made it up the hill on foot, and we get in my car to go get chips at 711. We get there, and they don't have the right kind. We go to a gas station, and EVENTUALLY get what we want, then to mcdonalds, then back to my house. Carly left, and Stephen and I watched Happy Gilmore til I started falling asleep. What a night! Lol. xx

Day 318

Wow! Now that was a good night! Rolling in at 5:30 this morning, barely sleepy, and can't stop smiling. I love my family, and I love BC. It's so nice to be back.

The beginning of the day began pretty early as usual, but that doesn't mean I did anything productive before about 12. I dragged myself out of bed at around 9 to take the dogs out, and came back in to get ready. I lazed around longer than I should have, and eventually got ready to go do some much needed running around before work. I was supposed to start at 7 at Jimmy Flynn's - a pub on the front where my brother is the bar manager, and I didn't have anything to wear.

My Mom and I headed out, and found ourselves at Walmart. 2 complete outfits later, and some chocolate...we were ready to go. I had received a call asking if I could come in at 6 instead, so we had half an hour to go for a Starbucks before me running home to change. My Mom and I met up with a friend of hers, and had a quick chat while we drank our frappuccinos.

I being as silly as I am, was having nerve issues. I was so afraid I'd make a bad impression, or the bosses wouldn't like me. You see, they all know me already, so after hearing from Stephen and my parents, that they already like me, I was so afraid to screw up, and to change their judgement. Once I was at work though, everything was fine. I was having a great time. My Mom had driven me down, and I was shown what I was to be doing for the night. It involved quite a few laughs, and it was awesome to be working along side my big brother.

When we finished, and were closing up, I was talking to one of my brother's friends - Max - about a movie his brother's working on. We had been talking for like 45 minutes, when Stephen called out to let me know an old friend had shown up. I turned around to see a guy I knew in elementary school. It was awesome! We talked for a bit, until we were interrupted by Max, and then when he backed off, we talked some more.

From Jimmy Flynn's, a bunch of us went to Charlie Don't Surf, and then to the OB. After hanging out there for a while with a load of laughs, we headed to Max's to play poker. It was a night filled with experiences. First, we were pulled over. - I hadn't realized Carly had gone to get her car, and she had had a little to drink. Normally I would have offered to drive, but when she came around the corner in her car to pick us up, I didn't even think. She has her "N" which means she's a new driver, and has restrictions. The reason the cop pulled her over, was she had 3 other people in the car with her. That's not allowed. He asked if there was anyone over 25 in the car, and Stephen said yes. Then he asked if she'd been drinking. Another rule on your "N" is that you are not allowed to have any alcohol in your system. She had to do a breathalizer, and blew a 0.035 or something like that (I'm not sure how it works)...anyway, under normal circumstances, she would have been fine...but because she's got her "N", she wasn't. He told her she had a 12 hour driving suspension, and asked her to come back to the car and wait. When he came over, he said "I assume there's no one sober in this car?" I spoke up and said I was, and that's when, with a shocked look on his face, he said "WHY Aren't you driving?" None of us could really answer. I explained that I hadn't realized she was getting her car, and that I'd been in England for 10 months, and don't know the area...and he told me instead of leaving her car on the street, if I wanted to drive it that would be fine. He joked around about how I'd been driving on the wrong side of the road, and was now going to drive here. He talked about how he'd lived in England for a year, and then about how stupid we had been, but we learned our lesson. He let us continue on our way without a ticket, and without suspension.

We were completely shocked, thankful, and laughing by the time we got to Max's place. We sat down to play poker (I watched, and played with the puppies - Chili and Frodo). I went on a walk with a guy named George who is openly gay, and drove his mercedes back to Max's for him. We stayed there a while, and watched Max draw all over another guy with a Sharpie, as he was first to pass out. When the night ended, Carly, Stephen and I came back to the house, and I fell asleep almost instantly as my head hit the pillow. xx

Day 317

Up earlier than I wanted to be...but it was still a lie in. Maybe I should start going to bed earlier...that may help things. But here I sit at 1:10am...You know what? Scratch that. I'm going to sleep now, and will write the rest tomorrow.

So I was up and getting ready to go out with my Mom. Once we left the house, we went straight to the hair dressers. There was a mix up there, and for some reason they'd booked me in so that I had an hour between my eyebrows being waxed, and my hair being cut. Apparently they think I'm growing a caterpillar across my forehead or something. Anyways, as usual, it only took about 5 minutes to do my eyebrows, so when they finished, they weren't really sure what to do with my Mom and I as it was only like 2:45 and our appointments weren't until 3:30. The two of us decided to go do some quick running around, and aimed to be back for 3:15. We ran to the gas station, and then to get a frappuccino, and made it back to the salon in plenty of time. My Mom's hairdresser took her in right away, while I sat and had a conversation with an older gentleman that really wanted to talk. He was in his late 70's I think he said, or early 80's, and you could tell he just wanted someone to talk to. He also sang to me. About 15 minutes later, my hairdresser came over to "save" me. She told the elderly man that she had to steal his friend, he went on his way, and I put on the robe.

Sitting in the chair about an hour later, my Mom had already left for work, and I wasn't too sure about my hair. Danielle was cutting away, and it was getting shorter and shorter. I was trying not to show too much worry in my face...but to this moment, I'm still really not sure I like it :( I loved my hair before...now it's too short, and blah. Anyway, I paid for everything, and left.

I went for a walk along the beach, and took some pictures, then ended up at the pub to speak to Stephen briefly, and walked back up to the house. I was only in long enough to take the dogs out. My Dad arrived, changed, and we left for his soccer game.

It was so nice to be back in the groove of things. We pulled into the parking lot, and as we were walking across the field, all the players that matter, were saying hi and giving me hugs. It was really nice to feel so welcome. The game wasn't so good...they lost 4-2, and it was the semi-final. :( I was a little disappointed to hear that, because it means I won't see them again for another 2 hundred and some days. Anyway, more hugs, and my Dad and I were on our way. We drove to the pub, had some dinner, and then the two of us came home.

I stayed up pretty late again, trying to stay awake until my Mom got home, but at about 2:30, I caved. I took the dogs into my room, and was out like a light. At 3:30ish, I woke up, put the dogs away, and realized my Mom wasn't home yet. Turns out it's a good thing I didn't wait up for her. She didn't get home until 7am. xx

Day 316

Woke up this morning, not wanting to get up at all. My eyes were burning, and I was exhausted. But as I sat there, I thought...I really should be getting ready. So, I got up, got changed, and after breakfast, my Mom and I went for a walk. We did a loop, down to the front, and back up to the house. When we got back, I had a quick shower and got changed to do some running around.

We went to the bank, and then the two of us went for a Starbucks. We sat outside in the sun, and enjoyed a frappuccino. When it was time to go, we ran into the grocery store to get some olives -EWWWWW- for tonight's salad, and then we drove back to the house. I did some stuff I had to do for work, and then put Dapple on a leash, grabbed my camera, and went for a walk.

We got past our street, and down the stairs when I went to take the first picture. I wanted one of Dapple and I. She was already in my arms cuz of the steps, so I held out the camera and...nothing. No click. I tried again. Still nothing. I turned the camera around to look at it...I had the wrong memory card in. This one was full. Dammit! I walked down the hill, put Dapple on the ground and the two of us continued on our walk. She got a number of compliments as usual, and after walking past all the restaurants on the front, I ended up carrying her up hills and steps. At one point, when I had put her down...she actually gave up on me. Just sat down. That was it. She wasn't moving.

I picked her up, and got her home as fast as I could. I brought her in the door, and had to leave her for my Mom to take the leash off, so I could drive Stephen to work. After getting home from there, I lazed around for a bit. My Dad got home, and the two of us went for a walk. Once we hit the end of the East beach path, I walked back past some creepy seagulls towards the pub, and my Dad went to the hair dresser's.

I sat at the pub talking to Stephen and his coworkers, listening to the live band, until my Dad showed up. We sat a bit longer, and after my coffee, the two of us walked back up to the house for dinner. My Mom had it ready for us when we got in the door, so the three of us sat down to watch TV and eat. A couple of hours later, I'm still watching TV, and Callan's passed out on my lap. I'll be asleep in no time. Good Night xx

Day 315

Got up around 11 today, had my breakfast, spoke to a friend, and got ready to go out with my Mom. We had a couple of different things we had to get done. First we stopped at the bank, and then I had to run into the car insurance company to get a driver's abstract for work. Turns out I wasn't able to get it there, and have to go elsewhere another day.

We drove to Costco, did some shopping there, and then came back towards home. We stopped at Starbucks, had a frappuccino together, and then went into another bank and Safeway before coming to the house. When we arrived here, I went online for a bit until my Dad got home from work. Shortly after he arrived, him, my Mom, my brother and I left for the movies. We drove to the first movie theatre that was packed, and decided to go to the other theatre to watch the same movie but half an hour later. We were going to see "Inception".

About 2 and a half hours later, we were coming out of the theatre, and my brother and I couldn't believe what we had just seen. It was quite honestly one of the BEST, most creative, most thought out, most amazing and crazy/make you think movie I've ever seen.

When we got home, Stephen turned on "Dumb and Dumber", I spoke to a couple of friends, and now, falling asleep in the chair...I'm debating whether or not I should force myself to stay awake and start another movie. The longer I sit here though, the heavier my eyes get...so I think I'll go shut them in a few minutes. Night xx

Day 314

I haven't done a lot today. Seems to be the trend most mornings. Laze around in the beginning, then eventually work my way up to being productive and getting myself out of the house. I had a dentist appointment at 2:30, so once my hair was washed, and I had my make up on...I headed out. A complete check up later with a dentist who was disappointed I didn't come back with cavities, and I was across the street meeting up with my Mom.

The two of us went to meet up with my brother at Best Buy, and we hung out there until he finished work. When he was done, we drove over to Starbucks to meet a family friend. We had a frappuccino with her, and then dropped Stephen at his truck so he could drive home, and my Mom and I could run some errands.

First we went to Kin's Market to get some produce, and then the two of us decided to go have a coffee, like old times...just us. It was around 6 o'clock when we headed home. I went online for a little bit, and when my Dad got home, we all had some left over delicious Chinese food. I sat their watching "Wheel of Fortune" cuz it's my favourite!!! And then we watched a couple of sitcoms until it was time to go to the movies.

Carly met us at our house (she's a friend of Stephen's, and then we met Julie at the theatre. The 6 of us were going to see "Salt". It was a good but predictable and unrealistic movie. I still managed to enjoy it, but think I'm looking forward to tomorrow's movie even more.

When we came out of the theatre, my Mom and Dad drove home, and the rest of us hopped in Julie's car. We drove down to the beach, stopped in at the pub to see some people, then to Charlie's, and then to the OB. When we were done talking there, and finished making fun of people...we went to a friend's house. It was 3:30 when we got in this time. I wrote a couple of overdue blogs, and now that I'm completely caught up...I'm going to get some sleep. Good Night xx

Day 313

I did soooo much cleaning today it was unreal. I didn't get ready to go anywhere until about 5...yet I still didn't manage to unpack anything, or get my room organized. How is that?!?! I did have a great conversation with an old friend though. That was nice, and long overdue. We spoke for like 2 hours, and that kept me smiling as I folded and unfolded laundry. - Yes, I'm still doing laundry...only this time...it's mine.

Once realizing the day was almost done, I got myself together, and went for a walk to the beach with my Mom and my Dad. We walked along the front, and ended up getting a gelato on our way back to the house. When we arrived there, not too much went on.

I spent some time talking to an old friend, and Stephen ordered us some Chinese Food. While we ate, we watched a movie called "Mary and Max" I think? It was really well done. When that was over, we had a quick look at some of the Italy pictures, and then I went to sleep. I was exhausted. xx

Day 312

I named my blog 365 days abroad...and technically, I'm still abroad...as I was living in England, and now I've come abroad to Canada...so I'm gonna keep this going.

Instead of a little Zach waking me up with a knock at my door...today was a wimper from a puppy. It was different, but it was nice. I went out to give Dapple a cuddle and to say good morning to my Dad. Then I came back inside, and I wrote one of my blogs.

I lazed around for a good portion of the day, but it was productive all at the same time. When I did get ready, my Mom, Dad and I ran to Walmart and Starbucks. When we finished there, we had just enough time to come home, take a quick break, and then head out again. This time though, it was just my Mom and I, and we were going to a wedding shower. That was interesting. There were a few games played. One in which you had to match celebrities to their couples, and another one that's sort of self explicable...it was called "pin the junk on the hunk". Classy and awesome. There were some good laughs. After the bride to be opened her presents, my Mom and I left. We met up with my Dad at the pub, then went to get a gelato together. My Mom went up to the house, and as I was walking back to the pub, some random guy started talking to me. "Beautiful day isn't it?"...Yup I said. "So you want to come out with us?" Nope, was my answer. And off I went. I sat at the bar and talked to Stephen until my Mom came back to pick my Dad and I up for dinner. We drove a friend of Dad's back to his place, and then came home, ate and watched "Bounty Hunter". When the movie finished, my Mom drove me back down to the pub, and I hung out with my brother until he closed it up, and him, some friends of his, and I went to Charlie Don't Surf - a restaurant. After that, we went to a bar and hung out, and when that closed, we went to a friend's house. We were there until about 3:30, and I don't remember the last time I laughed as hard as that. By the time I got in the door and in bed at 10 past 4, my cheeks were soooo sore from smiling. It was an awesome night xx

Day 311

Day three hundred and eleven. So many movies I can't even count, 7 trips, a best friend, a crush, some bad days - now that I look back, outweighed by the good moments, and a ton of memories. I can't believe it's done.

My Mom and I were picked up by the taxi driver at 4am, and were taken to the airport. I fell asleep on the way. When we arrived, we were SO early. We dragged ourselves sleepily around the airport, and after a coffee, fell asleep waiting for our gate to show up on the screen. When it finally did, a milkshake and chocolate later, we went on our 15 minute hike to the proper gate, and waited to board the plane.

Once we were on, I fell asleep pretty quickly. I woke up in time to watch half of "Blind Side" and watched a little of "Princess and the Frog" before falling asleep again. This continued for much of the flight, with a little bit of Sudoku just before landing. Coming through customs was easy, our luggage was first off, and we were through the doors and in my Dad's arms in no time.

We went upstairs to order a Starbucks Frappuccino - which was good - but the service just wasn't the same. From there, we drove to the house. I gave my brother a huge hug, met his friend Carly - who's awesome - and then, after slumping around for a bit...got changed and went down to the pub Stephen works at, for dinner. I didn't last too long, but longer than expected. It was around 10 o'clock when my Mom and I walked back up the hill. I went straight to sleep, and my Mom drove back down to the pub to pick my Dad up. It was a good night back, and reminded me why I had missed home so much...but there are still parts of England that I will definitely miss. xx

Day 310

I had just woken up and was checking e-mails when a little Zach showed up at my door this morning. It was already open, but he stood there and knocked. The next half hour - when I should have been getting ready - was spent getting cuddles from him. He had asked why I was still in bed, and why I wasn't downstairs doing jobs, getting them ready for school. I later found out Tim wasn't home, so he must have thought I was taking them. Awww. I told him Heloise was though, and that I'd see him after school. He came over, and just sat on my bed, and hugged me while we talked, and then he stood on my stomach, holding my hands and pretending to be Superman haha. It was awesome! When he had to leave for school, I got up and got ready to go out.

When Heloise got back, her, my Mom and I headed out to Stansted area. Bishop Stortford to be exact. We met up with a friend of Heloise's, and the friend's little boy. We walked over to a park, sat near a paddling pool, and while they chatted, my Mom and I went off to find some coffee. Luckily and by fluke...we found a Starbucks. We returned about an hour later, and they were ready to go to the next spot. We gathered all of our things, and walked to a playground. I spent the next hour running around - in heels - while Noah - the little boy - went down slides and up netting ladders. We had a great time, and he became my new little buddy. He had to go to the washroom, so I sat down for a second, and when he returned he took my hand and tugged on it to go play. It was too cute.

I got a phone call from my cousin Tom, and he and my Aunt were in the parking lot waiting for us. The 4 of us walked over to meet up with them, and then went to lunch. Of course it wasn't as easy as I make it sound. If it was...well I wouldn't have been in England, with my family. A number of suggestions, and waiter upsets later...we ended up down the street and at a little bistro type place. We ordered our food, had a nice conversation, and rushed through our meal as we had to be back in time for Heloise to collect the boys. Heloise's friend, and Noah - who was falling asleep in his lunch - left, and the rest of us walked together, back to the parking lot. We said goodbye, and I somehow managed to curb my tears. They almost broke through the barriers a couple of times on the way home, but my Mom always managed to change the subject and keep me smiling.

When we got back to the house, Heloise left to get the boys, I wrote a quick thank you card, and my Mom and I headed to Starbucks. When we arrived, we got our drinks, and I said my goodbyes to people there who have made a difference in my life. The people that no matter how homesick I was, managed to put a smile on my face. We sat outside to drink our drinks, and then as one shift finished, I had to say goodbye all over again.

As we were leaving to go back to Heloise's, I thought I saw Raffi on the pirate ship ride. Thinking I was going crazy, I ignored it. 2 seconds later he ran off, and that's when I knew for sure it was him. I turned the corner, and there was Michelle, Xavier, and Emilio. I said hi, gave Michelle a huge hug...managed to stand there and talk for a bit while keeping composed, and then, as we hugged goodbye...I was a mess. Then, because Michelle was crying, my Mom was crying too! Oh dear! We said goodbye again, and tears strolling down my face, I walked to the bank machine. Raffi ran over to give me a hug, so I tried to hide the tears...but it didn't work haha. They disappeared around the corner, my Mom and I finished at the bank, and then walked back to the car, me still crying.

I drove back to Heloise's and there were a ton of children and Mom's there for dinner. I talked to them for a bit, and played in the backyard with Zach until dinner time. They all ate, and when they left for Judo, my Mom and I went upstairs to pack some more. The rest of the night was much of the same, with popcorn and ice cream for dinner.

When the boys got back from Judo, they all came into my room to sit while we packed. Heloise joined them. Josh sat there saying "Are you gonna cry? Cry! Cry! Cry!" until Tim had joined the room, and told him to stop. Tim and Heloise left to get the boys milk ready for bed, and I said goodbye, and goodnight to Zach and Josh. Zach gave me lots of hugs, until he had to pee. I let him go and said that was fine haha. Josh was being silly, but after leaving the room, he came back again to thank me for taking care of him, and he gave me another hug. That's when it hit me that he really was going to miss me, and was just trying to hide his emotions. I went into Nathaniel's room, and said goodbye to him. By the time I got back to my room...I was a blubbering mess. Again. Only this time 10 times worse than before.

My Mom and I continued to pack, eventually Heloise and Tim came up to say goodbye, and give me a hug. Heloise said she was leaving the room before she started to cry.

I didn't go to sleep, because we had to be ready to leave for the airport at 4am. xx

Day 309

Up around 8 today, with the hopes of sleeping in crushed by texts and screams. A good day to look forward to though, so I got ready, and eventually, Toni came to pick my Mom and I up.

She came in for a bit, as I wasn't completely ready, and we looked at some pictures of my trip. Then, before driving off, the two of us went to suss out Zach's new tree house. My Mom took some pictures for us, and then we drove to Braintree. We parked near the theatre, grabbed a schedule, and walked to Starbucks. While there, we checked out movie times and decided we'd have our coffee's, go for lunch, and then to a movie. We had a good conversation at Starbucks, ended up going to buy Bench socks so we wouldn't freeze in the theatre - we were in dresses cuz it was so hot out, and the A/C would be dreadful. We got a box of 3 pair, and split them up between us. We walked over to Pizza Express, enjoyed our meals, and were full when we left. Of course, that didn't mean we'd go without popcorn at the theatre. We went in to watch Toy Story, and all except for one REALLY disturbing part that I had to shut my eyes for, I absolutely loved it. The 3 of us sat in our socks, mine and Toni's mismatched, and at the end of the film, we had just enough time to snap a quick picture, and run to the washroom after drinking too much Sprite.

Toni drove us home, and thinking her and I were going to another movie later, we didn't say bye. We went into the house, and sat around with everyone for a bit. I later got a text from Toni. She had been to the vet with one of her dogs, and was uneasy about leaving her sick/old cat at home for the night, but told me I was welcome to go over there. After a bit of discussion, the two of us - with help from my Mom - decided it probably wasn't such a good idea for us to meet up again. We decided me driving home in tears wouldn't be safe, and as we'd already broken down once, we probably shouldn't do it again. I stayed in with my Mom and packed most of the night. I fell asleep around 1:30-2 o'clock. xx

Day 308

Today is our last day in Italy. We may be trying to cram too many things into the day...but hey, when it's a once in a lifetime thing...You want to get as many things done as possible right? So, that being said...we woke up, got ready, and went up to breakfast. We asked the lady of the house to call and book horseback riding for us. The ride on the beach, is only a Saturday/Sunday thing, so that sucked a little bit, but instead, she's booked us a ride through the park. That will be nice, I'm excited.

We went downstairs, packed our things up, cleared out the room, and dropped our bags off in the house. The owners of the house said they'd watch them for us until after we went riding. We walked down the hill and to the bus stop. There was one that would come 15 minutes from that time, but with nothing to do until 3:30 anyway, we decided we didn't need to hurry, and we'd sit in the cafe and have a gelato. We bought our tickets, then did that, and my Mom had a cappuccino. When we came out, we decided to check times for when we had to return to get our bags. There weren't any that would have us to Calci and back after horseback riding, in time for the bus we needed to get to the train and airport on time. We decided to drag ourselves back up the hill...miss that bus, and pick up our bags.

Backs breaking from such heavy bags, we were headed out the gates when the owners of the Bed and Breakfast stopped us. "Senora Preddy" they said. We carefully turned around, and they told us where we could find a bus stop CLOSER to the B and B!!! We couldn't believe it. It was a hundred metre walk to the stop! When we arrived, we couldn't believe how close it really was. We sat on a bench, and I wrote some of this blog while we waited for the bus to arrive. When it did, we jumped on, and rode into Pisa. When we arrived, we were very disappointed to find out we couldn't go horseback riding. We had it booked and everything, but it turned out the park wasn't within walking distance, and no trains or buses went there. I was not a happy camper. We got on a train, and headed to Lucca. I was in a mood.

As we pulled up to the Lucca station, our very heavy bags still on our backs, and me with a foul look on my face...we walked to the washrooms. This didn't help my mood at all. We opened the door of the stall, to see what can only be explained as a hole in the ground, with a place to rest each foot on the side. No way was I going in there. We headed out of the station, and my first impression of Lucca was not great. I hadn't thought about the fact that no train station is really nice...so I let it put a damper on things. We walked towards the information booth, and it was closed. I was sure this day was going to be a disaster. We walked across the street, and things started looking much prettier. We walked past a very small ravine, and into a cave. This is where my mood completely changed. Soon enough we were walking through these tunnel like caves and into dungeons etc looking at comics on the walls. At the end, you took a marker and wrote what you wanted into the comic strip. It was pretty awesome. We climbed the stairs out of that tunnel, and at the top, were taken back by the amazing view of this little place called Lucca. I can definitely say the first impression was wrong, and I would love to go back and stay there next time I travel to Italy. Everything was so beautiful! We stopped for lunch at a little pizzeria type place, and got a real gelato as we walked back from checking out the event happening down the street. They had a huge stage set up, and it was Summerfest. Upset that we didn't have more time to explore, we hurried back to the train station, and took it to the airport.

It turned out the airport was only about 3 stops, so we got there crazy early, and weren't' allowed to go through security yet. We sat down and had a couple of drinks (cappuccinos and such), and then we went on our way. We headed back to the line up, and got stuck behind 2 of the most annoying Americans I've ever come across. It was like I was in an episode of Amazing Race. The boyfriend kept speaking so loud so that everyone could hear him, and the girlfriend was going on and on about how she hoped her luggage didn't weigh too much. Well all she had was a backpack, and it was much MUCH smaller than my Mom's and mine. She walked up to the counter and willingly put it on a scale. When it was .2 over, she made a face, took it off, did something with some shoes and weighed it again. When it was under, she turned around and gave my Mom thumbs up...as if she cared. They drove us nuts!!!

When our gate was finally up on the board, we walked to it...but guess who got there first. That's right, the annoying Americans. THEN...we're sitting there, and the 5 girls who delayed our flight out showed up. (One of their friends wasn't on the plane yet, and they were freaking out and asking everyone to cause a scene and get off so she'd have enough time to come on board. It was all ridiculous). Anyway, they show up and stand right in front of the counter, so of course, who gets on first? Ugh. So my Mom and I finally get on the plane that showed up late, and who do we end up sitting behind? The annoying Americans of course! Well...the next few hours of my life were terrible! It was one of the worst flights ever!

I had these two Americans in front of me, making me want to vomit as one bit a chip, and had the other take the other half from their mouth, and then...this man gets on the plane, and asks if he can sit beside my Mom. She says ok, and he sits down. The airline steward has just explained all the safety precautions to us as we're sitting in the Emergency Exit row, so she turns to him to explain, and he doesn't answer. In fact, he's looking at the floor, and not listening to a word she says. She had to bend over, look him in the eye, and ask if he understood before he'd answer. Ridiculous! As if that's not bad enough, he takes his shoes off, puts his feet up on the arm rests of the person in front of him, and has half of his body in my Mom's chair. THEN...he's on his phone sending text messages, and won't stop stamping his feet. I'm not going to lie to you, I was absolutely terrified. I was POSITIVE I was about to blow up. Every now and then, he'd take his foot off the chair in front, and stamp it on the ground. The crew asked him 3 times to turn off his cell phone, and it wasn't until we had actually lifted off the ground that he did it. I was sure he was sending someone a message to detonate the bomb. Then, we're in the air and he's constantly asking how much longer the flight is. Now...as if all this isn't bad enough...Are you ready to be disgusted? This guy, reaches in his mouth...takes his gum between his two fingers, and sticks it on the side of the seat! WHO DOES THAT???? I was soooo disgusted and had to tell my Mom what I had just seen. She couldn't believe it, and when he got up to the washroom, she asked one of the stewardesses if she could just keep an eye out, and if she saw him in my Mom's chair, although it looked like he was with us, he wasn't - so could she ask him to move. She told my Mom to give him a really hard elbow. We laughed, and for the rest of the flight, every time the stewardess' looked at him, she couldn't stop laughing. The 3 of us broke out into laughter. People must have thought we were insane. By the end of the flight, she must have told her co-workers cuz they'd walk by, wink at us and start laughing at him. Luckily we ended up getting back to England without blowing up, and came to the conclusion that perhaps this guy was just a very nervous flyer, and therefore had to make EVERYONE around him uncomfortable.

I breezed through customs as I'm a British Citizen, but it took my Mom a good hour to get through. Crazy! I sat on a bench waiting for her, and once she was through, we met up with my Uncle and he drove us back to Heloise's. By this time, it was 1:30, so we went to sleep almost instantly. xx

Day 307

Well between bugs and bats, i don't think I've ever walked so fast in my life. My Mom and I just came home from dinner, and we booked it up the hill. Obviously though, that's not where my day began, that's where it ended.

I ate far too much for breakfast - but that was kind of a given. Afterward, my Mom and I went to the info center in Calci to see about horse back riding on the beach. Apparently they don't do that Mondays. I was not happy.

We walked over to the corner store, bought some bus tickets, and went to the usual cafe to sit down for a pastry and drink. When it was time, we dragged ourselves over to the bus stop, and waited for it to arrive. - I didn't feel well at all -

We got on the bus, and rode into Pisa. I fell asleep on the way. When we arrived, we went into the travel center there, then walked to the most hated bus station I've ever been to, and caught a bus to the beach.

As we got closer, we passed a beach that was all rock. Not knowing which stop we needed, we asked a young guy in front of us to let us know when we were there. He did. My Mom and I got off the bus, and walked onto the sandy beach. Not knowing what part was private, and what part was free...we took a stroll. Eventually...getting nervous that we shouldn't be walking where we were, we stopped to ask a lifeguard. He didn't speak much England. He told us where we should go to ask though...and so we did. The next guy said we had to speak to his boss. Back to the top of the beach we went, and we spoke to a very good looking older Italian man. He told us we could rent two chairs and an umbrella. So we did.

Well...we stepped onto the sand, and our feet were on FIRE! I laid my lawn chair down after plenty of frustration and swear words, and eventually got comfy. My Mom went into the Ocean. After seeing how many people left their things unattended while she was gone, I didn't see any reason why the two of us couldn't go into the Ocean together. So we did. We had a nice time taking pictures and such, and eventually came back to the piping hot sand and chairs. I laid on my back for a little while, then tried my stomach, and after some more frustration with METAL chairs in 40 degree heat, I pulled mine into the shade, and sat there. By this time, we were about ready to leave. A few minutes passed, and we packed up our things. We stopped to get an ice cream, and then walked up to the first bus stop we could find. The bus got there just minutes later. Score! On we got, and we went back to the Pisa Centrale bus station to catch the next bus to Calci.

When we arrived in Calci, - both of us half asleep, but with an eye open so we didn't go past our stop - we went into a Co-op and bought some grapes, juice, and water. We had some on the walk back to the Bed and Breakfast. Knowing restaurants don't open until 7 for dinner, we walked all the way up the hill to shower before eating. We took our time, but eventually my craving for an excellent dinner at my favourite restaurant got too strong, and we had to leave. As we were walking down to the restaurant, my Mom noticed all the umbrellas were down, and the patio chairs were up. "No, they can't be closed" we thought. But, they were. A little bit of panic set in as we realized we'd have to go to the place where we got pasta last.

We walked in, and ended up having to sit outside. We both chose a pizza - but turns out we should have just split one - and we pigged out. I was sooooo full half way through mine, but you can't take left overs home here...and my Mom and I couldn't understand wasting something so good...so instead, we forced it all down. My Mom cheated and still had a little bit left. My plate was clean, and I was on the verge of going into a food coma. We ordered cappuccino's, but as we waited for them, little flying ants kept landing on us and the table. Freaking out, I drank my cappuccino - still hot - as fast as humanly possible, ran inside to pay, and then danced around at the bank machine outside, until we had done everything that needed to be done.

As we walked back up the hill, I realized that what I had thought were bats a few nights ago, definitely were. It was like pitch black, and every now and then you'd see these things fly by lamp posts etc. Again...I freaked. The noises they made did not make anything any more relaxing, so my Mom and I practically raced up the hill. We made it to the Bed and Breakfast in record timing I'm sure. As we had already showered earlier, we spent a bit of time on the computer, then tried to watch Big Brother but couldn't get it. Now my Mom's asleep, and I will be shortly. Good Night xx

Day 306

Well...staying in the country is lovely, and I honestly rather that than staying in a city..but on a Sunday in July...it's not easy to travel into the city without a car.

My Mom and I woke up, and the internet still wasn't working so we couldn't plan our day that way. We got ready and went up for another delicious breakfast, and shortly after coming back down, it was up and running again. It didn't help us at all though, so we decided to walk into the little town, and thought we'd just buy bus tickets there - as usual - and go into Pisa Centrale to get a train to Lucca. And we would have...if things were easy.

We walked down, and the tourist information office was closed. We walked up to where we get the tickets, and it was closed as well. We went into the cafe we've sat in a few times now, and we got an ice cream. Once we finished that, we went back to the information spot, and it was open. We spoke to a guy there who basically told us we could leave town today but it wouldn't be easy. It was early early afternoon, and the bus didn't come til 10 to 3, and the last one coming back was at 8:40. That didn't leave us enough time for Lucca. After much discussion, my Mom and I took the man's advice, and walked up the street for 10 very hot minutes to a museum. It was closed. We took a number if pictures, and sweltering...walked back. We stopped back in at the same cafe, got two GIANT bottles of water, and drank them as we dragged ourselves back up the hill.

When we got inside, we were so tired and hot that we collapsed on the beds. We've been here for probably a good hour. My Mom's taking a nap, and I'm taking the opportunity to post some pictures. In a few minutes, I'll work up the energy to go out to the garden with my Mom to take some more pictures. I was so close to a hummingbird earlier that it was insane...but was my camera ready? Of course not.

Out we went to the garden, where I instantly started getting bitten. Why do mosquitoes like me so much??? I lasted a little while, taking pictures, and eventually, I came back into the room cuz I was just too itchy. My Mom made some coffee for the two of us, and we went to sit on the patio to look at some pictures and watch some videos. After a little while, we decided we'd walk down the hill to dinner. We went into the same restaurant as the night before last, but this time...we ordered with our heads instead of our stomachs. We had one pizza between the two of us, and a salad. Of course, that came with bread...and well...it wouldn't be right to just leave that. Especially when it had oil and vinegar on the side. When we finished all that, we had a cappuccino each, and ordered some Gelati. - Yes we sound like absolute pigs. But to be fair, we don't eat lunch...and we're not eating much that we shouldn't be eating...as I sit here eating a cookie. ANYWAY...when the waiter took our dessert order, he rambled off the flavours of gelati. I chose white chocolate, and my Mom - thinking coffee - chose coco. This was not coffee! When he returned to the table, he handed me my delicious scoop of chocolatey heaven...and handed my Mom, half a coconut with...that's right, Coconut flavoured gelato! :| I have to hand it to her...I don't know how, but she sat there and ate the entire thing, with little complaint. For some reason, although I know I hate coconut, I had forgotten what it tasted like, so I said I'd try a little bit. Well, I took the TINIEST scoop onto my spoon...and instantly remembered every little thing I hate about it. EW! One of the worst things ever! I really don't know how she ate as much as she did, without throwing it back up. - There's a mental picture for you - Anyway...changing the subject. Our cappuccino's came, and just as we expected, they were delicious. We paid, and walked back up the hill.

When we arrived, we came straight into the room, and went online to check e-mails. We finally had a connection! I spoke to my Dad on Skype a little bit, but we kept getting disconnected. It was reconnecting for me within minutes each time, but when I went to get in the bath, the connection completely went, so my Mom wasn't able to do what she needed. Now, we sit here, unable to watch Big Brother AGAIN! Eating cookies, drinking green tea...and waiting, hoping it'll come back on. Tomorrow's going to be an early start though, so I'm not sure how long I'll wait. That being said...I'm closing this part down. Good Night xx

Day 305

I'm so hot right now, the internet's not working and I am COVERED in mosquito bites...but hey! I'm in Italy!

After breakfast this morning, my Mom and I went to catch a bus to Pisa Centrale. We were an hour early, so we sat in a cafe, had something to drink and a couple of cookies. We finished just in time to go to the bus stop. I wasn't feeling good on the way in, so I went to sleep. My Mom woke me up at the appropriate stop.

I began walking up the street with her, with great difficulty. You'd think I was wearing new feet! First I scratched myself with my sun umbrella (which really hurts by the way, and you'd think after doing it once, you'd learn!), and then, trying to pay attention to the scrape, I tripped off the curb. I didn't fall...but it was just the beginning of many feet mishaps to come.

We found our way to the leaning tower of Pisa, and leading up to it, we came across this stall of jewellery. The next thing I knew, I was walking away with a new bracelet! Wait til you see it! Let me just say, without ruining anything...I'll never be short on silverware at a picnic. Anyway, we walked towards the Tower and began taking numerous pictures. Not just for ourselves, but for others as well. We also saw some steal our ideas for what to do with the tower...but we didn't mind. It was one of those Party of 13 things. *Some of you know what that means*

After spending a couple of hours there, and popping into a store to buy an adapter converter, and a charm for my zoppini bracelet, we had thought up what I wanted engraved on my new bracelet, but needed an internet cafe to make sure I was right about something. The guy who makes the jewellery was on a hunt for us. He was asking people if they had internet on their phones, but nobody did. Eventually someone told us where we could go online, so we walked up to this photocopy place, and paid a euro for about 5 minutes of internet. Once I had what I needed, my Mom and I hoofed it back to the jeweller's table. When we arrived, he asked me to write exactly what I wanted on a piece of paper, and then began the inscription. "Day 305, Mom & Me". On the other side of it, he had already put "Pisa, Italy 17/07/10" for me, as he knew I wanted that as well. We thanked him, bought two cups of fruit, and began walking back to catch a train to Lucca.

When we arrived at the train station, we bought our tickets, but then decided, with train and bus schedules, we wouldn't have as long in Lucca as we'd want. We decided to save the ticket for tomorrow, and we hopped on the bus to come back to the Bed and Breakfast. We had it all planned out. Because we had such a crappy/late night last night, due to no alarm clock and worrying about waking up on time...we'd come back to the area for dinner, watch Big Brother, and get an early night. Well, we were told where we had to go for dinner, so we stopped at the restaurant and were told they didn't open til' 7. Fair enough. We continued up the hill to the Bed and Breakfast, and got washed up for dinner. Ok, so I flopped down on the bed for a few minutes first...but after that walk, in that heat...I think you may have as well.

We walked back down for dinner, enjoyed too much bread and pasta, but I decided to have a Lemon Sorbetto anyway for dessert, and the two of us got a Cappuccino. We walked back up to the house, into our rooms, got ready for bed, checked our e-mails etc, were just about ready to watch Big Brother...and the internet disconnected. Dammit! I'm still sitting here waiting for it to kick back in, but I think that's wishful thinking. :( As for the mosquito bites...I had 11 on my right leg alone, when I left this morning, and before dinner, I had 14 on that one leg...after coming back from dinner, I had a whole new slew, and couldn't stop dancing around because I was so itchy. What a horrible feeling! I haven't been bitten by mosquitoes since I lived in Winnipeg! Anyway, now that I've had my bath and everything, they're not nearly as itchy as they were, but I'm getting super hot, and am afraid they'll start itching all over again real soon...so I'm going to try to sleep now. Good Night xx

Day 304

I'm roasting right now, as I sit on a train to Tuscany...but hey...I'm on a train to Tuscany! Ok that's a bit of a lie. The first stop we'll get off at in a little over an hour, will be to Pisa. After that, we'll be going to our Bed and Breakfast in Tuscany.

We started our day off as usual, with breakfast on the rooftop terrace, and then took our time in the air conditioned room to pack up all of our things. Once we geared ourselves up, we hoisted our bags onto our shoulders, and with a great deal of pain...left the building.

We walked down the street as if the bags on our backs were as light as feathers...but our insides were burning, and the 2 injured women that we are, were suffering...silently. *The swear words weren't so silent...but they were quiet, and in English, so I'm sure they weren't understood*.

We made our way to the train station, and jumped on the metro. Two stops later, we were where we needed to be, and I was in a Foot Locker buying new flip flops. Mine had had it. From there, we checked train times, and were doing great. There was a train at 12:15 and we had a good amount of time to spare. That was of course, until one ticket machine didn't work, another wouldn't show the destination we needed, and we got redirected by people about 5 times - No exaggeration. By the time we finally found a place that would sell us the tickets we needed, the 12:15 bus had left, and the next one was at 2:10. Perfect!

We decided after all that, that we needed a pedicure. Now...I've NEVER had one, and my Mom has only ever had maybe one in her lifetime, because we're just not that type of girl. As you know us, we like to try and look our best, but we are quite capable of doing our own nails, hair, etc. Anyway, by this point, we decided because we'd seen a spa in the station, that we would treat ourselves. We walked in...and looked at prices...eventually, a man began to talk to us. Turns out they don't do pedicures today. We're not sure if that means on a Friday...or if they were fully booked. But we thanked them anyways, and walked out. We decided to go for a coffee instead. Not quite the same, but a treat is a treat.

We lugged our heavy bags - yes we were still struggling with them - up and down several flights of stairs and escalators, and eventually, we got to a cafe. We sat down, decided what we wanted, and I went up to pay. I thought I was getting a cold coffee, so I got a muffin to split with my Mom, she got a latte, and also a bowl of fruit. Turns out my "cold coffee", was actually ice cream. Delicious, but unnecessary. When we finished there, we thought we'd see if there was a FREE washroom to use. So far in Italy, we've yet to find that. It was then however, that I glanced at the receipt from our food order, and noticed it said *in Italian* that if you kept your receipt, you could go to the washroom upstairs for free. You just had to show proof of purchase. Crazy! We went into a small, but not as small as the Bed and Breakfast's elevator, and we took it up to the next floor. When we were done, we still had quite a while until our train. We found out where it was, and got on anyway.

Not too long after finding our seats, a Mom and her twin daughters, probably just a bit younger than me, got on and sat in the seats across the aisle from us. They were from California, and we had a really nice conversation with them for most of the way. In the midst of our conversation though, the air conditioned train...went to non-airconditioned. We were boiling! They got off before us, and I fell asleep for about half an hour. My Mom and I moved into the shade once we were both awake, and the train was pretty empty. We pulled into the Pisa Centrale station, and thought it would be easy enough to find a bus or train to where our bed and breakfast was. It wasn't. We found our way, easy enough, to the bus station - after stopping for a lemonade/orange slushy...but it was there that everything went awry. We spoke to the ladies working there, figured out what bus we wanted, and decided we had an hour to do whatever. We didn't really like the area we were in, and felt a bit unsafe, so we decided to stay in the station. My Mom went up to ask a question, and as she was standing there, she noticed the screen said Platform 5 for the bus we were told we needed, but the paper the lady wrote on said Platform 3. I went up and double checked where we needed to be. The lady told me that for today only, the bus we needed was indeed departing from Platform 3. We waited...
and waited...
and 40 minutes after the hour we had already waited inside...we waited outside.
We saw a bus go by with the name of the destination we thought we wanted, but it didn't stop at Platform 3. It disappeared around the corner, and soon after, we saw it across the street. We were debating running over, but thought, "No...we asked...we should stay put". As that bus pulled away, we saw the sign it was sitting in front of across the street, said Platform 5. DAMMIT!

We went inside to speak to these same 2 ladies. We knew from before that they spoke English, but as we stood there, they pretended like they didn't know what was going on. They clearly did know what was going on though, and you saw it register. They looked at each other, tried to unsuccessfully hide their emotions, almost broke into laughter, and shrugged. They told us to go speak to the drivers in their office. ARGH! We walked outside to find the office, and spoke to a very nice man who did everything he could to communicate with us. He told us they were wrong, and that the bus today stopped stopping at Platform 3, and went back to Platform 5, after 3 o'clock. He then told us which bus we could take as an alternative. We had about 15 minutes to wait for that one, so we thanked him, and went back to the ladies to tell them what he said. We thought they might like to know so they don't send others in the wrong direction, plus we wanted an apology, and also needed to know if we'd have to change our tickets. Well, we didn't have to get a different ticket...but we also didn't get an apology. She just looked at us and went..."Ok". COW! - We used words a little more harsh than that in the conversations to follow.

We waited for this other bus, and luckily there were numerous others that began lining up as well. This time we were sure one was coming. When it arrived, our backpacks being so big, there wasn't much room for me to sit. I stood, until the 2 girls on the back of the bus who had been laughing at us for part of the journey, got up and left. I sat down beside an Italian boy, and asked him if he knew where our stop was. He told us - in Italian - that he'd let us know. For the next several minutes, a man kept looking at us...to the point where he was beginning to freak us out. We came to realize later that he was looking because he'd recognized the stop name, as that's where he was getting off as well. When the bus pulled into the stop, he motioned that we had to get off, and the young guy had words with him. It seemed the young one was a little pissed off - and rightly so - at the fact that this old "creepy" guy, didn't seem to trust him to tell us where to go. We thanked the young one, and smiled at the old one as we got off the bus, and hurried into the first store we saw. We didn't want the creepy man following us. A really nice guy in this shop, told us how to walk to the Bed and Breakfast. Sweating like crazy and oh so lady like...*Pffft*...we lugged our bags on our backs, down the street and up a hill. We stopped at a little Pizzeria and asked how far we had to go, and how late they were open til. When they told us 11, we assured them we'd be back for dinner, and continued on our way until we arrived at a BEAUTIFUL house, complete with an Olive Grove in the backyard. The lady of the house came to greet us, and showed us to our rooms. As I was standing there admiring the view, I saw a hummingbird. She had just finished saying we could go into the garden at any time, so camera in hand, I was out the door faster than I came in. I didn't find the hummingbird - I'm hoping he comes back over the next 3 days - but what I did find, was tons of plants, trees and flowers to take pictures of. I may spend an entire day just in the garden. It is absolutely amazing!

As I walked out, a dog began barking at me. An older Italian gentleman began speaking to him, and came over to introduce the dog to me. The dog's name is Jack. I'm not sure what that man's name is. He doesn't speak any English, but we somehow managed to have a full conversation. It truly inspired me. If only people realized that if you just listen, no matter what the language barrier is, you really can understand each other. It was great. Once he went inside, I took some more pictures, and then my Mom and I walked back to the restaurant. We had a wonderful dinner, and have decided we will most likely return there most nights. I tried to learn some Italian as we sat there, and at the end of the meal I asked if the service fee was included in the total. The man was clearly impressed with my attempt, not to say it was pronounced properly haha, but it made us both smile. We walked back up to the house, and now we're having a cup of tea, and are going to watch Big Brother. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings us! But for now, Good Night xx