I know that I have been absent from my blog – yet again – but for good reason this time. I have been spending my quiet moments keeping busy with planning an itinerary for our upcoming journey overseas. That’s right!! We are FINALLY flying over the pond to destination England!!! This is epic for us – our little family of three – because it has been a long-time coming. Allow me to explain…
In the spring of 2015, we were busy preparing for our overseas adventure, renewing/applying for passports, sorting out finances, and making arrangements to travel in the late summer/early fall of that year. But, in June of 2015, our lives derailed. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and all focus turned to me. Our trip was postponed indefinitely. I spent the following 4 years working toward healing and rebuilding from the trauma. I had setbacks and scares, but I kept moving forward through the strife. I remained focused on the process of healing. When I felt strong enough – both emotionally and physically – we began the early stages of planning out our delayed trip … and then COVID-19 impacted the world. Our hopes to travel were diminished by the severity of the global pandemic and the worldwide pause in life as we knew it. And so, we waited. We postponed all plans to travel, and focused on staying healthy and staying safe.
But now the time has come.
We are journeying to England next month, and though I have immersed myself in researching, planning, and organizing, I keep having to pinch myself – is this really happening?! After 8 long years of our initial plans to travel, is this trip really coming to fruition?! Assuming all goes well, then yes, we leave in 3 weeks time!
And so, over these past 5 weeks, I have spent every quiet moment perusing London tourism websites, travel blogs, and Instagram posts, as well as my trusty Pocket Travel Book. I have been crafting an itinerary for the time we are there – balancing my interests with that of my husband’s and my son’s. I want to ensure we visit all the sights we hope to see, yet still have time to explore and discover. I have spoken with friends who have an intimate knowledge of London, seeking their advice; and my very dear friend who lives in England has provided me with help and insight throughout all my stages of planning. In fact, I could not have organized this epic journey without her. And, to make our experience in England all the more enriching, we will be spending our first few days with her and her husband, and I simply cannot wait! We travel from TO to London to Birmingham to London and back to TO! It will be 10 full days – a whirlwind adventure!
Does this trip look different from what I had planned 8 years ago? Yes, of course! With the aging of my child we are now focusing on sights and activities that are pre-teen appropriate. Though I am saddened that I must let go of the toddler adventures I had long ago planned, I am excited for these new ones: Hamley’s Toy Store, Tower of London, the Natural History Museum, Sky Gardens, the Changing of the Guards, Churchill War Rooms … and one in particular that is close to my heart is taking him to see Back to the Future The Musical. This particular experience means so much to all of us. If you are an avid reader of my blog, then you may recall a post from 2019 – My Son’s Love Affair with BTTF. That love affair, though waned, has never ceased. Four years have passed, and he still cherishes the movies, treasures every Back to the Future toy he owns, and has fun acting out the out the scenarios during creative play. That I am able to share in this moment with him, has made every strife I personally experienced worth it.
I have gone through a lot to get to this moment – we all have in my little family of three – and my heart is full of gratitude that our time for adventure is finally here.
Our adventure awaits.
An Adventure Awaits. Published by Crystal Joy Hall
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