The Much-Deserved Break : in a nutshell

So, I upped and left the country on the 27th of December 2007. This is after 2 accidents in 3 days, and too many get togethers to remember what I ate where and when... Still, I had a fun couple of days before finally leaving the UK.

The flight was smooth, and I met one of our beautiful choristers who happens to be an air-hostess on the airplane. I was quite relieved to see a familiar face, even though she was mainly in the business class area. She sure made my flight worthwhile with her beautiful presence. As soon as I landed, I headed for the loo in the arrivals terminal. Going through 'security' this time around, I realized times really have changed in the US. Foreigners are no longer referred to as aliens! Cool. We were subject to fingerprints and mini interviews about our 'reasons' for coming to the US. Visiting, maybe??? Oh, well...

Coming through the luggage area was another memorable feat. I was amongst the first to check onto the flight, and actually thought my luggage would be among the first to offload. In my dreams! I waited almost 45mins to get my bag, and was too glad to step out of that baggage area. I was feeling the strain of a 7hour flight and hardly any sleep the last few nights prior to the trip. Needless to say my 'ride' was waiting, and I felt like a star!!! Again, I was humbled by the size of everything over there, ranging from the cars, to the streets, to the billboards. Mega size everything, and little me in the midst of it all.

I was intent on going to the mall that same night, as I had crossed continents with just a pair of pumps, and had decided to get myself a nice pair of mega down priced boots while I was over there. I have to say that one thing I have been blessed with, is the gift of sound sleep. The moment I stepped into the 'ride' I just crossed over to that place where nothing and nobody could disturb my rest as I choose to call it. Yes, I slept so soundly, I hardly remember the drive from the airport to our final destination, about 45mins away. That was the end of that story. Day 2 was memorable. My fabulous host took me to what I can only describe as a shopper's paradise. I am not much of a shopper, but the Lighthouse Place converted me, even if only for a day. Talk about hopping till you drop. We drove back home after that. Day 3 was a day of rest... We went grocery shopping and generally lounged around the house afterwards. Day 4 we went into Chicago town, for some retail therapy and a splendid lunch. I am surprised I recall so much of that period, because my sleeping pattern changed and I seemed to be awake when the rest of the town was sleeping, and sleeping when the rest of town was wide awake. During the hours I was meant to be sleeping but was not feeling sleepy, I watched BET non-stop. It definitely served the purpose of being mind numbing and generally undemanding of my attention or intellect. That is except on Sunday morning, when the nation remembers God... Towards the end of the day a girlfriend I haven't seen in years and her partner came over for a visit, and I had the most stimulating and refreshing discussion with them about everything you could possible think of. We spent hours catching up, and when it was time to say goodbye, I was sad to see them leave.

Day 5 was Silvester -as we refer to it in my home town- and we were getting ready for a 7 hour road trip to Canada. Suddenly I heard a shrill noise somewhere around me and it wouldn't stop. I checked every spot I could imagine an alarm would be place, and found nothing. Then I did the next sensible thing: actually followed the noise! It turned out to be my girlfriend's phone, and she was leaving town the next day. This meant a detour in our trip, and my host was an absolute angel about it. I mean, no complaints, it was a pleasant surprise and I was mighty impressed. After that, the next stop was Lasalle, Canada to see my cousins and we spent about 2hours 'seeing' my family. When we eventually left Lasalle, it was so dark and not being a night owl, all I wanted to do was sleep. Mind you that is all I had done for the duration of the journey so far. Except when we had a stop for lunch, and when we got to the US/Canada border. Where I took the picture above- Mr Jack Daniels quietly sitting in front of the Foreign Exchange/Duty Free Shop in Detroit, Michigan watching people going in and out of the shop, taking pictures of the amazing Ambassador Bridge, and filling up their tanks with gas for the rest of the journey... What a life!

We spent a total of 5 days in Toronto, and the days flew by too quickly. We were hosted by the most amazing, good-natured and extremely accommodating couple imaginably. Nothing in life is easy, and having someone encroach on your space for 5days is no mean feat. They were more than hospitable, and I will always be grateful to them, I visited my family in Toronto almost every day, and we ventured out into the snowy town a few times for groceries and food, but otherwise Canada was a time-out-from-the-stress-of-daily-life trip. We drove back to the US on day 5 and it was smooth sailing until we got to the US-Canadian border. We must have spent at least an hour there, waiting to 'cross over' into the US. I didn't know it was such a popular tourist destination for Canadians...

The rest of that weekend was spent in retail therapy in and around Illinois and Indiana. The highlight was Church on Sunday, followed by a fabulous lunch at an African Food joint somewhere in Chicago- the food was so tasty, I really filled myself up- and then dinner with friends. Did I mention how huge the portions are over there? I mean they are so huge, my stomach protests at the mere sight. My gusto was not complaining though, so I sure enjoyed myself. Day 11 was very quiet, we went to the car wash -an amazing experience, don't ask me why- and I couldn't help capturing the kodak moments. What a ball I had! We then drove to PNC for re-registration and some other admin stuff my fabulous host had to sort out, and a spot of retail therapy before heading back home to a quiet lunch and some more BET -oh, well there wasn't much else to do. Then I had a visit from the most successful MaryKay lady in LaPorte. I especially liked her pink Cadillac!!! Day 11 merged into Day 12 in my mind, and I saw myself packing, getting ready to come back to the UK. Normally, I pack my bags weeks if not months in advance, in joyous anticipation of the trip ahead. This time around, it was increasingly hard to say goodbye, or even get set to say goodbye.

Not having much of a choice, I reluctantly packed overnight on Day 12 to Day 13, trying hard not to forget anything. Though, if I did, that would have been a good excuse for a return trip, right? So on Day 13, my holiday came to an end. Not without a stopover for a spot of retail therapy on the way to the airport though, and we had brunch on the go. I count myself blessed, to have been hosted by the most positive and surprisingly patient person I have ever come across in my life. Not being much of a shopper myself, I'm sure I would have gone from grumpy to grumpier by Day 2!!! Too much of anything sure sucks, but not a word of complaint, for which I am eternally grateful...

There you have it. My fabulous two week mid winter break. Since I got back, the adventures have not stopped! Watch this space.