The Return Home

The final morning in London was sad and the weather reflected my mood. During the entire trip the weather had been amazing. No rain. No gloomy skies. At times, it was a bit overcast, but for the most part, the sun was out. The weather was in the low 50's for the high and it worked.

The morning we left, it finally rained. It was drizzly, not a downpour. I was sad but I knew I had to go home. London didn't want me to leave either.

With one last look at some of the sites on our way out to Heathrow, I said my mental goodbyes.

The trip to the airport was quiet. That will happen at 6:00AM. But it was a fast trip, compared to our arrival. It was the right time of day and we were going the opposite direction of the morning rush hour traffic.

We arrived at the airport with no problems. We checked in, again, without any issues other than a printer error, which was fixed at the counter. We got through security fairly easily...at least for mom and I. Again, dad had slight issues, but for the most part it was a smooth entrance.

Once we were all put back together, we ventured off to the US Airways Club. I made a slight detour on the way, stopping at a gift shop to use my last twenty pounds (no point in changing that back) and then proceeded to the club for breakfast. After a sad/pouty selfie and some other family photos, we were headed off to the gate for boarding.

It all passed by fairly quickly. The next thing I knew, we were at the gate, boarding the plane and I was once more in my cushy Envoy seat. While no less spectacular than the first time around, it didn't hold the same fascination as our arrival trip. It was no longer new (so no need to take more pictures of the seats) and I was now leaving and going back to the US...when I would have much rather have stayed in the UK.

I got my sparkling wine as we boarded, though the flight attendant did ask if I was over 21. I told her yes and she asked if I could prove it. I thought it was funny, but said, yes I could, and started digging through my bag for my passport. She laughed a little and patted my back saying that I was too eager to prove it so I must be. I told her I was well over 21 and almost 31 and mom, who sat behind me, said she'd vouch for my age. I also ordered a Bloody Mary for after we took off and the same woman (who was wonderful) kind of had an 'ooh, gurl' moment and then proceed to have fun with the three of us as we each, in turn and without chatting with each other, all ordered a Bloody Mary. She even made a comment about how we must be family. Lol.

However, unlike our trip to the UK, I watched as many movies as possible. There was kind of no reason for sleep, so while I enjoyed my breakfast and lunch (yup...two meals again) I watched four different movies: White House Down, Wolverine, World War Z and Hitchcock.

I actually enjoyed White House Down. Wolverine is just getting old...this particular storyline was a real stretch. World War Z was interesting. I'm not finished with the book yet...so I can't fully compare it. And Hitchcock was good. I think Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren were wonderful.

We landed stateside in Charlotte and by that time, mom was full-blown sick and I was tired. So, off to the club we went again, to kill time. The long layovers are great to ensure that you make your next flight, but the suck because if you are on time...you just WAIT AROUND. I read, I checked emails, I drank (yes, that was my theme for almost the entire trip) and waited.

Finally, it was time to board the final leg of my flight (my parents still had one more trip back to New Mexico, but luckily the next morning). After a chugged (yes, chugged) a gin & tonic just before take off, I read a little longer and listened to some music before catching about 30 minutes of shut eye. When I woke up, I read a bit more before we began our descent into Dallas.

Our luggage made it (woot) and mom and dad headed off to their hotel while I waited for Mel to pick me up. I had a headache (from the drinks, I'm sure, and the lack of sleep). I wasn't picking Bailey up that night, so when she arrived, we decided to grab a late night dinner at Pop Diner and then I was back home.

By the time I was back and my apartment and ready for bed, I had been up for roughly 24 hours. I was exhausted but all I had were amazing memories of London and my trip with my parents.

Maybe we'll get to do it again one day...but if not, it will be something I will always remember and cherish.

Now...what to do with these... ;-)

London Trip - November 12 - November 18, 2013