Birthdays, Academics, and the Closing of a Chapter

I'm baaaaack,

So as some of you may know...I recently celebrated by 21st birthday and boy did I celebrate! I was initially feeling a little nervous about being away from home on my birthday, as it was the first time I have ever been away from my family on my big day. All of my fears subsided on the day because of the effort that everyone around me put in to make my day so special. I woke up to breakfast in bed made by Morigan Wilson, and then got ready to go out for lunch with my Grandpa. We went to a cute cafe called "Cafe 5" and because Grandpa had an upset stomach...I ate enough for the both of us! I had a Chicken Enchilada AND a toffee-chocolate cake for dessert. It was delicious to say the least. I continued my day by going to the tanning salon with Leah (I know its bad for you...but it was a special occasion!) and then began the beautify myself for my big night out. We had a few people over to the Wilsons for champagne and prezzie opening, and then continued onto a curry lounge called Cinnamon, where I had MORE food, and MORE cake!! I have realized that birthdays are really just an excuse to consume anything and everything in sight without feeling the least bit guilty about it!! We then went out to a few local bars and ended up in Halifax (cringe worthy....but had had too many cocktails by then to care). I had an even better birthday than I could have imagined and was surrounded by a wonderful group of friends who truly made me feel like the Queen of the ball.

The next day, complete with a nagging hangover, I realized that I had to come to terms with the fact that I still had one more final exam to complete at Nottingham....the party was officially over. I traveled back this week and finally put my head down and did some revision. I took a short break yesterday to take a walk around the lake with my friends Tom and Joe, where we each bought an ice cream cone with a 5 pound bill that we found on the floor....score! All in all, I felt strangely anxious about this exam due to the fact that I was completing it in a new environment with new requirements and a new evaluation format. I took the exam this morning and I would describe it simply as "intense". I feel like I did quite well, but I was in a sports centre full of at least 1,000 other students (from other courses) and felt an incredible amount of pressure to do well. I think it is safe to say that I am happy that is over! I have enjoyed a relaxing afternoon full of sunshine and another beautiful walk around the lake.

John and Veca are officially moving me out of Nottingham on Monday so I am trying to take everything in as much as I can. I am definitely going to miss the friends that I met here, but I have no doubt that we will be meeting again in the future. I am welling up just thinking about saying goodbye on Monday...I hate goodbyes, I always find them so uncomfortable. All in all, I am so happy that I came to Nottingham and feel so privileged that I could experience such a wonderful adventure. Thank you again Mom and Dad, you have no idea how appreciative I am to be here.

On a lighter note, my friend Melissa comes to visit from Canada in exactly two weeks today...I can't wait to see a familiar Canadian face. Then we are off to Ibiza soon after she arrives...its going to be an exciting month that's for sure...lots to look forward to!
Anyways, that's all I really have to report for now...life is good.
I hope you are doing well and know that I am missing those of you back home a lot.

Take care and talk soon,
- Nicky xoxo

Easter, London and a Reunion.

Now its time for my usual opening statement:
Sorry for the wait!

The past month has been really unscheduled due to my Easter break, Phil's trip over to the UK, and my move out and back into University. So...I simply forgot to keep everyone informed of my adventures. As I just mentioned, I moved back to the Wilson's for a month over the Easter break. The University does not let students stay in residency because they rent out our rooms while we are away, and therefore I had to move EVERYTHING into storage...what a pain! Anyways, I spent the first two weeks of my break scrambling to get all of my work done before Phil was coming to visit...so that part wasn't very fun.

BUT...it was SO nice to see Phil! We travelled down to London for 3 days and stayed in the beautiful London Hilton Hotel in Mayfair. We crammed every possible tourist attraction into the daytime and were able to have a nice meal and relax during the evenings. All in all, we went to Big Ben, The Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street, Regent Street, Oxford Street, Soho, China Town, Covent Garden, and Buckingham Palace. We walked miles and miles and miles in order to save money so we were really lucky to have nice weather. We also pretended it was my birthday one night (because Phil and I won't be together for the real day) so we had a full night out on the town in order to celebrate. We always have so much fun together!

We also spent two full days with my Grandpa! After 4 1/2 years of dating Phil, he has never actually met my Grandpa before, so it was great for us to finally all get together. It was no surprise to me that they got along like a house on fire. They loved chatting about beer, planes, and golf! The first day that they met, we went out for a drink and then Phil had the opportunity to fly in a neighbour's microlight. It was really funny (and a little worrying) for Grandpa and I to watch and I was really upset that I forgot my camera! We then met Grandpa the following week in Manchester, and went out for a nice lunch and then went to the Science Museum where they had an aviation exhibition showing. It was really interesting...we even went into an airplane simulator which was really silly.

It was extremely sad to say goodbye to Phil, but we are thankfully meeting again in July, when I am going to be travelling to Florida before I come back home. I am constantly shocked at how fast time is going by...its already May, I can't believe it! I am starting to look forward to the end of school (not the social part, but the academic part) and I can't wait for my birthday, and then for my friends Lauren and Melissa to come and visit. I feel so privileged that I have so much to look forward to...I am so appreciative that my parent's have allowed me fulfill such an amazing dream.

I am now back at school and am still really enjoying it. I have a few very important papers which are weighing heavy on my shoulders but once I get those finished, I will be almost done all of my studies and then its relaxation time!! The weather is starting to get nice (for England) so I am officially trading in my winter wardrobe for my spring apparel. I will check back in again very soon. I have added some pictures from our trip to London, plus others above.

I am missing everyone lots, and hope that you are all doing well. Take care and keep in touch :)

xoxo
- Nicky