happy new year & such

well, let me catch you up on my life...
so, after chesterfield, we traveled all day... train to manchester, flight to paris, expensive taxi to hotel, crash on beds.
we had made plans to meet luke & david & david's girlfriend in front of the notre dame at eleven our first morning & planned to give ourselves plenty of time to get there. we meant to leave at 9:30 but had failed to take the hour time difference into account... we realized this a ten-ish... so, we rushed to get ready & asked at the front desk about the fastest way to get there. shuttle bus to the metro & metro to notre dame, we arrived at 11:40. whoops. we just went into notre dame assuming that they had given up on waiting for us. we needed food & batteries for my camera, so we went in search of both. after over-paying for both, we returned to notre dame & just happened to run into david & simone & luke. we went through notre dame again & then happened upon the shakespeare & co. bookstore. we were just wandering & jamie pointed out. i either gasped or squealed or a combination of the two & ran inside. it was heaven in bookstore form. i could've stayed all day. then we went to the louvre. we practically ran through it because we were meeting more friends at the eiffel tower. the louvre is enormous so i'm sure we didn't see half of it. we did see mona lisa though. she's tiny & constantly surrounded by a huge crowd of people. we saw her from afar. we managed to find our way out & started the long walk to the eiffel tower. it's really big so it seemed a lot closer than it really was. we found our friends, bought crepes, & went to the top of the tower. it was crazy windy & a little rainy & it seems that i suffer from bouts of fear of heights. {that was badly phrased...} the view was amazing & we took pictures then descended then parted ways & took the metro back to our hotel. the next morning, we wanted to find this really big mall/shopping centre thing, but we got lost then couldn't find it & wandered  around then gave up. we went back, ate dinner in the irish pub {?} in out hotel, & packed up. we woke up early the next morning to make our 7:45-ish flight. the airport security was on strike so that all took forever. we flew into manchester & checked into our hotel. it was still morning & we felt like we had already had a full day. we were exhausted & but we went out & shopped for christmas gifts & such. the next morning, i took the train to preston where the talbots picked me up & jamie flew home.
on christmas, we slept in & went to sarah & andy's house. from audrey, i got a pair of brown pants that i had been eyeing & from sarah & emma, i got onesie pyjamas & a sippy cup {since i have a habit of spilling things...} it was a relaxing day & we just hung out & watched movies. we spent the night at their house & i slept in aidan's soccer themed room in my onesie. i felt like a little child. haha.
my parents flew in on the 27th & we had a chill few days. we stayed in a house a few doors down from the talbots. it was perfect. i got show them around capernwray & ribchester. we went to london on the 30th. we stayed in a flat owned by friends of the talbots. we slept int the next day & then walked all around london, seeing all the sights. we stayed in for new years eve & watched what was going on outside our window on tv. it was much warmer & drier. we left the next day & i spent the evening repacking everything to move back to the talbots' & deciding what to sent back with mom & dad. i did fairly well. we watched ferris bueller on tv then i stayed up late catching up on glee online.
mom & dad came in this morning & we said our final see-you-laters. it was sad but i'll be home before i know it. :)
& that is most of what you've missed. i'm sure i've forgotten things but i tire of typing.
love you. <3
the end.