By April 2019, J and I had fallen into a more comfortable pattern for visits. He would visit during my time off between classes ending for the summer and work starting, and I would go either at the end of the summer or during my Winter break. During this trip, J had his first ever connecting flight. Flying from Glasgow to Toronto to Vancouver in one day, with a small layover in between the two Canadian cities. While connecting flights can be a hassle, J's luckily was a good combination between enough time to make it without issues, as well as not enough time to be spending hours in the Toronto airport between flights.
One tip I'd like to share right away is to always check your gate! While J was waiting to board his connection, he noticed his gate was empty. He decided to ask an airport employee who notified him that his gate had changed without notice! Luckily he noticed in time and was able to find the correct one without difficulty, but it gave us a both trust issues with connecting flight gate numbers. Despite his small airport mishap, J said he didn't mind the connecting flight as much as he thought he would. All-in-all, it worked out fine and he eventually landed in B.C.!
By this point in our relationship, J and I were both very comfortable with each other and each visit felt like no time had passed between the last; we picked up where we left off. This time around, J was visiting during Easter so before his arrival, I stocked up on treats from the Easter Bunny to surprise him with that Sunday! It was nice to be able to spend another small holiday together as previously we had only gotten Thanksgiving together during his very first visit to Canada.
Because we found we enjoyed staying in hotels overnight in cities we could explore so much, I booked us one for this visit too! We spent the night in the Okanagan region of B.C. (Canada's only desert!) to show J more of B.C.'s diverse landscape, and even drove through a (lightly) snowy area along the way, much to J's surprise! After a quick stop to let J go touch the snow (a rare occurrence for him), we were back on track for our road trip.
The area we stayed in was beautiful in April! The weather was sunny but not too hot, and J and I spent our time exploring the city. We walked along beaches and pathways, found flower gardens and duck ponds, and ate a picnic lunch we packed for the first day.
On day two of our desert adventure, we stopped at an ice cream shop, walked along a different lake, and visited a used bookstore. It was exciting for me to visit the area during the off-season, as the summertime typically brings a lot of tourists to the area (myself included), and to see new things with J. One thing I've noticed from exploring B.C. with J is how my perspective of local areas has changed. I appreciate the landscapes and things around me even more after seeing it through a new lens. And I feel so lucky to get to share these experiences with J! Making new memories, having so many "first" moments together, and relearning to love where I am from.
While the drive home from our two day trip away was eventful (the highway was closed for hours due to an accident), we made the best of it and enjoyed a dinner together in a local restaurant and waited out the traffic jam before venturing back to my house. Once back, we spend our days walking in the sun and rain, working on colouring pages, painting ceramics, playing monopoly, and even getting J to try ice skating for the first time! We also planned a dinner to make for my family one night, went bowling with my sister, and revisited the zoo since J's last visit a year before.
Before long, J's visit was over (again) and we had to say good bye at the airport. And let me just say, it never gets easier. Yes, it's better when you know when your next visit will be.. but it still hurts every single time you have to leave your partner behind, knowing you'd both do anything to be able to stay in one place for a little longer. We spend a lot of time post visits on video or voice calls, hanging out and letting each other be sad when needed. It helps. And you know what? Eventually, it hurts a little less and before you know it, your next flight is booked. Which is exactly what happened for J and I. When he left in April 2019, we knew our next visit would likely be during my school break in late December and early January. And after working over the summer, I was able to book my flights before the Christmas-time price hike, and start planning our very first Christmas together!
Christmas 2019 was going to be a good one!
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