Hoskins Family ...forever and ever amen: Flashback Friday

This week we were talking with our friends the Gillette’s, and they told us about how they have started a regular edition on their blog called "Flashback Fridays." Since blogging is a relatively recent endeavor, there are literally thousands of memories from yester year that will fade and be forgotten unless they are recorded and remembered. Jamie and I thought it was a great idea, and since we have recently been doing a family history unit in our home school and are looking for more ways to work on our own family history, we have decided to add a similar edition to our own blog. There are just so many stories and experiences that I want to remember-- going back to the time when Jamie and I were newlyweds, up to and including the birth of our children and when they were just little babies, and maybe even a few our of own childhood memories. I think it is a great way to organize and incorporate those stories into the blog. So- I (Nick) bring to you the first edition of "Flashback Friday" . We'll try to rotate who writes them.

Our Last Night in Europe:

One of the most memorable and best experiences in my life was being able to spend almost two months traveling through Europe with Jamie shortly after we were married. We were able to spend so much time together and experience things together that we would use to build a foundation for our marriage that lasts today. I still don't know how she talked me into spending the money to go, but somehow she did- and I am forever grateful. As I think back over those two months, there are so many memories and laughs- from the French cabin, to the ferry to Vienna, to the Austrian bike rides, to the beach in Greece. I'm sure that many of those memories will be future posts- well, maybe not the Grecian beach memory! Of all of the memories, one of the funniest- and most revealing- has to be our last night in London. I think it is fitting that it be the first story to tell in this inaugural edition.

We went on our trip to Europe in the summer of 2002- not yet a year after we had gotten married. We were both struggling through school at BYU and working two, or in Jamie's case three jobs just to try and stay afloat. I was traveling up to Salt Lake to work at LDS Hospital and would often not get home until after 10:00 when we would literally crash in bed- or on the couch because we were so exhausted. To top it off- we were poor. We are poor now too, but at the time we had no kids and didn't have to spend money- so we didn't. We were so broke I refused to turn the furnace on in our condo in the winter. I figured since we lived on the third floor we could benefit from the people living under us and take advantage of the fact that heat rises. I don't remember if we froze or what- but I do remember we made it the whole first winter without turning the heater on once. It was about at that point that Jamie came up with this great idea that we would leave school and our jobs for two months and travel through Europe. I thought she was crazy, and so did a few other people, but as always, she found a way to make it work and we went. Since we didn't have much money, we did go quite inexpensively. We found a company, made up mostly of Australian and Canadian travelers that catered to backpackers and went with them. By "backpacking" our way through Europe we were able to get all of our food, lodging, and travel for about $2,000 each. A great bargain. Admittedly it did require a few sacrifices. We certainly didn't stay in the Ritz Carlton, but looking back- that is part of what made the trip so much fun. It is something we would never be able to do again- even at this point in our lives- but at the time is was perfect.

Our trip started in London, traveled through 11 different countries, and ended back in London. The travel group we went with arranged lodging at their hostels for the majority of the trip, all except for the last night, that is. On the last day the group didn't get into London until later in the evening, and so, for one night, we were on our own. There was only one problem. We had planned out the cost of the trip to every cent, and one extra night of hotel charges would put us over budget. In looking into our options, I found out that hotels in London are very expensive- even for the cheap ones. We were looking at, at least 100 pounds to even get a lousy hotel for the night- and that was money we simply didn't have. In thinking through things more, I wondered what would happen if we didn't get a hotel for that last night. We figured it wouldn't be a big problem since we would probably want to hang out with our new friends before it was time to go our separate ways in the morning. With an 18 hour plane ride home, there would be plenty of time to sleep later if we ended up staying awake all night. It seemed like a reasonable plan- and it would keep us within budget for the trip. So, we decided that would be our plan.

We went on the trip and had a blast. We even stayed on budget- even if it meant humiliating ourselves by offering our tour guide a nice thank-you note rather than money when the time came to give her a tip at the end of the trip. After everyone disembarked from the bus in London- as expected, they all wanted to spend more time together by going to a nearby pub and talking before everyone left for home the next morning. By this point of the trip we were well known as being the married Mormons and they were happy for us to join them for the company- even if we only drank our free glass of water. Our plan was going quite well- until about 1:00 in the morning when everyone decided to go to bed and the pub closed. No big deal- we would just find a different restaurant or pub to hang out in for the rest of the night- even if we were by ourselves. The only problem was, apparently every single pub in London closes at 1:00 or 2:00, and suddenly, we found ourselves with no place to go. At that point I wasn't about to pay 100 pounds to stay in a hotel for a few hours. We decided we would just hang out in a nice public park and wait for the morning to come. Hyde Park seemed like a nice place- so we decided to head there. I guess Hyde Park is a little nicer at 2:00 in the afternoon than it is at 2:00 in the morning, and there was a bit of a different crowd roaming around than when we had been there in the daylight. Don't forget that we had been traveling, and shopping, for two months and were carrying all of our luggage with us as we were roaming the streets with London's cream of the crop in the middle of the night. When we realized Hyde Park wasn't the best idea- we started heading back toward the hotel where most of our tour group was staying. On the way, a very nice looking man with razor blade marks up and down his arm came up to me and told me to give him my money. Although he didn't believe me- I wasn't really lying when I told him I didn't have 2 pence to give him. (we actually had about 67 pence.) It was at the point that I saw his razor blade that I started sprinting back to the hotel- carrying all of our luggage along the way. It was also at that point that I was starting to think a hotel for 100 pounds, even for a few hours, wasn't too bad of an idea. We looked around for a couple of places- but by then there was no room. As a true vagrant- we decided to stash our luggage in the corner of the stairwell at the hotel and wait there until morning came. We did stay there for quite awhile, but after getting several inquisitive looks from a few people who did come through the stair well- we finally broke down and knocked on one of our travel mates doors. We confessed to our stupidity, and begged for a place to rest until morning.

Morning finally came, and we were none too anxious to get to the airport and get on the plane. We loaded up again and walked the few short blocks to the underground station where we could catch a train to Heathrow, get on our flight back home, and get some sleep. Well- little did we know our troubles had only just begun. Apparently it was the Queen's Jubilee, and everything was closed. No trains were running- which meant we would have to catch a taxi, ride the bus, or walk the 20 kilometers to the airport. Fine, except that we had literally spent all of our money the day before so we didn't have to worry about converting anything back into dollars. Now the heat was on--our plane was leaving 1 1/2 hours.

I tried to flag a taxi down- but he wouldn't take a credit card, and I didn't have any way to get any cash. I also tried to find a bus- but we had the same problem there as well. I didn't have any other option than to start walking. So- off we went. I put a backpack on, put a couple of bags over my shoulder, and took a suitcase in each hand. We loaded the suitcases up so that I could balance the other bags on top as I drug them along. Things were going pretty well until the London cobblestone streets got the best of our suitcases- and the wheels literally fell off. I couldn't let it stop me. I doubled over like an oxen and kept pulling. Friction was working against me, but sheer will power and adrenaline was working with me. Jamie was freaking out thinking I was going to drip over dead at any minute. Honestly- I wasn't sure I wasn't going to as well. I was absolutely drenched with sweat. Later when I got out of my clothes I literally wrung them out. Jamie kept telling me to stop and take a break, but I knew if I stopped I would never get going again- so I just kept chugging along. I have no idea what I thought I was going to do. There is no way on earth I was ever going to make it to the airport in 1 1/2 days let alone 1 1/2 hours. Obviously, I wasn't completely in my right mind at that point. When I was about at the breaking point, a miracle happened. A bus driver pulled over and asked us if we needed some help. I asked if I could just send Jamie with our luggage and I would be able to run and catch up with her later. I must have looked as bad as I felt because the bus driver took one last look at me and said "just get on." I was so grateful. Even with the bus ride we were lucky to get through the gate and onto our plane as they were shutting the door and getting ready to take off. After I wrung my clothes out and changed into something else I sat down and slept the entire flight home.

Looking back it is one of the most ridiculous stories I have- but it is also one of the funniest. I'm not entirely sure I want it to be recorded how stupid I was- on so many occasions in a 24 hour period, but I suppose it does reveal a few things about my personality- and it certainly is a good story to kick off Flashback Fridays. Stay tuned, and maybe Jamie will stick with the Europe theme for her next week's post.

Oh, and just for fun, here are a few of the many, many photos we took on that trip:

At the London Bridge