And Here's A Euro Recap

Everyone's first trip is always filled with exciting adventures and worthy-telling anecdotes. Especially if that trip is to Europe (I don't care where, if your Canadian anywhere in Europe is good). And so, I do have a recap.

As you may know (or may not, really doesn't matter since I'm going to tell you anywways), I have had my first European vacation ever just last month. Two whole weeks seeing sights and drinking foreign beer (plus some babysitting for amateur drinking youths) and alas the gay event of any trip, shopping. All of this if fine and dandy and definately one I will never forget.

However, it is Florence, Italy that will forever remain truly significant for me.

My trip consisted of 16 people, a combination of ages ranging from 15-50 years old, and all people from my home town. So needless to say none of them knew I was gay (and a special thank you *rolls eyes* to the politics of small Alberta towns, they will never know, at least not if I can help it). And, twas a good thing my mom came along as well, cause at least she knew.

For the majority of my trip, the young (in my case 'younger') boys of the tour hung out with me and were attached to my hip. I could not shake them no matter how I tried. But while in Florence, they vanished to my relief. And all that was left of the group was me and my mom. It was god-given moment for it was perfect time spend with her since I haven't seen her in a long while, since my move to Calgary.

We had gone for coffee (THANK GAWD for Starbucks!) and sat on the street side tables enjoying each others company; soaking in the scenary and revelling in the fact that a year of hard work in fundraising had finally paid off. It was perfect. The sun shining, and hundreds of people walking below the towering antique buildings of yester-era and the sweet necture of caffiene slowling flowing over my tongue. Perfect. Especially since I was sharing this with the person I cherish most, my mom.

I can't remember how it happened, but we both ended up talking about ourselves and where we were in our lives. And this turned out to be the perfect conversation as we ended up talking about the men in our lives as well. This is the first gay themed conversation we ever had since I came out to her a few months back. And it flowed naturally. We were both comforted with each others presence as she spoke of her new beau and I spoke of my first crush. We were both wonderers taking a break from our endless paths and realising that for the first time we had come across each othe. It didn't need to be spoken or revealed that that was the case, it just needed to be felt and we both knew it was accepted. We knew we missed each other. We always loved each other. Yet we were always living our own story. And at that moment, sucking back our Starbucks coffee, we knew we had just begun an exciting chapter of both our lives.

For once, our own personal story books had come together naturally. And in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

We will always have Florence ... or Starbucks .. whichever way one will think about it.