everything is beautiful at the ballet.

on the bus to winter garden's with matt, we spoke of how quickly time is passing. it's already a month in and i feel like there is so much i haven't done. matt asked, "when do you return to the states?" then is when we discovered he returns to uni for his spring semester the day after i fly out. a pause.

"so that means the last time i will see you is really december?"

"yeah."

goodbyes, i can never seem to escape them...

we walked across this beautiful bridge, so reminiscent of a jane austen novel.

played dress-up as we traveled through time on a tour guided by ourselves.

how perfect. the white swan and black swan, hours before matt and i would be watching the ballet.

my sweet french pals. matt & tom.

the birmingham royal ballet danced a most beautiful rendition of swan lake. i still remember taking my dear friend, geoff to his first ballet. to have another opportunity to share my love of the arts with my new friends here was such a gift. i will never forget the moments of awe on matt's face as he watched the ballerina's. or rae and syedah's deep sighs- makes this ex-ballerina so very happy.

as we sat in the beautiful century old empire theatre, with binoculars below the seats for use for £1, and the smell of history. thinking of the feet that walked the halls, and the conversations had. matt leans over, "keiko, imagine yourself here in 1907... i always felt i should have been born thirty years ago."

i have found another kindred soul.