Looking for a brighter Year

The joys of the holiday season are coming to a close. Can you believe it? There is so much anticipation leading up to it and in a blink it's over. I am kind of glad though. I am in need of my routine to return. I enjoy seeing people that I don't get to see often, but I also long for my routine schedule. I get peopled out easily. I guess I'm mostly introverted, although I like to think of myself as extroverted. I use to look at introvert as a negative thing, but now I'm seeing it as just the way I function. Nothing wrong with that. I just hope it doesn't come across as snobby or rude. Sometimes, I just like to be alone, with my thoughts. I find that after visiting a lot I run out of energy. Weird.

Anyways, I guess I'm just more reflecting on it because the season is still on high until Monday. We have our last round of guests arriving today and I am mentally preparing myself. I am hoping that they feel welcomed and that it is fun. At this point today I am feeling weary. I don't seem to have much more to give.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

Until next year,

Michelle

No Sugar say what?

Here I sit on a Wednesday night. I am eagerly awaiting a phone call that should happen in about an hour saying that some very important guests have arrived in town. We are having Christmas tomorrow and I am excited. I think I may just have a hot chocolate tonight to celebrate. You see normally this would be just a regular occurrence but starting last week I have limited my hot chocolate intake to a maximum of two cups a week. The reason, the sugar content. I am cutting out a lot of things out of my normal diet in order to prevent diabetes from happening. I am making a huge life style change and I need your support in order not to cave. I am allowing myself one more day after today (since tomorrow is our Christmas and that would just be cruel). However, I did work out today. Sadly to say the first time in a very long time. What happened? I use to be the boot camp queen. I use to drag my friends and family to the class with me (Literally, at 5:30 in the morning I would show up at their house and wait for them to get in the car). I am going to do an over haul and get myself healthy in both mind and body. Starting with the body cause lets admit it, there is just way too much to fix in the mind. (This is a joke, stop nodding your head).

Well, that's it. No new years revolutions yet. I will keep thinking of one. The new life style is just that, a lifestyle not a fad. The revolutions are just fun to see how long you can stick with it. Maybe it will be to try something new this year that I've always wanted to do but just haven't yet. That would be a fun one. What's your new years resolution going to be?

All in a day

Whew, what a day. I woke up at about 8:30 and started my day. Within the first 2 hours of being awake I made: Ambrosia salad, jello, after eight cheesecake, midnight mint squares and chocolate rice krispie squares. Then my mom and I went out and did a bit of grocery shopping, went for a quick bite to eat in a really quaint restaurant and then did a bit more grocery shopping, stopped in at a friends house, had tea with them, grieved with them for a while (as we were there they received a phone call telling them some friends of theirs had passed away last night on the way from church in a car accident. This is incredibly sad and I ask you to pray for this family. They had another loss in September, where their son passed away, now the parents and there are other children left behind. This is going to be a very sad Christmas for them! My heart breaks for them.

After our visit we came back to our house and started preparing dinner. Cam and Becky came over and stupid skype wasn't working! We had plans to skype my sister and her family to share in their experience of opening gifts. Alas stupid internet interrupted our awesome plans. As soon as Cam and Becky arrived we had dinner. It was laid out as follows:

Starter: Caesar salad, bread with balsamic vinegar and oil, shrimp ring

Main: Lobster tails (all I could hear was "Lobster killer" as I boiled them), Teryaki steak, Ambrosia salad, jello, yams, veggies, stuffing, and rice pilaf.

Dessert: An assortment of squares and cookies. Which included, moose balls (a family favourite), peanut butter marshmallow square, chocolate rice krispie square, chocolate peanut butter balls, shortbread cookies, chocolate chip cookies, after eight cheesecake, midnight mint squares, and brownies.

All in all we all left full and there is so many left overs. And another plus was that we got our bbq set up on the balcony. Oh yeah, and I shovelled the driveway today too. Needless to say, it's one am and I'm so tired. Off to bed I go!

Love

Michelle

The never ending Weekend

Manic Mondays are always so much fun. This morning I headed to the mall to do my 2nd to last shopping trip for Christmas. When I arrived the stores were all still closed. Forgetting that they didn't open until 10 I was a lost wanderer for about 20 minutes. Once the stores opened, I went to the one that I went there for and then headed back to my car. In the adventurous mood that I was in I headed in the long way back to my car (remember I'm the kind of girl that HATES shopping and I willingly went the long way) and I'm glad I did because I came across a new store that had just opened in the mall on Friday and it's all about tea! I was super excited and went in and discovered a gift for that hard to buy for person on my list. I left the mall a happy customer and my shopping list became one person less than I was expecting and I was in the mall for a mere 40 minutes (that includes the 20 minutes of wandering). Not too shabby. Than I headed off to an appointment and then headed home to meet with the people who are going to be cleaning out the vents in our home. The previous owners had a dog and we just want to make sure there are no traces of the dog left. We don't have anything against dogs, but we have family members who have allergies and in order to make them comfortable in our home we will do what we can to make it an allergy free zone.

I can't believe it's only 5 days until Christmas! Can you believe it? We are having our first of three Christmas' on Wednesday, our second on Saturday and our third on the 30th. I am very excited and can't wait for people to open their gifts. That's one of my favourite parts, I love watching the person's face when they open their gifts.

Well, that's about all there is to update you on....oh wait, I had a weekend that wasn't updated...Ok, here's the long/short story. It's a long story but I'm going to wrap it up in a 30 second read. Ready....set......go! (this means read the next little bit as fast you as you can!)

Friday: I woke up at 5:40 talked to my sister on Skype, she baked, I did my hair...why did I do my hair so early? Because B's Christmas party was that evening and I didn't have time to get ready between work and the party. That night ended at midnight and I won the prize for playing the DJ bingo game at the party. That's another story: Ran into our friends Katrina and her bf Daniel. They were playing the game hardcore (had to guess 5 songs the DJ would play throughout the night, once he plays all 5 of your songs, you run up and get a prize). So by 11 o'clock with no winners yet (the game started at 8) cheating started. So Daniel was using me for my vast amount of knowledge on song titles and we ended up winning one of the prizes! Shameful I know, but I have a weird penguin thing to remind me of this night (Daniel and Katrina didn't want the prize they just wanted to know that they won..haha).

That night I laid my head on my pillow at 1am.

Saturday: Wake up at 7:50am. Get ready (luckily I only needed to fix two curls and then I could keep my hairstyle from the day before), tidy up the house and head over to B's parents house for our niece's 2nd birthday party. After the birthday party we headed back here and cleaned and re-arranged a few things. Than we had my brother, his wife, her brother, B's brother, his wife, their daughter, and B's parents over. After the tour we all decided what we were going to do about the dinner thing and ordered sushi. Unfortunately B's parents and brother's family were not able to stay and they went home before the sushi arrived. Than Cameron and B worked on some electrical work that needed to done because one of the light switches was a little confused. When the light switch was on the outlets in the room wouldn't work and when the light was off the outlets would work....so Cameron fixed that and installed a couple more outlets. YAY!!

Sunday: Went to church, sort of. We didn't make it into the sanctuary but we did socialize in the foyer. Then we went out for lunch with B's parents. We did a little shopping after lunch and then headed home and I had a nap and then woke up and then didn't do much of anything.

The weekend update...I think that would take longer than 30 seconds to read. Sorry, my bad.

Until next time,

Michelle

So tired

Today was an interesting day. The first little guy I worked with today was a handful. I don't know how else to explain it. I left the day feeling completely inadequate and unskilled. I felt useless and so very worn out. I looked around the room today and the way I was feeling is the way everyone else was looking. I think this Christmas break is coming at just the right time. A good 2 weeks off will do a mental health good.

I am excited to have our place set up soon. I want to have company over but alas I do not because it still seems like such a mess to me. I have yet to do a "weekly" cleaning because it hasn't stopped with the move and set up. But hopefully by the end of the Christmas break we will have our place in order and it will be open for friends and family to stop by at any time.

One more day and then no work for 2 weeks. I can do it!!

So tired.

Michelle

Michelle's Mittens?

So today I got a Visa bill from a pre-existing card I carried back when I was a young 20 something. I have since cancelled the card and when we went to get our banking stuff in order the lady so kindly told me that I still had a balance on the old card. A whopping $2.71. I hummed and hawed if I could afford to pay off my haunting debt. I guess I didn't quite cover it because today I just got the bill for an outstanding balance of $0.01. Yikes, I can't believe I still owe a penny. If only I could pay it. I think I will open an account in which my fellow bloggers could donate to in order to help me out of this bind.

I find it funny though because it cost more for them to print and mail the bill than it would have been if they would have just taken the full amount out at once. So ridiculous if you ask me. Good laughing material though.

I had a great evening this evening hanging out with Jenn and Peyton. She is so funny, so full of energy and ready to play. I think tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun seeing the three cousins in one room. Better remember my camera. I'm also excited because today was the last day this week that I had to make dinner. Tomorrow we are having dinner at B's parents house. Thursday we are having dinner at my cousin's house, Friday we are going to B's staff Christmas party where dinner is being served. BooYA! No more making dinner this week for me! And I also like how BooYA! doesn't come up as a spelling error!

Today's work story: I was working with this one little guy and we were going outside. I found out as we were getting dressed for outside weather that he didn't have his mittens with him. We went outside anyways and once outside and realizing how cold it was I put my gloves on his tiny little hands. They kind of just hung there and looked funny. He looked up at me and said, "Michelle's mittens?" He said this a few times with a confused yet concerned look on his face. It was really funny because it kind of looked like Ricky Bobby in a television commercial "I don't know what to do with my hands" as they keep creeping up by his face.

Well that's my life from today,

Michelle

Monday Madness

It's Monday! I am excited because our internet connection arrived and now our computer seems lightening fast! Sorry dlink but your internet connection sucks, but thank you for allowing me to use it temporarily. I am super stoked to have the internet connection because now I can load up photos. I am also excited because now I can view my friends blogs and facebook pages without being kicked off every two minutes. Oh and now I can talk to my sister for any length of time rather than having 2 minute intervals. How annoying was that!

Yesterday B and I made a huge dent in our box collection downstairs. I was quite impressed. I was laughing though because we both got side tracked often, especially with Corner Gas playing in the background. There was one point when we brought up a foot rest for in front of the couch. We brought it up together, turned it upside down, put on felt on the legs (not felt the legs) to prevent them from scratching the hardwood floors and then placed it down in front of the couch. Than we had to test it of course and about 20 minutes later(when the episode was over) we got up and continued on working. It was really funny because we both got sucked in and we both didn't mean to. We are definitely becoming one.

We now have the guest bedroom set up (still have to hang a photo and a mirror) and the office items are up in the office(not completely set up in there yet). We also have our master bedroom unpacked and set up. It's so cozy and a few items have yet to find their place. All in all it's coming along and I'm happy that the moving process is almost complete. We are however, finding small jobs that are adding up every day. But in time there will be more and we will conquer and destroy them all!!! Mwahahaha. Or something like that.

Today I had my cousin over and we played dance dance revolution and it was sooo much fun. We busted out some serious dance moves and laughed so hard. She was off to a staff Christmas party this evening and I told her she should bust some of those moves out on the dance floor. How funny that would look to see someone doing dance dance revolution moves out of context. It makes my insides smile because I really want to do this at B's Christmas party this coming Friday.

Well, I should get back to the kitchen and make some more cookies or something. I am so excited for Friday! The reason behind this excitement is that I will be done work for 2 weeks and I will have ample time for baking and preparing the house for guests. Until later

Michelle

The new and improved

Welcome to the new look. I was feeling down so I thought a good change to the look of this blog could help me get out of the oogly mood I was in. And sure enough it worked. I hope that this is a good change for your eyes too. If you notice on the right hand side I have listed in detail the blogs that I follow often and when they were last updated. I see a few cousins of mine haven't updated their blogs in years and I tell you I will be giving them a personal phone call and hopefully we'll see their updated blogs in the near future. Christmas is just around the corner. I am so excited as I sit looking out my kitchen window watching it snow so heavily. I think it's snowed about 5 inches so far since about 4 this afternoon at it's now 9pm. How exciting. I was just looking out the window this morning, noticing how much the snow has melted and wondered if we would have a white Christmas...now I have no doubt that we will. I think I might just make a hot chocolate and continue sitting in this spot and maybe look through some facebook. But I do have to tell you I've been avoiding facebook lately. I still check it out once a day but that's much less than what it use to be.

Merry Saturday evening everyone. Welcome to the new Table Discussion! Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions on what you would like to hear about. As soon as we have our internet connection on Monday I will be able to upload some photo's of our new place. Until then, imagine a house with some snow on it and you'll be thinking of our place.

The screamer is a more fun rollercoaster

So this past week has been an emotional roller coaster. It's weird yet understandable, but I'm not really going to share the root cause of it because it's not a for certain thing yet and until I know in late January I will keep it to myself (and B). It's just so freakin' annoying. Thanks, I just needed to get that off my chest.

I am so excited about Christmas vacation coming up. I haven't had a real Christmas vacation since 2000. I've always been working and had a couple of days off at most. But now, this year, I have 2 weeks off! I am so excited and I can't wait until next Friday when the vacation officially starts.

I am also excited for Monday. Why? Because our internet is going to be hooked up. But Michelle, you have the internet because you updated your blog, you say? Well I am actually hijacking someone else's internet and their connection sucks. I haven't talked to my sister in over a week because the connection can't hold a call and it becomes choppy and hangs up on us and is so incredibly annoying. All that to say I can hardly wait until Monday.

Funny kid story of the week: (this is a new segment I just created and I thought maybe I would try to keep up on this so you're guaranteed an update once a week). I was working with this one little fella and he was in his happy zone with blue paint gooping off his hands. He looked up at me with the biggest smile on his face and started singing a song we had just learned. As he started singing it I, in slow motion tried to stop it, but it was too late...he had started singing, "If you're happy and you know it......."(enter in my slow motion here) "....clap your hands" and with such force and enthusiasm he clapped his hands spraying blue paint EVERYWHERE. It was in his hair, all over his face, all over the table, all over the floor, all over my pants...haha, it was so funny!

Have a great weekend everyone. Here's hoping the roller coaster is over for a while.

Michelle

Entry #85 of 2010

So, according to my records it's been a long time since I last updated this blog. Not that I have another one (any more). Anyways, it's been a long few weeks. We bought the house and have been fixing it up for the last 3 weeks. We only got possession of it 2 weeks ago but thought we would do the good Samaritan thing and start cleaning up the yard. The neighbours are so very friendly. They have come and introduced themselves to us and told us how happy they are to see us. They also said that get ready for it because this neighbourhood takes it to heart that we are neighbours and have the occasional block party. I am so excited about this as I am a social butterfly to some extent. However B is more introverted so this did not appeal to him as much as it did to me. I guess it was in the middle east where I learned that I love open and friendly neighbourhoods. Over there they treat foreigners with such respect and hospitality. It really put me to shame. When they would say, oh I want to go to Canada to visit I was like, NO! Because after how they treated me I just knew that they wouldn't receive the same type of hospitality over here and I didn't want them to learn that our culture in comparison to theirs is so cold and distant, especially to foreigners.

Anyways, all that to say I love our new neighbourhood and I look forward to the block parties and the possibility of making middle eastern tea for my guests. The last 2 weeks have been such a blur. I think I finally rested for a couple of days last week, which made me feel bad because B's mom was hard at work for us and I was being such a slacker. But we got it all done and now we have moved the majority of our things over. One more load tonight and it will be finished. Than I will start the unpacking mode once our carpet has been put in which hopefully will be next week sometime. Once we are sleeping in our bed in our room it will feel real. At this point we are sleeping on a mattress in the middle of the living room and so it doesn't have the "At home" feeling quite yet. Still feeling a little bit like camping. The warmest camping ever in November.

That brings me to my next point. December is tomorrow! Can you believe it? Only 20 more sleeps until my Mom comes out to visit. Only 24 more sleeps until Christmas Day, only 29 more sleeps until Christmas with my Dad, only 16 more sleeps until the last day of work until Christmas vacation. Only 30 more sleeps until New Years Eve. I love December. For a countdown queen this is my favourite month.

Well, my health has taken a turn for the better. However, I'm being sent for some more tests in January and I will know by the end of January what exactly I'm dealing with. In the meantime I will be content with my new house!!! More than enough to focus on there! There will be pictures soon.

Oh and I would also like to point out that I have indeed kept my New Years Resolution from last year. My resolution last year was to make more blog updates this year than any other. This is entry number 85 of this year and in years past the most I ever blogged was 56. I can relish in having kept my resolution.

Have a fantastic day everyone.

Michelle

This one is for my sister

Here is a quick update for my sister. There will be more in the next bit. Very busy with the events of life. But I will be back soon to update you properly.

A quick update on my last post, my body has gone back to normal and my health issues are subsiding! Woo hoo! And I'm no longer in such a funk.

Now What

Today was a good day. I woke up in a funk. Probably because I haven't been sleeping well since being back. I was up again last night at 3am. I am also extremely anxious about tomorrow. We find out if the house we've been pining over is ours or not. If it's not than I will be deeply sad because I really like this house. However, it's not the end all be all of all houses and life will go on. However, I am going to take my right and pout over it for a good week before moving on. This is my final answer.

I am also having a few health issues. I'm not going to get into it but this has also been troubling me and playing havoc with my mental well being. I just want everything to go back to normal. Hopefully things will be brought to light when I go to see a specialist in a the next few weeks. I am not going to say what it is or talk about it at all so please refrain from asking. Thank you in advance, I just needed to get that off my chest so I wasn't carrying it all alone again. Instead if you could just pray for a general health prayer that would be greatly appreciated.

I have noticed something within myself, it's no revelation by all means because I knew this about myself, just noticed it a lot more lately and want to maybe change it. I say maybe because it might become too hard the further in it goes. I've noticed that I don't open up. I don't talk about my feelings. I'm quick to listen to others pour out their hearts but in turn I am selfish with my troubles and thoughts. I don't care to share them, or think that I am strong enough on my own to deal with them. Or maybe I want to appear as though I'm happy all the time with no troubles, far from the truth. So maybe, just maybe I will start to pour out a little more....but like I said, this might not happen the deeper it gets right. Who wants to reveal their inner turmoil. Whatever, we'll see what comes.

Other than all that, today was a great day! I had one little fella that I worked with and he was a shining star today! He was so motivated to work and we just had a blast. The second little fella I worked with today was also a joy. He made me laugh as we kicked leaves outside and he giggled non-stop. So much fun! I love the fall.

Well, until next time

Michelle

UK 101

Well, I wasn't expecting to have the time or the internet access this soon in our journey but lucky for you we have time to kill and the internet on our side to give you a little update on our journey so far. We are sitting in the Calgary airport waiting for our first flight to board, about an hour left to go. Why do we have to be here so early? Anyways, we had breakfast with my dad first thing this morning at Denny's and we were able to see Sharilin hard at work because she was working there this morning. I had the the incredible yummy bbq chicken for breakfast (It's was dinner time in London ok?) and Brenton had the bacon and eggs special. Yum! It was great socializing with my Dad, I feel like I haven't seen him for so long. We were able to catch up on all the ongoings and he is actually at the beginning of his own trip today. He's going to Kelowna. Funny how that happens. He is hoping to be back on the same day we arrive back too. So crazy!

Well, I had this one big elaborate post written up that continued for a lengthy time and lost it all because the internet in the airport was sketchy and it made me mad and now I can't remember what I had rambled about.

New update though, our flight was great, other than the screaming children that kept us awake the whole time. Our day in Manchester was incredible to see all the cool looking buildings and the fancy clothes the women wear. And our trip to Edinburgh was smooth sailing and has so far been a huge success. I found out that one of my friends from high school has just moved here about a month ago so we have plans to go for dinner with her on Thursday evening. She gave us a few hints on what to hit up and we plan to do just that.

Well until later, gotta get out the door.

Michelle

Exciting Times

So much excitement in such a short time. I can't believe it's only 1 week until my newest member in the family is expected to arrive. I also can't believe it's only one more sleep until I head to the UK, Scotland and Italy. It's going to be an amazing trip. My bags are packed and I'm ready to go. I am so looking forward to seeing our friends that live there. It's going to be great!

I am sure I'll have lots of stories to share with you after the trip, but for now I'm just so excited I can't think straight enough to write a proper blog update for you. I promise once I'm back I will share all with you :)

Until than, happy 2 weeks

Michelle

Weekends are GREAT!

I have done some tidying and now I'm procrastinating from the actual cleaning part. Arg. I shouldn't really, I should just jump in and get it done. I always enjoy the after affect so why do I seem to want to pro-long it? Weird. Anyways I thought you would enjoy an update instead.

Last night I had a nightmare that one of my co-workers came over and the kitchen was in it's array that it was and I was so embarrassed. So I woke up knowing that it was clean house day and that little nightmare really pumped me up to get it done. So it will be done by 2:30! Yes. I just set myself a goal and it's an attainable goal! It's really just a matter of washing 2 pots, wiping the counters and cleaning the bathrooms and then finishing the laundry. Not a big deal at all!

This past weekend was a weekend of relaxation. Saturday consisted of sleeping in and watching movies, I eventually ventured out and went to B's parents house and had a visit while B worked on his car. (He was painting the bumper). Than I came home and had a quiet evening to myself while B was at a hockey game with his Dad. I watched a show on TLC called Women of Block 6 or something like that. And it was good. It's about these prison inmates and their journey and stories. After watching it I decided I never want to go to jail. (Like it had crossed my mind before). Later that night I had a dream that one of my cousins was going to jail and I was sad. Than it turned out that all she had to do was run errands. It was weird.

Sunday was a funny day. I went up to the Sunday school classroom that I helped out in last year and I waited for the young lady that I work with to show up. About halfway through the morning someone asked me don't you work with so and so and I was like yeah. And they said, you realize that she's in grade 2 now right? I was shocked and then said, well of course she is. I was in the wrong classroom. So I went to the grade 2 classroom to find out that she had stayed home sick. If any day to screw up I picked a good one because no one was the wiser..haha. In the first class I had this one little boy cuddle up to me and play with my sweater and tell me a story about it. I have no idea what he was saying but man was he a cute kid! He reminded me of my nephew when he was that age. So sweet. He made my day.

The rest of the day was pretty casual. We went for lunch with B's parents and Grandma and then came home and had a lazy day. Watching movies and doing a whole lot of nothing really. I had a nap and that was about it. B had gone off to pick and pull and went to his parents house to divide the hockey season tickets. Good times.

Now that it's Monday I am gearing up for the week. I enjoy my job so much, but by the time Friday came last week I was in need of a weekend. Just a close out the world type of weekend and now that I've had that I feel great!

Alright, I better get back to cleaning if I'm going to reach my goal. Until next time

Michelle.

New Beginnings

Today is Tuesday. I am very excited that the weekend is only 3 more sleeps away because that's exactly what I want to do....sleep. I dream of sleep.

Today at work was a fun day. I worked with this one little guy who just makes me laugh and the second little guy I worked with just melts my heart he's so sweet. I love Tuesdays!

I am excited for October to come and show it's face. B and I are going to the UK. How exciting! We are going for 2 weeks. We plan to go and see his Best Friend Jeff/Sarah and their newest addition to their family.

I am just so excited for where life is taking us. We have another niece or nephew joining the family in just a few weeks. Awesome!

Well until next time

Michelle

Unfortunate Events

Have you ever had an incident where you walk away blown away from the lack of communication? How about when you try to clear things up and it just blows up in your face? Let's just say that this happened on the weekend with some friends of ours. Hoping to walk away with a closer friendship it seems we have walked away without one at all. Very saddening to say the least.

I understand that feelings on the other side were hurt. That in itself is unfortunate, however when the apology was made it was unheard. There was interrupting that occurred throughout the conversation which resulted in not being heard out. This just really gets to me because had it been heard out instead of assumed what was going to be said there could have been reconciliation.

I want to make it very clear that in no way am I afraid of my husband. We have a very healthy relationship. I find his jokes funny even though others might portray it to be cutting, I'm just as dry and sarcastic. I realize that we have to cut that down in public because it can be over-heard as different than what it really is. I believe if you have an issue with someone you should go to that person and work it out. I believe that if you have an issue with someone it means more coming from you when telling them that feelings were hurt because coming from anyone else wouldn't have as much impact because it wasn't their feelings that were hurt. That is what I was trying to say and I believe I was misunderstood as saying that I am not able to talk to my husband.

Needless to say, but I will say it, I was shocked and saddened by how the evening went. I felt as though it wasn't all said that needed to be said, but what was the point, it wasn't being heard. I think what was really sad was when it was stated that "our friendship wasn't that strong anyways." and that one was willing to "sacrifice the friendship". This was extremely hurtful to me. I place a lot of value in the friendships I make, even if they're brand new. I don't invest my time in just anyone, I'm very selective in who I let in. I may appear as an extrovert but I am truly an introvert. I don't open up to just anyone and to hear that my friendship wasn't as valued made me take a step back and realize that I need to stop investing if it's not worth it to the other person.

Depressing blog post eh? Sorry to put such a damper on the sunshine but it's a reality that I am facing right now. I am just sad that it ended that way. That we left the table unresolved.

Until next time

Michelle

Blur of a weekend

Hello, I'm alive! Just in case you were worried, but judging by the lack of comments in the comment section I don't know if anyone even reads this thing on purpose any more. Like the visit tracker could actually only be going up by accidental or unintentional page uploads.

Anyways, the new things in my life. Let me start by telling you about my weekend. Friday was a very draining day at work. So much that I cried at work. If anyone knows me, I hate to cry, especially in front of people. I became overwhelmed and my emotions got the better of me. Than I cried because I was embarrassed that I cried at work. Oh the cycle. But that's a story in itself.

After work B picked me up and we headed to Vancouver to see my sister and her family off at the airport. When we arrived it was almost 10pm. We convinced them to allow the two G's to stay up and play a video game. After the kids went to bed we (all the adults) connected the computer to the tv and watched funny you tube clips. This was hilarious! We finally hit the bed at 1:30am.

The next morning came really early. It was about 9 when I woke B up. (I had been up for about an hour before trying to fight off the urge to pee and go back to sleep). We got up and got ready and went for all you can eat sushi in Richmond. It was very yummy! After lunch we headed to the airport to get them checked in and visited until they had to go through the security gate.

B and I jumped back in the car and headed home. We hit up a Mr. Lube on our way to get an oil change since owning the car we haven't done that yet. It's a good thing we did. I am sure that thing hasn't had an oil change in a very long time! It looked worse than the Tracker and if you know me you know that got bad. (Luckily I now have a husband who is on it when it needs to be done). After the filter had been changed I noticed an immediate change in the vents. It actually blows air! Crazy!

We had to rush back to Kelowna though because we still had plans for the evening. Becky's Birthday party. We drove into town and went straight to the restaurant. It was fun and the company was great. We were sitting with her friends Ryan and Jill and they made me laugh all night long. Such a fun couple to hang out with. After the party we came home and by the time I finished brushing my teeth B had fallen asleep. (He usually takes a while before falling asleep). We were both sooooooo tired.

The next morning, Sunday, we actually dragged our sad, tired little bodies out of bed and sauntered off to church. We were late so we chatted with some friends in the foyer until church got out. Than we went for lunch with B's family. Great visit with them. I feel like I haven't seen them in so long because this summer has been so busy.

After lunch B headed off to his brother's place to help with the flooring. I tried to stay awake but failed. All the emotions of the weekend had drained me and I fell asleep. About an hour later B came and got me and we headed out to a BBQ and that was fun! We ended up seeing a Grey Horned Owl. It appeared to be injured but later on it flew away. It was really cool to see.

And that my friends is my weekend rolled up into one long blog post.

Michelle

Camping Trip 2010

This past weekend was so much Fun! (No, that's not a typo it was Fun with a capital F). I finished packing the car and headed to B's brother's place to pick up B. He worked a half day and we left his car at his brother's place for the weekend. He got into the car as the driver and we headed off. We approached Winfield and decided to stop and get some gas and a slurpee. Than we were off for a 2 hour drive to our campsite. On our way we sang songs at the top of our lungs and laughed and talked and had a great time. When we approached Salmon Arm we found out that Google maps gave us some lame instructions but it was easily fixed...we were parallel to the road we actually wanted to be on. We drove for what seemed forever until we found our turn off. We got further and further into the woods and finally found our campsite. It was so quiet and close to nothing, our cellphones had no service and it was perfect! We really did get away from everything!

We found our spot and decided to start setting up. B and I first went for a walk and while we were walking I told him how I need to get set up before I feel I can relax. He told me that he just needs to unwind a bit before setting up. Haha...so we walked for a bit -me a little tense- and then we went and set up our tent and picnic table. The air mattress we purchased for this trip is an electrical fill up one. It came with a car adapter and everything, but for some reason it didn't work so we went in search for the closest outlet. Well, wouldn't you know it, the closest outlet was up by the washrooms which was a good 5 minute walk from our campsite. So we did what anyone would do, we picked up our tent with the deflated mattress inside and walked up the big hill to the washroom with our tent on our heads. Why did we take the whole tent and not just the mattress you ask? Well because we got an air mattress that was a queen and our tent wasn't made big enough to accommodate such a size. So if we blew it up outside the tent we would never get it in the tent. So we had to carry the whole tent with the mattress in it in order to blow it up -and not all the way- so it would fit. That's right, we couldn't fill the mattress with air because it was bursting out the side of the tent. What a funny thing. So the weekend it felt like we were sleeping in a waterbed. So funny!

After we carried the tent back to our site we finished setting up. This included making the bed. B made fun of me because I had brought sheets and blankets. (I don't like sleeping bags) and I called myself a camping diva. About an hour later our friends Jordan and Jeanine arrived. They set up their tent while we prepared dinner. Marinated Teryiaki steak and noodle salad. Our other friends who were suppose to come camping with us weren't able to make it because she had fallen ill. I was sad that they couldn't come and hopeful that they might be able to surprise us all by coming but sadly that didn't happen. After our dinner we played a game of beans and just laughed and had a great time.

Day 2: I woke up late, and to the sound of B being startled. The 'demon chipmunk' had made it's way onto our tent. Between the mesh and the fly so it was the first thing B saw when he opened his eyes. It was sooooo funny! I went and had a shower and came back to thinking everyone would be awake but no such luck. Everyone was still sleeping. Finally everyone was awake and we had a yummy breakfast and than headed down to the water to hang out. While we were down there we discovered just how lovely this place was. We didn't want to have to go back to the campsite. It was so relaxing just hanging out by the water. There was a great source of entertainment too because the kids that were playing in the water were really funny.

We headed back up to our camp site at around 1:30 to have lunch. We had hot dogs and noodle salad. I had made so much noodle salad thinking it was going to have to feed 6 people. Oops. Than we headed back down to the water to swim. It was so cold at first but once we got in it wasn't so bad. Jordan had jumped off this little floating dock and lost his prescription glasses in the water. He needs his glasses to see anything and this was a bad ordeal. We searched and searched and B found a pair of kids goggles which came in really handy for searching. We kept looking and looking and after 45 minutes of searching we found them hidden within some seaweed at the bottom of the lake. It was a miracle. We celebrated and cheered and everyone on shore cheered too! Later we found out the goggles we found belonged to the nephew of the lady on the shore and he had lost them last year. So awesome! It made our day that's for sure. So much adventure.

After swimming for so long we played a game of beans on the beach and then headed back up to our campsite since it was starting to get a little darker and we were all getting a bit cold. As soon as we reached our campsite (It was like a hike because it was a straight up hill) we got into our warm comfy clothes and Jordan and Jeanine started to make dinner. They made a very yummy pasta dish. After cleaning up dinner we played a game called Dominion. So much fun! I think I know the next game we're going to get. It was awesome! I don't really know how to explain it but just know it was a lot of fun. We played it 3 times before turning in for the night. Just before we turned in though it started to spit a little bit so we decided it would be wise to tarp everything. So that's just what we did. It turned out to be a good decision because over night it was on and off raining. Sometimes a light drizzle and other times a down pour. Waking up to the sound of the rain was both relaxing and enjoyable as well as a pain because it made my need to pee so much stronger. Finally I gave into the need and got out of the tent. That's when I saw Jeanine and she was doing the same thing. So we walked together and laughed at how we had both been fighting off the need to go as long as possible. It was funny. The campground was nice but the smell outside of the washrooms was gross. Not inside the washrooms, but outside of it. I was happy to have our campsite further away from the washroom just so we didn't have to smell that ongoing or while eating..yuck!

It was still raining then and it was 8:30 in the morning. When we got back to the campsite we decided to go back to bed for a bit. When I got up again later it was sunny and no real traces of rain, other than the puddle that formed on B's side of the tent and the very dirty car I know had. We had a pancake breakfast with oranges and ham. Than we packed up our campsite with no urgency and headed out towards Sicamous for some ice cream at the Dutchman Dairy. After our ice cream and walking around and looking at all the animals we said our goodbyes and headed home. We stopped in at my brother's place and dropped off a package I had brought back for them and socialized for a short while, than headed to B's brother's place to pick up his car. When we got home we did two loads and brought everything up. While B was in the washroom having a clean up shower I unpacked everything (I'm an unpacking superstar). He came out and was surprised that I had unpacked it all and put it all away and reorganized the kitchen counters to something more functional. So we headed downstairs and unpacked the tent and other camping gear stuff that is to go into the storage locker. In all we were completely unpacked and back to normal before 8pm and we only got back at 7. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Today is laundry day. Only 56 more loads to go! I can hardly wait until the next time we go camping. I really recommend the campsite we went to. It's in Sorento and it's called WoodHaven. It's out there, in that there is nothing nearby and no cell phone service, but the lake is crystal clear. You can see the bottom of the lake no matter where you are and it's quiet and relaxing! I'm already counting down to next year!

Until next time, Michelle

Whirlwind!

So tired. I had some fun this past week. On the weekend B and I didn't do too much. It was relaxing. Then on Monday I did a bunch of running around and was surprised when I finished my to do list by 5 pm. The next morning came early. I was up at 5:30 and out the door by 6am to head down to Vancouver. It was bright and sunny already at 6am and made the trip down so enjoyable. I got to Bridal Falls and realized that traffic had come to a complete stop. I was stopped on the highway for an hour. Well, it was moving, but at a snails pace. Finally I got to the closest exit and that seemed to be where everyone was being detoured. The highway was closed between Bridal Falls and Abbotsford due to a fatal accident involving a semi-trailer going over the embankment. Incredibly tragic. (I found this out because while stopped on the highway I called my internet savvy husband who told me the reason why I was a sitting duck.) I couldn't help but think of the truckers family and how sad they would be at this time.

So I took an hour long detour and was finally back on track with my destination. I was an hour later than when I had been expected, but luckily my sister and her family were delayed too so I actually arrived at our meeting spot first! WIN! We did some shopping and then headed for lunch at Earls. My second time ever. It was good. I had the quesadilla. It was very yummy. After lunch we went and did some more shopping after dropping my car off at my brothers parents' place. Than we went and did some more shopping. They are doing their last minute shopping for the things they can't get where they live. It was funny because we were standing in line and the lady behind me broke down and said, "Ok, I can't figure out what she's making, I've been trying to figure it out but I just can't". I looked at my sisters assortment and noticed about 50 packages of gravy mix and about 10 packages of chocolate chips and laughed. I explained how they lived overseas and these were the things they couldn't get. After a long afternoon of shopping we headed over to some friends house where we had dinner. It was so nice of them to allow me to come along. It was a great dinner too! BBQ'd hamburgers, very yummy coleslaw - I totally have to get that recipe - and corn on the cob. For dessert they took us to an Italian ice cream shop that had 200 ice cream flavours to choose from. At first it was very overwhelming. There was a crazy amount of people. I ended up having very yummy Black Forest. But they had flavours such as "Balsamic Vinegar" and "Wasabe" and some other very interesting flavours. Why? I guess just for fun. I was not brave enough to even sample these flavours. After leaving our friends we went shopping a little more to the stores that were still open. Than we headed back to the parents' house and I talked with my brothers parents. They told me about their business plan and it's very bold. Very cool.

I headed downstairs and helped stuff envelopes. Well, I didn't stuff the envelopes, I counted out pictures to go into the envelopes :) After this I headed to bed. I was soooo tired and the early morning wake up call was going to come way too soon. At 6am I hit my alarm and made it go off again in 15 minutes. Than it happened again. Finally I dragged myself up and got ready. They headed off to Langley for a meeting but I had to run an errand so I was going to meet with them later on. I went and did my detective work that took me an hour and a half to do. Finally I was able to deliver the mystery package - just kidding - and was on my way. I got to Langley and met up with them in their office. After they were done I tagged along with them to do some of their running around. Than it was time to say so long.

I headed to Abbotsford and stopped in at Budget to get my brakes checked because there was a bad smell coming from them and my car had had this problem before so I knew what it was. They told me they could fit me in at 2pm. So I called my friend Sherena, we had a lunch date planned, and told her what was up. We met at Red Robins -a tradition to eat there any time I'm in Abby - and had lunch. After lunch I saw the bartender and he remembered me from Bible College days. I was like, you have worked here for a very long time! He just laughed! After lunch we headed back to Budget to drop my car off. They were able to get it in early and told me the scoop, I called B and handed the phone over because I hate being the middle man and thought, I'd just let them talk. We got the ok to fix it since this time it was the front brakes and last time it was the back brakes. So I had an hour and a half to kill. So Sherena and Kohen (her son) and I went to the mall. We didn't go into any stores, just walked and it was nice. I got to hold Kohen for as long as my weary arms would let me.

We walked back to Budget just as my car was being lowered. Perfect timing. I got in my car after saying goodbye and paying and drove to my Uncle's place. I stopped in to say a quick hello. As soon as I got back in my car it was 5pm. I was getting hungry and I was super tired. I decided lets just get home. So I cranked my tunes and headed home. I got close to hope and debated stopping for something to eat cause by this time my tummy was getting really angry, I decided I could wait until Merritt. So I continued. As I approached Merritt I debated again...I decided to just get home. I have stew in the freezer that I can have. So I kept going. I don't know how I did it....ok I do....but I got home in 2 1/2 hours. The first thing I did when I pulled up was call B to let me in the garage. He answered the phone, surprised to hear that I was home already cause he was at a staff BBQ. So I waited, and I waited and I waited, finally someone came down and went in the garage and I followed them in. I got my suitcase out of the back of the car. Headed up and first went to the washroom, second got the stew out of the freezer and had me some dinner. And then B came home while I was just dozing off. And that my friends concludes the events of the last couple of days. I'm super tired now and I think I may just lay down for a nap before I start my baking for the camping trip we're going on this weekend.

Sick! Two Weeks Off

Good day to you. I have the next almost 2 weeks off. I'm doing a lot of resting because like always...almost like clock work, as soon as I slow down I get sick. I have a stupid sore throat and a stuffy nose and super tired. So I sleep. I guess my body had done it's job and fought everything off for as long as it could and as soon as it saw a time to recoup it pretty much forced me to rest. I don't mind too terribly since I didn't have anything planned for this time off...it's just more annoying than anything else.

So far on my time off I have cleaned our place up, it was desperately needed, and then I made a batch of cookies. I also had a great visit with my Uncle Brock and Aunt Joanne. They surprised me yesterday by calling me and seeing if I wanted to join them for lunch. I was like, wow, yeah! They don't come to Kelowna very often so when they do it's exciting! While they were here they bought a motorcycle cause Aunt Jo had her eye on it since early July. So exciting!

I have had a few visits with my newest sister! She's not feeling so hot right now either so us together is kind of a sadfest but it's always so much fun. We both maybe sick but we still know how to giggle with each other!

I do have plans for next Tuesday! I'm so excited. I got a call yesterday from my sister saying that she has an opening in her -no sarcasm- very busy schedule so I can visit with them that day! So excited!!! So I will be heading down there on Tuesday morning and coming back on Wednesday.

Well, that's about it for now. I will try and keep you updated on my time off events. So far there isn't that much to report haha.

Until next time

Michelle

One Year Anniversary

Wow, can you believe it? Time got away from me again! While I was gone I was super busy! Working full time - well almost full time, 32 hours a week- really makes the time and the energy dissipate.

This past weekend B and I had our first year anniversary. I can't believe it's been a year already and at the same time, we've covered so much ground that it's like, it's only been a year? We celebrated by sleeping in, than going for a sushi lunch. Followed by a quick family visit at our Brother and Sister's place -they are building a house. Than we went for a dual massage (which was amazing - I snored a few times even though I wasn't asleep..haha). We went to the mall and

picked up some new luggage. Following this we went downtown and went to Earls on Top for an amazing dinner looking out over the lake. After dinner we headed home and watched a couple of movies to help us unwind. Throughout the entire day we kept track of the time and stated what we were doing at this exact time last year. It was fun and romantic and sweet!

Yesterday, Sunday, both B and I slept in until the clock said 9:15. Since church starts at 9:30 and it's a good 25 minute drive and we were no where close to being ready we decided to have a stay at home day. It was wonderful! We rested and talked and did a whole lot of nothing. We watched a couple of movies, had a nap had some lunch, had another nap watched another movie. It was a great refresher day.

So that pretty much wraps up our anniversary weekend. It was great. Last weekend was a weekend of fixing the car and this weekend was a weekend of celebration! Here are some pictures to recap the last year.

The end of one of the best years of my life! I am so excited to see what year 2 brings our way :)