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