I'm off from work....

.....'til next Wednesday!!!

I'm going to moe down, a music festival in upstate New York, for the weekend :)

We drive down tomorrow and it starts on Friday......I'm SO excited!!!!!!!

It'll be so nice to get away and just relax......sit around and do nothing......hang out with friends....get to hear fantastic live music.......

When I get back, things at work are going to ramp up almost immediately.....without a break until February (until I go away again).......this makes the time away that much sweeter :)

How am I feeling......now?

It's been awhile since the last post.....lots of fun stuff has happened in between, but I haven't had the mental energy to blog about it all......

For all curious, things are going well on my end :) Work is busy......life is progressing well.....things are well overall!

I don't have that much to say at the moment other than that....

I guess I am feeling dehydrated because....well....I haven't had much water lately.....that will be fixed soon, though, as I plan to drink water all evening......it's kind of crappy that it gets like this......I don't like drinking water, but I'm forced to when I realize that I can't function without it......if only I could get used to drinking water regularly........

Hmmmm......now....I'm bored......I'm waiting for Steve to be done work.....I'm done for the day and just killing time......

And, I think that really is it for now..........

Home

I was with my family for the weekend....it was really nice and relaxing :) I got to see my brother and his fiancée (they got engaged!!!!!!!!!!) and some old family friends.

I don't often stay for more than a day or even one night with my parents because I usually get pretty antsy.......and I did have a bout of that on Saturday evening.....but for the most part, I really enjoyed it! It's nice to touch base with the old home every now and then. My hometown feels so familiar and I feel so nostalgic driving around town.....I ended up getting a little teary eyed a number of times over the weekend....driving by the house I grew up in......seeing our family friends after such a long time......

At the same time, so many things have changed.....the landscape is changing as developers build subdivision after subdivision, upon strip mall, beside big box store. People have moved, grown up, married, divorced, had babies, passed away.........

As much as I have a fondness for the old familiar, I love life as it is now and going forward.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Tuesday

• Busy busy busy...lots of things needed to be communicated
• Got a hair cut :)
  
• Played hookey from the gym with Steve and went to Reds for wine and snacks
  
• Visited my parents!! Gave them the scoop on Steve (he was still dealing with the tech problem at work so he couldn't make it for the visit).....saw my brother and his girlfriend....hung out with my dad.....ate my mom's chocolate cake :)
  
• Got lots of clothes.....my parents shopped for me in VA and brought back a tonne of stuff....work clothes and casual......my favourite thing is the Izod track jacket...it's fuschia and white....simply stunning :)

Wednesday

• Went running with Kevin
• Had breakfast with Steve before we had to be at work......it was so nice to relax and have coffee at home instead of rushing and grabbing breakfast on the go
• Another busy day at work.....more communications....and our quarterly financial report (that's such a bitch to write).....
  
• Went to the gym!!!
• Steve made barbecued corn and a really great veggie dish for dinner.....ate with him, Kev and Jordan.....
• Stu came over and we all hung out for a bit.....
• Went for a walk with the boys while Steve had to call in for a meeting at 9pm.....dropped the boys off at a pub and attempted to walk in a wind storm....got whipped by sand....went back to the pub and ended up having more snacks....
• Steve joined us at the pub when he was done his meeting
• Went to Shopper's to buy hair accessories to go with the new do
  

Thursday

• Steering committee meeting for a community of practice that I'm a part of for work
  
• Ended up reviewing a DVD for a work project....that took up my morning
• Went for a walk at lunch with Steve
• Had coffee with an IT Director who was in town from our Waterloo office....we had a really great chat and it was a nice diversion from real work......and it took up another hour of my day :)
  
• Knocked off a communication.....reviewed some of Keron's work.....
  
• Got a call to run an announcement about one of our employees who passed away this week :(
• Started feeling flu-ish.....very warm....my friend Marinela checked and said I had a temperature :P
• Decided to forego the gym and came back to Steve's with him.....he's working (same tech problem ongoing)....I'm hanging out......Kev is making dinner....I think I'm going to eat, then nap....I think I need some tylenol, too
  

Starting the week again....

So far, so so.....

Got up early to go running with Kevin.....we're starting to see some good results in that our endurance is getting better :) For me, my knee feels so much better....that could be because of the weight training that I'm doing, too.

Work was normal on my end....not so normal for Steve since there was a techie issue that took up his day......we were intending on visiting my parents tonight, but we're pushing that to tomorrow evening instead......

I figured out my budget for August and it's looking good :) That's always something to celebrate.....

Tonight will be a quiet one.....I'm going to get some reading done.....get groceries.....I was going to go to the gym, but I think I'll do that before we visit my parents tomorrow......I think I'll do something with avocadoes for dinner tonight.....avocado soup potentially?

So, not a bad day, not a stellar day......just ordinary life :)

Rambling account of yesterday

Yesterday, Steve and I were in Waterloo for the day.........driving there, we had the music cranked and we sang along to eighties pop :)

We drove through St. Jacobs and hit the market for steaks......we picked up some other goodies like pepperettes, cheese curd and apple fritters :) We found the biggest shallots I've ever seen in my entire life.......and we found a purpler pepper! Weird, but I'm really intrigued about what that'll taste like.

After the market, we drove over to Steve's dad's place and I got to meet Mr. Paul Grossman for the first time. He's so cool :) We connected over smoked fish and turkey sausage.....and laughing at Steve's ridiculousness.

Tangent.....My brother and Fel happened to call so I got to chat with both of them......my brother's knee is pretty much back to normal......I bugged him a bit about my parents coming back from VA......they're back either tonight or tomorrow......they get to meet Steve!!

Back to the main plot....

I went down for a nap for part of the afternoon while Steve and his dad tooled around in the garage.....by the time I was up, it was pretty much time to hit the road again......we had plans to pick up corn from a farm (it was SO fresh!!!!) and have dinner with Shawn and Hailey (the last of Steve's closest friends who I had to meet...).......

Dinner turned out to be really great....the steaks were fantastic! Shawn's parents and grandmother were also over so we chatted with them and I got an invite to Shawn and Hailey's wedding......in the Dominican!!!!! They're getting married in February 2007 so that could be my early 2007 vacation.....and then I can do Israel with my parents later in the year (May-ish).

Shawn's neice (6 months old) and nephew (I think he was 3 years old) were also over 'cause his parents were babysitting them so I got to play with the baby and Steve shucked corn with Shawn's nephew :) That was too cute for words.

After dinner, we went to Jane Bond (a pretty trendy little place for Waterloo)....and had a couple of drinks (I was DD so I had a diet coke).....we had THE most hilarious conversation in the car, just before dropping Shawn and Hailey back at their place....Shawn, I hope Hailey didn't kick your ass too hard after we left ;)

The drive home was lovely.......Steve and I.....driving along....chatting about the day.....listening to our music :) Probably my favourite part of the day.

Today, Steve is at his cousin's wedding and I'm doing laundry and getting ready for church......after church, I'm going out with FT peeps......Steve will most likely hook up with us then......and then we start the week again.

The end.

Sideways and back

This week was off the hook.....in good ways and bad.....

With the mixed bag of good, bad and tired moments, it certainly finished well.....this evening we experienced the product of months and months of planning.......we had our one by one art exhibition this evening (check out onebyoneart.com for more info....).....and it was a wicked success :D

Many people pooled talents and resources to make tonight happen....TF, you are the prince of it all......you rock. You're a natural leader and it was a pleasure to work with you on this project.

Now, I'm spent.....time for bed......we're in Waterloo tomorrow (Steve and I...)......then it's a quiet day in the city on Sunday.

now to sleep.........

Wickedest birthday EVER

Wow.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

I had THE most incredible time last night at the New Deal concert!!!!!!!!! I danced and danced and danced with Steve.....[I think I've met all his friends now (except for Shawn)].....and they were all so amazing.....really warm and genuine :)

I felt so alive and HAPPY.

Today is a day for recuperating.......we get to lounge around and do a hecka lot of nothing.........that's making me smile :)

I'm 26 today....

Weird....I still feel like I'm 5 :)

I'm currently bopping to "Rock the boat."

Stu - *high five*

I've also got a hello kitty tat on my arm.....there's more of that to come ;)

Oh, birthdays are fun!!

My baby Nano

I had a wicked awesome day yesterday :D

• Great day at work....Debbie was HILARIOUS
• Went for sushi at lunch with Steve
  
• Took myself shopping and got wrist bands and a matching head band for Steve; a skirt, a pair of shorts and a dress for myself; and, a birthday present for a friend
• Went out for dinner with Steve, Stu, Kevin and Jordan (SKJ)
• Got my pre-birthday present from Steve.....an iPod Nano!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Played with Nano
• Went to the gym while the boys went to some event
• Went for a run after the gym (with Nano)
  
• Enjoyed Nano

I'm now up early, feeling energized, playing with Nano again and getting ready for the day.

Today:

• I get to record a voice over for a corporate video!
• Today is also my birthday eve!!!!!
  
• I'm going to party....hard :) I have the day off tomorrow so I can certainly afford to.

Birthday:

• I'm going to a New Deal concert
• In a couple of weeks, Lady J and I are having our 2nd annual joint party somewhere in the city
• I'm probably going to hang out at the spa......I heart Elmwood :)
  
• It's also my dad's birthday :) He's SO going to covet Nano
  

A post in two parts, with two appendices

Part ein
Enoch, I just read your comment on Lisa's blog re: my aversion to velvet.....that's hilarious that you remembered that!!! I really can't handle velvet, or velour or corduroy....yuck. Makes my skin crawl.

Part deux
Last night, I went to a private, "by invitation only" pre-party at Century for the Mike and Tre concert that was tonight (I didn't go to the concert, but Steve is there...)....the party last night was so hot! And, Mike and Tre played a half set with the band that was playing and we were there, up close and personal.....!!!!! I have to say, I'm very much enjoying my new experiences.

Appendix apple
Steve update - still awesome :)

Appendix butterfly
Hello to....

• Mom and Daddy in VA
• Josh and Beth...what are you getting me for my birthday?
• Karl - hi brother :)
  
• Fel - thanks for the visit at work!
• Lady J - wish you were here...looking forward to August 4th :)
• SKJ - that could stand for:
• Steve and Karin Jones....away at camp; or,
  
• Shannon Kimberly Jones....so cute!! Or,
  
• Stu, Kev and Jordan...also cute :)

All that glitters....

....is my life right now :)

God has been blessing me abundantly over the past little while.....I'm feeling so much more centred lately.......I feel like I hit the reset button and I'm discovering how to make decisions so that I'm working to my full potential and feeling the most "myself" as I've ever felt.....and I guess that comes from learning more about who God wants me to be....and where He wants me.....and realizing that things aren't always black and white.....or rigid :)

I'm also enjoying life and really living......I'm loving work.......I'm eating healthier, sleeping at least 8 hours a night, reading, working out, running, spending time with Steve.....I've severed some attachments that were holding me from moving forward.......all is in balance......

My spiritual director had some really encouraging advice for me.....to paraphrase, she said that I need not feel guilty about making decisions for myself.....we are supposed to be living lives of freedom, without guilt.....we often can get pigeon-holed into doing things that we think we "should" be doing just to please others.....a trap that I fall into more than I like...and, often, we create rules and laws in our lives, or we allow others to impose rules and laws in our lives, unecessarily and to our detriment.

So, my decision-making devices are now: 1) What is the most life-giving choice I can make, and 2) What choice will lead to freedom as opposed to obligation and guilt. In other words, what do I really LOVE doing as opposed to what makes me feel like shit or that backs me into a corner that I'll regret later.

It's really hard sometimes to anticipate how a decision will make you feel, but I think that I'm getting to a point where I know my patterns and I can give a good guess as to how I will feel in certain situations.......it's obviously not an exact science....but I'm also learning to worry about that less, too......

......in the end, this all pales in light of eternity......

Shucking...

:)

We are shucking (and eating) 20 dozen (and that's not a typo) oysters tonight!!!!!

It's going to be a good night :)

Steve's brother is doing the job right now....and we're standing around, watching, learning....I shucked one earlier...sort of....I need practice.

Side note - we're also listening to fabulous music right now.....old school, nostalgic tunes....it's just all so....nice :)

I miss summer dinners down in Virginia....eating steamed clams, oysters....crab and shrimp....all you can eat :)

My parents are down south for the summer (as I mentioned in a previous post....)...so they're enjoying the southern, east coast cuisine that characterizes Chincoteague (google it).

Shout-outs:

• Felicity, Rachel, and Blake for brunch at Boom!
• Felicity, you deserve an extra hello for our afternoon meanderings
• Kev, good sort of run this morning :)
• Lorne, keep on shucking
  
• Jordan, thanks for showing up....it was good.....thanks.
• Stu, thanks for the advice re: the boiled celery....I'm on it :)
  

I could be allergic to cherries

I'm not sure, but it's possible......

I was at Tom's house this aft for a one by one meeting and we were eating some cherries that Val brought......after a bit, I started to feel really sick :P And, I got really tired and hot.....I was having hot flashes!

So....I think I'm allergic, but it could have been that I was just generally tired and the heat was getting to me....

That's another thing....I seem to be very sensitive to heat....over the past couple of years, I've noticed that I get very drained really quickly if I'm in the sun for too long....and too long seems to be as little as half an hour depending on how hot it is.....

I'm feeling warm now, but that's probably 'cause this silly place has no a/c........thanks, Karl.

Steve is at Darien Lake today 'til tomorrow.......yep, I miss him. But, he'll be back soon enough......this week is his birthday and I know what I'm going to get him :) At least, I know part of what his gift is going to be.....I'm going to go present shopping tomorrow for the rest of the gift.

Shout outs:
- Kevin, thanks for the run this morning!!
- Stu, the purple shirt was a good choice ;)
- Jordan, thanks for fixing my back!!!
- Tom and Rob, always a pleasure....it's been awhile since we hung out so it was nice to see you guys this evening :)
- Esther, I'm so happy for you :)

Thoughts for the day....

1. I felt a little tired this morning.

2. I had a quiet day....got lots of writing and editing done

3. I brought a lunch from home today and I ate it outside with Steve :)

4. My AVP just reminded me that it's my two-year anniversary today with the company! Weird....I was only 23 when I started here as a consultant!

5. I'm meeting up with Fel just before 6pm and then we have LR tonight....our groups are tag-teaming it tonight!!

6. I feel warm right now :P

7. I get to see Steve later this evening....he's so sweet to me :)

8. I have to wear make-up tomorrow for a corporate video....and I don't want to. But, the video will be fun and I get to work with Karl on it!!

9. On Friday, I'll start celebrating my birthday two weeks (the two weeks prior to my birthday).

Islands in the stream....

....that is what we are.

No one in between

How could we be wrong

Sail away with me, to another world

As we rely on each other, uh-huh

From one love to another, uh-huh.

FYI

Just to reorient myself a little bit, I re-read Proverbs 31:10-31...that was the inspiration for my blog's name (read my post from Thursday, January 26 for the explanaton)....So, I thought I'd type out the passage here....as a bit of a sign post for myself and as a quick reference for those of you who are curious:

An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
She looks for wool and flax
And works with her hands in delight.
She is like merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.
She rises also while it is still night
And gives food to her household
And portions to her maidens.
She considers a field and buys it;
From her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.
She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.
She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hands grasp the spindle.
She extends her hand to the poor,
And she stretches out her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
She makes coverings for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies belts to the tradesman.
Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the future.
She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
"Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all."
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord,
She shall be praised.
Give her the product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.
~ Proverbs 31:10-31 (New American Standard Bible)

Freedom update

1. I took a nap for two hours!!

2. I went for a walk down Queen West....did some window shopping....got tired of the crowds and headed for home....

3. Picked up a meatball sub and white chocolate macademia nut cookies....and, I had a Coke Zero.......I haven't had Coke in months.....it's making me feel dehydrated and over-heated....I vow not to do that again.

4. Ate my dinner.....watched North Country (really good movie)

5. Put on my Shaye album....and got lots of work done!! I was able to write scripted prompts for the video shoot that I'm organizing for this week....I wrote a communication for my VP and I also rewrote a communication that my assistant first drafted....that one was the challenge.....and I think I've finally nailed it!

6. I did some googling for the fun of it :)

7. My Uncle Steven called and I talked to him for a bit.....I told him about Steve :) And, yes, they have the same name....I also told him about Josh....Josh fractured his knee this week :P

8. I figured out which BSS song I like (in addition to Lover's spit).....it's called "Anthem for a seventeen year old girl."

9. I can hear fireworks going off outside.....they're making me feel a little edgy.

10. I've decided I'm going to clean the house up tomorrow and get rid of some of the crap that's been laying around....then, I'm going shopping and walking in the afternoon. I haven't decided yet if I want to go to church or take a break from that, too....

11. I really like the song "Twenty-four" by Switchfoot right now....

Freedom

I'm flying solo for the most part of this weekend.......and I LOVE it!!!!!

I have the whole of today and tomorrow to myself......to pray and read..........to walk around the city.....paint.....write.....get caught up on work and prepare for the week ahead.....to workout and to sleep as much as I want to :)

It's been a really great day so far.......I did have some social time this morning 'cause I had brunch with Steve's housemate, Kevin, at the little greasy spoon diner on the north side of Queen, just east of Spadina. I'd never been there before, but the food was good and it was so much like the little diners that I used to go to with my family when I was a kid......

I also got in an hour and fifteen minutes on my elliptical and I had a loooooong shower :)

Right now, I'm just surfing the net.....reading up on blogs.....drinking Perrier......it's just so nice and quiet (apart from Louis Armstrong's "Blueberry Hill' playing in the backgroud.....).....delightful.

Thank you....

I feel like I owe a lot of people a really huge "thank you".....I've been getting a lot of wise counsel and care from a bunch of you lately and it's been so encouraging and heart-warming :D

A very special shout-out to Jacqueline, Felicity and Josh (my spiritual sisters.....and my younger brother....who's so much more mature and wiser than I).....the three of you are exceptional. You're able to combine wisdom with grace and love in a way that is rare and refreshing.

I also feel like I need to write a "change management" type of communication (cue the communication nerd in me).

Life is always in flux for me.....and, I'm used to that! I sometimes forget that others may not be as used to that....or intuitively deduct that if such and such a thing happens, it implies such and such a change. All that to say, I've felt a change happening in me for awhile now....before the trip, after the trip, etc. To sum it up, I just feel like I need a lot of quiet time....away from groups of people....not because I don't like people, but because I'm realizing that I need a lot more space.

So, that's where I'm at right now......kind of in an in-between place....trying to move towards more space and clarity....