Sunday, Sunday, Sunday....

....it was Monster Trucks, mud and mullets :)

*Pictures forthcoming*

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it all! Despite the exhaust fumes and the amount of noise the little buggers generated, it was pretty exciting to watch them crush buses, cars and generally trample on everything.

There were two trucks that stood out to me in particular. The crowd favourite seemed to be Gravedigger, and it was obvious the entire thing was a cake-walk to him. My favourite was Batman......not exceptionally quick, but I liked the way he looked :)

Et, c'est tout pour le moment.

So, I told two people....

...that I started this up again:

1) Steven - that was bound to happen

2) Adrian - my cousin, who also asked for a shout-out. Adrian, here it is.

This week, work put me through the wringer. Over and over and over again. Tonight, we're staying in, watching TV and eating take-out. I'm so excited!!!!!

I guess I owe two more shout-outs:

1) Rach - dim sum was so yummy!! Let's do that again, soon :)

2) Fel - it was really nice hanging out and catching up last night :)

I'm pretty exhausted and have nothing more to note, so that's it for now. I'll have more to report after the weekend!

Silent come-back

It's been a quiet few months on my end. I haven't really gone anywhere (except to Edmonton for a couple of days). Everything has been status quo: work has been busy, Steve's still wonderful, the fam is still lovely.

Things that have changed? We got turtles. Yep, the small green ones....with red ears. I scaled back socially, but have been really enjoying the quality time that I get with my closest and dearest friends when we make plans. I don't get to see everyone all the time, but I'm finding that suits my energy level better.

I'm also sleeping. If you've known me for any length of time, that's a pretty cool thing! There was a time when I existed (although barely) on maybe 3 hours of sleep a night. I used to eat Subway cookies (three of them) for breakfast. And, I would exercise like a maniac. If I put on my Janus face (an extra slice of cake for any of you who knows what that means), I can see how all of that wasn't very healthy. Now, I'm in bed by 10pm usually, and I'm eating like a queen (thanks, hon).

I got my "writing tingle" again this morning and then again on my walk home this evening so I figured it was time to make my blogging come-back, albeit silently. By that, I mean that I'm not going to really tell anyone that I've started writing again. (Oooooh! I just got goosebumps!) If you're reading this, you've found my post by fluke, or you are indeed a good friend who didn't lose hope that I would someday continue my rambly ramblings. Or maybe I can't really keep secrets and I told you about my little plot.

Whatever the case, I am starting to write again for fun. Yay!

Day of dreams

I am having the most fantastic day for daydreaming!!

Not really sure why, but I'm loving it :)

Robo-torqued....

....best describes how I feel right now......my adrenaline is pumping and I'm totally working it.

Yesterday, I had a crazy day.....split between a flurried morning at work, followed by moving my stuff to our new condo (a story for another day).

Today, I've been very productive and have had a day of meetings, desk work and calling people to follow-up on projects. As well, I took a situation that went sideways yesterday and turned it completely around.....with so much success that my VP emailed myself, two other VPs and a consultant to say how much she loved the work I did......I nearly passed out from relieft when I got that email 'cause I had been very very very concerned about the project.

I'm now getting myself organized for tomorrow....which looks like it's going to be another good day. No meetings, but lots of stuff to do. October is going to be a big month!!

Random update:

My head hurts like a mofo. I think I need to go for an eye test 'cause the pressure behind my eyes has been there for a few weeks now.

Fools in the rain....

.......it was cold and damp, it was muddy, we didn't shower.....and it was perfect.

My first moe down was phenomenal.......we danced and danced on a ski slope at night.....the lights were dazzling.....the sound was killer.......I've never experienced anything like that in my entire life!

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 :)