3000miles

Canadian Air Force Mess Dinner

2011-04-03T10:27:00.003-04:00

Rome, NY
April 2011

Niagara Falls in the winter...

2011-02-23T02:06:00.000-05:00

2011-02-23T02:04:00.000-05:00

Toronto through the windshield

Toronto/CN Tower at Night

2011-02-23T02:02:00.000-05:00

at Niagara Falls, ON.

2011-02-23T01:59:00.000-05:00

you can just barely see the falls through the ice...

mmmm....chocolate!

2011-02-13T01:30:00.003-05:00

I made this homemade chocolate out of leftover halloween mini chocolate bars that I had in the freezer. It turned out fantastic. I used 2 different sized ice cube trays for the molds! I am bringing them to a card making workshop tomorrow at the CFMRC.

I think I will make more for a party I am hosting on Tuesday....
definitely a good way to upcycle your leftover chocolate!

trip to NYC in Nov 2010

2010-12-31T20:11:00.000-05:00

Goodbye 2010. Hello 2011.

2010-12-31T19:54:00.003-05:00

Christmas 2010 is over. It was a wonderful celebration with our two huge families and lots of friends. I am happy this year is ending, it has been a very difficult and sad year with some amazingly wonderful bits thrown in randomly throughout the year. The good was very very good and the bad was very very bad- there did not seem to be any in between. I am hoping 2011 will bring us much health and happiness.

plans for 2011:

give up eating meat and dairy and soft drinks 100%
get fit and healthy
try acupuncture
have a baby
start selling my artwork for $$$
travel to Cape Cod & possibly British Columbia this summer
try my hair dark for a change & continue to grow it long
drink lots of tea
plan our next cruise (for Jan 2012)
plan a Space A trip to Guam to visit Savvy and her new husband either this year or next
live in the moment, enjoy each day as it comes!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!

happy birthday to me!

2010-10-26T22:05:00.005-04:00

I made cherry cake pops for my 39th birthday party! they are pretty and so yummy!

miscalculation...

2010-09-27T22:32:00.003-04:00

I thought I was in my 13th week as of yesterday but just re-did the math and I am only 12 weeks :(
I am super anxious of Friday- our trip to Syracuse to the hospital to get some genetic screening & counselling. I am looking forward to our second ultrasound and to find out everything is ok with the baby. we have finally decided on boy and girl names. Which I believe we are not planning to share, not sure yet.
I ordered a fetal doppler to hear my baby's heartbeating! It should come in Wednesday and then I can post a video of it.

I am hoping to go to NYC in Nov @ 5 months pregnant. Still waiting for confirmation as it is a group trip. Bruce won't be able to go as he has to work.

I started a new craft/hobby. I am super excited about the rest of my stuff coming in the mail. It *almost* makes me want to start a new blog cause then I can talk about everything without censoring. But as this is my 5th blog or something crazy like that I am trying to stick with this one. I just don't write nearly as much as I used to. I used to write EVERYTHING, all the time. It was very much a journal of my life and thoughts.
I think I want to buy this ring =) I had to take off my wedding rings as my fingers are swelling from the pregnancy and I am having a really hard time taking them off. I thought this ring my be a great fill-in but I am not sure what size to get.

My happy moment of the day: snuggling with Ben. I <3 Benjamin.

all roads lead to Rome...

MODERN reusable cloth diapers

2010-09-16T14:04:00.007-04:00

They are super cute, environmentally friendly, more economical and easy to use. There are many types (as I have been learning doing all kinds of research). There are multi layer systems, pre-folds, all in one, one size (adjustables), some that need a waterproof outer layer. You can buy flushable liners to make clean up easier. some you soak in a pail, others you put into a waterproof laundry bag. I plan to buy a few different kinds and see which I like best. The great thing is that you can reuse them with more than one child so when we have our second (or third, hahaha) we won't have to buy diapers at all. Or if for some reason we decided not to have a second we can share them with friends or family with newborns. NO diaper genie for us.

for swimming!

stressed? sick?

2010-09-11T14:23:00.002-04:00

check this out
wonderful for people and pets.
safe. no side effects.
their rescue sleep remedy is wonderful.

I also recommend:

probiotics (for adults and kids! for immune system support & digestive issues)
vitamin D (for adults & kids for stronger immune system)
lavender oil (topical first aid but has a thousand other uses... headaches, nausea, acne, burns..)
oil of oregano (for cold and flu, a natural antibiotic, anti-viral, anti-funal...etc safe for kids)
magnesium supplements (most of you need more and you have no idea! good for PMS & mood)
omega 3 supplements for healthy skin, healthy brain, better focus and memory, better moods, better health.

these are absolute MUST HAVES for any first aid kit or home.
I haven't really been sick with a cold and flu for 3 years. When I get something I can fight it off within 24 hrs. Pay attention to the warning signals your body gives you that your immune system is weak and you are coming down with something... then FIGHT IT. boost your immune system.

If you want an amazing book check this one out...

just my non-professional advice for staying healthy all year round =)

love

2010-09-02T20:14:00.002-04:00

due date: April 16th, 2011
Heartbeat on first ultrasound: 147
length: 1.12 cm

new furniture coming Thursday....

2010-08-16T15:57:00.004-04:00

sectional can be rearranged or split up...
plus the ottoman that matches the pillows on the couch!

table and 6 chairs
counter height
marble top

Florida! South Beach & Hollywood Beach

2010-07-25T11:03:00.004-04:00

swanky South Beach

my near-drowning experience..Bruce laughed at me as I was in one foot of water but the waves kept pulling me under and I couldn't catch my breath.... and my bathing suit ended up almost falling off and there I was almost naked.... awesome.

not quite the white powdery sandy beaches of the carribean

but nice warm turquoise waters...

Hollywood Beach
Bruce swimming =)
lots of seaweed in the water!
and very rough water.

Hollywood Beach boardwalk...it goes on forever.

South Beach

downtown Miami

When we arrived back in Miami we went downtown and picked up our rental car and drove along the coast, starting in South Beach. It was busy being a Saturday and we decided to keep driving. We drove past Miami Beach and stopped at Hollywood Beach for a swim and a tiny bit of shopping =)

Carnival Liberty ship pictures....

2010-07-22T22:54:00.009-04:00

casino bar

we are newlyweds ;)

Emile's buffet
we ate here a lot
nice ocean views, casual, yummy food!

more of the BLUE team trying to win points

steam room- with an ocean view!

hot tub

pink ceiling in the victoria lounge

Bruce on our balcony

kiss!

congo line!
late night deck party

scavenger hunt pic
they were on our team!

pretty ceilings on the ship

ocean salt from the ship's railings
the decks are made of teak

blue team contest

love the staircase

our scavenger hunt team
we won!!!!

best drinks EVER.

the Lido deck

GO blue team!
It was like a cruise ship frosh week =)

we had to learn crazy line dances!

our bathroom

deck party.
BLUE...there it is! I think I lost my voice that night from all the yelling.
way way too much fun.
We were on the blue team all week (the ship was split into 3 teams)
We didn't win :(

glass elevators from the main lobby.

the party is just getting started...

drinking a bottle of wine before noon the day our grand turk port was cancelled.

We had a ton of fun on board the ship. Karaokee. Deck parties. Mardi Gras. R-Rated late night scavenger hunt. drinking. dancing. being silly. watching movies under the stars. vegas type shows. shopping. casino. dining. swimming. hot tubbing. spa. sauna. steam room. seminars. It was all very organized and so many activites going on all the time. you will never say "I'm bored" regardless of your age. The customer service was phenomenal. Every staff member was *always* cheerful no matter what.

Our stateroom was 1057. Deck 10. Pananarama.

a few random pics I found on Bruce's camera!

2010-07-22T22:47:00.003-04:00

caves people would hide in during hurricanes (Bahamas)

St.Thomas

Bahamas
Bruce gave his shirt to the tour guide cause she wasn't feeling well

owl

Half Moon Cay- Bahamas...how I love you!

Nassau, Bahamas! our last port of call

2010-07-22T14:29:00.009-04:00

bliss!

nearby deserted island

Bruce under water

my husband!

I love water!

the water was amazing.
look at the color of it!!

after snorkelling we went to this private island beach

lots of ships in port today!

one fish. two fish

blue tropical fish

we bought an underwater digital camera in St. Thomas
for our first snorkelling excursion we only had disposable underwater cameras BUT
It was really sunny and the reefs were SO CLOSE so I am hopeful some of those pics will turn out!!!

me...underwater!
It is like swimming in a fish tank!

shopping in downtown Nassau, killing time until
our excursion started

"Sue Nan"
this pic is for my aunt and mom =)

approaching Nassau

We were supposed to be going to Grand Turk but the water was too rough so they changed it to Nassau. It was disappointing at first but we made the best of it. We ended up doing a second snorkelling excursion and had to give up our scuba diving adventure! Oh well. Nassau to me felt the least friendly of all the islands. Our excursions started and ended late and had too many people, felt unorganized... It definintely was enjoyable though...

more Old San Juan....

2010-07-22T14:06:00.004-04:00

view from our balcony as we are leaving Puerto Rico

the fort in Old San Juan

love the colorful buildings...

lots of narrow streets filled with colorful buildings that are mostly restaurants and shops!

my FAVORITE are the blue roads!!!!

Lots of old world charm. Would love to go back and spend more time here!
Did not have enough to time check out the beaches.... I will definintely do that next time.

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

2010-07-21T23:20:00.003-04:00

We loved our short visit to Old San Juan. It felt very old and european.
Puerto Rico has almost 5 million people!

Puerto Rico! rainforest excursion

2010-07-21T11:13:00.011-04:00

our rain forest bus tour
views of the atlantic ocean from the bus
We really enjoyed our tours...

It is like being in a giant outdoor greenhouse...
we could here the tree frogs singing.

this is the biggest lizard we saw.

eucalyptus trees!
there were sugar cane bushes too but the pictures aren't that great.

we saw one mongoose!

tiny lizards.

ginger orchids

http://www.elyunque.com/about.html

La Coca waterfalls

US Virgin Islands...St. Thomas!

2010-07-20T17:08:00.007-04:00

I highly recommend St.Thomas =)
We were lucky to be the only ship in port as sometimes there are 4 or 5 ships
and that makes it super crowded......

We had a few beers before getting back on the boat.

I WON a raffle and got a FREE $200 spa treatment...I got a seaweed wrap massage (over an hour long)
It was AWESOME!!!!!
the spa, sauna and steam room all had OCEAN VIEWS!!!!!
so after a long day on the beautiful island I got to head to the SPA for an amazing treatment...
that IS the life I tell ya ;)
I ended up doing 2 spa treatments, 2 trips to the steam room, and a fitness/health analysis while on board.

Magen's Bay
National Geographic voted this beach one of the top 10 beaches in the world...

downtown St. Thomas

on our bus tour....
downtown shopping & the beach today =)
the drive was CRAZY....they drive on the wrong side, winding around, in and out of traffic, up mountains.

Sadly the day before we got to St.Thomas a 14 year old from a different carnival cruise ship was fatally shot when caught in gang crossfire on route to an island beach excursion with her family and other fellow cruise mates. Tragic and scary.

Half Moon Cay- Bahamas- our first port of call...

2010-07-20T13:14:00.007-04:00

parasailing looked fun. maybe next time!

breathtakingly beautiful.

walls of a 500 year old house on the island

starfish =)

our tour guide!
one of our bike stops...

best water EVER!
so warm and clear...

view from our hike

hot sunny day!

we stopped on our bike tour to check out the group on the stingray excursion!

stingray =)

one of the stops on our biking tour...

this is the area near the pier... bar, few little shops, washroom, beach, excursions desk...

view from our tender

our ship!

Private Island...
We had to tender to get to it as there is no ship dock.
We did two excursions... eco hike and bike and then snorkelling at 3 reefs. I *heart* snorkelling. It was amazing to swim with tropical fish and to be able to see everything going on under the water. It was awesome.
We were the only boat here, the snorkelling group was tiny. It was HOT out. We got too much sun here.
It was visually STUNNING and very peaceful here.

We were very happy with our excursions on this island!!
you definitely get a good feel for the islands, which ones you would go back to, which ones you would not..

Honeymoon....part 3- Carnival Liberty

2010-07-20T00:23:00.006-04:00

casino

every night they would turn down the bedding, make a towel animal, leave 2 chocolates and a funtimes newspaper of what was going on the next day..... what movies would be playing, restaurants, activities, contests, games, drinks of the day etc etc.... there was so much going on every single day you really had to pick and choose what you wanted to do.... we were NEVER bored. You almost never saw kids or teenagers cause they had so many events going on and their own clubs and bars to hang out in....

movies on the big outdoor TV screen....
This we LOVED!! you could even swim or hot tub while watching movies...
our room was really close by too.

fancy dining room
we ate here 3 times

room service breakfast
we did that on early port days
all the food was free- some had set hours and others were 24 hrs

Built in 2005
Amazing ship. Fabulous service. Never a dull moment. Lots to do for all ages.

Honeymoon.... part two

2010-07-19T17:36:00.003-04:00

South beach Florida

leaving the Port of miami
goodbye land, hello ocean

a lounge near the casino

Carnival Liberty
our home for 7 nights
It really is "the fun ship"

honeymoon =) part one....

2010-07-19T17:14:00.007-04:00

at the Port of miami

arriving at the port and seeing our ship for the first time!
we were soooo excited =)

Miami

fort lauderdale

Patrick!

flying over florida

Philly cheese steak

Philadelphia

July 9-18th 2010
drive to Toronto from North Bay
Flights Toronto-Philadelphia
Philadelphia- Fort Lauderdale
7 day Cruise to carribean out of Port of Miami
visiting Bahamas twice, San Juan, and St. Thomas.... our Grand Turk port was cancelled due to weather which was why we went to Bahamas twice. we did however get to see two different Bahamian islands...
flights from Fort Lauderdale to Charlotte, NC
Charlotte to Toronto
Drive from Toronto to North Bay

going to try to get these pics into chronological order....

goodmorning vanilla wake-up

2010-03-30T09:07:00.002-04:00

ice
vanilla protein & vitamin powder
Bolthouse Farms Vanilla Chai drink with green tea, protein & vitamins
instant coffee (mixed with hot water to dissolve it)
rolled oats
flax seed
wheat bran

smoothie goodness!

2010-03-28T10:37:00.002-04:00

We've been drinking smoothies for breakfast lately. Each one is uniquely different.
Today: Berrylicious

frozen strawberries, raspberries & blackberries
soy milk with Omega 3
vanilla frozen yogurt with probiotics & fibre
Bolthouse Farms 50/50 berry/veggie drink
oats, flax seed & wheat bran

It's all a blurr now...

2010-03-26T17:52:00.002-04:00

I had an eye exam with an optometrist today.. Nice place, nice people. I have inflamation in my eyes and need to stop wearing my contact lenses for ONE MONTH... and then go back to see him. We are going to try silicone contacts. He said there is some scarring on my macula (from smoking and the sun) as well. so i also need some good sunglasses.
They put so much stuff in my eyes that it is still blurry 2.5hrs later...

Has anyone tried silicone contact lenses?
I have never even heard of them....

p.s making ratatouille for dinner. with brown rice. yummy =)

food

2010-03-25T13:41:00.003-04:00

I am on a clean eating diet. Meaning food that is free of chemicals and preservatives. Food that is healthy and freshly made. Trying to limit our impact on the earth and animals while eating.

Basically...something like this:

breakfast
--high protein smoothie with skim milk (or soy milk) flax, rolled oats and cocoa nibs
--going to start making vanilla/raspberry smoothies soon too!
snack
--unsalted trail mix and fruit/veg or low fat piece of swiss cheese and trail mix
lunch
--leftovers from dinner the night before or WW toast with almond butter or large salad
snack- see above
dinner
--*lots of veggies*, small amount of soy meat or chicken, small amount of carb (potato/brown rice)
occasionally a drink or two
occassionally a small amount of dessert (preferably clean)
--we make our own marinades, sauces, and salad dressings from scratch...

No refined sugar
--instead we use: agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, sucanat
No White flour
--instead we use whole wheat, multigrain, wheat germ, buckwheat
no preservatives
--no boxed foods unless they have very few ingredients that are all natural and healthy.
--no deli meats
--no fast food
--very little cheese

We drink mostly herbal & green tea... and water. Lots and lots of water.

We have switched to organic where possible
We plan to switch to local, small farm meat and eggs and local veggies.
We compost and grow veggies and herbs in the summer.

We would LIKE to lean more towards a raw food/alkaline diet. For good health, to prevent diseases such as cancer and diabetes. I think many diseases can be controlled or cured by what foods you eat.

google search Tosca Reno/ clean eating for more info....
I read a ton of FOOD books. Books on how foods can heal your body or harm it. I have a stack of them... sometimes I read them before bed. If I do not feel like reading a novel I will research natural health options and food...

2010-03-23T18:31:00.003-04:00

This year I would like to:

move to Rome (NY)
sell our house
pay off all our debt =)
go to Toronto and take courses/workshops
start a business (I have so many ideas....cannot wait!)
take a cruise in the carribean in December....
continue on our new financial plan
visit Nat's trailer this summer
take belly dancing classes
follow our clean eating diet
get into awesome shape =)
get pregnant...hopefully!
have a college reunion in TO
become an aunt again TWICE this summer! I am so excited.

movies....

2010-03-23T18:20:00.002-04:00

new haircolor. under $10. L'oreal Feria diamond 100 very light natural blonde....

Movies I have seen lately:

Religulous
Remember Me
The Fourth Kind
Murder in the Hamptons (although I missed the very ending)

I want to see:

Food, Inc.
Dear John
Post Grad
Alice in Wonderland
Shutter Island

Movies I want to own:

Love Me if you Dare
Middle of the World
Easy
Heidi
Bella
Wuthering Heights

2010-03-13T14:08:00.002-05:00

Friday =)

2010-03-05T12:59:00.003-05:00

I miss blogging.. I used to blog everyday. Off and on now for years.... maybe 5 years. I have changed blogs over the years.. but I think I will stick with this one. For a while I made it private but now it is public. If you are not interested in what I have to say, then don't read it. It is quite possible that NOBODY reads this, which is just fine with me as it is like a diary of my life and helps me remember the chronological order that things happened. It helps me sort out my feelings, goals, resolutions. I like to write. probably more than I like to speak.

It's March. so far this year I've:

had a miscarriage
many trips to the lab for bloodwork
had cat scan, ultrasounds, and major abdominal surgery
been hospitalized
been on morphine and oxycontin and codeine
had a tumor the size of a grapefruit and solid as a rock removed from my ovary, along WITH the ovary and fallopian tube, and a biopsy of my omentum
had Julie visit us in North Bay for a week and my DAD for 4 days.
contemplated moving to New York State and still not sure if we are moving this summer...
have decided we might like to try and get pregnant
had a couple of emotional meltdowns (but I am fine now!)
started a new financial system as of Jan 1st and LOVE IT
put my gym membership on hold while I recoup from surgery
taken a road trip to Sudbury with my husband (Feb)

Once I recover I plan to:

work out vigorously
eat clean(er)
go to Le Nordik Spa
take belly dancing classes and aquafit
go to Maple Sugar Festival in April
use my income tax $$ to take workshops in Toronto so that I can start a business on Esty =)
have a reunion with some college friends this summer- in TO.
organize a street wide yard sale
go back to work (I seriously cannot wait!)

2010-03-05T12:36:00.003-05:00

It's been 17 days since my surgery. I am wishing I could do more than I can. I want to go back to the gym, clean the house, organize things... but I cannot. All in good time.

I've been researching cruises. Thinking we have decided on a 10 to 12 day cruise to the southern caribbean visiting 8 or 9 islands. We *MAY* go over Christmas.... but most likely December will be THE month we go.
I cannot wait any longer than that. And it will give me several months to get into good shape for the trip so that we can hike in rainforests and feel healthy and fit, and possibly get pregnant. I want a tropical "island" holiday.

I am going to spend some time working on my scrapbooking over the next couple of weeks. I am working on a "Animal Shelter" and "wedding" scrapbooks. and want to do a small "surgery" one as well.

Oscar weekend. Corina and Mike are visiting for our yearly oscar party. Mexican food, some wine, lots of FUN.

2010-02-25T14:10:00.002-05:00

I am tried of winter...snow. cold. blah. I want summer. I am the kind of girl who would be happy to live somewhere sunny all year. good riddance to winter.

It's been 9 days since my surgery- unilateral salpingo oopherectomy with biopsy of the omentum via laparotomy... I am sore and swollen. still no cancer phone call. YAY. I keep thinking if they were going to call they would have by now... but in reality it could still happen.

I want to plan our honeymoon...which at the moment we are thinking will be a cruise to spain, italy and greece...
we still may or may not be moving to NY state this summer. still up in the air. depends on my health. If all goes well then perhaps we will move. New beginning. Different country. we have a wonderful life here with fabulous friends, a great job, a great house... but it would be an exciting adventure.

I *heart* New England =)

2010-02-20T15:12:00.000-05:00

2010-02-20T14:49:00.005-05:00

Haven't written in a long long time....
We are married now. 6 months.
our wedding day was PERFECT.

At Christmas I found out I was pregnant... and WOW what a huge surprise. Unfortunately I had a miscarriage. During the ultrasound for the miscarriage they found a large mass on my ovary. Turns out I had a solid tumor the size of a grapefruit on my right ovary...which was removed via laparotomy on Feb 16th. along with the tumor they took my right ovary and fallopian tube and a biopsy of my omentum. I am now on day 5 of my 6-8 weeks recovery. My insides were sent to pathology to test for CANCER.

all doped up on morphine! this was right after surgery.

If things go well we were supposed to be moving to Rome, NY. We have pretty much decided to postpone that posting as the past couple of months have been so difficult. As soon as we get the good news that this is not cancer we will start planning our honeymoon =) and perhaps try again to get pregnant...

Friday :)

2009-08-07T22:57:00.000-04:00

recycling....

2009-08-07T22:55:00.000-04:00

2009-08-07T22:52:00.000-04:00

the groundhog ate all my other sunflower plants. this one survived :)

2009-08-07T22:47:00.001-04:00

salad from our garden!

love our rose bushes!

I could hug our tomato plants... they are so big. almost as tall as I am. all grown from seeds.

party time....

2009-08-07T22:45:00.001-04:00

Getting married in ONE WEEK :)

I need to vent!

2009-06-09T21:35:00.003-04:00

my wedding headband =)

I am feeling a little blah today thanks to someone who upset me yesterday.... Do you ever meet people who just seems to push all your buttons and brings out the worst in you? ARRRGH... she makes me LIVID....

and the weather is cold, rainy and dreary. I think tomorrow will be better =) hopefully sunny and I will either do yardwork, Bodyflow class or both....

I went shopping in Huntsville with some military spouses today - was fun but WAY too short... wish it could have been planned better so that we had more time to shop but oh well.

Here is our wedding website if you want to check it out:

http://www.projectwedding.com/ourwedding/angelaandbruce

I think I will go to bed early and hopefully wake up all cheery......

Here is a short list of things I want to do oneday soon:

Wonderland
Wasaga Beach
Blue Mountain in Collingwood
Algonquin Park- camping
road trip NORTH..... I want to explore northern Ontario just to see what it is like- perhaps Lake Superior, I would have said James Bay way up north but I found out today that you can only get there by plane or train, no roads.... I want to see polar bears, lol.
make garden stones (I have all the supplies, just need to do it!)

2009-06-07T15:09:00.004-04:00

signs of edible life =)

I have made a few friends this year. Savannah (Arizona) who I grow more fond of every day and oneday perhaps we will live closer. Stephanie (Ottawa) whom I look forward to meeting at my wedding. Natalie (North Bay) , I met her through a military spouses shopping roadtrip =) Lucky me to be surrounded by such fabulous people. I am working hard to weed out the clutter from my life, be it people (mostly in the form of old friends that I no longer have anything in common, or people I find too negative or draining, extended family perhaps and their drama) or things- too many useless things. Yard sale soon to get rid of house clutter....

I am excited to go to Ottawa and see friends and family. and attend 4 parties and celebrate Canada Day! I haven't been home since the beginning of February. 4 months.

2009-06-07T12:03:00.002-04:00

glass hummingbird feeder for our yard!
We saw a hummingbird last week....
this one is gorgeous....handmade/blown glass.

this fabulous planter I bought used at Value Village for $3 and it looks brand new.
Value Village is my new favorite store. I have been finding so much good stuff lately.

2009-05-30T14:48:00.009-04:00

best friend monkey digital watch rings

succulents that grow in our rocky yard

Jodie & I dressed up playing Rockband!

Jodie and Bruce outside having a wine & cheese picnic

forget-me-nots growing in our yard

apple blossoms

Septoplasty

2009-05-30T14:39:00.002-04:00

post surgery

surgery was to correct a deviated septum

he was on morphine and IV fluids in this pic

this was after his follow up visit when they took the things out of his nose!

He is so much happier now that he can breathe =)

I've been playing nurse...

was hard to watch him suffer in pain but he is much better now...

2009-05-17T12:18:00.005-04:00

I used twine to map out the garden!

our veggie garden!!!!
we ordered a dump truck full of soil and bought some cow manure. Bruce built the raised planter box.

our new concrete raised planter
we are going to plant shrubs, maybe some flowers and a rose bush
we are going to finish the floor and this is the future home of our patio set (which we do not have yet)

I bought this dress at the end of april. To wear to a wedding at the end of May. The large fit PERFECT so I bought a MEDIUM instead thinking that it may be too big to fit by the wedding.... then I got sick and wasn't going to the gym for a bit... I was worried that I wouldn't be able to wear it as I could not do up the zipper. Yesterday I finally got it zipped up. and I still have a week to go.... It will be perfect by next weekend. and I will likely be able to wear it this summer as well!

Lululemon =)

2009-05-13T22:49:00.000-04:00

Namaste!

numbers

2009-05-13T21:58:00.004-04:00

3 months until my wedding
10 months smoke free =) I almost NEVER even think about it....
1.5 months until my bridal showers and bachelorette party
number of porn stars that I know: ONE (crazy, but true!!!!!! we met in early highschool. I taught him how to kiss. at 15 I was his first girlfriend.... and now we are Facebook friends!)
check this out: http://www.private.com/blogs/2007/06/27/writing-fucking-other-stuff/
number of pilots I have dated: 2
number of lawyers I have dated: 1
number of musicians I have dated: too many
number of CD's for sale in this world that include songs about what a cold hearted bitch I am: 1 (and I own a copy... I was the inspiration for the entire CD)
number of policemen I have dated: 1
I dated A LOT =)
number of times engaged: 2
number of times married: 0
number of deer I have seen from my kitchen window: too many to count
pounds lost in the last 2 months: 15
current wedding guest total: 124

that is it for numbers for today!
I could go on forever.... those were just things that popped into my head. a bit random!

happiness is.....

2009-05-13T20:43:00.003-04:00

having a complete stranger tell you that you made their day better! I told a girl at the gym a story and she said that it made her day and made her feel better =) How sweet is that?
having 6 people in one day tell you that you look GREAT. 2 people at the gym told me I lost weight, 3 people on facebook gave me a compliment and Bruce told me I look awesome...
making new friends.... Natalie, that would be you!!! YAY. we are going to have so much fun together :)
inviting people you have never met to your wedding and having them say YES.
knowing my wedding dress will have to be made SMALLER
buying a dress to go to a wedding (end of next week) in a size too small and then working hard to fit into it.
receiving compliments on the wedding invitations that I made
new clothes from Old Navy
new books from Chapters
shopping road trips
feeling more bendy at Bodyflow

2009-04-19T10:24:00.003-04:00

my seeds are growing! most of them anyway.
wildflowers, peppers, and tomatoes

I made these blueberry mini loaves yesterday!!
sooooo yummmy!

I've been sick with a cold all week :( Bleh! I have been doing a ton of wedding stuff. Last night I created labels for our clear bags that people can fill with candy. I also almost completed our wedding scrapbook/guestbook.
We will be mailing out our invitations soon, this week I hope!

p.s I have now lost 12lbs since the beginning of March. and it is FINALLY warm enough to bicycle now- YAY.

The Dress

2009-04-12T21:30:00.004-04:00

I bought my wedding dress!

It is absolutely the most beautiful dress. It was the very first dress I tried on. First store. It was magical. I felt like a movie star on Oscar night. or a princess in a castle.
I NEVER thought I would spend that much on a dress that I will only wear once. I never thought I would end up getting to wear a dress that is so unbelievably fabulous. I bought a veil also. They are going to live at the store but I have full visitation privileges if I want to go visit, try it on, show it somebody..... It was such an adrenaline rush. My sister came with me and she cried. It was emotional. It feels so real. I am so excited!!!!

2009-04-01T00:02:00.003-04:00

Wildflower seed sprouts

p.s I have not had a cigarette in over 8 months.

2009-03-31T23:54:00.002-04:00

I bought my wedding band! I love it. I tried it on and took a pic but now it is put away... cannot wait to wear it. It was more than we originally budgeted for my ring.... but they look so good together... It has 9 princess cut diamonds in a channel setting .25 carats so the set is .77 carats

In March I lost 9.2lbs... YAY.
4.5 months to go until the wedding.

this and that...

2009-03-10T20:03:00.001-04:00

cupcakes I made in February! They were delish!!!!!

I am so tired of winter!

I won week one of our competition. I lost 2.6lbs... YAY. Bruce has to clean the kitchen all week- YAY.

My New Regime!

2009-03-03T17:06:00.002-05:00

Today is DAY TWO.....

FOOD!

Breakfast: anything I want!! Today I had 1 piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter. and coffee.
lunch- single portion frozen meal
dinner- single frozen meal
remainder of calories- fruit, veg, salad.
drinks- water, green tea (other than coffee, juice with breakfast)

nothing else!!!
also, I am writing everything down.
for now I am aiming for 1400-1600 calories a day.... and see how that goes.

EXCERCISE!

going to the gym 6 days a week
3 days of cardio (usually I do 45-60 min of elliptical machine- burning 430-600 cal each session)
3 days of weights (I am currently doing a ~30 min hydraulic machine circuit)
1 yoga class
1 aquafit class

Eventually I want to do more classes at the gym... but this will be good for now. When spring comes I can bike to the gym, there is a nice bikepath that goes from our house right to the gym.

GOAL!

to lose 45 pounds... at least 35 by my wedding date. That will bring me to a "normal" and healthy weight... and I think I will be in the best shape of my life at that point. I used to be thin, but never healthy.

p.s we are going to St. Lucia for our honeymoon, staying at the Sandals resort (couples only) and I WILL be at my final goal by then. We are going Feb 2010. I am hoping to be there by my wedding day.... I am DETERMINED.

Do, or Do Not....there is no try :)
-yoda!

Engaged!

2009-03-02T10:56:00.002-05:00

Bruce proposed at Christmas! We are getting married August 14th, 2009. We are super excited. We have been busy planning...

In other news, I am starting a jewellery business (handmade) and I intent to take some classes as well and invest in some fancy equipment and build a studio. I am hopeful that oneday I can teach workshops! I am really excited about this.

I am soooo sick of WINTER. UGH. It is now March and it feel like it has been going on forever and ever.... this is month 5.

Today I am starting a strict healthy eating/excercise regime. Want to lose 40lbs in 5 months. I KNOW I can do it!!!!

Our Date!

2008-11-21T21:26:00.004-05:00

We had so much fun on our date. We travelled all over the city to pre-determined spots and took pics at each spot of us kissing :) It was a fun way to spend a gloomy and cold day.

Our date idea came from these cards!!!

happy happy happy

2008-11-13T22:24:00.002-05:00

This was my Halloween costume- black peacock (although I kinda felt like a LasVegas showgirl). We had a great Halloween in Ottawa with friends. The week before that was our Housewarming Party and that was fabulous although I drank too much..... see video..... me contemplating why I drank so much.

I have been at the gym about 6 days a week... 3 days cardio, 3 days weights. I am loving pilates and the Bosu ball which were kind of an add-on to the other things. I actually like all of it. It'll take a while but I will get to my goal.

Life is very good here :)

September is almost over....

2008-09-28T13:47:00.004-04:00

It has been a while since my last post. I tend to only post updates on Facebook lately. sorry.

I have been sick all week. Our yard sale went well, we made $200. We also rolled all our change and that amounted to $300 (half is in US $$).... $500 in one weekend, not bad. We went out and bought a new piece of furniture and solar lights with some of the money :)

We have our housewarming party planned for late October. I am very excited to have friends and family visit! It will be interesting to see just how many people make it as it is a 3.5 hour drive (minimum) for pretty much everyone.

Bruce and I joined Goodlife. It is an all inclusive membership: classes (yoga, aerobics, aquafit), use of pool and sauna, huge weight room, cardio room, cycling classes. We haven't been yet as we have both been so sick. we got free gifts for joining: duffle bag, baseball hat, flip flops, tshirt, Cd's, coupons etc.... the memberships are good at all locations,which I like. There are two in North Bay- one is women only, the other is coed.

Bruce bought a bicycle so we will be starting to bike too! I now have a new bike basket (much needed for grocery shopping) and a helmet (which Bruce decided I MUST wear, lol).

I read this article today, and loved it! I am a strong believer in forgiveness :)

It is sooo beautiful here with all the leaves changing colors. Will take a picture soon and post it :)

ying and yang

2008-08-27T11:08:00.003-04:00

curtains....finally!

You would think that because I am not working that I would have so much free time to post blogs. I feel busy. Bruce leaves early and comes home by 3pm. I get up and putter, then shower, sometimes bike to the grocery store, clean a bit, bake or cook.... before you know it Bruce is home and I am making dinner. We go to bed really early.

The weekend of Sept 13/14th is going to be our HUGE yard sale. We have half our spare room full of stuff to sell. We even have some of Jodie's things to sell. We are going to have our housewarming party at the end of October. Bruce has a new work schedule and is only off every 3rd weekend. so we want to alternate his weekends off and stay in North Bay for one of them, and then go to Ottawa for the next one. So I will get home every 6 weeks, which will be nice.

I am ridiculously happy. I *love* being here with Bruce. He is the absolute perfect match for me. My yang :) I am his ying..... I cannot imagine him not being in my life. ever.

Isabelle's Outdoor Adventures

2008-08-13T12:04:00.001-04:00

She LOVES it outside!!!!

Silver Beach

2008-08-13T11:39:00.002-04:00

this is the beautiful beach that is literally at the end of my street.

Life here is pretty peaceful.

I have applied for UI. I am looking for work in the meantime. and trying to decide what to do next..... start a business, go back to school (they have a fabulous 2 year fulltime course at the college that I would love to take!!!), or just get a job doing whatever. I have no idea. Perhaps getting a parttime job AND starting my own business on the side might be a good option. Also I have been looking into government programs that help you start a business!!! that would be awesome.

I am really enjoying being here. I love being with Bruce everyday. We get along really well. We laugh a lot. Right now we have a deal- if I watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy Bruce will watch the 5 hour version of Pride and Prejudice AND the new 2 hour version. Right now we have gotten through the 1st LOTR and almost half of the 5 hour version of P&P.

And no, life is not perfect all the time. most of the time though :) we have stuff to work through, miscommunications, bad moods and the sort to work through like everyone else. We seem to be able to communicate though and find resolutions quickly and bounce right back to our happy selves. We are the best of friends. We have a very peaceful relationship.

Next on our agenda will be having a huge yard sale, housewarming parties, and Jodie is visiting this weekend- we are going beach hopping AND there is a "corn festival" going on Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market downtown.

in the middle of nowhere....

2008-08-07T22:55:00.004-04:00

the move went well. I love it here. the house is fabulous. we have apples on one of our apple trees :) there are kids everywhere and everyone owns a dog! very different than the neighbourhood I used to live in. All of our neighbours are very friendly. A couple of them stopped by. One of them brought up baked goods! we had a house full of kids. at times it does feel as though we are so far away from city life- a bit of culture shock. the area we live in is near the lakeshore and has a beachy feel- lots of motels and beaches and laid back feel. The cats seem to love it here. I cannot wait to have people visit!!!!! It has been crazy to not have internet for 2 weeks. I will post more tomorrow- plus pictures!!!!

p.s my life is pretty much this right now: baking, cooking, decorating, and lots of "honeymoon-type" X rated goings on ;) it is a sweet life. I wish I never had to go back to work. I feel so happy and peaceful right now......

Going Away Dinner

2008-07-21T18:24:00.003-04:00

I had a small going away dinner at Mexi's on Dow's Lake. 10 people. It was nice. A coworker bought us a small bottle of champagne and another coworker bought us art, we got a couple of cards. Dinner was delicious.

Here is a group shot of most of our dept (Mas/ L&F)... These are the people I work closely with on a daily basis. I will miss them all so much!!!

It was so nice to have Bruce with me the past few days.I had not seen him for 2 months and he ended up showing up a couple of days early and staying an extra night. We ended up having 4 nights together :) The next time I see him will be in 4 or 5 days and then everyday after that- forever and ever and ever :)

Bruce and I walked home after dinner. We walked along the canal for a bit and I took this picture.

This week is going to be busy, emotional, overwhelming, and incredibly exciting.

My last day of work is Wednesday!

craziness!

2008-07-16T09:49:00.007-04:00

My life is crazy right now. I have been sooooo busy. so much to do. In the past few days I have done baking, had a yard sale, went to Orleans 3 times (laundry, shopping, dinner), cleaned my apt, packed a little, did groceries, had dinner at Jodie's, worked...... In the next few days I will be working, packing, going to the dentist, going out for dinner twice. Lots of going away dinners.

....Bruce might be coming to Ottawa Saturday!!! He is driving from Tacoma. He is in Des Moines, Iowa right now. I have not seen him in almost 2 months. I miss him so much. I am sad and emotional to be leaving my life, my friends, my family. I have created a life that I love and I know I will miss it. I am excited for all the new adventures. It is hard. Change is scary. I know things will be wonderful. I try hard not to think too much about all the unknowns. It is hard to be doing all of this alone, having not seen Bruce in so so long. What has made it even harder is that Bruce is going through the same thing with him leaving Tacoma and we are both in an emotional and sad state of mind..... With Bruce driving across the US right now we are not talking much at all. Work is crazy. which is an understatement!!!! I have 4 more shifts.......

I bought the PC Green Cleaning Putty (it is solid and comes with a sponge) and I LOVE it. It looks like it will last a long long time, it makes everything really shiny and there is no harsh smell. It makes stainless steel look brand new. I highly recommend this stuff! If you use too much it can be grainy and need a lot of rinsing- so use just a little.... it is great for getting marks off walls too. and you can use it on your floors as well. I *love* PC products!!!

calm

2008-07-09T20:40:00.002-04:00

Just looking at this picture makes me feel calm. I love water.

VERY EXCITING!!!

2008-07-05T11:50:00.001-04:00

Look what I found in downtown Ottawa :)

mmmmmm....I love Vitamin Water.

It is FINALLY here and getting popular.

I have been waiting years!

my life lately...

2008-07-05T11:22:00.003-04:00

...is consumed by by never ending to-do list. I have not even started to pack and I move in a few weeks. Work is like something out of HELL. Summers in an animal shelter are HARD. and very very sad. By the time I get time off I am so burnt out emotionally and mentally that it is hard to even think about what I need to do.

Bruce and I had our first fight. Big fight. I was ANGRY. and hurt, upset.... but we have made up now :) 1 fight in 5+months is not too bad. The hardest part is to have to resolve things on the phone and to not be able to hug him now that things are better. That is extremely frustrating. The good thing about it was that I was/am confident that whatever comes up we will be able to resolve and it will make us stronger. I am passionate. and emotional. I do NOT keep my emotions to myself. I get them out, deal with them, and then move on. I think it is healthier than keeping everything in. If I am mad or upset YOU WILL KNOW. I am unable to hide it. In a way it is kind of nice that the "first fight" is out of the way.

This weekend....I am going to start packing, I have a "date" with Diana to go to the Keg, I will do some errands (buy more of my RX, contact lenses...etc) and then monday hopefully I will get a new OHIP card.

I am reading a great book "Do" .... check it out. I want to read the other 2 as well, "Be" and "Faith". jodie and I were having a bad day a couple of days ago and decided to go to a couple of bookstores. We had fun. and laughed a lot. I find books very therapeutic. I thought since my whole life is changing right now I could use a book to encourage me to be strong and do things differently. Re-invent myself I suppose. I should be meditating to keep myself centered.

Here are some more whitewater rafting pics......

signing the waivers....

the guides

all of the rafting teams

and the lovely bus!

fun!

success. adrenaline.

these are the pics that the rafting company took. A guy kayaked everywhere photographing us and taking video.

this is the big one...

this is where 3 of us fell out

notice the legs outside the boat. SCARY!

we are in there somewhere. waiting to be spit out of the whirlpool. drowning.

to-do list

2008-06-19T12:29:00.005-04:00

I have so much to do. It is insane.

Today I am TRYING to get organized. I have a calendar and I am scheduling everything. Today I called: OHIP, ordered more contact lenses, made Dr. appt, dentist appt.... all things I need to do while I am still in Ottawa and still have medical insurance through work. I need to reserve a moving truck. So I should call them too. The tricky part is that my friend Jodie is driving the truck and I do not have a credit card. Jodie does. AKKK. I have money though. I have not started packing. yet. I have reserved 2 weekends on my calendar to pack- that should be more than enough!

I went to see The Strangers last night. SCARY. Loved it. Did I mention it was SCARY? omg....I had my sweater up around my face through the entire movie. I actually screamed OUT LOUD at one part and jumped several times.

One of these days I have to buy the kids a much nicer/bigger scratching post!

They do LOVE this one though!

I have been nicotine free for over 3 weeks. And I made it through my first cycle of birth control pills.

I gave in my letter of resignation at work. I gave almost 5 weeks notice.

I received my 5 years of service gift at work- a card with a note written by our executive director and a $50 Keg giftcard :)

I have 19 days of work left!!!!

I better go. lots to do.......

Esprit Rafting Adventure

2008-06-14T22:34:00.004-04:00

I went white water rafting yesterday. It was so nice to spend the entire day outdoors. The picture above was the scariest set of rapids that we did. Only 5% of rafters ever get to do this one as the water levels have to be exactly right.

Going over the waterfall I was in the front of the raft (kind of like being in the front of the rollercoaster) and then I saw a WALL of water coming at me so fast..... then BAM! So...... in this giant pool of rapids 4 of us fell out of the raft. We all went under. I thought the whole raft capsized. I was pulled under and I couldn't tell if I was under the raft or not, could not make sense of where I was, could not get to the surface, could not see anything except water...... then I got to the surface and kept getting pulled under as it was like a whirlpool and I kept inhaling massive amount of water. I was hyperventilating cause I could not breathe as most of this time I was under water. then one of the guides threw me a rope. I held onto it.... I was now about 100ft now from where I fell in (I fell in where all the WHITE is in the picture above). I kept inhaling water. I could not breathe or catch my breath. All I knew was that I was NOT going to let go of the rope. finally I made it to shore and had to wait until the next raft was in position and then I walked across to another raft and they taxi'd me back to my raft. I stood there feeling pretty shaky.

We were on a 7 person, 14ft raft- much more sporty and punchy

than the bigger, more tradition rafts

also, going in the spring when the water levels are higher gives you bigger waves....

A little shaken up, but still good to go. I think I was in shock, it really did not hit me until later after I processed it. I think I now know what it feels like to drown. You feel pressure from the water, but no pain, confusion, time seems to slow down, you cannot breathe but you cannot process that fact. I could not think or react to what was happening.

Today I think I have a concussion. Last night my pupils were different sizes. I have been abnormally tired since I got home yesterday. Today I had the worst headache. Likely I wacked my head on a rock or with my paddle or someone else. 4 bodies flew out of the raft after going over a waterfall- anything is possible.

I feel as though my entire body was put through a washing machine. I ache from head to toe....my head, face, arms, hands... etc. etc. I have bruises all over.

This was us doing some recreation swimming :) The water was FREEZING. And it is really weird to swim with runners and socks on!

This was my second time white water rafting. Likely I will go again.

Jodie and I/ 60k in the rain

2008-06-11T23:33:00.002-04:00

Ottawa River Parkway Bikepath

2008-06-11T23:20:00.002-04:00

I biked from my apartment all the way to Moodie Dr/417/Corkstown Rd yesterday. I think it was about 60km. ALMOST to Kanata!!! and we started biking in the pouring rain..... Today I was exhausted.

I move in 6 weeks!

I am VERY excited.

numbers

2008-06-04T21:17:00.002-04:00

52 days until I move to North Bay
smoke free (with NO patch) for 10 days (I seriously feel like a junkie....)
on birth control for 10 days (not recommended to do this at the same time as quitting smoking. I have been incredibly nauseus, tired, emotional, mildly depressed and at times very irritable...)
number of times I think of Bruce and smile throughout any given day: about a million :)
number of times I have been to aquafit in the past 3 weeks: once :(

avec glasses :)

2008-06-04T21:09:00.003-04:00

mmmmmmuffins

2008-06-04T21:03:00.001-04:00

I bought fresh blueberries today and made blueberry lemon muffins. They are delicious!

2008-05-31T13:42:00.002-04:00

Isabelle

Bruce is on his way back to Tacoma today. It seemed much more bearable when he was in North Bay because he was close enough that we could drive to see each other, and in the same time zone, not to mention the same country..... It was also really nice because we had long chats on the phone every night :) That is something we don't do very often when he is in Tacoma, mostly due to the time difference and our work schedules. In less than 2 months none of that will be an issue. I cannot wait to move. I am sooooooo excited to start "our life" together. We will be going from 3000 miles apart to living in the same house!!! I am so happy we are skipping the months of long distance dating between Ottawa and North Bay.

Pub Italia

2008-05-31T13:24:00.002-04:00

Last night two of my coworkers and I went out for a couple of beers at Pub Italia. All 3 of the beers pictured here were fantastic (2 were raspberry, 1 was strawberry- all VERY different....) I had a raspberry belgium beer that tasted like fruity sparkling champagne. We walked over from my place and hung out for a couple of hours.... They have a "beer bible" with over 200 kinds of beer. It is very impressive. They also have ~36 beers on tap. And the atmosphere is very nice.

tip toe through the tulips

2008-05-30T16:41:00.003-04:00

I have given my notice to my landlord (he then asks me if I could put an ad on the internet for him. I said sure!)

I always said "I am not leaving my job until I get my 5 years of service plaque"..... well I get it in June!!! talk about timing. I will have been at the shelter 6.5 years by the time I leave (there is a bit of a delay in getting the award...)

I get a 3.25% raise (back paid to April 1st) which I am quite happy about.

I am so excited to be moving. I am excited to start my new life. To see Bruce every single day. I am ecstatic beyond words. I love him MORE every single day. He really is very very sweet. The next time I see him will be moving day. I have smiled every day since mid January, without fail. A coworker said "you are the happiest person I know. It makes me sick."

The Tulip Festival donated some of the tulips to our shelter. Sue and I spent quite a bit of time cutting the bulbs and organizing a way to dry them out so we can plant them in the fall and make our shelter pretty next year. Also I got to keep some, which I will plant in our yard in North Bay and they will remind me of the shelter, and Ottawa, and Sue.

moving.......

2008-05-26T11:29:00.003-04:00

After much discussion we have finally decided on a moving date. July 26-27th. I am soooo excited. but a little overwhelmed. The next time I see Bruce I will be moving into "our house" in North Bay.

Since yesterday I have....
cancelled my cable (all of it).
started taking birth control pills.
quit smoking.

free sunsets!

2008-05-19T23:03:00.004-04:00

heart shaped jaccuzi tub

I LOVE this!!!!

our little walk through the woods across from the Inn

the view from outside our hotel room

I loved falling alseep every night next to the fire

a wonderfully fun & relaxing week

I miss him already

It was so hard to leave

North Bay

2008-05-19T22:52:00.005-04:00

Our second "date" involved buying a house and staying at an Inn that overlooked a lake (that also had a fireplace in the bedroom and a jaccuzi tub for two ). Bruce taught me how to play chess and already I am addicted. Our second date was even better than our first.... I am even more in love with him.

OMG I adore this man!

I love being with him.

talking to him.

sweet, sweet love of my life.

I cannot wait to move to North Bay and be with him......

Our House

2008-05-19T21:03:00.007-04:00

"sold" :)
side split, 3 level, single family home

huge yard, walk to the beach

1.5 bathrooms

~1700 square feet

big yard

with birch trees!

back deck- off the rec room

front deck off the living room

more birch trees

spacious kitchen

glossy hardwood floors

3rd level- 3 bathrooms

master bedroom with french doors overlooking the backyard

kitchen

the most gorgeous bathroom in the world

rec room

fireplace!

the large window with the trees is the first thing you see when you walk into the house!

big dream

2008-05-10T12:10:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHkwdPwLevQ

I feel intoxicated by the overwhelming love I feel.
I leave for North Bay Monday to spend a week with Bruce.

I cannot wait.
There is nothing in the world I want more than to be with him :)

I am an aquafit junkie :)

2008-05-06T09:32:00.004-04:00

my "new" $5.00 maryjane shoes :)

In the past week I have gone to aquafit SIX times!!

and on the weekend I walked almost 15km. I walked to Westboro and back and I walked to Holland and Wellington and back :) two days of lots of walking.

I am going to North Bay next Monday.... in 6 days. I will be there for a week with Bruce :) I CANNOT wait to see him again.

a moment of complete clarity!

2008-04-28T14:34:00.005-04:00

I spent 20 years looking for my soulmate. I never found him. When I finally stopped looking and found real inner peace and happiness.... he walked into my life. People always say it happens when you are not looking. And that that you "just know". And that is EXACLTY how it happened. Blindsided. and I JUST KNEW.

He is sweet, gorgeous, sexy, kind, funny, honest, loving, affectionate, trusting, gentle, fun, smart. He is everything I have ever wanted and more. He has qualities that I love because they are so much like me. And he has qualities I wish I had. We are similar, different, and very complimentary. I feel so lucky and grateful to have him in my life. He makes me smile every single day.

It is magical and wonderful. I love him more than I have ever loved another person. I look forward to every minute that I will get to spend with him. I look forward to every conversation.

I look forward to everything.

Oneday I will marry him. And that day will be the very best day of my life :) The day I get to marry my very best friend. the love of my life. I never knew I could feel this way about another person. I never knew I could feel this good.

I get to see him again in TWO WEEKS......

I want to wrap my arms around him and NEVER let go. I *wish* that were possible :)

How Cute Am I?

2008-04-28T01:03:00.000-04:00

Mick

2008-04-24T15:03:00.002-04:00

I spent a week trying to save this cat. Yesterday my supervisor decided to euthanize him. Last night I sobbed for 2 hours. I am angry. and upset...... for so many reasons.

the hardest part was saying goodbye to him yesterday. and then working all day, trying not to think about it.

Some days I hate my job.

21

2008-04-24T14:45:00.003-04:00

I am going to see this movie tonight. with Tim and Jodie. I used to go see Matinees with Sue on a fairly regular basis but haven't been in months. Looks like a good movie.

UPDATE: this movie was fantastic!!!!

IKEA

2008-04-21T13:09:00.005-04:00

I bought new (much needed!!!) dishes!!!

my new dishes are a mix of this (the white with black flowers) and this (black stoneware). I love being able to mix and match my dishes. the dishes look so pretty together! I cannot wait to buy more..... a few at a time.

Next I would like to buy a few of these:

La Favorita!

2008-04-20T20:56:00.005-04:00

Jodie and I decided that we are going to try a new restaurant on Preston St (in Little Italy) every two weeks. This was our first. It was so warm out that we decided to eat outside!!

Jodie

moi!

I am really enjoying spending so much time with Jodie. It is nice to have someone to hang out with who likes doing the things that I like: shopping, baking, aquafit, crafts, walking... She has a bike now so we can start biking to Westboro beach and have picnics. It makes being in a long distance relationship easier.... all the things I would want to do with Bruce I instead do with Jodie :) Of course I do miss the intimacy and affection that I would get from Bruce (very very much), but at least I am busy so I don't have a whole lot of time to dwell on that fact. In June Jodie and I are going whitewater rafting!! FUN. I went many years ago and loved it.

My sister was here for a "sleepover" last night. We had dinner, wine, watched "Atonement" (which I loved), and had some great conversation. We also went out to Orleans to visit with my brother and his gf. I am SO HAPPY my treadmill is gone to its new happy home (with my sister). Also we drove some empty cages I had stored ontop of the treadmill back to the shelter (I had them for my foster kittens and no longer need them)- so now I have this giant uncluttered space at my front door and I LOVE IT.

Today Jodie and I went to aquafit, then walked 4km to do a little shopping. I came home and watched a movie.

I am thinking I will put my cable on "hiatus" for a while. Although I love having the movie channels, I really am not watch regular TV at all and haven't in a couple of months so it seems like a waste of money.

I am so happy I have a 3 day weekend. and that the weather is so gorgeous. My apt is clean, I have all of my errands done, so tomorrow I think I will tackle some mail that I need to send and go to aquafit, and perhaps take a walk down by the canal. I am only about a 10 min walk to the canal :)

formerly known as the "Plant Bath"

2008-04-15T21:39:00.002-04:00

This is where I spend most of my free time!

two sides of the pool area are just windows-

this area has nice couches for people to sit and watch or wait

There is a semi olympic pool, a leisure pool, a whirlpool, and a steam room in the pool area

I love this place. It has a very warm feel. It is all new and state of the art.

I am planning to go to aquafit 6 times this week :)

That will be 5 hours of water aerobics...and about one hour in the steam room!

uncluttered

2008-04-15T16:38:00.004-04:00

I spent 6 hours yesterday rearranging, organizing, and cleaning my apartment yesterday. What I would really like next are: a new soft chocolate colored throw/blanket , a chocolate area rug for the kitchen, and a new set of dishes. I donated two large boxes of "stuff" this morning (I love places that will pick up donations!!!)

Last night's aquafit was so challenging!!!! I plan to go every day except Wednesday this week. Summer is around the corner and I have to step it up a bit. I am also going to blow up my excercise ball and start doing core workouts at home :) plus yoga here and there....

I am looking forward to aquafit so that I can excercise all of my work related frustrations out.

I miss Bruce... I would give anything to be able to come home from work and hug him :)

I heart Bruce!!!

2008-04-14T22:35:00.001-04:00

I love him so much :)
I miss him terribly.
Hopefully I will see him again in a few weeks :)
I cannot wait......

He is wonderful!!!!!!!!

I am passionate :)

2008-04-14T09:49:00.004-04:00

oneday I want to own an outdoor bed :)

new outfit

summery shoes

I love chocolate brown with embroidering!

I have just ONE day off, and soooo much to do. I must move myself AWAY from the computer and start doing things.... I woke up this morning thinking "WTF?" I had the worst nightmares. The WORST. I hate that. I thought I was going to cry when I woke up. Just dreams I tell myself. Not real. Bleh.... I just cannot seem to erase the images from my mind though.

I am going to aquafit tonight :) Otherwise I will be here. cleaning and organizing.

I wrote 3 letters yesterday at work and left one for the shelter manager and 2 supervisors. all in my ongoing quest to make work a better place :) Two other staff members signed my letters. I want to be a catalyst for change. I often have ideas, and often I share them. If only we had a good HR person. we don't. I think I would make a GREAT HR person :) Sometimes they completely ignore my requests, but other times I actually get changes made :) I always think there is room for improvement. I cannot help but stand up for what I believe in and verbalize my desires. It is my inner Ghandi coming out :) Everyone thinks it, I just tend to be one of the only people who is willing to confront people on issues that I feel negatively impact an organization and request that they consider alternative methods that may produce better and more effective results. Change comes in the form of baby steps..... It is not in me to accept the status quo. I tend to challenge it in hopes for change. I even went so far as to ask the executive director and HR person of another shelter last year at a seminar I went to in Dallas for advice as to how to implement changes, and then wrote a long paper. I was told by our director of ops and executive director that my paper was fantastic!!!!! However they did not implement any of my brilliant suggestions :(

it's a risk, I know.

2008-04-10T15:28:00.003-04:00

I have decided to try the Mirena IUD as birth control. as soon as I get my drug card (so that I don't have to pay upfront) I will order it at the pharmacy. I have the prescription already. Then my doctor will book me an appointment with an OBGYN to put it in. It could make my PMS better, it could make it worse. I am scared, but I am willing to try it. I will not know unless I try. If it is horrible I will have it taken out. It is 100% covered under my drug plan (they cost $300) and last up to 5 years. I have done a lot of research. My doctor recommended it. I have made my decision. Some people love it, some people hate it. we shall see how my body reacts :) Perhaps it will be fabulous and I can get off my meds! That would be sooooo great. I hate how messed up my body gets from hormones, but at least I know it is manageable. I honestly feel like a completely different person on my medication. But I really do not WANT to stay on it forever. I have an appointment at the PMS clinic at the hospital May 1st, I am hopeful they will be able to help :) I am keeping my fingers crossed. I NEVER want to feel that bad again. I will do anything to stay happy and healthy. Whatever it takes.

I heart books

2008-04-10T14:05:00.002-04:00

I want to read this book!!!
It is the next book I am going to buy :)

I am currently reading "how full is your bucket?", "please understand me (2)" and "I hate conflict". All fabulous. Last night I was reading Please Understand Me and it is crazy how exact it describes Bruce. Crazy. It is very helpful in understanding personality types. I think I may need to scan or photocopy some of it before giving it back to my sister!!! Kiersey is a GENIUS.

things that make me happy:

2008-04-10T13:22:00.004-04:00

Bruce
being in love
daydreaming about Bruce
having such a great capacity to love
my sunny optimism
my sister
my well behaved my skin !
aquafit
Isabelle's morning snuggle sessions
having so many wonderful friends
the sound of Bruce's voice
Sephora is coming to Ottawa (it is about time!!!!!)
that my hair is long again
that I have a job where I get to help people and animals everyday- it is very rewarding
days off
that I never married or settled and now I have found the love of my life
seeing mountains and smelling ocean air
sunshine
warm weather
dreaming of travelling..... I really really want to go to Europe and South America. But any tropical island would be nice too.
thinking about moving to North Bay- who would have ever thought I would move there? not me, LOL
trying to learn spanish
my gorgeous boyfriend- omg he is sweet. I love him dearly :)

there are so many other things..... too many to list!

3000miles

Canadian Air Force Mess Dinner

Niagara Falls in the winter...

Toronto/CN Tower at Night

at Niagara Falls, ON.

mmmm....chocolate!

trip to NYC in Nov 2010

Goodbye 2010. Hello 2011.

happy birthday to me!

miscalculation...

MODERN reusable cloth diapers

stressed? sick?

*love*

new furniture coming Thursday....

Florida! South Beach & Hollywood Beach

Carnival Liberty ship pictures....

a few random pics I found on Bruce's camera!

Nassau, Bahamas! our last port of call

more Old San Juan....

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico! rainforest excursion

US Virgin Islands...St. Thomas!

Half Moon Cay- Bahamas- our first port of call...

Honeymoon....part 3- Carnival Liberty

Honeymoon.... part two

honeymoon =) part one....

goodmorning vanilla wake-up

smoothie goodness!

It's all a blurr now...

food

movies....

Friday :)

recycling....

party time....

I need to vent!

Septoplasty

Lululemon =)

numbers

happiness is.....

The Dress

this and that...

My New Regime!

Engaged!

Our Date!

happy happy happy

September is almost over....

ying and yang

Isabelle's Outdoor Adventures

Silver Beach

in the middle of nowhere....

Going Away Dinner

craziness!

calm

VERY EXCITING!!!

my life lately...

to-do list

Esprit Rafting Adventure

Jodie and I/ 60k in the rain

Ottawa River Parkway Bikepath

numbers

avec glasses :)

mmmmmmuffins

Pub Italia

tip toe through the tulips

moving.......

free sunsets!

North Bay

Our House

big dream

I am an aquafit junkie :)

a moment of complete clarity!

How Cute Am I?

Mick

21

IKEA

La Favorita!

formerly known as the "Plant Bath"

uncluttered

I *heart* Bruce!!!

I am passionate :)

love

I heart Bruce!!!

I heart books