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Tuesday 23 August 2011

quote tuesday

Sadly, Jack Layton lost his battle with cancer on August 22, 2011.  I felt it rather fitting to quote him* today, on quote Tuesday:

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world." ~ Jack Layton

What a wonderful person he was, and what a difference he made to this country.  His spirit will live on, and I hope his final words become something we will all remember, and live by.

*This was the end quote of a letter that Jack wrote only 2 short days before his passing.  I encourage you all to click on the link in the post which will take you to the actual letter, if you've not yet read the whole thing.  Our country is in mourning.  So, so sad.

Wednesday 17 August 2011

quote tuesday (on a wednesday)

I had intended on posting a quote yesterday but I was too busy editing the weekend post I guess.  A friend just updated this quote as her FB status, and I promptly stole it:

If you're alone, I'll be your shadow. If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow. If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile. But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me. ~Author Unknown

To all my friends near, and far..
To those who I don't see nearly often enough but are truly as close as can be in my heart...
I thank you for being there...xoxo.

Tuesday 16 August 2011

something about a weekend

I wish I could wiggle my nose and bring my weekend back.  It was just lovely!  Friday night, after a crap-full-moon workday, Chris & I went to pick up Julie, and the three of us headed to the Trailside Cafe in Mt Stewart for dinner and a performance by Irish Mythen.  The dinner choices were few, and expensive, and I'm trying to forget about hearing the 'beep beep' of a microwave just before I saw the wait staff bring out the next plate.  Julie's nachos, also nuked, were additionally stale, and I think they were saving the cheese for someone else's plate.  Anyway, all that was quickly gone from our minds as soon as Irish hit the stage.  Oh, and the cheesecake for dessert?  That was superb, too, by the way! 

It had been our first time to the Cafe.  The locale was quaint; the room was full, and the tables were squished in to accommodate the crowd that formed.  It was warm, and there were a few mosquitoes buzzing around.  To hear Irish belt out a few old favourites and the majority of her new album?  Priceless, and worth any of the little inconveniences before us.  Irish, once again, thank you, thank you for an UNFORGETTABLE night!  There were a few faces in the crowd that hadn't seen Irish perform before, Julie included, and it was so awesome to see the look of pure entertainment and joy on their faces as the night progressed!  Can't wait for the next performance!

Saturday, Chris & I decided to hit Cows for a cone, and at the spur of the moment, ended up joining a bunch of others for the factory tour.  It's very neat - and something you should do if you're on the Island.  Totally worth the $6 (I think it's cheaper for children, too).  There was no actual production because they don't work weekends, but there were videos at each stop, where they explained how their creamy ice cream is made, the process for their cheese/butter making, and the production of their popular t-shirts (aren't we cute posed in our hats?).  It didn't hurt that you got to sample a little bit of their ice cream at the very end, either :).

After our ice cream tour we hit up the Bulk Barn and loaded up on a few munchies, then drove into town, where we walked around the city & took in a bit of the "Concert on the Row", a pre-concert to introduce some of the acts that will be at next year's Malpeque Folk Festival.  We got to hear a few songs from John Connolly and Meaghan Blanchard.  We walked down on the waterfront as well, and I bought a few new pairs of comfy flip flops (a new pair of Crocs flip-flops & a pair of Sanuk -- both sooo comfy).  I tried to convince Chris to let me buy him a pair, but, he insisted that he keep his socktan for another year running *sigh*.

As the sun was starting to set, we walked down to the Marina Bar & Grill and sat on the outside deck to have a cold beer and supper.  The food was ok; the beer was super cold, and the view was spectacular (am I right, or am I right?).  We then headed back home, sleepy from the fresh air of the day.  'Twas a great day!!

Sunday, Chris and I shared our morning coffee outside on the deck (a rare two-days-in-a-row of sunshine, no less) and made our way out for a few errands, including groceries. Before we knew it the sun was setting again, and it was time for Big Brother and an early night before a new week. 

This week is a sad week for me, with Julie and her girls returning to Whitehorse tomorrow.  I already miss her and she's not even gone yet.  Cody & Jool are visiting from Calgary.  Jool travelled across the country with her family, and Cody landed on Friday night.  So far, we've not yet connected, but we hope to soon get some time in with them in the next few days, and finally meet their gorgeous little girl, Chloe.

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful weekend filled with happy memories, sunshine, good friends, and warm breezes, too :).

Friday 12 August 2011

Did I shave my legs for this?

I've said it before, but some days it's worth repeating: It's a REALLY good thing that people can't read minds to discover what I'm really saying to them in my head, as I smile, and nod and "agree" or empathize with what they're saying, or trying to say.

I broke a mirror this morning 10 minutes before I had to leave to get to work*.  It's a full moon.  I'm PMS'ing.  I have a ginormous zit erupting at the tip of nose so in a few hours time I'm going to look like Bozo the Clown. We've had so much rain I'm starting to mold. 

I really should have kept hitting snooze and stayed my arse in bed.
All together now....TGIF!  I don't think I could do another day. As a bonus, we're supposed to have sun all weekend.  And, I have a great evening planned....Yes, I'm selfishly looking for my silver lining.  Happy Friday folks -- hope your day started better than mine ;).
*Might I add that it's the second mirror I've shattered in a MONTH?  So.  Does the second one cancel out the first 7 years of bad luck, or am I royally eff'd for the next 14 years?  *sigh*
** Thanks to my hunny for cleaning the mess....xo

Tuesday 9 August 2011

quote tuesday

All of us can use a little encouragment from time to time:

Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.

~Jacob A. Riis

Saturday 6 August 2011

where have you BEEN???

....I feel like I've been such a spotty blogger that I can't even do an 'update' post any justice. The summer is half over and I haven't let you all in on what's been going on.  I suck.  I'm sorry.  I'll try not to waste your time complaining and coming up with excuses.  Yes, life is busy. Yes, my wrist is bothering me - still. And a lot.  Yes, it's that humid time of year where I'm prone to headaches that feel like my head's going to bust open.  I guess that's where I'll stop complaining.  Here's a little of what's been keeping me off of blogger and out of your lives...
  • One of my dearest friends is on the Island, visitng from Whitehorse.  Julie embarked on the journey with her two girls in tow; Teddy is staying home this visit.  She's only visiting once every two years, so I've been trying to soak up every ounce of available time with her that I can.  The girls are growing up so fast!!  Sarah is a complete clone of Julie, and Alexa, of Teddy.  In fact I've donned her "Little Teddy" this trip.  They're so freaking cute!
  • Chris and I are trying to do a 'date night' once/week, and that usually falls on the weekend.  So, in the past three weeks we have: Had dinner at the Chinese restaurant in Cornwall, then onward to a video store, bringing back a few movies, along with some Cows ice cream* for the road, and then came back home for a movie night.  We even sat on the same couch!  We rented Inception & Little Red Riding Hood.  Inception was CRAZY, but I really enjoyed it.  LRRH was ok...but I kinda wish I'd left my childhood story where it was.  The following weekend, we headed out in the Element on a beautiful Sunday afternoon with no real destination in mind, but in hunt of local vegetable & fruit stands. Chris has a little project he's working on, so he was technically 'working', but it was still an opportunity to share some alone time and explore some different paths and roadways that we've not been to before. We ended up vising Argyle Shore Provincial Park, several different roadstands and ended the day in Kensington for supper (and more importantly, dessert) at the Frosty Treat.  Last weekend, we had supper at Maggie's & then onward to the theatres for a showing of a new movie, Friends with Benefits.  It was really cute.  I didn't even mind that that much that it was Justin Timberlake who starred in it.  Tonight, we have a double-date planned for dinner & a movie with Melissa & Darren!  So excited; we haven't had a chance to spend time with them since their wedding - so LONG overdue!
  • I finally got out with my girlfriends, albeit, more than a month late, for my birthday supper.  We went out to the Old Triangle for a change.  The food was good, though a bit expensive ($2 more to make a sandwich a wrap instead of a keizer? WTF?). The company made up for the price. Thanks girls.
  • Last weekend, I joined the girlies at Tanya's house to celebrate the upcoming Baby Redmond's arrival.  I can't post pictures yet, because it was a 'themed' shower, and not everyone knows the 'theme' yet.  Suffice it to say that Julie got a lot of really nice stuff :).  Speaking of a pregnant Julie R, I also joined Chris on her maternity photoshoot a few weeks ago. It was a hot and very humid evening; we got some great shots at a local area park, and got back to her place before a big thunder bumper passed by. We'll be back after Baby R arrives for more pics, and perhaps I'll share a few on the blog at that point :).
  • Last week, Chris & I met Julie's friends Jen & Roger.  They used to live in Whitehorse, too, but just recently moved to Ottawa.  They and their 2 kids drove to PEI on vacation, lining up when Julie was home as well.  We grabbed a drink and munchies before they headed back on the road the next morning.  It was great to meet them - and it's easy to see why Julie thinks so fondly of them.  I helped Jen make a 40th Birthday scrapbook for Julie, and she brought it with her to give it in person.  It turned out great!  Great to meet you Jen & Roger!  We'll be sure to catch up with you in October if Chris & I make the big trek up your way!
  • No summer update is complete without a little BB talk!  Yes, we're still heavily enthralled with the show...collectively gagging when the camera panned to the scenes with the blubbering Brachel duo.  We were SO delighted that Brendon finally got the boot last week.  Now, to work on the other half!  We're still cheering on Jeff & Jordan, as well as Daniele.  The latest "twist" of a formerly voted out housemate getting the chance to get back into the game makes me nervous.  Will Brendon & his big mouth land his way back there?  Wouldn't surprise me.  Ah well, makes for loads of drama, anyway!
  • Last night, Julie & I had a date night of our own!  We stuffed ourselves on garlic at Pizza D, then went shopping for t-shirts for her, and then made our way to the theatre where we caught the late show of Horrible Bosses.  If you haven't seen this yet, you should try to get to it.  So freaking funny.  Not long ago Chris made a comment to me that every time Jennifer Aniston stars in a movie she basically plays Rachel.  Wait til he sees this movie.  Thanks Julie for an awesome time! 
  • On a sad note, Chris got some disappointing news yesterday.  A friend of his who has been undergoing treatments for cancer was advised that the treatments weren't working, and he's been given only a few months to live.  He's in the midst of getting settled into his home to spend his final days with his loved ones by his side.  We're so, so, so sorry to hear that it didn't go his way, and wish him, and his family, strength in the next while.  Go out there and LIVE people.  Don't put off stuff you think you can do another day.  Life is so precious and fragile. 
*speaking of ice cream. Dear LORD the ice cream consumption this summer has been atrocious.  If my wrist wasn't so bad I might consider trying to get a part-time job at Cows so that I might be sick of it.  It worked for me back in the day when I worked for Garden City.  I didn't want to even LOOK at an ice cream scoop or drop of ice cream for years after that.  Something tells me that wouldn't work though. 

Tuesday 2 August 2011

quote tuesday

Whatever you want in life, start today.
Not tomorrow - today.
Let it be a small beginning - a tiny beginning.
Your happiness depends on starting today - every day.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Monday 1 August 2011

"things don't end unless they end badly"*

You all know that I've basically watched this season more out of habit than anything else.  My eyes were sore from rolling them on a weekly basis, and, when it came down to the end two guys, I didn't really care which one she ended up choosing.  I did watch last night's "Men Tell All" with slight glee, waiting for the attack of Bentley, but the pussy ended up declining the invite to even attend, so I didn't even get any happiness out of that.

As for tonight's finale, I actually ended up missing the first 15 minutes, and for a brief moment, contemplated watching a movie with Chris and catching up on it on the weekend.  Chris opted to go to bed early, so I stayed up to watch it to the bitter end, after all.  So here you are - the first time all season I note my opinions right after the show aired instead of deferring it to a later day.

JP, eh?

If I was to place my choice out there, I would have wholeheartedly been routing for Ben.  He was the kindest. He was the most sincere. There was an obvious chemistry, and he could have given her a lifetime supply of wine at her fingertips (helllloooo!).  Besides, JP has an angry jealous streak he's already displayed.  Not cool.  And does she really think he's going to give up his life & routine to set up a whole new one with her?  Pfffft.  Right.  I think she made the wrong choice, and I think it's disgusting that she didn't stop Ben before he made his way down on bended knee when she knew what was about to happen  and could have easily stopped him.

It's only a matter of time before we see their names in the tabloids as the next failed Bachelorette union, and see her sniffling and bawling on the 3rd season of the Bachelor Pad.  *rolls eyes* (ouch!)


*quote by brokenhearted Ben; wishing you love and happiness someday, Ben!