Sweet Saturday

 We had a busy, productive day today.  And we were lucky enough to have our little pal Finn over for the afternoon.  He helped us finish our upside-down tomato planter projects.  Apparently tomatoes love to grow upside-down.  Lee found a how-to video on YouTube.  We learned that marigolds on top are best because they protect the tomato roots from bugs.  Lee also found some beautiful black industrial bins to use as our tomato planters.  I decided they need to be spruced up with some polka-dots! 


Our beautiful Boss Lubricants bin

Polka-dots! The little tomatoes shoots are just peeking out the bottom.



Little cutie, bundled up inside watching us struggle to hang our baskets outside.  Giving us lots of instruction!



LOVE him.

Such a lovely day.  So happy to enjoy some sunshine.  I can't wait for some delicous sweet tomatoes and some more quality time with my little Finny.

A New Beginning

It's been one whole year (almost to the day) since my very first blog post. I started writing originally because my adventures as a single girl trying to find a husband turned out to be rather amusing, and I felt as though they needed to be shared. This blog was kind of an outlet. As I went on crash-and-burn dates, flirted with gay men in the grocery store and was continually horrified and kind of amused by my encounters with Calgary's men, writing about it all seemed to help make light of it. And also helped me learn alot about myself. I'm kind of insane. Not officially insane, but insane in a funny way. Me actively pursuing a man was like trying to feed a baby a new food. The only reason I use this analogy is because I recently tried feeding my best friend Jessica's baby some food he has never tried... it was HILARIOUS. He was SO expressive. So was I, I suppose. I was zooming tiny spoonfuls of mashed avocado and banana at his face while my mouth was wide open in hopes that we would follow my example and open his mouth wide enough in order to squeeze in a little scoopful. I was waving my other hand, making airplane sounds and chomping noises in hopes that maybe he would try this new concoction. But every time, just as I saw a glimmer of hope, and thought "this is it, this one's goin' in," he closed his mouth, I smooshed the spoon into his face and with the taste of green gunk on his tongue, he curled up his entire face in complete disgust and stuck his tongue right out. We played this game repeatedly. There was no getting in. So, long analogy, yes... but that was me. Trying to force my way into a relationship, make things right when they weren't.

Sometimes you just gotta let go. And most times you find exactly what you're looking for when you're not looking for it at all. Besides, life is all about timing. (My big revelation. More on this to come.)

One year later, life is so much different. And so amazing. After two incredible trips to Florida to correct my scoliosis, an amazing and memorable Christmas with my family, one year (I can't even believe it) full of giggles and exciting milestones with Jessica's sweet little baby, months of rewarding and satisfying work, and five months of FUN, laughter, and complete wonderfulness with the most kind and perfect man... here I am. And I've missed this little blog of mine... so here we go again. A new beginning. Instead of blogging about my single life, I'll be blogging about my life. Just my life. It may not be exciting and rivetting, but it's mine. And I love it. Pictures, recipes, crafts, tid-bits, paintings, memories, stories, all of the sweet stuff.

Week One: COMPLETE!

So I have just finished my first week of intensive scoliosis correction down in Florida. It has been an emotional (and physical) roller coaster. The first day hit me like a ton of bricks, as what I was experiencing was FAR beyond anything that I had ever imagined. Day 2 and 3 were emotional and painful and Day 4 was absolutely brutal. Yesterday, I was completely exhausted. My body was just done. I was in incredible amounts of pain and I was completely drained. At the end of Day 4, we took another set of x-rays, and I came back to the condo and crashed. Although sleep is barely sleep when every once of your body is throbbing. Today was my turn-around day. I felt so much better this morning. Especially after seeing my x-rays! That huge curve that you see in the x-ray below is a 43 degree curve. After four days, it's down to 34 degrees. Still some work to do for sure, but we are all so thrilled with these positive changes. My doctors say that now that my spine is finally moving, we will be able to get some deep changes next week. It has not been easy, but it's all worth it!

I can feel all the positive vibes and thoughts and prayers every single minute of every single day and I so grateful. I am so lucky to have such amazing people thinking of me and taking care of me. Thank you.

Fate

I broke up with my boyfriend and I'm getting a new spine. Shit. Life is crazy. I mean, it's crazy how things work out.

First of all, the spine thing. I have a scoliosis. A pretty bad one. Not the worst ever, but bad enough that I am thrilled and completely elated about the possibility of getting it corrected. I have been in contact with a great doctor in Orlando who specializes in scoliosis correction. I am going down in one week for 14 days of intensive care. I have my flights booked, my vacation property reserved (private pool, king size bed, oh yeaaah), and have paid my deposit for this pricey two weeks of corrective care. The whole thing is surreal. I think I might have a bit of an identity crisis. I mean, this is the body that I have known for my whole life. Now everything is going to change. Exciting. Terrifying. Life changing.

Second, the boyfriend thing. Apparently my crazy magnet has not been removed. I thought I was rid of it, as this seemed to be the real thing. But nope. Not quite. Pretty disappointed, pretty sad, but also kind of relieved. It's exhausting worrying about someone else all the time. And it's absolutely torture feeling like you're the only one invested in a relationship. All the exhaustion and emotional turmoil was not only making me irritated and upset, but also sick. Physically. It's crazy how your body physically responds to something stressful. Not a healthy situation. So enough of the crazy, on to good changes and an exciting new direction. Maybe I will ask Dr. Nalda if he can remove my crazy magnet as part of my treatment. I mean it can't be that hard, just a minor surgical procedure. Get that thing outta me... no more crazy.

Anyways, I'm planning on blogging my entire trip. It's going to be quite an adventure. Especially if I meet a hot American husband on the plane. Now wouldn't that be fate? A new spine and a husband all in one trip.

Sayonara, Scoliosis.

Thankful

After another delicious family feast, I am left feeling the need to write.  Plus, it's been over a month, and I am getting harassed by my followers (ie. ONE follower - my brother) to blog.  So, here I am.  With a full tummy, kind of a heavy heart (I'll explain why later), and a brain full of blog ideas bouncing around, I am lying on the floor with my laptop watching Dancing With The Stars.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  

These family gathering always get me thinking: Where the F*#$ did I come from?  I really wonder.  How do I fit in with this family?  Did I come from the milkman?  Here is a little family tree breakdown as an explanation:

Specimen A: Papa G

Civil Engineer, Masters Degree, Ironman, hard-working, dedicated, non-emotional, introverted, traditional, conservative, kind of a nerd.

Specimen B: Mumma J

Community Health Nurse for ten years, incredible stay-at-home mom, now a coordinator at a Fine Arts school, loving, caring, would do anything for anyone.

Specimen C: Brother D

Typical middle child, smart, but vulgar, sarcastic, a bit of a womanizer, kind of an asshole and absolutely nothing like me.

Specimen D: Brother A

Typical youngest child, the life of the party, hilarious, witty, smart, also a bit of a womanizer, less of an asshole, but still nothing like me. 

{note: both Brother D and A also work at nightclubs, shoot stuff, and eat raw meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.}

Other dinner guests tonight:

-Steve: family friend, the sweetest, most stylish, delicious man I know.  If only he liked girls.  We'd have adorable babies.  Just sayin'.

-Ellen: childhood friend from Grade 2, incredibly intelligent, beautiful, amazing, one of the best friends a girl could ask for.

-Mark: grew up with the boys, pretty much similar to them, just slightly more PG, less R-rated.

-Xander: another friend of Brother A's, there's still hope for him.  He seems sweet enough, here's hoping the boys don't totally corrupt him before his 21st birthday.

And then there's me, Specimen E.  I'm kind of the odd ball.  Always have been, always will be.  With extreme views about healthcare, with passionate opinions about relationships, with values and convictions strongly rooted in respect and loyalty, I often find myself feeling a little left out in these heated (wine-induced) conversations. 

Quite the recipe for an interesting dinner, wouldn't you say?  Thank God Ellen was there.  At least I had one person in my corner!  

Which brings me to the part about a heavy heart.  The person that I really wanted to be there tonight couldn't make it.  I could have had another person in my corner.  And the one person that matters a lot to me.  Kinda bummed, but I'll get over it.  That's another blog post entirely.  

Anyways, I guess this is my point for this Thanksgiving Monday night:  family is family.  It doesn't matter how big of an asshole Brother D is, he's still my brother.  When it comes right down to it, I know that they would do anything for me.  I know that when shit hits the fan, when things fall apart, or when there is a real problem, we all come together, we all support each other, and there is nothing that we can't get through together.  I guess maybe the sum of our family combined is stronger and greater than its individual parts.  I guess that's just what family is.

My Ovaries Ache

Yes, you read right. I said it. My ovaries ache.

Translation: I want babies. Don't tell people; this is not something to be excited about. This is causing turmoil in my life. And no, Wild does not know that I have baby fever. Way to make a new boyfriend immediately vanish. I'm good enough at that as it is. Hah. But he can't be oblivious... I mean, he must see how I instantly fixate on any child within a 10 meter radius of us, how all I talk about is my best friends new little baby who I can't get enough of, and how I literally attract them. I swear, I am a baby magnet. They flock to me. It's like I'm a much hotter version of Dora the Explorer. Or Barney. Justin Bieber? Or something. Nevermind, bad analogy. You get the point.

But anyways... back to the turmoil part. My biological clock is ticking. The ticking is interfering with my other clocks, and all this noice is getting irritating. And quite honestly, it's making me a crazy person. I have never really even believed in the whole biological clock thing. I always just thought it was a funny term that women used when they were getting tired of being in a relationship lacking commitment, or in another unsettling place in life.

Well, after a little research (very reputable sources: Wikipedia, etc.), I have confirmed that there IS in fact such a thing as a biological clock. In fact, all human beings, plants and animals have an internal clock that tells us when to eat, sleep, wake up... the list goes on. So it only makes sense that I have two monstrous clocks taking over my ovaries and wreacking havock on my emotions. Seriously people, I'm only 26, what's my problem?

I hate to have timelines. I feel like we all put so much pressure on ourselves to get things done by a certain time, to have this many credentials, to make this much money, to have this promotion by this time.... like really, we all need to chill the f*ck out and enjoy life. I have never been one to put timelines on the progression of my own life. I will get married when I will get married. I will have kids when I have kids. Putting a date on those events is lame. Not fun. And not healthy. Yet, here I am, having infant urges.

I think this will pass, though. It's just a phase. And realistically, I am in no position to have a baby right now (my boss would kill me). And really, it's not a bad thing that I am excited about being a mom (in the future), right? It just means that I know what I want for my life. My life work will be my family. I am here to be a sister and a daughter, but I am also here to be an incredible wife and an amazing mother, and I know that will happen sometime. I guess maybe I just get excited about the possibilities.

But for now....

Ovaries, you need to shut the hell up. Seriously. Let's not get in a fight now. I'm going to need you later.

Lifesavers

Girlfriends are the best. When shit hits the fan, when you're down in the dumps, when you feel like a fat, ugly mess, or when you are a complete emotional basket case, there is nothing that cures these symptoms quite like a good giggle with a good girlfriend. It's the small moments and the simple pleasures that make life so amazing. And it's so good to share those with friends. Boyfriends, too, yes. But to be able to sit outside on a warm, breezy Friday night and eat chips and salsa, drink iced chai's and laugh hysterically to the point of embarassment is absolutely priceless (my tummy muscles are going to hurt in the morning - no lie). I don't know if I could do this with a boyfriend. It just wouldn't be the same. And this particular Friday night moment was extra special because of the reminiscing of our numerous past moments of humour together. I don't know what it is, but together, we are like fun magnets. Strange things just always seem to happen to us. It's pretty much the most awesome thing ever.

My girlfriends make me a better person by knowing them.
CS- You are wise beyond your years, your honesty and kindness are immensely admirable. Your warm spirit lights up a room and there has always been something about you that just shines. You radiate goodness. I am lucky to be able to call you my friend.
JD- My rock. You are beautiful inside and out. You walk through life with such strength and grace and you amaze me everyday. I respect you, look up to you and love you so much.
EL- You are such a role model to me. I am so proud of you and am always in awe of all of your accomplishments. You have such a big heart and I am fortunate be a part of your life. I am excited to see you conquer the world. You're a superwoman.

I fall asleep with cheeks that ache from smiling, a tummy that is satisfied with salsa, and a heart so full that it makes me feel like everything is okay in the world. And how good is that?


"They say nothing lasts forever. Dreams change, trends come and go, but friendships never go out of style."
~C.B.