Calories

No.  This isn't a diet blog.  In fact, it might be the opposite of a diet blog.  Last night I went to a restaurant called Calories for a going away party for coworkers.  This was not hosted by the school director and was a "gathering" instead.  There are actually about 5 coworkers/teachers who are not returning for the 2012/13 school year but this party was really only for 2 of them.
  

Calories is located on the artsy-fartsy street of Broadway.  Yes, there is a Broadway here and it's not even New York.  Broadway is known for places like The Bulk Cheese Warehouse, the Broadway Theatre, The Better Good, The Mad Hatter and so on.  I managed to find a parking spot at the end of the block and around the corner. 

I arrived on time.  I was the second person there.

I had made the faulty assumption that this was for dessert since the meeting time was 7:30.  I had my face fixed for their famed cheesecake.  But upon finding out others had not eaten dinner yet I decided to order a plate called Fromage.  Fromage was a tray of three cheeses, seasonal fruit, and a baguette.  The baguette was so tough it could have been used to take someone's eye out.  But the tray itself was a fantastic work of art.  I wanted to take a picture of it and I should have......but I didn't.  Fail.I had a Saskatoon Berry Lemonade for a beverage.  The waiter said "ohmygod it's so good."  So I thought I had made a good choice.  Others were having wine because it was Wine Wednesday and 20% or something.  The lemonade was good.

We had a table to ourselves in the back of the restaurant.....there were about 12 of us.  It was HOT.  Now, I know that my hormones are playing tricks on me and sometimes I don't feel the temperatures accurately......but man, oh man, I needed a fan.  Not cool.

About half of our group left around 9pm and I really should have too, but I wanted that cheesecake, dammit!  I picked out the Oreo Cheesecake.  It took what felt like an hour to arrive at the table.  Not cool.  The cheesecake was good alright.  But was it the amazing-OMG-you-gotta-go-here type of cheesecake?  No.  I was expecting mind blowing orgasms of cheesecake.  Didn't happen.  Cannoli....seriously....cannoli would have blown it out of the water.When I finally pulled away from the table and hugged my goodbyes it was 10:30pm.  I was so happy to be out on the street in the cool air.  The company had been fine but I was the oldest person there but by no means did I feel that old.  But the conversation wasn't even anything.....like.....interesting.....plus I couldn't hear everyone.  Ugh!  Once I was out on the street my immediate thought was "I'm too old for this crap!"  Also,  I just kept feeling like something was missing and several hours later....because the cheesecake kept me awake until 4am......what was missing was Hubby.  This experience would have been much better with Hubby and Hubby alone.  That's what made me feel most disappointed.

Today I found out one coworker who has been really great to me also isn't returning and I wasn't able to say goodbye to him last night as he didn't come to the farewell.  His classroom is next to mine and we've taught similarly as well.  I guess it's time for him to move on.  We can't all be fixtures....as I was reminded.....I am a fixture at the Academy.

You Should Do This More Often.....

.....he said.

I picked my jaw up off the floor.

"You seem so happy after your pedicure and if it makes you feel so good and be so happy then you should treat yourself more often."

Holy Mother of Meatloaf.

Who is this guy and what has he done with my husband?  Never mind!  I'll keep this guy!

But he's right.  It was freaking amazing.  The spa is called OHara's and is clear on the other side of the city in where most of the seniors tend to live.  As a result my Pedicurist said that a lot of her clientele was aged.

She put on soothing oceany music.  I told her it needed seagulls because there are seagulls at the ocean.  She said seagulls are annoying when you're trying to relax.  I suppose so.

I soaked.  I had a sugar scrub.  I got pumiced and massaged and then the most epic part of the whole experience happened.....the paraffin wax.

*drools*

I have never felt anything quite so heavenly.

Well.....almost.

Then she painted my piggies with a colour of my choosing.....OPI Extra Va-Vaganza which was part of the Burlesque collection.  My feets are super sparkly!
 
*sigh*

I really really liked the Pedicurist.  We really hit it off.  By the end I had her convinced she needed to go shopping at Pennington's for a dress, cute lingerie and shoes!  I said, "Hey, aren't you the one that's supposed to up sell me?"

It was awesome.  I'm planning on going back in August for a manicure.
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Brandy~puppy the Super Dog gets to go to the spa tomorrow.  She is in desperate need of a new hair do.

I've been slightly worried lately and honestly, since her near death experience last November and subsequent surgery.....I tend to worry too much.  Anyhow, she's been a little off this week.   Hubby says I shouldn't worry and there's nothing we can do.  He's partly right.  It just breaks my heart that my little baby pup is on bonus time.

She's not sick.  That's true.  She's just been picky about her food this week.  And her potty breaks have been a little "loose."  But she's obviously not in pain.  I worry that I wouldn't be able to tell if she was in pain.  But her tail still goes and I guess that's a good sign.  I suspect that she just ate something that didn't agree with her and with a spunky doggie you never know what that might be.  We were at the farm last weekend after all and she wasn't in my sights at all times.

I did see her chase a large frog under a spruce tree.

Anyhow, last night Brandy got very excited when I opened the door to retrieve the mail.  We don't often use the front door.  She isn't tall enough to exactly see out the door and that's when Hubby got the bright idea to take the cushions off the couch and stack them to make the doggie more comfortable.

Why didn't we think of this before?

This is what it's come to! 

Note:  This was a blog post from July 27th.  We later took Brandy to the vet and found out she had an intestinal virus and our vet said she should have been sicker than she was.  She was on meds for a week and is almost good as new.  Although some test results told us we may be looking at kidney disease down the road. 

Zombie Apocalypse

I woke up with a jolt.  Did Hubby say goodbye to me this morning?  I thought hard.  I squinted and thought harder.  I remembered him talking to Brandy who was tucked tightly under the blankets like a hot dog.  Was that today?  Or was that yesterday?

*shrugs*

Then I heard the radio from the other bedroom.  He snores.....end of story.  It turns out he called in "sick" today.  He says he just didn't feel like going to work today.  It must be nice.

I drank my morning coffee and ate a bowl of blueberry Special K, which incidentally does not have one single real blueberry in the whole box.  I guess that's what makes it so special.  I watched a half hour of Live with Kelly.  During the second half of the show I climbed on my stationary bike.  I was three quarters through with my doctor prescribed bike ride when the power went out.  Not a flicker.  Not a surge.  Dead.

Hubby scrounged around for an A&W coupon and decided to go for a bus ride.  He'd never waste a perfectly good sick day by actually being sick.

No power.  No internet.  No radio.  No heat.

Brandy tried to mooch morsels of a smores poptart from me as we kept warm under a blanket in the living room.  The wind would kick up and the stove vent flap would clang.  Its raining and blowing and then I think.....I haven't seen anyone.....not a soul on the street all morning.

There could be a zombie apocalypse and I'd never know it.

I sit with my eyes trained on the street pondering the idea. 

Then my neighbour's van pulls into her drive and their two little kids scamper out to the front door of their house.  Neighbour Mom is behind them toting a bag from A&W.

No zombies today I guess.

At least not yet.

I hear the tv snap a little as current tries to surge through it but nothing happens.  Then the wind gusts and the oven vent clangs again.

Easy Like Friday Morning

Some days are as easy as breathing.  Other days are like breathing clay.  Yesterday was a clay day.  This morning I woke up around 9am to take my thyroid pill and then hit snooze on the alarm.  I know this sounds incredibly late to a lot of you but my lifestyle is anything but normal.  My late work nights and sleeping habits dictate a rather lazy morning ritual.

The next time my alarm sounded John Gormley the local radio guy was talking about the New Saskatchewan versus the Old.  I rolled my eyes and turned over.  Its a no win discussion.

Usually at this point I sit up and see Brandy and say in a high pitched voice... "its a puppeeeeee!"  And this is the time that Brandy looks over at me and stretches and has the expression...just 10 more minutes mom.  But i grab her and scratch her tummy and give her hugs and kisses before proclaiming us lazy bones and jumping out of bed.

In the kitchen I reheat morning coffee and oatmeal while Brandy watches from the hallway.  Even though her bowl is full of Purina chicken and rice she is eager to have oatmeal too.  We have breakfast and watch Regis.....strike that.....Live with Kelly.

Every morning is that easy for me.  I'm pretty lucky.

This afternoon I had to pay the lab vampires a visit.  I only have enough synthroid for 2 weeks.  I counted.  I could have sworn I'd make it to Christmas, but oh well!  Nothing I can do about it!  So I stopped at the lab about 1:30.  The techs were so nice and not busy at all and actually eager to chat.  Maybe it was a slow day?  At any rate.....I was in and out in a jiffy.

So today instead of going down to the Starbucks in the Safeway down the hall I decided instead to treat myself to a trek across town to Pier One.

Now I don't know what was going on today.....well actually I kind of do.....  School was out for the day due to a teacher in-service AND many stores were having early Boxing Day sales to compete with Black Friday across the border.

The parking lot at Preston Crossing where Pier One is located was a zoo. 

Pier One was so magical.  I walked inside and stood in Christmas awe.  I indulged in several Christmas Tree ornaments.  I particularly love the old world type.  The ones with the reflector glass or indentations.  There were so many pretty things and once I made it to the cashier my bank account [Hubby's really] was $60 lighter.  One of the items I bought is a salt and pepper set that looks like coffee and donuts.  Now, I ask you....me of all people....how could I resist THAT?

Back out into traffic I was.  I made it to work in one piece.  I used the coffee machine for a mochacinno.  It did not taste like Starbucks.

My working day was as it usually is and I got to leave early due to a cancellation.  When I got home Hubby had ordered pizza for supper!  It arrived about 5 minutes later.  We chatted and ate and had a nice evening.

Most of my days are like this.  I don't have a lot of stress in my life.  I know I'm fortunate and I'm also thankful for everything I have in my life.

I guess its about time I rip off that band-aid from this afternoon!

He Danced Into My Life

When I say Hubby danced into my life, most people laugh, but its not entirely meant as a joke. It is the truth. The night was meant to be a girls night out. Myself, my friend Barb who was visiting from Edmonton and another close friend, Jane, who was freshly broken up were going out to just have some fun. It is an important fact that I was only 18 at the time and the legal drinking age was 19. Its also important that the place we were going was known for letting in underage people.....yet I wouldn't really know about that until years later. I had borrowed Barb's old driver's license in case I was i.d.'d. In those days they didn't require pictures. If they had, Hubby and I probably would never had met.

 

There was a live band playing that night. The name escapes me now but they were pretty good from what I remember. We sat and had drinks. It wasn't too long before a guy came over to the table. He had the bluest eyes I've ever seen and I was mesmerized. I had no idea he was talking to me. This was not Hubby. Barb grabbed his arm and dragged him off to the dance floor. I shrugged and went back to my drink. Pretty soon another guy was at our table and he was talking to me and I did accept to dance with him. This was Hubby. His dancing style was 'unique' but it didn't matter because the night was all about having a good time. What I distinctly remember about him, besides the dancing, was that when a dance was over he'd put his hand on my back to urge me back to our seats. It sent shock waves through me every time.

The evening ended with me driving all my friends home. The 'guys' didn't have a ride so of course I offered. We discovered they all boarded at the Bible College and were sneaking back in after curfew. We all exchanged numbers which Barb got all confused.....she wasn't good with names and we parted ways.

That was that.

It was a few weeks later and long after Barb had gone home that Jane and I were driving around one night. There wasn't a whole lot to do. We were driving down a particular street when Jane said 'Isn't that the guy from the bar?' And when I looked in my rear view mirror.....it most certainly was. He was walking very fast. I made a U-turn and headed toward the park where Future Hubby was taking a short cut.

If you ask him he will tell you I just appeared before him.

I actually pretty much chased him through the park on foot and cut him off at the pass.

I asked him where he was going and he said the 7-11 to return a movie and grab a coffee. So I offered a ride. Jane and I waited in the car until he returned. When he came out he did not have a coffee. That always struck me as funny. When I returned him to the College we again exchanged numbers and may have made plans to see each other again. That part is foggy, but I do know that we began seeing each other casually for coffee or movies until we really were dating.

Our very first official date was supper at an Italian restaurant followed by the movie Dances with Wolves.

I had no idea what my feelings really were for him. One night Jane said to me “are you kidding? You should see the way he looks at you.” What I knew was that he listened to me. He looked me in the eye. He opened doors for me and treated me the way my father always told me a 'real' guy would treat me.

A year and a half later we were engaged. He proposed to me in his hometown church, after he had asked my father for his permission,  where he said the following: This is where I asked God into my life and now, I'm asking you into my life. We were married a week before Christmas 1992.

Our lives have not always been perfect but our love has been constant. Without Hubby I would have never seen the ocean, learned the game of football or moved from my home town. He's made me more adventurous and constantly reminds me how to live life to the fullest. 

 

Hubby may not sparkle but he knows how to make my life twinkle and I feel truly blessed that he danced into my life.